Prompt: Robotic submersible probes depths of up to 4,000m near Antarctic Peninsula to obtain unprecedented data on how mixing ocean waters affect climate change A yellow submarine dubbed Boaty McBoatface has obtained “unprecedented data” from its first voyage exploring one of the deepest and coldest ocean regions on Earth, scientists have said. The robotic submersible was given the name originally chosen for a new polar research ship by irreverent contestants in a public competition. Embarrassed officials decided to ignore the popular vote and instead named the vessel the RRS Sir David Attenborough in honour of the veteran broadcaster. A storm of

protest led to a compromise that allowed the name to live on. The submarine plunged to depths as far as 4,000 metres to obtain information about temperature, water flow speed and turbulence from Orkney Passage, a region of the Southern Ocean about 500 miles from the Antarctic Peninsula. The data will help scientists to understand the complex ways that mixing ocean waters affect climate change. Boaty McBoatface: tyrants have crushed the people’s will | Stuart Heritage Read more Prof Alberto Naveira Garabato from the University of Southampton said: “The Orkney Passage is a key chokepoint to the flow of abyssal waters in which we expect the mechanism linking changing winds to abyssal water warming to operate. “Our goal is to learn enough about these convoluted processes to represent them in the models that scientists use to predict how our climate will evolve over the 21st century and beyond. “We have been able to collect massive amounts of data that we have never been able to capture before due to the way Boaty is able to move underwater. Up until now we have only been able to take measurements from a fixed point, but now we are able to obtain a much more detailed picture of what is happening in this very important underwater landscape.” The submersible was launched from the RRS James Clark Ross as part of the seven-week expedition. It is a new type of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and can travel under ice and reach depths of 6,000 metres, transmitting the data it collects to researchers via a radio link. The universities and science minister, Jo Johnson, said: “Fresh from its maiden voyage, Boaty is already delivering new insight into some of the coldest ocean waters on Earth, giving scientists a greater understanding of changes in the Antarctic


Prompt: giffgaff claims to be “the network run by you”, so perhaps it shouldn’t be quite so surprised when the online community objects to what was a mobile phone company suddenly deciding it’s a bank. The “run by you” bit means that the company worries a lot about what customers say in the forums. And what the “owners” are saying is that they don’t like it. One contributor says “giffgaff [are] selling their soul”, while others are questioning how the model where “owners” get commission on getting others to sign up for a giffgaff phone will translate to siging up for

a giffgaff loan. giffgaff did originally propose a “payback” scheme, but this was shouted down and the plans to do that now seem to have been nixed. The mechanism by which the loan works is that it’s through a company called RateSetter, which co-ordinates peer-to-peer lending. In its FAQ, giffgaff says: Is giffgaff money a niche product within the financial sector?: The financial services market is still dominated by the big banks, but there have been new entrants. The supermarkets have launched banks to compete and the growth of peer-to-peer lending has provided an alternative opportunity for investors to gain better returns and lower borrowing rates. giffgaff believes that by working with RateSetter to promote a fairer, more transparent way of borrowing that we can help grow this sector of the market. At the moment, it is fair to say that it is a niche sector, but one that is growing fast.” Which hints at ambitions to be a big lender. The scheme allows people over 21 to borrow sums of between £750 and £7,500 for up to five years. There are light credit checks and the rate depends on the person doing the borrowing. It’s grown out of a system of loans for buying a handset. giffgaff will allow customers to take out a loan, using RateSetter to buy the handset with the mobile deal being SIM only. Despite the forum malcontents, a spokesperson for giffgaff told El Reg that the move into moneylending followed consultation both online and offline, adding that giffgaff was “all about the individual”. Of course, giffgaff isn’t truly run by you: it’s 100 per cent owned by O2, which for the moment is owned by Telefonica. It remains to be seen what Three will do with giffgaff when it acquires O2. RateSetter and giffgaff


Prompt: Robert Webb risked being typecast by the popularity of TV’s Peep Show, but as he tells Nick Ahad, the stage has given him a chance to shine. As the feckless half of one of the most popular double acts on British television in the last decade, Robert Webb could have easily become a victim of his own success. Robert Webb and David Mitchell turned Peep Show into a hugely popular cult hit. Alongside David Mitchell, his co-star in Channel Four’s Peep Show, Webb has been so taken into the hearts of fans as Jeremy, that many imagine the line between

actor and character must have become a little blurred. In Peep Show, Jeremy and Mark are men in their thirties, who share a London flat. They are the classic odd couple – Mark, buttoned up and career minded, Jeremy convinced that the world is just waiting to discover his musical genius – this despite his lack of ability to play any instrument. For a while it seemed like Webb might always be in Jeremy’s shadow when it came to acting roles, but he has discovered a way to break out of the Peep Show straitjacket through turning to the stage. The Cambridge graduate, who toured with the famous university Footlights group, has spent the last six months proving to London audiences that he is much more than the overgrown teen Jeremy. He has also ably demonstrated he is more than the less intellectual half of the Mitchell and Webb double act. He did this by firstly taking on the role of Bertie Wooster in the stage adaptation of Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense in the West End. Then once he had turned heads with an impressive performance in that show he went on to appear in a new West End production of the brilliant Tim Firth-written Neville’s Island, which premiered at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre over a decade ago. The notices were kind about Webb’s performances, so much so for his portrayal of Wooster that the show is now heading out on a national tour, and Webb is coming with it. Taking on the stage roles was fraught with possible pitfalls. Would those who know Webb only for his television work take him seriously when he trod the boards? He also faced the question of the shoes he was going to fill in taking on the role of Bertie


Prompt: Steve Cohen writes: We have been developing a suite of programs in C++ which allow us to do Bayesian hierarchical regression and logit/probit models on marketing data. These efforts have included the use of high performance computing tools like nVidia’s CUDA and the new OpenCL standard, which allow parallel processing of Bayesian models. Our software is very, very fast – even on databases that are ½ terabyte in size. The software still needs many additions and improvements and a person with the right skill set will have the chance to make a significant contribution. My [Cohen’s] firm is looking for

strong candidates to help us in developing software and analyzing data using Bayesian methods. Here’s the job description he sent: Bayesian statistician and C++ programmer The company In4mation Insights is a marketing research, analytics, and consulting firm which operates on the leading-edge of our industry. Our clients are Fortune 500 companies and major management consulting firms. We solve tough business problems with quantitative creativity, results-oriented and powerful models, robust response tools and techniques, and uncommon know-how. We need talented, creative, superior thinkers and leaders to join us and to help create an organization that will become the one that clients will want to work with and that people will want to work for. We are located in Needham, Massachusetts, just 20 minutes from downtown Boston. We offer competitive salary, health/dental care, and a 401K program. The position We are searching for an experienced statistician/developer who knows both Bayesian statistics AND programming in C++. For Bayesian statistics, the candidate MUST have experience with: • MCMC methods, including Gibbs sampling, Metropolis-Hastings sampling, and slice sampling • Econometrics and/or mathematical statistics, with strong knowledge of regression and choice models (e.g. logit, probit, tobit) As a developer, you MUST know: • C++ exceptionally well • R and/or S-Plus • Knowledge of SAS is helpful, but not required In addition to statistical software development, the position involves aiding in statistical modeling of large transactional databases. Consultation with other staff and clients on interpretation and analysis of advanced models is also part of this job. Next steps If you are interested in this position, please send an updated resume with salary requirements to steve@in4ins.com. See our website www.in4ins.com for additional details about the company. Please highlight for us: • Your statistical experience • Experience with Bayesian estimation methods • Experience with C++ • Experience in developing


Prompt: Everybody likes free and with Bitrix24 you get a lot of free stuff – free private social network, free crm and invoices, free project management, free document management, free calendar and 30+ other free business tools that come handy when you run a busy web studio. Intrigued? Let’s take a closer look. Essentially Bitrix24 is social intranet for businesses (sometimes called enterprise social network or private social network) – meaning it’s a social network used for business. You use it to discuss ideas with your coworker and clients, share documents and send messages to each other. Kind of like Facebook,

but your own. Because Bitrix24 comes with free 5GB worth of storage, it’s perfect for discussing designs, sketches and drafts. The difference between Bitrix24 and Behance or other social tools for designers is that it’s more business oriented. Rather than collaborating on designs, you collaborate on projects. CRM module is where you store you clients and prospects. You can either enter them manually, import from Excel or import automatically from your web form (like quote request from on your website). You can communicate with your clients via e-mail directly from the CRM thanks to Send’n’Save feature in order to convert your prospects to paying clients. Invoices are available for free in CRM, so you can bill your clients directly from the CRM as well. Project management module allows you to create a separate workgroup for each project you are currently working on. Importantly, you can invite people outside you company (like clients, for example) into workgroups via extranet feature. The instruments for project management in Bitrix24 are fairly standard – Gantt charts, tasks, check lists, task reports and so on. As with CRM, all this is available for free. If you’ve ever worked with Dropbox, you’ll see that file sharing and Bitrix24.Drive work pretty much exactly as in Dropbox – you can store files, share them, including providing external links outside your intranet so others can download your files, if you want, you can edit documents together and revert to older version, if you’ve made a mistake and so on. You can map a single document library or all of your document libraries to a network drive on your local machine literally in 2 clicks using WebDav. Good stuff. Calendars are another cool Bitrix24 feature. You can share calendars, subscribe to your coworkers calendars, in order to know they schedule


Prompt: Are you there? Tell iReport what you see. Get the local report from WBAY. (CNN) -- All 24 hostages held captive by a hangun-toting student in northeast Wisconsin were freed Monday night, after several hours of being confined inside a high school classroom, police said. Marinette Police Chief Jeffrey Skorik told reporters just before 8:30 p.m. (9:30 p.m. ET) that the hostages -- 23 students and a female teacher -- were safe and would soon be reunited with their families. The chief did not immediately divulge the condition or whereabouts of the suspect, whose name has not been released. The

young male took over the classroom about 3 p.m. Monday, as classes were ending at Marinette High School. He prevented anyone from leaving the room and eventually communicated with police through a teacher, Skorik said. The chief announced shortly before 8 p.m. (9 p.m. ET) Monday that five hostages -- all students -- had been released. The hostage-taking student had no previous run-ins with the law, according to Skorik, adding that he had "no idea" about the suspect's motive. A Marinette school administrator called police at 3:48 p.m. (4:48 p.m. ET) Monday, after most students had left for the day, reporting that an armed student had gone into a classroom and taken those inside hostage. Bradley Behrendt, a city councilor, told CNN that he was two blocks from the school when about 15 police squad cars pull up and several officers come out, with their vests on and holding guns as they entered the school. "They were just going like crazy," Behrendt said of the police response. By about 7 p.m., about 40 law enforcement personnel had converged on the scene, according to Skorik, with more coming in as the night went on. They included hostage negotiators who set up inside the school, according to Skorik. They had not talked directly with the student some three hours into the incident, but did get regular updates from the teacher. Skorik said that the hostage-taker is a student at Marinette High, and that he believed -- though he could not confirm -- the student was assigned to the class that he took over. Police know the identity of the student, though they haven't name him publicly, and have talked with his family members. Skorik said law enforcement believe the the young male, armed with a single handgun, acted alone. The incident riled


Prompt: 2 Journalists Killed During Live Broadcast In Virginia; Suspect Has Died Enlarge this image toggle caption DAVID MANNING/Reuters /Landov DAVID MANNING/Reuters /Landov (This post was last updated at 3:43 p.m. ET.) Two journalists for Virginia TV news station WDBJ were killed by a gunman Wednesday morning while they were broadcasting live at a waterfront shopping center about an hour southeast of Roanoke, Va. Reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward were doing a live report from Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta when a gunman opened fire, killing Parker and Ward and injuring Vicki Gardner, the head of a local Chamber of

Commerce who was being interviewed. Gardner is now in stable condition, hospital officials say. A suspect in the shooting was quickly identified — in part because of video taken at the scene — as Vester Lee Flanagan, 41, a former reporter for the station who was also known as Bryce Williams. toggle caption Twitter Franklin County Sheriff Bill Overton says Flanagan has died. He had suffered a gunshot wound when he was taken into custody by Virginia State Police after a car chase that came hours after the shooting; authorities earlier said Flanagan was in critical condition. At a 2:15 p.m. news conference, Overton said that less than an hour earlier, Flanagan had "died at Fairfax Inova Hospital in Northern Virginia, as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound." In an earlier statement, Virginia State Police described how the shooting suspect had fled and eventually reached Interstate 66, with police in pursuit. The suspect refused to stop, ran off the road and crashed. When police approached the vehicle, they found he had suffered a "gunshot wound." The man, police said, was taken to a hospital with "life-threatening injuries." In an interview with CNN, Jeffrey A. Marks, WDBJ-TV's general manager, said Flanagan was hired as a reporter, but about two years ago he was fired. During a separate broadcast on his network, Marks said Flanagan had filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after he was fired. The station reports: "This happened during a live broadcast around 6:45 a.m. ... "Adam was 27-years-old. Alison just turned 24. "Both were from the WDBJ7 viewing area." Video shows the camera panning to Parker in the middle of an interview as the gunman opens fire. Parker can be heard screaming. The final image in the video shows the camera falling down


Prompt: Cashin' In, Eric Bolling's Saturday morning program features a group of Fox Yakkers, mainly hard core right-wingers, who pontificate on matters of finance, politics and hot news. Apparently, it's time to lend some credence to the outrageous proclamations of the GOP front runner, Donald J. Trump, and his anti-Muslim immigration idea. It's time to lay blame squarely where it belongs for this bloviating maniac's irresponsible ideas that now define the Republican party. President Obama has wrought this havoc, not the GOP, who produced this literal embodiment of the deep-seeded, bigoted hate felt by their party. He has created this climate

for divisiveness. Bolling seems to believe that our media, purported to be 'liberal,' has been more than culpable, especially in light of the recent Daily News headlines denouncing the recalcitrant Trump. Michelle Fields, whose rise to prominence consisted of an attempt at insulting teachers to Matt Damon, thinks that the Hillary Clinton email scandals are far more egregiously offensive than banning members of a faith that boasts over a billion followers. Apparently, Fields has been living under a rock for the last two years, as is evidenced by this comment: 'I didn't see the media calling her ridiculous words and names like they did with Donald Trump.' Democratic Strategist, Jessica Tarlov reminds the panel that Trump expressed that he didn't mind being compared to Hitler, and that Japanese internment camps weren't 'that bad.' Bolling wants to hear none of her Trump-is-off-the-rails truths, he wants to demonize the media and other GOP candidates for ganging up on Trump, while bashing the President for failing to say Radical Islam. Bolling thinks that everyone is just unfairly picking on a good idea, you know, just ban all Muslims. After all, Trump's cockamamie proposals only seem to boost his poll numbers. Hoenig, not his usual acerbic self today, simply explains the allure of Trump. Tarlov gives a milquetoast acquiescence to Bolling's idea that it's not such a bad idea to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S. because people are afraid (thanks to Fox 'News' and their AM talk radio counterparts). But she did mention all the people he's trashed: women, Mexicans, the handicapped, and finally they're (the GOP) saying something, they're trashing an entire religion. ↓ Story continues below ↓ Bolling counters by playing the soundbite from Loretta Sanchez (D-Ca) where she admits that there is a small percentage, 5%-20% of Muslims, who


Prompt: Blair Cottrell: They will call you racists, bigots, they will put pressure on you, but in order to rise above it you need to not care. You need to put your fists up, be ready to fight, to stand up, defend the history of our great nation. [Applause, cheers] Christine El-Khoury: A small but growing anti-Islamic movement has taken to the streets in rallies in cities and regional centres across Australia. Blair Cottrell: You will see our movement grow. You will see us blossom, you will see us advance into the greatest upheaval this country has ever known. The only

way to stop us now is to kill us, and good luck. [Applause, cheers] Christine El-Khoury: The language is aggressive and war-like. It's as if they see Muslims and any sympathisers as an enemy in which there will be a fight to the death. And they don't understand why their views aren't mainstream. Chris Shortis: Well, it's only controversial to those left-wing fucktards and all the sympathisers of Islam and all the treacherous dogs who are in office in our fucking country. Christine El-Khoury: A number of new far-right groups have emerged, among them Reclaim Australia and the United Patriots Front. Both have ties to the Australian Defence League, an ultra-right-wing group known for its racist and anti-Islamic hate speech. They may gather under a different banner, but they all have one thing in common; they see Muslims and Islam as an evil ideology that must be overcome. Their supporters cloak themselves in the flag. Some are heavily tattooed, swastikas, angry men, some with criminal histories. It gives every appearance of being threatening and potentially violent. But according to Rise Up Australia president Daniel Nalliah, that image they present is not what he sees. Daniel Nalliah: They are lovely young men. When I get into their hearts and start talking to them, sit down for a drink with them, have a meal with them, I see a different side to these boys. They are lovely Aussie boys who love their country. Christine El-Khoury: These lovely Aussie boys are the members of the United Patriots Front, they're one of a number of far nationalist groups who have emerged this year. They want an end to Muslim migration and multiculturalism. And they're on the police radar. Neil Gaughan: I wouldn't say we have a profile, but, look, it's fairly clear that there


Prompt: Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues

that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine? The word in Washington is that President Obama has, in negotiations with Congressional Republicans, offered to raise the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67. Ad Policy A report in the Washington Post quoted "a Democratic official familiar with the discussions," while other media outlets quoted multiple unnamed sources with knowledge of the talks the president and Congressional leaders have been engaged in with regard to raising the debt ceiling. All the reports suggest that Obama would trade the change in the eligibility age for a Republican agreement to accept some new taxes. Obama essentially acknowledged as much Monday, when he said: “I’m prepared to take significant heat from my party to get something done." He should take significant heat. The president’s proposal does not resemble a plan that mainstream Democrats would suggest, let alone support. In fact, it roughly resembles a plan advanced last month by Senators Tom Coburn,


Prompt: First, Apple revealed a critical bug in its implementation of encryption in iOS, requiring an emergency patch. Then researchers found the same bug is also included in Apple's desktop OSX operating system, a gaping Web security hole that leaves users of Safari at risk of having their traffic hijacked. Now one researcher has found evidence that the bug extends beyond Apple's browser to other applications including Mail, Twitter, Facetime, iMessage and even Apple's software update mechanism. On Sunday, privacy researcher Ashkan Soltani posted a list of OSX applications on Twitter that he says he's determined use Apple's "secure transport" framework,

the coding library that developers depend on to build programs that securely communicate online using the common encryption protocols TLS and SSL. The full list, which isn't comprehensive given that Soltani only analyzed the programs on his own PC, is shown below. (Soltani has underlined the vulnerable application names in red.) Soltani, an independent researcher whose recent work has included analyzing the surveillance documents leaked by NSA contractor Edward Snowden on behalf of the Washington Post, warns that the security of several applications on that list are severely compromised, including Apple's email program Mail, scheduling app Calendar and its official Twitter desktop client. The bug affects how Apple devices authenticate their secure connection with servers, allowing an eavesdropper to fake that verification and hijack or corrupt traffic using what's known as a "man-in-the-middle" attack. "All these apps would be vulnerable to the same man-in-the-middle vulnerability outlined on Friday," Soltani says. Some of the affected apps such as iMessage and Facetime have added security that could reduce the effects of the security vulnerability, though Soltani warns that for the iMessage instant messaging application the initial login at Apple's me.com website may be compromised, even if the messages themselves remain encrypted, and that similar problems may exist for Facetime. "There are going to be parts of the protocol like the initial 'handshake' that rely on TLS, and those will be vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks," Soltani says. Equally troubling is the notion that Apple's Software Update application is affected, which means that Apple's mechanism for pushing new code to OSX machines, including security updates, could be compromised. Soltani notes that in addition to SSL and TLS, Software Update also checks for Apple's signature on any code that it asks users to install. But he adds that the code-signing protection hasn't stopped malware from


Prompt: Topics: air pollutants, air pollution, health disparities, health inequities, urban health, urban populations Despite overall reductions in ambient air pollution in Massachusetts, exposure continues to fall unequally along racial/ethnic, income, and education lines, according to a new study led by a School of Public Health researcher. The study, published in Environmental Research, found concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) decreased across the state between 2003 and 2010, but exposure remained higher in predominantly Hispanic and non-Hispanic black communities. Within the state’s cities, the researchers found exposure inequality actually increased slightly between racial/ethnic

groups during the study period. “Although ambient air pollution concentrations have decreased across all of Massachusetts, these reductions had a higher relative impact on populations that were already in the lowest exposure categories, hence the increase in exposure inequality,” says Patricia Fabian, research assistant professor of environmental health and the study’s senior author. While numerous previous studies have shown disparities in air pollution exposure at one point in time, the current study was one of the first to track those disparities over space and time, allowing for a more nuanced picture of exposures as demographics shift in a given area. Using data from the 2000 and 2010 Census and the 2006–2010 American Community Survey on race/ethnicity, income, educational attainment, and rural/urban land classification, the researchers calculated exposures using modeled PM 2.5 concentrations from 2003 to 2010 and NO 2 concentrations from 2005 to 2010. The researchers then characterized the disparities using the Atkinson Index, a quantitative measure for relative inequality. The researchers found the average annual PM 2.5 concentrations across the state decreased by 35 percent between 2003 and 2010 and the average annual NO 2 concentrations decreased by 24 percent between 2005 and 2010. However, non-Hispanic black populations continued to have the highest exposures, followed by Hispanic populations. The gap between exposures for non-Hispanic black populations and non-Hispanic white populations remained the same, while the gap between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white populations slightly increased. The authors noted that exposure to NO 2 was more dramatically unequal than exposure to PM 2.5 , perhaps because NO 2 is strongly linked to automobile exhaust, which can vary within a city based on traffic patterns, while PM 2.5 is derived from a wide variety of sources and tends to have more regional concentrations. “Greater inequalities in urban areas, where there is often


Prompt: Despite the blur of activity by innumerable candidates, the 2016 presidential campaign so far is a mostly shapeless enterprise, save for one dominant factor: the prominence of money in the narrative. More than anything, money has been the defining characteristic of the race, highlighted by the political and private activities of the brand names of Clinton and Bush. In their own ways, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Jeb Bush have brought unintentional attention to the role of money in politics and public life, to the intersection of money and political and public influence, and to the general absence of restraints, self-imposed

or enforced. For Clinton, the story is partly about non-campaign money, about fundraising for the Clinton Foundation as well as the extraordinary amounts of money she and former president Bill Clinton have been paid for speeches since early 2014. For Bush, it is the apparent disregard for the spirit of campaign finance laws as he travels the country, filling up his super PAC with tens and tens of millions of dollars, all the while posing as someone still trying to decide whether he will become a candidate. Clinton cannot shake off questions and criticism about how she and her husband have cashed in after leaving public service. Even though much had been written about the amounts each of the Clintons was being paid for speeches to corporate, trade-association or educational institutions, the revelation last week that they have received about $25 million for 104 speeches since early 2014 was eye-popping. Hillary Clinton likes to say the deck is stacked against average Americans. She said Tuesday in Iowa that she wants to “reshuffle” that deck. No doubt that is a genuine belief from a Democratic politician looking at the state of the economy and comes with a conviction that public policies can and should be geared to alleviate the imbalance, at least somewhat. But she and her husband also are evidence of the imbalance. Bill Clinton’s declaration that he will continue to make paid speeches because, as he told NBC News, “I gotta pay our bills” sounds tone-deaf in the face of it all. The Clinton Foundation points to another problem of a Clinton presidential candidacy: the potential conflicts of interest — real or perceived — that the foundation’s fundraising could pose should Hillary Clinton win the White House in 2016. The charitable foundation does good work — few would dispute


Prompt: By Ray Charlston Several weeks ago, Margaret O’Reilly began seeing a local psychiatrist in her city of Seattle Washington. Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Rahman is a licensed psychiatrist who originally practiced in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He has been practicing psychiatric medicine in the US for more than 10 years. After one session, according to Mrs. O’Reilly, Dr. Rahman stunned her by suggesting that she was suffering from “Disobedient Wife Disorder.” The treatment for “Disobedient Wife Disorder” (or DWD), which is even more controversial, involves light beatings using a stick called a “miswak.” The punishment is administered by the woman’s husband, along

with verbal admonitions from him for his wife to be obedient, or to end her rebellion. The practice is designed, allegedly, not to injure a woman or to harm her, but to shame and humiliate her into compliance. The controversial treatment is allegedly about “Bringing the woman back to her senses and back to reality” according to one booklet on the topic. “Disobedient Wife Disorder” remains a controversial diagnosis, sparking strong feelings among those on both sides of the issue. Most of the psychiatrists in the West who do accept the existence of DWD are Muslim, and this fact is often cited by Islamophobes and reactionaries. The American Psychiatric Association, as well as the American Psychological Association, both reject the diagnosis. When I began writing this article, Margaret O’Reilly was suing Dr. Rahman for medical malpractice. According to Mrs. O’Reilly “I have always been progressive and strongly anti-racist. I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my entire body! When I learned that Dr. Ahmed was a devout Saudi Muslim, that he had a special room just for praying in his office, and that the government of Saudi Arabia expelled him from their country for alleged ‘extremist’ activities and associations, I didn’t judge. This has nothing to do with Dr. Ahmed’s religion; this is about discrimination against women and medical malpractice. For a male doctor to tell me that I have “Disobedient Wife Disorder”, and that I require beatings from my husband, is outrageous and intolerable. This isn’t about Islam at all; it’s about male-chauvinism. Islam is a beautiful religion of peace and moderation practiced by millions of people around the world.” When I asked Dr. Rahman for his comment, responding to Mrs. O’Reilly’s quote, he stated that “I am a devout Muslim. I strongly object and take exception to Mrs.


Prompt: I recently filed House Bill 396 to illustrate the absurdity of government encroachment into women's personal and medical decisions currently running amok in the Kentucky General Assembly and Bevin Administration. A rash of anti-abortion bills have been filed, and one is now law that places extreme hardship and emotional stress upon women and strips away their rights to make choices about their health, future and wellbeing. Advertisement: With just a few exceptions, these efforts are being perpetrated upon Kentucky women by white men, under the guise of religious rants and false facts, but in reality their crusade is for political

gain and reelection purposes. The conservative movement sweeping Kentucky has put women in the cross hairs of its battle to take over government at all levels, and it's time we recognize this hypocrisy for what it is. As these legislators and our governor increase efforts to mandate their presence in our doctor's examining rooms I believe it is time we regulate men's reproductive choices. House Bill 396 would allow for that fair play by having a man visit his doctor twice and have a signed permission slip from his spouse to obtain a prescription for erectile dysfunction. He would also be required to swear on a Bible that his prescription would only be used when having sexual relations with his current spouse. That may sound like salacious, outrageous or even comical measures, but I assure you women in Kentucky aren't laughing as they struggle with gut wrenching decisions about unintended pregnancies now made more complicated and burdensome by legislative intrusion. Under House Bill 396, prescriptions like Viagra that promote sexual performance could protect unmarried women from becoming pregnant by philandering men, thus reducing the number of abortions from unwanted pregnancies. Advertisement: It would seem that the anti-abortion proponents — who espouse family values — should applaud House Bill 396 especially when given the opportunity to declare their honest intentions upon the Holy Bible. And that these same concerned folks would champion sex education and birth control access to enlighten their constituents about unintended consequences including sexually transmitted diseases. However, my decades-long advocacy for women's rights tells me that House Bill 396, a true leveling of the reproductive rights playing field, will not see the light of day in a legislative committee meeting any time soon. The stranglehold male lawmakers have on legislating private medical issues applies solely to Kentucky women


Prompt: Hey guys, Welcome to the Official IW Avatar Design Contest! How does it work? How long do I have? How do I submit my masterpiece? What do we get for rewards? Grand Prize Runner up Official voting: Submissions #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10#11#12#13#14#15#16#17 The Infinity Wars community has always been a place of creativity and inspiration, whether it's card design, artwork, videos or guides and lore.Should you have an unquenchable desire to make artwork that is your own personal representation of something, here's your way to do

it for IW.This is my way of letting you express that and get rewarded for it.You'll create an Avatar of your own, based on Infinity Wars themes. Doesn't have to be an existing character, doesn't have to be anything in-game if you don't want it to be. It just has to be Infinity Wars themed images.Players can submit multiple images, I will create a list of all the submissions for us to vote on without revealing the artist until a winner is chosen to keep complete anonymity.Submissions will close on March 19th. So make sure you post your submission on or before that date. Through this Google Form . Submissions must be presented in ain any size.When the winners are selected I'll contact you to export your image in a 512x512 resolution, the resolution that our Avatars use.*Dimensions for submissions aren't important so long as it's a square, just remember that you're creating an Avatar, and you'll have to keep in mind that your image will have to look good as a smaller 512x512Please remember to use a simple link to your image such as Imgur or something of that nature., this will be more of a creativity and vision contest rather than skill with a drawing pad.Your avatar will be given to your account for you to show off to the world. On top of that, you have the option of telling us what you'd like done with your Avatar. Do you want it put in the store to be sold? Do you want it given to you and your friends? You tell us. You will also receive 5000 Lightmare Points!Your avatar will be credited to your account for you to show off to the world, and you'll get 2500 Lightmare Points for your awesome effort!I'll be monitoring the


Prompt: Kaju katli recipe with step by step photos. Kaju katli (vegan cashew fudge) recipe or kaju barfi recipe is one of the most sought after Indian sweet recipes. Here is an easy kaju katli recipe for beginners to try without sugar syrup. These thin, melt in mouth and smooth kaju katlis are just like what you get in sweet stalls. This is one of the most tried and tested recipes from the blog too. Do try out this fool proof kaju katli recipe as a treat to the family or edible gift during festivals like Diwali, navratri, Ganesh chaturthi etc.

Kaju katli recipe or kaju barfi recipe or Indian vegan cashew fudge recipe is a royal Indian sweet that takes a pride position in most Indian festival treats. It is one of the most loved sweets and often gifted to friends and relatives during festivals like diwali. I have tried making kaju katli recipe 2-3 years before and did not get it right. I always have a problem with sugar syrups . I try to stay away from sweets calling for even one string syrup and the most popular recipe of kaju katli is the one with powdered cashews and one string syrup,obviously not my cup of tea. I so badly wanted to try kaju katli recipe as it one of our favorite sweets and I was desperately searching for kaju katli without sugar syrup recipe. I found this easiest recipe for kaju katli in Mrs Mallika Badrinath’s 100 sweet varieties and there was no need for sugar syrup.You just have to grind sugar and cashew,mix and cook,can it get easier than this . Usually varak (edible silver foil) is placed on kaju katli but i never use it. Though this is an easy kaju katli recipe we need to be extremely focused and careful as when to stop cooking,kneading etc. Please be sure to check the notes section for more pointers. This kaju katli recipe is so rich that you wont believe it is vegan.I have used just a drop of ghee just to grease the plate and that can be avoided too if you wish. There is absolutely no need for ghee in this recipe, this is a vegan Indian cashew fudge recipe 🙂 I can confidently say this is the best recipe for kaju katli that even beginners can try without any fear. I really urge you


Prompt: ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions have hired Jim Caldwell as head coach, ending a two-week search during which they interviewed only four candidates. The 58-year-old Caldwell fit a lot of the criteria Detroit had during its search. The Lions wanted someone with head-coaching experience and experience on offense, apparently preferably with quarterbacks. "On behalf on my entire family, I want to express how thrilled we are with the appointment of Jim Caldwell as our new head coach," Lions owner and chairman William Clay Ford said. "We believe Jim is the right man to lead our team and deliver

a championship to our fans." Caldwell became the second minority candidate to land a head-coaching job this month, joining new Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith. "To be openly frank, we felt that he should be the guy," Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation chairman John Wooten said Tuesday afternoon. "We really wanted him in that particular team. Thought it was an excellent fit." Caldwell was the first person to interview for the Detroit job, followed by former Texans coach Gary Kubiak, former Titans coach Mike Munchak and former Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. Detroit was spurned by Whisenhunt, thought to be the top choice, on Monday when he chose the Titans job. Jim Caldwell is the second minority candidate to land an NFL head-coaching job this month, joining Tampa Bay's Lovie Smith. Rob Carr/Getty Images Caldwell has been a head coach at two prior stops -- from 2009 to 2011 with the Colts and from 1993 to 2000 with Wake Forest. He replaces Jim Schwartz, who was fired following Detroit's late-season collapse that resulted in a 7-9 finish. Caldwell, who turns 59 on Thursday, posted a 26-22 record in three seasons after replacing Tony Dungy in Indianapolis. The Colts reached the Super Bowl in Caldwell's first season at the helm and went to the playoffs the following season. In fact, Caldwell has more career playoff wins (two) than the Lions organization has over the last 55 years combined. Since winning the NFL title in 1957, the Lions are 1-10 in the postseason. After being fired by Wake Forest, Caldwell became a quarterbacks coach in the NFL, first for Tampa Bay, where he worked with Brad Johnson in 2001, and then with Indianapolis, where he was Peyton Manning's position coach from 2002 until 2008. Fired by Indianapolis in 2011, Caldwell went to


Prompt: Crispy Rice Crispy Rice is unaware they can edit their status GTR.co.uk seasoned Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 93 Accident: Don't do what I did.... I had a low speed crash into the back of a white van, it was a badly surfaced road, we were stopped, pulled away.... and the person infront of the van stopped for no reason, causing the van to tap the tow bar of the car infront and me in sympathy to do the same to the van. Ok enough of the excuses, I am posting here to make sure noone makes the same

mistake I did. I thought long and hard about posting this, but i think it is important that other GTR owners see this so they aren't stung by a careless accident and the GTR Tax! I bumped into tho the white vans tow bar causing this small crack in my bumper... Unfortunately it also set off the Pedestrain Saftey system, where the bonnet pops up.... Which is a one use system.... You need to replace the bumper, rams, bonnet hinges.... and of course the ECU When the accident happened i called my dealer and asked them to collect the car and told them i would just pay for it without putting it through my insurance. Then i found out the total cost of the repairs. Eleven Thousand Pounds. I'm pleased to report the car has been repaired perfectly, even if it took 5 weeks! But I fear GTR insurance won't be so cheap next year for any of us. Sorry about that! But don't do what I did. And if you hit a pedestrain, make sure you are reveresing Updated for new readers - 24th November 2009 This issue has been raised with Nissan UK and following their investigations they have asked me to post the following statement: Issue of a high repair bill for a low speed front impact on a GT-R "As a company we cannot comment in any detail on an individual customer case. This is a private matter and we are currently in contact with the customer, his insurance company and the dealer to help resolve this particular situation. What we can confirm is that Nissan has a policy of continuous improvement, and as such is constantly reviewing parts prices, suppliers, and customers’ feedback. In this instance, thanks to the comments received, we have discovered a


Prompt: BOULDER, CO--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - The most successful business leaders in the nutrition industry for 2014 have been announced in Nutrition Business Journal's (NBJ) annual Business Achievement Awards issue. Recipients of the NBJ Business Achievement Awards will be honored during the 18th annual NBJ Summit, July 20-23, at the St. Regis Hotel Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California. NBJ is the premier publication for the nutrition, natural, organic, dietary supplement and integrative medicine industries. Each year, the publication recognizes the industry's most notable business leaders in its annual Business Achievement Awards issue. "We're honored to be calling

attention to every single one of these companies, not only for their individual successes but also for the ways in which they support and inspire the entire industry," said John Bradley, NBJ's content director and editor-in-chief. "That goes for everyone from a Whole Foods Market down to the 15-year-old inventor of Define Bottle." For Efforts on Behalf of the Industry, Omega-3 Coalition is honored for rallying consumer interest in omega-3s led by GOED and key industry players. Receiving an honorable mention is Pom for its win at the Supreme Court against Coca-Cola's misleading label claims on its pomegranate drink, setting a precedent for other natural product companies to defend themselves against established corporations. Aker BioMarine receives an award in Sustainability for taking the lead in ensuring sustainable harvests in Antarctic krill grounds. Honorable mention goes to Big Cricket Farms for becoming the first 100 percent, food-grade cricket supplier in the expanding industry of cricket-based flours and foods. The Organic Excellence award goes to Harmless Harvest for becoming America's first Fair for Life Social & Fair Trade certified coconut water and investing in the rural community of Thailand by building its facility there and creating more than 100 full-time jobs. Receiving an honorable mention is Orgenetics for continuing to champion certified organic supplements. Robert Craven, CEO of FoodState, wins the Management Achievement award for orchestrating the sale of whole-food supplements innovator FoodState and its flagship brand, MegaFood, to supplement giant Pharmavite. Honorable mention is awarded to Twinlab for CEO Tom Tolworthy's leadership that formed Twinlab Consolidation Corp. (TCC) in a strategic, employee-led buyout with TCC's first acquisition being Twinlab Corp. that then completed a merger into Twinlab Consolidated Holdings Inc., allowing the company to become publicly traded on the stock market. Receiving the Education award is Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods for


Prompt: We all know a guy like this. He spends his day on the internet telling and re-telling stories about how his martial ancestors were the toughest fighters in the world. We hear a bunch of stories about the ancestors and they all seem to imply or outright assert that their awesomeness gives the lineage snob the right to talk trash about other arts. These guys are universally despised and, as a general rule, suck at martial arts. Too much time on the keyboard and not enough training. But what if we understood that, while those guys suck, the need for

lineage is real and can provide fantastic yardstick to gauge a school or martial artist? There are going to be 2 basic responses to that statement. The first usually comes from people who have created their own arts or know that their teachers weren't totally legit. Their response goes something like, "All you do is talk about lineage! Why are you judging me?? Bruce Lee said to follow your own path!!" Etc. The other response is "I told you so!!!" and is almost as obnoxious as the first. This response usually comes from the lineage snobs I mentioned before and, remember, we all hate those guys. But both of those people are wrong and both know it deep down inside. Lineage in martial arts has existed for a thousand years for very good reasons. It's a solid gauge of the effectiveness of the art itself and also proof that there is a complete method for teaching and transmitting the art. Effectiveness in usage and proof that the method can produce a strong next generation are vital, obviously and those are two really powerful reasons to care about lineage and they are also more laid back than a lot of people realize. Let's use medical care as a simile here. If you had a terrible disease and you had to pick a doctor for treatment, would you care where that doctor's education came from? If your options were a Harvard graduate who has done extensive post-grad education in an effort to be on the forefront of medicine, or someone who took some courses at the community college and then spent some time surfing WebMD, which would you pick? More than likely, you would pick the doctor most prepared and able to save your life. He would know the latest treatments and


Prompt: If you’re a regular reader of this blog and its comments section, you’re probably more than a little worried about two bits of climate science in particular: Our understanding of past climates (paleoclimate) and 5-6 C long term climate sensitivity. And if you’re a frequent returner, you’ve probably figured out by now that the two go hand in glove. ****** Looking back to a period of time called the Pliocene climate epoch of 2.6 to 5.3 million years ago, we find that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were somewhat lower than they are at present — ranging from 390 to 400

parts per million. We also find that global temperatures were between 2 to 3 degrees Celsius warmer than 1880s ranges, that glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland were significantly reduced, and that sea levels were about 25 meters (82 feet) higher than they are today. (The Totten Glacier is one of many Antarctic land ice systems that are under threat of melt due to human-forced warming. A new paleoclimate study has recently found that levels of atmospheric greenhouse gasses that are below those presently in our atmosphere caused substantial Antarctic melt 4.23 million years ago. Image source: antarctica.gov.) Given that atmospheric CO2 levels during 2017 will average around 407 parts per million, given that these levels are above those when sea levels were considerably higher than today, and given that these levels of heat trapping gasses are rapidly rising due to continued fossil fuel burning, both the present level of greenhouse gasses in the Earth’s atmosphere and our understanding of past climates should give us substantial cause for concern. This past week, even more fuel was thrown onto the fire as a paleoclimate-based model study led by Nick Golledge has found that under 400 parts per million CO2 heat forcing during the Pliocene, substantial portions of Antarctica melted over a rather brief period of decades and centuries. Modeled WAIS collapse in 100-300 yrs under equilibrium 400ppm CO2 #Pliocene climate. Wilkes basin collapse 1-2000yrshttps://t.co/2hlvGKBMMr pic.twitter.com/zIkaSe0AiC — Nick Golledge (@nick_golledge) July 27, 2017 Notably, the model found that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed in just 100-300 years under the steady 400 ppm CO2 forcing at 4.23 million years ago. In addition, the Wilkes Basin section of Antarctica collapsed within 1-2 thousand years under a similar heat forcing. In total, the study found that Antarctica contributed to 8.6 meters of sea level rise


Prompt: Updates: Wikileaks Film titled The Fifth Estate Is A Propaganda Piece Against the Disclosures of Wikileaks Wikileaks Film titled MediaStan Is Produced By Julian Assange —- 50th Anniversary of the Kennedy Assassination – Zachary Sklar, Screenwriter of the Film: JFK November 22, 2013 will mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. More than 600 books have been written on this national tragedy and yet the implausible explanations the Warren Commission report put forward remain as the official story. We’re joined today by Zachary Sklar to discuss some of those challenges and his work investigating those

involved in the planning and covering up of assassinations. Zach Sklar: The Warren Commission was a creature appointed by Lyndon Johnson. He persuaded Earl Warren to head this commission against his wishes. He was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the time. To bolster him on the commission, the one who did most of the work and guided the findings was Alan Dulles, former CIA directory. A man who’d been fired by John Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs invasion. The other one who was on it was Gerald Ford of course. So, there was a dissenting group of southern Congress people who really didn’t have much power. Ultimately, the power was with Alan Dulles. The CIA had overthrown Mossadegh in Iran, Arbenz in Guatemala, not only overthrowing governments but assassinating leaders. The commission report – that conclusion was decided upon and then they had to come up with some reasons to support it. The reasons were designed by Arlen Specter. He was a staff lawyer at the time and later a Senator from Pennsylvania. He came up with the Magic Bullet Theory . . Because the Zapruder film came out with the time frame of 5.62 seconds and there were 3 bullets during that time frame, all the wounds in John Kennedy and John Connelly. Lee Oswald was given a paraffin test the day of his arrest. It was negative. It had proven he’d not fired a rifle that day. According to the Marines, Oswald was a mediocre marksman at best. The rifle that he was supposed to have used. . . if you ask any rifle dealer what the worst rifle, the least accurate rifle you could ever come up with they would tell you its the Mannlicher-Carcano. It’s called the humanitarian rifle by the Italians. All


Prompt: The flag decals that were ordered taken down by Chief Bronaugh. Photographs courtesy Maywood Fire Department. Tuesday, September 9, 2014 || By Michael Romain Today, four Maywood firefighters were sent home, pending disciplinary action, for failure to comply with a direct order, according to Chief Craig Bronaugh. A CBS Local report noted that more firefighters could be sent home tomorrow. The firefighters apparently refused to remove American flag decals from their lockers and helmets. “A representative from Service Employees International Union Local 73, which represents the firefighters, met for an hour with Chief Bronaugh Tuesday afternoon, with the union hoping

Chief Bronaugh would modify his order. Instead, he ordered the firefighters sent home immediately, pending disciplinary action,” according to the CBS report. “Union spokesman Adam Rosen said he is ‘shocked’ that an agency of first responders would enforce such an order the week of Sept. 11. “The four suspended firefighters said they were told that the order was issued because of racial discord [in] the department. The four, who include two white firefighters, a black firefighter, and a fourth firefighter who is a Cuban émigré, said no such problems exist,” wrote CBS, which also reported that the four firefighters trace the issue “to a decision by several firefighters to replace a tattered American flag last month in one of Maywood’s firehouses. The new flag mysteriously disappeared early Aug. 23. The order on decals was issued last week.” Although the CBS report indicates that the department “has had no such order in the recent past,” an internal memo released by the Office of Chief Bronaugh noted that this kind of conflict has nonetheless appeared before: Under no circumstances at anytime are there to be decals/stickers on Fire Department lockers or helmets. Any decals/stickers are to be removed immediately. No inquiry will be entertained regarding this matter. TO BE READ AT ALL ROLL CALLS THRU SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 This was in response to an inquiry regarding an American Flag being put up in the fire station (replacing a torn and tattered flag that previously existed). That flag was stolen on the very next shift day. Firefighters were upset that the flag was stolen and in response placed American Flag decals on their personal lockers in the stations. This is not the first time that a flag incident has occurred in the Maywood Fire Department. Approximately 10 years ago, all American Flag decals


Prompt: Black Lives Matter. All Lives Matter. Two phrases that are supposed to go hand in hand but have somehow evolved into polar opposites. As I was walking through the town of Bethlehem, headed back to my room, I spotted a white man walking toward me, donning a shirt with three words: All Lives Matter. I grinned as he walked by, looking him straight in the eye. He quickly turned away as if he was uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. “All Lives Matter” is a phrase that makes my blood boil. Now, I don’t necessarily disagree with the statement itself, but the basis of

its creation and why people use it is downright disrespectful. Just to clarify, I’m not an activist, nor do I like to indulge in political conversations pertaining to racial conflicts. Don’t expect me to entertain your personal hot takes and refutes. I’m truly proud to be African-American. I take pride in being a part of the 4 percent of African-American students at Lehigh. I take pride in defying stereotypes by being somewhere that “my type” is not supposed be. I take pride in seeing the astonishment on someone’s face when I utter the words, “I go to Lehigh University.” So why does the saying “All Lives Matter” irritate me? Well, the entire movement was created in response to Black Lives Matter. Let’s be real, there would be no All Lives Matter if there was no Black Lives Matter. It’s based on misconceptions of the true meaning of Black Lives Matter and simply some of society being uncomfortable with black people speaking out. Uncomfortable. Black Lives Matter is not a movement stating that blacks are superior to everyone else or blacks are the only ones experiencing struggle in this country. It’s a movement that is meant to shed light on the area of violence and systemic racism toward black people. According to a Rasmussen Reports poll, 82 percent of black voters think most black Americans receive unfair treatment from the police and just 19 percent of black voters think the justice system is fair to blacks and Hispanics. It’s not irrational to think this way after all the recent events that have happened involving unjustified killings of blacks by police officers. In 2014, Arthur Chu, an American columnist, tweeted “Do people who change #BlackLivesMatter to #AllLivesMatter run thru a cancer fundraiser going ‘THERE ARE OTHER DISEASES TOO.'” When you say All


Prompt: The German team stands behind its national flag at the start of the group-stage match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup between Germany and Vanuatu in Seogwipo, South Korea, on May 26. (Wallace Woon/European Pressphoto Agency) For decades after the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War II, Germans had trouble defining themselves as a nation. But the arrival of hundreds of thousands of newcomers appears to have thrust the country into a new, full-fledged identity crisis. Recently, Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière listed 10 Martin Luther-style “theses” on what all Germans have — or should have — in

common. The article published by the German daily Bild sparked a heated debate about the controversial term “leitkultur” (“guiding culture” or “leading culture”). Along with less-controversial qualities, such as the typically German trait of valuing education not simply as a means to an end, the interior minister seemed to suggest that Muslim newcomers should be willing to adapt to local customs. “We say our name. We shake each other’s hand when we greet,” he wrote. “ . . . We are an open society. We show our face. We are not burqa.” Some accused de Maizière of blatant populism and attempting to co-opt the anti-immigrant message of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of federal elections in September. Others mocked the text by creating their own lists, relishing in German stereotypes, such as a love for excessive bureaucracy. “If there’s no form for it, it doesn’t really exist” was among the “100 points Thomas de Maizière forgot” offered by writer Kathrin Wessling. Social-media users began posting pictures of many German tourists’ favorite footwear alongside the caption: “We are not burqa, we are socks and sandals.” Despite the criticism, a recent poll published by the Focus newsmagazine found that more than half of Germans think their country is in need of a “leitkultur.” “German society due to the migration of recent years has a need to reassure itself and to define what’s indispensable for it,” said Jens Spahn, a lawmaker for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party. “A healthy patriotism . . . is something that Germans are struggling with based on their history, something they are slowly and carefully developing.” Spahn acknowledged that the number of Muslim women wearing the full-face veil is low in Germany, but he said: “People who think their wife should be fully veiled


Prompt: If you’re thinking about getting pastel hair, you should consider the pros and cons first. Just kidding. Pastel hair is awesome! If you’re torn, do it! If you’re not sure if pastel hair would suit you, do it! You’ll be glad you did. If you want to know how to get pastel hair, keep reading! Below are all the products you’ll need. They’re clickable, so check them out. The white toner isn’t mandatory; you only absolutely need the bleaching kit, the conditioner, and your choice of hair dye. In addition to this, you’ll need some gloves, a shower cap, and

a mixing bowl. The whole process should end up costing under 25$. [metaslider id=1039] Step 1: How To Bleach Your Hair The first step is bleaching your hair. If you have anything but light blonde hair, you absolutely need to bleach it if you want the pastel color to actually be pastel. If you have already blonde hair, skip this step. When choosing your bleaching product, it’s important to go for 30 volume. Anything under that is too weak for achieving pastel hair, and anything over that is too strong for safety — bleach can fry your hair, so be very careful! I recommend this nifty Manic Panic bleaching kit, which also contains gloves, a brush, and a mixing bowl. Tip: If you have very thick or long hair, you WILL need 2 boxes! It ends up going a bit over budget, but it’s well worth it! The first time I bleached my hair, I had to pause the job mid-bleaching and ask my friend to kindly go buy another box for me. Get two if you’re unsure! Make sure your hair hasn’t been washed for a few days before bleaching. Bleach is harsh on your scalp, and the oils will help protect it. If it’s your first time, have someone else help you and bleach your hair for you. Bleaching hair is tricky. Be safe! Follow the instructions on the packaging. A strand test is a very good idea! If your hair still isn’t light enough after bleaching, consider a white toner. If you want pastel blue hair, your hair has to be a very white blonde. Any yellow in your hair and the blue dye will turn green! Step 2: How to Get Pastel Hair There is no “pastel hair dye”. Instead, you will have to mix regular


Prompt: Here's what you need to know... Due to harsh laws based on Reefer Madness-like myths, the personal use of steroids for aesthetic purposes can land lifters in prison or get them fined for more money than they probably have. Ironically, steroid usage in sports, which these laws were created to curb, has not decreased. Steroids and other PEDs have been in widespread use in bodybuilding and Olympic lifting since the late 50s. Their usage in baseball, the Ben Johnson debacle, Lyle Alzado's questionable death, the Lance Armstrong farce, and the sad case of Taylor Hooton brought steroids to the forefront.

Politicians and those with agendas took full advantage. Although it has many medical uses and is now commonly prescribed to aging males, the illegal use of testosterone puts you into the same criminal category as a heroin addict. And science has never backed up the hysterical claims made by anti-steroid zealots. "I think it's absolutely disgraceful that our government should be in the position of converting people who are not harming others into criminals, of destroying their lives, putting them in jail." - Milton Friedman The following account is something I lived through and was a small part of. It is my view of the fascinating history of how steroids emerged as an ergogenic aid in sports and subsequently became an ominous facet of the modern age - becoming criminal while at the same time assaulting the very core of America by representing a proposed danger to our youth and, worse still, sullying the most hollowed of all things American - baseball. This odd journey, especially the inception, involved numerous colorful characters from all over the globe who together eventually created a culture. Many of you reading this have adopted this culture without perhaps knowing the full extent of what it means to be a steroid-using bodybuilder and how it got that way. I find it unfortunate that the younger guys embracing our culture today have to adapt to a whole different set of circumstances regarding steroids than my contemporaries did. Today you have to understand that the general public - the people you deal with, work with, live next to - believes that "steroids" cause a plague of maladies, from liver, brain and kidney cancer, to heart attacks and strokes, to psychotic episodes that end in madness, mayhem, murder and death. Given the current state of the public discourse,


Prompt: After two decades of obscurity, all it took was a few choice roles to get noticed—a Nazi infiltrator here, an X-Men villain there, plus one unforgettable turn in Shame that made him a full-frontal phenomenon. His rapid rise continues this month with Ridley Scott's Alien prequel, Prometheus. But as Chris Heath discovers, Michael Fassbender is more than the sum of his parts If he’s going to take me home with him, Michael Fassbender first needs a moment alone. That’s the one thing he asks. We’ve been walking and talking for a while in a local park, but he didn’t even

mention that we were close by his apartment until the increasingly heavy rain triggered his sense of hospitality. "Just give me two seconds to do a little bit of a sort of tidy-up," he requests. "My mother wouldn’t be happy." I wait in the stairwell, glad just to be getting no wetter, until he swings open the door. "Okay!" he beams. "Welcome to my flat!" Perhaps the hillside mansions, penthouse duples, lakeside haciendas, and beachfront idylls will follow in the traditional movie-star way, but for now these three rooms—this big one we are in, a small bedroom at the back with bedding on the verge of tumbling out the open door, and an unseen bathroom—are the only ones in the world Michael Fassbender can call his own. "For one person, it’s perfect, really," he says. Although some areas of East London have become hyperfashionable in recent years, this is not one of them. He moved to this apartment in 2006, at the end of his twenties, when he was just one more actor getting enough work to live off but still wondering whether that chance would ever come to show the world what he could really do. Since his recent breathless ascent, he has had neither the time nor the inclination to move. "I always liked the energy round here. Traditionally more of a working-class area. A bit of an edginess to it, as well. And the parks are everywhere here. I always just felt like this was the right spot for me." Fassbender directs me to a perch near a small raised tabletop—"nice little congregation spot"—and offers me a choice of drinks: champagne, beer, tea. It’s the early afternoon, and this is the first time we’ve met, so tea seems most prudent. He opens the fridge. "The milk is


Prompt: Please Take Note: This is a review of the game’s final prototype. The art, game bits, and the rules discussed are all subject to change. The game is being reviewed on the components and the rules provided with the understanding that “what you see is not what you might get” when the game is published. If you like what you read and want to learn more, we encourage you to visit the game’s web page or the Kickstarter campaign. Now that we have all that disclaimer junk out of the way, on with the review! The Basics: For ages 21

and up For 2 to 6 players Approximately 60 minutes to complete Geek Skills: Counting & Math Logical & Critical Decision Making Reading Pattern/Color Matching Strategy & Tactics Hand/Resource Management Learning Curve: Child – Untested (but presumed Easy) Adult – Easy Theme & Narrative: Collect the necessary ingredients to create a craft beers to grow your brewery Endorsements: Gamer Geek approved! Parent Geek rejected! Child Geek N/A Overview Micro breweries are all the rage, and after trying your hand at making a few of your own craft brews, you’ve decided to create your own business. But making beer for yourself to enjoy is one thing and creating a brewing company is something altogether different. To be successful, you must craft beers using the best ingredients available, come up with new and interesting recipes, and then sell your product. In the end, it won’t matter how good your craft beers are if no one is drinking them. Pint Craft, by Macrospectra Games, is comprised of 112 cards (83 Brewery cards, 25 Recipe cards, and 4 Season cards) and 107 Ingredient tokens (45 Basic Malt, 20 Specialty Malt, 26 Hops, and 16 Adjunct). As this is a review of a prepublished game, we will not comment on the game component quality, but the proposed card layout and art direction is easy on the eyes and to use during the game. Brewery Set Up To set up the game, first separate the cards into three decks. These will be the Brewery deck, the Recipe deck, and the Season deck. The three different card types have different card backs making this process an easy one to complete. Shuffle all but the Season deck thoroughly. Second, deal out 5 Brewery cards to each player, face-down. Players are welcome to look at their cards but should


Prompt: Last Friday, against the vehement and public urging of his own Attorney General and nearly one hundred of the nation’s most respected legal experts, Governor Bobby Jindal signed Senate Bill 469 into law. Quoting his press release (bold mine): Governor Jindal said, “This bill will help stop frivolous lawsuits and create a more fair and predictable legal environment, and I am proud to sign it into law. It further improves Louisiana’s legal environment by reducing unnecessary claims that burden businesses so that we can bring even more jobs to our state. The bill will also send future recovered dollars from

CZMA litigation to coastal projects, allowing us to ensure Louisiana coastal lands are preserved and that our communities are protected.” If you’re wondering who, exactly, the law benefits, all you need to do is keep reading Jindal’s press release, which contains this amazing confession. Quoting (again, bold and italics mine): LOGA President Don Briggs said, “The signing of SB 469 is a huge victory for the oil and gas industry as well as the economy for the state of Louisiana. We commend Governor Jindal for his leadership and support of this bill as it made its way through the process….” As I mentioned in a previous post, SB 469 was, ostensibly, about stopping a controversial, landmark lawsuit filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East (SLFPA-E) against 97 oil and gas companies for their role in illegally damaging and depredating the state’s coastal environment and ecosystem. But as we now know, the law is about much more than merely ending a single lawsuit by a single governmental authority. SB 469 appears to have been written and deliberately designed by lawyers who represent the oil and gas industry in order to shield, reduce, or eliminate their clients’ exposure to civil damages on a wide range of pending and future claims, including, most notably, BP’s liability for billions of dollars in outstanding claims related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. Indeed, according to people intimately involved in the legislative process, no one lobbied harder for the passage of SB 469 than those associated with BP. With the stroke of the pen, Governor Bobby Jindal likely saved the oil and gas industry billions of dollars in damages for which they otherwise would have been legally responsible, damages that are legitimately owed to hundreds, if not thousands, of hardworking families, businesses, and coastal communities


Prompt: Almond , Peter . 1994 . We came to keep peace, not to fight a war, says Rose . Daily Telegraph 19 April:10. Arellano , Manuel Bond , Stephen . 1991 . Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations . Review of Economic Studies 58 ( 2 ): 277 – 297 . Arellano , Manuel Bover , Olympia . 1995 . Another Look at the Instrumental Variables Estimation of Error-Components Models . Journal of Econometrics 68 : 29 – 51 . Autesserre , Séverine . 2010 . The Trouble with the

Congo: Local Violence and the Failure of International Peacebuilding . New York : Cambridge University Press . Beck , Nathaniel Katz , Jonathan . 1995 . What to Do (and Not to Do) with Time-Series Cross-Section Data . American Political Science Review 89 ( 3 ): 634 – 647 . Beck , Nathaniel Katz , Jonathan . 1996 . Nuisance vs. Substance: Specifying and Estimating Time-Series Cross-Section Models . Political Analysis 6 ( 1 ): 1 – 36 . Biermann , Wolfgang . 1996 . The UNPROFOR Mission in Former Yugoslavia: First Results from a Survey among UN Officers Involved . Copenhagen : COPRI . Biermann , Wolfgang Vadset , Martin . eds. 1998 . UN Peacekeeping in Trouble: Lessons Learned from the Former Yugoslavia . Aldershot : Ashgate . Bosnian National Institute of Statistics (BNIS) . 1992 . Statistički Godišniak Republike Bosne i Hercegovine 1992 [Statistical Yearbook of Bosnia-Herzegovina 1992 ]. Sarajevo . Buhaug , Halvard Rød , Jan Ketil . 2006 . Local Determinants of African Civil Wars, 1970–2001 . Political Geography 25 ( 3 ): 315 – 335 . Burg , Steven Shoup , Paul . 1999 . The War in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Ethnic Conflict and International Intervention . London : M.E. Sharpe . Cederman , Lars-Erik Gleditsch , Kristian Skrede . 2009 . Introduction to Special Issue on Disaggregating Civil War . Journal of Conflict Resolution 53 ( 4 ): 487 – 495 . Cederman , Lars-Erik , Girardin , Luc Gleditsch , Kristian Skrede . 2009 . Ethnonationalist Triads. Assessing the Influence of Kin Groups on Civil Wars . World Politics 61 ( 3 ): 403 – 437 . Costalli , Stefano Moro , Francesco Niccolò . 2012 . Ethnicity and Strategy in the Bosnian Civil War: Explanations for the Severity of Violence in Bosnian Municipalities


Prompt: An army of build-it city dwellers, funded by the CEO of Yelp, is heading to court to force a sleepy East Bay suburb to go dense. The San Francisco Bay Area Renters’ Federation — which goes by the name SFBarf — is suing the city of Lafayette, demanding that it resurrect a scrapped plan to build high-density housing on a 22-acre knoll of Deer Hill Road, just north of Highway 24. It’s the first legal challenge in what SFBarf has promised will be a “Sue the Suburbs” campaign to push places like Lafayette to help the Bay Area build its

way out of the shortage of housing. The case is making a central Contra Costa County town known for good schools and cow-dotted hillsides a battlefront in a regional housing war. “Why Lafayette? It’s on BART, it’s right next to Walnut Creek, and yes, people want to live there,” said SFBarf’s 34-year-old founder, Sonja Trauss, a full-time activist with a master’s degree in economics who lives in West Oakland. “It’s a nice place,” said SFBarf’s lawyer, Ryan Patterson. Now Trauss is trying to force Lafayette to do what she sees as its fair share. Her organization sued the city in September after hearing that a developer had tabled plans to build 315 moderate-income apartments on a stretch of open space, instead opting for 44 single-family homes with a dog park, sports field and parking lot. City Manager Steven Falk deemed that plan a fair alternative after residents criticized the original proposal in 2013, saying it would desecrate the landscape and clog the city’s roads. The revised “Homes at Deer Hill” plan got a warm reception in City Hall, and the City Council unanimously approved it in August. SFBarf filed a revised lawsuit in March, saying that officials had violated the state’s Housing Accountability Act, which bars cities from rejecting development for arbitrary reasons — in this case, because a vocal faction of Lafayette residents wanted to preserve the city’s “semirural” character. Trauss said city officials had strong-armed the developer, O’Brien Homes, into redesigning the project at a lower density. Seeking to make a statement The suit seeks to invalidate the 44-home plan and force the city to issue permits for the original 315-apartment development, regardless of whether O’Brien Homes still wants to build it, Patterson said. A spokesman for the company declined to comment until the SFBarf lawsuit and a


Prompt: SEVENTY years have passed but the emotion remains for Australian veterans of World War II Bomber Command. During a special Australian service at an Air Forces memorial on the outskirts of London yesterday tears flowed among an aged gathering as thoughts turned to thousands of fallen comrades. About 10,000 Australians served with Bomber Command, with 3486 killed in battle, while a further 650 died in training accidents in the United Kingdom. "In lonely cockpits at dizzy altitudes ... in fog, in deadly cold, in storms, on fire, in prison camps, in skin grafting hospitals, there are none deserving more honour.

Today we remember their selfless sacrifice," Major General Mark Kelly told the gathering of about 100 veterans. The veterans from across Australia are in London for the dedication of a memorial to Bomber Command by the Queen tomorrow. It commemorates the 55,573 Bomber Command aircrew killed during the war. "This is a very emotional day," Adelaide veteran David Leicester, 88, said. "It really gets to me and I will find I have tears in my eyes for the whole week of celebrations. The playing of the Last Post and the national anthem of both countries gets right into my heart. "When the Queen unveils the memorial on Thursday, I can't even begin to think how I will react, with so much emotion." Mr Leicester flew 68 missions with Bomber Command, mostly night-time bombing operations over German cities in aircraft including the Halifax, and Pathfinder Lancasters. "One of the worst nights for me was March 30/31, 1944 when 96 aircraft were shot down and a further number crash landed," Mr Leicester said. "It was the worst night for Bomber Command casualties and we had a particularly bad time, returning on three engines and severe damage to the aircraft. "It was a very rough landing, but we were the lucky ones." Steve Flood, 88, from Stanthorpe in Queensland, flew as a air gunner in 30 Bomber Command operations for 467 Squadron over enemy territory in 1944. "One was a raid to Revigny (France) which was only a small raid of 106 aircraft and altogether 24 were lost. (Squadron) 467 had six aircraft on the raid that night and only four came back." While Mr Flood is looking forward to the Bomber Command memorial dedication as a "fitting" tribute, the highlight of his trip to England will be a war museum visit where


Prompt: Remember that movie from the early 2000s, ‘I Heart Huckabees’? The main character, played by Jason Schwartzman, is curious about the constant coincidences in his life, so he hires a unorthodox duo of detectives help him figure out what they could mean. At the time, I found the premise pretentious and confusing, but right about now, I totally get it. For my own life has begun to resemble a Wes Anderson movie, albeit without the helpful existential investigators and dreamy pastel hues. So in the spirit of attempting to make sense of them myself, here are some examples of the

synchcronicities Ive experienced lately. NUMBERS At work, I’m a busy person. I’m rarely idle and I don’t clock-watch, but still, almost every single day, I find myself looking at time at 11.11, 1.11 and 3.33. Usually, those times are the ONLY three times I’ve checked my watch. In fact it’s so common that if I happen to miss one, like the other day when I checked my phone at precisely 11.12, it feels like something is off. RUMI POEM A few months back, I was listening to a psychology podcast on my 45min commute to work, as I am apt to do. The topic was mindfulness, a concept I’m reasonably familiar with, and the segment closed with the guest speaker providing a quote by the poet Rumi, who’s work I am also reasonably familiar with. This, however, was a poem I had never heard, called ‘The Guest House’. For those unacquainted with this particular piece, here it is: It is a lovely poem and I enjoyed hearing it, although to be honest I didn’t give it much more thought once my drive was over. One of my daily work duties is selecting the store’s music playlist, and that day I had randomly put the latest Coldplay album into the rotation. Now it is important to note that I have never heard this album, nor had much inclination to as I’m not a huge fan of the band (although I did admittedly enjoy a few of their earlier songs). I don’t know what inspired me to choose it that day, but I did, and around 1pm it started playing in the store. A few songs in, while performing duties out on the floor, I was stopped in my tracks. The music had ceased for a spoken word interlude, which in itself


Prompt: Roy Hodgson’s men became the first England team to win all of their European qualifiers. Does this mean they are nailed on to go far in France 2016? We look at the five other teams who have done this in the past and see how they performed during the finals. Spain Euro 2012 – Winners Spain are the only team in the history of the tournament to win the tournament after winning all qualification games. They won their group but could only manage a draw on their opening fixture of the group stages. They then went on to beat France

2-0 in the quarter finals, Portugal on Penalties before thumping Italy 4-0 in the final to lift the trophy. Germany Euro 2012 – Semi Finals Germany were also unbeaten heading into the Euro 2012 finals. They also managed to win all three group games against Portugal, Denmark and Holland. A convincing 4-2 victory over Greece in the quarter finals set up a semi final with Italy. However they lost the game 2-1 thanks to a Mario Balotelli brace. France Euro 2004 – Quarter Finals France won all eight qualifying games in 2004 and only conceded two goals. The defending champions were poor throughout the group stages winning just one game. However they stumbled through to a quarter final against Spain. It was no suprise that they lost the game 2-0 given their poor group stage form which was a massive disappointment when you have the likes of Zidane and Henry in your team. Somewhat good news so for England fans as it looks like they’ve guaranteed a quarter final or semi final spot based on the above teams. However, two teams with 100% records actually went on to exit at the group stages of the finals! Czech Republic Euro 2000 – Group Stage Czech Republic were the only team to win all qualifying games but were drawn in a tough group with Holland and France. This ultimately led to them being knocked out at the group stages within two games. Their group consisted of some poor teams which should send warning signals out to England fans – Lithuania, Estonia, Bosnia, Faroe Islands and Scotland. France Euro 1992 – Group Stage After failing to qualify for the 1990 World Cup in Italy the French side were pleased to go unbeaten in qualifying for Euro 1992. However, Michel Platini’s men joined England


Prompt: Man convicted of molesting a dead deer and shooting horse to have sex with it 'assaulted female cop after shoplifting from Walmart' Bryan James Hathaway, 25, was charged with assaulting off-duty policewoman Officer Kody Vedder was shopping with her daughter at the time of the incident Vedder spotted Hathaway looking shifty in the backseat of a car and tried to detain him Police seized three brand-new cell phones and other equipment from the car where Hathaway was sitting Man was convicted in 2006 of molesting the carcass of a deer he found in a ditch while biking in 2005, Hathaway

pleaded no contest to shooting an Arabian horse to have sex with it A man from Superior, Wisconsin, who gained international notoriety after being convicted in 2006 of molesting the carcass of a dead deer was arrested this week for allegedly assaulting a female police officer. Bryan James Hathaway, 25, was arraigned Wednesday on four charges stemming from an incident that took place at the Hermantown Walmart on Monday night. Hathaway is accused of assaulting Officer Kody Vedder, obstructing legal process, fleeing on foot and receiving stolen property. He is being held in the St. Louis County Jail on $20,000 bail. Confrontation: Bryan James Hathaway, right, has been charged with assaulting off-duty police officer Kody Vedder, left, when she tried to detain him after spotting the 25-year-old acting suspiciously According to the criminal complaint, Vedder was off duty and shopping at Walmart with her 11-year-old daughter after getting off work Monday evening, Duluth News Tribune reported. The officer was wearing a black T-shirt with the word POLICE emblazoned across the front and back of the shirt in bold white letters. With her shopping done, Vedder was walking back to her car when she spotted Hathaway in the backseat of a Lincoln Town Car parked next to her. The complaint states that the officer thought that the man appeared suspicious by the way he was repeatedly ducking down and watching out for passersby. Vedder got out of her car, knocked on the window of the vehicle where Hathaway was sitting and pointed to the lettering on her shirt. She then told the 25-year-old that she is a cop and instructed him not to move. Crime scene: The incident happened in the parking lot of the Hermantown Walmart in Wisconsin The officer called 911 and asked for police response, but before the


Prompt: SHARE THIS STORY: Donald Trump is aiming to pull off one of the greatest political comebacks in history. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is what’s known in the business as “hedging your bets”. Yes, CNN, the Clinton News Network, is absolutely all in for Crooked Hillary. But at the end of the day, there are bills to be paid, and that’s just a hard, cold fact of life. So CNN, seeing the seemingly unstoppable Trump Train, has decided to play both sides of the street for awhile to see what side the slice of buttered bread falls on. Trump Train…now boarding for

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue! The Republican nominee is rebounding from a summer of repeated stumbles that threatened to undermine his candidacy, underscoring his ability to claw his way back and stay competitive despite controversies that would sink any other politician. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton enter the critical post-Labor Day phase of the campaign in a dead heat. A CNN/ORC national poll released Tuesday finds Trump ahead of Clinton by two points — 45% to 43% — among likely voters. The race is also tight among registered voters, where Clinton has a three point advantage. Both findings are within the margin of error. The narrowing of the race is a remarkable feat for Trump, who was down 10 points a month ago in CNN’s Poll of Polls. “Hello, Cleveland…*cough*…*ah-hack*….we are so happy to…*cough*…*cough*…be here!” If Trump can spend the next 63 days shining a relentless and unforgiving spotlight on Clinton’s vulnerabilities and avoid more self-inflicted wounds, there could be a path — however narrow — for him to reach the White House. “Can he fundamentally alter the focus of this election right now — which is on him?” asked Bill Lacy, a GOP veteran who ran presidential campaigns for Bob Dole and Fred Thompson. “He needs to make this election about Secretary Clinton.” Donald Trump has captured the imagination of the American people like no other since Ronald Reagan: Forward to minute 3:00 to see the massive size of the crowds following Trump around. He has more people at one rally then Hillary has at half a dozen. Trump’s best chance for altering the race lies in the presidential debates, which begin September 26 and will serve as critical tests of his temperament and knowledge. In front of a vast television audience, the GOP nominee could reshape perceptions of his character


Prompt: File photo of ex-policemen Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar (heads covered). Sirul claims he was abandoned by his superiors after obeying orders to kill Altantuya Shaariibuu. — Reuters pic KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar has claimed he was abandoned by his superiors after obeying orders to kill Altantuya Shaariibuu, as he considers revealing the details of the Mongolian’s mysterious murder. In a telephone interview with online portal Malaysiakini, the convicted killer said he was merely performing his duty to safeguard the country’s interests, a decision that landed him with a death sentence for

murder. “If I die today, I would not find peace as I did what I was told and this is what I get in return,” he said in the report. On January 13, the Federal Court reversed the acquittal of Sirul, 43, and former Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 39, of the murder of the Mongolian model and restored the mandatory death sentence handed by the High Court in 2009. Sirul was sentenced in absentia, however, as he was believed to have already left the country at the time. The decision came just over a year after the Court of Appeal ruled on August 23, 2013 that the High Court trial judge had misdirected proceedings and rendered their initial conviction and sentence unsafe. Sirul, now detained by Australian immigration authorities, claimed that the apex court should have called his then-superior, deputy superintendent Musa Safri, to the stand to help his case. “The court also ignored the questionable DNA evidence on the bloodstain found on a shoe placed in my car as well as my own DNA sample. “The court ignored this despite the strong submissions made by my lawyers,” Sirul said. In its written judgment, the Federal Court ruled out the need to hear the testimony of Musa, a former aide of then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, saying it would not have any consequence to the case. Sirul had previously claimed that he was made a “scapegoat” in Altantuya’s murder, and that he was distressed by political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda’s claim in an interview last month that “rogue policemen” were responsible for the model’s death in 2006. Malaysian police have put in a formal request for Sirul’s deportation to Malaysia but Australia’s extradition legislation prohibits an individual from being sent back to another country for an offence


Prompt: THE Old Town in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, does not look like a den of thieves. On a summer afternoon, herds of elderly tourists—American, Japanese, British—wander between the gift shops and sip lagers at pavement cafés beneath the gothic town hall. In a park, teenagers chat and smoke cigarettes in the sun. Valdo Pôder, a local police officer, remembers when it was quite different. In the mid-1990s curtains rose at the city’s theatres at six o’clock so that the audience could get home before sunset. Young men hung around selling bootleg vodka. The streetlights were always smashed. Pointing to

one smart-looking bar Mr Pôder says he would have needed a team of at least ten officers to raid it. “We’d have to put everyone inside on the floor,” he says. “Or else we might get shot at.” Get our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks. Crime in Estonia has fallen precipitously. Since 1995, the country’s murder rate has dropped by 70%, and robbery and car theft have fallen almost as far. Even as the country entered a deep recession in 2009, which pushed unemployment up to 19%, the crime rate kept falling. But though the magnitude of this trend sets post-Soviet Estonia apart, its direction does not. Across the developed world, the crime wave that began in the 1950s is in broad retreat (see chart 1). Both police records (which underestimate some types of crime) and surveys of victims (which should not, but are not as regularly available a source of data) show crime against the person and against property falling over the past ten years in most rich countries. In America the fall began around 1991; in Britain it began around 1995, though the murder rate followed only in the mid-2000s. In France, property crime rose until 2001—but it has fallen by a third since. Some crimes are all but disappearing. In 1997, some 400,000 cars were reported stolen in England and Wales: in 2012, just 86,000. Once upon a time in America Cities have seen the greatest progress. The number of violent crimes has fallen by 32% since 1990 across America as a whole; in the biggest cities, it has fallen by 64%. In New York, the area around Times Square on 42nd Street, where pornographers once mingled with muggers, is now a family oriented tourist trap. On London’s housing


Prompt: The trials of Kevin Mitnick Mitnick ALSO: Legendary hacker signs plea bargain to win freedom in one year FULL TEXT: U.S. vs. Kevin D. Mitnick RELATED VIDEO CNN's Sean Callebs reports on Mitnick's capture (Originally aired: Jan. 16, 1996) Windows Media 28K 80K MESSAGE BOARD: Internet hackers By John Christensen CNN Interactive March 18, 1999 Web posted at: 3:46 p.m. EST (2046 GMT) (CNN) -- Kevin David Mitnick -- once the most wanted computer hacker in the world, the inspiration for two Hollywood movies and a cyberspace cult hero -- had been scheduled to stand trial April 20 in Los

Angeles in one of the most celebrated computer-related cases in history. But it was announced Thursday that Mitnick has signed a plea agreement that reportedly will set him free after serving another year in prison. He has been incarcerated since February 1995 on a 25-count indictment that includes charges of wire fraud and illegal possession of computer files stolen from such companies as Motorola and Sun Microsystems. Mitnick was arrested after what Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Painter called "a countrywide hacking spree" that earned Mitnick a spot on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Over a 2 1/2-year period, Mitnick was alleged to have hacked into computers, stolen corporate secrets, scrambled phone networks, broken into the national defense warning system and caused millions of dollars in losses. Shimomura After being tracked down in a dramatic bit of cyber-sleuthing by computer expert Tsutomu Shimomura, Mitnick was arrested by the FBI in a nondescript apartment complex in Raleigh, North Carolina. In a 25-count indictment brought in Los Angeles, Mitnick was charged with computer and wire fraud and had been held without bail since his arrest. He was believed to have been held longer without a trial than any other prisoner in the United States. "He's a danger to the community," said Painter. "We're talking about someone who has consistently and without self-control hacked into systems everywhere. He also was a fugitive and used multiple identities. We think there's a firm basis for holding him, and the courts have agreed." 'Murderers ... have suffered less' Kevin Mitnick's criminal record 1981 Where: California Charge: Computer fraud for stealing computer manuals from Pacific Bell Sentence: One year probation 1987 Where: California Charge: Computer fraud (no details available) Sentence: Pleaded guilty, but sentence unknown 1989 Where: California Charges: Computer fraud and possession of unauthorized access devices for