Prompt: Robin Williams To Return As Teddy Roosevelt In Night At The Museum 3 By Nick Venable Random Article Blend He portrayed Roosevelt in both of the previous Even though I really like a relatively subdued Williams for his roles in One Hour Photo and World’s Greatest Dad, he kind of makes me uncomfortable in this role. It’s like seeing a grandparent on pain medication for the first time. That’s just me, I guess. Robin Williams is coming back in a big way here lately, with the CBS sitcom Louie, taking part in a strip club scene that begged for tissues.

He was widely seen in a portrayal of another president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, and has a wide upcoming slate that includes the Phil Alden Robinson comedic drama The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, the Dito Montiel drama opposite with Bob Odenkirk, the ensemble comedy Merry Friggin’ Christmas, and in Terry Jones’ sci-fi comedy So Robin has enough going on that taking on the obvious role reprisal makes sense, even though his talents are barely utilized. It’s only a matter of time before more actors start signing up, as production is set to begin in February. Below you’ll see Williams’ appearance a few weeks ago on David Letterman, where he’s just as high-energy as he’s always been. For some, that may not be a good thing. Perhaps because I wasn’t that impressed with the franchise’s second film, or perhaps due to bad eyesight, but I’ve been completely clueless when it came to the upcoming Night at the Museum 3 from director Shawn Levy, with Ben Stiller reprising his increasingly more unbelievable role of security guard Larry Daley. Whatever. You make two movies that gross almost a billion dollars and I don’t expect anything different. The first of the film’s many historical character to come back will be Robin Williams, who is currently in negotiations to reprise his role of Teddy Roosevelt, according to THR He portrayed Roosevelt in both of the previous Night at the Museum films, serving as Larry’s informational guidance counselor. The only thing that’s known, I suppose, is that the setting will be moved to one of the many museums in London. Which means that there must be some kind of a touring exhibit or a similar event, if Roosevelt is going to have a part to play here, and what kind of a


Prompt: 430 at cu-boulder a guest Apr 16th, 2010 1,385 Never a guest1,385Never Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up , it unlocks many cool features! rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint text 3.00 KB TO: CU-Boulder Students FROM: Office of the Chancellor SENDER: Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano DATE: April 15, 2010 SUBJECT: The 420 gathering at CU-Boulder on April 20, 2010 Dear CU student: As another April 20 approaches, we again are faced with concerns from students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, regents and community members about the 420 gathering on the CU-Boulder campus. As we said last year, we share these concerns. An unsponsored

gathering of thousands in the heart of our campus for the sole purpose of engaging in what is still unlawful activity is not only contrary to what we stand for as a university, it is a public safety challenge of the first order. With this in mind, on April 20, 2010, please do not participate in unlawful activity that devalues the reputation of your university and degree. At the same time, encourage your fellow Buffs to act with pride and remember who they really are - part of a dynamic environment of teaching, research, learning, and service composed of outstanding faculty and proud students and alumni. Be advised that on April 20 the following safety parameters will be enforced: -Obey the instructions of public safety officials at all times in entering and leaving campus, and act with concern for those around you, discouraging dangerous behavior of any kind. -Parking limitations similar to those during CU home football games will be enforced. Parking on campus will be greatly limited, available only at meters or for those holding CU parking permits. Traffic barricades will be set up at Colorado Avenue and Folsom Street and on 18th Street to limit traffic in the heart of campus. Please observe all parking regulations within the City of Boulder. -While police will be present on the Norlin Quad to support crowd safety, individuals found using marijuana on their way to or from the 420 gathering, or in other locations on campus, face a citation from CUPD. Likewise, no alcohol will be permitted on the Norlin Quad or elsewhere on campus, and intoxicated persons could be taken into custody or escorted to an alcohol recovery center, or both. -CU students who violate the alcohol or drug provisions of the CU Code of Conduct in the ways described


Prompt: The Obama administration sent a clear message on Friday: if anyone is to blame for the US economy slowdown, it is Congress. US economy's jobs slowdown raises doubts about interest rate rise Read more Both Barack Obama and Labor Secretary Tom Perez pointed to congressional inaction on issues like the budget and transportation and infrastructure as reasons why the US economy was not growing at a faster pace. Their statements were part of a reaction to the worse-than-expected jobs report released on Friday morning. The report showed that the US economy added fewer jobs in September than expected, casting doubts

over whether the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates before the year’s end. The US economy has seen “67 straight months of job creation, 13.2 million new jobs in all and an unemployment rate that has fallen from a high of 10% down to 5.1%”, Obama said. David Simas (@Simas44) 800k lost jobs in January of 2009. 2.6 million lost in 2008. Now, 13.2 million jobs created over 67 straight months. pic.twitter.com/bYN0uaDU6k “These long-term trends are obviously good news particularly for every American waking up each morning and heading to a new job,” the president added. “But we would be doing even better if we didn’t have to keep on dealing with the unnecessary crises in Congress every few months. “This is especially important right now because although the American economy has been chugging along at a steady pace, much of the global economy has softened.” Obama said part of the reason the US job growth has slowed is because there is a global slowdown, which has affected US exports and made the US economy skittish. As such, the US does not need another manufactured crisis such as attempting to avoid a government shutdown in December. “I will not sign another short-sighted spending bill like the one Congress sent me this week. We purchased ourselves 10 additional weeks, we need to use them effectively,” Obama said, referring to the short-term extension passed by Congress. “Congress has to do its job. We can’t flirt with another shutdown. It should pass a serious budget.” John Boehner, the outgoing speaker of the House, also believes the US economy can do better. However, he blamed the slowed economic growth on the White House. “Too many middle-class families are still struggling in this economy, and we can do a lot better,” Boehner said. “There is


Prompt: It’s easy to imprint hard on the covers of the books you read as a child. And correspondingly, it’s easy to resent the covers of new editions, no matter how high-quality they may be, simply for being new. For example, Scholastic’s new Harry Potter covers are gorgeous, but they are not the ones I grew up on, and hence they are incorrect. But the most recent cover of Judy Blume’s Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, a 2014 edition, is enough to make even the most partisan of ’80s cover apologists consider buying a new copy. I've never seen

an update to a book's cover executed so perfectly:https://t.co/WD7dtBELpF pic.twitter.com/hh3zAJnmfW — Ryan North (@ryanqnorth) May 8, 2017 It’s a smart, graceful update to the book’s teenage voice, one that preserves Margaret’s search for meaning and identity — through God, through friends, through boobs and periods — while bringing her neatly into today’s universe of smartphones and texting. The Margaret cover is part of an entire line of Judy Blume covers at Simon & Schuster’s Atheneum Books for Young Readers, which prioritize encapsulating Blume’s deathless topics (parental divorce, sex, bullying), while taking them out of the pastel-hued photorealistic covers of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s and into the color-saturated, boldly graphic world of today’s teen trends. To find out just how the transformation worked, I spoke to Debbie Ohi, who illustrated the Margaret cover along with three others in the new line, as well as editor Justin Chanda and art director and cover designer Lauren Rille. Our conversation covered the immortal legacy of Judy Blume, changing trends in kid-lit covers, and how the idea of a texting Margaret came to life. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Constance Grady What’s your relationship with Judy Blume? Did you grow up with her books, or were they new to you? Debbie Ohi I’ve been a Judy Blume fangirl as long as I can remember. Her books were a reassurance to my younger, angsty self that I wasn’t alone in having all these bizarre thoughts. I was way too insecure and introverted to talk frankly about some of these taboo topics (at least they were taboo back then) with anyone I knew. Books like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret comforted me and helped me not feel so much like a freak. Working on the reissued middle grade and


Prompt: Members of the citizens' Self-Protection Police take a rest in Nueva Italia community in Michoacan State, Mexico, on Jan. 12, 2014 [AFP] Mexico’s government urged vigilantes on Monday to quit their growing armed struggle against a drug cartel and go home, saying federal forces will handle security in their embattled western towns. Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong made his plea after the “self-defense” forces seized another town in the troubled western state of Michoacan, gaining ground in their struggle against the Knights Templar gang. But a vigilante leader, Estanislao Beltran, told AFP that the civilian militiamen were not ready

to drop their weapons in their year-long battle in a lime and avocado growing region known as Tierra Caliente, or Hot Country. “We can’t abandon our weapons because the moment that we do, organized crime will come after us and our families,” Beltran said from Nueva Italia, the latest town to be seized on Sunday. Admitting that Michoacan faced a security “crisis,” Osorio Chong signed a new security pact with Governor Fausto Vallejo for federal forces to take over the responsibilities of state and local police. “The self-defense groups are asked to return to their places of origin and resume their normal activities,” Osorio Chong said after the emergency security talks in the state capital, Morelia. But he did not say how many forces would be used for the new effort, which comes eight months after President Enrique Pena Nieto deployed thousands of troops and federal police to Michoacan in an mission that has failed to contain the unrest. The turmoil in Michoacan has become the biggest security crisis of Pena Nieto’s 13-month-old administation. He inherited a drug war that has claimed more than 77,000 lives in the past seven years. The vigilantes formed almost a year ago, arguing that local police were unwilling or unable to curb the cartel’s violence and extortion rackets. Ignoring repeated government warnings that their expansion would not be tolerated, the civilian militias seized Nueva Italia, which was considered a Templar bastion. The vigilantes say they have now surrounded the gang’s presumed headquarters, the city of Apatzingan, which they have made their next target. Apatzingan was a ghost town on Monday, with stores closed in the city of 123,000 people which is a vital trade hub for the region’s lime, avocado and mango exports. The Templars and some officials have accused the self-defense forces of


Prompt: The Covert Origins Of ISIS Above: A file image uploaded on June 14, 2014 on the jihadist website Welayat Salahuddin allegedly shows militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province (AFP Photo / HO) Evidence exposing who put ISIS in power, and how it was done. The Islamic militant group ISIS, formerly known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and recently rebranded as the so called Islamic State, is the stuff of nightmares. They are ruthless, fanatical, killers, on a mission, and that

mission is to wipe out anyone and everyone, from any religion or belief system and to impose Shari’ah law. The mass executions, beheadings and even crucifixions that they are committing as they work towards this goal are flaunted like badges of pride, video taped and uploaded for the whole world to see. This is the new face of evil. Would it interest you to know who helped these psychopaths rise to power? Would it interest you to know who armed them, funded them and trained them? Would it interest you to know why? This story makes more sense if we start in the middle, so we’ll begin with the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The Libyan revolution was Obama’s first major foreign intervention. It was portrayed as an extension of the Arab Spring, and NATO involvement was framed in humanitarian terms. The fact that the CIA was actively working to help the Libyan rebels topple Gaddafi was no secret, nor were the airstrikes that Obama ordered against the Libyan government.However, little was said about the identity or the ideological leanings of these Libyan rebels. Not surprising, considering the fact that the leader of the Libyan rebels later admitted that his fighters included Al-Qaeda linked jihadists who fought against allied troops in Iraq. These jihadist militants from Iraq were part of what national security analysts commonly referred to as Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Remember Al-Qaeda in Iraq was ISIS before it was rebranded. With the assistance of U.S. and NATO intelligence and air support, the Libyan rebels captured Gaddafi and summarily executed him in the street, all the while enthusiastically chanting “Allah Akbar”. For many of those who had bought the official line about how these rebels were freedom fighters aiming to establish a liberal democracy in Libya, this was the


Prompt: As television network and cable reporting on the collapsing economy diminished last week, John McCain gained an inch or two on Barack Obama. Three cable news shows I watched on MSNBC on Friday – Hardball, Countdown, and Rachel Maddow – devoted substantial coverage to the dirty tricks and voter suppression efforts of McCain’s campaign. The reporting is critically important. But, in the end, it probably helped McCain simply by dropping the economy as THE STORY. FOXnews, of course, last week devoted a good deal of its daily reporting to ACORN. "Anything But the Economy" should be the phony news outlet’s

new motto. You want to know the McCain message strategy? Watch FOX. They execute campaign orders with the scary discipline of practiced propagandists. But even smart, open-minded or progressive media have difficulty focusing on more than one thing at one time. They want THE STORY. And post-debate last week, THE STORY was, in some order or other, McCain campaign dirty tricks (racist robocalls), Republican efforts to keep American citizens from voting, McCain’s poor debate performance, electoral college predictions, etc. The stock market was up slightly by the end of the week, and the outrages of the McCain campaign stole the shows. They were enough to make it less than THE STORY. And that’s helped McCain, if only by a small amount. Which means there’s no incentive for the McCain camp to reign in their extremist messaging. This presents the Obama campaign with a dilemma. Take the focus off the economy, and McCain will gain. Leave the anti-democratic and racist tactics of the McCain campaign unaddressed, and McCain will gain. This time, though, the Obama campaign has something no Democratic campaign has had in recent presidential cycles: a late lead with a cushion. Its state-by-state advantage in the contest for electoral votes means it can concede a brief, short-term advantage to McCain by doing some things that diminish the reporting of economic news. Very, very important things. Like demanding that a special prosecutor investigate the Department of Justice’s raw, illegal and undemocratic investigation-by-press-leak of ACORN. I’m going to take advantage of the cushion to make a simple point about the authoritarian and democracy-threatening voter suppression efforts of the Right. I’m aware that when McCain made his preposterous "destroying the fabric of democracy" claim against ACORN in last week’s debate, he knew what he was doing. He was distracting voters from the


Prompt: A leading congressional advocate for pulling the plug on the Export-Import Bank today said he “regrets” that a nine-month reauthorization of the federal agency is part of a Republican-sponsored measure to keep the government running. “I do not believe that Ex-Im should be part of the CR [continuing resolution]. I regret that the Republican conference is putting it there,” House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said in response to a question from The Daily Signal. The charter of the Export-Import Bank is slated to expire Sept. 30, but a continuing resolution being considered in the House would extend the

life of the bank until June 30 next year. “I am not enamored with this particular continuing resolution,” Hensarling said after a speech at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center in Washington. He added: If I had my druthers, this would not be what would be before me, but I learned very early on in my congressional career that I don’t get to vote on what I want to vote on. I have to vote on what’s in front of me. The continuing resolution including the short-term extension for the 80-year-old federal agency was introduced yesterday by House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky. >>> The Government Program Republicans Keep Extending: 5 Export-Import Bank Myths, Debunked “I do not believe that Ex-Im should be part of the [continuing resolution]. I regret that the Republican conference is putting it there,” says @RepHensarling. The resolution has yet to be brought to the House floor, and a vote on the resolution expected tomorrow has been postponed. The Export-Import Bank provides taxpayer-backed loans and loan guarantees to foreign countries and companies to purchase U.S. products. Hensarling is leading the fight in the House against reauthorizing the bank, which he has called a poster child for cronyism and corporate welfare. But today the Texas Republican said he views the short-term reauthorization as a chance to “decouple” Ex-Im’s expiration date from legislation to fund the government. “I believe the fate of the Export-Import Bank — it should stand or fall on its own,” he said. Hensarling originally said he would prefer Congress not act on legislation regarding the agency’s future, and simply allow the charter to expire Sept. 30. His strategy was said to have the blessings of House Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders. However, with so many lawmakers hoping to avoid controversy before this fall’s midterm


Prompt: Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed techniques that can be used to create ideal geometric phase holograms for any kind of optical pattern -- a significant advance over the limitations of previous techniques. The holograms can be used to create new types of displays, imaging systems, telecommunications technology and astronomical instruments. A geometric phase hologram is a thin film that manipulates light. Light moves as a wave, with peaks and troughs. When the light passes through a geometric phase hologram, the relationship between those peaks and troughs is changed. By controlling those changes, the hologram can focus, disperse,

reorient or otherwise modify the light. An ideal geometric phase hologram modifies the light very efficiently, meaning that little of the light is wasted. But ideal geometric phase holograms can also produce three different, well-defined "wavefronts" -- or transformed versions of the light that passes through the thin film. "We can direct light into any one or more of those three wavefronts, which allows us to use a single ideal geometric phase hologram in many different ways," says Michael Escuti, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and corresponding author of a paper on the work. Previously, researchers were only able to make ideal geometric phase holograms in a limited set of simple patterns, curtailing their usefulness for new applications. This is because making these holograms involves orienting molecules or structures at a scale smaller than the wavelength of light. "We've come up with two ways of making ideal geometric phase holograms that are relatively simple but allow us to control the orientation of the molecules that ultimately manipulate the light," Escuti says. First, the researchers use lasers to create a high-fidelity light pattern, either by taking advantage of how waves of light interfere with each other, or by using a tightly focused laser to scan through a pattern -- much like a laser printer. A photoreactive substrate records the light pattern, with each molecule in the substrate orienting itself depending on the polarization of the light it was exposed to. To understand this, think of a beam of light as a wavy string, traveling from left to right. That string is also vibrating up and down -- creating wiggles are that are perpendicular to the direction the string is traveling. Controlling the orientation angle of the light's linear polarization just means controlling the direction that the


Prompt: This story is about Published Feb. 2016 Bob Sturm's NFL draft profile series: Jalen Ramsey could come in and be the best player in the Cowboys secondary Share This Story On... Twitter Facebook Email AP file photo/Bob Leverone In this Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013, file photo, Duke's Braxton Deaver (89) is hit by Florida State's Jalen Ramsey (13) in the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship NCAA football game in Charlotte, N.C. By Bob Sturm , Special contributor Contact Bob Sturm on Twitter: @SportsSturm I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am

willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can.To read more about the 2016 NFL Draft Project, click here. Jalen Ramsey, CB/S, Florida State - 6'1, 202 - Junior - #8 Anyone who analyzes the draft has certain things that they look for and credit or debit accordingly based on characteristics we seek. I confess that my personal biases for defensive backs often revolve around how much they appear to enjoy or avoid tackling. I realize that I might not have realized how great Deion Sanders was because he seemed allergic to contact at times, but overall this has served me well. Guys do fall through the cracks, however - like last year, Marcus Peters was that guy who had no use for run support. And then he won defensive rookie of the year. I guess you don't need to tackle running backs to be a heck of a player. This shows us that if there are 10-12 components of a player's make-up that we value, we should not overvalue the effect of one. We should look at the full composite of the player and project accordingly. But, what if we stumble upon a player that appears to have no component of concern? What if Jalen Ramsey from Florida State appears to be the most complete defensive back that the last decade can offer? Because from where I sit today, I am not sure who I would value higher. He seems to be able to play free safety, strong safety,


Prompt: 80% Cut the Cord Because Cable TV is Simply Too Expensive A new report by TiVO (pdf) on cord cutting indicates that nearly half of current pay TV subscribers are considering cutting the cord this year, and nearly 80% of those considering the shift will do so because their current pay TV service is simply too expensive. The survey of more than 3,000 consumers found that only 51.1% of those polled were seriously considering sticking with their traditional pay TV provider, an ominous sign for an industry that's expecting the second quarter to potentially see the highest volume of cord

cutting on record. "37.1% of respondents spent at least $101 per month -- with some spending more than $150 per month -- on pay-TV services alone," notes the report, which indicates that this is a percentage of users that increased 2.3% quarter over quarter. With a growing number of streaming alternatives emerging, and companies like Charter now blindly imposing rate hikes in utter tone-deafness to what should be obvious industry trends, there's every indication this pattern (both cable TV price hikes, and the subsequent defections by frustrated consumers) will only accelerate. After price, the survey found that use of streaming alternatives (57.6%) and use of over the air antennas (32.5%) were the most common reasons given by users that cut the cord. Broken down further, the study found that among those "unsatisfied" with their current cable TV provider, 81.4% say they're mostly annoyed because of high prices. Though 32.9% say they're frustrated by "poor customer service," and 29.9% say they're bothered by the quality of the pay TV service they receive from their telco, cable, or satellite TV provider. "When the increase in monthly bills is coupled with the fact that 81.4% of unsatisfied respondents selected “Too expensive/increase fees for cable/satellite service,” it becomes evident that something must be done about this group," notes the survey. "With more options than ever for TV in 2017, consumers continue to get smarter about their TV options, and many have discovered ways to access TV for far less than $100 a month. Skinny buddle offerings have increased, too, and options include Dish Networks’ SlingTV, DIRECTV NOW and Sony’s PlayStation Vue." There's more detail on Tivo's latest study over at the company's There's more detail on Tivo's latest study over at the company's blog . The full report itself can be found here (pdf).


Prompt: For Charlie Manuel, for Don Mattingly, for Jim Leyland, the end may not necessarily be near. But the end of their contracts? Now that is definitely near. Those three household names find themselves part of an odd phenomenon that is rocking baseball this season, pretty much out of nowhere: Managers in the last year of their contracts. Amazingly, 10 of the 30 managers in the big leagues don't have a deal that extends beyond this season. And no one we've surveyed can recall anything like it. Ready for the roll call? Here we go: Charlie Manuel (Phillies) Don Mattingly (Dodgers)

Jim Leyland (Tigers) Joe Girardi (Yankees) Terry Collins (Mets) Davey Johnson (Nationals) Ned Yost (Royals) Eric Wedge (Mariners) Walt Weiss (Rockies) Ron Gardenhire (Twins). In 2013? They're all totally in charge. In 2014? Uh, we'll get back to you. “ Every contract I've had, I've worked all the way to the end, until the contract expired. I was never uncomfortable with that. So if I'm hiring people who are uncomfortable with that, I'm hiring the wrong people. ” -- Yankees GM Brian Cashman Judging by all the front-office folks whose response to this was "I didn't even realize that," it's safe to say this is more of a coincidence than some gigantic management conspiracy. But it does reflect a change in what once passed for conventional thinking: We can't hang our manager out there on the last year of his deal. The players will walk all over him. That may have been the theory once upon a time. But nowadays, says Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, "I think it's something from out of the past that doesn't exist in the present anymore. It's one of those old things that was widely accepted -- and then a lot of smart people said, 'Why?'" The Yankees have been asking, "Why?" for years, actually. For a decade, it's been their policy, for the most part, not to extend anyone's contract -- manager or player -- until it expired and they had to make a decision. Somehow or other, they've managed to function just fine. Imagine that. "Derek Jeter played to the end of his contract and went to free agency," Cashman said. "Mariano Rivera played to the end of his contract and went to free agency. The general manager worked to the end of his contract. Every contract I've had, I've worked all


Prompt: Toys that we really can’t describe! Bowlingual Voice A Tomy employee poses with the Bowlingual Voice, a gadget that expresses dogs’ emotions, at the annual Tokyo Toy Show 2009. Tomy claims the gadget analyses a dog’s voice through a wireless microphone attached to its collar and then displays its emotions. Maui Flowers Dog Bikini Make a summertime splash with the Maui Flowers Dog Bikini. Your dog will not be able to resist this cute Spandex bathing suit. Canine Maui Flowers Bikini is two-piece for easy movement with a comfy and practical fit. Dog Spinny Interactive Toy By Nina Ottosson ‘Dog

Spinny’, has a single removable bone that has to be dislodged by the dog, who can then rotate the top section to access treats in the compartments below. By gradually reducing the number of treats, you can encourage him to work harder. Nina Ottosson’s range of durable interactive games have been designed to stimulate a dog’s brain whilst reinforcing his relationship with people. Each design has a unique mechanism that requires mental as well as physical dexterity to work through the challenges and reveal hidden food rewards. They can be set to differing levels of complexity, to satisfy all ages and breeds of dog. Zig A Zag Ball The Zig A Zag Ball is a motorised ball that gives hours of crazy fun! Using 1 AA battery which is supplied with the toy you can turn the ball on and watch your dog play for hours with the unpredictable movements the ball makes. The toy is made from non toxic material and measures approx 9cm in diameter. Dog Tornado Interactive Toy By Nina Ottosson The idea behind the ‘Dog Tornado’ is for the dog to dislodge the removeable bones, then turn the revolving sections to reveal hidden treats. The Tornado has many variables to increase the level of difficulty as the dog’s skill improves. With a little practise, he will soon learn to dislodge the bones and turn the Tornado to access the rewards. Nina Ottosson’s range of durable interactive games have been designed to stimulate a dog’s brain whilst reinforcing his relationship with people. Each design has a unique mechanism that requires mental as well as physical dexterity to work through the challenges and reveal hidden food rewards. They can be set to differing levels of complexity, to satisfy all ages and breeds of dog. Hotdoll, Love Doll for


Prompt: The graphic disparity between Watch Dogs' reveal trailer and yesterday's story trailer have been an extremely hot topic. Online communities are filled with discussions about the game's graphics being “downgraded” and we're seeing reports of Ubisoft's PR working to handle the immense backlash. One such Ubisoft PR person is Tessa Vilyn, Ubisoft Benelux PR and events manager. Due to her comments supporting the game's visuals, she has become a target for questions from the distraught community looking for answers. Her initial tweet about the matter is as follows, “Bit bummed about some people not liking the graphics of the #Watchdogs

trailer! I saw the game guys and it looks INCREDIBLE! #promise” When faced with a tweet asking her if the graphics have been toned down since the E3 reveal, she responded by saying that such a thing is “impossible”. “it is impossible, of couse [sic] it is not downgraded at all. :),” she wrote. “i love graphics, its because i know they look good i'm bummed they think differently about it.[...] its a true next gen game for sure... for sure.. “ Tessa states that she's played the latest demo of the game and that reactions are too harsh and lack the hands-on experience that she had had with the game. “Believe me the game is not downgraded, that would just be a bit ridiculous. :) … Again this is my opinion based on what i saw when playing the latest demo.” One such comparison that's making the rounds is the one that I have embedded below. It shows footage of a car chase from Watch Dogs footage in 2012 and footage from the latest trailer. The lighting effects shown are not very comparable. In a Eurogamer interview with Watch Dogs' creative director, Jonathan Morin, posted yesterday, Morin stated that despite the game's delay to improve functionality of gameplay mechanics, the game will not look like the game's reveal trailer. "Are we delivering the 'movie [style vision] of every single person on Earth who saw that [The Games Reveal Trailer]? Probably not, that's not possible. But are we delivering on this fantasy of being a hacker, controlling everything and approaching things in different ways – yes,” said Morin. Last year, Morin told VideoGamer that there would be no visual downgrade from the game's reveal to retail state. "There's no scale down in quality, especially the next-gen versions," Morin told VideoGmer


Prompt: national Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addressed a workers' meet at Malad on Friday; turns out, some who attended, came only for the goodies Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi began his speech with 'Til gul ghya, god, god bola,' (Have tilgul, talk sweetly) the traditional greeting on Makar Sankrant, at Malad on Friday. While his speech saw a huge crowd, it seems some had gathered because they had allegedly been sweet-talked into attending and given promises of what they would get if they did. mid-day spoke to a number of people at the event. While some said that they were promised

R100, one said that she was given biryani before the event. Some residents of Kandivli’s Damu Nagar who had lost their homes to the fire said that corporator Ajanta Yadav had promised them houses. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi arrives to address a workers’ meet at Malad yesterday. The Congress leader arrived more or less on time, but had to wait while other leaders gave their speeches Also Read: Rahul Gandhi's Mumbai padyatra over power tariff hike evokes good response Makar Sankrant was unusually busy for Malad this year as the Congress had organised a karyakarta melava (workers’ meet), to be addressed by Gandhi at the St Joseph’s School ground. A moderately sized school ground, it had the stage at its far end and a shamiana for the audience. All routes to the ground were decorated with Congress posters and banners. The police, as well as traffic police, were having a busy time controlling the situation as people thronged the gates in large groups. Inside the shamiana, people were given vada-pav and packaged water since they had been waiting for hours. The crowds largely consisted of people from the Malad, Kandivli, Charkop areas, including Malwani, Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh’s stronghold. Sanjay Nirupam, Kripashankar Singh, Priya Dutt were also present for the meeting. Also Read: Rahul Gandhi blasts RSS, BJP's 'rigid thinking' Gandhi sat next to the AICC secretary, Sanjay Nirupam. Nirupam passed him a chit with “Til gul ghya, god, god bola,” (Have tilgul, speak sweetly) the traditional Marathi greeting on Makar Sankrant, written on it. Gandhi used it in the beginning of his speech, to the delight of the crowds. He said, “I am going to take this phrase back with me to Delhi. And whenever Congressmen fight amongst themselves, I will say this to them.” Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi


Prompt: The New York Times and Gaza: Justifying genocide 31 December 2008 On the fourth day of the Israeli aerial blitz against the population of Gaza, the New York Times, the mouthpiece of US establishment liberalism, weighed in on the subject for the first time on its editorial pages. In a lead editorial, the Times made its position clear in short order. "Israel must defend itself," it began. "And Hamas must bear responsibility for ending a six-month cease-fire this month with a barrage of rocket attacks into Israeli territory." There is little to distinguish the "newspaper of record's" version of events

from the mendacious account being peddled by the American media in general: the Palestinians are the aggressors and Israel the victim. Never mind the grim and unequal equation of the conflict: roughly 100 Palestinians killed for every Israeli. The Times' potted explanation of the war, presented as though it were common knowledge and irrefutable fact, conveniently ignores that it was the Israeli military which broke the cease-fire with a provocative cross-border raid into the Gaza Strip in which six members of the Hamas security force were killed. The date of the raid was November 4, not by coincidence Election Day in America. The timing is an indication that the attack was a politically calculated provocation by the Israeli regime, which it held in abeyance until after the electoral contest in the US, its indispensable patron, had been concluded. Press reports in Israel indicate that the attack on Gaza had been actively prepared for six months, with the Zionist regime agreeing to the cease-fire only to give its military the time it needed. One of the principal aims of the operation was to reestablish the credibility of Israel's military after the humiliating defeat it suffered in Lebanon two-and-a-half years ago and to thereby intimidate all others in the region. The present military operation has been launched by Israel not as an act of self-defense but in pursuit of definite geopolitical aims and in response to its own internal political and social contradictions. The Times editorial engages in a bit of hand-wringing over whether the slaughter in Gaza is good for Israel—not a word of sympathy for the dead and maimed Palestinian men, women and children—and issues a hypocritical appeal for the Israeli regime to "limit civilian casualties." Passed over in silence is the brutal Israeli blockade which has left Gaza's population


Prompt: L. Randall Wray is a Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Senior Scholar at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, NY. More › ARE MORE JOBS THE ANSWER? The “BIG” Bait and Switch Last week Allan Sheahen published a piece arguing that “Jobs Are Not the Answer” to America’s unemployment problem. Here’s his reasoning: “The current unemployment rate of 7.5% percent means close to 20 million Americans remain unemployed or underemployed. Nobody states the obvious truth: that the marketplace has changed and there will never again be enough jobs for everyone who wants one —

no matter who is in the White House or in Congress. Fifty years ago, economists predicted that automation and technology would displace thousands of workers a year. Now we even have robots doing human work. Job losses will only get worse as the 21st century progresses.” In fact, economists have recognized this possibility since at least the early 19th century, when David Ricardo posed it as “the machine problem”. “Robots” have been doing “human work” since the time of Adam Smith’s pin factory. Or, indeed, since the first proto-human discovered the fulcrum and lever so that one could do the work of four. However, “unemployment” has existed only since the development of production for market. Our tribal ancestors “worked” about a dozen hours a week to provide the food, clothing, and shelter required for the standard of life they deemed acceptable. They occupied themselves the rest of the time with all the other human activities that we regard as “culture”: dancing, singing, tattooing, shaman-ing, piercing, ritualizing sacrifices, child rearing, storytelling, marrying, fighting, debating, drawing, and thinking. Neither were our peasant forbearers, who had access to the main means of production—agricultural land—unemployed. They might have worked much longer days, and they grudgingly turned over an ever-rising portion of their production to rapacious feudal lords, but they were not unemployed. It is only once they lost access to land through enclosures, etc, that their livelihood depended on the whims of the employing class. Why didn’t the inexorable trend to greater use of “robots” from the time of Smith forward lead to the dis-employment of all (or most all) human labor? First we raised living standards (arguably, of course, since it is not altogether clear that we live better than our tribal cousins in all important respects), always finding other ways to employ


Prompt: Your Minnesota Vikings are the 2015 NFC North Champions. AND IT WAS NEVER IN DOUBT! OK maybe a little bit in doubt. Like "took ten years off my life and I'm still kind of shaking as I write this" in doubt. In a way this final game at Lambeau was a perfect microcosm of the 2015 Minnesota Vikings season. The offense would look efficient and dangerous for spurts but then disappear for stretches thanks to poor blocking and inconsistent quarterback play. The defense was the backbone of the team and capitalized on their opportunities. And just when things started looking

bleak and you thought it was going to be "the same old Vikings" all over again, they rallied and came away victorious. Like the rest of the season, it wasn't always pretty. But in the end, the Vikings persevered and won the NFC North. And that's a really nice thing. Now this really big team gets a home playoff game comin' with no road trip strings to start a quest for some really big rings. What a time to be alive. Cause I got a really big team And they need some really big rings They need some really nice things Better be comin' with no strings Better be comin' with no strings We need some really nice things We need some really big rings I got a really big team Man what a time to be alive You and yours vs. me and mine Are we talkin' teams? Are we talkin' teams? Oh you switchin' sides? Wanna come with me? Onto the NFC NORTH CHAMPION stocks! Blue Chip Stocks Everson Griffen. Griff was an absolute beast tonight. He was always causing trouble and drawing lots of attention. (And getting held by Josh Sitton on every other play, but I digress.) Griffen racked up six total tackles, two sacks, and was also the catalyst for the game's biggest play, an Aaron Rodgers fumble returned for a touchdown by Captain Munnerlyn. On a defense full of players that shined bright on Sunday night, Griffen's star outshone them all. Xaiver Rhodes. Rhodes certainly has a penchant for finishing off seasons in style. After an amazing finish to the 2014 campaign, Rhodes has been up and down for most of this season. On Sunday, the Rhodes were definitely closed. He defended a lot of potential big plays and chose an excellent time for


Prompt: Mitt and Ann Romney were the only guests on Fox News Sunday today. During a mostly lapdog interview, Wallace asked a few tough questions, including about those infamous “47%” remarks – which Romney said he regretted. And yet he did not apologize to anyone he may have offended. Even more telling, when asked about his remarks, shortly after the campaign, that President Obama won because he gave away “free stuff” to his “base coalition,” Romney replied, “ObamaCare was very attractive, particularly to those without health insurance.” Oh, and Romney also suggested he didn’t mean it when he said he’d turn

down $10 in spending cuts if they included $1 in tax hikes In Part One, Ann Romney said about losing the election: It was a crushing disappointment. Not for us. Our lives are going to be fine. It’s for the country. …The dream was to make a difference. The dream was to serve. And yet there was a certain lack of “service mentality” in Mitt Romney's reflection on the “47%” comments. Wallace played the video in which Romney was caught saying, “There are 47 percent who are with him (Obama), who are dependent upon government, who believe they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them.” Then came the following exchange, as per the Fox News transcript: WALLACE: George Will said you’ve got a problem when voters don’t like you. You’ve got a real problem when voters think you don’t like them. MITT ROMNEY: Yes, it was a very unfortunate statement that I made. It’s not what I meant. I didn’t express myself as I wished I would have. You know, when you speak in private, you don’t spend as much time thinking about how something could be twisted and distorted and—and it could come out wrong and be used. But, you know, I did. And it was very harmful. What I said is not what I believe. Obviously, my whole campaign—my whole life has been devoted to helping people, all of the people. I care about all the people of the country. Here's what troubles me: Romney said it was “not what I meant,” it was “unfortunate” and “harmful” (I believe he meant “harmful” to his campaign). It was all about him. He never said he was sorry or anything to suggest he actually likes those voters he insulted. He “care(s) about all the


Prompt: Four reasons the updated Uber Dubai app makes us sad By Mike Priest Double charges, secret surges… Uber, your app is bad. Late last year, ride-hailing company Uber updated its app in an effort to make it even easier for customers to book one of its cars. The update added a number of new features, including the ability to schedule rides in advance, as well as providing up-front fare estimates. However, just like the sickly sweet smell of a newly opened car air freshener, not everything was as rosy as it seemed. While the app also received a much needed

facelift, some of the core functionality that users enjoyed was either buried behind a mess of design-driven decisions, or had been removed entirely. So, after months of botched bookings and frustration, we can stand it no more! Here are our top four gripes with the Uber app: 1) You can’t book an open-ended trip One of the perks of the original Uber app was the ability jump in any of its cars and venture off into the Dubai streets to wherever took your fancy. A super handy feature in a city where roads and landmarks are constantly changing, giving Google Maps a tough time at playing catch up. The app now requires that you enter a definite end-point to your journey, making it incredibly difficult in those instances when you’re trying to get to your mate’s place and all you have for directions are a vague take the third left after the second Mosque once you hit Al Wasl Rd. Similarly, if you want to hail an Uber to help you collect something and then return home in the same car it is tricky to do as you can’t specify a round-trip as a destination. 2) The surge pricing indicator is tucked away Surge prices are the scourge of the avid Uber user, always at their peak during daily prayer times, commuting rush hours or Friday brunches. Either they run the risk of doubling your fare during peak hours, or making you late as you impatiently wait for them to drop below 1.1x so you can avoid paying even a single fil over the going rate. Uber must clearly have caught on that its users aren’t fans of elevated surge pricing as it now hides away any notice of it in the tiniest font possible, only notifying you when asking


Prompt: Please read this post carefully: if you post wrongly your post will be removed, if you repeatedly post wrongly you may be permanently barred from posting in this thread. This thread is for Psychedelic Veterans to post their personal advice to Novice Trippers. It is not a thread where you ask advice, or debate things, this is a thread containing just advice from trippers who've been around the block and want to help beginners avoid pitfalls and seize golden opportunities that might not be obvious to them. Quote: POSTING RULES: 1) Only post in this thread when you have more

than 5 years tripping experience AND have had more than 10 trips in that time period. 2) Start the post by stating the approximate number of years you trip and how many trips you estimate to have had. If you don't do this, your post may be removed immediately as we do not want speculation but actual veteran advice from actual veterans. 3) Proceed to give your advice. You may make multiple posts throughout the thread if you have more advice to share, but start it off by stating your 2) experience level every time. 4) DO NOT reply to posts, do not ask questions, simply state your experience level and advice - or stick to reading the thread only. Reply and question posts will generally be removed. 5) These rules are simple; repeat offenders may be barred from posting again in this thread, this will be permanent. Veterans, lets help out some newbie trippers -------------------- CLICK ONE --> SEARCH ENGINE SUPPORT TICKETS STORE SPONSORS/VENDORS AMANI PSYCHOSIS, SYNCHRONICITIES, SHAMANISM & THE SUPERNATURAL WA&F Unite, Shroomerite! Agree and Disagree both would benefit from a better Shroomery. Post Extras: 1. Relax 2. Never forget that what is happening is temporary 3. Relax 4. It is normal for your face to be sore from smiling insanely for 8 hours 5. Relax 6. Although there is tremendous uproar behind your eyes most people can't tell. Trippers can tell when somebody is tripping but most people cannot. 7. Relax Experience level: over 40 years and well over a hundred trips -------------------- Edited by zappaisgod (05/17/14 06:29 PM) Post Extras: EXPERIENCE LEVEL: I have tripped since 1993 until now, during which time I had probably a couple hundred psychedelic sessions and several hundred doses. ADVICE: First and foremost, "Fools Go Rushing In". Psychedelics, even in small


Prompt: After the success of the K0, thanks to Dick Mann’s efforts at the Daytona 200 on the Honda CR750 racebike, Honda released the K1 in 1970. Between 1970 and 1971 Honda rolled a staggering 77,000 K1s out of their factory to meet demand. Thanks to a lack of worthy competitors they had market share and took full advantage of it. he K1 varied little from the K0 aside from a new throttle cable setup (push/pull 2 cable configuration) and smaller side covers. This ’71 Honda CB750 K1 cafe racer is currently available for purchase at New York’s ‘Northeast Sportscar‘. It

is to me the embodiment of what a true cafe racer should be. Stripped of anything unnecessary, unashamedly raw and visceral and created for the sole purpose of good times on two wheels. At the heart of the build sits a re-tuned inline four built for speed and reliability. Not wanting to veer too far from the engines original configuration the carbs are original, cleaned and tuned to suit the increased airflow from the Lynx filter cages and their red Uni-filter innards. Although it’s a mystery what internal modifications have been made we’d suspect an increase in capacity and compression due to the addition of an oil cooler and the externally mounted Cycle X oil filter. The electrics have also been suitably upgraded thanks to a Dyna S ignition conversion and spark comes via a Cycle X power arc coil. Managing the transfer of power to the rear wheel is an EBC clutch with performance springs, and the noise coming from the back bike can be attributed to a custom made 4-into-1 exhaust that’s been coated in sinister matte black. Other performance improvements include rebuilt forks, drilled brake rotors and Avon rubber. Koni shocks keep the rear end in check while a steering damper ensures that the front end runs true. For a classic cafe racer riding position, clip-on bars have been perched on the fork legs and the top clamps been shaved clean. Dime City Cycles rear set footpegs position the rider’s feet accordingly and the dash has been reduced to a single speedometer. After shortening, bracing and de-tabbing the frame it’s been fit with custom Dunstall style bodywork. The 2 filler, fibreglass fuel tank doubles as an oil tank thanks to some clever fabrication. Pillion passengers are a no go on the bike’s suede saddle and the duck


Prompt: If you wonder why so many members of Congress are in denial when it comes to climate change, follow the money. This week, Forecast the Facts and SumOfUs, two grassroots groups working to sway public opinion about global warming, took a step toward holding legislators accountable with the release of a new report exposing the companies that since 2008, according to FEC data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, have bankrolled the “Climate Denier Caucus” to the tune of $641 million in campaign contributions. Many of these companies claim to be working to fight global warming, even as their

dollars help send climate change “skeptics” to Capitol Hill. The report not only names names, but also highlights the apparent disconnect between political spending and corporate public relations efforts. Google CEO Eric Schmidt told an audience that gathered to laud the company’s efforts to build “a better web that is better for the environment” that “you can lie about the effects of climate change, but eventually you’ll be seen as a liar.” At the same time, the company whose motto is “do no evil” has kicked in almost $700,000 for Congressional climate deniers since 2008. That was far less than the $3.3 million AT&T has showered on the science deniers in that same period, a figure that represents “more than 25 percent of its total campaign funding” during that time. The company’s Climate and Carbon Emissions Policy says that AT&T is “committed to operating in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner …[and] to working with our suppliers to limit environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions in our supply chain.” UPS promises its customers that the company “will be part of the solution to discover more opportunities for improvement with our industry partners and other thought leaders. It will take determination and collaboration…to create a sustainable transportation infrastructure that will minimize environmental impact.” But that ethos didn’t spill over into their campaign spending — since 2008, UPS has donated close to $2 million to the campaigns of climate change deniers on Capitol Hill. Other companies that made the list despite “strong rhetorical commitments to climate action” include Microsoft, Ford and eBay. The study doesn’t capture all of corporate America’s support for the anti-science caucus; the authors point out that the report doesn’t include “contributions from corporate-friendly advocacy groups, such as the Club for Growth, which has given $3.7 million to climate


Prompt: Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece. I understand everyone has had different experiences with parenting. This is a post trying to raise awareness of the struggles single dads go through. Discrimination against dads as legitimate parents has been going on too long. Coming from someone who was raised by her dad from the age of 12, I know how amazing dad’s are, and they do not get enough credit. Dads come in all shapes and sizes, big, small, short, tall, fat, skinny, all races, gay, straight, transgender, and we love them all. This post is to raise awareness about the

special hardships dad’s go through to help their kids. Often with no thank you or appreciation in sight. Men are twice as likely to commit suicide than women. This is due to many different factors, however the pressure dads have on them, some of them not even being able to see their kids, surely contributes to this horrifying statistic. Dads are often at the mercy of the child’s mother. She dictates when he can see them, how long for, what they can do, how she parents and for the dad to stick to her rules. This gives the child a one-sided view and delegitimises the father’s authority, and right to be his own person and parent to the child. Due to this, mother’s often forcibly create a wedge between the father and child. The child hears the mother’s complaints about the dad, while the dad has to hold his tongue about how he may have been hurt from the mother, because he may have all visitation rights taken away. However mother’s can basically shit-talk a child’s dad with no real consequence to themselves. This hurts the child, and confuses them, because as they get older and understand more, they do not know who to believe. There are so many problems that are individual to fathers who are no longer in a relationship with the mother. Some of these are: How people described as ‘deadbeat dads’ to their kids may have been emotionally abused by their child’s mother, so they had no choice but to leave and leave all relationships behind for their own wellbeing. We don’t even know dads. We hear most things about dads from mums or from children. Dads points of views are important to hear, and when we do hear it, we need to listen – this


Prompt: The view from Mount Sunflower, Kansas’s highest elevation. (Image: CC0) Geographer Jerry Dobson had barely started his new job at the University of Kansas when a realization hit. Whenever he told friends and colleagues about his gig, people would smile, congratulate him, the works. But then, almost inevitably, they’d make some crack about his new home state: specifically, how flat it was. Over his years-long tenure, this did not change. “Everytime you meet someone, they say it—and it’s not true,” he says. “I always looked around and saw hills.” But Dobson is a geographer, able to translate this frustration into

motivation. A few years ago, he and his colleague Joshua Campbell—a born and raised Kansan—undertook a project. They set out to measure the flatness of every state in the union, using an algorithm designed to calculate how flat each one looks from different points in its interior—what Campbell calls “that feeling of total flatness.” When they got the results back, Kansas was in a respectable seventh, behind Delaware, North Dakota, and the clear winner, Florida. Since then, Dobson and Campbell have toured their results around, using them to argue against the flat-Kansas mythology. Bluff along the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River. #gyphills Photo by @flinthillsboy Use #kansasaintflat to be featured A photo posted by Kansas (@kansasaintflat) on May 31, 2016 at 7:25pm PDT So how did Kansas get this reputation? Andy Stuhl, a musician who recently moved there by car, bets it comes from East Coast road-trippers, who spill out onto the plain after miles and miles of woods. Sam Huneke, a historian who grew up in Lawrence, points to a lack of particularly large hills, but insists that “the day-to-day experience is not one of flatness.” What is clear is that, like Dobson, they don’t much like it. “Of course it affects our reputation,” says Kelli Hilliard of the Kansas Tourism Board, pointing towards efforts to change that, like a set of scenic, rolling byways, and an Instagram account called “kansasaintflat.” But Branden Rishel, a Washington-based cartographer, has a different, more radical idea: If everyone already thinks Kansas is flat, why not lean in? Why not just make it flat—totally, completely flat? Rishel is very familiar with the Kansas flatness question. He was a student of Mark Fonstad, a Texas State geographer who, in 2003, set out with some colleagues and a laser microscope to determine which was


Prompt: F ancy cars have always been an important element in rap music. You can find many articles online talking about what cars rappers love the most, but they all lack the research, running their mouth with no backing evidence. Is rappers’ preferred ride Cadillac, Mercedes, Bentley, or Ferrari? Let’s turn to data science to settle this debate once and for all. By analyzing all lyrics on Rap Genius , we’ll see which rides have been celebrated the most. Check the results... Digging deeper to look at songs released throughout the years, the following is a time series analysis to see

which makes have gained popularity and which have lost favor. An interesting correlation here is a dip for some of the most frequently mentioned luxury car makes around 2008, 2009 financial crisis. Shout out to Johnny McNulty at Someecards who have some interesting analysis around the trend’s correlation with economy here . As seen from the chart, the most frequently mentioned car make is Mercedes Benz. Rappers love to rap about their benzes, but they rarely mention what models. If we get down to the specific model that’s most frequently mentioned, there’s no debate — it’s the Chevy Impala, most specifically the ’64 year model. The chart above is an overall view. We’ll break it into several categories in the following: Top 3 Makes There were more mentions of Cadillac relative to Chevrolet between 1997 to 2006, but the trend inverted since 2007. Benz managed to stay on top most of the time, except between 2004 and 2007 where it was briefly surpassed by Cadillac. Makes Gaining Popularity Over Time The following are makes that have been on an upward trend over the years. Worth noting that Porsche, Ferrari, Maybach, and Bugatti peaked around 2012/2013 but have declined since. Makes Losing Popularity Over Time The following are makes that have declined or maintain the same level of mentions in rap songs over time. Due to the increase in rap songs released over the years, these are makes that are losing popularity amongst the artists. Jeep and Hummer serve similar functions and have very similar levels of mentions across time. Lexus was extremely popular around 1998, but has since lost steam. Endorsements Some major car companies benefit from rappers as endorsers, a task the rappers often take on voluntarily. But who is doing the best job as pitchman? Seeing song mentions


Prompt: Credit Nitsana Darshan -Leitner of Shurat HaDin (Israel Law Center) and US co-counsel for today's verdict award by Federal Judge Daniels in a case brought against the Palestinian Authority arising from terrorist funding activities during the Second Intifada fomented by the late Yassir Arafat of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. Newsweek reported: In the first ruling of its kind, a U.S. court has found the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization liable for damages suffered by 10 American families whose relatives were injured or killed in attacks in Israel. The six shootings and bomb attacks in question took place

between 2002 and 2004, during the second intifada, or uprising, killing 33 and wounding more than 450. The lawsuit was filed in 2004 and was tried in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. “This historic verdict against the defendants will not bring back these families' loved ones nor heal the physical and psychological wounds inflicted upon them but it truly is an important measure of justice and closure for them after their long years of tragic suffering and pain,” Israel-based law office Shurat HaDin, which worked on the case, said in a statement after the verdict on Monday. The plaintiffs argued that the two organizations supported the attacks—whether via direct involvement or assistance in the form of material support or training. They also allegedly paid those who carried out the attacks and continue to compensate perpetrators who were imprisoned as well as the families of those who died. Since the plaintiffs are all U.S. citizens, the case was tried in the country under the Antiterrorism Act signed into law by then President Bill Clinton in 1996, which gives American courts jurisdiction over acts of terrorism that harm U.S. citizens abroad. “We are truly grateful that an American court has heard the evidence against the Palestinian Authority and the PLO and determined that suicide terrorism was indeed their official policy during the Second Intifada,” said the statement from Shurat HaDin sent in an email to Newsweek. It continued: We started out more than a decade ago with the intent of making the defendants pay for their terrorist crimes against innocent civilians and letting them know that there will eventually be a price to be paid for sending suicide bombers onto our buses and into our cafes. The defendants have already been boasting that they will appeal


Prompt: Critics say the plan will only alienate citizens with ties to Somalia, where the militant group al-Shabab is based. Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta said in a speech on Tuesday (Feb. 16) that his government is thinking about building a prison that will hold those with “violent and extremist” tendencies to limit their ability to spread “poison” to other prisoners. “We will establish a new prison to hold violent, extremist offenders,” Kenyatta, speaking at a graduation ceremony for new prison guards, said. “The truth of the matter is that we cannot allow them to spread their poison to vulnerable Kenyans.” It

was unclear who, specifically, Kenyatta was referring to. But the language he used in the speech suggests that he may have been talking about individuals with alleged ties to the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab. Kenya has been targeted by the al Qaeda-affiliated organization ever since the country sent troops into Somalia in 2011 to help defeat the group and secure the country for the government. Several high profile attacks by the Shabaab, including at a high end mall in Nairobi and a university in the northeast of the country, have killed hundreds of people. Last June, Kenyatta suggested that the situation is forcing Kenya to think of new ways to combat the threat. “We must accept that we are faced with a new kind of enemy against whom the conventional methods of fighting crime will not work,” he said. “We have amongst us radicalized youths who appear innocent which makes us believe that they are doing God’s work while they are busy planning evil against other Kenyans in the name of religion.” At the time Kenyatta indicated that his government was going to work with community and religious leaders to protect against such radicalization. But the decision to potentially build a special prison to detain individuals suspected of extremism could portend a new phase of Kenyatta’s administration’s anti-terrorism efforts. It follows another radical idea, yet to be fully realized, of building a wall along the Kenya-Somalia border the government says will keep out the militants. Some analysts compare the proposed prison to the controversial US naval base in Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay where the US government has been holding prisoners suspected of terrorism. They say this approach will only work to exacerbate the already difficult relationship the government has with Kenyans of Somali ethnic origin, a community it cannot afford to


Prompt: After the first two UFC shows of the year, the talk was about close decisions and controversial judging. After the third show on Saturday night, it was mostly about surprise submissions. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson's 86-second knockout win over Ryan Bader in the main event, putting him in the front of the line for a future light heavyweight title shot, was neither a surprise nor a submission. It was impressive given how little time it took Johnson to put Bader away. But anytime Johnson fights, the lights can go out on his opponent at a moment's notice. Josh Barnett losing to

Ben Rothwell in a heavyweight showdown was a minor upset, but on its own, wouldn't have been a huge surprise. Barnett losing via submission to Rothwell, well, that's another story. Similarly, Sage Northcutt losing, while not expected by most, was something bound to happen at some point as it would be with almost fighter in the sport. At the age of 19, writing a fighter off based on one loss is preposterous. But the nature of his submission loss opened up some real questions, and ended up after the fact, being the most talked about story on the show. With Barnett, in a 19-year MMA career, he had never tapped out to a submission hold. He did submit in a 2004 fight with Mirko Cro Cop, but that wasn't from a submission application, but a shoulder injury that he couldn't continue fighting with. He had tapped out in pure submission competition, but those losses also came in 2000, and his ground game is ridiculously more advanced today than it was at that point. Rothwell had only used a submission maneuver to win one fight in the last eight years, over Matt Mitrione, and had never tapped out someone at Barnett's level. The main take is that anything can happen in the sport. When someone who is 38 loses, the question is always about whether they should continue. But Barnett was facing someone who now has to be in the discussion for a heavyweight title shot, and was competitive with him the entire way until the shocking finish. There was nothing in the fight that said that if they were rematched, Barnett wouldn't have a good shot of winning. Barnett won the first round on all three scorecards, and simply left himself open on a takedown attempt. For Northcutt, the situation


Prompt: Yesterday China announced that by 2017 the country will launch the world’s largest carbon trading market. This is huge news, and many outlets wrote about it, including Mother Jones: China Says It Will Start the World’s Biggest Carbon Market by 2017. This is a well written article, and I’d suggest to anyone to read it, but there is a line in the article that made me stop and twist my head a bit. From the article: “And cap-and-trade will be just one part of a wide-ranging agreement announced between the two countries, building on a breakthrough deal forged by President

Obama and President Xi last November in Beijing, in which China promised to finally start to taper its coal use.” [emphasis added] Finally. Collective action problems like decarbonization create the constant temptation to believe that others are being worse actors than ourselves. I don’t believe that the author of this piece was consciously attempting to promote such an idea. However I do think this shows how memes with weak foundations, but comforting implications, persist in our public discourse in subtle ways. What is the actual state of China’s coal use, and how does it actually compare to other countries, particularly the US? Take a look at the data: Source: Wolfram Alpha [1] China’s per capita coal consumption only reached parity with US levels for the first time in 2012. And in case anybody is thinking that things may have changed substantially in the last couple years (beyond the range of Wolfram Alpha’s dataset), here’s the latest snapshot (2014) [2, 3]: 2014 per Capita Coal Consumption China: 2.53 t / person year US: 2.59 t / person year China needs to reduce it’s coal consumption dramatically, as many countries do (see Addendum data below). Nonetheless, China’s level of consumption is not out of line with US or other countries’ levels - while undergoing the most rapid period of economic development of a country in human history [4]. In contrast, the US consumed at a rate of >3 metric tons per person year for the entire period of 1984–2008, a level that China has never reached (and hopefully will not). Regarding China’s announcement, on its face it is a serious step forward — but as with any cap-and-trade system, much depends on the details. What level will the emissions cap be set at, and what will be the schedule for reduction of


Prompt: Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. Feb. 25, 2015, 2:29 PM GMT / Updated Feb. 25, 2015, 7:09 PM GMT FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz. — If words like UFO, extraterrestrial, crops circles and abductee have ever piqued your paranormal interest, do yourself a favor and head to the International UFO Congress. The annual conference—which holds the Guinness record for being the largest convention dedicated to unidentified flying objects—takes place in the picturesque desert town of Fountain Hills, and this year it ran from Feb. 18 to 22. It’s

worth noting that Arizona is known as a hotbed of activity when it comes to sightings. Thousands flock to the annual event, which is produced by Open Minds, a paranormal research organization. Each attendee has his or her own reason for being there. My goal was to find out if modern science and technology have changed the game when it comes to UFO sightings and evidence gathering. “A lot of people think, go to a UFO convention, it’s going to be tinfoil hats, but that’s not what this is. We have NASA astrobiologists speak, scientists, high-ranking military officials, the works. I mean, there’s a lot of really credible people covering this subject,” said UFO Congress co-organizer and paranormal journalist Maureen Elsberry. When attending a UFO conference, the best approach is to come in with an open mind, ask lots of questions and talk with people about why they are there. Everyone has a story, from the speakers to the attendees, and even the vendors (some of whom double as ufologists). The highlight of this year's conference was undeniably the speaker series, and it was standing room only to see one man, Bob Lazar. Lazar first spoke out in 1989, claiming that he’d worked as a government scientist at a secret mountainside facility south of Area 51’s main site, where he saw remarkably advanced UFO technology. Critics have sought to discredit Lazar, questioning his employment record and educational credentials. During the conference, George Knapp, an investigative TV reporter in Las Vegas who broke the Lazar story in '89, led an onstage question-and-answer session with Lazar, who discussed the work he did at a place called S4. Lazar spoke in detail about the alien UFO hangars and UFO propulsion systems he was allegedly asked to reverse engineer, and even loosely sketched them


Prompt: Record high CO2 emissions delay global peak 2 2 2 In 2017, CO 2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry are projected to grow by 2% (0.8% to 3%). This follows three years of nearly no growth (2014-2016). (GDP to rise 3.6% according to IMF figures). emissions from fossil fuels and industry are projected to grow by 2% (0.8% to 3%). This follows three years of nearly no growth (2014-2016). (GDP to rise 3.6% according to IMF figures). Global CO 2 emissions from all human activities are set to reach 41 billion tonnes (41 Gt CO 2 ) by the

end of 2017. Meanwhile emissions from fossil fuels are set to reach 37 Gt CO 2 - a record high. emissions from all human activities are set to reach 41 billion tonnes (41 Gt CO ) by the end of 2017. Meanwhile emissions from fossil fuels are set to reach 37 Gt CO - a record high. China's emissions are projected to grow by 3.5% (0.7% to 5.4%), driven by a rise in coal consumption (GDP up 6.8%). India's emissions are projected to grow by just 2 % (0.2% to 3.8%) - down from over 6% per year during the last decade (GDP up 6.7%). US emissions are projected to decline by -0.4%(-2.7% to +1.9%), with coal consumption projected to rise slightly (GDP up 2.2%). EU emissions are tentatively projected to decline -0.2% (-2% to +1.6%), a smaller decline than the previous decade (GDP up 2.3%). CO 2 emissions decreased in the presence of growing economic activity in 22 countries representing 20 per cent of global emissions. emissions decreased in the presence of growing economic activity in 22 countries representing 20 per cent of global emissions. Renewable energy has increased rapidly at 14% per year over the last five years - albeit from a very low base. Atmospheric CO 2 concentration reached 403 parts per million in 2016, and is expected to increase by 2.5 ppm in 2017. -end- Related Climate Change Reading: Global carbon emissions are on the rise again in 2017 after three years of little-to-no growth, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia and the Global Carbon Project.It was previously hoped that emissions might soon reach their peak after three stable years, so the new projection for 2017 is an unwelcome message for policy makers and delegates at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 23)


Prompt: Voters cast their ballots at a polling station during general elections in Jaunmarupe on October 4, 2014 (AFP Photo/Ilmars Znotins) Riga (AFP) - Latvia's ruling centre-right coalition led by Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma scored a resounding majority in Saturday elections overshadowed by alarm over a resurgent Moscow and a Kremlin-allied party popular with the country's sizeable Russian minority. An exit poll by the SKDS agency gave three parties in her coalition 63 seats in the 100-member parliament, while their Kremlin-allied leftist rival took 23. "This is a vote of confidence in (Straujuma's) Unity party and in the coalition... it means

people want us to continue our work," parliamentary speaker Solvita Aboltina and Unity party chair told Latvian public broadcaster LTV. Unity scored 25 seats while its coalition partners National Alliance and the Greens and Farmers scored 19 seats each respectively, according to SKDS. Nils Ushakovs, leader of the Kremlin-allied leftist opposition Harmony Party -- which exit polls showed came second with 23 seats -- called the result "positive" but told LTV "we shouldn't rely on exit polls." "This is more of the same coalition, but it's slightly changed in the balance of power and that makes Unity more powerful," University of Latvia Professor Ivars Ijabs told AFP. "The probability that we will see someone other than Straujuma as prime minister is quite high," he added. It was not immediately clear whether President Andris Berzins would ask the 63-year-old Straujuma, a pragmatic technocrat, to form a fresh coalition government. Analysts in Riga believe Berzins could tap her Unity party colleague, outgoing EU development commissioner Andris Piebalgs, for premier as Latvia is poised to take over the European Union's rotating six-month presidency in January. - Geopolitical jitters - Russia's annexation of Crimea and meddling in eastern Ukraine have sent shudders through this NATO and eurozone member of two million people where many retain vivid memories of the Soviet occupation that ended just a quarter-century ago. With Europe now in its worst standoff with Russia since the Cold War, many Latvians fear Moscow could attempt to destabilise its Soviet-era Baltic backyard. Straujuma has called for more NATO troops and extra air patrols in the region and the alliance has responded with increased troop rotations and exercises. Casting her ballot near Riga on Saturday, she slammed Ushakovs who recently said that given the choice of Russian politicians "the best thing possible right now is


Prompt: Anthem Blue Cross should reimburse California man for transplant, jury says The insurer had refused to cover the liver surgery after Ephram Nehme decided to go out of state to face a shorter waiting list. Panelists in L.A. also say Blue Cross should pay Nehme's legal fees. The jury, which included at least three members with Blue Cross medical coverage, voted 10 to 2 that the company breached its contract with Nehme. It voted 9 to 3 that the health insurer acted in bad faith by refusing to pay for the out-of-state operation. The panel deliberated for less than two

days. Blue Cross approved Nehme's liver transplant in late 2006, and he was on the waiting list at UCLA Medical Center. But the company refused to pay when Nehme, gravely ill and fearing for his life, decided to have the operation in Indiana, where wait times are far shorter than in California. In addition, the jury ordered Blue Cross to pay plaintiff Ephram Nehme's legal expenses, which could dwarf the $206,000 cost of the transplant. A Los Angeles jury concluded Monday that Anthem Blue Cross should cover the cost of an out-of-state liver transplant that a California man paid for after the insurer balked. "The message here is that you can't take people's money, promise to protect them, and then leave them to die in their time of need," said Nehme's lawyer, Scott Glovsky. At a hearing set for next week, Glovsky said he would seek to broaden the jury's verdict under the state's unfair competition law. He will ask Superior Court Judge Kenneth Freeman to order Blue Cross to allow its California members to pursue organ transplants at hospitals nationwide that do business with its parent, Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc., the nation's largest health insurer. In a statement, Blue Cross acknowledged "the jury's determination that Mr. Nehme's transplant should have been approved by Anthem Blue Cross despite the fact that Mr. Nehme's Anthem Blue Cross contract states that transplants must be performed only at California Centers of Excellence." "While we disagree with the jury's coverage determination, we are pleased that the jury did not award punitive damages and unanimously concluded that Anthem Blue Cross did not act with any malice toward Mr. Nehme," the company said. A spokeswoman said the company had not decided whether it would appeal. Blue Cross also said it offered to settle the case with Nehme


Prompt: Robert Cumming / Shutterstock.com I recently sent a letter of complaint by email to Air New Zealand about their policy of treating all male passengers as potential child molesters, and seating them away from unescorted minors. True to the promise of their auto responder, I have received a more personal response. Rather I should say that they have responded with a non response. Following is their email to me and then my response back to them. —– Dear Mr Elam Thank you for your email regarding your recent flights with us. It was a pleasure to read your comments regarding

the excellent standard of service which you received on your flights with us, and that you had an enjoyable stay in New Zealand. It is certainly always encouraging to receive feedback such as yours as it is proof to us that the high standards which we aim to provide are being maintained. However, I am sorry to read of your disappointment in an aspect of our Unaccompanied Minor policy, namely in regards to not seating minors next to male passengers. By way of explanation, Air New Zealand ’s internal procedures relating to the seating of unaccompanied minors and young persons travelling alone are as follows: For Crew surveillance reasons, unaccompanied minors and young persons travelling alone are normally seated together in the rear of the aircraft and next to the crew galley. Where possible, a spare seat is kept empty next to unaccompanied minors and young persons travelling alone to be used by the crew where special attention is required. Where a flight is full, we will endeavour to seat a female passenger next to unaccompanied minors and young persons travelling alone. These procedures reflect the approach adopted by leading airlines around the world and have been in place for some time. Mr Elam, thank you once again for taking the time to write in to us. I trust that I have been able to address some of your concerns, and that we may have the opportunity of welcoming you and your wife onboard our flights again in the future. Kind regards, Claire McLister Customer Support Specialist ——- Dear Ms McLister, Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions, and in such a prompt manner. However, your response would have been much more satisfying had you actually answered my questions rather than just tell me what I


Prompt: Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia, was overthrown in 1974, and his downfall was caused to a considerable extent by his regime’s failure to confront the famine that year. A decade later, famine swept the north of Ethiopia once again. For most of 1983, it went on without much of the rest of the world paying it any noticeable heed. It was this famine that galvanized Geldof, Bono, and the Live Aid movement. A part of the reason for this was that the Derg, the Stalinist regime then in power in Addis Ababa, forbade almost all coverage of what was

going on. This is not to say there was no coverage at all—Gill, who unlike most of the foreign journalists covering the famine at the time is actually an Ethiopia expert, points out with understandable exasperation that in July 1984, ITV ran a documentary called Seeds of Despair, and an appeal launched in its aftermath raised 10 million pounds for Ethiopian famine relief; but it was only in October 1984, when a BBC TV team led by Michael Buerk and Mohamed Amin were allowed to film what was going on, that Ethiopia became the focus of widespread public attention in the rich world. The result was that before very long, the Ethiopian catastrophe had gone from being one of the world’s most forgotten crises to perhaps its best known. Geldof’s single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” the first blast of what would become the Band Aid/Live Aid juggernaut, came out that November and raised five million pounds, though, as Gill comments acidly, Ethiopians “did of course know it was Christmas because the starving were mostly Christian.” Neither Geldof nor Bono has ever been willing to accept that, however wellintended, the premise of Live Aid was flawed from the start. Amid criticism of the ways in which the monies from Live Aid were being used by international relief agencies to fund programs connected with resettlement, Geldof told The Irish Times that “the organizations that are participating in the resettlement effort should not be criticized.... In my opinion, we’ve got to give aid without worrying about population transfers.” The way in which both men have capitalized on their new status as global consciences to rescue their pop music careers has been grotesque, but their sincerity is beyond doubt. Yet their competence to hold the opinions that they peddle is another matter. What


Prompt: Currently, Mars has a thin atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide, with pressures at most of the planet's surface so low that liquid water will immediately boil. But a variety of features we've discovered argue that the planet has once supported copious amounts of water, indicating that the planet's atmosphere must have differed considerably in the past. Using radar data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists have now found a potential resting place for some material that was once in the Martian atmosphere: a huge deposit at the south pole that holds nearly as much CO 2 as the planet's current

atmosphere. Mars' south pole has extensive ice deposits, but most of that material is thought to be water, with only a thin coating of carbon dioxide on top. However, the MRO's radar instrument identified several reflection-free zones, where most of the radar signal went entirely through the icy material to the planet's surface itself. Based on the authors' calculations, this can't be water ice, but it does have very similar reflective properties to dry ice, or frozen carbon dioxide. The area also has features that indicate that some of the dry ice has sublimated to a gaseous form, resulting in areas where the surface has collapsed. If the area is dry ice, then the total amount present is huge. The authors estimate the total volume of the non-reflective material at somewhere between 9,500 and 12,500 cubic kilometers. That's 30 times more than had previously been estimated to reside at the poles, and is about 80 percent of the current CO 2 content of the entire atmosphere. If all the dry ice were heated up, Mars' atmospheric pressure would nearly double. Like the Earth, Mars undergoes orbital variations that alter the distribution of sunlight across the planet. One of these involves changes in the orientation of its axis of rotation relative to the plane of its orbit, called the obliquity. Mars undergoes more dramatic changes in obliquity than Earth and, as a result, its poles see more significant changes in sunlight at the extreme. The authors argue that this can help explain why the reflection-free zones lack any material from the planet's famous dust storms, which should reflect the radar effectively. Mars' atmosphere needs to be above a certain density to support the particles that make up its dust storms. As the poles undergo extended cold periods, the authors suggest "the


Prompt: Yesterday I'd heard from a friend that the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush would be off the coast of Kennebunkport sunday morning. So rising early and always wanting to be a witness to fiscally responsible conservatives, Mr. PB and I headed down to the beach. Sure enough there was an aircraft carrier on the horizon. George the 1st is having a birthday tuesday and someone thought it would be neat for him to visit a big boat. Bush and his wife, Barbara, along with their son, former President George W. Bush, and his wife, Laura, will fly to the

carrier on Sunday morning, accompanied by other family members and security. The Bushes will take photos with crew members, and other family members who haven't been on board before will be given tours. Mr. PB and I watched as four helicopters flew up and down the surrounding beaches making sure the coast was clear, probably waiting for the Bushes to finish breakfast before at least one landed at Walker's Point to pick them up and fly them out to the ship. They probably spent about an hour aboard before flying home. Security as always was tight employing local (my tax dollars) as well as federal (our tax dollars) officers. Six hours later helicopters are still buzzing overhead costing money. The Portland Press Herald has more: And I surely don't want to forget this: The Carrier Mission is: To provide a credible, sustainable, independent forward presence and conventional deterrence in peacetime. To operate as the cornerstone of joint/allied maritime expeditionary forces in times of crisis. To operate and support aircraft attacks on enemies, protect friendly forces and engage in sustained independent operations in war. To provide pleasure trips and photo-ops for the Bush family in Kennebunkport. Did I mention that the USS George H.W. Bush cost 6.2 BILLION dollars? George the lesser awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman on January 26, 2001 as one of his first orders of business after his appointment to office. And why is it off the coast of Maine when "we are a nation at war?" I mean shouldn't it be somewhere like the Strait of Hormuz? Isn't Iran a dire threat of smoking guns and mushroom clouds? So the next time you see John Bonehead crying his crocodile tears over the state of our economy, or any of the other hypocritical bloviaters screaming about democratic


Prompt: Take action! The principle of integrated education is under attack like never before in this country following the Government’s announcement that it will introduce a new generation of state schools that can religiously discriminate against children for all of their places. We are encouraging everyone to write to their MPs to speak out, and we’ve provided a facility through which it’s possible to do so. In line with its ambition to deliver 500 new free schools by 2020, the Government has given the green light to 11 new religious schools in its latest wave of 77 free school approvals. The

schools are the first to be approved since the Government announced that it will move to scrap the requirement that new ‘faith’ schools keep at least half of their places open to local children, irrespective of religion or belief. If these plans go ahead, all 11 schools will be able to religiously select 100% of their places. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has stated that the latest free school approvals are yet another sign of the Government’s backward approach to improving integration in the education system. Of the 11 religious schools given approval, nine are either Church of England or Christian in character. They are: Derby Cathedral School, a Church of England secondary A Level Sixth Form School, Bury St Edmunds, a Church of England school for pupils aged 16 to 19 The Trinity College, an all-through Christian school in Colchester Bishop Arden Church of England Free School, a secondary in Hillingdon Emmanuel Community School, a Christian primary school in Waltham Forest Cathedral Free School, a Church of England primary in Liverpool Cathedral Enterprise School, a Church of England secondary in Bristol East Village C of E Academy, a primary school in Swindon Middle Wichel CE (Primary) Academy also in Swindon In addition, two new Hindu schools have been approved, the Avanti Leicester School and the Avanti Brent School. Both are being set up by the Avanti Schools Trust which currently operates five other existing Hindu schools in England. The approval of these new religious schools comes just days after the Government announced the removal of the so-called ‘50% cap’ on religious selection, meaning that both new and existing free schools may soon be able to religiously discriminate for all of their places when previously they have only been able to do so for up to half. The move has


Prompt: "I am looking to put this guy out," Bradley says, "I don’t want to go 12 rounds with this guy." In anticipation of Timothy Bradley’s return to the ring against Ruslan Provodnikov on Saturday, March 16, at the Home Depot Center in Carson California, Bradley and his trainer recently met with the press. The WBO welterweight champion remains undefeated at 29-0 and is one of the premier fighters in the game today. But things have not gone smoothly. There were promotional issues. There were family issues. There were public relations issues. And there were issues with the fans of Manny

Pacquiao, who he defeated, albeit controversially, in his last fight. “Every fight from here on out is a statement fight, especially coming after the Pacquiao fight,” Bradley said. “I am looking to make a statement in this fight and I am looking to damage this guy. I am looking to put this guy out. I don’t want to go 12 rounds with this guy. The longer he stays around the more confident he will get so I want to get him out of there as soon as possible.” Bradley is known for many things, but power isn’t among them. The same, however, cannot be said for the hard-hitting but overmatched Provodnikov (22-1). “I don’t know about his knockout power,” admitted Bradley. “I’m not worried about his power. He needs to worry about my power. I am not worried about anything he is going to bring. He is going to stand in the middle of the ring. I know exactly how to beat this guy—outbox him. Provodnikov has to worry about me. I am not worried about him.” Bradley’s trainer, Joel Diaz, feels much the same way. “We don’t take anyone light,” he said, “no matter who it is or what style he has. Ruslan has his style and I know he is training really hard because this is a great opportunity for him. I watch Provodnikov fights every night and know what he is and he’s not going to change very much. I know he has power in both hands, but to catch Tim Bradley is going to be very hard. Tim is really smart and now his punching power has increased because we made some adjustments. You are going to see a different Tim Bradley on the 16th and don’t be surprised if it doesn’t go the distance.” Wherever


Prompt: But some of the administration’s leading liberal insiders, like Harold H. Koh, the State Department’s legal adviser, are pushing for the United States to join the ban. And even some Pentagon officials are said to favor a change. In a sign of the effort’s urgency, the White House is holding regular meetings with officials from the Pentagon and State Department. The administration has summoned outside experts, like Karl F. Inderfurth, a former senior diplomat who led the delegation to Ottawa in 1997, where the United States watched as 120 other countries signed the pact. “I’m guardedly optimistic,” said a senior

administration official who favors the treaty and who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. “Why stick with the status quo when we would get so much credit for even a modest move?” A Pentagon spokesman said it would be “premature” to comment before the review was completed. It is not clear where the defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, stands. The White House said that the United States is already helping deal with the fallout from mines. “The U.S. record on humanitarian mine action shows that we share the concern of parties to the Ottawa Convention,” said Michael Hammer, a spokesman for the National Security Council. Some analysts say the rationale for land mines is even weaker now than it was in 1997. Technological advances have enabled the Pentagon to create explosives that function like mines but are detonated remotely, making them permissible under the treaty. The United States has not used land mines since 1991, despite fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — two countries that have ratified the treaty. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. “The situation has changed significantly in recent years,” said Mr. Inderfurth, who is now a professor of international affairs at George Washington University. “There is every reason to believe we could join this