Prompt: On A+ A+ is not that important. But, some people like it. Some people love it. Some people are obsessed with it to the point of being raging idiots. That being said, here's some simple rules to follow if you enjoy extra cash and happen to enjoy being a good teammate: RULES OF MAKING YOUR SCOUT/SPY'S LIFE EASIER: 1. When your team is being routed and you currently have an A+, just fall back and regroup. It will keep your killzone cleaner. Killing bots at the very front while your entire team is respawning is asking to lose money. Rottenberg

is a prime example of this. 2. If you kill something in a weird place and can't grab the money, tell your Scout/Spy where it is. They are not psychic, and you're wasting their time and weakening your entire team by making them look all over for it. 3. Medics, over-heal your scouts. If the scout is dead near you and you can spare 2 seconds, revive them! 4. A+ is a team effort. If you really want it, HELP PICK UP MONEY. RULES OF HELPING WITH MONEY: 1. If you kill a robot away from the scout, PICK UP THE CASH 2. If your Scout/Spy/Money-person is dead, PICK UP THE CASH 3. Leave giant piles of easy-to-grab cash for the scout. He needs the overheal. 4. Pick up the little cash piles for the scout unless they're somewhere obvious and convenient. The more you make your scout/spy hustle all over the map over chump change, the less milking/marking and dead giants you get. 5. The closer you get to the end of the wave, the more you should help with money to maintain the A+. In the last 20% of a wave, everyone should be watching the cash situation very closely as not to waste the Scout's efforts. 6. If you have a money Spy, grab all the cash you can. One of the reasons Spy can be so difficult to play is because teammates are braindead about cash. 7. Once the wave ends, don't just run straight back to the upgrade shop if there's still money missing. Help look for it! So there you go. A few simple things to keep in mind that will help immensely, because I see way too many tour 10+ players making all these mistakes, then turning around and wanting to kick a


Prompt: This is a tale of New Jersey politics. So it is only fitting that it begins — as it will end — in a courtroom. It is the spring of 1978, and a boy wants to sue the government. Charles A. Poekel Jr., a suburban attorney, is staring across his desk at his client, a Livingston High School junior who’s trying to run for a minor office but has been disqualified because he can’t vote. The 16-year-old sits next to his parents, but he does most of the talking. He knows the names of all the county bosses and town

committeemen. Poekel understands impatient ambition — he ran for Congress himself at the age of 28. But he’s never met anyone like this boy, David Wildstein. “It is very unusual that someone of that age would be that all-consumed with politics,” Poekel recalls many years later. “It was like having a child prodigy as a musician, but he was a child prodigy as a politician. I would call him a political Mozart.” Wildstein takes his case to court. He makes the local TV news, the Times, and the front page of the Livingston weekly paper, the West Essex Tribune, which has been covering his activities since middle school. (It straightforwardly reported his defection from the Democrats to the Republicans at the age of 12.) When the judge rejects his request, the boy remains defiant. “I am in no way over the hill,” he declares, “and can assure the voters of Livingston that they have only just begun to see the name of David Wildstein.” Video: A Brief History of “Bridgegate” Back at Livingston High, Wildstein is considered an oddball. He is chubby, with glasses, and a strident conservative. Wildstein doesn’t fit into any of the school’s cliques, but he hangs around the margins of the baseball team. He is a baseball nerd — loves the strategy, the way the game can be broken down into numbers — and acts as team statistician. Livingston is a championship contender, and the players are popular. Everyone loves the catcher, who is the president of the class a year behind Wildstein’s, a beefy jock with a shaggy haircut named Chris Christie. That May, as Wildstein is trying to run for office, Christie makes the paper for socking a home run into a neighboring swimming pool. Christie’s middle-class family lives in a modest brick home


Prompt: Averil Macdonald, the chair of shale gas lobby group UK Onshore Oil and Gas, recently made some highly controversial statements about how she believes gender impacts a person’s feelings about fracking. During an interview with The Times of London, Macdonald argued that men are generally more in favor of fracking–the controversial drilling technique used to mine shale gas–because they’re influenced by an “awful lot of facts.” Macdonald may not be wrong that gender plays a role in how fracking is viewed; a University of Nottingham survey found recently that, out of a pool of approximately 7,000 participants, women were less

likely to approve of fracking than men or to correctly identify shale gas as the fossil fuel produced by the process. A board member of Women in Science and Engineering, an organization dedicated to encouraging women to enter STEM fields, Macdonald says that women’s judgement is clouded by our emotions and dedication to family. Speaking to The Times, she argued that women compensate for their lack of formal scientific education by instead trusting their “gut reaction”: Frequently the women haven’t had very much in the way of a science education because they may well have dropped science at 16. That is just a fact. Women do tend not to have continued with science. Not only do [they] show more of a concern about fracking, they also know that they don’t know and they don’t understand. They are concerned because they don’t want to be taking [something] on trust. And that’s actually entirely reasonable. But women, for whatever reason, have not been persuaded by the facts. More facts are not going to make any difference. What we have got to do is understand the gut reaction, the feel. The dialogue is more important than the dissemination of facts. Women are always concerned about threats to their family more than men. We are naturally protective of our children. I would similarly be concerned but I read the literature and I feel comfortable that I understand. What I hope is that I can make the women who are concerned comfortable that the myths they are worried about are myths. Macdonald went on to say that more high-level female executives are needed in the shale industry, and that the ten executives who interviewed her for her current position were all men. According to The Telegraph, she’s currently spearheading a campaign to convince women of


Prompt: Virginia Governor-elect Ralph Northam, a Democrat. Win McNamee/Getty Images Democrats have lost their one-vote lead in a state election that will determine control over the Virginia House of Delegates. The race is now a tie, and the State Board of Elections will determine a winner by drawing lots. If Democrat Shelly Simonds wins, Democrats will break the GOP’s 20-year chokehold on power in the House. If Republican David Yancey wins, the GOP will retain unified control of the state legislature. Simonds appeared to have triumphed on Tuesday afternoon after a recount determined that she had received 11,608 to Yancey’s 11,607.

(Before the recount, Yancey led by 10 votes.) But the result remained unofficial until it was certified by a three-judge panel. On Tuesday night, a Republican recount official appointed by Yancey’s side submitted a letter asserting that an additional ambiguous ballot that should have been counted for Yancey. On the ballot in question, a voter had filled in the bubbles next to both candidates, but placed a strike through the bubble next to Simonds’ name. #VPBreaking: This is the actual disputed ballot that has now tied the #Virginia 94th House District race. pic.twitter.com/v9BLGFAdki — The Virginian-Pilot (@virginianpilot) December 20, 2017 Initially, the ballot was not counted for either candidate. But the recount official wrote that, upon further consideration—and after consultation with GOP lawyer Trevor Stanley—he decided that the ballot expressed an intent to vote for Yancey. The three-judge panel examined the ballot and agreed to count the vote for Yancey. Their decision made the race a tie, 11,608–11,608. Under Virginia law, if a race is tied, the election board draws lots to determine the winner. There’s no set procedure for drawing lots, but the State Board of Elections has suggested it will place both names in a small canister, put the canisters in a glass bowl, shake it up, and pull one name out. That candidate will be declared the winner. (In the past, the board has also broken ties by asking a blindfolded person to draw a name from a large cup.) Virginia Republican leadership has already claimed that the loser of this process may request a second recount, apparently because the statute governing ties states that “any person who loses the determination by lot may petition for a recount.” However, this provision seems to pertain only to ties following the initial vote tally. A separate statute states: “There


Prompt: We analyzed data on 14,530 US adults from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. General self-rated health (GSRH)—“In general, would you say your health is Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, or Poor?”—and a single question to physician examiners following a medical examination rating participants' health, both on a 5-point scale of Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, or Poor were assessed for the period 1988-1994. All-cause mortality was assessed through December 31, 2006 (n = 3,460 deaths). GSRH has not been widely used for predicting patient outcomes because practitioners have assumed that it adds little value over what an

informed physician assessment and other relevant objective data can provide. Although one might believe that GSRH and physician assessment of health would be highly correlated, few studies have addressed this association. We hypothesized that GSRH may add value to physician assessments of health because many of the other important influences on health and outcome of which the patient is inherently conscious (socioeconomic status, emotional health, etc) are not routinely captured by either the health system or the physician. Therefore, we assessed the concordance between patient GSRH and physician assessment of health after adjustment for an array of objective data, as well as the risk for mortality associated with GSRH independent of physician-rated health in a nationally representative sample of US adults. Community-based cohorts and clinic-based studies show a strong association between participants' responses to a single question about general self-rated health (GSRH) and subsequent need for health expenditures and health services. 1 - 3 Patient responses are also strongly associated with subsequent mortality even when adjusted for an array of covariates. 4 , 5 GSRH has also been demonstrated to improve the predictive power of claims-based and clinical models. 3 For the analysis of all-cause mortality, follow-up for each study participant was calculated as the time between their NHANES III examination and the date of death or December 31, 2006, for those still alive at the end of follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate the hazard ratios for mortality associated with Good and Fair/Poor versus Excellent/Very Good participant GSRH. An initial model included adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, and sex. The next model included additional adjustment for education, income, physical activity, cigarette smoking, BMI, systolic blood pressure, use of antihypertensive medications, total and HDL cholesterol, diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate, microalbuminuria, and elevated CRP. A final model included


Prompt: A senior State Department official raised concern Monday that “freedom of expression is being stifled” in Egypt, where recent days saw authorities detain and question a popular television comedian on charges of insulting Islam and the nation’s former Muslim Brotherhood president. While talk-show host Bassem Youssef — often described as Egypt’s version of U.S. comedian Jon Stewart — has been released from custody, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland described his brief detention over the weekend as “disturbing.” “This, coupled with recent arrest warrants issued for other political activists, is evidence of a disturbing trend of growing restrictions on the freedom

of expression,” Mrs. Nuland told reporters at the State Department. “There does not seem to be an even-handed application of justice here,” said Mrs. Nuland. She said Egyptian authorities appeared to be pouncing on cases such as Mr. Youssef’s while being “slow or inadequate in investigating” other matters, such as complaints about restrictions on journalists and investigations of attacks on demonstrators outside the Egyptian presidential palace in December 2012. While the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated government of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has for months faced criticism from secular and liberal activists over the government’s posture on religious freedom and treatment of opposition figures, Mr. Youssef’s case has made international headlines. According to media reports, more than two dozen complaints were filed against the comedian under an Egyptian law that once allowed former dictator Hosni Mubarak to crack down on citizens accused of ridiculing his government. Mr. Youssef, who has gained prominence as a talk-show host since the revolution that ousted Mr. Mubarak from power in 2011, has a reputation of making fun of the Muslim Brotherhood leadership that arose after Mr. Mubarak’s fall. According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Youssef has portrayed Mr. Morsi as a pharaoh prone to verbal gaffes, such as when the new president spoke out against drunken driving by saying, “Gas and alcohol don’t mix.” The newspaper also reported that after Mr. Morsi granted himself sweeping powers in November, Mr. Youssef dubbed him “Super Morsi” and “Morsi, the unifier of authorities,” a play on the president’s inability to unify Egyptians. When he heard of the comparisons last June, Mr. Stewart invited Mr. Youssef on as a guest of the show in New York. During the appearance, Mr. Stewart asked what it was like to host a political comedy show in Egypt while the nation


Prompt: MSU target Josh Jackson, right, playing for the West team, blocks the shot of East forward Jayson Tatum during Wednesday night's McDonald's All-American game in Chicago. (Photo: Matt Marton / AP) CHICAGO – Miles Bridges definitely paused when speaking about Josh Jackson. Perhaps he caught himself. Maybe it was nothing. Probably nothing. It might have been something. Welcome to “Josh Jackson Decision 2016.” This is what it’s coming to — analyzing the verbal pauses of Michigan State’s other incoming recruits for clues as to what Jackson might decide. Check that: has decided. He knows where he's going to college. Bridges

knows, too. Neither is saying. Likely not for a few more weeks, Jackson said after Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-American game. He’s got a busy schedule and wants to do it when life slows and he can be around family and friends. There is something ridiculous, almost demeaning about hanging on every word of a 19-year-old. Even if it’s part of the job. Even if he's the nation's top-ranked recruit. I’d like to tell Jackson to get over himself and share his decision. Spit it out. So the rest of us can get on with our lives that will or won’t involve him. The thing is, he’s worth the fuss. He’s that good. Against the best high school basketball players in the country — probably a dozen other future pros — Jackson stood out. He plays above the rim and beyond the arc. He can handle the basketball and finish on the drive. And he can pass. And defend. And at 6-foot-7 and a shade under 200 pounds, he can play three positions, including point guard. He scored 19 points in 17 minutes Wednesday, winning co-MVP. He would have scored two more, but his first emphatic put-back dunk was over the back of a teammate, who got credit for the bucket. Jackson is as close to a complete player as you’ll find between high school and the NBA. He’s finishing the former, soon to be in the latter. In-between he’ll play for … That brings us back to Bridges’ pause — either the most interesting or least interesting moment of the night. Of the many inquiries this week about Jackson’s whereabouts next season — MSU, Kansas or Arizona — this was not one of them. The question to Bridges was about how much he’d played and worked out with his future


Prompt: Kevin Rudd and Israel's Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem yesterday. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman yesterday rejected Kevin Rudd's call that its nuclear facility should be subject to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Standing alongside Mr Rudd during a press conference in Jerusalem, Mr Lieberman said what was important was not whether any country was a member of the Non- Proliferation Treaty but that it was responsible. He made it clear Israel did not regard any such inspection as necessary as it was a responsible country "and we have

proved this for many years". Read Next Mr Rudd, in an interview with The Australian this week, had said Israel's nuclear facility should be subject to inspection by the IAEA. The comment shocked Israeli officials, who could not recall an Australian minister suggesting that their facility at Dimona should be subject to inspection. Mr Rudd had said: "Our view has been consistent for a long period of time, and that is that all states in the region should adhere to the NPT, and that includes Israel. And therefore their nuclear facility should be subject to IAEA inspection." But Mr Lieberman said yesterday: "I think that we have a very clear position -- we are a very responsible country and a responsible government and we have proved this for many years." He said in his view, the question was not the NPT but whether a country and its government was responsible or not. "Iran joined with the NPT and is part of the NPT and we see every day cheating and many attempts to waste time (allowing in inspectors) and, of course, they're part of the NPT but the reality is completely different." While Mr Rudd had made his comment in an interview in Cairo, in Jerusalem yesterday he softened his position, saying Australia recognised Israel's "unique security circumstances". He concentrated much more on Iran's nuclear program than Israel's. Mr Rudd said Australia was "deeply concerned" about Iran's nuclear weapons program and while its stated aim was nuclear energy for civilian purposes, it found itself in defiance of provisions of the NPT. "Therefore Iran has obtained from us and from other countries . . . universal condemnation, secondly sanctions and thirdly, in the case of Australia, autonomous sanctions over and above those which are required under the UN Security Council," he


Prompt: CLOSE A look at everything that went down at the Oregon Capitol during the Independence Day holiday. Statesman Journal / Wochit Buy Photo Sun cast early morning light on the Golden Pioneer on the Oregon Capitol (Photo: Diane Dietz, Statesman Journal)Buy Photo Oregon Republicans took the lead in arguing for spending $36 million on health care for undocumented Oregon children during a Monday session. The “cover all kids” Senate Bill 558 passed the body on a 21-8 vote. The bill now proceeds to the House where it's likely to find favor with the majority Democrats. Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli,

R-John Day, said he’ll take a shellacking for his ‘yes” vote on the bill from constituents who believe extending benefits encourages illegal immigration. “I can hear the town hall questions; I can write them,” he said. “I will look at folks with anger in their eyes and they will not listen to the answer that it is less expensive (to provide coverage),” Ferrioli said, finally adding, “Folks can sharpen their knives and load up. I’ll be in the district after the session is over. I can answer the questions then just as I can now.” The bill would extend coverage under the Oregon Health Plan to an estimated 15,000 children in the state who otherwise would be prohibited from signing up because they lack legal residency status. Gov. Kate Brown highlighted the cover all kids program as a priority in her proposed budget. Ninety-eight percent of Oregon children are covered today. The bill, which takes effect Jan. 1, would bring the proportion even higher. A hospital provider tax of 1.7 percent on large hospitals and 4 percent on small hospitals passed in June will pay for the expansion, according to legislative documents. Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, carried the bill to the Senate floor and made the case that it is really a conservative bill. Children don’t go completely without care, he said. When they turn up sick at hospitals, hospitals have to treat them, and that’s the most expensive way to treat them. “I know about the optics of this thing. We could get wrapped up in sanctuary this, sanctuary that. We could get wrapped up with immigration this or immigration that,” Kruse said. “This is not about the optics or the politics. This is about health care at a reasonable cost.” Passing the bill will bring relief to hospitals


Prompt: JACKSON HEIGHTS — A Queens gas station owned by a taxi tycoon is refusing to sell gas to anyone but yellow cabs — with preferential treatment for his own drivers — even as desperate motorists line up for blocks to get fuel amid a massive shortage caused by Hurricane Sandy. On the eve of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's mandatory gas-rationing plan, a Shell station on Northern Boulevard and 71st Street was giving away a seemingly endless supply of gas — mainly to members of taxi mogul Evgeny Freidman's taxi fleet. Freidman's gas station had three working pumps on Thursday and has

been flush with gas in the wake of the hurricane, even as dozens of others around the five boroughs ran dry and closed, sparking massive lines. The station waved away at least five pleading motorists trying to fill up at the pump within an hour that evening while yellow cabs flew through the line and filled up, as officials from the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission stood by and watched. "We're just here to provide security," said a TLC official, who turned up at the station at 5 p.m. Thursday, along with several NYPD officers, after getting "hundreds" of 911 calls about fights at that station. Two pumps were reserved for Taxi Club Management, Freidman's massive fleet of cabs. All other cab drivers, who had been turned away from the station until the TLC intervened Wednesday, had to wait in two-block-long lines to use the third pump, even when the Taxi Club lines were empty. The scene came as the city rolled out a controversial odd-even gas rationing plan gas rationing plan, only allowing those whose license plate ends in an even number to get gas on even-numbered days, and those whose license plate ends in an odd number, a letter or another character to get gas on odd-numbered days. The order does not apply to taxis or livery vehicles, because they are a part of the "public transportation system," city officials said Thursday. Police who were briefly on hand at the Jackson Heights station Thursday directed traffic and tried to keep order, telling one angry driver waiting in a long line that there was nothing he could do because it was a private facility. "If you're serving the public, you should serve the public at all times," Maribel Egipciaco, 52, who waited in line for 15 minutes before an


Prompt: BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A 23-year-old white Baton Rouge man arrested Tuesday was accused of killing two black men and firing on a black family in a string of attacks that police say may have been racially motivated. A law enforcement official said they had found a copy of an Adolf Hitler speech at the home of Kenneth James Gleason, and investigators said DNA on shell casings and other evidence link him to the crimes. Gleason was led away from the police department in handcuffs just before authorities there held a news conference to announce that he would be

charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths last week of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work. “I feel confident that this killer would have killed again,” interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam said. Gleason’s attorney, J. Christopher Alexander, said his client “vehemently denies guilt, and we look forward to complete vindication.” Alexander declined to say anything else. Authorities found a copy of the Hitler speech during a search of Gleason’s home over the weekend, according to the law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. Asked whether police suspect race was a motive for the shootings, Sgt. L’Jean McKneely said: “We’re not completely closed off to that. We’re looking at all possibilities at this time, so we’re not going to just pinpoint that.” District Attorney Hillar Moore said his office could seek the death penalty. “It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless,” he said. “We don’t need to prove motive. There are a lot of things that are unanswered.” No one was injured when Gleason fired multiple times into the home of a black family in his neighborhood on Sept. 11, authorities said. It’s not clear if Gleason knew the family. In the other shootings, Gleason fired from his car then walked up to the victims as they were lying on the ground and fired again multiple times, police said. Neither victim had any prior relationship with Gleason. The first fatal shooting occurred Sept. 12 when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death. The second happened last Thursday night when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down while walking to his job as a dishwasher at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students. The attacks


Prompt: The ‘non-religious’ are the largest group in the State after Catholics, according to the last census. They range from active atheists lobbying for a secular Ireland to guilty non-believers who still observe religious rituals, writes RÓISÍN INGLE A FEW WEEKS ago Brian Whiteside of the Humanist Association of Ireland addressed a gathering that included Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter as well as various religious leaders. He used the opportunity to raise the issue of our religious presidential oath, which he says is just one example of State discrimination against the growing godless community. The oath, the wording

of which is enshrined in the Constitution, is taken in “the presence of Almighty God” and is a non-negotiable promise that must be given by whoever is elected president. It concludes, “May God direct and sustain me.” “I talked about how embarrassing it would be for this country if a successful candidate decided that in all conscience they couldn’t give that oath because they didn’t believe in God,” says Whiteside. He was gratified to observe Kenny requesting that Shatter make a note of this potentially awkward eventuality. It’s a possibility worth reflecting on, given that there is more chance of a non-believer being elected president now than any other time in the history of the State. In the 2006 census, more than 186,000 people ticked the No Religion box, an increase of 34.6 per cent on 2002. That makes it is the second-largest census grouping after Roman Catholic. There are more agnostics, humanists, atheists and non-religious in Ireland than there are Church of Ireland members, Presbyterians, Orthodox Christians and Methodists combined. A further 70,000 opted not to answer the religion question. Coming in the wake of the Murphy and Ryan reports, the 2011 census results are expected to record a further increase in this disparate but essentially non-religious group. This weekend in Dublin about 350 atheists have gathered for the first World Atheist Convention to be held in this country. Speakers include the prolific British professor Richard Dawkins and the chairman of Atheist Ireland, Michael Nugent. “Twenty years ago the atheist campaign would have been around trying to change public opinion, and now it is much more about getting politicians and institutions of the State to recognise that public opinion has changed,” says Nugent. While some people who wear their atheism on their sleeves still risk clashing with more religious


Prompt: Targeted/their houses were stormed /escaped arrest/ most are in hide (Updated 06 April 2011) As compiled by Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and Bahrain Center for Human Rights 1 Sayed-Yousef Al-Mahafdha Active member of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), House was stormed early morning 20 March. 2 Nabeel Rajab President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and vice Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Arrested briefly and beaten on 20 March. Banned from travel to Geneva to attend a human rights meeting his communications is cut. He was harassed again on 30

March while interviewed by CNN crew at his house. 3 Mohammed Al-Masqati President of the Bahrain Youth Human Rights Society (BYHRS), His photo, address and phone number was published on the internet with a message that he should be killed. 4 Abdulhdi Alkhawaja Former president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), His photo, address and phone number was published on the internet with a message that he should be killed. 5 Naji Fateel Board member of the Bahrain Youth Human Rights Society (BYHRS), His photo, address and phone number was published on the internet with a message that he should be killed. 6 Salman Naji Member of the Committee for the Unemployed. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House stormed early morning 28 March. His brothers, Ali and Hussain were beaten. 7 Abdul Gani Khanjer Head of the Committee of the Victims of Torture. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed 8 Abdul Amir Al Aradi Activist. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed 09 Hisham AlSabbagh Active member of the Islamic Action Society (AMAL), House was stormed 10 Fahmi Bakalwa board member of Islamic Action Society (AMAL), House was stormed 11 Hussain Omran Activist. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed 12 Ali Abdul Imam Prominent blogger. Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed 13 Dr. Mohammed Saeed Member of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR). Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed 14 Ahmed Jawad Al-Fardan Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed 15 Ali Jawad Al-Fardan Was detained in August 2010 and recently released. House was stormed 16 Mohammed Ali Al-Mahfoudh Cleric. Secretary General, Islamic Action Society (AMAL)


Prompt: But as pretty much any Democrat will tell you (if mostly sotto voce), the party is nowhere near ready to take on Trump. And even some of this week’s more prominent protests illuminate the challenge that lies ahead. Take the Women’s March on Washington, by far the buzziest of the gatherings. Set for Donald Trump’s first full day in office, the Saturday event is expected to draw upwards of 160,000 participants from across the country. An outgrowth of post-election Facebook venting by disappointed Hillary supporters, the march has garnered scads of attention. People are charmed by its organic, grassroots origins,

and, following complaints that its initial organizers were all white chicks, the event has assumed an aggressively inclusive flavor. It is, in fact, not a rally for traditional women’s rights (reproductive freedom, equal pay, protection against sexual harassment, and so on) but rather a show of support for the rights of all potentially oppressed groups: racial minorities, immigrants, Muslims, Jews, the LGBTQ community, indigenous peoples, the disabled, and, yes, women. The march’s home page trumpets: We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. The overarching goal: to “send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights.” Does this soaring, all-encompassing mission give the march broad appeal? Absolutely. But in standing for everything—and thus nothing in particular—the gathering also lacks political focus. It isn’t a push for change so much as a cri de coeur by anti-Trumpers who want everyone to know that they reject the thuggish, bigoted demagoguery of their new president. Even people who cheer the event acknowledge that it’s basically a chance for those appalled by Trumpism to meet up for a big group hug. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. With a little luck and some targeted follow-up, the march could ultimately spur more women to get involved in the political process and even run for office. (This is clearly what EMILY’s List hopes. The women-focused PAC has joined with a handful of other progressive groups to conduct candidate-training sessions for 500 gals that weekend.) But as for the gathering itself, noted


Prompt: When the Charlotte Hornets selected Malik Monk with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, there were some undoubtedly high expectations by fans and scouts. Many expected Monk to be able to step in almost immediately and be not only a solid role player but an above average starter as well. Let's rewind to that day. I covered draft night for At The Hive, and remember how excited many were about this big-name prospect. There were about seven or eight guards that were very highly touted of in the NBA draft, and all were all projected to go

in the top ten. Charlotte, of course, had the 11th pick, making it unlikely to come away with one of these prospects. However, when Sacramento traded the 10th overall pick to the Portland Trail Blazers, most watching the draft knew that Charlotte would have an opportunity to select the high-firepower guard from Kentucky. Then, it happened. Rich Cho and Michael Jordan selected the nineteen-year-old, from the Kentucky Wildcats over the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Luke Kennard, and Bam Adebayo. In fact, in a poll that was run among Hornets fans before the draft (where 227 total votes were tallied), 27 percent of fans agreed the Hornets should trade up for Monk, while 70 percent agreed that Charlotte should take him if available. In fact, only three percent of Hornets fans would have picked another player over Monk (seven total votes). It was a pick out of the ordinary. It wasn’t a ‘Charlotte’ pick. It shattered the stereotypes of the Hornets always picking big, white, unathletic centers. Monk, when asked to describe his own game in one word, said, “Electric”. As you can tell by his own response, this is not the typical Charlotte first round pick. When you think of a Hornets’ draft pick (before the 2017 NBA Draft), your thought probably floats around three ideas. A lengthy defensive guard, a grit-and-grind wing, or a defensive center. Malik Monk fits into none of the above. However, disappointment struck after Monk missed Orlando Summer League with an ankle injury sustained in a pre-draft workout. Recovery took longer than expected, but Monk eventually made his debut in the preseason. He performed well, averaging 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists, managing to only turn the ball over once per game, and more importantly, remaining healthy. As if the expectations were not already


Prompt: One of the strangest sentences in American law comes from Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. “Under the First Amendment,” he wrote, in 1974, “there is no such thing as a false idea.” That is not a decree that the world brims with truth. He meant that we rely on the marketplace of ideas, rather than on judges and juries, to sort out truth from falsehood—and to continually check our understanding of the truth. The Justice was restating the central tenet embraced in New York Times v. Sullivan, in 1964, the Supreme Court’s most important decision about freedom of speech and

of the press. The Court extended the scope of the First Amendment to libel law and held that, even if a citizen stated or a newspaper published criticism about a public official that was incorrect, that mistake could be punished as libel only if the critic knew or suspected that the criticism was false. In 1967, the Court applied this rule to public figures as well. The premise of the marketplace applies broadly, not just to libel law. The First Amendment protects a lot of harmful speech, including much that is incendiary, offensive, and untrue. That protection covers President Trump, even if he does not believe the torrent of falsehoods he has uttered. Experts on crowd size estimate that his Inauguration attracted a crowd of about a hundred and fifty thousand, but Trump is free to say that there were as many as a million and a half people there. Public officials who oversaw the 2016 election reported that there were scant numbers of votes cast illegally—virtually none compared to the more than 137.7 million ballots cast in total—but Trump can claim that, had it not been for massive voter fraud, he would have won the popular vote, which Hillary Clinton won by 2.9 million votes, or 2.1 per cent of the total. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes introduced this concept into American law almost a century ago, writing that “the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.” That includes Trump’s views that journalists are “among the most dishonest human beings on Earth” and “the enemy of the American people,” and that the federal appeals-court ruling that struck down his first travel ban, a month ago, jeopardized the security of the country. A wide body of scholarship has


Prompt: Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton meets voters at a campaign rally in St. Louis on Saturday. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton was ahead by a slim margin in Missouri on Wednesday, but the race remained in limbo pending word on whether rival Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont would seek a recount. The delay postponed a definitive answer to whether Clinton had made a clean sweep of five big primaries on Tuesday night. Even if she does not prevail in Missouri, her other victories push her closer to the Democratic presidential nomination even as the considerably weakened

Sanders vowed to press on with his insurgent campaign. Clinton won big in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio, while claiming a narrower victory in Illinois. In Missouri, with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton was ahead 310,602 votes to 309,071. With a difference of less than 1 percent, state officials held off calling the race. A recount is not automatic, but Sanders could request one. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and her rival, Bernie Sanders, spoke about the challenges going forward after primary voters took to the polls in five states on March 15. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) Jeff Weaver, Sanders’s campaign manager, said the campaign has not made a final decision on whether to request a recount and is still looking at the numbers. Because delegates are awarded proportionately, it’s not clear how much a small change in the vote totals would matter, he said. “If it’s not going to make a material difference in the delegate count, we’re not going to put people through it,” he said. [A good night for Trump and a better night for Clinton] Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook issued a memo to supporters and the media Wednesday that claimed a decisive advantage. He also took Sanders to task for turning negative. "Both campaigns agreed that the measure of success for yesterday's pivotal contests was delegates," Mook wrote. "Sanders went all out in these 5 states, pouring more than $8 million on TV in the last 5 days alone," including at least one ad Mook termed negative. "It's pretty clear this negative strategy backfired," he wrote. Addressing supporters Tuesday night, Sanders did not mention the night's outcome, a disappointment for him after hopes that he could ride momentum from an upset victory in Michigan last week to victories in other large, delegate-rich states in the


Prompt: P30 billion out of the proposed P36 billion for technical-vocational labs for Grade 11 and 12 students will be realigned to fund the free tuition law next year Published 1:35 PM, September 27, 2017 MANILA, Philippines – Grade 11 and 12 students under the technical-vocational track will be at a disadvantage following the realignment of P30 billion of the proposed 2018 budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) to fund the free tuition law. This is because around 20,000 technical-vocational laboratories set to be built in 2018 will no longer have funding due to the budget cut, DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn

Sevilla told Rappler. "Kasi P36 billion ang budget for tech-voc labs in the proposal. So if they get P30 billion, matitira lang ay P6 billion... Magkukulang kami ng labs for that," Sevilla said. (The budget for tech-voc labs in the proposal is at P36 billion. So if they get P30 billion, only P6 billion will be left... We will not have enough to build the labs.) The DepEd initially proposed P612.117 billion for its budget for next year, the highest among all government agencies. But the House of Representatives realigned P30 billion of the DepEd's budget to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to help fund Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. Lawmakers are finding ways to fund the free tuition law, which needs P51 billion in its first year of implementation alone. CHED did not include funds for the law's implementation in its 2018 proposed budget because President Rodrigo Duterte was not expected to sign the measure into law. "The wisdom of Congress is that we have the voucher program of tech-voc, which means we have to shift from DepEd providing the laboratory services to a private institution providing it instead," said Sevilla. The DepEd official, however, said they will be holding several meetings with lawmakers in the next weeks to lessen the budget cut's impact on the technical-vocational strand under the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K to 12) program. "We are working with Congress if it would be possible that not entirely the P30 billion will be from the tech-voc labs. Maybe we can look into other programs," said Sevilla. In a separate press conference, CHED Chairperson Patricia Licuanan urged legislators to also consider other ways of funding the free tuition law without further burdening students. "Congress has to proceed very


Prompt: I know this is not everyone’s dish of tea William Weld, former Massachusetts governor, uttered this one on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, when he introduced the topic of climate change. This is a mashup of “not one’s cup of tea” (not one’s preference) and maybe “dish it out” (to dispense something, often verbally)? Or was the speaker just thinking of “cup and saucer” and got the two confused? No one knows except Mr. Weld, and perhaps he doesn’t either. On that note, I think I’ll have a “disha”. A big thanks to two people who heard this one and sent it

in almost simultaneously: David Stephens and Donna Calvert. Thanks David and Donna! Advertisements They would jump on a bullet for him This was uttered when discussing the blind loyalty of Trump supporters. It is a congruent conflation of “take a bullet for (someone)” and “falling (or jumping) on a grenade for (someone)”, both meaning to accept a personally harmful or sacrificial task to protect someone else. Jumping on a bullet doesn’t seem like a great sacrifice to me, so perhaps this speaker was not such a loyal follower. A big thanks to John Kooser for hearing this one. The Manafort situation throws the whole incentive system on its head Columbia Law School professor Berit Berger uttered this one on the MSNBC show “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams”. She was discussing the pardon system and the Manafort case. This is a mashup of “turn (something) on its head” (to alter something in an unexpected way) and “throw it out the window” (forgotten, disregarded). “Turning” and “throwing” seems to have caused the mixup here. A big thanks to Frank King for hearing this one. Is it “Defend On Your Own” night? The contributor says her husband says this when she doesn’t feel like cooking for dinner. The malaphor prompts a visual of the family opening the refrigerator and fighting for the best leftovers. This is a mashup of “stand on one’s (own) two feet” (act independently) and “fend for (oneself)” (take care of oneself without the assistance of others). I suppose the speaker was thinking of the word “fend” but uttered “defend” instead. A tip of the hat to Lori Snider for sending this one in! My hackles were ruffled This was overheard at a nearby table at breakfast. This is a brilliant congruent conflation of “ruffle (ones’) feathers” and “raise


Prompt: DIY Funerals: Rite at Home is a five-part radio series exploring home funerals. The series ran from July 4 to July 8 on CBC Radio One's afternoon shows in B.C. Taking care of dead loved ones at home can be an affordable and intimate alternative to paying a funeral provider and for those interested in doing so, there are important things to know before undertaking such a task. Home funerals can be done safely and legally in British Columbia if the proper steps are followed. This includes filing the proper paperwork, gathering practical supplies, and adhering to the Cremation, Interment

and Funeral Services Act. Navigating the paperwork Some people hire a death doula, someone who specializes in home funerals, to help them navigate the paperwork. If a home death is expected, a physician can prepare a notification of expected death in the home form. This allows the family to have time with their deceased loved one without immediately contacting a physician to pronounce death. Ngaio Davis, owner of Classical Cremations, in her Vancouver office where she assists clients with custom funeral preparations, including for home funerals. (Bridgette Watson/CBC) The death will need to be registered with The British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, where a disposition permit will be issued to confirm where the body will be buried, or cremated. If a funeral home is not moving the body, then a private transport permit must be applied for through Consumer Protection BC. Without this form, transporting a body violates the Funeral Services Act. A death doula can also teach people how to care for a dead body. They are not registered funeral providers and cannot be paid to wash a body, but they can provide instruction and support. You can never have too much ice Dead bodies need to be kept cool. It is essential to have ice packs on hand to place around the vital organs of a person after they pass. Pashta MaryMoon is a death doula who helps families prepare for home funerals. She said people need to be prepared for the effects of rigor mortis. "You often see in movies somebody dies and their eyes are open and then they just pass their hands over top of the eyelids and they shut," said MaryMoon, who explained this is not normally the case in real life. MaryMoon's DIY tips include using sandwich bags of rice to weigh down


Prompt: Eric Holder named to lead effort to destroy GOP after Hillary wins the presidency This election is for keeps: plans are being implemented, with President Obama already signed on, staff hired, and money being raised. Perhaps lulled into complacency by the MSM polls, the Democrats have already constructed and staffed their strategy to permanently disable the Republican Party. Eric Holder is the perfect henchman, a man above nothing in his quest for political dominance, unbound by old-fashioned concepts of justice. The GOP will remain in existence as the token opposition, useful for legitimizing the actual one-party regime, the essential element

of the election rituals reminding us of the Republic we once enjoyed. Edward Isaac-Dovere of Politico has the scoop: As Democrats aim to capitalize on this year’s Republican turmoil and start building back their own decimated bench, former Attorney General Eric Holder will chair a new umbrella group focused on redistricting reform—with the aim of taking on the gerrymandering that’s left the party behind in statehouses and made winning a House majority far more difficult. The new group, called the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, was developed in close consultation with the White House. President Barack Obama himself has now identified the group—which will coordinate campaign strategy, direct fundraising, organize ballot initiatives and put together legal challenges to state redistricting maps—as the main focus of his political activity once he leaves office. The group is moving forward in a systematic way, assembling talent and money: Though initial plans to be active in this year’s elections fell short, the group has been incorporated as a 527, with Democratic Governors Association executive director Elizabeth Pearson as its president and House Majority PAC executive director Ali Lapp as its vice president. They’ve been pitching donors and aiming to put together its first phase action plan for December, moving first in the Virginia and New Jersey state elections next year and with an eye toward coordination across gubernatorial, state legislative and House races going into the 2018 midterms. Redistricting, aka Gerrymandering (depending on the eye of the beholder), is now a science, thanks to the data-mining capabilities of all the Silicon Valley Big Money corporatist allies of the Democrats. Assembling masses of data from Google, Facebook, and others, they can put together districts micro-targeted with just enough Democrats to win and shove the GOP voters into 90% majority districts, shut out forever from control of


Prompt: RE: Host for POTUS in Miami From:ReedA@dnc.org To: SnowdenK@dnc.org, Bobby_Schmuck@who.eop.gov, MARSHALL@dnc.org, ReynoldsL@dnc.org, DaceyA@dnc.org CC: RivardC@dnc.org, MarquezK@dnc.org, KaplanJ@dnc.org, CoxC@dnc.org Date: 2016-05-12 13:59 Subject: RE: Host for POTUS in Miami I lean no to hosting but could be ok with attending. He was vetted and passed to host an event on Feb. but I think that was for the event that were cancelled. Coincidentally, it was the same day the article came out. Bobby, Brad? Hello everyone, We were also asked to vet the following for POTUS hosting. The only issue is Roy Black. New issues have come up since his last

vet in February 2016. Thanks, Kevin Roy Black- NEW 2016: Black defended Jeffrey Epstein, who was prosecuted this year for multiple charges of sexual abuse against at least 34 underage girls between 1999 and 2007. 2015: Represent Justin Bieber after his 2014 DUI charge; Wild reputation, has defended unsavory characters (Rush Limbaugh, Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis), parties with flagged celebrities, accused of ethical violations by former US Attorney; Represented Alex Rodriguez in 2013 steroid case; unable to locate why he was let go by A-Rod 832 S Greenway Drive Coral Gables, FL 33134 DOB: 2/1945 EMPLOYER/OCCUPATION: Self/Attorney NOTES: Co-hosted a February 2007 Obama fundraiser at his home with wife Lea Black. * See Below NGP VET HISTORY: * 2/12/2016; Passed 6OK; POTUS host * 5/14/2015; Passed 6OK; Revisiting for POTUS * 5/14/2015; Issue 6OK; ok per WH * 1/15/2014 - Issue 6OK; revisit for POTUS * 2/13/2012 - Issue 6OK; OK per VC for FL045, revisit for POTUS * 2/13/2012 - Issue 6OK; Bad News * 10/20/2008 - Pass 3OK CONTRIBUTIONS: Yes FREDERICA S. WILSON FOR CONGRESS 6/10/2011 $250 FRIENDS OF PATRICK MURPHY 3/31/2011 $2,500 KENDRICK MEEK FOR FLORIDA INC 10/6/2010 $1,000 KENDRICK MEEK FOR FLORIDA INC 3/17/2009 $2,300 JOE GARCIA FOR CONGRESS 9/29/2008 $1,000 JOHN MCCAIN 2008 INC. 8/12/2008 $1,000 UDALL FOR US ALL 4/1/2008 $500 TADDEO FOR CONGRESS 3/31/2008 $500 JOE GARCIA FOR CONGRESS 3/25/2008 $1,000 CONYERS FOR CONGRESS 11/29/2007 $450 BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT, INC. 9/17/2007 $500 JOHN EDWARDS FOR PRESIDENT 6/22/2007 $500 LAUTENBERG FOR SENATE 5/2/2007 $250 OBAMA FOR AMERICA 4/25/2007 $2,300 RICHARDSON FOR PRESIDENT INC. 1/23/2007 $500 EVENTS: None LOBBYIST/DOJ FARA: None EARMARKS/TARP/ARRA: None LIENS: None JUDGMENTS: None BANKRUPTCIES: None CRIMINAL RECORDS: None LEXIS-NEXIS/INTERNET SEARCH: Yes NEW 2016: * Fred Grimm: Billionaire sex offender from Palm Beach enjoys a special kind of justice. Prosecutors


Prompt: Liver regeneration is the process by which the liver is able to replace lost liver tissue from growth from the remaining tissue. The liver is the only visceral organ that possesses the capacity to regenerate.[1][2] The liver can regenerate after either surgical removal or after chemical injury.[3] It is known that as little as 25% of the original liver mass can regenerate back to its full size.[2][4] The process of regeneration in mammals is mainly compensatory growth because only the mass of the liver is replaced, not the shape.[5] However, in lower species such as fish, both liver size and

shape can be replaced.[6] Mechanism [ edit ] Liver regeneration involves replication of the liver cells, mainly hepatocytes, followed by other cells such as biliary epithelial cells and sinusoidal endothelial cells. Once cell proliferation is completed, the newly divided cells undergo restructuring, angiogenesis and reformation of extracellular matrix to complete the regeneration process.[2] In most cases, liver function is only partially affected during liver regeneration. Whereas certain specialized functions such as drug metabolism decrease, many other primary functions such as albumin and bile production are not substantially affected.[1] Liver regeneration is a highly controlled process regulated by a complex network on highly redundant signals. Several signaling pathways are known to stimulate regeneration in the liver including cytokines, growth factors, hormones, and nuclear receptors.[1] Discovered and studying in vivo some natural multicomponent liver regeneration substances – hepatic stimulator substance,[7] hepatic regeneration set,[8] augmenter of liver regeneration.[9] Function [ edit ] The ability for the liver to regenerate is central to liver homeostasis. Because the liver is the main site of drug detoxification, it is exposed to many chemicals in the body which may potentially induce cell death and injury. The liver can regenerate damaged tissue rapidly thereby preventing its own failure. However, a predictor of the true speed of liver regeneration depends on whether Interleukin 6 has overexpression[10]. Liver regeneration is also critical for patients of liver diseases where the partial removal of the liver due to fibrosis or tumor is a common therapy that utilizes the ability of the remaining liver to generate back.[citation needed] Experimental models [ edit ] Two main types of models are used to study liver regeneration, including surgical removal, also referred to as partial hepatectomy (PHX), and chemical-induced liver damage. Whereas the mechanisms and kinetics of liver regeneration in these two models are different, many


Prompt: Async IO for Rust (part II) PaulColomiets Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 12, 2015 This is a second article about designing “rotor”, the library for doing asynchronous IO in Rust. This part describes what changed since the previous article as well as expands on discussion points of the previous write-up. State Machines Are Good Enough One of the hottest topics in the discussion of the previous article was whether threads are the better abstraction for I/O. And if OS threads are not good enough some kind of green threading should be introduced. There are two such libraries being developed: mioco

and simplesched (both of them do not work in stable rust yet). Still I don’t believe it’s a good fit for low-level protocol handling. This section looks at issues with the threading model for handling I/O in Rust. You may skip the section if you are more interested in Rotor rather than design decisions. Memory ownership Typical request processing code looks like: It looks nothing wrong at a glance. No memory leaks here. But note that both “buf” and “parsed” are still being allocated while the response is being sent. But they are useless at that point in time. Is it easy to fix? Yes, just pass them by value, or wrap code block in braces. Is it easy to find? No. The code is too simplistic to show you the complexity. But compare it to the state machine: It’s easy to reason about memory usage in this case. Also, note that nothing is allocated for idle connection at all (except obviously the state machine itself). 2. Timeout handling Timeout handling is inevitable in any networking code. In most languages with green threading timeouts are simple: spawn another micro thread that sleeps and throws an exception to parent. If parent finished earlier, kill timer thread. But Rust doesn’t have exceptions. An example of timeout handling in go should show you the complexity. To give you the short breakdown: it adds a timer with a callback, which finds current “cancel callback” in a map, which in turn closes an underlying connection. The process involves at least 3 shared locked objects, and may involve sending a message through a channel. A cancel callbacks are changed during the lifetime of the request several times and special channels just for cancel operation are created in multiple places (if it’s not clear: that happens on


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? A few years ago, when I was still teaching at Yale, I was approached by a student who was interested in going to graduate school. She had her eye on Columbia; did I know someone there she could talk with? I did, an old professor of mine. But when I wrote to arrange the introduction, he refused to even meet with her. “I won’t talk to students about graduate school anymore,” he explained. “Going to grad school’s a suicide mission.” Ad Policy The policy may be extreme, but the feeling is universal. Most professors I know are willing to talk with students about pursuing a PhD, but their advice comes down to three words: don’t do it. (William Pannapacker, writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education as Thomas Benton, has been making this argument for years. See “The Big Lie About the ‘Life of the Mind,’” among other essays.) My


Prompt: From Republican presidential candidates to hard-core Corbyn supporters , we’re used to hearing extreme views from all over the political spectrum and beyond. Why? As a British person with liberal leanings, the ongoing coverage of the US Republican race to select a presidential candidate is often baffling. Much of this is due to Donald Trump, of course. Donald Trump, the ungodly offspring of a retired golfer and a beligerent tangerine. Donald Trump, a man who once heard the word “unspeakable” and thought “challenge accepted!” Just when you think he couldn’t possibly be more openly offensive towards large groups of people,

he reliably proves you wrong a few days later. Despite this, it seems a large number of people still think he’s the best person to be President, where he can bring about nuclear Armageddon by openly mocking Vladimir Putin’s height at some international summit. Or is it because of these deeply controversial statements that Trump is doing so well? He’s hardly alone in adopting extreme and controversial positions in an effort to secure the presidential candidate nomination. This isn’t to suggest we in the UK are above such behaviour. Far from it. While the mainstream media is constantly (and tediously) focusing on the divisions in the Labour party, you can’t miss constant complaints about “Corbynites”, supposedly dedicated followers of Jeremy Corbyn who aggressively defend him and tell you to join the bloody Conservatives if you express any views that are less left wing than those of Lenin himself. It’s not just politics either; from lefties to libertarians, gamers to gay rights activism, feminism to fandom, if you publicly share an opinion on an issue that many people care about enough to form groups around, you’re bound to get flak from the more “extreme” elements of said groups. Why, though? Why do groups of otherwise normal people regularly end up producing an enraged fringe element with a hair trigger? If you have a group of friends who like to socialise together and it transpires that one member of the group has a habit of screaming abuse at strangers and picking fights on everyone else’s behalf, said person won’t be invited to the pub as much from then on. But surprisingly, this doesn’t often happen with large, organised groups. Evidence suggests they tend to make people more extreme than if those people were left to think issues through themselves. This phenomenon is


Prompt: Innovation is a mindset — not just something you do once or twice a week — and Hollywood’s media companies have done a pretty poor job of it, a panel of New Media experts said in the final panel at TheGrill, TheWrap’s fourth annual Media Leadership Conference on Tuesday. Los Angeles-based legacy companies have been slow to adopt the Silicon Valley way, said Rich Raddon, co-founder of Venice-based Zefr, which helps content owners and brands manage their business on YouTube. “Not a lot of that culture has really rubbed off on SoCal media companies,” said Raddon, a former producer (“A

Slipping Down Life”) and director of the Los Angeles Film Festival from 2000 to 2009. “I just found a strong affinity to how people were building business up there.” Also read: TheGrill: Online-Video-Giant Maker’s Chief – We’ll Be the Next Viacom (Video) The panel, titled “Innovators panel: Meet the Folks We’ll All Be Working For in 10 Years,” also included Tumblr’sDavid Hayes and Lowercase Capital partner Matt Mazzeo. It was moderated by TheWrap’s Lucas Shaw. Raddon relayed the story of a major film studio that hosted a weekly “innovation group” – which was managed by, of all things, the company’s human-resources department. (At right: Hayes, Mazzeo and Raddon) “It’s hilarious,” he said. “Innovation is a mindset, not just a word.” But there’s good news: A whole lot of companies who do get it are sprouting up all over town. “This city is seeing this massive growth and explosion in tech companies,” said Mazzeo, whose Lowercase Capital advises and invests in companies at the junction of tech and media. “A lot of this is happening in mobile. It couldn’t be a more exciting time to be playing in both worlds right now.” Also read: TheGrill: Market-Research Leader Bruzzese – Our Industry Is Broken (Video) And there’s no bigger nexus point than YouTube — another thing the panelists don’t think Hollywood is getting its head around. “This town has a misperception about what’s happened with YouTube, which just keeps going up and up,” said Raddon, citing its staggering growth toward 1 billion unique users per month. The reason many traditionalists turn their nose up at YouTube, he said, is that it’s still not easy to monetize there — especially the platform’s wicked-fast growing overseas users. “But you gotta have some vision here,” he said. “In the early days of cable, the big


Prompt: The Labour lie about food banks – that their growth has been due to the callousness of the coalition government – is simple and has become familiar by the amount of airtime the BBC has given it over the past four years. Countering that message has been hard as the truth, as so often, is more complicated. Anyone who has visited a food bank will have understood that most people who use them are coping with a short terms crisis. Delays in receiving benefits are a huge cause of difficulties. Chris Mould, the Executive Director of the Trussell Trust has

estimated that 44 per cent of food bank visits are due to delays of one kind or another. This morning on this site, the Conservative MP John Glen, a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Hunger and Food Poverty, noted the Government has made progress in ensuring benefits are paid on time. The DWP can point to significant improvements: 92 per cent of claims are now processed on time (up from 86 per cent in 2009/10). That is an important achievement for which Iain Duncan Smith deserves credit. But it is inherent in the system that there will be bureaucracy, inefficiency and inflexibility. That is why the APPG’s Feeding Britain report about the huge challenge remaining is important. So if fewer people are experiencing benefit delays are there other factors that still mean an increase in the number going hungry? Not according to polling for the OECD. That suggests the figure has fallen in the UK while the OECD average has increased. Thus we are left with the conclusion that the growth in food banks does not mean more people need help. It means that more of those who need help are getting help. Seldom do we hear Labour asked to apologise for their decision in 2008 – maintained by Yvette Cooper when she was Work and Pensions Secretary the following year – of banning Job Centres from referring claimants to food banks. Was this because Labour wanted to suppress food bank use for propaganda purposes? Perhaps. But I suspect more likely it just reflected the statist mentality. There was suspicion of independent initiative – even if was charitable rather than profit-making. Quite understandably food banks rely seek evidence of real need before handing over the food parcel. A signed referral from the DWP would be one


Prompt: On the campaign trail, Donald Trump made much of his $1 trillion infrastructure promises. Today, the specifics remain largely ambiguous and ill-defined, with one exception: the desire to cut away pesky layers of bureaucratic red tape and streamline the permitting process for taxpayer-funded federal infrastructure projects. True — streamlining byzantine permitting requirements doesn't sound too egregious. Anyone who has waded through the mountain of paperwork often involved with building projects knows that could mean one less hoop to jump through, one less night of lost sleep, one less cent diverted away from the project at hand. Ostensibly, it's not a

bad thing. And when it comes to lagging American infrastructure, there are few out there who would argue against fixing or replacing crumbling highways and bridges in a more expeditious manner. In some instances, speedier is a bad thing. But at the core of the current administration's efficiency-focused infrastructure agenda is a rollback of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, a revised set of common sense building requirements established by President Barack Obama in a 2015 executive order that are geared to protect those living in flood-prone and low-lying coastal areas. "It is the policy of the United States to improve the resilience of communities and Federal assets against the impacts of flooding," reads the executive order. "These impacts are anticipated to increase over time due to the effects of climate change and other threats. Losses caused by flooding affect the environment, our economic prosperity, and public health and safety, each of which affects our national security." Former President Barack Obama visits flood-ravaged Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in August 2016. (Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images) Sometimes slower is better Central to the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard was a focus on safeguarding both the lives and the pocketbooks of those who inevitably end up footing the bill to rebuild after a major natural disaster: taxpayers. Implemented to "ensure that projects funded with taxpayer dollars last as long as intended," the standard required projects to be built safely out of harm's way in accordance to scientific flood risk data or other criteria. This way, public buildings in high-risk flood areas won't need to be repaired or rebuilt altogether using federal funding after suffering damage during major coastal storms and flooding events. Per Reuters, the U.S. incurred $260 billion in flood-related damages between 1980 and 2013. And so, even if the permitting process was


Prompt: Six years after the developer acquired the 300,000-square-foot property, it is over 95 percent occupied, employs about 700 people and pays about $600,000 in property taxes, although the company is contesting the assessment with the city. In the next few weeks a dialysis center will open on the ground floor. “We provide almost every service that this hospital used to provide,” said Stephen Kirby, a managing partner at Community Healthcare Associates. “So there is still a health care presence here.” Image The DaVita Dialysis Center, set to open soon within the Barnert Medical Arts Complex in Paterson, N.J., a new

medical mall housed in a former hospital. Credit Jennifer S. Altman for The New York Times These medical malls do offer health care services, but not necessarily the same ones the hospital provided. An urgent care center, for example, is not an emergency room that can admit patients. While a nonprofit hospital is required to serve a community’s health needs, a developer’s primary goal is to fill space with tenants who can pay the rent. So a primary care doctor or a pediatrician might not be as lucrative a tenant as a radiologist. Barnert, for example, does not have a pediatrician on its roster, while it does have an oncologist, a cardiologist and a psychiatrist. “The mix of services is radically different” at a medical mall, said Alan P. Sager, a professor of health policy and management at Boston University School of Public Health. “The services added might be more profitable, and if they’re not profitable, they are probably going to close.” Barnert developers did, however, actively seek women’s health care providers, including Planned Parenthood and a breast center, to replace some services lost when the hospital closed. Last summer, Global Life Enterprises purchased the shuttered Mercer Hospital in Trenton, which closed in 2011 to make way for a $540 million state-of-the-art facility in suburban Hopewell. Soon, the 650,000-square-foot campus, which dates back to the 19th century, will re-emerge as a health and wellness center, with plans for a hotel-like lobby, a waterfall, an adult medical day care facility, a spa and possibly a yoga center. The complex already has a few tenants, including a smoking-cessation center, a child advocacy group and doctor’s offices. “I am trying to put in services that would complement each other,” said Priti Pandya-Patel, founder of Global Life Enterprises, who also owns several sleep centers


Prompt: MUMBAI/DELHI: Ritesh Srivastava speaks with the fervour of a true believer. “I am a lifer here. The work and systems are as professional as any other FMCG company. But the work culture and what the brand stands for in terms of living with a purpose is totally different.”Four years ago, Srivastava joined Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. as senior manager marketing and sales from Himalaya . He’s not alone in his enthusiasm. In the past six months, as many as 250 executives have joined Patanjali from established fast-moving consumer goods companies. Patanjali itself has in the meantime been

winning market share from its rivals as becomes a strong contender in the FMCG stakes.Executives have joined from Hindustan Unilever and Procter & Gamble, apart from domestic companies Himalaya, Bisleri and Emami . The company is deluged with applications, it says.Apart from the controversial Ramdev’s charisma, many are drawn by the prospects for career growth, the chance of taking a business to new heights and the ethos of the company.“Ours is not a corporate culture--it is a spiritual culture and it is purpose-driven,” said managing director Acharya Balkrishna. Ramdev says people are drawn by Patanjali’s objectives of reinvesting in society and nation building.“There is no company that can be compared to Patanjali,” he said. “Professionals earlier did not have a place where they could take care of their family needs and at the same time work for a purpose, to give back to society and be proud of what they do.” It isn’t looking for top-bracket, Indian Institute of Management-trained professionals who command crores in pay.“Our compensation packages are in line with industry standards,” said managing director Balkrishna. “We do not seek great qualifications. During our interviews, we only make sure of two things--that the applicant does not smoke or consume liquor and should be of Satvik nature.”This has led to questions about its ability to recruit the best talent, especially at the senior level. But that’s exactly what may be a draw for some.Sharad Bharadwaj, who joined Patanjali as western zonal manager in 2015 from P&G, said he was taken by the swadeshi model and the emphasis on treating employees well.“At least 70% of the talent in MNCs is sidelined,” he said. “At Patanjali, they do not give up on an individual. If someone is not up to a task, he is trained to do things that he is


Prompt: Adia: A Week With Clojure And MongoDB Zef Hemel Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 30, 2009 I spent last week with my wife and her family in Poland (my wife is Polish). Her parents do not speak English, or any other language than Polish so communication is problematic beyond the thank you, you’re welcome, yes and no thank yous. My wife also spends a lot of time meeting with her friends, so I typically spend quite some time staring at the wall among people who are speaking a language I do not know well enough yet. So, recently I’ve been

coming up with little one-week programming projects for the weeks we spend there. These projects do not have to lead to anything in particular, but give me a good amount of time to take a deep dive into something I do not ordinarily have time for. Last week my project was building a web application and framework with Clojure and MongoDB. I already had a plan for a web application in mind before, and already read up on Clojure (through the excellent Programming Clojure book) and played with it a little bit. I have also been interested in non-relational databases for quite some time and before have played with Google AppEngine’s DataStore and CouchDB. Similar to CouchDB, MongoDB is a document-oriented database, but it has more “conventional” querying methods than CouchDB, still not SQL though. For a week on-and-off I went to work. There were basically two components to this project, first getting to know MongoDB and second learning to build a nice internal DSL in a functional language, specifically, a lisp (I never seriously learned a Lisp before, only supervised practical sessions for a class using Scheme). As a case study I came up with a nice not-too-complicated web application to build. I won’t go into that application in this post, it’s still secret (wooh!). Alright. MongoDB is written in C++ and has readily compiled binaries for most platforms available and very easy to install (simply extract and run). It is known for its good performance and used by many companies, including Sourceforge and Disqus (the comment system I use on this website). After starting the server, the easiest way to start interacting with the system is the mongo javascript console. Let me demonstrate it by simply showing you a sequence of commands (prefixed with >) and outputs: >


Prompt: Saturday, October 18 By Nancy Hylton of Seattle, Washington, USA You are called to create pathways in the world for peace in Christ to be relationally and culturally incarnate. The hope of Zion is realized when the vision of Christ is embodied in communities of generosity, justice, and peacefulness. —Doctrine and Covenants 163:3a It started as a dream to serve families with disabled children closer to their homes near Seattle, Washington. It started with the weekday use of a church nursery room by five families and two physical therapists. It started in August 1979 as a nonprofit neurodevelopmental center to

help young children and infants with movement and learning problems. From the start, the center took on a life of its own. Families and staff members built on the strengths others. Soon we needed a larger space. A doctor offered an extra two rooms behind his laboratory. We often used the carpeted hallway for therapy and communication groups as we overflowed the space. Then we moved to a three-story house. We renovated the entry level as our primary therapy space. We used the stairs to teach kids to climb. Soon we outgrew this space, too. With the help from donations, we tripled our space in a former day-care facility. To reduce the stress of travel on families, we started satellite locations. Our service expanded to include water therapy, hippo-therapy, and a fitness center. Our clientele expanded to include preteens and young adults. It is a privilege to be part of this program, from the start—more than 30 years ago. I am convinced God not only struck the spark for our beginning, but God blessed us with the right people and skills. Supportive parents, who continue the work after their children complete the program, continue to bless us. Generous responses from businesses and foundations helped from the start. God’s blessing on this zionic work is clear to me. Starting from a dream, it developed into a vibrant, life-enhancing program. Prayer for Peace Generous God, we thank you for the dreams you plant in our hearts—dreams to serve those in need. We thank you for our dreams and plans to end suffering. Thank you for giving us a spark to fan into light and peace for the world. Spiritual Practice: Abolish Poverty, End Suffering Read and reflect on John 21:15–17 as a meditation. Let your mind go to places where people have


Prompt: Donald Trump. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters In an abrupt reversal Tuesday afternoon, House Republicans dropped a proposal to gut an ethics office overseeing them, after coming under intense criticism from President-elect Donald Trump and others. The reversal came just hours after Trump criticized the House GOP for making the ethics rules change an initial priority of the new Congress. "With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it may be, their number one act and priority," Trump posted in two tweets. "Focus on tax reform, healthcare

and so many other things of far greater importance! #DTS" Incoming White House press secretary and communications director Sean Spicer later added in a conference call with reporters that Trump's tweets were a "question of priorities." "He says their focus should be on tax reform and healthcare," he said. "It's not a question of strengthening or weakening — it's a question of priorities." House Republicans had voted Monday night to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics, a nonpartisan ethics watchdog, in a closed-door meeting. The lawmakers voted to place the office under the oversight of the House Ethics Committee, which gives them more control over the independent body tasked with investigating their behavior. It was a measure that was added to a larger rules package expected to pass on Tuesday. The proposal to gut the ethics office was withdrawn Tuesday afternoon by unanimous consent. The new rules would have eliminated the office's spokesperson, its ability to investigate anonymous tips, its ability to alert law enforcement if has identified a crime, and its authority to publicly release allegations of wrongdoing, a mandate that the formal House Ethics Committee does not have. House Republicans said this was because the public releases had undermined their own due process in investigations. OCE was created in 2008 after a series of House corruption scandals. "The OCE has a serious and important role in the House, and this amendment does nothing to impede their work," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, who sponsored the measure. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who created the office, expressed dismay with the decision. "Evidently, ethics are the first casualty of the new Republican Congress," the California Democrat said in a statement. House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy were reportedly against the measure. "After eight years of


Prompt: Time finally ran out for Hostess Brands on Wednesday, as a bankruptcy judge gave preliminary approval for the company to shut down after 82 years in business. A last-ditch attempt to mediate a pay-and-benefits dispute between the company and its Bakery Workers union failed. The decision by Judge Robert Drain sets the stage for the company to start selling its assets -- including its bakeries, brands and recipes. "Sadly, the parties were not able to come to an agreement," said Drain. "It's a free country. People are free not to agree." Hostess, maker of such beloved products as Twinkies, Wonder

Bread and Drake's snacks, announced Tuesday night the mediation efforts had failed to produce a deal. About 15,000 of the company's current 18,500 employees will likely be terminated in the coming days. The company said in court it needs about 3,200 employees to stay on for various periods of time to wind down the company. The company's operations have been closed since last Friday. Hostess' CEO and attorneys previously said that reaching a deal to restart the company's network of 33 bakeries and 565 distribution centers would be difficult due to the financial damage done by the strike that started Nov. 9. But Hostess' investment bankers testified that there have been dozens of inquiries about a possible purchase of various brands and even some facilities. Joshua Scherer, of Perella Weinberg, told the court that some of the interested parties had inquired about hiring back some workers. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for [Hostess'] competitors," he testified. Related: The day the Twinkies died: What the Web said Hostess CEO Greg Rayburn told reporters after the hearing that the company would move as quickly as possible to sell the brands, although he would give no specific time frame for when the iconic products could be available to consumers once again. "The longer we're off the shelves, the less value we're going to get," he said. He said it's difficult to handicap the chances that Hostess workers could be rehired by those who buy assets. Asked by CNNMoney if the sale would be strictly to the highest bidder or whether the buyer's interest in hiring workers would be a consideration, Rayburn said "You have to try to do both." On Monday, private equity firm Sun Capital Partners told Fortune that it wants to buy Hostess as a going concern. It would


Prompt: As Ann Cabiness stood in the Communion line at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Sunday morning, two things were on her mind: connecting with God and getting out of the humid sanctuary before someone mentioned her skimpy tank top and tight, knee-length running pants. “I know I’m inappropriate, but I’m trying to save time. I know I’m in the wrong. My mother would not approve,” the 30-year-old said sheepishly as she made a beeline from Mass at the Bethesda church to the gym. “But would it be better that I not come?” Summer in our sweltering region forces

a theological question: How does God feel about exposed shoulders in a house of worship? Or toes? Or some glimpse of thigh? With temperatures in the 80s by 7:30 a.m. services, this is the season for church bulletin items like the one in Our Lady’s: “Dignity & Decorum: Please try not to wear beach shorts, tank tops, and flip-flops to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Thank you.” In general, casual has pummeled formal everywhere in America, from airplanes to offices. But places of worship — where debates on modesty are not confined to the summer months — may be the final frontier for questions about what constitutes overly risque. And those questions have recently sprung to new life. A popular campaign aimed at young evangelical women called “Modest is Hottest” has triggered backlash by devout younger women who see the slogan as sexist. When the Bible calls for “modesty,” they argue, it refers to displays of things like wealth and is describing the depth of one’s spirit, not their neckline.Teaching women that their value rises if they have more clothes on is objectifying, a torrent of essays have argued. “A woman’s breasts and buttocks and thighs all proclaim the glory of the Lord,” said Sharon Hodde Miller, a doctoral student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School whose critique of “modest is hottest” in the online evangelical magazine Christianity Today was one of the best-read of recent years. “Modesty is an orientation of the heart, first and foremost. It begins with putting God first. To look at an outfit and say if it’s modest or immodest, I’m not sure you can do that.” Some critics say the drive for looser, longer fabric has political tones, a “modesty nostalgia” for a happier, more fully clothed America that some feel never was. But


Prompt: MILAN – Inter president Erick Thohir has set off for London this morning on business connected with the Mahaka Group, his Indonesian company working in media and communication. Before he departed, he released the following interview to Sky Sport. President Thohir, can you tell us about your trip to Paris and the one you're about to take? "As always, it's good to meet with other presidents. I was in Madrid before to say hi to Florentino Perez and we also met with him in China. We met with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in China as well. "Since Nasser Al-Khelaifi invited us, I

think it was good to be there because we've played Paris Saint-Germain two times already: last year and this year. And there might be a possibility of playing PSG again in the future. At the same time, for example, I had dinner with the AS Monaco vice president the other evening. "It's good to speak with other clubs. It's about relations, we didn't discuss players or anything. It's important for big clubs to have good relations. This is also why I keep saying that in Serie A it's important for the clubs to have good relations because otherwise we'll all have different strategies. If we talk together maybe we can all move in the same direction." Why did you decide to send the team on the training camp? What are you expecting for Saturday's match? "The training camp was Roberto Mancini's decision together with the management team. But I think it's good. Maybe it's not so common in other countries. It's good for them to come together for three or four days, to do something together as a team in a calm environment. "We have to win tomorrow, we have a good team and Roberto Mancini is the best coach for us. We have a competitive squad and we were able to strengthen it in the January transfer window as well. We still have 13 matches to go, the team has to stay calm and fight for our objectives." We know about the agreement with Pirelli. Can you explain the plans to make Inter stronger from a financial point of view, also taking into account if you don't make qualification for the Champions League? "It's a long relationship with Pirelli. The agreement is a positive thing for our relations, we've just extended our partnership for another five years. It will


Prompt: Tensions between Denmark and Russia were ratcheted up a notch on Saturday. Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Mikhail Vanin, wrote in an opinion piece published by Jyllands-Posten that Denmark has made itself a target of a potential nuclear attack by joining Nato’s missile defence system “I don’t think the Danes fully understand the consequences of what will happen if Denmark joins the American-controlled missile defence. If it happens, Danish war ships will become targets for Russian atomic missiles,” Vanin wrote. Denmark announced in August that it will will contribute at least one frigate to Nato’s defence system. At the time, Defence

Minister Nicolai Wammen said that joining the missile defence system was not a move aimed at Russia. “That Denmark will join the missile defence system with radar capacity on one or more of our frigates is not an action that is targeted against Russia, but rather to protect us against rogues states, terrorist organisations and others that have the capacity to fire missiles at Europe and the US,” Wammen told Jyllands-Posten in August Vanin’s op-ed made it clear that Russia doesn’t share that interpretation. “Denmark will become a part of the threat against Russia. It will be less peaceful and the relationship with Russia will be harmed. It is of course your decision – I want to simply remind you that it will cost you both money and security,” Vanin wrote. “At the same time, Russia has missiles that are guaranteed to break through future global missile defence systems,” he continued. Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard called Vanin’s statements “unacceptable”. “Russia knows fully well that Nato’s missile defence is not aimed at them. We are in disagreement with Russia on a number of important things but it is important that the tone between us does not escalate,” Lidegaard told Jyllands-Posten. The US ambassador to Denmark, Rufus Gifford, also responded to Vanin's remarks. "We stand with our staunch Nato ally Denmark in condemning the unacceptable statements made by Russia's Ambassador to Denmark. We have made clear that Nato's ballistic missile defence is not directed at any country, but is meant to defend against missile threats," Gifford wrote on Facebook. On Twitter, he added that "such statements do not inspire confidence or contribute to peace and stability": US stands w/ DK in condemning statements made by Russia's Amb to DK. Such statements do not inspire confidence or contrib to peace/stability — Rufus


Prompt: Got a LOST ALPHA Game problem? Don't post it here or anywhere else on Facebook. Why? The ModDB and FB formats make posts descend to the bottom with each new one and your concerns can easily be lost. Too many pages and posts can make your problems disappear. Where to go? The GSC Forums LOST ALPHA section is designed to post Game problems and to provide answers. In addition the format makes it easy to find previous problems posted where you may not have to ask. $nbsp; For all of you that prefer to download via torrent here is the

link: gameupdates.org After downloading, please help to seed that beast ;) All materials are property of GSC Gameworld and dez0wave group. Header image by Jeremiah Humphries. Have you ever dreamt about playing the old, forgotten S.T.A.L.K.E.R. ? We were amazed by GSC's work when they released the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. screenshots in 2002. The old design, and atmosphere was stunning and we couldn't believe our eyes. Later in 2005 things has changed. They redesigned almost all old levels. Some of them became smaller, simpler (still nice, but different), and some levels were removed. After the release in 2007 we played the game a lot, and quickly noticed that some areas are missing. We opened forums, and talked countless nights about those for almost a year. Nowdays we could say, we have a full vision about GSC's old levels, due to the collected materials, videos and forgotten screenshots. We decided to remake those stunning areas, maybe they won't be the same, but we will try everything to make them look really nice, as we always wanted to see them. In early 2009, GSC released a build from 2004, which contained many old materials. We used some of the sdk objects for the level remakes, but adjusted (and bugfixed) them for our liking, also we didn't throw out our own levels. So expect to see our own Darkscape, Dead City, Rostok Factory and some more in Lost Alpha :) Also need to say, Lost Alpha addon is not just about levels and levels. We will try to make a somewhat, but not fully restricted alife, and deliver a lot of new, never seen features, among with some old ones, which many people wanted to see for long. If you are interested in, check the Features menu for FAQ, Interview, Features List, and many


Prompt: Five Labour grandees, who previously campaigned for Britain to Leave the EU in the 1975 referendum, have penned an open letter explaining why they’ve changed their position. Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Margaret Beckett, Hilary Benn, David Blunkett and Jack Straw have published a letter in support of the EU in the Sunday Mirror. The four who join Kinnock in signing this letter were ministers under previous Labour governments. Benn is currently shadow Foreign Secretary and is expected to play a big role in Labour’s EU strategy. Although all five were once Eurosceptics, now they say “It’s clear Britain is

stronger, safer and better off than we would or could be if pulled out of the EU.” The five explain that their previous Euroscepticism was rooted in concerns that “membership would mean a one-way loss of sovereignty and investment.” “This has proved unfounded”, they write. They praise the EU for giving Britain economic partnership with 27 other countries, three million jobs and employment rights. In a move that’s been interpreted as support for David Cameron’s attempt to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU, they write: “The conclusion of the current renegotiation will hopefully strengthen this relationship as we make the progressive case for Britain in Europe.” The Prime Minister is hoping to strike a deal at next week’s summit of EU leaders in Brussels. If this successful it would clear the way for Cameron to put the renegotiated terms of British membership to the public in a referendum in June. The letter in full: In the 1975 referendum we all campaigned against remaining in what is now the European Union. Now, and for a long time past, it has been clear Britain is stronger, safer and better off than we would or could be if we pulled out. Our concern then was that membership would mean a one-way loss of sovereignty and investment. This has proved unfounded. We are part of an economic partnership with 27 other democracies, exercising full rights to determine agreed rules in the world’s largest single market. That has brought three million jobs, it attracts large investment, promotes growth and provides for employment rights that protect British workers. We also have control of our currency, borders, security, defence, foreign affairs and justice. Britain’s voice on global matters, whether debt relief, peace-keeping or climate change, is amplified by being part of Europe. Intelligence sharing helps us fight