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Irving will be taking part in his first postseason game since the 2017 NBA Finals, when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers going against the Golden State Warriors. Irving sat out the playoffs a year ago with a knee ailment and is looking forward to playing again at the most important time of the season.
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“Just play our game, be physical, do the little things out there, use our IQ on both ends of the floor and just play together,’’ said Irving of the keys to success. “Obviously there are going to be some runs out there in the playoffs, high-level basketball. Guys are going to be making some incredible shots. You just want to limit them to their tendencies and just play well.
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“Every shot’s not going to go in but you’ve just got to be able to be resilient and just have some fun out there. Don’t let the pressure of the moment get the best of you. Just go out there and hoop.
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Jim Fenton writes for the Brockton Enterprise of GateHouse Media.
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INDIANAPOLIS — NCAA President Mark Emmert says he's willing to back up his tough talk on punishing rule-breakers — even using the "death penalty" as a deterrent.
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With salacious allegations swirling around Miami's football program, and one week after Emmert joined with university presidents to discuss toughening sanctions against cheating schools, the NCAA's leader said he believed the infractions committee should make the harshest penalty an option.
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"If, and I say if, we have very unique circumstances where TV bans and death penalties are warranted, then I don't think they are off the table and I would be OK with putting those in place," Emmert said in a telephone interview Friday.
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Emmert later said the "death penalty," which prohibits a school from competing in a sport, should only be used in rare cases. He was quick to distance his comments from the Miami case.
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"She's been a terrific leader in higher education, and I have great respect for her," Emmert said. "I can only imagine how much she's struggling with this, like I would have if this had happened on my watch."
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The scope of the allegations has already created widespread debate over bringing back the "death penalty," which has been used only once — when the NCAA canceled SMU's 1987 football season because of a pay-for play scandal. The school decided not to play in 1988, either, as it tried to recover.
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The Mustangs posted only one winning record over the next 20 years, didn't reach another bowl game until 2009 and the sanction is believed to have played a part in the breakup and eventual dissolution of the Southwest Conference.
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In our article '5 tips when buying a portable battery pack for your mobile device', we ask readers to avoid cheap power banks, especially those whose features sound too good to be true for the price.
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But once in a while, something comes along and attempts to overturn this rule of thumb. Yes, we're referring to the Mi Power Bank from Xiaomi. Just like the company's smartphones (heck, just like everything that Xiaomi is selling), the Mi Power Bank is priced way cheaper than comparable offerings from competitors. To put this into perspective, consider this: a name-brand 10,000mAh power bank typically costs about $100. The 10,400mAh Mi Power Bank? Only $13.99. Sure, you get this price if you buy more than S$50 worth of items to enjoy the free delivery; but even if you don't, at S$18.99 (after adding the $5 delivery fee), it's still very affordable.
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Of course, we aren't saying that there aren't any affordable, high-capacity power banks out there. Frequent Taobao users will tell you that cheap power banks are aplenty on the Chinese online marketplace, but there are hoops to jump through to ship a power bank to Singapore, not to mention shipping fees, and the lack of warranty.
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So, is the Mi Power Bank any good?
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There's not much to say about the Mi Power Bank's design, except that for a $14 product, it looks and feels very good. The bulk of the casing is CNC machined from a single piece of aluminum, and anodized to make it lightly textured for additional grip. Xiaomi says the surface is also water and corrosion resistant, and can withstand a 50kg pressure limit (that said, we don't advise you to sit on it). Not impressed? What if we tell you it has also passed a 300-time rub test (say 'wut?!').
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The only plastic parts on the Mi Power Bank are on its top and bottom. One end houses a regular USB port (for output), a micro-USB port (for input), a 4-LED indicator, and a circular capacity check button; while the other end has the usual specs and regulatory labels.
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In case you're wondering, a power button isn't really required, because the power bank will automatically turn on and charge the device when both are connected with a USB cable. The purpose of the capacity check button (when you press it) is to turn on the LEDs to tell you how much charge is left. In a nutshell, each lit LED represents a 25% charge. You get a full charge when all four LEDs are lit and not blinking.
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And speaking of USB cable, a 16cm long (excluding the strain relief) white USB cable comes bundled with the Mi Power Bank. Considering your smart device shouldn't be too far away when it's being charged, this is one of the few instances where we think a short USB cable makes sense.
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Now, before we move on, let's get a few more stats out of the way. According to Xiaomi, the Mi Power Bank's micro-USB port is tested to withstand 5,000 insertion/removal cycles, and the bigger USB port 1,500 cycles. Even ESD (electrostatic discharge) testing results are revealed: 8kV for contact and 12kV for air. Clearly, Xiaomi is trying its best to assure us that the Mi Power Bank is a quality product despite its low price.
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Up to this point, the Mi Power Bank definitely looks the part.
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Just like everything that Xiaomi is selling, the Mi Power Bank is priced way cheaper than comparable offerings from competitors.
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For $14 product, it looks and feels very good. The bulk of the casing is CNC machined from a single piece of aluminum, and anodized to make it lightly textured for additional grip.
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Xiaomi clearly feels that the button and ports are self-explanatory (or that you would read the user sheet) that it didn't even bother labeling them.
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A power button isn’t really required, because the power bank will automatically turn on and charge the device when both are connected with a USB cable.
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The Mi Power Bank consistently charges our iPad Air and Galaxy Tab S between 1.7 to 1.9A. Of course, this rate will slowly dip when the device is approaching a full charge.
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What sorcery is this? The Mi Power Bank is able to draw more than 2A from our Samsung charger to recharge itself!
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Say, what do we have here? That's four LG (LGABB41865) battery cells, each 2,600mAh, for a total of 10,400mAh.
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Xiaomi says that the Mi Power Bank uses control chips by Texas Instruments; and indeed, we found a TI BQ24195 switching charger.
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Towards the left is an 8-bit microcontroller (ABOV MC97F1204SMBN) made by Korea-headquartered semiconductor company, ABOV Semiconductor.
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Xiaomi says that its USB smart-control and power source chipsets are strengthened by nine layers of circuit chipset protection.
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Toys R Us … not dead yet?
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The group, made up of secured lenders, said in a bankruptcy court filing Tuesday that it’s scrapping an auction for Toys R Us assets despite receiving a number of qualified bids.
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The current asset holders did not go into detail about how the company, which maintained its headquarters in Wayne, N.J., would thrive in such an environment.
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A brilliant final-quarter comeback led to scenes of pure jubilation for the Orange Tigers and utter devastation for the Bathurst Bushrangers Rebels at full-time in Saturday’s Central West AFL grand final. The Rebels looked headed for victory as they led by 27 points at the final break, but the Tigers rallied in the final term to clinch a 12.10.82 – 10.19.79 victory at George Park 2. It was Andrew Henry who kicked the match-winner with 2.34 left on the clock, but his entire team celebrated the moment. “The message was to dig in,” Tigers captain Luke Thorley said of the three-quarter-time address. “We had to come back out and believe in ourselves and we did. We got those few early goals. I thought I nearly ruined it by giving a 50 away, but we dug deep in those last few minutes to win the game. “They were up in the first quarter, the second and the third, but to stick around was fantastic. “It’s something to be proud of, to beat Bathurst out here, it’s huge. We are arch rivals, to beat them in the ground final, the biggest day of the year, on their home ground, it's something you can't really put into words.” Rebels co-coach Steve Grundy struggled to put his thoughts into words, but the bitter disappointment was etched on his face. The tears came as he tried to console his players. “It probably hurts more that we got so close, yeah,” he said. “I think I said earlier in the week, that’s the one big thing I took from last week, the grand final isn’t over right until the final siren and Orange proved that today. “We were so good for large portions of the game, we just fell away in that last quarter, but that’s footy. “But I am still super proud of what we have achieved this year, it was a fantastic season. It's an amazing club with amazing people.” It took just 15 seconds for the Tigers to take their first mark inside 50 – and not surprisingly it was Tim Barry who took the grab. He duly booted the opening major, his first of four for the decider. With the breeze blowing across the ground and unpredictable gusts constantly whipping up, it challenged the players. It showed as the Rebels’ first four scoring shots of the contest were behinds. Charlie Flude finally gave the Rebels the lead, drifting into in front of goal to take a good grab then playing on quickly. Matt Archer added another before a thumping Bill Watterson kick pushed the hosts further ahead, Rebels leading 3.7.25 to on goal straight at the first break. Early in the second it was the Rebels who built their inside 50 count, Paul Long, Andrew James and Archer all winning good contested possession. But it took a 50-metre penalty to Patrick Edsall for the Rebels to find their fourth major in the 35th minute. Barry then found a reply and after winning the following centre clearance, Lucas Kelly added another to haul Tigers back in reach at 33-18. It was a passage of play which gave a hint of what was to come. When Alex Sparks capitalised on a penalty to boot the Rebels’ fifth major 11 out from half-time the margin stood at 20. But while Rebels continued to press, but man-of-the-match Dan Sadler shone in defence for the Tigers. Four out from the long break the Tigers rallied and two quick majors made it a seven-point game at 5.10.40 – 5.3.33. A 50-metre penalty to Phi Hoang five into the second half had the Tigers within two of the lead, and with Mick Rothnie starting to stamp himself on the contest, the visitors looked threatening. But the Rebels lifted – upping their tackling pressure - and were rewarded. Kaleb Crowhurst booted two for the quarter, while Archer and Sparks hit the target as well. It made it 9.18.72 – 7.3.45 with a term to play and as the Rebels fired themselves up in their huddle, it looked unlikely the Tigers could wrestle the lead off them. But Tigers, with the assistance of a 50-metre penalty, kicked the first goal of the final term via Chris Rothnie. He came close again with 18 left as he hit the post, but when Mick Rothnie found the mark with a kick that shaped back in the breeze, the Tigers were within 10 of the lead. Sparks eased the pressure on the hosts when he scored off the back of a 50 metre penalty with 13 to go, but Kelly then Chris Pethybridge responded with majors for the Tigers. Henry then gave the visitors the lead and when Sparks’ shot with a minute left went through for a behind, it was game over.
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The Orange Tigers beat the Bathurst OH, WE'RE FROM TIGERLAND: The Orange Tigers produced a miracle comeback to claim the 2018 Central West AFL flag. Photos: CHRIS SEABROOKRebels in Saturday's grand final.
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A brilliant final-quarter comeback led to scenes of pure jubilation for the Orange Tigers and utter devastation for the Bathurst Bushrangers Rebels at full-time in Saturday’s Central West AFL grand final.
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The Rebels looked headed for victory as they led by 27 points at the final break, but the Tigers rallied in the final term to clinch a 12.10.82 – 10.19.79 victory at George Park 2.
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It was Andrew Henry who kicked the match-winner with 2.34 left on the clock, but his entire team celebrated the moment.
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“We had to come back out and believe in ourselves and we did. We got those few early goals. I thought I nearly ruined it by giving a 50 away, but we dug deep in those last few minutes to win the game.
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Rebels co-coach Steve Grundy struggled to put his thoughts into words, but the bitter disappointment was etched on his face.
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The tears came as he tried to console his players.
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He duly booted the opening major, his first of four for the decider.
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Matt Archer added another before a thumping Bill Watterson kick pushed the hosts further ahead, Rebels leading 3.7.25 to on goal straight at the first break.
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But it took a 50-metre penalty to Patrick Edsall for the Rebels to find their fourth major in the 35th minute.
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But while Rebels continued to press, but man-of-the-match Dan Sadler shone in defence for the Tigers.
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Four out from the long break the Tigers rallied and two quick majors made it a seven-point game at 5.10.40 – 5.3.33.
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A 50-metre penalty to Phi Hoang five into the second half had the Tigers within two of the lead, and with Mick Rothnie starting to stamp himself on the contest, the visitors looked threatening.
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It made it 9.18.72 – 7.3.45 with a term to play and as the Rebels fired themselves up in their huddle, it looked unlikely the Tigers could wrestle the lead off them.
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But Tigers, with the assistance of a 50-metre penalty, kicked the first goal of the final term via Chris Rothnie.
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Discuss "Tigers produce incredible final-quarter comeback to seal miracle flag victory | Photos, video"
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On Friday, artist Zac Gorman thought aloud "I think it'd be cute if Sonic ran like an idiot". He accompanied this thought with a cute little animation. The internet did the rest.
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A bunch of other artists and Tumblr users agreed, posting Sonic running like, well, an idiot. And you know what? He is cute.
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I've posted a selection of highlights in the gallery above, but there are way more that the link below.
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Note: If a .gif looks all messed up in the gallery frame, click "expand" to pop it out and it'll work just fine.
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Was this really necessary along with the link to these images from the top 5 lists article anyway?
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Why not? would be a pretty short article without them.
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Did you click this article to read about silly sonic but not view the pictures?
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Luke. Seriously. Quit your day job.
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@ Vaporeon, what exactly is wrong with this article?
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Sure I wouldn't expect it on IGN, but the whole point of blogstyle sites like kotaku is you get both well written articles, and interesting tidbits that you wouldn't see elseware that may appeal to only a certain amount of people. Christ almighty, if you didn't like it, don't click on it. Provided the article isn't grossly offensive or asinine, what is the problem?
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The only reason I click these 'articles' is because I have to see it to believe it. I love Kotaku, but the whole US/AU merging is driving nearly everyone bananas, I'll bet! Akra sums it up nicely; It's mostly daft reposts of images and such when we could perhaps be seeing much, much more from the guy. Like some intellectual writing!
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What's with the Kotaku logos? We're already reading the site, superliminal messaging is unnecessary.
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Is this supposed to be funny?
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These gifs are broken as hell.
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Politicians don't even like themselves enough to give people reasons to vote for them.
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Have you ever noticed how there’s nothing like an election campaign to bring out the absolute worst in people? Politicians are prostitutes for power most of the time, but that’s nothing compared to what they’re like when seeking office. It’s bad enough if they’ve never been in power, but give them a taste, and they’re worse then a junkie desperate for a fix.
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Look at how wild eyed they start getting near the end of a close campaign; they’re going to promise just about anything and everything to get those few votes they think might put them over the edge. I know our system is different up here in Canada from those elsewhere in the world, we still run on the old constitutional monarchy, federalist system, but politicians are the same the world over no matter what the circumstances.
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In fact, it’s safe to say that one thing every society on the face of the earth has in common is a power hungry politician. It doesn’t matter if it’s a military dictatorship or some sort of democracy, those in power will do anything they can to stay in power. Believe me if the guys in Ottawa, or anywhere else in the world where they have elections, could figure out how they could use the army to avoid an election they would.
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Seriously though, look at politicians’ behaviour during elections; what are their two favourite tactics? They either smear their opponent with so much dirt that he or she looks like they have been wallowing with pigs all their lives, or they play on the voters worst fears. The quickest way to cast aspersions on your opponent is to tell the voters that he or she will make their worst fears come true, and that only you can keep them safe.
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It doesn’t matter whether the danger even exists, in fact it’s best if you have to warn them of the dangers that will beset them if your opponent wins. If you hadn’t told them they would have never known your opponent was prepared to let child molesters teach their children – something that you would never let happen when you win with a majority.
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For those of you who think that’s a little over the top, let me remind you of what George Bush senior did in the 1988 election to Michael Dukakis. One prisoner who was paroled when Dukakis was Governor of Massachusettes reoffended. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the man in question was black, because that played on all the worst prejudices and fears. All of sudden if Dukakis were elected President nobody’s lily-white daughter would be safe from mean black rapists prowling the streets.
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Lest anyone think I’m picking only on American politicians, Canadians are no better. Hell, for all our reputation as being polite, political campaigning up here is just as ugly and nasty as anywhere else. The province I live in, Ontario, is in the midst of an election to see who will rule for the next four years. Although there are four parties officially in the running, Liberal, Progressive Conservative (PC), New Democratic Party (NDP), and the Greens, it’s ultimately a fight between the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives for top prize. (Quick note: The Prime Minister of Canada’s Conservative Party of Canada is so universally hated in Ontario that Ontario conservatives chose to retain the party’s old name to put as much distance as possible between themselves and his social policies; hence Progressive Conservative).
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The PC party has been out of power for almost a decade now and they’re really feeling antsy and mean. So they’ve decided to make the whole election about leadership and who is best suited to run the province – their guy who’s never held public office, or the Liberal whose been premier for almost ten years. Since logic won’t win that battle, they’ve gone for scare tactics instead.
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You would think that telling everyone to circle the wagons because renegade Redskins are on the war path would be a little dated, but that’s their tactic and it might just play well enough in some parts of the province to win them extra seats. About one hundred-and fifty years ago, the province of Ontario leased treaty lands from Mohawks across Southwest and South-East Ontario. Some how or other it slipped their minds that they didn’t own the land and have had a grand old time selling it off to developers to build everything from gravel pits to housing developments.
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In the past two years, this has blown up in their faces with Mohawks occupying a building site just outside of Caledonia Ontario in Western Ontario, and blockading the highways in Eastern Ontario in protest over the sale of treaty lands to developers. Since treaty disputes fall under the auspices of the federal government to resolve, there’s not much the province can do except to try and make sure the situation doesn’t get too ugly.
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The people who have paid for homes and are still waiting for them to be built aren’t thrilled and neither are the developers who can’t finish the homes. They need someone to blame for their troubles, and the PCs are more than willing to point the finger at the Liberals for them.
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By saying things like real leadership would uphold the law, they are letting the people know they wouldn’t let a bunch of pesky Redskins hold up a housing development. Then they point to the blockades happening in the other parts of the province and say, look what happens if you give these people an inch, they’ll take a mile. Who know what will happen if you don’t elect us, they could come after your house tomorrow!
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I find it amazing that with all the real issues that face most western societies these days, like jobs and housing, that modern political parties can still play the race card and fear of “others” so successfully. But then again nobody has ever accused a politician of having a conscience when it comes to trying to win power.
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With the primaries getting into full swing in the United States, and Canada probably heading for a federal election within the next year, it will be interesting to see how much low people are going to be willing to stoop to gain power. We’ll probably soon hear all about how much Hilary Clinton hates American soldiers, or how much Prime Minister Steven Harper hates everybody whose not white Anglo-Saxon, as everybody tries to find a way of making us fear their opponents.
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Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody tried to convince us of why we should like and trust them, instead of why we should fear and distrust their opponents? Maybe that’s why so few people vote anymore – politicians don’t even like themselves enough to give people reasons to vote for them.
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British eyewitness Hannah Sheath describes the moment Stephen Paddock opened fire on an outdoor music festival in Las Vegas killing 59 people and injuring 527 others.
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She was among those who escaped as the big-spending gambler who took 23 guns into his hotel room before opening fire on crowds attending an outdoor music festival.
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Paddock sprayed bullets on revellers enjoying the Route 91 Harvest Festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on Las Vegas Strip.
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The 64-year-old retired accountant from Mesquite, Nevada, killed himself before officers stormed Room 135 in the gold-coloured glass skyscraper.
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Assistant sheriff Todd Fasulo said Paddock had 23 guns - some with scopes - in his hotel room.
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Authorities found 19 more guns at his home in Mesquite, as well as explosives and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
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Several pounds of ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser that can be turned into explosives such as those used in the 1995 Oklahoma bombing, were discovered in his car.
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Investigators believe the shooting - the most deadly in modern US history - was a "lone wolf" attack, and say they do not have any information to lead them to suspect there were more assailants.
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Paddock's brother described the shooter as a multi-millionaire property developer who liked to gamble large amounts of money at the world-famous casinos in Las Vegas who had no known political or religious agenda.
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Eric Paddock told reporters his brother often received free rooms and meals from casinos, telling reporters: "He was a guy who had money.
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"He went on cruises and gambled."
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He told the Orlando Sentinel: "We are completely dumbfounded. We can't understand what happened."
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He also said their father was a bank robber who was once on the most wanted list.
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Investigators are working to establish a motive for the attack, but a law enforcement official said there was no immediate indication that the massacre was connected to international terrorism.
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The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack and said the gunman was "a soldier" who had converted to Islam months ago, but it provided no evidence to back up the claim.
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Country music star Jason Aldean was performing on Sunday night at the end of the three-day festival in front of a crowd of more than 22,000 when the gunman opened fire from inside the 44-floor hotel across the street.
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Paddock had checked into the hotel room on Thursday, authorities said.
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People attending the country music concert described scenes of horror as they realised that what they first thought were fireworks were actually gunshots.
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Harrowing video footage showed Aldean stopping his performance after an initial volley of shots could be heard.
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