Prompt: Understanding Business Media with Hartford Business Journal Editor Greg Bordonaro, Public Relations Strategist Jason Simms, and Sujata Srinivasan, an independent journalist who has previously served as the editor of the Connecticut Business Magazine. A workshop to help entrepreneurs learn how and when to connect with the business press. Greg Bordonaro is the editor of the Hartford Business Journal. He joined the editorial team in May 2008 after graduating from the University of Connecticut with a degree in journalism and history. Greg has been recognized for his writing and reporting by the Alliance of Area Business Publications as well as the

Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists. He lives in West Hartford and is enrolled in the University of Hartford’s part-time MBA program. Sujata Srinivasan is an independent journalist with nearly 20 years of reporting, writing and editing experience at television, radio, print and online news organizations. She previously served as the editor of Connecticut Business Magazine, where she assigned and edited award-winning reporting; a contributing editor at the Connecticut Economic Resource Center Inc., senior financial editor at Ness Technologies for the Chicago investment consortium Thomas White International, where she trained and developed a team of financial analysts; and correspondent and interim chief of bureau at CNBC India-TV 18. She was the founding editor of the ethnic newspaper CT Indian Life, and is a volunteer editor for the Stamford nonprofit World on Stage. Her work has aired extensively on WNPR, where her reporting earned her five awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. She was a U.S. correspondent for the Indian edition of Forbes and her writing has appeared in Forbes.com, the Hartford Courant (she writes about small business and entrepreneurship), Hartford Magazine, Hartford Business Journal, Houston Chronicle’s Chron.com, and Patch (business columnist). Prior to that, she was a beat reporter for the Economic Times, India’s largest English-language business daily, and a contributor to Business India, the Business Line and the Hindu – national publications in India, and the North American edition of the Indian Express. Formerly a visiting adjunct instructor in economics at Saint Joseph College, Hartford. She has a bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Madras in Chennai, a one-year post-graduate diploma (distinction) in Journalism from the Times School of Journalism in New Delhi; and a M.A. in Economics from Trinity College, Hartford. She received a Jon Davidoff Journalism Scholarship to the Wesleyan Writers Conference, a seminar fellowship


Prompt: Shuu-chan from the planning team likes the figure so much that he tried to take the same pose himself! (((ﾟДﾟ))) To show how determined he was, he even tried to get the expression right! Although I have to say that perhaps the cute upward glances should be left to the girls… :P Anyway, today I’ll be taking a closer look at this figure that Shuu-chan loves!! From Waiting in the Summer: 1/7th Scale Ichika Takatsuki From the romantic comedy anime ‘Waiting in the Summer’ comes a 1/7th scale figure of the main heroine, Ichika Takatsuki! The pose is based on

an illustration by the series’ original character designer, Taraku Uon. Careful attention has been made to keep the same feeling of the original illustration by faithfully recreating the relaxed, gentle appearance of Ichika. She’s rather sexy for a high school student!! (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)=3 I wish she could share some of that sex appeal with everyone else!! Many of you will know this pose from the cover of DVD/Blu-Ray’s first volume – it’s amazing how similar she looks to the original illustration!! This is how she looks from the back! The long hair that sweeps down to her hips, and if you look at the bottom you’ll see the tips of her hair have both a front and back layer! Plus just look at this adorable looking way of sitting!! It just makes me wish I could come up behind her and give her a big hug!! Σ(゜∀゜*) She is such a goddess!! Just look at that beautiful smile – it’s strangely hard to describe!! The whole expression has a kind-of motherly quality to it! 。・゜・(つД｀)・゜・。 Ichika’s gentle and kind personality even manages to come through the figure, and the amazing sculptwork on her glasses is also noteworthy!! Lovely slim arms and a beautiful body! This angle from the side has to be my favorite! I’d have to say the best way to describe her body is ladylike – she has a much more mature looking appearance than you’d expect of a high school student! Also note the delicate hand placed on her shoe, the creases in her clothes which let you get a better picture of her waistline and even the little peek you get of her thighs through the skirt! The figure is just filled with Ichika-senpai’s charm! Just look at those… err, that collar area! I’d often say you


Prompt: If you're anything like me, when you were a kid, you had trouble getting to sleep without first hearing at least a couple of stories of life, love and learning as told by a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year. In my case, that meant an awful lot of long-distance calls to very understanding Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton. Luckily, today's youth now has a much more cost-effective and handy option — "Metta's Bedtime Stories," the newly released debut children's book from Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace. The book, which retails for $12.95, is a short collection

of stories aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 10, with titles like "Mud in My Bed" and "I'm Afraid of the Dark." And while the idea of one of the NBA's foremost oddballs and elbow-throwers picking up the pen to reach out to young people is admittedly a bit surprising, it seems like Metta's heart is in the right place: Scroll to continue with content Ad Metta's Bedtime Stories was written to help children think about daily events in a positive light. These stories will show everyone that you can always have a better day tomorrow, if you have a hopeful heart and keep positive thoughts. That's a neat message, and very much of a piece with the youth-focused bent of a lot of his mental health awareness work, from raffling off his championship ring to raise money for more mental health professionals in schools and producing a cartoon public service announcement that was apparently intended to promote mental health awareness by showing the former Ron Artest as a skateboarding super hero named Metta Man. (It wouldn't be Metta if it wasn't at least a little bit weird.) Story continues And if we can read anything into a title like "Mud in My Bed," it's probably also at least a little bit goofy, like World Peace's visit to "Yo Gabba Gabba!" or his "Sesame Street"-inspired sartorial choices when holding court with the LAPD. That's OK, though. A little bit of whimsy can help make big ideas easier for kids to swallow and maybe even sell a few more copies of the book, which would offer a nice boost to a pair of World Peace-helmed charitable efforts — Xcel University and The Artest Foundation — that will each receive a portion of the proceeds from the book's sales.


Prompt: Earlier today, Assemblyman Sean Ryan, who has been a leading proponent of downgrading The Scajaquada Expressway, made an announcement that additional traffic calming measures would commence soon enough. After meeting with Phil Eng, the Chief Engineer at the Department of Transportation (DOT), it was decided that the 30mph speed limit would remain permanently in place. Along with the change in speed, Ryan has proposed that the classification of the roadway be changed from a Principal Arterial Expressway to an Urban Minor Arterial. The change must be met with Federal approval. In the meantime, the DOT will be moving forward with

interim traffic calming measures and studies that include the addition of traffic lights, crosswalks, speed bumps, and re-painting of the roadway. These will all help to contribute to the permanent downgrading, from a high speed thoroughfare into a slower moving boulevard. The DOT will be looking into commencing additional traffic studies this summer. Assemblyman Sean Ryan said “While our goal is to see the Scajaquada downgraded to a parkway, we must first take interim steps to adjust traffic to the new 30mph speed limit. The DOT understands this issue, will move expeditiously to implement these traffic calming measures. I thank the DOT for agreeing to move forward and study where the traffic calming measures will be placed, in order to maximize their effectiveness. After we are done with the interim actions, we must devote our attention to converting the expressway into a parkway. The DOT will need to present a plan to make that happen, and I will stay on top of this to ensure that a plan is presented to the community as quickly as possible. Once again, I would like to thank Governor Cuomo and his team for working so diligently to improve safety on the Scajaquada.” A traffic circle was taken off the table where Parkside meets the 190. It would be great to see the DOT reexamine the possibility of bringing the circle back into play now that so many other traffic calming measures are in place. The traffic circle could be dedicated to the memory of the young boy who lost his life, and the family that suffered such a tremendous loss. Lead image: Ryan was joined by Buffalo Common Council Member Michael LoCurto, Justin Booth, Executive Director of GOBike Buffalo, Amber Small, Executive Director of the Parkside Community Association, Michael DeLuca, Chair of the


Prompt: It’s been just shy of two months since we kicked off the Summer of Rift Sale, and the momentum of game launches, announcements, and esports events continues. By popular demand, what started out as a six-week seasonal promotion was extended by two weeks. Today, we’re excited to share that VR newcomers have all Labor Day Weekend to take the plunge before the sale officially ends at 11:59 pm PT on September 4. End of Summer Flash Sale We’ve said from the beginning that Summer of Rift is all about celebrating the VR community. That’s why we’re also kicking off a

huge flash sale on the Oculus Store, with 45 titles across Rift and Gear VR available for up to 50% off—now through 11:59 pm PT on September 4. We gave a sneak preview of the Oculus Store sale on August 30, temporarily lowering the price of Star Trek: Bridge Crew to $24.99. Whether you want to step aboard the original Enterprise or enter the world of the J.J. Abrams reboot, you can form a crew of up to four players to explore, strategize, and coordinate your efforts to successfully complete your mission. Rift Highlights The Rift sale includes a wide range of apps and experiences, from the productivity and convenience of Virtual Desktop and the moving educational experience of Chernobyl VR Project to the exploratory cyberpunk adventure of TECHNOLUST and beyond, there’s something for everyone. Gear VR Gems The flash sale continues on the mobile side, with a similarly dynamic selection of discounted titles on Gear VR. Go on an aquatic safari with Ocean Rift, or battle the zombie horde in fan-favorite Drop Dead. Whether you want to dive into a narrative puzzle-based adventure like Esper 2, have some couch co-op fun with Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, or explore the world of virtual tabletop gaming with RTS Tactera, there’s a lot of great content to round out your library. Bundled Buys Also through 11:59 pm PT on September 4, we’ve got two amazing bundles with significant savings. The Summer Hits Pack nets you four of the season’s most popular titles for $89.99—saving you 35% off the regular US purchase price. Check out what’s included: Priced at $59.99, the Essentials Pack delivers four action-packed experiences with an impressive 52% discount off US pricing. This is a great way to supplement the six titles included for free with Touch activation. Here’s


Prompt: At Monument Mountain Regional High School in Massachusetts, educators responded when students came forward with an idea for an entirely student-led approach to school. In one independent-study-type course, students set their own learning goals, work collaboratively and seek help from mentors when it’s needed. They study math, science, social science and literature topics that interest them through a driving question each week, presenting their findings to a group. Their teachers were impressed with the rigor of their work and the motivation students displayed when they drove the agenda. Saying students should drive their own learning is much easier than helping

them do it. Former teacher-turned-lecturer Alan November has done some deep thinking about how teachers can help students gain the skills they’ll need to be independent learners. He emphasizes that teachers should help students ask the right questions and use the technology tools available to them to find credible information. He recommends teachers give students the ability to work on long-term projects that meaningfully contribute to the world, helping to provide the motivation for independent learning. While some schools are finding ways to let students take up the reins of their education, many are still beholden to the regimented public system that includes lots of standardized testing for assessment and accountability purposes. The increasing focus on testing has driven some families away from the education system entirely, and the number of home-schooled students has grown. One particular strain of home schooling, known as unschooling, has caught the imagination of many MindShift readers. Unschoolers follow no set curriculum, but rather let their children explore the world on their own terms and at their own speed. The focus is on curiosity, inquiry and projects, with the belief that kids will ask for help and learn in all disciplines when acquiring the necessary knowledge to achieve something with which they are absorbed. Readers continue to debate whether students can really learn what they’ll need to be functioning adults without the intervention of a teacher or parent, but several people who have been unschooled themselves say they’re doing well in the world. Dr. Peter Gray has studied what unschoolers go on to do, and whether they face discrimination or other obstacles as they apply to colleges and enter the workforce. SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Much of the disaffection with the school system stems from a pervasive feeling that the intense focus on formal academics


Prompt: Greetings fellow Agonians! Today we wanted to present a development update on the progress of our Early Access Road Map, discuss the contents of our upcoming patch, and give some marketing updates as we prepare ourselves for launch. We will be releasing our next community competition tomorrow where you will be able to submit unique mob names and lore backstories that we will tie into our new unique rare mob spawn mechanics described below. We are at a very exciting time in the development of Darkfall: Rise of Agon as we get closer to our official launch, and all of

us at Big Picture Games look forward to the coming months. Without further ado, let's get into it! Marketing Update: Playthrough Convention The marketing team has been gearing up for the upcoming Playthrough gaming convention that Brad and Michael will be attending this weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina. There have been many things we have been working on from banners and fliers to even some giveaways for those who stop by and say hello. This will be the first time that we publicly show off Darkfall: Rise of Agon and we cannot wait to talk about the project and what we have in store for the upcoming launch. Speaking of launch, our official launch date will be announced at the convention on Saturday. We hope to get to meet some of you in our community and invite everyone on Saturday to join us at the Crank Arm Brewing Company at 10:00 P.M. EST only a block away! Lighting the Fuse We want to ensure that when the game launches we can provide our players with as many friends and enemies to fight alongside with as possible. In the coming weeks we will be starting our external marketing campaigns that we have been planning internally and will not be letting up until we officially launch. We also have some things planned where you in our community can lend a helping hand to us in this endeavor. Stay tuned for more information as this train is about to leave the station. Next Patch Update The development team is currently working on our next Early Access patch which is currently scheduled to land at the end of February or beginning of March. This next patch will focus primarily on our new PvE spawn mechanics and the other changes listed below. Champion Spawn PvE


Prompt: John Druce leads the Pedal for Hope fundraising bicycle team. (Courtesy Pedal for Hope) John Druce knows something about being in the right place at the right time. The best run of his NHL career — the stretch that turned his last name into a magic word in Washington — was kick-started by happenstance: Dino Ciccarelli was injured early in the 1990 playoffs, Druce moved up through the Capitals’ lineup, and suddenly the young forward was the best goal scorer in the world. Druce scored nine times in a five-game playoff series against the Rangers, ended the spring with four

game-winners, and finished that postseason with 14 goals in 15 games, an offensive explosion still mentioned in hockey circles every spring. So Druce’s new job as a first-time head coach with the Cobourg Cougars, marking his return to hockey after more than a decade away? His team’s 16-2 start in the Ontario Junior Hockey League? His arrival before a season that will end with Cobourg hosting Canada’s Junior A championship? “Things like this happen,” Druce said this week, referring to his past. “Right place, right time.” If anyone deserved another happy coincidence, it was Druce, 12 years after heartbreaking news had led him to leave the sport. The former winger had been working as a hockey analyst in Canada when his then-15-year-old daughter Courtney — just a toddler waking up in the middle of the night during his famous Caps streak — was diagnosed with leukemia. With Courtney and her family members in and out of hospitals, Druce could no longer maintain a hockey lifestyle, so he left the game and became a financial adviser in his native Peterborough, Ontario. Over the next decade, his daughter turned into a public figure in Peterborough as she fought off an avalanche of medical problems — what Druce calls “a battle that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies.” She went through chemotherapy four times and radiation twice. She had two bone marrow transplants. After beating leukemia for a third time, she was in remission for almost five years and getting on with her life when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She beat that, too, but then the cancer came back a year ago. She died in April, eight days before her 28th birthday. “She’s my hero,” Druce said. “She would still walk into a room and would still light up that


Prompt: It is one of America’s most beloved past times. Every year, when the weather gets cold and the days get shorter millions gather around their television sets to cheer on their favorite football teams. From the Grid Iron to the Gravy Train: How the NFL Scored a Nonprofit Status Those same fans funnel billions upon billions of dollars into the industry to buy everything from tickets to memorabilia. In fact, the National Football League collects upwards of $9 billion in revenue each year, making the league the most lucrative in the world according to Forbes. On top of the massive

profits the teams enjoy, the league also scores big with tax breaks handed down from the federal government, specifically income taxes. The teams themselves are considered for-profit entities and pay taxes -- however, the leagues, which set the rules, negotiate contracts, discipline players and come up with a programming schedule, do not. “The NFL is exempt for federal and state income tax under section 501c6 of the federal tax code, which is very different from the sections that exempt charities and other philanthropic organizations,” Chair of the Nonprofit Organizations Practice at Venable Law Firm, Jeff Tenenbaum explains, “A 501c6 organization, which is typically reserved for trade and professional associations and chambers of commerce and some sports leagues, is a category that… carries with it exemption from paying federal and state corporate income tax on your net income.” And, the NFL isn’t alone. The National Hockey League, the Professional Golfers’ Association, the U.S. Tennis Association and numerous other sporting leagues also enjoy similar statuses. So, how did such a situation come about? Since the 1940’s, the NFL has received some tax breaks from federal and state governments. However, it wasn’t until 1966 that language was formally added to the national tax code which officially protected professional football. At the time, there were not one but two professional football leagues: the NFL and the American Football League or the AFL. On June 8, 1966, the two leagues formally announced plans to merge. The first ever Super Bowl was also held that very season. In order to merge, the leagues had to approach Congress to ask for an exemption to antitrust laws, which prohibit monopolies that limit competition. Nitty Gritty Tax Law After a lobbying blitz by both the NFL and the AFL, Congress eventually agreed to allow the two leagues to merge.


Prompt: The religious group known as the Blackburn Cult, the Divine Order of the Royal Arms of the Great Eleven, or the Great Eleven Club, was started in 1922 on Bunker Hill in Downtown Los Angeles, California, and later formed a retreat in the Southern California Simi Valley. The group's founder, May Otis Blackburn, is said to have received revelations directly from angels, and, along with her daughter Ruth Wieland Rizzio, believed that she was charged by the archangel Gabriel to write books revealing the mysteries of Heaven and Earth, and life and death.[1][2] Newspaper articles from the period reported strange

rituals including the sacrifice of animals, sex scandals and attempts to resurrect a dead 16-year-old girl.[3] Police found the corpse of Willa Rhoads under the floor at the Rhoadses' residence, wrapped in spices and salt, and surrounded by the bodies of seven dead dogs.[2] Mr. and Mrs. Rhoads later confessed to the police that they had placed their daughter in the tomb fourteen months earlier at the suggestion of May Otis Blackburn.[2] The cult was also accused of killing a member in an oven, poisoning another during a "whirling dervish" ceremony, and making several other members disappear.[4] Indicted for grand theft [ edit ] In 1929, group leaders were indicted in Los Angeles for grand theft and investigated in connection with the disappearances of several members.[1] These indictments created a sensation after the background of the grand theft was revealed to the public.[3] May Otis Blackburn was charged with twelve counts of grand theft, and articles at that time referred to her as a "cult leader".[5] According to Time magazine , the Blackburn Cult was also known as "The Great Eleven", and May Otis Blackburn was referred to as the "Heel of God".[6] The cult collapsed after May Otis Blackburn was imprisoned for stealing 40,000 dollars from Clifford Dabney.[6][7] Depicted in theatrical productions [ edit ] In October 2007, actresses playing May Otis Blackburn and Ruth Rizzio appeared in the Ghost Tour in Strathearn Park, in Simi Valley, California. The actress playing Blackburn stated: "May Otis is really fun and flamboyant..She's a cult leader. Who wouldn't want to play a cult leader?"[8] The "Ghost Tour" in Robert P. Strathearn Historical Park had previously featured Blackburn in 1999.[9] Subject of fictionalized history [ edit ] In 2008, R.J. Baudé, son of the last surviving member of the Great Eleven, published a


Prompt: Cyclist maimed in random shooting gets $15K in donations Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Alonso Solis gets donation check at the Mexican Consulate. June 29, 2017 (KXAN Photo/Alyssa Goard) [ + - ] Video AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The cyclist attacked on East Riverside Drive by a random passenger shooting out of a car received a large donation Thursday from Austin community members. These community members -- most of whom had never met 42-year-old Alonso Solis before -- came together to offer him care and financial support as he faces medical costs that seemed insurmountable. On June 7, Solis

was biking back from the store late at night when he was hit in the back, neck, head and face with pellets from a shotgun blast. Police arrested 19-year-old Merrick Isaacks for shooting Solis. A police affidavit showed that Isaacks was looking to "blow off steam" and held an acquaintance who was driving a car at gunpoint. Isaacks then fired out of his car window around Austin. He is still being held in the Travis County Jail on two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond totals $250,000. After that incident, Solis was unconscious for nearly two days, before waking up in the hospital. When KXAN visited with Solis at his home weeks ago, he could barely sleep or eat because of his pain. He has to take several months off from his job laying carpet because he can no longer lift his arm due to his injuries. He does not speak English or have many friends in Central Texas; his wife and four children live in Mexico. Solis had no insurance and no idea how he would pay for all of the medications. That is, until people from all around Austin stepped forward to help him. Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Alonso Solis of Austin was hit in the face while cycling by a shotgun blast from a random shooter. KXAN Photo/ Frank Martinez. Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Alonso Solis of Austin was hit in the face while cycling by a shotgun blast from a random shooter. KXAN Photo/ Frank Martinez. After KXAN's initial story, our station was overwhelmed with requests from people who'd watched our report and wanted to help. Rich and Anne Barger of Leander were two of those people. The two immediately set up a GoFundMe page for


Prompt: Plants can’t run away from a threat but they can stand their ground. “They are very good at avoiding getting eaten,” said Linda Walling of the University of California , Riverside. “It’s an unusual situation where insects can overcome those defenses.” At the smallest nip to its leaves, specialized cells on the plant’s surface release chemicals to irritate the predator or sticky goo to entrap it. Genes in the plant’s DNA are activated to wage systemwide chemical warfare, the plant’s version of an immune response . We need terpenes, alkaloids, phenolics — let’s move. Photo “I’m amazed at how fast

some of these things happen,” said Consuelo M. De Moraes of Pennsylvania State University . Dr. De Moraes and her colleagues did labeling experiments to clock a plant’s systemic response time and found that, in less than 20 minutes from the moment the caterpillar had begun feeding on its leaves, the plant had plucked carbon from the air and forged defensive compounds from scratch. Just because we humans can’t hear them doesn’t mean plants don’t howl. Some of the compounds that plants generate in response to insect mastication — their feedback, you might say — are volatile chemicals that serve as cries for help. Such airborne alarm calls have been shown to attract both large predatory insects like dragon flies, which delight in caterpillar meat, and tiny parasitic insects, which can infect a caterpillar and destroy it from within. Enemies of the plant’s enemies are not the only ones to tune into the emergency broadcast. “Some of these cues, some of these volatiles that are released when a focal plant is damaged,” said Richard Karban of the University of California, Davis , “cause other plants of the same species, or even of another species, to likewise become more resistant to herbivores.” 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. Yes, it’s best to nip trouble in the bud.


Prompt: In May 1997, 8-year-old Kirsten Hatfield disappeared from her bedroom one night, sparking a national search by local police and the FBI. But the case quickly went cold and she was never found. On Monday, Oklahoma police made a decisive break in the long-dormant case, arresting a man who lives two doors down and was initially identified as a suspect in the case, but is now linked by DNA evidence to the girl’s disappearance. Police arrested Joseph Palma, a neighbor who had previously told investigators he was at home that night, charging him with first-degree murder and kidnapping after a

DNA test linked him to items found in the girl’s bedroom on the night of her disappearance. Police said that they feared she had been killed just after she was abducted, but family members welcomed Mr. Palma’s arrest as providing some relief in a case that had gone cold more than 18 years ago. “Oh my goodness,” the victim's mother, Shannon Hazen, told The Oklahoman after first learning of the arrest from the paper on Monday. “Yes! Yes! Yes!,” she said, then began sobbing. Palma was identified as a suspect in the case after examining blood found on the windowsill of the girl’s bedroom and on her clothing, which was found in the house’s backyard. In June, he agreed to give a DNA sample after investigators began re-examining the case, but maintained that he had been at home during the night of May 13, 1997. The blood on the windowsill was identified as his after DNA testing, with police saying the match was one in 293 sextillion, The Oklahoman reported. “It is likely that Palma has been motivated to stay in the same home to conceal evidence of the crime and/or the location of Kirsten's body,” wrote Midwest City Police Detective Darrell Miller in a request for an arrest warrant. Palma’s story also differed slightly from the account he gave in 1997 to two different investigators, Reuters reports, noting that there is no indication that police searched his home during the original investigation. Investigators began searching Palma’s home on Monday and will continue searching on Tuesday, local police said. A longtime groundskeeper, Palma reportedly works for the Lake Thunderbird State Park, The Oklahoman reported, saying that it was unclear if he had an attorney. Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. By signing up, you agree


Prompt: For a while now those of us living with, or working with HIV, have known that if you’re HIV positive and undetectable that you’re very unlikely to be able to pass HIV on. But things just changed. Backing up a little, in 2008 the Swiss National AIDS Commission released a document for Swiss HIV consultants. This document was based on the best possible evidence at the time and stated that as long as the HIV positive person was on treatment, had a viral load below 40 and had no other STIs, that they were very unlikely to pass on HIV.

This document became known as The Swiss Statement. Whilst The Swiss Statement didn’t directly change policy and procedure it was widely acknowledged that we’d discovered something potentially world changing, something that deserved much more research. In 2010 a new study called PARTNER started enrolling couples. They were looking for sero-different couples where one partner was HIV positive and undetectable, and the other partner was HIV negative. They enrolled 1166 couples in total, ranging in age, ethnicity and sexuality, but most importantly these couples needed to be having condomless sex. Yesterday the results came in, and wow. Over the six years (and counting) the PARTNER study was running the 1116 couples recorded 58,000 condomless sex acts (lucky them) and there have been zero partner-to-partner HIV infectious. Let’s just look at that again shall we? Years worth of data on thousands of HIV negative and HIV positive undetectable couples having tens of thousands of condomless sex sessions and ZERO partner-to-partner infections. None. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Their research also showed something we weren’t sure of before too. The presence of other STIs, and any associated viral load blips, didn’t raise infectiousness. The STIs they recorded had no impact on that zero partner-to-partner infection ratio. It’s important to note that there were 11 infections during the PARTNER study, but those were traced to sex that happened outside their monitored relationships and not from their HIV positive undetectable partners. This was done by phylogenetic analysis which uses the genetic structure of HIV to tell researchers which person it came from. “This study has proven what we thought we knew, what we hoped, that we are uninfectious. I can’t pass on HIV, not even via condomless sex, as long as I keep taking my medication.” This is huge news for people living with HIV all over


Prompt: President Trump will travel to Missouri on Wednesday as part of an ongoing effort to pressure Senate Democrats in states he won to back the Republican tax plan. Yet such lawmakers have shown they see no political incentive in supporting the legislation, which could come up for a vote in the upper chamber later this week. Missouri’s Claire McCaskill, whom the president will likely call out while on her home turf, joined more than a dozen fellow Democratic senators from red or swing states for a press conference Tuesday condemning the bill and calling for a bipartisan process to overhaul

the tax code. The event was a remarkable demonstration of how the president and congressional Republicans have been unable to sway some of the most vulnerable senators up for re-election next year. Instead, Trump and the White House have spent the week trying to secure Republican votes for the bill, a dynamic that has given Democrats some political cover in holding out. A score released by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office on Sunday showed negative effects on middle-class taxpayers, which is buttressing Democratic opposition, as are polls showing the plan to be unpopular among voters. And if red state Democrats had been eager to back a tax reform measure, the Republicans’ inclusion of a repeal of the health care law’s individual mandate has provided an easy reason to say no to the GOP bill. “We all want to do tax reform, we all believe it needs to be done,” said West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who organized the Democrats’ press conference. “We’re willing to work and sit down. … There’s not one person here who hasn’t worked with a Republican.” Manchin hails from Trump country. His state voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton by 42 percentage points and gives the president his highest approval ratings in the nation. Unlike many of his Democratic colleagues, Manchin would likely be comfortable voting for something with the president’s name on it. But on both taxes and health care, Democrats have been united in opposition to GOP proposals, an indication of how they see political dynamics playing out in their states ahead of the 2018 midterms. “It has been staggering. It’s just amazing how poorly the president and GOP leaders have played their hand,” says Democratic operative Jim Manley, a former top aide to retired Sen. Harry Reid. “There is a handful of Democrats


Prompt: Whether they constitute a trend or not (and I say not), these cases represent mere footnotes in the annals of employment law compared with the potential impact of Dukes. Writing in the Harvard Law and Policy Review, professor Suzette M. Malveaux explained well last week in accessible language precisely what's at stake: The potential impact of the case stems not so much from the size of the Dukes class as from how the case will influence the very survival of certain types of class actions. At issue is whether it will become more difficult for plaintiffs who seek monetary relief

for systemic misconduct to meet the class action criteria. This is important because for many employees and others, a class action is their only meaningful access to the courts. Moreover, class actions are important to the civil justice system because of the substantial time and cost savings they provide the courts and parties. The Dukes case has the potential to redefine the terms on which this critical procedural device is available. No matter what the justices say Tuesday, and no matter how they eventually rule, Wal-Mart already has largely succeeded in blunting the force of the allegations against it. The case will be 11 years old when it is decided by the Supreme Court and yet it is nowhere near trial, much less a plaintiffs' verdict that would be sustainable on appeal. This is so despite massive pre-trial discovery on the class-action issue alone, an exemplar of scorched-earth civil litigation which already has generated, by one litigant's count, "over 200 depositions" and the "production of more than a million pages," as well as "electronic personnel data." At that rate, it could easily take another 11 years, or longer, to finally resolve this case. Betty Dukes, the Wal-Mart "greeter" who became the lead plaintiff in the case, was 54 when she first filed suit against the company. She's now 65. She'll be lucky if she gets her day in court, and a jury to hear her claims on the merits, before she's 70, and that's only if the justices allow the plaintiffs to proceed with their claims. This breathtaking pre-trial delay has occurred despite a series of rulings, from every court that has considered the case, acknowledging that there is a legally-cognizable class of plaintiffs here, a huge one, the members of which have at least a justiciable beef against Wal-Mart.


Prompt: Essentials WHAT Michigan vs Michigan State WHERE Spartan Stadium, East Lansing MI WHEN 3:30 Eastern October 25th, 2014 THE LINE MSU -17 TELEVISION ABC TICKETS From 149 WEATHER 60, sunny, 15 mph winds Overview I have to change this now. Since the Big Ten season started this section has been a slightly modified assertion that Team X is probably not real good with issues up the wazoo, a resume that does not intimidate, and a reasonably tractable Vegas line. None of these things are true in re: Michigan State. They are probably real good, they have no wazoo-rated issues, the

worst thing on their resume is beating Purdue by two touchdowns, and Vegas is like lol head for the hills. Rats. Injury Guesses PROBABLY IN: Shane Morris is likely available. MAYBE: Erik Magnuson's rumored high ankle sprain should be healed by now, right? I mean, unless it's one of those high ankle sprains that never do. Jabrill Peppers is prominently listed on the depth chart but chatter has him potentially out for the season; we'll see if the internet or the program is more truthy. Bet here is internet. PROBABLY OUT: Delano Hill, Derrick Green, Desmond Morgan. Run Offense vs Michigan State Taiwan Jones is going to be making a lot of tackles. This is not the all-destroying unit of a year ago but it's still plenty good enough to shut Michigan's arthritic run game down. MSU is currently 28th in YPC allowed; notably, they crushed Nebraska to the tune of 47 yards on 37 carries. Things have gone less swimmingly at other times—mostly times when someone pops into the secondary and there is flailing around him. Shane Wynn broke a 75-yard reverse last weekend; Tevin Coleman added a 65-yard romp; Purdue had rushes of 52 and 36 yards. That has scuffed up last year's national-best rush D. The problem for Michigan is what happens on carries that don't go 30 yards. Michigan State is in a tie for 116th with 4 rushes of more than 50 yards allowed; they're eighth with 21 rushes for more than ten yards. The secondary biffs at a high rate on a low number of plays that break long. When they don't go a long way they don't go anywhere unless you're Tevin Coleman. This is an obvious problem for a Michigan rush offense with three runs of 30 yards on the year, all


Prompt: In the late 12th century, the father of teenage Leonardo Fibonacci takes him off the North African streets and sets him at the feet of gruff Arab tutors. They can’t help it — they like the kid, who they can tell is going to be a nightmare until they agree to teach him the Art of Nine Symbols. Back in Pisa, Fibonacci discovers an axiomatic sequence in which each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21). The corresponding ratio describes the pleasing spiral he’s been staring at all day —

it just looks right. Eight hundred years later, a creative-writing student drafting a story is told it might help to draw its plot. And there it is. (See figure A.) Structure Here come the metaphors. John McPhee compares writing a story to prepping a meal, and to the gathering — crystallizing — of salt underground. His essay, “Structure,” traces the Continental Divide, pulls on “chronological drawstrings,” and knits the presumed narrative scarf from the “threads” everyone keeps talking about. McPhee encourages students to diagram a story as “a horizontal line with loops above and below it to represent the tangents along the storyline, a circle with lines shooting out of it that denote narrative pathways…” (See Figure B.) The rhetorical free-for-all disguises the wide influence of the gist — the anatomy of storytelling. Speaking of stories, “the shape of the curve is what matters,” says Kurt Vonnegut. Whereas Gustav Freytag’s muse was, sadly, a triangle, the sign and symbol of Fibonacci-McPhee is more like a map. But they’re manifestations of the same idea: of stories seeking, building, bending like a river, or anyways conceived of less as an appeal to a reader than as science-ish fieldwork. This definition of structure — indeed any definition of it — begs the question: What if structure is not that geometric or quite so cosmic or even, according to an au courant diagnosis, “televisual?” What if structure consists of questions themselves and not strictly the objects of those questions with which plotting is synonymous: A dead body. An excess of suitors. “A fully armed and operational battle station.” Stories posit a teller in the service of the told, who are now able to, if they must, rate that service with a fractional number of stars. But the novel especially is a kind of hopeless


Prompt: All of this helps explain why internet use can arguably become addictive in the sense that some chemicals are addictive -- that is, we can develop a dysfunctionally strong devotion to the internet, a devotion that leads us to neglect obligations and responsibilities (such as getting a novel written). After all, the internet, like these chemicals, allows us to trigger our neuronal reward mechanisms with much less work, and much more frequently, than was possible in the environment of our evolution. For example: In that environment, there was no pornography, much less the vast and instantly accessible supply found on

the web. Nor was there the nearly infinite supply of gossip that is available now that we can spend our time trolling Facebook or living vicariously among celebrities and following their lives on TMZ. Nor was a robust round of social esteem always, potentially, just a moment away; it wasn't possible, in a very small and technologically primitive social universe, to at any time of day launch an observation or joke and hope for the prompt affirmation of dozens of retweets or Facebook likes. Nor was there a YouTube that permitted the easy indulgence of various natural human visual appetites -- watching endearing infants or two guys fighting or real-life slapstick or whatever. In other words: the internet, like a pack of cigarettes or lots of cocaine, lets you just sit in a room and repeatedly trigger reward chemicals that, back in the environment of our evolution, you could trigger only with more work and only less frequently. That's why an internet habit, like a cocaine habit, can reach dysfunctional levels. The above-listed forms of internet dependence -- porn, Facebook, TMZ, Twitter, YouTube -- are just a few of the possible ingredients of any one case of internet "addiction." And each of these ingredients itself involves God-knows-which neurotransmitters and neuronal receptors and, by extension, God-knows-how-many genes. And all of us have lots and lots of these genes--genes that make us susceptible to internet addiction. Because what the internet does is take lots of things that natural selection designed us to find gratifying and make them much easier to get. Sure, some of these genes may vary from person to person in ways that make some people particularly susceptible to internet addiction (though environmental influences -- e.g. learning self-discipline -- presumably play a very big role). In fact, it will probably


Prompt: Manuel Pellegrini signed a one-year contract extension with Manchester City on Friday and insisted if the club wanted Pep Guardiola they would have told him. Pellegrini’s new deal ties him to the club until 2017, with his previous contract having been due to expire at the end of this season. City are long-term admirers of Guardiola, the Bayern Munich coach. Their sporting director, Txiki Begiristain, and chief executive, Ferran Soriano, worked with him at Barcelona. Although Pellegrini admitted Guardiola would be favoured by any club, he is confident of his own position. “[I’m] not talking about Pep Guardiola, he is

a manager that every team will want to manage because he is a great manager,” he said. “Maybe he is more linked with this team because of the relationship with Txiki and Ferran and I trust in them and I am sure if they want to bring in him, they will tell me. I have no problem with my relations inside the club. I know exactly how the owners think.” Of his fresh terms Pellegrini said: “What it means for me – it is very important for the club to trust in our work. I am very happy here also at Manchester City so if both parties are happy to continue [then good].” Pellegrini admitted there is a possibility he could still be sacked as results are still vital to any manager’s job prospects. “I was used last season to the speculation. [Carlo] Ancelotti had a contract signed [with Real Madrid] and Jürgen Klopp had also a contract [at Borussia Dortmund],” he said. “You know in this profession you need the results so it is very important for me to have a good season and good results. In football you never know how long are the contracts.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Manuel Pellegrini backs Raheem Sterling ahead of Premier League start. Link to video. Pellegrini would be open to staying at City beyond 2017. “You can sign for 10 years and four months after you are sacked but I think that when the two parties are happy with how you are working, of course you can extend your contract, not just for one year or two years. For me, the owners are happy with the way I am working. Me, I am also happy at this club. It is impossible to know about the future.” David Silva, Sergio Agüero and Samir


Prompt: A counterterrorism catch-and-release campaign by Canada's national police force may have prevented 10 aspiring jihadis from heading off to war, but the roundup at Montréal-Trudeau airport is raising worries about what comes next for radicalized youth. On Wednesday, while federal and provincial political leaders applauded the police work, anti-radicalization experts said only an integrated effort involving civilians and police can deal with youth fixated on taking up arms in the Middle East or joining terrorist groups. In Montreal, which has become a jihadi recruiting hotbed, the only tool appears to be handcuffs. In the past six months alone, at least

seven youths have left the city to join the Islamic State in Syria or Iraq. At least 15 other teenagers and young adults have been arrested pre-emptively. Some have volunteered to be monitored, while others, such as those arrested at the Montreal airport on the weekend, were simply released after having their passports confiscated. Story continues below advertisement Acting on a tip from one or more parents, the RCMP arrested the 10 youth at the airport but have released few other details. An 11th teenager was captured on video being led away from a Montreal home by investigators. None of the teenagers have been identified publicly and no charges were laid. The government may opt not to pursue a criminal case for fear that any public trial could force it to reveal sensitive intelligence methods – a situation that is a chronic issue in Canadian counterterrorism cases. The passport confiscations recalled last fall's terror attacks in which two lone-wolf assailants each killed Canadian soldiers after they were thwarted in attempts to travel abroad and possibly join jihadi groups. Officials provided no answer when asked how they might prevent similar backlash in the latest cases. The arrests again turned scrutiny toward a pre-university in Montreal's east end. Four of the people arrested on the weekend attended Maisonneuve College. A total of 11 alleged extremist recruits have now come from the school, which again denied it has a radicalization problem. "It's increasingly clear youth recruitment is happening through social media," a statement issued by the school said. Observers are increasingly asking whether the threat to Canada can be contained if the ranks of extremists and thwarted jihadis continue to grow. The RCMP's terrorism prevention program is designed to intervene before suspects mobilize toward violence, but the details of the program remain murky.


Prompt: Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister's adviser on foreign affairs and the government's de facto foreign minister, shared the state's charge sheet against Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and a timeline of his trial in a media briefing on Friday. At the occasion, Aziz also asked why Jadhav, who was handed the death sentence on Monday by a Field General Court Martial for his involvement in espionage and sabotage activities in the country, had been carrying official documents under an alias at the time of his arrest. "I would like to ask India why he [Yadhav] was using a fake identity and

masquerading as a Muslim," Aziz asked. "Why would an innocent man possess two passports — one with a Hindu name, and one with a Muslim name," he added. "Since India has no credible explanation about why their serving naval commander was in Balochistan, it has unleashed a flimsy propaganda campaign," he said. The adviser also condemned what he called India's "baseless allegations", adding that the country's lack of cooperation and refusal to provide Pakistan legal assistance were the reasons Jadhav had not been granted consular access. "Inflammatory statements and rhetoric about 'pre-meditated murder' and 'unrest in Balochistan', will only result in escalation, serving no useful purpose," he added. The charge sheet Aziz stated that Jadhav had been held responsible for the following terrorist activities in Pakistan: Sponsored and directed Improvised Explosive Device and grenade attacks in Gwadar and Turbat. Directed attacks on a radar station and civilian boats in the sea opposite Jiwani Port. Funded subversive secessionist and terrorist elements through hawala/hundi for subverting the Pakistani youth against the country, especially in Balochistan. Sponsored explosions of gas pipelines and electric pylons in Sibi and Sui areas in Balochistan. Sponsored IED explosions in Quetta in 2015, causing massive damage to life and property. Sponsored attack on Hazaras in Quetta and Shias en route to and back from Iran. Abetted attacks through anti-state elements against law enforcement agencies, the Frontier Corps and Frontier Works Organisation in areas of Turbat, Punjgur, Gawadar, Pasni and Jiwani during 2014-15, killing and injuring many civilians and soldiers. Steps taken to ensure transparency Aziz reassured critics that steps had been taken to ensure transparency during the trial of the Indian spy under Pakistan's laws and the Pakistan Army Act. Elaborating on these steps, the adviser said Jadhav's confessional statement had been recorded before a magistrate under Section


Prompt: While Merrick Garland failed to make it to the Supreme Court, he will still wield significant authority over the Trump agenda from his current post as chief judge of the D.C. Circuit. | Getty How Merrick Garland could torment Trump The spurned Supreme Court nominee has had a lot to say about deregulatory initiatives like the one the president's pushing. As Neil Gorsuch is sworn in to the Supreme Court, liberals are still teeming with anger over Merrick Garland being denied that same seat at the hands of Senate Republicans. However, many on the legal left are hoping the jilted

Obama nominee can still play a role in thwarting one of the central thrusts of President Donald Trump’s policy agenda: what top Trump adviser Steven Bannon famously called “the deconstruction of the administrative state.” Story Continued Below As Trump presses to roll back regulations across the federal government — formally vowing to dismantle two rules for every new one issued — an article Garland wrote more than three decades ago has emerged as a kind of playbook for those plotting the legal resistance to Trump’s campaign to unwind regulations aimed at protecting the environment, workers’ rights and more. The 1985 article in the Harvard Law Review, penned as the Reagan administration's deregulation initiative was gathering steam, emphasized the duties of courts to take a "hard look" at attempts to revoke federal rules. Garland argued that agencies revoking regulations must have at least as good a basis for killing a rule as they did for issuing it — and that the action be consistent with congressional intent. “The hard look demands that the agency show that the course it chose was reasonable in light of the relevant policies, alternatives, and facts,” Garland wrote. Another legal expert said there are unmistakable parallels between the Reagan-era deregulation effort Garland helped resist in the courts and the one Trump is embarking upon. “This is the world we are about to enter,” said Paul Verkuil, a leading authority on the federal rulemaking process. “You have to be able to justify your decision to end a regulation. ... [Garland] pretty much knew what he was talking about. It was a dramatic and important article which got a lot of play.” While Garland failed to make it to the Supreme Court, he will still wield significant authority over the Trump agenda from his current post as chief


Prompt: The great comedian Milton Berle had a powerful put-down for the many acts that auditioned for his show but failed to make the grade. “High school,” he’d call them. And I can’t think of a better term to describe the Conservative campaign brain trust at the midpoint of this long election season. Just lately, for example, the campaign seems to be having a tiny problem with geography. Last Friday, a Harper tweet provided a lovely snapshot of Little Crater Lake in the state of Oregon to illustrate its commitment to the Canadian great outdoors. Earlier in the week, a campaign

spot talked about shipbuilding in Halifax, N.S. … against a backdrop of Johnstown, Ont. A group of Colombian miners sat in for a party ad promoting a mineral exploration tax credit. And then there was the Tory ad which misidentified a B.C. salmon as its Atlantic cousin — the online trolls are still chuckling over that one. Well, these things happen. So do things like a sudden drop in the polls to third place. If that’s not a wakeup call, I don’t know what qualifies. It all made me think of an incident in the 2000 campaign, when Canadian Alliance Leader Stockwell Day lamented that Canadian talent and brains were heading south to the U.S., “just like the Niagara River.” The message was sound, the words were not; the Niagara actually flows northward. Day took a lot of ungentle ribbing for that error — but his mistakes fade in comparison to the fiasco in the Big Blue Bus these days. There’s one common thread that links Day’s experience in 2000 to what Harper is going through right now: a profound sense of confusion on the ground. But that’s where the similarities end. I worked on the Day campaign as legislative assistant to a front-bench MP. For the Alliance, the 2000 election was an unwelcome surprise from PM Jean Chretien, who always knew how to catch his opponents off guard. The CA had just been through a highly divisive leadership campaign and the party was low on funds. There was little corporate support for the party and many influential backers were waiting to see whether the Alliance could really replace the Progressive Conservatives as a centre-right alternative to the Liberals. Day fought that campaign on a shoestring, with family members playing key roles in the process. The Conservative party is having


Prompt: WikiLeaks released audio recordings Wednesday apparently hacked from the Democratic National Committee’s servers, including a message from an irate Hillary Clinton supporter demanding the party stop “bending over backwards” for Bernie Sanders. Links to the 29 recordings were posted on Twitter a few hours before US President Barack Obama took the stage in Philadelphia to address the party’s national convention, a meeting that formally nominated Clinton as the Democratic candidate for the White House. The confab was meant to be a show of unity, but instead has exposed the raw anger of Sanders supporters who feel disenfranchised by the primary

process. The WikiLeaks files seemed timed to embarrass the party and Clinton, although the audio recordings did not appear to contain any bombshell revelations. They came after the anti-secrecy website on Friday leaked 19,000 emails from the accounts of several top Democratic party leaders. At least two email messages suggested an insider effort to hobble Sanders’ upstart campaign against Clinton -- including by seeking to present him as an atheist in deeply religious states. The uproar following the leak forced party chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz to abruptly announce her resignation on the eve of the convention she was meant to preside over. In one audio recording, the angry Clinton supporter said in her minute-long voice mail that she was “furious” about what she perceived as party support for Sanders and giving the self-described democratic socialist “too much influence.” “Bernie is the worst person in the world to even be running in the Democratic Party because he’s not a Democrat,” said the unidentified woman, who noted she was on a fixed income and had donated $300 to Clinton. “Quit acquiescing to this person who likes to play the victim card and who also has been attacking Hillary, which gives Trump all his talking points. I will leave the Democratic Party if the Democratic Party continues to coddle Bernie Sanders,” she said. It was not known which party official the woman was trying to reach. In another recording, a woman -- possibly the same person in the earlier call -- was upset the party was letting Sanders supporter Cornel West serve on the platform committee, calling him “trash.” The audio files also provided a small glimpse of the daily inner workings of the party, with a staffer from an ambassador’s office calling to make sure her boss received an invitation to a


Prompt: Black Pepper May Give You A Kick, But Don't Count On It For Weight Loss Is black pepper the new secret weapon against fat? A recent paper in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry claims that the piperine, an ingredient in black pepper, has the power to stop the body from making new fat cells, and could be used to treat obesity. Enlarge this image toggle caption iStockphoto.com iStockphoto.com Now before you run out and buy yourself a pepper grinder and a pint of ice cream, it's worth noting that the studies were done on cells grown in a

petri dish. And not even human cells — mouse cells — loaded with concentrations of piperine 100 times higher than what one might ever achieve in the bloodstream. "That's not to say that pepper might not have some really interesting effects," Michael Jensen, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, tells The Salt. Turns out there is some limited evidence that pepper, ginger- and other spicy foods might actually benefit your metabolism. There are a number of studies showing that capsaicin — the stuff that gives chili peppers their heat — can rev-up the motor of our metabolism – and some of them have even been done on humans. Even mild peppers contain it, as we've reported before. But the effects are modest at best. At least one study suggests that the function of capsaicin may be to suppress appetite, rather than increase calorie or fat burning. Still, those modest benefits are enough to spark claims that extracts of these spices are the next weight loss miracle. Capsules of cayenne or piperine extracts can be found online or in the nutritional supplement section of your local drug store, and dozens of manufacturers include them in products that claim to promote weight loss. But researchers at Purdue University have found some evidence that it may not be enough to just take a pill — you have to actually taste the pepper to make it effective. That same research showed that the metabolic effects are strongest in people who don't normally eat spicy food, and the effects may only be temporary. With regard to the current study, Mike Jensen says that even if black pepper can prevent new fat cells from forming in humans the same way it prevents mouse fat cells from forming in a petri dish, that might not be such


Prompt: A soldier in Borno state as the area is liberated from Boko Haram's grip The Boko Haram extremist group has been crushed and forced from its last enclave, Nigeria's president has said. Muhammadu Buhari said Nigeria's army had captured a key Boko Haram camp in the Sambisa forest that was its stronghold. "The terrorists are on the run and no longer have a place to hide," Mr Buhari said in a statement. The capture of Camp Zero, deep within the heart of the forest, marks the "final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave", he said. Despite the

announcement, Nigeria is unlikely to see an imminent end to suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks that have been carried out by the group for the past years. The AP news agency reported that the insurgents may already be regrouping in Taraba and Bauchi states, south of their northeastern stronghold in Borno state. Image: There was no word on the fate of purported Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau There, they could be taking advantage of a decades-old conflict in central Nigeria between mainly Muslim nomadic cattle herders and sedentary Christian farmers. Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than two million during its seven-year insurgency. The group aims to create an Islamic state governed by a strict interpretation of sharia. In early 2015, it controlled an area in the northeast around the size of Belgium. But since then it has been pushed out of most of that territory by Nigeria's army and troops from neighbouring countries - retreating mostly to the Sambisa forest, a former colonial game reserve. Image: A Boko Haram video purportedly showing some of the schoolgirls captured in Chibok The Sambisa Forest was where Boko Haram was believed to be holding some of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in April 2014 from a school in the town of Chibok. The mass abduction brought the Islamic extremists world attention and sparked an international social media campaign #BringBackOurGirls. "Further efforts should be intensified to locate and free our remaining Chibok girls still in captivity," Mr Buhari said. Our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families. It's time to #BringBackOurGirls. -mo pic.twitter.com/glDKDotJRt — The First Lady (@FLOTUS) May 7, 2014 Some girls have been freed in negotiations, and others escaped. But the majority remain missing, while others are believed to have died in captivity. Mr


Prompt: I have written in the past about Bush, Cheney, and Palin derangement syndrome. It is a psychiatric defect suffered only by Democrats. Now we have Trump derangement syndrome. He is the Republican presidential nominee. Paradoxically, this syndrome afflicts only former Republican elites. Apparently these folks thought they owned the Republican Party. However, because they need 70 million voters to win in November every four years, they led the rank-and-file Republican voters to believe that THEY owned the party and got to choose its nominee. It is fair to say that the Republican Party elites regret that they did not create

a huge number of super delegates, namely themselves. I think it’s fair to call George Will and Brett Stephens and Thomas Sowell and Mitt Romney “undocumented Republican super delegates” who are really pissed that they do not now have the power to overrule the rank-and-file Republican primary voters. Early in this campaign, they demanded that Trump sign a pledge to support the Republican nominee. He did. So did all the other candidates. Trump commented at the time that it had to be a two-way street. He was assured it was. The only person who might not support the Republican nominee was said to be Trump. Those with Trump derangement syndrome claim two problems: 1. Trump will lose in a landslide in November taking the Republican Congressional majorities with him. 2. Trump is vulgar and uninformed about issues. For a year, people have been predicting that Trump would lose in a landslide in his efforts to win any nominating convention delegates. They were wrong—by a mile. Why does it not occur to them that they might be wrong about the general election? I believe there were similar fears in 1980 when Reagan won the nomination. The elites that year favored George H.W. Bush. Reagan won 489 electoral votes to 49 for Carter. In 1984, Reagan won reelection by 525 to 13 over Mondale whose campaign manager was Bob Beckel, now an “expert” on MSNBC. If the experts are as wrong about Trump in the general as they were in the primaries, Trump will win a historic victory in November, maybe exceeding Reagan’s number of electoral votes and carrying downticket Republicans with him. America is a democracy. Universal suffrage. Someone told Democrat presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson in the 1950s that “all thinking men are with you.” “That’s not enough,” Stevenson replied. “I


Prompt: CHICAGO (STMW) — Three people were killed and at least 13 others wounded in shootings across the city between Friday evening and Monday morning. The latest fatal shooting happened Sunday morning in the Marquette Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. About 11:25 a.m., officers responding to a call of a person on the ground in the 6500 block of South Fairfield found 18-year-old Dennis Bradford III unresponsive with gunshot wounds to the head and wrist, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Bradford, of the the 6200 block of South Mozart, was pronounced dead at the

scene at 11:43 a.m., authorities said. Earlier Sunday, a 28-year-old man died after being dropped off at a Far South Side hospital with a gunshot wound to the hip, police said. He showed up at Roseland Community Hospital, 45 W. 111th St., shortly before 5 a.m. and later was pronounced dead, police said. His name has not been released. Authorities are trying to determine where the shooting happened. Area South detectives are handling the homicide investigation. The weekend’s first fatal shooting happened Friday evening in West Elsdon on the Southwest Side. Lauren Membreno, 23, was in the front seat of a vehicle parked in the 5500 block of South Karlov about 7 p.m. when another vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire, authorities said. Membreno — who wasn’t the intended target — was shot in the head and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:37 p.m. Saturday. She lived in the 5300 block of South Spaulding, authorities said. A police source said her boyfriend, who was sitting in the driver seat, was thought to have been the target. The most recent nonfatal shooting happened early Monday in the West Side Austin neighborhood. A 25-year-old man was a passenger in a vehicle going westbound in the 5300 block of West Chicago about 12:30 a.m. when he heard gunfire and realized he’d been shot in the right foot. He was driven to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where his condition was stabilized, police said. Four people were wounded during a two-hour spate of gunfire Sunday night. About 10 p.m., a 14-year-old boy was shot in the hand in the Belmont Central neighborhood on the Northwest Side. He and two other people were walking in the 5700 block of West Belden when a gunman opened


Prompt: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Five years after a Zanesville animal keeper triggered panic by unleashing tigers, lions and bears in Ohio's countryside, the federal government is looking anew at restricting the public's ability to pet and pose for pictures with young, potentially dangerous animals. The risk to humans from petting an adorable 5-week-old tiger cub at a roadside zoo is not so much the issue. But to make tiger and bear cubs available for cuddles, ooohs and aahhs, wild animal parks rely on a breeding-and-handling ecosystem that animal-rights activists say results in cruelty and abandonment. If the government would eliminate your

right to snuggle with a big cat while that cat is still little, the activists say, then the larger ecosystem -- the one that helped Terry Thompson acquire 56 wild, dangerous animals that he released from cages before killing himself in October 2011 -- could be quashed. Some people say this is overkill. The federal government, which in March began tamping down on public handling of baby lions and tigers, wants to hear more from the public about proposed restrictions. What it's about: The move to restrict handling of wild animals by anyone other than professionals in accredited zoos or wildlife sanctuaries grew heated after Thompson, deeply in debt and reportedly despised by some neighbors, released 56 animals from his 73-acre Muskingum County farm, then killed himself with a gunshot. The animals included tigers, lions, bears, leopards and wolves. In the ensuing panic throughout the countryside, police killed 49 of the animals. Panic in Zanesville Ohio clamped down on ownership of dangerous animals in the aftermath, first with an executive order, and then with a state law requiring a permit for ownership of dangerous animals including tigers, lions, bears, elephants, alligators, crocodiles and anacondas and pythons 12 feet or longer. The state made exemptions for animals already in possession if certain rules were followed. How petting became an issue: Not all states have laws like Ohio's -- and it took the Zanesville emergency to get Ohio to act. In fact, former Gov. Ted Strickland had signed an order in 2010 requiring exotic animals to be registered, but Gov. John Kasich let it lapse in 2011. Kasich signed a new, related order soon after the Zanesville animal mayhem, and state lawmakers went to work soon after that. Yet regardless of state laws, a separate issue was unresolved in the eyes of


Prompt: Writers on the Range Should we accept invasive species that don’t cause harm? Amid a national immigration debate, the collared dove raises questions about acceptance. It was early October 2014, when a bird that neither my wife, Hilde, nor I had ever seen before visited our property in southern Oregon. About 20 feet from our dining room table, on the other side of a clean glass wall, the wide railing of an outdoor deck serves as a platform feeder. Early every morning, I spread a mixture of millet, sunflower seeds and dried corn across the railing and then ring a

dinner bell by way of invitation, after which the guests — scrub jays, towhees, sparrows, juncos, red-winged blackbirds, acorn woodpeckers — at once begin to arrive. That October day, the newcomer came first, swooping down from the upper limbs of an oak tree across the yard. It was immediately clear that it was a dove, and also that it was larger, more heavily built and too light-colored for a mourning dove, the species native to our area. Thanks to the internet, we knew within minutes that the bird was a Eurasian collared dove, so named because of the black half-collar at the nape of the bird’s neck. In the mid-1970s, the species, native to Asia, became established in the Bahamas after one escaped a pet store. The birds reached across to Florida in the 1980s, then gradually spread westward. Marie Hale, Flickr user Though by no means spectacular, the collared dove is a handsome creature. Its black bill, dark eyes, smoothly feathered gray body and white tail feathers perfectly embody what the Japanese call shibui — elegant simplicity. During the two years since that first one arrived, their numbers here have gradually increased, and sometimes we now enjoy a dozen or more a day at the feeder. But some neighbors up the road don’t want the birds here, because Eurasian collared doves are an “invasive species,” and, they believe, should therefore be eliminated. We know others who share this view, including a family that loves to hike but never leaves home without machetes to deal with invasive plants they encounter. Hilde and I made the mistake of joining them once, and when we ran into a massive stand of Scotch brume, the outing turned into what could easily have passed for a chain gang at hard labor. This hostility toward


Prompt: This is how I’ve decided to prepare for summer this year: 1. Buy tiny madras shorts and aviator sunglasses for the toddler. Like I could resist. 2. Let fear of bathing suit season convince me to let a friend drag me to my first Pilates class, ever, and not even a beginner class. Ow. I’m pretty sure I should have resisted. 3. Allow myself the purchase of a single purpose, space-hogging (well, not for a normal sized kitchen but definitely for mine) appliance I have coveted for more than a decade, just because it will take us from lemons to

lemonade in under 5 minutes. I’m so glad I didn’t resist. Logically, to celebrate the fact that I finally accepted that the joy an electric citrus juicer would bring me* would outmatch the inconvenience of storing it, the recipe that I’d share today would be for lemonade. But the toddler is at his grandparents for the night and you know that means: We took the bourbon down from the top shelf. Amusingly enough, our current favorite cocktail sprang out of our quest to find a perfect version our previous favorite cocktail, the Manhattan. We learned last December that one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Back Forty, made an excellent one, and so we went back for another. And another. And one night — really, we have only ourselves to blame — they ran out of sweet vermouth and we were forced to order something else. Seeing as the restaurant creates the most ungodly delicious fried-to-order doughnuts, does things with cheese curds and ramps I can only daydream about and makes a damn fine burger, we decided to trust their instincts and ordered their signature cocktail. And even though it was the dead of winter, even though we had our coats and hats and gloves piled on our laps and our feet stuffed in snow-crusted boots under the bar, this lemonade-on-ice cocktail instantly transported us to a summery kind of place. And we’ve stayed there since. * Amusingly, in my attempts over the last 10 years to convince myself that no space-efficient kitchen needs such a silly machine, I’ve amassed a cluttered drawer of citrus hopefuls. There have been two reamers, one metal and one wooden, a lever-handled old-fashioned looking thing that turned out to be pretty but absolutely useless, a Kitchen Aid attachment that sprayed my clothes and left juice


Prompt: Chaucer depicts three priests: The Friar, the Summoner, and the Pardoner. All of the them are corrupt and avaricious. The Summoner and the Pardoner are low testosterone gays, and the Pardoner is a predatory pedophile gay. The Friar has seduced many women, and been forced, therefore, to pay dowries to get them married off. The Moldbug canon is that the professors rule, with the mass media as the mid-level priesthood. But lately Donald Trump and the alt-right have been giving the mass media a hard time. Which tells me that the world is starting to lose faith in the superior

virtue of our priesthood. The disturbances in Hong Kong were a good example of priestly power. Cathedral astroturf protestors were able to disrupt the city because backed by police. The police did what was virtuous, (they supported democracy and all that) rather than what their duty required. (The police should have arrested criminals and troublemakers, and kept the roads open. It was police, rather than protestors, that closed the roads. When a tiny handful of protestors declared a road closed, if police had walked away, drivers would have driven over the protestors.) Had the same thing happened in Tiananmen Square, the Cathedral would have successfully mounted a “democratic” takeover of China, and Wall Street would have looted China the way it looted Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Contrary to Cathedral myth, nobody got killed in Tiananmen Square. The authorities, having the warriors cheerfully obey them, were able to quell the protests with very little fuss. You only get real violence when the priests succeed in sowing disunity among the warriors. Recall what happened when “Occupy Wall Street” ran into Wall Street rentacops. What happened, I hear you ask? Answer: Absolutely nothing happened, because Wall Street rentacops were certain of their duty and the righteousness of performing their duty. If you are a rentacop, you believe in private property rights. It is part of your training, and if you don’t believe in private property rights, you fail your training. So when Occupy showed up to violate private property rights, the rentacops said “No” and Occupy failed to violate private property rights. And similarly, nothing happened in Tiananmen Square. Priestly power rests on moral authority, on superior virtue, while warrior authority rests on the ability to kick ass. We know the priesthood is virtuous because they are ceaselessly nagging


Prompt: When exactly is Durin’s Day in The Hobbit? at 5:42 am by - October 5, 20135:42 am by Demosthenes When exactly is Durin’s Day? For various reasons, including the non-exact correlation of the Shire Calendar and our modern Gregorian calendar, it’s quite hard to know for certain. In this extensively researched piece, DarkJackal uses Tolkien’s notes as published in John D. Rateliff’s The History of the Hobbit to explains why there are conflicting theories… and, in a very Tolkienian fashion, no definitive or easily settled upon answer. Confusticate and Be-bother these Dates! The Durin’s Day dilemma by DarkJackal Having read

a number of articles on Durin’s Day, including various attempts to assign a date to it within the story, and to predict it in our modern world, I feel compelled to write my own brief (ha!) essay. My approach to this is two-fold: First – take Excedrin for the headache this issue is causing. Second – quote John D. Rateliff’s The History of the Hobbit until things begin to make sense. “It was the start of the dwarves new year, when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appeared in the sky together.” – Gandalf (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) Many Tolkien enthusiasts estimate Durin’s Day of 2941 (which Thorin Oakenshield said happens towards the end of autumn, but not necessarily the last day of autumn, as Gandalf stated in the film) to have occurred in October. You can see how they arrived at this conclusion in the following articles: The Moon and Durin’s Day – by Lalaith Was Smaug Slain Oct 26, 2941 TA? – by Auraran Durin’s Day 2013 – by Ask About Middle Earth Is Durin’s Day Upon Us? – by The Dwarrow Scholar Timeline/Chronology for “The Hobbit” – by Douglas Wilhelm Harder Other authors calculate that Durin’s Day in our world would happen in December, based on our own definition of Autumn: Observing Durin’s Day – by Kristine Larsen Predicting Durin’s Day – by Iduna The reason for the difference of approximately two months comes from the different interpretations of the term “autumn”. Astronomically speaking, the end of autumn is around December 21 (for those in the Northern Hemisphere). If you disregard the astronomical component of it, then you could argue autumn can mean different things to different cultures. It does in our world, so why not in Tolkien’s? Unfortunately Tolkien never


Prompt: UPDATED 1:52 p.m. CORTLAND, N.Y. -- The Jets roster lined up along one sideline, ordered to run dreaded gassers. They sprinted the width of the field twice, and repeated about 10 times, before the double whistle signaled the end. This was Rex Ryan's punishment when a second straight training-camp practice went beyond competitive, and became combative. "Being physical is one thing," the Jets coach said today. "Going past that is something else. That’s what I didn’t like. That’s why we stopped, and we had to remind guys that enemy is not in green and white." It was the same message

Ryan delivered after practice yesterday, when a melee of about 20 players erupted on the sideline after post-play extracurricular activity between running back Joe McKnight and safety D'Anton Lynn, the son of McKnight's position coach. Evidently, the message didn't get through the first time. So Ryan stopped practice twice today. He first stepped in when he saw rookie running back Terrance Ganaway try to run through linebacker Demario Davis in what he called a "thud" period, when players are instructed to simply thud off of each other. A skirmish began, and Ryan quickly stepped in, scolding his team. "That’s not what you are looking for; that’s not being physical," Ryan said. "That to me is being selfish. And so I told the guys about it and sure enough, apparently someone never got the message." That someone was cornerback Antonio Cromartie. Later in practice, during passing drills, Cromartie jawed at Stephen Hill after holding the rookie receiver. Ryan had issued a warning to his team, dangling the gassers as punishment, and the following play proved to be the final straw. Cromartie, a seven-year veteran, delivered what Ryan considered an inappropriate hit on tight end Dustin Keller. "I thought 'Cro' should have backed off and not hit Dustin," Ryan said. "He's trying to be physical and pick his play up. We always talk about developing habits. But in that situation, that’s your teammate. You don’t want to do it. I thought 'Cro' was wrong in that situation." Cromartie declined to speak to reporters today, loudly expressing his disdain for the media when approached by a member of the team's public relations staff. The practice field became stunningly quiet as the players retreated to the sideline for the gassers. When the sprints were complete -- Tim Tebow, for what it's worth, out-ran all


Prompt: By Chris Stone Share This Article: Ralph Keeling and Lynn Talley of Scripps Institution of Oceanography aren’t household names. But they lent their scientific weight Saturday to an event that attracted a reported 15,000 people downtown. Support Times of San Diego's growth with a small monthly contribution Become a supporter While Washington’s March for Science commanded most media attention, San Diego’s walk gave the area’s scientific community a more accessible public face as members called for stronger support from policy-makers. At one point in the rally, the call went out to scientists to identify themselves. Many hands rose. A typical

chant: “What do we want? Science! When do we want it? After peer review!” Signs reflected a wide range of issues, including global warming, medical research, vaccination and proposed budget cuts. The San Diego March for Science was one of hundreds in the United States and worldwide marking Earth Day to raise awareness of the contributions of science to society, and the importance of supportive public policy, organizers said. The event kicked off with remarks from area scientists at the Community Concourse in the Civic Center complex next to City Hall, followed by the march down Broadway to the Waterfront Park outside the County Administration Center. Marchers carried signs saying “build science not walls,” “ice has no agenda it just melts,” “we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children,” “there is no planet B,” “no science? no beer,” “climate change is real,” “science rocks,” and “science makes America great,” among many others. The march received support from both UC San Diego and Balboa Park’s Fleet Science Center. In Los Angeles, the LAPD estimated 10,000 to 12,000 people made the trek from Pershing Square to City Hall starting at 11 a.m. In pre-march remarks, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, criticized the Trump administration. “Policy should be guided by scientific consensus. Scientific facts not `alternative facts,”‘ he said. “Donald Trump can’t stop global warming just by emitting an unprecedented volume of hot air.” California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon brought up immigration during remarks at City Hall. “One-half of our scientists in California today are immigrants.” The group also heard from Martha Dina Arguello, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility in Los Angeles. “Today the Cold War is over and the nuclear threat is not,” she said. “There is no meaningful medical


Prompt: 16 August, 2007 (14:29) | Duncan/Blake Mystery http://dreamsendweb.com/2007/08/16/tuesday-weld-conspiracy/ I’m sorry, I thought I was familiar with most of the variation of Illuminati lore. Evidently there’s a version that puts Tuesday Weld in the center of the Illuminati conspiracy. Thanks to a friend (who I’ll name if he wants…wasn’t sure) for telling me about it. I don’t have too much time to look much into it just now but maybe others know about it. A bit from Adam Gorightly : Turner’s conspiratorial cosmology revolves around 60’s sex kitten Tuesday Weld , who, Jeff contends, descended from a royal bloodline of Druid

witches, and at a very early age had been selected as high priestess in the international Illuminati hierarchy. From this position of occult authority, Weld was able to wield great control over the 60’s counterculture, secretly influencing such luminaries as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, among other rock groups and movie stars of the era, meanwhile pulling the strings behind world events, exercising her occult influence in the realms of political intrigue. This would explain the Tuesday references everywhere. I’m told Duncan liked Tuesday, and yet another page that is connected has the first post being “I hate Tuesday”. So I guess that sorta helps keep score here. Or something. Sorry for being slow on the uptake. I guess “Tuesday Weld” and Illuminati High Priestess just didn’t click in my own cosmology. Gorightly has an article in Steamshovel Press about this, but I haven’t read it. Or maybe just go to his page and check out the links he provides. There are two audio files. Please note, I do not personally believe Tuesday Weld is an Illuminati high priestess. In fact, I don’t even believe in the “Illuminati” beyond the historical one in Bavaria. It’s their mythology we are exploring. But keep in mind that there ARE people out there who believe this, including, evidently, Jeff Turner who will take this to extremes. That’s why I have objected to groups who intentionally spread this sort of disinformation for whatever reason. Here’s a disturbing article about Turner, lifted from Gorightly’s site : That said, Weld does come from old Boston Brahmin money , so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Weld family name pop up when looking at the structure of our ruling elites. And she was also a “child model”, so who knows what darkness may lie underneath the


Prompt: Head coach Will Muschamp of the Florida Gators (3-2, 2-2 SEC) met with the media on Monday as his team continues to recover from its latest loss while preparing for the Missouri Tigers (4-2, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday evening. Florida will host Mizzou at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida; kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the agme will air live nationally on ESPN2. INTRODUCING THE TWO-QUARTERBACK SYSTEM In what was likely to be the original plan last week against LSU, Muschamp confirmed Monday that Florida will employ a two-quarterback system this week against Missouri with redshirt junior

Jeff Driskel likely to take the first snaps in the contest. “They both will play this week. We’ll work through the week and see how things go. We’ll see how it goes there,” he said. “Right now, Jeff would probably start, but they’re both going to play.” Driskel, who learned of his demotion to part-time player when Muschamp made the announcement, said he has no qualms with the decision because he knows he needs to pick up his play going forward. Freshman Treon Harris, of course, will be the other signal caller taking reps with Driskel. “Treon and I are both going to work hard this week. We’re both going to work for each other. We’re both going to hope that the other person does well when they’re in. Obviously we think that’s something that’s going to help the team, so if it will help the team win, I’m all for it,” Driskel said. “The guys have confidence in Treon, but I think they have confidence in me as well. It’s not going to divide the team or anything.” Muschamp said Harris spent his first day fully back with the team on Monday. He is confident that Harris will be able to rebound after a tough week and help the team against Mizzou, explaining what it is about Harris that makes him a special player. “[He is] a guy that has shown the ability to make some plays, to take the ball in the right spots, accurate with his passes, has a certain confidence about him. I think that’s been something I’ve seen and noticed throughout his opportunities, though limited in games. In practice, that’s something that really jumps out at you, his playmaking ability to be able to make those things happen,” Muschamp explained. “He’s got a certain persona


Prompt: Belmont Development Posted Wednesday, August 10, 2016 10:27 am Potential Belmont Park developer the Engel Burman Group has sponsored a radio advertisement, produced by a civic group in Elmont, that criticizes the plan for the vacant south lot of the racetrack put forth by the New York Cosmos soccer team. The Elmont Community Coalition Council produced the ad, which ran sporadically on 1010 WINS and the CBS radio affiliate in Albany starting in late 2013. The council was founded as a communitywide organization with representatives from each of the handful of civic groups in Elmont, but it has not had

a formal meeting since 2014. “We don’t need a mega-soccer stadium with 25,000 seats that will never be filled,” said former Elmont Board of Education President Aubrey Phillips, who narrated the commercial. “We need things that will add value to our community.” The Cosmos plan, which includes a 175-room hotel along with retail and restaurant space, is one of three possible developments for the site. The Syosset-based Blumenfeld Development Group presented its plan on May 18. It featured a Costco Business Center as well as recreation space and retail and restaurant spots. Engel Burman, based in Garden City, features similar retail and restaurant space along with a community center and field. Steven Krieger, a partner in the development company, presented Engel Burman’s plan to residents on June 15. According to Phillips, the ads were created because of the lack of community input on the various projects. Additionally, the members of the Community Coalition Council, which include Phillips, felt that Elmont’s three state senators, along with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, were not representing the community’s needs. “The Community Coalition Council is committed to a development that better reflects the wishes of the community, and not something that has a proven track record of failure,” Phillips, referring to the Cosmos plan, told the Herald. “Over the last 30 years, the evidence of whether they fail or succeed is clear. They don’t enhance the community.” The Community Coalition Council contacted Engel Burman in 2013 about working on the advertisements, Phillips said. The members of the council crafted a message focusing on the type of development the majority of residents preferred. “For the last several years, Engel Burman has been openly engaged in working with the Elmont Community Council regarding our proposal to create a multi-use development on the grounds of Belmont that would meet


Prompt: The 5-4 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges was celebrated loudly as a victory for supporters of gay “marriage” Friday, and yet, the way the case was decided, using a new interpretation of the 14th Amendment’s due process clause, may have opened the floodgates for gun rights reform. I argued Friday morning that the Obergefell decision validated concealed carry reciprocity nationwide. By using the Constitution in such a manner, the Court argues that the Due Process Clause extends “certain personal choices central to individual dignity and autonomy” accepted in a majority of states across the state lines of a

handful of states that still banned the practice. The vast majority of states are “shall issue” on the matter of issuing concealed carry permits, and enjoy reciprocity with a large number of other states. My North Carolina concealed carry permit, for example, was recognized yesterday as being valid in 36 states, which just so happened to be the number of states in which gay marriage was legal yesterday. But 14 states did not recognize my concealed carry permit yesterday. Today they must. Using the same “due process clause” argument as the Supreme Court just applied to gay marriage, my concealed carry permit must now be recognized as valid in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. What I didn’t know at the time is that a more expansive argument had already made by Marc Greendorfer in an amicus brief attached to the Obergefell case. In retrospect, it seems short-sighted to believe that the majority decision by the five justice majority in Obergefell would only apply to something as narrow as one kind of state or local gun law. As Greendorfer argues, if there is any intellectual and logical consistency in the Supreme Court’s arguments at all, the “due process” argument must be applied as equally to state and local gun laws, sweeping them aside entirely, and reaffirming the clear command in the Second Amendment that, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” All, state and local on concealed and open carry would seem to be invalidated, and citizens should be allowed to carry firearms, either openly or concealed, anywhere they want to go. Dare the Court dare claim that the 14th Amendment’s due process clause only applies in specific


Prompt: Were you also looking for H-295 Forward Observer Module? Target Locator Production information Manufacturer Misriah Armory Model H-165 FOM Type Laser designator Cost N/A Technical specifications Size Single-handed Damage Per Hit Extremely High Magazine Size 1 (7 missiles per magazine) Maximum Ammunition 3 (Campaign and Firefight) 3 (Unearthed) Ammunition Type Orbital missiles Operation 7 missile salvo Rate of Fire Very low Usage Era(s) Human-Covenant war Affiliation United Nations Space Command [Source] • [Talk] The H-165 Forward Observer Module, also known as the Target Locator[1] or Target Designator,[2] is a United Nations Space Command artillery fire designator. The Target Locator is

a compact, handheld laser emitter designed for acquiring and designating targets for small-scale precision rocket artillery support. Although small, it is a very powerful weapons[3][4] While similar in function to the UNSC Laser Designator, the Target Locator is much smaller and can be held with one hand. The Target Locator has both 2x and 4x magnification. The Target Locator appears as a weapon in Halo: Reach. When the trigger is held down for several seconds, a green laser beam marks the targets, and a red circle is projected on the ground around the target area. Once the target has been locked, 7 missiles strike the designated area from above, doing a large amount of area damage.[5] The Target Locator can also lock onto an individual target, with the projected red circle following the target until the strike is about to commence. Contents show] Trivia Edit Destroying two vehicles with a single fire mission from the Target Locator in the mission ONI: Sword Base unlocks the Achievement Two Corpses in One Grave. This is similar to the Halo 3 Achievement Two for One, which is unlocked by earning a Double Kill with the Spartan Laser, another anti-vehicular specific weapon. Achievement Two for One, which is unlocked by earning a Double Kill with the Spartan Laser, another anti-vehicular specific weapon. On Campaign, it rarely can regenerate its ammo. The Target Locator is available only in Firefight and the Campaign mission ONI: Sword Base. It does not appear in Matchmaking or Forge for balancing reasons. The Target Locator available on the Firefight map Unearthed carries three shots instead of two. If infinite ammunition is enabled, the Target Locator will still deplete but, if it has zero shots remaining and the reticle has become a cross, one can continue to fire the Target Locator