Prompt: Mark Schlabach discusses what transpired at Ole Miss that led to Hugh Freeze stepping down and how "bizarre" the timing is. (1:31) STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The man who helped take down Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze is a lifelong Mississippi State fan who attended his first Bulldogs game 37 years ago and has the university's logo tattooed on his left hand. But he insists he never set out to bring down the Rebels and their coach. It just kind of happened that way. When Steve Robertson was sifting through Freeze's phone records on July 5 as part of his

research for an upcoming book he's writing, he discovered phone calls he expected to see. There were mostly calls to recruits and assistant coaches. But when Robertson saw a phone number with a 313 area code, he was stunned by what he discovered in a Google search. A call made on Jan. 19, 2016, lasting one minute, was made to a number connected with several advertisements for female escorts. Robertson then asked his wife to read him the telephone number again to make sure it was correct. The escort service ads came up again. Robertson called Thomas Mars, an attorney who is representing former Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt in his defamation lawsuit against Ole Miss. Mars had been introduced to Robertson through a third party he found while doing online research into Nutt's case. They've since developed a close working relationship, talking on the phone several times a day and sharing what they found in their investigations. "He asked me to fill in some blanks," Robertson said. When Robertson told Mars to enter the phone number in Google, Mars was silent for nearly a minute before yelling an expletive in excitement. Ole Miss had unwittingly provided information that would lead to Freeze's resignation. To understand what has transpired in the last couple of years in Oxford, Mississippi, it helps to know the nature of the rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. While this seems like the kind of scandal that could only happen in college football, it's really the kind of scandal that could only happen in a state like Mississippi. "It's very Mississippi," Bruse Loyd, a Houston-based attorney, told ESPN last month. "It's very William Faulkner." Loyd, who represents former Ole Miss staffer Barney Farrar, and who said he played junior college football with Mississippi State president


Prompt: Even though a trio of SUNY-Albany students were caught fabricating a racial hate crime — and were criminally charged for doing so — local activists just won’t let the matter die. Three black females had alleged they were the targets of racial slurs and then were attacked by a group of white men on a bus back in January. But video evidence and 911 audio showed no such thing; in fact, they indicated the women were the instigators. Even before these and other facts were known, the university president and Hillary Clinton jumped into the fray to support the women.

Two of the three students ended up being expelled from UAlbany with the other suspended, and eventually one confessed to making up the whole story. Local Black Lives Matter-affiliated activists have stuck by the women throughout the ordeal, and continue to do so. A Facebook page titled “Indefensible” was established this past week with the sub-headline “The Wrongful Prosecution of the UAlbany Three”: As news of the incident spread across social media, concerned students and residents rallied behind the women. But that support wavered once University and local law enforcement officials began suggesting the racial element of the attack was entirely fabricated. With the racial component called into question, many members of the community saw the Black women as the instigators of the altercation. News outlets helped further the narrative that race was not a factor, and the incident was quickly labeled a hoax. Eventually, all three women were expelled from school and formally charged for their involvement in the brawl. Additional charges were levied against the women for falsely reporting the incident to 911, causing “public alarm and inconvenience,” and prompting an undue “expenditure of resources.” MORE: Fake hate: SUNY students who alleged racial attack are charged themselves If race did play a significant role in the UAlbany Bus Incident, it can be argued that all charges stemming from falsely reporting the altercation are questionable at best. Additionally, given the well-documented culture of violence at UAlbany, the swift and severe consequences enacted by the University in response to this incident may be deemed inconsistent with their history of tolerating dangerous student misconduct. Indefensible examines the ways both race and racism are viewed through competing lenses in society, and how dismissing the narratives of the most marginalized can perpetuate existing systems of oppression. It attempts to highlight the inherent problems


Prompt: Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. Ultra-high-net-worth individuals by country, 2011 The tax plan passed by Senate Democrats on Wednesday isn’t really about taxing the rich; it’s about taxing the megarich. As Timothy Noah has explained in The New Republic, the plan would actually reduce taxes on a lot of fairly rich people by renewing the (supposedly temporary) Bush-era tax cuts for everyone except those who make more than $250,000 a year. Even then, Democrats are only proposing a higher marginal tax rate, which means that even people raking in far more than $250,000 will

still pay lower taxes on their first quarter million in annual earnings. Crunch the numbers, and it turns out that the biggest losers under the Senate plan are couples who earn more than $1 million a year—mostly multimillionaires and billionaires. While the Senate tax plan could certainly go further in taxing the rich, focusing on the megawealthy makes sense considering how much of our economy is now controlled by them. According to the Internal Revenue Service, there are 66,000 taxpayers who individually control $20 million or more in assets, and all these people put together are worth $4 trillion—more than the net worth of the majority of the US population. The investment bank Credit Suisse, for its part, classifies “ultra high net worth individuals” as people with at least $50 million in assets—and according to the bank’s 2011 Global Wealth Databook, more of these UNHWIs live in the United States than anywhere else in the world (see chart above). So perhaps America has lots of multimillionaires because it’s a prosperous country? That’s certainly a factor—but not the only one. Compared to the superrich in the six other countries with the most multimillionaires, American tycoons grab a disproportionately large share of the economic pie: Percent of Income Earned by Top 0.1% of Taxpayers Yet despite raking in such a large share of the national income, our nation’s über-wealthy pay very little in taxes by global standards: Top Income Tax Rates in the 6 Countries With the Most Ultra-High-Net-Worth Citizens But don’t higher tax rates at the top slow economic growth? Apparently not, considering the growth rates of our tax-happy competitors. Change in Gross Domestic Product, 2011 So why hasn’t Congress already raised taxes on the rich? Perhaps because the superwealthy have raised a lot more political money than the rest of


Prompt: Black Girls Rock! Philly is already one of my other favorite cities for good food and art, now I have another reason to visit! Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse is the first Black Female-Owned comic book store on the East Coast! I can’t think of a better story to end this year with than that ofAriell R. Johnson, reportedly the East coasts first black female comics shop owner.Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse opens in the and coming Kensington part of town and will offer not only comics but a cozy coffeeshop vibe. This “geeky” hybrid hopes to contribute to the burgeoning Kensington

section of Philadelphia. Amalgam hopes to build community around comics, coffee, and relaxing with friends, and also through hosting geeky and diversity-themed workshops, movie/TV screenings, book signings, and BYOB nights. “I got the idea for the shop about 12 years ago, when I was still attending Temple University,” said Amalgam’s owner, Ariell R. Johnson. “My favorite coffee shop was directly across the street from my comic book store of choice. So, each Friday, I would buy my books at Fat Jack’s, go across the street to Crimson Moon, and read everything I bought. Johnson hopes to highlight diversity in the shop—along with quality caffeine: I t will be a legit store, so expect to see the heavy hitters that we all know and love,” she said. “But in addition to those usual suspects, we want to showcase diverse comics, creators, and characters. We think that comics are for everyone and anyone that loves comics-women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. We will actively look to stock titles that showcase people in these groups, right long with Superman, Batman, Captain America, and Thor.” This story encapsulates everything that happened in comics in 2015: women in comics as characters, readers and carters were no longer a pleasant surprise but the way things are; diversity was often contentious and controversial, but widening the audience was not only a way to get more readers but in general, the right thing to do. And while we were saddened to see Locust Moon close shop in Philadelphia, hopefully Amalgam will carry the torch for indie comics. Also the coffeehouse/comics shop model is one that I’ve seen a few places. Having a “chill out” area seems to be essential to the community building that has kept local brick and mortar stores alive. It’s also part of


Prompt: (Editor’s note: The following is an email we received from a listener and his wife, who play Oxi and Kitkam on The Shadowlands server. Our sincere thanks to them both for providing such a comprehensive report!) I thought I’d give you an exclusive on the happenings at the Cantina Tour in Dallas on May 17th. My wife and I went to meet with the developers and other fans. Yes, she is an active SWTOR player, I am a very lucky man and acknowledge this. We had a great time. About eighty people showed up, nearly all of them players. It’s

worth noting that about a quarter of them were women, and there were many player couples there as well. Four BioWare people were there to answer questions and meet the fans. Damion Schubert (Lead Designer), Jesse Sky (Senior Designer), Amber Green (Live Services Specialist – a.k.a. helps fix bugs and writes the patch notes) and Eric Musco (Community Manager a.k.a. a ball of energy). Overall it was a very casual atmosphere. All types of fans were present (both the good and the troll). The room was packed, especially at the beginning. Free appetizers and drinks were available all night, provided by BioWare. Prizes were also given out. Everyone got the much coveted Tauntaun Fawn code. A couple of people got Star Wars Gentle Giant bookends (pricey!), signed copies of SWTOR books were given out, and even clothes and hats. Most of the night was spent mingling, but for about an hour the developers took a casual Q&A from the room-at-large and were very honest and as candid as they could be. I tried to write down most of the questions. I’ll paraphrase their answers. I wasn’t able to cover all the questions asked at the event, nor their answers. Please note that any answers I heard from the BioWare team are being interpreted by me writing quickly on a small notepad, and thus should not be weighted with the same degree of importance as if they’d come from BioWare. Any errors reporting are my own, not theirs. Questions 1) Will we get Legacy Datacrons? Jesse Sky: High on his own list of wants, but no ETA. 2) Can we get Dye Packs for Speeders? Eric Musco: Probably not, because speeders are an ABILITY, not an item. 3) Legacy Commendations Transfers? Jesse Sky: Likes idea but no ETA. They’ve talked about


Prompt: ASUS Google Nexus 7 16GB Android Tablet (2013 version) with a 1080p Full HD Display and a Quad-Core Processor This award-winning tablet races through pre-loaded Google apps with its 1.5GHz quad-core processor, and 5.1 surround sound lends clarity to business calls and video game sound effects. CNET Editor’s Choice Tablet CNET called the ASUS Google Nexus 7 “the best tablet value on the market” because of its HD screen, battery life, and speedy performance. The latter is thanks to the quad-core processor, which the review notes helps seamlessly power racing games and create “the best-performing small tablet for gaming.” Create

Kid-Friendly Profiles with Android 4.3 You can restrict kids’ access to websites and other questionable content by creating kid-friendly profiles on the Jelly Bean operating system. You can also download your choice of over one million apps available on Google Play. Easy-to-Hold Design The tablet’s thin bezel makes it easier to hold it with one hand, freeing up the other to tap through apps or high-five strangers. Specifications ASUS Google Nexus 7 Tablet Model number: ASUS-2B16 7” 1080p full HD display 2.3 million pixels create 323ppi 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor 2GB RAM 16GB hard drive Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system Pre-loaded with Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, and Hangout apps Buy apps from Google Play 1.2MP front and 5MP rear HD cameras 5.1 virtual surround sound Narrow bezel Condition: new 1-year warranty from ASUS Dimensions: 4.5”x7.9”x0.35”, 0.6lb. In the Box: Tablet, charger, manual, USB cable ASUS was named for Pegasus, a symbol of wisdom and knowledge in Greek mythology. In addition to these two tenets, the company mirrors the winged horse in another significant respect: both entities have taken part in a series of epic journeys. ASUS notebooks have lived on the MIR Space Station. They were the first to work in the thin, icy air atop Mount Everest. As fireworks exploded over the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, ASUS servers directed the show. ASUS motherboards have probably even found their way directly into your home or office, as they’re present in one of every three computers and one in every two pizza delivery men. That’s a lot of ground for the Taiwanese company to cover in less than three decades. Tablet FAQ Answers to common questions for first-time tablet buyers. Answers to common questions for first-time tablet buyers. Tablet Buying Guide A simplified look


Prompt: This Arsenal is different. That, at least, is what they are trying to prove and so far the evidence is in their favour. The players know that past slip-ups mean many people remain unconvinced of Arsenal's ability to sustain their title challenge as Manchester City and Chelsea breathe down their necks but they are determined not to buckle. The fact that this victory over Fulham could be described as routine shows the progress Arsène Wenger's team have made. "That's something that has changed from last season," said Santi Cazorla, who sealed the win with two sweetly taken second-half goals. "There

were games last year where we'd go 2-0 up and we'd end up losing it or under pressure. For a title-winning team that cannot happen. This season the team is much more solid, we're much better at closing out games. We need to continue this form because of Chelsea and Manchester City. "Maybe at the start of the season nobody put us up as high as Manchester City or Chelsea, maybe because of the signings they made, but it's ultimately demonstrated on the pitch and right now Arsenal are above them. Our objective is to keep fighting with them. We're top because up until now we've been the best team." Wenger attributes much of the credit for his team's improvement to its new defensive fortitude. Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have formed an authoritative central defensive partnership, Wojciech Szczesny is becoming ever more reliable, the full-backs are secure and the midfield, especially Mathieu Flamini, provides sturdy protection to the rearguard. Wenger suggests his team is now locked into a virtuous circle. Each victory is both a stride forward and a hiccup avoided and enhances the side's belief that they can last the distance. "The consistency of the results of the team since January 2013 has strengthened that maturity and the fact that we are defensively more stable gives us more of a serene attitude and that helps a lot," he says. That "serene attitude" makes it hard to envisage Arsenal collapsing like they did the last time they had so many points at this stage of the season. That was in 2007-08, when they had 54 points after 22 matches (compared with 51 now) but finished third after going on a wretched run of a single win in eight league games between February and early April. That hapless streak was


Prompt: The Dallas Police Officers Association PAC endorsed Texas Governor Greg Abbott in his bid for re-election. The nod comes on the same day Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez announced her run against the incumbent governor in 2018. Frederick Frazier, 1st vice president of the Dallas Police Association PAC praised the governor for his commitment to increasing public safety and for building a strong relationship between law enforcement officials and their communities, according to a statement provided to Breitbart Texas by the Abbott for Governor Campaign. “Governor Greg Abbott has been a true advocate for law enforcement in Dallas and throughout

our state,” Frazier said. “He has strengthened protections for our officers in the line of duty, and has worked to make sure we have the resources to better serve our communities. Texas needs four more years of Governor Greg Abbott to ensure our officers here in Dallas have the support they need to keep our communities safe.” Governor Abbott has put law enforcement officers first during his tenure as the head of state government. Following the murder of five Dallas-area police officers in July 2016, Governor Abbott flew back from Texas to attend a press conference with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings despite having been severely burned. The governor did not announce his injury until after the funeral to avoid distracting attention from the slain officers. Doctors advised the governor not to attend the meeting because of the risk of infection. Abbott’s first words were, “I’ve got to come back,” spokesman Matt Hirsch told the Dallas Morning News after the word of the governor’s injury spread. “It was hugely important for him to be in Dallas the next day without regard to his well-being.” In response to the murder of the officers, Abbott began the process of issuing rifle-resistant body armor to police officers. He also proposed legislation to make targeting police officers with acts of violence a hate crime, Breitbart Texas reported. “I, along with so many Texans, have a deep respect for our law enforcement officers,” Abbott said while thanking the officers association for their endorsement. “They put their lives on the line each and every day to make our communities safer, and we remain grateful for their sacrifice and dedication.” “I am committed to increasing support and protections for our police officers, and I will do whatever I can to make sure they know that Texans have their


Prompt: Jon Watts, director of enterprise services at Deloitte, has weighed in on Bitcoin regulatory issues with clear and cogent arguments. Watts’ thesis is that Bitcoin is at the crossroads, and the race to regulate it could be happening much too soon. Deloitte is a professional services firm headquartered in New York. Considered one of the Big Four auditory firms along with PwC, Ernst & Young, and KPMG, Deloitte is the second-largest professional services network in the world by revenue and largest by the number of professionals. The company provides audit, tax, consulting, enterprise risk and financial advisory services with more

than 200,000 professionals in more than 150 countries. Watts , based in the New York office, is a core member of Deloitte’s Capital Markets Technology practice and a national leader of the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) service offering. The reputation of Deloitte should ensure that Watts’ advice on Bitcoin regulation is taken into account by regulators and policymakers. “The Bitcoin 'blockchain' is a fundamental breakthrough in computer science that solves what seemed to be an unsolvable problem: how to ensure that a digital transaction happens only once,” notes Watts. “Yet there is a critical question that is hanging over Bitcoin, potentially slowing the pace of innovation, and adoption, i.e., how will Bitcoin be regulated?” Watts argues that global policymakers and regulators should consider giving Bitcoin more time to develop before insisting on regulation. Other key technology innovation such as the telephone, airplanes, radio, mobile phones, and the Internet, were given much more time to develop before coming under serious regulatory supervision. “In fact, serious efforts to regulate disruptive technologies have traditionally been a function of the technology achieving mass adoption,” says Watts. Overwhelming regulatory supervision of Bitcoin is happening much too soon, only six years into the development of Bitcoin and “a long way away from the time it has typically taken for new technologies to achieve mass adoption in the past.” In fact, Bitcoin is still very far from mass adoption, and represents but a very small fraction of the global economy. Though Bitcoin is all over the press – albeit often with shallow and sensationalist coverage – and venture capital investments in the Bitcoin space are taking off, only a tiny minority of people own bitcoin and use it to pay for goods and services. “The highest daily dollar volume for Bitcoin transactions globally in


Prompt: As a graduate student in the 1960s, I joined Irven DeVore and Richard Lee in a multifaceted study of the !Kung San, then still hunter-gatherers, in northwestern Botswana. Some anthropologists were persuaded that such studies would shed light on human origins, and some psychologists were convinced that infancy research had a similar role to play in helping us understand the individual. So it seemed logical to investigate, so to speak, the origins of the origins. Not that either of those propositions was uncontroversial. Both Franz Boas's disciples in the United States and the structural anthropologists in Europe had rejected any

notion that evolution orders cultures, and so there were those who found the claims of researchers on hunter-gatherers to be nothing less than offensive. We were, however, careful to point out that hunter-gatherers were not different from other people biologically or even psychologically, but were perfectly modern human beings living in the very circumstances that dominated human evolution. It was this overlap between them and early human beings—the ones who lived before the invention of agriculture—that led us to think that those who persisted in this way of life could shed light on our origins. Then there was the question of childhood development. The idea that what happens in infancy might be of overriding importance in later development was also questionable. Some observers argued that the first three years of life were all that really mattered. (The re-emergence of that idea about a decade ago, in the language of brain science, didn't make it any more valid.) It was probably the lingering sway of psychoanalysis that made this such a tempting hypothesis in the 1960s, but attempts to reconstruct in retrospect the influences that shape patients' lives do not constitute scientific evidence. While I was in Botswana, Jerome Kagan—one of the most brilliant of infancy researchers and one of my advisers—was doing research in rural Guatemala, where he, Robert Klein, and other collaborators saw infants who got none of the stimulation thought essential by middle-class parents in America, but who at age 10 performed very nicely, thank you, on basic age-appropriate cognitive tests. Kagan became deeply skeptical of the importance of early experience. By the late 1990s, as Judith Rich Harris conducted a frontal assault on "the nurture assumption," Kagan began to think that the pendulum had swung too far. But by then he, and many other developmentalists, were committed


Prompt: Following a monster sophomore campaign at Cartersville High School in Georgia that saw him pass for 3,655 yards and 43 touchdowns, Trevor Lawrence keeps his spot as the No. 1 player in the nation and headlines Thursday’s unveiling of the first full Top247 for the 2018 class. With the release, we have a starting point for the names to know among the nation's top soon-to-be juniors. CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP247! The list will change; it will evolve, prospects will drop and new names will emerge but at this early stage in the recruiting process, it's time to recognize the

players that have already caught the collective eye of the college recruiting world. THE FIVE-STARS There are four initial five-stars in the Top247 for 2018: 1. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Georgia – A quarterback with a shot to go wire-to-wire as the nation's top ranked prospect. He checks every box: Size, arm-strength, athleticism, productivity. His recruitment looks like a Georgia-Tennessee battle. 2. Brey Walker, OT, Oklahoma – He's what offensive tackles look like in cartoons. A freak of a body at 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds who is also one of the nation's top heavyweight wrestlers. He's already committed to Oklahoma. RELATED: Walker among a few players in the hunt for Lawrence's top spot 3. Zamir White, RB, North Carolina – Whatever you want a running back to be, this kid can be it. A big, powerful back with speed, White has 20 offers but is high on Clemson and North Carolina at the moment. 4. Xavier Thomas, DE, South Carolina – The game-changing edge rusher that every defense is looking for. Thomas is ready to carry the torch for the defensive line tradition in the Carolinas for the 2018 cycle. TEAM RANKINGS SHUFFLE Based on the new grades handed out within the Top247 and beyond, Miami is clearly building a special class. Mark Richt has locked up three Top247 prospects in cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Gilbert Frierson and wide receiver Daquris Wiggins. The Hurricanes have two more committed from outside the Top247 in all-purpose back Jalen Patterson and cornerback Thomas Burns. RELATED: Gallery of legacy 2018 recruits Miami's haul of three Top247 prospects is tops. Three teams, all from the SEC, have two Top247 pledges. Alabama has the two highest rated prospects in tight end Macom Epps and offensive tackle Dare Rosenthal. LSU's two Top247 prospects are both homegrown talents in


Prompt: There seems to be a widespread misconception in the Orthodox world that the upcoming holiday of Simchat Torah is a “men’s holiday.” I can understand the confusion, stemming from what we celebrate and how we celebrate it. Simchat Torah has evolved as a celebration of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings—readings which, in Orthodox shuls, occur purely on the men’s side of the mechitza (divider). And we celebrate it by taking all the Torah scrolls out of the ark—also on the men’s side—and dancing seven circuits, or hakafos, with them. There is much joyful singing, generally in a masculine

timbre, and the dancing men take turns holding the heavy scrolls. READ: This is the Torah With so much action naturally taking place on the other side, I can understand—sort of—why things tend to be much less lively on my side of the mechitza. Depending on the community, the women might dance, but it is rarely as exuberant, as populated, or as sustained as the men’s dancing. My childhood memories of the holiday involve a core group of women who enjoyed dancing and would try to get things going, while most of the women might join for a few minutes in between their primary activities of chatting, chasing sugared-up children (did I mention excessive candy often plays a role in the celebrations?), and watching the men. From what I have experienced and heard since, my shul was fairly typical, though in many places the women don’t dance at all—or even show up. My husband likes to tell of the girl he once dated who was surprised at the suggestion that she might go to shul on Simchat Torah. “Why would I go?” she asked. “I have no one to watch!” For her, I think, it was accepted as a matter of course that dancing on Simchat Torah is what men do, and she wouldn’t have ever imagined that she could—or should—have a part in it. For others, the questions around women and Simchat Torah are more fraught—and many focus on the Torah scrolls themselves, arguing that if the women can’t dance with a Torah, then they feel excluded, like their dancing is pointless. Indeed, in more recent years, as this sort of discomfort with gender disparities has increased, many rabbis have concluded that there is no real halachic problem with a woman carrying a Torah scroll, and in some shuls


Prompt: Ad blockers are often painted as the enemy of online publishers, but sometimes things are more complicated. AdBlock Plus, for example, just announced that they’re working with startup Flattr on a new product that allows readers to pay the publishers who produce the content they read, listen to and watch. As a result of the partnership, AdBlock Plus said it has also made a small investment of undisclosed size in Flattr . Together, the two companies have created a new product called Flattr Plus. Like Flattr itself, it allows users to allocate a monthly budget that they want to pay

publishers. Unlike Flattr, users don’t have to click a button to “Flattr” a website — instead, it will automatically track their browsing activity and distribute the money based on their engagement. It sounds somewhat similar to the way a company like Spotify distributes subscription fees to musicians — except it’s not just for artists on a single website or app. Plus, the question of exactly how to calculate engagement is a tricky one. You probably don’t want to reward a worthless article with a dumb-but-effective clickbait headline. You might also leave an article open for hours without actually reading it. Ben Williams, who leads communication and operations at AdBlock Plus, told me that the product is still in beta testing (the plan is to do a full launch later this year) partly so the team can experiment with ways to measure engagement — it will involve some combination of factors like time spent and scroll activity. Publishers will have to sign up with Flattr Plus if they want to get paid, b ut Williams said that if they’re don’t, the money they’re due will be held for them until they join the program . (Update: Williams said that actually, AdBlock Plus won’t hold the money — it’ll just tell them how much money they could have earned.) The goal, he added, is to earn half a billion dollars in revenue for publishers next year. He doesn’t necessarily expect every AdBlock Plus user to volunteer to pay, but he predicted that many will — and when you’ve got 500 million downloads, just a small percentage of users paying a few dollars a month can add up. In fact, he said the AdBlock Plus users who opt out of seeing any advertising whatever (even if it’s part of the company’s acceptable ads


Prompt: The DZero collaboration at Fermilab on Thursday announced the discovery of a new particle whose quark content appears to be qualitatively different from normal. An ordinary meson is composed of a quark and an antiquark, whereas an ordinary baryon is made from three quarks. Physicists have long conjectured that exotic particles containing an additional quark-antiquark pair could exist, and a handful of candidates have been seen. Such particles, called tetraquarks, or their close relatives, the pentaquarks, would be exotic states forming a new particle species paralleling the ordinary mesons and baryons. DZero searched for new exotic states decaying into a

B s meson and a pi meson. Both of these are well-known mesons, which travel finite distances before decaying via the weak nuclear interaction. The B s meson is composed of a quark and an antiquark of bottom and strange types, and the pi meson has an up and down quark and antiquark. The study, using the full data set acquired at the Tevatron collider from 2002 to 2011 totaling 10 inverse femtobarns, identified the B s meson through its decay into intermediate J/psi and phi mesons, which subsequently decayed into a pair of oppositely charged muons and a pair of oppositely charged K mesons respectively (see diagram). The plot of the mass distribution of the B s and pi meson combination (see the mass plot) shows an excess of 133 ± 31 events over the estimated background, with a mass of 5,568 MeV. The mass peak of the new state, called X(5568), is relatively broad (22 MeV) indicating that the particle decays via the strong interaction. The probability that previously known processes could have fluctuated to give a signal as strong as that seen is only 1 in about 6 million (5.1 standard deviation significance), after taking into account the estimated uncertainties in the analysis and the possibility that such a fluctuation could have occurred anywhere within the search window. The fact that the new X(5568) particle decays via the strong interaction into a B s and pi mesons tells us that it contains four distinct flavors of quarks and antiquarks – bottom, strange, up and down. Several other previously observed particles are good candidates to be tetraquark or pentaquark states, but all of these have a quark and antiquark of the same flavor, and thus their character as an exotic particle is less certain. The detailed internal structure


Prompt: Our society tends to think about business as the enemy of the environment and of trees. It's no wonder, given the things businesses have done. It's very easy to blame them for all the things wrong with the world. It happens because most of the time we use business to make as much money as we can, forgetting about the damages they do to the planet and to people. However, we should remember that businesses do what people make them do. If you want to solve people's problems, businesses can help you do that too. Ah, but the profit motive

is the key to driving people towards that route, we hear you say. This is why we've created a new kind of business model called "social business." It is a kind of business that has taken out of the picture the motive of personal financial profit, because we think there are other incentives in life besides personal financial gain. So it is a business that does make a profit, but as profit that either goes to the investor to pay back only his investment money, or as profit that is recycled into expanding the business or into activities that benefit the local community and environment. When the entrepreneurs commit to this in the Articles of Association, they are making it clear that solving social problems is their primary objective. Over the years, we have created many social businesses in Bangladesh and abroad. We have learned that social businesses can achieve a lot of things, including providing nutrition to children (Grameen Danone), providing access to solar energy (Grameen Shakti) and healthcare (Grameen GC Eye Care Hospitals). Today, we want to talk to you about a very special social business in Haiti, Kreyòl Essence. Haiti is affected by the worst deforestation any country has experienced, which is currently at 98.5 percent. As it is, people in Haiti are affected by severe poverty, which forces them to cut down trees for fuel for cooking. Over time, this deforestation leads to soil erosion and degrades agricultural lands. It becomes a vicious cycle. Kreyòl Essence's business model recognizes that people in Haiti need jobs and stable income before they can worry about planting trees. Haiti has over 40 percent unemployment and one of the lowest income levels in the Western Hemisphere. The first tranche of our investment capital was raised on Kiva.org, an innovative platform


Prompt: Two of the three investigations into the actions of Salt Lake City Police officers Detective Jeff Payne and Lt. James Tracy following Payne’s arrest of University of Utah Health nurse Alex Wubbels have finished. The first — the police department’s internal affairs investigation — concluded that Tracy violated five departmental policies. It found that he acted with conduct unbecoming of an officer. Other rules broken include behaving with courtesy in public contacts, a policy favoring misdemeanor citations over arrests ”whenever possible,” the code of ethics and a standards of conduct policy. It also found that Payne violated all five of

those same policies, plus an additional policy which required him to report his use of physical force while arresting Wubbels — which he did not do. Of Payne’s actions, the department wrote, “You demonstrated extremely poor professional judgment (especially for an officer with 27 years of experience), which calls into question your ability to effectively serve the public and the Department in a manner that inspires the requisite trust, respect, and confidence.” To both employees, letters said, “disciplinary action, which may include termination of your employment, is being considered in response to actions on your part which appear to be a violation of policy and/or expectations related to the performance of your job duties.” Payne’s lawyer, Greg Skordas, responded to the internal investigation’s results. He complimented their accounting of the facts but took issue with some of the results. He said he feels the report wouldn’t have been so harsh if the body camera footage hadn’t been publicly released and believes the report will be used to “justify major discipline … when it’s not warranted here.” “He made a terrible mistake … But let’s not overstate it because it’s become a YouTube sensation,” Skordas said. The second investigation — an independent review by the Civilian Review Board — concluded with findings that Tracy did not meet the responsibilities of his position as a watch commander, that both officers should have contacted the department’s legal adviser and that both officers did not understand the laws in question. It also found that Payne violated three department policies — public courtesy, blood draw procedures and his obligation to follow policy and orders. The Civilian Review Board’s report also noted that no other police officer or security personnel present at the time of the incident intervened. These officers were from both SLCPD and the


Prompt: As wine editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jon Bonné is the leading voice in a general-interest publication covering the heart of the California wine industry. He’s also controversial, for he has been one of California wine’s harshest critics. In “The New California Wine: A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind a Revolution in Taste,” published in November by Ten Speed Press, Bonné argues that California’s wine industry has been on the wrong path for more than two decades, pursuing bigger, riper wines and higher point scores from critics at the expense of the character that made California wines

great in the first place. “Again and again I was disappointed by what I found to be the shortfalls of California wine: a ubiquity of oaky, uninspired bottles and a presumption that bigger was indeed better,” he writes. Bonné is not the only prominent writer to criticize the prevalent style of California wine. Eric Asimov of the New York Times champions winemakers who strive for a more elegant, lower-alcohol style of wine, and I have sounded similar themes in this column. Bonné, however, is harder to ignore because of his base in San Francisco. Many in the wine industry regard him as a pest. Bonné writes of the suspicion that greeted him, a New Yorker, when he arrived in San Francisco in 2006. Resentment still echoes today. “He’s anti-California,” one prominent Napa winery executive sniffed to me recently, explaining why he refused to read Bonné’s book. Critics of the prominent California style are often accused of being effete Euro-snobs intent on finding “nuance” in their wines. (There is a depressing amount of jingoism in the debate over wine styles.) But Bonné doesn’t argue that California should make European-style wines. Rather, he wants California to return to the style of the 1970s, when the Golden State’s wines first triumphed over the best of France in the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting. That was 30 years before Bonné joined the Chronicle. “How fast things changed — from just being happy to be in the conversation to winning the Judgment of Paris, then wave after wave of investment by the wealthy and bored eager to prove their egos in a new field,” Bonné told me recently during a visit to Washington to promote his book. “After 30 years of being told how awesome it was, California had drunk the Kool-Aid.” Bonné’s book


Prompt: Earthquake Japan is an earthquake-prone country. Be prepared and don't panic when it happens! Check your emergency survival kit regularly to see if the food is outdated or any items are missing so that the kit is usable when it's needed. Getting ready for an earthquake Emergency items to be stocked at home Gather together whatever you may need to use during an evacuation, and place it all in emergency bags such as rucksacks, etc. Having done so, make sure that all family members know where the emergency bags are kept. The contents of such bags should be limited to

those necessary items that you and your family can personally carry to an evacuation center. Please prepare your emergency bags in accordance with the needs of your family and yourself. An example of what might be placed in emergency bags Flashlight Spare batteries Flashlight Spare batteries Radio Spare batteries Radio Spare batteries Mobile phone rechargers Mobile phone rechargers Lighter Lighter Drinking water Drinking water Ready-to-eat food Helmets Helmets Thick cotton gloves Thick cotton gloves Underwear, socks Underwear, socks Towel Towel Wet tissues Wet tissues Plastic bags Disposable pocket warmers ( kairo ) Disposable pocket warmers ( ) Pens and notepad Pens and notepad Emergency items Emergency items Copy of Passport & residence card Keep the following items in a place where you can easily locate them to take with you Cash Cash Bankbooks, Personal seals Bankbooks, Personal seals Medicines, Medicine notebooks You also need to keep drinking water, approximately 2 to 3 liters per person per day. Daily Stockpiles In the event of an epicentral earthquake occurring in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, citizens whose homes are still intact are to take refuge in their homes. However, it is anticipated that electricity, gas, and water will be unavailable, and the supply of goods will be halted due to rubble covering the roads. Daily stockpiles of food and daily necessities will become important in order to survive until lifelines and the distribution of goods can be recovered. It might be difficult for householders to think in terms of preparing a special stockpile of items that are to be used during times of disaster. However, such concerns can be easily alleviated by simply taking steps to buy a little bit more of those foodstuffs and daily necessities that your family normally uses. Points to consider when stockpiling are as follows: Purchase extra food


Prompt: The 787 Dreamliner was supposed to be a big jump forward for Boeing — notably, the first plane to be made entirely of composites rather than aluminum. It consumes 20% less fuel than an equivalent 767; which, given today’s increasing fuel prices and airlines’ diminishing profit margins, should make it an extremely desirable aircraft. Unfortunately, things haven’t quite worked out as planned. While the first 787 was originally scheduled to be delivered back in 2008, a string of delays and cost overruns meant that deliveries didn’t start until 2011. Boeing looked to have turned the corner with the 787 once

deliveries had started, but since launch it has been plagued with a number of high-profile problems — fuel leaks, smoke in the cabin, and fires. The troubled plane has been grounded as global regulators investigate whether it’s safe to fly. Now, it is true that problems like these are always a feature of new plane launches. But the extent to which the 787 has been troubled both in gestation and post-launch suggests that something more is at work. Boeing undertook one of the most extensive outsourcing campaigns that it has ever attempted in its history. That decision has received a lot of press coverage, and the common wisdom is coalescing around this as a cause of the problems. But Boeing is no stranger to subcontracting. And while outsourcing can certainly lead to problems, I’m not convinced it’s the cause of these problems. Outsourcing leads to business model risk — you open the door to outsourcing your profits (in fact, a 2001 Boeing paper that is incredibly prescient and worth the time to read identified exactly this problem). But this isn’t the problem that the 787 is suffering from. At least not yet. Rather, the issues the plane has been facing have much more to do with Boeing’s decision to treat the design and production of such a radically new and different aircraft as a modular system so early in its development. In the creation of any truly new product or product category, it is almost invariably a big advantage to start out as integrated as possible. Why? Well, put simply, the more elements of the design that are under your control, the more effectively you’re able to radically change the design of a product — you give your engineers more degrees of freedom. Similarly, being integrated means you don’t have


Prompt: Suit stems from West Hartford incident caught on video camera HARTFORD — In a complaint filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut (ACLU-CT) contends that three state police troopers illegally retaliated against a protester by searching and detaining him, confiscating his camera, and charging him with fabricated criminal infractions. On behalf of Connecticut resident Michael Picard, the ACLU-CT alleges that John Barone, Patrick Torneo, and John Jacobi, all employed by the state police division of Connecticut’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, violated Picard’s First Amendment rights

to free speech and information and Fourth Amendment right against warrantless seizure of his property. On September 11, 2015, Picard was protesting near a police DUI checkpoint in West Hartford. Barone approached him under the pretext of public complaints and confiscated Picard’s legally-carried pistol and pistol permit. Barone then claimed that filming the police is illegal, and took Picard’s camera. Unbeknownst to the troopers, the camera was recording when Barone brought it to Torneo’s cruiser. With the camera rolling, the officers proceeded to: call a Hartford police officer to see if he or she had any “grudges” against Picard; open an investigation of him in the police database; and discuss a separate protest that he had organized at the state capitol. After Barone announced “we gotta cover our ass,” either Torneo or Jacobi stated “let’s give him something,” and the three settled on fabricating two criminal infraction tickets that they issued to Picard. Torneo drove away with Picard’s camera on top of his cruiser, upon which the camera fell onto the hood of the car, Torneo stopped, and Jacobi returned the camera to Picard. In July of this year, the criminal charges against Picard were dismissed in the Connecticut Superior Court. “Police should be focused on public safety, not punishing protesters and those who film public employees working on a public street,” said ACLU-CT legal director Dan Barrett, who is representing Picard in the lawsuit. “As the video shows, these police officers were more concerned with thwarting Mr. Picard’s free speech and covering their tracks than upholding the law.” “Community members like me have a right to film government officials doing their jobs in public, and we should be able to protest without fearing political retribution from law enforcement,” said Picard. “As an advocate for free speech, I’m deeply disappointed


Prompt: Please support us by disabling your ad blocker on our site. Philly a 'sanctuary' again for undocumented immigrants, new mayor says Mayor Jim Kenney recently signed a law reverting Philadelphia to a sanctuary city, which would benefit immigrants and refugees. (Courtesy of Rob Shenk | Creative Commons) On Jan. 4th, Mayor Jim Kenney signed a law that no longer allows Philadelphia law enforcement and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to cooperate, reverting Philadelphia back to a “sanctuary city.” Before the executive order, ICE could ask city police to hold onto undocumented immigrants who would have been released while awaiting

trial. The undocumented immigrants would then be kept in police custody until ICE picked them up and faced potential deportation. Previous mayor, 1979 Wharton graduate Michael Nutter, made Philadelphia a sanctuary city before reversing his own decision in late 2015. Penn Democrats Communications Director and College junior Luke Hoban supports Mayor Kenney's plan and believes that Philadelphia needs to have some role in helping immigrants and refugees. “Whatever measures that need to be taken should be implemented to make sure immigrants are not forced back to regions of the world that they are fleeing and giving up their lives in many cases, in hope of resettling here to provide a better life for themselves and their children," Hoban said. United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who promotes a program called "Priority Enforcement” that has been decried by immigrant advocacy groups as overly aggressive, has worked with Kenney to switch programs. Until these discussions take place, Kenney told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Philadelphia will not force cops to cooperate with the ICE. Other sanctuary cities in the United States include New York City, Baltimore and Washington D.C.. However, the Brookings Institution found in 2014 that Philadelphia is one of the "re-emerging gateways" in America due to a resurgence in the amount of immigrants entering the city each year. Proponents of Philadelphia as a sanctuary city say that it improves relations between the community and the police. For example if an undocumented immigrant is a witness of crime, they will be able to report the crime without fear of deportation. Proponents also reason that being a sanctuary city encourages immigration to cities, which can benefit the city's economy. A 2012 study by the Partnership for a New American Economy found that immigrants start 28 percent of small businesses even


Prompt: Scorpion (born Hanzo Hasashi) is a playable character and occasional boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise created by Midway Games. Making his debut as one of the original seven playable characters in Mortal Kombat in 1992, he is an undead ninja specter seeking revenge for his own death at the hands of Sub-Zero, making him an anti-hero which has been his main role throughout the course of the series up until Mortal Kombat X but still remains neutral. Scorpion has been playable in nearly every Mortal Kombat fighting game, the one exception being the original version of

Mortal Kombat 3. He was among the characters representing the series in the crossover games while having guest roles in other games, besides appearing in a variety of official series merchandise and other alternate media. Scorpion is featured on the logo of NetherRealm Studios, the successor of Midway Games. Appearances [ edit ] Mortal Kombat games [ edit ] "Scorpion" is the alias of Hanzo Hasashi, formerly one of the finest warriors of the Shirai Ryu, a Japanese ninja clan.[3] After he was killed by Sub-Zero, a member of a rival clan of Chinese assassins known as the Lin Kuei, Scorpion became a hellspawned revenant residing in hell (later the Netherrealm) and seeking vengeance against those responsible for the destruction of his clan and the death of his family, including his wife and his son. Although essentially neutral in allegiance, Scorpion will join forces with anyone who can assist his plans of revenge. He was once manipulated by Quan Chi, whom he promised his life in exchange for his impressive kombat abilities in order to defeat Sub-Zero.[1] In his initial backstory, displayed in the first game's attract mode, he is described only as having enmity towards Sub-Zero that was attributed to rivalries between opposing ninja clans. His ending revealed that he was actually an undead specter who had been killed by Sub-Zero and was survived by a wife and child.[4] This was further explored in a tie-in comic book written and illustrated by MK co-creator John Tobias and published by Midway; in a one-page scene, set aboard a junk en route to tournament host Shang Tsung's private island, Scorpion shocks Sub-Zero with his unexpected return exactly two years after his death, declaring that his "demons" had allowed him to return and avenge his demise, while he would not kill Sub-Zero


Prompt: There haven't been as many articles nationally complaining about the new scoreboards being installed at EverBank Field as one would imagine, but I was alerted to a special one from ESPN today on Twitter. It's penned by Gregg Easterbrook, who doesn't have the best reputation as far as integrity goes, but it's also one of the laziest ones I've seen. I've blockquoted the paragraph below, with their HTML in-tact in case they try to ninja edit the egregious errors. The fleecing of taxpayers continues:Jacksonville just agreed to pay $43 million to spruce up the stadium where the Jaguars play. Owner

Shad Khan, net worth estimated by Forbes at $3.8 billion, will contribute only $20 million. A new hotel tax will fund the giveaway: Ordinary people using hotels in the Jacksonville will pay more so that a billionaire can have a new toy. If the gigantic scoreboard to be funded by the tax sells more tickets, the billionaire will keep the gains. And will hotels in Jacksonville lose business owing to the new tax, or hotel workers face layoffs triggered by an NFL owner's subsidized toy? Meanwhile a Jacksonville public school district needs $51 million in facility upgrades. The same month Jacksonville had no problem finding $43 million right away for a gift to the NFL, local politicians said the school money could only be supplied over several decades. The first big error is Easterbrook's notion that this is a new tax that will put burden on local hotels, which could potentially cost people their jobs. The problem with that notion is, is it ignores that it's not a new tax. It's an existing tax that has been in place for a few years already, since oh... 1984. It was modified in 1994. It's not changing. It's not increasing. There is no new burden that wasn't already there. It's not going to cost anyone their job Gregg. Don't worry. If you click the "several decades" hyperlink, you'll notice something peculiar. When I initially clicked it, I was a bit confused. I'd never heard of the My Journal Courier in Jacksonville. That's probably because it doesn't exist in Jacksonville, Florida... but rather Jacksonville, Illinois. In case their copy winds up fixed, it went to this article about the Jacksonville, IL school district. There are certainly arguments on both sides regarding using public funds for sports arenas, but good God man. You didn't


Prompt: Police across Kansas feel they are targets of “built-in” bias and say they are wrongly accused of racial profiling. Those sentiments underlie findings of a new study by a Wichita State University professor for the Kansas Department of Transportation. Specifically, 39 of 61 officers interviewed for the research said they had been accused of racial profiling at least once during a traffic stop. Yet none said they were the subject of a formal complaint following the traffic stop. One Hispanic officer “said he has been accused of racial profiling at least fifty times,” says a 59-page analysis compiled by Michael

Birzer, a professor of criminal justice and director of WSU’s School of Community Affairs. The officers were from 15 agencies, including the Wichita Police Department. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Wichita Eagle Last year, Birzer completed a study for the city of Wichita finding that Wichita police ticketed black motorists at disproportionately higher rates than white motorists. While African-Americans made up only 11 percent of the city’s population, they accounted for 22 percent of the people given traffic citations from November 2012 through April 2013. That report said the results don’t prove that racial profiling exists because a number of factors may influence who gets ticketed by police. For example, if police are deployed more heavily in minority neighborhoods, it might explain why more minorities are being stopped. It can “present the perception of racial profiling even though it may not be occurring,” the report said. The latest Birzer study, commissioned by the state, was designed to get officers’ perspectives. Birzer interviewed or spoke with the officers multiple times and met with them in focus groups. Besides the Wichita department, the officers were from the Andover, Arkansas City, Derby, Dodge City, Eastborough, Kansas City, Lenexa, Newton, Pittsburg, Topeka and Wichita State University police departments and the Reno, Shawnee and Sumner County sheriff’s departments. Many of the interviews were taking place as the tense situation in Ferguson, Mo., where a black teen was fatally shot by a white officer, was unfolding, Birzer said. “We have an opportunity to look at both sides of this issue,” Birzer said. One sound approach to police-community relations, he said, seems to be “good, old-fashioned interaction, communication, just the little things that don’t cost a lot of money.” “If every officer treated their beat like Andy Taylor” –


Prompt: Next Game: Auburn 3/15/2015 | 1:00 PM SEC Network + 1150 AM COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 7 Texas A&M posted an historic victory Saturday afternoon, toppling the Auburn Tigers, 10-4, for the 1,000th Aggie win at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. The win carried additional significance as it improved the Aggie record to 20-0 on the season. Texas A&M, the last undefeated Division I team in the country in 2015, is off to its best start since 1989, when the Maroon and White commenced the campaign with a 26-0 mark. Auburn (13-6, 0-2 SEC) bookended the game with

two-run frames in the first and ninth innings, but in between it was all Aggies. Matt Kent (5-0) weaved his longest career outing and was masterful from innings two to eight when he yielded just three hits. For the day, Kent worked 8.1, allowing four runs on 10 hits while striking out seven. On the year, Kent has 33 strikeouts and only two walks in 35.2 innings of work. The Aggies' offense was relentless on the day with 11 hits, nine walks and two hit batters. Texas A&M had six at-bats with bases loaded, going 4-for-6. Blake Allemand , Logan Taylor and Ronnie Gideon each knocked in two runs to lead the attack. Gideon went 2-for-3 with two walks, one run and two RBI. Hunter Melton went 2-for-3 with two runs, one hit-by-pitch and one walk. Taylor batted 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Auburn used four singles two register two runs in the top of the first inning. Anfernee Grier bounced a single up the middle to start the rally. Grier was replaced at first base by Damon Haecker who was unsuccessful in getting a sacrifice bunt down. Jordan Ebert slipped a single through the right side of the infield to put two runners on before Kent fanned Dylan Smith for the second out of the inning. Kent was unable to get out of the frame unscathed as Cody Nulph and Blake Logan each laced RBI singles through the left side of the infield, staking the Tigers to a 2-0 advantage. After missing out on chances to churn out runs in the first three innings, Texas A&M broke the scoring seal in the bottom of the fourth. Taylor drew a five-pitch walk to start the inning and moved to second on a groundout by Blake Kopetsky . Melton


Prompt: What: Ozomatli – San Diego Symphony When: Sunday August 24, 2014 Where: Embarcadero Marina Park South, San Diego Description: By combining hip-hop, salsa, dancehall, samba, funk, garage rock, raga and more into an irresistible groove, the members of the culture-mashing party band Ozomatli have gone from hometown heroes in L.A. to U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors and the first band ever to give a “musical” TED talk. Also known for having a fervent political conscience, the Grammy-winning group frequently travels the world, bringing this distinctly SoCal — but universally appealing — music to places like Tunisia, Egypt, Mongolia, Jordan, Nepal

and Myanmar. For this outdoor San Diego Symphony show with conductor Matthew Garbutt, Ozomatli will play old favorites as well as tunes from their latest album, Place in the Sun, as they mark their return to Ashford University’s Summer Pops concert series after a hugely popular appearance last summer. Check out our daily hand selected coupons & deals from our top sponsors including Match.com & Nike. Get an extra 20% Off Nike clearance styles at Nike.com. Use code BIGTIME at Checkout! What: Pacific Classic Race Day When: Sunday August 24, 2014 Where: Del Mar Racetrack, San Diego Description: Del Mar’s richest and most prestigious race, the $1,000,000 TVG Pacific Classic (Gr. I), takes place on Sunday, August 24. Watch some of the country’s top horses compete at the classic distance of 1 1/4 miles in the 24th running of Del Mar’s signature event. 3-year-olds and up. The first race begins at the special post time of 1:00 p.m. Cost: $6 What: Sailing for a Cause – Sharp HospiceCare Annual Benefit Dinner and Regatta When: Friday August 22 to Saturday August 23, 2014 Where: Hotel del Coronado & Coronado Yacht Club/San Diego Bay Description: Hosted by Sharp HospiceCare, the benefit regatta brings together racers, community organizations and local families for an important cause. The event kicks off Friday evening, Aug. 22, with a dinner, followed by all-day festivities on Saturday, Aug. 23, as guests board sponsored yachts and cruise along the race course with a breathtaking view of the regatta and San Diego Bay. What: Beach Rockin’ with Hotel California a Salute to the Eagles When: Sunday August 24, 2014 Where: Oceanside Pier, Oceanside, San Diego Description: Enjoy a evening by the sea with great Eagles music, food drink and much more. Proceeds will be used to support Maltese Rescue California’s


Prompt: Sometimes Séverine Mehault climbs the stairs to the second floor for no reason at all. She walks along the hallway, past her son's room and into her daughter's bedroom. Then the 40-year-old lies down on the bed, next to a white stuffed bunny, and closes her eyes for a moment, trying to understand why only one of her two daughters, 15-year-old Kenza, is still there -- and why Sahra has abandoned her. Not much of Sahra is left in the room: her stuffed rabbit, a Koran in translation, a prayer book and a guide to the correct methods of bathing

for Islamic women. The guide is a worn, pink brochure with small illustrations. Chapter 3 is titled: Instructions for Cleaning Your Ears. There's a dish containing red nail polish, mascara and lip gloss, but Sahra hasn't worn makeup in almost two years. After turning 15 at the time, she converted to Islam. She left France on March 11, 2014 to joint the jihadists in Syria. The family doesn't know where she is exactly, or which terrorist group she has joined. Her father drove her to the train station in Narbonne on that March day, as he did every day, when she would take the train to school in the nearby city of Carcassonne in southwestern France. A surveillance camera image shows Sahra, 17, standing on the platform in Narbonne, at 7:44 a.m. She is wearing white jeans, white sneakers and a black headscarf, and she is carrying two shoulder bags. The last image of Sahra on French soil, also taken with a surveillance camera, shows her at the airport in Marseille. She took an afternoon flight to Istanbul, and the next day she continued to Antakya on the Turkish-Syrian border. Séverine Mehault has spread out photocopies of the surveillance camera images on the dining room table, next to the last photo she took of Sahra. It depicts her daughter dressed entirely in black, in a jilbab, a floor-length robe with baggy sleeves, and a hijab, or headscarf. She is smiling, with a soft, roundish face. A Faraway Country "Before she left, I didn't even know what was happening in Syria. It was a faraway country for me," says Mehault, running her fingers across the photo. Her fingernails gnawed to the quick. These days, she anxiously follows the news, trying to discern where exactly the group known as the Islamic State


Prompt: An elite group of nation-state hackers running roughshod through the financial sector and other industries in the U.S. has pioneered techniques that others are following, and has used sophisticated methods to go after hardened targets, including hacking a security firm to undermine the security service the company provided its clients. The highly professional group, dubbed Hidden Lynx, has been active since at least 2009, according to security firm Symantec, which has been tracking the group for some time. Hidden Lynx regularly uses zero-day exploits to bypass countermeasures they encounter. And, unusually for a government-sponsored effort, the gang appears to have

a sideline staging financially motivated attacks against Chinese gamers and file-sharers. Symantec believes the group is 50-100 people strong, given the extent of its activities and the number of hacking campaigns its members maintain concurrently. "They are one of the most well-resourced and capable attack groups in the targeted threat landscape," Symantec writes in a report released today (.pdf). "They use the latest techniques, have access to a diverse set of exploits and have highly customized tools to compromise target networks. Their attacks, carried out with such precision on a regular basis over long periods of time, would require a well-resourced and sizeable organization." The group has targeted hundreds of organizations – about half of the victims are in the U.S. – and has succeeded in breaching some of the most secure and best-protected organizations, according to Symantec. After the U.S., the largest numbers of victims are in China and Taiwan; recently the group has focused on targets in South Korea. Attacks against government contractors and, more specifically, the defense industry suggest the group is working for agencies of a nation-state or states, Symantec says, and the diversity of the targets and information they're after suggest "they are contracted by multiple clients." Symantec notes that the group is primarily engaged in state-sponsored hacking, but the hacker-for-hire service conducted on the side for profit is significant. The attackers use sophisticated techniques and display skills that are far in advance of the Comment Crew and other groups recently exposed. The Comment Crew is a group that numerous security firms have been tracking for years but got attention earlier this year when the New York Times published an extensive report tying them to the Chinese military. The Hidden Lynx group pioneered so-called "watering hole attacks" whereby malicious actors compromise web sites frequented by


Prompt: Sabbath mode, also known as Shabbos mode (Ashkenazi pronunciation) or Shabbat mode, is a feature in many modern home appliances, including ovens[1] and refrigerators,[2] which is intended to allow the appliances to be used (subject to various constraints) by Shabbat-observant Jews on the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The mode usually overrides the usual, everyday operation of the electrical appliance and makes the operation of the appliance comply with the rules of Halakha (Jewish law). Background [ edit ] Halakha forbids Jews from doing creative work on the Shabbat. Observant Jews interpret this to include various activities including making a fire,

preparing food, or even closing a switch or pressing an electronic button. A range of technology solutions have been created for those who need to use electronic (or electronic-controlled) devices on the Shabbat,[3][4][5] including a special "sabbath mode" for otherwise standard appliances. Use of the term Sabbath mode has been made by manufacturers and does not always guarantee full compliance with religious requirements. Appliances sold with certification from a halachic certification authority will have been audited and judged to be compliant with that authority’s requirements. Appliances [ edit ] Oven [ edit ] Oven with Sabbath mode While according to Halakha, raw food may not be cooked on the Shabbat, food that was already cooked beforehand may be kept warm until mealtime.[6] In the past, the Sabbath observant would leave their food heating on the stove where it had been covered with a blech (metal sheet), or in the oven in which had been cooked before the onset of Sabbath. Contemporary consumers seek to use their kitchen’s oven to keep food hot for Sabbath consumption, but must be assured that in opening the door to retrieve food, no Sabbath laws will be inadvertently contravened. An example of this would be ovens which are programmed to remove power from their heating element when the door is opened – use of this oven would not be possible on the Sabbath without making modifications. On weekday holidays (Yom Tov), food may be cooked, but turning the heat on is prohibited.[7] On these festive days the domestic needs of the Sabbath observant consumer may require that their oven be heated over a period of as much as 72 hours to allow for cooking during the festival. In the past, one would simply light a stove or oven before the festival began, and its heat


Prompt: Albuquerque police have released lapel camera footage that shows an officer shooting at a fleeing suspect. In October 2013, officers were called about an erratic driver who was running drivers off the road and firing a weapon from his vehicle. Officers said the man, Joaquin Ortega, tried to carjack drivers after crashing his own car. The newly-released footage seems to contradict the story that police initially reported. Then-Interim Police Chief Allen Banks would not release more than a single frame of the lapel video after the incident, stating that he wasn’t going to allow the case to be tried in

the media. He told reporters, "I'm going to do things my way.” Banks initially claimed that the single image he released showed that Ortega turned toward Officer Brian Pitzer with a gun. Later, Banks said that Ortega didn’t actually point a gun at Pitzer, but that the officer was justified in shooting at him anyway because the suspect was a “perceived threat.” Here is the video footage of what occurred after officers caught up with Ortega: The video footage shows Ortega outside an auto repair shop. Here is an explanation of the scene: Officer Pitzer yells "Let me see your hands," and refers to Ortega as "dude" and "bro." Ortega runs along the front of the building, walks between two cars and then turns to the right to head toward the sidewalk. Pitzer fires twice. Ortega appears to toss a gun over his shoulder while two more shots are fired. Ortega continues to bolt down the sidewalk, his back turned to Pitzer, as the officer fires the remaining shots. Ortega stumbles at the edge of the sidewalk, falls and is handcuffed. He was wounded at least once in the shoulder. The video shows authorities tending to a moaning Ortega as he says, “Please, please.” Is is not clear how many times Ortega was shot. In November, he was indicted on charges of child abuse, armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault upon a peace officer with a deadly weapon. The court case has been on hold because the officers still haven’t finished their police report – something which Kari Morrissey, Ortega’s attorney, said is unacceptable: "Quite frankly, why it takes the department this long to complete a report for an incident like this is inexcusable.” Morrissey said the footage doesn’t show any evidence of Ortega acting


Prompt: Is the Moon the Creation of Alien Intelligence? Paper published in the eminent Soviet Journal 'SPUTNIK' by Russian scientists Mik... http://humansarefree.com/2016/09/russian-scientists-published-this-paper.html Is the Moon the Creation of Alien Intelligence? AN ARTIFICIAL SPUTNIK OF THE EARTH? OUR HYPOTHESIS: The Moon is an artificial Earth satellite put into orbit around the Earth by some intelligent beings unknown to ourselves. A NOAH'S ARK? A BATTLESHIP THEY COULDN'T TORPEDO? A SPACESHIP COME TO GRIEF? WAITING FOR THE EVIDENCE Although people long ago began to wonder whether the "canals" on Mars were the creation of cosmic engineers, for some odd reason it has not occurred

to look with the same eyes upon the peculiarities of the lunar landscape much closer at hand.And all the arguments about the possibilities of intelligent life existing on other celestial bodies have been confined to the idea that other civilizations must necessarily live on the surface of a planet, and that the interior as a habitat is out of the question. Abandoning the traditional paths of "common sense", we have plunged into what may at first sight seem to be unbridled and irresponsible fantasy.But the more minutely we go into all the information gathered by man about the Moon, the more we are convinced that there is not a single fact to rule out our supposition.Not only that, but many things so far considered to be lunar enigmas are explainable in the light of this new hypothesis.The origin of the Moon is one of the most complicated problems of cosmogony. So far there have been basically three hypotheses under discussion.The Moon was once a part of the Earth and broke away from it. This has now been refuted by the evidence.The Moon was formed independently from the same cloud of dust and gas as the Earth, and immediately became the Earth's natural satellite.But then why is there such a big difference between the specific gravity of the Moon (3.33 grams per cubic centimeter) and that of the Earth (5.5 gr.)?Furthermore, according to the latest information (analysis of samples brought back by the U.S. Apollo astronauts) lunar rock is not of the same composition as the Earth's.The Moon came into being separately, and, moreover, far from the Earth (perhaps even outside the Solar system).This would mean that the moon would not have to be fashioned from the same "clay" as our own planet. Sailing through the Universe, the Moon came into


Prompt: Best Answer: Several things can happen to the clothes. In reality they aren't considered "clothing" such as you buy at the store. They are technically costumes, even if it looks like what you find at walmart or American Eagle. After production wraps costumes are stored in case they need re-takes or re-shooting. After the release many times costumes end up in storage. There are large warehouses filled with costumes and clothes used in movies. Important pieces are held for display and publicity, but most end up in storage. Sometimes costume departments for other movies will recycle old costumes, re-making them

for a new character. When the warehouses get too full the costumes will be culled, some sent to thrift stores, some will be auctioned off, some will be sent to film museums depending on the importance of the costume and the actor who wore it. Some actors have riders in their contracts that allow them to keep a few special costumes, usually ownership belongs to the production company. Costumes are considered an asset and something that can be sold to raise money for other productions. For television programs all costumes are kept until the show wraps up production, then they are dispersed. When productions shuts down the actors are given first dibs at their favourite props and costumes. Julia Louis Dreyfuss kept her entire Elaine wardrobe from Seinfeld; Jason Alexander kept George's glasses, sneakers, velvet clothes and the Yankees sheets and blankets. The girls from Friends kept many items and auctioned off many others as part of a fundraiser. Important pieces are held for publicity and museums (I imagine Horatio Caine's sunglasses will end up in the Smithsonian, like Seinfeld's puffy shirt) and the rest are auctioned off (important pieces again, think Sex and The City) and the rest sent to thrift stores. Stage costumes are not like real clothes in the materials used and the construction. A 18th century court dress may look authentic on stage, but it can be constructed on modern fabrics with invisible zippers to allow the actor to change quickly between scenes. Stage costumes are they are kept in storage and/or recycled into new costumes. The Stratford Festival in Canada re-uses costumes, laces, trims, shoes, wigs etc. There are a few important costumes that are kept for publicity. Every few years the costume department hold a garage sale of costumes, laces, shoes, and grab bags


Prompt: Can a dog help to replace a person's failing memory? I recently wrote an article describing some new programs designed to train dogs to assist people with disease and dementia ( click here to see it ). Only a day or two after that article appeared I received a phone call from an academic colleague who protested that dogs simply could not successfully serve in that capacity because they lack a particular form of memory that is needed. My colleague pointed out that Daniel Dennett, a philosopher and scientist from Tufts University has stated unambiguously that he was convinced that

dogs have no episodic memory, and this is a viewpoint which is shared by a number of other philosophers and some behavioral scientists. To understand what he meant you must first know that there are many types of memory. Psychologists often start by dividing memory into to large groupings that they call “explicit” or “implicit” memory. The easiest way to distinguish these is to note that explicit are the ones that you can describe or call into your mind at will, while implicit memories are automatic and not really conscious. Learned skills are good examples of implicit memories. Thus although you might remember how to ride a bicycle (since you can easily do it) trying to describe to someone else what you have to do to stay upright on a bicycle is virtually impossible. You know what to do, but you can’t make these actions conscious in such a way as to communicate them to others. Explicit memories are memories are the ones which are easily brought into consciousness and which we can describe verbally. When we consider explicit memory it comes in two varieties, namely “episodic” and “semantic” memory. Episodic memory is memory for what you have personally experienced. When you answer a question about what you had for dinner last night, which clothes you wore yesterday, or you describe your first romantic kiss, you are recalling episodic memories. This is different from semantic memory which involves memory for facts. To answer a question such as “Who was George Washington?” or “What is the climate like on the moon?” will involve semantic memory. It is not episodic memory since you never met George Washington, nor have you visited the moon. Some people say that episodic memory is a sort of mental time travel in which you revisit events that


Prompt: The arcade: the last bastion of loose change. Or so we thought. An old-school arcade, in the retirement capital of New Zealand no less, complete with Pac-Man, pinball and teddy bear claw machines, has started using cryptocurrency. And actually, it's not that cryptic. Gamers at the Arcadia, in Blenheim, just need the bitcoin app on their smartphones. RICKY WILSON/STUFF An arcade in Blenheim is accepting the cyber currency bitcoin. The amount they want is entered into the till, a unique code is scanned with their phone, they hit 'pay' and they're away. READ MORE: * Games arcade proves 'old school'

fun still popular * Grand Arcade undergoing 'major' refurbishment to include childcare facility * Redevelopment fears for iconic St Kevin's Arcade Customers are then given tokens to slot into the machines. RICKY WILSON/STUFF Arcadia, in Blenheim, is full of racing games, shoot 'em ups, and pinball machines. It even has an old-school Pac-Man. Arcadia owner David Scoon said it was as "easy as eftpos". The only problem is, no-one has actually used it yet. But lots of people were asking about it, Scoon said. Scoon thought the Arcadia was the first company in Blenheim to use bitcoin. Stuff How bitcoin works. He explained the concept as "a wee bit like shares", with the value of a bitcoin fluctuating daily. Scoon's son Adam Scoon, the mastermind behind bringing bitcoin to the arcade, said he anticipated everyone would be using bitcoin in the future. "It is getting more and more attention and more people are learning about it and getting into it which pushes its value up even more, we think that eventually everyone will be using it to pay for everything," Adam Scoon said. University of Canterbury senior lecturer of finance Bill Rea said bitcoin was a "highly secure" form of transferring money. "It does offer quite a secure way to do transactions," Rea said. It did however require some technology and IT skills, he said. More companies and individuals were starting to pick it up as a form of transaction. "[But] your corner dairy is probably not going to be using it anytime soon," he said. Bitcoin Bitcoin is internet money, which unlike normal money is not controlled by banks or governments. The currency works on a cloud database called the blockchain, which houses all transactions ever made. To use bitcoin you need to download software that lets you access


Prompt: I called it an ugly looking reference machine. So NVIDIA came back and painted it white. It worked for Apple after all, right? Perhaps eight years ago. As much as I can appreciate beauty, what truly matters here is what’s on the inside and that’s what NVIDIA gave me the opportunity to do over this past week. If you haven’t already seen it, what I’m talking about is NVIDIA’s Ion reference platform. In a nutshell it’s Intel’s Atom processor paired with NVIDIA’s GeForce 9400M chipset. I first brought you news of Ion in the middle of December 2008. It was

delivered in the ugly box mentioned above. It seemed cool, it worked, but I only spent a few hours with it and wasn’t able to benchmark it. Our next encounter was at CES. NVIDIA called me up to its hotel room and offered the opportunity to benchmark an overly spec’d Ion box against a standard netbook boasting a much lighter config. That didn’t work out so well. This time NVIDIA shipped me a system, now in white. And I could do whatever I wanted with it. It doesn’t take a visionary to see why Ion would be great. Take a standard Atom system and give it a modern chipset with better graphics and you’ve got Ion. Performance goes up, everyone’s happy. Of course it’s nice to be able to quantify the performance advantage which is what I’ll be doing today, but for all intents and purposes we’ve known that Ion is a good thing. The Need for Ion Currently most Atom based desktops and notebooks use Intel’s 945G chipset. That’s the chipset before G45 and G35 - heck, even before G965 - released back in 2005. It features Intel’s GMA 950 graphics core, hardly high performance even by Intel’s standards. It’s a two chip solution built on a 130nm process and uses ICH7 for all south bridge/IO functions. The problem with 945G is that it’s old, it’s slow, and it takes up a lot of space. The aging 945G only supports DDR2-667 and generally only gets a single channel of memory on most netbooks/notebooks/desktops. The chipset’s performance isn’t terrible but it’s a bit bandwidth constrained. The combination of the Atom CPU, 945 GMCH, and ICH7 chips takes up quite a bit of motherboard real estate. While that’s acceptable on a desktop motherboard, it is a bit cramped in a netbook.


Prompt: If there's one thing fans of HBO's "True Blood" know, it's that quick-witted vampire Pam (Kristin Bauer) has been dealt a few harsh blows this past season. First, her one true confidant -- and blood-sucking badass partner-in-crime -- Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard) turns into Mr. Nice Guy, and then that evil witch (literally) Marnie (Fiona Shaw) casts a spell that starts to rot Pam's flesh. And if there's anything that Pam loves more than Eric, it's her pretty little face. In Sunday (Sept. 11) night's season four finale, the tension between Pam and her maker Eric reached a humorous boiling

point when Pam, ever the dramatic, throws a bona fide vamp temper tantrum at Fangtasia, exclaiming, "I am so over Sookie and her precious fairy vagina and her stupid name." And while Pam's less-than-pleasant sentiments may have echoed the thoughts of millions of viewers, it didn't do much to detour Eric from Sookie's, well, "precious fairy vagina." "He really is the one rock in her life -- the one person she really loves and would do anything for," Bauer told The Huffington Post. "She would die for Eric. That's it for her. He's her maker. He really is her best friend, her daddy, and they just have such a complicated relationship. And she loves being his lieutenant. She doesn't want to be first-in-command, so when he's not there to be her rock, she doesn't like it. That will definitely come into play when we go into Pam and Eric's pasts next season." But as an actress, Bauer points out, fans are just starting to understand Pam and all of her intricacies as a character -- "part vulnerable, part badass" -- and season five promises to explore Pam's origins even further. "I loved seeing a vulnerable side to Pam this season, " said Bauer. "As an actor, you want to do something new every year and do something deeper, so it was incredibly fun for me to get to see who she was without Eric because he wasn’t really there for her this season. And then you take away her looks -- her vanity -- and I had no idea how she would react. It’s the same in real life too. When the sh-t hits the fan, you really discover yourself, and the fact that she becomes a warrior made me love her even more. She could have sat there and


Prompt: In college football, more than probably any other sport, a coaching legend's legacy never goes away. Even if that legend has been gone for a generation or two, a current coach will still live in that shadow. Darrell Royal is the dominant figure in Texas football, and may always be. Mack Brown didn't just accept that fact when he became the Longhorns' coach, he embraced it. In fact, "embracing" might be understating Brown's affection for Royal. Scroll to continue with content Ad When Royal passed away, Brown released a statement saying Royal and Royal's wife Edith were among the best

friends of he and his wife. He said Royal filled a void in his life after his father died. He called Royal his hero. Brown announced on Twitter that Texas will wear a "DKR" helmet decal, and the Longhorns will line up on their first play Saturday in the wishbone formation to honor Royal, who is credited with bringing the wishbone to college football in 1968. It's a perfect and touching tribute from Brown to his late mentor. That will be a wonderful moment at the start of Saturday's game. It's a callback to when the NFL's Redskins lined up with 10 men on the field for their first play against Buffalo to honor safety Sean Taylor, who was killed a few days before the game. Whether Texas scores a touchdown on that first play or loses yards, it won't matter. It will be a great moment. Credit Brown for realizing that. [Related: Mack Brown says the 'horns down' gesture is disrespectful] The tribute Saturday will also be a beautiful way to connect Texas' past and its present, something that Brown obviously values. Here is Brown's full statement about Royal's passing, which is a window into the relationship between the two Texas coaches: Story continues "Today is a very sad day. I lost a wonderful friend, a mentor, a confidant and my hero. College football lost maybe its best ever and the world lost a great man. I can hardly put in words how much Coach Royal means to me and all that he has done for me and my family. I wouldn't even be at Texas without Coach. His counsel and friendship meant a lot to me before I came to Texas, but it's been my guiding light for my 15 years here. "Coach gave so much more to


Prompt: Lest we forget that the left considers the American founding our original sin, a recent string of articles, lawsuits, and so-called “activism” is taking aim at America’s founding fathers. They were too white, too male, not woke enough, some owned slaves. And anyway, the Constitution is silent on gender fluidity. On June 1, James Madison Memorial High School senior Mya Berry launched a petition to shorten the name of their school -- erasing Madison’s name from it entirely. Apparently, the school’s name made Berry feel “more than unsafe.” The proposed name-change would, according to Berry, comprise a remedy for several

racial affronts she had experienced at Memorial. The school’s name sake, like several founding fathers, owned slaves yet argued for gradual emancipation efforts and “wished to see [slavery] diminished and abolished by peaceable & just means.” Of course, Madison Memorial High is in Madison, Wisconsin. Not sure if Berry’s sense of insecurity extends to her municipality, but Madison is an extremely liberal college town. She should think big. Former Councilman Mario Salas of the San Antonio Coalition of Human and Civil Rights really, really doesn’t like those racist founders. In The San Antonio Observer he dubbed them “ancestors of a white supremacist movement.” Salas penned these accusations as a response to his failed efforts to remove the historic monument in San Antonio’s Travis Park that commemorated Confederate war dead. Salas claimed all monuments honoring the deaths of “soldiers that defended slavery” were a mere guise for institutionalized racism: “These statues represent a long history of oppression.” Fair enough, but Salas seems to think that because he wants to erase history, he’s entitled to make up its replacement. Salas asserted that the Revolutionary War was “as much about anything else. And that “Millions of dollars invested in slavery would be lost if the British won the war.” Then there’s this: “England eventually opposed slavery before the U.S. did, and this set off a wave of anger that fueled the 1776 Revolution.” So a wave of anger over something 40 years in the future (Britain would not pass its Slavery Abolition Act until 1833) sent the colonists to the barricades? And this breathtaking idiocy: The third verse of the star spangled banner reads: “No refuge could save the hireling and slave. From the terror of flight or gloom of the grave. And the star-spangled banner—O! Long may it wave, O’er the land


Prompt: Corporations And Governments The Real Threats To Free Speech Above Photo: This guy is not actually the biggest threat to free speech in the country, despite the New York Times using him to illustrate an op-ed (11/12/15) on “Who Is Entitled to Be Heard?” Daniel Brenner/NYT. I find this statement in a New York Times oped (11/12/15), coming from Suzanne Nossel, the head of PEN America, to be absolutely stunning: Some of the most potent threats to free speech these days come not from our government or corporations, but from our citizenry. Anyone who can write a sentence like this

simply doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Which is fine, but not fine when the person is the head of an organization dedicated to freedom of expression. By “our citizenry,” Nossel is referring to the recent round of free speech wars on college campuses. Now, when these issues of free speech arise on campus, you usually see an explosion of conversation about it: on the campus itself, and in the media. Far from dampening down discussion, the controversy over free speech on campus actually ignites discussion. Everyone has an opinion, everyone voices it. And while I wouldn’t diminish the challenges to free speech that these controversies pose, the notion that they are far more common and threatening than what governments or corporations do is risible. Though given that Nossel is a former State Department flak, perhaps understandable. She is, after all, someone who has said: To advance from a nuanced dissent to a compelling vision, progressive policymakers should turn to the great mainstay of 20th-century US foreign policy: liberal internationalism…should offer assertive leadership — diplomatic, economic, and not least, military — to advance a broad array of goals. When there are not just threats but actual abridgments of speech at the workplace—Nossel says “corporations,” referring I guess to firms’ financial lock on the political process, but as I’ve argued many times, it’s in their capacity as employers that firms really do damage to free speech—there is no such explosion as there is on college campuses. Partially because people like Nossel and the media are completely uninterested in the topic, even when the workplace in question is a university: If Nossel wrote an oped in the New York Times when Columbia prohibited its workers from speaking Spanish, I must have missed it. But more important, there’s no explosion because abridgments of


Prompt: A man looks as the world's biggest Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tanker, Qatari-flagged DUHAIL as she crosses through the Suez Canal April 1, 2008 Japan's JERA Co, the world's biggest buyer of liquefied natural gas, said on Monday it has been informed by Qatargas that there will be no impact on LNG supplies after several Middle East countries cut ties with Qatar. There would be "no conceivable impact on LNG supplies" from the rift, JERA said in a statement, adding "this is also a geopolitical issue in the Middle East and there is a possibility that this could be closely

related to the energy market, so we will continue to keep watch on the movements." >> WATCH: Saudi Ban pushes Qatar flights to Africa through Europe >> Hacks, Money and Qatari Crisis: How Gulf States Entangled D.C. Think Tanks in Their Fight for Influence >> Qatar Crisis Explained: What Just Happened and Why It Messes Up Trump's Iran and ISIS Plans (And there's an Israeli connection) >> Palestinians confirm: Top Hamas officials have left Qatar at country's request Qatar is the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, while Japan is the largest importer, taking in about one-third of global shipments. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed their ties with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting terrorism. The worst rift in years among some of the most powerful states in the Arab world, came days after a news story, which Qatar claimed was fake, showed Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim Bin-Hamad objecting to the hostile attitude adopted by Gulf States and the U.S. against Iran. Qatar-Iran cooperation In April 2017, Qatar lifted a self-imposed ban on developing the world's biggest natural gas field, which it is shares ownership with Iran, in an attempt to stave off an expected rise in competition. Iranian official blasts Gulf states over Qatar: Cutting ties 'not a way to resolve crisis' | Gulf states' break with Qatar won't affect fight against ISIS, says Tillerson << Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close At the time the LNG market was undergoing huge


Prompt: Costa Rica is known internationally as having the ‘Pura Vida’ lifestyle and a low level of corruption. Tourists will, unfortunately, notice that all supermarkets have very high prices. Many of the expats will be familiar with the hilariously priced $8 tiny jars of Skippy peanut butter. The fact of the matter is that Costa Rica heavily relies on food imports and the government heavily taxes everything. The local agriculture cannot sustain the rapidly growing population but Costa Rican protectionist laws are stuck in the past. It is not just tasty luxury goods that are taxed, but basic staples are heavily

taxed. Rice has tariffs of 35%, beans 30%, and milk at 65% just to name a few. A small group elite families have deep roots within the government that allow them to take advantage of the system. The rice companies that belong to Corporación Arrocera (Conarroz) are the only entities allowed to import rice duty-free. Since rice is price controlled, these companies can only sell the rice at a maximum price. Imported rice is much lower than local rice, so these companies simply sell the cheap foreign rice at the fixed prices and pocket the rest. Since rice is such an important part of the working class’s diet, this gives Conarroz members a lot of power. It is no secret that foreign investment in Costa Rica has increased the prices dramatically. The unfortunate thing is all construction materials are also heavily taxed. Families that want to construct a simple home on a rural plot of land will have to pay nearly double in comparison to neighboring countries. For working class folk that make $400 a month, they would be lucky to own a shack of corrugated iron. Costa Rica is a country that has had extreme poverty for decades due to the lack of industry. The poverty has relatively remained the same since the 1990’s due to the extremely high cost of living for a developing country. Even Nicaraguans are starting to enjoy a similar standard of living even with earning less than half of the typical Tico. The promised intention of tariffs and price fixing was to take from the rich and give to the poor, but the exact opposite is happening in Costa Rica. Interesting Links: List of Import tariffs. Some of these percentages may shock you. An interesting comparison of the food prices by various foreigners. By