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Columbus police will review their recruit-training procedures after a tumultuous morning in which three cruisers were wrecked in a chain-reaction crash, and tear gas carried by wind to an elementary school irritated the throats and eyes of several children and a pregnant, asthmatic teacher.
Columbus police will review their recruit-training procedures after a tumultuous morning in which three cruisers were wrecked in a chain-reaction crash, and tear gas carried by wind to an elementary school irritated the throats and eyes of several children and a pregnant, asthmatic teacher.
No serious injuries were reported in either the crash on N. Hague Avenue or the later incident at Sullivant Elementary School in Franklinton.
The Police Division promised a full accounting of both incidents, which did not appear to be the fault of any of the 35 recruits who are set to graduate next month.
Police said the cruisers involved in the 7:15 a.m. crash had been driving south on Hague near the Chief James G. Jackson Police Academy in a rolling convoy, which was part of their riot training.
The convoy was headed to the parking lot of the old Cooper Stadium, where academy cadets have been trained in riot control for several years.
�Sometimes in a convoy, there�s like an accordion effect,� Deputy Chief Tim Becker said.
The crash occurred when a sergeant � not a recruit � tried to close a gap between his cruiser and the cruiser he was following. The convoy abruptly stopped because of traffic, and the sergeant�s cruiser struck the rear of one cruiser, which in turn rammed the cruiser in front of it.
One recruit who complained of back pain was taken to an area hospital but was later released, police said.
The name of the sergeant was not released yesterday. An investigation will determine who was at fault and whether departmental discipline or traffic citations are warranted, said Sgt. Rich Weiner, a division spokesman.
Because of the crash, the training at the stadium started late, Becker said. Trainers checked wind direction with smoke grenades and moved the training to the far west side of the stadium lot to compensate for the wind. About 15 tear-gas canisters were deployed.
The police learned of the effects of the tear gas at the school, at 791 Griggs Ave., from the Fire Division, which had been called there about 8:30 a.m. The teacher and about six children reported eye and throat irritation while they were outside.
The affected children were checked by the school nurse. None went to the hospital, police said, but ultimately 14 students were taken home for the day by concerned parents. Only the teacher was taken to a hospital � Mount Carmel West � as a precaution, because of her asthma and pregnancy, Becker said. School then went on as scheduled.
The tear-gas manufacturer said the effective range of the gas is supposed to be about 40 feet.
�The school is about 3,000 feet from where it was deployed,� Becker said.
There are several businesses, apartment buildings and homes between the school and the stadium, but police did not receive any other complaints about the gas. Training has occurred at the stadium twice a year for about the past five years without complaint, but the site�s suitability will be part of the pending review, he said.
�This is unacceptable, and it should not have happened,� he said.
tdecker@dispatch.com
@Theodore_Decker |
In a secret operation that took five years to complete, Germany’s central bank moved 374 metric tons of gold, worth around $15 billion, out of vaults in Paris. The final batch of 91 metric tons was shifted back to Frankfurt this year, the bank announced yesterday.
The bank is keeping a fair share of its gold in New York, but over the past few years it has repatriated 300 metric tons of the precious metal from there, too. This operation was scheduled to take until 2020, but with typical efficiency the Germans completed the transfer ahead of schedule.
Just over half of the central bank’s impressive $140 billion stockpile, the second-largest in the world (after the US), is now back home.
The bank’s reasoning for the repatriation, which cost around $9 million, was “to build trust and confidence domestically.” Conspiracy theorists, of which there are many in the gold world, came up with a variety of darker, far-fetched motives. ”When the inspections of transfers had been concluded, no irregularities came to light with regard to the authenticity, fineness or weight of the bars,” the bank said.
Germany had originally shifted the majority of its gold to vaults maintained by fellow central banks in Paris, London, and New York during the Cold War. At the height of East-West tensions, West Germany feared that the Soviets would seize the country’s gold stockpile. Even after that threat receded, the costly logistics of moving that much gold—a great target for thieves—convinced Germany policymakers to leave it alone.
In 2012, a German court called for an inspection of the country’s foreign holdings, annoying the gatekeepers of those vaults, who understandably keep their facilities under elaborate lockdown. The bank felt it had to go through with it, though, amid reports of discrepancies in its record-keeping. The euro zone was also in the depths of its debt crisis at the time, raising fears for the future of the currency, the soundness of member state’s finances, and much else besides.
Alongside the repatriation plan, the German central bank began publishing an exhaustive inventory of the gold bars it owns. The accounts feature every bar’s serial number, melt number, gross weight, fineness, and location. The latest edition runs to 2,398 pages (pdf). |
This Friday, Patrick Brice‘s V/H/S-esque Creep series continues with a new tape and more insanity from Aaron (Mark Duplass).
While initially pegged as a trilogy, Brice revealed at the Telluride Horror Show that the films were pre-sold on one condition, that there be two sequels.
Meredith Borders led an interesting and fun Q&A with Brice, who informed the audience that Creep 3 is currently in development.
“Creep 2 stars Desiree Akhavan as Sara, a video artist whose primary focus is creating intimacy with lonely men. After finding an ad online for “video work” she thinks she may have found the subject of her dreams. She drives to a remote house in the forest and meets a man (Duplass) claiming to be a serial killer. Unable to resist the chance to create a truly shocking piece of art, she agrees to spend the day with him, but discovers she may have dug herself a hole from which she cannot escape.” |
This week, we’re doing something slightly different than usual. Similarly to last month, I played in the Magic Online Legacy Challenge and did not do well. This will be a short tournament of sorts, although this time around, the bigger picture things are not nearly as interesting as some of the smaller decisions I had to make during the tournament.
First off, what went wrong? I picked the right deck, had a good list, played really well but I still went 2-4. You can’t win them all and sometimes you can’t win any of them. Or something like that. My matchups were Shardless Sultai, Grixis Delver, Team America, Storm, Aluren and 4C Delver (the Deathrite/Decay/Snapcaster list). Two things are interesting here. The first is that I went 2-4 in matches but 8-8 in games. The second is that I played against blue Deathrite decks in five out of six rounds (2-3 in matches but 7-6 in games).
I said we were doing something different today, so here’s the deal. I didn’t really learn anything from the tournament except that I maybe have to shift my list’s priorities (I’m still the overall concept of the deck makes sense). Therefore, I can’t fall back on my usual blueprint of going over 5-10 lessons from a week of playing. Instead, I want to go over situations from the tournament that I found interesting. Today, there’s only one lesson:
#115 — Playing Canadian Threshold vs. Deathrite Shaman.
Let’s start with my first turn of the tournament. In this situation, I have three options. I can use Wasteland, cast Nimble Mongoose or just play Flooded Strand.
First, I have to try and figure out my opponent’s deck. I think it’s most likely that they’re on Shardless after such an opening. It could also be Grixis, but Grixis Delver rarely has hands that don’t cast spells turn one on the play. Of course, they could be keeping up Stifle, but that’s not incredibly common.
Casting Nimble Mongoose here is clearly the worst option. I would open myself up to Wasteland without really accomplishing anything. Yes, there are games that you lose because you’re one damage short, but playing Mongoose here is just reckless. My opponent is very unlikely to Daze here, but I do not want to open myself up to Tarmogoyf, Baleful Strix or Wasteland.
Using my own Wasteland is somewhat reasonable, but it’s very bad if they’re indeed Grixis holding up Stifle.
“Flooded Strand, go” also plays into Stifle, but it gives me more flexibility. If they are indeed on Grixis with Stifle, I can at least garner more information and potentially navigate my fetch around a Stifle, given that I also have Wasteland. This also allows me keep up Stifle on my own, a card that my opponent was indeed worried about on their turn, otherwise they would not have cracked their Delta. This line also allows me to keep up Brainstorm, just in case.
Here’s what happened next:
My opponent cast Brainstorm on my end step and then revealed they were indeed on Shardless by playing basic Forest into Tarmogoyf. Luckily I kept up Brainstorm and drew into three free counters (#skillgame). What to do here?
In the short term, the card I am least likely to use is Counterspell. I am also unlikely to cast either creature because I want to be able to keep up Stifle. The rest of the cards I probably want to keep in hand to have options. So the question here is: Which counter do I want to use on Tarmogoyf?
I can Daze or I can Force, with four different cards to pitch.
The most intuitive line here is probably Daze, then keep up Stifle on my next turn. I think that’s pretty bad if my opponent has Shardless Agent into anything relevant on their next turn. If I do this, I will put myself significantly behind on board.
So what about Force? There’s no way I’m pitching Brainstorm or Stifle, so do I want to keep both copies of Daze or one Daze and the Counterspell? As I mentioned before, I think it’s very unlikely I’m using Counterspell anytime soon, and given the presence of both Stifle and Wasteland, I like keeping double Daze.
I think the correct play is to put back both creatures, Force pitching Counterspell, untap, Wasteland and keep up Stifle. (For those interested, this is indeed the line I took and it won me the game.)
Same opponent, game two. I’m on the draw again and my opponent took a mulligan. I think there are two plays here.
Number one is Delver with Daze backup, hoping to get to Winter Orb mana as quickly as possible and then win from there. My issue with this line is that Delver is my only creature and I don’t want to expose it to Abrupt Decay (or any removal, really) so readily.
The second option is Wasteland. Many players say that you should use Wasteland when you’re ahead to get the maximum value, and I really do like value. But if an opponent mulligans and then plays into Wasteland without doing anything, I consider that an open invitation. This can of course be a bluff, but I think the downside is minimal in this matchup, while the upside is huge — they might just not get to play Magic. (For those keeping track, this did not work out, but I drew into another Wasteland and two copies of Stifle and won a long game off Nimble Mongoose.)
This time, I actually am up against Grixis Delver (I won the first game in unexciting fashion — my opponent did not do anything).
Once more, there are three options: Ponder, Mongoose or Pyroblast. If my opponent has Stifle here and I fetch, that’s as close to losing as I can get on turn one. If I can make my opponent keep up Stifle though, I get to play another land and then start defending my lands with my Pyroblast.
This one is very basic, but basics are important.
(I won this game numerous turns later largely due to conserving my lands to cast True-Name Nemesis in the late game. My opponent did have Stifle.)
This is game one against what could either be Team America or Shardless. This is not necessarily a decision, but a sweet play that you have to see. Given that my opponent wants to protect their Tarmogoyf, I think it’s fairly likely that they are otherwise low on answers to my Nimble Mongoose, so I can use my Wasteland to force them to fetch and then Daze their Force with the fetchland activation on the stack — this way I trade 2-for-2 with the Force while getting rid of their Goyf.
(They kept drawing Tarmogoyfs, I kept drawing Mongooses, I lost.)
Game two of my match against Team America.
I could easily let Clique resolve, kill one creature and then try to block the other — if I do let Clique resolve, it is most likely that my opponent takes my Bolt here. I could then Dismember Clique, play my own Delver and hope to win from there. I don’t like this line all that much; I think you are supposed to play towards the board in Delver mirrors and this would put me too far behind.
I think the correct play is using Force pitching Daze. Then I can Bolt my opponent’s Delver and cast my own, trying to redirect a potential Daze away from my True-Name Nemesis. This is also the line I took in the tournament; my opponent did not Daze, but followed up with a Liliana:
I think this Ponder is very interesting. The card that’s least likely to be useful here is Spell Pierce. Snare is great because it can counter a Tarmogoyf or Hymn and Volcanic is great in case my opponent had Daze in either their last or their next draw step — after all, I want to cast True-Name next turn. Apart from my opponent’s potential follow-ups, there is already a Liliana on the board that I will likely have to discard to.
Therefore, I want to draw Spell Pierce this turn (with the intention of throwing it into Liliana), Volcanic next turn to be Daze-proof with my True-Name and Spell Snare last because it’s the card I’m least likely to actually need.
(This play worked out even better than expected; my opponent cast Jace on their next turn and did not activate Liliana at all, so I just ran away with the game.)
On their last turn, my opponent cast Ponder, electing to keep their cards. Then they played Misty Rainforest, which they used to fetch Tropical Island during my end step, after I played Wasteland. I think fetching Tropical here is really clever if they don’t want to draw their top card — if they get either Sea or Volcanic, I can completely cut them off from one colour, but Tropical is either a good attempt at misdirection or it gives them great options no matter what I do.
Another thing to note is that I activated my Wasteland on my opponent’s upkeep. If you are not casting any spells on your turn or they are tapped out, you should always activate Wasteland on your opponent’s upkeep. If they have Stifle, that still puts them down one mana for the turn with no downside for you.
Now why do I aim my Wasteland at the Underground Sea? My opponent could be on one of the Grixis lists or the full-on four colour Delver deck. If they’re on Grixis, they might have Pyromancer, but I have a Snare for that. I don’t really care about Lightning Bolt here either because I have Nimble Mongoose. Given that neither of the red cards these decks usually play are threatening me here, that rules out Volcanic Island as a target.
If they’re on burg, they might have Tarmogoyf, but I also have that covered with Spell Snare (and Dismember, if it comes to that). Deathrite can be cast off either Sea or Tropical, but Gurmag Angler, which is the card I am least prepared to handle here, can be cast off Underground Sea only, which makes this decision easy for me.
As it turns out, my opponent just proceeds doing nothing:
This might not seem like a scenario that warrants any decisions, but it most certainly is.
I think it is very important to play a land and cast Tarmogoyf before attacking. If they counter Tarmogoyf, that puts me at four cards in my graveyard (five with the Delta). Then, if they try to ambush my Mongoose with a Snapcaster Mage, I either get to Spell Snare that or, if they try to force it through, get Threshold for my Mongoose, ensuring that it doesn’t die to Snapcaster Mage.
(This is exactly what transpired; my opponent used Force on Tarmogoyf, then cast Snapcaster into my attack, I cast Snare, they tried to protect it with Pierce, I cast my own Pierce, winning the exchange and getting two extra damage through.)
Do you kill Deathrite Shaman here? You usually want to hold on to Dismember for the bigger creatures (Gurmag Angler and Tarmogoyf). However, Deathrite Shaman severely slows down my clock and with double Daze, five mana is an important benchmark — it allows my opponent to resolve True-Name Nemesis.
Considering that Gurmag Angler is an eventuality (especially considering my opponent has only two more turns before my Mongoose kills them) whereas the threat of Deathrite Shaman has already manifested, I like killing Deathrite Shaman, even though it feels bad using one of only two copies of Dismember for that and leaving myself with a very weak hand.
(I did kill Deathrite, my opponent did attempt to cast True-Name on their next turn and my Nimble Mongoose won the game.)
I hope you enjoyed this deviation from my usual structure for these articles. If you have any plays of your own that you’d like my opinion on, please feel free to share them.
Thanks for reading!
J
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Ted Aljibe / AFP | Philippine Senator Leila De Lima is escorted by police officers and her lawyer Alex Padilla) after her arrest at the Senate in Manila on February 24, 2017.
The highest-profile critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal drug war was arrested Friday on charges supporters said were meant to silence her, but she vowed to keep campaigning against killings and "repression".
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In comments to journalists moments before police detained her following an overnight vigil at her office, Senator Leila de Lima insisted she was innocent of the drug trafficking charges that could see her jailed for life.
"It is my honour to be imprisoned for the things I am fighting for. Please pray for me," De Lima told reporters outside her Senate office.
"As I have been saying all along, I am innocent. There is no truth to the charges I benefited from the drug trade, that I received money and that I coddled drug convicts.
"The truth will come out at the right time. They will not be able to silence me and stop me from fighting for the truth and justice and against the daily killings and repression by the Duterte regime."
De Lima on Tuesday branded Duterte a "sociopathic serial killer" as she called for ordinary Filipinos to stand up in opposition to his drug war, which has seen more than 6,500 people killed since he took office eight months ago.
It was the peak of a decade-long campaign by De Lima, a former human rights commissioner and justice secretary, to expose Duterte as the leader of death squads during his time as mayor of southern Davao city and then as president.
Duterte first raised allegations in August that De Lima had been running a drug trafficking ring with criminals inside the nation's biggest prison when she was the justice secretary in the previous government.
"I will have to destroy her in public," Duterte said then as he began a campaign to tarnish her reputation, including by making unsubstantiated allegations about her sex life.
"De Lima is not only screwing her driver, she is also screwing the nation."
De Lima was last week charged with three counts of drug trafficking, and an arrest warrant was issued on Thursday afternoon -- triggering a night of high drama as she initially avoided police by seeking refuge at the Senate.
She slept in her office overnight, then gave herself up to armed police in flak jackets.
'People are afraid'
De Lima and her supporters insist that Duterte orchestrated the charges to crush her opposition as well as intimidate anyone else who may want to speak out against him or his drug war.
"People are afraid," Father Robert Reyes, an activist priest who spent the night at the Senate with De Lima and other supporters, told AFP after her arrest.
"If the government can arrest a powerful person like her, what more the little man? That is the implied message of her arrest."
Amnesty International said Thursday that it would regard De Lima as a prisoner of conscience.
"The arrest of De Lima is a blatant attempt by the Philippine government to silence criticism of President Duterte and divert attention away from serious human rights violations in the 'war on drugs'," it said.
But Duterte's aides said De Lima's arrest showed even the most powerful people would be brought to justice if they broke the law.
"The war on illegal drugs targets all who are involved and the arrest of an incumbent senator demonstrates the president's strong resolve to fight pushers, peddlers and their protectors," presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.
Duterte, 71, won the presidential election last year after promising during the campaign to eradicate drugs in society by killing tens of thousands of people.
He launched the crackdown immediately after taking office in June and police have reported killing 2,555 drug suspects since then, with about 4,000 other people murdered in unexplained circumstances.
Amnesty has warned that police actions in the drug war may amount to crimes against humanity.
Duterte has variously denied and acknowledged his role in death squads in Davao. As president he has repeatedly urged police to kill drug addicts as well as traffickers.
But Duterte's aides insist he has never broken any laws.
(AFP) |
Date: January 15, 2016
Location: Indiana State Fairgrounds; Indianapolis, IN
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni & Mr. Wrestling #3
Dalton Castle (w/The Boys) vs Will Ferrara
No Kevin Kelly tonight on commentary, he must have been still recovering from not contributing at all to the NJPW commentary on January 4th & 5th. It’s a nice site to see The Boys back with Castle, and I have high hopes for Mr. Castle’s 2016. Lots of mind game antics by Castle early and Gerrara does not seem impressed, this is certainly a little bit of character growth for the young man. Late in the match Ferrara has really had enough of Castle and The Boys’ antics. The boys had been fanning Castle off, Ferrara took exception to this and shoved both boys out of the way and Castle into the ring. Once Will returned to the ring Dalton dropped him and got the three count. The two shook hands after the match. This was a solid opener and a good way to get the night going.
Dalton Castle by pinfall @ 9:18 (**¾)
Three Way Match: ACH vs Moose (w/Stokley Hathaway) vs Silas Young :
Usually we see four corner survival matches when there are too many guys on the show, tonight we get an interesting mesh of a three way. I am a big fan of all three men for various reasons and will be interested to see what they can do together. ACH and Moose started out by eliminating Young right away before taking the battle to outside the ring. The middle portion of the match was mostly a singles match between Moose and Young, not a very interesting one either. The finish came after ACH ducked a spear from Moose and sent him to the outside. ACH took advantage of a proan Young and hit the 450. This match felt longer than 7.5 minutes and nothing really gelled. Lot’s of clunky action, all three men are capable of better.
ACH by pinfall @ 7:37 (**)
Michael Elgin vs Tim Hughes :
Is that squash I smell? Hughes refuses the handshake of Elgin before the match, Mr. Wrestling says that will get him an extra beating. After Elgin tosses Hughes a couple of times he offers the hand again, Hughes still refused. They attempted to work a little comedy sequence that saw Hughes try to shoulder block Elgin to the ground, it didn’t work. Elgin used the barricades on the outside for a long stretch of offense, as apparently the match has no count out. Hughes was able to get a 2 count around the 8 minute mark and that hit a stalling sidewalk slam for another count of 2! Elgin ends it with a triple powerbomb. It was squash that I smelt, but it was on simmer and then became very over cooked. Trim 4 minutes of this and it is no
Michael Elgin by pinfall @ 9:31 (*1/2)
Chris Sabin & Frankie Kazarian vs reDRagon :
No Christopher Daniels as he has been suspended on ROH TV, well the episode that announced the suspension would not air till the following day but you get the idea. So do we just pretend like the KRD name was never a thing? In something that I am probably in the minority for finding annoying, all four men are wearing black tights. Mr. Wrestling does in fact mention The KRD name during the match so I guess there is still some acknowledgment, still what a let down of an angle. Sabin & O’Reilly shared a long sequence of running off the opposite ropes, O’Reilly bailed out and left Sabin for the fool.had a criss cross, running exchange for a minute plus. O’Reilly would eventually bail out of the ring and leave Sabin looking silly. This becomes the first match of the night to get the most overused chant in wrestling of “this is awesome”. reDRagon eventually won with Chasing the Dragon. Good match between a great team and two guys who have not teamed a lot.
reDRagon by pinfall @ 15:41 (***)
Adam Page vs Ken Phoenix :
Mr. Wrestling III is gone from the commentary table and replaced by BJ Whitmer for this one. Riccaboni & Whitmer discuss Adam Page turning on Whitmer at the Charlotte TV tapings, even though that had not come close to airing when this was released. I know most ROH fans likely read the spoilers if they are paying money for these house shows, but still it is lame to be revealing angles like that. Riccaboni callas Adam Page the most improved wrestler of the year, I have to agree with WON and say that was Moose as far as ROH talents go. Page has been showing how talented he was for a few years in PWX, ROH needs to pull the trigger and move him up the card. Page hits the Right of Passage for the three count. Solid match between two, hungry competitors. Phoenix shows some charisma and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him.
After the match Whitmer attempts to get answers from Page but the crowd will not stop booing him long enough for Whitmer to get a word in. Whitmer finally gets his question out and the two start to brawl. Once the two have been separated Steve Corino comes out (without mask) and challenges BJ, who walks away. Page shakes Corinos hand. I honestly have no desire to see BJ Whitmer do anything in ROH 2016 so this angle is going to have a lot of work to do to make me care.
Adam Page by pinfall @ 5:03 (**)
ROH TV Title: Roderick Strong (c) vs Curry Man :
It’s Roddy vs. The World! It has been a very long time since we last saw Curry Man inside a Ring of Honor squared circle. Whitmer has now been replaced by Bobby Fish who is keeping an eye on the Television Champion, Roderick Strong. Curry Man looks to have some hair poking out of the back of his mask, nice touch by Daniels. During his entrance, Fish let’s Roddy know that the two of them own the title together. A solid three minutes of stalling by Roddy before the match starts as Strong continues to move the needle farther towards the heel side of life. I am a little bummed to not have Corino/Mr. Wrestling on commentary as I was looking forward to the easy Daniels/Curry jokes he would make. At the 4:55 mark the fans start a countdown to a 5 minute limit. While Curry Man controlled a good portion of the first 5 minutes, Roddy took control for the following stretch. At the 16 minute mark Strong has Curry Man wrapped into the ropes when Curry Man asks for time out and a drink of water. Sinclair grabs him a bottle and they resume. This was one of the most out of place things that I have seen in a wrestling match in some time and definitely took me out of the match a little. Strong is pushing towards a heel character, so this just made little to no sense. Roddy would finish things off shortly after with the sick kick. Good match, as you would expect from 2 veterans, with that water spot aside.
Roderick Strong by pinfall @ 17:45 (***¼)
Adam Cole vs Alex Shelley :
This was a match that I had a lot of excitement for, however live reports said to “not get one’s hopes up”. Mr. Wrestling 3 is back at the booth and asks why no one told him that they were back from intermission, he is of course also very excited for Adam Cole. Chris Sabin is also now at the booth to scout his former tag team partner Alex Shelley. Lots of talk on commentary hinting that Shelley and Sabin could possibly be planning a reunion, or maybe they really don’t like each other. To be perfectly honest I doubt that Delirious has any idea what the final outcome will be, but one thing is for certain… it will be dragged on waayyyy too long. Cole spent a lot of time working over the leg of Shelley. Shelley still used some high flying offense, but did a good job at also selling the leg injury. Shelley looked for the sliced bread, Cole reversed it and kicked Shelley in the ding-ding as Kazarian distracted the referee. Cole hit the Florida Key and gets the three count. ACH made the save for Shelley post match. These guys put on a good match and I think the live reports did not give it enough credit. While I still think they could have had a better match, I am happy with what we saw. Match of the Night.
Adam Cole by pinfall @ 21:51 (***½)
Eight Man Tag: ANX & Young Bucks vs Briscoes & War Machine : Take four of the top five tag teams in your stacked division and throw them in a match, chances are the result is going to be good. This match got so chaotic down the stretch that multiple referees came out to assist Todd Sinclair. Every team got to hit their signature stuff at some point during the match, and yes “SUPER KICK” was yelled by Mr. Wrestling at least 8 times. The match was basically a really fun, back-and-forth contest that never saw one team dominate the action for long. The Brsicoe boys picked up the win for their team after hitting the Doomsday on Rhett Titus. The match had a very good flow and was very fast paced. This was the epitome of a house show main event that sends the fans home happy.
Briscoes & War Machine by pinfall @ 15:44 ((***½)
All My 2016 Match Ratings
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Xiaomi‘s second anniversary in India is coming up and to celebrate, the company is planning a massive three-day festival of price drops, flash sales and giveaways. Between July 20-22, Xiaomi fans in the sub-continent will get to enjoy all manner of discounts, games, surprises and other things designed to make buying electronics more fun. There’s a confusing array of stuff going on (like any good birthday party), so we’ve broken it down for you below.
Rs.1 flash sales
This is probably the most exciting part of the promotion. At 2 PM local time, every day between July 20-22, Xiaomi will have 10 devices and 100 accessories available for just Rs.1. Here’s what’s on offer each day:
July 20th: 10 x Mi 5 & 100 x 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank
10 x Mi 5 & 100 x 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank July 21st: 10 x Redmi Note 3 & 100 x Mi Band (White LED)
10 x Redmi Note 3 & 100 x Mi Band (White LED) July 22nd: 10 x Mi Max & 100 x Mi Bluetooth Speaker
To be eligible for the flash sales, you need to go to the celebration website and share the promotion on your Facebook page. Otherwise, no flash sales for you! You’ll also need cat-like reflexes to get in before the other billion people click buy.
Mi Store special offers
Xiaomi has also bundled several items for the duration of the celebration, but only via the Mi Store app. Here’s what’s on offer there:
Buy Mi 5 Gold and get a FREE Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro Gold
Buy 20,000 mAh Mi Power Bank and get a FREE LED Light Enhanced or USB Fan
Buy Mi 4i and get a FREE USB cable plus USB Fan
Buy Redmi Note 3 and get Rs.100 OFF Redmi Note 3 phone cases
Buy Mi Max and get Rs.50 OFF Mi Max phone cases
Mystery offer
You can check into mi.com at 8 PM on July 18 to find out what the special mystery offer is. Apparently you’ll “face off with Hugo” for offers Xiaomi “guarantees will be worth it”. So add that to your calendar, folks.
New Mi gear
Xiaomi will also be releasing limited runs of new Mi products every day at 10 AM, so again, you’ll have to be fast to have your cake and eat it too. You’ll be able to pick up Mi In-Ear Capsule Headphones for Rs.999, In-Ear Headphones Pro Gold for Rs.1,799 and the 10,000 mAh Mi Power Bank for Rs.1,299.
Price drops
Confused yet? There’s also price drops on – well, one – product for the birthday-cum-anniversary celebration. But it’s a doozy, especially if you’re in the market for a Bluetooth speaker. The Mi Bluetooth Speaker will be discounted from Rs.2,699 to just Rs.1,999 for the three days.
Free Mi Max game
From July 14-19, you can play a card matching game on the 2nd anniversary website or in the Mi Store app to win a free Xiaomi Mi Max. You know the game: flip over a card and find the matching card. Match all cards in the fastest time possible and get yourself a free Mi Max. There’s one to give away each day.
You can play five times or share the game to social media for unlimited attempts. There are also coupons worth Rs.11,500,000 to be won by playing the game. Note that each coupon can only be used individually, so you can’t combine multiple coupons on a single items. These expire at end of the three days.
Free Mi TV!
Finally (yes, we made it), there’s a free Mi TV for one lucky Mi fan that buys something through the Mi Store app during the three-day celebration.
So that’s it. Don’t forget to check in for Hugo’s surprise, try your luck on the card-matching game and see if your reflexes are fast enough to snag a Rs.1 deal. Let us know in the comments what you’ll be going for and check back in if you manage to get one! |
In a strange crime that involved an unusually high risk-to-reward ratio, a Fort McMurray, Alta. thief risked fiery death in exchange for a few dollars of stolen gasoline.
“That’s the messaging we want to get out there, ‘hey, this isn’t the safest thing to be doing if you’re a thief,’” said Cpl. George Cameron with the Wood Buffalo RCMP.
The crime in question involved an unknown thief who crawled under five pickup trucks in a condominium parking lot in order to puncture their gas tanks and collect the gasoline that poured out.
Residents noticed the crime the next morning when their parking lot was covered in spilled gasoline — and drivers who had recently filled up noticed that their fuel gauges were now reading “empty.”
This isn’t the safest thing to be doing if you’re a thief
Sabotage, the immediate suspicion, was ruled out. “The victims … nobody could think why someone would want to do something like that to them,” said Cameron. “It’s like it’s a random thing.”
The specific tool used is not known, only that it required several blunt thrusts by the thief in order to puncture the gas tanks’ steel shell.
As police noted, the method could have incurred sparks that, if they had occurred within the vicinity of fuel vapours, could have ignited the car.
Although the crime took place March 19, the details were first released to the public last week as confused officers sought public tips to crack the case.
While gasoline theft is relatively common, it typically involves much larger quantities, with the preferred method being drivers who speed away from pumps without paying. Or, at the very least, a criminal will jimmy open a vehicle’s gas cap and siphon out the fuel with a hose.
And notably, the theft would have occurred at an extremely unprofitable time. The gas tanks were punctured just a few weeks after Alberta gasoline hit an all-time low of 58 cents per litre.
Said Cameron, the whole crime “is sort of unique.”
A pyrotechnics expert contacted by the National Post said it was entirely likely that an attempt to puncture a gas tank could spark a raging car fire, but that gasoline isn’t quite as volatile as movies would suggest.
What happened to people just sticking a tube in and sucking gas out of the tank?
“I would call that a hazardous thing to do, but at a very low risk,” said the special effects technician, who did not want to be named in connection with a story about gasoline theft.
He added that a much larger risk was the fact that the parking lot would be flooded with puddles of gasoline.
“What happened to people just sticking a tube in and sucking gas out of the tank?”
National Post, with files from Vincent McDermott |
Getty Images
When you coordinate the worst pass defense in NFL history, your job is not safe.
Saints coach Rob Ryan is finding that out the hard way today, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reports that the Saints are firing Ryan.
The Saints’ pass defense has been abysmal this season. Yesterday, Kirk Cousins torched the Saints for four touchdowns with no interceptions. Last week it was Marcus Mariota throwing four touchdowns and no interceptions in New Orleans. A week earlier, Eli Manning had six touchdowns and no interceptions against the Saints.
If they don’t turn things around in a hurry, the Saints are going to set an NFL record for most touchdown passes allowed in a season: They’re on pace to allow 45 touchdown passes this year; the NFL record is 40.
The last time Ryan was fired as a defensive coordinator, he famously insisted that he’d find a new job in five minutes. This time it may take Ryan a while: His reputation has taken a huge hit, as his defense has been a huge disappointment. |
The New Jersey Devils All-Access Podcast is the official podcast of Jersey's Team. Join hosts Arda Ocal and Amanda Stein as they bring you up to speed on everything happening with the Devils - on and off the ice.
Each week, Arda and Amanda will dive below the headlines and final scores to give you the lowdown on what's really going on. What does the team do when they're on the road but not playing a game? What's it like traveling with the team, anyway? The hosts will answer those questions and more, and will also be joined by a special guest each episode, ranging from players to team executives to staff members who fly below the radar, to help fans understand all that goes into building the New Jersey Devils the right way. |
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Shadow chancellor Ed Balls: "A VAT cut is the fastest and fairest way to do a temporary boost to demand to get confidence moving"
Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls has called for "decisive action ... to boost growth", offering suggestions for tax cuts in next month's Budget.
Mr Balls' ideas include a VAT cut, a 3p income tax cut for a year, bringing forward the planned personal allowance rise to £10,000 and higher tax credits.
No tax cut could mean "a permanent dent in our nation's prosperity", he said.
The Conservatives said excessive borrowing and debt under Labour had led to the current financial mess.
Mr Balls told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show the current austerity measures were "self defeating" and had left Chancellor George Osborne claiming he was "trapped by the credit rating agencies".
The shadow chancellor said he favoured a cut in VAT - which is a sales tax rather than a tax on income - because it would be the "fastest and fairest" way of boosting the economy.
"We've got to get growth back in the economy," he told the programme.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Mr Balls said: "Some people may be surprised to see Labour prioritising tax cuts. But in a crisis there is a premium on what works effectively and quickly to get our economy moving."
He said that such a cut should be funded by borrowing, not more spending cuts.
He claimed it was "absurd" to argue that the £12bn cost of reversing the government's 2.5% VAT rise was unaffordable, when borrowing was £158bn higher than planned because of slower growth and higher unemployment than had been forecast.
"Such a tax cut now would boost confidence, help families feeling the squeeze and help get our economy moving again."
He added: "Without that decisive action in the Budget to boost growth, I fear we are in for a lost decade of slow growth and high unemployment which will leave a permanent dent in our nation's prosperity."
'Menu of options'
As well as Mr Balls' proposed VAT cut, "in an attempt to put pressure on the chancellor ahead of next month's Budget, he also sets out an alternative menu of options which he thinks might appeal to some Conservative and Lib Dem backbenchers", says BBC political correspondent Iain Watson.
"If George Osborne can't bring himself to reverse his VAT mistake, he has other options," Mr Balls wrote.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Michael Fallon: 'Mr Balls is the man who racked those debts up in the first place and now wants us to borrow even more'
"For the same amount of money, he could cut the basic rate of income tax by 3p for a year. Or raise the income tax personal allowance to over £10,000. Or increase tax credits for almost six million working people by around £2,000.
"It would be better to cut VAT now - it's fairer and quicker and would help pensioners and others who don't pay income tax. But any substantial tax cuts to help households and stimulate the economy would be better than doing nothing."
Conservative deputy chairman Michael Fallon told BBC One's Sunday Politics that Mr Balls had not learned "from his time as Gordon Brown's right-hand man".
He said that Labour had built up the debts which the coalition government was now dealing with and all tax cuts had to be funded or there would be "billions of pounds of more borrowing and more debt".
Mr Fallon said Mr Balls' suggestion would put the UK's triple A credit rating at risk and the past week had seen international and national organisations back the coalition's economic strategy.
He also said that the Conservatives were still the tax cutting party, pointing out that Council Tax had been frozen and personal tax thresholds raised, so were doing what they could given the current economic situation. |
A German group that has made headlines – and drawn criticism – worldwide by organizing mass marches against the supposed "Islamisation of Europe" has now spawned a chapter in the United Kingdom, one that wants to hold demonstrations in two English cities in the coming weeks.
Patriotic Europeans Against Islamisation of the West, better known by its German acronym Pegida, is the mobilizing force behind a series of weekly demonstrations held every Monday in the eastern German city of Dresden. The marches have pulled up to 25,000 people at a time into the streets to protest against what they see as the spread of Muslim culture inside historically Christian parts of Europe.
Led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, equally large numbers of people have taken to the streets across Germany to protest against what they see as Pegida's dangerous xenophobia. The group's image problem worsened on Wednesday, when Pegida co-founder Lutz Bachmann resigned following the publication of a photograph of him posing as Adolf Hitler.
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More than 10,000 people have clicked "like" for Pegida UK's manifesto since the group launched on Facebook on Jan. 4. Two founders of the British chapter – who spoke to The Globe and Mail on the condition their family names not be used – say the movement is now planning to test whether those who support it online are willing to take to the streets.
The appearance of Pegida UK comes at a time of high intercommunal tensions in the country. British police were placed on their highest level of terror alert following the attacks by Islamist gunmen on a satirical newspaper and a kosher grocery market in Paris earlier this month.
Prime Minister David Cameron's government drew criticism from prominent Muslims this week after it sent a letter to 1,000 mosques and community leaders saying they needed to help in "explaining and demonstrating how faith in Islam can be part of British identity."
Khalil Charles, a spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, said the appearance of Pegida UK was "very unfortunate," but not surprising given that the radical UK Independence Party was now running a strong third in polls ahead of a general election in May. "We're living in an atmosphere at the moment where so-called mainstream politicians are stirring people up into racism, anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant sentiment," Mr. Charles said.
Pegida UK has chosen the northern English cities of Manchester and Newcastle – seen as friendlier centres than multicultural London or Birmingham, the city with Britain's largest population of Muslims – for its initial marches and is waiting for permission from those cities to hold the demonstrations. Dates have not yet been set, though the group's founder said he expects they will happen with "a couple of weeks."
"This is going to be huge," said the 33-year-old Swiss national who manages Pegida UK's Facebook page and e-mail account. In a telephone interview, he said his name was David and that he lives and works in Britain. He said he had been inspired to launch Pegida UK after attending several of the marches in Dresden, and that the movement had gained many new followers in the immediate aftermath of the attacks in Paris.
He said his group was supporters by "people in the middle who are just concerned about the security of Europe, about the terrorist attacks and the number of people going to Syria to fight and then coming back. They're concerned about the Islamisation of the country – more and more halal food, less and less Christianity."
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But Pegida UK is already running into the some of the same troubles that have plagued the Dresden branch. Another organizer – a 34-year-old man who gave his name as Mike and said he had fought in Afghanistan and Iraq as a British army paratrooper – said one reason the group was delaying its first march was to ensure the protest wasn't overrun by members of Britain's notorious and often violent far right.
Several of those who were quickest to join Pegida UK on Facebook – and to urge that it take to the streets – are past and present members of the English Defence League, a widely scorned group associated with racist violence. Islamophobic rants are common on their social-media accounts, including calls for Pegida UK supporters to boycott all Muslim-owned businesses, as well as Muslim doctors, dentists and civil servants.
"It's hard to avoid the far right, but I believe [Pegida UK] is not a racist movement. This is not about racism, but all my friends are fed up with paying their taxes and paying for people who have been in this country for five minutes," said Mike, the former paratrooper.
Shedding the racist label will be even more difficult for Pegida and its offshoots following the publication of the image of Mr. Bachmann posing as Hitler. The photograph appears to have been taken from his Facebook page, where Mr. Bachmann also posted a photograph of a Klu Klux Klan member with the caption: "three Ks a day keeps minorities away."
German police opened an investigation Wednesday into Mr. Bachmann for inciting hatred.
This week's march in Dresden was cancelled Monday when police instituted a 24-hour ban on all public gatherings following what police said was a threat to kill Mr. Bachmann. In the nearby city of Leipzig on Wednesday, a rally by a sister group of Pegida's had a smaller than expected turnout and was outnumbered by counterprotests.
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Groups claiming to be either inspired by or affiliated with Pegida have held rallies in several other German cities in recent weeks, as well as in Denmark, Austria, Spain, Switzerland and Scandinavia. The gatherings ranged in size from several hundred to several thousand. |
Visiting Bratislava for the second time now, I gathered some ultimate tips to master the cute city during a weekend trip. Check the previous post about Bratislava I wrote to have more tips for a weekend in Bratislava. So, let’s go, 10 things you can do.
#1 Join a free walking tour
We run into the tour by accident and I loved it! A local guide was telling all the secrets and stories of the city, and it’s basically for free since you can pay whatever you want. I love the idea of these tours and will check now in every city I’ll be traveling to.
#2 Hang out in Urban House for hours
This is not only my favorite spot for a weekend in Bratislava but just the coolest cafe I’ve ever been to. Ever. The lights are perfect, it offers different sitting spots, the staff is super nice, food and drinks are amazing and affordable. You have to come here.
#3 Hang out in Hviezdoslav’s square
Every weekend something is going on here: fairs, concerts, free painting classes and many people to watch.
#4 Try the amazing ice cream by Koun
This ice cream is amazing. Don’t expect classical tastes here, though. I had sour cream and cotton candy. A friend tried nectarine and caramel. They were extremely tasty, I swear. Normally this place is crowded and you have to wait in the line for a couple of minutes, but it’s really worth it.
#5 Take photos of tourists
#6 Walk outside of the old town
We didn’t make it to the other side of the Danube, but even walking through non-touristy districts is great. Meet the real life of Bratislava.
#7 Take a closer look at the city center
After I’ve seen all the important buildings, I start looking beyond the obvious. And discover beautiful advertisements. Or inner yards.
#8 Look for good restaurants & cafes upfront
Normally, I eat somewhere I pass by when travelling. In Bratislava though we didn’t have luck with lunch places. The potatoes look good, but were actually pretty terrible. Walking around and going into a random place (the touristy ones) is not a really good idea. Places we’ve tried and loved:
Urban House: amazing veggie and meaty burgers, cakes, tea, coffee and lemonades (10€ total).
Pan Cakes: The cheapest breakfast place I’ve been to ever. For 5€ I had two pancakes and a tea. Wow.
Enjoy coffee: Nice place with „normal“ Viennese prices
More breakfast places in Bratislava here (in general it’s a very useful page with valuable tips)
#9 Ask a local what to see in Bratislava
… and then discover new parts of the city looking for it. We went into the Slovak National Galery to free. That was interesting.
#10 Take a walk along the Danube
I hope you’ll have a good time in Bratislava! And if you need tis for other cities, check these: Barcelona Randon Things Guide, Barcelona in 3 Days, Prague in Two Days, 8 Things to do in Hamburg, Weekend in Vienna. |
At the big anti-carbon-tax rally in Calgary on Sunday, about 1,000 Albertans gathered to register their opposition to the carbon tax, the NDP government … and the media.
Haley Jarmain, a 23-year-old student and part-time reporter, was there to cover the rally for NewsTalk 770, the big talk radio station in Calgary.
As one of the speakers attacked the media for its coverage of a rally in Edmonton the week before — coverage which focused on a “lock her up” chant directed at Premier Rachel Notley — audience members turned to the reporters at the back of the hall and booed.
“People were glaring and booing and it made us all feel a little uncomfortable, at which point I went into the hallway, where I stayed for the majority of the rally,” Jarmain later said during an interview with 770 talk show host Rob Breakenridge.
After the rally ended, a visibly upset man walked up to Jarmain.
“He got very close to me, looked me directly in the eye,” Jarmain told Breakenridge. “He was a taller man, taller than I am. He looked me right in the eye, and said, ‘You’re dead.’”
Another man joined the tall guy and they accused her of acting at the behest of Al Gore, of all people. Jarmain was rattled, but didn’t mention the encounter in her report. She did send out a few tweets later, after she’d filed:
I neglected to point out the multiple times insults were hurled at me at today’s rally in order to give rally goers fair representation. — Haley Jarmain (@HJarmain) December 12, 2016
But I got death threats. Was laughed at. Told that I’m less of a human for my job. — Haley Jarmain (@HJarmain) December 12, 2016
Later, the rally organizer — journalist, activist and libelist Ezra Levant — attacked Jarmain. He set up a website using her name, (haleyjarmain.ca), mockingly offered a $1,000 reward for information about who threatened her and suggested she had made the whole thing up.
Every day, good journalists are losing their jobs because of the collapsing advertising market. Facebook, which has the revenue we used to have, is making money spreading fake news, and outlets like the Rebel daily attack the real reporters still at their posts. Every day, good journalists are losing their jobs because of the collapsing advertising market. Facebook, which has the revenue we used to have, is making money spreading fake news, and outlets like the Rebel daily attack the real reporters still at their posts.
Levant — who once lost an $80,000 libel case after he called someone a liar — called Jarmain a liar, without offering evidence.
On social media, Levant’s devoted anonymous followers started viciously attacking her — an uncomfortable experience for anyone, let alone a 23-year-old part-time reporter.
I won’t pretend to understand why Levant decided to make Jarmain his target, but any journalist who works for Rebel Media should think hard about whether they want to be associated with this kind of behaviour.
I rarely agree with Levant, but I think he’s sometimes right when everyone else is wrong and I often learn things from his outlet. I like The Rebel in a way, just as I like Rabble.ca and Conrad Black columns. I already know what I think, and what people like me think. I like knowing what other people think.
Earlier this year, I was one of many journalists who spoke up for Rebel when the Alberta government was denying it access to the legislature, and I was glad the federal Liberal government helped them when they were denied accreditation by the United Nations.
I come from the broadsheet newspaper tradition, where we have a (somewhat tarnished) set of professional standards that have evolved over time and are meant to ensure that everyone is treated fairly by the press.
Goodness knows we have our failings. We are prone to pack behaviour, to faddish thinking and shallow ‘gotcha’ stories. But for all our flaws, we do not stir up online lynch mobs of flying monkeys to harass blameless 23-year-olds.
We have been trained to comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable, get our facts right and do our best to fairly reflect the views of people with whom we disagree — even people who incite mobs to go after us online.
I believe that propagandists like Levant deserve the same protection under the law that traditional journalists enjoy. “The trouble with fighting for human freedom,” said the American journalist H. L. Mencken, “is that one spends most of one’s time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.”
But I think I might be done defending this particular scoundrel.
Every day, good journalists are losing their jobs because of the collapsing advertising market, sending their sad little farewell messages online as they apply for jobs in the bureaucracy or public relations.
Facebook, which has the revenue we used to have, is making money spreading fake news, and outlets like the Rebel daily attack the real reporters still at their posts.
The model for the Rebel is likely the American Breitbart News Network, which, like Rebel Media, bashes Muslims, the media, feminists and environmentalists.
The Washington Post recently reported that Stephen Bannon, who is now a Donald Trump adviser, and several other Breitbart staffers were secretly on salary for a charity funded by a politically active billionaire.
We should start to ask why these outlets spend so much time trying to destroy our credibility, let them know that we see them for what they are — and assure them that we are not going to give up without a fight.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of iPolitics. |
Home Daily News Cops in Casey Anthony Case Missed Internet…
Evidence
Cops in Casey Anthony Case Missed Internet Search for 'Fool-Proof Suffication'
Police investigating the disappearance of Caylee Anthony overlooked an Internet search for the misspelled phrase “fool-proof suffication” on the family computer.
The problem: Orange County sheriff’s police checked out the search history on the Internet Explorer browser, but not the Mozilla Firefox browser, report the Associated Press and CBS News Crimesider.
Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of her daughter’s murder last July, had preferred Firefox, according to WKMG, which broke the story. At trial, prosecutors had claimed Caylee Anthony was poisoned with chloroform, suffocated with duct tape and placed in plastic bags.
The person who conducted the “suffication” search on June 16, 2008, clicked into a story on suicide, WKMG says. Next the person went to MySpace, a website used frequently by Casey Anthony, according to the report by the broadcast station. The searches were performed on the day Caylee Anthony was last seen alive.
The computer expert for the sheriff’s department who searched the computer for evidence has defended her work, claiming she was never asked to search for the word “suffocation.”
Defense lawyer Jose Baez tells WKMG he was shocked when prosecutors didn’t refer to the Internet search. In his book, Presumed Guilty, Baez mentioned the search but suggested it was performed by Casey Anthony’s father because he was considering suicide after Caylee accidentally drowned.
The mention in Baez’s book spurred a Phoenix lawyer to obtain the browser histories through a public records request, according to WKMG. The lawyer turned the data over to a computer expert who found the search for “fool-proof suffication.”
Prosecutors did introduce evidence of searches in March 2008 for the word “chloroform,” but Casey Anthony’s mother testified she performed the search by mistake while looking up information about chlorophyll, according to the AP account. |
A conservative group filed suit on Monday seeking to remove special counsel Robert Mueller from the Justice Department's investigation into Russian meddling.
Conservative lawyer Larry Klayman, the founder of the watchdog group FreedomWatch, filed a complaint in U.S. district court that seeks to force the Justice Department to investigate leaks from the special counsel, as well as "the obvious conflicts of interest among staff."
The complaint against Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI director Christopher Wray states that "it is a criminal offense to leak grand jury information" and seeks Mueller's removal.
"Robert Mueller is not a 'man of integrity' as the Washington, D.C., Democrat and Republican political establishment like to spin," Klayman said in a statement. "He is just another pol who is representing his establishment benefactors in both political parties who want to see the presidency of Donald Trump destroyed."
There is deep anger at Mueller on the right and growing calls for him to recuse himself from the special counsel investigation into whether Trump campaign officials had improper contacts with Moscow during the 2016 election.
Klayman is hanging his legal effort on the notion that Mueller is too close to former FBI director James Comey and allegations that his team has leaked damaging stories about those he's investigating to the press. The complaint also argues that Mueller has politicized the probe by hiring Democrats for his investigative team.
Conservatives have also argued that Mueller's probe has extended beyond his mandate of investigating Russian meddling.
More recently, conservative media and others on the right have drawn attention to Mueller's time as FBI director, questioning why he didn't alert regulators that a subsidiary of a foreign uranium mining company was under investigation before a controversial deal for the sale of the company to a Russia-owned firm was approved.
"He must be held accountable to the law and should not be able to do as he pleases to further his and his friends, like former FBI Director James Comey's, political agenda," Klayman said. "We are hopeful that the court will order Justice to do its job and conduct an expeditious and impartial investigation and then order Mueller to step down as special counsel. There are others, perhaps who practice outside of the Washington, D.C., swamp, who could step in and do an honest and conflict-free investigation of so-called Russian collusion."
The special counsel has indicted Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a litany of financial crimes. A low-level policy adviser, George Papadopoulos, has pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his contacts with Russians.
Many others in Trump's inner circle have met with the special counsel or are expected to do so soon.
Mueller has a sterling reputation in law enforcement circles and continues to have the support of GOP leaders on Capitol Hill.
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has noted that Mueller was appointed by a Republican and has said that nobody in Washington views him as a "biased partisan." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has urged lawmakers to give Mueller time and space to see the investigation through to the end. |
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Footie ace Mamadou Sakho moves into Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers’ marital home in what looks like the weirdest transfer of the season.
But it’s not the start of a bedroom farce for the French international – he’s just taken over the lease after the Reds manager and his wife moved out.
Sakho, 24, was seen in his flash Audi R8 returning from training to the £1.6million gated detached house in Merseyside.
Rodgers, 41, has moved to a £1.2million flat in Liverpool after splitting from wife Susan, mum to his two adult children.
It is believed both Rodgers and Sakho’s rental agreements for the privately owned property were arranged by Liverpool FC.
Rodgers moved out in February and has since spent time with divorced Charlotte Hind, 31, who used to work at the club as a travel co-ordinator.
In April the Sunday Mirror revealed he was at her home in Southport when a young man battered the front door with a cricket bat, shouting for Rodgers to go outside.
In May, Rodgers and Charlotte were photographed on holiday together in Spain with her young daughter.
And in June the two were spotted at New York’s Museum of National History.
The pair have been pictured holding hands but Rodgers has denied having a relationship with her.
Two weeks ago Charlotte’s ex-husband Steven, 31, was given a restraining order for pestering her with texts over Rodgers.
Since taking over at Liverpool two years ago Rodgers has had an image makeover, losing weight with exercise at the club’s Melwood training ground and spending thousands having his teeth whitened. |
LG G Flex 2 coming to South Africa April 2015, exclusive to Vodacom
South Africa has announced that its first-quarter flagship, the LG G Flex 2, will be available to the South African market from April 2015, which is a long time to wait in all honesty.
The phone is definitely one of the more daring additions to the local market though, with its curved body, curved screen and self-healing rear panel. It’s also one of the most powerful phones in the world at the moment, sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, 3GB of RAM and the Adreno 430 GPU.
But perhaps above and beyond the internals, it’s the bowed, banana-inspired exterior that really turns heads. It also has a pair of sterling cameras with the rear boasting OIS and a laser autofocusing system, which takes absolutely stunning images. There’s also the screen which is another greatest hit for LG, at 5.5-inches and 1080p. It’s a beautiful specimen.
Read more: LG G Flex 2 bends competition with curved body, Snapdragon 810 chipset
Something else that’ll likely snap necks is the price. If you want to own the device without any monthly appendages you’ll need to fork out R10 499, and that puts it squarely into iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 territory. It should give both a run for their money though.
Coming soon, exclusively to Vodacom, with even more beautiful curves than ever before, the @LGMobileSA#GFlex2. Keep it locked for more. — Vodacom (@Vodacom) February 26, 2015
So, are you excited for the LG G Flex 2 to hit stores? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. |
Tinkering with systemd’s predictable network names
I’ve talked about predictable network names (and seemingly unpredictable ones) on the blog before, but some readers asked me how they could alter the network naming to fit a particular situation. Oddly enough, my Supermicro 5028D-T4NT has a problem with predictable names and it’s a great example to use here.
The problem
There’s plenty of detail in my post about the Supermicro 5028D-T4NT, but the basic gist is that something within the firmware is causing the all of the network cards in the server to show up as onboard. The server has two 1Gb network interfaces which show up as eno1 and eno2 , which makes sense. It also has two 10Gb network interfaces that systemd tries to name eno1 and eno2 as well. That’s obviously not going to work, so they get renamed to eth0 and eth1 .
You can see what udev thinks in this output:
P: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.2/0000:03:00.0/net/eth0 E: DEVPATH=/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.2/0000:03:00.0/net/eth0 E: ID_BUS=pci E: ID_MODEL_FROM_DATABASE=Ethernet Connection X552/X557-AT 10GBASE-T E: ID_MODEL_ID=0x15ad E: ID_NET_DRIVER=ixgbe E: ID_NET_LINK_FILE=/usr/lib/systemd/network/99-default.link E: ID_NET_NAME=eno1 E: ID_NET_NAME_MAC=enx0cc47a7591c8 E: ID_NET_NAME_ONBOARD=eno1 E: ID_NET_NAME_PATH=enp3s0f0 E: ID_OUI_FROM_DATABASE=Super Micro Computer, Inc. E: ID_PATH=pci-0000:03:00.0 E: ID_PATH_TAG=pci-0000_03_00_0 E: ID_PCI_CLASS_FROM_DATABASE=Network controller E: ID_PCI_SUBCLASS_FROM_DATABASE=Ethernet controller E: ID_VENDOR_FROM_DATABASE=Intel Corporation E: ID_VENDOR_ID=0x8086 E: IFINDEX=4 E: INTERFACE=eth0 E: SUBSYSTEM=net E: SYSTEMD_ALIAS=/sys/subsystem/net/devices/eno1 E: TAGS=:systemd: E: USEC_INITIALIZED=7449982
The ID_NET_NAME_ONBOARD takes precedence, but the eno1 name is already in use at this point since udev has chosen names for the onboard 1Gb network interfaces already. Instead of falling back to ID_NET_NAME_PATH , it falls back to plain old eth0 . This is confusing and less than ideal.
After a discussion in a Github issue, it seems that the firmware is to blame. Don’t worry - we still have some tricks we can do with systemd-networkd.
Workaround
Another handy systemd-networkd feature is a link file. These files allow you to apply some network configurations to various interfaces. You can manage multiple interfaces with a single file with wildcards in the [Match] section.
In my case, I want to find any network interfaces that use the ixgbe driver (my 10Gb network interfaces) and apply a configuration change only to those interfaces. My goal is to get the system to name the interfaces using ID_NET_NAME_PATH , which would cause them to appear as enp3s0f0 and enp3s0f1 .
Let’s create a link file to handle our quirky hardware:
# /etc/systemd/network/10gb-quirks.link [Match] Driver=ixgbe [Link] NamePolicy=path
This file tells systemd to find any devices using the ixgbe driver and force them to use their PCI device path for the naming. After a reboot, the interfaces look like this:
# networkctl |grep ether 2 eno1 ether degraded configured 4 eno2 ether off unmanaged 9 enp3s0f0 ether off unmanaged 10 enp3s0f1 ether off unmanaged
Awesome! They’re now named based on their PCI path and that should remain true even through future upgrades. There are plenty of other tricks that you can do with link files, including completely custom naming for any interface.
Caveats
As Sylvain noted in the comments below, systemd-networkd provides a default 99-default.link file that specifies how links should be handled. If you make a link file that sorts after that file, such as ixgbe-quirks.link , it won’t take effect. Be sure that your link file comes first by starting it off with a number less than 99. This is why my 10gb-quirks.link file works in my example above.
Photo Credit: realblades via Compfight cc |
Hello my dearies and Happy Valentine’s Day from Key Biscayne, Florida. Marc and I have escaped the kids for four days and are down here enjoying the deep ocean views on a little romantic getaway.
Yesterday, I caught up with some of my dearest college friends and law school buddies. My friend Ana and I attended both college and law school together. Ana has two lovely kids and the sweetest husband and lives down here working as a senior entertainment lawyer for a media company. I am SO proud of her!
My friend Annie’s 96 year old Grandmother lives around the corner from our hotel. Annie lives in Tampa and has three adorable girls. She works in a senior job in marketing in the food industry, and is married to an amazing Swedish guy! Love the Swedes.
This is how our day started and stopped. I won’t say too much more on that front.
After a lunch that took the afternoon, and included more than one of the margaritas you see above, we headed off for dinner in Miami beach to see another close law school friend Tania, who also works down here in Miami. Tania is also a yoga buddy so I tried to convince her to try Bikram.
The skies here span out so wide and blue, and my heart is warmed-over from seeing these amazing friends. Feeling so grateful I got to spend this quality time.
How did you all decide what to do for Valentine’s Day? Marc and I are planning a relaxed dinner here in our hotel. We’re missing the kids but excited that we’ve actually been able to have a few conversations!
Weigh in telling me about your Valentine’s Day date ideas and don’t forget to enter our Weekly Wrap Up giveaway!
xoxo Melissa
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With two days of mysterious teasers popping up on the band’s website, leaving everyone scratching their heads at what was up, we finally have answers.
Premiered by BBC Radio 6’s Chris Hawkins, the new single The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness is the first cutting from the band’s long-awaited 7th album Sleep Well Beast. Pegged for release on September 8th, Sleep Well Beast is now available to pre-order from The National’s website.
Read our review of The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness over here.
And if that wasn’t enough, the new album will be accompanied by a massive, 40 date, world tour. Kicking off in Cork on September 12th, the tour will see the band play multiple-night residencies in Dublin, London, Manchester and Edinburgh before heading off across the rest of the world.
Tickets for the tour will be on sale on Friday 19th May, UK and European customers pre-ordering Sleep Well Beast (via specific retailers) before 10am BST on Sunday 14th May will receive an exclusive early access code for Monday’s tour pre-sale.
WORLD TOUR:
23-25/06/17 – Glastonbury Festival – Glastonbury, UK
12/08/17 – HAVEN Festival – Copenhagen, DENMARK
16/09/17 – Cork Opera House / Sounds From a Safe Harbour – Cork, IRELAND
17/09/17 – Vicar Street – Dublin, IRELAND
18/09/17 – Vicar Street – Dublin, IRELAND
20/09/17 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh, UK
21/09/17 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh, UK
22/09/17 – O2 Apollo – Manchester, UK
23/09/17 – O2 Apollo – Manchester, UK
25/09/17 – Eventim Hammersmith Apollo – London, UK
26/09/17 – Eventim Hammersmith Apollo – London, UK
27/09/17 – Eventim Hammersmith Apollo – London, UK
28/09/17 – Eventim Hammersmith Apollo – London, UK
05/10/17 – Wang Theatre – Boston, MA, USA
06/10/17 – Forest Hills Stadium – New York, NY, USA
11/10/17 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA, USA
12/10/17 – CalCoast Credit Union Open Air Theatre – San Diego, CA, USA
14/10/17 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA, USA
21/10/17 – Elbphilharmonie – Hamburg, GERMANY
23/10/17 – Tempodrom – Berlin, GERMANY
24/10/17 – Tempodrom – Berlin, GERMANY
25/10/17 – AFAS Live – Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
28/10/17 – Coliseum – Lisbon, PORTUGAL
30/10/17 – Palais des Beaux-Arts – Brussels, BELGIUM
31/10/17 – Palais des Beaux-Arts – Brussels, BELGIUM
02-04/11/17 – Pitchfork Paris, Paris, FRANCE
04/11/17 – Annexet – Stockholm, SWEDEN
05/11/17 – Annexet – Stockholm, SWEDEN
06/11/17 – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, NORWAY
07/11/17 – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, NORWAY
27/11/17 – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall – Portland, OR, USA
28/11/17 – Paramount Theatre – Seattle, WA, USA
29/11/17 – Paramount Theatre – Seattle, WA, USA
01/12/17 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre – Vancouver BC, CANADA
02/12/17 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre – Vancouver BC, CANADA
04/12/17 – Verizon Hall – Philadelphia, PA, USA
07/12/17 – Metropolis – Montreal QC, CANADA
08/12/17 – Metropolis – Montreal QC, CANADA
09/12/17 – Sony Centre – Toronto ON, CANADA
10/12/17 – Hamilton Place Theatre – Hamilton ON, CANADA
12/12/17 – Civic Opera House – Chicago, IL, USA
13/12/17 – Civic Opera House – Chicago, IL, USA |
Republicans Block Effort To Repeal 1099 Tax Reporting Rules
Doug Mataconis · · 11 comments
After spending much of the past eight months or so criticizing the new 1099 reporting requirements contained in the Affordable Care Act, and even trying to repeal them back in July, Republicans are now blocking a Democratic effort to repeal the rules in the lame duck session:
Another day, another failed attempt at 1099 repeal. Republicans rebuffed a Democratic effort to repeal health reform’s universally panned 1099 IRS reporting requirements as a piggyback in the tax cut deal, congressional aides on both sides of the aisle confirm to POLITICO. The move leaves 1099 rollback in play for the next Congress, giving Republicans an easy target in an otherwise challenged landscape for health reform repeal. Democratic aides allege Republicans are stalling on repealing the unpopular measure for political benefit. Health reform’s 1099 tax reporting provision requires businesses to file IRS paperwork on any vendor purchases over $600. Both parties have failed in multiple attempts to dial back the unpopular provision. Democrats thought they saw a path forward with the tax-cut legislation: attach 1099 repeal to the larger, Republican-supported bill and settle the matter once and for all. But Republicans, who took a hard line against any “Christmas tree” add-ons, nixed the idea. “For all their talk about small businesses, it was stunning to see Republicans walk away from them when they had a chance to actually help,” a Democratic Congressional aide tells POLITICO. “Rather than working to include 1099 repeal in the bill, they actively refused in order to continue their political posturing. We all agree small businesses had some real concerns, that we should listen to them and repeal this provision … Small business owners deserve more than lip service from Republicans.” A Republican Congressional aide familiar with the discussion says the 1099 repeal provision was rejected as one of many Democrat-offered add-ons. Republicans tried to craft a final product that hewed closely to the legislation’s first draft, the source said.
The 1099 reporting requirements have been among the most universally panned provisions of the health care reform law, with some sources estimating that it could cost the average small business as much as $ 6,000 per year in additional administrative expenses. Both parties have thus been under pressure from small-business lobbyists to repeal the provision, and it seems fairly clear at this point that the votes to repeal are there in both the House and the Senate.
So, why are the Republicans blocking it? Well, let’s just say that it has little to do with a sudden GOP concern for Congressional bills with lots of add-on provisions, and everything to do with politics. If the 1099 provision gets passed now, the GOP will be unable to claim credit for it. If they wait until January and make it one of the first legislative actions of the 112th Congress, they’ll be able to say “see, we did this,” and it will help their efforts to continue painting Democrats as anti-small business. It’s cynical, it’s stupid, and it’s politics as usual. Don’t tell me you’re shocked. |
The Hilarious Reason Ezra Miller Is Excited For Fantastic Beasts and Justice League By Conner Schwerdtfeger Random Article Blend Ezra Miller is about to blow up in a major way. Although he's become an incredibly popular actor in smaller indie roles, he has never really stepped up to any major blockbusters -- until now. The 24-year-old will soon become a household name this November with his role as Credence in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as well as Barry Allen in Justice League which will hit theaters one year later. He seems incredibly excited about the opportunity, but more for the toys than anything else. The actor explained: I think about this...quite a lot. I'm really excited for my action figures. I will have all of them. I will have the heaviest collected versions of them hopefully with like exchangeable suits, maybe some sort of like toy where it fits in the little hand, the little plastic hand. Yeah, that's gonna be very weird. I do imagine that that will be odd. But I'm down. I definitely wanna make Credence and The Flash have a little battle. Yeah that part of this stuff-- I mean like, going into a room where there's maybe actually one thousand cameras surrounding you so that they can take a picture, so that they can like calculate your skeleton. So that they can make a mold of your body and it's beyond me like, genuinely, way over my head. But I'm really enjoying all aspects of the process and-- Yeah, I'm really hoping to milk this whole experience for as many action figures as I can get. Not just action figures of myself, which is obviously cool for its own reasons, but just action figures in general from both of the worlds I'm involved in. During a recent Fantastic Beasts set visit, Ezra Miller explained that part of his excitement towards taking part in two major Warner Bros. blockbusters revolves around the opportunity to pick up some awesome merchandise along the way. He's clearly enjoyed the process of making Fantastic Beasts as well as Justice League, but he seems particularly enamored with the process in which thousands of cameras are used to take 3D models of actors, and subsequently turn them into action figures. According to the actor: he plans on getting as any of these figurines as possible, and have them battle one another. I can't exactly say that I blame Ezra Miller for being this excited. If I had the opportunity to star in the Harry Potter universe, as well as the DCEU, I would also hoard as many action figures of myself as possible. If nothing else, this serves as a major reminder of why we love Ezra Miller -- he is all of us. The actor brings a distinct sense of enthusiasm to all of his roles, and he has clearly had an amazing time working on both of these WB tentpole blockbusters. This seems particularly notable for the DCEU, as his enthusiasm and lighthearted nature has already helped the Justice League marketing take the DC cinematic universe to a far lighter and more hopeful place, which is something that universe has certainly benefited from. Make sure to check out Ezra Miller in all of his major upcoming blockbusters. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will hit theaters next month on November 18, and Justice League will debut next year on November 17, 2017. Blended From Around The Web Facebook
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A just-formed lobbying group of content producers, equipment makers and internet gatekeepers said Thursday that internet service providers should embrace filtering.
Behind the lobby are AT&T, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, NBC Universal,
Viacom and the Songwriters Guild of America. Among other things, the lobby, called Arts+Labs, says "network operators must have the flexibility to manage and expand their networks to defend against net pollution and illegal file-trafficking which threatens to congest and delay the network for all consumers."
The creation of the lobbying group came almost two months after the Federal Communications Commission issued an open invitation to ISPs to filter for unauthorized copyright material. The Aug. 1 invite was buried in the text of the FCC's stinging rebuke of Comcast for throttling BitTorrent and other peer-to-peer traffic.
AT&T and NBC have already made it clear they support blocking streams of unauthorized works, for obvious reasons. NBC and the songwriters want to get paid for their works. and AT&T supports filtering because it could reduce high-volume, peer-to-peer traffic.
And Cisco has the means to produce filtering equipment, while Microsoft has recently secured a patent to watermark music and track it through the internet.
Running the new lobby is Mike McCurry, President Clinton's press secretary and departing chairman of Hands off the Internet, a group of telcos and others opposing net neutrality.
Still, network-level filtering technology isn't ready for prime time. And it remains to be seen whether filtering could account for fair use or could decipher whether copyright material along a network was authorized to be there.
That said, the FCC – as part of the Comcast order (.pdf) – sees filtering as an attainable goal. Here's what the FCC said:
"We also note that because consumers are entitled to access the lawful internet content of their choice, providers, consistent with federal policy, may block transmissions of illegal content (e.g., child pornography) or transmissions that violate copyright law. To the extent, however, that providers choose to utilize practices that are not application- or content-neutral, the risk to the open nature of the internet is particularly acute and the danger of network-management practices being used to further anti-competitive ends is strong."
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Last year was kind of a tough time for MMORPGs, don’t you think? Of course, those MMORPGs that had already been going strong for some time continued doing what they do, but last year felt like a bloodbath for those entering the market.
Of course, there was all the drama surrounding ArcheAge as the game promptly set sail before players realized Trion, the developer, had forgotten to install a rudder on the ship. When players also discovered that, despite Trion saying the voyage would be free of charge, those who decided to pay money anyway weren’t required to man the oars as often, they blew quite a bit of hot air around. Without a rudder to guide them, the ship was promptly swept into some sharp rocks.
Who could forget The Elder Scrolls Online, either? Perhaps the only MMORPG in existence that was actively harmed by its attachment to a popular brand in gaming. Half of the subscribers arrived, naked and confused, in various ports around the continent of Nirn before quickly realizing that The Elder Scrolls Online is as close to a true Elder Scrolls game as a hot pocket is to a pizza. Thus began the mass exodus of naked and confused players who, in the way only people of the internet can, had to form a zealous inquisition to prove that anyone who happened to enjoy The Elder Scrolls Online for what it was was simply a dummy.
And then there was Wildstar. Ah yes, that last bastion of rose-tinted MMORPG conservatism in a genre rampantly progressing towards the equivalent of playing a single player RPG and occasionally texting your friends. Wildstar was meant to arrive like the second coming of Christ on a chariot of fire to cast all those wimpy nerds and their pitiful 8-man content into eternal damnation, restoring 40-man raids to their former glory. And then Wildstar arrived before the worshipping masses, threw open the gates of raid heaven, and we all got up, shrugged, and said, “Ah, man, yeah. That seems really cool but, like, I have work tomorrow and it’s Game of Thrones night tonight. I dunno, that seems like a lot of work.”
So yeah, we kinda left MMO Jesus hanging there while we fed our kids and browsed Reddit. But Carbine, the developers of MMO Jesus, learned an invaluable lesson: Even if people say they know what they want, they really don’t know what they want.
This fall, Carbine and Wildstar are turning that lesson into real change as Wildstar relaunches as free to play. And though time will tell if enough has changed, the initial reception is very positive. So if you’re still on the fence, here are just a few things that might make Wildstar worth a second glance. Oh, and don’t worry about turning your back on MMO Jesus, he always forgives, but, unlike the actual Jesus, he never forgets.
Killing the Grind
Finding the fine line between being rewarding but not too easy and demanding but not frustrating isn’t very simple. Case in point: grinding has long been a point of contention for the entire MMORPG audience. Wildstar, unfortunately, had a pretty soul crushing grind. Around level 20, most players went from wide-eyed newbies to soulless corporate employees, punching in and out daily just to get a little more experience to bring them to end game.
But where most MMORPGs drop that mind numbing grind once you reach max level, Wildstar’s end game was like waking up one morning and realizing that your retirement from grinding is actually 20 more years away. You climb a mountain, collapse at the peak, and the clouds part to reveal an even bigger, uglier mountain to climb. Crap.
The good news is that, while Wildstar is still wholly in love with World of Warcraft and can’t stop trying on its clothes when it isn’t home, the new leveling process has been made much more approachable. Carbine has gone through and tweaked various quests as well as making some adjustments to the way enemies spawn in certain areas. Its a small fix, but already people seem to be warming up to the new curve.
You’re Not So Hardcore
Perhaps one of the most misguided philosophies driving Wildstar back when it first launched was the idea that people wanted a game that evoked the same feeling World of Warcraft did back before expansion packs seduced it into trying drugs and hanging out with the wrong crowd. But here’s the thing: People want vanilla World of Warcraft back for all of the wrong reasons. They want the sensation back, not the actual game. Sure, World of Warcraft had a lot of things going for it back then, but it was also the cause of some major indigestion too. Things just weren’t that palatable in vanilla Azeroth, and we’ve all refined our tastes significantly.
That philosophy was also driving Wildstar’s hard-as-nails raids and dungeons. With Wildstar heading towards free to play territory, rest assured that Carbine is still keeping its hardknocks attitude toward raiding, but there have been some significant alterations so that, for Wildstar, difficulty isn’t equated with frustration.
For starters, the medals you earn on completing a dungeon are now much more informational about your progress through that dungeon. Last year, they also fixed the awful system that rewarded players at a certain point only if they were able to achieve the highly coveted gold medal. Now, everyone still has a chance at that awesome loot, but earning gold just increases those odds.
Changes have also been made across all dungeons. Bosses tend to not hit as hard, and the inclusion of several quality of life enhancements makes running them that much easier. There’s even a brand new dungeon for low level players to get them ready to have their faces smashed in. How cute!
Keep Skills Simple, Stupid!
Wildstar, like all MMORPGs, has so many metrics for measuring your character’s abilities that getting a physical from a doctor in-game requires an excel spreadsheet. While the complexity of those skills, and their importance, is staying the same, Carbine has finally ditched their obtuse system in favor of something a lot more intuitive.
In the olden days of Wildstar yore, secondary skills meant different things to different classes. It was a great way of making everyone loath min-maxing because collecting useful data required a lot of effort. Now, the system is getting the boot and replaced by something far more manageable and understandable.
But Carbine isn’t stopping there, they’ve also made some nice overhauls to the AMP system. Before, AMPs had to be rounded up before they could be found, and it was a terribly irritating idea that always pulled you away from what you wanted to be doing to dig around for AMPs you needed to do it. Now, things are much simpler as all AMPs are provided, you just need to unlock them.
Being Rich Doesn’t Mean You Win
Sorry rich bachelor who doesn’t want to actually play the game but just throw money at the screen and then flex his virtual muscles for all the ladies, Wildstar isn’t for you. And, spoiler alert: Those ladies are all dudes anyway.
Going free to play is always a pretty scary thing for a game because, as the customer, we never know how corrupting the pursuit of money is going to be to the basic principles of the game. Are they going to sell out entirely and offer $50 potions that give you double experience for an hour? Are they going to start selling the best loot in the game? With Wildstar, while time will tell, you can likely sleep safe; Carbine doesn’t seem to intent on robbing us all blind.
Though the only evidence we have so far is the test realm cash shop, those who have peeked with trepidation at the items for sale have mostly been sighing with relief. Wildstar doesn’t look very pay to win. Instead, the focus seems to be on cosmetic options, experience potions, and a lot of decor items for the inevitable virtual revival of MTV Cribs.
The Glimmer of Hope is a Little Brighter
Talk to most people who don’t already hate MMORPGs with a burning passion and a lot of them will say the same thing: Wildstar wasn’t terrible, just misguided. It’s true. But, and I might just be the optimist here, WIldstar feels like it is finding its groove in a whole new way. In reality, Carbine is just making up for lost time. With games like Final Fantasy XIV surging ever onward, Wildstar has a lot of catching up to do if it’s ever going to survive the next year. Going free to play doesn’t give it an automatic pass on all of its sins, but, for now, it seems like Carbine is working tirelessly to address as many of them as they can.
Is Wildstar still borrowing a little too heavily from World of Warcraft? Absolutely. But if you were one of the many who, in a moment of abject sorrow, cancelled your subscription and left your character to rot in digital purgatory, there is a lot of reasons why you should be looking forward to jumping back in this Fall. There’s a lot of kinks left to sort out, but, at this point, all you have to lose is a little bit of time.
Do you have some reasons why Wildstar is bringing you back? Do you think the reasons above are totally bogus? Let us know in the comments!
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Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to accept the institute's 2017 Free Expression Award, for which the tech mogul was honored in the Free Speech category. AppleInsider was there live, and offers highlights from the event.
Apple CEO Tim Cook (right) accepts Newseum Free Expression Award from Washington Post CEO Fred Ryan.
Prior to the award presentation by Washington Post CEO and publisher Fred Ryan, the Newseum played a video celebrating Cook and Apple's accomplishments, including brief recounting of Cook's commencement speech at George Washington University, clips from an interview with ABC News regarding the debacle over the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone 5c, and bits and pieces from assorted Apple store openings."I'm very grateful for the award and accept it tonight on behalf of everyone at Apple," Cook said, quipping that he was the only person in the room with an iPad.In a brief acceptance speech, Cook addressed the difficulty of adapting the tenets laid forth in the First Amendment to modern technology. He noted that the Founding Fathers didn't have app developers, or other modern artists, in mind when they established the basis of American ideology."We know that these freedoms require protection," Cook said of First Amendment rights. "Not just the forms of speech that entertain us, but the ones that challenge us. The ones that unnerve and even displease us. They're the ones that need protection the most. It's no accident that these freedoms are enshrined and protected in the First Amendment. They are the foundation to so many of our rights."Cook gathered applause in proportion to the other selectees of the night following the presentation, if not a bit louder and longer, from a crowd mostly consisting of luminaries in government, civil rights, and journalism."This is a responsibility that Apple takes very seriously," Cook said. "First we defend, we work to defend these freedoms by enabling people around the world to speak up. And second, we do it by speaking up ourselves. Because companies can, and should have values."Relating those undeniable rights to tech, Cooks echoed recent statements regarding what place the tech industry should have — if any — in the political process."At Apple we are not just enabling others to speak up, we are doing so ourselves," he said.Indeed, with Cook at the helm, Apple has become an increasingly outspoken voice when it comes to personal data security, environmental awareness and human rights. Most recently, Apple publicly decried the Trump administration's withdrawal of federal protections for transgender students, an issue for which the company has long fought . Earlier this year, Apple signed on to an amicus brief opposing Trump's immigration ban , a measure that was later blocked in federal court.The Newseum announced its picks for the 2017 Free Expression Award in February . The award honors those individuals who "have taken personal or professional risks in sharing critical information with the public, have been censored or punished by authorities or other groups for their work, or have pushed boundaries in artistic and media expression."Some other notable winners this year included U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the organization, and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who received an Arts and Entertainment Award shared with Hatch Beauty chairman Christie Hefner.The Newseum, primarily funded and controlled by the Freedom Forum, is a First Amendment advocacy museum, tracing the evolution of journalism, print, and electronic communication from earliest days of the United States to the technologies of the present and the future. The museum attracts over 800,000 visitors per year.During Cook's speech — the longest of the night — nearly the entire body of invitees and attendees seated close to the podium snapped photos on their iPhones. |
Steve Biko once wrote, “I write what I like.” The founder of South Africa’s Black Consciousness Movement, he was also one of the students that launched the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO); Biko belonged to a generation that resisted apartheid, in any manner that they could.
Biko was detained and interrogated several times by the apartheid police. On 7 September 1977 he sustained a head injury during interrogation, after which he became unresponsive. According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, “The doctors who examined him (naked, lying on a mat and manacled to a metal grille) initially disregarded overt signs of neurological injury.”
Biko died of brain damage on the floor of a cell in the Pretoria Central Prison on 12 September 1977. He was 30 years old. Though Biko could not help South Africa transition into its new democracy, his ideas and his writing lives on.
On the 37th anniversary of Steve Biko’s death, AAISHA DADI PATEL rounds up six of his most memorable quotes:
“We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our birth. These are concepts which the Black Consciousness approach wishes to eradicate from the black man’s mind before our society is driven to chaos by irresponsible people from Coca-Cola and hamburger cultural backgrounds.”
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
“Apartheid – both petty and grand – is obviously evil. Nothing can justify the arrogant assumption that a clique of foreigners has the right to decide on the lives of a majority.”
“You are either alive and proud or you are dead, and when you are dead, you can’t care anyway.”
“Being black is not a matter of pigmentation – being black is a reflection of a mental attitude.”
“In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift – a more human face.”
– Featured image via Wikimedia Commons |
Zombie gameplay comes to XCOM 2 with War of the Chosen, the expansion launching next month on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. Here, Firaxis offers a look at the first mission within a mode so big the game's creative director said it could have become a full-on sequel.
In War of the Chosen, the player will make and manage alliances with three Earth-based factions. In the video above, Firaxis' Garth DeAngelis, XCOM 2's senior producer, explains the setup, in which the player is contacting two mistrustful factions, the Reapers and the Skirmishers.
Both have different means of dealing with the Lost, the zombie-like horde the game will introduce. The Reaper and Skirmisher leaders must be escorted safely to a negotiating point to complete the mission. Fortunately for the player, the Lost do not use cover, nor do they have ranged attacks. But they also spawn at the sound of explosions.
Then there's the Assassin, an agent of the Chosen, the leadership of the occupying authority in XCOM 2's story. Dealing with her will involve keeping your fireteam personnel from being abducted and interrogated.
War of the Chosen comes to XCOM 2 on Aug. 29. |
Hundreds of migrants and refugees are storming the roads near the Channel Tunnel in Calais, some 'armed with iron bars and hammers,' according to reports.
According to a vigilante group in the French port town, there have been clashes between riot police and migrants as dozens tried to storm the tunnel and climb into lorries in a bid to reach the UK.
Several videos uploaded by the group, calling themselves 'Angry Calaisians', shows dozens of people, mainly young men, runs across the roads.
Scroll down for video
Storming: Dozens of migrants and refugees tried to storm the Eurotunnel and climb into lorries in a bid to reach the UK, clashing with riot police
The incidents have caused several traffic jams near the Channel Tunnel, with locals writing on social media that 'a group of six or seven migrants are running around with iron bars, stones and hammers' near a local supermarket.
An hour earlier, a post on the Facebook group claimed there was an 'attack of the tunnel by the illegal immigrants in progress!'
Later on, a group administrator added: 'A hundred illegals all on the way to the channel invading the roads! Be on your guard! Police in riot gear are at the scene!'
Images taken on Thursday shows all-male groups of migrants and refugees running across the motorway near the tunnel, followed by riot police.
A number of men were also seen forcibly entering a handful of trucks and trailers which had been forced to stop.
French police forces attempt to disperse migrants and refugees on one of the roads of the Eurotunnel in Calais
Trying their luck: Migrants and refugees enter the trailer of a truck in an attempt to cross the English Channel
All-male groups of migrants and refugees running across the motorway near the tunnel, followed by riot police
The situation is dire in the migrant camp in Calais, known as 'The Jungle' where the population has more than tripled from around 1,500 in the summer.
It is believed some 7,000 may now be living in the camp's makeshift tents and shacks, as temperatures are set to plummet over the winter months.
Local hostility to the migrants has been growing, with the anti-immigrant National Front (FN) taking nearly half the votes in Calais in regional elections last weekend, their highest score in France.
With fewer and fewer migrants succeeding in making it to Britain, the camp with its barber shop, bars, Afghan biryani houses, Eritrean Orthodox church and Muslim prayer rooms, has taken on a semi-permanent air. |
Criticism is picking up again over Nestlé bottling B.C. water while wildfires burn across the province and a drought prompts water bans on residential use.
Nestlé — the world's biggest bottler of water — currently packages up more than 300 million litres of water from B.C. every year for free. Under new provincial rules, it and other large corporations will have to pay $2.25 per million litres starting in 2016.
"It is outrageous that Nestlé can draw limitless amounts of Canada's natural resources to sell for a huge profit while British Columbians are asked to not water our lawns and take shorter showers," reads an online petition from Sum Of Us.
The campaign, titled "Nestlé is about to suck B.C. dry," was launched four months ago to pressure the B.C. government to charge a "fair price for our most precious resource." The petition is gaining traction again as the province experiences drought and almost 200 wildfires.
By Friday, more than 175,000 signatures have been collected. The group says it will bring the petition to B.C. Environment Minister Mary Polak once it hits the goal of 200,000 supporters.
However, Nestlé Waters Canada points out that its bottling plant in Hope, B.C. draws water from a groundwater aquifer — not from rivers, lakes and streams which are affected by the drought. The plant employs 75 people.
The company is always working "to ensure no adverse impact to the watershed, the associated ecosystem, our neighbours or other water users," said spokesman John Challinor in a statement to HuffPost B.C.
He said Nestlé takes less than one per cent of the available groundwater in the Kawkawa Lake sub-watershed near Hope — where the highest level of water restrictions are currently in place.
"We are continuing to monitor the drought situation closely to ensure we are taking the right actions to enhance our water use efficiencies and help ensure the long-term sustainability of the watershed," said Challinor.
Nestlé has been in the spotlight over its water policies before when a video showed company chairman Peter Brabeck arguing that water should not be considered a human right.
With files from The Canadian Press
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The people of Tottenham will not be electing a Conservative or Liberal Democrat MP three days from now or three decades from now either. The constituency and its predecessors covering the same north London patch have been returning Labour MPs since 1935. Tottenham is one of the party’s safest seats anywhere in Britain. The incumbent, David Lammy, secured 59% of the vote in 2010. The local boy who grew up close to Broadwater Farm and made good, first as a chorister then as a lawyer and junior government minister, can expect to again win by a wide margin before giving further attention to the far tougher task of becoming London’s next mayor.
Lammy declared early, in September last year. He’s been building his mayoral platform for longer still. This can be traced back to at least January 2009, the year after Boris Johnson became mayor, when, as higher education minister, he expressed concerns about young Londoners across the city struggling against poor housing conditions that made it hard for them to thrive academically, spoke of a need to better engage the suburbs with the London’s cultural wealth and for a “renewal” of the progressive grassroots movements that had carried Ken Livingstone to power.
Six years on, Lammy has had an image makeover, dispensing with his spectacles and wearing sharper suits, and has secured backing from City businessmen, including the first chair of the Boris Johnson-founded Mayor’s Fund for London charity. He’s also been positioning himself distinctively on social issues, proceeding from the argument expounded in Out of the Ashes, the book he wrote about the 2011 London riots, which, of course, began in his back yard. In his Introduction he explained:
The backdrop to these riots was two revolutions with which Britain has yet to come to terms. The first was social and cultural; the social liberalism of the 1960s. The second was economic: the free market liberal revolution of the 1980s. Together, they made Britain a wealthier and more tolerant nation. But they have come at a cost, combining to create a hyper-individualistic culture in which we do not treat each other well.
He continued:
A civilised and safe society must be policed not just by uniformed officers, but also by notions of pride, shame, self-restraint and responsibility to others.
This diagnosis appears at first sight very similar to that of the Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips of the nation’s ills, though I’m assured that Lammy doesn’t mean to criticise either form of liberalism as such, only what he sees as their regrettable consequences for social solidarity.
In the book he argues that Gordon Brown as prime minister couldn’t see beyond tax credits as a remedy for the uphill struggles of lone mothers with looking after their children well and criticises “well-intentioned” legal measures against the physical abuse of children for making “loving parents terrified that [giving their children] a smack on the bottom will land them in court.” His broader view, which he describes as re-iterated to him by Tottenham parents after the riots, is that “good parenting suffers because of legislation that mistrusts parents” and that “if you are on the 15th floor of a tower block with drugs and gangs outside you need to be able to set limits.”
In his campaign to become mayor, Lammy is being advised on a paid, part-time basis by Martin Bright, the former Guardian and Observer journalist who went on to become political editor of the New Statesman and then, from 2009-2013, political editor of the Jewish Chronicle during a period of the paper’s history not all its readers have been comfortable with. Bright devoted a lot of energy to attacking Livingstone during the run-in to the 2008 mayoral election he lost to Boris Johnson, most notably in a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary. Promoting the programme in the Evening Standard, Bright wrote of Livingstone that “any Londoner with a progressive bone in his or her body should not consider voting for him.”
Bright’s views on the then Labour mayor and eagerness to see him defeated were presumably not shared by Lammy in 2012, when he chaired Livingstone’s successful campaign to again be Labour’s mayoral candidate, describing him as “a political heavyweight” who had “London in his soul”. Lammy took up the role after abandoning his own earlier hopes of becoming the candidate and threw his weight behind Livingstone in preference to the latter’s only eventual challenger Oona King. All this suggests that Lammy has been making an intellectual journey, one whose progress will no doubt be elaborated on once the contest to become Labour’s mayoral challenger for 2016 is formally underway.
He has already produced a detailed and polished 40-page report on addressing the capital’s housing problems, calling for, among other things, a beefed up City Hall planning department, greater limitations on council Right to Buy, simpler rules governing councils entering joint ventures with private developers and, most eye-catchingly, looking at developing some of the land in Greater London currently designated greenbelt but which does not, in Lammy’s words, “live up to the name”. More recently, he’s authored a report following on from Out of the Ashes about the impacts of burglary, theft and shoplifting for the right-wing think tank Policy Exchange in his capacity as Visiting Fellow. At its launch, Lammy described himself as “a great admirer of Policy Exchange and its impact on progressive policies over many, many years.”
Much of the above shows Lammy trying to stake out a position which straddles left and right as conventionally defined and helps him to be seen as an independent thinker unbound by party orthodoxies, as Livingstone was in his own way and as Johnson has (largely mistakenly) been depicted as being. It will be interesting to see how many among those Labour members, affiliates and registered supporters entitled to vote in the party’s candidate selection process will warm to this. Some will surely reject it, but should perhaps reflect that elements of it are informed by Lammy’s personal history and long-standing, first hand knowledge of the people of Tottenham. Labour needs a clarifying debate before choosing its candidate for 2016 and Lammy’s contribution will, if properly heard, be valuable.
In recent months I’ve written about others hoping to become Labour’s candidate for 2016: Tessa Jowell, Christian Wolmar, Sadiq Khan and Diane Abbott. The selection process will begin shortly after the general election. |
A new era for Ottawa Fury FC is already underway as the club prepares for its USL debut on April 1 in St. Louis. Part of the new era will see new leadership in the squad and on Thursday the club announced that midfielder Lance Rozeboom was appointed captain – the third in club history.
“Lance is a fantastic leader and he epitomizes everything we want from the captain of our club,” said Dalglish. “I know he can do the job because he was my captain in Austin. When I had conversations with my staff, the players and members of the organization his name kept coming up. He’s not just the captain I want, but who his teammates want.”
Rozeboom has previously worn the captain’s armband during the 2015 USL season in Austin as he captained the Aztex under Paul Dalglish. Rozeboom was the only player that year to start all 28 games and was voted MVP by his teammates.
In 2016 – during his first campaign with Fury FC – Rozeboom had a remarkable season leading the team in minutes played (2711) and was a leader in the midfield recording the highest pass completion percentage (87%). His versatility served the club well as he played in several positions when the team was struck with a rash of injuries. The Walker, Iowa native also won the 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award. |
By Ed Struzik for The Tyee.
While doing research for a book I was writing on wildfire, I posed two questions to a number of experts: “Do you think there will be another Fort McMurray-like fire in the future? If so, where do you think it will happen?”
Everyone agreed on the first question. Fort McMurray was not an anomaly. It will happen again, sooner rather than later, and likely with deadly consequences.
The responses to the second question varied. University of Alberta wildfire scientist Mike Flannigan had many First Nations communities, Prince George in British Columbia and Timmins in northern Ontario high on his list.
Cliff White, a former Parks Canada scientist and one of the architects of the agency’s wildfire management program, suggested that Sulphur Mountain in Banff could burn, endangering thousands of hikers and tourists.
Wildfire scientists Brian Stocks and Marty Alexander cast a broader net. They suggested that hundreds of communities are at risk.
Glenn McGillivray, the managing director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, offered the most surprising response. He had Victoria and Vancouver on his list. (If you think McGillvray is exaggerating, consider the fact he predicted in a blog that a fire would threaten Fort McMurray two years before it happened.)
As this year’s fire season in British Columbia has demonstrated, the experts I talked to were right in answering the first question. Time will tell whether they will be right in answering the second. But they will almost certainly be.
The province of B.C. declared a state of emergency on July 7, 2017 due to wildfires. Photo: Province of B.C.
Bigger, Hotter, Faster
The last decade has been the warmest continent-wide. Hotter weather dries the forest and produces more lightning. Lightning is responsible for most of the biggest wildfires that occur in Canada, although people cause more wildland fires than lightning strikes.
More people are living, working and recreating in the forest. There are more mature trees in the forest landscape as a result of decades of aggressive firefighting efforts. Tens of millions of these trees are dead or dying thanks to insects and disease that strike aging trees and the warming that is taking place.
It all adds up to fires burning bigger, hotter, faster and more often.
Everyone agrees that this will result in more evacuations, more homes and businesses being burned, more roads and recreation areas being closed, more smoke imperilling the health of people, especially the young, the elderly and those with respiratory problems. First Nations, which represent only four per cent of the population, will be hit especially hard. They are already affected by a third of the evacuations that take place in a given year.
Water quality will also suffer. The carbon that spills into the river systems can seriously compromise water treatment facilities, especially in places such as Victoria that do not filter water because the high quality water supply does not require them to do so.
Members of the RCMP search the wreckage of the Fort McMurray wildfire in 2016. Photo: RCMP
Fort Mac Sparked Little Change
Fort McMurray should have been the catalyst for changing the way we deal with wildfire. That blaze sent approximately 88,000 people fleeing their homes, offices, hospitals, schools, and seniors’ residences. By the time rains and cooler temperatures helped firefighters contain the fires, 2,800 homes and buildings were destroyed. Nearly 1.5 million acres burned. Insurance losses were expected to amount to $3.77 billion. The total cost of the fire, including financial, physical, and social factors, is likely to be $8.86 billion.
But has anyone in government been listening?
The government of Ontario has embarked on a policy that will allow some fires to burn themselves out so long as they don’t threaten people and commerce. This policy, which preceded Fort McMurray, will go a long way toward making forests there resilient.
But that’s just about it for the bold strategies that outgoing B.C. Premier Christy Clark and her provincial colleagues seemed to call for last year when they supported the idea of a national wildfire strategy. That’s gone nowhere.
The government of Alberta’s response so far to recommendations from an expert review panel that investigated the Fort McMurray fire has been muted at best. More money has been allotted to the FireSmart Program, which helps communities thin urban-edge forests, remove burnable fuel on the ground and around homes, and create defendable boundaries from which fires can be fought.
But it’s not nearly enough. And as Marty Alexander points out, a good chunk of the funding was given to Fort McMurray where the fires of 2016 have already removed most of the dangerous fuels from the ground.
Alberta has strengthened some wildfire protection laws but not those that matter most. The government has been reluctant to enforce existing laws (closing forests in times of extreme drought and heat) that minimize the chance of fires igniting. Alberta has promised to improve fire weather forecasting, but has offered few details.
Image of raging fire 16 kilometres south of Fort McMurray in 2016. Photo: CTV News Youtube screenshot
Instead of recognizing the dangers that lie ahead, the Alberta government has chosen to treat Fort McMurray as an “extreme event.” It’s not the only government that is guilty of doing this.
Lost in the collective memory of the politicians who rotate in and out of office are the so-called extreme wildfire events of the recent past which are not so rare anymore: Salmon Arm, B.C. and Virginia Hills, Alberta in 1998; the Chisholm and House River fires of 2001 and 2002 in Alberta; West Kelowna, Okanagan Mountain Park, Kootenay, Banff, Jasper, Crowsnest Pass in 2003; the Yukon in 2004; La Tuque in northern Quebec in 2010; Slave Lake and the Richardson fires in 2011; northern Quebec in 2013; the Northwest Territories in 2014; the 2015 fire season, which was the most intense fire season of the century in western North America.
As the current situation in B.C. is demonstrating once again, these extreme events are now the new normal. In Canada, wildfires that burned more than 200,000 hectares of forest happened only four times between 1970 and 1990. Since then they have done so 12 times.
The provinces are not totally at fault. The federal government has done little to support forest science. The Canadian Forest Service used to employ 2,400 people. It now employs about 700. Most of the service’s research money goes to the study of insect infestations that impact the timber industry. The total funding is justified given the nature of the problem and the value of the industry. But less than eight per cent goes to fire research.
“Given the relative importance of fire and insects in Canadian forests, how is this disparity possible?” asks Brian Stocks, who had a long career in the forest service.
People in and out of government kept telling me that the important thing about Fort McMurray was that no one died. They are right to an extent, but they are also wrong because loss of life is not necessarily the best way of measuring success. Fort McMurray was the worst natural disaster in Canadian history. It could have been much worse if so many things — wind, demographics (Fort Mac has relatively few elderly people), safety training (most everyone in the oil sands industry knows what to do in an emergency), quick and creative thinking, heroism and outright luck — hadn’t aligned in the manners they did.
Fort McMurray dodged a lot of bullets, as the town of Slave Lake did in 2011 when everyone had to evacuate at the last minute. Those in the line of fire in the future may not be so fortunate if the provinces and the federal government fail to come to grips with the mounting challenges.
The blueprint for the future was spelled out in 2005 when Brian Stocks and a veritable who’s who of wildfire experts were asked by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers to come up with a new wildlands fire strategy. Most of those recommendations have been ignored.
Ed Struzik’s book Firestorm, How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future is being published by Island Press in Washington, D.C and distributed in Canada by the University of British Columbia Press in October 2017.
Image: Canadian Armed Forces survey B.C. wildfires from the air. Photo: MCpl Gabrielle DesRochers, Canadian Forces Combat Camera via Flickr |
Even Wolf Blitzer Denounces Ted Cruz Birtherism (While Engaging In It)
RUSH: Listen to this real quick. This is Wolf Blitzer. This is CNN. This is after Ted Cruz’s announcement he’s running for president. He’s speaking with the national political correspondent for CNN, Peter Hamby, about Ted Cruz announcing his candidacy. And they discover here that there’s no real birther question, but they’re gonna talk about it anyway.
BLITZER: He was actually born in Canada. His mother is American. There’s no questions of birtherism or anything like that. He’s a natural born US citizen, even though he was born in Canada. But nobody’s raising that issue as they did, obviously, with President Obama.
HAMBY: No.
BLITZER: Even though he was born in Hawaii. He wasn’t born in Kenya.
HAMBY: Right and, you know, some on the left tried to raise questions about that saying, “A-ha there’s a double standard here with the Tea Party. He might not be a US citizen because he was born in Calgary.” He renounced the Canadian element of his citizenship I believe last year.
RUSH: So they start out by saying there’s nothing to see here, and they spend 32 seconds talking about it. This is exactly how they do it, folks. They’re gonna be very worried, they are very worried about Ted Cruz for a host of reasons. I don’t think right now — and I must be totally honest. I don’t think anybody in the Drive-By Media thinks Ted Cruz has a ghost of a chance of being elected president. But they’re not gonna take any chances.
They do believe he’s a second-tier candidate. They do believe that everybody sees him the way they see him. That he’s just a malcontent flamethrower who shut down the government and that everybody is gonna be driven to hate just as they drove everybody to hate Sarah Palin. I make that statement with a fair amount of confidence. But I know for a fact that they don’t think he is a real contender for the presidency. But because he articulates conservatism irrefutably, because he does it without a teleprompter, because he does it so well, in other words, they are going to try to destroy him.
If they ever do, if things change in their perception and if the Drive-Bys, along with the Democrat Party ever think, if they come around to the idea that he may actually get the nomination, you’re going to see all the stops pulled out, it’s going to be palpable fear, and they will do everything they can to convince as many people as possible that he is not qualified, that he is stupidWell, you know. You’ve seen the drill run.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Jim in Montgomery, Ohio. Greetings, sir. It’s great to have you with us. Hello.
CALLER: Rush, it’s a great honor to talk to you. I’ve listened to you many years. You’re a great guy, a great American, and like you, I love Ted Cruz. I think he’s one of the best we have. I’m passionate about him. When I heard his speech, hair stood up on my neck. But I’m really troubled because, as much as I love Ted, I love the Constitution first. What I’ve studied and learned in the last several years about the true meaning of natural-born citizens, as far as I can tell, Ted’s dad was not a citizen at the moment of Ted’s birth, and Ted was not born of two American citizen parents, and that means he is ineligible. And it really troubles me because I love this guy.
RUSH: Really?
CALLER: This would exclude Ted, but it’s a double-edged sword. It cuts both ways. If we would adhere to our Constitution, it would exclude the best we have, Ted Cruz, and that really troubles me. But you know what? That would have excluded Barack Hussein Obama because Barack Hussein Obama’s daddy was never an American citizen.
RUSH: Right. Didn’t matter, did it?
CALLER: When you go back and study this, it says you must be a natural-born citizen or —
RUSH: Right, right. Look, I’ll tell you what. I’m very happy you explained this to me. I’m gonna call Ted. I have his number now because I am a powerful, influential member of the media. I’m gonna call him and I’m gonna tell him, “You wasted your time, bud! You’re not qualified. You can’t run for president. I had a caller today tell me so.” And he’s gonna be say, “Really? Okay! Well, then, I’ll just keep making speeches, but I won’t run.”
Well, what is this? I mean, even Wolf Blitzer announced that there’s no birther issue here, even though they talked about it for 45 minutes. This is exactly what I was talking about just moments ago, folks, when I said we run the risk of taking out our own people with nitpicky perfection-type things. |
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Dear friends, allies, and supporters of No One Is Illegal-Toronto,
As we move into another year, it’s important to take a step back and look at everything we were able to accomplish in 2010. Our victories, our most inspiring moments, and our growing links of solidarity, which are at the heart of the work we do. We worked daily to build power in migrant communities, and we felt that power when we saw thousands of people take to the streets in the pouring rain to demand Status for All on May Day, and tens of thousands more marching against the G20.
But like every year, we also saw some of our closest friends and allies arrested, detained and deported because of Canada's racist immigration machinery. Many continue to struggle with issues of status, jail and unjust arrests. In the face of it all, we strengthen our resolve to continue to lay the foundations to build a Sanctuary City, and to continue to fight for justice for our communities.
So as we look back at 2010, we also look forward to 2011. We know what to expect from those in power in 2011: more cutbacks, more racist attacks on our communities, and more attempts to usher us into an age of austerity. But we plan to meet these challenges head on, and we hope that you will be standing right beside us all the way.
So take a minute to look back at 2010, and with a spirit of resistance, get ready for 2011.
In solidarity,
No One Is Illegal-Toronto
As a completely volunteer, unfunded migrant justice organization, we are always in need of more support, and stronger solidarity. Please think about supporting NOII-Toronto in whatever way you can: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/support
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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No One Is Illegal-Toronto in 2010
Struggling for justice for undocumented people and migrants
Fighting the forces that push people out of their homes globally
Opposing the colonization of Turtle Island
Some highlights from 2010 (detailed report follows):
** May Day 2010 **
2000 people, massive banners, street theatre, a rooftop concert
Video, Pics, News Coverage: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/453
** Anti-Violence Against Women Spaces Safer **
Immigration Enforcement barred from Anti-Violence Against Women Spaces in GTA
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/505
http://www.zcommunications.org/resisting-deportation-by-farrah-miranda
How we won!: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/sss
** G8/G20: No Fences! No Borders! **
June 25: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWaM0qQK-6U and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjFlIpGOylg
21-27 June: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/28/toronto_police_arrest_over_600_in
** Education Not Deportation **
Every public school in Toronto puts up posters welcoming undocumented students!
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/497
** End Temp Work! Permanent Status Now! **
Migrant Worker Vigils: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H21OfQQATNg
Supporting J4MW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsC1Bt-eSJg
** Stop Immigration Bill C-49 **
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/507
http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/johnbon/2010/11/photos-stop-immigrat...
** Daniel Garcia Deported **
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv3CoorKjes
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/status4daniel
>>> DETAILED REPORT: What did NOII-Toronto do in 2010? <<
In 2010 we continued to organize our work around three pillars: Status for All, Sanctuary City and Indigenous Sovereignty.
(1) Status for All: Immigration status is a promise, a promise of good food, shelter, healthcare, education, food, justice and dignity. And migrants across this country know this promise to be a lie. The fight for status for all is the fight for the realization of this promise through grassroots organizing. It means:
stopping deportations and ending detentions;
stopping unjust immigration policies;
ending exploitative and temporary migrant work;
fighting back against the environmental, economic and military forces that force people to move out of their homes in the first place;
creating a culture of resistance and building community power towards a global movement for justice, of which migrant justice is a part.
(2) Sanctuary City: The project of Sanctuary City is to push Immigration Enforcement out of Toronto so that people can access the safety, services and supports they need to live with dignity, and without fear of detention, deportation or harassment. We do this by organizing radical committees, sectors and collectives of people that fight to create autonomous decision making sites at the places they live, work, learn, and seek support services at. The City we wish to build is safe for all people, undocumented people, migrants, women, queer people, disabled people, indigenous people, the elderly, youth. Our current sub-campaigns are:
Education Not Deportation
Shelter | Sanctuary | Status
Food for All
We also closely work with Health for All, an autonomous health-focused migrant justice organization. The goal of all of this work is to create Access Without Fear for all migrants.
(3) Indigenous Sovereignty: For us, defending indigenous sovereignty happens in two ways. Responding to calls for solidarity as they emerge, and building an informed base of support for Indigenous Sovereignty, particularly in migrant communities. For this first goal, we supported numerous rallies, demonstrations, and calls to action. For the second, we integrate Indigenous Sovereignty into our popular education work in migrant communities, as we seek to build ties of solidarity that unite the fight against borders and colonial governments.
We understand ourselves to be part of a broader movement for justice and liberation. As such, what follows below is as much the story of No One Is Illegal-Toronto, as it is the story of many of those who fight for freedom in Toronto, and in other places.
>>>>>>>> 2010 <
Events and actions for each of our areas of work follows. But we begin first with the 5th Annual No One Is Illegal! May Day of Action for Status for All.
This annual demonstration is a coming together of every aspect of our work (and that of many others).
On May 1, 2010, we organized the first May Day of Action on May Day itself, honoring the memory of the immigrant workers that died in the Haymarket massacre, the immigrant rights demonstrations in the United States, and the struggles of undocumented and precarious status workers and people across Canada. With buses coming in from across the GTA, and from across Southern Ontario, and thousands proudly proclaiming Status for All!, it was a momentous step for the migrant justice movement.
For pictures, videos, and media coverage: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/453
For background information: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/MayDay
NOII Radio: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/42206
>>>>>>>> 2010 < STATUS FOR ALL: <
1) STOPPING DETENTIONS AND DEPORTATIONS
** Immigration Enforcement and Racial Profiling **
In early-May, we received confirmed reports of Immigration Enforcement carrying out random ID checks in the Bloor West area. We organized a postering and outreach blitz, quickly warning people about the immigration raids and giving out know-your-rights info on what to do in case of another incident. We did not take this decision lightly, knowing that it could lead to fear within undocumented communities that we work closely with. However, we had to take steps to warn people of the risk, and work with individuals and organizations to keep people safe. We remain convinced that it was the right decision, and that the real fear is caused by illegitimate Canadian governments which seek to deport people every day. In the coming months, the Immigration Legal Committee of No One Is Illegal will be working to produce more materials on what to do if CBSA/Immigration Enforcement comes knocking.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/464
NOII Radio: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/42883
** Release detained Tamil Migrants **
On August 21, we joined Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Victoria, Kitchener-Waterloo and unsurrendered Wet’suwet’en Territories in actions calling for the release of 492 Tamil Migrants that arrived over the MV Sun Sea. We dropped a 40 x 6 feet banner proclaiming 'Tamil Migrants Welcome'
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/477
On September 10, the Immigration Legal Committee released a statement arguing that 'Legal Rights of Tamil Migrants Are Under Threat'
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/479
On November 20th and 23rd, we organized mass-flyering actions calling for the release of the Tamil migrants that are still detained.
** Status for Leonardo Zuniga **
Leonardo Zuniga, a No One Is Illegal - Toronto organizer and prominent queer rights activist in Toronto won status for himself after five years of organizing in the city.
http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/39410
** Freedom and Status for Daniel Garcia **
Daniel Garcia, a migrant justice organizer from Parkdale, was arrested on 23 December.
On December 25, Christmas Day, over 50 people gathered in St. Casimir's Church.
On December 26, Boxing Day, a rally was held at Toronto's busiest intersection.
On December 29, nearly a hundred people emailed and hundreds called Immigration Enforcement demanding that his deportation be stopped.
In less than a week, over 1,700 people signed petitions. The story appeared in every major newspaper, TV news show and on various radio networks.
On December 31, a public rally of over a 150 people was held in Toronto with students, teachers, religious groups, and politicians among others calling for a stay and a temporary resident permit to be granted.
On January 1, Daniel Garcia was deported.
We continue: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/539
Dec. 31-Stop the Deportation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv3CoorKjes
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/status4daniel
2) STOPPING UNJUST IMMIGRATION POLICIES
** Bill C-11, the Balanced Refugee Reform Act **
In June, the Conservative government passed wide ranging changes to refugee laws, which allowed the government to designate certain countries as "safe". Applicants from countries deemed safe will face an expedited process with only 60 days to prepare their case and only 40 days to find and file evidence. Also, instead of a relatively impartial board member deciding claims, claims will be decided by a civil servant. Application forms recounting one's life conditions have been removed, replaced with an 'informational' interview conducted by a civil servant 10 days after they make their claim. The new rules also make it so that a person losing their refugee claim is ineligible for either a Temporary Resident Permit application or a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment Application until a year after they lose the claim - while enforcement will be mandated to remove them within this year.
The new rules also take out all questions of risk from the Humanitarian and Compassionate application. For years, immigrant rights groups have called for an establishment of a Refugee Appeal division, as one was created under the Liberals but never implemented. The carrot of such an Appeals division was used to convince many organizations to support Bill C11. While this appeal will be implemented, it will only be an on paper application void of any real appeal hearing, while other egregious portions of this Bill, including $500 million dollars in immigration enforcement have also been implemented.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/445
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/442
** Bill C-49, the Human Smuggling Bill **
In October the Tories introduced Bill C-49, the so-called Human Smuggling Bill, that aimed to jail refugee claimants, deny appeals, limit access to permanent residency and family reunification, and allow the government to deny status to migrants even after they have been found to be refugees. We organized mass flyering actions, postering, and online petitions, as well as working with community organizations to build opposition to the Bill, and to release statements condemning it. The opposition to this Bill has been so loud that all the Opposition parties have vowed to vote against it. Whether the law will pass in 2011 remains to be seen, but the opposition to the Bill has largely accepted that all manners in which people seek assistance to cross borders are flawed. In response, we released a statement in 'defence of human smuggling'. We are hosting a public event in 2011, encouraging the broader community to engage with these ideas.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/491
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/495
http://jewishopenletteragainstc49.blogspot.com
http://health4all.ca/node/19
http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/blog/maryam/5241
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/506
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/507
http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/48037
http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/47292
** Fighting Jason Kenney & Ongoing Immigration Changes **
On April 25, we released details of immigration changes that were being underreported in the media.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/445
A national day of action against Immigration Minister Jason Kenney was organized on July 24, 2010. We participated by organizing a "People vs. Kenney" soccer game, and a “where is Kenney?” action that criss-crossed Toronto.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty5ntADWBFg
[From 2009 Disrupting Kenney 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvJnhduU57Y
Disrupting Kenney 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5_TFmkDj1I]
3) ENDING EXPLOITATIVE AND TEMPORARY MIGRANT WORK
** Worker Deaths **
On December 24, 2009, Alexander Bondorev, Aleksey Blumberg, Fayzullo Fazilov and Vladimir Korostin, migrants without full immigration status, fell to their deaths while working without safety equipment in Rexdale.
On January 7, we issued a statement and organized a vigil for the four men. http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/397
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/391
NOII Radio: http://bit.ly/gC2VRJ
On September 10, two migrant farmworkers, Ralston White and Paul Roach, died while working at an apple farm in southern ontario. We released a statement condemning the deaths.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/397
On September 24, we supported a demonstration at the Ministry or Labour to demand an end to migrant worker deaths, and to demand dignity, justice and freedom for all migrant workers.
http://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/immigration/article/865184--i...
On October 13, 2010 charges were laid against the employers of the migrant workers that died on Christmas Eve. Along with Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW) and the Industrial Accidental Victim Groups of Ontario (IAVGO), we released a statement insisting that only Status for All can end these abuses.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/490
On November 4, we organized a public forum about how to make sure there are “No more Deaths” of migrant workers.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/492
On December 24, with J4MW and IAVGO we organized a vigil on the one year anniversary of the construction migrant worker deaths.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/521
Media: http://j4mw.tumblr.com/post/2460804897/media-about-the-vigil-yesterday
** Pilgrimage to Freedom **
No One Is Illegal-Toronto members proudly joined Justicia for Migrant Workers in a historic long march (50 km) to fight for status and an end to indentured labour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsC1Bt-eSJg
http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/45933
** Coalition for Change: Live in Caregivers and Temporary Foreign Workers **
Along with Justice for Migrant Workers, Caregiver Action Centre, Workers Action Centre and others, we are members of the Coalition for Change: Live in Caregivers and Temporary Foreign Workers. On March 22, the Coalition won Bill 210 from the Ontario government which bans the collection of recruitment fees for live-in caregivers and prohibits employer or recruiters in Ontario from taking possession of a live-in caregiver’s property, including documents such as passports. We are organizing in the Coalition to extend these protections to all migrant workers including agricultural workers and temporary foreign workers
http://www.workersactioncentre.org/campaigns_tempforeignworkers.html
4) FIGHTING DISPLACEMENT
Ensuring free movement of people means ensuring that war, economic inequity and environmental degradation do not force people to move. It's not possible to ensure a world free of borders in a world full of war, free trade and climate change.
** G8/G20 **
Many of our organizers were deeply involved in building the infrastructure, organizing logistics, coordinating media, legal defense, and street medics through the Toronto Community Mobilization Network
http://g20.torontomobilize.org
In February we released a Canada wide invitation to those that struggle for justice to join us in Toronto in opposition to the G8 and G20 meetings
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/468
On June 12, we organized a free community meal in St. Jamestown, on June 14, with allies, we organized a free community meal at PARC in Parkdale as well as other educationals and events across Southern Ontario.
On June 18, we organized a panel 'Capitalism, Colonialism, and Migration: No One Is Illegal!' at the 2010 People's Forum. Part of the panel can be viewed at
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A1BEA36D58B79A36
On June 22, we released a joint statement calling for No Borders! No Fences!
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/472
On June 24, we organized a Press Conference alongside Indigenous Land defenders:
http://bchannelnews.tv/?p=5690
On June 25, we organized, along with numerous allies, a march and a tent city of nearly 5,000 people calling for Justice for Our Communities
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWaM0qQK-6U and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjFlIpGOylg
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/news/tense-moments-as-p...
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2010/06/...
On June 26, one of our organizers with precarious status was arrested and detained for 12 days. Hussan continues his fight for freedom and status.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/486
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abKYgNDkUWU
On June 28, we helped organize a Jail Solidarity Rally against police brutality and repression.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgzQHnniwUk
On July 3, we released a joint, Canada-wide No One Is Illegal statement in solidarity with the anti-G20 resistance
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/473
** End Apartheid, War and Occupation **
On February 2, we sponsored a public forum on Relief, Occupations and the Haiti Crisis:Canada/US policy and the regional response with Justin Podur and Dan Freeman-Maloy.
On October 8, we supported an event 'No Bicentenary on Stolen Mapuche Territory' organized by The Women’s Coordinating Committee for a Free Wallmapu [Toronto].
On November 10, we co-organized with Students Against Israeli Apartheid (York) a public forum called 'Bring Them Down! Walls From Palestine to Turtle Island. From Physical to Invisible.'
On November 16, we co-organized with Students Against Israeli Apartheid (UofT) a public forum called 'The Politics of Space: Repression and Resistance on Campus'.
** Ensuring Environmental Justice **
On May 8 and 9, we endorsed and supported the Mining (In)Justice: At Home and Abroad Conference organized by Community Solidarity Response Toronto and others.
http://www.solidarityresponse.net/mining-injustice-conference
On December 4, we supported the People's Assembly on Climate Justice.
http://torontopeoplesassembly.wordpress.com/
On December 7, we supported “Shaking Up the Financial District”, a direct action demonstration in support of Via Campesina during the COP 16 – UN Cancun Climate Summit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOjR21J75fc
5) CULTURAL RESISTANCE & BUILDING COMMUNITY POWER
** Community Forums **
On January 20, continuing on a city-wide series of forums on the immigration system, almost 100 people participated in a “Community Night to Discuss Immigrant Rights”, co-organized with Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre, FCJ Refugee Centre, and The Stop Community Food Centre.
** the City is a Sweatshop 2010 **
On Feburary 15, we released a report showcasing how the city of Toronto is a sweatshop
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/428
From March 19-21, over 500 people participated in the City is a Sweatshop series of forums, panels, and cultural events, focusing on building the fight to dismantle this sweatshop city.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/422
** May Day Festival 2010 **
On May 1, over 200 people gathered for It Will Work!, Mayworks closing party in partnership with No One Is Illegal. Hosted by Deena Ladd of the Workers Action Centre, the line-up included Deidre DLishus Walton, MataDanZe, Mama D, LAL, Marinda and Solari, Red Slam Collective, Humble The Poet and Amai Kuda!
** Justice for Junior**
On Mother’s Day, May 9, we joined with hundreds of residents of Jane Finch in demending Justice for Junior Manon.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/463
** Resistance through Art**
In September, as part of Dis-Orientation at York and U of T, we organized a series of art and design workshops as a space to learn hands-on about the history of anti-capitalist, anti-colonial struggle for migrant justice in Toronto.
** NOII at Take Back the Night**
On October 22, we organized a loud and proud migrant justice contingent in the annual Take Back the Night march, together with members of the Shelter | Sanctuary | Status campaign.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/489
** Welcoming Rob Ford**
On December 1, together with our friends at OCAP and many other grassroots community groups, we co-organized a demonstration to let Toronto’s new mayor know that we are not going to accept his anti-poor, anti-immigrant, and anti-people agenda.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/502
NOII Radio: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/47794 (Rob Ford Counter-inauguration)
** Solidarity with Grassroots Struggles**
Over the course of 2010, we supported numerous demonstrations, events, pickets, delegations and campaigns with the aim of fighting for justice in Toronto. These include marching with OCAP to Raise the Rates, supporting the South Asian Women’s Rights Organization in it’s fight for access to childcare, joining Jane/Finch Action Against Poverty in the fight for access to healthy food, marching against pink-washing as part of Pride, supporting individual struggles against extradition, rallying alongside thousands in this city demanding an end to police brutality, and many others.
NOII Radio: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/40817 (Migrant Women Organizing for Childcare)
NOII Radio: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/43895 (Queers Against Israeli Apartheid and the Pink Washing of Pride)
NOII Radio: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/40215 (Gary Freeman's Ongoing Struggle for Freedom)
NOII Radio: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/44215 (Neoliberal Dress Rehearsals: Fighting Austerity)
>>>>>>>> 2010 < SANCTUARY CITY: <
1) EDUCATION NOT DEPORTATION
On January 7, with support from teachers and students at Harbord Collegiate, we organized a student assembly and documentary screening.
http://ryersonfreepress.ca/site/archives/1726
In September, the Toronto District School Board, posted a full color poster in every public school in Toronto stating “All children living in our community, including those without immigration status in Canada, are entitled to admission to our schools”.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/497
2) SHELTER | SANCTUARY | STATUS
On March 6th, we joined the International Women's Day demonstration while making a declaration, asserting that all undocumented women be able to access supports and services across the GTA without fear, inviting all anti-violence against women agencies and allies to sign on.
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/432
On March 8th, we organized an Emergency Public Meeting after repeated reports of Immigration Enforcement attempting to arrest undocumented women at anti-violence against women shelters and service centres.
The Star: http://bit.ly/deP13Z
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/435
On April 16th, we took a women's delegation to the headquarters of the GTA area Immigration Enforcement (GTEC) to demand they issue a directive to all CBSA officers to stay away from spaces that provide services and supports to women and trans survivors of violence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L80CRtWEd5I
On November 25, we announced our victory - that Immigration Enforcement was forced to pass an official policy that barred immigration officers from entering any anti-violence against women space or service centre in the GTA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT0I6YOofI8
3) FOOD FOR ALL
Launched in October 2009, Food For All has made connections with front-line staff at various food banks across this city. We have engaged staff there to think about the systemic issues that act as a deterrent for people without status from accessing their services. Be it the requirement of government issued IDs or proof of income documents, each creates an invisible wall that makes access extremely difficult. Collaborating with progressive activist food banks such The Stop and staff at other agencies, we came up with recommendations and alternatives that work towards making access easier, and immigration status irrelevant.
In May of 2010, we held a Dont Ask Dont Tell/ Access Without Fear workshop attended by more than 50 food bank workers at Daily Bread's annual food bank forum.
4) HEALTH FOR ALL
Health for All is an allied, autonomous organization, that shares the goal of Access Without Fear for migrants in this city.
On March 4, Health for All organized a panel, Fixing a Broken Healthcare System for Immigrants and Refugees.
On March 23, Health for All, organized a press conference with Nell Touissant, 'The Right to Healthcare on Trial'
On May 1, Health for All, organized a public theater action at the No One Is Illegal! May Day of Action for Status for All.
On June 19 and 20, Health for All conducted two workshops 'Creating Health For All - From the Ground Up' and 'Emancipatory Healthcare: Local Resistance to Global Neoliberalism'.
On September 29, Health for All organized a forum 'Cutting Deeper: The Age of Austerity and Implications for Health'.
On December 22, Health for All and No One Is Illegal - Toronto took a delegation to a local health agency, and along with support from Nell's physician were able to get her access to basic health services.
>>>>>>>> 2010 < DEFENDING INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGNTY <
Over the course of the year, we did over 70 workshops and presentations in high schools, community centres, apartment buildings and many other locations highlighting the colonial policies of the Canadian government, and building an informed base of support for Indigenous Sovereignty.
On 14 February we supported the 5th Annual Rally for Our Missing Sisters organized by No More Silence.
On April 6 and 7, we supported a panel and creative demonstration to 'Take Action with Grassy Narrows Asubpeeschoseewagong Anishinabek'
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=25A16E77532EF798
On November 2, we endorsed a forum 'Stop Canada's cultural genocide at Barriere Lake'
On December 13, our organizers traveled to Ottawa as Algonquins of Barriere Lake said No to Section 74 in Ottawa
http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.org/2010/12/algonquins-of-barriere-lak...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmrD6NOsKk4 |
The end of the Infinite Warfare season was signaled bytrophy at the Amway Center, confirming their position as the greatest Call of Duty team of all time. Whilst they were celebrating, rival professional players immediately got to work trying to work out how to beat the reigning champions when everything returned to boots on the ground. This resulted in a huge roster shuffle with only five teams of the thirty-two in attendance sticking together.
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Team EnVyUs
In the aftermath, we saw the creation of the new Evil Geniuses lineup featuring the likes of Patrick 'Aches' Price and Ian 'Enable' Wyatt, Rise Nation announced they'd dropped Brice 'Faccento' Faccento in favor of Tommy 'TJHaly' Haly and finally, Splyce swapped Trei 'Zer0' Morris for Tom 'Tommey' Trewren. We also saw lineups confirmed for Red Reserve, Enigma6, Infused and eRa Eternity. Despite all these changes, we've not heard a peep from some of the biggest names in the Call of Duty scene, but we have heard rumors.
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Luminosity Gaming
After dropping the trio of Bryan 'Apathy' Zhelyazkov, John 'J0hn' Perez and Jordan 'JKap' Kaplan, we've yet to hear officially what's happening with EnVy's squad for WWII. Austin 'Slasher' Liddicoat is expected to maintain his position as team captain, with Nicholas 'Classic' DiCostanzo joining from the old Luminosity Gaming team. The plan looks to be to bring onboard young talent Donny 'Temp' Laroda, formerly of Str8 Rippin, and finally cap the team off with Halo pro player Cuyler 'Huke' Garland. So if the squad is all but confirmed, why haven't Team EnVyUs made an announcement? The logical explanation is that due to the Halo competition at Dreamhack Denver, EnVy is waiting until Huke plays his final game with his squad before transitioning back to Call of Duty.
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FaZe Clan
With the reported departure of Classic to Team EnVyUs and Renato 'Saints' Forza to Echo Fox (see below), that left two spaces to fill alongside Josiah 'Slacked' Berry and Sam 'Octane' Larew. The reports have said from the beginning that EnVyUs players JKap and John will be filling the slot, but so far we've not heard any kind of official announcement. One theory making the rounds was that the team hadn't decided if they wanted to play for LG, and had been looking for offers elsewhere, but they look to set to stay put after John retweeted a Luminosity Scuf controller design. An announcement is expected, but for LG fans, still worryingly overdue.
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Echo Fox
The FaZe Clan Call of Duty team that formed during Advanced Warfare under James 'Clayster' Eubanks finally came to an end during the Infinite Warfare season, when a hasty trade saw Peirce 'Gunless' Hillman transfer from eUnited. With Enable off to play for Evil Geniuses, it left Gunless with Tommy 'ZooMaa' Paparratto and Dillon 'Attach' Price. It's believed three will become two as Gunless is also reportedly off to Echo Fox (see below), with former coach and AW world champion Chris 'Replays' Crowder making a comeback and up and coming player Preston 'Priest' Griener completing the team. No official announcement has been made by FaZe Clan or the players yet, but it's merely a matter of time.
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The final team in this article is the rumored lineup that is expected to represent Echo Fox heading into the new season. The players have all been dropped from their previous lineups, making this something of a best of the rest kind of team. As mentioned above we see Saints from Luminosity and Gunless from FaZe, Faccento joins after being released from Rise and Adam 'Assault' Garcia completes the team after Cloud9 disbanded. Of the four teams in the list, this is the roster that is the least talked about, but it has been said that they've signed for Echo Fox, owned by NBA legend, Rick Fox. EF has been involved with Call of Duty since Black Ops III, but they've struggled to find players who can challenge for titles. Could this roster change that? |
When confusion and misinformation get together in the dark, paranoia is born. Fears of war, violence, and oppression fester and grow in the minds of the populace pushing everything but a misguided assurance of certain doom into the shadows. Out of this cramped and huddled mindset we get the bastardized half-brother of critical thinking: conspiracy theories.
Claiming that World War III is just over the horizon is as crazy as it gets, but the state of the world is showing some eerie similarities to the pre–World War II global picture. And history is a creature of habit.
10 An Unexpected Invasion
On February 27, 2014, Russian soldiers strapped on their marching boots and took over several airports in Crimea. As this is being written, roughly 6,000 Russian troops are moving across the Crimean peninsula and forcibly taking operational control of military bases, communications centers, and government buildings.
This is an invasion that has been a long time in the making, and it’s certainly not the first time Russia has made power plays in the Ukraine. Ever since 1783, Ukraine and Russia (for a time the Soviet Union) have played hot potato with Crimea, leaving a bubbling brew of split nationalism struggling to coexist on the little peninsula.
But the arrival of Russian troops is just the most recent step in a tumultuous few weeks for Ukraine. The country has seen its Russia-sympathizing president, Viktor Yanukovych, become a fugitive, a Russian citizen become the Crimean city of Sevastopol’s mayor, and an emergency meeting of Crimea’s parliament elect Sergey Aksyonov as the new Prime Minister of Crimea—at gunpoint. Aksyonov has declared that he will follow orders from the ousted Yanukovych, who is currently seeking refuge in Russia. The country’s politics are in tatters.
9 The Ukrainian Conflict Is Reaching A Boiling Point
Ukrainian nationalists are calling Putin’s invasion an act of war; Russians in Ukraine are calling it an act of salvation. Riots are flaring up all across the country as the two dominant political forces come to a head. This video shows two men being beaten by a pro-Russian mob in Kharkiv, the USSR’s Bolshevik-run capital leading up to World War II—and that’s where Putin’s army looks headed next.
You can get a pretty clear view of the political alliances of Ukraine with the above map, which shows the results of the 2010 election. Blue represents areas that supported Viktor Yanukovych, so you can consider those regions comparatively pro-Russian. The purple areas voted for an opposing candidate, Yulia Tymoshenko. The darker the color, the stronger the support. Kharkiv and Donetsk are firmly in the blue, and represent two major Ukrainian cities with a strong industrial infrastructure—and both are historically Russian.
This is a group of very assertive, very nationalistic people at arms over the one issue that holds paramount importance: heritage. And historically, gray areas are reserved for the losers; it’s the inflexible, dyed-in-the-wool believers in a cause who triumph in a conflict. Russia sees this as good news, picturing much support from the country they’re invading. As one Ukrainian bitterly put it, “No one asked us. We are like puppets for them. We have one Tsar and one god—Putin.”
8 Russia’s License For Aggression
Though the UN, NATO, and the US have all gone on high alert, the Crimean invasion isn’t an act of aggression against the whole world. It’s a move to make parts of Ukraine decisively Russian, both culturally and politically. Obama initially warned that there would be “costs” to this invasion, but he won’t back it up—he can’t, not without a game of nuclear Russian roulette, which nobody wants.
The problem isn’t that America and the UN will start tossing bombs into Russia; the problem is that Putin knows they won’t. This is a man who once said that the fall of the Soviet Union was the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century,” a viewpoint which harkens to the days of Stalin’s Great Purge and Khrushchev’s missile diplomacy with Cuba.
And Putin’s already on round two. In 2008, when Putin was still Prime Minister, Russia and Georgia entered a five-day conflict that culminated in Russian bombs falling on the Georgian capital. Humanitarian groups around the world cried out, governments issued strict warnings for Russia to fall back, and nobody lifted an actual finger to stop it. At the end of it all, Russia calmly strolled back home and declared that Georgia had been “sufficiently punished.” Each time this happens, Russia becomes more assured that the warnings of the rest of the world are just that—words, empty and hollow.
The situation in Ukraine may not be a match that’s going to ignite the fires of World War III, but it’s a nod to a superpower that they have a free license to do what they want. And if you give a mouse a cookie . . .
7 The Senkaku Island Dispute
Russia’s not the only country setting the stage for World War III. As is the case with most important things, World War II didn’t suddenly flash into existence; it edged its way into the world consciousness one little bit at a time, like a slowly rusting bicycle, until war was officially declared. While it’s easy to put the conflict into the simplest terms, a lot of factors combined to make up what we now view as one war.
The years leading up to the war held a lot of indicators that, in hindsight, revealed aggressive countries testing the waters of what they could get away with. Japan, Italy, and Germany were all involved in minor conflicts that the League of Nations couldn’t stop, such as Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 and Japan’s chemical-infused invasion of China in 1937.
These days, China is reversing the balance by threatening an invasion of its own. The territory in question is a group of rocks known as the Senkaku islands, which are located in the East China Sea. The problem, of course, is that both China and Japan feel that the islands belong to them, and whoever controls the islands also controls shipping lanes, fishing waters, and a potential oil field.
6 A Third Sino-Japanese War In The Making
China hasn’t been the nicest neighbor recently. In November 2013, China startled the world by announcing a newly configured air defense zone in the East China Sea—a zone that they and they alone would control, to the point of shooting down aircraft that wandered into it. But, in addition to Japan, other regions originally had claim to that airspace, including Taiwan and South Korea.
Whether or not China was planning an invasion at that point, the Senkaku islands fall inside their “newly acquired” airspace, and now they’re threatening to forcefully move Japan out of the area. Tensions have been building in the Pacific Rim for a while now, and if military action puts too much pressure on the skeleton of their current political disputes, bones could break.
And unlike the first two Sino-Japanese wars, this conflict could involve other countries in the region. South Korea quietly expanded their own airspace in December 2013, pushing back into territory that China had already claimed. Combined with both China and Japan aggressively rearming themselves in recent years, this territorial dispute has the potential to explode.
5 America Is Legally Bound To Protect South Pacific Countries
A war only becomes a World War when the US gets involved. Unlike their official policy of stern warnings and disapproving looks in response to Russia, the White House has publicly and unwaveringly declared that it will back Japan against any acts of aggression by China.
With about 50 percent of its Naval force stationed in the Pacific, the US will also be in a position to help the Philippines if China continues pressing to the south. They’re yet another country that has been affected by the airspace changes, and the US is legally bound to protect the Philippines based on the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.
This treaty doesn’t even require anything as outright as a full-scale land invasion. The Philippines owns disputed islands within China’s new airspace in the South China Sea (much like Japan claims to own the Senkaku islands). If China makes a move on any of those, the US Navy has to retaliate on their behalf, or they’ll break the conditions of the treaty.
4 Unlikely Alliances
But beneath it all, what do China’s problems and Russia’s problems have to do with each other?
Although they initially ended up on opposite sides of the conflict, Germany and the USSR went into World War II with a non-aggression pact, which lasted two years until Hitler ripped it up and sent Nazis onto Soviet ice.
With perhaps some similarities to that historic pact, China and Ukraine signed a nuclear security pact in December 2013. The conditions: China won’t use any nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and if Ukraine is ever attacked by a nuclear force—or “threatened by such aggression“—China will provide Ukraine with security guarantees.
Why would China want to create such a pact with a country 5,800 kilometers (3,600 mi) away? And more importantly, with which government is China going to honor the pact? The past two months have seen a see-saw of political parties in control of Ukraine, but it’s likely that China’s involvement will be dependent on Yanukovych’s politics, which are decidedly pro-Russian. He’s the one who signed the pact. China says its relationship with Russia is warmer than ever, with China’s People Daily describing it as “one of the most active power relationships [in the world].”
It’s been speculated that Russia is hoping to draw a Western attack onto Ukraine, so that China’s entry to back Ukraine will cement the alliance between China and Russia. That idea reeks of conspiracy theory. But with Russia’s recent agreement to supply $270 billion in oil supplies to China, and with the majority of Russia’s pipelines running through Ukraine, China would want to protect its own interests. Either way, the enemy of an enemy is always a friend, and US-Russian relations are on very shaky ground.
Could it actually happen? Find out in World War 3: 2014 at Amazon.com!
3 Iran Is Itching For War
While tension rises on the Eastern European front and Southeast Asia is mired in an explosive territorial dispute, rumors of war are also being whispered in the Middle East—specifically, Iran. But is Iran any real threat? Depending on the spin, it’s easy to think so.
In January 2014, Iran dispatched a fleet of ships toward US national waters. The Senate has decided that unless military action is taken, Iran’s nuclear development will continue unchecked. And on February 12, 2014, Iran’s military chief answered that claim by declaring the country’s willingness to go toe-to-toe with American forces, on land or at sea.
It sounds like a crisis in the making, but it’s not as bad as it seems. Those “warships” were a rusty frigate and a supply boat, the White House in no way backs the Senate’s bill, and while Iranian general Hassan Firouzabadi did threaten the US and the “Zionist regime” (Israel), it’s worth remembering that they’ve done so plenty of times in the past.
Another point of contention is Iran’s military force. Including paramilitaries, Iran states that they have 13.6 million people who can pick up a weapon at a moment’s notice. While that number is probably exaggerated, it doesn’t matter much anyway—World War III, if it happens, will be mostly an aerial war dependent more on long-range technologies than close-quarters combat. And that, surprisingly, is an example of why not to count Iran out of the picture. They have an air force of 30,000 men with several hundred aircraft, along with cruise missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 mi). That’s plenty of range to hit US bases in the Gulf.
But most importantly, continued attention on Iran, Syria, and other Middle Eastern countries is spreading the West’s foreign resources a little too thin, especially now that Russia won’t be any help in that region.
2 North Korea Is A Wild Card
North Korea tends to get relegated to the back row in discussions on world powers. They’re potentially dangerous, sure, but it’s a short-range type of danger, similar to the way you can still skip away from a mugger with a knife. But turn your back for too long, and that mugger can sneak up and give you some scars.
North Korea is still firing missiles in South Korea’s direction for no good reason. The most recent launch was March 2, 2014; they fired more the week before that. With a range of about 500 kilometers (300 mi), the missiles won’t reach far—just to, say, Japan. Or China. Or South Korea, or Russia. And since they’re nestled right in the center of three of the biggest threats to peace at this time, they could—purposely or not—stir up something bigger than themselves, like dropping a starved weasel into a den of sleeping bears.
Most frightening of all, North Korea is building a nuclear arsenal. It’s unlikely that they’ll ever lead with a nuclear attack, but if there’s enough chaos going on around them, it’s not impossible that they’ll try to slip one into the mix.
1 A Global Recession
World War I and World War II were very different from each other, but they had one striking similarity. Prior to each war, economic recessions hit several of the countries involved. World War II famously brought most of the world’s economies back from the Great Depression, and World War I helped the US recover from a two-year recession that had already slowed trade by 20 percent. Correlation doesn’t imply causation, but it’s worth noting which economies recovered earlier than others, which may have had a huge impact on the way things turned out.
By 1933, Japan had taken moves to devalue its currency, which led to increased exports and a resulting growth in their economy. They pumped the extra money into weapons and munitions, which gave them a decided military advantage in the years leading up to the war. Germany, on the other hand, entirely crashed, which made the Nazi and Communist parties take similar steps and earn overwhelming support among the populace.
We’re seeing some similarities today. While analysts are predicting yet another economic meltdown for Western countries, countries like Iran and Russia are looking to band together to boost their economies. Among other effects, that could lead to a second unit on Iran’s nuclear plant; Germany’s massive internal spending in the 1930s pulled it out of the Depression faster than America or the rest of Europe. And the global recession hit Russia less than much of the rest of the world, due in part to its exports of a quarter of the natural gas used by the entire European continent
And then there’s China. The US government is close to $17 trillion in debt, and China owns seven percent of that, or about $1.19 trillion. China recently flew past Japan to become the world’s second largest economy, and if it keeps growing at this rate, its GDP is going to match America’s in about eight years. The risk is if China decides to dump the US debt. China would take a financial loss, but it could be a crippling blow to the US economy—and much of the world, since the US dollar is held in reserve by most foreign governments.
If China and the US do come to blows over the South China Sea, the US could eradicate the debt and pump the extra revenue into military spending—the exact same monetary flow that happened in World War II, only this time the guns are bigger.
But don’t worry, it won’t happen. Probably.
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What's up, KFC? First you give us the Double Down and now you're Dublin Up? Indeed, the product planners at KFC China have come up with something unique: “Taste of Ireland” chicken!
The late Colonel Harlan Sanders could hardly have imagined that it would come to this. Thirty years after he sold his rights and interests in the company that still features his grizzled visage for its figurehead, KFC is doing a roaring business with close to 4,000 stores in mainland China.
The marketing team at KFC China has built their success upon the ability to cater to local tastes... yet what could be LESS local than the tastes of Ireland?
The recipe for KFC China's “Taste of Ireland” (available for a limited time) looks to be different than the classic crispy batter infused with 7 herbs & spices.
It's not even fried, instead being roasted with the skin on while being basted in either Bailey's Irish Cream or a homegrown concoction of Irish whiskey and cream.
Watch this TV commercial for KFC China's new “Taste of Ireland,” featuring an uncredited but impressed Western dude who looks more Orange County than County Kerry:
One wonders what actual Irish folks think about KFC China's curious interpretation of their traditional cuisine. My guess is they'll be less than impressed – after all, whiskey belongs in a glass, not on a chicken. (via ChinaSMACK) |
America’s favorite sex move is officially romance, according to a study of sexual behaviors published in PLOS One. Researchers found that couples—both men and women!—spurned watching pornographic movies for romantic ones, and preferred kissing during sex and whispering sweet nothings to BDSM and rough sex.
“We imagined that large proportions of Americans have engaged in a range of sexual exploration, and indeed they have,” study coauthor Debby Herbenick of Indiana University told Fatherly. Despite engaging in sexual exploration, however, it seems the vintage moves (and Marvin Gaye songs) never go out of style.
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Although Alfred Kinsey first published an investigation into sexual diversity in 1948, sexual behaviors were (and are) taboo, and getting people to fill out surveys about their sexual habits is never easy. The first nationally representative survey of U.S. sexual behavior was conducted by The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS) in 1991, which was a good start but full of limitations. The National Surveys of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), published in 2010, filled some of those gaps. But as whole, the American study of sex remained woefully vanilla compared to international studies, such as the 2014 Australian Survey of Health and Relationships, which dared to ask respondents whether they enjoyed fisting, rimming, and group sex.
But then 50 Shades of Grey happened, and BDSM became the sort of thing you could read about in public without raising too many eyebrows. This made Herbenick and her colleagues wonder if Americans were more sexually adventurous than prior surveys had suggested. So they set out to update the literature.
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They administered a cross-sectional, internet-based, nationally-representative survey to 2,021 adults (975 men, 1,046 women) about half of whom were married. Respondents rated more than 50 sexual behaviors as “very appealing”, “somewhat appealing”, “not appealing”, or “not at all appealing”. Then they were asked about their sexual behaviors in the past month, versus their sexual behaviors in their lifetime. Results reveal that 86.4 percent of people (86.0 percent men, 86.8 percent women) found kissing during sex either very or somewhat appealing; 81.9 percent said saying sweet and romantic things during sex was very or somewhat appealing (79.4 percent men, 82.3 percent women); 81.7 percent of respondents (87.8 percent men, 86.5 percent women) enjoyed gentle sex; 87.8 percent (86.2 percent men, 89.2 percent women) want to cuddle more, and 79.3 percent (78.7 percent men, 79.9 percent women) said the same for giving and receiving massages before sex.
Likewise, setting the mood of the bedroom was considered “very or somewhat appealing” by 77.1 percent of people (75 percent men, 80 percent women), and many preferred to ditch the bedroom altogether—79.9 percent (82.9 percent men, 77.2 percent women) said they preferred hotel sex while 77.4 percent (79.7 percent men, 75.4 percent women) said they liked getting it on in other parts of the house. And fun fact, men and women are equally into reading erotic stories—see? 50 Shades is for everyone—at a solid 57 percent for both sexes.
The results may imply that Americans are far less freaky than Herbenick and her team expected. At the same time, however, researchers did note significant variation between recent sexual behaviors and lifetime sexual behaviors. For instance, 45.4 percent of men 42.9 percent of women reported having sex in public at some point in their lives, but only 6 percent of men and 4.7 percent of women said they did so the past year (and fewer than half said they found it “very appealing”). In other words, Americans seem to experiment just as wildly as everyone else in the world—but then land somewhere less XXX and more PG-13.
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Of course, the biggest limitation of the survey is that people hate self-reporting their kinky behaviors, even when the survey is anonymous. And although the researchers collected demographic data, they didn’t analyze the sexual behaviors in that context, so it’s hard to identify racial, economic, or marital-status-related trends. “We didn’t examine the behaviors by relationship, marital status, or parent status,” Herbenick says. But she suspects that will be forthcoming. “We have much more data that we look forward to publishing in future papers.”
Until then, both men and women can rest assured that classic moves will usually do the trick. Still, Herbenick maintains that the real secret to finding the right balance between kinky and romantic is better communication with your partner. “Opening up with your partner about what you’re interested in, what turns you on, and what you’d like to try can be challenging at first but often gets easier and more comfortable with practice,” she says. |
Canadian football is a game built on stars. Those guys you see on all the flashy television game promos and on billboards around your town, they’re how teams hope to get you to games. We connect with stars because we want something to cheer for or against. With so much player movement in the CFL off-season we want someone consistent and known to us.
The Edmonton Eskimos built a core of those stars over the last couple of seasons that any fan would be right to welcome onto their teams roster tomorrow. The smooth talking, big play receiver in Adarius Bowman. The elusive and explosive Derel Walker who played a perfect Robin to Bowman’s batman in 2016 and the 9-5 lunch pail linebacker who you could set your watch to in J.C. Sherritt.
On Saturday night on the road in Vancouver the Eskimos displayed the ever important ability to evolve. A capability which just might make them a contender in the West Division.
Derel Walker left for the NFL this off-season. Duke Williams had four catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.
J.C. Sherrit went down early with a season ending achilles injury. Korey Jones stepped in and played admirably with six tackles.
Adarius Bowman was held to two catches for 13 yards. Brandon Zylstra exploded into 2017 by leading the CFL in receiving yardage with 152 in Week 1.
Hell, even Cory Greenwood the prized free agent linebacker who went down early in camp wasn’t in uniform which apparently just opened the door for Adam Konar to make seven tackles on defence, two on special teams and pick up a quarterback sack for good measure.
If you would have told me a month ago the Eskimos would have two backup linebackers playing, Derel Walker nowhere to be seen and Adarius Bowman had as many catches as John White and only two more receiving yards than Calvin McCarty I would have predicted Edmonton took a beating. Especially with the knowledge they were playing a revamped BC Lions squad with a talented young quarterback in Jonathon Jennings ready to take the next step in his development.
That didn’t happen.
The Eskimos evolved, they kept their cool which seems to be a Jason Maas team quality and found ways to be successful.
The Eskimos offence led the CFL during Week 1 in terms of run/pass play calling balance with 39 per cent of their play selection being of the ground and pound variety and most important of all, they didn’t ask Mike Reilly to be Superman.
Now let’s get one thing straight, Mike Reilly can be a super hero any day of the week, he’s that good, but nothing signals desperation more than a team seeing what they used to rely on leave or be nullified by a defensive game plan and respond by putting it all on the quarterback.
The Eskimos avoided that cliche mistake Saturday and I think it got them a win.
Reilly would finish with just twenty completions. Yet another stat that would suggest the Eskimos probably lost the game and scored under ten points, but that wasn’t true. It was a managed game plan by a veteran quarterback and a savvy coaching staff who clearly had a plan to grind the clock, be balanced and find creative ways to get everyone, not just Bowman, the ball.
If Edmonton can harness Saturday night’s performance as their mentality moving forward they could be a difference maker in the West again this season. Lost in the excitement and shuffle of having football back is just how important winning on the road against a playoff team like the BC Lions could be down the road for seeding and home field.
We have a long way to go until we get into that discussion and throughout the season Edmonton will inevitably face periods of instability at a variety of positions.
For now, all that matters to the Eskimos is the quiet confidence of two men charged as leaders of the Green and Gold on game day, Mike Reilly and Jason Maas. |
What is Detailing?
Part One - Washing
Detailing is more than just a term used to describe a niche in the car wash industry. It's much more than just a term used to describe cleaning cars. Detailing is a mindset. A lifestyle. An industry of people who are so neurotic, so obsessed with perfection, that they spend their entire lives to perfecting perfection.
If you've become so obsessed with your vehicle, your spouse or partner has become jealous or concerned that you are genuinely cheating on him or her with it, you might be a detailer. You then might find yourself asking these questions.
What are the steps of detailing? What is the difference between detailers? How do I become a detailer?
Let's start slow and just introduce the basics steps of detailing for those who are not already aware.
Step One - Washing
No, this doesn't mean Dawn and a cheap bucket that's been sitting in the garage full of your mothers gardening tools. Step one is the foundation of the entire process to follow. Washing is crucial to ensure a clean and sterile operating surface. You wouldn't want your doctor cutting you open when you're covered in dirt. Just as you wouldn't want your detailer polishing your paint full of dirt, road salt, and grime (did I say they're neurotic yet?).
The washing process always includes a minimum of two buckets. To professionals and well educated DIY-ers, this is called the two bucket method (TBM or 2BM). We like to keep things simple, no need for fancy names. The concept itself is also super simple and actually makes a lot of steps. To perform a proper wash you need:
2 buckets since you know, it's the 2 bucket method
2 grit guards, you can find grit guards for cheap here
A clean wash sponge like like Meguiar's Wash Mitt
Your quality soap of choice (one that's actually designed for automotive use)
This delicate process of washing is part of what differentiates detailers from car washers or automated car washes. Cleaning is one thing, but cleaning and minimizing damage is another. A professional detailer's job is to remove all of the dirt, grime, brake dust, bird droppings, and whatever else may have found its way onto your car. But doing all of this, without causing any further damage. That damage is what we call 'swirling' or 'marring'.
What are swirls?
Swirls are not actually round. They are round because of the way lights reflect the scratches back to your eyes. They are scratches that go in all different directions. Swirls can be caused from poor washing methods, wiping down your car, etc. Clear coat is succeptable to scratching fairly easily. Any touching without proper lubrication will cause swirling. Not just excessive rubbing, but any contact at all. This is why many professionals call car washes "swirl-o-matics." Detailer's minimize the chance of swirling through proper wash techniques that take time to master and a mild case of OCD to stick to.
As you can see, the auto detailing industry is full of terms, techniques, and knowledge. Professional detailer's obsessive with furthering education and learning more about detailing. This is what makes them professionals in their industry. And this entire article covers about .5% of the basics. For the next article, I'll begin to touch further into the stages and steps of detailing. That will be followed by what differentiates detailers and lastly I will cover the topic of become a professional detailer.
Have questions? Comments or something you'd like to add to the discussion? Post below! |
(I’m still looking for a new position. Please check out my resume and contact me if you’re looking for a great Perl developer.)
Perhaps I should title this entry “Building a Slightly Less Horrible Form Library.” When I mentioned form processing in the Moose IRC channel recently, mst said “form modules are … satan”. That sounds about right.
I’ve looked at a number of form libraries over the years. Recently I started using HTML::FormHandler (HFH) in an application I’m working on, but eventually I realized it just didn’t work for me.
I think there are a few fundamental problems with all the form libraries I’ve looked at. First, they’re not really sure what a form is. It’s a set of user input widgets, it’s a set of validations and data types associated with names, it’s a thing that can introspect your database, it’s a thing that can update your database. That’s a lot of things to be!
This is actually two separate problems. First, the form library is trying to solve every form-related problem possible, from rendering to validation to acting on the form input. But the real problem is that it tries to do this all in one class!
There’s nothing wrong with trying to solve a lot of problems, but this is best done by building a set of cooperating classes. I think the DateTime ecosystem, for all of its faults (faults I’m mostly responsible for) really gets this right. The core DateTime library is all about representing and manipulating a single date/time. If you want parsing, special formats, sets, incomplete date/times, holidays, and more, then you can have it, but all of those features come from additional packages.
This “ecosystem” approach forces us to create real APIs and think about how different libraries can play nice together. It also helps us provided consistency across similar libraries. For example, all of the DateTime parsing libraries have basically the same core API, as do event libraries, alternate calendars, etc.
Building an ecosystem reduces the stuff you need to learn for any particular library. The DateTime docs are already pretty huge, but imagine if they also had to cover parsing, alternate calendars, holidays, and so on. It would be a true nightmare.
I think that nightmare is the state of form libraries today.
Enter my own form library, Chloro. This is actually my second attempt at writing Chloro. I scrapped the first because it was becoming exactly the kind of does-everything-in-one Frankenstein’s monster that I’m complaining about!
This time around, I was able to focus on the pieces I really cared about. Specifically I want a tool for taking user input, applying some validation, and getting the results in an easy to consume data structure. “Getting the results” glosses over a pretty big task. The result needs to indicate whether the submission was valid, and if it wasn’t valid I need all the validation errors that were found. If the result is valid, I want the data submitted by the user. Oh, and I want to do some munging of that data along the way.
I don’t care about rendering, mapping fields to a database, building forms from a database, or updating a database. (Actually, Chloro is designed so you can plug those sorts of things into it, but it won’t be part of the core.)
With Chloro, forms are defined as classes, and you won’t be surprised to see that it looks like a Moose class:
package MyApp::Form::Login; use Moose; use Chloro; field username => ( isa => 'Str', required => 1, ); field password => ( isa => 'Str', required => 1, ); field remember => ( isa => 'Bool', default => 0, ); 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 package MyApp:: Form:: Login ; use Moose ; use Chloro ; field username = > ( isa = > 'Str' , required = > 1 , ) ; field password = > ( isa = > 'Str' , required = > 1 , ) ; field remember = > ( isa = > 'Bool' , default = > 0 , ) ;
You’ll also notice that the field’s type is defined as a Moose type. Remember, I don’t care about rendering, so I want to express field definitions in terms of the back end. The back end doesn’t care if the input came from a select, a text box, or a file upload. It just wants a string (or positive integer, or an image file, or …). Fields can also define custom extractors (a birth_date field that builds itself from a year, month, and day input) and custom validators (end_date must be greater than start_date). With Chloro, form objects are essentially immutable. When you process user input, you get back a Chloro::ResultSet object. The form object itself is unaffected. Separating the form from the results is just a cleaner design, and avoids the “form object as god object” problem of many existing form libraries.
my $resultset = $form->process( params => $submitted_params ); if ( $resultset->is_valid() ) { # Log the user in } else { # Do something with errors } # Results can be associated with a field, and can also include overall form errors that span multiple fields (like "the two passwords must be the same"). # Errors that are not specific to just one field my @form_errors = $resultset->form_errors(); # Errors keyed by specific field names my %field_errors = $resultset->field_errors(); 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 my $resultset = $form -> process ( params = > $submitted_params ) ; if ( $resultset -> is_valid ( ) ) { # Log the user in } else { # Do something with errors } # Results can be associated with a field, and can also include overall form errors that span multiple fields (like "the two passwords must be the same"). # Errors that are not specific to just one field my @ form_errors = $resultset -> form_errors ( ) ; # Errors keyed by specific field names my %field_errors = $resultset -> field_errors ( ) ;
The Chloro::ResultSet object can give you back a simple hash reference of data, which you can use to insert or update some data in your database.
my $login = $resultset->results_as_hash(); 1 2 my $login = $resultset -> results_as_hash ( ) ;
Chloro also supports the idea of “repeatable groups”. For example, a contact might have multiple phone numbers. Each phone number consists of a type (cell, home, work), a number, and an optional note. We want to let the user submit 0-N phone numbers, each of which has the same fields. The client side piece is up to you, and you can use some sort of Javascript to make this nice and pretty. On the server side, I want to say “give me all the phone numbers that were submitted”. I’m also working on allowing custom ResultSet roles which can add more structure to the returned data, beyond “give me a hash reference of all the submitted data”. This will allow a form to say that its resultset uses certain roles. These resultset roles can be defined on a per-app and per-form basis. I’ve started converting an existing application over to Chloro, and I’m pretty happy with it. It’s definitely not Satan. Maybe Chloro is Satan’s little sister Satana, but that’s an improvement in my eyes! |
Rather than let all their sewage go to waste, the city of Oslo recently announced that it plans to cut carbon emissions by converting 80 public buses to run on biomethane generated from raw sewage. These poo-powered buses are part of the city’s plan to become carbon neutral by 2050, and stand to cut around 44 tonnes of CO2 per bus, per year.
We love seeing innovative energy solutions that make use of waste, and we’re glad to hear of Oslo’s plans to trap and transform the gas emitted from the breakdown of treated sewage into biomethane . Two sewage treatment plants will soon be outfitted with the technology, and the biomethane generated will be used to power 80 buses. The buses will be slightly modified so that their engines can run on methane, and these modifications will also have the effect of reducing noise levels as they move around in the city.
If this test is successful, the city plans to convert the rest of the buses to run on biogas, and the first buses will start running in September 2009.
Via The Guardian and Wired
Lead photo by Stor-Oslo Lokaltrafikk |
One of the items on my bucket list is to see the Northern Lights. I have always been fascinated by space, and this celestial phenomenon is something that I could feasibly see if I chose to do so. My Secret Santa put me one small step closer by gifting me my own personal aurora borealis! And if that weren't enough, they also gave me something to tick off another bucket list item: going skydiving! I am now the proud recipient of one tandem skydive ticket!! What's even better about this is that the ticket was hidden inside the box of the first gift, so that when I opened it I got another surprise! I spent the next several minutes after opening the box and seeing the ticket dancing around my kitchen. You did so much more than I ever thought. Thank you so so so much my dear Santa!! <3 <3 :D |
Image copyright AP Image caption Huge numbers of people queued after the polls closed, amid accusations of poor planning
Votes are still being counted in Hong Kong after its first major election since the 2014 pro-democracy protests.
The announcement of full results was delayed by several hours because of the highest turnout since the handover to China in 1997.
But with some results coming in it looks as if pro-democracy groups could retain their one-third hold of seats, enabling them to veto bills.
Some 58% of 3.8 million voters turned out, compared with 45.2% in 2008.
The main parties competing are divided by their stances on the territory's relationship with Beijing.
The new generation of activists who want self-determination for Hong Kong also look set to win seats.
Candidates are competing for 70 seats on the Legislative Council, known as LegCo, which passes laws and budgets in the territory.
But only 35 constituency seats are directly elected by the population.
Another 30 seats represent particular professions or trades and can only be voted for people connected to the trade, just 6% of the population. A further five "super seats" are chosen by voters across the territory.
The vote does not elect the chief executive, who is the head of government, but many analysts believe the outcome of Sunday's vote could have an impact on whether China grants current leader CY Leung a second term in office.
Image copyright EPA
At the scene: Paul Moss, BBC News, Hong Kong
One polling station on Hong Kong Island had to remain open until 03:00 as locals queued to cast their votes.
Bleary-eyed candidates, political activists (and the odd bleary-eyed journalist) are now milling around at the Counting Centre, housed in the Asia World Expo Centre near Hong Kong Airport, waiting to hear the outcome.
Already, though, there have been hundreds of complaints about the election's conduct, from trivial worries that campaign posters were placed in forbidden areas, to more serious allegations of voters and candidate teams being intimidated.
The election explained in five insults
Hong Kong territory profile
Hong Kong's democracy debate
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rival groups have come up with colourful ways of referring to one another, as the BBC's Helier Cheung explains.
A preliminary result had been expected late on Sunday night, but a larger-than-expected turnout has created significant delays.
Huge queues snaked outside polling stations on Sunday and some people were unable to vote until nearly four hours after the polls had officially closed.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, several people said they believed voting had been poorly planned.
Avery Ng, a radical activist, was restrained by police after he threw a sandwich at Mr Leung while the leader went to vote.
For two months in 2014 protesters demanded his resignation as the Occupy movement occupied major parts of the city and caused political upheaval while calling for the right to elect a leader directly. |
Fears are growing for three mountaineers last seen relatively close to the summit of Gasherbrum I (8,068m) at around 2:00pm Friday the 9th March.
At 10:30am that day Austrian Gerfreid Goschl, using a Thuraya satellite phone, contacted someone in Austria to say he, Cedric Hahlen (Switzerland) and the accomplished Pakistani mountaineer Nisar Hussain Sadpara were only 450m from the summit.
Three and a half hours later another expedition member Alex Txikon (Spain), who was at Camp 2 (thought to be around 6,800m), spotted them high on the peak, maybe as little as 250m below the top, and close to completing a partial new route.
Poles Adam Bielecki and Janusz Golab, who made the first winter ascent via the Normal Route on Friday, were able to spot a tent from the summit area.
As they descended, the weather deteriorated markedly on the mountain, with increasing winds and poor visibility.
All members of the Polish expedition were back in base camp by 4:00pm on the 10th March. Both summiteers are frostbitten, though it is unclear at present whether injuries are serious or not.
With Txikon and Canadian Louis Rousseau, Goschl attempted a winter ascent of Gasherbrum I in February-March 2011.
Their planned route was partially new, following the couloir and ridge close to the right edge of the triangular rock face that forms the left side of the west-southwest face of Hidden Sud (aka Gasherbrum South, 7,069m).
The left bounding (west) ridge of the triangle was climbed in 1983 by Spanish, while further to the right a prominent spur on the south-southwest face, leading directly to the top of Hidden Sud, was climbed by French in 1980.
At the top of the triangle (c6,800m) they would continue to the upper section of the southeast ridge, joining the original 1958 American Route at 7,500m.
Unfortunately, they were stopped by bullet hard ice at 6,650m, having climbed 1,500m of new ground.
Goschl returned in the summer and climbed the mountain by the Normal Route.
This winter the climbers managed to complete the new ground and appear to have been on the upper reaches of the '58 American Route when last seen.
According to Karrer Haidri, Media Coordinator for the Alpine Club of Pakistan, on Saturday ACP president Lt Col Manzoor Hussain, and the eminent mountaineer Col Sher Khan organized a rescue helicopter through Askari Aviation.
Due to bad weather the flight was cancelled.
The following day, as the weather cleared early morning, a three-man rescue team comprising accomplished high altitude mountaineers Ali Raza, Hassan Sadpara and Nazir Sadpara, prepared to fly to base camp.
However, delayed arrival of the helicopter, and a deterioration in the weather at midday, meant the flight could once again not take place.
Needless to say the Poles in base camp are either too exhausted or frostbitten to be able to go back up the mountain.
Another flight will be made today, subject to a suitable weather window.
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I have really mixed feelings about healthy desserts.
That being said, today’s dessert is a rock star of a raw dessert that closely resembles our family favorite, Fruit Pizza. There’s no sugar cookie crust here – wahhhhh! But honestly, I’m going to blow your mind and my own mind right now: I don’t even miss it. This alternative crust is my new dessert base staple – it’s raw and full of nutrition and SERIOUSLY YUMMY thanks to the dates, almond butter, vanilla, and pecans. I pinkie promise would not feed you this idea if it did not taste deliciously desserty.
So with the sweet, soft, chewy crust taken care of, let’s fill those little crusts up with some heavenly —> coconut cream cheese frosting! <— and some fresh, bright fruit. And suddenly things are looking reeeeal good for us in the raw, nutritious, can’t-stop-love-it-so-much healthy dessert department.
But like I said, mixed feelings. No-Bake Mini Fruit Pizzas can stay, but on the other hand, I think every obnoxious dessert healthification that I have ever been involved with has been a complete train wreck. If you want a full run-down of some of these epic fails, they’re all yours – eat your heart out. Except eeww.
Can we talk about something semi-related for a minute? That would be how I’m going to keep a container of this coconut cream cheese filling in my fridge for the rest of summer because it is fruit’s best friend. And my best friend. It’s like something otherworldly.
So when you’re making this recipe and you have the crusts chilling in the freezer and you have your juicy fruit laying right there on the cutting board and you’re sitting in front of the bowl of freshly whipped coconut cream cheese filling, and you’re asking yourself if it’s okay to dunk your face in it? The answer is yes. You most definitely have permission to pre-dessert your dessert with a little appetizer of fruit and coconut cream cheese “dip.”
Okay, I’ve already talk-typed too much today. In my mind I am capable of writing a short post – in reality I have to say everything for five hundred paragraphs.
In addition to meeting people at three very delicious restaurants today for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (there could be worse problems), I have a bunch of things to do before Sunday when we leave for a little getaway with Bjork’s family. I can’t wait to show you pictures of the place we’re staying – it’s unreal with lake views and patios galore. Squeee!
So I’m out, in like, two paragraphs. So much to prepare! like all the snacks!
Bottom line with these No-Bake Mini Fruit Pizzas is that they’re a great way to enjoy dessert without feeling like you just killed your body with a refined sugar overload. Wait, though: I do not judge regular sugar cookie and powdered sugar frosting fruit pizza eaters AT ALL! You guys. It’s like our favorite food ever. But these non-regular No-Bake Mini Fruit Pizzas are where we’re at right now – natural sugar and sweetness and creaminess and yummy crust shells that are mind-consumingly delicious with lots of feel-good ingredients to make you feel glowy and healthful and awesome.
One last note: I tried to decorate these with cool fruit patterns and I basically had a nervous breakdown. Bjork told me to get out of the house. Not joking. I was completely beside myself for not being able to slice fruit and arrange it prettily on top of a mini no-bake mini fruit pizza while also taking pictures. Like why are my fingers big clunky logs? Some things like fruit arranging are better left to my patient sister – check out her gorgeous fruit pizza design for inspo and/or just prop your fruit on top, like I ended up doing in an effort not to smash everything in frustration.
I bet you wish you were there for that moment. Special times with fruit pizza decorating.
Happy weekend, friends!
No-Bake Mini Fruit Pizzas ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.8 from 12 reviews Author: Pinch of Yum
Prep Time: Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Yield: Yield: 6 large or 12 small Print Recipe Pin Recipe Description No-Bake Mini Fruit Pizzas – a raw, nutritious, chewy crust topped with a coconut cream cheese filling and decorated with fresh fruit! All the yum with no refined sugar. Ingredients For the crust 15 medjool dates, pits removed
1/4 cup almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup almond meal, hazelnut meal, ground oats, etc.
1-2 tablespoons chia seeds, flax, etc. For the filling and toppings 8 ounces Neufchatel (reduced fat cream cheese), softened
3/4 cup full fat canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon honey (raw local honey = best!)
fruit toppings of choice like raspberries, strawberries, kiwi, and mango Instructions For the crust/dough, place the dates, almond butter, vanilla, salt, and pecans in a food processor. Pulse a few times and push the mixture down with a spoon between pulses to help it move through the food processor (maybe not necessary if you have an awesome food processor, which I do not). When the mixture is mostly smooth and sticky like a dough, transfer to a bowl and mix in your nut meal and chia/flax to help the mixture bind together. You should end up with one large dough ball and you should be able to touch it without getting it stuck all over your hands, although your hands may be greasy after working with it. Press this dough into mini muffin tins, regular muffin tins, or individual tart molds. Freeze for 1-2 hours to help them hold their shape. Heat the coconut milk to incorporate the fat and the water. When it’s smooth, set aside to cool. After it has cooled to room temperature, beat the cream cheese, coconut milk, and honey with an electric mixer until smooth. Cut up your fruit into small slices. Remove from the molds and fill with a few spoonfuls of the filling and top with sliced fruit. Store finished fruit pizzas in the fridge. Notes The crust turns out differently every time I make it, and it’s really adaptable to whatever grains or nut meals or seeds you have and want to use in it. Try to just make it by feel rather than by following the exact measurements listed here – it usually turns out best when you just try to achieve that dry-to-the-touch dough consistency. Sometimes it’s hard to get the crust mixture going through your food processor – it depends on how moist your dates are. It can help to add a tiny bit of water, but if you do, you’ll really need to add some almond meal, flax, etc. to make up for that extra moisture. You can also store these in the freezer but I would recommend freezing just the crust and the filling and letting it thaw out before topping with fresh fruit. 277 31.6 g 221.1 mg 11.9 g 39.5 g 7.9 g 2.9 mg
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The little tart pan that I used had 4 servings (see picture) – I could have made 6 of that size with the amount in this recipe. If you used a muffin tin or a mini muffin tin you’d end up with more like 12 servings. Nutrition facts are for 1 fruit pizza when making 12. |
Ed Miliband is steadying the Labour ship. A win on school sports and support for electoral reform has been followed by a hard strike on the VAT rise. Recognising that 71% of voters didn't back Labour and new support has to come from somewhere, he has wisely opened up to the Liberal Democrats. Miliband also knows that Labour can win, or rather he knows that the Tory-led government can lose.
However, there is a chasm of difference between merely being in office and being in power. The former means you respond to events, the latter means you create them. One is about playing it safe and nods relentlessly to the centre ground as if that centre was immovable. The other is about linking the desirable to the feasible in an effort to transform our country for good.
After all, "forward to a better 1997" is hardly an electrifying post-crash, post-defeat rallying call. One more heave won't do. If the party won as New Labour then that is also how it lost. It is time to move on. So while being a steady Eddie is a necessary step as Labour leader, it is far from sufficient if Labour is to be returned to real power. Power requires two things: a sense of transformative purpose, and the means of delivery. Only then can we stop papering over the cracks of our social and economic recession and tackle the causes.
For the vast majority of people life has become relentlessly anxious, stressful and exhausting as we desperately try to keep up on the treadmill of a learn-to-earn-to-spend culture in which there is no time for the things and the people we really value; no time even for ourselves. Life just feels like a relentless slog to keep our head above water. Surely it doesn't have to be like this? Our lives appear to be out of our control and too often we feel like we live them at a pace and in a way that is not of our choosing.
To take back some semblance of control, we can't start from a position of trying to humanise a turbo-consumer society whose every premise, process and principle is about not being human. What place can there be for people if what matters most is profit? What hope is there for compassion in a world of endless competition? When the rewards of those at the top crush every hope beneath them, and the ruthless logic of the market tramples all over our planet, how can we hope to find any meaningful sense of control and therefore freedom in our lives?
So if Miliband – or anyone – is to formulate a programme for change, he must begin with what it means to be human and to live a truly free life; the world must be made to bend to us, and not us to it. Being human essentially means being social. Not just because we only understand ourselves through our relations with others but because we can only influence, change and manage our world by working in concert with others. Alone we can pick and choose from what's put on the supermarket shelf in the ultimately hollow life of the consumer; together we decide and change everything about our world as citizens.
So the answer to our fraught, fragile and insecure existence lies in a moral vision of a better world; and the term that is increasingly being applied to such a world is the good society. And here it is encouraging to know that Miliband shares such a view. In his first big speech as Labour's new leader he used the term four times. As he steadies the Labour ship it is time to use it again and develop it as Labour's lodestar.
The idea of the good society is not new. It started with Aristotle, who saw in Athenian cities the prospect for communal life, partnership and citizenship to offer the possibility of the good life and to perform "beautiful acts". In 2006 Compass, the group I chair, published a short book called The Good Society in which we described why our world feels increasingly broken, and expressed a confidence in human capacity to rise to the task; the belief that "we can do it".
The good society we envision is one in which we make our lives because we have the resources and structures to do so. It rest on two firm foundations. First, greater equality. We need to be more equal so that we all have access to the resources that help make us free. That means a living wage for those at the bottom and income restrictions on those at the top. And our planet can better sustain itself as we decide that there is more to life than searching for meaning through materialism. So the good society demands proper restrictions on the time we spend working so we can think, rest, play and have the space to be citizens.
But what brings the good society to life is democracy: the only tool we have to take control of our lives. As such the good society unites means and ends: it is defined by democratic control, and the way we get there is through greater democratic capacity. It means not just electoral reform but empowered local government, a democratic voice in your place of work and through education, health and social services.
There are faint echoes of such a life in David Cameron's "big society". But the big society has already rejected equality and seems to be about individuals volunteering – when only accountable democratic power lets us take charge of markets that are too free and of a state that is too remote. So through the good society Miliband and Labour can take on the big society from the side and back, reclaiming the social for the left. But they will only do so if they give up on the exclusive right of Labour to own the future: the good society must be shared.
Crucially the idea of a good society reintroduces into our language the notion of utopia, a world not yet in our grasp. Every important leap forward starts as someone's dream; whether it's the creation of the NHS in 1948 or the minimum wage in 1998. To be pragmatists we first have to be idealists; we have to know what we are being pragmatic about.
The story of the last 30 years is what happens when we stop believing that anything better is possible. Because we live in a utopia of sorts now; it's just not our utopia. It's the utopia of the market fundamentalists who dared to dream of their better world, refused to accommodate themselves to the postwar welfare settlement and instead created their own individualistic and anti-democratic settlement. It is time to show that our dreams are better and more popular than theirs. |
The Hard Rock brand, owned by Florida’s Seminole Indians, may finally make its way to Atlantic City. An important meeting will be held on Thursday, January 28th, by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, in order to potentially begin the process of approval for the brand to establish a casino on Atlantic City ground.Preliminary efforts have already been made by the brand, as noted in a regulatory filing, they have had “a long-standing interest” in the market. In fact, almost a year ago, the company applied for a ‘statement of compliance,’ which serves as one of the first steps toward becoming licensed to own a casino in New Jersey.President and CEO of Hard Rock, James Allen, has made no comment on the matter, but Hard Rock maintains that it "remains interested in the Atlantic City casino industry and may, if found qualified, engage in a business or activity that would require the issuance of a casino license. The issuance of a statement of compliance to Hard Rock Atlantic City will enable it to act quickly if an appropriate investment opportunity arises in the Atlantic City casino market."With four of Atlantic City’s hotels having closed last year, and three of them in bankruptcy, the Hard Rock brand’s plans remain unclear, especially after a previous ‘boutique’ casino-hotel with a rock ‘n’ roll theme idea being scrapped in 2011 “due to current market conditions.” In response to the abrupt decision, Hard Rock commented that they have "not eliminated this location for a future endeavor."As a result of Atlantic City’s crumbling state at the moment, they have hinted that they may very well drop previous requirements which stated all new projects must be new construction, in order to make room for existing structures to be converted at lower costs. |
Egyptian film “Youm Lel Setat” (A Day For Women) won the Grand Prize in the African Cinema Festival in Khouribga, Morocco. The film directed by prominent director Kamla Abu Zekry and starring Elham Shahin, Nelly Karim, Ahmed EL-Fishawy, and Mahmoud Hemida.
This comes only a few days after the film female stars Nelly Karim, Elham Shahin and Nahed EL Sebai’e shared the best actress award for their performances at the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival taking place in Russia.
“A Day for Women” takes place in one of the working class neighbourhoods where he Youth centre dedicates a day on the pool for women only. As the plot goes, audience get to see the consequences of this decision on the psychological and emotional life living in the neighbourhood.
The film’s world premiere took place at 60th BFI London Film Festival. It also competed at the official competition of 38th International Film Festival where Nahed El Sebai’e won the Best Actress Award for her role in the film.
The film made its GCC premiere at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) in its Arabian Nights programme, along with other international festivals.
The film is written by Hanaa Atiya, and produced by Elham Shahin through her company Shahin Film |
Story highlights Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders appeared on NBC's "Tonight Show" on Tuesday
He criticized Donald Trump's proposed ban on all Muslims entering the United States
(CNN) Bernie Sanders condemned Donald Trump's call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, calling the Republican front-runner a "demagogue" and saying "that kind of crap won't work in the United States of America."
Appearing on NBC's "The Tonight Show" on Tuesday, the Vermont independent who's seeking the Democratic presidential nomination accused Trump of trying to "divert attention away from the real issues."
"What somebody like a Trump is trying to do is to divide us up -- a few months ago, we're supposed to hate Mexicans," Sanders said. "Now we're supposed to hate Muslims. That kind of crap is not going to work in the United States of America."
Asked by host Jimmy Fallon whether he was more focused on Trump or primary opponent Hillary Clinton, Sanders replied, "I look forward to beating Donald Trump -- I would enjoy that race very, very much."
Read More |
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A San Diego policewoman who was shot in the neck during a gun battle after a high-speed pursuit that ended in the death of an armed suspect has undergone surgery and will recover, the city’s police chief said on Monday.
Officer Heather Seddon, a five-year veteran of the force, was shot on Sunday morning after police tried to stop a gray Jeep which they had been looking for in connection with several local shooting incidents.
San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said the driver, 34-year-old Dennis Richard Fiel, fled and led the officers on a freeway chase before abandoning the vehicle on foot.
Fiel was then confronted by at least three officers and they exchanged gunfire in the brush alongside the freeway, Zimmerman said. The suspect died at the scene.
The car he had been driving fitted the description of one used in at least six incidents since January in which a man shot into buildings including offices of the San Diego Gas & Electric company and a 7-11 convenience store.
No one was injured in those shootings, police said.
Lieutenant Mike Hastings, a spokesman for the San Diego Police Department, said Sunday’s shootout was captured by two body cameras worn by the officers.
He said a search of Fiel’s residence turned up a second gun, magazines and ammunition, and several marijuana plants.
Hastings said police have not yet finished the evidence tests necessary to confirm whether Fiel was the shooter in the earlier incidents, and that he is only considered a suspect.
Seddon, a training officer, responded to the call accompanied by a police trainee, the city’s police chief said. She had surgery on Sunday to remove the bullet.
Zimmerman said that days before the shooting, Seddon was nominated for a department commendation. |
US officials investigated Brown after he was accused of inappropriate behaviour at a party in Samoa and was alleged by one woman to have stared at her breasts
Scott Brown: more complaints surface over behaviour of US ambassador to New Zealand
It was a balmy 32 degrees when the US ambassador to New Zealand, Scott Brown, touched down in Apia, the capital of the South Pacific island nation of Samoa.
Brown had flown in with his wife, Gail Huff, in July for a party to celebrate 50 years of the peace corps in the country. It was his inaugural visit to Samoa – of which he is also the official US representative – and one he was looking forward to.
Scott Brown: US ambassador to New Zealand investigated over inappropriate comments Read more
The party was intended as the climax of the ambassador’s trip, a night for celebration. People were in high spirits. They were offered beer, wine, champagne and local hors d’oeuvres, including slices of taro topped with palusami, spring rolls and chicken skewers.
But something went wrong that night. As one attendee describes it, something was “off”, and the party has been at the centre of a US state department investigation over the ambassador’s conduct towards two women.
On Wednesday, Brown admitted he was being investigated by officials who had flown to Wellington, New Zealand, to interview him.
Brown said he wanted to address “innuendo and rumour” and claimed he had been admonished for praising the appearance of several attendees of the party. He also said he had remarked that the waiting staff were good enough to earn hundreds of dollars in the US.
Brown responded to the allegations by saying that even though two people may speak English, they sometimes do not understand each other.
But the Guardian has, over the past two months, spoken to multiple witnesses who attended the party who claim the behaviour of the ambassador – the first appointed by the US president, Donald Trump – was worse than he has admitted.
It is understood that two complaints investigated by the US state department against Brown originally came from two female peace corps volunteers who were at the event, and who served food and drink to the guests as a way to flip the cultural norm of Samoans serving westerners.
But in addition to these complaints are others that the ambassador’s behaviour was “shocking”, “culturally insensitive”, “rude” and “undiplomatic”. The Guardian contacted more than a dozen people who attended the party and spoke to a number who said he had made them feel uncomfortable.
One woman told the Guardian that Brown allegedly stared at her body when she was introduced to him. She did not want to be identified, but said: “The first time I met him, he looked at my chest immediately.” She alleged that another female colleague had a similar experience.
“I felt immediately uncomfortable and it didn’t feel right,” she added.
A male ex-peace corps volunteer described a strained atmosphere developing at the party as the ambassador shouted at guests to be quiet and listen to him. “It was very culturally insensitive,” said the man. “He just did multiple things in 15 seconds that really put me off, and looking around [I] saw it put off a lot of other people as well.
“At least twice, maybe three times, he was telling everybody, ‘Stop talking, be quiet, listen to me.’”
Another ex-peace corps volunteer called Brown’s speech “really pompous and sort of shocking”. The man, who again did not want to be named, said he approached Brown after his speech, hoping to gauge the man representing his country.
The former volunteer described their exchange as “candid”, and claimed Brown became aggressive when he mentioned he was disappointed by Trump’s actions following his inauguration. According to the volunteer, Brown angrily told him to “get over it”.
“A lot of people were really upset by the tone of his speech that night,” said another attendee. “He was rudely shouting everyone down. After the speech I was so put off I didn’t approach him. I wanted no personal contact with him.”
Another ex-peace corps volunteer who attended the party told the Guardian: “I know someone who works at the US embassy … and he said Scott went totally off the book [in the speech].
“He said something like, ‘When Kennedy started the peace corps 100 years ago’, so it seemed he didn’t really know what he was talking about.”
The Guardian approached a dozen members of the peace corps currently serving in Samoa. None of them denied the original allegations of inappropriate conduct by Brown towards two female peace corps members, instead referring all questions to the country director. Two said they had been barred from speaking to the media, even though they wanted to.
Brown has not spelt out the details of the allegations being investigated. The Guardian is, however, aware of their nature and has put them to Brown’s representatives, the state department and the peace corps.
The peace corps country director for Samoa, Dr Sherry Russell, when contacted on the telephone by the Guardian in August, said: “I don’t want to make any comment right now to anything you’ve said. I am unable to do so … I can’t confirm or deny. I am hanging up on you now.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Scott Brown at the party with his wife, Gail Huff, left. Photograph: @peacecorpssamoa/Facebook
Subsequent emails to Russell have gone unanswered.
The Guardian also contacted the US state department in Washington, the US embassy in Wellington and the US high commission in Apia in August, requesting details of the ambassador’s trip to Samoa and comment over allegations concerning his behaviour there.
All requests have gone unanswered. On Wednesday a spokesperson for the US embassy in Wellington said: “Ambassador Brown has nothing to add to the comments he made in this afternoon’s interview” with New Zealand media.
Brown said to the media that he had told some attendees they looked “beautiful” or “handsome”, and told others they could make hundreds of dollars working in the hospitality industry in the US. He and Huff said they had “no idea” the comments would be regarded as offensive, and the “takeaway” was that they would be very, very careful about what they said in the future.
“I was told by my people that you’re not Scott Brown from New Hampshire any more, you’re an ambassador, and you have to be culturally aware of different cultures and sensitivities,” Brown told the media.
“We are in a different culture: even though we all speak English, sometimes when we say one thing it means the complete different thing.”
Brown went on to say “politics is a blood sport” and there were a lot of people at the event who did not like Trump.
But his claims of minor cultural slip-ups do not gel with the accounts of others who attended the party, some of whom considered confronting Brown about his behaviour, while others left early because they felt so ill at ease. Two attendees said they didn’t agree with Brown’s account of the party.
Brown first came to national attention in the US in 2010, when he narrowly won a special election for the senate in Massachusetts.
He lost his bid for a full term in 2012 to Elizabeth Warren in an ugly race in which he repeatedly questioned Warren’s claims to Native American ancestry. After losing the seat, Brown moved to his vacation home in New Hampshire, where he mounted an unsuccessful bid for the senate and once hid in a restaurant bathroom to avoid questions about contraception from a Guardian reporter.
'Can't wait to meet you all': new US ambassador sends intimate message to New Zealand Read more
Brown then became a contributor at Fox News, where he faced allegations of sexual harassment from a former Fox employee in a lawsuit against the company. Brown dismissed them as a “fabrication”. In 2016 he became one of the first national political figures to endorse Trump on the eve of the New Hampshire primary.
Brown has garnered a reputation as a politician who shoots from the hip. He once modelled nude for Cosmopolitan magazine, has repeatedly opened up about his impoverished and abusive childhood, and invited New Zealanders to visit his embassy house in Wellington and grab a beer with him.
The relationship between the US and Samoa is described as a “close friendship”, with the first US consul posted to Apia as far back as 1856.
But Brown was notably absent from the Pacific Leaders Forum held in Apia two months after the July party and after the subsequent complaints. The US embassy declined to say why when asked by the Guardian. |
Pity those planning the memorial service for legendary comedian Jerry Lewis reportedly scheduled for Labor Day weekend, at least when it comes to figuring out which of Lewis’ sometimes feuding—or possibly missing—children will show up.
One thing seems certain: Lewis’ daughter Danielle, 25, whom he and his second wife adopted when Lewis was 66, will be front and center since she was as much Lewis’ Chosen One as Ivanka is President Trump’s favorite child.
Lewis’ 64-year-old alleged illegitimate daughter with former fashion model Lynn Dixon, who calls herself Suzan Lewis ( née Minoret) and is a dead ringer for her father, will probably be sleeping somewhere on the streets of Philadelphia. She’s been homeless for several decades, ultimately turning down help from a close friend of Jerry Lewis’ a few years ago.
And don’t get anyone started on Ronnie Lewis, the son Jerry and his first wife adopted in 1949. When The Daily Beast mentioned Lewis’ six sons to his Las Vegas spokeswoman Candi Cazau, she insisted he had only five sons. Cazau has worked for Lewis since 1998 and swore she never heard of a son named Ronnie, although Ronnie can be seen in many family photos online as well as in a YouTube video singing with his father on TV back in the 1950s.
Lewis’ longtime friend and former manager Rick Saphire cleared the Ronnie mystery up, sort of, by saying that Ronnie had “disowned the entire family” awhile back and it wasn’t clear where he was at present.
Suzan Minoret, in contrast, wants everyone to know where she is. She’s been peddling a memoir called Jerry’s Kid for years and her Twitter avatar is a split screen photo of her and Jerry Lewis. She repeatedly tweets out a link to her Gofundme page that describes her as “disabled permanently and homeless.” Some of those who know her say her disability is not obvious when meeting her. Phone calls and emails to her and two people who call themselves her reps were not returned.
Saphire said Minoret is a complicated person, ultimately losing interest after Saphire and his wife brought her and her male friend to Philadelphia in 2008, got them nearly free housing, helped her write her memoir and accompanied her to New York to appear on Howard Stern’s show.
“I liked her and said to her, she was around 54 at the time, Suzan I don’t want to see you turn into a 60-year-old Jewish bag lady,” said Saphire. “And now look what’s happened. Her life seemed to be bent on Jerry somehow magically acknowledging her but I told her, Jerry is never going to say, here’s my beautiful daughter living in the gutter. I told her, write the book, become a motivational speaker for the disabled or homeless, he’ll be more likely to reach out to you. She doesn’t have to be back on the streets. When we all went to New York she almost wore me out with her energy.”
Minoret knew Jerry Lewis while growing up but said her mother only told her she was her biological father when she was 26. But she had far from an underprivileged life. According to a piece this year in Philadelphia Weekly, Milton Berle introduced her mother to Lewis at the Copacabana in Manhattan and they had a three-year affair.
Her mother later married the infamous restaurant and nightclub owner Hy Uchitel who was alleged to have mob ties. Suzan often defended him, saying he was a great father figure and she was close to him. She grew up on Park Avenue, went to a private school where she learned to speak French fluently and her friends were the daughters of Judy Garland, Humphrey Bogart and Zsa Zsa Gabor. She was presented at the 1969 International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf Astoria.
She also told Philadelphia Weekly that her mother arranged to have Lewis vacation near them at times during her childhood and that he was always kind and affectionate toward her.
“He was very affectionate. He gave me gifts, dolls. And I loved dolls,” Suzan told the paper. “He wanted a daughter but he could never tell anyone he already had one.”
Minoret ran off to France to marry Francois Minoret. They had two sons, one of whom was with her when she said she spent a day with Jerry Lewis at a Paris hotel room.
Her life apparently took a dark turn after she left her husband and sons in France, fearing they wanted to institutionalize her, and moved to Florida. She was in a car accident in 1996 that left her, she said, with “partial brain damage,” although she was not hospitalized overnight. She eventually ended up on the streets.
In 2009 Minoret—with the help of Inside Edition—took a DNA test with Lewis’ eldest son Gary, now, 70, that showed there was an 88.7 percent chance they shared the same father.
Lewis never confirmed or denied that Suzan is his biological daughter, despite Suzan’s repeated pleas.
In contrast, Lewis gushed endlessly about “Dani,” named after Lewis’ stern and often disapproving vaudevillian father Daniel Levitch.
“She’s the air in my lungs,” Lewis told CNN’s Larry King in 1996 when he was starring in Damn Yankees. “She’s the reason I’m here with you today. She brings me the energy to sit with you. She brings me the energy to go on at 8 o’clock and try to be as good as I possibly can so she hears about it.”
Danielle, he said, traveled with him everywhere and went to school wherever he was working.
“Do you carry your arms and legs, Larry?” he asked. “She’s brilliant… she has courage, tenacity, she’s secure, she’s well-loved, she’ll be terrific in whatever she does. Watching my six sons embrace my daughter is an incredible experience. You recognize that another human being has the capacity to change you, take you a notch up.”
Danielle now works as a personal assistant and stays out of the spotlight.
Lewis’ odd daughter obsession began early. He married his first wife Patti Palmer when he was only 18 and they had six sons (one adopted.)
In the fall of 1963, when his wife was pregnant with their sixth child, Lewis was determined to have a daughter. (He didn’t acknowledge Suzan’s existence back then in part because it would have been instant career suicide for a Hollywood megastar to admit he had cheated on his very Catholic wife and had a child out of wedlock.)
To nudge fate, Lewis held a “Think Pink” party backstage after one of his solo TV shows. Pink cupcakes were served and the guests were reportedly urged to sing the Broadway hit “Think Pink!” in order to will the fetus in Mrs. Lewis’ stomach to be a girl, according to various reports. A video clip of the party has since disappeared from YouTube.
Thinking Pink did not work and Joseph Lewis was born later that year. He struggled for many years with substance abuse and his father reportedly disowned him after Joseph told The National Enquirer in 1989 that Jerry viciously beat his kids. Joseph died of a drug overdose in 2009 at age 45, penniless after a stint on the streets himself.
“Joe did always tell me that he always felt he was a big disappointment to his father because he wasn’t a girl,” his ex-wife Kim told Inside Edition.
After Joseph’s death, Gary Lewis also blamed his father for Joseph’s death, telling the Globe, “Jerry Lewis is a mean and evil person. He was never loving and caring toward me or my brothers.”
Gary Lewis today, according to Lewis’ former manager and longtime friend, Rick Saphire, was back in touch with his father and is “devastated” over his death. After taking pity on Suzan and spending time with her back in 2009, Gary is no longer really in touch with her. Nor is Saphire, though he wishes her well.
Saphire helped Suzan make a video of herself and he mailed it to Jerry. “I told him ahead of time but I never heard back from him about it,” Saphire said. “When Jerry doesn’t want to think or talk about something, he just shuts down. He was a guy from a different era. Young people today would never understand.” |
Most of Puerto Rico is still without power following Hurricane Maria, so it's difficult for people on the island to communicate with friends and family in the United States, but a group of radio-loving New York City teenagers is using their skills to pass along 25-word messages that are then displayed on large boards in the center of towns for residents to check out.
The amateur radio club at the Garden School in Queens started just last year, and it now has 20 members. They typically compete in contests but have gotten plenty of real-world experience since Maria devastated Puerto Rico last month. People can send an email to their station, K2GSG, and the students craft the "radiogram," or message, and send it. There are about 24 amateur radio operators in Puerto Rico working with law enforcement and first responders to relay radiograms, and messages are also being sent back from Puerto Rico to the station. |
A sign is seen in front of a foreclosed home November 19, 2008 in Rio Vista, Calif. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Irresponsible lending might have been one of the many causes of the financial crisis -- but not just irresponsible lending to poor people, according to a new study.
"The large majority of mortgage dollars originated between 2002 and 2006 are obtained by middle- and high-income borrowers (not the poor)," the authors write. "In addition, borrowers in the middle and top of the distribution are the ones that contributed most significantly to the increase in mortgages in default after 2007." Rich people tend to take out larger mortgages, of course, but the fact is that the amount of money poor borrowers failed to pay back was just never that significant, as this chart from the paper shows. In case you have a hard time believing that so many larger mortgages could have gone into default, The Washington Post just published a series of stories on subprime, sometimes predatory lending in relatively affluent places such as Prince George's County, Md., outside Washington, D.C.
The findings undermine criticism of recent modest efforts by the Obama administration to make housing more affordable for low-income borrowers by loosening federal credit standards. It's important to lend responsibly, even for the federal government, but the risks in this case might be exaggerated.
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What's in Wonkbook: 1) Reforming fee-for-service 2) Opinions, including Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig on family-friendly policy 3) The plight of the black middle class, a federal database on where Americans are driving, and more
Chart of the day: The number of oil rigs operating in Texas declined by roughly 9 percent in just two weeks on low oil prices, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
1. Top story: Administration to reform fee-for-service Medicare payments
The Obama administration wants doctors to be paid based on whether their treatments work, not how many services they provide. "The goal is for half of all Medicare payments to be handled this way by 2018. Monday's announcement marks the administration's biggest effort yet to shape how doctors are compensated across the health-care system. As the country's largest payer of health-care services, Medicare influences medical care generally, meaning the changes being initiated by the administration will likely be felt in doctor's offices and hospitals across the country." Jason Millman in The Washington Post.
Paying doctors for keeping patients healthy is common sense. "But for most of Medicare's 50-year history, that wasn't how the bills got paid. Hospitals and doctors earned money when they performed a service. It's called, literally, 'fee-for-service,' and it has nothing to do with whether the patient got better, whether some other kind of care might have been more effective, or -- even worse -- whether the service was necessary at all. Instead of laws and regulations, the Obama administration is relying on a few programs under Obamacare that are growing and many more, outside of the government, that probably would have happened regardless. Change in the industry has been fueled by growing public disgust with the nation's $3 trillion annual health-care bill and the fee-for-service system that drives it." Alex Wayne for Bloomberg.
This change has been long in coming. "Back when the White House was drafting Obamacare, some advisers pushed for a target just like this to be included in the legislation. It would commit the federal government to moving quickly, they argued. ... Today's announcement is, in some ways, the big change that some health care experts pleaded for in 2010. It's the first time the federal government has set a specific goal for moving towards a health care system that rewards value." Sarah Kliff at Vox.
ORSZAG: Now the administration has to make it happen. "To be sure, more needs to be done: The targets have to be hit. And that will require action. Today’s announcement provided no details about the specific steps ahead. Will Medicare move more toward bundled payments for specific episodes of care, or toward accountable-care organizations, through which hospitals and other providers receive one payment for all the care a patient needs during a year? Such details are crucial. The first step in any worthy project, though, is to set clear goals." Bloomberg View.
2. Top opinions
ELIZABETH STOKER BRUENIG: Neither party has a serious plan to help families. "To reach all families, and to render the most efficacious aid stream possible, a monthly child allowance makes more sense than either the Republican or Democratic tax-based proposals. Like social security benefits, a child allowance would come at a set amount on a monthly basis, and would not decrease due to parents' work choices or income, and would not taper down to nil due to the number of kids born to a particular family." The New Republic.
Virginia lawmakers risk worsening the problem by requiring colleges to notify police of all reports of sexual assaults. "Hastily shaped legislation now under consideration is not likely to help and may even make the situation worse for victims of sexual violence. ... We're sympathetic with those who say universities are ill prepared to substitute for a court system in adjudicating serious felonies. But the seeming logic behind mandatory reporting — a crime occurs; call police — is challenged by the very people it aims to help. Survivors of sexual assaults and their advocates have been loud and clear in arguing that the decision about whether to report a sexual crime to police must lie with the victim. Taking that decision away from victims could well result in the refusal to come forward, which would not only deprive them of needed support services but also eliminate any possibility of them ever going to police." The Washington Post.
GERSON: Immigration has only a small effect on wages for native-born workers. "Economists sift and dispute the evidence. But the long-term impact of immigration on native wages seems to be slight — slightly positive for those with a high school and some college education, slightly negative for those who don't graduate from high school. These effects, however, are overwhelmed by other economic trends, such as the advance of technology and globalized labor markets. The white working class does have many problems, but competition from low-skilled immigrants is not among the biggest ones." The Washington Post.
What would New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's agenda be in a presidential campaign? "For journalists covering the campaign there will also be no more entertaining assignment. But candidacies rooted in personality or biography alone rarely win. ... Chris Christie will need a reform agenda worthy of the name. On the economy, taxes and health care in particular, plans that simply achieve consensus among the donor community of Manhattan business leaders probably won't cut it." The Wall Street Journal.
Greece's leftists are right to insist on writing down European countries' debts. "Amid the populist rhetoric that propelled the far-left Syriza party to victory in Greece's parliamentary elections, there's one idea that Germany in particular should take to heart: revive growth in the euro area by giving the hardest-hit countries a break on their debts. ... Enforced hardship isn't improving the countries' ability to pay their debts or helping the European Union's economic prospects. Slow growth has eroded the fiscal benefits of austerity. Despite spending cuts and tax increases, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and even France will be unable to get their ratios of debt to gross domestic product down to the euro area's permitted maximum of 60 percent in the foreseeable future." Bloomberg View.
3. In case you missed it
The federal government is tracking the movements of Americans' cars. "The Justice Department has been building a national database to track in real time the movement of vehicles around the U.S., a secret domestic intelligence-gathering program that scans and stores hundreds of millions of records about motorists, according to current and former officials and government documents." Devlin Barrett in The Wall Street Journal.
As white homeowners are doing better, the plight of the black middle class is worsening. Home prices remain depressed in minority neighborhoods, where predatory lending was more common even among relatively secure places such as Prince George's County, Md. A three-part series. (1, 2 and 3). The Washington Post.
A study finds that people are less informed and less likely to vote in cities where local newspapers have closed down. "To the extent that a knowledgeable and participatory citizenry is a marker of a healthy political system, the demise of local news should raise concerns about the operation of electoral democracy." Danny Hayes in The Washington Post.
G.O.P. governors in several states are proposing tax increases. "Many of these tax increases face tough sledding in Republican-controlled legislatures like Nevada’s. And a host of Republican governors are pushing for cuts or holding the line on taxes. Still, the shift is striking, and it comes in the wake of problems that Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas, a Republican, suffered after pushing though sharp cuts in business and income taxes." Adam Nagourney and Shaila Dewan in The New York Times.
Obama will ask for another $1.2 billion to control drug-resistant bacteria. "Scientists, doctors and other public health officials have increasingly warned that if antibiotic resistance were to continue at the current rate, routine infections eventually could become life-threatening. Common modern surgeries, such as knee replacements and organ transplants, could again become precarious. Vulnerable hospital patients and nursing-home residents could be at especially high risk for contracting deadly infections." Brady Dennis in The Washington Post.
The Keystone XL bill has stalled in the Senate. "The outcome handed at least a temporary victory to some Democrats and environmentalists, who staunchly oppose construction of the pipeline. But Monday's vote was more a speed bump than a roadblock; both parties are expected to continue hashing out their differences on the bill." Sean Sullivan in The Washington Post.
Republicans shift gears on economic inequality. "As recently as December 2011, when the Occupy movements were grabbing headlines, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum could say he was 'for income inequality' because it was the natural outgrowth of capitalism. ... The next year, the conservative National Review labeled income inequality a 'myth.' But many Republicans found the approach wanting." Benjamin Tenerella-Brody for Bloomberg.
VINIK: Blaming Obama for increasing inequality is a sign of desperation. In fact, from the stimulus to Obamacare, the president's major policies have helped the poor in spite of Republican opposition. Meanwhile, many Republicans were clamoring for a premature increase in interest rates at the Federal Reserve, which would have been disastrous for the lower-income tiers. The New Republic. |
Here’s your good news of the day. The New York Times reports that the Food and Drug Administration has ruled that farmers and ranches will “need a prescription from a veterinarian before using antibiotics in farm animals, in hopes that more judicious use of the drugs will reduce the tens of thousands of human deaths that result each year from the drugs’ overuse.”
How are people dying from the overuse of antibiotics in livestock? The amounts of antibiotics used in livestock lead to “to the growth of bacteria that are resistant to the drugs’ effects, endangering humans who become infected but cannot be treated with routine antibiotic therapy.” This is especially prevalent in hospitals where possibly 99,000 people a year die because their infections are resistant to antibiotics that have been overused in livestock.
It’s crazy, isn’t it? You know what else is crazy? About 80 percent of antibiotics sold in the United States are used on livestock — and a prescription has never been required for the sale of those antibiotics, until now.
The goal of the FDA’s new rule is for farmers and ranchers to have to prove that their livestock are sick and or at risk of getting a severe illness to a veterinarian who will be in charge of prescribing antibiotics. The FDA hopes veterinarians will help curb the use of the antibiotics significantly.
There are some foreseeable problems. One is that although the FDA says it’s requiring a prescription, it is asking drug manufacturers to “voluntarily change their labels to require a prescription.” It’s difficult to see how a new ruling can be both required and voluntary. The FDA has said it will consider a more forceful ban if drug manufactures don’t comply. That just seems backward, doesn’t it?
Another problem is a lack of enough large animal veterinarians in the United States. Dr. Christine Hoang of the American Veterinary Medical Association said some remote or small farmers might have trouble getting easy access to veterinarians.
These are problems, but this is still good news. The FDA has been trying to act on this issue since the 1970s. That’s a long time of knowing there is a problem that needs to be resolved before doing anything about it. This is the biggest step taken so far. Let’s hope the FDA keeps these antibiotics restrictions moving in the right direction.
FDA rules vets must prescribe antibiotics for livestock
Antibiotics have routinely been fed to healthy cattle, pigs and chickens as a preventative measure and as a growth enhancer. The FDA hopes to curb that abuse by |
Good news for owners of LG Android devices as they have partnered with popular cloud storage provider Box to offer 50GB free storage for personal accounts.
If you wish to claim the 50GB of free storage, simply download the free Box Android app and login before March 31, 2012. The promotion is valid on all LG phones and tablets in the US running Android 2.1 and above. Once claimed, your account will have 50GB of free, secure file storage and sharing forever.
Offering free cloud based storage seems to have become a trend for device manufacturers, as HTC recently partnered with Dropbox to offer 5GB of free storage on all Sense 3.5 handsets.
If you were salivating at the chance to pick up the speedy dual-core LG Nitro HD, the free 50GB storage from Box.net may help sweeten the deal.
Press release:
We want to make it incredibly easy for you to share, manage and access important content from absolutely anywhere. And to ensure that storage limitations never get in the way of your sharing, we’re excited to announce that we’ve teamed up with LG to offer free 50GB Box Personal accounts on all LG phones and tablets running Android OS 2.1 and above. This announcement comes at an exciting time: Android continues to gain massive traction in the marketplace, with Gartner reporting that 52.5% of smartphone sales in Q3 2011 were Android devices. That’s more than double the same quarter of 2010. Want to claim your Box 50GB? Just log into Box for Android on your device before March 31, 2012. If you don’t have a Box account yet, be sure to download the app on your LG Android phone or tablet. You’ll have 50GB of free, secure file storage and sharing for the life of your account. And to help you work smarter from the road with all that extra space, we’ve also released a new version of Box for Android that includes several highly requested features. First, we added the ability to download files from Box to your device. This feature is important for sales reps and project managers that need access to key documents from the road. In addition, we added offline mode, which lets you access those downloaded files from your Box account even when you’re not connected to the Internet. This makes it possible to stay productive when you don’t have a connection, whether you’re in Box or other Android apps like Astro or Quickoffice. It’s now easier to get files, videos and photos into your Box account with the new bulk upload capability – a big time saver when you’re backing up a lot of content from your phone or tablet. To round it all out, there’s an updated UI, so you’ll notice the app is easier to navigate for faster access to your files. Download Box for Android now in the Android Market to get your free 50GB if you’re on an LG device. Help others claim their free 50GBs too by tweeting this post and using #Box50GB! P.S. Don’t have an LG Device? Check out this post to learn more about our current promotions and what we have planned for the future.
[Source: Box.net via AndroidGuys |
One of President Trump's most vocal supporters in conservative media ripped his newly unveiled strategy for the war in Afghanistan on Monday, arguing that it continues an unsuccessful policy.
Radio host Laura Ingraham asked Monday night what Trump's "measure of success" for the war in the country would be in response to praise tweeted by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, questioning how adding 4,000 troops to the roughly 8,000 soldiers in the country already would change the war.
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"Who's going to pay for it? What is our measure of success? We didn't win with 100K troops. How will we win with 4,000 more?" she asked.
Who's going to pay for it? What is our measure of success? We didn't win with 100K troops. How will we win with 4,000 more? https://t.co/XHj9GpJzaZ — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) August 22, 2017
In a second tweet posted Tuesday morning, she added that Trump had broken his promise to "drain the swamp," arguing that we were now going to "clear the desert in Afghanistan" instead.
"I thought we were going to drain the swamp in Washington, not clear the desert in Afghanistan," Ingraham tweeted.
I thought we were going to drain the swamp in Washington, not clear the desert in Afghanistan. https://t.co/gQFnQjoj0n — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) August 22, 2017
Ingraham is a longtime supporter of the president and had been seen as a potential contender for press secretary. She attended a meeting with other conservative media personalities in April at the White House, during which she and others pressed Trump to follow through on his promises.
In January, she also hinted that she was considering a Senate run against Sen. Tim Kaine Timothy (Tim) Michael KaineTrump claims Democrats ‘don’t mind executing babies after birth’ after blocked abortion bill Democrats block abortion bill in Senate Trump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 MORE (D-Va.), who ran for vice president on Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE's ticket in 2016.
"I’m considering,” Ingraham said in January. "I haven’t made any decisions, but a number of folks in Virginia who are well-connected are very interested in my running, and that’s very flattering." |
Once upon a time, Netflix was proud enough of its public API which enabled third-party services and apps to serve up its data and content in different ways that it opened a gallery to display them. Unfortunately, times have changed since 2009 -- the old App Gallery is gone and now, so is public API access for new developers. A blog post indicates the API is now focused on supporting Netflix's official clients on the many devices its customers use to stream movies, not hobbyist projects for managing ones queue or finding new movies to watch. While those already in place should still work since existing keys will remain active, the developer forums are being set to read-only, no new keys are being issued and new partners are no longer being accepted.
The move is reminiscent of recent changes by Twitter, where as each company has grown it's decided having control over the user experience through its own official apps outweighs allowing the community to build and extend access as it sees fit. We're sad to see the program go, as many of these tools assisted Netflix members in ways the official website and apps either never did, or no longer do after the features were removed. Even though Netflix relies on its own secret sauce for recommendations, we've always found it hard to beat InstantWatcher's curated lists (by year, Rotten Tomatoes rating, critic's picks, titles most recently added by other users and more) to find a video, and FeedFliks was indispensable for monitoring exactly how valuable the service is until its features were cut down by API changes. They provided an edge the competition like Amazon Prime and Redbox couldn't match, but we'll have to wait and see if this change is noticed by enough subscribers to matter -- we've seen how that can go. |
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There’s no problem between Romelu Lukaku and Jose Mourinho.
Since joining Everton on loan at the start of the season, speculation has surrounded the relationship between the striker and his parent club boss.
Things began to unravel a month ago when Lukaku noted that he hadn’t spoke to Mourinho since the season began and that he’d be up to continue his time at Everton.
Those comments sparked a backlash from Mourinho, who noted that he wasn’t aware on-loan players could decide their own future.
Now, the Belgium international insists there are no issues between he and Mourinho.
He squared the story away in a recent conversation with Sport Voetbal magazine.
“I’d first said I wanted to stay at Chelsea during the summer,” Lukaku said. “And then I felt I had to leave to play more. It was my goal to do better than last season.”
The Belgian elaborated. “[Mourinho] wanted me to stay and asked me why I wanted to leave. In some interviews my words were twisted, but the truth is that he accepted to let me leave. He did understand what I wanted. That’s what I really appreciate in him.”
Lukaku went on to make abundantly clear that he expects to be at Stamford Bridge next season. “Am I getting ready for Chelsea next season?,” he asked rhetorically. “Yes, why else would I have signed a contract for five years?”
Noting his appreciation for Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robin Van Persie, Luis Suarez and Robert Lewandowski, Lukaku noted his goal to “return to Chelsea as one of the best strikers in the Premier League.”
Thus far Lukaku has scored eight goals in 13 appearances for Everton, not astounding numbers but good ones. More than anything his gargantuan presence up top has attracted a lot of attention from opposing defenses, opening up space for Everton’s attacking midfield to score goals.
Two points shy of leaders Liverpool, Everton will be keen on extending their 10 match league unbeaten streak.
Follow @mprindi |
Late Wednesday, Twitter released a report showing what's become a very familiar story in Silicon Valley: That its workforce is mostly white and mostly male. By the company's own admission, Twitter has "a lot of work to do." Seven out of 10 employees there are men.
Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of Twitter is staffed by whites. Asians are also dominant, accounting for 29 percent of employees.
This matches a lot of what we've seen at other companies lately, from Google to Yahoo to Facebook to LinkedIn. The reports all speak clearly and transparently about the need to become more inclusive — not just when it comes to gender, but also to race. At Google, for instance, only 2 percent of employees are black and 3 percent Hispanic.
There is a another story in the data that's less apparent, though, and it's about class. We don't typically talk about class as it relates to tech companies, because tech tends to be a lucrative field in its own right and engineers make a lot of money. If anything, tech employees have borne the brunt of the criticism in connection with San Francisco's skyrocketing housing prices, or the exclusive corporate shuttle buses that wind their way through the city during rush hour.
Still, the data show that there's a big gap between the executives at the top of the pyramid and those who actually make the machines go.
This is true for Twitter, but also at Yahoo, where women account for 37 percent of the workforce but only 23 percent of leadership positions. Whites make up only 50 percent of Yahoo's U.S. employees, but as much as 78 percent of its U.S.-based leadership.
Asians make up more than a third of Facebook's overall workforce. Yet only 19 percent have made it into senior-level positions.
There appears to be a ceiling at many of these companies that transcends demography — though it's important to point out that some groups in leadership do match their level of representation in the rest of the company. Blacks account for 2 percent of Twitter's employees, and they also account for 2 percent of Twitter's leadership. Hispanics account for 4 percent of leadership employees at Facebook, and also 4 percent of the company's overall workforce.
Why should we care whether the top level leadership looks like the rest of the company? For the same reasons that people care about a company's diversity overall: Different experiences and value systems help counter groupthink. Homogeneity at the top conditions people to act in certain ways that might seem mystifying to outsiders.
Every billionaire suffers from the same problem. Nobody around them ever says, "Hey, that stupid idea you just had is really stupid." — Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) July 24, 2014
To the extent that technology companies are becoming a more important part of the economy, society has an interest in making sure that those companies are reflective of the customers they serve. As Google puts it in its own reporting: "Having a diversity of perspectives leads to better decision-making, more relevant products, and makes work a whole lot more interesting."
That goes for companies that also have an overabundance of some demographics. It's impossible to talk about these companies' diversity reports without discussing their disproportionately Asian workforces. Census data show that Asians account for less than a quarter of the Bay area population. Yet Asians represent 39 percent of Yahoo's U.S. workforce, 34 percent at Facebook, 38 percent at LinkedIn and 30 percent at Google.
Asian-Americans have long lived with the perception that they're the model minority; in this case, the numbers appear to reinforce that idea. Asians far outnumber their black or Hispanic counterparts.
But the data also show that there are limits to the stereotype; Asians are just as subject to the leadership ceiling as everyone else, if not more so. The fact that there are so many Asians at tech companies simply masks that point. That "bamboo ceiling," as some have called it, is largely invisible precisely because Asians seem to be doing so well for themselves already.
What's more, Asians' preponderance in Silicon Valley jobs does little to dispel the idea that Asians are naturally better suited to those tasks, or by contrast, more poorly suited to jobs in other industries. The impression is only reinforced when you consider that in other aspects of U.S. life, Asian-Americans are largely absent. Just look at Congress, which has 44 black members and 37 Hispanics but only 13 Asians. Or the Cabinet, which has none.
As a Chinese-American male who's neither an engineer nor a scientist, I confess to some amount of bias here. Still, you don't need to be of Asian descent to see how a lack of corporate diversity cuts in many directions, at every level. |
GENERAL UPDATES
Players can now swap the left and right sticks on a control pad
"Legacy" controls option has been added:
Left stick up/down moves forward/backward
Left stick left/right turns left/right
Right stick up/down aims up/down (these can be inverted)
Right stick left/right strafes left/right
Sticks can also be switched
Improved dead-zone controls, giving players increased accuracy during off-center and diagonal stick movement
Added an option to adjust Aim Assist strength (defaults to full strength)
Players can now configure the user interface display area (Go to Options > Video > Display Margin)
"Weapons" section added to the Hero Gallery
Added McCree as an AI hero in Practice vs. AI, Play vs. AI, and Custom Game modes
Disabled "Avoid This Player" functionality and removed option from the game UI
The "Prefer"/"Avoid" player system was designed with the best intentions; however, it's not currently performing in a way that we feel is healthy for the game. While the "Prefer This Player" option is more or less working as intended (and is thus still enabled), the "Avoid This Player" option has impacted the matchmaker in negative way and led to some very poor player experiences across the board. Although we like the idea of being able to say "hey, I'd prefer not to play with this person," the implementation of the mechanic is not where it needs to be. We're still looking at ways to iterate and improve upon features that empower players to reduce toxicity and harassment in their games; we just want to be sure these features don't accidentally punish positive community members as a side-effect. |
As Bridget rules the UK chart for the third week, ahead of new opener Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, we analyse the maths behind such extraordinary audience domination
The winner: Bridget Jones’s Baby
The Bridget Jones’s Baby success story at UK cinemas writes another chapter as the film cracks £30m in just 17 days – the fastest pace ever set for a romantic comedy. Of course, ticket price inflation favours this movie, but it’s worth remarking that 2001’s original Bridget Jones’s Diary had yet to crack £30m after 31 days of release – eventually reaching £42m thanks to a very long tail of cinema play. Three years later, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason was quicker out of the gate, cracking £30m after 24 days of play, on its way to a final tally of £36m.
Bridget Jones's Baby makes Working Title first British film company to take $1bn in UK Read more
The romantic comedy has been rather an orphan genre in recent years, at least in the UK and the US. British variants – 2014’s Cuban Fury and 2015’s Man Up – have seen such disappointing box office that producers and financiers are hardly encouraged to try again. The weepie Me Before You, a £9.6m hit this year, hardly qualifies as an example of the romcom genre, despite some comedic elements and a strong romantic storyline. As for the US, there has really only been How to Be Single this year, which also broke a few rules in the romcom template.
The success of Bridget Jones’s Baby doesn’t really yield many lessons for the film industry, since it’s a sequel featuring a beloved character, which doesn’t help a producer shopping an original romcom script. It does, however, encourage development executives to keep scouring those bookshelves in the hope of discovering a new property with equivalent potential. It’s also another reminder of the commercial potency of the female audience, which continues to be under-served by Hollywood.
Bridget Jones’s Baby has powered an admissions surge for the month of September, traditionally a relatively quiet month for UK cinemas. The monthly admissions data is always slow to be confirmed, but insiders are saying it could well be the strongest September this century, and the busiest since 1997, which was powered by the late-August release that year of The Full Monty.
Bridget Jones’s Baby (£31.35m) has now overtaken Notting Hill (£31.01m) to become the fourth-biggest romcom at the UK box office, behind the previous two Bridget Jones movies and Love Actually. These numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
The runner-up: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Although it couldn’t budge Bridget from the top spot, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children opened with a very creditable £3.36m, or £3.47m including previews. That’s a nice recovery of commercial form for director Tim Burton, after 2014’s Big Eyes (debut of £136,000) and 2012’s Frankenweenie (£742,000 including previews of £156,000). The last time a Burton movie opened bigger was in 2010, with Alice in Wonderland.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children review – return to Burtonworld Read more
Miss Peregrine has the advantage of familiar source material (the Ransom Riggs novel) and a family positioning – although a 12A certificate and a peril-packed storyline might be red flags for parents of younger children. The story’s setting is primarily in Wales and Blackpool, which is another advantage for the UK release.
The livestream event: Supersonic
Supersonic review – Oasis pop history lesson ignores battles Read more
Another week, another event-style release of a music documentary, with Sunday’s presentation of Oasis film Supersonic, together with a livestream Q&A with director Mat Whitecross and executive producer Liam Gallagher. On 8 September, Nick Cave film One More Time With Feeling went out to 156 cinemas, with some repeat showings over the 9-11 September weekend, grossing £343,000. A week later, it was the turn of The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years, which went out on 15 September to 497 cinemas, yielding £597,000 in a single day, and now stands at a robust £926,000.
Supersonic on Sunday grossed £542,000 from 387 venues, which is a nice chunk ahead of its regular release on Friday, when the film will downsize to a more focused 74 cinemas. And because the Sunday screenings are classified just as an event release, and because the regular rollout beginning this weekend swerves the three big circuits Odeon, Vue and Cineworld, distributor eOne is able to release Supersonic on DVD, Blu-ray and digitally within the 16.5-week theatrical window that the major multiplex chains demand. In fact, the home entertainment release is set for the end of this month.
The under-performer: Free State of Jones
When STX Entertainment and IM Global greenlit the $50m-budget American civil war drama Free State of Jones, starring Matthew McConaughey, hopes were high for a major prestige film with awards potential and commercial heft. But the US release in June, delivering just $21m at the box office, put paid to that.
For the UK, American civil war dramas are a tricky sell at the best of times, and distributor StudioCanal really needed some US buzz to give the film liftoff. Absent that, Free State of Jones represented a distribution challenge, despite some admiring reviews including from the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw. The UK debut of £119,000 from 226 cinemas might be labelled a disappointment, but expectations had already been shifted significantly downwards.
The personal best: Hell or High Water
Hell or High Water review – elegiac Texan western that packs a dizzying punch Read more
In 2014, when Starred Up grossed £1.5m in UK cinemas, the film represented director David Mackenzie’s biggest ever box office here and his first £1m hit. Over the seven previous feature films, commercial returns for the director had been distinctly patchy. Now Hell or High Water has reached £1.62m, overtaking Starred Up to become Mackenzie’s new best achiever. The film grossed £52,000 at the weekend, and there’s probably another £150-200,000 left in it yet, as it mops up the smaller indie venues.
The future
13th review: Ava DuVernay doc shows prisons are the new plantations Read more
Buoyed up by the strong hold of Bridget Jones’s Baby, takings at the weekend were overall 11% up on the previous frame, and also 15% up on the equivalent session from 2015, when The Martian arrived at the top spot. Box office has now been up on the equivalent 2015 weekends for nine of the past 10 frames. Hopes are high that this trend will continue with the arrival today (5 October) of The Girl on the Train, adapted from the Paula Hawkins bestseller. Rival distributors are running scared of the eOne release this weekend, although Warners offers Mel Gibson actioner Blood Father and Icon presents darkly comic US indie War on Everyone, from John Michael McDonagh (The Guard, Calvary). Alternatives include US horror comedy The Greasy Strangler, the regular release of Supersonic, as mentioned above, and Louis Theroux’s first theatrical feature My Scientology Movie. The 13th, the documentary from Selma director Ava DuVernay about US mass incarceration of African Americans, appears simultaneously in cinemas and on Netflix, following festival showcases in New York and London.
Top 10 films September 30 to 2 October
1. Bridget Jones’s Baby, £4,807,165 from 645 sites. Total: £31,350,360
2. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, £3,473,781 from 558 sites (new)
3. Deepwater Horizon, £1,984,340 from 487 sites (new)
4. The Magnificent Seven, £1,004,373 from 540 sites. Total: £4,354,269
5. Supersonic, £542,263 from 387 sites (new, Sunday only)
6. Finding Dory, £365,921 from 478 sites. Total: £41,720,627
7. Kubo and the Two Strings, £320,781 from 486 sites. Total: £2,730,717
8. Don’t Breathe, £220,900 from 220 sites. Total: £3,356,184
9. Bad Moms, £178,511 from 203 sites. Total: £7,977,387
10. MS Dhoni – The Untold Story, £177,441 from 79 sites (new)
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mark Wahlberg, right, in Deepwater Horizon. Photograph: David Lee
Other openers
Free State of Jones, £118,886 from 226 sites
Swiss Army Man, £80,403 from 59 sites
The First Monday in May, £31,846 from 15 sites
LORD (Legend of Ravaging Dynasties), £28,147 from 16 sites
Nikka Zaildar, £27,623 from 12 sites
Under the Shadow, £24,392 from 25 sites
Southside with You, £6,184 from 27 sites
The Fencer, £4,202 from six sites
Courted, £2,883 from eight sites
Aandavan Kattalai, £1,908 from one site
Kickboxer, £1,132 from 10 sites
Urban Hymn, £859 from eight sites
Tharlo, £699 from three sites
Amanda Knox, £306 from one site |
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, and Indian Ocean for all branches of the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. government agencies. Their warnings are intended for the protection of primarily military ships and aircraft as well as military installations jointly operated with other countries around the world.[2]
Its U.S. Navy components are aligned with Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command.
History [ edit ]
The origins of the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) can be traced back to June 1945, when the Fleet Weather Center/Typhoon Tracking Center was established on the island of Guam, after multiple typhoons, including Typhoon Cobra of December 1944 and June 1945, had caused a significant loss of men and ships.[3][4] At this time the centre was one of three Navy and two Air Force units responsible for tropical cyclone reconnaissance and warnings in the Pacific.[3] Over the next few years the coordination of tropical warnings between the centres was at times difficult or impossible due to various communication problems.[5] During 1958, the United States Department of Defense weather services and the Weather Bureau formed the Joint Meteorology Committee to the Pacific Command and proposed the formation of a joint Navy and Air Force center for typhoon analysis and forecasting.[3][6] A committee was subsequently set up to study the issue which issued a report during January 1959, which gave recommendation that the center be set up.[6] Based on the report and the conclusions reached at the March 1959 Annual Tropical Cyclone Conference, the Joint Meteorology Committee formally urged, The Commander in Chief, US Pacific Command (CINCPAC) to establish a Joint Typhoon Warning Center.[6] The CINCPAC subsequently petitioned the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who gave permission for the centre to be set up effective May 1, 1959, under the command of the Fleet Weather Center's commander.[5][6]
The JTWC initially consisted of ten people with two officers and three enlisted personnel provided by each service.[5] It was required to provide warnings on all tropical cyclones, between the Malay Peninsular and the International Dateline for US government agencies.[5] They also had to determine reconnaissance requirements, prepare annual typhoon summaries, and conduct research into tropical cyclone forecasting and detection.[3] In November 1962, Typhoon Karen destroyed the building housing the Fleet Weather Center/Joint Typhoon Warning Center. It relocated in a more typhoon-proof building in 1965.[7] Between 1971 and 1976, CINCPAC gradually expanded out the JTWC's area of responsibility, to include the area between the International Dateline and the African coasts. In October 1978, the Fleet Weather Center/JTWC became the Navy Oceanographic Command Center/Joint Typhoon Warning Center and responsible for the whole oceanic environment, from the bottom of the ocean to the top of the atmosphere.[8] The JTWC subsequently started issuing warnings for the Southern Hemisphere between the African coast and the International Dateline during October 1980.[8] It was relocated to Pearl Harbor on January 1, 1999 due to the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission round. During October 2011, the JTWC's name changed from the “Naval Maritime Forecast Center/Joint Typhoon Warning Center” to just the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, as it became a stand-alone command for the first time in its 52-year history.[9]
Standards and practices [ edit ]
A more modernized method for forecasting tropical cyclones had become apparent by the 1980s. Prior to the development of ATCF, the tools used by the Department of Defense to forecast tropical cyclone track were acetate, grease pencils, and disparate computer programs.[10] The ATCF software was developed by the Naval Research Laboratory for the JTWC beginning in 1986,[11] and used since 1988. It was adapted for use at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in 1990.[10]
JTWC adheres to the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) rules for storm names and adheres to acknowledged guidelines for intensity of tropical cyclones and tropical storms, with the exception of using the U.S. standard of measuring sustained winds for 1-min instead of the 10-min span recommended by the WMO (see Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale). The JTWC is not one of the WMO designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres, nor one of its Tropical cyclone warning centres, as its main mission is to support the United States government agencies.[12] JTWC monitors, analyzes, and forecasts tropical cyclone formation, development, and movement year round.[13] Its area of responsibility covers 89% of the world's tropical cyclone activity.[14]
Staffing [ edit ]
The Center is manned by about 37 U.S. Air Force and Navy personnel.[15] The JTWC uses several satellite systems and sensors, radar, surface and upper level synoptic data as well as atmospheric models to complete its mission.[2]
See also [ edit ] |
An al-Qaeda instructor killed himself and 20 of his pupils when he accidentally set off a car bomb during a bungled training session in Iraq .
The explosion took place at an insurgents' camp near the town of Samarra, 60 miles north-west of Baghdad.
Security forces were drawn to the area by the sound of the explosion. They arrested 22 survivors, some of whom were wounded, and discovered seven fully prepared car bombs along with suicide belts packed with high explosive.
The dead instructor has not been named, but he was described as an experienced operative who specialised in training and recruitment. An Iraqi army officer told The New York Times that his final lesson had killed "the bad guys for once".
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an extremist group affiliated to al-Qaeda, ran this particular camp located in a largely Sunni area of central Iraq. ISIS also operates over the border in neighbouring Syria and controls areas of Anbar province in western Iraq.
Car bombs and suicide belts are often assembled in rural areas north and west of Baghdad, where the largely Sunni population is sometimes sympathetic to ISIS. The camp where the accident took place was concealed in an orchard outside the village of al-Jalam in a fertile area between the Tigris and Euphrates.
Bomb attacks carried out by ISIS and other extremist groups are claiming hundreds of lives in Iraq every month. The country is now enduring its bloodiest period since the sectarian civil war of 2006-07.
This is partly because Syria's own civil war has spread across its borders. In addition, Nouri al-Maliki, the Shia prime minister of Iraq, has adopted a sectarian and autocratic approach to government, purging Sunni ministers and driving many members of this minority to violent resistance.
America believes that ISIS has about 2,000 fighters in Iraq, led by a designated "international terrorist" known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The discovery of the training camp amounts to one of the few setbacks for ISIS's campaign in recent months. |
Today’s Campaign Update
(Because The Campaign Never Ends)
President Trump’s decision announced Monday night to increase the U.S. presence in Afghanistan by sending up to 4,000 additional troops and military advisers into that already 16 year-old war is both disappointing, and encouraging. The disappointment comes in the President’s going back on his oft-repeated campaign pledge to get our country out of that armpit of the earth, where more that 2,500 American lives have already been sacrificed to accomplish goals that under President George W. Bush were overly-ambitious and unachievable, and that under President Barack Obama were vague and unsupported in any real way by that administration. In announcing his intent to extend U.S. involvement even further, one cannot help but fear that Mr. Trump has allowed himself to be co-opted into what has become a literal money pit for the military-industrial complex.
All that aside, it was at least encouraging to hear an American President eschew entirely the ill-fated neo-conservative hubris of “nation-building” in the Middle East, and work to set clear and obtainable side bars for our country’s ongoing commitment to Afghanistan, without setting artificial and counter-productive time lines whose only result was to allow the radical Muslim factions operating in the countryside to simply wait us out. If nothing else positive can be said, this plan at least is what a real strategy for achieving real goals looks like, something we never saw during the Obama years.
The President’s harsh words directed towards Pakistan, and its continuing harboring of Al Qaeda and Taliban training bases and safe havens are also encouraging. Unlike his predecessor in office, this President’s word in such matters has already been proven to be meaningful and carrying real intent of purpose. Pakistani officials will ignore that word at their own peril.
A final encouraging factor in all of this is that this strategy was developed and is led by Defense Secretary General James “Mad Dog” Mattis, and not his the feckless, un-serious bureaucrat predecessor, the execrable Jeh Johnson. General Mattis inspires confidence in a way few men can match, and no one can question his loyalty to this country and commitment to doing what he believes is best for the military he oversees.
We all know that the First Rule of Plans is that they fall completely apart the moment the enemy is engaged. At that point, it is crucial to have the best possible leadership to lead the improvisation that follows. General Mattis is that best possible leadership for this plan, making it at least reasonable to hope things will work out better in the coming years in Afghanistan than they have over the past 16 years.
Fake news, fake news everywhere, and not a drop of truth. – The fake news media and the fake polls they pay to dummy up would have us all believe that President Trump is the incredibly unpopular leader of a divided political party that is falling apart, and that the Democrat Party is poised to make huge gains in the 2018 mid-term elections. The only problem with that narrative is that none of it is true. If you want proof, all you need to do is look at the latest fundraising efforts by both political parties.
The truth of this matter is that the Republican National Committee (RNC) out-raised the Democrat National Committee (DNC) by a factor of almost 3 to 1 during July. The RNC took in $10.2 million last month, while the DNC raised a paltry $3.8 million. Making the balance of funds even more stark, the RNC has no debt, while the DNC is saddled with a debt of $3.4 million. The July fundraising comparison just continues a trend that has existed throughout 2017, with the RNC’s advantage growing as the year has progressed, in spite of the efforts by 98% of the national news media to paint the President as a lunatic tool of Vladimir Putin.
On the congressional side of the ledger, the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has slightly out-raised the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) so far in 2017 – $66 million compared to $64 million – but that comes as faint comfort to a party with a 50+ seat disadvantage, especially given that the NRCC has about a $12 million advantage in cash on hand. By the same token, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee out-raised its GOP counterpart by about $700,000 in July, but that’s actually a terrible result when one considers that 25 Democrat senators are up for re-election in 2018, compared to just 9 Republicans.
The truth is this: the Republican brand is very unpopular, but the Democrat brand is in complete shambles. The Republicans can go a long way towards repairing their brand by simply passing some tax cuts and some form of an infrastructure bill between now and November 2018. To repair their brand between now and then, the Democrats would have to stage a palace coup and jettison both Nancy Pelosi and Charles Schumer from their congressional leadership, along with the leftist radicals Tom Perez and Keith Ellison who lead the DNC, and more importantly, replace them all with leaders who are actually attractive and likable to a majority of the country’s voters. It is painfully hard to see who those new leaders might be within the Democrat ranks.
As we sit here today, the GOP is actually in pretty strong shape for 2018, in spite of its own congressional ineptitude. Once again, the media narrative that we are being fed 24 hours every day is a shameful lie. Some things never change.
Just another day in fake news media America.
That is all.
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The number of voters who believe terrorists are winning the fight against the United States and its allies continues to grow, while views of Muslims in general and U.S. relations with the Islamic world have worsened.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 29% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That’s down from the 33% measured in March, but still above findings for most of last year. But now 39% think the terrorists are winning the war, up from 33% in the previous survey and the highest level of pessimism since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. {snip}
{snip}
Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters now believe most Muslims worldwide view the United States as an enemy, up from 39% earlier this year and tying the highest level last measured in August 2013. Thirty-three percent (33%) disagree and say most Muslims around the world do not view America as an enemy. Nineteen percent (19%) are not sure.
{snip}
Over half (52%) believe U.S. relations with the Islamic world are worse today than they were five years ago, up from 44% last August. Just 12% think U.S.-Islamic relations are better since Obama’s speech in Cairo just over five years ago, while 27% say those relations are about the same.
{snip}
Seventy-five percent (75%) of Americans agree that Islamic religious leaders need to do more to emphasize the peaceful beliefs of their faith, and 52% believe Islam as practiced today encourages violence more than most other religions.
{snip}
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NEW DELHI: IndiGo today said that its fleet size has increased to a 100 Airbus A320 aircraft after the delivery of ‘VT-IDR aircraft’ that joined its fleet on December 23, 2015.“The aircraft puja was done today, 24th December 2015, at Terminal 1D Delhi,” it said in a release."Ten years ago we had dreamt of one day being a part of 100 aircraft airline. Our sincere gratitude to over a hundred million customers who have chosen IndiGo and are the reason for us to have reached this milestone,” IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh was quoted in a release.The announcement of the airline becoming a 100-aircraft airline has come at a time when the airline’s expansion plan is under pressure due to the delay in delivery date of Airbus 320 neos. Earlier, the first A320 neo was to be delivered to IndiGo on December 30.As per the original plan, IndiGo was to induct 10 A320 neos in the current fiscal ending March 31, 2016. IndiGo had announced to acquire 180 A320s, including 150 A320 neos in 2011, the largest aircraft order by any Indian carrier at that time. |
Getty Cavuto warns GOP candidates not to look like 'whiners and babies'
One of the moderators of Tuesday night's Fox Business Network debate has a message for the Republicans about to hit the stage: this is a whine-free zone.
“I understand candidates getting annoyed, but they better be careful about looking like whiners and babies,” Neil Cavuto told The Washington Post when asked if he fits the bill, after some of the candidates requested conservative moderators following the perceived "gotcha" questions in last month's CNBC debate.
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“I see this on the right and the left. I think you can ask very tough questions without coming off like an ass. I think it’s incumbent on us to know and appreciate the difference,” he continued.
But both Cavuto and co-moderator Maria Bartiromo acknowledged they were nervous (if ever-so-slightly) after watching the backlash previous moderators have gotten.
“It’s a little nerve-racking. I try to tackle it like a show or a big interview. I just try to button it down, get it right, make sure I do my research correctly, make sure our facts are right, our tone is right,” Cavuto said. “We want to make sure this debate is not so much about us but about the candidates. Invariably, someone will be unhappy.”
“I’m a little — I don’t know if it’s nerves or being anxious — but of course. All of a sudden, it’s become cool to beat up the moderator,” Bartiromo said. |
Captain’s Log, U.S.S. Pastak,
One of the great honors of being a Starfleet captain is making first contact with a new civilization. As a Temporal Agent, one of the greatest honors can be making first contact with a civilization taking their fledgling steps into time travel.
Protecting the integrity of the timeline is a careful balancing act for us. We must provide our forebears enough information to protect against incursions from the future, while not disrupting their natural development. The technique that has worked the best for us thus far is to make only a few individuals aware of future events, individuals who understand the gravity of temporal issues.
To that end, I have the honor today of bringing one of the greatest captains in history to witness the signing of the Temporal Accords - the historic event that stabilized the timeline. We felt that this would be the best way to make an official first contact, not only with a time-traveling civilization, but with a potential Temporal Agent.
The captain comes from a key period in history – the early 25th Century. That’s when the Federation and its allies embarked on a new era of exploration in a new frontier – time itself. Charting this frontier brought a whole new set of dangers to light – dangers I hope to help these explorers face and overcome.
On Thursday, January 28th, celebrate the sixth anniversary of Star Trek Online by enjoying our latest featured episode, “Time and Tide”, where captains will travel through time to witness the historical signing of the Temporal Accords.
“Time and Tide” continues our new season and our new story, and includes great rewards that you can earn over the course of several weeks, in addition to the reward from completing our daily anniversary event.
For a limited time, “Time and Tide” will be available to all players level 10 and up (Romulan players must have selected a faction). After this, it will be in our normal mission journal progression. As the first map is in the Delta Quadrant, players less than level 50 can access the mission from the Dyson Sphere Gateway near the Jouret System in the Beta quadrant during this time.
We are proud to present this new Featured Episode to celebrate our sixth anniversary, and we look forward to seeing you in game for the launch of “Time and Tide”
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CLOSE The Inquisitor (voiced by Jason Isaacs) engages in a lightsaber fight with the Jedi outlaw Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) in an exclusive clip from an upcoming episode of the animated series "Star Wars Rebels." Lucasfilm
The Inquisitor (voiced by Jason Isaacs) faces off in a lightsaber dual with the Jedi Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) in "Star Wars Rebels." (Photo: Lucasfilm)
Star Wars is in an Empire state of mind.
The nefarious galactic government that gave us Darth Vader, a couple of Death Stars and a horde of marching AT-ATs in George Lucas' original movie trilogy returns in the new animated series Star Wars Rebels. The cartoon kicks off with a one-hour Disney Channel premiere special on Friday (9 p.m. ET/PT), then begins its first season Oct. 13 on Disney XD.
Rebels takes place before the events of the 1977 Star Wars movie and focuses on the nascent Rebel Alliance — the crew of the Ghost led by the Jedi-trained Kanan (voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr.).
The good guys are cool and all, but "people are just glad the Empire's back," says Dave Filoni, one of Rebels' executive producers along with Simon Kinberg and Greg Weisman.
As seen in Lucas' final prequel, 2005's Revenge of the Sith, the Empire rose and had a decade of military expansion. For many, the public perception is the Empire is a good thing that brings stability and safety. However, the Emperor is building his first Death Star in secret during Rebels as he consolidates power, the Outer Rim of the galaxy is oppressed by Imperial forces, and Vader and his minions are tasked with wiping out any remaining Jedi.
As part of a new generation of Star Wars projects, Rebels will tie in with future stories including next year's Episode VII movie. Yet it also reflects the franchise's past. It shares many aspects of the first Star Wars trilogy, from TIE Fighters and Star Destroyers, to
The Inquisitor (voiced by Jason Isaacs) and a group of Stormtroopers. (Photo: Lucasfilm)
Stormtroopers who can't shoot straight, and the introduction of the Jedi-hunting Inquisitor (Jason Isaacs) showcases a ruthless throwback to the calm villainy of Vader.
Filoni sees the analytical new bad guy, who brandishes a spinning, double-bladed lightsaber, as an "evil version of Sherlock Holmes."
What makes him really creepy and disturbing for Isaacs is "everybody he encounters is so far beneath his skill level that it doesn't tax him," the actor says. "I wanted him to enjoy the chase and enjoy the hunt. He's not in a panic, nothing's about to blow up. He can take on any number of adversaries and still have time to read the newspaper and get his nails done."
The Empire from the movies offered high-ranking Imperial officers and lowly Stormtroopers as cannon fodder, but not much middle management. That's where Rebels' Agent Kallus (David Oyelowo) comes in, as an enforcer in the Imperial Security Bureau who revels in squashing seeds of rebellion.
Kallus may not command starships but Oyelowo respects his ambition. "He's muscle on the ground," the actor says, "but you can just tell, with every line, with every action he makes, he has his sights set higher."
Flanked by Stormtroopers, Agent Kallus (voiced by David Oyelowo) is a high-ranking official of the Imperial Security Bureau. (Photo: Lucasfilm)
Also of note: Kallus' awesome sideburns and a penchant for fisticuffs. "I've had to do quite a bit of grunting and groaning from a voice-work point of view," Oyelowo says with a laugh.
There's definitely workplace politics involved in Rebels — the Imperial officers in the Star Wars movies had to put up with Vader and the ways of the Force, and the same goes with the Inquisitor.
"Kallus isn't pleased this guy is around," Filoni says. "He'd rather work without him, but it's procedure. He has to call him and say, 'Hey, I might have a Jedi problem out here. You better come look at this.' "
Kanan and his pals aren't enough of a pain for Kallus to ring Lord Vader yet. Still, Filoni wouldn't mind getting James Earl Jones into a recording studio and bringing him back to the Dark Side.
"We have a nice history of honoring the great legacy characters," Filoni teases. "It would be a shame never to have Darth Vader in the show, I'll say that much."
CLOSE Executive producer Dave Filoni and others discuss the return of the Empire in the new animated series "Star Wars Rebels." Lucasfilm
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Although HTC has hardly even hinted at a Vive 2, the company is continuing to make subtle improvements to their first headset that’s been selling in stores since April 2016. In addition to a 15% reduction in weight, the latest headsets are shipping with tweaked SteamVR Tracking (AKA Lighthouse) Base Stations and redesigned packaging.
The Vive just celebrated its one year anniversary last week and HTC was offering $100-off of the Vive system which includes the headset, two controllers, and two Base Station beacons which allow SteamVR Tracking to work its magic. If you jumped in on the anniversary sale, you might even end up with one of the latest Vive headsets which have seen a number of tweaks since the device’s launch just over a year ago.
Last week we reported that the latest Vive headsets rolling off the production line weighed 15% less than they did at launch. And now we’ve learned of some additional changes that have come since the launch of the headset.
Road to VR has confirmed that tweaked Base Stations are shipping with the latest Vive headsets. These are not the completely redesigned Base Stations that Valve said will begin shipping this year, but rather a subtle design change to the infrared LED array that’s essential to the operation of the SteamVR Tracking system.
As far as we’ve seen, every consumer Vive has previously shipped with Base Stations that have a 15-LED array which you can spot if you look carefully through the black front of the unit. The newer tweaked Base Station has a more rigidly aligned 9-LED (3×3) array. Beyond this we haven’t spotted any other visual differences, though it’s possible there’s some internal differences that we wouldn’t find without cracking the case open.
Why the change? That’s a question we put to HTC, though they didn’t give us a specific answer.
“As you may know, we constantly are updating the hardware, but not making an specific announcements at this time,” an HTC spokesperson told us when we asked about the changes to the Base Station.
One guess is that the IR LED’s could be brighter, which could mean increased range. In side-by-side pictures, it does look that way, though as the images were captured with a visible-light camera, it’s quite possible that the new LEDs are not in fact brighter, but simply emit more light in the visible spectrum.
It has been said previously by Alan Yates—the Valve engineer credited with designing SteamVR Tracking (AKA Lighthouse)—that the range bottleneck of the system is the LEDs (which flash to serve as a ‘sync pulse’ that allows for a consistent timing reference, a critical part of the tracking calculations). The lasers can go out quite far while remaining eye-safe, but the LEDs can’t reach as far (whether it’s an eye-safe issue or not for the LEDs isn’t clear).
SteamVR Tracking Base Station prototype in slow motion shows the IR LED sync pulse in action | Video courtesy Alan Yates
Thanks to the assistance of developer Craig Albert, we were able to run a rudimentary range test with the new Base Stations, which involved quite simply using the Vive controllers and Trackers and moving backward from the Base Station until the point of tracking failure. In the tests the new Base Station seemed to offer strong tracking for about one extra foot further than the older Base Station, though given the unscientific nature of the test and the small apparent difference, this could easily fall in the margin of error, so I wouldn’t suggest putting any money on that finding.
Even if the range difference is null, another potential reason for the change could be reduced cost. Yes LEDs are cheap, but there’s also the cost of placing components on boards. If each LED costs you 2¢ to buy and place, and there’s 15 on each Base Station (and two Base Stations per Vive), by the time you’ve sold 500,000 Vives, you’ve spent $300,000 on LEDs. If you were buying and placing 9 LEDs per Base Station instead, you’d cut your costs by $120,000 in the same number of manufactured systems—not a bad bit of pocket change for a little tweak.
1 of 3
The SteamVR Tracking Base Stations have seen a number of design iterations (including varying LED counts and layouts) throughout the creation of the tracking system. Above is a small gallery showing different configurations from three different pre-release prototypes.
Continued on Page 2 ‘New Packaging’ >> |
REC Silicon to miss Q3 polysilicon production, sales forecast
September 23 (SeeNews) - REC Silicon ASA (STO:RECO) said on Friday it does not expect to meet its previous guidance for third-quarter (Q3) polysilicon production and sales.
The reason for that are the effects of the ongoing solar trade war between the US and China and the recent decline in photovoltaic (PV) market conditions. The company said it is affected in such a way that it will run at roughly 50% of full capacity at its Moses Lake facility in Washington by October 1, 2016. Production is seen to run at lower rates until market conditions improve, it added.
The company now projects that Q3 polysilicon sales volumes, excluding fines and powders, will amount to 1,800 tonnes. July-September revenues are projected at between USD 45 million (EUR 40m) and USD 50 million, decreasing from USD 71.1 million in the prior quarter due to lower FBR (Fluidised Bed Reactor) sales volumes.
REC Silicon forecasts that Q3 total polysilicon production volumes will reach 3,900 tonnes, failing to meet the previous guidance for 4,490 tonnes. FBR production is seen at 3,300 tonnes versus a prior projection for 3,830 tonnes.
The company also mentioned that it is holding talks with its joint venture partner to defer beyond 2018 its second and third capital contributions, totalling USD 169 million, that are needed for the construction of a FBR polysilicon plant in Yulin, China. REC Silicon said it will not be able to make the contributions until the trade war is resolved.
(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.892) |
This is going to be a slightly different article from me this time, I initially wrote something similar to this for a friend of mine, and realised that this would be a good ground to base one of my articles off of.
What is gold?
Gold is the lifeblood of the game, with it you purchase items that can protect you, or help you rain terror down upon your opponents and unlike games like DotA and HoN, the gold you earn is yours to keep (until you spend it).
How can I earn gold?
This is going to form the bulk of the article, gold can be generated in a number of ways, and I’m going to give you a brief overview of each method.
First of all let’s start with your guaranteed gold. Your guaranteed gold is a combination of both your starting gold, and the steady trickle of gold you will earn as the game goes on, this gold is earned by you, no matter how poorly you do.
On Summoner's Rift you start with 475 gold. This value is higher for Twisted Treeline, Howling Abyss and the Crystal Scar sitting at 875, 1375 and 1375 respectively. The Wealth mastery increases starting gold by 40, which is not much, but still well worth considering in some circumstances.
Every champion is granted a passive gold generation that kicks in when minions spawn, and the value of this depends on what map you’re playing on. On Summoner’s Rift, your passive gold generation is set at 19 gold per 10 seconds, for Twisted Treeline that value is set slightly lower at 16 gold per 10 seconds. On higher action maps like Howling Abyss and Crystal Scar the gold income is increased sizeably to 44 per 10 and 56 per 10. So take Summoner’s Rift, you started with 475 gold, for some reason you didn’t spend it and the game time clock is now 11:30, that’s 10 minutes of gold trickle. At 114 gold a minute, that’s a total income of 1140 gold, adding that to the current value that leaves you with 1615, Just enough for that BF Sword, or a Needlessly Large Rod.
There are a few masteries/runes that also increase gold passively and require no input other than for you to use them;
-Greater Quintessences of Gold grant an additional 1 gold every 10 seconds.
-Greater Seals of Gold grant an additional 0.25 gold every 10 seconds.
-Greed mastery grants an additional 0.5 / 1 / 1.5 gold every 10 seconds.
Active gold is gold that requires some form of player input to generate. This includes some masteries, gold generation items, minions slain or creep score, champion kills, assists and global objectives.
Some items can passively generate gold, and this can also increase your Gold per 10. These have to be bought by the player but require no additional input after that to keep the gold flowing.
A lot of gold generation items have additional effects that require more player input.
- Avarice Blade requires you to last hit minions successfully
- Relic Shield (and the upgrades) needs you to manage your stacks and again kill minions
- Spellthief’s Edge (And the upgrades) require you to focus on harassing your opponents
- Ancient Coin, (And the upgrades) needs you to be near creep deaths without last hitting them
Junglers also have gold generation items in the form of
-Wriggle’s Lantern making the jungle worth 40% more.
-Conservation Passive on the Spirit Items which grants up to 40 bonus gold based on how many stacks of the passive you have when you kill a large monster.
Champion Gold is the easiest gold to recognise because it comes in bulk. The rush of conflict often leads to one player being a bulk sum of gold up on their opponent.
Above you can see a chart that shows how opponents devalue from being slain repeatedly, this value has been tweaked over and over again, and now earning enough gold through farming will also reset your value. It's also worth remembering that to help prevent early snowballing, gold values for the first 4 minutes are decreased by a percentage, that regulates back to full value.
The person who last hits a champion will always receive 100% of that gold value bounty. The slightly more complex part is working out assists. An additional 50% of the bounty value is added into a separate pot and shared between all champions who assisted in the kill, if there were no assists this gold gets thrown back into the nether from which it came.
In addition to this 50% value, the game supports assist streaks, if you have 2 more assists than kills you gain an additional 30 gold on top of your share of the bonus pool. 3 more equates to 45 and the cap of 60 is at 4 or more assists. This value cannot exceed the original value of the kill, in the case of enemies who are dying a lot.
This brings me on to the next form of gold income, Structure Destruction and Objectives. The turrets have recently been changed but as of patch V3.14 they stand at around these values;
-An Outer Turret grants 100 Global gold and 150 split between everyone who damaged it in 10 seconds before it fell.
-An Inner turret grants 30 global experience, 125 global gold and 100 gold split between players who helped destroy it.
-An Inhibitor turret grants 100 global experience and 175 global gold, there is no pool split between players who helped destroy it.
Inhibitors and the Nexus are also both worth 50g. Nexus destruction ends the game so other than a fun way to compete with your friends the latter value should be considered void.
Dragon and Baron are fought over constantly and for good reason. Dragon grants a large pool of experience (That is also increased by 25% if your team’s average level is lower than your enemy’s) as well as 125-260 gold based on its level this means it’s worth a minimum of 625 to a maximum of 1300 per team.
Baron Nashor provides an incredibly strong buff for the team that slays him, as well as a large pool of 300 gold per player, that’s the equivalent of every member on your team being given a full value kill.
Minions are the steadiest and most reliable source of income next to your passive gold gain. Each minion has a small sum of gold to give you for killing them, their gold pool slowly increases over the duration of the game, but they start with melee being worth 19 gold, and ranged being worth 14 gold. This means the first creep wave of the game has a total value of 99 gold. This value will increase as the game goes on and that forms the basis of laning, Last Hitting.
Wards also have a value of 30 gold, split between the person who last hit it and the person who provided the vision to kill it.
There are a few champions who have their own passives or abilities that allow them to gain additional gold, either abilities like Gangplank’s “Parrrley” or passives like Draven’s “League of Draven”, Ashe’s “Hawkshot” or Twisted Fate’s “Loaded Dice”.
The mastery, Bandit also provides different effects, 15 gold being granted on kill or assist to a melee champion, or awarding a support with 3 gold for harassing with a basic attack.
How can I remember all of this?
As a player there is no obligation to remember everything down to .5 gold value, a general idea of the value of what happens in the game is more than enough, if you have a rough idea you can then at least make estimates based on how the game progresses.
So there are a lot of ways to earn gold in a standard game, a lot of them are not guaranteed, managing your time effectively to gain the most out of every available income will allow you to become stronger than your opponent. Controlling the lane in a way that gets you gold and denies them, ganking or catching someone out quickly so you do not lose many creeps, even taking jungle camps in between waves.
Good luck out there! |
Arsene Wenger: Coy on any possible move for Wayne Rooney
Rooney's future at Old Trafford is shrouded in doubt with the player requesting a move and United insisting the England international is not for sale.
A whole host of clubs, including Arsenal, have been linked with a move for Rooney should new United chief David Moyes decide to grant the striker his transfer request.
Wenger is remaining coy on any interest in Rooney and refused to talk about any possible summer transfer targets after being quizzed about the player.
"Look, I'm not in a position today to speak about any transfer targets," Wenger told The Mirror.
"What I am focused on is the short term and after the Newcastle game I give you answer about these questions."
And when pressed as to whether he could ever see such a major player as Rooney leaving Manchester United for Arsenal, Wenger added: "I just told you!" |
Musically speaking, Charli XCX, on the left, is the real standout on the no. 1 hit by Iggy Azalea (right). Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Three decades ago, in an interview with chart-trivia master Fred Bronson for his Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry said the following about 1981’s “Rapture”—the song with the rap about the man from Mars who’s eatin’ cars, and the first Hot 100 No. 1 song to feature rapping.
“It took some getting used to for the guys [in the band],” Harry said. “They really weren’t solidly behind rap music at the time. It was very underground … They thought it might have been a little too much.”
Discussing what, if anything, she would go back and change about her performance, Harry added: “I think I would do the rap a little, what I would call tighter, more precise. To me it’s a little bit off the beat. I only did one take on it and that was it. So if I were to do it again, I would have done a couple more takes.”
Much as I hate to disagree with Harry about her art—she and Blondie co-leader Chris Stein followed their muse to four stellar No. 1 songs, each in a vastly different style—she’s at least a little bit wrong on both counts. First, the other members of Blondie were probably wise to be wary about attempting rap; besides imperiling their rock bona fides, it may have felt like one cultural appropriation too far. And second, the slackness of Harry’s rap may be the best thing about “Rapture.” Its shambling quality is true to Harry’s urban-white-girl persona, saving it from the kind of appropriation the rest of the band likely feared. Thank heavens she didn’t try another take.
Thirty-three years later, one white lady who doesn’t hesitate to appropriate is Iggy Azalea. The 23-year-old Australian model and rapper possesses the new No. 1 song on the Hot 100, “Fancy” featuring Charli XCX.
For Azalea, born Amethyst Amelia Kelly in New South Wales, there’s no second-guessing or wishing for another take. Iggy thinks she’s awesome, and she’s here to tell you: “Honest, the truth is—my flow, retarded; each beat, dear, departed.” Having relocated to Miami at age 16, she adopted the argot and flow of an African-American from the Dirty South; hip-hop academic and critic Oliver Wang calls it “a hat trick of appropriation: not American, not black, not southern.” As if leaning into the criticism, Iggy unleashes the bravado within “Fancy’s” first 10 seconds, in the song’s most memorable and oft-quoted rhyme: “First things first: I’m the realest,” a statement laced with either unwitting irony or sardonic self-commentary—probably both.
Azalea’s peacocking and overcompensation make a kind of sense, inasmuch as very few female rappers of any race have ever topped Billboard’s premier song chart. Besides Harry, who doesn’t even rap all the way through “Rapture,” there’s Lauryn Hill, who made it to No. 1 in 1998 with “Doo Wop (That Thing),” her singing-and-rapping take on ’60s girl-group soul. Three years later, rapper Lil Kim shared credit on a No. 1, the 2001 remake of Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade,” a four-diva pile-up that also featured Christina Aguilera, Mya, and P!nk. And, unless you consider Ke$ha a rapper—a valid but not-uncontroversial opinion held by, among others, the New York Times’ Jon Caramanica—that’s it for lead female rappers at No. 1, until Azalea this week. (Among many injustices, rap godmothers Salt-n-Pepa peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100, and hip-hop innovator Missy Elliott has never gotten past No. 2.)
So let’s give it up for the ladies who rap—even if Azalea’s play-acting has been called everything from minstrelsy to, more charitably, rap’s greatest drag performance. I have written my share in the past six months about the charts, race, and how the digital era has given a lift to hegemonic pop culture; we needn’t go there again. Besides, the title of this series isn’t “Why is cultural appropriation so profitable?” (Short answer: It always has been.) It’s “Why is this song No. 1?” And it has to be said that “Fancy” is crafted like a Swiss watch.
As a pop-radio dominator, “Fancy” has two big things going for it: tight production and a great supporting performer. Rhythmically the song is electro-hop, powered not by a traditional rap breakbeat but by a rubbery synth bounce. That sound is indebted to early-’80s electro-rap pioneer Afrika Bambaataa, Nu Shooz’s 1986 pop&B classic “I Can’t Wait,” and late-’80s female-rap trio JJ Fad. “Fancy’s” London-based production team The Invisible Men, working with co-producer Kurtis “The Arcade” McKenzie, have reduced the song’s sonic footprint to little more than that digital pulse and a recurring skitter-step beat, which owes more than a little to the 2004 smash “Tipsy” by J-Kwon.
But of all the talents swirling around “Fancy,” the song’s true MVP is its featured performer, Charlotte Aitchison, aka Charli XCX, possessor of the Gwen Stefani–like voice that coos the song’s sticky hook. If her voice sounds familiar, it’s probably because you spent last summer strutting to it, too: The pavement-crusher “I Love It,” credited to Swedish duo Icona Pop featuring Charli XCX (a 2012 single that took a full year to emerge), was largely Aitchison’s confection. So “Fancy” makes this the second straight year the British singer-songwriter has powered a monster summer jam credited to others that sprang in large part from her head. Further evidence of Charli’s skill can be found on her critically acclaimed 2013 album True Romance, packed with chewy hooks that have pop fans falling over themselves to praise her. (Could someone please get this lady a hit of her own now, please?)
Compared to Charli’s monster hook, Azalea’s rapping is the track’s weaker sister. Iggy may be a more confident rapper than Debbie Harry in 1981, but she also sounds like she’s trying really hard. But what’s grating over the length of Azalea’s album The New Classic is more charming on a supple pop single; her effortfulness kind of works here. Having trained herself to rap in a cadence vastly different from her native speaking voice, Iggy’s comes off brash but studied, and she resembles no one so much as her mentor, Atlanta rapper T.I. Listen to the way her tone rises on the line “You should want a bad bitch like this, hah?”—a clear homage to T.I.’s singsongy, conversational tone on smashes like “Live Your Life” or his rap bridge on Justin Timberlake’s classic “My Love.” They say that good artists copy and great artists steal. Azalea is, at her best, a competent copycat, and she’s unafraid to insert herself into the lineage of rap’s greats. Her line about a rooftop in ’88 isn’t nostalgia for a time before Azalea was born: It’s an allusion to a rhyme by Nas.
But forget the ’80s and the ’00s: Iggy is, to borrow a term from Charli’s other big hit, “a ’90s bitch.” That’s confirmed by the song’s YouTube-dominating music video, an homage to Clueless, the 1995 Alicia Silverstone comedy. Billboard reports that the video was a linchpin in the song’s climb to No. 1, having been viewed some 60 million times since its March debut. With the 20-year nostalgia cycle in full effect, Amy Heckerling’s teen-cinema masterwork was right on schedule for homage, though it’s hard to see what Azalea brings to the party other than recreating some the film’s best scenes and looking cute in Cher Horowitz’s yellow plaid. If you squint pretty hard, you can see the video saying something about how young people—suburban teens or arriviste rappers—construct themselves; though, honestly, that may be giving a clip likely dreamed up in a marketing meeting (“Is this, like, a Noxzema commercial or what?!”) more credit than it deserves.
Between the smash music video and a sales-juicing TV performance in mid-May on the Billboard Music Awards, “Fancy” got its momentum to reach No. 1. During that same BBMAs performance, Azalea joined big-lunged pop star Ariana Grande for a performance of “Problem,” the Ariana-fronted, Iggy-supported single that’s currently No. 2 on the Hot 100. These songs’ dual command of the chart has led to online chatter about just how Zeitgeist-dominant Azalea is right now.
As if stirring the pot, Billboard noted that Azalea is the first act to capture the chart’s top two positions with her first two Hot 100 hits since the Beatles. Any Billboard feat involving a modern pop act and the phrase “since the Beatles” is guaranteed to rile up chart nerds, but the record is a footnote and an accident—for both acts. It’s no proud statistic for the Fab Four, who didn’t chart in America until early 1964 only because the band’s U.S. label refused to promote its records here sooner; once Beatlemania reached American shores, a flood of singles on multiple labels rushed the Hot 100, sending “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” to the top two positions even though other Beatles singles should have charted earlier. And Azalea should have scored lower-charting hits as far back as 2011, except that complicated label politics, and a slew of tracks recorded under prior contracts but withheld from promotion, essentially kept her off the radio more than two years, before Island Records finally sent her into the studio to record her “official” debut.
The other act Azalea’s being freely compared to this summer, thanks to her hit duopoly, is Summer 2013 dominator Pharrell Williams. With “Fancy” and “Problem” set to duke it out for the Hot 100 penthouse over many weeks, much the way last year’s two Pharrell-supported hits held down Nos. 1 and 2 for more than a month, Azalea is looking like Summer 2014’s special sauce. But Azalea isn’t a supporting performer on “Fancy,” she’s the lead. And anyway she doesn’t have the decades of history Pharrell built as a writer-producer—if anyone right now deserves the X-factor designation, it’s Charli XCX. About the only thing Pharrell and Iggy have in common is taking a turn as America’s shiny new object after hiding in plain sight.
Ultimately, the success of “Fancy” is owed largely to timing, which is the dark art of major-label pop promotion. Knowing when a style—in this case, ’80s/’90s–referencing electro-rap—is ascendant is a skill in itself, and after years of Azalea scoring more headlines than hits, her team managed to make her seem new again. Whether “Fancy” signals longevity for her is another matter. For Blondie in 1981, “Rapture” came at the end of a great two-year run as New Wave’s biggest band; neither the group nor Debbie Harry came anywhere near Billboard’s Top 10 again. Shambling rap may have closed their career, but now it’s 2014, not 1981. If Iggy Azalea truly is “the realest,” a career as hip-hop’s leading lady is now hers to lose.
Previously in Why Is This Song No. 1?
John Legend’s “All of Me”
Pharrell’s “Happy”
Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse”
Pitbull and Ke$ha’s “Timber”
Eminem’s “The Monster” |
by Irma Arkus
Large Hadron Collider, the multi-billion dollar machine that just won’t start up, has been plagued by numerous problems since the moment of announcement that “she’s ready to go captain.”
Last year, we’ve patiently awaited its start, and since then, the damn thing was breaking and facing numerous technical issues.
But a pair of physicists, Holger Bech Nielsen, of the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, and Masao Ninomiya of the Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics in Kyoto, Japan, say that this may not be an accident, but rather that the Higgs boson particle is so dangerous, that the time itself is rippling, trying to stop the collider from starting in a roundabout time-travelling sort of way.
In fact, they’ve written two papers on the subject: “Test of Effect From Future in Large Hadron Collider: a Proposal” and “Search for Future Influence From LHC,” available on arXiv.org.
According to the NYTimes musings: “It must be our prediction that all Higgs producing machines shall have bad luck,” Dr. Nielsen said in an e-mail message. In an unpublished essay, Dr. Nielson said of the theory, “Well, one could even almost say that we have a model for God.” It is their guess, he went on, “that He rather hates Higgs particles, and attempts to avoid them.”
In other words, the physicists say that god, or rather some angry deity, is putting halt to the CERN collider because it hates the idea of Higgins Boson particle, thus engaging in time travel to halt it from being found.
As farfetched as this may sound, they say that this may explain why US abandoned its plans in 1993 for a similar collider after already investing billions of dollars.
My question though is, if something doesn’t want us to turn the damn thing on, why not stop the project at its inception? Why wait until its built?[NYTimes] |
Posted by YakAttack on January 06, 2017
Registration for the 2017 YakAttack Benefit Tournament is now open! This year entries are set at a maximum of 185 participants. Details on how to enter, location, schedule of events, and rules of the tournament are listed below.
When - May 19 - 20, 2017
Where - Cedar Crest Conference Center at Twin Lakes State Park in Green Bay, Virginia
Address: 22 Cedar Crest Rd, Green Bay, VA 23942
Benefiting - Heroes on the Water and Project Healing Waters
How To Enter
At this point we are closing registration. Last year it took around 3 weeks to sell out and we never expected this year's event to sell out so quickly.
For those traveling with family who are not participating in the tournament we will be offering meal tickets for $10 per meal per person.
Schedule of Events
Friday, May 19th
3:00 PM - Begin check-in at the Cedar Crest Conference Center at Twin Lakes State Park
7:00 PM -Captains Meeting and dinner hosted by YakAttack, menu TBD.
Saturday, May 20th
6:30 AM - Launch - All vessels MUST stay grounded until 6:30 AM
2:00 PM - Photos, weigh-in begins
4:00 PM - Weigh-in deadline (must be in line by 4 PM, no exceptions)
5:00 PM - Awards
6:00 PM - Dinner provided by YakAttack, menu TBD.
Raffle drawings will be done throughout the evening. If you would like to participate please bring cash. Prizes range from kayaks, stand up paddle boards, coolers, fish finders, paddles, PFD's, and much more.
General Information
Competition and Prizes
Competitors will compete for TROPHIES ONLY. All prizes including kayaks will be raffled. Raffle details will be explained at the captains meeting.
Lodging
There is limited camping available at Twin Lakes but the owner of a field on adjacent property has offered free camping on his property. There is plenty of room available in the field for everyone to have space. The field is suitable for tent camping only. Twin Lakes offers sites for campers or RVs.
Details of campsites and cabins at Twin Lakes can be found on the Twin Lakes website: https://goo.gl/bkGbF5
Other RV/camper options:
Briery Creek Lake Getaway – Farmville, VA, Website - http://www.brierycreeklake.com/, (17.1 miles from tournament HQ but located next to Briery Creek)
Local Hotels
Quality Inn - Burkeville, VA, Website - https://goo.gl/cqBqlg, (5.7 miles from tournament HQ)
Hampton Inn - Farmville, VA, Website - https://goo.gl/mTKiYf, (13.2 miles from tournament HQ)
Tournament Rules
All activities associated with this event are intended and expected to be friendly and family oriented. Profane language, inappropriate behavior, any illegal substances, or excessive use of alcohol are prohibited. We want to encourage children and families to participate in our sport and our tournament. Please help us maintain an atmosphere which is appropriate for them.
The event is being held at a Twin Lakes State Park. We are attempting to obtain an ABC license for the dinners but I don’t know if we will be able to get one. Permissibility of any alcohol will be discussed at the captain’s meeting and anyone who does not abide by the guidelines will be asked to leave.
2017 9th ANNUAL YAKATTACK KAYAK FISHING TOURNAMENT OFFICIAL RULES
Although we have lots of prizes and raffle items, the competition aspect of this event is secondary to the social and "giving" aspects, and the planning and execution of the event will reflect that. Entrants whose primary concern is competition and prizes may find this event inadequately planned and executed for their standards, and are encouraged to come to terms with this before participation. All participants are expected to accept the format, scoring, prize awarding, and judging as executed by the organizers and without dispute. Over the years we have made some technical mistakes, but have went above and beyond to provide a great atmosphere and a great time for everyone involved. Both of those should be expected to continue this year.
PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY: Participation is open to anyone 18 years of age or older. Minors are eligible to register and participate with a parent or guardian who also participates in the event. Minors must have the signature of his or her parent or legal guardian on the entry form as applicable to any state, commonwealth, county, or federal regulations or law. The obligation to know these rules falls upon the parent. A completed entry form and applicable entry fee must be received according to the dates defined above. All participants will be required to sign the waiver form at check-in during the captains meeting.
**For the 2017 tournament, entry fees will not be transferable. February 15th will be the last day to request a refund. Contact us at 434-392-3233 or send an email to support@yakattack.us to request a refund.**
SAFETY: Safe boating will be observed at all times. DURING COMPETITION, EACH CONTESTANT IS REQUIRED TO FOLLOW U.S. COAST GUARD REGULATIONS INCLUDING POSSESSION OF COAST GUARD APPROVED TYPE III PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE (PFD), PFD MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES WHILE PADDLING. NOT WEARING A PFD WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION - IF YOU MAKE IT BACK.
CHECK-IN: All participants must be checked in before launching. See Schedule for check-in times and locations. No other check-in times or locations will be available.
STARTING TIME: See Schedule for launch time. Launching before scheduled launch time will result in disqualification.
WEIGH-IN: All entrants wishing to enter fish must return their pictures/camera to tournament headquarters according to the times in the Schedule. Participants must be in line by the listed times, without exception.
SPORTSMANSHIP: All attendees are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, and conservation. Please represent our sport and tournament well.
PERMITTED FISHING METHODS: All fish must be caught live via hook and line. Only artificial baits may be used. Live or previously live baits are not permitted. Contestants must hook and land fish without assistance. Assistance with photos is permitted.
PERMITTED FISHING VESSELS: Only human powered vessels such as kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddle board are allowed. Vessels other than kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddle boards must be approved. Electric or internal combustion motors are not generally permitted, but exceptions may be made for individuals with physical limitations. These will be handled on a case by case basis.
TANDEMS/SHARING: It is permissible for more than 1 entrant to share the same watercraft. However each paddler must pay and compete as individuals. They must also have their own media card but may share a camera. Fish may NEVER be shared among entrants.
PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: Anywhere within a 50-mile radius of Twin Lakes State Park. Specific parameters will be discussed at the captains meeting. All participants must use public accessible launch areas on public waters. Fishing private waters or special permit waters will result in disqualification.
SCORING: The tournament is a catch, photo, and release format. At the captains meeting each contestant will be issued an identifier, score sheet, and measuring device. Participants may use their own measuring devices provided they are approved by a tournament organizer and are available for inspection at the photo check-in. Participants must use their own digital cameras, and a card reader will be available to download pictures. For pictures with fish, the identifier must be clearly visible in every picture. If there is no identifier, then the picture is disqualified. Score sheets will be included in your captain’s bags and must be filled out completely and correctly. All photos become property of YakAttack. The first photo in memory must be of the angler on the morning of launch, with the identifier. The second photo will be the rigged boat at launch.
There will be a two fish per category format this year. So you will be entering your two biggest black bass (Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass), Crappie and Bluegill.
The Slam Division – Consisting of 1 Bass, 1 Crappie and 1 Bluegill remains the same as last year.
Fish must be photographed in or on boat, (vessels should be distinguishable in photo) on an approved measuring device, and the identifier must be clearly distinguishable.
The photo must clearly show the length of the fish. Length is determined from the tip of the lower jaw (mouth closed) to the natural (un-pinched) tip of the tail. Length should be measured to the nearest quarter inch.
All species are worth 1-point per inch. Lengths and species identification will be verified and scored by a scoring committee. The scoring committee makes the call and the tournament director is the final authority.
Awards: You will only be eligible for 1 award placement.
Example: Bob submits 2 largemouth bass 37” total, 2 crappie 23” total, 2 Bluegill 16” total. Bob placed first in both the Crappie and Bluegill. Bob will only be awarded First place trophy in 1 Division (his choice).
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY: Participants may use digital cameras (including camera enabled phones) for photographing their catch. Entrants must bring the storage chip from their camera to check-in or bring the download cable for their camera so that pictures may be retrieved. Cameras may not be shared. Each angler must have their own digital camera/phone.
INCLEMENT WEATHER: In the event of inclement weather, a simple fishing outing to compete for the trophies will be scheduled. Meals and prizes will STILL TAKE PLACE at the Twin Lakes Conference Center on May 20. In this case, all paid entrants will have their raffle tickets entered on their behalf whether they are present or not. If an entrant is not present and wins a prize they will be notified by the organizers. Entrants who win prizes but are not present will be responsible for picking up their prizes at YakAttack LLC in Burkeville VA, or having them shipped at their own expense. Determination of which prizes will be drawn for and which will be available to win at the rescheduled event will be made by the tournament organizers and at their sole discretion.
RELEASE OF LIABILITY: A waiver and release of liability statement is part of the entry form and will be signed during check-in. It is required of each contestant that they take responsibility for themselves while participating in any tournament activities.
RULE CHANGES AND INTERPRETATION: Rule interpretation will be left exclusively to the YakAttack Tournament Committee and Director. All decisions are final in all matters and are not subject to appeal. The Committee will do its best to execute fairly and without errors. If errors are made, the Committee will determine how to handle the issue and that decision is final. Everyone participating in this event is expected to accept this before participating.
LIABILITY WAIVER: Each contestant must understand and sign the liability waiver titled
STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING FOR PARTICIPATION IN ACTIVITIES, TRIPS, MEETINGS, INSTRUCTION, PADDLING, FISHING, WADING in YakAttack Fishing Tournaments |
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Best things that happened in GNOME 3.10,
1. GNOME 3.10 its self. An amazing improvement over 3.8 in almost every aspect till the last “bit”. GNOME continues to surprise with the quality of development in each release and looking to gain the trend share from the very popular Ubuntu Unity.
Keep on mind that KDE Framework 5 based on Qt5 will also come soon (dates N/A), and that puts the 3 desktops in hard competition.
2. The GNOME Wayland Port. GNOME Devs discussed the Wayland port early this year, and they didn’t miss the dates, they didn’t postpone! Full Wayland support will be available in next version of GNOME, as it was planned. Right now, GDM cannot launch a Wayland Session, but you can still run Shell and G-Apps on Wayland Server.
3. GNOME Software. GNOME finally gets an easy way to search and install Apps! The weakest spot of GNOME is gone! Naturally this will give a reason to people to write G-Apps, as it will be easy to distribute them, and their work won’t be hidden somewhere in “yum search ….”.
4. Fedora 20. GNOME Software mostly affects Fedora Distro rather GNOME. Fedora from their side return the favor, and they will backup GNOME with a really solid and fast Operating System and a new Upgrade Method (DNF/hawkey/librepo-based), that will make Yum Upstream deprecated soon (F21 perhaps)!
5. The year of Linux Desktop. That will never come, except if Chrome counts as Linux. But this latest GNOME+Fedora combination, easily beats every other platform as a Web Development Environment. We are talking about an amazing platform for all those 100s of millions websites, web-services and web-apps that run on the top of various Frameworks and Databases.
Fedora since version 19 provides an excellent tool to set up fast and run flawlessly any popular service, while GNOME 3.10 with its minimalist but powerful UI and the excellent management of multiple windows, provides a very convenient environment to work on.
GNOME Software 3.9.3+Git
GNOME Software will be available as a Tech Preview in Fedora 20 and it will work aside with the old Package UI. In this first version Software is missing -among other things- Ratings and Comments, that will come on next release (hopefully!). In any case, a comparison with Ubuntu Software Center would be unfair at this point. Maybe, on the next version :)
Unlike to Ubuntu Software, GNOME Software won’t offer buys, and not sure if they will offer non-free apps.
This is how Software looks today, but is still on active development and it might be a little bit different in its final 3.10 version.
GNOME Software doesn’t provide a centralized web version which is something I don’t really like, but on the other hand it gains in speed. While it follows the standard GNOME 3 pattern, in this particular occasion, it doesn’t work quite nice and it might should have been more colorful and playful, more “live”.
Inside Categories
While GNOME removed categories from Shell, they overdone it with categorization on Software ;)
Very clean interface with super fast response, but unfortunately you probably need to iterate through all categories to find the application you are looking for.
Inside Applications
Application view looks poor, and I think a screenshot of each App will be here prior to final release It looks poor as there aren’t ratings, comments and stuff that will be here in next version.
The red “Remove” button, is replaced from a light blue “Install”, when App isn’t not installed. There is also a history button, probably that keeps track of App activity, but it doesn’t seem to work. Also when installing there aren’t any progressive bars, and you just a get a message “App Installed”. Uninstall didn’t work at all on me.
Search
Finally a human friendly application search in Fedora and GNOME!
If you are still unhappy with GNOME’s File manager, there you go!
Overall
Lots of things are missing like “Sort by”, Comments, Ratings, Relatives, Popular etc and also it misses a functionality to install libraries or single packages. However for a Tech Preview is awesome, and is really useful. I found a plethora of cool Apps I didn’t know about them!
GNOME Software will be available on more Desktops like Mate and XFCE, and without being totally sure about that, it should work with other than Fedora’s package tools. That means it will be available to more distros.
Credits for this work goes mainly to Richard Hughes, and as user I personally thank him for dedicating his time on this!
Publish your App in GNOME Software
If you want to publish your app in GNOME, check on: http://people.freedesktop.org/~hughsient/appdata/
Richard’s blog provide much more info: http://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/ |
Iodine, a new health start-up from a former Wired editor and Google engineer offers an easy-to-use database of drug information.
The database, which launched on Wednesday, uses Google surveys to get consumer information on a wide variety of both over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Users can search a specific drug from Aleve to Xanax and see how people generally feel about its efficacy, about the side effects from actual users, tradeoffs, comments from users, warnings, costs, and a readable versions of the drug’s package insert.
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And the database will continue to grow. According to the New York Times, Iodine uses Google Consumer Surveys, of which they have 100,000 ones completed, and they add to their website every day. Iodine also uses data from clinical research, pharmacist surveys, adverse event reports made to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC)–which reports the average wholesale price pharmacies pay for over 20,000 drugs.
Thomas Goetz, the former Wired editor and co-founder of Iodine told the Times that Iodine is developing the largest survey of American’s drug use and experiences which could not just help consumers but help impact policy.
The folks behind Iodine may have actually succeeded in making Big Data useable—and helpful.
Contact us at editors@time.com. |
New research on the subject emphasizes the importance of safety, above all, on a woman's decision to ride. Writing in the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, a study group led by Gulsah Akar of Ohio State University conclude that "women are less likely to feel safe" on a bike than men — particularly in an area with lots of car traffic.
In other words, American cities are doing something wrong here. Just what that something is has been the subject of debate before at Cities. Genevieve Walker has argued that making bike stores friendlier to women would be a good step toward reducing the gender gap. Alex Baca, writing in response, concluded that the task requires stronger infrastructure, convenience, and community — in short, a stronger biking environment .
It's no secret that American women are less likely than American men to ride bikes in cities. Some reports put one woman on a bike for every two men in the United States, and some have the ratio at a lady for every three guys. This isn't a universal condition by any stretch of the imagination; in European countries like Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, the split is right around fifty-fifty.
Akar and colleagues surveyed commute behavior on campus in a sample of about 2,000 people, from faculty to undergrads. While a convenient study location, the campus also had some natural advantages. First, college-aged women don't have the same household responsibilities that keep many older women from riding (just reporting here, folks); and second, Columbus, Ohio, is a car-friendly place that's only recently implemented bike-friendly measures, which makes it reflective of many American cities.
Most off-campus residents commuted to the school by car — 73 percent for the whole group — with women more likely to drive than men (78 to 65 percent). Not quite 8 percent of all study participants said the bike was their primary commute mode, but the gender split for that response favored men 13 to 6 percent. Distance from campus obviously had a lot to do with a person's decision to ride too, with people most likely to ride (17 percent mode share) when they lived 1 to 5 miles away.
The big question, of course, was what kept more women from biking. Men and women gave several of the same reasons for not riding, including distance from campus and to need to carry things, but the biggest disparity was a safety concern regarding nearby car traffic. While 43 percent of women cited that concern as a reason they didn't ride, only 28 percent of men said the same.
A related concern — lack of bike lanes — also showed a pretty big gender gap, with 37 percent of women citing the reason, to 30 percent of men. (Respondents could choose more than one reason.) When the researchers analyzed the figures in closer detail, they found that being within half a mile of a bike trail or path was significantly associated with riding for women, but not for men.
The researchers offer some clear recommendations based on their findings: campuses (and, more broadly, cities) can make riding more appealing to women by adding off-road bike paths or improving bike lanes on general roads. What's encouraging about this finding is that enhanced bike infrastructure — whether bike paths or dedicated bike lanes — is something cities must do to promote bike riding in general. Knowing these upgrades will have a double effect of encouraging women to ride should only make these policies more popular.
Top image: SVLuma /Shutterstock |
Micro-Deliverability is a relatively new concept in the email marketing domain. It involves drilling down into deliverability by domains, or ISPs or SMTP Relay servers and then segmenting the email list or campaigns based on the results to get best deliverability and performance for the marketing campaigns.
The best SMTP relay service providers have the overall deliverability rates of above 96%, but these deliverability rates keep on fluctuating based on ISPs as well as time. By carefully tracking these fluctuations of deliverability trends based on ISPs and time, one can route their emails for different segments using SMTP delivery servers that deliver the best performance for that particular segment. Thus, using more than one email delivery system (Hybrid System) can significantly enhance your email marketing performance.
Redundancy
By redundancy, we mean, having more SMTP relay servers ready for use than you actually use. This redundancy can be a great asset to have at the worst of times. When there is a temporary outage or significant drop in deliverability for a specific SMTP relay server (for a particular segment), redundancy gives you the flexibility to immediately switch the relay server for that segment without impacting performance and deliverability.
Email Filtering by ISPs and Deliverability Issues
Email filters are a fact of life, especially for an email marketer. They are a necessary evil to filter out spam. But sometimes, legitimate email messages are mistakenly filtered as spam or sent into junk box. This is the collateral damage of email filters. The sender’s reputation causes many deliverability issues, but some issues are related to the SMTP relay service providers too.
Why Email Filters are required in the First Place?
According to Symantec, nearly 70% of all email sent is spam.
These include phishing messages, malware, emails coming from spammers who leverage this channel for nefarious purposes. If no filter existed, all these emails would be delivered to the inbox. For every useful email, there will be two spam emails. This would make the whole email channel useless. Email spams are the reason the ISPs filter emails.
Causes of Email Deliverability Issues
There are multiple reasons why a legitimate email ends up in a spam folder rather than the inbox. Some of these are related to the sender’s reputation while others are related to the email service provider the sender is using.
Sender Issues
Sender’s reputation is considered in deciding whether an email will reach an inbox or the spam folder. Multiple factors determine the sender’s reputation. These factors are as mentioned below:
1.Authentication
ISPs rely heavily on authentication to make sure that the stated sender is the actual sender of the email. Three different authentication methods are used by the ISPs to do the authentication:
Sender Policy Framework (SPF)
Sender ID
Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM)
Domain Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance (DMARC)
These authentication methods allow the ISPs to compare email information with the DNS records about the email sender. If the email information does not match the DNS information, there are more chances of the email landing in the recipient’s spam box rather than the inbox. If the sender’s authentication is not in place, the sender’s reputation will deteriorate.
2. Spam Complaints
If the recipients are reporting sender’s emails as spam, the sender’s reputation will deteriorate. Spam complaints should be less than 0.1% of the total sent volume for every email. If this rate is more than the 0.1% on a consistent basis, the sender’s reputation is bound to deteriorate.
3. Bounce Management
Repeatedly getting their emails bounced will reduce the sender’s reputation. It shows the ISPs that the sender’s email list is not clean. The industry standard is to remove hard bounces after one occurrence and soft bounces after three consecutive sends.
4. Recipient Engagement
A sender’s reputation gets damaged when the recipients to whom the sender is sending emails aren’t opening those emails. In other words, the clicking/ opening rates are low. This detail shows that the recipients to whom the sender is sending emails are not interested enough in those emails.
SMTP Relay Issues
There are SMTP relay issues due to which the email deliverability might get hampered. The most common problem is related to shared IP addresses. Although the ISPs are moving towards domain-specific filtering, most ISPs still filter at an IP address level. This means that if an IP address is sending emails which are perceived to be spam, all emails from that IP address will be blocked regardless of the domain it is sent from. Even from a dedicated IP address, which is used by a single entity, one can experience SMTP relay side deliverability issues.
Hindrances to achieve Optimized Micro-Deliverability
1. Scarcity of Micro-Deliverability Data
SMTP relays publish their overall deliverability rates on a monthly or a quarterly basis. They do not have resources to post them more frequently. Even in these publications, the deliverability rates are overall rates, not by Domains/ISPs. These overall rates cannot be used for Micro-Deliverability optimization purposes.
2. Lack of Time
Even if the data would have been available for Micro-Deliverability Optimization purposes, the time taken to arrange that data and then use it for email segmentation purpose is unfeasible for the email marketers to carry them practically out.
3. Single ESP or SMTP Model
Most organizations tend to have a single ESP or SMTP model. This is because learning and using multiple ESP or SMTP relay interfaces, sending emails from multiple SMTP interfaces and aggregating the performance data from each one of them is time-consuming and unfeasible, to say the least.
About EasySendy PRO
EasySendy Pro is an email marketing platform for the digital marketing team. It integrates with multiple SMTP relay service providers and enables delivery of email campaigns to a list of opt-in emails. You can split test email deliveries across the relay servers and check reports, track email clicks, opens of each email campaign. It also has smart autoresponder and email list segmentation.
To support Micro-Deliverability in Emails; currently, EasySendy Pro allows integration with SMTP relay gateways like Amazon SES, Mandrill, SendGrid, Sparkpost, Leadersend, Dyn, Elasticemail, MailGun, SendinBlue, MailJet, TipiMail, and MailerQ. If you are sending an email to a list of above 25,000 email subscribers, then, Micro-deliverability of the email through multiple SMTP gateways provide better email open rate. |
Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday dismissed a question about whether his nation interfered with the U.S. presidential election, instead ripping Democratic leaders for blaming their loss on Russia.
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“Democrats are losing on every front and looking for people to blame everywhere,” Putin said during his annual press conference in Moscow, according to The Washington Post. “They need to learn to lose with dignity.”
Putin pointed to Republican wins in Congress and asked, “Did we do that, too?”
He credited President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE’s win to his ability to understand “the mood of the people.”
The Russian leader also suggested the election interference “unveiled true information” about the Democratic Party, which was proved by the ousting of Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
“The most important thing is the gist of the information that hackers provided to the public,” he said, according to Agence France Presse.
“What is the best evidence that the hackers unveiled true information?” he asked. “That after the hackers showed how public opinion is manipulated inside the Democratic Party … the chief of the Democratic National Committee quit.”
Putin said that instead of apologizing after the email leaks, “they started to shout about who initiated the hack attacks.
“Does that really matter?”
Putin and Russian officials have denied allegations that they purposely interfered with the presidential election to help Trump win.
A spokesman for Putin called the allegations “absurd,” according to a report by a Russian news agency on Thursday.
"It is absolutely absurd — all those tales about cyberattacks by Russians, absolute tales,” Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said. |
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- One of the five gang members accused in a shooting that killed a 12-year-old girl and wounded three women at a graduation party in June is sentenced to life in prison.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- One of the five gang members accused in a shooting that killed a 12-year-old girl and wounded three women at a graduation party in June is sentenced to life in prison.
Ricardo Vasquez, 20, pleaded guilty in Superior Court on Friday to the murder, triple shooting, and conspiracy -- just two days after he and four other young men were indicted for the crimes. Four charges of firing a gun were dismissed under the plea agreement.
The parents of Aynis Vargas, 12, showed Judge Robert D. Krause her photo from sixth grade. In a statement read by Special Assistant Attorney General James Baum, Aynis' parents said it had been an honor having her in their lives.
"`Aynis was a good daughter,'" Baum read to the judge.
Vasquez declined to make a statement. His tearful father sat at the back of the courtroom, alone and apart from Aynis' family. He rushed out of the courtroom without speaking to them, as his son's lawyer, Judith Crowell, shook hands with Aynis' mother.
The Providence police say the five men charged in the fatal shooting are members of the Harriet Street gang, or H-Block, in the city's South Side. That gang has been warring for years with the Hartford Soldiers gang, based in the Hartford Park housing projects on the other side of the city.
The fatal shooting late on June 15, the day before Father's Day, started over a broken window in Vasquez's minivan.
The Hartford Soldiers were blamed for the vandalism. Vasquez and four other young men in the Harriet Street gang went out that night for revenge, Baum told the court.
Vasquez was driving his minivan around the Hartford projects and they saw a party outside 256 Hartford Ave., Baum said. He parked and a gunman -- Branden Castro, 21 -- got out and headed to the gathering, Baum said.
There was Aynis and her mother, and other relatives, at a high school graduation party for a young friend. Most there were women and children.
The masked gunman walked up and shot Aynis as she rose to speak to her mother. The dying girl collapsed in her mother's arms. The gunman also shot and wounded Vilma Tineo, 44, Elaine Devargas, 23, and Eugelyn Cabrera-Martinez, 33, Baum said.
Vasquez and Castro were arrested in July; Castro is expected to be arraigned in Superior Court on Friday.
Three other young men were arrested Wednesday shortly after the indictments. Angel Valerio, 19, aka "Young Cyph," and Luis Gonzalez, aka "Fat Boy," 23, were arraigned Thursday and ordered held without bail. An 18-year-old relative of Gonzalez who was 17 at the time of the shootings was arraigned at Family Court. The attorney general will seek to have him tried as an adult.
The judge sentenced Vasquez to life in prison for murder, plus 20 years for three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and 10 years for two counts of conspiracy. The sentences will run concurrently. With life in prison, the earliest Vasquez could apply for parole is in 20 years.
Aynis' father said later that he felt good that one of the men was already sentenced to prison. He didn't need to hear anything from Vasquez. What he has to say doesn't matter.
"I only want one thing," Teomel Vargas said. "I just want justice." |
The budget proposal released by House Republicans on Tuesday promises it can repeal Obamacare and save the government a lot of money in the process. But the document relies on some vague accounting to justify this claim.
It is easy, of course, to save the federal budget a lot of money by simply eliminating the spending provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Getting rid of the law’s Medicaid expansion to low-income people and its premium subsidies for middle-income insurance shoppers would save about $2 trillion over 10 years, according to the House budget estimates. That number is published clearly and prominently in the budget’s accompanying tables.
Less explicitly accounted for is the fact that the health law, despite its huge federal spending on insurance expansion, was also designed to reduce the deficit. The law imposed substantial cuts to the Medicare program and raised a series of new taxes, including ones on wages, health insurance and medical devices.
Perfect estimates are difficult at this point, because most of those changes are now integrated into current budget estimates, but it’s safe to say that the law’s Medicare cuts save more than $700 billion over the next 10 years, and the taxes will raise around $1 trillion. |
Plated counterfeit coin of the Roman emperor Domitian (81-96 AD). By using a copper core covered in a silver coating, the coin has a much lower intrinsic value, while face value remains the same.
Coin counterfeiting of valuable antique coins is common; modern high-value coins are also counterfeited and circulated.[1] Counterfeit antique coins are generally made to a very high standard so that they can deceive experts; this is not easy and many coins still stand out.
History [ edit ]
Counterfeits of higher-value coins in circulation, designed for general circulation at face value, have been made by criminals for thousands of years.
Circulating coins [ edit ]
A real British pound coin , of the old type, on top of a fake. This coin was often counterfeited.
Defective milling and letters on a counterfeit coin (top)
For modern coins in general circulation, the most common method of protection from forgeries is the use of bi-metallic coins made of two metals of different color, which are difficult to counterfeit at low cost. The most common way of forging these coins is to change the area that should be a different color by painting it; however, the paint is often easy to scratch off and the coins soon look very crude once worn. An increasing number of coins are cast from the same composition alloy as the real coin, but have poor reproduction of details such as the milling on the side of the coin and the stamped lettering.
When the euro was introduced into Europe, there were initially very few counterfeits; however, the number increased massively as time went by.[2] The high and increasing number of fake euro coins in circulation in 2004 led to the creation of a Technical and Scientific Center for the coordination of technical actions to protect euro coins against counterfeiting.[3] Between 2002 and 2006, approximately 400,000 counterfeit euro coins were removed from circulation; however, "the overall number is very small by historical standards and by comparison to the 69 billion circulating (genuine) euro coins."[4]
In 2014, it was estimated that 3.04% of all UK £1 coins in circulation are counterfeit.[5] These coins were replaced on 15 October 2017 with new, harder to counterfeit, 12-sided bi-metallic coins.[6]
Collectible counterfeit coins [ edit ]
A well known and popular numismatic item is the 1944 nickel counterfeited by Francis LeRoy Henning. Unlike official specimens, this spurious item is missing a large mintmark for the Philadelphia Mint. Because of a different wartime composition, all nickels of this period had large mintmarks. Normally the Philadelphia mint would not have included one, but in 1944 all of its nickels had a "P" above the dome of Monticello. It is estimated that 100,000 of these coins were placed into circulation.[7] Today they remain readily available to collectors.
A tetradrachm from Ancient Athens, dated circa 449-413 BC. Contains multiple 'test cuts' which were commonly made by suspicious minds in antiquity to detect forgeries by assessing whether the base metal underneath was the same (silver) or a cheaper metal (e.g. bronze). This coin has silver beneath and is not an ancient forgery.
Both scarce 1923-D and 1930-D dimes were found in circulation, and they are of interest to collectors since no such date-mint combinations were issued for this particular denomination. It has been suggested that they may have been part of an attempt by the Soviet Union to sell its silver on the world market by counterfeiting (with full precious metal weight) U.S. coins. If so, the engravers blundered by producing "impossible" coins.[8]
Among the examples of counterfeits of high-value collectible coins are the "Omega" coins produced in the early 1970s by an unknown counterfeiter who signed his creations with a miniature Greek letter omega. He is believed to have made over 20,000 fake 1907 high-relief nominally US$20 gold Double Eagle coins with the signature omega in the claw of the eagle, worth hundreds of millions of dollars at today's prices. His counterfeits are of such high quality that collectors will pay upwards of $1,000 for one; although a genuine coin sells for about $50,000 to $100,000. The same counterfeiter also counterfeited other US gold coins, including a large quantity of $3 gold pieces, dated 1874, 1878 and 1882, with the 1882 being the most prevalent. Three of the counterfeit $10 gold pieces, the 1910-P, the 1913-P and the 1926-P, have the omega placed upside down within the upper loop of the "R" of "LIBERTY" in the Native American's headdress.[9][10]
An American counterfeiting coin mold. The coin mold would come with two halves that would be lined with clay to make an impression of a genuine coin, then molten lead would be poured into the mold and the fake coin later plated with a thin layer of silver . Legitimate U.S. coins were made by government mints and stamped from silver or gold coin discs as most counterfeit coins were molded.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ] |
This week, House Speaker John Boehner raised eyebrows by turning down an offer to ride on Air Force One with President Obama and others headed to a memorial service in Tucson. Instead, he appeared at a reception for Republican operative Maria Cino. Now, on the heels of renewed calls for bipartisanship and toned-down political rhetoric, Boehner is saying “thanks, but no thanks” to another offer to appear at an event with the president – Wednesday’s White House state dinner.
The dinner, honoring the Chinese President Hu Jintao, will pull together leaders on both sides of the aisle, along with celebs, CEOs, Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices and media bigwigs.
A Boehner aide confirmed that the House speaker was invited to the dinner but will not be attending. Boehner also turned down invitations to the previous two state dinners held during Obama’s presidency, one honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009, and the most recent state dinner honoring Mexican President Felipe Calderon in May 2010, the aide said.
Though Boehner was invited, other prominent Republican leaders were not. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has not yet received an invitation, an aide told POLITICO. Though the guest list is still being finalized, Cantor’s empty mailbox could certainly be seen as a slight, considering the most recent former House majority leader, Democrat Steny Hoyer, attended the most recent state dinner.
On the other side of the aisle: Rep. James Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, was invited and plans to attend. Aides are still confirming whether other Democratic leaders, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Minority Whip Hoyer, will be in attendance.
The most prominent Chinese-American in the Obama administration, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will be at the dinner as will California Rep. Judy Chu. Judy Chu, the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, has never been to a state dinner. Judy Chu said she was most looking forward to the receiving line, which will include the Chinese president. “I guess I’ll be doing some shopping this weekend,” Chu told POLITICO.
While prominent administration officials and some members of Congress are typically shoo-ins for an invite, a golden ticket to the event does not come easily to outsiders. The financial world has been buzzing over who will have an opportunity to chat up President Hu Jintao. Considering China’s place in the world economy, top bankers are looking at the state dinner as the best networking opportunity short of a 14-hour flight to Beijing.
Natasha Lennard contributed to this report. |
An alarming number of people are reporting that the new e-mail address Facebook forced on users this week is changing their address books while intercepting and losing unknown amounts of e-mail.
Facebook users say contacts' e-mail addresses on phones and personal devices have been altered without their consent -- and their e-mail communication is being redirected elsewhere, and lost.
One very angry user is Adobe employee Rachel Luxemburg.
On her personal blog she writes,
Today, a co-worker discovered that his contact info for me had been silently updated to overwrite my work e-mail address with my Facebook e-mail address. He discovered this only after sending work e-mails to the wrong address.
And even worse, the e-mails are not actually in my Facebook messages. I checked.
They've vanished into the ether.
For all I know, I could be missing a lot more e-mails from friends, colleagues, or family members, and never even know it.
As Luxemburg explains, this disaster is happening despite the fact that, like many others, she rushed to replace the @Facebook e-mail with their correct e-mail address once they'd found out about Facebook's change.
When Facebook forced its hundreds of millions of users into an @facebook account, commenters across the Internet talked about alterations that had begun in their contacts and address books outside Facebook -- valid e-mail addresses were being changed for @Facebook without people's awareness or consent on their phones and computers.
On Hacker News:
This morning my mother was complaining that many of the e-mail addresses in her Droid Razr contacts had been replaced with Facebook ones.
It would seem the Facebook app had been populating her address book with e-mails and contact photos, and decided to migrate all her Facebook-using contacts over to this convenient new system.
On Slashdot:
I sync my phone with Facebook for many of my contacts. Now I have an address book full of bogus e-mail addresses where they were correct before.
It has now been revealed that automatic altering of users' contacts without notification was, in fact, disturbingly actually built into Apple's new iOS 6 Facebook integration: Facebook for iOS will change address books without any warning.
On HN:
Crap thing changed the primary e-mail address of the contacts in my iPhone iOS 6.
In comments earlier this week about Facebook's e-mail launch disaster, Redditor homolconic had warned:
This is a big deal because everyone who has a mobile device or other software that synchronizes their address book with their FB contacts is in danger of blowing away the perfectly good e-mail address they had for you and replacing it with your FB e-mail address.
Blogger Gervase Markham notes that:
[E-mail sent to the @Facebook address] goes to my Facebook in-box, and I don't get a notification e-mail to say it's there. Which is, IMO, even worse -- they don't just pass it through their servers on the way to where it would have gone, they keep it, and fail to send me a copy!
We now also see that the interception of people's e-mail communication with Facebook's new change is deeply problematic and potentially grave.
We've reached out to Facebook for comment and have no response at this time; we'll update this post should new information from Facebook come in.
This is bad news for users that have expectations around e-mail communication by changing their e-mail addresses, intercepting and redirecting their communication elsewhere.
If you have any software or apps that sync your contacts or address books with Facebook (think home computer, devices, phones, iOS 6) check your settings. Now.
Updated 7/1 at 9:40 p.m. PT with Facebook comment blaming user "confusion" for the issue. "By default, messages from friends or friends of friends go into your Inbox," a spokesperson told CNET. "Everything else goes to your Other folder. (If you click on Messages in your left hand navigation menu, you'll see below it an Other folder that drops down.) That is likely where the messages are being sent from other people's emails. Even if that person is friends with them on Facebook, if the friend doesn't have that email on their Facebook account, the message could end up in the Other folder." |
Despite more than five years of Syrian war agony, the survivors of rebel-held eastern Aleppo have never seen such intense bombardment as they have over the past two weeks. Devastating barrel bomb attacks and airstrikes have targeted hospitals and White Helmet emergency workers, leaving nearly 400 dead.
Syria and Russia launched their joint offensive with the collapse Sept. 20 of a brief US-Russia cease-fire, sparking US and British allegations of “barbarism” and “war crimes” in Syria and a high-level blame game between Washington and Moscow.
Much of Syria’s and Russia’s calculation, analysts say, is that the surge of new violence, if it leads to battlefield gains for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, will improve his government’s hand in a political settlement they both see as inevitable. At the same time, the pounding of eastern Aleppo is a resort to relatively effective tactics both countries have used in the past to defeat homegrown Islamic extremists.
In sum, they are seeking a favorable political outcome to the Syrian war through time-tested – if brutal and unforgiving – military means.
On Monday, the US suspended months of bilateral talks with Russia over Syria, charging both countries with “having chosen to pursue a military course” that hit hospitals and prevented aid “from reaching civilians in need.” Eastern Aleppo’s main trauma hospital was struck Monday for the third time in a week, knocking it out of action.
For Syria, the defining historical precedent for its brutal action was the unbridled destruction in 1982 of much of the country's fourth-largest city, Hama, to root out a Muslim Brotherhood insurgency. Some 10,000 people were killed, creating a regionwide example of fear, state terror, and the raw exercise of power that eliminated the danger for a generation.
For Russia, the formative experience has been its second Chechnya war, starting in 1999, in which the north Caucasian city of Grozny and other urban centers were destroyed with merciless bombardment as Islamist militants were crushed.
“The Russians and the Syrians, through very different historical roots, have come to a position militarily in which insurgency – if it is to be confronted – is to be encircled and pummeled,” says Samir Puri, a lecturer in war studies at King’s College London.
“I think they want to make sure the situation is so weighted in [Mr. Assad’s] favor by the time politics kicks back in, [and] this short, sharp burst of extreme violence is what’s going to do it,” says Mr. Puri.
Long memories in Hama
The “troubles” with the Muslim Brotherhoo led to the Hama massacre, which Syrians still recalled fearfully nearly 20 years later , during a visit by The Christian Science Monitor. One man in a mosque shuddered as he recalled how “they killed so many people,” and that “every family lost someone.”
“The savagery was absolutely fantastic. There was no attempt to hold back,” said one Syrian analyst in 2000, who asked not to be named. “It was not only to inflict a punishment, but to inflict a lesson for generations to come.”
That lesson served as a grim benchmark for other regimes that felt threatened by Islamic extremists. Assad’s uncle Rifaat al-Assad, who commanded the attack, once reportedly upbraided someone who suggested that 7,000 people died in Hama, by bragging that 38,000 were killed.
“The Syrian leadership used to boast about the fact, to Algeria and Egypt, ‘If you had done it our way, you would not have had your insurgency,’ ” says Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East expert at the London School of Economics.
“We are all fascinated by the intensity, the brutality, and the savagery, but these tactics have been often repeatedly used in Syria, to [change] the facts” during the current war, says Mr. Gerges, author of “ISIS: A History.”
Diplomacy by other means
Such intensity may draw a comparison to Hama, but in Aleppo the challenge is greater, he says, with a multitude of proxy forces locked in a regional power struggle, and fighters hardened by years of battle. Conquering the estimated 300,000 people in eastern Aleppo, who largely despise the regime, may not be possible.
“These are really Russian tactics,” says Gerges. “It’s to use overwhelming force to subjugate and subdue the armed rebels, and in fact to demoralize the population and cut the umbilical cord between the population and the armed rebels in Aleppo.”
Assad and his allies have already seen success by tightening longstanding sieges and hitting rebel-held areas hard, he notes, which enabled it to regain territory in the city of Homs and rebellious suburbs of Damascus.
Gerges notes that the surge of fighting conveys a clear message, despite the collapse of US-Russian talks. “They are talking. Blood and fire is a continuation of diplomacy by other means,” he says. “These are military gains that Syria, Russia, and Iran hope to turn into political assets on the table.”
Lessons from Chechnya
Responding Monday to criticism that Russia was using an increasingly heavy hand in its one-year intervention, Russia’s UN ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, countered that without Moscow’s role, “the black flag [of Islamic State] could be flying over Damascus.”
Russia’s extremism Petri dish was the two wars in Chechnya in the 1990s and beyond, with the key lessons applied directly in Syria, analysts say.
“It is an absolute certainty in the minds of Russian leaders that if you have a military goal, you need to use all available means to achieve it,” says Alexander Golts, an independent military expert in Moscow. “If civilian targets are in the way, you smash through them.”
Russia was effectively defeated in the first Chechen war, and was forced to sign a humiliating truce in 1996. But Chechnya subsequently descended into chaos, Islamist extremists backed by Al Qaeda came to the fore, and in 1999 they invaded the neighboring Russian republic of Dagestan. A series of apartment bombings, blamed on Chechens, killed hundreds of Russians in Moscow and other cities.
The second conflict began in 1999 with an all-out Russian military assault to destroy rebel resistance. Mass terror attacks by rebels on Russian cities have since almost completely stopped. The Russians also introduced an effective political endgame in Chechnya in the form of an iron-fisted local strongman, former rebel Ramzan Kadyrov, who imposed total control over the tiny republic in Moscow's name, co-opting former insurgents who would join him and killing the others.
“Of course in Chechnya, Russia had a free hand to do whatever it wanted,” says Alexander Gabuev, an expert with the Carnegie Center in Moscow. “It used force as it felt necessary, then rammed through its own version of a reconciliation process under Kadyrov. Syria is a far more complicated situation – there are many forces beyond Moscow’s control, and it has to move more cautiously. But tactics are similar.”
Popular support in Russia
The Russian public also appears to have accepted the Kremlin view that intervention in Syria is necessary to fight terrorism. Polls show that, over the years, public backing for the results of the second Chechen war has grown. And a poll conducted by the state-funded VTsIOM public opinion agency found that support for the Syria intervention has risen from 66 percent a year ago to 70 percent last March. Among Russian men, support was 80 percent.
“The Russian leadership may have had various geopolitical reasons for starting that operation in Syria, but the principal one is to fight and destroy Islamist terrorism away from our borders,” says Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the independent Institute of Political and Military Analysis in Moscow. “From the pure military viewpoint, the operation is an obvious success.”
But the war is far from over, and could burn on for many more years.
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“It’s not Northern Ireland, where you bring the former rebels into government and have equal representation,” says Puri, whose book “Fighting and Negotiating with Armed Groups” examines 10 case studies.
“It’s a non-Western way of dealing with this, and that’s why I think we can’t get our heads around this,” he says. “There are other ways of cracking the nut, and it looks totally senseless and brutal, but [Syria and Russia] probably feel there is a logic behind it. They look at our regime-change type, and think: ‘There is no logic to this.’ ” |
Half of Americans (48%) say two is the ideal number of children for a family to have, reflecting a decades-long preference for a smaller family over a larger one.
But that hasn’t always been the case, according to Gallup. In 1971, there was a shift in attitudes, as Americans’ “ideal” family switched from four kids (19%) to two kids (38%), with a mean saying 2.9 kids was ideal. Back in 1936, the mean ideal number of kids was 3.6, with 22% saying four children; 32% saying three children; and another 32% saying two children. Fast-forward from the 1930s to 2013, the most recent data available, and you get a different picture, with 2.6 as the mean ideal.
What’s behind the dramatic shift? Likely a number of factors, beginning with the wide availability of the birth control pill in the 1960s; the growth of women’s participation in the workforce, which surged in the 1970s; and, of course, the increasing cost of raising kids.
When Gallup asked why couples aren’t having more kids, most Americans (65%) in 2013, whether with or without children, cited the costs associated with raising a child. An additional 11% said it’s because of the state of the economy and the jobs situation. Just 6% cited personal choice, 3% cited lack of time and 3% cited career concerns.
The average cost of raising a child, from birth until they reach age 18, has risen over the decades, from $198,560 in 1960 to $245,340 in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Those figures are adjusted for inflation and are calculated for raising a child from ages 0 through 17 in a middle-income, two-parent family.) Housing, followed by child care/education and food, were the largest expenses in 2013.
Modern parenting in general is also much different from what it was just a few decades ago, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center report. For one, mothers today are much more likely to be working. The share of mothers in the labor force (with children younger than 18) rose to 71% in 2012, from just 47% in 1975.
Meanwhile, “traditional” roles for mothers and fathers are eroding. Comparing data from 1965 and 2011 shows that mothers these days are spending more hours per week at their jobs, and fathers are spending more time doing housework. Both mothers and fathers are spending more time on child care, though mothers still do more of this than fathers do.
Not only do Americans say smaller families are more ideal, they’re also having smaller families. In 1976, 36% of women in their early 40s had given birth to four or more children, while just 22% gave birth to two children, according to a new Pew Research Center report. But according to 2014 data, it’s more common nowadays for women of the same age to have two children: 35% gave birth to two children, while just 12% had four or more.
Topics: Family Roles, Birth Rate and Fertility, Social Values, Education, Family and Relationships, Household and Family Structure |
A report from The New Zealand Herald reveals the efforts police went to to save a man taken by a great white off the Auckland coastline. Courtesy: New Zealand Herald
FRIGHTENING footage has emerged of the moment a police officer shot at a shark which mauled a man to death in New Zealand.
Father-of-one Adam Strange, 46, was killed by a 4-metre long shark while swimming off the popular Auckland beach of Muriwai yesterday afternoon.
Nigel Bradbury from the nearby town of Kumeu was at the beach with his daughter when he filmed the dramatic moment on his phone.
Dad dragged out to sea in shark feeding frenzy
''I was going to have a swim but we decided to have a picnic instead, and then we saw the inflatable (rescue boat) racing along the beach along with the quad bike towards Maori Bay,'' he told The New Zealand Herald.
Mr Bradbury said a police car parked next to him and within three minutes the police officer was in the rescue boat shooting at the shark to release Mr Strange's body.
''You could see it clearly, even though it was a fair way offshore. The water spraying up when he fired the gun - rapid fire and then you could hear the sound,'' he said.
Mr Bradbury said the officer shot at the shark in three rapid bursts.
''I've never heard anything like that before," he said.
It took about 30 minutes to recover the body, with witnesses claiming the shark refused to let go until police shot at it.
Police said it was possible up to three sharks had been feeding on fish and birds in the water and Mr Strange swam straight into their path.
Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service chairman Tim Jago said Mr Strange was "a good water man" and was well known to the lifeguards who tried to save him.
He told media the lifeguards had been traumatised, and were being offered support and counselling.
He said the shark that attacked the man was believed to be a 4m great white.
Mr Strange was a TV commercial director and had worked around the world on several projects.
His first short film, Aphrodite's Farm, won the prestigious Crystal Bear award for Best Short Film at the Berlin Film Festival.
In a statement released last night Strange's family said they are "grieving the loss of a glorious and great father, husband and friend", TVNZ reported.
''We are in deep shock,'' they said.
Muriwai Beach and others nearby will remain closed until Saturday following the attack and lifeguards will continue to search the ocean for any sign of sharks.
Shark deaths are uncommon in NZ, with only 14 known fatal shark attacks since records began about 1837.
The last death was in 2009, when a kayaker was mauled by a great white, but it is not known whether he drowned before the shark found him.
Before that the last death was in 1976. |
Lessons from the Weimar Republic (updated)
I decided to become a political scientist in the spring of 1976, while I was attending the Stanford-in-Berlin overseas study program. I had already declared an International Relations major, but was trying to decide between going to law school (the supposedly safe option) or pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science (looked risky). While in Berlin, I took Professor Gordon Craig’s course on German history, and one lecture — on the role of intellectuals in the Weimar Republic — finally tipped the balance for me.
In that particular class, Craig argued that one of the many forces that doomed the Weimar Republic was the irresponsible behavior of both left-wing and right-wing intellectuals. The German left was contemptuous of the liberal aspirations of the Weimar Constitution and other bourgeois features of Weimar society, while right-wing "thinkers" like Ernst Junger glorified violence and disparaged the application of reason to political issues. So-called "liberal" intellectuals saw politics as a grubby business unworthy of their refined sensibilities, and so many just disengaged from politics entirely. This left the field to rabble-rousers and extremists of various sorts and helped prepare the ground for Nazism. (You can read Craig’s account of this process in his book Germany 1866-1945, chapter 13, on "Weimar Culture").
The lesson I took from Craig’s lecture was that when intellectuals abandon liberal principles, disengage from politics, and generally abdicate their role as "truth-tellers" for society at large, it is easy for demagogues to play upon human fears and lead a society over the brink to disaster. So I decided to forego a legal career and get a Ph.D. instead, hoping in some way to contribute to more reasonable discourse about issues of war, peace, and politics.
Whether I succeeded in that aspiration I leave for others to decide, but I’ve been thinking about that episode as I contemplate the current state of American political discourse. There’s plenty of reasoned debate out there, of course, and one could argue that the rise of the Internet and the blogosphere may even have increased the amount of serious discussion by smart people across the political spectrum. But when I watch videos like this one, and I read the xenophobic bile spewed by hate-mongers like Islamophobe Pam Geller, then I can’t help but hear echoes of the Weimar experience. The left has never been very influential in American politics, but disappointment with Obama is already reinforcing its disregard for existing U.S. institutions and may render it even less relevant going forward. Meanwhile, the supposedly "conservative" American right is getting nuttier by the minute. Instead of serious policy debate, it indulges in bizarre theories about Obama’s religious beliefs, and his supposedly "socialist" (or "Muslim") agenda and takes its marching orders from entertainers like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck (who once admitted he’s only in it for the money). When the Party of Lincoln’s leading lights include unprincipled opportunists like Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, you know you’re a long way from the days of Dwight Eisenhower or Brent Scowcroft.
Meanwhile, where are the tough-minded and courageous defenders of the liberal values of tolerance, freedom of expression, and reasoned discourse? There are a few — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg comes to mind — but how many prominent politicians have shown any genuine political courage or been willing to take a tough position and stick to it in the face of the mob? Extremists start to look admirable because at least they appear to stand for something (even if it is dangerous and fear-mongering bombast), while many traditional liberals seem all too willing to compromise whenever there is PAC money on the line or the poll winds shift.
Yes, I understand that politics is the art of the possible and some degree of compromise is inevitable, but wouldn’t you like to see a few liberals really dig down deep and fight for something they believe in? Like the Constitution?
Apologies for the rant, but I really do think there’s reason to worry. The U.S. economy is still in very bad shape, the Iraq War isn’t over despite what you’re being told, the war in Afghanistan still looks like a lost cause, and we’ve made zero progress on long-term issues like climate change. And don’t even get me started about the Middle East peace process. And yet we are burning up bandwidth on manufactured controversies like the Park 51 issue, mostly because a bunch of out-of-town and out-of-power politicos decided they could exploit the issue for their own selfish agendas.
I guess this means that if I became a political scientist to help preserve intelligent discourse about important political topics, then I haven’t done a very good job.
UPDATE: Over at Salon, Glenn Greenwald lists several other politicians who are standing up for traditional American values of religious tolerance and civil discourse, including: Russ Feingold, Joe Sestak, Grover Norquist, Ron Paul, Jeff Merkley, and a few others. One doesn’t have to agree with everything that each of these individuals believes to admire their position on this issue. Kudos to them. |
It all began because Allison Anderson’s shower wasn’t working. She went to a neighbor’s house on Mansion Road to take a shower, and coming back she saw two young people walking on the side of the road. One of them, a young woman, was sobbing, and looking a little worse for wear. Allison asked the couple if she could help, or if they needed a ride, and the young woman, Cathleen Turner, through her tears, said, “yes.”
Allison then heard what this was all about.
Cathleen had lost her engagement and wedding rings, and she was scratched up desperately trying to find them in the place where she thought they had been lost. Cathleen and her husband, Da Wei, were just married on Wednesday and were having their honeymoon here on the island.
The rings could not be found.
Allison and resident Bruce Johnson then took to the Block Island Bulletin Board to see if there would be anyone interested in helping Cathleen replace her rings, and the donations just came rolling in. Not long after, enough donations had come in to buy a replacement ring. Goldiggers and Peter Gibbons offered a ring that could be purchased wholesale, and the surprised couple were presented the ring on the little porch of the Blue Dory Inn at 1:30 p.m. this afternoon.
“I’m really overhwhelmed,” Cathleen said over and over, as she exchanged hugs and tears with those that were present and had given donations.
Cathleen and Da have one more night on the island, and then it’s back home to Wakefield. |
How cool is all of this stuff?!
I was not expecting it to come today since it is Labor Day so this was a pleasant surprise!
I teach a class of 20 students, half Pre-K and half Kindergarten. We love books in my class and I just received 7 new books! Who doesn't love Berenstain Bears??
I wear a smock at my school and I get to dress it up with some flair, so the buttons were perfect. Plus, I LOVE Big Bang Theory, so it works out perfectly!
The Hot Potato game is too cute! I pushed it to listen and scared the crap out of my cats. Totally worth it.
The pencils are wonderful!!! Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat?
Thank you, thank you, a million times, thank you!!! :) I think my kids will love all of this just as much as I do! I can't wait to read the stories to them! |
A label on an antistatic bag featuring the circle symbol on the left and the reaching symbol on the right
An antistatic device is any device that reduces, dampens, or otherwise inhibits electrostatic discharge; the buildup or discharge of static electricity,[1][2] which can damage electrical components such as computer hard drives, and even ignite flammable liquids and gases.
Many methods exist for neutralizing, varying in use and effectiveness depending on the application. Antistatic agents are chemical compounds that can be added to an object, or the packaging of an object, to help deter the buildup or discharge of static electricity.[3] For the neutralization of static charge in a larger area, such as a factory floor or workshop, antistatic systems may utilize electron emission effects such as corona discharge or photoemission that introduce ions into the area that combine with and neutralize any electrically charged object.[4] In many situations, sufficient ESD protection can be achieved with electrical grounding.
Symbology [ edit ]
Various symbols can be found on products, indicating that the product is electrostatically sensitive, as with sensitive electrical components, or that it offers antistatic protection, as with antistatic bags.
Reach symbol [ edit ]
ANSI/ESD standard S8.1-2007 is most commonly seen on applications related to electronics. Several variations consist of a triangle with a reaching hand depicted inside of it using negative space.
Versions of the symbol will often have the hand being crossed out as a warning for the component being protected, indicating that it is ESD sensitive and is not to be touched unless antistatic precautions are taken.
Another version of the symbol has the triangle surrounded by an arc. This variant is in reference to the antistatic protective device, such as an antistatic wrist strap, rather than the component being protected. It usually does not feature the hand being crossed out, indicating that it makes contact with the component safe.[5]
Circle [ edit ]
Another common symbol takes the form of a bold circle being intersected by three arrows. Originating as a U.S. military standard, it has been adopted industry-wide. It is intended as a depiction of a device or component being breached by static charges, indicated by the arrows.[5]
One version on the circle with three arrows can be seen at the left of this picture.
Examples [ edit ]
Types of antistatic devices include:
Antistatic bag [ edit ]
An antistatic bag is a bag used for storing or shipping electronic components which may be prone to damage caused by electrostatic discharge (ESD).
Ionizing bar [ edit ]
An ionizing bar, sometimes referred to as a static bar, is a type of industrial equipment used for removing static electricity from a production line to dissipate static cling and other such phenomena that would disrupt the line. It is important in the manufacturing and printing industries, although it can be used in other applications as well.[6][7]
Ionizing bars are most commonly suspended above a conveyor belt or other apparatus in a production line where the product can pass below it; the distance is usually calibrated for the specific application.[4] The bar works by emitting an ionized corona onto the products below it.[4][8] If then a product on the line has a positive or negative static charge, as it passes through the ionized aura created by the bar, it will attract the correspondingly charged positive or negative ions and become electrically neutral.[8][9]
Antistatic garments [ edit ]
Antistatic shoes
Antistatic garments or antistatic clothing is required to prevent damage to electrical components or to prevent fires and explosions when working with flammable liquids and gases.
One of the ways to bond or electrically connect personnel to ground is the use of an ESD garment. ESD garments have conductive threads in them, creating a wearable version of a faraday cage. ESD garments attempt to shield ESD sensitive devices from harmful static charges from clothing such as wool, silk, and synthetic fabrics on people working with them. For these garments to work properly, they must also be connected to ground with a strap. Most ESD garments are not conductive enough to provide personal grounding so antistatic foot straps and antistatic wrist straps are also worn. ESD garments are considered an optional method to control ESD.
An ESD protected area is a defined location with the necessary materials, tools, and equipment capable of controlling static electricity to a level that minimizes damage to ESD susceptible items. In the ESD protected area, all conductors in the environment, including personnel, shall be bonded or electrically connected and attached to a known ground or contrived ground. This attachment creates an equipotential balance between all items and personnel. Electrostatic protection can be maintained at a potential above a "zero" voltage ground potential as long as all items in the system are at the same potential.
Antistatic garments are used in many industries such as electronics, communications, telecommunications and defense applications. As computers and electronics become ever more pervasive in consumer products an increasing number of manufacturers will need to apply anti-static control measures. One such measure is antistatic apparel because people are the greatest source of static charge in the workplace.
Transportation of electrostatic sensitive devices also requires packaging that provides protection from electrostatic hazards in the transportation or storage system. In the case of an ESD protected area designed with continuous grounding of all conductors and dissipative items (including personnel), packaging may not be necessary.
The amount of static electricity we feel varies according to factors such as our body and foot size. A larger body and bigger feet require more charge to be stored to produce the same voltage. The material our clothes are made from and the soles of our shoes can influence static electricity too. Weather affects it as well. There is more build-up of static charge when the air is dry. Most people feel harmless shocks at around 2,000-4,000 volts. However electrical components can be damaged by as little as a few volts. It is estimated that between eight percent and 33 percent of product losses—-the proportion of products which are rendered faulty—-are due to static electricity. Static electricity is generally harmless to the individual but if not controlled, electrostatic discharge can cause product damage to electrostatic sensitive devices and lead to machinery downtime, lost man-hours, returned products and warranty costs particularly in the semiconductor and electronics industries, which caused 5 billion USD worth of damage to products each year.
Antistatic mat [ edit ]
An antistatic floor mat or ground mat is one of a number of antistatic devices designed to help eliminate static electricity. It does this by having a controlled low resistance: a metal mat would keep parts grounded but would short out exposed parts; an insulating mat would provide no ground reference and so would not provide grounding. Typical resistance is on the order of 105 to 108 ohms between points on the mat and to ground.[10][11][12] The mat would need to be grounded (earthed). This is usually accomplished by plugging into the grounded line in an electrical outlet. It's important to discharge at a slow rate, therefore a resistor should be used in earthing the mat. The resistor, as well as allowing high-voltage charges to leak through to earth, also prevents a shock hazard when working with low-voltage parts. Some ground mats allow you to connect an antistatic wrist strap to them. Versions are designed for placement on both the floor and desk.
Antistatic wrist strap [ edit ]
Antistatic wrist strap connected to a bench mounted grounding socket
An antistatic wrist strap with crocodile clip.
An antistatic wrist strap, ESD wrist strap, or ground bracelet is an antistatic device used to safely ground a person working on very sensitive electronic equipment, to prevent the buildup of static electricity on their body, which can result in electrostatic discharge (ESD). It is used in the electronics industry by workers working on electronic devices which can be damaged by ESD, and also sometimes by people working around explosives, to prevent electric sparks which could set off an explosion. It consists of an elastic band of fabric with fine conductive fibers woven into it, attached to a wire with a clip on the end to connect it to a ground conductor. The fibers are usually made of carbon or carbon-filled rubber, and the strap is bound with a stainless steel clasp or plate. They are usually used in conjunction with an antistatic mat on the workbench, or a special static-dissipating plastic laminate on the workbench surface.
The wrist strap is usually worn on the nondominant hand (the left wrist for a right-handed person). It is connected to ground through a coiled retractable cable and 1 megohm resistor, which allows high-voltage charges to leak through but prevents a shock hazard when working with low-voltage parts. Where higher voltages are present, extra resistance (0.75 megohm per 250 V) is added in the path to ground to protect the wearer from excessive currents; this typically takes the form of a 4 megohm resistor in the coiled cable (or, more commonly, a 2 megohm resistor at each end).
Wrist straps designed for industrial use usually connect to earth bonding points, ground connections built into the workplace, via either a standard 4 mm plug or 10 mm press stud, whereas straps designed for consumer use often have a crocodile clip for the ground connection.
In addition to wrist straps, ankle and heel straps are used in industry to bleed away accumulated charge from a body. These devices are usually not tethered to earth ground, but instead incorporate high resistance in their construction, and work by dissipating electrical charge to special floor tiles. Such straps are used when workers need to be mobile in a work area and a grounding cable would get in the way. They are used particularly in an operating theatre, where oxygen or explosive anesthetic gases are used.
"Wireless" or "dissipative" wrist straps are available, which claim to protect against ESD without needing a ground wire, typically by air ionization or corona discharge. These are widely regarded as ineffective,[13][14][15] if not fraudulent, and examples have been tested and shown not to work.[16][17] Professional ESD standards all require wired wrist straps.[13]
See also [ edit ] |
DAYTON, Ohio -- A federal judge on Friday again rejected a star basketball player's bid for reinstatement to the University of Dayton after a suspension linked to a female student's sexual assault accusation.
Dyshawn Pierre's one-semester suspension ends soon, but he had hoped for a ruling to help clear his record and let him rejoin the Flyers immediately.
Attorney Peter Ginsberg said he and Pierre are disappointed and considering their options, such as appealing the decision or continuing with his lawsuit against the university.
Dayton, which declined to comment on the ruling, previously said Pierre didn't suffer irreparable harm and that there was no reason to cut short the suspension.
His lawsuit noted that Montgomery County, Ohio, prosecutors declined to file charges against the 6-foot-6 senior from Toronto. Pierre has said the allegation stemmed from a consensual sexual encounter, and he called the school's investigation "fundamentally unfair" with a "wholly irrational, unsubstantiated" conclusion after a hearing that didn't accommodate his learning disability.
"In circumstances of this seriousness, the university owed a duty to do more than the bare minimum," Ginsberg said. "It should have been fair and thorough and professional, and Dayton has been none of those things."
Dyshawn Pierre's suspension ends Dec. 20, but it is unclear if he will play for the Flyers this season. Spruce Derden/USA TODAY Sports
In October, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rose denied a temporary order to stop the school from enforcing the suspension. Rose ruled that the public interest is served by allowing universities to carry out disciplinary rules and procedures to keep an educational environment harassment-free.
Rose wrote that the school's hearing board found Pierre was "unable to demonstrate that he received any words or actions that indicated he had effective consent for sexual intercourse or sexual contact."
Ginsberg argued that the disciplinary board lacked training to interpret medical and law enforcement issues in the case.
It's unclear whether Pierre will play this season. Coach Archie Miller told the Dayton Daily News on Thursday that he will meet with Pierre when the suspension ends Dec. 20 to gauge his physical and mental status and ability to contribute this season. Miller said Pierre will play "if it's feasible" or sit out a year.
The Flyers are 7-1 after upsetting No. 21 Vanderbilt on Thursday. |
The Philadelphia Phillies reportedly are open to moving Jonathan Papelbon, perhaps as part of the very changes he's calling for.
And if losing is the alternative, Papelbon is ready to pack his bags.
"I definitely didn't come here for this," the Phillies' closer told MLB.com.
Philadelphia lost its eighth straight game Sunday, a 12-4 rout at the hands of the Detroit Tigers, dropping the Phillies to a season-worst seven games below .500.
The frustration is becoming more palpable as losses mount, trade rumors swirl about the team and playoff hopes fade away.
Papelbon has been among the Phillies bandied about as a potential trade chip as Wednesday's deadline approaches. He signed a four-year, $50 million deal in 2011 and is 2-0 with a 2.21 ERA and 20 saves in 25 opportunities this season.
Yet he does not want to be moved -- unless the Phillies continue their losing ways.
"No, I would like to stay here," Papelbon said. "But if I'm going to have to put up with this year after year, then no, I don't want to be here. Why would you? Why would anybody?"
Ironically, a blueprint that intrigues Papelbon is the one used by the Red Sox -- his former team. Two years ago they entered September as the leaders of the AL East, only to miss the playoffs after a late 7-20 swoon.
Sweeping changes followed as manager Terry Francona was not retained and general manager Theo Epstein left. |
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BOSTON -- The Red Sox have placed third baseman Kevin Youkilis on the 15-day disabled list because of what manager Bobby Valentine called a lower-back strain, and promoted Will Middlebrooks from Pawtucket to take his place.
Valetine also announced that Josh Beckett will miss his next scheduled start, Saturday against Baltimore, due to stiffness in his right lat muscle and that PawSox pitcher Aaron Cook will take the mound instead. Cook, whose contract called for him to have the chance to leave the organization as a free agent if Boston didn't promote him from Pawtucket by May 1, has remained with the team and will be added to the major league roster on Saturday, according to Valentine. A corresponding move will have to be made to make room for him in Boston.
Aaron Cook will start Saturday against Baltimore in place of Josh Beckett, who has stiffness in his right lat muscle, according to manager Bobby Valentine. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Valentine said he thinks Beckett will be able to start again when his turn in the rotation comes up the next time through.
He also mentioned another possibility for the Sox rotation.
"I'm not opposed to a having more than five starters during long stretches depending on how the pitchers are pitching," said Valentine. "There's no need to project anything further (regarding Cook's status) than Saturday."
Middlebrooks, a hot prospect who was hitting .333 with a team-leading nine homers and 27 RBIs for the PawSox, was in Wednesday night's lineup against Oakland, batting eighth and playing third base.
"He's been hot in Triple-A and played very well in spring training," said Valentine. "I told him to have fun, enjoy it, get into the moment. He's good at that from what I saw in spring training."
Middlebrooks, 23, a fifth-round draft pick in 2007, was excited to get the call.
"It's unbelievable, something you work toward your whole life," he said. "I worked to be here. I'm ready to go. I'm feeling really comfortable at the plate and the same way on defense."
Youkilis, meanwhile, had kind words for his temporary replacement.
"It's a great opportunity for him to come up and play at this level. It's an exciting time for him. He'll remember this night for the rest of his life. I hope he does well. It's another level, but he can play at this level. He's a great guy and a great player. I'm hoping he can help the team win," said Youkilis.
Youkilis played last Saturday in Chicago, but was unable to get loose during batting practice on Sunday, so he had missed three straight games before being disabled. He said Wednesday that the source of his troubles has been identified, and that he felt much better Wednesday than he had on Tuesday,
Youkilis, 33, has been bothered by various nagging injuries this year, beginning in spring training. He had played in 18 of the Sox' 23 games this season, and was batting only .219 with two homers and nine RBI. Injuries limited him to only 102 games in 2010 and to 120 last year.
"It definitely stinks. It's frustrating. I don't want to be injured. I want to play. There's nothing I can do but get healthy and help the team win," said the eight-year veteran, who is in the final year of his contract.
In another Red Sox move, right-handed pitcher Clayton Mortensen was promoted from Pawtucket to give Valentine another arm in the bullpen. He replaced first baseman/outfielder Lars Anderson, who was sent back to Pawtucket after Tuesday night's game.
Mortensen, who was obtained from Colorado in exchange for Marco Scutaro over the winter, will provide depth out of the bullpen for the time being. He was 2-2 with a 0.90 earned-run average in six games, totaling 10 innings. |
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