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Yesterday we stopped by EPCOT’s Norway Pavilion to see how much progress has been made on the new Frozen Ever After attraction the the Royal Sommerhus meet and greet area. Both areas are expected to officially open on June 21st and it looks like Disney’s Imagineers are hurriedly putting on some final details. Are you ready to enter the world of Anna & Elsa? Frozen Ever After, of course, replaces the former Maelstrom boat ride through Norwegian folklore. You’ll keep the same boats, but instead follow all your favorite Frozen characters (Queen Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, Sven) in events directly following the movie. The courtyard facade had been behind a large tarp, but that’s now been taken down and we can see a big difference from its former look. In addition to the new beautiful castle facade, we also have a new building with a sign that reads, “Bryggestredet Kjolelager.” Roughly translated, that means a Dress Warehouse. The building appears to be inspired by a building in Bergen, Norway on Bryggestredet street. You’ll also note that, as we suspected, the old hole that overlooked the waterfalls has been closed. No more going ‘back, back, over the falls’ I guess. Over to the meet and greet area of the Royal Sommerhus we see that the buildings look pretty much done. A couple have glorious ‘grass’ roofs others with slate. They’re still putting a few floral details on the old castle ruins behind the building facades. I do have some sad news to report. The Mexico margarita stand is now closed and scheduled for demolition. Turns out it was just too close to the new Norway expansion and the theming overlapped too much. Frozen margaritas will return to Mexico, just in a different location. Will you be planning a trip to Arendelle to visit the world of Frozen?
(MENAFN - AFP) Qualified, cheap and little protected by law -- Serbian workers have everything to please foreign multinationals. But discontent is growing among employees of such companies in the Balkan country, a candidate for European Union membership. A three-week strike at a Fiat car-making plant from late June was particularly telling: the factory's 2,400 employees in Kragujevac, a city in central Serbia, sought a wage increase of over 18 percent. While such a raise might seem steep, it would only have put their salary at 45,000 dinars (379 euros) a month -- below the average wage in the former Yugoslav republic, which in July this year was around 400 euros. The strike was the first crisis for Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, a 41-year-old technocrat, who took over in June. She warned the unions that Fiat would not negotiate as long as the strike continued. The Serbian venture is a joint enterprise, 67 percent owned by Fiat and 33 percent by the state. The Italian manufacturer remained silent over the industrial action, letting rumours spread of its departure from Serbia, where it has had a presence since the 1950s. Such a move would be a worrying prospect for the country of around seven million people and a double-digit unemployment rate. Fiat's exports, worth 382.2 million euros ($454 million) in the first quarter of the year, account for three percent of Serbia's gross domestic product, according to the national statistics office. Talks between the unions and the management eventually resulted in a deal on a wage increase indexed to the projected inflation rate -- 4.5 percent for 2018. But Ranka Savic, leader of the Association of Free and Independent Trade Unions, was not satisfied, saying the state "allows the multinationals to do what they want so it can brag about a historic hiring rate". Serbia offers employment subsidies and tax exemptions to attract foreign investors to the country. The Foreign Investors Council declined to comment to AFP. - Afraid to go public - Beyond Fiat's strike, local media regularly report tales of late wages, "forgotten" social security payments, unpaid overtime and disastrous working conditions. South Korea's Yura Corporation, which specialises in car electronics components, was at the centre of media attacks last year, with reports of abuse, harassment and refusing to let workers go to the toilet at its factory in Leskovac in southern Serbia. The story of an unmarried mother suffering from a tumour, whose contract had not been extended, aroused strong emotions in the country. Yura, contacted by AFP by email, did not comment. Serbia's labour inspectorate said it did not find any trace of "behaviour contrary to the rules". But workers are "too afraid to publicly confirm these accusations", said Biljana Stepanovic, editor-in-chief of the Nova Ekonomija ("New Economy") magazine. Savic said workers were afraid of "losing the little wages they earn" in a country where unemployment insurance benefits are extremely low. This is especially true in deprived southern areas of Serbia. But the 300 workers at the Gosa railway carriage factory in Smederevska Palanka, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Belgrade, feel they have little left to lose. Unpaid since the start of the year and on strike since the spring, the workers recently protested in Belgrade, calling on the government to help them. In March, one of their colleagues, 56-year-old Dragan Mladenovic, hanged himself in the factory, local media reported. - 'Crushed working class' - After acquiring the Gosa factory in 2007, Slovakia's ZOS Trnava sold it in April to a small Cypriot company based in Nicosia. Neither company would comment to AFP on the issue. "At first it was okay, but from year to year our wages have decreased to the bare minimum and our obligations have multiplied," said worker Dobrica Stevanovic. "In the end, they stopped paying our wages," the 60-year-old told AFP. He cannot retire as ZOS Trnava did not pay the necessary social security contributions, according to trade unions. The Gosa factory workers "are the symbol of a crushed working class", said Bosko Obradovic, leader of the right-wing traditionalist party Dveri. "The problem is that the state let it happen," he said. Editor Stepanovic questioned why investors would make the effort "if President (Aleksandar Vucic) boasts about cheap labour himself". "People are at the end of their tether." MENAFN1709201701430000ID1095868392
Share Avoiding gluten may be about to get a whole lot easier — and it’s all thanks to CRISPR gene editing. That’s because a team of researchers at the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture in Cordoba, Spain have used the technology to eliminate the majority of the gliadins (the gluten proteins which cause most of the gluten intolerance issues for people with celiac disease) in wheat. “Gluten proteins, and specifically gliadins, are major [factors] responsible of triggering celiac disease in genetically predisposed individuals,” Dr. Francisco Barro Losada, the geneticist whose team carried out the research, told Digital Trends. “There are many gliadin genes in the grain of wheat, which makes it impossible to obtain gliadin-free wheat lines using classic breeding methods. Gene editing by CRISPR/Cas allow the introduction of mutations in specific genes, and shutting down [of] those genes. In this work, we were able to mutate 35 out of 45 gliadin genes in bread wheat, and reduce wheat toxicity up to 85 percent. This is an unprecedented application of CRISPR/Cas technology. The low-gluten, transgene-free wheat lines described in the work constitute an unprecedented advance, and the resultant lines provide excellent source material for plant breeding programs to introgress the low-gluten trait into elite wheat varieties.” Barro Losada points out that at present the resulting wheat isn’t (yet) suitable for celiac disease patients — since it still contains some gluten, even though this is at a lower quantity. However, the wheat could still be used to prepare low gluten foods for those who wants to reduce their intake of gluten. Because there is a sizable group of people able to tolerate only low amounts of gluten, this could be a major benefit to them. “We are working now with the gliadin genes still present in these lines,” Barro Losada continued. Specifically, the team hopes to be able to disable the remaining 10 genes to make sure that no gliadin proteins are produced. Should all go to plan, and provided that this is deemed to be safe through the proper channels, hopefully it won’t be long before a whole new range of gluten-free products appear on grocery store shelves everywhere. A paper describing the work was recently published in Plant Biotechnology Journal.
When the World Outlawed War: An Interview with David Swanson For those who know war only through television, criminalizing it sounds like proposing to criminalize government. But there was a time when the masses made war illegal. Bruce E. Levine Alternet, November 21, 2011 David Swanson’s recently released book, When the World Outlawed War, tells the story of how the highly energized peace movement in the 1920s, supported by an overwhelming majority of U.S. citizens from every level of society, was able to push politicians into something quite remarkable—the Kellogg-Briand Pact and the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy. The 1920s “War Outlawry” movement in the United States was so popular that most politicians could not afford to oppose it. David Swanson, since serving as press secretary in Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign, has emerged as one of the leading anti-war activists in the United States. While Swanson has fought against the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and tried to alert Americans to the fact that U.S. military spending is the source of most of our economic problems, his anti-war activism goes much deeper. He wants to stigmatize militarist politicians as criminals. In his previous book War is a Lie, Swanson made the case for the abolition of war as an instrument of national policy, and When the World Outlawed War provides an historical example of just how powerful war abolitionism can be. Bruce Levine: At a college lecture that you recently gave, you asked the students and professors if they believed war was illegal or if they had ever heard of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, and only about 2 or 3 percent of a large group raised their hands. But what really seems to have disturbed you is when you asked if war should be illegal, and only 5 percent thought that it should be. Full Text Below for Google Translate David Swanson: Well, both responses bothered me somewhat, but only one surprised me at all, and only one offended me. I knew people in the United States did not believe war was illegal. I knew that only the most serious peace activists had heard of the Kellogg-Briand Pact and that even they didn’t recognize its value, including the degree to which it is stronger than the U.N. Charter in its prohibition of all wars, not just certain kinds of wars. But why wouldn’t people want war to be made illegal? To my ear that sounds like not wanting slavery or rape or torture to be illegal. And I’m still in the camp that considers torture irredeemably evil, by the way. At the end of the 19th century, when the United States snatched up Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam, Panama, etc., there was a popular love for war in the air. At the end of World War I, war was widely viewed as an evil disease to be eradicated. From World War II forward to today there has been an ever increasing tendency to view war as ordinary, necessary, and patriotic—if not a war in Vietnam or Iraq, then certainly some other war. For war’s victims and most of its participants it always turns out to be the horror it appeared in 1918. But for those who know war only through U.S. television, the idea of criminalizing it sounds almost like proposing to criminalize government. That state of affairs is what I find disturbing, the realization of how normal it is to think of government as essentially responsible for large-scale killing. This is miles away from Warren Harding’s return to “normalcy” after World War I. Since World War II we have never returned to normalcy. BL: People have a difficult enough time today believing that they have enough power to stop a single senseless war. Did the peace movement in the 1920s really believe they could abolish war? DS: The thinking of the peace movement of the 1920s comes out of a different world, and getting back into it may be difficult for a lot of people. One doorway in, I am hoping, is through realization that a law still on the books outlaws war. While banning war may be unimaginable, war is in fact already banned. Every war since 1929 has been illegal. Every act of war has been illegal. Laws are, of course, what we make of them. Some laws are forgotten, others expanded to completely alter their meanings. The Bill of Rights now applies to corporations, while the Kellogg-Briand Pact is considered archaic—but that is purely for cultural reasons; the Pact has actually never been repealed. Creating awareness of a law will not lead to its immediate enforcement, of course, but the Outlawrists of the 1920s didn’t believe they would end war in their lifetimes. They believed that Kellogg-Briand would begin to delegitimize war, to stigmatize it. In fact, after Kellogg-Briand, territorial gains through war were no longer recognized, and following World War II the act of making war was prosecuted as a crime for those on the losing side. But the process of delegitimization of war has stalled and back-tracked. The body of law and the world court that the Outlawrists envisioned have never been attempted. It is time we picked up where they left off. BL: You say that the thinking of the peace movement of the 1920s comes out of a “different world.” In the 1920s, as you point out, peace was actually “patriotic,” and a peace movement wasn’t going up against anywhere near the kind of military-industrial complex we have today. In researching the history of the 1920s, is your sense that Americans today—despite their majority opposition to our ongoing wars—have become increasingly more helpless, hopeless, and defeatist with regard to achieving a peaceful nation? DS: Back then war could be seen as something that backward Europeans had dragged the United States into, albeit with help from greatly resented propaganda that had been produced by President Woodrow Wilson’s PR team. If you ask someone in the United States if they are for peace today, they may tell you that they like peace but wouldn’t want to oppose wars. Even in the 1920s, the United States was making war in Nicaragua and threatening it in Mexico, but peace was still considered the norm. Then wars were imperialistic or humanitarian or racist, and conceivably avoidable. Now wars are necessary to protect us from evil. In other words, they are defensive. This is a result of the twisted interpretation of the Kellogg-Briand Pact that was used to prosecute Nazis. A treaty intentionally created to avoid banning “aggressive war,” in order to ban all war, was transformed into a ban on aggressive war at Nuremberg. Every war since has had to be “defensive.” Pro-war attitudes today are not insurmountable. Popular opinion turned against the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars fairly quickly and never got behind the Libyan War nor our various drone wars. But there is a more important difference that you mentioned between the 1920s and today: the rise of the military-industrial complex. It had been around since the Civil War. The Navy was being built up at the same time that the U.S. Senate was ratifying Kellogg-Briand. But the weapons companies were not pulling Congress’s strings in the 1920s. Farmers, who wanted Europeans to buy more corn and less weaponry, had more influence than arms merchants. In addition, congressional districts were smaller, bribery was illegal, newspapers were fairly diverse and credible, television didn’t exist, gerrymandering had not been perfected, and it was common for members of the House and Senate to oppose the positions of their political parties. Women got the vote in 1920. Jim Crow laws prevented many African-Americans from voting, and eighteen to twenty-year-olds still couldn’t vote, but the robber barons didn’t run the whole show—and some of them invested heavily in peace activism. The deck is stacked against us today, and we know it. Outlawrists in the 1920s didn’t imagine they’d live to see success, but they did believe success would likely come in a future generation, step by step. They believed that outlawing blood feuds and dueling and slavery pointed the way toward outlawing war. They believed in cultural progress, even if it came slowly. So, they happily worked for what they believed to be a just cause, for what William James called “the moral equivalent of war,” and they seemed in my reading to go through fewer cycles of optimism and pessimism than do most activists today. They seemed to exhibit, in fact, less interest in what their cause could do for them than in what they could do for the cause. This came hand-in-hand, I think, with their belief in democracy. Frank Kellogg, the mean-tempered Republican Secretary of State for whom the Kellogg-Briand Pact is named, in 1927, hated and cursed peace activists; and in 1928, worked night and day to answer their demands. Why? In part because the peace activists didn’t line up behind political leaders, a president, or a party, or Frank Kellogg. They moved the entire culture, all parties and all politicians, in their direction. Kellogg lined up behind them. There’s no better cure for helplessness, hopelessness, and defeatism than struggle. And I don’t mean typical work in Washington’s nonprofit industrial complex. I mean passionate all-out devotion to a moral cause that is going to change the world. Salmon Oliver Levinson, of whom few have heard today, got a handful of friends together and hatched a plan to outlaw war, and then did it. That should inspire us. It should also bring us to understand that we owe it to our predecessors to make good use of what they accomplished. BL: The Kellogg-Briand Pact, which was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1929 by a vote of 85 to 1, is still on the books as part of the supreme law of the United States. The Pact clearly condemns war and renounces war as an instrument of national policy, and resolves that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means. But does it really say that war is illegal? Even the declaration of war again Nazi Germany? DS: No reservations were made to the treaty by the U.S. Senate, but the Senate did pass an interpretive statement. Secretary of State Kellogg had also published his interpretations of the treaty and communicated them to the other national signatories prior to the treaty’s creation. The negotiations were all very public, having begun with a statement to the Associated Press from Aristide Briand, the Foreign Minister of France, a statement illegally drafted for him by an American peace activist lobbying France to lobby the United States for peace. The public discussion of the treaty, and the U.S. Senate’s view of its meaning suggest that the answer to your first question is yes. The big looming question for people today is, of course, “What about self-defense?” Levinson’s response was to point to the example of dueling. No nation had banned only “aggressive dueling” and yet people could still defend themselves. They did so without making use of “defensive dueling.” It takes two to tango, to duel, or—and this is the difficult one to grasp—to make war. Nazi Germany did not attack the United States before the United States put its economic muscle into a war against Germany, and indeed its assistance into attacking German submarines. Japan attacked a U.S. territory stolen from the people of Hawaii, but only after long and deliberate provocation, including U.S. support for and participation in war against Japan on behalf of China, as detailed in my earlier book War Is A Lie. More than self-defense, the big concern in 1928-1929 was to make clear—as Kellogg and the Senate made very clear—that the Peace Pact would not place on the United States any obligation to go to war against another nation that violated the pact, or any obligation to join an international alliance to “keep the peace” through the use of war. The League of Nations was voted down in the Senate and the Kellogg-Briand Pact up, not purely out of irrational “isolationism,” but also because the idea of making alliances of war did not seem a wise way to eliminate war. In fact, it looked to many people in the United States all too similar to how World War I had begun. We now have further examples, of course, of the United Nations and NATO launching wars. BL: The success of the peace movement in the 1920s in getting politicians to enact a law that renounces war as an instrument of national policy, and for this law then not to be taken seriously reminds me of when the Cherokee People won a great victory in the U.S. Supreme Court with respect to their stolen lands; and then Andrew Jackson, president at that time, ignored the Supreme Court ruling with blatant contempt by stating about the Supreme Court Justices, “They have made their decision, now let them enforce it.” Could it be Americans’ karma—because most of us have never really taken seriously illegalities perpetrated against Native Americans and other oppressed peoples—to “win the law” but have no power to enforce it? DS: Well, of course, I don’t actually believe in Karma any more than in trickledown economics, the Invisible Hand, or humanitarian war, and I’m not inclined to suffer injustices because dead people who looked like me committed others. But this is a crucial problem for us to face: just as liberty requires eternal vigilance, the enforcement of any law, especially against those with power, requires eternal vigilance. We have a sad history of not domestically criminalizing the violation of international treaties, and not prosecuting powerful people for crimes. What’s needed is cultural pressure. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said that just because the Constitution says habeas corpus cannot be taken from you does not mean you ever had it. President Obama has put in place policies that pretty well establish that you don’t have it anymore. That line in the Constitution was not poorly written. Our nation, over two centuries later, is poorly run—by us. BL: Most historians say that the primary reason for the failure of the Kellogg-Briand Pact to prevent wars was that the treaty provided no means of enforcement or sanctions against parties who violated its provisions, and it did not effectively close the loopholes regarding self-defense and as to when self-defense could lawfully be claimed. Is that your take on the failure of Kellog-Briand? In concrete terms, has the Pact done any good? Some historians argue that the peace movement should have focused more on getting the U.S. to join the League of Nations—do you disagree? DS: The U.N. Charter leaves a giant loophole for defensive war, as well as one for any war authorized by the U.N. The Kellogg-Briand Pact does not. This is why Kellogg-Briand is stronger. A court to resolve disputes by pacific means and to prosecute war makers was never established and still needs to be. The World Court of the League of Nations, like today’s International Criminal Court of the United Nations, did not fit the bill. Joining the League of Nations, without transforming it radically, would have brought the United States into World War II more quickly, but would not have prevented it. What might have prevented it, would have been punishing war makers after World War I instead of punishing the entire nation of Germany, promoting and funding peaceful parties in Germany rather than Nazis, negotiating arms reductions rather than launching an arms race, and investing in the study of nonviolent dispute resolution instead of in eugenics and chemical warfare. BL: In When the World Outlawed Law, you talk about the importance of the Republican Senator from Idaho, William Borah, who replaced Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge as Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Lodge had promoted the Spanish American War as well as World War I, and supported a massive build-up of the Navy. However, when Lodge died in 1924, Borah, a major opponent of imperialism and militarism, became Chair of Foreign Relations. You mention that, with regards to foreign policy, the international isolationist Borah was similar to Ron Paul. With regard to domestic policies, there were some things about Borah, like Paul, that made him unappealing to progressives. Today, there are many progressives who loathe some of Paul’s domestic agendas so much that they cannot conceive of forming a coalition with him when it comes to anti-militarism. What’s your take on that, given Borah’s importance in getting the Kellogg-Briand Pact through the Senate? DS: One of the strengths of the 1920s peace movement was that it did not put the same emphasis on individual leaders that we do today. People were Outlawrists, not Borahists. Today there are Libertarians, but there are also self-identified Ron Paulers. This makes it harder. But the peace movement of the late 1920s succeeded only when the internationalists and the isolationists came together behind Outlawry and Kellog-Briand. This meant working in alliance with people who disagreed on many things. The leaders of the peace movement included the leaders for and against the prohibition of alcohol. We have to be willing to work on causes with people we have disagreements with on other causes. But “Who’s the lesser evil, Obama or Paul?” is the wrong question. The right question is “How will we come together to eliminate war and injustice from the face of the earth?”
Apple has obtained a patent for a technology that allows people to legally share music and videos with friends. Instead of downloading files from iTunes or another store, customers can get them from friends or family and obtain a license separately. According to Apple, their invention will save bandwidth costs while making piracy less attractive. Little over a decade ago Apple revolutionized the music industry with its iTunes store, allowing people to purchase digital copies of their favorite music. With iTunes, Apple offered pirates a legal option, but the company still sees value in “sharing” music and other media with friends and family. In fact, the company was just awarded a patent that makes it possible to license P2P sharing. Titled “decoupling rights in a digital content unit from download” the patent describes a system where users can freely share music and videos with each other. Instead of getting the actual file from iTunes or other stores, users would only need to obtain a license. Once licensed these files can be shared freely across one’s own devices, with friends, family or even complete strangers. According to Apple such a system has several benefits. Among other things, reduced bandwidth and other overhead costs. This may result in a separate and cheaper price tier for those users who only have to license a media file. “This reduction in operating expenses may facilitate a two-tier pricing structure. For example, the digital content store may charge a first price to users who download a digital content unit from the store and a second price to users who authorize a digital content unit without downloading the unit,” the patent reads. This price reduction may then make it more interesting to share files legally, thereby reducing traditional forms of piracy. “This may encourage users to trade or copy digital content units as well as authorize these copies. Such sharing may, in turn, reduce piracy or illegal copying..,” Apple argues. While “legalized P2P sharing” may sound appealing, in theory it’s actually quite restrictive. The idea introduces a new layer of content protection which means that the files in question can only be played on “trusted client software.” This means that transferring files between devices is only possible if these support Apple’s licensing scheme. That’s actually a step backwards from the DRM-free music that’s sold in most stores today. It’s unclear whether Apple has any plans to use the P2P licensing technology in the wild. The original idea is a bit dated, but perhaps Apple can think of some less restrictive implementations of their newly obtained patent.
The Pacific Crest Trail doles out hazards in cruel ways. Thousands of hikers on the 2,650-mile trek face perils including rattlesnakes, exposure, corneal flash burns from snow glare, and heatstroke. But 2017 is shaping up to be one of the most frightening years in the national scenic trail’s history, thanks to the massive snowpack in the Sierra Nevada combined with the trail’s unprecedented popularity. Just a couple of months into hiking season, thru-hikers are posting stories of near-death experiences. Jack Haskel, spokesman for the Pacific Crest Trail Association, is fielding calls and hearing stories “every week, if not every day” involving avalanches, falls on slippery slopes, exposure, and dunkings in chin-high creeks. “There was a pretty serious incident in which a hiker fell and punctured a lung,” he says. Sequoia and Kings Canyon national park staffers contacted Haskel about several recent medical evacuations by helicopter. One involved a hiker who fell near Forester Pass, the trail’s highest point, at 13,153 feet. In early June, Haskel issued a bluntly worded message on a 16,000-member Facebook page for PCT hikers. “I’m worried that someone will die,” he wrote. “It’s no joke…Do you have the fitness and skills to do this type of stuff safely?” PCT thru-hikers usually begin from the southern terminus in Campo, California, near the Mexican border in late April or early May. This means that the first hikers have already breached the southern end of the Sierra Nevada, where winter snowfall, in certain high elevation spots, reached record highs: the overall snowpack in the Sierra is the deepest since 2011, according to California’s Department of Water Resources. California desperately needed that precipitation after an historic drought, but the same conditions have brought out the nasty and unpredictable side of the PCT. Record snowpack was reported at Sonora Pass, lower Carson Pass, and other high-elevation spots on or close to the PCT, according to Jeff Anderson, staff hydrologist for the snow survey department of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Reno, Nevada. In June, Anderson and his team measured 180 inches of snow at Leavitt Lake at 9,600 feet, just east of the Sierra crest. “Given this rate, it is likely that this area will not be snow-free for fifty to a hundred more days,” he says. In late May, thru-hiker and experienced mountaineer Brien Bower, a 25-year-old volcano climbing guide from Seattle, was walking near snowbound Glen Pass when he started checking for avalanche conditions. Suddenly, a large shelf of snow gave way and started sliding down, with Bower still standing on it. “Looking up, I could see the rocks on the other side of the valley were quickly moving by,” Bower recalled. “I knew I was in an avalanche. All I could do was try to stay upright and in control.” Bower slid 400 feet down the slope and fell down a 20-foot vertical drop. “I’m lucky it wasn’t 200 feet,” he said. Bower escaped without broken bones, though he was treated for dehydration and sunburn at a hospital in Fresno, but the near misses are piling up. Near the end of May, an Australian hiker whose trail name is “Thor” got swept away while attempting to ford Bear Creek near Selden Pass in the High Sierra. He tumbled and rolled in the water before swimming to shore, according to a video post uploaded by hiker Daniel Winsor on his “Professional Vagrant” page. About a thousand miles into his hike, long-distance hiker Marcus Mazzaferri fell on a loose rock in a Yosemite creek, was swept into the current, and lost his pack in the water. “He was out by himself with no equipment and spent a night out,” Haskel says. “He was following his footprints back to the nearest road. It is a deeply concerning story.” In an account on Facebook, Mazzaferri described “sub-freezing temps” and doing jumping jacks and running around in circles to keep from freezing. Understandably, he bailed out of the trail after making his way to safety. “I am truly lucky and grateful to be alive,” he wrote. It might not be such a problem if there weren't so many people on the trail. In the early 1990s, only 30 or so people completed the route every year. Compare that to last year, when the Pacific Crest Trail Association issued long-distance permits to 3,164 northbound long-distance hikers. (About 700 finished the trail.) The PCTA will not release the number of current thru-hikers until the end of this year, “but I would say the numbers are pretty similar to last year,” Haskel says. Some thru-hikers have attempted a “flip-flop” approach, which means breaking up the trail into strategic chunks rather than sticking to a continuous hike. Flip-flopping was no option for Brandon Toftner, a 28-year-old electrician from Columbus, Ohio, who vowed to take on a south-north through-hike no matter what. In late May, he was making his slow way up a steep ridge near Cottonwood Pass. Crampons didn’t help. One little slip sent him sliding 100 feet down a steep slope. Toftner self-arrested with his ice axe, a mere 10 feet away from the trees. “It scared me,” he said. “I would have been dead or have about a thousand broken bones.” After getting off the trail at Kearsarge Pass above Lone Pine, Toftner decided to take a brief respite, but vowed to return soon. He said his experience in the United States Marine Corps from 2008 to 2012, with two deployments to Afghanistan, made him ready for anything the PCT might dish out. “It was all about completing a mission no matter what,” he explained. But Toftner changed his mind. In the end, he bailed out and booked a trip to a place that he thought would give him far less trouble than the PCT—the grizzly-populated wilderness of Denali National Park.
CIA prison exposed in Romania By Sybille Fuchs 12 December 2011 Journalists from the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the German television magazine “Panorama” have uncovered the location of one of the chain of notorious secret torture prisons run by US Central Intelligence Agency in Europe. The prison is situated in a residential area of the Romanian capital, Bucharest. The prison in Bucharest began operations following the closure in 2003 of a similar torture centre in Poland. The prison was located in a building housing the Romanian National Registry Office for Classified Information (Official Registrului National al Informatiilor Secrete de Stat) authority. The transport of prisoners to the prison from Bucharest’s airport was carried out in inconspicuous minibuses. The cells were located in the basement of the ORNISS building. The cells were mounted on springs in order to disorientate the prisoners, who were also subjected to sleep deprivation, water boarding, beatings or being forced to adopt excruciating positions for long periods of time. Former employees of the CIA told journalists that after the initial round of “interviews” the prisoners were given medical and dental examinations. Some of the prisoners were held there temporarily prior to being switched and tortured in other locations or transferred to Guantanamo. The CIA’s code-name for the secret prison in Bucharest was “Bright light”. The centre was located at Mures Street 4. The prisoners held at the facility included Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is accused of carrying out the attack on the US warship Cole in Yemen and now sits in Guantanamo where he faces trial by a military commission. Al Nashiri was brutally tortured in 2002 and 2003. According to CIA documents, he was allegedly threatened with execution by a gun and a drill. He was also stripped naked, beaten and subjected to water boarding. Some of the abuse is alleged to have taken place in Poland. It is likely that he was transferred from Poland to Bucharest and then to Guantanamo. He apparently made confessions under torture, which he has now revoked. His case was the subject of an investigation by the EU parliamentary commission, which urged the US not to execute him. The alleged co-ordinator of the terrorist attacks of September 11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who, according to memos of the Bush administration was water boarded on no less than 183 occasions, was also incarcerated in the Romanian prison before he was transferred to Guantanamo. The Romanian authorities established the ORNISS in 2002 by emergency decree in order to co-ordinate the state’s secret operations—in particular with NATO. Its head has the status of a cabinet secretary and reports directly to the Prime Minister. Officials must ensure that confidential information is treated according to NATO standards and only those responsible in each case have access to such information. The authority was established at a time when Romania was seeking entry into NATO. An American in a high NATO position at that time declared, “The Romanians would have done anything for us.” The then Romanian President Ion Iliescu said that his country would behave as a de facto NATO member, and then in 2004 the country joined the alliance. In 2001 Iliescu had already signed a bilateral agreement with the US government which allowed the US military and civilians to carry out covert operations on Romanian territory. The secret prison in the basement of the ORNISS building proved particularly useful because its employees are pledged to strict secrecy. Romanian parliamentarians responded to revelations concerning the torture cells by pleading ignorance and declaring that Romania had nothing to do with the matter. Accordingly, journalists confronted a wall of silence when the deputy head of ORNISS, Adrian Camarasan, addressed them in a room adorned with the Romanian, NATO and European flags. When asked by a reporter if he had ever seen Americans in his premises, Camarasan answered, “No, no, I can no longer remember.” According to the Panorama report a spokesperson for ORNISS told the dpa news agency the reports were “pure speculation” . The research by the journalists was conducted with great care. They reported that a source in the US intelligence community had described the location and the appearance of the former prison in Bucharest. The reporters made their own enquiries in Bucharest, located and photographed the complex and then showed their evidence to three of their informants in Washington. All three recognised the complex located near a railway line. The prisoners who were taken to the torture chamber were completely disoriented. Their eyes were blindfolded and their ears plugged, leaving them with no idea of their location. The cells were partly constructed from prefabricated parts, and an arrow had been painted on the floor pointing in the direction of Mecca—a mocking concession by the torturers to the religious persuasion of their victims. The existence of such torture prisons in Europe (“black sites”) was long denied by both the US and the countries involved, including Lithuania, Poland and Romania. After the attack on the World Trade Center of September 11, 2001 the prisons were established as part of the "war on terror" in order to incarcerate so-called “valuable prisoners” who were subjected to “enhanced interrogation techniques”—i.e., forced to make confessions on the basis of brutal torture techniques. A report by the US Department of Justice from 2004 listed ten torture techniques that were expressly allowed, including simulated drowning and sleep deprivation due to days of incessant loud music and bright neon lights. In addition, detainees were locked away for hours in small boxes, hung by their arms, or had their heads banged against the wall. Often they were given nothing to eat for days or their cells were left freezing cold. In 2009, the New York Times had suggested that one of the CIA prisons in Bucharest was located near the Interior Ministry building. The Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick in 2006 reported that secret prisons had also been established in the the former military base Mihail Kogalniceanu in the southeast of the country. The Swiss intelligence forces had intercepted a fax, which was the first proof of the existence of secret US prisons in Europe. According to the classified document, 23 Iraqi and Afghan citizens were interrogated at the Mihail Kogalniceanu base in Romania. Similar interrogation centres run by the CIA were established in the Ukraine, Bulgaria and Macedonia and Kosovo. The Mihail Kogalniceanu military base had been used by the US since the Iraq war. When the newspaper asked the commander of the military base about the existence of such a prison he categorically denied any knowledge. The existence of CIA prison sites in Lithuania and Poland has been known for some years, but there had been no confirmation of such a facility in Romania. What was known was that so-called “rendition” flights by the CIA had transported “valuable prisoners” to Romania. With regard to Europe, the “rendition” program is alleged to have been stopped by the Obama administration after he came into office in 2009. At least no new information about such flights have been released. Instead the Obama government has apparently shifted its emphasis to the targeted killing of their enemies by means of special forces and drones, rendering imprisonment and interrogation unnecessary. Human rights organisations and journalists found ample evidence of the torture of prisoners following the conquest of Tripoli by the rebel forces backed by NATO. The complicity of European governments, including Romania, with these international human rights violations had already been uncovered by a special committee of the European Parliament in 2006 and its special investigator Dick Marty. Marty declared that at least 100 people had been transported by the CIA to various secret European locations, including Romania. Leading Romania representatives vigorously denied the claim. The report of the Special Committee concluded “that the CIA was in several cases clearly responsible for the illegal abduction and detention of suspected terrorists in the territory of the Member States as well as special renditions, involving, in some cases, European citizens”. The report of the Special Committee asserted that the purpose of the special renditions was to ensure “that the suspects should not be subjected to a court of law.” The CIA “terror suspects were kidnapped by undercover methods, arrested and turned over.” Other countries (including Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Afghanistan) were entrusted with the prisoners, countries, “which, even the US government admits practice torture in interrogations.” In 2006, US President George Bush admitted that the captured senior Al-Qaeda suspects were taken to other states. He avoided, however, identifying these countries, arguing this could cause enemies of America to take action against its allies. One of these “valuable prisoners” was Abu Zubeida, an alleged confidant of Osama bin Laden, who had been abused in Lithuania. He has now lodged a suit at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. In an article in the New York Review of Books, Zubeida described the cruel tortures he suffered: “I woke up, naked, strapped to a bed, in a very white room. The room measured approximately [13 feet by 13 feet]. . . . After some time, I think it was several days, but can’t remember exactly, I was transferred to a chair where I was kept, shackled by [the] hands and feet for what I think was the next 2 to 3 weeks. During this time I developed blisters on the underside of my legs due to the constant sitting . . . . “The cell and room were air-conditioned and were very cold. Very loud, shouting type music was constantly playing. It kept repeating about every fifteen minutes twenty-four hours a day.” He was put in wooden crates in which he could not breathe or had to sit hunched for hours. He was on a cot. He was strapped down, his nose sealed with cellophane, and water was forced down his throat—until he collaborated, an ex-CIA agent related. In fact CIA memos make clear that Zubeida was subjected to waterboarding on 83 occasions.
Jump to Prev Top Next Close Dan Stemkoski and Nick Plott patiently wait at the side of the stage, suit jackets buttoned up, eyes calmly scanning the darkened room. When they get their cue — a voice shouting, "GO!" into their earpieces, the cameraman making windshield-wiper arms — they'll climb the steps to greet a live audience of hundreds and broadcast to an audience of potentially millions. Soaked with blue and purple lights, with music thumping and an audience watching their every movement, the two are cucumber cool. They've done this thousands of times before. On cue, they'll get up on stage, knowing exactly where to stand, aware of the location of every camera and every screen. They'll know what to say, teasing their audience with a taste of the nerdy and irreverent banter that's about to come. There will be no awkwardness, no sweaty palms, no hint of nervousness. They'll slide behind a desk between two soundproof pods — futuristic glass and metal cubicles each containing a PC where professional StarCraft 2 players can compete without noise or visual distractions. "Tastosis," as Plott and Stemkoski are called when they work together — the former's nickname being "Tasteless" and the latter's being "Artosis" — will don their headsets and microphones, flash the crowd a pair of cheeky smiles and launch into a dazzling performance. Stemkoski and Plott are professional StarCraft 2 commentators. Based in Seoul, Korea, they provide commentary — also known as casting — for GOMTV's Global StarCraft 2 League (GSL), a StarCraft broadcasting network that attracts more than 50 million viewers globally. They're flown around the world to cast events together — in this instance it's the World Championship Series Australian finals in Sydney — and they do it for a hefty fee. They were the first English-speaking casters to go to and commentate from Korea, the StarCraft capital of the world. They've been doing this for longer than anyone else. Their commentary is humorous, effortless and turns StarCraft 2 matches into events worth spectating. As casting partners are concerned, Tastosis is unrivaled. Dial-up in New Hampshire Dial-up in New Hampshire Long before the bright lights, dubstep and high-tech gaming pods, there was the sci-fi real-time strategy game, StarCraft. Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski was 14. He skated, he played basketball, he loved competitive strategy games. He competed in chess tournaments, had deck after deck of Magic: The Gathering cards and was willing to give anything a go. Now 29 years old, he laughs at his first memory of StarCraft. "It's actually really funny. I was brought up in southern New Hampshire, which is a place that's basically just Caucasian people. It's the whitest state in the whole country and as ridiculously funny as this is, there was one Korean family in town and I was best friends with that kid and he introduced me to StarCraft," Stemkoski says. "I was over at his house with another friend and he said, 'Look at this awesome new game!' and I just sat there and watched him and my friend play." For his 15th birthday, Stemkoski got his own copy of StarCraft. He played with friends but was more interested in sports. That interest came to an end in September of that year when a trampoline accident led to a broken ankle that required a metal plate and screws to be implanted in his leg. Confined indoors with little to do, he gave StarCraft another shot. "Pretty quickly I got really competitive," he says. "I got better than all my friends in school. Then they all quit and moved onto other stuff but the StarCraft bug had bit me. "I thought it was such an interesting and complex game. No one else played as much as me. I was putting in way more time than any of my friends. With my broken ankle, I wasn't able to go out much, so I sat there, I grinded and I got pretty good pretty quickly. I'd say within a year of breaking my ankle, I knew I could be a tournament player." In his first year playing StarCraft, Stemkoski says he clocked approximately 1,200 hours of game time which, as any serious StarCraft player will say, is nothing to write home about. At his peak, he played 16 hours a day. Most of America used dial-up internet, which meant online matches were slow and every time he wanted to play, he'd have to use his family's phone line, which didn't impress his parents. "They pretty much hated it," he says. "I got my modem taken away a lot. They'd unplug my keyboard or my monitor and hide it in the car and lock it." "My mother was constantly giving me talks and telling me I had to stop playing StarCraft." It was a constant battle where his parents just "didn't get it." They would unplug his modem, but he would have a stack of them under his bed. When his family went to sleep, he'd pull out another modem, plug it in and play StarCraft through the night. He would often play from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., unplugging and hiding his own modems before his family woke up. Exhausted from playing StarCraft at night, Stemkoski slept during school hours. Gym was the first class each day — he would nap through that. His second class was chemistry — he slept through that, too. His grades slipped, but he didn't care. None of his classes were nearly as interesting as StarCraft. He loved its complexity and its depth. He loved that there was so much to learn, so much to know, and he could always find players on Korean servers who could challenge him. Stemkoski's StarCraft training was paying off. He made it to the U.S. finals eight times and represented North America at the World Championships of StarCraft twice, which placed him in the top three StarCraft players in the U.S. He was undoubtedly one of the best players in the country. But no one outside of StarCraft cared. "My mother was constantly giving me talks and telling me I had to stop playing StarCraft, but by this point I was heavily watching the Korean scene and I had decided that I would make a living out of this," he says. In 2002, he graduated from high school despite failing many of his classes. As his classmates filled in college applications, Stemkoski had his eyes set on something else entirely: the StarCraft mecca of the world. Dial-up in Kansas Dial-up in Kansas Southwest of New Hampshire in Kansas City, Kan., a 13-year-old Nick "Tasteless" Plott and his younger brother Sean (who has also since gone on to make a name for himself as a successful StarCraft 2 broadcaster, Day9) walked into their local game shop, pocket money in hand. Everyone was talking about a new game called StarCraft. It was a real-time strategy about aliens and marines and spaceships and, to the two brothers in 1998, it looked amazing. The brothers bought a copy of the game. They took turns playing, one watching over the other's shoulder, shouting commands and telling the other person how they were doing everything wrong. Their internet was slow, and matches were fun but not as competitive as they could have been. Wanting a challenge unhindered by their dial-up connection, the brothers went to a LAN cafe to play. "I remember there was some guy who was about five years older than us who was basically an asshole who beat us and then talked shit," Nick Plott says. "I think that was my initial motivating factor. I wanted to go back there and beat him again, so my brother and I practiced a lot. "We never ended up going back there because the internet came out." Connected to the world at high speeds with access to Korean servers, the brothers realized they'd found a love in competitive StarCraft. Like Stemkoski, they fell in love with the game's depth and challenge. StarCraft wasn't just about twitch reflexes; there was strategy at every level, it overflowed with nuance and no matter how good the brothers got, they could always find someone who could beat them. By the time they were in high school, the Plott brothers were entering StarCraft tournaments and consistently winning. Naturally, school suffered. "I basically took a bunch of computer classes in high school because at the time programming classes were pretty simple, so I knew I could go online and download the programs I was supposed to make using C++ and I'd spend the rest of the class reading about build orders in StarCraft," Plott says. He slept through English. He slept through math classes. "I was excelling in my English class until they told me I couldn't write my papers about StarCraft, and after that I lost interest in English." After graduating high school, Plott moved to Denver for college where he studied philosophy and psychology and received a scholarship for public speaking. His parents enjoyed a sigh of relief — their son was in college. Law school was on the cards. There was talk of a Ph.D. in philosophy. Video games were done. Then StarCraft came calling. The Stone Age The Stone Age StarCraft 2 commentary and eSports casting as we now know it is a relatively new phenomenon. Today there are entire television shows dedicated to broadcasting StarCraft 2 matches and leagues like Major League Gaming, Global StarCraft 2 League and DreamHack that are full-scale productions, complete with professional casters for every game. Anyone with an internet connection can tune in to a stream and watch their favorite casters commentate a match in high definition. People actually have favorite casters. In the days of the original StarCraft, things were different. Derek "Dox" Reball is a manager of the eSports team Nv and has been involved with the StarCraft community for 15 years. He says that commentators were rare before the release of StarCraft 2, and anyone who tried to provide commentary was working against technology. "We didn't have streaming technology, so the way we used to do things was we would record the audio of ourselves watching the replay, then we would attach the replay file and the audio file in a zip and upload that zip to a website," he says. "People could then download it, watch the replay and listen to our voices as they watched it. It was like this old school radio concept. It was really bad, but that was how we did it." That was one way of doing it in during the Stone Age of eSports. Running a tournament was no easy feat, either. Bob Colayco is a public relations manager at Blizzard, the studio behind StarCraft and StarCraft 2. In 1998 he was involved in the Professional Gamers League where StarCraft matches would be played and refereed. At the time there were no replay functions, no observer functions and no way to ensure players weren't cheating short of keeping an eye on both players' screens. "To ensure players weren't cheating," he says, "I would jump in the game with them as a neutral terran [a race in the game] and I would just lift my command center to the corner of the map and from that point I would have them team with me and give me vision. "I would then watch the match, take notes and write a newspaper-style report with screenshots of what happened. That's how eSports was done in 1998." Technology limitations aside, the idea of a "professional commentator" was foreign to eSports. Early tournaments had emcees who tried to whip up excitement, but by most accounts these people had no idea what was going on. StarCraft was and still is widely regarded a complex game that's difficult to follow. Without a knowledgeable commentator, the game was harder to watch than it was to play. StarCraft was yearning for professionals. Korea Korea Nick Plott never stopped playing StarCraft. He may have enrolled in college and received scholarships, but he still played every day, still skipped classes to attend tournaments and was determined to make something of a career from StarCraft. He didn't really know what that career would look like or how he would do it, but the game had such a profound impact on him he could not let it go, even if it meant an uncertain future. "If you look at StarCraft, it's like dubstep," Plott says. "Dubstep is actually a fairly old genre of music. It's popular now, but it's actually about 15 years old. It was popular in underground clubs in London, so to be a dubstep DJ 15 years ago was virtually impossible. Whereas now it's more mainstream and accessible. "So now, if you want to be a professional gamer, it's going to be hard, but you can do it, whereas back then you were basically a starving artist." StarCraft tournament prizes in the U.S. were meager. A player could win tournament after tournament and take home only a few grand at the end of a year. In 2005, he and his brother made it to the final 12 of a tournament. The two were paired together, and Nick Plott lost to his brother. Relegated to the sideline while his brother played, he noticed the emcee on stage had no idea what was going on. "He had no idea how to explain the game. Literally no idea," Plott says. The emcee provided rudimentary descriptions of things happening on the screen. Units exploding. Spaceships exploding. Zergs moving from one side of the screen to another. There was no analysis, no context and nothing remotely entertaining. Frustrated by how little the commentary was doing for anyone, Plott asked if he could go up on stage to co-host. He says it went "better than expected," but the reality is it put him on the StarCraft map in ways his professional gaming hadn't. Here was a confident, articulate speaker with charisma and a sense of humor who not only knew StarCraft like the back of his hand but could talk about it in a way that engaged people on a level no previous emcees were able to do. Off the back of this casting, he was invited to do more. Tournaments in Italy, Germany, Japan and Singapore invited him to cast in English. He wasn't paid to do any of it — professional casting wasn't recognized as a career back then — but the travel was free. In his final semester of college, Korea came calling. StarCraft 2 had just been announced. It would be some years before the game would be released, but Korean broadcasters began investing in casting talent in preparation for the launch. They saw how big StarCraft became despite there being no professional English commentary. They knew StarCraft 2 would be even bigger and, with casters like Plott on board, they would be able to extend their reach even further. "I read the email three to four times to make sure I wasn't crazy or misunderstanding it. Then I told my family." A Korean broadcast, GOMTV, emailed Plott after hearing about him through the grapevine. It made an offer: he would move to Seoul and provide English commentary for the broadcaster's StarCraft tournaments. There were no guarantees of anything — he'd have to find his own place to live, acculturate on his own and there was no promise that this gig would lead to anything else. "I read the email three to four times to make sure I wasn't crazy or misunderstanding it," Plott says. "Then I told my family. There was some concern, but I said, 'Look, I'm going to go. I don't really care if you don't want me to go.' And then I went." Plott dropped out of college and was in Korea a week after receiving the email. He would go on to be the first Western StarCraft caster in South Korea. Back in New Hampshire, Stemkoski kicked off his own StarCraft tournament with a friend. Frustrated by the lack of tournaments in the English-speaking scene, he decided to commentate the matches. Korea was still on his mind. StarCraft had never left his mind. This was something he was doing for the community. "I felt like we deserved something like this and no one was doing it, so I did it," he says. He recorded his low-quality recordings to a PC and uploaded the files online. In 2008, he was contacted by a competing Korean broadcaster. "I thought, 'Oh, my God, this is it, this is my opportunity, I cannot screw this up!'" Stemkoski says. "It was pretty awesome. My family was surprised that I wasn't just bullshitting before." Two days after receiving the email, Stemkoski had a ticket to Korea in his hand. He would go on to be the second Western StarCraft caster in South Korea. The gift of the gab The gift of gab Stemkoski and Plott each made their way to Korea separately, but it would be their coming together that changed the way StarCraft was commentated. Upon arriving in Korea, Plott slept on friends' couches, worked as a caster, learned the Korean language and tried to overcome the culture shock. This wasn't Kansas anymore. Stemkoski found himself living in a small apartment with 15 teenage pro gamers and a colleague from the website he was casting for. He admits he had no idea what was going on, but he went with it. Neither caster made much money when they first started, but they had made it to Korea. Neither was sure what they were doing or where it would take them, but they decided to put their faith in the game. Their passion for StarCraft had, after all, gotten them this far. "We kept going for the same reason any starving artist ends up being a starving artist," Plott says. "You have no interest in other things. This one thing, StarCraft, is what makes you feel alive and happy. I think there's some degree of myopia in the decisions you're making in being a starving artist, but it's just what made me feel alive. It made me feel happy." Individually, both Plott and Stemkoski began making a name for themselves both in and outside of Korea. As the hype surrounding the imminent launch of StarCraft 2 built, so too did interest in their commentary, and the Korean broadcast networks took note. Not only were they the only English-speaking casters set up in Korea at the time, viewers couldn't get enough of them. Within months of moving to Korea, they'd established themselves — individually — as the key commentators within the StarCraft community to listen to. They moved out of the crowded apartments, stopped sleeping on couches and soon began casting together. The two knew each other from their professional gaming days, but now that they were both in Seoul, a friendship blossomed. Both had a burning love for StarCraft and could talk about it endlessly. Their personalities also complemented each other's. Plott was the louder and more outspoken of the two, full of energy and enthusiasm. "He was a lot different than the other StarCraft players," Stemkoski says. "When I first met him, he had dyed hair and face piercings. He struck me as this very sociable, well-spoken guy. It wasn't a surprise that he was approached to go to Korea. If there was going to be a professional commentator in StarCraft, it was obviously going to be him." Stemkoski was the more reserved of the two, but only just. Equally well-spoken and confident, he's the more analytical commentator. An unabashed nerd, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the game. When the two began casting together, their dynamic was magic. "No one has the chemistry that Tastosis has," says Australian StarCraft 2 caster Leigh "Maynarde" Mandalov. "They're the best not because of when they started — they're so good together that even if they came later they would still be the best. "They've been friends for more than a decade. They have a rapport with each other that no other casting duo has." The two have not only mastered the art of casting individually; they can effortlessly cast with each other. They know when to speak and when to let the other person speak. They've figured out when to provide analysis, when to provide background and when to make a stupid joke. Watching them cast a match is a seamless experience. Like Olympic relay sprinters passing the baton to each other, they know when to pass the commentary over to the other person. "We don't even have to speak," Stemkoski says. "We can give each other a glance or do one quick little hand signal and we know exactly what the other person is thinking and what's going on and how to deal with it." Upkeep Upkeep Stemkoski and Plott are currently the most well-known StarCraft 2 casting duo in the world. They commentate from their own studio in Seoul and broadcast to millions of viewers around the world. On top of their salaries, they have sponsorships and charge fees to cast at international events. But in order to stay at the top of their game, there is upkeep. Stemkoski spends more time on StarCraft 2 than most professional gamers. He has StarCraft 2 matches streaming on his television and computer at home all day long. He keeps up to date with every tournament happening around the world. Before going to bed, he'll watch StarCraft 2 matches on his iPad or laptop. On an average day, he'll spend six to eight hours watching and playing StarCraft 2. He is married to a very understanding woman. Plott's upkeep is less StarCraft-intensive. He spends his days watching broadcasts from all sports, even those he has no interest in. He'll watch and analyze how dart commentators navigate a game of darts. He'll observe football and swimming commentators and watch news broadcasts. He also keeps up with the StarCraft 2 scene and ensures he knows who all the players are, how they play and how they're evolving. Dustin Browder is the game director of StarCraft 2 at Blizzard. He watches Tastosis every morning and says they are some of his favorite casters. "I think they have such great knowledge of the game," he says. "They're really good at building up the drama that goes on in the game, they understand the stakes in any given battle; they understand the stakes in any given moment." Browder describes StarCraft 2 as an intellectual game about strategy, so it's important to know what's in the player's head. In a game like Call of Duty, he says a viewer can see if a player is going after an opponent and if they're doing well. In a game like StarCraft, the actions of a player are not always clear. A good caster can identify what players are doing, what players are planning to do and how the entire match will pan out based on these actions. Part of Tastosis' upkeep is knowing who all the players are, what strategies they use, what players are thinking, what players are worried about and the history between players. When Tastosis casts a match, it's not a matter of Zerg versus Protoss or Marines versus Zerg, it's NesTea versus MvP along with their history. "They have an encyclopedia-like knowledge of the players, and that brings a ton to the table. You're not just experiencing the game that's happening in front of you." "They have an encyclopedia-like knowledge of the players, and that brings a ton to the table," Browder says. "You're not just experiencing the game that's happening in front of you. You're also getting a glimpse into the many games that have gone before to give a sense of what is the epic struggle between these two players over the last six months, let alone what's happening on screen today. "If you want to see what it's like without commentary — unless you speak Korean — go watch it in Korean now," says Browder. A live audience and Korean casters might tell a viewer when something is happening and whether it's worth getting excited about. But to the non-Korean speaker who doesn't have an encyclopedic knowledge of the game, it doesn't tell viewers what is happening and why it matters. There's no story, no drama. As Browder says, to the average viewer, it's unwatchable. Plott sees his role as a translator, contextualizing what's happening on-screen for viewers and putting it into a story so viewers can feel like they're part of the action. "We're like C-3PO from Star Wars," he says. "We can speak the language and talk to the Ewoks. We're taking what looks like a bunch of spaceships blowing up and saying, 'Look, there's something really cool going on here. He's trying to trick him and then he's gonna react like this, and if that happens the game will end like this.' "That's what we're able to do. We're like the gateway to getting people into StarCraft." Starving no more Starving no more It's hard for the StarCraft 2 community to imagine the game without Tastosis, and even harder to imagine it without English commentary. And for Tastosis, it's hard for them to imagine their own lives without StarCraft. "It's changed everything in my life," Stemkoski says. "I have a career that I absolutely love, I'm [at] the top of the field, I'm building a new industry, I get to travel around the world, I've met new friends everywhere ... it's hard to overstate what StarCraft and casting StarCraft has done for me." Drenched under blue and purple lights in front of a live audience in Sydney, the duo climb the stage and take their seats between the pods that house Australia's best StarCraft players. Somewhere within the two casters are remnants of the teenage boys who hid modems under their beds, slept through gym class and tirelessly tried to convince their parents that there was a future in this computer game from 1998. Today they don their headsets, smile at their audience and put on a show for those who love the game as much as they do. Starving artists no more.
Within minutes of last Wednesday’s historic yes vote for marriage equality, the narrative was about western Sydney. Twelve electorates there recorded a majority no vote. Some, like Greenway, did so by a bare 53%, but others like Blaxland, held by Labor’s Jason Clare, hit 75% – the highest in the country. The finger was quickly pointed at the multicultural community, with these electorates having a higher-than-average, but by no means astronomical, proportion of residents from non-English speaking backgrounds. The link between migrants and the no vote – which is fairly flimsy mathematically – has been handled as though it were gospel truth. The result has been pitched as some kind of crisis in progressive politics: a brewing clash between racial tolerance and LGBTI rights, where only one can win. Same-sex marriage survey: religious belief matched no vote most closely Read more But this analysis ignores a pretty fundamental thing about statistics and about people. They change. Poll western Sydney again in six months and opposition will be down. Poll Australia once it has lived under legalised marriage equality and opposition will be down. I’ll bet my bottom dollar. The no campaign spoke the language of hypotheticals and nightmares. They targeted migrant communities and said same-sex unions would ruin existing marriages. That small business owners would be prosecuted by litigious gay couples demanding cakes. That you simply could not know what would happen. Once people realise same-sex marriage hasn’t ruined their lives, once they see the joy it brings to friends and family with no detriment to others, opposition will naturally drop. I don’t expect a backlash, I expect acceptance. This isn’t blue-sky, optimistic thinking – it’s a process that happens to any law or policy. We seem to have forgotten how opinion polls work. If you survey the nation in November about an unenacted law, then ask again once people have lived under it, minds will have changed. Across Australia – among the multicultural communities, the religious, and those who voted no but had the good fortune to be Anglo-Saxon or middle-class enough to not be immediately made the talking point – acceptance of marriage equality will come sooner than we think. The idea that these 12 electorates were the sole stronghold of the no vote is obviously artificial, and just bad maths. The opposition to marriage equality was high on the government benches. The opposition among One Nation candidates is well above the 75% in Blaxland. So why are we picking on the multicultural community? Statistics show that the factor most correlated with voting no was religion, not overseas birth. People have conveniently ignored that some of Australia’s most multicultural electorates, such as Wills in Victoria, Moreton in Brisbane, and Sydney’s Grayndler, Kingsford Smith and Bradfield all registered yes votes over 60%. It’s also demographically wrong to treat western Sydney as though it is purely non-white. Put bluntly, Anglo-Australians voted no too. The Anglican church gave the no campaign $1m. Homophobia in migrant communities is of course an important, worthwhile and entrenched issue – but it is much too complex for this blunt instrument of a survey. A discussion should be had, but not one based on a six-week poll pushed through the post and buffeted by a campaign of deliberate uncertainty. Some say the yes campaign should have worked harder in western Sydney. That may be true, but it shouldn’t be seen as some great moral failing, nor should it affect the legitimacy of the yes win. When Malcolm Turnbull won the 2016 election on a one-seat majority, no one pointed to the 74 electorates that registered a majority no vote against him. But if yes were a political party, it would have won 133 seats out of 150. There are millions and millions of multicultural Australians who voted yes – my queer friends, myself, my mum, my grandmother. As same-sex marriage gets a leg up, expect some right-wing games \| Katharine Murphy Read more It speaks of an insane double standard we push onto marginalised communities – not only do they have to win, they have to win a majority in every seat and in every mind. It’s not enough that the multicultural community voted, with the rest of Australia, overwhelmingly for marriage equality, if a few supposedly “ethnic” electorates did not. Those who push this multiculturalism against LGBTI rights angle are creating an exaggerated conflict between tolerances and are rarely on the side of either. Ethnic Australians are not a static, unthinking monolith. They are humans who listen to their children and grandchildren. Who can recognise joy and love when they see it. Who can change their minds. Some won’t – but that happens everywhere, not just in western Sydney. Opinion polls and elections divide communities. It’s what they are designed to do. But the one constant across history is that tolerance is a fairly universal language –maybe the message got lost this time, or maybe the case wasn’t made properly. Maybe it wasn’t listened to. But it will be.
ADVERTISEMENT The Democratic Party just can't quit the upper middle class. As Thomas Frank writes, it has become in large part a party by and for comfortable white-collar professionals, seasoned with just a little bit of heavily means-tested welfare programs so as to assuage liberal guilt. Thus, former Hillary Clinton adviser Jesse Ferguson writes at Politico, Democrats should pursue Romney voters — that is, comfortable suburban professionals, mostly white, who are supposedly appalled by President Trump's antics — to win elections in the future. This is a crock. Democrats don't need to abandon the upper middle class, but they must start aiming their politics squarely at the working class. Fortunately, all but the very rich would benefit — but to get there, Democrats must ditch the upper middle class' shibboleths. First and most importantly, a strong egalitarian agenda is an urgent moral necessity. The last several decades of neoliberal deregulation and austerity have been, in retrospect, a huge disaster. The United States has shamefully high poverty, large racial and gender inequality, a huge monopoly problem, virtually no parenthood assistance, and wretchedly low-quality infrastructure. A comprehensive policy agenda to tackle these problems is decades overdue. It's long since time we broke up monopolist businesses, attacked social inequalities, invested in reasonably priced infrastructure, and completed the welfare state, so it provides health care, education through college, a basic standard of living, and paid leave to all. What that means, first and foremost, is a massive increase in taxes and spending. But what does the upper middle class hate when it comes to budget policy? You guessed it. The upper class is made up of mostly natural austerians who are entranced by the boneheaded analogy between a sovereign government's finances and a household bank account and prize pointless deficit reduction above jobs. In Ferguson's words, they're "fiscally responsible." Pitching one's campaign at anxious white suburbanites with catastrophically mistaken notions about government financing rules out actually fixing most of the crises facing the country. It means running on fiddly little tax credits and pointlessly means-tested small-bore programs, just like Hillary Clinton did. A real working-class program would be more politically popular than complicated, means-tested programs like ObamaCare. Now, one should not overthink such things. In an age when polls are notoriously unreliable and opinion is shifting rapidly, politicians and advocates would be wise to simply advocate for a strong, defensible agenda rather than try to stay ahead of the opinion curve and "play it safe." Indeed, in such uncertain times people may be attracted to confident leadership as such — witness Jeremy Corbyn, whose Labour Party has closed almost all of a 24-point polling gap in the U.K. in just a few weeks through a bold anti-austerity manifesto and a barnstorming campaign. Nevertheless, one can't avoid at least some tactical considerations. The bizarre thing about arguments like Ferguson's is that Clinton just ran exactly the sort of campaign he is advocating for, and lost. It's true that the election was close, and shifting a few tens of thousands of votes in a few key states would have tipped it to her. Without the Comey letter, she might plausibly be president today. But then again, the fact that it was close at all against literally the most unpopular opponent in the history of presidential polling does not bode well for the fundamental appeal of this sort of politics. It should have been a 10-point blowout against a candidate as horrendous as Trump, but instead it was a nail-biter, in part because working-class people of all races and young people were so unenthusiastic about her candidacy and her message. As famed Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg argues, Democrats have a working-class problem — of all races, not just whites. This brings me back to the upper middle class. While Bernie Sanders did run on a program of higher taxes and soaking the rich, as Tom Edsall notes, he would also distribute benefits to everyone, both to simplify administration and to solidify their political support. So while the upper middle class would be paying much more in taxes, they'd also be receiving huge benefits — particularly in the form of zeroed out health insurance premiums. Given how bad inequality is, only the top 5-10 percent would be net losers in terms of take-home money, and even they would still have the psychological benefit of having guaranteed health insurance, paid leave, and so on, no matter what bad luck they run into. I believe this would be a gigantic relief even for comfortable suburbanites with good jobs. But to get there, the Democrats must return to their working-class roots.
Indonesia challenged to admit existence of mass graves from anti-communist purges Updated Survivors of the 1965 anti-communist massacres in Indonesia say it is time for their government to acknowledge the existence of the mass graves across the archipelago. Key points: Locals outside Semarang cast off taboo about speaking of the 1965 killings One former 1965 prisoner says he was due to be killed in the Semarang forest Youngest survivors and witnesses to killings are now in their 70s and 80s President Joko Widodo wants an inquiry into the location of the mass graves, but the man he has put in charge of the investigation — cabinet minister Luhut Panjaitan — has expressed scepticism about the massacres and asked the media to show him where the nation's mass graves are. No one has ever been charged over the massacre of more than half a million people in 1965 which was sparked by a failed coup attempt that led to the deaths of six senior army generals. The ABC visited two sites in Central Java and spoke to those who remembered what happened there. Outside the town of Semarang, locals have cast off the taboo about speaking of the killings. They have even erected a monument to the prisoners who were brought here from a local jail and then murdered. "The communists came wearing blindfolds, and their hands tied to one another," local Sukar said. "I heard the rifle shots between midnight and 1:00am." The next morning, when the soldiers had left, the village head asked him and several others to help clean up the site. "We found two holes filled with bodies covered by thin soil. Their body parts were uncovered. I collected them and buried them," he said. 'They are innocent people' One of the victims was Sachroni, a member of the local farmers' group. Five decades on, his now 80-year-old nephew, Muchran, goes to the mass grave to pray for those killed there. "I pray, so the rest of us who are still alive, will have their blessings. We expect their spirit to wake up," he said. "I want this grave to be taken care of. Don't abandon them — for humanity's sake. They are innocent people." Mr Widodo has said he wants an inquiry into 1965, but the subject remains taboo in Indonesia. Books and films on the subject are banned in Indonesia, and the Government does not accept that the killings were officially sanctioned — even though many prisoners were brought directly from jail to the killing grounds. One former 1965 prisoner, Eko Sutikno, said he was due to be killed in the Semarang forest. "There were four people with a similar name to mine, 'Tikno', and that night, when they called out my name, someone stood up for me answering 'that's me sir'," Mr Sutikno said. "He realised that once your name is called you will never return, but after the suffering and torture, he considered it better to die than continue to live." Near the town of Pati, a villager called Radimin was imprisoned and then brought to a forest where holes had been dug. He thought he was about to be killed. "I was to say goodbye to my wife, my mother and a relative of mine before I go. They were all crying — they thought it was my last goodbye." 'I am the only witness left now' The killers dug more holes than they needed and in the Pati forest, the excavations are clearly seen. Radimin showed them to the ABC and recalled what he saw 50 years ago. "Each person was held [with] two men holding their shirts by the shoulder, up to the edge of the hole," Radimin said. "They threw the men into the hole, while another guard pushed the men's waist. "Then once they were in the hole they shot them. One man stayed alive, even after they shot him in the head. They shot him more, then buried him with soil — that's how he died." The murderers wore the yellow uniform of a local militia called Garuda Pancasila Youth. Radimin said he was still not sure what his offence was — he suspects it was because he had disobeyed an order from the son of an important local figure to work in his rice paddy. The youngest survivors and witnesses to the killings are now in their 70s and 80s. Time is running out for the Government to collect their evidence. "It was only me and Mr Sarimin who helped bury them," Sukar from Semarang said. "But Sarimin died a long time ago, I am the only witness left now." Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, law-crime-and-justice, government-and-politics, indonesia First posted
Donald Trump’s New York State campaign co-chairman insisted in an interview with the Observer on Thursday that President Barack Obama is a Muslim—and pointed to his handling of matters in the Middle East as evidence. Speaking over the phone for an unrelated story, Carl Paladino—the 2010 GOP candidate for governor of New York—abruptly changed subjects and assailed the sitting president and his policies. The Buffalo-based real estate developer and Tea Party activist maintained that Obama, a practicing Christian, has sought to mislead the public about his religious affiliation, but that the citizenry has not fallen for his falsehoods. “In the mind of the average American, there is no doubt he is a Muslim,” Paladino said. “He is not a Christian.” By way of proof, Paladino seemed to argue Obama has taken a pro-Muslim approach in conducting American affairs abroad. “Look at what he’s done with Iran, what he’s done with the Sunni-Shia thing over in Iraq and Iran, and with ISIS,” the Republican said. Conspiracy theories about the president’s supposed secret Islamic faith have circulated since he first ran for the White House in 2008. Such unsubstantiated assertions often highlight that his father was born into a Muslim family in Kenya, and that Obama received some instruction in the religion at the Indonesian public school he attended as a child. But they do not account for why Obama for 20 years attended Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, where the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright served as pastor, or why he has since worshiped at several churches in Washington, D.C. Contrary to Paladino’s claims, the average American does not seem have some doubts that the president is a Muslim: polls indicate only 18 to 29 percent of the populace identify him as an adherent of the world’s second-largest religion. But surveys suggest a full two-thirds of Trump supporters believe the president has hidden his true allegiances to the Quran and the holy city of Mecca. Italian-born underwear model Anthony Sabato Jr. also claimed the president was “absolutely” a Muslim shortly after his address to the GOP convention in Cleveland last month. Prior to launching his presidential bid last year, Trump himself trafficked in related false claims that Obama was born outside the United States and is thus Constitutionally ineligible to serve as its commander-in-chief. Just yesterday, his former campaign manager and current CNN contributor Corey Lewandowski re-upped that conspiracy theory, saying that Obama’s Harvard transcripts, which he has not released, might have revealed whether he was admitted to the school as a citizen. Obama has released his so-called “long form” birth certificate. Trump, meanwhile, has also drawn controversy for refusing to release certain documents—his tax returns. This is far from Paladino’s first brush with controversy. During his 2010 run for governor, he came under fire for comments he made about the attire at gay pride parades, and for a series of emails he had allegedly sent to friends and associates over the years—emails that included pictures of nude women, videos of horses copulating with humans and material that seemed to compare African-Americans to chimpanzees. This is also not the first time Paladino has speculated about the president’s personal theology, as he suggested on the 2010 campaign trail that Obama “worships himself.” Paladino ultimately drew only a third of the vote against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but he has since expressed interest in running for the highest office in the state again. More recently, he attracted attention for comparing the president to a “raccoon in the basement” at a Trump rally. Disclosure: Donald Trump is the father-in-law of Jared Kushner, the publisher of Observer Media.
Giving something back to hard-working open source developers is a good thing. Valve has decided to say thanks to the men and women behind Debian by gifting them every game they’ve ever made. They’ll also get free copies of any new games that Valve releases in the future. It’s a very cool way for Gabe Newell and Valve to show their appreciation for Debian — the operating system that Valve forked to build Steam OS. Hundreds of digital download gift baskets will be handed out to the Debian developers. All they’ve got to do is fire off a digitally-signed email and wait for a redemption code to arrive. After that, it’s game on… From Half-Life to Counter-Strike, from DOTA 2 to Left4Dead 2. Valve’s got more than two dozen games published on Steam. And best of all, nearly every one of those titles already runs on Linux — so the Debian devs will be able to enjoy them without having to boot up a Windows PC. This probably won’t be the last present the Debian team receives, either. Open source consulting firm Collabora — who’s helping Valve smooth out the rough edges on Steam OS — says that they’re discussing other ways that they can give back to the community. Steam OS wouldn’t be possible without the years of hard work Debian devs have put in to building a rock-solid Linux distro. It’s pretty clear that Gabe Newell and his Steam OS collaborators will make sure that those who contribute to the project are made to feel appreciated.
Remember that housing crash that was supposed to happen? Probably, because you first started hearing about it as early as half a decade ago and as recently as last sentence ago. One look at the salary you need to buy a house in Canada’s major cities, though, would suggest things are moving in the very opposite direction of crash. That trend translates to the price of rent as well, where the cost of having someone else’s roof over your head continues to rise at a torrid pace. Rentseeker.ca, the largest online tool for apartment searching, recently analyzed the numbers from coast to coast to create a series of infographics that show the average price of rent in in Canada’s urban centres. Unsurprisingly, the Greater Toronto Area is not a place for the thrifty – Burlington and Oakville are the country’s most expensive cities to rent a one bedroom apartment in, followed by Calgary. Toronto and Mississauga round out the top five. Check out the full breakdown below: [ad_bb1]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Physician-assisted suicide would be legal for terminally ill patients in California under a bill passed on Wednesday by a committee of the state Senate. The bill, passed by the Senate Health Committee, would allow patients who are mentally competent and have fewer than six months to live to obtain prescriptions for medication to end their lives. “This end-of-life decision should remain with the individual, as a matter of personal freedom and liberty without criminalize those who help to honor our wishes,” said state Senator Lois Wolk, a Democrat representing suburbs east of San Francisco and the state’s wine country and one of the bill’s authors. The California bill is moving through the legislature at a time when the issue of assisted suicide has sparked public attention following the death of brain cancer patient Brittany Maynard last fall. Maynard, who was diagnosed with brain cancer at 29, moved from California to Oregon, where physician assisted suicide is legal, dying there because California forbids the practice. Before she died, Maynard recorded testimony in favor of passing such a law in California, which was played for the committee on Wednesday. “I am heartbroken that I had to leave behind my home, my community, and my friends in California, but I am dying and I refuse to lose my dignity,” Maynard said. “I refuse to subject myself and my family to purposeless, prolonged pain and suffering at the hands of an incurable disease.” The bill is opposed by disability rights activists, who fear it would lead to the deaths of vulnerable people at the hands of unscrupulous relatives or caregivers. They also fear insurance companies will push assisted suicide for those whose care is expensive. “I’ve been given a terminal diagnosis at least four times,” said Laurie Hoirup, 59, who uses a wheelchair. “Had I opted for this I would not be alive today.” Several religious groups also oppose the bill. If it passes, California would become one of a handful of U.S. states that allow assisted suicide, including Oregon and Washington. Last month, the Supreme Court of Canada cleared the way for physician-assisted suicide there. Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland are among countries that allow it. The California bill won the five votes needed to pass the Health Committee, but members did not declare a final tally as absent senators planned to weigh in later on Wednesday.
Canadians excited about Trudeau win, less so about key campaign promises on refugees, TFSAs, pot Opinions over what Trudeau should tackle first depend on where Canadians live, how they voted November 2, 2015 – As Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau puts the final touches on a soon-to-be-revealed cabinet, Canadians are expressing confidence in his ability to lead – but are far less enthusiastic about some specific policy changes on which the Liberal Party leader campaigned. Data from the latest public opinion survey from the Angus Reid Institute show that while the majority of Canadians believe he is up to the task and has done a good job of articulating his plans for the future, they are more ambivalent about certain aspects of a Trudeau future. Key Findings: Among the areas Canadians would like to see the incoming Trudeau government tackle first – the economy and economic-related issues take priority While there is majority support (83%) for tax cuts for middle income earners, the same cannot be said for a promised rollback of TFSA contribution limits More Canadians oppose than support the Liberal promise to re-settle 25,000 Syrian refugees in this country by the end of the year; a promise, that for logistical reasons, is already likely to be modified The Election outcome: no “morning after” regrets: Asked how they felt about the outcome of the election, more than half (57%) say they’re “pleased” with how things turned out. This sentiment is unsurprisingly most pronounced in BC (60%), Quebec (62%) and Atlantic Canada (70%). What’s also notable about the result is that although they didn’t choose Liberal candidates on election night, a strong majority (71%) of those who voted NDP are nonetheless happy with the result. As has been canvassed in past ARI analyses, this finding speaks to a true motivation for change in government that eventually led many NDP supporters to vote Liberal on Oct. 19, trumping much of the disappointment that might be felt over the party’s third-place finish. The same cannot be said for Conservative voters however, as seen in the graph below: Government priorities? Canadians’ agenda for the new government closely reflects the issues they identified as most important during the campaign. As it did in every poll ARI conducted during the campaign, “the economy” leads the way, with more than a third of Canadians (34%) choosing it as one of the two priorities Justin Trudeau should focus on first. Other economic issues – such as “jobs/unemployment” (25%), “cost of living” (20%), and “taxes” (16%) – also register high on the list. The Trudeau Agenda: Given the predominance of economic issues in the minds of the electorate, it should perhaps come as no surprise that the two most popular Trudeau campaign promises are economic in nature. Signature elements of Trudeau’s tax policy – reducing the income tax rate for the middle class and increasing it for people who earn more than $200,000 per year – enjoy the support of the vast majority of Canadians, but not all of the Liberal leader’s economic promises are well-liked. Summary tables for some key Trudeau campaign promises canvassed in this survey follow. For full results, including responses regarding support and opposition to all promises – see the comprehensive tables here. More than four-in-five (83%) support cutting the income tax rate for middle income earners, and endorsement for this measure proposal is notably non-partisan. It reaches 80 per cent or higher among those who voted for each of the three major political parties Oct. 19. Similarly, three-quarters (76%) of Canadians support Trudeau’s plan to create a new tax bracket – with a 33 per cent tax rate – for those earning $200,000 or more. As with the middle class tax promise, nearly half of Canadians (49%) say they support it strongly, and majorities of each major party’s voters support it. On this measure, however, the CPC majority is considerably narrower (56% support, compared to 87% of Liberals and 83% of New Democrats). Not all of Trudeau’s economic promises enjoy support. Indeed, Canadians are now divided about the prospect of running $10 billion deficits for three years in order to invest $125 billion in infrastructure projects. These findings are notably different from what ARI found when we asked a more abstract question about deficits and balanced budgets during the campaign. Asked to choose between the opposing statements “the federal government should spend more in the next year on jobs and growth, even if it means deficits in the short term” and “the federal government should balance the budget in the next year, even if it means raising taxes or cutting programs,” nearly three-quarters (73%) of Canadians opted for the former. The comparatively tepid support for Trudeau’s deficit plan may be a result of its concrete nature. Support is even lower for another of Trudeau’s signature economic policies: rolling back the Conservative government’s increase to the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) contribution limit. As might be expected, nearly three-quarters of Conservative voters (75%) are opposed to this change. Liberals and New Democrats are more favourable toward the proposal, but not drastically so. Half (51%) of LPC and 38 per cent of NDP voters support rolling back the limit. Support for this promise ranges from a low of 50 per cent in Alberta to a high of 68 per cent in Quebec, where a carbon cap-and-trade program is already in place. The fact that at least half of the residents of each province supports such a meeting is notable. In April, an ARI poll found that three-quarters of Canadians (75%) supported a national cap-and-trade system, and 56 per cent supported a national carbon tax. Though past ARI polls have shown strong support for Bill C-51 – they have also expressed a strong desire to see amendments that would provide more police oversight to this anti-terrorism law. In this instance we find Canadians support Trudeau’s proposal to modify the legislation more than two-to-one over those who oppose it. This promise also yields a higher level of uncertainty than many of the others canvassed in this survey. Support for ending Canada’s combat role in the mission against ISIS is strongest in Quebec, where 60 per cent support Trudeau’s promise to do so. Support is weakest in Saskatchewan (40%) and Alberta (40%). Political polarization is apparent in responses to this question, as well, with CPC voters vehemently opposed (70% opposed, 23% in favour) and Liberal and NDP voters holding the opposite view. Trudeau’s campaign promise to legalize marijuana receives support from a slim majority of Canadians, but it’s especially popular in British Columbia, where 63 per cent support it. By contrast, roughly half as many next door in Alberta say the same (37%). The Liberal refugee resettlement plan is the second most-opposed idea covered in this survey (the most opposed is a promise to spend $380 million for the arts). Indeed, a plurality (34%) is “strongly opposed” to Trudeau’s Syrian resettlement plan. Driving the opposition is the committed opposition of Conservative voters – 78 per cent of whom oppose the plan – and the lukewarm support of Liberal and NDP voters, who support the plan by narrow majorities of 55 and 53 per cent, respectively. The level of support for such an inquiry is consistent with previous ARI studies conducted in September 2014 and in June 2015, which found 73 per cent and 80 per cent support, respectively. Support for this Trudeau proposal is weakest in Manitoba, where fewer than half (45%) say they favour an inquiry. Saskatchewan (55%) and Alberta (57%) also register lower rates of support for this proposal. Conclusion: Canadians say Trudeau is, indeed, ready So it’s clear not every policy plank (if indeed the incoming Liberal government actually acts on all of them) will be embraced as enthusiastically as others; Canadians have lingering doubts about some key platform items. But if the results of the 42nd general election weren’t enough to demonstrate that the “Just Not Ready” CPC ad – one that turned into an earworm during the epic 11-week campaign – utterly failed to persuade Canadians, then consider the data from this Angus Reid Institute survey as Canadians were asked about Trudeau’s readiness: Here again, we see near-inverse attitudes separating CPC and non-CPC voters. But the majority view is that Trudeau – and his team – have the seasoning to take on the next four years of government. That said, the proverbial jury is out on whether Canadians think Trudeau will ultimately be a successful prime minister. The most prevalent view, expressed by 45 per cent of respondents is that it’s just “too soon to tell”. While many withhold opinion, it is worth noting that people in this country begin with high hopes for the prime minister-designate, saying they think he’ll be successful three-to-one (38% vs 13%) over those who don’t. Click here for the full report including tables and methodology Click here for the questionnaire used in this survey MEDIA CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Senior Vice President: 604.908.1693 shachi.kurl@angusreid.org Image Credit – Canada.2020
A Flushing woman allegedly kept two Korean children in her house as slaves for six years, forcing them to do housework, give her massages, and work until 2 a.m. each night before going to sleep on the floor, the Queens District Attorney said today. According to DA Richard Brown, the two victims, then a 10-year-old female and her 8-year-old brother, came to New York from South Korea in 2010 and were to be hosted by Sook Yeong Park, 42. When they arrived at her house, she allegedly confiscated their passports and promptly moved to a new house in Flushing, cutting off all contact between the children and their parents and putting them to work. Park has been charged with labor trafficking, third-degree assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors say the female victim initially worked for ten hours every day after school, cleaning the house and giving Park back massages, foot massages, and mani-pedis; at one point, it's alleged that she had to perform a five-hour massage while Park watched TV. Once the female victim turned 14, the minimum age to work in New York, Park made her start working at a nearby grocery store for at least two days a week, making $10 an hour — all of which went to her captor, the indictment alleges. Prosecutors say that when the male victim turned 14 in August of 2015, he, too, went to work. Park reportedly told them that their parents in Korea were not sending her any money, and so their earnings were compensation for her looking after them. Over the six years the siblings were in Park's captivity, they were regularly subject to physical abuse, according to the DA's report: Park routinely beat them by striking them with objects, slapping them, stepping on their legs and kicking them about the body for not obeying her orders, causing them to fear her.... In November 2015, Park allegedly scratched the female victim about the legs with a nail clipper, causing scratches and substantial pain, because the manicure and pedicure that the victim was giving her were not up to her standards. Two months later, on January 4, 2016, Park alleged became angry with the female victim and began kicking her on her leg, causing swelling and substantial pain, and the following day, Park became angry with her and cut off her hair and kicked her in the head, causing swelling and substantial pain. The alleged enslavement came to light over the the past week, when the siblings, now 16 and 14, reported the abuse to their school. The assistant principal, who had noticed bruising on the female victim's legs, went to Park's house and demanded that she give him their passports; he also accompanied the siblings to the grocery store where they worked so that they could collect their earnings. School officials notified the police, and Park was arraigned on January 9th. She's being held on a $10,000 bond/$2,500 cash bail and will appear in court again on February 16th. According to the DA's report, last week was the first time the female victim spoke to her mother in Korea since 2013.
Subject Enrollment Between October 2013 and March 2015, 379 subjects were enrolled from emergency departments (EDs) and inpatient and outpatient centers into a three‐site, internal review board‐approved prospective clinical trial. One hundred twenty‐six subjects were enrolled at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), a 600‐bed urban level 1 academic medical center. One hundred twenty‐eight subjects were enrolled at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UC), a 498‐bed urban academic medical center. One hundred twenty‐five subjects were enrolled at Princeton Community Hospital (PCH), a 267‐bed Appalachian community hospital in southern West Virginia. The inclusion and exclusion criteria classified subjects into one of three groups: suicidal, mentally ill, or control. Multi‐gated inclusion criteria were used. For the first gate, all patients were reviewed using the electronic status board for a complaint of suicide, suicidal ideation, or psychiatric evaluation. For patients with mental illness and for control subjects, any complaint was accepted except those related to suicide. For those who passed the first gate, a second review of their electronic medical record (EMR) was conducted before they were approached for enrollment. Suicidal subjects were approached if they had come to the EDs or psychiatric units because of suicidal ideation or attempts within the previous 24 hours. Patients with mental illness were enrolled from the ED and outpatient mental health clinics if they had a definitive mental illness diagnosis but had not had prior suicidal attempts, active thoughts of suicide, or plans to die by suicide within the previous year as reported by the patient and EMR. Control subjects were patients who came to the ED with no history of mental health diagnoses or suicidal ideation, as reported by the patient and EMR (Figure 1). Figure 1 Open in figure viewerPowerPoint Receiver operator curve (ROC): suicide versus control (upper), suicide versus mentally ill (middle), and suicide versus mentally ill with control. The ROC curves for adolescents (blue), adults (red), and all subjects (black) generated where the nonsuicidal population is controls (top), mentally ill (middle), and mentally ill and controls, using linguistic and acoustic features. The gray line is the AROC curve for a baseline (random) classifier. Potential subjects were excluded if their native language was not English, if they had any serious medical injury or mental retardation that could prohibit consent, if they would be unavailable for a follow‐up interview, or if they could not comply with study procedures. Participation incentives were site‐specific. CCHMC and UC subjects were paid $50 for the initial interview and $25 for the follow‐up. PCH subjects were paid $25 for the initial interview and $25 for the follow‐up interview.
Buy Photo GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump addresses the crowd Wednesday night at the Waukesha County Expo Center. (Photo: Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)Buy Photo Waukesha — When it comes to campaigning in Wisconsin, Donald Trump is following the advice of former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. Speaking to more than 1,000 supporters gathered Wednesday night at the Waukesha County Expo Center, Trump said that Thompson told him during a previous visit, "Don, I really like you. Get the hell out of here.… You’re not going to win this state.... But if anything changes, I’ll call you." Two weeks ago, Trump said he received a call from Thompson, who said that with the polls tightening, "Don, time to come back." "And I’m back and we’re going to win Wisconsin," Trump said. "We’re going to win Wisconsin." With just under six weeks left in the campaign, Trump came to Wisconsin's Republican heartland with a mission to shore up his base and take the attack to Democrat Hillary Clinton. During a 42-minute speech, Trump excoriated Clinton over her private email server as secretary of state, called her the "most incompetent of all," and said she lacked "the character and judgment to hold public office." "The American people have had it with years and decades of Clinton scandals and their total corruption," Trump said. "This year will be the year when Americans say, 'Enough is enough.' " Using a refrain of "follow the money," Trump sought to tie Clinton to Wall Street investors, wealthy donors and special interests "who want open borders for cheap labor." Trump called Clinton a "globalist" who had "failed at everything" from foreign policy to bringing jobs to upstate New York when she was a U.S. senator. As he did in a previous appearance in West Bend, he made a pitch for African-American votes. He said Clinton had failed the inner city and predicted African-American communities would not vote for her because "they're too smart and they know they're being used." "People in Milwaukee are going to love Donald Trump," he said. "We’re going to have safety... we’re going to save thousands of lives." The crowd roared with approval. “Donald Trump was very energized," said Joe Weber, a Sussex voter attending his first Trump rally. "I think he spoke the truth. I think he addressed every point that the American people are really concerned about. I think Trump’s going to take it.” That's clearly Trump's plan. Live stream replay: Reporter Meg Jones talks with Trump supporters before the Waukesha rally. At one point in the speech, he said: “If we don’t win, it will be one of the great wastes of time, energy and money — certainly in my life, that I can tell you.” Trump needs to do well in Waukesha County. He lost the ultra-Republican area and its neighboring counties by roughly 40 points in Wisconsin’s April GOP primary, and since then the region has been slower than many other Republican areas to coalesce behind him as the nominee. In polling in recent months by Marquette University Law School, Trump has been running under 50% in Waukesha, a county where the Republican vote in big elections runs in the high 60s and low 70s. In four surveys since July, Trump is leading Clinton in the county 41% to 27%, followed by Libertarian Gary Johnson at 10% (based on a combined sample of 215 registered voters in Waukesha County). Thompson implored Republicans to get out the vote in Waukesha and said: "Some Republicans, it's time to get on the train. The Trump Train is moving." NEWSLETTERS Get the NewsWatch Delivered newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Todays top news delivered to your inbox Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-844-900-7103. Delivery: Mon - Fri Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for NewsWatch Delivered Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. drew cheers and told the crowd: "I see a base that can’t wait to kick the door down and can’t wait to cast a vote for Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States." Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Clarke was one of his "heroes" and added, "If I was still mayor of New York, I'd steal him away to be police commissioner." Live stream replay: Reporter Meg Jones talks with protesters before the Trump rally in Waukesha. Giuliani took on the role of "attack dog" as he ripped into Clinton for what he claimed were her scandals. He told the crowd that Clinton failed her bar exam to practice law in Washington, D.C., on her first try. Due to a scheduling conflict, Gov. Scott Walker wasn't at the rally. But Walker did continue debate prep this week in Madison with GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence. In mock debates, Walker has been playing the role of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine. Outside the Trump rally, a line of Trump supporters snaked all the way around the parking lot, many wearing Trump T-shirts and buttons or purchasing Trump items from vendors pulling wagons filled with gear. About half an hour before the rally began, though, people with tickets were turned away after the center filled up. John and Claudia Kasprzak drove 1 hour and 20 minutes from Antioch, Ill., only to find out they couldn't get in because the Expo Center was already full. They came all the way from Illinois, "because he's no nonsense. He's got a little more head on his shoulders than Hillary," said Claudia Kasprzak. "He doesn't kowtow to anybody," said John Kasprzak before helping his wife choose a Trump hat from a vendor stationed at the exit of the Expo Center's parking lot. A couple dozen anti-Trump protesters stood along the road next to a fence outside the Expo Center holding up signs that said "Mr. Hate Leave My State," "Show Us Your Tax Returns" and "Trump Ducks Releasing His Tax Returns." A group from Voces de la Frontera stood on the road chanting and singing. Bernie Gonzalez, an Army veteran from Waukesha, said Trump has created so much divisiveness within the Latino community. "It's important for people to know Donald Trump would be dangerous. He doesn't have any qualifications to be commander-in-chief," said Gonzalez. Democrats criticized Trump for his "divisive rhetoric" toward women and minorities and called on him to "pay his fair share of taxes." After the speech, Philip Shulman, a state Democratic Party spokesman, said: "Just like in Monday's debate, Donald Trump was unhinged and incoherent, putting on full display that he does not have the temperament to be president of the United States. Donald Trump's divisive rhetoric and dangerous policy proposals disqualify him at home and abroad." Read or Share this story: http://on.jsonl.in/2dm0trg
The Court of Appeal has rejected a woman's claim that there was no justification whatsoever for a symphysiotomy carried out on her in a Dublin maternity hospital in 1963. The procedure was carried out on the now 77-year-old woman, when she was 24, 12 days before her first baby was born. The woman's case was seen as a test case for around 30 other actions relating to symphysiotomies. However, the Court of Appeal stressed that each case must be decided on its own particular circumstances. The woman was in court and was visibly upset at the court's decision. Symphysiotomies were sometimes carried out instead of casearean sections, to address "disproportion" - where a baby was considered too big to pass through the mother's pelvis. The procedure involved cutting the fibres joining the pubic bones to increase pelvic capacity, to allow babies to be born vaginally. The woman claimed the antenatal symphysiotomy carried out in her case, without a trial of labour, was unnecessary, unjustified and done without her knowledge. She said she suffered lifelong consequences, including incontinence, back pain and mental health difficulties. The High Court had accepted that she had a range of physical and psychological difficulties caused or contributed to by the symphysiotomy but rejected her claim it was done without any justification. The three-judge appeal court upheld that decision unanimously. Ms Justice Mary Irvine said the type of symphysiotomy carried out on the woman had long since been abandoned and for good reason. She said assessed by present day standards, in a country where women could better control their own fertility, it would today be considered inherently defective. But she said the mechanics of labour were not as well understood in 1963 as they are now and the circumstances of women of childbearing age have changed substantially. Even by the late 1960s, there was a much greater understanding about a mother’s ability to deliver a baby which appeared disproportionately large for her pelvis. The judge ruled that by the standards of 1963, and the “very particular” circumstances of this woman, it simply could not be said there was not credible evidence to support the High Court’s finding she had not established her symphysiotomy could never, in any circumstances, have been justified.
The House passed legislation on Tuesday that would reauthorize programs to conduct medical research and transplants using stem cells from bone marrow and umbilical cord blood. Passed by voice vote after only about ten minutes of debate, the bill authorizes $23 million annually for the National Cord Blood Inventory Program and $30 million per year for the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transportation Program through fiscal 2020. The stem cells from bone marrow or umbilical cord blood collected after a birth can be used for transplants for blood-related diseases like leukemia. ADVERTISEMENT The stem cell research reauthorized by the legislation does not include the use of destroyed human embryos, which is a more controversial form of using stem cells. House Republicans are in the midst of figuring out a strategy to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1 while placating conservatives’ demands to defund Planned Parenthood in the wake of controversial undercover videos regarding the organization’s use of aborted fetal tissue for medical research.
Over the past few months, one lingering blemish on Bernie Sanders' candidacy for the Democratic nomination is his indifference to racial justice and civil rights issues. But the truth is, Sanders has a 50-year history of standing up for civil and minority rights, as he told the attendants of Netroots Nation after he was interrupted by Black Lives Matter protesters. Of course, it's understandable that they want to bring attention to the movement. Killings of people from Ferguson to New York City to Los Angeles to Atlanta have finally brought important issues like police brutality, systemic racism, mass incarceration and militarization of the police into the center of national dialogue. Advertisement: It is up to all candidates for the presidency, including every Democrat, every Republican and independent candidates, to address these issues in a forthright manner and to do outreach and communicate with communities that are besieged by these problems. Although his events in Phoenix, Houston and Dallas, where he loudly condemned police brutality and racism were a start, Sanders owes it to pay attention to these activists and listen to the concerns of marginalized groups whose civil rights have historically been suppressed. Sanders does have a record of fighting on these issues, and it should be only natural for him to be able to comfortably address them before a diverse audience. Here are 20 ways Sanders has stood up for civil and minority rights, starting in the early 1950s up to the present year. 1. Raising Money For Korean Orphans: International solidarity was an unusual concept for any American to have in the 1950s, let alone a high school student. But one of Sanders' first campaigns was to run for class president at James Madison High School in New York City. His platform was based around raising scholarship funds for Korean war orphans. Although he lost, the person who did win the campaign decided to endorse Sanders' campaign, and scholarships were created. 2. Being Arrested For Desegregation: As a student at the University of Chicago, Sanders was active in both the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). In 1962, he was arrested for protesting segregation in public schools in Chicago; the police came to call him an outside agitator, as he went around putting up flyers around the city detailing police brutality. 3. Marching In March On Washington:Sanders joined the mega-rally called by the leaders of the civil rights movement, a formative event of his youth. 4. Calling For Full Gay Equality: 40 years ago, Sanders started his political life by running with a radical third party in Vermont called the Liberty Union Party. As a part of the platform, he called for abolishing all laws related to discrimination against homosexuality. Advertisement: 5. Standing Up For Victims Of U.S. Imperialism In Latin America: While mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Sanders formally protested the Reagan government's policy of sending arms to Central America to repress left-wing movements. In 1985, he traveled to Nicaragua to condemn the war on people there. He writes about it in his book Outsider In The House: “The trip to Nicaragua was a profoundly emotional experience....I was introduced to a crowd of hundreds of thousands who gathered for the anniversary celebration. I will never forget that in the front row of the huge crowd were dozens and dozens of amputees in wheelchairs – young soldiers, many of them in their teens, who had lost their legs in a war foisted on them and financed by the U.S. government.” 6. Condemned And Opposed Welfare Reform and Dog Whistle Politics:While President Bill Clinton and most Democrats in Congress supported so-called welfare reform politics, Sanders not only voted against this policy change, but wrote eloquently against the dog whistle politics used to sell it, saying, “The crown jewel of the Republican agenda is their so-called welfare reform proposal. The bill, which combines an assault on the poor, women and children, minorities, and immigrants is the grand slam of scapegoating legislation, and appeals to the frustrations and ignorance of the American people along a wide spectrum of prejudices.” 7. Vocally Condemned and Opposed Death Penalty and Prisons His Entire Political Career: Sanders has long been a critic of “tough on crime” policies. Here he is in 1991 condemning a crime bill for promoting “state murder” through expansion of the death penalty: “My friends, we have the highest percentage of people in jail per capita of any nation on earth....What do we have to do, put half the country behind bars? Mistser Speaker, instead of talking about punishment and vengeance, let us talk about the real issue. How do we get to the root causes of crime? How do we stop crime? … I've got a problem with a president and Congress that allows five million people to go hungry, two million people to sleep out on the street, cities to become breeding grounds for drugs and violence. And they say we're getting tough on crime. If you want to get tough on crime, let's deal with the causes of crime. Let's demand that every man, woman, and child in this country have a decent opportunity and a decent standard of living. Let's not keep putting more people into jail and disproportionately punishing blacks.” He also voted for an amendment in the crime bill to eliminate the death penalty with life imprisonment. Advertisement: 8. Voted Against Cutting Off Prisoners From Federal Education Funds: In the 1990s, there was a successful effort to end the Pell Grant program for prisoners, which was one of the most effective ways to reduce recidivism. Only a handful of members of Congress voted against the legislation, and almost all of them were members of the Black Caucus. Sanders was one of the few white members who opposed this effort. It passed by 351 to 39. Of those in the House who opposed that vote, few are still serving; Reps. John Lewis, Jose Serrano, Charlie Rangel, and Bernie Sanders stood together at that time and continue to serve today. 9. Took IMF To Task For Oppressing Developing World Workers: In a 1998 committee hearing, Sanders took Clinton administration official Robert Rubin to task for not enforcing a provision to protect the rights of workers in Indonesia. “Tell the world now that no more IMF money goes to that country, goes to [dictator] Suharto!” he thundered to Rubin, who later went on to be thechief architect of policies that led us to the Great Recession. “The IMF historically does not have a good record in terms of the poor people of various countries,” he noted, standing up for the poorest black and brown people on the planet, tackling an institution few in Congress dare to criticize. 10. Achieved High Ratings From Leading Civil Rights Organizations: A frequent critique of Sanders is that he is from a very white state. While this is true, he certainly has not ignored issues that matter to people of color. In 2002, he achieved a 93 percent rating from the ACLU and a 97% rating by the NAACP in 2006. Advertisement: 11. Voted Against the PATRIOT Act: The USA PATRIOT Act was passed in a 98-2 vote in the Senate and a 357-66 vote in the House. Sanders voted against it, and has voted against renewing it every single time. The law has been used to violate the rights of Arab and Muslim Americans, but few know how extensively it has been used in the drug war; from 2009 to 2010, the law was invoked for 3,034 narcotics cases and only 37 terrorism cases. 12. Opposed Both Iraq Wars on Moral Grounds: Sanders was opposed to U.S. involvement in both Iraq wars. While many simply talked about the war in terms of the impact it would have on the United States, Sanders went further, saying that the “death and destruction caused” would “not be forgotten by the poor people of the Third World.” 13. Traveled to Costa Rica to Defend Exploited Workers:Sanders traveled to Costa Rica to help organize workers opposing the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). While many critics of trade agreements do so on the grounds that Americans deserve jobs that could be lost to foreign countries, Sanders instead practices a form of solidarity politics, saying that workers in both countries are being exploited by corporations and so we must organize workers in both countries. Advertisement: 14. Endorsed Jesse Jackson, Spoke Up For Palestinians: In 1988, Jesse Jackson was the first competitive black candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. He came under fierce attack for his advocacy of Palestinian statehood. Sanders came to his aid, organizing Vermonters and winning the state for Jackson. Sanders was asked about Jackson's comments on Palestine and defended him, saying that the Israeli assault on Palestinians was “reprehensible.” 15. Strongly Condemned Police Violence Over the Past Year: One criticism of Sanders is that he avoids talking about police violence in favor of talking about the economy. While the economy forms the bulk of his pitch, he has repeatedly condemned police violence during the duration of the Black Lives Matter movement. Here he is in mid-August 2014, before frontrunner Clinton ever spoke about the issue. Here (8/20/14) are (8/24/14) a (8/18/14) few(6/6/2015) more (4/30/2015) examples (6/2015). 16. Embraced Immigrants When Hillary Clinton Refused To Talk To Them: In 2014, young immigration activists repeatedly tried to talk to Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton to ask her about executive action. While Clinton did not talk to them, Bernie Sanders was not only willing to talk, but agreed with their call for executive action. 17. Defended Voting Rights Against Voter Suppression Efforts: Sandersearned the endorsement of radical rapper Killer Mike by his leadership on defending the Voter Rights Act and calling for expanding voting rights. Advertisement: 18. Fought Against Employment Discrimination: Sanders was a strong supporter of legislation to end workplace discrimination against LGBT Americans. 19. Called For End to War On Drugs, For-Profit Prisons and Migrant Detention Quotas:Sanders supports decriminalizing marijuna, and believes the war on drugs to be a failure. Additionally, he has vowed to end for-profit prisons and immigrant detention quotas. 20. Put Out Detailed Plan to End Economic Crisis in Minority Communities: Many argue that Sanders views the issue of racial justice in too myopic a fashion by focusing on the economy. But polling of both Latinos and African Americans shows that jobs and the economy is either their top concern or tied for their top concern. Gallup polling shows that 13 percent of Hispanics say immigration is their top concern; 47 percent say the economy is. Meanwhile, among black Americans, 13 percent say “race relations” is their top concern, tied with “unemployment/jobs,” an additional 10 percentage points go to the “economy in general.” Combined, economic concerns make up 23 percentage points while race relations compose 13 percent. If you add in healthcare, at 6 percent, another major Sanders theme, it gets you up to 29 percent. Add in poverty at 7 percent and education at 5 percent and you're up to 41 percent of African Americans naming Bernie Sanders' top issues as their top issues. This validates Sanders' strategy of looking to the economy as the top concern of minority communities. He has put out a detailed strategy to target unemployment across America and particularly to attack Hispanic and black youth unemployment, which he introduced in August 2014, long before he announced for president. Advertisement: None of this is to say that the Sanders campaign doesn't need to do more outreach to a broad array of people; the rallies in Phoenix, Houston and Dallaswere a start, as they featured heavy presence of Latino and African Americans. The campaign is reportedly set to meet with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference next week, and will be campaigning heavily in the Southeast starting next month, with an event in New Orleans at the tail end of this month. But much of the criticism of Sanders seems more rooted in who he is — an old white guy from Vermont — than what he has done. If anything, the fact that he has done so much for civil and minority rights despite the fact that his constituency is not one that would naturally demand it speaks to his character and wide empathy that isn't shared by many politicians.
As a community grieves and a family has few words, Wisconsin investigators say the 911 call that preceded the police shooting of a knife-wielding Native American teen was made by the teen himself. Ashland County Sheriff’s Deputy Brock Mrdjenovich fatally shot 14-year-old Jason Ike Pero last week after receiving a report that a male was walking down the street with a knife in Odanah, Wisconsin, about a 4-hour drive northeast of Minneapolis. Odanah hosts the administrative offices for the Bad River Band Of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, of which Jason was a member. “Pero approached Deputy Mrdjenovich with a large butcher knife and he refused numerous commands to drop the weapon,” said a report from the Wisconsin Department of Justice. “On two occasions, Pero lunged at the deputy while the deputy was attempting to retreat. Deputy Mrdjenovich fired his service weapon at Pero, striking him twice.” The middle-schooler was pronounced dead at Memorial Medical Center in Ashland. “He was a good kid, a happy kid,” the boy’s grandfather, Alan Pero, said. “He loved being around family and friends. He was a jokester. His teachers loved him. Quite a bit of teachers came to the funeral and wake.” Jason’s mother is blind, and he was always happy to help her and serve as her guide, Alan Pero said. A forgotten minority: Native Lives Matter Mrdjenovich, who has been with the sheriff’s office for about a year, is on paid administrative leave. Officials say they found a knife at the scene of the shooting. ‘He was gone’ The state DOJ’s investigation indicates “Pero was the same person that called 911 reporting a man with a knife, giving his own physical description,” according to a news release from the agency. A search of Jason’s bedroom supports reports that the teen had been despondent for a few days before his death, the DOJ said without elaborating. Jason left school early Wednesday after saying he was ill, School District of Ashland Superintendent Keith Hilts told CNN affiliate KBJR. Hours later, he learned Jason was dead, he said. Alan Pero told CNN his grandson thought he had the flu, and his father picked him up and took him to his grandparents’ house, where Jason lived, walking distance from his parents’ home. “When he got home he went to the fridge, got a 7 Up, went to get his blanket as kids do, and then was watching TV,” Alan Pero said, sharing the account of Jason’s uncle, who saw him last. Alan Pero later received a call from Jason’s dad, explaining Jason had been “shot right in front of the house,” he said. When Alan Pero arrived, he said, police were on the scene and he was told a life-flight helicopter was coming, but police later told him the chopper was no longer en route. “That’s when I knew what happened. He was gone,” Alan Pero said. ‘He didn’t like fighting’ The eighth-grader was part of his school’s drumming circle, which performed at Ashland’s Veterans Day celebration. Members of the group hung a photo of Jason on an empty chair and included Jason in their song as students locked arms in solidarity, KBJR reported. Curtis Redbird drove more than 200 miles from Black River Falls to be with his family after learning his cousin had been killed by police. Jason had a “heart of gold,” Redbird told KBJR. “Baby Jay, he was a real sweet kid. He always had a smile on his face,” he said, according to the station. “Nobody can believe that this happened to him because of the way he is, the way he was.” Holly Gauthier, Jason’s mother, said he was the only one of her three children she has ever been able to see with her own eyes. She lost her sight to glaucoma when Jason was a toddler. Gauthier said she was skeptical of the account from authorities, who said her son “lunged” at a sheriff’s deputy. “I know the kind of boy my son was,” she told CNN. “I know that lunging could also mean taking a step. It’s all on what words they want to include in their report,” Gauthier said. “It’s almost like they are trying to make my 14-year-old boy look like a man, and he did not. He had a baby face and a boy’s voice.” “I’ve never seen him hit or swing at anyone,” Pero, the boy’s grandfather, said. “He didn’t like fighting or anything like that.” “He could write good poems,” he added. “He drummed Native American. He was in band at school, too, and played trumpet.” Previously, Jason’s relatives had released a statement saying, “The family has no words right now,” and thanking the Bad River community, its tribal council and other tribes for their support. The state DOJ aims to turn over its reports to the Ashland County District Attorney’s Office by early December.
New Source: Bhopal Samachar \| Image Source: Mediadarbar Image is for representational purpose only The shocking incident allegedly took place at village Mudwara under Nowgong police station of Chattarpur district on 24th August. A 45-year old Dalit woman had been granted a “patta”of a piece of government land a few months ago. The piece earlier belonged to Vijay Yadav. He was angered and started harassing her. The victim alleged that on 24th August, Yadav had let his cattle in her field to damage the crops. When she went to his home to complain, Yadav’s wife Vimla beat her with lathis. After some time, Yadav joined them, stripped the victim and also forced her to drink his urine. Moreover, she was threatened that worse treatment would be meted out to her if she dared to register a complaint with the police. The woman did go to the police and the Nowgong police registered case under IPC section 394, 323, 506 and 34 and relevant sections of SC/ST Act against the upper caster couple. However, the Dalit woman, along with a group of Dalits went to meet Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Chhatarpur, Neeraj Pandey, and complained that the local police did not take any action against the accused couple. Superintendent of Police (SP), Chhatarpur, Lalit Shakyawar said that a case was registered against the couple in the local police station but the victim had not informed the police of the alleged incident. However, keeping the gravity of the matter in mind, he has instructed the sub-divisional officer of police to further probe the matter and take appropriate action against the accused couple. This piece of information was given to HT over phone. Meanwhile, since the complaint has been registered with the police, the couple has absconded from the village. We believe that if the allegation proves to be true after further investigation , then tough action should be taken against the couple for meting out this inhuman treatment to a woman of a lower caste over land dispute.
Camp Douglas, WI — On February 23rd, two peace activists with Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Brian Terrell and Kathy Kelly, were arrested when they attempted to deliver a loaf of bread and a letter to drone operators at Volk Field, an Air National Guard Base in Wisconsin, which trains pilots to operate Shadow Drones over other countries. Voices activists have lived alongside ordinary people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Gaza. People who can’t flee from drone surveillance and attacks have good reason to fear people from the U.S., but instead they have broken bread with Kelly and Terrell and have welcomed opportunities for deepened mutual understanding. Kelly and Terrell carried the loaf of bread to signify the worth of relying on words rather than weapons. Before entering the base property, Kathy Kelly said: “Living alongside ordinary people who can’t escape drone surveillance in places like Iraq, Gaza and Afghanistan and knowing that a drone operator could be ordered to assassinate civilians who have nowhere to turn and nowhere to hide affected my conscience. I wanted to ask drone operators in Volk Field whether they had been asked to target any people for possible assassination that day. I want to ask how the base training manual teaches people to distinguish between civilians and armed combatants. If an operator wants to quit, what does the commander of Volk Field do?” Brian Terrell also noted: “Wisconsin is where I was born and raised and so I feel that coming to Volk Field is a responsibility that I owe in gratitude to my home state. The premise that drones will limit the parameters of war and make for fewer civilian casualties has proven false. General Stanley McChrystal, who led troops in Afghanistan from June 2009 to June 2010, warned that the drone ‘lowers the threshold for taking operations because it feels easy, there’s a danger in that.’ And yet the evolution of drones in the militaries of many countries around the globe has been anything but cautious. Instead there is a reckless proliferation of this deadly technology.” Terrell and Kelly were arraigned on February 24th, at the Juneau County Justice Center, 200 Oak St., in Mauston, WI. Also, on February 25th, at 9:00 a.m., Mary Beth Schlagheck, was to be tried for having crossed the line at Volk Field in August of 2015. Hers was the last of seven trials stemming from nonviolent civil resistance actions at Volk Field that were undertaken as the culmination of the “Let It Shine” walk from Madison to Volk Field. The witness of the activists who have protested at Volk Field, and who have testified so eloquently in court, inspired Brian’s and Kathy’s action. *** February 25th, 2016 Update: Volk Field, Wisconsin, Action to Protest Drone warfare On February 24th, two co-coordinators of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Brian Terrell and Kathy Kelly, appeared before Judge Curran from the Juneau County jail via the jail’s video link. The two had been held overnight. They were served documents charging them with trespass at the “dwelling” of Volk Field. Pilots train at Volk Field to operate Shadow Drones over other countries. Kelly told Judge Curran that she wished to plead no contest and that she would not be able, in conscience to pay a fee and that she preferred not to promise that she’d return to the court since she didn’t believe she had committed a crime in the first place. “Oh, I get what’s happening here. You have some people out there who will give you a gold star and a pat on the back for being so courageous,” said Judge Curran. He then said he would not impose a cash bond and he set a pre-trial conference date for March 23rd even though Kelly had already indicated that she wished to plead no contest and was not seeking a trial. Terrell appeared next. He reiterated what Kelly had said, wishing to plead no contest and go directly to sentencing. “It would save the county, the court and everyone involved time and trouble if the judge would accept the no contest plea,” said Terrell, “and go right to sentencing. I don’t understand why a pre-trial conference was scheduled when we haven’t asked for a trial.” “It’s not necessary for you to understand the process of this court,” said Judge Curran. “That’s why God made lawyers.” Kelly and Terrell were released after signing personal recognizance bonds. On February 25th they returned to the court to attend Mary Beth Schlagheck’s trial for a protest at Volk Field last August. Due to an emergency hospitalization of one of the state’s witnesses, her trial was postponed. Following the hearing, District Attorney, Michael Solovey agreed to an informal conference with Kelly and Terrell. He discussed a motion Terrell had filed that morning to dismiss the criminal charge of trespassing at a dwelling. Mr. Solovey said he expected the charge to be changed to the less serious forfeiture of trespassing on land. He was ready to accept a plea of no contest when he learned, at the end of the conference that the U.S. Air Force was asking for another criminal charge of disorderly conduct alleging that Kelly and Terrell had disrupted traffic in their protest. Kelly and Terrell told him a video taken by Joy First would verify that Kelly and Terrell did not disrupt traffic. Kelly and Terrell await word from the DA about whether he will seek an additional charge. “We’re building on earlier efforts by Wisconsin activists,” said Terrell, “and we see today’s events as part of a continuum.”
Get the biggest football stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email David Moyes is facing a shocking financial situation at Sunderland that could determine his future. The Sunderland boss is still far from certain to stay on despite a "very good" opening round of talks with owner Ellis Short. The cash crisis facing the club has been laid bare – and it will hamper Moyes’ wish to to rebuild for promotion in the Championship. It emerged today that Sunderland are £137m in debt, £68m of bank loans and £69m to Short. They are paying £7m a year in interest payments, and had a £83m wage bill according to accounts to July 31, 2016. (Image: Action Images via Reuters) (Image: PA Wire) (Image: Reuters) It was aso revealed the club gave former MD Margaret Byrne, who departed after the Adam Johnson scandal, an £850,000 pay off. Unless Short pumps more of his cash, bouncing back at the first attempt will be difficult and Moyes knows that. He has suffered chants asking for him to quit, but says Short and MD Martin Bain want him to stay in charge. Moyes hinted that he could stay on but said: “I'll know more come the end of the season, once we see exactly what we're able to deal with, what we can work with, then we'll know exactly what we can do. (Image: Getty) “All I have done is go in and talk about some of the things that have gone on in the past and how we look to address it in the present. We have not nailed down everything because we have only had an initial conversation. “I want to be able to have a team which would come straight back up. When we get to the end we will have another conversation. Moyes has been criticised for admitting last August the club was in a relegation fight. He explained: “When I look back on it I was very honest, forthright, told people what I thought. (Image: PA Wire) (Image: Getty) "I came to a part of the country where, I was led to believe, that was the way people wanted speaking to. I told them exactly. "We'd been in a relegation battle the four previous seasons. You want managers to tell the truth and I do." Sunderland have ten out of contract players and three loans with future in doubt. Moyes added: "We can only lose the ones who are out of contract. Jordan Pickford is in contract so there's nothing to say we'll lose Jordan.” Star man Jermain Defoe has a clause saying he can leave on a free because they are relegated.
Type-based alias analysis, where pointers to different types are assumed to point to distinct objects, gives compilers a simple and effective way to disambiguate memory references in order to generate better code. Unfortunately, C and C++ make it easy for programmers to violate the assumptions upon which type-based alias analysis is built. “Strict aliasing” refers to a collection of rules in the C and C++ standards that restrict the ways in which you are allowed to modify and look at memory objects, in order to make type-based alias analysis work in these weakly-typed languages. The problem is that the strict aliasing rules contain tricky and confusing corner cases and also that they rule out many idioms that have historically worked, such as using a pointer type cast to view a float as an unsigned, in order to inspect its bits. Such tricks are undefined behavior. See the first part of this post for more of an introduction to these issues. The purpose of this piece is to call your attention to a new paper, Detecting Strict Aliasing Violations in the Wild, by Pascal Cuoq and his colleagues. C and C++ programmers should read it. Sections 1 and 2 introduce strict aliasing, they’re quick and easy. Section 3 shows what compilers think about strict aliasing problems by looking at how a number of C functions get translated to x86-64 assembly. This material requires perseverance but it is worth taking the time to understand the examples in detail, because compilers apply the same thinking to real programs that they apply to tiny litmus tests. Section 4 is about a new tool, built as part of Trust-in-Soft’s static analyzer, that can diagnose violations of the strict aliasing rules in C code. As the paper says, “it works best when applied on definite inputs,” meaning that the tool should be used as an extended checker for tis-interpreter. Pascal tells me that a release containing the strict aliasing checker is planned, but the time frame is not definite. In any case, readers interested in strict aliasing, but not specifically in tools for dealing with it, can skip this section. Section 5 applies the strict aliasing checker to open source software. This is good reading because it describes problems that are very common in the wild today. Finding a bug in zlib was a nice touch: zlib is small and has already been looked at closely. Some programs mitigate these bugs by asking the compiler to avoid enforcing the strict aliasing rules: LLVM, GCC, and Intel CC all take a -fno-strict-aliasing flag and MSVC doesn’t implement type-based alias analysis at all. Many other programs contain time bombs: latent UB bugs that don’t happen to be exploited now, that might be exploited later when the compiler becomes a bit brighter. Also see libcrunch and its paper and a paper about SafeType.
After four weeks of play in Atlanta, the eight teams having made it to ELEAGUE Season 2's playoffs have been placed into the brackets. Eight teams will fight for the bulk of $1,100,000 at the ELEAGUE Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, where our Season 2 winners will be found. With only a handful of teams left, a new champion will be crowned on December 3 putting behind us 44 days of top level offline competition. Virtus.pro will be looking to defend their title in Atlanta After Group D's Dignitas and OpTic picked up the last two spots into the playoffs, the brackets have been drawn. Here are the match-ups: The playoffs will kick-off on November 30 with the quarterfinal matches. The winners will move on to the semifinals on December 2 before our new ELEAGUE champions are crowned after the grand final, which will take place on December 3.
He says he has 'extreme myopia' and that he could not see the salute Milo Yiannopoulos has been filmed singing a patriotic song at a Dallas Karaoke bar while he and American white nationalists were allegedly in the audience giving the Nazi salute. The video, published by Buzzfeed News as a part of an investigation into Breitbart News’ ties to neo-Nazis and white nationalists, shows Mr Yiannopoulos singing “America, the Beautiful” at the One Nostalgia Tavern while crowd members give the salute. Among those in the crowd giving the salute was Richard Spencer, a prominent white supremacist in the US who was seen in a previously disclosed tape giving the Nazi salute while praising Donald Trump after his election last year. Mr Yiannopoulos — who developed notoriety as a right-wing provocateur at Breitbart before resigning amid outrage over comments in which he appeared to endorse paedophilia — claims that he was not able to see Mr Spencer and the others because he has “extreme myopia”, and says that he is not a racist. The Buzzfeed News investigation stems from emails received by the organisation that show Mr Yiannopoulos playing a crucial role in mainstreaming white nationalist ideas through Breitbart. The emails revealed that he regularly emailed white nationalists, socialised with them, and asked them for advice. The emails also showed that he was in regular contact with neo-Nazis.
The Christmas period often takes me back to games I haven't played for a while. All that travelling around, all those afternoons on family sofas, all those frosty mornings and ridiculous winter discounts on Steam and elsewhere - it's made for it. One game I didn't expect to end up playing in December, though, was Mario Kart Wii. Goodness it looks fuzzy these days, but at my nieces' insistence I spent an hour or two with it (I won't tell you who won, although I'm pretty sure they'd enjoy sharing that information), twisting the ridiculous Wiimote steering wheel peripheral around in the air and blasting through old favourites like Coconut Mall and Mushroom Gorge. I was really into it again, desperate to carve that perfect sliding arc down Bowser's staircases and under the Thwomp blocks and stub out incoming red shells with my tail of banana skins. Mario Kart's still got it, then, even if it looks like I haven't. Then a couple of days later I saw the trailer for Mario Kart 8 and got to thinking: ooh, yep, I'll be having some of that. Sharing replay videos through Miiverse could be interesting. The bean counters at Nintendo may not look back on 2013 with any particular fondness, but the pressure seems to have done no end of good for the development side of the company and its partner studios. They hit a real purple patch, firing out Luigi's Mansion 2, Fire Emblem Awakening, Pokemon X and Y, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and our Game of the Year, Super Mario 3D World, among several others. If Mario Kart 8 catches some of that momentum, then we're in for a treat, but that's not the only thing it has going for it. It's also the series' HD debut, and - as the sumptuous pre-Christmas trailer illustrated - Nintendo is using all those extra pixels to good effect, stuffing colourful new levels like Sunshine Airport with flapping windsocks, roaring passenger jets and shop-filled terminal buildings. I think we only know about three of the returning retro tracks so far (Dry Dry Desert, Music Park and Piranha Plant Slide, says the internet), but I grew up duelling with my sister in Super Mario Kart on the SNES, so anything from that era also would be particularly welcome. Donut Plains! Ghost Valley! Rainbow Road again? Yes please. Or how about Tick Tock Clock from the DS? I bet that would look good. I bet just about anything would, actually, given the full HD treatment - and not least because, against the odds perhaps, Nintendo is emerging as the one next-generation game developer that can actually be bothered to do 60 frames per second. Perhaps they will also be reworked to take advantage of the bikes, gliders and underwater driving elements that have settled in across recent instalments - along with the new anti-grav modules. I bet Mario Kart 8 is the game I play most in split-screen in all of 2014. I wonder how many other games will even still bother with it, in fact. I'm not just hoping for mild refurbishment and an HD second-fix though; what I'm really hoping for is a Super Mario 3D World style grand design that isn't afraid to take the highs and lows of 18 years of Mario Kart history, twist them inside out and dazzle us with one-shot gimmicks, shortcuts and gizmos in amongst all the familiar trappings. That probably is a lot to hope for, and it isn't something the trailer or our first look at the game last summer necessarily point to either. It seems much more likely that my first guess was right: a solid, wonderfully colourful and nostalgic remix of ideas and mechanics that were brilliant the first time and have been again and again ever since. But a guy can dream, right? Either way, Nintendo's developers are in a rich vein of form right now, and hopefully Mario Kart 8 will be the latest beneficiary.
UK certified diamond specialist Marlows Diamonds has claimed to have found a new thorny, palm-like plant in West Africa, which signals the presence of diamonds beneath it. The Pandanus candelabrum plant has been identified as a method to identify columns of kimberlite pipes, which release eruptions that can raise faster bringing diamonds to the surface. The Liberian plants are expected to make searching for diamond easier in areas that have suffered greatly from the Ebola epidemic. "This species of plant could dramatically change the way that West African nations search for diamonds." Pandanus candelabrum is said to enjoy kimberlite-rich soil that thrives on magnesium, potassium and phosphorous and has been spotted at various kimberlite sites. Diamond hunters can use geo-botany to indicate potential diamond spots and benefit from a cost-effective search method. Marlows Diamonds spokesperson said: "This species of plant could dramatically change the way that West African nations search for diamonds. "For those looking to buy premium and ethically sourced diamond products, it is imperative to always search for a GIA or IGI certification." Nations depending on diamond trade to support their economies can use geo-botanical mapping to source diamonds, a process that will also cut exploitive labour methods. Image: The Liberian plant makes hunting of diamond easier. Photo: courtesy of Boykung/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
A Salem teenager used a power grinder to fight off an intruder who was trying to bite off the boy's and the boy's father's fingers, and poke them with a screwdriver and torch on Wednesday, Sept. 7, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Both victims sustained bites and bruises. Mario Vega-Navarro Around 6 p.m., deputies responded to a call about a man entering a house in the 3700 block of State Street SE and fighting with a male occupant trying to remove him. The first officer to arrive on the scene found the owner of the home and his 14-year-old son holding down Mario Vega-Navarro, 25, of Salem. The deputy called for back up after Vega-Navarro resisted being detained. Two additional deputies arrived and they put Vega-Navarro flat on the ground. Authorities said Vega-Navarro then tried to bite the three deputies before he was placed in handcuffs. Paramedics medically sedated Vega-Navarro before he was transported to the Salem Hospital. After he was released, he was booked into the Marion County Jail on charges of burglary, assault and resisting arrest, according to the sheriff. Deputies suspected Vega-Navarro was under the influence of a narcotic, possibly mind-altering bath salts. - Janet Eastman
With the new BYU curiculum change, one of the classes that will be required is “Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon.” It made me think about doctrinal similarities and differences between the Book of Mormon and modern Mormonism. Since I can’t write a blog post about every doctrinal comparison, I tried to pick the most important doctrine. In a 2012 conference address Elder Bednar quoted President David O. McKay stating, “If at this moment each one of you were asked to state in one sentence or phrase the most distinguishing feature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what would be your answer?” (“The Mission of the Church and Its Members,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1956, 781). Elder Bednar continued: “The response President McKay gave to his own question was the ‘divine authority’ of the priesthood. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands apart from other churches that claim their authority is derived from historical succession, the scriptures, or theological training. We make the distinctive declaration that priesthood authority has been conferred by the laying on of hands directly from heavenly messengers to the Prophet Joseph Smith.” (David A. Bendar, “The Powers of Heaven” April 2012 General Conference). How does the Book of Mormon describe authority and Priesthood? Is it the same as modern Mormonism? Does it have the same emphasis on Priesthood from heavenly messengers by the laying on of hands? Priesthood in the Book of Mormon is difficult to pin down. The early Church followed the system of priests, teachers, and elders described in the Book of Mormon with Joseph and Oliver Cowdery, but Priesthood changes significantly after Sidney Rigdon arrived [1]. Furthermore, the “precious things” of authority, offices, and ordinations described in the Book of Mormon are not very “plain” (1 Nephi 13:40). Therefore it can be difficult to separate concepts of Priesthood in the Book of Mormon from more modern understanding of Priesthood within Mormonism, even from the perspective of an 1831 Mormon. Priesthood Authority What is the authority of the Priesthood? The “power and authority” of the Priesthood is well developed now, with many different General Conference talks to choose from. However, it would be a mistake to take these current interpretations and impose them on the text. The primary authority given the high priest, priests, and teachers is the authority to preach. This is the only duty of a high priest given in the description of the Priesthood in Alma 13, “the Lord God ordained priests…to teach these things unto the people” (Alma 13:1), and in the ordination of a priest or teacher in Moroni 3 they are ordained “to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ” (Moroni 3:3). When the duties of a priest or teacher are given in the Book of Mormon, it is almost exclusively to preach or teach the people [2]. Power and authority to preach is a somewhat foreign concept to modern Mormons because in a ward all are called to preach and teach in classes and Sacrament meeting, and Priesthood-less Sister-missionaries are called to preach the gospel. The authority to preach is different than the modern duty of Apostles to establish doctrine. In the New Testament it says that Jesus “taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matt. 7:29). This power and authority to preach is described in the Book of Mormon as “they…had what they should speak given unto them” (Hel. 5:18) and is the “spirit of prophesying” (Mosiah 12:25). Therefore the power and authority to preach appears to be from the Holy Ghost providing the words to speak, but is not necessarily connected with the “gift of the Holy Ghost.” In the modern church the inspiration of words to teach others is almost always connected with the gift of the Holy Ghost rather than through office. However in the Book of Mormon it says, “none received authority to preach or teach except it were by him from God. Therefore he consecrated all their priests and all their teachers” (Mosiah 23:17). While the word “Priesthood” is used in Alma 13, in the rest of the book any other concepts we now connect with Priesthood are referred to as “authority” or with references to offices. Authority appears to be the main issue the authors of the Book of Mormon are concerned with, while Priesthood is a more esoteric concept, discussed in only one chapter. “Priesthood,” offices, and “authority,” however, should not necessarily be conflated. Priesthood in Alma 13 is described as a “holy order.” It is unclear from the text if the Priesthood of the high priest should also be thought of as authority. Some prefer the interpretation that Priesthood is referring to both the order and the authority. It makes more sense to me that Priesthood is the “holy order” of high priests and was conflated with authority post-Book of Mormon because there are no references to authority in Alma 13, and replacing the word “Priesthood” with “authority” in the chapter is nonsensical . Furthermore, all ordinances given in the Book of Mormon performed in the name of Jesus Christ, under his authority, with no reference to Priesthood. Prior to Jesus’s visit authority is ascribed to “Almighty God” (Mosiah 18:13). For example, the baptism prayer says “authority given me of Jesus Christ” with no mention of Priesthood. The reference to Priesthood authority in ordinances did not begin until some time after the Book of Mormon was written [1]. Jesus gives the disciples authority to baptize vocally, without any laying on of hands (3 Nephi 11:21-22), implying the authority comes from Jesus’s “permission” rather than a specific power or Priesthood. I believe that the Book of Mormon is describing two different types of authority: authority from God prior to Christ, which is replaced by authority from Jesus Christ. Receive the Holy Ghost In the current Church members receive the gift of the Holy Ghost through confirmation after baptism. However, the method of receiving the Holy Ghost is somewhat more complicated in the Book of Mormon. Lamanites are described as being baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost because of their great righteousness, “and they knew it not,” which is difficult if the laying on of hands had occurred (3 Nephi 9:20). Recieving the Holy Ghost also occurs after baptism, apparently without the laying on of hands, such as in Mosiah 18. However, the disciples are given the power to confer the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (Moroni 2), but no set prayer is required unlike today. Therefore, receiving the Holy Ghost could occur through multiple methods in the Book of Mormon. It is not the single process of confirmation following baptism found in the Church today. Priesthood Office The offices of priest, teacher, elder, disciple, and high priest are specified in the Book of Mormon. Elder and disciple are the same (Moroni 3:1). High priest does not appear after Jesus’s visit to the Americas. While one would expect Jesus to restore the fulness of Priesthood organization in the Book of Mormon, he actually removes the office of high priest, and does not introduce many of the later Mormon offices such as Seventy or Bishop. While Jesus introduces proper baptism and conferral of the Holy Ghost, he does not preach on Priesthood at all, and of course does not introduce any of the important later ordinances such as the endowment. Teachers are described as teaching the people and baptizing. Priests also administer the sacrament. Elders ordain priests and teachers and give the Holy Ghost. This sounds relatively familiar to modern Priesthood structure. However, there is no Aaronic and Melchizidek Priesthood in the Book of Mormon, these terms are not introduced until 1835 [1]. Elders are not described as having a “higher” priesthood than priests and teachers, “high priesthood” is not introduced until 1831 [1]. The difference in duties is apparently due to authority to confer the Holy Ghost and not a separate “level” of Priesthood. In fact, the offices of elder, priest, and teacher are not referred to as “priesthood” or “priesthood office” in the Book of Mormon. Teachers and priests are ordained by the “power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 3:4) and not by Priesthood. Priesthood is only connected with the office of high priest in Alma 13 [1]. The high priest imparts “authority” to priests and teachers but apparently not “Priesthood,” which is the name of the “holy order” that the high priest belongs to. However, ordination prayers used before Jesus’s visit to the Americas are not given. It is possible that those pre-Jesus ordinations included a reference to Priesthood, but it is more likely that they referred to authority given from God instead of Jesus. There are some connections between the duties of the high priest described in Alma 13 and the duties of teacher and priest, as both are described as preaching and teaching. This connection is why I view the authority of teachers and priests being connected to the authority of God through ordination from the high priest prior to Jesus’s visit to Americas, which is replaced by authority from Jesus and the removal of the office of high priest. How an elder is called is somewhat obscure in the Book of Mormon. Elders ordain teachers and priests but no ordination prayer is given for elders. It is likely that elders are called when given the authority to give the Holy Ghost as detailed in Moroni 2. This is supported by the fact that ordination of teachers and priests is done by “the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 3:4). So ordination to elder is not connected to ordination to the “high Priesthood” or even a direct ordination to the office of elder: one becomes an elder when given the authority to confer the Holy Ghost. Ordination vs Calling In the current Church, ordination and calling to the Priesthood are the same thing; however, they are separate in the Book of Mormon [3]. As described in Alma 13, men are first “called and prepared…on account of their exceeding faith and good works.” They are “called with a holy calling.” So first comes the calling and then the ordination: “Now they were ordained after this manner – being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance.” The holy ordinance is not described in Alma 13, or anywhere else in the Book of Mormon. Because it is only referring to the office of high priest it may be that it is referring to some kind of spiritual ordination, such as with Alma. It has some symbolic connection to Jesus: “these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order, and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord” (Alma 13:16). This verse may also mean that the Priesthood ends with Jesus, since it was given “that the people might look forward on the Son of God.” This may be why the office of high priest disappears after Jesus appears to the people of the Americas. There are examples of those men who, when living in a time or place without authority, receive the authority without the laying on of hands, such as Melchizidek, Alma, and Abinadi. Alma gained his authority by “saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon they servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart.” He seems to have gained the office of high priest simply because he founded the church: “And now, Alma was the high priest, he being the founder of their church” (Mosiah 23:16). The apparent lack of ordination of these men to the office of high priest may be a clue that the ordination described in Alma 13 is spiritual and is not the laying on of hands. Some have argued that Alma the Younger’s calling and ordination also occurred spiritually without laying on of hands [3], which happened even with an existent high priest. This would mean that these spiritual ordinations can occur even with a current hierarchy. This is all in stark contrast to the importance Mormons now place on prophetic succession, angelic ordination, and Priesthood hierarchy. Prophetic Succession In the modern church there is a strong emphasis on the importance of a continuing Quorum of Twelve Apostles, and a Prophet/President or First Presidency to lead the church. This structure does not exist in the Book of Mormon. Pre-Jesus there is a High Priest that leads the church who calls priests and teachers, but this is removed when Jesus visits. Jesus calls 12 disciples, who are replaced by elders, who call priests and teachers. The number of elders is not specified so probably do not form a quorum of 12. No quorums are described at all, and quorums did not appear in the LDS church for several years after the Book of Mormon is published [1]. There is no Prophet, high priest, President, or King who heads the church as a whole after Jesus visits the Nephites. This is supported by the fact that in very early Mormonism Joseph and Oliver Cowdery were the two “elders” of the church (D&C 20:2-3). Rather than the Book of Mormon emphasizing the need of Priesthood line of authority extending to Jesus (such as through angelic beings), the Book of Mormon includes several examples of individuals apparently outside of an authority structure such as Alma, as described above. Authority of Jesus Christ vs “Priesthood Authority” When ordinances are performed in the Book of Mormon, they are not performed by the “power and authority of the Priesthood.” This is seen from the following points of evidence: 1) The word Priesthood is never mentioned in any of the prayers given in the Book of Mormons, including the Sacrament, baptism, giving the Holy Ghost, or Priesthood ordination. The prayers are not started with “by the authority of the Melchizidek Priesthood” or any other similar appeal to Priesthood. The only appeal in each is to Jesus Christ. References to Priesthood in ordinances did not occur in the church until some time after the Book of Mormon was published [1]. It is clear that Jesus himself is the source of authority when Jesus told the disciples, without reference to Priesthood and without laying on of hands, “I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven” (3 Nephi 11:21). The Book of Mormon connects ordinances to “office” but it never directly links “Priesthood” with any ordinance. It is unclear if being in the office gives the priest the authority to baptize, or if the authority to baptize is given separately. Authority to baptize or perform other ordinances is never mentioned in the description of Priesthood in Alma 13, or the ordination of priests in Moroni 2. 2) The Book of Mormon only uses the word “Priesthood” in connection with the high priest, an office removed by Jesus. This may mean that the Book of Mormon views Priesthood as a pre-Jesus concept. Under this view, the Priesthood was for looking forward to Jesus’ Atonement (Alma 13:16) and was removed when the Atonement was accomplished. 3) The Book of Mormon says that priests and teachers are ordained “by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 3:4), rather than the power of the Priesthood. 4) Jesus gives the disciples authority to baptize and authority to give the Holy Ghost separate from any ordination to office (Moroni 2). Furthermore, the disciples are told that they must pray to receive the power to give the Holy Ghost, apparently each time it is given. No rote prayer is specified, the method of conferring the Holy Ghost is to “call on the Father in my name, in might prayer; and after ye have done this ye shall have power that to him upon who ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 2:2). So not only is the authority to confer the Holy Ghost separate from Priesthood, but it isn’t even permanently retained. The elder must pray to have the authority given him each time before laying his hands on the individual. Alma receives his authority to baptize simply by praying and receiving “the Spirit of the Lord” (Mosiah 18:13). 5) A separate conferral of authority to perform each ordinance is given in the Book of Mormon [4]. This implies that the authority to perform ordinances is separate from authority of an office. “Authority” of an office in the Book of Mormon is as described above: the authority to preach to the people (Alma 13:1-6), while the authority to perform ordinances is a separate concept. 6) The word “Priesthood” is never directly connected to the offices of elder, priest, and teacher. The authority to perform ordinances is separate from “Priesthood,” which is connected to the office of high priest. The Priesthood is called a “holy order” in Alma 13 and is not referred to as authority, which means it is unclear from the text if Priesthood is synonymous with authority in the case of the high priest. 7) The word “Priesthood” is likely only found in Alma 13 because of that chapter’s dependence on the book of Hebrews [5]. This could mean that Priesthood was not a regular part of Joseph’s vocabulary, or at least his theology, at the time the Book of Mormon was written. This is supported by the fact that the word “Priesthood” is not used outside of Alma 13 and the Inspired revision of the Bible until June 1831, and evolved considerably afterward. The conception of Priesthood being the broader authority, and the power by which ordinances are completed is apparently an understanding that was come to later than the publication of the Book of Mormon [6]. David Whitmer claimed that in the early Church they spoke only of authority and that it was Sidney Rigdon who introduced the use of the word Priesthood instead, among other ideas connected with Priesthood [7]. This is supported by contemporary documents. Baptism in the Book of Mormon The baptismal prayer specified by Jesus in the Book of Mormon is different than the one in use today: “Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen” (3 Nephi 11:25). The current prayer replaces the “Having authority given me of Jesus Christ” with “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ…” (D&C 20:73). For some time in early Mormonism the Book of Mormon prayer was still used [8]; the prayer was changed for unknown reasons. While the modern Church only accepts the latter wording, this shows that the exact words spoken may not matter as much as some now assume. In the Book of Mormon both priests and teachers are able to baptize (Alma 15:13), while today a teacher cannot baptize, this probably changed with the increase in number of priesthood offices. Book of Mormon vs Mormonism There are several more ordinances in the modern Church that are not found in the Book of Mormon such as baptism for the dead and the endowment. These came later in the modern church, of course. While these are now seen as required for salvation, the Book of Mormon shows no knowledge of these requirements. While in the modern Church Priesthood is given to all worthy men, and is even considered a requirement for salvation for men, this concept is not found in the Book of Mormon. Offices are only given to select individuals (Mosiah 25:19), and only high priests are members of the “holy order” of the Priesthood (Alma 13). In the modern Church healings and miracles are performed with Priesthood. In the Book of Mormon miracles are not connected to Priesthood, authority, or offices. On the contrary, it is stated that faith alone is what is required. “Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.” (Mormon 9:21). See Moroni 7, Mosiah 8:18, Ether 12, and the rest of Mormon 9. Conclusion Priesthood in the Book of Mormon is much different than we know it today. To understand what the authors are saying we must read it on its own terms rather than imposing a modern conception of Priesthood on it. Many Mormon-apologists have taken time to attempt to prove that Mormonism is a restoration of New Testament Christianity. Whether it compares well is a topic for another blog post. However, it is clear to me that Mormonism is not Book of Mormon Christianity. This is somewhat surprising since the Book of Mormon is the text which is not corrupted by scribes. While many Mormons now view the “Restoration” as restoring the same Church that was founded by Jesus, this view is not supported by analysis of the Book of Mormon. The Restoration, in my opinion, should be viewed as an evolving process that leads the Church in new directions, introduces new doctrines, and reinterprets ancient scripture. [1] Gregory A. Prince. Power From On High. http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4986 [2] 1 Nephi 10:22 – “And the Holy Ghost giveth authority that I should speak these things, and deny them not.” 2 Nephi 5:26 – “priests and teachers” – no duties specified 2 Nephi 28 – false priests “teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost.” Jacob 1:18-19 – “prests and teachers” – “teach them the word of God with all diligence” Jarom 1:11 – “the prophets, the priests, and the teachers” – “did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them.” Words of Mormon 1:15-17 – “false Christs…false prophets, and false preachers and teachers” were in the land, “their mouts had been shut.” – “holy prophets…did speak the word of God with power and with authority” Mosiah 12:25 – false priests of Noah – “And now Abinadi said unto them: Are you priests, and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desire to know of me what these things mean?” Mosiah 13:6 – “And he spake with power and authority from God” Mosiah 17:3 – “and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.” Mosiah 18:18-20 – “And it came to pass that Alma, having authority from God, ordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets.Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people.” Mosiah 23:14 – “trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments” Mosiah 23:17 – “none received authority to preach or teach except it were by him from God. Therefore he consecrated all their priests and all their teachers; and none were consecrated except they were just men.” Mosiah 25:19-22 – Alma ordained priests and teachers over every church because “they could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly; Therefore they did assemble themselves together in different bodies, being called churches; every church having their priests and their techers, and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of Alma. And thus, notwithstanding there being many churches they were all one church, yea, even the church of God; for there was nothing preached in all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God.” Mosiah 26:7 – “And it came to pass that they were brought before the priests, and delivered up unto the priests by the teachers; and the priests brought them before Alma, who was the high priest.” Mosiah 27:22 – “And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God.” Alma 1:7 – “And it came to pass as he was going, to preach to those who believed on his word, he met a man who belonged to the church of God, yea, even one of their teachers; and he began to contend with him sharply, that he might lead away the people of the church; but the man withstood him, admonishing him with the words of God.” Alma 1:26 – “And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.” Alma 5:3 – “Alma, having been consecrated by my father, Alma, to be a high priest over the church of God, he having power and authority from God to do these things, behold, I say unto you that he began to establish a church in the land which was in the borders of Nephi” Alma 6:1 – ‘he orained priests and elders, by laying on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church.” Alma 13:1 – “And again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people.” Alma 13:6 – “And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest—” Alma 15:13 – “And Alma established a church in the land of Sidom, and consecrated priests and teachers in the land, to baptize unto the Lord whosoever were desirous to be baptized.” Alma 23:4 – “consecraing priests and teachers throughout the land among the Lamanaites, to preach and to teach the word of God among them” Alma 45:23 – “Helaman and his brethren had appointed priests and teachers over the churches” Helaman 5:18 – “Nephi and Lehi did preach unto the Lamanites with such great power and authority, for they had power and authority given unto them that they might speak, and they also had what they should speak given unto them” Helman 6:5 – “many did preach with exceedingly great power and authority, unto bringing down many of them into the depths of humility, to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb.” Moroni 3:3 – “In the name of Jesus Christ I ordain you to be a priest (or if he be a teacher, I ordain you to be a teacher) to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end. Amen.” [3] Paul James Toscano. Priesthood Concepts in the Book of Mormon. https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/074-08-17.pdf [4] A specific conferral of authority to baptize (3 Nephi 11:21) and give the Holy Ghost (3 Neph. 18:36-37, Moro. 2) is performed by Jesus. Jesus also says that he will perform an ordination for a specific individual to administer the sacrament: “Behold there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break bread and bless it and give it unto the people of my church, unto all those who shall believe and be baptized in my name (3 Nephi 18:5). However, by Moroni 3 it simply says that elders and priests administer the sacrament. Therefore there is either a separate sacrament administration ordination that is not given in the Book of Mormon, or the requirement for ordination to administer the sacrament was later dropped, or this is an inconsistency in the Book. So each ordinance in the Book of Mormon: baptism, administration of the sacrament, and conferral of the Holy Ghost, have an individual conferral of authority with which to perform them, separate from office. The only possible exception is that it appears the ordination to the office of elder occurs with the ordination to be able to confer the Holy Ghost. In this case the ability to perform an ordinance is directly linked to office, so it may be that priests were ordained with the power to baptize at the same time as their ordination to the office of priest. [5] David P. Wright. “In Plain Terms That We May Understand”: Joseph Smith’s Transformation of Hebrews in Alma 12-13. http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=10137 [6] Matthew C. Godfrey. “A Culmination of Learning: D&C 84 and the Doctrine of the Priesthood.” http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/you-shall-have-my-word/culmination-learning-dc-and-doctrine-priesthood [7] David Whitmer, “An Address to All Believers in Christ, p. 64. [8] http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/articles-of-the-church-of-christ-june-1829#!/paperSummary/articles-of-the-church-of-christ-june-1829&p=1
Ariana Grande has been slapped with a lawsuit over her 2015 song “One Last Time.” Grande is being sued by Alex Greggs who claims that “One Last Time” copied a 2012 single he wrote for Skye Stevens titled “Takes All Night.” David Guetta, who wrote “One Last Time,” Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, Universal Music Group and Republic Records are also listed as defendants in the lawsuit. Greggs is claiming that “the similarity between ‘Takes All Night’ and ‘One Last Time’ is so striking that it is highly likely the works were not created independently of one another,” with the chorus or hook being the main reason for his lawsuit as the “harmonic background remains the same in both songs for the entire sixteen measures of the chorus.” Greggs is seeking $150,000 as settlement per each infringement. In court documents, the lawsuits argues that: “Although the rhythm of the two compositions may differ to accommodate the prosody of the lyrics, there is substantial similarity on the most important rhythmic placement of the pitches on strong melodic and harmonic beats (1 and 3), which are what the listener perceives as most definitive of melody and, to a lesser extent, the harmonic accompaniment to a given melody.” Grande is no stranger to legal troubles over her music. In 2013 she was sued for “The Way,” in which Minder Music claimed that a phrase of her song was a copy of the 1972 track “Troglodyte.” Grande’s lawsuit comes only a few days after Demi Lovato was sued by Sleigh Bells for her track “Stars.” Listen to “Takes All Night” here: Listen to “One Last Time” here:
Cheap UWA Option for Micro Four Thirds Cameras This is a solution for those who want to take wide angle photos and videos without spending a thousand dollars on an expensive Olympus or Panasonic lens. The lens is the Panasonic 12-32mm f3.5-5.6 with the Ricoh DW-6 wide angle converter attached. This gives you a focal length of 9.5mm (12mm x 0.79). The image above shows the combination at 9.5mm (f9). The inset image is the 12-32mm at 12mm (f3.5). With the converter attached to the lens it is best to stop the aperture down a little, although f9 was probably too much- f5.6 or f8 would have been better. As you can see the field of view is significantly wider compared to the lens alone at 12mm. Update 26th March 2018: After re-testing the ultrawide combo I have found that diffraction kicks in at f9 and before. Therefore, I would like to change my original recommendation to f5.6 or f7.1 for the optimal aperture setting when using the wide adaptor with the wide angle zoom lens. Also, when using the 12-32mm alone stopping it down a little to f4-5.6 is better than at f3.5. These are based on lens tests indoors, whereas the tests on this page were for objects much farther away. I have also recently acquired the Olympus 9mm f8 body cap lens. It is surprisingly sharp and fun to use. However, when you de-fish images they are not as sharp as the Ricoh Panasonic cheap UWA option. Sorry, no images to share as I didn’t want it to eat up too much time, but de-fishing the 9mm fisheye resulted in a slightly wider field of view compared to the 9.5mm, as expected. However, the image was noticeable less sharp, especially at the edges and there is noticeable CA (chromatic aberration). Plus getting a fisheye lens properly de-fished is not easy for someone like me who hasn’t tried before. I tried 2 fisheye softwares and neither completely fixed the distortion. Therefore as of Spring 2018, my option is still the best value ultra wide angle lens for Micro Four Thirds camera, if you already have the 12-32mm zoom. Do keep an eye out for the SLR Magic 8mm though, as it’s price has been fluctuating between $149 and $349. At $149 it provides a solid alternative, but reviews suggest you may have to send it back for a decent copy. Today it is $149, so I would certainly give it a try if I was in a country which allowed returns, such as the USA. This combo cost me Read more
Concord, New Hampshire (CNN) A New Hampshire jury on Friday convicted Owen Labrie of five counts -- including one felony -- in connection with the sexual assault of another student at a prestigious boarding school, but it acquitted him of more serious charges. Labrie, 19, a former student at the elite St. Paul's School, appeared shaken as the verdict was read, at one point nodding his head and reaching for a tissue to wipe tears. At the time of the assault, the accuser was 15 and Labrie was an 18-year-old senior. In the end, the jury did not appear to believe the former prep school student's claim that there was no intercourse, but it also seemed to dismiss his accuser's testimony that it was against her will, CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin said. Labrie was convicted of a felony charge and four misdemeanors: the most serious count being the use of an online service or the Internet to seduce, solicit or entice a child under age 16 in order to a commit sexual assault. He also was convicted of three counts of misdemeanor sexual assault and child endangerment. At his October 29 sentencing, Labrie faces a maximum sentence of 11 years. Labrie, who will have to register for inclusion on the sex offender list, was released on bail under a 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. curfew. He was acquitted of the more serious counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault -- punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison -- as well as simple assault, a misdemeanor. There were no winners in the case, Hostin said. "In New Hampshire, forcible rape -- the requirement to have force -- is not an issue," she said. "It's only consent. And so the jury clearly did not believe that she did not consent and that's why we have the felonies tossed out. Let's be clear, those were the most important charges for this prosecution." Labrie's conviction, however, ensures that he's added to the sex offender registry, Hostin said. "That's a problem with these sex cases," she said. "We have to look at them a little bit differently because no does mean no, and no is not necessarily a word, 'no' can be an action. Our sex laws really need to evolve." The jury, made up of nine men and three women, deliberated for 7½ hours. "In essence, what happened as a result of this trial is one teenager was found guilty of having consensual sex with another teenager," Labrie's lawyer, J.W. Carney, said after the hearing. He said the internet-related charge was actually intended to prosecute people who disguise their age and try to lure unsuspecting children into sexual encounters, not people like his client. "I believe that this computer statute was never intended for kids getting together consensually at the high school they both attend," he said. "It's overreaching." The victim's family said: "A measure of justice has been served for victims of sexual violence. While he was not convicted on all charges, Owen Labrie was held accountable in some way by a jury of his peers for crimes he committed against our daughter." "This conviction requires him to take ownership for his actions and gives him the opportunity to reflect upon the harm he has caused. There is no joy in this outcome, however, as our daughter can never get back what she has lost nor can St. Paul's School ever be our community again." In the statement, the family said it felt "betrayed that St. Paul's School allowed and fostered a toxic culture that left our daughter and other students at risk to sexual violence. We trusted the school to protect her and it failed us." St. Paul's Rector Michael G. Hirschfeld, in a statement, commended the "remarkable moral courage and strength demonstrated by the young woman who has suffered through this nightmare." "Her resolve and unwavering commitment to the truth have been inspiring to us and to many outside our School community. We can only hope that time will bring some measure of healing and comfort to both her and her family. The entire St. Paul's School community has been deeply affected by this incident. It is our responsibility to ensure that our students live and learn together in a community that is built on respect, caring, and support for one another. Anything short of that cannot and will not be accepted." On Wednesday, Labrie -- with his accuser watching in the courtroom -- took the stand and described the encounter last year as consensual. He said the two of them sneaked into an attic room in a St. Paul's School academic building a few days before graduation and together spread a flannel blanket Labrie had brought with him. In closing arguments, prosecutor Joseph Cherniske told the jury that the defendant carefully planned out a sexual assault and viewed the taking of the girl's virginity as a source of pride. "It wasn't the school's fault," he said, rebutting the defense argument that St. Paul's encouraged a tradition known as the "Senior Salute" in which seniors sought to have sexual encounters with younger students. Carney accused St. Paul's of allowing the "Senior Salute" to flourish. "The idea that you would wink at a tradition that 'Senior Salute' represents is shocking," he said, denying that his client sexually penetrated the girl. "It damages children and in this case it damaged both (the accuser) and Owen," he said. "When you saw the culture of St. Paul's, it was one that encouraged, I submit, the concept of 'Senior Salute.' In fact, it was so revered on the campus it became a tradition." In a statement to the "St. Paul's School Community," Hirschfeld and James M. Waterbury, president of the school board, denied that the "Senior Salute" was a tradition at the 159-year-old prep school. "The phrase 'senior salute' describes a wide range of behaviors," the statement said. "It was never understood to include the conduct engaged in by Owen Labrie. That behavior was never condoned by the School, and we took action when it surfaced." The statement said Labrie was banned from the school and his rector's award was rescinded. In addition, the student handbook was revised to "state more explicitly that participation in any 'game' of sexual conquest by any name ... would be grounds for expulsion." On Wednesday, Labrie testified that sweatshirts, shirts and later pants were removed but the two kept their underwear on. When a defense attorney asked about their demeanor, Labrie testified they were both giggling and smiling and that the girl held him in an affectionate way. "I thought she was having a great time," he said. Labrie, 18 at the time, said he may have gotten carried away at times, leading to bruises she reported on her breasts. They were both aroused, he said, so he went to put a condom on, but he stopped himself. "It wouldn't have been a good move to have sex with this girl," he told the court. "It would not have been a good choice for me to make." The liaison awkwardly ended after a few more brief kisses, and Labrie hurried to a choir concert, he said. Her testimony The accuser, now 16, testified last week that Labrie penetrated her with his fingers before raping her. "I was raped!" she said when a defense attorney suggested she had sent conflicting signals to the defendant. The defense depicted Labrie as a great student, on a full scholarship, who wanted to attend Harvard, take divinity classes and perhaps become a minister. The prosecution repeatedly questioned him about telling friends after the encounter that he had sex with the girl. He was bragging and lying, Labrie told the court. He also said for the first time that his boxers were damp and he may have ejaculated on them before he put on a condom. He didn't tell police about it, he said, because their questions focused on whether the two had sex. "This was a very difficult case because of Owen's own statements to his friends," defense lawyer Carney said after the trial. "I think the critical evidence was not the testimony of the complainant, it was the testimony of Owen given when he was talking to his friends and acting like a teenager who didn't want to say he had been unsuccessful in his 'Senior Salute.' " State criminalist Katie Swango said semen and sperm were found on the young woman's underwear. Further testing of sperm cells found on the underwear were inconclusive. However, some of the biological material found on the underwear matched Labrie's DNA, she said. JUST WATCHED Key DNA evidence presented in prep school rape trial Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Key DNA evidence presented in prep school rape trial 03:16 Another state criminalist, Kevin McMahon, said he examined a swab from the accuser's cervix and found no evidence of sperm.
next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 A Texas family law judge whose daughter secretly videotaped him savagely beating her seven years ago won't face criminal charges because too much time has elapsed, police said Thursday. Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams likely would have been charged with causing injury to a child or other assault-related offenses for the 2004 beating of his then-16-year-old daughter, but the five-year statutes of limitations expired, Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe said. "We believe that there was a criminal offense involved and that there was substantial evidence to indicate that and under normal circumstances ... a charge could have been made," Jayroe said. He said the district attorney determined he couldn't bring charges, and that police would discuss the case with federal prosecutors even though he doesn't believe federal charges would apply. Hillary Adams, now 23, posted the 8-minute clip on YouTube last week that shows her father viciously lashing her with a belt and trying to force her to bend over her bed to be beaten despite her wails and pleas to stop. The clip had received more than 2.4 million hits as of Thursday, and police began investigating Wednesday after hearing from concerned citizens. GRAPHIC WARNING: Click here to see the video William Adams, 51, issued a three-page statement Thursday saying his daughter posted the clip to get back at him for telling her he would be reducing the amount of financial support he gives her and taking away her Mercedes. The statement did not include an apology for the beating, but he told Corpus Christi television station KZTV on Wednesday that the video "looks worse than it is," that he had already apologized to his daughter and that he was just disciplining his child for stealing. Hillary Adams says her parents were angry because she had downloaded pirated content online, and that she turned on the camera because she sensed something was going to happen. William Adams, who presides over child abuse cases, is still being investigated by the state's judicial conduct commission and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which on Thursday requested that he be removed from its cases until the investigation concludes. Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the agency, declined to elaborate on the exact nature of the investigation. But he said that in general, the agency would only investigate a case in which a suspected abuse victim has already reached adulthood if there are still children in the home who could be at risk. Adams was granted joint custody of his 10-year-old daughter in his 2007 divorce. There are no allegations of alleged abuse by Adams against his younger daughter, who primarily resides with her mother, Hallie Adams. Crimmins declined to say whether his agency is investigating the parental fitness of Hallie Adams, who lashed Hillary once during the 2004 beating. Crimmins said his agency ordinarily wouldn't disclose that it is investigating someone, but that it did in this case because the investigation is the reason it requested that William Adams be taken off its cases. Jayroe said that police did not interview the younger daughter, but asked both Hallie and Hillary Adams about it and there was no indication of abuse of the younger daughter. In his statement Thursday, Adams said he would "respond" to all investigations. As Aransas County's top judge, he has dealt with at least 349 family law cases in the past year alone, nearly 50 of which involved state caseworkers seeking determine whether parents were fit to raise their children. County officials confirmed that Adams will not hear cases related to Child Protective Services for at least the next two weeks. And the top administrator in Aransas County cast doubt on whether Adams could credibly return to the bench. "I would think it would be very difficult," said Aransas County Judge C.H. "Burt" Mills Jr. "Personally I don't see how he can recover from this." If the judicial commission and police investigations don't lead to punishment or charges, Adams could be safe on the bench until he's up for re-election in three years. Hillary Adams said she waited so long to expose her father because she was terrified at what might have happened had she done so while still living under his roof. She said the outpouring of support and encouragement she's received since posting the clip is tempered by the sadness that it's her father repeatedly lashing her with a belt and threatening to beat her "into submission." During an interview with her and her mother Thursday on NBC's "Today" show, Hillary Adams said her father regularly beat her for a period of time. She has repeatedly said she didn't post the clip to spite her father, and that she hopes it forces him to seek help. Her mother blamed her ex-husband's bouts of violence on an "addiction." She called it a "family secret," but declined to elaborate. In his statement, though, William Adams painted a starkly different picture of why his daughter posted the clip. "Just prior to the YouTube upload, a concerned father shared with his 23-year-old daughter that he was unwilling to continue to work hard and be her primary source of financial support, if she was going to simply `drop out,' and strive to achieve no more in life than to work part time at a video game store," Adams' statement said. "Hillary warned her father if he reduced her financial support, and took away her Mercedes automobile, which her father had provided, he would live to regret it." Hillary Adams did not immediately respond to email requests Thursday seeking a response.
The Cure co-founder and former drummer Laurence “Lol” Tolhurst has announced a new memoir, Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys. The book comes out October 11 on Da Capo Press. It tells the story of Tolhurst’s career with the Cure, which ran from the band’s 1976 formation until he left in 1989. According to a press release, Cured also “reveals the highs and lows of the lifelong friendship” between Tolhurst and frontman Robert Smith; they have known each other since they were both just 5 years old. See Tolhurst’s statement on the book, as well as its cover, designed by ex-Cure guitarist Pearl Thompson, below. Read an excerpt from Cured on Noisey. This is a record of the things that have kept me awake at 4 a.m., the precious flowers of the past blooming in the dark corners of memory. I have tried my best to capture whatever that light shone on. I hope it illuminates events for you as much as it has for me.
Listening to Donald Trump’s remarkable “thank you” speech on December 1 in Indiana, I was struck by how well-honed the president-elect’s worldview seems to be—particularly in relation to economic statecraft. During that speech, Trump elucidated why and how America would conduct its trade deals. Trump’s recent pre-presidential victory in preventing the Carrier Corporation from uprooting in Indiana and moving shop down to Mexico was an excellent case in point. Using a combination of economic carrots and sticks to entice the firm to remain in place, Trump achieved what everyone from Jeb(!) Bush to Barack Obama said was impossible. Why, apart from his pledge to keep American jobs in America, did Trump do this? He did it because he understands that the loss of the factory would not be just a sad day for Hoosiers. It would represent more irreparable harm to America’s ailing working class—the very backbone of America’s economic and, therefore, military might. The continued losses of this group of people do a strategic disservice to the United States. Trump rightly recognizes the strategic implications of America losing its manufacturing capabilities. After all, it was manufacturing that helped to win the Second World War. While America likely will never return to that level of manufacturing output, or to that level of mechanical competence among average Americans, the fact is that much of our potential in these areas has been squandered not simply because there were more lucrative alternatives, but also because American leaders have demonstrated a lack of strategic foresight. While many of the more dogmatic free trade purists decry what they call Trump’s “crony capitalism,” I think they are missing something. Indeed, as Trump critic Greg Weiner argues, capitalism is best characterized by “decentralized economic decisions.” Crony capitalism is most often understood to be the union of interests between the state and certain private industries. Essentially, it is the centralization of economic decisions. As such, there is some question as to whether one can even use the term “capitalism” after the term “crony.” The term “crony capitalism,” therefore, is just a bastardization of what capitalism really is (which is why the Left loves using the it). Indeed, a more apt term for “crony capitalism” would be either “corporatism” or “mercantilism.” But this is not what was at work in the Carrier deal. The Carrier deal, instead, shows how Trump will enact his economic statecraft policy. For those companies already here, Trump is signaling—through persuasion—that he will do what it takes to keep them in place. He goes to them to find out what is necessary to achieve that and he offers what he can. He also promises to enact penalties where he can, of course. But Trump is limited here by the Constitution and by political reality. Still, companies may be uncertain about his limits. If they seek to err on the side of caution in ways that help American workers, so be it. That’s smart politics. Once in office, he will seek to lower taxes and reduce regulations, which—in addition to keeping companies here—will also entice more businesses to open up shop in the America. This influx of entrepreneurial activity will increase America’s strategic capital on the international stage. While it may be heresy to the Free Trade purists over at Cato and the crony “capitalists” in the Democratic Party, Trump’s economic warfare doctrine seems to be predicated upon making America so economically strong, and so attractive for businesses, that no other country could ever use economics as a cudgel against the United States again and no sensible American company would want to relocate. Gonzo geopolitical analyst Edward Luttwak recently observed this shift to economic warfare, or resisting China’s rise through geoeconomics in his most recent book on Chinese grand strategy, The Rise of China vs. the Logic of Strategy. As Luttwak writes: China’s continuing rise ultimately threatens the very independence of its neighbors, and even of its present peers, it will inevitably be resisted by geoeconomic means—that is, by strategically motivated as opposed to merely protectionist trade barriers, investment prohibitions, more extensive technology denials, and even restrictions on raw material exports to China if its misconduct can provide a sufficient excuse for that almost warlike act. Trump has recognized repeatedly the threat that China’s aggressive economic posture poses to American national security. His recent phone call with the Taiwanese president highlights the ways in which he intends to put pressure on China and to slough off our own supine neglect of our interests. Trump’s economic counterattack against America’s true rival, China, is just beginning. This, coupled with his threats vis-à-vis tariffs on incoming Chinese goods (lest they operate more fairly in the economic realm) is nothing less than audacious. It is a Patton-esque strategy for winning the ongoing economic war with China. Trump is very Chinese in his view on grand strategy. True statecraft is not limited to the use of the military or traditional diplomacy only. It also involves economics. An offensive, audacious, economic warfare strategy is therefore needed to protect America’s interests globally. Donald Trump will take a page out of China’s book and use it against them. In Trump, the successful Art of Economic Warfare will be on display. As such, we will not only be safer, but also far more prosperous.
The Fijian Rugby Union has hit out at Ben Ryan -- the man who led them to Olympic gold -- saying it is disappointed by his "constant remarks" about the sevens team. The statement comes in response to a tweet from Ryan where he criticises the FRU for having not contracted any of the players who have played in the opening two rounds of the World Rugby Sevens Series. A fantastic effort by Fiji at @CapeTown7s @WorldRugby7s series. FRU - please start paying these amazing men. No one contracted again. — Ben Ryan (@benjaminryan) December 11, 2016 The FRU has responded with a lengthy statement where it says Ryan "has chosen to move on to other challenges which we respect and all have accepted but it seems it is difficult for him to move on" and expresses its disappointment at Ryan's "constant remarks... and his ongoing tweets about the performance of the team". During his time with Fiji, Ryan led their sevens teams to back-to-back World Series triumphs and gold at Rio, their country's first Olympic medal. Ryan left his post in charge of Fiji after Rio 2016 and will be replaced by Gareth Baber. "The FRU has also appointed a new coach and he will lead the Fiji men's sevens team moving forward and we all need to give Baber a chance including Ben Ryan," the FRU statement continued. "It is no longer Ben Ryan's team and Ben must understand this and he must allow our new coach Baber to deal with the issues in relation to his Team. Also let's get one thing straight. Naca and boys were great last two weeks. Not one player or coach should get anything other than praise. — Ben Ryan (@benjaminryan) December 12, 2016 "All the players that were selected for the first leg of the IRB [World Rugby] Series revolved around Ben Ryan's extended Squad. Their employment contracts with FRU expired after the Olympics. They, however, have all been paid their relevant allowances while in camp and while on tour for the two tournaments. "The FRU CEO highlighted that coach Baber will commence duty on the January 2 2016 and the FRU believes it is only fair that he watches our local competition and selects his own team and the FRU intends to work with coach Baber in contracting the selected extended squad for 2017 and beyond. This was the same opportunity given to Ben when he started. "Furthermore there is no truth in Ben's comments that FRU has lost its sponsorship and funding. FRU has been having ongoing discussions with the Fiji National Sports Commission and our sponsors in relation to the contracting of our 7s players both men and women."
A 20-year-old member of a yakuza syndicate, who was arrested in Tokyo on Wednesday over the death of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son, is believed to have previously abused the boy, police said Thursday. The Metropolitan Police Department sent the case to prosecutors the same day. Naoya Nagatomi, a member of a group affiliated with major yakuza syndicate Sumiyoshi-kai, was arrested Wednesday for repeatedly hitting and kicking Ayato Arai on Monday. An ambulance was called to an apartment in Ota Ward in the early hours of Wednesday — more than a day after the incident. When it arrived, the boy was covered with bruises and was not breathing. He was later confirmed dead at a hospital, having suffered a subdural hematoma and hemorrhage in the back of his eyes. Police will further investigate the case on suspicion that Nagatomi caused injury resulting in death. Nagatomi, 195 cm tall and weighing 120 kg, admitted to the charges. “I did it because I was angry that (the boy) glared at me. I struck his face many times and threw him to the ground,” police quoted him as saying. “He jabbed a cooking knife into the floor, and kicked using heel drops. He also said ‘die,’ ” the 22-year-old mother told police. The mother also told police that Nagatomi had hit the boy before Monday’s incident. Nagatomi said he hit the boy “as a discipline,” according to police. Nagatomi and the child’s mother have lived together since early January. The mother told police that Nagatomi abused the boy for about 1½ hours at dinner on Monday. She tried to stop him, but Nagatomi was also violent toward her, according to her statement to police. When she finally made the emergency call on Wednesday, she said the child had developed a fever and was not reacting to stimulus. Ayato was found in cardiopulmonary arrest, and the hospital that confirmed his death reported the case to police. The police also plan to investigate why it took so long for the mother to call for help. According to Ota Ward and a Shinagawa child consultation center, no bruise or other sign of abuse was found on the boy’s body when he received a public health check-up for 3-year-olds last month, and no request for child care consultation or reports of abuse had been made prior.
A pretty good question that might stump the partisans who routinely deny that Wikileaks (or, as I call it, Putinleaks) had any effect on the election. Sure, it may be the case that the election result would have been the same absent Putinleaks. But, as Tapper points out here, Donald Trump sure thought the Putinleaks revelations were important — because he brought them up over, and over, and over again. TAPPER: And if you listen to what Mr. Trump had to say on the stump, all the time, he invoked Wikileaks dozens and dozens of times to try to suggest that the Wikileaks had said that there were things that Hillary Clinton was doing or had done that were untoward. Take a listen: TRUMP: What you have to do is just take a look at Wikileaks, and just see what they said about Bernie Sanders. TRUMP: Wikileaks just actually came out, John Podesta said some horrible things about you. And boy, was he right. He said some beauties. TRUMP: Wikileaks, that just came out. And, she lied. Now she’s blaming the lie on the late, great Abraham Lincoln. TAPPER: So I guess what I’m confused about is, how can you say that the hacking had no impact on the election when Mr. Trump kept invoking Wikileaks, which was printing, publishing, things that the Russians had hacked? Obviously, he thought it was going to have an effect on the election. CONWAY: Well, having an — it had an effect on his debate answer. And it had an effect on the Clinton campaign because it was quite embarrassing to watch her closest advisors question her judgment, question whether she would ever find her voice, wondering aloud why she was testing 84 slogans to find out who she was and what she’d run on. This guy had “Make America Great Again” — it never changed. And I know that’s very embarrassing. Them calling Chelsea Clinton, some of them, a spoiled brat . . . that’s very uncomfortable. But that’s what was hacked.
This is the terrifying moment a huge tyre from a lorry gets blasted up in the air and falls back to earth to destroy a car because bungling workers started inflating it and forgot about it. The shocking incident took place in the Vakhrushev car depot in the town of Kiselyovsk in south-central Russia. It is reported that employees of the car depot in charge of inflating the wheel got distracted. As a result of their mistake the huge three-tonne wheel exploded from over-inflation and was catapulted into the air. After hitting a wall on its descent the giant wheel went on to demolish a Toyota Corolla car that was parked nearby. The car belonged to a female accountant of the car depot and was written off in the accident. The three-tonne tyre, used on industrial lorries, catapulted through the air before landing on a sedan belonging to an accountant at the car depot None of the onlookers or people close to the accident site were injured. The incident was caught on CCTV and has quickly gone viral after being shared online. Commentator 'Aleksey P.' said: 'Thank God, no one was in the car. I think it is impossible to survive after being smashed like that.' The car was completely flattened. Luckily however no one was injured in the incident And 'Orlets' added: 'My oh my, this is one scary video.' 'Anotin Kot' said: 'I really feel sorry for a dog that was on the left. It was rushing as fast as it could to escape from the scene.' Industrial accidents cause hundreds of deaths and cost vast amounts of money every year in Russia. Often drunkenness in the workplace is to blame. Other factors include the use of worn out Soviet-era equipment.
TORONTO – The French satirical magazine at the centre of this month’s deadly terror attacks in Paris has launched an app as worldwide demand for its latest issue grows. The Charlie Hebdo app is illustrated with the current cover of the magazine, which features the Prophet Muhammad holding a sign reading, “Je suis Charlie” – the phrase of support that has become synonymous with the attacks. “Because a pencil will always be better than barbarity… Because freedom is a universal right… Use the official app to read Charlie Hebdo and to support us by buying the latest issue,” the app’s description reads. The magazine has been struggling to keep up with demand for the issue; the first since the deadly shooting which killed 12 people, including many of the magazine’s editorial staff. Copies of the issue have sold for as much as $680 on eBay. The Charlie Hebdo app is available for Android, Windows Phone and Apple’s iOS platform. However, Apple’s decision to approve the app stands in stark contrast to its previous opinion on satirical and controversial content. READ MORE: ‘Je Suis Charlie’ app approved in 1 hour after developers contacted Apple CEO In 2010, the tech giant banned apps from many editorial cartoonists for breaching its policy against “ridiculing public figures.” Stephane Charbonnier, the Charlie Hebdo editor who died in the attack, publically criticized Apple’s stance on satirical cartoons. Apple later changed its stance on satirical comedy. Charlie Hebdo’s cover has sparked protests in several Muslim cities, as many believe the caricature is an insult to Islam. Protesters have been rallying against the magazine for days in Afghanistan – chanting “Death to France,” burning French flags and demanding the French Embassy in Kabul be shut down. When it comes to religious content, Apple’s app guidelines state, “Apps containing references or commentary about a religious, cultural or ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely to expose the targeted group to harm or violence will be rejected.” However, the guidelines now specify that “professional political satirists and humorists” are exempt from these rules. The app itself is free, but users have to purchase the magazine via an in-app purchase for CAD$3.49. Currently the issue is available in French, English and Spanish.
Alexander Chee. M. Sharkey Alexander Chee’s lyrical, disturbing first novel Edinburgh was quietly published in 2001 by an independent press. The novel drew praise, was re-released by Picador, and marked Chee as an important emerging voice. He went on to write essays and criticism while struggling with his second novel. Fifteen years later, that second novel, The Queen of the Night, is out from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It could hardly be more different from his debut: a dense and dazzling 600-page historical epic that traces the life of the shape-shifting Lilliet Berne, an orphaned American girl who joins a traveling equestrian circus and sails with them to France intending to find her mother’s family. But once in Paris she discovers a world of glamour and friendship, sex and opera—and her own extraordinary voice. Through the excess of the Second French Empire and the violence that ends it, Lilliet tries on a string of identities—prostitute, maid, courtesan, protégé, and at last, world-famous soprano. The novel is a bravura performance, a kaleidoscopic portrait of an artist as a young woman and paean to the glories of fashion and art, melodrama, and the myths we tell about ourselves. It didn’t come easily. I talked with Chee by Skype about the long journey from first novel to second and why, three years ago, he withdrew the book just months before its scheduled publication date. I first read The Queen of the Night in early 2013 when I came on to copy edit the manuscript. But a few months later you decided you weren’t comfortable with it. You pulled it back and publication was postponed. Ever since, I’ve been curious: Why? When I was doing some fact-checking, I stumbled across some important research I didn’t have when I was writing—about the life of an important character in the book, Lilliet’s teacher Pauline Viardot Garcia, who was a famous soprano and composer. I found all of these wonderful new details, and not using them, it struck me, would be an inexcusable omission. By the way, thank you, JSTOR. I need to give JSTOR a big shoutout in the revision of this novel. What did you find? An incredible trove of details about Pauline’s life and her relationships with Turgenev and George Sand, as well as Pauline’s letters. All the new details helped make Lilliet’s relationship with Pauline so much richer. So how do you pull a novel just a few months before publication? That’s kind of a big deal. At first I thought: OK, you really can’t delay things more than you have already. That would be a horrible thing to do to yourself at this point in your career. But the more I thought about it, I realized I would never forgive myself if I let the book go out and did not include some kind of redramatization of Lilliet’s relationship with Pauline. So I made the case to my agent. She made the case to my editor. We pulled the book back and I wrote somewhere between 70 and 100 new pages altogether. I was so in love with Pauline as a character. I felt like after finding all this new material that if I didn’t use it in the novel, I would just end up publishing some kind of novella about Pauline independently, which would be a shitty consolation. Back in early 2013, you’d recently completed a new restructuring, and you weren’t totally comfortable with it. What was going on before you handed it in that first time? The structure was basically the hardest part of the novel. I thought I was going to lose my mind making it all fit together. Sometimes I was sure I actually had lost my mind. There was an especially bad winter I was living in Leipzig, where I spent a lot of time walking around feeling like I was never going to finish and everything was hopeless. It was a very difficult time. The longer the novel was unfinished, the more it endangered my ability to keep teaching, which was a large part of my income. It endangered my ability to get further grants. It endangered my relationship, because I had been working on the novel so obsessively for so long that my partner felt widowed by the project. Everything in my life felt like it was being crushed to death underneath this problem: How should the novel be structured? How did you break through that? Actually, my first ideas about the novel, the ones that for a long time I trusted least, were the ones that solved the problem. I’d run as far away from them as I could. But the only answer was the first answer: It would be a retrospective novel about Lilliet looking back on these different pieces of her life and trying to make sense of them. The idea that she may be cursed was also one of those old ideas—she’s afraid she’s destined to repeat the fate of her characters. But I’d worried that was too corny. Finally I realized I had no business writing a novel about opera if I wasn’t going to be able to risk being corny. You published Edinburgh in 2001. What made the journey to the second novel so long? I had the idea for it around 2000, around the time Edinburgh was going out on submission. And there was an incredible amount of excitement about The Queen of the Night even back then. Sorry, that sounds horribly conceited. It dwarfed the attention to Edinburgh. There was the novel I was trying to sell and there was this, like, two paragraphs about a novel I might write in the future, and every publisher was like: Can you do that one? That sounds like a mind-fuck. It was incredibly depressing. I’d already tried to find a publisher for a previous manuscript, which was bigger, more ambitious—I’d wanted to write a Great American Novel–type novel but centered on the AIDS activists in San Francisco and New York. That got nowhere, no surprise. Then I sat down to try to write Edinburgh, an autobiographical novel, and that took five years to write and two years to sell. So when publishers were saying, can you write this other one now? I thought: If I keep going back to see if publishers like something, where am I going get in my life? So I found an independent publisher for Edinburgh, and tried to move on. But in the aftermath, I was pretty bitter. I didn’t feel like I’d tried to do anything particularly more difficult with Edinburgh than any other … Debut novel? Yeah, exactly. So it took me a while to get back to The Queen of the Night. I was angry with it as an idea because I felt like it had sort of ruined my life, by taking so much attention away from Edinburgh. So it essentially languished in a drawer until 2004, when I pulled it out, dusted it off and thought, Oh, I actually really like this idea. When you turned it in the first time your editor seemed perfectly happy with it. Andrea Schulz became my editor in 2009. She loved the novel right away, and I’m really grateful to her for that, because I really did need that boost of enthusiasm at the time. So I can’t thank her enough for this eventual publication, especially with her being so kind as to allow me to hold the novel and restructure it in 2013. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a novel pulled so late before. It’s pretty rare. In general publishers don’t want to do it. And why would they? I think everyone involved thought the novel was fine just the way it was. But the only thing, in the end, that protects you is that you did the book the way you wanted to, because then if it succeeds or fails, at least you have that satisfaction. At least you didn’t compromise and then fail. If you compromise and then you succeed, that’s another kind of feeling. But if you compromise and fail, it’s two failures at least. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. — The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. See all the pieces in the Slate Book Review.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Australia’s most recognised landmarks, with its magnificent arch-based design and view of the harbour. But if we travel back to March 19, 1932, the bridge was just opening to Sydneysiders. Since the 1800s there were proposals for building a bridge between the harbour’s north and south shores, but it wasn’t until 1900 that design submissions were actually invited by the government. All the design submissions were considered ‘unsuitable’ in 1900, so the bridge was abandoned. However, following the First World War, serious plans started for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A general design was put forward by Dr John Bradfield and officers of the New South Wales Department of Public Works. This time the design was accepted and in 1922 the contract for construction was granted to an English firm, Dorman Long and Co. of Middlesbrough, who are still in business today! Construction of the bridge took eight years. Compared to the four years (and $10bn) it took to complete the 42-kilometre Qingdao Haiwan Bridge in China that may seem a long time but that’s comparing apples and oranges. The opening day of the bridge also has quite a humorous tale. Before the NSW Premier could cut the ribbon, Captain Francis De Groot, a member of the British Empire-loving The New Guard, went ahead and slashed the ribbon with his sword. He was perhaps Australia’s first hooligan (or pro-royalist, you make the call). The ribbon was tied back up and properly cut by the Premier. When the bridge first opened in 1932, it saw daily traffic at the 11,000 mark, whereas now it’s skyrocketed to over 160,000 vehicles a day. And to think how we might have to travel to the city centre if the bridge was never constructed – ferries are good, but sea sickness isn’t! Happy birthday, Sydney Harbour Bridge – you’re looking fine for 82!
The Charlottesville, Virginia, city council approved a marijuana-related resolution Monday night calling on the governor and the legislature "to revisit the sentencing guidelines that merit jail terms for simple possession, do away with rules that suppose intent to distribute without evidence and give due consideration to sponsored state bills that would decriminalize, legalize or regulate marijuana like alcohol." Charlottesville City Council (City of Charlotteville) [Editor's Note: To find the actual resolution, click on the link above, select "May 7, 2012 (with background)," then scroll to the very end of the PDF file.]Under current law, possession of marijuana is classified as a misdemeanor carrying punishment of up to 30 days in jail and/or fines of up to $500. Subsequent convictions carry a jail sentence of up to a year and/or fines of up to $2,500.The council had been presented with two resolutions, the version that passed and one that also included language making marijuana possession the lowest law enforcement priority, but councilors balked at the lowest priority language, saying they feared it would send the wrong message to children. Two of the five-member council supported the lowest priority language, but they dropped that in order to pick up a third vote on the decriminalization and regulation language."I think it's perfectly legitimate for us to say as an elected body that there are other priorities and that we're going the wrong direction when it comes to the war on drugs," said Councilor Dave Norris in remarks reported by the Charlottesville Daily Progress "Obviously, we don't have the power to decriminalize marijuana, but I think it does send the message actually in support of those who can," said Councilor Dede Smith."I think that decriminalization has more to with regulation and control than it does with saying it's okay," said Councilor Kristin Szakos, the swing vote who suggested the one-paragraph compromise.Two council members, Mayor Satyendra Huja and Councilor Kathy Galvin, voted against any reform resolution."I think passing such a resolution... would detract from community health, safety and welfare of our citizens," said Huja."I honestly cannot think that this bully pulpit can be used to send such mixed messages to our children," said Galvin. "We are spending a lot of time talking about state and federal law. This is not something we should be spending local time doing."City police lobbied against the lowest priority language, saying that marijuana possession is already a low priority, accounting for only about 100 arrests a year out of the 5,000 made by police, and that many of those busts were incident to arrest on other charges."The officers in the police department are duty bound to enforce the laws of the city, state and federal governments. However, all police departments must balance the pressing enforcement needs of a community with their resources," read a memo to councilors from City Manager Maurice Jones and city Police Chief Timothy Longo. "The Charlottesville Police Department has done exactly that by utilizing its funding to appropriately address higher priority crimes in our city than marijuana possession. Knowing this, staff believes it is unnecessary to include a directive from council to de-prioritize the enforcement of personal marijuana use."Public comment at the meeting was mixed, with the first six speakers opposing the resolution. Some referred to their own struggles with addiction, while others described it as an insidious drug that robs addicts of true happiness."Charlottesville will become the city of potheads," warned city resident Melanie Roberts.But local attorney Jeff Fogel supported the resolutions, including the lowest priority language, and called the war on drugs "a colossal failure" that led to violence. "I don't think we elected the police department to make policy or law in this community," Fogel said. "And you know what, I'm not sure the police department does either."The resolution was citizen-initiated, brought to the council by Jordan McNeish. Formerly involved with Occupy Charlotte, the 23-year-old activist has since founded a local NORML chapter. He said he had been busted for pot possession in the past.Charlottesville is now on the record for marijuana reform. Where are Norfolk and Newport News, Roanoke and Richmond?
With the pathetic Knicks in town, the Wizards wisely determined that Paul Pierce’s services would not be needed. The 37-year-old small forward sat on the bench while Washington trounced New York, but his attendance at the game hardly went unnoticed. That’s because Pierce took advantage of not having to wear his uniform, and showed the world that he is really big into glasses. Or to put it another way, he is into really big glasses. Paul Pierce’s glasses are so thick they may be bulletproof pic.twitter.com/FFgSw6GGxM — Barely In Bounds (@BarelyIn) January 8, 2015 Pierce may have been paying homage to Run-DMC by wearing Cazals — or perhaps their cheapo knockoffs, Gazelles — but Internet denizens took great delight in comparing the Wizard to a host of bespectacled characters. Why does Paul Pierce have Brick Top’s glasses on? pic.twitter.com/FjXZxGymwV — Not Robert Griffin (@Pseudo_RGIII) January 8, 2015 Paul Pierce ripping off Jerry Seinfeld tonight. pic.twitter.com/wfAbaFsa8z — Bryan (@smileyoufckers) January 8, 2015 This was legitimately the first thing that came to my mind. pic.twitter.com/ZDmINMz1Vw — whitney (@its_whitney) January 8, 2015
The government has proposed to increase exciting PF wage ceiling to Rs.21,000 from Rs. 15,000 per month for its various social security schemes which will add more workers to the provident fund coverage. According to the new government proposal, all employees earning the salary of up to Rs.21,000 per month will be eligible to receive provident fund coverage. At present, Employees Provident Fund is optional for workers earning more than Rs.15,000 per month since current wage limit fixed at Rs. 15,000. The Ministry of Labour and Employment’s proposal to increase the PF Wage ceiling has been undecided for a long time. Earlier The earlier proposal to increase the PF wage ceiling to Rs 25,000/- was listed for the EPFO’s trustees’ meet held last 30th March 2017, Thursday. EPFO trustee D L Sachdev said, “The proposal to hike PF wage ceiling to Rs 25,000/- was deferred due to the lack of time and would be taken up at another meeting being planned for later this April 2017,”. The Ministry of Finance, which asked the Ministry of Labour and Employment to evaluate the government’s financial implication of the proposal, has received the inputs recently and given the permission. Source: Financial Express News Report Dated 02-12-2017 Share this: Tweet Related Share your comments
POTUS Trump SLAMS “Fake News” WaPo in Fiery Tweetstorm President Trump unleashed a tweetstorm on Fake News WaPo Monday evening. The President accused WaPo of fabricating facts on his decision to end Obama’s funding of Syrian ‘rebels’. Trump said that Fake News WaPo is just as bad as CNN. OUCH! He also questioned if they are being used as lobbyists to keep politicians from looking into Amazon’s no-tax policy. The Amazon Washington Post fabricated the facts on my ending massive, dangerous, and wasteful payments to Syrian rebels fighting Assad….. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017 So many stories about me in the @washingtonpost are Fake News. They are as bad as ratings challenged @CNN. Lobbyist for Amazon and taxes? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017 Is Fake News Washington Post being used as a lobbyist weapon against Congress to keep Politicians from looking into Amazon no-tax monopoly? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017
The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and an unlimited fine. You’ll get a prison sentence if you’re convicted of carrying a knife more than once. Basic laws on knives It’s illegal to: sell a knife to anyone under 18, unless it has a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less carry a knife in public without good reason, unless it has a folding blade with a cutting edge 3 inches long or less carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife) Scotland In Scotland, 16 to 18 year olds are allowed to buy cutlery and kitchen knives. Lock knives Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason. Lock knives: have blades that can be locked and refolded only by pressing a button can include multi-tool knives - tools that also contain other devices such as a screwdriver or can opener Banned knives and weapons It is illegal to bring into the UK, sell, hire, lend or give anyone the following: butterfly knives (also known as ‘balisongs’) - a blade hidden inside a handle that splits in the middle disguised knives - a blade or sharp point hidden inside what looks like everyday objects such as a buckle, phone, brush or lipstick flick knives (also known as ‘switchblades’ or ‘automatic knives’) - a blade hidden inside a handle which shoots out when a button is pressed gravity knives stealth knives - a knife or spike not made from metal (except when used at home, for food or a toy) zombie knives - a knife with a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words suggesting it is used for violence swords, including samurai swords - a curved blade over 50cm (with some exceptions, such as antiques and swords made to traditional methods before 1954) sword-sticks - a hollow walking stick or cane containing a blade push daggers blowpipes (‘blow gun’) telescopic truncheons - extend automatically by pressing button or spring in the handle batons - straight, side-handled or friction-lock truncheons hollow kubotans - a cylinder-shaped keychain holding spikes shurikens (also known as ‘shaken’, ‘death stars’ or ‘throwing stars’) kusari-gama - a sickle attached to a rope, cord or wire kyoketsu-shoge - a hook-knife attached to a rope, cord or wire kusari (or ‘manrikigusari’) - a weight attached to a rope, cord, wire hand or foot-claws knuckledusters Contact your local police to check if a knife or weapon is illegal. Good reasons for carrying a knife or weapon Examples of good reasons to carry a knife or weapon in public can include: taking knives you use at work to and from work taking it to a gallery or museum to be exhibited if it’ll be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, for example the kirpan some Sikhs carry if it’ll be used in a demonstration or to teach someone how to use it A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife or a weapon if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.
As fast-food workers in Seattle walked out of their restaurants on Wednesday night and Thursday, joining the hundreds of other low-wage workers who have gone on strike this spring, organizers claimed that the recent wave of walkouts has already yielded tangible results. Conditions, hours, positions and pay have improved for a number of workers who participated in strikes in the last two months, organizers say. They point to Krystal Collins in Chicago, who got a 0.25 cent hourly raise and was switched from part-time to full-time after walking off her job at Macy's in April, and to Claudette Wilson, Romell Frazier and Khalil Dorris in Detroit, who forced their Burger King to close for the day in early May and subsequently saw their hours increase. Other strike participants have won small raises at various franchises of Little Caesars, Popeyes, McDonald's, and Burger King. "They're getting more pay and hours and better scheduling, and are feeling emboldened to speak up on the job," said Rev. Martin Rafanan, an organizer with the community group Missouri Jobs For Justice. "The victories achieved by strikers are compelling others to get involved." Robert Bruno, director of the Labor Education Program at the University of Illinois, insisted that the recent wave of resistance amounts to nothing less than a "transformative moment" in the labor movement. "A lot of workers are discovering that they can resist their employers," he said. "What I think you're seeing is a sense that there is actually a potential to make change." The first of these strikes took place in New York last fall, when about 200 fast-food workers walked off the job for a day, prompting organizers to boast that they'd launched the largest strike in the history of the fast-food industry. In April, twice as many fast-food workers in New York participated in a second strike, followed by one-day walkouts in Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Washington, D.C. Walmart workers, meanwhile, have pressed on with their own campaign for better wages and conditions, with the latest series of strikes and protests expected to culminate at the company's shareholder meeting next Friday. And in Queens, N.Y., workers at a car wash signed a union contract last week guaranteeing them a raise and benefits. They formed their union last fall, after joining forces with the nonprofit group New York Communities for Change, one of the main organizations behind New York's fast-food strikes. Like their counterparts in other cities, Seattle's striking workers are hoping to pressure employers to pay at least $15 an hour. Most fast-food workers earn far less, living on incomes that fall below the federal government's threshold for poverty. Ethan Dittrick-Reed, a 23-year-old cook who makes $9.25 an hour at a Seattle Qdoba, said he relies on food stamps and help from his parents to pay the rent each month. "I'm lucky enough to have parents who will occasionally help me," he said. "But really, I want to be independent, and with a higher wage at my job I would get that." Although it's been decades since the country began shifting from a high-wage manufacturing economy to one that largely relies on low-wage jobs, the retail and food industries have exploded in recent years, offering work that pays significantly less than the majority of jobs that disappeared during the recession. At the same time, union membership has declined, leaving organizers and low-wage workers with little choice but to experiment with new strategies for getting corporations to listen to their demands.
His demand for Mr. Kaepernick’s silence came two days after The New York Times reported on another form of silence that comes with the privilege of dedicating your life, breaking your body and soul, to be in the N.F.L. Doctors, it said, had found a severe level of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., in Aaron Hernandez, the 27-year-old former New England Patriot who committed suicide in April while imprisoned on a murder sentence. His brain showed the kind of damage usually seen in players in their 60s. C.T.E.’s toll on players’ health – a recent survey found C.T.E. in the brains of 110 of 111 former N.F.L. players examined — was of no concern to Mr. Trump. At a political rally in Alabama on Friday, the president complained about referees penalizing teams for excessive violence. Demonstrating with his fists colliding, he referred to a “beautiful tackle” that earned a 15-yard penalty. “They’re ruining the game,” he said. He dismissed a fear that has led thousands of parents to keep their children from playing football, as casually as he disregarded the fears of Mr. Kaepernick for the safety and dignity of young black and Hispanic men off the field.
Continental have been advertising that their high-end tires are handmade in Germany for a few years now, but how do you go about making tires by hand? With a frame, at least an aluminum one, you know what to expect - it’s been put together by a man with some welding experience and a hammer. But a tire, well, that just had us stumped. So when Continental invited us up to their headquarters in Korbach, Northern Germany, we jumped at the chance to see the procedure firsthand.We followed their production process from design and prototyping, right through to the finished tires that you can buy off the shelf, but you'll probably notice that we don't show the same tire throughout the article. This is because the production line manufacturers different tires on different days, and we were lucky enough to catch it as that change was happening. The fact is that the same process is used for all of the tires made within the walls of the Korbach plant - just the sizings, rubber compounds and materials () obviously change between the road models and World Cup-ready downhill tires.Stay tuned to Pinkbike as we'll have an exclusive first test of the new Rammstein downhill tire next week.
Prominent atheist Richard Dawkins has been hit by fresh scandal today after it emerged his ancestors were single-celled organisms who metabolised sulphur. New findings have shown that the outspoken atheist is the direct descendent of a primordial soup-dwelling thermophile – a particular variant of extremophile which clung to hydrothermic vents just 3.5 billion years ago. Adam Lasher of the Telegraph said of the shock findings: “This comes after I found out that someone in Dawkins’ family did something three hundred years ago which we now consider bad – so these latest revelations finally put paid to the belief that Dawkins comes from an infinite line of human beings with an exclusively 21st-century moral code.” “That nobody has at any point ever held that belief is neither here nor there. All we really know is that this definitely proves that Dawkins is wrong about God”. Hypocrite To many it appears clear hypocrisy that Professor Dawkins – who has spent much of his career talking up the benefits of being a multi-cellular organism – is directly related to a single-cell organism. It’s not apparent at this time how Dawkin’s justifies this relationship, beyond the dozen or so books he’s written about the evolution of life. Lasher continued, “I always knew there was something about Dawkins I didn’t like, and now I know why.” “How can he claim to be a human being with arms and lungs and stuff when his ancestor metabolised sulphur in an ancient, boiling-hot underwater vent? “Plus, ‘extremophile’? Sounds a bit terroristy if you ask me.”
30th August, 2012 Dear Leo Burnett, I am writing you this open letter as a director of Asylum Films, a supplier of video content to Leo Burnett in the UK. It concerns a recent piece of work we have done for your client, Ronald McDonald House Charities. I very much appreciate your time in reading this, and will keep it short. We are a smaller production company, taking steps into larger online and TV content. With this in mind, we were approached by Leo’s to help with the job mentioned above. It was on an extremely tight turn around and small budget. Motivated by the project and working with an agency such as yourselves we pulled out all the stops producing the job and bringing in a difficult shoot, over two nights in a working NHS hospital. This is the result http://asylumfilms.co.uk/work/commercials-idents/rmhc/. We are most proud of it, and feedback from the team and the client was very positive. It was recognised how hard we had worked to turn the job around to such a standard with the constraints we had. A few days ago a new video for RMHC was released to the press through Leo’s as a first national campaign. This is it http://bit.ly/N1kfsS. It is essentially our piece of work reshot and redone with a bigger budget. Not only the concept, but lighting, the feel and shot selection are almost identical. At no point were we consulted on this or even told about it happening as a courtesy, and certainly not asked about our ability to create this new version. We feel hugely aggrieved by the situation. It is hard for smaller companies to make the transition into doing work with bigger agencies, but we feel we have the experience and showreel to do so. We take on these smaller and difficult jobs as a way to prove our abilities for future work and to start to build a relationship, putting in hours and getting production values that exceed what might be expected from the budget. Our agility and creative ability is our stock in trade, and to feel we, and it, has been used in this way is disappointing to say the least. In short, our work and creative content has been copied and reused, without any consultation or recognition. I feel that no one would wish to run an organisation that knowingly exploits young and emerging creativity, as such I am bringing this matter to your personal attention. Yours sincerely, Ben Falk Director Asylum Films Ltd We have removed the name of the individual we addressed as he was receiving personal attacks. This was never our intention
Dana Perino starting a daily White House press briefing. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) …all The Five’s banter revolved around one central theme: atheists are unpatriotic and ungrateful for what their country has given them. This is perhaps the most popular stereotype about atheists: it’s the “Muslims hate our freedom” of atheist-bashing. For example, just a day prior to The Five segment, Fox and Friends’s Steve Doocy questioned the patriotism of the family that brought the case in Massachusetts. After former White House Press Secretary, Dana Perino, and her colleagues on Fox News' "The Five" spewed forth some anti-atheist bigotry on the air, I wondered whether this sort of thing was any less acceptable than it was when George H. W. Bush did it in 1987. I am not sure we have a clear answer yet, but I was more than a little surprised by the lack of response to this one.It certainly seems like there are more outspoken atheists now than was the case in 1987; however, our response to these comments was rather mild. I suppose this could be due to our difficulty in coming together because of our infighting , but I'm not convinced this is the main reason or even terribly relevant here. I wonder if we have become so used to this sort of bigotry that we do not notice it as much as we would if it was directed at others. Imagine what would have happened if Ms. Perino had said that she was "tired of" Jews or Blacks and that they should leave the country. I suspect that many atheists would have been even more upset by this than they were by what she actually said, including those who were neither Jewish nor Black. In a guest post at, Rob Shryock wrote:He's right. The only misconception about atheists I encounter more often than this one is the notion that we are immoral simply because we lack god belief. And given the fierce determination of many Americans to believe that they are superior to every other nation , one could certainly make the case that patriotism and perceptions of morality are closely linked.Are we okay with being perceived as unpatriotic every time we stand up for the separation of church and state? I'm not. Are we okay with being viewed as enemies of the state because we refuse to go along with one particular mass delusion? I'm certainly not. Anti-atheist bigotry may be one of the last bastions of bigotry to be socially acceptable . It is up to us to change that.
Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. Could Donald Trump—a man who has predicated his entire presidential campaign on attacking the evils of illegal immigration—be married to an immigrant who entered the country under false pretenses and violated US laws? On Thursday, Politico detonated a new controversy for Trump, with an article that reported various inconsistencies in Melania Trump’s account of how she came from Slovenia to live and work in United States in the mid-1990s. As Politico pointed out, a recent New York Post story on a nude photo shoot from Melania’s early modeling days noted that she was living and working in the United States in 1995, when the photo session took place. This contradicts her claim that she moved to the country in 1996. More important, the Politico story reports, during various interviews Melania Trump has said that she followed immigration rules and that after her arrival in the United States, she returned home “every few months” to renew her visa. But here’s the rub, according to Politico: “Trump’s description of her periodic renewals in Europe are more consistent with someone traveling on a B-1 Temporary Business Visitor or B-2 Tourist Visa, which typically last only up to six months and do not permit employment.” Trump was indeed doing paid gigs as a model at that time. This suggests that she may have been violating her immigration status and working illegally in the United States. (And, as Politico reported, if she did violate her visa, then her subsequent green card and citizenship could be in jeopardy.) Melania took to Twitter Thursday to deny she had done anything wrong, but she didn’t offer any specific refutations. There’s one simple thing that she could do to clear up this matter: release copies of her visa records. Even if she doesn’t have them lying around at home, she can request those records from the US government and then make them public. These documents presumably would indicate whether she had been working legally in the United States. Donald Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment regarding whether Melania would seek and release her visa records. Donald Trump has never been shy about requesting that others release important documents. As a leading birther, he demanded that President Barack Obama make public his long-form birth certificate. He whipped up enough of a fervor that Obama eventually did release the document. In 2012, Trump also offered $5 million if Obama would release his college transcripts. But Trump has been less than forthcoming when it comes to his records. He has, for instance, refused to make public his tax returns. And now there’s another item to add to the list.
A man shot two people inside the Twilight Exit at 25th and Cherry Sunday night before exiting the bar and firing at police officers outside. Police returned fire and killed him. The two people shot inside, a 25-year-old female and a bouncer in his 30s, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No officers were struck during the exchange outside the bar. Update: The shooter has been identified as James D Anderson. See update below for more details from the Seattle Times. The incident started around 10:15 p.m., according to police. There were at least 20 people in the bar when the suspect entered, apparently looking for the woman, who was an ex. After exchanging words, the man pulled out a gun and shot her. He also shot a Twilight Exit bouncer when he tried to intervene. When the suspect exited the bar, police contacted him and told him to drop his gun. He lifted the gun and fired one shot at officers, police said. Officers then returned fire, striking him. Medics declared the suspect dead on arrival. The two victims inside were transported to the hospital. Witnesses gathered outside, and emergency responders gave them ponchos to keep dry from the light, cold drizzle as they waiting for detectives. A Metro bus arrived, and witnesses boarded to stay warm and talk to officers. They then left the scene in the bus, headed to station for further statements. The shooting occurred just two blocks from where Justin Ferrari’s van came to a stop after he was shot and killed in May 2012, one block from where Tyrone Love was shot and killed in 2009, one block from where Quincy Coleman has shot and killed on Halloween 2008, and two blocks from where a man was shot and seriously injured in August. The Twilight Exit has been a huge supporter of CDNews, and a personal favorite watering hole. We send our best wishes to the victims, staff and everyone in the bar. Update — Monday 9:40 AM: Twilight Exit management has posted the following message to the bar’s Facebook page: The page has also become a de facto message board for customers to share support for the victims and the Twilight. CDNews spoke with Twilight Exit owner Stephan Mollmann, who has had a long night. He said the shooter and victim were regulars in the Twilight, and their disputes have raised concerns in the past. “Right when it happened, I knew who it was,” he said. He said the bouncer remains in the ICU in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his thigh. Police have not yet cleared the scene. Once they do, the many bags, coats and other belongings left will be taken to the Neighbor Lady at 23rd and Union, which Mollmann also owns in partnership with Shira Bray. Update: The Seattle Times spoke to a witness who described the following: “He was getting kicked out as I was coming in and we were getting our IDs checked,” said Alex Koch, a 28-year-old Seattle Central Community College student. When the man returned, he started yelling at a woman and shot her, according to the witnesses. “I heard that first shot; everyone is getting under tables,” Koch said. “I used a small table to barricade myself as he was shoving through the door.” Koch and others began streaming out a door onto East Cherry, while other patrons fled. Update: The Stranger’s Marti Jonjak was at the Twilight Exit when the shooting occurred. She was next to the victim when the shooter entered and started yelling at her. The man left and returned with a gun: Things calmed down right after the man left, and we shrugged it off. Something like 20-30 minutes later, we heard a popping sound, like a fire cracker. We couldn’t see exactly what was happening, but I suddenly felt panicked, and Lexi and I crouched down on the floor, we were trapped in the back corner of the bar. The young man walked towards us, he was holding a gun. I saw the beautiful girl was next to me, on my left. Our shoulders were touching. I saw her long black curly hair. As we crouched on the floor, the man was standing over all of us with his gun. He was hyper focused on the girl, and then I jumped up and ran past him. Before I got outside, I saw a pool of blood on the floor of the entry way. I tucked myself behind a dumpster and saw the bouncer laying near by. He was covered in blood, and another man was kneeling over him. This man handed me his cell phone, it was already dialing 911. The cell phone was smeared in blood, it left blood stains on my hands. Lexi and came out after that, and just after, the cops showed up in the alley, one pointed his flashlight at me and I held my hands up, and they gathered us together for questions. Lexi was barefoot because the woman who’d been shot had fallen on top of her, and as she struggled to leave her shoes somehow came loose and fell off beneath the woman’s body. More police and medics arrived, and later, I watched the bouncer and the girl being transported on stretchers into the ambulance. Read more… Update: The shooter has been identified as James D Anderson, 33. From the Seattle Times: The dead man was not formally identified Monday, but a relative said his name was James D. Anderson, 33, of Seattle. Anderson had been arrested near the same nightclub, the Twilight Exit, two months ago after he allegedly left the couple’s 7-month-old son unattended in a car that was parked nearby, according to court documents. Anderson was charged with reckless endangerment and leaving the child unrestrained and alone in a car while he walked up to the Twilight Exit on East Cherry Street, according to Seattle Municipal Court documents. Original breaking news coverage: There was a large emergency response to an incident near 25th and Cherry shortly after 10:15 p.m. Sunday. Real Time 911 lists the incident as a “multiple casualty incident.” We will update as we learn more. Update: The shooting occurred at the Twilight Exit. No official SPD statement yet, but scanner reports say three people were shot, two inside and one in the alley. From SPD: @SeattlePD: Preliminary info on shooting at 25/Cherry: Gunman opened fire in bar, 2 people hit. Suspect is down, but no details yet. More to come. From SFD: @SeattleFire: Medic transported 2 gunshot victims from 2500 block of east cherry . Male in 30’s with critical injuries. Female in 20’s stable. 3rd DOA Witnesses say police shot the suspect. Update from SPD: @SeattlePD: Update: Susp. shot a man & a woman inside the bar before he was contacted by officers. Appears victims have non-life-threatening injuries The female victim is 25. The male is in his 30s, police say. We are awaiting an SPD briefing. Update: SPD’s Nick Metz says it started as domestic incident between suspect and a woman. He then shot her and a bouncer, both not life-threatening. As the suspect was exiting into the alley, SPD officer confronted him. Suspect shot once at officers, and officer returned fire, killing the suspect.
COPIOUS is a user-centered digital experience agency. We build digital products with the user at heart and technology in our bones. About TechTalks: COPIOUSLabs TechTalks series meets every other Friday at 1pm at the Copious office. Our talks span artificial intelligence, new programming languages and techniques, computational linguistics, geographic data processing, systems and software architecture, augmented reality, network security, and more as proposed to our engineering team. About this talk: Speakers: Reid Parham, Lead Systems Engineer Aaron Edmonds, Software Engineer Kyle Terry, Senior Systems and Software Engineer How would you build the world’s largest, fastest, most complex Magento ecommerce store? Join three COPIOUS engineers as they share their approaches to this problem. This one-hour presentation will include the best practices, code samples, and system configurations necessary to scale Magento up to 100,000 daily orders with a catalog of 100,000 products. All are welcome to attend. If you have a talk that you'd like to suggest presenting, please email it to dann@copio.us along with a brief outline of what you'd like to cover.
Get your wheels greased and your short shorts laundered, because our beloved mall in Downtown Norfolk is opening Hampton Roads’ first outdoor roller rink this summer. It goes June 2 to July 30, and will run every Thursday through Sunday. They will have DJ’d 70s, 80s, and 90s themed nights. The rink will be set up where the ice skating rink is during the winter. This is quite possibly the best decision a mall has ever made. If I could grow out an afro in preparation for the 70s rollerskating party, I would start growing that afro today. Tickets will be $12 per person and will include skates. Get this part: According to the press release, there will be an event in July where “you’ll skate under falling snow and maybe even catch a glimpse of Old St. Nick as he skates to his favorite seasonal tunes.” I’m not positive what that sentence actually means, but I do know that I will be there, rollerskating with Santa in an inexplicable summer snow storm. Eat the Streets 757 is involved, bringing Food Truck Redoes on Friday nights. There will be popcorn and snow cones. It’s going to be a great summer, Hampton Roads. Enjoy some Chet Faker. Life is good. The full schedule of events can be found at ShopMacarthur.com/RollerRink. Event highlights include: Roller Derby Exhibition Bout Friday, June 2, 7 p.m. Watch the Dominion Derby Girls in an Army vs. Navy exhibition bout and enjoy a meet and greet. Food Truck Rodeos Fridays from June 2 through July 28, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Eat the Streets 757 will have a rotating line-up of your favorite food trucks every Friday night! Roller Dance Parties Thursday through Sunday nights from Friday, June 2 – Sunday, July 30 Join Astro DJ for themed dance parties including hits from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, country music, beach music and disco! Rolling Rainbows to benefit Hampton Roads Pride Saturday, June 10, 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. Join MacArthur Center as we celebrate Pride Fest! Drag performers will entertain the crowd from 8:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. and 10 percent of admissions from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. will be donated to Hampton Roads Pride. Roller Derby Red Cross Blood Drive Friday, July 7, 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. Roller Derby girls have been known to shed a little blood during competition, however, they are coming together for a good cause – a special American Red Cross blood drive. Roll Over Cancer Survivors Skate with the American Cancer Society Friday, July 7 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Join the American Cancer Society for a special skate as we celebrate survivors and raise awareness about cancer. Christmas in July Thursday, July 13 – Sunday, July 16 We’re celebrating Christmas in July with nightly falling snow, skating Santa and your favorite holiday tunes. Don’t forget to stop by on Wednesday, July 12 to watch “Elf!” Facebook Comments
The newest Nuggets, guard Randy Foye and forward J.J. Hickson, met the Denver media for the first time Thursday at the Pepsi Center. “We’re excited to welcome J.J. and Randy to Denver,” said team president Josh Kroenke. “Really excited to have these two new guys and they are another two outstanding players to add to the roster. Randy is a guy that I admired with his days in Utah (with the Jazz). We have firsthand knowledge of his shooting against us and the same thing with J.J. being up in Portland and also when he was back in Cleveland.” Foye, a 3-point shooting specialist, was signed and traded to Denver from Utah. Hickson was signed outright using the Nuggets’ midlevel exception. The transactions became official Wednesday. “I have been fortunate to have worked with Randy before and he brings a lot to the table both on and off of the court,” said Tim Connelly, the Nuggets’ executive vice president of basketball operations. “He’s an elite shooter, locker-room presence and is just an all-around professional. “With J.J., it’s amazing to think that he is 24 with the peaks and valleys that he has seen so far in his career. It’s really hard to average a double-double. I’ve seen him develop into the player that he has become and we are fortunate to add him to our roster. The toughness and defensive rebounds is something that any team can benefit from. Very fortunate to have both of these guys.” The Nuggets are negotiating to bring back center Timofey Mozgov. Meanwhile, the summer-league team, coached by assistant Melvin Hunt, who has been retained for Brian Shaw’s staff, is in Las Vegas and begins play this weekend. Christopher Dempsey: 303-954-1279, cdempsey@denverpost.com or twitter.com/dempseypost
Buy Photo Sue Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit, Inc., speaks during a 2014 ribbon-cutting ceremony in Midtown. (Photo: Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press)Buy Photo With apartment rental rates rising sharply in Detroit's greater downtown, the civic group Midtown Detroit Inc. is launching a new program dubbed "Stay Midtown" to offer cash assistance to lower-income families in danger of being priced out of the market. The pilot program is aimed at residents of Midtown with annual household incomes that are 50% to 80% of area median income levels, or as low as $23,450 for a single person or $30,150 for a single parent with two children. Residents qualifying for help would receive up to $4,500 over a three-year period to bring their total housing expenses down to 30% of their income, a level considered normal under federal guidelines. ► Related: New Center building in Detroit to house restaurant, foundation HQ Sue Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit Inc., said the pilot program is a companion to her group's highly successful Live Midtown program of recent years that paid incentives to residents to move into the district. "We thought that since we were incentivizing people to move here, we might as well try to help people who have a housing burden deal with their rent acceleration," she said. The pilot program is the latest effort in Detroit to balance the rapid redevelopment of the greater downtown with due care for the long-term residents who face displacement by rising rents and other pressures. As Mosey noted, trying to maintain a diverse and stable population in the face of rapid urban revitalization is a problem facing many other urban districts across the country. "Everybody wants to keep an income-diverse neighborhood. Everybody knows that that's important here. This is a very complicated dynamic," she said, but added, "I think we're going to get some good results from this." ► Related: Is downtown Detroit housing market overheating yet? A little over $400,000 is available to pay incentives, with funding coming from the Kresge Foundation, Ford Foundation and the specialized lender Capital Impact Partners, which also helped design the program. Full-time students and residents already receiving help under other rental assistance programs are not eligible. Residents must live within the expressways that create the core Midtown boundaries — I-75 on the east and south, the Lodge on the west, and I-94 on the north. For more information and to apply, visit the website staymidtown.org. "It is for those people that have a housing burden but don't really have other sources of funding to deal with it," Mosey said. “Our challenge in Detroit isn’t just to see the city recover, but to see a recovery that’s inclusive and equitable,” said Bryan Hogle, the Kresge Foundation's Detroit Program officer. “Just as Live Midtown played a role in reviving Midtown, we’re looking to Stay Midtown for lessons on how to keep Midtown grounded as an economically and racially diverse community while increasing opportunity and improving the quality of life.” The program will also offer counseling to residents who may need to relocate to find rents appropriate to their incomes. Mosey estimated the program would help about 100 households during the pilot phase. "I'm sure we'll find out a lot about how we can help everybody by doing this," she said. Just in the first few days since launching the program last week, there have been about 200 inquiries about it, she added. Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep. Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2f0WGEW
As if a Lego-like customizable phone made of blocks wasn’t enough: Thanks to a modified version of Android L software, you’ll be able to swap out parts from Google’s Project Ara modular phone without turning the device off, notes the Phonebloks blog. Advertisement Obviously, this doesn’t apply to the phone’s display or CPU modules. Everything else is fair game, though. That means if you want a better camera or more memory at some point during the day, you can simply replace those modules on the fly without having to shut down and restart your phone. I could see that being very handy for the camera sensor: Perhaps you’ll carry different imaging modules for various lighting conditions or types of photos. In fact, during the Linaro Connect USA event held earlier this month — Linaro is assisting with the software — Paul Eremenko, head of Project Ara for Google’s ATAP group, asked this very question: “Why choose a phone for its camera…when you could choose a camera for your phone?” That’s the gist of Project Ara: Enabling the phone to be modified with various or new parts instead of requiring people to buy a whole new handset just to get a few new features. The concept makes sense but it’s still early days; it remains to be seen if consumers will embrace a modular phone once [company]Google[/company] delivers it. That’s expected in a few months, as the project team is aiming to launch a limited $50 modular handset this coming January.
At least six people have been killed in a Syrian war plane attack on the town of Yabroud, just across the border from Lebanon, reports from Lebanon say. Nine people were wounded in the attack near the Lebanese town of Arsal, which hosts many refugees from Syria. The reports say several of the injured were taken to Arsal while others were transported to Baalbek, the largest city in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Both sides in the Syrian conflict have allies and supply lines in Lebanon. Separately, a man has been killed in the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar by a stray bullet fired from across the border in Syria, reports say. He is the fourth person to be killed on the Turkish side of the border, amid clashes across the border in the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain that has seen fighting in recent weeks. Also on Saturday, rebels captured an arms depot near Damascus, seizing ammunition and weapons, including anti-tank missiles and rockets, from the regime, activists said.
by I was watching a replay of the New York Jets vs the San Francisco 49ers from week 1 of 1998 on the NFL Network the other day because I am a lazy human being. It was the game where Garrison Hearst rushed for a 96 yard touchdown in overtime to win it for the 49ers. A young second year linebacker named James Farrior started for the Jets that day against the likes of Jerry Rice and Steve Young. He wore number 58 that day, but would switch to number 51 in 2002 when he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent. He went on to lead some great defenses over the rest of his stellar career. Farrior was probably one of the greatest free agent acquisitions the Steelers have ever made. He was the 8th overall pick in the 1997 draft, earned All-Pro honors twice with the Steelers and was a significant contributer on two Super Bowl Championship teams. Farrior was released by the Steelers earlier this off-season, and at 37 years old his agent announced last week that he is contemplating retirement. That is a very real possiblity and I hope he is remembered by Steeler fans as one of the best in a very long line of great Steeler Linebackers. I enjoyed watching him play and will always regard him as such. He sits at number 6 on SmorgasBurgh’s Top 10 List of All-Time Great Steeler Linebackers: 10. Levon Kirkland – Was remarkably quick for 270 lbs. A great run-stopper but also had 11 INTs over his 11 seasons. 9. Jason Gildon – The all-time sack leader for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 8. Kevin Greene – 3rd all-time NFL sack leader. Would be higher on this list, but only played 3 years for the Steelers. 7. Joey Porter – A vocal leader for the defense. Named to Steelers 75th anniversary team. 6. James Farrior – Defensive captain for 8 straight years. Played in 3 Super Bowls. 5. Andy Russell – Made 7 Pro-Bowls over his 12 year career. 4. James Harrison – 2008 Defensive Player of the Year. Scored the best defensive TD in a Super Bowl ever. 3. Greg Lloyd – 5 consecutive pro-bowls. Would be HOFer if he didn’t endure serious injuries to begin and end his career. 2. Jack Ham – Hall of Famer with 4 Super Bowl rings, regarded as one of the best outside linebackers ever. 1. Jack Lambert – Another Hall of Famer with 4 Super Bowl rings. He barely edges out Jack Ham for the top spot. Fans of Chad Brown and Mike Merriweather can leave a comment telling me I’m a dick. Follow us on twitter for updates on new posts.. Comments comments
In an interview with a right-wing talk show Saturday, a New Hampshire Republican lawmaker argued that armed rebellion may be the “next step” for right-wing activists. J.R. Hoell, a Tea Party-aligned state representative from Dunbarton, has been rallying conservative activists against a possible Senate candidacy by former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown. Hoell was promoting an anti-Brown rally, featuring an AR-15 raffle, cosponsored by Gun Owners of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition, when he asserted that violent revolution could be on the table. (HT: Miscellany Blue) Steve MacDonald: We’ve had a number of pro-Second Amendment rallies here in New Hampshire. A lot of people would show up with holstered revolvers or handguns, some people will have worn their rifles as well over their shoulders. Is it going to be that kind of a rally? Is that something that you are asking people to do or asking them not to? JR Hoell: I’m never going to tell a person not to carry a firearm. I will recommend people carry firearms concealed, tactically it’s a better solution, doesn’t mean you have to be a target. In terms of messaging to the media, if you are carrying concealed versus having an AR-15 or an AR-10 over your back, it’s a lot easier to make the statement we’re not here to threaten anybody. We’re here standing on our soapbox, as opposed to standing with our ammo box in hand, to make a point politically. The message needs to get out that Scott Brown does not represent New Hampshire. If things continue the way they are, there may be a day or a time where firearms and ammo are necessary, happened in the Revolutionary War. I’d like to think we’re not there yet but as things continue to unravel, that may be the next step. Let’s stand on our soap box this time.
Independent nations must move toward New World Order: Jean Bricmont Prof. Jean Bricmont is a renowned Belgian intellectual, theoretical physicist, philosopher of science and a professor at the Université catholique de Louvain. A progressive author, he has cooperated with the leading American thinker Noam Chomsky on a variety of anti-war causes. In 2007, he wrote an article in French discussing the possibility of a US invasion of Iran. One of his famous books is “Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals’ Abuse of Science” which he has co-written with Alan Sokal. In this book, they talk about a number of issues, including the allegedly incompetent and pretentious usage of scientific concepts by a small group of influential philosophers and intellectuals. Bricmont’s articles have appeared on Counterpunch, Monthly Review, Voltairenet, Z Magazine, Global Research and other print and online publications. He has proposed the theory of humanitarian imperialism and is strongly opposed to the U.S. military expeditions around the world and its unilateral attitude toward the independent nations. Bricmont believes that the Non-Aligned Movement countries can move toward establishing a new world order based on the communal interests of the member states. What follows is the full text of my interview with Prof. Jean Bricmont to whom I’ve talked about a number of issues including the Western powers’ hypocrisy on the human rights issue, America’s wars and military expeditions around the world, the concept of “humanitarian intervention” and Israel’s war threats against Iran. Dear Jean; in your article, “The Case for a Non-Interventionist Foreign Policy,” you write of the justifications the imperial powers come up with in order to rationalize their military expeditions around the world. Isn’t a hawkish foreign policy an advantage for the politicians in the Western world, particularly the United States, to attract the vote and supporting of the public? Will the American people elect a pacifist President who openly vows to put an end to all the U.S. wars and refrain from waging new wars? I am not sure that it attracts the votes. In Europe, certainly not. The most hawkish politicians, Blair and Sarkozy were not popular for a long time because of their foreign policy. In Germany the public is systematically in favor of a peaceful foreign policy. As the American pacifist A. J. Muste remarked, the problem in all wars lies with the victor – they think violence pays. The defeated, like Germany, and to some extent the rest of Europe, know that war is not so rosy. However, I think that, except in times of crisis, like the Vietnam or the Algerian wars, when they turned badly for the U.S. or France, most people are not very interested in foreign policy, which is understandable, given their material problems and given the fact that it looks like being out of reach of ordinary people. On the other hand, every U.S. presidential candidate has to make patriotic statements, “we are the best”, “a light at the top of the hill”, a “defender of democracy and human rights” and so on. That, of course, is true in all systems of power, the only thing that varies are the “values” to which one refers (being a good Christian or Muslim or defending socialism, etc.). And, it is true that, in order to get the votes, one must get the support of the press and of big money. That introduces an enormous bias in favor of militarism and of support for Israel. The imperial powers, as you have indicated in your writings, wage wars, kill innocent people and plunder the natural resources of weaker countries under the pretext of bringing democracy to them. So, who should take care of the principles of international law, territorial integrity and sovereignty? Attacking other countries at will and killing defenseless civilians recklessly is a flagrant parade of lawlessness. Is it possible to bring these powers to their senses and hold them accountable over what they do? I think the evolution of the world goes in that direction; respect for the principles of international law, territorial integrity and sovereignty. As I said before, the European populations are rather peaceful, both inside Europe and with respect to the rest of the world, at least, compared to the past. Some of their leaders are not peaceful and there is a strong pressure from an apparently strange alliance in favor of war between human rights interventionists and neo-conservatives who are influential in the media and in the intelligentsia, but they are not the only voices and they are rather unpopular with the general public. As for the U.S., they are in a deep crisis, not only economically, but also diplomatically. They have lost control of Asia long ago, are losing Latin America and, now, the Middle East. Africa is turning more and more towards China. So, the world is becoming multipolar, whether one likes it or not. I see at least two dangers: that the decline of the U.S. will produce some crazy reaction, leading to war, or that the collapse of the American empire creates chaos, a bit like the collapse of the Roman Empire did. It is the responsibility of the Non-Aligned Movement and the BRICS countries to insure an orderly transition towards a really new world order. What seems hypocritical in the Western powers’ attitude toward the concept of human rights is that they ceaselessly condemn the violation of human rights in the countries with which they are at odds, but intentionally remain silent about the same violations in the countries which are allied with them. For instance, you surely know that how the political prisoners are mistreated and tortured in Saudi Arabia, Washington’s number one ally among the Arab countries. So, why don’t they protest and condemn these violations? Do you know any power that is not hypocritical? It seems to me that this is the way power functions in all places and at all times. For example, in 1815, at the fall of Napoleon, the Tsar of Russia, the Austrian Emperor and the King of Prussia came together in what they called their Holy Alliance, claiming to base their rules of conduct “on the sublime truths contained in the eternal religion of Christ our Savior,” as well as on the principles “of their holy religion, precepts of justice, charity and peace,” and vowed to behave toward their subjects “as a father toward his children.” During the Boer war, the British Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, declared that it was “a war for democracy” and that “we seek neither gold mines nor territory”. Bertrand Russell, citing these remarks, commented that “cynical foreigners” couldn’t help noticing that “we nevertheless obtained both the mines and the territory”. At the height of the Vietnam War, the American historian Arthur Schlesinger described U.S. policy there as part of “our overall program of international good will”. At the end of that war, a liberal commentator wrote in the New York Times that: “For a quarter of a century, the United States have tried to do good, to encourage political freedom and promote social justice in the Third World”. In that sense, things have not changed. People sometimes think that, because our system is more democratic, things must have changed. But that assumes that the public is well informed, which it is not true because of the many biases in the media, and that it is actively involved in the formation of foreign policy, which is also not true, except in times of crisis. The formation of foreign policy is a very elitist and undemocratic affair. Attacking or invading other countries under the pretext of humanitarian intervention may be legalized and permissible with the unanimity of the Security Council permanent members. If they all vote in favor a military strike, then it will happen. But, don’t you think that the very fact that only 5 world countries can make decisions for 193 members of the United Nations while this considerable majority don’t have any say in the international developments is an insult to all of these nations and their right of self-determination? Of course. You don’t need unanimity actually, except for the permanent members. But now that China and Russia seem to have taken an autonomous position with respect to the West, it is not clear that new wars will be legal. I am not happy with the current arrangements at the Security Council, but I still think that the UN is, on the whole, a good thing; its Charter provides a defense, in principle, against intervention and a framework for international order and its existence provides a forum where different countries can meet, which is better than nothing. Of course, reforming the UN is a tricky business, since it cannot be done without the consent of the permanent members of the Security Council, who are not likely to be very enthusiastic at the prospect of relinquishing part of their power. What will matter in the end will be the evolution of the relationship of forces in the world, and that is not going in the direction of those who think that they now control it. Let’s talk about some contemporary issues. In your articles, you have talked of the war in Congo. It was very shocking to me that the Second Congo War was the deadliest conflict in the African history with some 5 million innocent people dead, but the U.S. mainstream media put a lid on it because one of the belligerents, the Rwandan army, was a close ally of Washington. What’s your take on that? Well, I am not an expert on that part of the world. But I notice that the Rwandan tragedy of 1994 is often used as an argument for foreign intervention, which, it is claimed, would have stopped the killings, while the tragedy in Congo should be taken as an argument against foreign intervention and for respect of international law, since it was to a large extent due to the intervention of Rwandan and Ugandan troops in Congo. Of course, the fact that the latter argument is never made shows, once more, how the discourse about humanitarian intervention is biased in favor of the powers that be, who want to attribute to themselves the right to intervene, whenever it suits them. Just a few days ago, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon condemned Iranian leaders for their supposedly “inflammatory and hateful” remarks on Israel. However, I never remember him condemning the Israeli officials for their frequent repeating of dangerous war threats against Iran. What’s the reason behind this hypocrisy? As you know, the hypocrisy with respect to Israel in the West reaches staggering proportions and Ban Ki-moon, although he is UN Secretary General, is very much on “pro-Western” positions. While I myself have doubts about the wisdom of the Iranian rhetoric about Israel, I think that the threats of military actions against Iran by Israel are far worse and should be considered illegal under international law. I also think that the unilateral sanctions against Iran, taken by the U.S. and its allies, largely to please Israel, are shameful. And, although the people who claim to be anti-racist in the West never denounce these policies, I think they are deeply racist, because they are accepted only because so-called civilized countries, Israel and its allies, exert this threat and those sanctions against an “uncivilized” one, Iran.This will be remembered in the future in the same way that slavery is remembered now. There are people like you who oppose the U.S. militarism, its imposture and hypocrisy in dealing with the human rights and its attempts to devour the oil-rich Middle East, but unfortunately I should say, you’re in the minority. It’s the Israeli-administered Congress and hawkish think tanks such as the Council on Foreign Relations and National Endowment for Democracy that run the United States, not the anti-war, pro-peace progressive thinkers and writers like you. How much influence do the progressive thinkers and leftist media have over the policies which are taken in the United States? Well, I think one has to make a difference between support for Israel and the desire to “devour” oil. The two policies are not the same and are, in fact, contradictory. As, I think, Mearsheimer and Walt have shown, the pro-Israel policies of the U.S. are to a large extent driven by the pro-Israel lobby and do not correspond to or help their economic or geo-strategic interests. For example, as far as I know, there would be no problem for our oil companies to drill in Iran, if it weren’t for the sanctions imposed on that country; but the latter are linked to the hostility to Iran from Israel, not from any desire to control oil. The second remark is that the anti-war people are not necessarily on the left. True, there is a big part of the Right that has become neo-conservative, but there is also a big part of the Left that is influenced by the ideology of humanitarian intervention. However, there is also a libertarian Right, Ron Paul for example, that is staunchly anti-war, and there are some remnants of a pacifist or anti-imperialist Left. Note that this has always been the case: the pro and anti-imperialist position, even back in the days of colonialism, do not coincide with the Left-Right divide, if the latter is understood in socio-economic terms or in “moral” terms (about gay marriage for example). Next, it is true that we have very little influence, but that is partly because we are divided, between an anti-war Left and anti-war Right. I believe that a majority of the population is opposed to these endless and costly wars, mostly, in Europe, because of the lesson they drew from WWII, or from their defeat in the colonial wars, and, in the U.S., because of war fatigue after Afghanistan and Iraq. What we do not have is a consistent anti-war movement; to build the latter one would have to focus on war itself and unite both sides of the opposition (Right and Left). But if movements can be built around other “single issues,” like abortion or gay marriage, that put aside all socio-economic problems and class issues, why not? Although such a movement does not exist now, its prospects are not totally hopeless: if the economic crisis deepens, and if the worldwide opposition to U.S. policies increases, citizens of all political stripes might gather to try to build alternatives. What’s your viewpoint regarding the U.S. and its allies’ war of sanctions, embargoes, nuclear assassinations and psychological operation against Iran? Iran is practically under a multilateral attack by the United States, Israel and their submissive European cronies. Is there any way for Iran to get out of the dilemma and resist the pressures? How much do you know Iran? Have you heard of its culture and civilization, which the mainstream media never talk about? I do not know much about Iran, but I do not think I need to know very much about that country although I would certainly like to know more, in order to oppose the policies you mention. I was also opposed to Western interventions in former Yugoslavia or in Libya. Some people think there are good and bad interventions. But the main issue for me is: who intervenes? It is never really the “citizens” or the “civil society” of the West, or even the European countries on their own, meaning without U.S. support, it is always the U.S. military, mostly its Air Force. Now, one may of course defend the idea that international law should be disregarded and that the defense of human rights should be left to the U.S. Air Force. But many people who support “good” interventions do not say that. They usually argue that “we” must do something to “save the victims” in a particular situation. What this viewpoint forgets is that the “we” who is supposed to intervene is not the people who actually speak, but the U.S. military. Therefore, support for any intervention only strengthens the arbitrary power of the U.S., which, of course, uses it as it seems fit, and not, in general, according to the wishes of those who support “good” interventions. And finally, would you please give us an insight of how the corporate media serve the interests of the imperial powers? How do they work? Is it morally justifiable to use media propaganda to achieve political and colonial goals? The connection between “corporate media” and war propaganda is complicated, as is the relationship between capitalism and war. Most people on the Left think that capitalism needs war or leads to it. But the truth, in my view, is far more nuanced. American capitalists make fortunes in China and Vietnam now that there is peace between the U.S. and East Asia; for American workers, it is a different matter, of course. There is no reason whatsoever for oil or other Western companies not to do business with Iran, and, if there was peace in the region, capitalists would descend upon it like vultures in order to exploit a cheap and relatively qualified labor force. This is not to say that capitalists are nice, nor that they cannot be individually pro-war, but only that war, in general, is not in their interests and they are not necessarily the main force pushing for war. People are driven to war by conflicting ideologies, especially when they take a fanatical form – for example, when you believe that a certain piece of land was given to you by God, or that your country has a special mission, like exporting human rights and democracy, preferably by cruise missiles and drones. It is both sad and ironical that an idea that is largely secular and liberal, the one of human rights, has now been turned into one of the main means to whip up war hysteria in the West. But that is our present situation and a most urgent and important task is to change it.
7 Beers to Try this Fall While You Still Can Fall is considered by many to be the best time of year for beer. By late October, though, getting your hands on some of these delicious brews can be tricky. That’s why if you see these in the store, make sure to snatch them up while you still can! Photo Courtesy of Sierra Nevada Every year Sierra Nevada partners with one of a handful of German brewers to provide an outstanding Oktoberfest experience. This year, they have partnered with Brauhaus Riegele in Augsburg, Germany to produce what some are calling the best Oktoberfest of the year. At 6% ABV, it is incredibly crisp and has a medium body and malt flavor attributed to the use of the Steffi barley. If you see this on the shelves, scoop it up while you can. Besides it being late in the Oktoberfest season, Sierra Nevada will be collaborating with a different brewery next year. Photo Courtesy of Dogfish Head The name goes well with the tradition of “Punkin Chunkin” where competitors vie to launch their gord the furthest. The Dogfish Head Punkin Ale will seem as if a “punkin” is being launched directly into your mouth. Brewed with the meat of the pumpkin in the brown ale style, with nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar, you may feel like you are eating a slice of pumpkin pie when you crack into this one. If you’re a fan of a pumpkin ale, then the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale is definitely for you. Even if you’re indifferent or on the fence, consider giving it a try. A good all-around Märzen style beer, Sam Adams’ offering is the everyday Octoberfest. It features sweet malt and spice flavor with an easy hop finish that can be difficult to separate from the rest of the flavors at times. Sam Adams Octoberfest is flavorful in its own right but shines as an introduction to the style to non-beer lovers. It is a reliable go-to that shows up in stores before many other offerings and keeps providing its Märzen goodness well after most other Oktoberfest beers are long gone. The moment you get your nose close to this beer you’ll be hit full on by the cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and, of course, pumpkin. This St. Louis brew is sweet, not as sweet as the typical pumpkin ale, but still enough so that you will feel like you just indulged in a large slice of pie. While available in August through October, it’s definitely worth keeping a six pack around for Thanksgiving dessert. While it is a St. Louis local brewery, distribution is growing rapidly across the nation. Photo Courtesy of Deschutes Brewery This fresh hopped pale ale definitely lives up to the fresh hop hype. Typically, brewers have up to 24 hours to get the hops from picking into the kiln for a fresh hop brew. Deschutes steps this game up by getting the hops into the brew kettles within 4 hours of picking. The result: bright and citrusy hop experience with hints of spice. All things considered, this wet hop brew is rather mild on the hop front, which lends itself to being a great introduction to the hoppier side of things. While this Northwest Indiana brewery is typically known for its hoppier fare, this Oktoberfest fits the Märzen style nicely. The initial caramel malts transition into a mild bitterness. Winner of the 2014 USBTC National Championship in the Vienna/Lager Category, this smaller offering will not disappoint. Yes, this is second Sierra Nevada on this list, but for good reason. With a mild sweetness and a fresh hop zest with notes of pine and citrus, this beer is a flavorful seasonal treat. While this beer is fresh hopped, it is not overpowering, but rather refreshing. This beer will satisfy your late fall cravings without being too heavy on the palate or stomach.
An all-new co-op adventure starring Atlas, P-Body and GLaDOS, the free DLC "Peer Review" takes place an unknown period of time after the events of. You and your co-op science partner are once again awoken and assembled for a dangerous new mission. Did we say "dangerous"? We meant routine. Everything's fine. That slight note of terror you're hearing in GLaDOS's voice is probably just an audio calibration error. Anyway, on with your suicide mission. And when we say "suicide mission" we mean it would be suicide not to take this mission. Because it's so safe. Everything's fine."Peer Review" is being rolled out across all regions on Steam, Xbox LIVE and PSN as we speak. The free DLC is available to all owners offor download on PS3 and Xbox 360, and will be automatically downloaded via Steam on PC and Mac.And if you're not an owner of, don't sweat it, we've made it easier to become one: To celebrate the release of the free DLC,is on sale for 50% off on Steam through Thursday.
An article, which claimed that a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer killed a baby following an argument over breastfeeding with the infant's mother, is now found to have been a hoax. But the fact that thousands believed the story, and created quite an uproar online about it, certainly says something about the declining reputation of the NYPD. The hoax gained more than 100,000 shares and "likes" on Facebook, reports The Epoch Times. However, many overlooked the fact that the report was published on satire news website National Report, which should not be taken seriously. "In a continuation of the ongoing police scandals rocking the New York City Police Department, three-month old infant Layla Smith has been pronounced dead following an August sixth incident. Suzanne Smith, Layla's mother, had been sitting on a bench in Queens waiting for the bus when Layla began to insistently cry. Knowing that her baby was hungry Ms. Smith began to breastfeed her daughter," the hoax had claimed. "Witnesses at the scene report that she was then approached by a NYPD Officer, later identified as Michael Fitzsimmons, who requested that she stop feeding the baby in public as it was 'indecent'. Ms. Smith refused to comply with the directive and told Officer Fitzsimmons that she wasn't doing anything illegal. Officer Fitzsimmons again insisted that she stop and threatened to arrest her for indecent exposure." The story went on to claim that following the dispute, Fitzsimmons grabbed Suzanne by the collar of her shirt and violently yanked her backwards. The baby toppled out of mother's hands, banged her head and bled to death. Twitter reacted with outrage over the incident Absolutely horrific. What is the wrong with the #NYPD? http://t.co/Ore8kGwdx5 — Becky Cooper Nadis (@BACNadis) August 10, 2014 Keep it up, soon NYC will be bankrupt! - #NYPD Officer Kills #Baby Following Breastfeeding Argument \| National Report http://t.co/FxqGnab9Ps — Duane Moody (@DuaneAMoody) August 10, 2014 Now the NYPD is murdering babies too http://t.co/7rQ3Y7RLDC #myNYPD — GOD MODE: ACTIVATED (@GrimmFuture) August 9, 2014 NYPD been outta hand but this makes me sick http://t.co/pLCV13cpci — Jamaal (@JayGillenHaal) August 8, 2014 I regret to inform you that the NYPD has now moved on to infants. INFANTS. They really need to lay down on this one. http://t.co/MNxhB5Y1rR — funkier than a ..... (@tweetmright) August 8, 2014 In the last few months, the New York's finest have been facing severe public scrutiny over a string of events, including the chokehold death of Eric Garner, an NYC resident. The death was followed by the arrest of another local, who had filmed the New York City police officer using the chokehold on Garner. In another incident, the New York Police Department is investigating a report that two emergency medical technicians had to intervene to stop four police officers, who were punching a shackled and handcuffed patient.
Comes after BBC bosses 'warned Clarkson not to cause a diplomatic row' Top Gear chief insists choice of the number plate was pure coincidence ) are Argentinian, got that clear?' Jeremy Clarkson faced the wrath of Argentinians today by driving through the country in a Porsche with the number plate H982 FKL to film for Top Gear. The BBC presenter sparked a new controversy with the 'provocative' plate - a reference to the 1982 Falklands War - while driving part of the famous Patagonian Highway. Leading national newspaper Clarin claimed: 'This is highly sensitive for Argentinians and Clarkson could have problems.' He was also blasted on Twitter with one user telling him: 'Your irony is not funny in Argentina'. Another, using the Argentinian name for the Falklands, tweeted: 'The Malvinas are Argentinian, got that clear?' In the line of fire: Jeremy Clarkson sparked anger in Argentina by driving through the country in a Porsche with the number plate H982 FKL to film for Top Gear - a reference to the 1982 Falklands War News of Clarkson's latest stunt came less than a fortnight after he was reportedly warned by bosses not to cause a diplomatic row while filming Top Gear in Argentina. The 54-year-old responded to those reports with a foul-mouthed Twitter diatribe. Patagonian daily Diario Jornada, echoing the growing anger over Clarkson's taunt, said: 'Top Gear is filming in Patagonia and there's controversy. 'Although the BBC asked the popular presenter Jeremy Clarkson to behave during his trip to Argentina, he chose a Porsche with the provocative number plate H982 FKL.' However, BBC bosses today insisted the choice of number plate was pure coincidence, saying the car was not bought because of its apparent reference nor were the plates swapped. Andy Wilman, Executive Producer of Top Gear said: 'Top Gear production purchased three cars for a forthcoming programme. 'To suggest that this car was either chosen for its number plate or that an alternative number plate was substituted for the original, is completely untrue.' Controversy: Clarkson (pictured earlier this year making a video apology for using the N-word while singing a racist rhyme for Top Gear) has provoked a backlash in the Argentinian media for using the number plate The apparent goading gesture went unnoticed on the first part of his trip from the ski resort of Bariloche to the southern port of Ushuaia. But he was making headlines again last night in the south American country as he neared the end of his 1,350 mile trek at the head of a convoy of vehicles including a Lotus and Ford Mustang driven by fellow Top Gear presenters James May and Richard Hammond. The car at the centre of the controversy was today reported to be 'hidden' in a shed in a ski resort called Cerro Castor near Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. The Falkland Islands were taken briefly by Argentina during its 1982 invasion which preceded a 74-day war with Britain. The war claimed the lives of 649 Argentinians and 255 Britons. Argentinian president Cristina Kirchner has attacked Britain repeatedly over the Falklands since taking over power following the death of her husband Nestor. She pledged an 'eternal fight' for the Falklands in one rabble-rousing speech. Under fire: Clarkson has been filming his 1,350-mile trek at the head of a convoy of vehicles including a Lotus and Ford Mustang driven by fellow Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond (left) and James May (right) She begged Pope Francis to intervene in the row with Britain over sovereignty of the islands in the first of their four meetings in March last year. At the start of the year, she handpicked 'yes' man Daniel Filmus to become Argentina's first new Falklands secretary. He labelled the UK as a 'colonial power' at his swearing-in ceremony. The Falklands issue is particularly sensitive in southern Argentina where Top Gear is now being filmed. Ushuaia has blocked several British-flagged cruise ships from docking under a controversial local law named after an Argentinian cowboy who led a bloody 19th century uprising against the British. Jeremy Clarkson was forced to apologise in May after appearing to mumble the N-word as he sang a racist rhyme for Top Gear. TV chiefs in London were said at the time to have summoned him to a meeting and given him a final warning. The controversial presenter arrived in Argentina on September 17 and headed straight for a hotel in Bariloche to begin filming. The Patagonian Highway - better known as Route 40 - is part of a famous road in western Argentina running parallel to the Andes mountains.
As part of a three-segment interview with E! News spanning two nights, now-former Bachelor in Paradise contestant DeMario Jackson discussed in detail the sexual encounter he had with fellow contestant Corinne Olympios on their first night of filming. Questions about whether or not Olympios was too intoxicated to consent, or even completely blacked out, raised alarm bells for two producers, who voiced their concerns. As a result, production on the reality show was halted earlier this month while Warner Bros. performed an investigation. In the interview, Jackson reiterated his claim that not only was the encounter consensual, but enthusiastically so. “That night was probably one of the wildest nights of my entire life. Like, we went for it,” he told E!’s Melanie Bromley, describing an evening of poolside nudity and oral sex initiated by his co-star. Denying there were any signs his cast member was too drunk to engage in sexual activity, Jackson insisted, “I don’t even know sober girls that could do what she did.” In her own statement about the incident, Olympios described herself as having “little memory of that night,” explaining, “I am a victim.” Olympios said, “As a woman, this is my worst nightmare and it has now become my reality.” According to Jackson’s version of events, he was informed by a producer he would need to leave the show because of what had transpired with Olympios. “He goes, ‘Here’s what I’m gonna need you to do: I’m going to need you to bow out. Tell Chris [Harrison] and the crew that you love them, you’re thankful. However, you — you know you’re not there for the right reasons,’” Jackson recalled. “He goes, ‘I can’t tell you what I know, but it’s going to be bad if you don’t leave tonight.’” After concluding their investigation, Warner Bros. reportedly found no evidence to support “allegations of misconduct,” clearing Bachelor in Paradise to resume production in Mexico, albeit with a stricter drug policy. Jackson, who will not return to the show, also tearfully discussed his family’s response to the scandal and the backlash against him. E! News will air the final segment of Jackson’s interview on Tuesday night.
Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Drusilla. Drusilla Wonders, “does salt water freeze” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Drusilla! Isn't ice WONDERful? On a hot day, nothing goes down quite as well as lemonade poured over a glass full of ice cubes. In fact, ice makes so many things better. For example, we love to use ice to make homemade ice cream! When Old Man Winter comes calling, falling temperatures can turn creeks, lakes, ponds, and even rivers into frozen rinks you can skate on. But what about the ocean? If you've ever been to the ocean in the winter, you've probably noticed that it doesn't freeze like a small pond might. So does the ocean ever freeze? If you've seen pictures of the North Pole or the South Pole, you know that there are polar ice caps in those places. If the ocean freezes in those areas, why doesn't the rest of the ocean freeze during the winter? The freezing point of freshwater is 0° Celsius or 32° Fahrenheit. The presence of salt in water, though, reduces the freezing point of water. The more salt in the water, the lower the freezing point will be. When freshwater freezes, water molecules of hydrogen and oxygen have bonded together into a crystalline structure of ice. The presence of salt makes it harder for water molecules to bond to the ice structure, because ice naturally repels salt molecules. So in a sense, the salt gets in the way of water molecules, blocking them from joining the ice. The salt also bumps into the ice, knocking water molecules off of the structure -- and that's how salt melts ice. When salt molecules displace water molecules, the freezing rate slows down. This is why salt is often used on icy roads to slow down freezing and make them safer to travel upon. Although the saltiness of ocean water varies, often ocean water has about 35 grams of salt for every 1,000 units of water. This lowers the freezing point of ocean water to about -1.8° C or 28.8° F. So ocean water will freeze. It just needs to reach a lower temperature. Another factor that affects the freezing of ocean water is its movement. Unlike ponds, ocean waves move around constantly. This helps ocean water retain heat. As a result, only really cold areas, such as the North Pole or South Pole, usually get cold enough for ocean water to freeze. When ocean water freezes, though, only the water part freezes. The salt molecules are pushed below the surface of the ice. As a result, polar ice ends up being freshwater ice that can be melted for drinking water! About 15% of the ocean contains sea ice for at least part of the year. That might not sound like a lot, but that amounts to about 10 million square miles of sea ice!
Advocating terrorism is outlawed and overseas conflict zones are in effect no-go zones after security legislation goes through The Senate has passed sweeping changes to Australia’s security laws, including a new offence of advocating terrorism and special provisions allowing overseas conflict zones to be declared as effective no-go zones. Labor and the Coalition voted together in support of the counter-terrorism (foreign fighters) bill on Wednesday, arguing that the recommendations of a bipartisan parliamentary committee had addressed concerns over elements of the laws. The bill passed the Senate 43 votes to 12 on Wednesday afternoon, with the legislation now set to go before the government-dominated House of Representatives for approval. The government is also planning to present a separate bill to parliament that could allow spy agencies to provide the military with information about the whereabouts of Australian jihadists fighting in Iraq and Syria. The Greens, the Liberal Democratic senator, David Leyonhjelm, and the independent senator Nick Xenophon voted against the foreign fighters laws on Wednesday after raising concern about the reach of the laws, and the potential for innocent people to be affected. Crossbench amendments failed to gain adequate support. The attorney general, George Brandis, said the laws were required to address the domestic security threat posed by Australians who travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight before seeking to return home. Brandis dismissed concerns about the new five-year jail term for advocating terrorism, saying: “There is not a word in this bill that impinges upon or restricts freedom of opinion.” He rejected several Labor-proposed amendments, including one that would have broadened the defences people could raise if accused of the new offence of travelling to a declared area without a legitimate purpose. The new provisions allow Australians to be jailed for up to 10 years for such travel, although there are specific defences listed in the legislation such as bona fide visits to family members. Labor’s Senate leader, Penny Wong, said the list of defences should not be exhaustive and the courts should be given greater discretion to consider an accused person’s legitimate purposes for travel. “It is not a sensible way to proceed to have parliament seek to set out the factual circumstance of every defence to this offence,” she said. But Brandis said it was important for the bill to set out specific defences so people were aware of the law and not subject to “a liability of uncertain dimension”. “The purpose of this provision … is to say that there are some areas of the world, areas under the control of terrorist armies, which are at war against their own populations as they are in northern Iraq, which are engaged in genocide and religious persecution and subversion of legitimate governments, to which Australians should not travel,” he said. The government is expected to present a separate bill to parliament on Wednesday afternoon dealing with further changes to control order laws and intelligence powers. These additional measures will be sent to a bipartisan committee for review before parliamentary debate. The West Australian newspaper reported that the overseas spy agency, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (Asis), would be empowered to “provide assistance to the defence force in support of military operations and to co-operate with the defence force on intelligence matters”. This raises the possibility that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) – which is conducting air strikes against Islamic State (Isis) militants in Iraq – could target Australian citizens fighting in the region. The foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, said about 70 Australians were believed to be among extremist groups in Iraq and Syria, but she did not directly respond to the suggestion of the ADF targeting and killing Australian fighters. Bishop said the government was “determined to ensure that Australian citizens do not add to the misery and suffering in Iraq and Syria, nor do they leave those countries as hardened terrorists to go to other countries or to come back to Australia to carry out terrorist activities here”. She said such fighters were breaking Australian laws and putting themselves in mortal danger with a great risk of being killed. “We call it the Australian Secret Intelligence Service because it’s secret,” Bishop said when asked about the proposal at the National Press Club. “I don’t comment on intelligence matters and I don’t intend to comment on the operations of our intelligence services overseas, lest it risk lives. But the new phenomenon of foreign fighters in unprecedented numbers, this concept of home-grown terrorists who have been battle-hardened in Iraq and Syria, is something we all have to deal with.” Bishop said the domestic spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio), and the Australian federal police (AFP) collected intelligence on Australian citizens. “We now have Australian citizens who are taking part in a conflict in countries 12,000km or more away and are breaking Australian laws, very serious Australian laws, so what we need to do is ensure that our intelligence agencies are able to share the necessary information so that we can detect and, if necessary, prosecute those who are breaking Australian and potentially international laws,” she said. The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, also declined to comment on the possibility of the ADF killing Australian fighters in Iraq and Syria. Shorten said there was “a right way and wrong way to deal with these debates” and the government’s proposals should be submitted to the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security for scrutiny. During the last committee process, the AFP called for further changes to the “complex and time-consuming” application process for interim control orders. But the committee members recommended that any such amendments be “referred to this committee with appropriate time for inquiry and review”.
Remember the last time there was a smog advisory in the Ottawa Valley? You'd have to go back to 2014. There were none last year and none so far this year. Things weren't so nice about a decade ago, before Ontario closed all of its coal-fired power generation plants (the last, in Thunder Bay, closed in 2014). In 2005 there were 25 smog advisory days in the Ottawa area and 53 across Ontario. By 2009 there were just four smog advisories in the valley. And by 2013, there was only one such advisory. "This is a huge achievement. It's a good news story for the environment," said Paul Parker, a faculty of environment professor at the University of Waterloo, on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning on Monday. "On our poor days, half of the pollution comes in from the U.S., and then we were adding on top of it. So what we've done is we've dramatically reduced what we added on top of it, and so that keeps us below the worst thresholds." Vehicles and small engines for lawn mowers, leaf blowers and the like contribute most to what remaining pollution exists in our region, along with pollution from the United States. Parker says a focus on switching gas-powered small engines to electric ones would be a good next step for the province to reduce pollution even further.
The NFL is a nickel league. The days of defining a defense in terms of a traditional 4-3/3-4 ‘base’ is largely a thing of the past. If anything, the new base is 4-2-5 personnel featuring an extra defensive back, often a slot cornerback. The stats bear this out. During the 2015 season, NFL defenses played with a nickel back on the field for over 63% of total snaps. Williams is no different, playing his nickel/dime package well over 80% of the Rams’ total snaps during the 2016 season. So why have NFL defenses trended towards nickel-based personnel groupings for the last 5-6 seasons? The movement can be attributed to a single word, “Spread”. Spread-based offenses designed to force a defense to cover the entire width of the field (53.3 yards) have been a big part of college football for over a decade. Only over the previous 5-6 seasons have NFL coaches embraced many the offensive system’s tenants, like spreading the field to run or pass, 3-4 wide receivers groupings, and quickly getting the ball to playmakers in space. Furthermore, the NFL is a game of match-ups. In this day and age coaches are willing to sacrifice size for speed in order to prevent smaller players from guarding flexed tight ends and slower players from guarding speedy tailbacks. As a result of this evolution defensive coaches have increasingly placed a premium on two types of versatile “hybrid” positions: Defensive backs that can rotate between covering the slot, outside receivers, tight ends, and sometimes tailbacks from the nickel, cornerback, and safety positions Strong safety/linebacker players that can play traditional run fits inside the box, flex out to cover, blitz, and occasionally play over the top as a deep safety With former Crimson Tide player Mark Barron, Williams has carved out a niche in his defensive structure for the second type of hybrid player, the SS/LB. The 6’ 2”, 220-pound Barron was selected with the seventh pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After starting every game he played with the Buccaneers at the strong safety position, the college First Team All-American was traded to the St. Louis/LA Rams during the 2014 season. He completed his 2014 campaign as a strong safety, although Williams began to experiment with Barron at multiple roles throughout the rest of the season. After losing a preseason competition for the starting strong safety role entering the 2015 season, Barron made his first career start at linebacker against the Browns after starting MIKE Alec Ogletree suffered a broken leg. His performance in the Rams’ 24-6 victory sealed his new role as a hybrid player that could play as a traditional WILL one play before moving outside to cover a wide receiver on the very next. Barron finished the 2016 season with 118 tackles, eight passes defended, two interceptions, and one sack. His success as hybrid defender could well point to schematic and personnel changes within the Browns’ defense this offseason. While no one outside the organization knows exactly what the defense will look like, if Williams believes he has the personnel to do so, it will very likely integrate a hybrid box defender. While many have written about the role of the hybrid defender in today’s game, few actually show what it looks like play-to-play. Our goal today is to get a basic feel for how Williams deployed Barron by looking at various roles he played in the run and pass game last season. We’ll start by breaking down Barron’s game using the Rams’ 28-0 opening-week loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Let’s start by looking at multiple roles Barron plays as a run defender. In our first play, he is utilized as a “traditional” in-the-box WILL (think Christian Kirksey). The defense is facing a second and goal from the 7-yard line. The offense comes out in 21 personnel (1 tailback, 2 tight ends) with an inline tight end and wing to the right side of the formation. The Rams’ defense counters with a 4-man surface and three box linebackers, with Barron playing the WILL. The play concept is a Counter OF utilizing two pullers, the first to kick out the defensive end to Barron’s side and the second to wrap through the hole and block the linebacker. Williams has chosen to ‘box’ any gap-blocked plays such as Counter or Power by using the playside defensive end to force the ball back inside to the linebackers (many teams utilize a ‘wrong-arm’ technique that spills the ball outside). This schematic choice demands that Barron plays as a true linebacker. Against a run, Barron’s job is to fit the gap inside the defensive end, attack the second puller’s outside shoulder if he shows in the hole, and then attempt to take the ball carrier to the ground. This is big boy football. The pulling tight end will likely outweigh the Alabama product by 40-50 pounds, so he must come downhill with bad intentions or he will be put on his rear end. The important point here is Barron’s technique. This is nitty-gritty, in-the-box linebacker play. Read the run/pass key, fill against the puller, and make the tackle if possible. At 220 pounds Barron gives up A LOT of weight in the box, but again, coaches are willing to sacrifice size for speed. When Barron reads the double team on the 2-technique, he immediately fits downhill on the inside hip of the defensive end. A “true” drop safety playing the run will generally have an outside run fit against this formation and play. He will not be asked to fill the hole against a puller. Barron is. While he doesn’t make the tackle here, disciplined football generally doesn’t look very sexy. It is players reading their keys, getting to where they are supposed to be, and executing their technique. If all eleven players do their job, the ball carrier will go to the ground. As Williams says, “Find ball, see ball, get ball” and “blades of grass”. Our second play starts with Barron aligned as the fifth player in 5-man surface against the same personnel group and formation we looked at in the previous play. After lining up as a WILL against the same formation previously, why the change? Notice that Barron is set to the same side as the tailback. This alignment gives away his role immediately if you understand the offense’s base running plays, in this case Inside Zone. When running Inside Zone, former head coach Chip Kelly utilizes a backside read in which the edge defender to the tailback’s side is left unblocked. If the edge defender stays wide to maintain his gap, the quarterback will give to the tailback. The defender has been eliminated from the play due to his width. If the defender chases the dive inside, the quarterback will pull the ball and bootleg through the area the defender has vacated. The read man is wrong no matter what he does. In response to the success of Zone Read many defensive coordinators now teach read defenders to play a PUP or ‘Pop and Squeeze’ technique. As soon as the tackle releases to the second level, the defender assumes he is being read out of the play. Rather than hold his C-gap or pinch inside, the defender will drop his hips to “get athletic”, pop his feet parallel down the line of scrimmage, and maintain an outside-in relationship to the quarterback. This technique allows the read man to play the quarterback boot and squeeze inside to make a tackle if the tailback tries to cut into the backside A-gap. While many NFL defensive ends can execute the technique effectively, a 220-pound athlete will have more success due to superior short-area quickness and speed. Simply put, Williams expects a run here. Barron is on the line of scrimmage because it is preferable to have a skill position player working in space against a quarterback that might run. Notice how quickly Barron drops his hips, shuffles, and maintains his proper relationship to the quarterback. He doesn’t make the tackle, but by doing his job the ball is forced inside to his teammates who make the stop for a minimal gain. Good things generally happen when defenders stay in their lane and execute their assignment. The second section of our breakdown will look at Barron’s use in pass coverage. Like the first play of the article, Barron is aligned just above the right has as a traditional WILL backer'. The offense is running a Chip Kelly favorite, the ‘Mesh’ concept. The defense is in Cover 1, or ‘Man-hi’, man coverage across the board with a single deep safety providing help on vertical routes. In Cover 1 linebackers are generally responsible for tailbacks or tight ends. Barron has the tailback here. Watch Barron work his way through traffic to cover what should have been a wheel route from the tailback. As an aside, notice the defense’s aggressiveness in coverage. One of former defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s major pitfalls was the lack of aggressive reroutes in pass coverage. All too often, wide receivers, tight ends, and tailbacks were allowed to run up-field unimpeded. NFL skill players need to be roughly handled in order to disrupt the quarterback’s timing, interfere with the pass catchers routes, protect open holes in the coverage, and provide the safeties time to cover distance in order to help with vertical routes. The right defensive end disrupts the tailback, preventing him from running the correct route. This should have been a wheel route, but by the time he recovered from the collision the quarterback’s time was up and Barron was in the position to make a play on the ball. Move to the middle of the field and watch the MIKE handle the tight end running a shallow cross. If you pay close attention to the NFL’s best defenses, you will see plays like this several times a game. Watch how aggressive New England plays Atlanta’s receivers in two weeks. Cornerbacks, safeties, and linebackers will get ‘hands on’ potential pass catchers as they run routes. Guaranteed. Expect to see the same from the 2017 Browns. Our next example of Barron in pass coverage demonstrates his versatility as he aligns as a cornerback to ‘play the point’ against a stack formation. Barron’s ability to cover in space like a true defensive back contributes to three important factors for the defense here: The defense can stay in their base nickel, keeping the best eleven players on the field. Williams can avoid being out-leveraged in the run game by using the nickel back to maintain a six-man box. The nickel is responsible for the strong-side C-gap and will play a PUP technique to protect against the quarterback bootleg if the offense runs Inside Zone. The NFL is a game of mismatches. Because Barron can cover in space, he is aligned as a cornerback to press the tight end at the line of scrimmage. A nickel back would likely be overwhelmed due to the tight end’s superior size and strength. Not Barron. Barron’s jam is just okay here. The tight end does a good job of eating the jam and clearing the hybrid defender by using a nice swim move, but Barron’s athleticism allows him to recover, get his head turned around, and make a play on the ball. A cornerback is probably not recovering from this collision in time to make a play on the ball. Our third example shows Barron reversing roles against the same stack alignment as the second level defender. Barron can clearly hold his own playing point against the tight end. Why the switch? Like the PUP play we looked at previously, Williams is moving Barron around like a chess piece for strategic reasons. Williams is expecting a run here, so he has placed Barron on the tailback’s side of the field. From here Barron can help the defensive end if the offense attempts to read him out of the play running Inside Zone. The defensive end will execute the PUP technique, but he will have outside help if the quarterback should pull. At the same time, the hyper-aggressive coordinator is hedging his call against a possible pass, particularly a bubble screen (a common concept out of this alignment)., As the second-level defender, Barron can now help a weaker space player against the quarterback bootleg if the offense elects to run, cover a wide receiver if the offense runs a pass concept, and attack the screen if the offense decides to run the quick game. Few players have the skill set necessary to successfully handle these responsibilities. Furthermore, we have not touched the hybrid defender’s role in the blitz game and deep coverage. We will circle back to that later in the offseason. Gregg Williams has shown the ability to adapt his scheme to personnel and player strengths throughout his career. After looking up and down the roster, he could well utilize a hybrid defender if he finds the right player to fill the role. If he doesn’t believe he has the horses necessary to play the role, he could push for a player acquisition via draft or free agency if he feels the position is important enough to the success of his defense. At this junction, just how important he feels about utilizing a hybrid defender is uncertain. One must be careful when projecting what Williams might or might not do based on his previous body of work due to differences in roster construction and personnel skills and strengths. Alec Ogletree was the only legitimate NFL-quality linebacker on the Rams' roster, necessitating a player like Barron to play in the box a vast majority of the defense's snaps. Furthermore, nickelback Lemarcus Joiner and strong safety T.J. McDonald were both quality in-the-box players that were often assigned interior run fits, a rarity for nickels in particular. The Browns already have two quality linebackers in Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey. The Browns already have two quality, versatile linebackers in Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey. Unless Collins is moved to an edge position, the question of who comes off the field for the "hybrid" player looms large. If the answer if "neither" than the hybrid better be able to guard a quick slot receiver because based on Williams' history, the defense will be in nickel personnel most of the time. While the idea of a 'Swiss Army Knife" player who can fulfill multiple roles and make plays all over the field sounds great in theory, it is much more difficult to implement in practice. With that said, if anyone can get it right the author believes that guy is Gregg Williams.
Companies that have been infamous for conducting animal tests on a contract basis are now leading the way in the non-animal toxicity testing market, thanks in part to PETA and its supporters. According to a new study published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), “competition in the global in vitro toxicity testing market is … centered on faster and accurate outcomes.” The study identifies several factors in the shift away from tests on animals, including “rising ethical concerns over the use of animals for toxicity testing,” as well as the fact that “inhumane animal test[s]” are slow and expensive. As the public grows more and more outraged over the cruelty and bad science of cruel animal experiments, companies are being forced to reevaluate and push for non-animal testing methods instead. Remarkable breakthroughs in in vitro testing allow researchers to predict more accurately how products, chemicals, and treatments will affect humans. This is the future, and it is not only kinder but also smarter: And guess what: The TMR study revealed that two of the companies leading the way in the development of in vitro methods are Covance and Charles Rivers Laboratories (CRL). This marks a new direction for these animal abusers, which are also the largest importers of nonhuman primates into the U.S., bringing in thousands of monkeys who have been taken from their homes in the wild or bred on decrepit monkey factory farms. Covance is also one of the world’s largest breeders of dogs for use in experiments. CRL was once fined for baking monkeys alive after a heating system malfunctioned, and Covance was once exposed in a PETA undercover investigation. At the time, PETA’s investigator documented injured and sick monkeys who were deprived of veterinary care and primates who were slammed into their cages and sprayed with pressurized hoses. More than 100 million animals suffer and die in the U.S. every year in cruel chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics tests as well as in medical training exercises and curiosity-driven medical experiments at universities. So it’s remarkable when the abusers see the handwriting on the wall and invest significant resources in in vitro test methods. What You Can Do Refuse to support companies that test on animals, and make sure your home and personal care products are all cruelty-free.
Weeks later their adventure would be blighted by bitter disappointment as they arrived at the South Pole to find that the rival team led by Roald Amundsen had reached the South Pole first. But on Christmas Eve 1911, with hopes presumably still high, Scott's team had treated themselves to a special meal of horsemeat flavoured with onion and curry powder. "Then an arrowroot, cocoa and biscuit hoosh [thick stew] sweetened; then a plum pudding; then cocoa with raisins, and finally a dessert of caramels and ginger," he wrote in his diary. "After the feast it was difficult to move. Wilson and I couldn't finish our share of plum pudding. We have all slept splendidly and feel thoroughly warm - such is the effect of full feeding." Four days later - on Dec 28 - the explorers were continuing to battle on through the snow. "The marches are terribly monotonous," wrote Scott. "One's thoughts wander occasionally to pleasanter scenes and places, but the necessity to keep the course, or some hitch in the surface, quickly brings them back." A new exhibition commemorating the ill-fated adventure will open at the Natural History Museum on Jan 20, three days after the 100th anniversary of the explorers reaching the pole. Artefacts such as clothes, sledges and pickaxes will be reunited with scientific specimens collected by the explorers on the Terra Nova expedition, as well as a re-creation of the wooden hut at base camp. Elin Simonsson of the Natural History Museum said the exhibition aimed to show the importance of the voyage as a scientific endeavour - a story that has been overshadowed by the human tragedy of the explorers. Their study of weather, zoology and the relatively new discipline of glaciology "really made a great contribution to what was known about Antractica", she told the Guardian. The explorers' bodies were found alongside their letters and diaries in November 1912, with Scott's famous final entry on March 29 revealing his despair as they were stranded by the weather and ending: "For god's sake look after our people."
Only a Counter-Coup Can Save American Democracy — Paul Craig Roberts Only a Counter-Coup Can Save American Democracy Paul Craig Roberts The CIA has long engineered coups in other countries. Now we are approaching at breakneck speed a CIA coup in the USA. When the presstitute media first published unverifired, unsourced leaks attributed to unnamed CIA officials, both the FBI and the Director of Homeland Security said that they did not embrace the accusation that Trump’s election was a result of Russian interference in the US presidential election. Now suddenly we have a report from the Washington Post, a rag whose integrity is in doubt and a mainstay of anti-Trump propaganda suspected of being a CIA asset, that the FBI and Homeland Security are in agreement with the anonymous leaks to the presstitutes: “FBI Director James B. Comey and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. are in agreement with a CIA assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election in part to help Donald Trump win the White House, officials disclosed Friday, as President Obama issued a public warning to Moscow that it could face retaliation. New revelations about Comey’s position could put to rest suggestions by some lawmakers that the CIA and the FBI weren’t on the same page on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions.” “The positions of Comey and Clapper were revealed in a message that CIA Director John Brennan sent to the agency’s workforce Friday. ‘Earlier this week, I met separately with FBI [Director] James Comey and DNI Jim Clapper, and there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election,’ Brennan said, according to U.S. officials who have seen the message.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-blames-putins-personal-grudge-against-her-for-election-interference/2016/12/16/12f36250-c3be-11e6-8422-eac61c0ef74d_story.html?utm_term=.ad62c36e39ca Note, that this claim comes from the CIA. It has not been verified at this time of writing by the FBI and Homeland Security. Indeed, please note that the Washington Post, which is hyping this story of intelligence agency consensus, reports: “The CIA and the FBI declined to comment on Brennan’s message or on the classified intelligence assessment that CIA officials shared with members of the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month, setting off a political firestorm.” In other words, the CIA might be putting words in the mouths of the other intelligence officials. Note also that Hillary says that Putin interfered against her because he has a grudge against her for her interference in his reelection by fomenting protests against him with the Western-financed Russian NGOs. If what Hillary claims is correct, then any Russian interference, for which proof remains absent, was directed against Hillary in order to settle a score and has nothing to do with any Russian influence over Trump or 200 Internet sites as falsely and maliciously reported by the Washington Post. All the CIA officials making claims of Russian interference, according to the Washington Post, continue to speak “on the condition of anonymity.” So we have a coup against the president-elect based solely on unverified, unsourced, anonymous assertions made by the public knows not who. Rep. Davin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, which has oversight over the CIA, has said that neither he nor the committee have seen any evidence from the CIA in support of the claims he reads in the media. He has asked the agency to brief the Intelligence Committee on the alleged evidence but has had no response. According to the Washington Post, “Nunes said: ‘We have not received any information from Intelligence Community (IC) agencies indicating that they have developed new assessments on this issue. I am alarmed that supposedly new information continues to leak to the media but has not been provided to Congress.’” Rep. Nunes statement makes it completely clear that the CIA is using the presstitute media to launch a coup against president-elect Trump. CIA director John Brennan’s audacity suggests that he expects the coup to succeed. Otherwise, he is dead meat along with Bezos, The Washington Post and the rest of the presstitute media. Trump’s critics on the left and right and among the liberals and progressives have stupidly played into the CIA’s hands. I tried to warn them not to judge Trump by the past associations of his appointees as no change was possible without strong knowledgeable appointees. Those who romanticize Bernie Sanders are out to lunch. A person as weak as Sanders proved to be, completely collapsing in the face of his stolen presidential nomination by Hillary, could not possibly have prevailed over the powerful oligarchic groups that rule America. When we finally get a president-elect strong enough to bring change from the top down, the leftwing-liberal-progressive elements join the CIA in denouncing him! If the generals Trump has announced as his appointees have been too marginalized within the military by the neoconservatives to be able to provide US military protection against the CIA’s coup against the president-elect, do not expect Donald Trump to be inaugurated as President of the United States on January 20. We are at the point that only a countercoup against the CIA and the Hillary forces can save American democracy. High treason is alive and well in the United States, and it is operating against American democracy and president-elect Trump.
Make it onto the Leaderboard at ANY point during the sale and gain 1 entry to our exclusive giveaway! Reach the TOP, and gain 5 entries! With each Pay What You Want Bundle, you get something incredible for the price of your choosing. If you beat the average price , you’ll unlock additional products and take home the entire bundle! What's in the Bundle Bundles Sold 0 0 2 , 7 6 4 1 The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic $10 Value 2 4 Elements $14 Value 3 Royal Envoy $14 Value 4 The Tiny Bang Story $10 Value 5 Storm in a Teacup $5 Value 6 Gardenscapes $14 Value $67 Value! in Apps + Software Coming Soon Ending In: add to waitlist How It Works 1 Pay what you want —& if that's less than the average price—you'll still take home something great. 2 Beat the average price & you'll take home the entire bundle. 3 Beat the Leader's price & get entered into our epic giveaway—plus get featured on the Leaderboard! Leaderboard 1 Cactus Bruce $300.00 2 Sascha Ledinsky $67.00 3 Scott Early $66.00 4 Dionna Carr $66.00 5 Dani Roberts $65.00 6 paul jackson $50.00 7 Jordan Lane $33.00 8 Forbes Ryan $32.01 Giveaway Product Details The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic Explore 48 Levels, Defeat Scary Monsters, & Reach the Exit Before your Courage is Crushed By Kunst-stoff \| in Apps + Software Description An Addictive Action Puzzle Game! An anxious little pudding is trapped in a scary ghost train! Help him puzzle his way to the exit and scare back the monsters with funny weapons and traps! This addictive action puzzle game is easy-to-learn, but hard to master: Explore 48 levels of the ghost train, defeat scary monsters, angry witches, crazy skeletons and fire-spitting dragons, and reach the exit before your courage energy is down. To be successful, you must be clever and quick: manipulate the tracks, exchange junctions and activate levers and bridges! Select from a variety of funny weapons and traps to scare the monsters back, trap the witches into loops and attack with the dangerous wind-up rat! Fun Features 48 levels of different gameplay challenges Hilarious animations and sound Beautiful 3D environments Suspense, action and puzzling fun! System Requirements Windows Windows XP Vista Win 7 Processor 1 GHz Memory 1 GB RAM Graphics Graphics DirectX 9 compatible Mac Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later 230 MB free hard disk space Supported Languages German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch & Chinese Important Reminders! No refunds Upon purchase you’ll receive the DRM -free links for both the Mac & PC version of the game 4 Elements Help Restore and Save the Ancient Kingdom By Playrix Entertainment \| in Apps + Software Description The Ancient Kingdom is in Trouble! The magic of the four elements that kept it running for centuries has been corrupted by evil powers and the altars no longer yield the energy of life. It is up to you to unlock the 4 ancient books of magic and collect 16 mysterious cards that will help you restore and save the Ancient Kingdom. An adorable little fairy will be your aide in this perilous journey as you encounter elementals, dragons, knights, and various magic creatures. Using a mix of classic addictive game play ideas but taking them to a new level with innovative twists, explosive bonuses, spectacular visual effects, and fascinating storyline in amazing animation, this game by Playrix is a load of fun. Fun Features 4 books of magic to unlock and study 16 mysterious cards to collect Gripping storyline presented in beautiful animation 64 captivating levels with 20 challenging bonus tasks Stunning visual effects and fantastic bonuses System Requirements: DRM -Free Compatible Windows Windows XP/Vista/7/8 CPU : 1.6 GHz : 1.6 GHz RAM : 1024 MB : 1024 MB DirectX: 8.0 Hard Drive: 153 MB Mac Mac OS X 10.4 or later CPU : 800 Mhz : 800 Mhz RAM : 256 MB : 256 MB Hard Drive: 123 MB Important Reminders! No refunds Upon purchase you’ll receive the DRM -free links for both the Mac & PC version of the game Royal Envoy Save the Wonderful Land of Countless Islands from the Merciless Forces of Nature By Playrix Entertainment \| in Apps + Software Description Take the King’s challenge! Save the wonderful land of countless islands from the merciless forces of nature. Construct and upgrade homes and buildings for the island citizens and become the chief city planner of marvelous Islandshire. Think your way to triumph in this challenging and mesmerizing game of pirates, treasure and hot-air balloon adventures! Fun Features Unique blend of time management and strategy 9 delightful islands to rebuild Great variety of homes and buildings to construct Over 90 challenging levels with 8 bonus quests Captivating storyline with charming and whimsical characters Comprehensive guide, making-of, animated screensaver, gorgeous wallpapers, original soundtracks System Requirements: DRM -Free Compatible Windows Windows XP/Vista/7/8 CPU : 1.6 GHz : 1.6 GHz RAM : 1024 MB : 1024 MB DirectX: 8.0 Hard Drive: 153 MB Mac Mac OS X 10.4 or later CPU : 800 Mhz : 800 Mhz RAM : 256 MB : 256 MB Hard Drive: 123 MB Important Reminders! No refunds Upon purchase you’ll receive the DRM -free links for both the Mac & PC version of the game The Tiny Bang Story Help Restore the Lost Beauty & Population of an Entire Planet By Colibri Games \| in Apps + Software Description A Fun & Strategic Game at Your Fingertips. This is the perfect game if you’re looking to unwind with the ideal balance of fun and strategy. Kill some time, but not your brain with this little puzzle game! The beautifully hand-drawn designs and sounds of nature make for a refreshingly virtual experience. iTunes Store Gave it 4.5 Stars! The Gist The Tiny Bang Story is a point and click puzzle game at the core of a fanciful world. Unfortunately the unique moon of this beautiful little planet is rocked by a meteor, turning The Tiny Bang Story World into a massive puzzle. You and only you can restore order with your keen mind and determination. Though it sounds chaotic and destructive, the peaceful remaining world makes for the quintessential virtual working environment :). System Requirements: Steam Compatible Windows Windows XP, Vista, or 7 512 MB RAM 1 Ghz or faster processor Mac Intel Mac, OS X version Leopard 10.5.8, Snow Leopard 10.6.3, or later. Two-button mouse strongly recommended 1GB HD space (recommended) Internet connection (broadband recommended) Important Reminders! No refunds Upon purchase you’ll receive a steam code that will allow you to activate your game through Steam You’ll receive the DRM -free links for both the Mac & PC version of the game Storm in a Teacup Take Storm on a Wonderful Adventure in a Magical Teacup By Cobra Mobile \| in Apps + Software Description A Teacup Adventure of a Lifetime! Take Storm on a wonderful adventure in his magical teacup. Storm’s brother Cloud has created an amazing dream-like world for you to explore! Solve puzzles, avoid pitfalls and beat the bad guys in this imaginative and unique platformer! Fun Features Wonderful, rich rewarding game-play with physics based puzzles Explore and discover 50 magical levels 5 Survival mode levels to compete against Customize in-game Storm character options Rich, gorgeous, graphics Full Joypad support System Requirements Windows Windows XP / Vista / 7 & Mac OS 10.6+ Processor:1.5GHz or better Memory:512MB MB RAM Graphics:OpenGL DirectX®:5.0 DirectX®:5.0 Hard Drive:50 MB HD space Mac Mac OS 10.6+ Processor:1.5GHz or better Memory:512MB MB RAM Graphics:OpenGL Hard Drive:50 MB HD space Important Reminders! No refunds Upon purchase you’ll receive a steam code that will allow you to activate your game through Steam You’ll also receive the DRM -free links for both the Mac & PC version of the game Gardenscapes Create the Perfect Garden! By Playrix Entertainment \| in Apps + Software Description Create the Perfect Garden! Comb the rooms of a gorgeous mansion for hidden items and restore a once stunning garden to its former glory. Choose from tons of garden accessories to customize the garden to your taste. Become part of the city’s community and compete in the “Best Garden” contest. No worries if you are a garden design novice because an amusing and witty butler, Austin, will always be of assistance. Become an outdoor decor pro in this cutting hedge Playrix game! Fun Features Over 1000 cool items to find 15 rooms to comb for hidden objects Tons of garden accessories to choose from Immersive storyline presented in beautiful animation Interactive and customizable environment Fully-animated amusing butler as your right-hand man Bonus screensaver featuring your garden System Requirements: DRM -Free Compatible Windows Windows XP/Vista/7/8 CPU : 1.6 GHz : 1.6 GHz RAM : 1024 MB : 1024 MB DirectX: 8.0 Hard Drive: 153 MB Mac Mac OS X 10.4 or later CPU : 800 Mhz : 800 Mhz RAM : 256 MB : 256 MB Hard Drive: 123 MB Important Reminders! No refunds Upon purchase you’ll receive the DRM -free links for both the Mac & PC version of the game
Secretary Kempthorne of the Department of the Interior's favourite scene from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, where the official from the government explains how Arthur Dent had all the time in the world to view and comment on the plans for a bypass: Official:"The plans have been available at the planning office for the last nine months" Arthur Dent: On display? I had to go down to the cellar. O: that's the display department. A: with a torch! O: the lights were probably out. A: so were the stairs. O: but you did see the notice, didn't you? A: Oh yes, it was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign outside the door saying "beware of the leopard!" Ever thought about going into advertising? This appears to be the model for the Department's Communication Strategy when it comes to the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act. In their rush to gut the Endangered Species Act before their term runs out, the Administration has published its required environmental assessment and limited review and comment to just ten days. Switchboard quotes: This Federal Register notice advises the public that we (FWS and NOAA) have prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that assesses the potential environmental effects of the proposed regulatory changes currently under consideration. The Draft EA is available for public review at the following Web site: http://www.doi.gov/issues/esa.html. Except when you go there, there is no there there, just a "myths and realities" explanation of why their comment process is perfectly acceptable and fair. Oh, and a link to an explanation of how one can comment. Not by fax, not by email, but by snail mail or in person, or through a convenient online system. Except there is no link to the particular act, no way to really find it, no intuitive search, one could bicycle to Arlington and deliver your comment by hand before you would find anything on this website. Andrew Wetzler at NRDC concludes: "So what we have is an absurdly short comment period (10 days!) that has already begun to run despite the fact that the Department hasn’t even posted the document it’s asking for comments on yet. But they have posted a defense of their proposed regulations that certainly makes it seem like the agency has already prejudged the merits of its proposal—precisely the thing that NEPA’s procedural protections are designed to avoid." Even Douglas Adams himself could not write a script more silly and foolish than the one being acted out in Washington these days. Switchboard More TreeHugger: AP Reports Proposal to Drastically Alter Endangered Species Act Obama and McCain Discuss Global Warmng, Environmental Views in Interview
Get the biggest celebs stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now Tonight on BBC Two, a team of scientists will take to the skies in one of the world's largest airships - to look at clouds. Flying coast to coast across the United States, the team begin their expedition exploring clouds, with expedition leader and meteorologist Felicity Aston examines how clouds capture and store liquid water in the skies with an ambitious experiment to try and weigh a cloud. But just how much does a cloud weigh. Well, in a nutshell - a lot. The good people of the National Centre for Atmospheric Research have worked it all out. Put simply, clouds shift around 1.4 trillion tonnes of water from the oceans to inland each and every day - which is rather a lot. The average cloud - which is around a kilometer cubed - weighs as much as 100 elephants, but still remains floating in the atmosphere. (Image: BBC/YouTube) In tonight's documentary, former paratrooper Andy Torbet sets out to measure the forces that keep clouds afloat by parachuting through the turbulent and potentially dangerous air that surrounds one. Which seems entirely sensible. His study reveals that clouds generate vast amounts of energy. A typical cumulus cloud - similar to the one Andy measures - generates enough heat energy to power the average home for 17 years. Meanwhile, also on the ship is microbiologist Dr Chris Van Tulleken who is attempting to prove that some clouds are alive. Yeah, alive alive. * Operation Cloud Lab is on BBC Two tonight at 8pm Did you know we have a TV & film page on Facebook? Check us out here.
Public schoolchildren across the country were physically restrained or isolated in rooms they couldn’t leave at least 267,000 times in the 2011-2012 school year, despite a near-consensus that such practices are dangerous and have no therapeutic benefit. Many states have little regulation or oversight of such practices. This map shows where your state stands. Data compiled as of January 2014. Related: Violent and Legal: The Shocking Ways School Kids are Being Pinned Down, Isolated Against Their Will Compare states by Total Score Is the use of restraints limited to emergencies? Is the use of seclusions limited to emergencies? Is parental notification of either practice required? Is the use of seclusions prohibited? Are restraints that restrict breathing banned? Mechanical restraints prohibited ProPublica awarded each state a score based on how closely they follow six key elements that are outlined in reform bills and U.S. Department of Education non-mandatory guidance. The highest score is 12, for most restrictions, and the lowest score is 0, meaning least restrictions. A patchwork of regulation ProPublica awarded each state a score based on how closely they follow six key elements that are outlined in reform bills and U.S. Department of Education non-mandatory guidance. The lowest score is 0, with the least restrictions. Is the use of restraints limited to emergencies? Emergencies involve potential harm to the student or others. ProPublica did not consider “academic disruption” or “property damage” emergencies. Is the use of seclusions limited to emergencies? Emergencies involve potential harm to the student or others. ProPublica did not consider “academic disruption” or “property damage” emergencies. Georgia is the only state to prohibit seclusion in all cases. Is parental notification of either practice required? Most states don’t require that parents be told every time children are subject to restraints or seclusions. Is the use of seclusions prohibited? Georgia is the only state to prohibit seclusion in all cases. Are restraints that restrict breathing banned? This includes the so-called "prone" restraint, which some states have prohibited explicitly. Are mechanical restraints prohibited? “Mechanical” restraints use something artificial like straps, handcuffs or bungee cords to do the restraining. State Total Score Restraints limited to emergencies Seclusion limited to emergencies Parental notification required Prohibits seclusion Prohibits restraints that restrict breathing Prohibits mechanical restraints * parental notication in some instances with parental waiver * if included in IEP **** ban limited to prone restraint (a) Prone restraint permitted by trained staff. (b) Prone restraint allowed through August 2015. (c) Seclusion allowed if child is "supervised." (d) Minnesota's statue "was drafted in a way to create some ambiguity," using "physical holding" instead of "restraint." Source: Jessica Butler, a national advocate for children with autism. Meral Agish provided research for this map.
Cooks hip to the benefits of pressure cooking, and shopping for their first cooker often ask me if there is any difference between stove top and electric pressure cookers. Here’s a cooker-to-cooker comparison of the differences and similarities, between stove top and electric pressure cookers. While electric pressure cookers require almost no monitoring to bring, maintain and release pressure, it takes them more time to get there (see “the mechanics”, below, for details). But if you can leave the house while an electric pressure cooker is running, does the extra time it takes to reach and loose pressure really matter?!? match the cooker to your cooking personality Through years of use and interacting with readers of the website and in-person demonstrations, I’ve narrowed down how to match a pressure cooker type to a cook. Which of these most closely match your cooking prowess and life style? Electric pressure cookers are best for.. those who are nervous about fiddling with heat settings – the electric cooker will do it automatically, just set it and forget it; those who are drowning in electric appliances like slow cooker, rice cooker and yogurt maker – an electric pressure cooker will replace all of them; busy parents who need to schedule dinner to be ready when they walk in the door will appreciate the cooking delay timer available in some models which starts cooking dinner before anyone is home; college students or persons with limited kitchens – the electric pressure cooker is a complete cooking tool it browns/saute’s, pressure cooks and keep the food warm – some do even more; seniors and/or otherwise abled persons-no need to remember if the burner is on or off, the cooker will turn itself off after cooking and can be placed at any height for easy access; expert cooks who have already moved all of their cooking to pressure and often have more than one stovetop cooker running – an electric is a great addition to the ensemble. Stove top Pressure Cookers are best for.. those who want speed and power since they reach higher heat and pressure than electrics; those who value durability over convenience – electrics can last years but stove top cookers last decades, generations; cooks who want to try advanced pressure cooking techniques -many require the higher pressure and lesser evaporation of modern stove top cookers; cooks who like to tinker and supervise the cooking since the pressure releases faster than electrics. I’ve recently moved to almost exclusively using electric pressure cookers – they fit better with my lifestyle as busy mom. I have not abolished stovetops completely from my kitchen. I still pull out a stovetop pressure cooker to test cooking times, recipes and try new techniques. More Info: The Pressure Cooker Buying Guide stove top pressure cooker vs. electric pressure cooker Here’s a detailed comparison listing the pro’s and con’s for each pressure cooker type… maximum pressure and pressure settings Most stove top pressure cookers have two, or more pressure settings. “High Pressure” which is typically 13-15 PSI and “Low Pressure” which is 6-8 PSI.This is the “standard” pressure range and most cookbooks write their recipe timing based on this range. Pressure selection is achieved by either using dial that points to 1 (low pressure) or 2 (high pressure), or a marked bar that slowly raises from the cooker while it is reaching pressure – the first mark indicates low pressure, the second mark indicates high pressure. Electric pressure cookers have a varied maximum pressure between manufacturers and models. Depending on the model one could reach only 6 PSI, while other models could reach 8, 9, 10, 11 or 13psi – some claim to cook 15psi though we have not found this to be true. Some have only one pressure setting, others have two. This means that the pressure cooking time will take longer in an electric vs. a stovetop pressure cooker to achieve the same results. heat regulation The cook needs to adjust heat while the stovetop pressure cooker is reaching pressure. When first learning to use a pressure cooker, it may take a few tries for the cook to discover the exact heat setting to keep the cooker from going into over-pressure or losing pressure. This process can take up to 15 minutes of the cook’s attention before the pressure cooking process even begins. More Info: How to Use a Stovetop or Electric Pressure Cooker The heat regulation for electric pressure cookers is completely automated. The cook need only select the desired pressure, or program, and cooking time and hit “start”. The cook does not even need to be there while the cooker is building pressure and pressure cooking. time to pressure For stovetop pressure cookers: about 11 minutes, depending on the heat source, temperature of ingredients and fill level.1 For electric pressure cookers: about 14 minutes- times may vary according to the wattage of the electric heat coil, temperature of ingredients and fill level.1 cooking times Stovetop pressure cookers are, on average, about three times faster than conventional cooking. More Info: Stovetop and Electric Pressure Cooker Cooking Times Electric pressure cookers are, on average, about twice as fast as conventional cooking. opening methods Generally, stovetop pressure cooker take a little less time to release pressure. Normal Release – about 2 minutes. Natural Release – about 10 minutes. Additional feature-specific releases may be available on some models.More Info: Pressure Cooker Opening Methods Generally, electric pressure cookers take more time to release pressure. The natural release takes more than twice as long. Normal Release – about 3 minutes. Natural Release – about 25 minutes. timer, scheduling features and cooking programs Most stove top pressure cookers do not have an integrated timer though they are becoming more popular. Typically, these cookers require a separate timer to keep track of cooking time while the cooker is at pressure. Stove top pressure cookers have no cooking programs or scheduling features (although more and more are coming out with their own apps). If used in conjunction with an induction burner, the timer on the burner can semi-automate a stovetop cooker. All modern electric pressure cookers have an integrated timer to keep track of cooking time while under pressure. The most modern electric pressure cookers, feature micro-computer controlled smart cooking programs that interact with a pressure sensor and thermostat. Most electric pressure cookers allow for scheduling and delayed start for up to 12 hours, depending on the model, for meals that do not contain meat, diary or other ingredients that must remain refrigerated. multi-uses The base of stove top pressure cookers can be used as a normal cooking pot, without use of the pressure cooking lid. Larger models, such as the ones that are 10 L/qt, or larger, can be used for pressure canning low-acid foods (such as meat, vegetables and soups). More Info: Pressure Canning Guide & FAQ Electric pressure cookers cannot be used for regular cooking without pressure – though newer models include “saute'” function which allow browning in the cooker without the lid.Many electric pressure cookers also include slow-cooker and other multi-cooker functions (including one that makes yogurt!). But, despite what some manufacturers might say, you cannot pressure can in an electric pressure cooker. storage A stovetop pressure cooker can be stored with regular pots and pans. An electric pressure cooker needs counter-space and is bulky and tall – making it difficult to store in a cupboard. Also, when in use, the cooker should not be under an over-head cupboard. However, it can replace several other electric appliacnes. heat source Stovetop pressure cookers can be used on gas, electric, halogen, induction, ceramic and glass cooktops. Can also be used on camping stove or BBQ. Electric pressure cookers have can only run on electricity. materials and durability Stove top pressure cookers are available in aluminum and stainless steel. Stainless steel cookers are extremely durable and very difficult to damage and often last 20 or more years. The outer casing of all electric pressure cookers is made of thermal-resistant plastic. Some have better electronics than others. The interior liner is most often-made of aluminum with a non-stick coating. The cook must use caution when using utensils, accessories and even “pointy” food (such as cut bones) which may scratch the interior coating. However, today more and more models are coming out with stainless steel (pictured) and anodized aluminum and ceramic-coated interiors. Cooks have reported electronic failures within the first three years of use. replacement parts During the course of use gaskets and other silicone parts may need to be replaced. They can be purchased from the manufacturer. More Info: Pressure Cooker Booklet and Instruction Library During the course of use gaskets and other silicone parts may need to be replaced.Non-stick pot inserts are easily damaged and need to be regularly replaced.Cooks have reported electronic failures within the first three years of use. Though a few well-made models have lasted longer. Electric pressure cookers are often re-branded or imported as a one-time item so it may be difficult to track down replacement parts from non-established pressure cooker manufacturers. the mechanics Although the time to pressure for a electric pressure cooker is just a few minutes longer than stove top (14 vs. 11 minutes)1 the natural pressure release takes more than twice as long (25 vs. 10 minutes) because the base cannot be removed from the heat source (the electric coil needs time to cool). Additionally the thermos-like double-walled construction of electric pressure cookers further insulates heat loss prolonging the time to open. However, the thermos-effect improves efficiency of the electric pressure cooker keeping the heat from the coil in the cooker and not dissipating it in the kitchen – making it 60% more efficient at using electricity than a similarly PSI’d stove top pressure cooker operating on an electric cooktop 2. The most tangible difference between stove top and electric cookers is the maximum pressure that can be achieved. While all modern stove top cookers adhere to the 13-15PSI standard, electric pressure cookers can vary greatly between manufacturers and models and are often below, or grossly below, the standard (with few exceptions). Lower pressure means that the cooker will need more time to achieve the same results as a stove top pressure cooker. Recommended cooking times and pressure cooker cookbooks will need to be adjusted – though they will still be briefer than cooking without any pressure at all! bottom line In my case, it made sense to trade the durability and power of a stovetop pressure cooker for the convenience of an electric. Even an automatic timer glued to the top of a stovetop pressure cooker or technological advances of newer stovetop pressure cookers introduced in 2016 – that include built-in thermometers, bluetooth communication, and apps – do not absolve the cook from the time needed to supervise the pressure cooker when it’s building pressure nor allow you to leave the house while any of this is going on. Ultimately, both electric and stove top pressure cookers will save energy, vitamins and time so the decision to purchase a stove top or electric pressure cooker is up to the individual cook. Do you already own a pressure cooker? Leave a comment to let us know what you like about it and if you have both kinds which one youuse the most. Images provided by Kuhn Rikon and InstantPot and used with permission. 1Timing based on multiple instances of bringing 6Lpressure cookers up to pressure while containing 1 kilogram (for stove top) or 1 liter (for 1000W electric) of ambient temperature water. 2Wang, R. (2012, May 24). Which is Faster: Electric vs Stove-top Pressure Cooker. InstantPot. Retrieved from http://instantpot.com/which-is-faster-electric-vs-stove-top-pressure-cooker/ 3How Smart Cooking Programs Work. InstantPot. Retrieved from http://instantpot.com/technology/smart-cooking-programs/
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In my last post, I collected a list of best practices boiled down from a year’s worth of blogging and a lifetime’s worth of study. The bullet points? “Write often, be organized, use an outline.” That’s painfully unoriginal advice. Every hack with a website spoon feeds the same basic tenets. Still, as basic and familiar as those tenets have become, we self-styled gurus will never tire of repeating them. Nor should we. It needs to be said almost as often as it needs to be heard. A teacher once told me, “There are no advanced mistakes, only basic ones.” Everyone falls apart on the fundamentals. Your computer can perform a billion computations in a second, but they all break down into six basic functions or primitives. Whether it’s a computer program or a screenplay, you can generally achieve any effect you want by putting together a series of simple operations. Screenwriting has thousands of pieces of hacknyed good advice. “Enter a scene late, leave early. Show, don’t tell. Read dialogue aloud so it sounds like something a real person would say.” The list goes on, and it’s all obvious, common sense stuff. But writers (you, me, even the greats), often forget the basics in the heat of battle. When I show my work to other people, they inevitably point out one or two galling flaws. This is doubly frustrating, one, I hate that I made a mistake, and two, it’s frustrating that I need the same advice as a raw beginner, even after ten years in the industry. It’s a blow to my ego and my self image. Maybe I’m not special. There are four stages of competence. Sucking, and being unaware of it, sucking and being aware of it, being competent, but having to think about it, and being competent unconsciously (wikipedia can make this sound smarter, but I stand by my capsule summary). It’s this last step that we’re striving for, the unconscious competence that some might even call mastery. I’m a long way off from mastery. Most days it’s an uphill battle to get to mere adequacy. I take comfort in the fact that my failings are universal, that I can help others with their common problems because I see my flaws reflected in their work. Most of my writing advice, story coaching, note giving, development, whatever you want to call it, is merely echoing the same banal, fundamental advice over and over again. This is well and good, as the more it is said, the more it is taken, the more it is given, the more likely it is to become second nature. Advertisements
Nokia is offering Windows Phone Store credit and a series of Gameloft titles to Lumia owners in a seemingly global campaign dubbed "World of Entertainment." Depending on where you're located, the amount of Windows Phone Store credit being offered changes. For example, residents of the UK are being offered £34 worth of games and £20 of Windows Phone Store credit, whereas Australian residents are being offered $25 worth of games and $40 worth of Windows Store Credit. Residents of the US are being offered $40 worth of games, and $25 worth of Windows Phone Store credit. Unfortunately, the Lumia phones that are eligible for this promotion are also location-dependent. In the UK and Australia, the promotion extends to owners of the Lumia 625, 1020, 1320 or 1520, however in the US the promotion is restricted to users of the Lumia Icon, 1020 or 1520 only. The Terms & Conditions also specify that its for "new" owners, however phones purchased from as far back as December are reportedly being able to claim the voucher. Whether or not this is a bug, or just a poorly worded T&C, is yet to be known. The credit can be used for either apps from the Windows Store, or content from Xbox Video. It appears to be a worldwide campaign, so it does not just apply to the countries listed in this article. In order to redeem the voucher, go to the Nokia Collection in the Windows Phone Store and download the Gift Voucher app. You can then follow the instructions in the app to redeem your gift card. Source: Nokia \| Click this link to access the promo page for your country. UPDATE: It may or may not work for existing Lumia owners. This may be based on whether or not you have participated in a free Windows Phone Store credit promotion before.
How long has it been since you’ve seen some burled walnut? Not familiar with the stuff, you say? I guess it’s been quite a while then, hasn’t it. I don’t blame you. Used to be, you’d run across it fairly frequently — burled walnut on the dashboard on a Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special in the 50’s or 60’s, or maybe the Fleetwood Brougham in the 70’s or 80’s. Top-of-the-line Mercedes had some in their interiors, and of course there was so much burled walnut in a Rolls Royce or Bentley, it felt like being in the woods. Expensive stuff, burled walnut. And very rare. Same with birdseye maple, which you’d also run across in high end cars back in the day. It turns out that a sugar maple or black walnut tree has to get sick to produce these rare hardwoods. A burl is a growth a tree forms when it’s injured or develops a fungus or virus. The burl surrounds the injured part to protect the rest of the tree. Birdseye patterns in maple wood are formed when a sugar maple grows too close to other trees. Trying to get sunlight, the shoots out buds which die off and form tiny knots in the wood. Cut in thin slices to form a veneer, the sunlight-deprived maple or walnut burls reveal uncommonly beautiful patterns in the wood — the kind of patterns that look good on the dashboards of expensive automobiles, and as it happens, on wall panels and table tops of private jets. Advertisement: Hit Google and have a gander the interiors of these things. It’s the fucking 70’s up there on Gulfstreams and Falcons and Bombardiers and Cessnas. The seats look like something out of an Angelo Donghia showroom on Lexington Avenue, the sofas like the ones Liza Minelli and Halston lounged on at Studio 54 — all neutral colored overstuffed and pillowy — plop-things with arch-modern rounded ultra-comfy arms, and the side tables are polished burled walnut, natch. There’s the occasional flash of marble, and the indirect lighting! Yards and yards of overhead and under counter fixtures designed to — what’s the word? Yes! To flatter! To give you that 10 years younger glow, like you just stepped off your beach in St. Barts. Except your beach in St. Barts is three feet deep in roof tiles and sheets of tin and dead flipped-over SUV’s at the moment, awaiting clean up by the help. But you get what I mean. You’re flying around up there 29,000 feet above the schmucks standing in the TSA line getting ready to jam themselves into a 17 inch wide upright coffin, and you’re looking and feeling like a million bucks, and man, you’ve made it! You’re among the privileged few who get to fly on one of the 12,000 or so private jets that scream in and out of places like Palm Beach and East Hampton and Santa Monica! You don’t wait in those security lines! You don’t take off your damn shoes and belt! You want to take your fuzzy little Yapso Apso on your lap? Great! You want to talk to your broker on your brand new I Phone quadruple X? Go right ahead! You want someone to call ahead and arrange for a foot massage in the backseat of your Mongo-stretcho blacked out bullet-proof Suburban when you touch down in Aspen? Done! Welcome aboard! You’ve heard of the Friendly Skies? Meet the We’ve Got Ours So Fuck You Skies. It’s very, very exclusive up there. According to a recent story in Forbes, the average number of people on a private jet flight in this country is 4.12. Twelve percent of them decided to fly and made the booking on the same day. At the bottom end of the private jet cost structure is a typical flight on an Embraer jet seating four from Miami to the Bahamas for about $7,500. That’s four people traveling 181 miles taking less than 30 minutes for $1,875 each. An average long range private jet charter costs $76,500. Who owns these things? Have a look at these figures from CNBC and take a big fat guess. Private jets can cost from $3 million to $90 million, although the Sultan of Brunei and guys like him have spent upwards of $230 million on an Airbus 340-12 decorated like Trump’s New York apartment in gold and precious stones. Down-to-earth ordinary multi-millionaires and billionaires can spend anywhere between $700,000 to $4 million to operate their own jets. That’s per-year, not over the life of the plane, which they usually trade in after four years and buy a brand new one. But the zillionaires aren’t the only ones doing the high-flyin’ of course. The American political class has decided that they really can’t do with this plebeian TSA shoeless Joe shit and waiting for Rows 32 to 39 to be called for seating. Not today they can’t. See, our politicians could put up with standing in line and flying coach back when boring stuff like the Cold War was going on, and the United States and Russia were facing each other down with nuclear weapons over missiles in Cuba and we were sending 500,000 young men a year to “fight for freedom” in Vietnam, because they didn’t really have any pressing business. But today is different. There’s so much Really Important Shit going on in Washington D.C.! Our Congress can’t pass a bill renaming a post office in Peoria, but the political class can’t be kept waiting! They’re wanted back in their districts to, uh, well, er, ahhh, what is it they’re wanted for anyway? Oh, I remember now! To raise money so they can run for re-election and get back to Washington to sit around and wait for CNN or Fox to call so they can go on the TV and talk about how why they want to strip health insurance from 20 million or so of their fellow citizens, or why they think it’s a really, really wonderful idea to dispatch 8,000 or so warm bodies over to Afghanistan so they can continue “fighting” the “war” the politicians have been telling us that we’ve been “winning” for the past 16 fucking years. Or something anyway. It took the ethics reform following the Jack Abramoff scandal of 2007 to put the brakes on politicians flying around the country on Gulfstreams owned by their favorite corporate executives looking for a little influence peddling at 30,000 feet. Nowadays, politicians can accept flights on their friends’ jets but they have to compensate them by paying the cost of a First Class ticket for a comparable commercial flight. So let’s see. Operating a Gulfstream G2 from Los Angeles to London roundtrip costs about $160,000. A round trip first class ticket on commercial air is about $8,800. So our prospective congressman or senator would pay about five percent of the actual cost to fly on his billionaire buddy’s Gulfstream. Pretty good deal, huh? Advertisement: Far more common is the practice of chartering private jets. Donald Trump’s campaign spent tens of millions on air travel between July 2015 and Nov. 2017. $9.3 million alone was paid out by the campaign to TAG Air to charter Trump’s own 757-200 private jet — which cost the Trump Organization more than $100 million, what with its gold plated bathroom fixtures and seat belt closures and all. According to National Journal, Trump spent more money on jet fuel than on campaign staff over the course of the campaign. The campaign of Hillary Clinton made some 48 payments of more than $2 million chartering private jets from June 2015 to January 2016, according to FEC documents. According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, one of her contracts for a speech to a convention specified that she required a 16 person “Gulfstream 450 or larger jet” for the occasion. Elsewhere, it’s been widely reported that the Clinton Foundation spent more than $50 million in travel expenses over the ten years from 2003 to 2013. You don’t run up those kinds of bills flying coach and staying in the Comfort Inn. According to a 2014 story in Politico, Clinton’s potential rival, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee spent more than $250,000 on private jets to travel around the country making political speeches when he was considering his run for the White House. Jeb Bush and other Republican candidates spent similar amounts on private jets during the primary. The political tip-sheet Roll Call spoke to Meredith McGehee, of the Campaign Legal Center, one of the groups that pushed for the reform of congressional ethics when it was revealed that former House Speaker Tom Delay was given a ride on a tobacco company private jet on his way to making a court appearance. "The dangers are grave because the benefits are so valued. Time is valuable. It’s a very valuable thing," McGehee said. “Such flights provide a great opportunity for the very select class of people that can afford to own a private airplane to win goodwill and some face time with members, she explained,” Roll Call pointed out. Advertisement: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife “actress” Louise Linton took a government jet last month to fly out to Kentucky on a spurious visit to check up on the Gold Depository at Fort Knox that just happened to coincide with the eclipse of the sun that would be visible from there that day. We’ve also learned that the newlywed Mnunchins asked for a $25,000 private government jet to take them on their European honeymoon in August because, as the good Treasury Secretary explained, he needed the jet as his “mobile office.” Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price took five flights on chartered private jets over a two day period for travel around the east coast. Two of the flights were round trip between Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, a distance of 135 miles. According to Politico, chartering a private jet to make those flights would cost about $25,000, while making the trip on the train would have cost $72 per person each way. Going by car would have taken two and half hours and cost about $30 each way in gas, plus tolls. The thing with all of this travel by politicians on private jets is that they may be public servants, but they’re not the public, are they? You get to be a Trump, a Clinton, a Huckabee or a Price, and the rules are written so that you don’t have to live like the rest of us. The Congress put a Band- Aid on the problem when they mandated that government officials taking a ride on a private jet only have to pay the equivalent of a first class airfare for the same flight. They could have done the obvious, of course. You’re a congressman or a cabinet secretary and you want to fly up to some resort or back home to your district on a private jet, then charter one and pay the full cost of the charter. Democrats like the Clintons have made the utterly stupid mistake of ceding the high ground with their exploitation of these rules by joining Republicans in private jet-setting around the country. We expect Republicans to cozy up to corporate chieftains on their private jets, but Democrats? What was Hillary thinking when she was out of office and demanding Gulfstream 450’s for her speaking engagements? Nobody would notice? Advertisement: And that pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it? Time is money, and the wealthy and their political lackeys have been able to use the one to buy the other with their Gulfstreams and Falcons and Bombardiers. They don’t wait in line. Nobody tells them to turn off their cell phones and other electronic devices. A big black car drops them off at the steps to a gleaming jet and moments later, they’re aloft, above the fray, flying over the heads of the rest of us plebes down here dragging our crummy carry-ons and sweating out whether we remembered to take that damn bottle of mouthwash and transfer three ounces of it into a little travel bottle and stick that goddamned thing in a fucking plastic bag, or somebody in dark trousers and a blue shirt is going to tell us to open our bag and go jamming their hands in our underwear and socks until they come up with the offending bottle of dangerous mouthwash so we can be given the choice of going back to the counter and checking it, or throwing the damn stuff in the nearby trash bin supplied for just that purpose. You want to talk about income inequality? It’s not just income. It’s not just lifestyle. It’s not just second homes in the Hamptons and the occasional $350,000 Ferrari. It’s a whole class of people who have achieved the Dream of Modern Wealth. They can’t get away from us in restaurants, which allow us to smack our lips right next to them if we, too, can pay $75 for an organic pork chop from a guy up the Hudson Valley with three pigs he hand raises and gives a back rub to every night. They can’t leave us behind on the highway, where even they are subject to the indignity of the speed limit. They can’t move completely away from us, because Manhattan and San Francisco apartment buildings, sadly, have been built next to other apartment buildings where lowly plebes are still permitted to reside if they have $5,700 a month for a studio apartment over near the High Line. But by god, they can fly above us in the clouds swaddled in glove soft leather, sipping champagne from actual glass flutes, their tans back-lit by custom LED’s, their Manolo’s and John Lobbs kicked casually into the aisle, their Laradoodles sitting on the overstuffed lounger across the table snacking on scraps of filet mignon from the lunch entrée. Nobody’s going to comment, nobody’s going to complain, because there’s nobody there but the reflection they can see in the polished burled walnut table atop which they drum their manicured fingers as they wait for the wheels of their Gulfstream to touch down any goddamn place they want them to.
Alok Mukherjee has not adequately responded to outrage over a Facebook post that suggests police pose a greater threat to Americans than terrorists, says Mayor John Tory, denouncing the police board chairman’s “error in judgment” as a “regrettable” one. Mr. Tory would not say if Mr. Mukherjee still has his confidence after sharing a post by activist group Occupy Wall Street that states: “Americans killed by ISIS:3, Americans killed by Ebola: 2, Americans killed by the police: 500+ every year.” Mr. Mukherjee appeared to have added the comment “I can’t breathe”! to the Facebook post, which were the words uttered by Eric Garner, a black man who died after being placed in a chokehold by police in New York. The words were repeated by protesters this week after a grand jury decided not to indict the white officer involved. The police union has called on Mr. Mukherjee to resign. I think it’s regrettable; I think it just inflames situations here, in Toronto, that don’t need to be inflamed In a statement, Mr. Mukherjee said he “very much regret[s] the reaction caused by my posting” but did not apologize. Mr. Tory said that’s not good enough, and he plans to talk about it further at an upcoming meeting of the police board, of which he is now a member. “I think this was an error in judgement. I think it’s regrettable; I think it just inflames situations here, in Toronto, that don’t need to be inflamed,” the mayor told reporters on Friday. “I think our police service is doing an excellent job. It’s not perfect, but I think it’s doing an excellent job and I think there are inferences that can be taken from what’s been put up.” Mr. Tory added that he isn’t sure the statement Mr. Mukherjee made fully acknowledges his error. “It isn’t just about the reaction, it’s about what was done to provoke the reaction, so I think there’s more discussion to be had,” he said. “It remains to be seen what more needs to be done about this, if anything.” In his statement, Mr. Mukherjee stressed that “the item was shared as a topic of interest, intended to encourage conversation and reflection. The share was not meant as an endorsement of any views contained. It was not intended to be a negative commentary in any way on members of our police service or on our practices.” He said he was “very proud” of Toronto’s approach to policing and has the “utmost respect” for officers. Police union president Mike McCormack called the board chairman’s response “laughable” and said his organization has filed an official complaint with the premier, the mayor, the board and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission. “Mukherjee’s obvious disdain for police, apparent lack of judgment and his personal agenda discredits and compromises the integrity not only of the board he chairs but the Toronto police service itself,” the police association stated. But Mr. Mukherjee was defended by Councillor Michael Thompson, the former vice-chairman of the police board, who said the union is trying to stir up controversy in anticipation of contract talks. “It’s absolute nonsense,” Mr. Thompson said, adding that Mr. Mukherjee’s post had nothing to do with Toronto police. “Quite frankly, the chair should not resign, and it would be to the police association’s advantage if the chair were to resign and that’s really what this is all about. “They’re afraid of the tough negotiations that the chair has put in place.” Mr. McCormack said the police outrage has nothing to do with negotiations, and everything to do with leadership. “We didn’t start this,” he said. National Post • Email: nalcoba@nationalpost.com \| Twitter: nataliealcoba
We want our money back! Every penny! With interest! Do you hear us, Republican Senators? Early this morning while most of us slept, you passed a $1.5 trillion tax giveaway to the wealthiest people in America! And you did it 51-49 with only one Republican, Bob Corker of Tennessee, joining all Democrats against it. This was a 500 page piece of lobbyist written legislation hastily put together – in some cases scribbled in pen across type written pages – that no one had a chance to read before voting. I am no fan of the corporate Democrats who have taken over what used to be a progressive party. But we can’t blame them for this one. This scandal belongs entirely on the shoulders of Republicans. The Dems even offered a resolution to delay the vote so that legislators had a chance to read it. All 52 Republicans voted against it! This is what happens when the people lose control of their government. This is what happens when the rich control lawmakers with their money. There is no longer any doubt that we no longer live in a Republic. We no longer have any form of representative Democracy. We live in a pure plutocracy. The rich pay the representatives and the representatives do what the rich want. The wealthy are their real constituents. We are merely patsies told polite falsehoods to keep us in line. You have no political power. None. Governments get their legitimacy from the consent of the governed. You did not give your consent to give away more than a trillion dollars to rich douchebags who don’t need it. But Republicans gave it to them anyway. Therefore, our government has no legitimacy. We are an occupied people. We are the victims of a palace coup. The question remains if there is even a semblance of democratic principles left to allow us to regain what has been stolen. The present plutocracy is weak. It has not had time enough to consolidate its power. The old plan of gradually stealing control under cover of neoliberal policies has been abandoned. This is a naked power grab. Perhaps it will be the jolt we need to snap us all awake. Perhaps it will be enough to move the 99% to grab what little remains of the system set up by Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton and the other founders. We must rise up and demand these crooks pay us back. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts “We want our money back!” should be our rallying cry. If there are any lawmakers left in the halls of power that want to represent us, they should take a page from the GOP handbook. How many times did Republicans propose overturning Obamacare regardless of whether they had the votes or the power to do so? We must do the same with this tax scam bill. At every turn, we should propose repealing the bill and forcing the wealthy to pay back every red cent they stole! With interest! It doesn’t matter if it won’t pass. Do it. Clog the wheels of power with our cries. Don’t let them do a single thing more to make the lives of the majority of the population worse. Democrats, now is your last chance to show us where you really stand. You and I both know that if the Republicans had offered even the slightest concessions, many Dems would have voted for almost the same tax scam bill. It would have been a terrible piece of legislation that stole banks full of money from you and me. But it wouldn’t have been quite as terrible. Frankly, that’s not enough, Democrats. You aren’t to blame for what just happened, but you haven’t proven yourselves to be part of the solution. If you want our continued support, you need to move to the left. HARD! The masses have been stoked and stirred by this scandal. The political landscape has never been more primed for a landslide against the ruling class. Democrats could take advantage of this and earn a blue wave next year. But this will only happen if you run candidates that are willing to fight on our side in the class war that has already begun. Bernie Sanders is great, but let’s be honest. He’s elderly, and he’s a moderate. That’s right. Crazy Bernie with his kooky socialist ideas is in the middle of any sane political spectrum. He only seems like a radical because of how far to the right the spectrum has shifted in this country. We need real progressives who aren’t afraid to take on the establishment and fight inequality, police brutality, white supremacy, school privatization and a host of ills that – frankly – Democrats have historically championed almost as much as Republicans. The pieces are all lined up. The board is ready to play. We will support anyone who supports us. We are coming for Republicans. They will be repealed and replaced. We will get back every penny they just stole last night. And we will grab every Richy Rich plutocrat by the heels, turn them upside down and shake until we get back every penny they took – with interest. We will wring every last drop of Democracy we can from this government. And if we find that there is not enough left… History has an answer for what comes next. Americans don’t take kindly to taxation without representation. And that’s exactly what Republicans gave us last night.
Arizer Solo 2 Review First Impressions The long-awaited release of the Arizer Solo 2. The third portable release for the Canadian manufacturer Arizer behind the Air and the Original Solo vaporizer. It appears with this vape Arizer really listened to the long history of feedback from their very loyal fans and following. The Solo is an all-glass conduction vaporizer that is heralded as one of the best vaporizers ever made. Which gives Solo 2 quite a bit to live up to. The Solo 2 still features an all glass vapor experience, now with increased airflow, precision temperature control, and an LCD display to navigate a slew of other features. Precision temp control is something new for Arizer’s portables and a welcome addition at that. For years many would hope that Arizer would release a temp controlled vape and now those prayers have been answered, Arizer fans rejoice. Also worth noting is the new retail packaging from Arizer for the Solo 2. For those who already own an Arizer product you likely received it in either a brown or white cardboard box. Nothing fancy just a sticker on the front indicating the color of the vape inside. For those who were lucky when buying the Arizer Air, you might have gotten a not so fancy sleeve that said: “Arizer Air” on the front. While the new box is not the flashiest it is still at least a product that I could see being sold in a retail store. The glossy box had a solo image of the Solo 2 on the front cover so nothing too crazy. What was inside the box has always counted more so let’s take a peek at what we have. Inside The Box of the Arizer Solo 2 Inside the box we find; the Arizer Solo 2, Charger / Power Adapter, 90 mm Glass Aroma Tube, 110 mm Glass Aroma Tube, Glass Aroma Dish, Belt-Clip Carry Case, Silicone Stem Caps, Stainless Steel Stirring Tool, Stainless Steel Filter Screens, a Sample of Aromatic Botanicals, and a User Manual. The Glass tubes are noticeable of a better quality than those of the past with the original Arizer. They fell durable and clean cut. I can also say the same about the Solo2 unit itself. The shape and size are very similar to the original but they were able to even out some of the sharp corners and thin out the frame a bit. It comes in 2 colors a dark almost charcoal grey, and a deep navy blue. Overall I’m very excited and impressed by the presentation and the new features to explore with this old favorite and I can’t wait to try it out. First Bowl Before we get started with our first bowl I think it’s important to talk about how to pack the glass tubes of the Solo 2. The Glass tubes of the Arizer portables are much like glass one-hitters. In that, they’re made up of a straight glass tube with a filtered end to hold your herbs. So naturally, you can pack your Solo 2 tubes much like a one-hitter and take the tube and plunge the end into your herbs using force to pack your bowl. Ground herbs tend into float up to the straw as you inhale so whole herb with this method works best. After you have your herbs loaded it’s important to tamp down the herbs so that they sit just below the rim of the glass. This will prevent your herbs closest to the steel heating element from over vaping. Now before you insert the tube into the Solo 2 oven draw from the tube to test airflow. If airflow is tight, remove some herb and repack. Now I find the best results when I insert the tube into the oven as it heats. Now with the Solo 2’s 30sec heat up time I have no problem letting my herbs preheat a little before I take my first hit. Using the new fancy LCD screen on the Solo 2 I am able to set a precision temperature. I’m excited for the flavor of this all glass experience that the Solo 2 gives me so I decided to set a low temp of 355°F for the beginning of my session. Like lightning the Solo 2 oven is ready and it gives a little beep. The first hit is a little wispy as is typical with the Arizer portables but the flavor that is coming off the herb is incredible. As the herbs inside the tube begin to heat up the hits get thicker and more flavorful as you go. As with any vape, you’ll want to increase temperature as you go along which is made very easy with the new display and buttons on the Solo 2. Two clicks up on the display and I increase the temperature to 375°F. With the Solo 2, you can now change temperature by both 10 degrees and 1-degree increments. Making it easy to skip to your temp and dial it in for precision. At 375°F, the Solo 2 is pumping out vapor like a machine. Which is good because it is a little vape machine lol. What I always thought would be nice with the Arizer portables would be the addition of a carb hole along the stem so you could clear out the stem of your residual vapor as the stem of the glass tube usually stays milky with the cloud of vapor from the bowl. First Week In a week’s time and daily use, we only had to charge the Arizer Solo 2 Once. The large capacity battery of the Original Solo was something that helped its popularity. The Solo 2 now doubles that vape time to almost 3 hours or 18 10-min sessions. That is a ton of vape time folks honestly you could charge up the Solo 2 and go camping in without any electricity and be fine for almost a week, I don’t know how many other vapes I can say that about. The battery life made it very easy to explore the many new features and capabilities of the Solo 2 made possible by the LCD screen. The Solo 2 once was a plain jane 7 light vape. It now has a bit more character and personalization to make it feel like your own. You can now control your temperature, the length of your vape session, and your startup timer. There are also settings adjustments for your volume and screen brightness. Adjusting the session timer is very interesting because there has often been the debate about how long a vaporizer session should be. Me personally I usually am kicking back having a relaxing time when I vape so, I vape at lower temperatures for longer sessions of 15-20mins. Others like to get straight to the point and vape very high in a short burst of 2-5 minutes. The Solo 2 gives you the freedom to set your session length to 5, 10, or 15 minutes making it hospitable for most vaporizer users. The Volume is in increments of low, medium, and high to which I have set too low. The very audible beep of the Solo 2 is noticeable enough it doesn’t really need to be loud. I would honestly have been nice to change the beep to a different chime, tone, or just to turn it off honestly. Anyhow, it was good to see Arizer add some of the technology and features that they incorporate into their desktops into their portable line up for a change. Overall I really enjoyed vaping with the Solo 2 after a week. It brought back a lot of memories of when I first got into vaporizers and the Original Solo was the secretly the best vape on the market. It always delivers, you know what you’re getting every time you turn it on. No second guessing with the pack or different weird parts. I filled a MedTainer™ with some loosely broken up herb and used the glass tube just like a dugout. I would plunge the tube into the MedTainer™ a few times and plug right into the oven of the Solo 2 and with my set 4-second press we power on and we’re ready to go. Now that being said, these are quite a few big and bulk parts I’m talking about here. The Solo 2 itself is still quite large being about the size of a soda can. Then there are the glass tubes, which are both pretty long even the shorter 90mm and the diameter of the tubes are larger than any milkshake straw you’ll ever drink from. Coupled with a MedTainer™ or whatever your chosen herb storage maybe it doesn’t make the Solo 2 the most discrete vaporizer out there. It’s bulky in the pocket and the glass tubes are fragile and need to be carried either in a case or the pouch that comes with the Solo 2 kit. However, if you are more of an in-home vaper and you use your vaporizer either in and around your home, or a friends house then the Solo 2 has everything you’d need to be the life of the party. Some cool Tips and Tricks The Solo 2 like I mentioned before can be used like an old school dugout and one-hitter. Just plunge the glass tube in some herb and then plug into the oven to heat. There are also a few other tricks you can do to make the most of your Solo 2 experience. Your Solo 2 kit also comes with 2 Silicone caps for the glass tubes. These protect the edge of the glass tubes from chipping but you can also use them to pack a bowl for the road. You can preload both of your glass tubes and cover them with the silicone caps keeping the herb from falling out both tubes will travel with the Solo 2 in the provided carry pouch. Having multiple tubes available also makes it easy to share with friends. You can either enjoy 2 short solo sessions each packing your own bowl and enjoying it individually. Or you can Share one bowl and then preload the next glass tube with another bowl or a different strain. With this technique, you could swap in a fresh bowl into an already hot oven and start vaping right away. First Cleaning The Arizer portables might take home the gold medal when it comes to cleaning. The Solo 2 is no different. As with the others, the only part that really needs cleaning on the Solo 2 is the glass tubes. The Oven is usually dry and clean after every session. The most it needs it s a quick swab with a q-tip and some alcohol. The Glass tubes of the Solo 2 after a week aren’t too dirty, but after a couple of weeks, they can get really sappy with vape resin. The Solo, Air, and all Arizer products have become popular for “Honey Harvesting” or “Sap Collecting”. This is where users will take care not to let too many herb particles get through the screen and let the tubes get nice and sticky. Then they find ways to extract the resin to be consumed by coating on more herb, dabbing it straight, or even making edible by-products. My favorite way that I have seen the stems of the Arizer products cleaned has been by soaking the stems in simmering milk. You heat the milk to a light simmer, then you place in your dirty stem. The heat loosens the oils and the begin to melt off and mix in with the milk. Now what you do with it from here is your choice. Honestly, you can use it however you would use regular milk. Pour it in your coffee and make a cappuccino. You can pour a bowl of cereal and have a whole new kind of wake and bake. My favorite would be to continue the slow simmer and add in some chocolate or cocoa powder and make a nice hot chocolate. Alas, to each his own…. The Verdict If you liked the Original Solo from Arizer, then you should LOVE the Solo 2. Same great flavor, same easy operation, same great vape. The new LCD screen brings you a handful of new smart features without the hassle and complication of a smartphone app. The extra battery life also makes the Solo 2 a Heavyweight champ when it comes to cutting the cable and taking your vaporizer with you outside of the house. If the Solo 2 were a car I would say it was a Jeep Unlimited. An old tried and true favorite with a little extra room and a bigger gas tank. Simple in its design, it’s not made to be flashy or to win any beauty contests. It’s designed to get the job done and get you from “A to B” or in this case from “Sober to Stoned”, and that is exactly what it does. But it’s also a little bulky and hard to fit into tight spaces when you’re tight to be discrete and not draw attention. Overall the Solo 2 is a great vaporizer that gets the job done. If you’re a fan of the Arizer products you’ll be a fan of this. Now if you’re looking for your first vaporizer and you find that you’ll only be using the vape inside the house anyway, then the SOlo 2 is also a good vape for you. The Solo 2 is a perfect in-home portable vape that will allow you to use it freely throughout your home or in the privacy of wherever you might take it, just don’t plan on sneaking this guy into any concerts or ballgames.
Here are some things I've learned. "Thinning" is a heartbreaking experience. The first seeds I planted were herbs in a pot. I planted lots of seeds and had to throw most of my seedlings out as they grew. I now plant seeds individually, one per container (or a couple in a pot, spaced appropriately), and plan for them all to sprout. If they don't, I can always plant a new seed. But most seeds sprout. Covering seedling trays with plastic is not something I do, because I don't have plastic wrap lying around. I'm attentive to the soil moisture and haven't had any problems. Seed starter mix holds water particularly well (one of the reasons it's worth buying), but do keep in mind that the smaller your container, the more often you'll need to water it. The mix is also easily compacted by the impact of a stream of water. I've found that the handiest way to water small containers without disturbing the soil is to make a SEEDLING WATERER as follows: 1 plastic water bottle with lid something with which to poke a hole in the lid Poke a hole in the lid. Fill the bottle with water and put the lid on. Squirt the water through the hole onto your seedling pot. No soil disturbance! I also don't keep my seeds in the dark before they've germinated. I'm sure people who insist on doing that have a good reason to do so, but I try to keep things simple and so all my guys are on the same table by my south-facing window. I figure they're under soil, so it's pretty dark down there, and they seem to be doing fine and germinating in the appropriate time frame. I don't use grow lights - that would be way expensive - but I do turn my seedlings, sometimes more than once a day, and take them outside when the weather is good. A note about parsley: parsley takes forever to germinate. So long that, long after the other herbs I had planted the same day were sprouting their first and even second true leaves, I'd yet to see any action from the parsley. I finally planted something else on top, but the very next day they sprouted, and they continued to sprout for a couple of weeks. Some seeds just require a lot of patience, and it never hurts to look them up with Google to get some extra info - seed packets can be frustratingly brief. Finally, keep track of your planting dates by writing them on your seedling pots (in ballpoint or something similar, which doesn't bleed on cardboard, and sharpie on yogurt cups). You'll want this information for your own reference. Also write down varieties, especially if you've got seedlings that look similar (all the nightshades look a like at first, and forget telling two kinds of tomatoes apart). You can never have too much data. I hope you've enjoyed my instructable and feel inspired to start your own seeds for cheap. I'm entering the gardening contest, so if you liked it, please give me a good rating and vote for me. Good luck!
A mother of one is speaking out after her husband's energy drink consumption nearly cost her family everything. In a post shared on Endres Photography's Facebook page, a woman named Brianna described the heart-wrenching battle that she and her husband Austin ended up having to fight while simultaneously preparing for the birth of their first child. "Being pregnant is supposed to be one of the most amazing journeys you will ever embark on," Brianna wrote. "You're creating a new life. You are experiencing unconditional love for someone you have not even met. Austin and I were so excited to meet our little boy. To bring him home. To be a family." Amid her soon-to-be growing family's bliss, Brianna said she received news from her mother-in-law that would leave her whole world "shattered within hours." "I still remember my mother in law waking me up that morning. 'Austin had an accident' she said. All I knew was that my husband was in the hospital. The worst part? I didn't know why," Brianna wrote. "After a two hour drive to the hospital, I learned that my husband, the father of my child, the person I am so deeply in love with, had had a brain hemorrhage. Why? The doctors concluded (after running his tox screen and ruling out drugs) that this horrible event was due to his recent excessive energy drink consumption (a habit he had built when he started working longer hours and commuting)." Before the family could process was happening, her husband was in an operating room undergoing a life-saving procedure. "Surgery was already in motion... and after an agonizing 5 hour wait, we got to see him. But while everyone was focused on the almost unrecognizable face hooked up to all sorts of machines and tubes, all I could see was his parents. I saw the light leave his mother's eyes as she saw her motionless son laying in that hospital bed. I saw his father break down crying as he held onto his wife. They didn't know if the life they created together would even wake up. Watching this family- my new family, who I have grown to love and be a part of, be so shattered and broken...that is the worst feeling I have ever felt." The next day, Brianna said her husband was already undergoing his second round of brain surgery. "Following this were strokes, seizures, swelling, and more things we weren't prepared for," she wrote. "There was a moment, sitting by his hospital bed, just praying he would be okay, that I knew I would never give up on him. No matter how messy our life would become. I was going to be by his side through all of it. After two weeks of living in a hospital, wondering if he would survive or be taken from us, we made our way back home. The time had come for me to deliver our baby." "I'm not going to lie to anyone, it was so hard. I had planned on Austin being a part of this huge moment," Brianna continued in her emotional post. "Being by my side. Holding my hand. Being there to cut the cord. Being there to welcome our son into the world. It didn't feel right... But a beautiful miracle happened as I delivered our son. Austin woke up." See photos of the beautiful family: The new mom said that for about a week after her husband woke up, she was not even able to see him. "I thought about him every day. I cried as I looked at my child who looked just like his daddy," she wrote. "When the baby was only a week old, I left him with my in-laws. I knew I needed to see Austin." "I needed to tell him that our baby was here. To tell him how much we needed him. Weeks went by. We chased him all over the state as more operations and procedures were ordered. I saw him every chance I got. At a little over 2 months old, our son finally met his dad. A day I wasn't sure I would ever see. That was the day that my heart gained some of its happiness back." But although Austin was finally able to return home to his loving family, Brianna said the struggle did not end there. "Our life isn't normal. There are doctors visits and hospital trips- so many that I loose count. But we are here. Fighting," she wrote. "I wake up every day to take care of our beautiful little boy and my husband. I prepare the meals, do physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. I help him with personal hygiene. I help him walk. I help him with every aspect of his life. And in between these tasks I take care of our very busy eight month old. It is hard, and I am tired, but we make the most of it. He isn't the same man I fell in love with, but I still fall further everyday, We are fighting to help him recover. To make his life better. One day we will get there. Until then, I will never give up on him. Because love is selfless, and I love him more than life itself." More from : Duchess Kate makes first public appearance since announcing news of baby No. 3 Pregnant Duchess Kate criticized by internet trolls over her 'too thin' appearance 9 hottest male chefs of all time
Canadians, fasten your seat-belt. Here are the charts. The Financial Crisis in the US was a consequence of too much debt and too much risk, among numerous other factors, and the whole house of cards came down. Now, after eight years of experimental monetary policies and huge amounts of deficit spending by governments around the globe, public debt has ballooned. Gross national debt in the US just hit $20.5 trillion, or 105% of GDP. But that can’t hold a candle to Japan’s national debt, now at 250% of GDP. And private-sector debt, which includes household and business debts — how has it fared in the era of easy money? In the US, total debt to the private non-financial sector has ballooned to $28.5 trillion. That’s up 14% from the $25 trillion at the crazy peak of the Financial Crisis and up 63% from 2004. In relationship to the economy, private sector debt soared from 147% of GDP in 2004 to 170% of GDP in the first quarter of 2008. Then it all fell apart. Some of this debt blew up and was written off. For a little while consumers and businesses deleveraged just a tiny little bit, before starting to add to their debts once again. But the economy began growing again too, and private-sector debt as a percent of GDP fell to a low of 148% in Q1 2015. It has since picked up steam, growing once again faster than the economy, and now is at 151.7% of GDP, back where it was in 2005. This chart shows US private sector debt to the non-financial sector, in trillion dollars (blue line, left scale) and as a percent of GDP (red line, right scale): In the Eurozone, the pattern looks similar before the Financial Crisis, with total debt growing sharply both in euros and as a percent of GDP. But after the Financial Crisis, private-sector debt continued to grow in euro terms. As a percent of GDP, it largely leveled off, and as the economy picked up steam over the past two years, this debt declined to 163% of GDP: These charts are based on data from the Bank for International Settlements and the St. Louis Fed. In Japan, private-sector debt declined over much of the period but over the last three years picked up a little. Debt as percent of GDP has zigzagged lower, though it recently bounced to 160% — higher than in the US but lower than in the Eurozone. Japan occupies a unique place in the developed world. The private sector experienced a phenomenal credit bubble in the 1980s, with debt peaking at 219.5% of GDP in Q3 of 1993. This private-sector credit bubble then imploded in a more or less orderly fashion over the next decades: But as Japan’s private-sector debt bubble deflated, the government went on a gigantic no-holds-barred deficit-spending spree. As a consequence, the national debt skyrocketed from 55% of GDP in 1981 to 250% of GDP in 2017, by far the highest in the world. The Bank of Japan has been monetizing much of this debt under the guise of QE to keep it under control: China is now where Japan was before its credit bubble blew up in the early 1990s. China’s private-sector debt – the part that has been officially acknowledged – surged from 20% of GDP in 2008 to 211% of GDP in 2017. This is the danger Zone where Japan got in trouble. It also assumes that China’s GDP numbers are not inflated. If GDP numbers are inflated, as many observers suspect, China’s private-sector debt as percent of GDP would be much higher: But wait, Canada rules! Private sector debt in Canada has more than doubled, from C$2.2 trillion in 2006 to C$4.5 trillion, and private sector debt as percent of GDP has soared to 217%, within a hair of where Japan was in Q3 1993, before the credit bubble imploded. Also note how eerily similar the charts for China’s debt and Canada’s debt are: So Canada and China stand out in this group of debtor economies. The chart below shows private-sector debt as a percent of GDP with China (red) and Canada (black) up in their own universe, competing with each other to see whose debt will implode first. By comparison, the US, the Eurozone, and Japan look practically tame. Note how in 2008 Canada was right in their neighborhood: Within this group of economies, when it comes to the next private-sector-debt bubble implosion, there are really two places to look: Canada and China. In Canada households are on the hook, being among the most indebted in the world. In China, the debt binge has spread across businesses and households alike. In the US, the yield spread of Treasury securities has collapsed to lowest level since 2007, and even the Fed is fretting about it. Read… The US Treasury Market Smells a Rat Enjoy reading WOLF STREET and want to support it? Using ad blockers – I totally get why – but want to support the site? You can donate “beer money.” I appreciate it immensely. Click on the beer mug to find out how: Would you like to be notified via email when WOLF STREET publishes a new article? Sign up here.
Image copyright SPL Image caption Unvaccinated young children are at highest risk of contracting measles An outbreak of measles in Leeds has sparked a warning from health chiefs. Public Health England (PHE) said three confirmed cases and four suspected cases had been reported in the city since the beginning of October. It is encouraging people to check their children for symptoms and get them vaccinated against the virus. In March, the World Health Organization warned of an outbreak across Europe with 575 cases reported in the UK between February 2016 and January 2017. The PHE said those affected in Leeds were recovering well and advised anyone with symptoms "to stay at home and phone their GP". It said it was working with the city council and the NHS to get children vaccinated with two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab. Helen McAuslane, a PHE consultant, said: "Measles is extremely infectious to anyone who may not be immune. "If you think you could have measles, it is really important to stay away from areas where you could come into contact with lots of other people - especially vulnerable patients in hospitals, care homes or other settings." She said measels could "lead to severe complications, especially in people who are particularly vulnerable or have other health conditions". "Most healthy adults will have developed some immunity to measles but can still receive two doses of the vaccine from their GP too," she added. Measles
Hey guy's! I hope everyone is having a great day. Here is my latest pieceI was really pushing myself to add more motion and dynamic elements to it. I also spent a lot of extra time on the detailing phase.The idea I sort of had for this piece was that a person was using some ultimate special ability to summon a sword from the heavens and strike down this demon. Anyway I hope you all like it, I had a lot of fun working on this piece!Also! If you are interested in the process of this piece, visit my tumblr here: jasonarts.tumblr.com/ Website: www.jasonnart.com/ Draw Crowd : drawcrowd.com/jasonarts Art Station: www.artstation.com/artist/Jaso… Tumblr: jasonarts.tumblr.com/ This painting is also available for purchase as a print here : www.inprnt.com/gallery/jasonn/ Oh and here's my facebook if you want to connect with me there-- > www.facebook.com/profile.php?i…
Wikileaks has published the secret list of sites blocked by Australia's state-sponsored parental filter -- a list that the government plans to expand to the entire Australian Internet, making it the basis for a new Great Firewall of Australia. The list is compiled in secret and is not readily inspected or appealed, and the officials who maintain it have secretly expanded its mandate so that "half of the sites on the list are not related to child porn and include a slew of online poker sites, YouTube links, regular gay and straight porn sites, Wikipedia entries, euthanasia sites, websites of fringe religions such as satanic sites, fetish sites, Christian sites, the website of a tour operator and even a Queensland dentist." Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, dug up the blacklist after ACMA added several Wikileaks pages to the list following the site's publication of the Danish blacklist. He said secret censorship systems were "invariably corrupted", pointing to the Thailand censorship list, which was originally billed as a mechanism to prevent child pornography but contained more than 1200 sites classified as criticising the royal family. "In January the Thai system was used to censor Australia reportage about the imprisoned Australian writer Harry Nicolaides," he said. "The Australian democracy must not be permitted to sleep with this loaded gun. This week saw Australia joining China and the United Arab Emirates as the only countries censoring Wikileaks."
Thomas Dekker has quashed all rumours of the identity linked to the Operacion Puerto codename 'Clasicomano Luigi', putting his hand up and admitting it was him all along. After Dekker's former teammate Phil Gaimon posted about the link on Twitter, Dekker himself confirmed it to the press. Related Articles Thomas Dekker book details doping at Rabobank Dekker says former Silence-Lotto doctor injected him with cortisone Dekker's diaries, Degenkolb defiant and transfer tales - Podcast Cancellara denies Dr. Fuentes links Vacansoleil defends Flecha against alleged links to Operación Puerto "Fuentes gave me that nickname," Dekker said to Humo. "That's me so, and no one else. I came in contact with Fuentes through my agent, Jacques Hanegraaf. He introduced me to Fuentes and Luigi Cecchini." Dekker was a second-year professional with an overall win at Tirreno-Adriatico to his name when the Spanish Civil Guard raided the clinic of Eufemiano Fuentes in 2006, uncovering dozens of units of banked blood awaiting illegal performance-boosting transfusions. Along with the evidence, investigators found ledgers with code names linking doping schedules and blood bags to unnamed athletes. Some codes were quickly deciphered - Ivan Basso was identified as 'Birillo', Alejandro Valverde as 'piti', purportedly the names of their dogs. Jorg Jaschke admitted his code, Bella, was the name of his dog. But blood bags labeled 'Clasicomano' (number 33), 'Clasicomano Luigi' (number 24) went unmatched to a rider despite damaging suspicions against Juan Antionio Flecha and Fabian Cancellara. Tyler Hamilton, another Fuentes client, sparked suspicion that Cancellara could be 'Luigi' when he described his group heckling the person who used that code name at the 2008 Tour of California. Hamilton and his Rock Racing team had been excluded from the race due to their links to Operacion Puerto. He and fellow Puerto suspects Santiago Botero and Oscar Sevilla decided to ride ahead of the race in protest. When Hamilton recounted the tale to Cyclingnews in 2013, the rumours about Cancellara, who was at the time vocal in his opposition to the stunt, resurfaced. They persisted through to this year, when the Swiss rider won the Olympic Games time trial, Lance Armstrong tweeted, "Luigi!". Dekker's assertions appear to put the recently retired Cancellara in the clear, and show that Hamilton was incorrect in his identification of 'Luigi'. Dekker never raced the Tour of California. Dekker served a two-year suspension for biological passport violations from 2009, and then was signed to Jonathan Vaughters' Slipstream squad in 2011. His accounts of his time in the peloton have been published in a book called "Thomas Dekker, my fight" by Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld. When you post something about Cancellara being Luigi in Operacion Puerto, and you're corrected by literally the best source. @thomasdekkerpic.twitter.com/bugs1Q7Rt5 — Phil Gaimon (@philgaimon) November 12, 2016 Subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast on iTunes today!
The gifted guitarist, singer and songwriter Jeff Buckley would have turned 45 years old today. As a young boy growing up in Southern California, Buckley's first musical obsession was Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. His mother remembers him playing the record so often the grooves wore out. The tables were turned in 1994 when Buckley released his debut album, Grace, and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page found himself listening to it constantly. Page thought Buckley was the greatest talent to emerge in decades. It was an auspicious beginning. Sadly, the young man died before he could finish a second album. In 1997, at the age of 30, Buckley was waiting for some bandmates to arrive for a recording session in Memphis when he decided to go for an impromptu swim in a slackwater channel of the Mississippi River. Sober and in good spirits, he went into the water fully clothed, with his boots still on, singing along to a boombox playing Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." A tug boat passed, and a roadie friend who was on the shore scrambled to move the boombox and a guitar away from the boat's wake. When he turned back around, Buckley had disappeared. Buckley never had a hit record in his lifetime, but his following has steadily grown since his death. His brilliant remake of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (in the video above) went to the top of the iTunes download chart in 2008. To learn more about this remarkable artist you can watch the 2002 BBC documentary, Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You. (See below.) The one-hour film features rare footage of Buckley's early performances and interviews, along with commentary by Jimmy Page, Patti Smith, Chrissie Hynde and many of the people who were close to Buckley, including his mother. It chronicles his early work as a guitarist in Los Angeles, his emergence as a singer and songwriter in New York, the making of Grace, and the ghost that was always shadowing Buckley: the complicated legacy of his famous biological father, the folk singer Tim Buckley, who he barely knew, and who also died young.

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