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With this being the Fourth of July holiday weekend, what better way for soccer fans to observe the United States’ 240th birthday but with a bang.
Presenting 10 special, memorable and influential goals scored by the US men’s and women’s national teams that could be celebrated with red, white and blue fireworks
1) Paul Caligiuri (1989)
In many respects, whatever you see in professional soccer and the US men’s national team today begins with this goal. If Caligiuri didn’t score in the 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Trinidad & Tobago in Port of Spain on 19 November 19 1989 and the Americans didn’t participate in Italia 90, history probably would have been altered.
The USA would have been ridiculed for failing to qualify for the World Cup in the cycle before it hosted one. American players wouldn’t have gotten an opportunity to show their wares to European scouts and coaches at Italia 90, giving many of them a chance to play in Europe. In other words, Caligiuri’s was a massive goal.
Caligiuri scored in the 31st minute at Hasely Crawford Stadium after Brian Williams upended John Harkes in midfield. Tab Ramos took the free kick, got a quick return pass and noticed an open Caligiuri in the middle. Caligiuri beat an opponent and lofted a high, looping shot over goalkeeper Michael Maurice for his second international goal.
“I know my abilities to take those kind of shots so I can strike the ball from distance with my left or right foot,” he told the Guardian last year. “So it’s a confidence level that you don’t think about. I’m confident I can take the shot. You just know you can so you do it. I know the distance. I knew it had to have some power on it. It couldn’t be a floating ball. It had to have some power with some dip on it.”
The USA went to Italy and have not missed a World Cup since as they try to qualify for its eighth consecutive competition at Russia 2018.
2) Landon Donovan (2010)
Talk about leaving it late for the most dramatic goal in USA history. With the USA on the verge playing their third draw at the 2010 World Cup, Landon Donovan gave four years of professional and personal frustration one swift kick of a lifetime. Donovan struck a minute into stoppage time to notch a 1-0 Group C win over Algeria, a result that not only propelled the US into the second round, but made the Americans group winners for the first time since the 1930 tournament, at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
“I’ve been through a lot in the last four years, and I’m so glad it culminated this way,” said an emotional Donovan, who cried during a press conference. “It makes me believe in good in the world, and when you try to do things the right way, it’s good to see them get rewarded.”
The scoring sequence took 12 seconds. Goalkeeper Tim Howard saved a seven-yard header by Rafik Saifi and threw the ball to the right side to Donovan, who raced up the field unmarked. He found Jozy Altidore with a pass, and Altidore touched it to Clint Dempsey, who took a shot as keeper Rais M’Bolhi slid in to stop it. The ball rebounded to Donovan, who slotted it in from seven yards.
“The moment kind of slowed down for me,” Donovan said. “It’s a reaction. It’s good that it happened quickly. You don’t want too much time to think about it.”
3) Joe Gaetjens (1950)
For years, this goal was likely to be at the top of many observers’ list. It was the lone score of a World Cup match between one of the giants of the sport, as the underdog USA stunned the overwhelming favorites 1-0. None of the Americans were full-time players. Each player had a job, whether it was in construction, teaching or factories. Yet, the USA prevailed on a goal that was debated on whether Gaetjens, a US resident but not a citizen at the time, was trying to score.
During a World Cup reunion with teammate Harry Keough and Wilf Mannion in Belo Horizonte in 1987, Walter Bahr, the last surviving USA player, explained to me what transpired. Bahr walked his way through the sequence, starting with Frank McElvenny’s throw-in from the right side 35 yards out.
“I was playing left half-back,” Bahr said. “I came in for McElvenny’s throw-in. I dribbled the ball … maybe to here.”
Bahr stood 25 yards from the goal.
“I took a shot,” he said. “It was going to the far post. The goalkeeper had to move to his right to get the ball and somehow Joe Gaetjens came from that side and deflected it with his head.”
Past goalkeeper Bert Williams into the goal.
“We were happy to get off the field with maybe a 2-, 3- or 4-0 loss and to get a goal like that, we maybe awakened the sleeping giant,” Bahr said.
Gaetjens suffered a tragic fate, presumably dying in prison or was executed as a political prisoner in his native Haiti at the age of 40 in 1964.
The USA walked 40 years in the World Cup desert before Caligiuri’s heroics in Trinidad.
4) Michelle Akers (1991)
Before defining the defensive midfielder position for women, Akers was a scoring terror. She finished with 105 goals in 153 international appearances and none was more vital than the one she tallied in the first Women’s World Cup final in Guanzhou on 30 November 1991. Akers’ second goal of the match snapped a 1-1 draw in the 87th minute to lift the USA to a 2-1 win over Norway, and the women became the first American team to win a Fifa-sponsored tournament.
Akers intercepted a back pass from Norway’s Tina Svensson and ran in on goalkeeper Reidun Seth.
“Everyone on the team said their hearts were stopping, because they didn’t think I would ever shoot the ball,” Akers said at the time. “I was making sure I wouldn’t miss.”
Michelle Akers holds the trophy aloft. Photograph: Tommy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images
The triumph established the Americans as a world power: they captured the 1999 and 2015 Women’s World Cups. They also have defined the Olympic women’s soccer tournament, earning gold medals in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012 and silver in 2000. The USA has never finished below third in a Women’s World Cup or the Olympics.
5) Carli Lloyd (2015)
With the USA enjoying an incredible 3-0 lead over Japan in the 14th minute in the Women’s World Cup finals – thanks to a pair of goals of her own – Carli Lloyd was feeling good about herself. So good that she attempted to chip Japan goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori from midfield. Taking a pass from Lauren Holiday in midfield, Lloyd noticed that Kaihori was standing far out of the net, and audaciously struck a shot from 55 yards. The goalkeeper got her right hand to it, but the ball bounced once and off the left post and into the lower left corner for an astounding 4-0 margin in the 16th minute.
“If you’re feeling good mentally and physically, it comes down to instinct,” Lloyd said.It completed the fastest hat-trick in World Cup history – for men and women – as the Americans cruised to a 5-2 victory at BC Place in Vancouver.
Lloyd was named the Golden Ball winner. Her six goals tied her with Germany’s Celia Saskic for the tournament goal-scoring lead with six apiece.
“I call her my beast,” USA coach Jill Ellis said. “She is just unbelievable, a rock star. I am just so happy for her.”
It wasn’t the first time that Lloyd performed heroics in a final, having struck for the winning goals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold-medal matches. This one completed one of the most unique hat-tricks over three major tournaments.
6) Eric Wynalda (1994)
Wynalda almost didn’t get an opportunity to score the goal that helped the men to their first World Cup points in 44 years– because he was suffering from a bad case of the hives.
On the day of the Americans’ 1994 World Cup opener against Switzerland at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, Wynalda woke up with hives on his body. It was from drinking the wrong energy drink that he said was given to the team. He said he had an allergy to a pair of dyes – yellow No5 and red dye 40.
“We made a decision the morning of the game,” Wynalda said, adding that he showed USA coach Bora Miluntonovic the hives. “He said: ‘This is nothing. Day is your day.’ And he walked out. I said, OK. I took a cold shower, I put my sweats on.”
Wynalda said he “was uncomfortable” due to the hives. “It was like being covered with bee stings,” he added. “It was horrible.”
Trailing 1-0, the USA were awarded a free kick in the 45 minute after John Harkes was fouled by Ciri Sforza 28 yards out. Claudio Reyna, who usually took free kicks, had suffered a hamstring injury days prior, so the set piece was up for grabs. Wynalda was adamant he was taking it.
“Four guys were interested in taking it,” he said. “The first one was Harkes and I didn’t even listen to him. I grabbed the ball and I made sure I was the one who was going to take it. Marcelo [Balboa] wanted me to touch it to the side so he could hit it. At one point Tab [Ramos] said something along the line, ‘Are you sure? And that was his way of saying, ‘Push it to the side and let me hit it.’ I literally blanked them all.
“I had been taking free kicks [for FC Saarbrücken] in Germany. I had some success but I had never scored. I hit the post a bunch of times and I forced saves, but I had never scored. The lasting memory I had was Tab Ramos walking past me and saying: ‘Just put it on goal and don’t make us look stupid.’ That was the last thing I heard before I shot.”
Wynalda curled the ball into the upper left corner while goalkeeper Marco Pascolo leaped helplessly trying to stop the shot.
“It was the best goal I could ever score in a World Cup because of exactly where the ball went,” Wynalda said.
The Americans earned a point, their first in the World Cup since the 1-0 win over England in 1950. They next recorded a 2-1 win over Colombia that clinched a spot in the round of 16. Had they not drawn with the Swiss, the Americans might not have reached the second round and would have been the first host WC side that failed to get out of its group.
7) Abby Wambach (2004)
The importance of Wambach’s extra-time goal against Brazil in the 2004 Athens Olympics gold-medal match was twofold. It gave the Americans their first major international title since the 1999 Women’s World Cup after falling short at the 2000 Summer Games (silver medal) and the 2003 Women’s World Cup (third place). It also allowed the Fab Five – Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Brandi Chastain – one last moment of glory after a 2-1 extra-time win over Brazil at Karaiskaki Stadium.
“There are only a few times in your life when you get to write the final chapter the way you want,” said Hamm, who was retiring from international soccer along with Foudy and Fawcett.
Wambach headed in from a Lilly corner kick in the 112th minute as the USA earned its second Olympic gold medal to go with the 1996 victory. The Fab Five also won world championships in 1991 and 1999.
“I didn’t want to be miserable for the next 40 years of my life I told Abby,” Foudy said. “I thanked her.”
After playing two 120-minute matches within 72 hours, Wambach might have been close behind. She overcame exhaustion, leaping high in the air to beat Monica and head the ball past goalkeeper Andreia for her fourth tournament goal and 18th in her last 20 international matches.
“I think we all know who deserved to win today,” Wambach said. “There’s no other outcome that’s what’s possible for us. We believed it was something that was meant to be.”
Eleven years later as a role player, Wambach, who finished with a record 184 international goals, was in a similar position. This time her younger teammates paid her back as Wambach won her long elusive world championship at the 2015 Women’s World Cup before retiring.
8) Brandi Chastain (1999)
Everybody knows the Chastain’s story of how she converted the tournament-winning penalty kick against China in the Women’s World Cup final at the Rose Bowl – and celebrated by taking off her jersey. But if it wasn’t for Chastain’s equalizing goal in the quarterfinal for the ages against Germany in Landover, Maryland on 1 July 1999, the Chastain and her teammates probably would not have been in position to win the tournament.
It was the worst of all possible scenarios with the game barely five minutes old. Standing just outside the top right side of the penalty area, Chastain passed the ball back to goalkeeper Briana Scurry. However, there was one slight problem. Scurry had moved yards out of the net and took a step to her left while Chastain passed to her right and into the net for a 1-0 Germany lead.
Had the USA lost and been eliminated, Chastain could have been declared the goat and denied an opportunity to be a heroine.
“It gave me an extra boost to do something than I would do for the team and do something that would put us over the top,” Chastain said.
She certainly did, heading home the equalizer off a Mia Hamm corner kick in the 49th minute to knot the match at 2-2. Seizing the moment, Chastain laid on her back looking to the heavens. “Thank God I was in the right spot,” she said.
Defender Joy Fawcett headed in Shannon MacMillan’s corner kick in the 66th minute for what proved to be the 66-minute game winner. Nine days later, Chastain converted her historic PK against China.
9) Brian McBride (2002)
It seemed like every time we turned around, McBride scored big-time goals.
A perfect example was during 2002 World Cup qualifying and the competition itself. He scored a spectacular sliding goal, with the USA a man down due to an Eddie Lewis red card against Guatemala in a 1-0 qualifying win. He added what proved to be the third and winning goal in the Americans’ 3-2 victory over Portugal in their World Cup opener.
But McBride’s top goal was the first score in important dos a cero game against Mexico in the round of 16.
Claudio Reyna made a 40-yard run down the side, crossing the ball to Josh Wolff, who was close to the goal line. Wolff, who didn’t look before flicking it back to an open McBride. The striker fired home a hard, right-footed shot in the eighth minute.
Brian McBride celebrates his goal against Mexico in Jeonju. Photograph: Elise Amendola/AP
“I knew there was an opportunity for me to get the ball. It was on a lay back like that,” he said.
The Americans needed that goal. El Tri dominated the match and possession about two-thirds of the time. Landon Donovan added an insurance goal in the 65th minute.
The win was significant because the game was played at a neutral ground between two teams that usually prevailed at home against each other. It also went a long way in establishing the USA as the top dog in Concacaf.
10) Michael Orozco (2012)
You might be wondering why a goal from a friendly would make this list. Given the Americans’ problems in Mexico City over the decades, it gave the visitors hope and a win in future World Cup qualifiers.
The USA had suffered much frustration and many embarrassing defeats in the Mexico capital for decades (1-19-2 as of today) until August 2012. That’s when the second-half sub and defender struck in the 80th minute of a 1-0 win at Azteca.
The goal was doubly significant for Orozco.
“This means a lot to me because my parents are Mexican, but I was born in the US,” he said. “But since day one I’ve chose to defend the US and I’ve done it with honor and a lot of respect to the country. One thing that gives me the strength is that my family is always beside me.”
Orozco was one of three second-half substitutes that teamed up for the goal.
Brek Shea beat his man down the left side, slipping a pass to Terrence Boyd, who back-heeled a pass to Orozco, standing in front of the net. The defender slotted the ball past goalkeeper Guillmero Ochoa.
“It’s a play that you’re right in front of the goal and in the blink of an eye you can make a difference and today, that was the difference,” Orozco said. |
A crowd funding program has been set up to raise funds for the injured security guard through YouCaring.com. It lists the name of the injured guard as Jack Newsom and posts a photo of a severely beaten man.
A crowd funding program has been set up to raise funds for the injured security guard through YouCaring.com. It lists the name of the injured guard as Jack Newsom and posts a photo of a severely beaten man.
WRIC ABC 8 said City Councilman Jon Baliles and Artist Ed Trask (one of RVA Street Art Fest Organizers) met with Newsom in person today:
Tuesday afternoon organizers with the Street Art Festival stopped by to visit Newsom. Artist Ed Trask and City Councilman Jon Baliles delivered a hot lunch and groceries to the recovering security guard and his family.
They’re also setting up a fund at www.youcaring.com/RVAStreetArt
“Well it’s been overwhelming,” Baliles says. “Everyone loves what happened at the Street Art Festival site they feel an attachment to it and everybody wants to help Mr. Newsom.”
Both funds hope to raise money for Newsom medical bills and missed time from work.
Meanwhile, police say there are no new leads or suspects in the assault.
An email sent by RVA Mag to GRTC staff asking for details on the space’s closing have not been returned.
You can read more about the closing of the RVA Street Art Fest space here. |
President Obama announced the end of the use of private, for-profit prisons by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in light of abuses by prison companies and safety and security problems that are worse than government-operated facilities. The decision impacted 22,000 federal prisoners, or 12 percent of the total, according to the Justice Department inspector general.
That was then, this is now. The private-prison industry donated heavily to Trump, and now they are cashing in their chips.
As Political Dig reported, the Obama administration’s decision to end the contracts with private companies was due to the abuse and mistreatment of prisoners by GEO Group. In 2012, a federal judge referred to a GE-operated prison as a “cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts and conditions,” according to The International Business Times. In 2014, the head of the Mississippi prison system was charged with accepting bribes from private prisons and pleaded guilty. The GEO Group donated $250,000 to Trump’s inauguration activities, as USA Today reported, while a GEO Group subsidiary also gave $225,000 to Rebuild America Now, a pro-Trump super PAC. The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that in giving to the Trump super PAC, the GEO Group violated a federal law barring political contributions from government contractors, as VICE News reported. CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America or CCA) also contributed $250,000 to Trump.
In February, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Obama ban on private prisons was reversed. The GEO was awarded a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for a $110-million, 1,000-bed detention facility in Conroe, Texas, with an expected annual revenue stream of $44 million, according to Political Dig. Politico had reported that in October, GEO Group hired two former Sessions aides to lobby in favor of federal prison outsourcing to for-profit industry.
The Trump victory will increase the profitability of immigration detention centers as well. New Department of Homeland Security (DHS) guidelines require ICE and border patrol agents to detain all undocumented immigrants that are caught, a departure from the “catch and release” policy allowing immigration officials to release people and order them to reappear for court hearings. Private detention centers account for 65 percent of DHS facilities, according to USA Today. The new DHS guidelines requiring detentions of the undocumented serve to expand bed capacity for these ICE facilities operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic, as The Intercept noted. According to CNN, stocks for these companies have soared 100 percent since the election of Donald Trump.
Private prisons are lucrative, as the warehousing of poor, Black and brown bodies is big business. A report from The Public Interest found that six Wall Street banks finance the two industry leaders, CoreCivic and GEO Group. The banks include Wells Fargo, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, BNP Paribas, SunTrust and U.S. Bancorp. These banks profit by providing loans, credit and bonds to these companies. In turn, these prison corporations benefit from financing by operating as real estate trusts, which helps reduce their taxes. “CCA and GEO Group have relied on debt financing from banks to expand their control of the criminal justice and immigration enforcement systems by acquiring smaller companies that provide ‘community corrections’ services, like residential reentry and electronic monitoring,” the report said. At the end of June 2016, GEO had a total of $1.9 billion in debt, while CoreCivic had $1.5 billion.
Placing public services and functions in the hands of private actors for the purpose of making a buck is fraught with potential pitfalls, not the least of which is the potential exploitation of human beings. In the case of prisons for profit, modern-day slavery has emerged. For the first time in history, a class-action suit alleges that a private prison company violated anti-slavery laws. Tens of thousands of immigrant detainees allege they were forced to work for $1 a day or without pay at the Denver Contract Detention Facility, which is operated by the GEO Group, under contract with ICE, as The Washington Post reported. First filed in 2014, the suit received class-action status in March and could encompass as many as 60,000 plaintiffs, including past and current immigrant detainees.
Slavery and imprisonment are interconnected. For example, the 13th Amendment bans involuntary servitude “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” Similarly, private prisons trace their origins to the slave trade. For example, in 2000, GEO Group contracted with the federal government to build a prison on the site of one of North Carolina’s largest slave plantations. Around 1,200 Black inmates from the District of Columbia would be imprisoned at the location where some of their ancestors were likely enslaved years earlier. During the slave trade, private prisons were an important part of human trafficking in D.C. — slave dealers’ torture chambers that they were — with the nation’s capital serving as a major hub in the trading of Black people in the 19th century.
Even after slavery ended in name, the institution continued in practice through the convict lease system, where states leased out Black convict labor to private contractors, including ex-plantation owners. The Jim Crow regime rounded up Black men on trumped-up charges and leased them out to build the railroads, pick cotton and work in the mines. Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, and Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm, were actual slave plantations before they became state prison farms. Given that the modern-day private prisons — like the plantations and work farms of an earlier era — were filled with Black people deprived of their rights and forced to work for free, this is a distinction without difference.
In the age of Trump, private industry will continue to maintain its historical role of exploiting Black people and imprisoning them for profit. |
SPECULATION is brewing among South Sydney Rabbitohs supporters that billionaire James Packer is negotiating a multimillion-dollar deal to buy part of the famous club.
Under the mooted deal, Mr Packer would buy Peter Holmes a Court's 37.5 per cent stake and become a partner in the club with movie star Russell Crowe.
The speculation is being pushed by a supporters group, Rebel Rabbitohs, which was deeply opposed to Mr Holmes a Court and Mr Crowe jointly buying 75 per cent of the club in 2006 for $3 million. The group claimed on its Facebook page that Mr Crowe had found a buyer for Mr Holmes a Court's $1.5 million stake.
"The whisper has been a loud one from one former captain of the Rabbitohs,'' the posting said.
"The prospective new owner is a lifelong Roosters supporter, Roosters member and former Roosters director.''
media_camera James Packer and Russell Crowe pictured at the Sydney Roosters v South Sydney Rabbitohs.
A spokesman for Mr Packer's Crown Resorts would only say yesterday that Crown was "proud and very excited" to be Souths' major sponsor in 2014. "We are looking forward to a strong partnership on the football field but also with our indigenous and community programs,'' he said.
South Sydney Rabbitohs chairman Nick Pappas said there was "no truth to the rumour as far as the club is concerned".
Crown took the opportunity to take up the $1 million sponsorship of Souths when its Sydney casino rival, The Star, decided not to continue its support.
The sponsorship caused a rift for Mr Packer with Sydney Roosters boss Nick Politis.
The gaming billionaire and Mr Crowe have developed a close relationship in recent years, with Mr Packer's RatPac movie venture backing the actor's Gallipoli epic, The Water Diviner.
The posting on Friday caused a ripple of excitement among Souths fans, although its accuracy was met sceptically by some.
"I can't imagine James Packer moving on from the Roosters but his father was a diehard Souths supporter,'' said long-time member Joe Moussa, who owns Vinery Foods restaurant at Annandale.
media_camera Speculation suggests that Packer will buy a 37.5 per cent share in the club.
Souths legend George Piggins has recounted that Kerry Packer once told him that anyone who thought there was money in football clubs or racehorses was mad.
The Crowe and Holmes a Court partnership got off to a rocky start at Souths when the club lost $6.9 million in the first two years of their ownership.
The loss resulted in Mr Holmes a Court stumping up a loan of $4.5 million to the Rabbitohs, while Mr Crowe loaned $1.65 million. Mr Holmes a Court resigned as a director in March 2010 but was spotted watching Souths games during the finals series last year.
Souths have managed to turn their finances around, recording a $4.2 million increase in revenues between 2008 and 2012. But they still recorded a $300,000 loss in 2012, despite boasting the biggest membership base in the NRL.
They have no backing from a leagues club, after Souths on Chalmers at Redfern was placed in liquidation last year. |
The real Hillary Clinton — the funny, kind, passionate woman her friends and colleagues insist actually exists — has been missing from public view for so long that even some of her most admiring defenders wonder whether she will ever emerge again.
On the eve of the first presidential debate, Clinton’s campaign is launching a drive to convince voters that she is, well, human. The move, coming just six weeks before the election, is a frank admission that whether it traces to her embarrassingly public marital traumas, or to the arrows aimed at her during the White House years by conservative activists and news reports, or to a lifetime playing the role of the serious, responsible daughter, sister and wife, Hillary Clinton still struggles to be even “likable enough,” as candidate Barack Obama put it during the 2008 campaign.
“It is something that we’re aware of, and it’s a gap that we are seeking to eliminate at all times,” Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said. “Every week, we are rolling out a new video introducing people to somebody that’s gotten to know Hillary Clinton in a personal capacity.”
There will be stories about a supporter in Iowa who, despite being weakened by chemotherapy, came to see Clinton, who then privately kept in touch with her; and about a young girl who wrote Clinton letters when she was first lady, starting a pen pal relationship that continues to this day. And one about a connection with a Bronx girl that became so close that Clinton attended her junior high and high school graduations.
What’s not in those videos is Clinton talking about herself. Nor would Clinton agree to be interviewed for this article. Although her campaign is intent on showing voters that she is more than just a policy wonk, her friends and former staffers aren’t sure it can happen this late in the campaign. They say the woman being presented this fall seems more wooden, distant and disconnected than ever before.
After Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke at a national security forum Sept. 7, RNC Chair Reince Priebus criticized her in a tweet for having "no smile" and looking "uncomfortable." Here's how she responded. (The Washington Post)
In a rare presidential campaign in which a majority of voters say they dislike both major-party nominees, sharply different kinds of criticism rain down on the candidates: Donald Trump is often accused of being obsessed with himself and lacking in impulse control, whereas Clinton is widely viewed as hiding her true personality behind a hard, defensive shell of anodyne comments and legalistic language. In the most recent Washington Post-ABC News survey, 34 percent of polled voters said that Clinton is honest and trustworthy. Trump fared no better.
[What Clinton and Trump must worry about in the first debate]
The public’s perception of Clinton is off, sometimes dramatically so, according to friends, colleagues, staffers and the candidate herself. Sometimes it’s Clinton’s humor — which can be biting — that her friends say the public is missing. Sometimes it’s her kindness, especially her quiet acts of generosity, the videos she sends to ailing staffers or the times she shows up unannounced to visit someone she’s met only in passing. And sometimes it’s the passion — the enduring belief that she can make a difference, that intractable problems can be solved no matter how paralyzed government may be.
For decades, Clinton has occasionally promised to do something about the problem, to shrink her “zone of privacy” and show some of the emotion and vulnerability that many aides believe would make Americans like her more. More than a dozen former aides and close friends said they have told Clinton that voters like her more when they see her, for example, hug an immigrant child worried about being deported, or get teary answering a voter who wants to know, “How do you do it?”
But close friends and supporters say Clinton is skeptical of such emotional appeals, even if they are pure gold to most politicians. There’s no point in exposing her feelings to the public, Clinton argues, because she will only be attacked with greater fervor.
As early as 1993, Clinton gave two long interviews to Michael Kelly for a profile in the New York Times Magazine. She thought she had bared her heart about her struggle to find a path in politics that might break down barriers between liberals and conservatives. The article, headlined “Saint Hillary,” won much praise, but Clinton read it as a caricature that only solidified her public image as a moralistic, know-it-all crusader.
Clinton’s caution stems in part from her conclusion that the public would believe almost anything derogatory about her, friends and aides agreed. As first lady, according to a close friend, Clinton was on a small plane with a staffer who was reading aloud a magazine story that repeated an accusation that Clinton had had sex with a colleague.
From "Between Two Ferns" to "Broad City," here's a look at Hillary Clinton's comedic appearances while on the campaign trail. (The Washington Post)
Clinton’s eyes filled with tears and she said, “It really says I had sex with a collie?”
The staffer quickly corrected her boss: “No, a colleague!”
“That’s how far down her expectations had gone of what people thought she was capable of,” the friend said.
Dislike, even in her own party
Clinton is keenly aware of what people think of her.
In 1996, Clinton said, “I apparently remind some people of their mother-in-law or their boss, or something.”
Clinton’s explanation for her lousy likability numbers usually focuses on her vocal defense of her decision to eschew the traditional role of a political wife. “I do make some people uncomfortable, which I’m well aware of,” she said in 2009, “but that’s just part of coming to grips with what I believe is still one of the most important pieces of unfinished business in human history — empowering women to be able to stand up for themselves.”
She has often told staffers that no matter which face she presents to the public, her political opponents and the news media will portray her as deceitful, cold and distant. “I don’t think you can ever know anybody else,” she told the New Yorker in 1996, and certainly not “through the crude instruments available to us of exposing bits and pieces of somebody’s life.”
Aides and friends have tried for years to convince Clinton that the public probably would embrace the woman who connects easily in off-camera, one-on-one encounters. Friends say that the Clinton presented in this year’s campaign has grown ever more distant from the caring, even warm person they know.
“She seems remote and not forthcoming to a lot of people,” said Melanne Verveer, Clinton’s chief of staff when she was first lady and U.S. ambassador for global women’s issues while Clinton was secretary of state. “And she is extremely cautious. Over the years, that perception has just snowballed.”
“Everybody who’s worked with her talks about it,” said Christy Macy, a speechwriter for Clinton during the White House years. “How she could do it better, how she could get people to see what we see, the constant commitment to improving people’s lives, the passion we know she has underneath that reticence to make yourself vulnerable.”
Clinton herself has joked about the barriers she has built around her personality. In a rare appearance before an audience of journalists last year, she flashed an impish smile as she promised “a new relationship with the press — no more secrecy, no more zone of privacy. After all, what good did that do for me?” She added, with a laugh: “If you look under your chairs, you’ll find a simple nondisclosure agreement. My attorneys drew it up. Old habits last.”
This year, Clinton has only in recent days confronted the fact that many voters — even in her own party — don’t like her. Her friends say that she indeed has “her share of poetry, places where people can really fall in love with her,” in the words of Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, who got to know her in Arkansas and stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom on the Clintons’ first night in the White House. Bloodworth-Thomason wishes that the campaign would focus on winning aspects of her friend’s personality, such as “her relationship with her mother, the deep bond between them. Her quiet work around the world saving women’s lives.”
[For Clinton, attacking Trump may not be enough]
Clinton’s reticence, Bloodworth-Thomason said, creates an opening for others to caricature her: “If you have a natural reluctance to talk about yourself, it can create a vacuum that people are all too happy to fill.”
Campaign spokesman Fallon acknowledged the problem: “The ball tends to bounce in a tricky way for her, and her motives get judged in a different way. When you’re in public life this long, a narrative cements itself.”
The origins of her reticence
In January 2008, at a coffeehouse in New Hampshire, Clinton took a question from a woman with a sympathetic tone. “My question is very personal,” Marianne Young said. “How do you do it — how do you keep upbeat and so wonderful?”
Clinton nodded, smiled, nodded harder, and her smile was softer than usual — knowing, even tender. She sighed. Her voice grew smaller and sweeter, no longer the deeper, resonant tone she assumes when she is talking policy.
“It’s not easy. It’s not easy,” she said. She shook her head twice and made eye contact with Young. “And I couldn’t do it if I just didn’t, you know, passionately believe it was the right thing to do. You know, I have so many opportunities from this country.” She rested her head in her hand and swallowed, and her voice became tiny and strained. “Just don’t want to see us fall backward.” She squeezed out the words as her eyes welled, her voice cracked and the crowd, looking to help, broke into applause.
The next day, asked on CNN about that moment, Clinton said: “Well, you know, I actually have emotions. . . . You know, I’m not good about talking about myself.”
Where exactly that reticence came from is the subject of much debate. Some of Clinton’s longtime aides say she became especially cautious after the traumas of the White House years, starting with the “bimbo eruptions” of the 1992 campaign, when news reports about Bill Clinton’s extramarital relationships led his wife to take a stand — “I’m not sitting here, some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette” — that played to some as supportive and to others as defiant.
Clinton has often told friends that the public was never going to be comfortable with her role as a driven, talented woman who was determined to make a difference. In this view, in the 1980s and ’90s, some Americans would see any outspoken career woman as a Lady Macbeth: cold and calculating. Add in the many investigations and allegations that peppered the Clinton years in the White House, and that image — and her caution — hardened.
About the same time, Clinton sought to shield her daughter from the media and public attention. “A lot of this emanated from maintaining a zone of privacy around Chelsea,” said Lisa Caputo, the first lady’s press secretary during Bill Clinton’s first term.
Some longtime associates say the bottled-up Hillary dates to well before any clashes with conservatives or news reporters. They point to Clinton’s childhood with a difficult father and rambunctious brothers as the period when she took on the burden of being the mature, responsible one. It was Dorothy Rodham, Clinton’s mother, “who put the steel rod in her daughter’s spine — no whining, no self-pity,” Bloodworth-Thomason said. “Always maintain your dignity, mind your own counsel.”
Still others say the sharp distinction in how the Clintons present themselves derives from their religious upbringings.
“She’s a buttoned-up Methodist with a more traditional, private faith,” said a former staffer who worked closely with both Bill and Hillary Clinton. “And he is a Southern Baptist, a much more outwardly expressive faith. He’s out there spreading the good gospel news, while she carries her scars and develops a kind of fatalism, that it doesn’t matter what she does, they’re still going to attack her.”
Other friends saw Clinton’s caution emerge in Arkansas, where she was first exposed to insistent questioning by reporters. From then into the White House years, a sense of siege developed as she “was being pummeled with one supposed scandal after another,” said Verveer, who recalled riding in a car with Clinton as the first lady read a story about herself. “She put the paper down and said, ‘I wouldn’t like that person, either.’ ”
The reticence that developed after the 1992 campaign “is a reflection of how normal a person she is, rather than how abnormal,” said Don Baer, who worked with the first lady when he was White House communications director in the ’90s. “It’s an unnatural act to feel comfortable with that level of scrutiny and intrusiveness.”
Flummoxed advisers on how to change her
From the White House years through Clinton’s Senate campaign and on to two presidential campaigns, Verveer saw the strategists around Clinton grow flummoxed about how to move the needle.
“A pollster told me when she was running for Senate: ‘This doesn’t require focus groups. It requires a shrink,’ ” Verveer said. “In the first campaign, she had a very difficult time, initially, talking about ‘I’ and ‘me.’ She was much more comfortable talking about issues. At some of the toughest times in the White House, she would say to us: ‘Stop and think, why are we here? How can we make a difference for people?’ It sounds trite, especially in our political culture of suspicion, but that’s how she really is. But if she talks this kind of talk, you’re back to ‘Saint Hillary.’ Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
If Clinton has become even more guarded during this campaign, that’s the result of decades of harsh criticism — and, some say, of a campaign staff that has not pushed her to open up.
“Hillary is a Rorschach test for how people feel about a powerful woman,” Bloodworth-Thomason said. “She can exhilarate, irritate, threaten or terrify, according to who you are. When she said she could’ve stayed home and baked cookies, people were cheering, people were outraged, but she was showing everyone who she really is.”
Bloodworth-Thomason and some other friends say Clinton’s caution has been reinforced by a staff that hesitates to let her speak off the cuff and by strategists whose response to low likability numbers is to rely on appearances in friendly, easily managed settings, such as late-night comedy shows and local TV newscasts. On Thursday, she played straight woman to comedian Zach Galifianakis on his online show, “Between Two Ferns,” showing that she can take zesty barbs and even be a bit silly — but giving away little about herself.
“Why not just let Hillary be herself and allow the chips to fall where they may?” Bloodworth-Thomason said. “The Clintons’ marriage is the number one thing people ask me about. The campaign never addresses this. Why not just tell the truth? Has their marriage had challenges? Yes. But it’s also a kind of love story. It’s not just about what has been enjoyed, but also what has had to be forgiven. . . . It’s clear to all who know them well that they would be lost without each other.”
Bloodworth-Thomason, who has produced four films about the Clintons for Democratic conventions, said campaign managers told her that her documentary about Clinton’s historic achievement as the first woman nominated to run for the presidency was scrapped at the last minute in July because “it might make women who only have sons feel left out. Hillary’s life story provides a lot of poetic opportunity, but an in-depth, epic, Cinderella story of her mother was rejected.” Clinton campaign officials said the movie was not shown only because Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic convention ran long.
Clinton’s persona gap
As she traveled the world as secretary of state, Clinton scheduled private meetings with women from all walks of life. The idea was to give her a window onto the lives of women who were neither diplomats nor politicians, and to show ordinary women Clinton’s passion to solve their problems.
“She’d much rather go down some dusty road for an hour and visit a school to find out why girls aren’t going there than stand up in any formal meeting,” Macy said. “These are really, really emotional sessions. That is her authenticity. And she feels freer there than back home, where I think of her as having gotten burned on so many levels that there’s a defensiveness that I can understand.”
On at least one occasion, Clinton invited reporters who covered her to join her — off the record — on an informal visit to a Mongolian village. The journalists “were so surprised,” a former staffer said. “ ‘She’s so funny and good to be with,’ they said. And then they turn on the TV and see this totally stilted person that doesn’t square with the person they’d just met.”
The gap between Clinton’s public persona and what only friends, co-workers and well-to-do donors get to see in closed-door sessions “is just too great for any stories about her concerned and caring side to break through,” said a longtime friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Clinton did not grant permission to discuss personal matters.
“I know she’d be a great president,” the friend said, “but she has this weird stubbornness that borders on self-righteousness. You can explain to her that she needs to let people see her at her best, and she gets it, but she still resists. It’s like she’s insulted because she believes we should always be talking about something bigger than yourself. The problem is, I don’t recognize her now. The Hillary I know and love, who can riff off the cuff and have people teary and laughing — I just don’t see her now. She’s beaten up and exhausted and weirdly defiant. She’s — she’s joyless.”
This month, Clinton took a stab at confronting the problem. She told the Humans of New York website that “I know that I can be perceived as aloof or cold or unemotional. But I had to learn as a young woman to control my emotions. And that’s a hard path to walk. Because you need to protect yourself, you need to keep steady, but at the same time you don’t want to seem ‘walled off.’ And sometimes I think I come across more in the ‘walled off’ arena.”
She said she is “not Barack Obama” or Bill Clinton, whose “naturalness . . . can be more difficult for a woman.” When she sees male politicians “pounding the message, and screaming about how we need to win the election . . . I want to do the same thing. Because I care about this stuff. But I’ve learned that I can’t be quite so passionate in my presentation. I love to wave my arms, but apparently that’s a little bit scary to people. And I can’t yell too much. It comes across as ‘too loud’ or ‘too shrill’ or ‘too this’ or ‘too that.’ ” |
Two California polls last week showed Proposition 19 trailing as election day draws near. A Los Angeles Times/USC poll released Friday also had the marijuana legalization initiative trailing by 39% to 51%, with 10% undecided.
Last Wednesday, a Public Policy Institute of California poll had the measure losing 49% to 44%. But that same day, a SurveyUSA poll had it winning 48% to 44%.
Prop 19 had led in most polls taken this year and maintained a 1.2% lead in the Talking Points Memo Polltracker , which has not yet included the LA Time/USC poll. Looking at just the polls conducted in October and including the polls mentioned in this article, Prop 19 trailed by an average of 47.5% to 46.3%. At press time that had shifted to 49.6% to 43.7%.The conventional wisdom is that in initiative elections, the burden of persuading voters is on the initiative. The electorate must be convinced to move from the status quo. But despite a late infusion of cash this month, the Prop 19 campaign does not have the funds to try to sway voters through TV ad campaigns in this state with some of the most expensive media markets in the country. Yes on 19 and allied organizations are engaged in a substantial get out the vote campaign, though.The LA Times/USC poll found the measure supported by Democrats and independents, but opposed by Republicans. Men were split on the issue, with women leaning against it. Both sides in the campaign have considered mothers to be a key demographic.Prop 19 continues to have support among likely voters under 40, winning by 48% to 37%. Among voters over 65, only 28% support it, with 59% opposed. The LA Times/USC poll showed Latinos swinging against Prop 19 by a two-to-one margin -- a finding at odds with most other polls. It also showed white voters opposing the measure. In most other polls, white voters favored it by a small margin.The LA Times/USC poll surveyed 441 likely voters by telephone, including both cell phones and land lines, between October 13 and 20. The margin of error for the sample is +/- 4.6%. |
Colonization.
A process of control.
A system of power.
Domination.
Inhabiting the world of another to annex it to the world of the conqueror.
As a biblical scholar one of my deepest concerns is the colonization of biblical interpretation. It was a process that began almost immediately in the Christian church, taking on more and more pronounced power as church power itself was centralized and then ultimately adopted as an arm of the state.
Colonizing Interpretation
Colonizing interpretation happens any time that someone makes the claim that we must achieve certain results in our interpretation of the Bible.
Across several branches of the theological disciplines today one of the most popular weapons of colonization goes by the name of “theological interpretation of scripture.”
Let me be quick to say that I am 100% in favor of reading scripture theologically. That much will be clear to anyone who reads to the end of this post. It is possible to read theologically without colonizing.
Having said that, however, “theological interpretation” as a movement has been given its energy by interpreters who are advocating for using the “rule of faith” as a hermeneutic in the strong sense of the word.
A hermeneutic is something that guides and to a certain degree determines our interpretation. The “rule of faith” is a general statement of what “Christians have always believed,” and generally looks something like the Creedal tradition of the church.
Put this all together and it means that this movement is advocating for reading scripture and discovering there the Triune God, a preexistent and God-incarnate Christ, and if you dig deep enough, a church that we have to submit to.
All of this sounds benign enough. It’s just making sure we read the Bible in concert with what Christians everywhere have always believed.
Or is it?
A Colonized and Silenced Text
One of the reasons that critical biblical scholarship is so important is that it unmasks the massive deployment of social and political and ecclesiastical power that is required to make the claim that this is what Christians have always believed.
To take that list above: there is not a single New Testament writer who was a trinitarian, none of the Synoptic Gospels or Acts works with the assumption of a preexistent Christ, Paul may not have an idea of preexistence, the entire New Testament is suborindationist, in which Jesus the Messiah is subject to God who is the Father, and the notion of a church to be submitted to is spotty at best.
This does not mean that the theology of fifth-century Greco-Roman philosophers is bad or wrong. But it does mean that if you decide that the rule of faith is your hermeneutic you have decided in advance that the biblical witness must be silenced.
Deciding in advance on the rule of faith means that the gospel as expressed for the diverse communities across the first century Mediterranean is not a gospel that should inform our understanding of who Jesus was and what God was up to in sending him for us and our salvation.
Confessing the rule of faith as “what Christians everywhere have believed” is to exclude every New Testament writer and likely every first century Christian from our definition of Christian.
As an act of faithfulness to the text we actually have as sacred text, we must always first listen to what the writers had to say as writers who were not us to readers who were not us.
All of scripture, and the New Testament itself, is a collection of diverse voices. The mere act of canonizing four Gospels says that uniformity (even in theology) is not the goal of biblical interpretation.
This is why the church needs critical biblical scholarship: to keep reminding us that the Bible is a book of surprises, written for people who were not us from people who were not us. To keep reminding us that scripture is a collection of witnesses who saw things differently. To keep reminding us that there has never been one theology or one Christology or one ecclesiology that marked all Christians in all times and places.
This does not mean that we cannot articulate our own theologies, but it does mean that we never claim their ultimacy, and they should never become weapons to silence the biblical voices that articulate or suggest a different way of understanding who God is and how God is at work in the world
Colonized and Silenced Readers
The problem with rule of faith hermeneutics reaches out in time in both directions. From its second- through fourth-century perch it reaches back and silences the voice of the Bible. And its long arms reach forward and silence voices today.
The rule of faith demands of readers a certain posture toward scripture: a posture contorted into whatever position is necessary to make itself the intermediary lens. But in a development that surprises no one, the philosophy of the fifth century is incomprehensible to most people trying to follow Jesus.
An amazing thing has happened over the past century. People have realized that there is not only the text, there are readers of the text. Creedal Christians are one group of readers. But there are others. And with new readers come new readings.
Unless, that is, they are silenced.
The rule of faith creates the presupposition that there is one right framework for reading, and that framework has been once for all delivered to the saints in Nicea and faithfully passed down for generations. This means that to hear the Bible read correctly is to hear it read in the voice of the Christian patriarchs who are perpetuating the patriarchy of God’s own rule. It’s a process of control where a system of power dominates and inhabits all the lands. Colonization.
This makes it easy to write off a voice that sounds unfamiliar. When the woman takes the text in her hand. When the African American takes the text in his hand. When the east Asian takes the text in her hand. When the impoverished priest takes the text in his hand. When the queer person takes the text in their hand.
The text sounds strange to us, then. And we’ve been taught by our “rule” that a strange text is a false text.
The “rule” has caused us to forget the truth: that the text is diverse. That the writers all have their own perspectives. That every New Testament author is a heretic who fails to measure up according to this particular ruler.
In too many circles historical critical biblical scholarship and contextualizing hermeneutics are treated as antithetical. This should not be the case. Because it is precisely in doing good critical biblical scholarship that we realize that every part of our scripture is testimony to the diverse theologies that have always characterized the people who were striving to faithfully honor the God of Israel.
If scripture is in any way normative, then the diversity of the theologies that comprise its tellings of the same stories (J vs. E. vs. D. vs. P in the Pentateuch; Matthew vs. Mark vs. Luke vs. John in the Gospels) demonstrates that theological diversity is, itself, normative in the church of God.
Yes, Christians everywhere have always thought that their interpretations were right. And we have always decided that these right interpretations had to sit alongside others which which they disagreed as part of the multifaceted witness of the church.
Colonization, Power, and the Gospel
The rule of faith and its enforcement rest with those who have already climbed into seats of power. And they are often quite efficient at silencing opposition. The rule of faith is itself powerful. And it can make us falsely believe that it has the power to define Christianity. This, in turn, is dangerous because when guarding the right statements of belief is what honors God, then anything we do to police such boundaries can be justified in Jesus’s name.
But that’s not how the gospel works.
The first clue that the rule of faith is off track is that it is a means of control. It is a deployment of power. It is a way to sit at the top and suppress what is rising up from below.
But that’s not our story.
Our story is the narrative of salvation from below. It is a narrative of shedding heavenly glory for the sake of those who could never obtain it on their own. This is the story of Matthew and Mark as much as John and Paul. It is the story of Hebrews and Peter as much as it is the story of Revelation.
This tells me that if I want the Bible to play a role in my salvation and the salvation of the world that I am going to have to give it a part in a different play, it is going to have to be given voice by a different script.
If salvation is from below, then I will look for the Bible to speak the voice of God as it bubbles up from below. Not from the creeds and councils of the Emperor, but from the fields and the corners, from the classrooms and the pubs, from the playgrounds and the barrios.
In his inaugural sermon, Jesus announces that he has come to proclaim freedom to the captives.
The ministry of Jesus promises us that the post-colonial era has begun. That’s the world in which the Bible can be the word of God, whoever speaks its words, whatever their failures to measure up to the rules. |
Oct. 4, 1987, edition of the Times Union Oct. 4, 1987, edition of the Times Union Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Freak snow storm was fall's 'snowy crippler' 1 / 30 Back to Gallery
Editor's note: Remember Oct. 4, 1987? "Fall's snowy crippler" shut down the Capital Region with snapped trees, fallen power lines and an early October snowy, sleety mess. On the 31st anniversary, let's look back at Paul Grondahl's story from 2012.
ALBANY — Hardwood trees were the first to snap, towering maples and oaks laden with a canopy of big russet leaves acting as tarpaulins that caught gloppy, heavy snow as it fell freakishly before dawn on Oct. 4, 1987.
Crrrrrack!
The sickly sound, like rifle shots, awakened homeowners on a Sunday morning. A flora carnage was under way. It was a surreal scene.
It was 31 years ago this morning in 1987 we had a devastating surprise snowstorm that knocked down trees and power lines. Here is a look from Hamilton Hall on Colonial Quad at UAlbany as it was snowing. pic.twitter.com/R0jN5FJv1f — NWS Albany (@NWSAlbany) October 4, 2018
After a run of Indian summer, forecasters were caught off guard when a cold front blasted through overnight and a steady rain turned to wet snow.
Across the Capital Region, snow-laden limbs yanked down utility lines and triggered a cascading event with widespread power outages and all manner of havoc.
It was an early nor'easter, with 6 inches in most local areas and a foot or more in the Catskills and the Hilltowns. What would have been a modest snow falling without drama through bare trees in January instead rendered the landscape a wintry cataclysm: four deaths, power knocked out to 270,000 homes, major roads impassable and millions of dollars in utility repairs, ruined crops and lost business.
Live wires crackled and sparked with a lethal force on the ground. A wayward dog was reported being "roasted alive" after it stepped on a hot wire.
The ordinary had turned epic.
Hospital emergency rooms were jammed. Gov. Mario M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency. Volunteers set up soup kitchens in church halls. Community centers became emergency shelters.
Schools closed. Businesses shut. The soundtrack was the incessant high-pitched whine of chain saws amid a mangled mess of sheared-off limbs and uprooted trunks.
Many people didn't have power restored for days, forcing those without electricity or hard-to-find generators to revert to a pioneering spirit: reading by candlelight, putting food from refrigerators into snowbanks, cooking in fireplaces.
Thursday marks the 31st anniversary of a memorably weird storm captured in a resonant Times Union headline, "Fall's Snowy Crippler."
"It doesn't seem possible that it was 25 years ago. It felt like we assembled an army to battle it," recalled Keith Goodheart, regional manager for Niagara Mohawk, who mobilized and coordinated hundreds of workers from as far away as Cape Cod and Canada. He had only slept a few hours following his daughter's wedding reception when he was awakened by a call at 5 a.m. to report to work.
"It was just total devastation," said Gary Schermerhorn, who worked for a tree-service company and wielded his trusty Husqvarna chain saw. "A year later, we were still cutting out broken stubs hung up in trees."
At Golden Harvest Farms in Valatie, it was peak apple season and migrant workers from Jamaica were discombobulated.
"They had never seen snow before and they thought it was some kind of voodoo thing," recalled Alan Grout, president of the Columbia County orchard. "We talked with them and finally coaxed them into picking. We had some damage, but apple trees are used to handling heavy loads."
Lyssa Craig was a first-grader at Altamont Elementary School. "It was like being back in olden times," she said, recounting runs with her parents in a plastic toboggan a half-mile down steep and unplowed Helderberg Avenue to buy food and batteries at Stewart's.
Craig loved everything about the storm's aftermath: a week off school, camping out in the house in sleeping bags; boiling snow for bath water because the electric water pump didn't work; making up games; and listening as a family to the radio. "I didn't want it to end because it was so much fun. I remember being sad when the power came back on," she said.
The storm injected drama into daily life and special occasions alike.
Phil and Maria Hanby of Grafton, Rensselaer County, went ahead with their wedding at Sacred Heart Church in Troy although it had no power and only 100 of their 250 invited guests were able to make it to the ceremony, illuminated by candles.
The horse-drawn carriage they rented canceled. Not one of the four videographers they hired showed, although the wedding photographer was there. The organist couldn't play without electricity.
"Everyone hummed 'Here Comes the Bride' at the church," Phil recalled. He was 24, she was 23 and they had spent months planning their perfect wedding. They weren't about to let a crippling snowstorm ruin it.
They found buddies with four-wheel-drive trucks to transport the bride and bridesmaids. Two limos arrived for the guys at Phil's West Sand Lake apartment. "The limos kept getting stuck and we had to get out in our tuxes to push," Phil recalled. The American Legion in Wynantskill had a generator. The reception went off without a hitch, including a refund for the 150 no-shows.
"It was our first test as a couple, and we handled it well," Maria said. She works for the state and he's employed at a paper mill. They have no children of their own, but are foster parents to a 13-year-old boy they hope to adopt.
They've made plans to celebrate their 25th anniversary on Thursday, a camping trip to Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. "It'll probably snow," Maria said.
It was no joke 25 years ago for 14-year-old Fred Beglia, who had spent the night before the storm camping out in the Mallett Pond State Forest with his older brother, Mike, near their home in Summit, Schoharie County.
"We had a campfire, went to sleep like a normal night and when I woke up in the morning the tent was really close to my nose and I didn't understand why," recalled Beglia, who is now executive director of the George Landis Arboretum in Esperance. He saw 18 inches of snow, bent-over trees and branches littering their campsite.
The brothers packed their gear and trudged a couple miles to their car. It was stuck, and the road was impassable. They returned a few days later to free the vehicle.
History is etched into the gnarled limbs of great, old trees that weathered the storm. Two mighty 80-year-old ash trees that tower 140 feet above the Normanskill Farm on the outskirts of Albany where Tom Gallagher lives are on borrowed time. "They've died a long, slow death," said Gallagher, who's worked 37 years for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County. Three of the ashes were cut down 15 years ago and two more will probably be dropped before winter comes. Insect and rot set in as a result of damage from the 1987 disaster.
There's nothing like a big storm to quicken the pulse of journalists. The Times Union in Colonie had no power and no way to get out a paper. Would it be the first time, after publishing every day without exception since April 21, 1865, that the paper failed to publish?
Not on Editor Harry Rosenfeld's watch.
The rival Troy Record stepped in to help its stricken competitor thanks to a gentleman's agreement common to the industry. The Oct. 5, 1987 edition was printed on the Record's press and marked another first: the Hearst's morning Times Union and afternoon Knickerbocker News shared the same masthead in a never-repeated combined effort.
Only a few staffers are still on hand who worked on that historic edition.
Jack Palella, a printer foreman who's been at the Times Union for 41 years, was called in on his day off.
"I got there and the building was dead," Palella said. He and Bill Kelly fished around in the composing room with flashlights to rescue type they had already prepared. They grabbed the tools of their trade — pica poles, X-Acto knives, waxers — and worked alongside the Record printers.
During their late-night toil to paste up the pages of what became the iconic "Fall's Snowy Crippler," a collector's edition, Palella twice drove back from Troy to the Times Union's plant to fetch more type squirreled away.
Palella drove a Camaro, trunk loaded with sandbags, and he fishtailed around snowy curves as he raced to get out the first draft of history.
The snow melted in a few days. The storm became old news. The profound had returned to the profane. |
Ol’ Ferknuckle has been skating with HC Mountfield České Budějovice of the Czech Republic since October 7. In 17 games, he has two goals, four assists, and 18 PIM. But what’s truly captivating is what #21 is doing off the ice, as chronicled on his personal Twitter account. In conclusion, Prague’s one hell of a place.
On my way to last night’s game, walked by a sidewalk cookout to celebrate a local restaurant’s anniversary. twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) December 8, 2012
I was a big fan of our Boston Winter Classic jerseys, but these Budejovice ones give them a run for their money! twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) December 6, 2012
I think I made it to the good book, but something might have been lost in translation. twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) December 5, 2012
The angel did a lap and told the kids to be good. If they are bad, the Devil puts them in a bag and takes them. No joke twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) December 5, 2012
Waiting for the Devil and Angel to come to the square tonight. Some Punč to stay warm. twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) December 5, 2012
Some major déjà vu tonight… Christmas market in Ceske Budejovice main square. Hořká Hruška? Yes please! twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) December 1, 2012
“Hey girls, what do you think of the lockout?” twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) November 28, 2012
I am thankful to be picking up my girls in Praha today, thanksgiving in Europe. #happythanksgiving — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) November 22, 2012
“@smurphy312:why did you chose Czech over Switz? My wife’s Swiss and we follow the league.” So I don’t have to play against @tylerseguin92 — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) November 28, 2012
I love the tag inside our jersey. Half motivational, half disclaimer. twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) November 18, 2012
Just thought I would share the best picture ever, hanging in my rented apartment. Can anyone beat that? twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) November 17, 2012
Lockout hide and seek with a Coyote at Budvar brewery. twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) October 30, 2012
Post game meal with my team. Tatarak and pivo. twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) October 28, 2012
We lost in a shoot out, tough loss. I received player of the game honors, got a keg of beer presented to me on the ice for my effort. — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) November 16, 2012
There was a market on the main square today, sweets,meats,honey alcohol and wooden toys. Even camel sausage.. #nojoke twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) October 13, 2012
This is a door handle on the castle. Unfortunately they don’t sell them in the gift shop. twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) October 10, 2012
Yes!I love it!New A class to use in Czech. Guess I can’t drive like a jerk though… twitter.com/Ferknuckle/sta… — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) October 8, 2012
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ACROSS the island of Ireland, long regarded as western Europe's last bastion of traditional religious power, a huge change is underway in the way issues of personal and sexual behaviour are handled by society and the state. Voters in the Republic of Ireland will decide on May 22nd on whether to make their country the first in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by popular ballot. The opinion polls suggest that among voters who have made up their minds, a clear majority (around 70%) will say "yes" in the referendum, ignoring the advice of the leadership of the Catholic church to which about 84% of the country, at least formally, adheres.
In Northern Ireland, meanwhile, a judge delivered a verdict today that was widely hailed as a milestone victory for gay rights against religious conservatism. She said a Christian-run bakery in Belfast had unlawfully practised "direct discrimination" when it turned away an order for a cake. The case arose when Gareth Lee, a gay-rights activist, approached Ashers Bakery with an order to bake a cake featuring two Sesame Street characters and the slogan "Support Gay Marriage". After initially accepting the request, the bakery contacted the customer and said it could not decorate the cake as requested, on grounds of conscience.
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Ordering the bakery to pay compensation, Judge Isobel Brownlie acknowledged that the McArthur family which ran the establishment had strong convictions of faith but she insisted that the business had an obligation to "provide service to all". "The defendants are not a religious organisation. They are conducting a business for profit and, notwithstanding their genuine religious beliefs, there are no exceptions available under the 2006 regulations which apply in this case." Mr Lee (pictured) emerged smiling from the court-room, while the McArthurs pledged to stay in business and consider their options for appeal.
On the face of things, then, trends in the two parts of Ireland are broadly similar. But only on the face of things. The referendum debate in the Republic has taken place against the background of an overwhelming public consensus (including among practising Catholics and indeed priests) that church power in Ireland was until recently excesssive and widely abused. Whether they are believers or sceptics, most citizens of the Republic now accept that priestly power had terrible consequences for vulnerable groups, from single mothers to children in care, who did not conform to the church's notion of the traditional family. As a result, campaigners for a "no" vote have put their case in very cautious and defensive terms. In this climate, the principle that gay people are among the many vulnerable communities who have suffered unfairly, and deserve redress, wins ready acceptance.
In Northern Ireland, things are not quite the same. Hard-line religious conservatism, whether Protestant or Catholic, may be a minority cause but it certainly exists and can make common cause across sectarian boundaries. All the signs are that the Ashers bakery case will redouble the complaints among Northern Irish traditionalists that they are the ones who face bullying and disrespect, and are indeed suffering for their cause. And nothing emboldens people of deep convictions more than a sense that they are suffering.
At the level of practical politics, there will be even more energetic moves by members of the Democratic Unionist Party (for which most Northern Irish Protestants vote) to allow firms to turn away business on grounds of conscience. In the end the initiative will certainly be vetoed by their partners in government, Sinn Fein. But the DUP will no less certainly make huge political mileage out of the case.
If the object of gay-rights campaigners is to change hearts and minds in a once-conservative island, they are making progress on one front, but not all fronts. |
As predicted last week by InfoQ, the IPv4 space ran out in January 2011. A request from APNIC (the regional internet registry for the Asia and Pacific region) for two IPv4/8 blocks has resulted in the final five IPv4/8 blocks being distributed to the remaining RIRs as per RIPE-436.
Although there are some IP blocks marked as “future use” in IANA's IPv4 address space, these were for future developments in the protocol rather than expected to be freed. A chunk of those are in the 1981 reserved experimental class E space, which as well as the multicast class D space, are unable to be used for hosting public facing servers.
From a practical perspective, the RIRs have all the IPv4 addresses they are ever going to get. As noted on the final APNIC request:
APNIC reiterates that IPv6 is the only means available for the sustained ongoing growth of the Internet, and urges all Members of the Internet industry to move quickly towards its deployment.
The deployment of IPv4 addresses will continue in each region until they are individually exhausted. It is likely that either APNIC or ARIN will be exhausted in advance of others (such as AfriNIC or LACNIC). Some may exhaust their pools as soon as the end of this year; others may survive into next year.
To help accelerate the adoption of IPv6, Google and others have proposed World IPv6 day on 8th June 2011; you can test your IPv6 connectivity in advance. The transition to IPv6 will involve hosts dual-hosting sites over both IPv4 and IPv6; it is fairly likely that the IPv4 internet will continue for some time to come. For example, if you have a blog hosted on blogger, then you can make it available make it available over IPv4 and IPv6 for consumers over both networks.
Have you prepared for IPv6? Does your ISP natively support it, or have you configured a free IPv6 tunnel from Hurricane Electric or Sixxs? |
Finding the best CS GO mouse can be difficult. Have you ever wondered which gaming mouse or monitor KennyS, Forest or Pasha are using? Or what sensitivity Scream or Get_Right use to get those sweet shots? We have gathered the CS GO config, sensitivity, settings, crosshairs, mouse, keyboard and other hardware of all players of the 16 teams of the last Major for you. The table is even sortable by player name, team or sensitivity. This can be an incredibly valuable resource if you want to get your CS:GO game to the next level.
We have provided sources for you as well, just in case you want to check yourself. This table is updated every major Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament. Please feel free to comment if we got something wrong.
You can quickly reach this post under our subdomain at http://csgosetup.on-winning.com Any information on the settings, sensitivity, resolution, mice, keyboards, chairs or other gear of teams and players is very much appreciated. We will reply to you as soon as possible.
In general, checking out what the pros are using is a good start to find the perfect CS GO config, settings and hardware for you. You should always try to find the CS GO config, settings and hardware you personally are most comfortable with. Every player is different in his play style, which means that AWPers often play with a really low sensitivity, lurkers tend to have a comparatively high sens.
Interestingly, not every pro is using a flawless mouse sensor. Please refer to our Flawless Mouse Sensor List to check.
You should also try to find a mouse that fits your hand, there are many different grips that you have to try out for yourself. Until then you won’t know what mouse fits you. A 144hz monitor is a noticeable advantage over other players in CS GO, but if you are a new player 60 HZ are just fine. Also look at the mousepads the pros are using in CS GO. Most Pros use suprisingly big mousepads in CS:GO. If you are completely lost, start at 2 sensitivity and 400 dpi. Then just fine-tune it until it’s perfect.
You might also want to have a look at ProSettings.net. You can find some interesting analysis on the best monitors and mice in their CS:GO Best Monitor and Gear Guide and Best Mouse for CS:GO Guide. |
Kleefisch called Walker 'a true hero of the conservative movement.' Lt. Gov: Unions 'weaponized' recall
Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch is charging that unions have “weaponized” the recall election in Wisconsin, but she says she’s determined to win her battle and protect Gov. Scott Walker from dealing with an organized labor “boss” who will undermine him at every turn over the next two years.
Kleefisch, 36, hasn’t been in politics for long — her first attempt was her successful campaign just two years ago — but she’s already making history as the first lieutenant governor to ever face a recall. And if she loses in the separate June 5 lieutenant governor’s recall election to her expected challenger Mahlon Mitchell, the president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, Kleefisch warned that “big union bosses” will use the post as a “bully pulpit” to dominate the state’s government.
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“I understand that the biggest priority here is to save Scott Walker, but it is essential that Scott Walker have his best partner in the lieutenant governor’s office,” Kleefisch told POLITICO in an interview. “If he instead has a union boss in the lieutenant governor’s office – our governor who wants nothing more than to see our state prosper and have the future of our children looked after – our governor will face non-stop harassment and our media will elevate this to a two-year gubernatorial debate on the nightly news.”
And the result of her election will do much more than simply define whether it will be “big union bosses” or “we, the people” who run Wisconsin, the tea party favorite said. The historic race, along with the governor’s recall, offers a “game changer, a momentum determiner” for the 2012 presidential election, Kleefisch said.
“Wisconsin is a purple state — this is going to be a focus of the presidential candidates so we need to make sure that momentum is on the side of our Republican nominee,” she said. “The best, most effective way to build momentum is to win this recall on June 5.”
But in Kleefisch’s race to hold onto her seat, there’s a critical quirk in Wisconsin’s constitution: since 1967 governors and lieutenant governors have been elected together as a slate, but there’s no dual ticket for a recall. And that means although Kleefisch was elected with Walker in 2010, she’s facing a separate recall this year.
“No one at that point in American history had weaponized the recall function,” she said. “And that’s what we’re looking at in Wisconsin now — non-stop recalls.”
While Kleefisch and Walker will campaign together, she’s very much a separate question on people’s ballots — and on their donation checks. And with many people still under the assumption that a vote or a dollar for Walker is the same as one for her, it’s a major concern for Kleefisch’s self-described “little campaign.”
This article tagged under: Unions
Wisconsin
Scott Walker |
Yesterday, following the close of the Vatican's sustainability summit, Pope Francis shared with a crowd in Rome an argument grounded in Catholic teaching for a heightened need for environmental protection, in the face of rampant degradation and climate change.
[T]he gift of knowledge helps us to avoid falling prey to excessive or incorrect attitudes. The first lies in the risk of considering ourselves masters of Creation. Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude. ...We are Custodians of Creation. But when we exploit Creation we destroy the sign of God’s love for us, in destroying Creation we are saying to God: “I don’t like it!. This is not good!” “So what do you like?” “I like myself!” – Here, this is sin! Do you see? Custody of Creation is custody of God’s gift to us and it is also a way of saying thank you to God. I am the master of Creation but to carry it forward I will never destroy your gift. And this should be our attitude towards Creation. Safeguard Creation. Because if we destroy Creation, Creation will destroy us! Never forget this!
The full transcript of the Pope's speech can be seen here. The Pope's words can be interpreted to be a comment on climate change specifically—on how human actions are threatening to radically reshape the global ecosystem. But Pope Francis' words also apply to environmentalism more broadly.
Though in his term so far Pope Francis has developed a reputation for breaking with tradition, his respect for nature is not an example of that, says Think Progress:
The pontiff’s catechesis and the Vatican’s summit appear to be part of a renewed effort by the Catholic church to draw attention to environmental issues. Keeping with a long history of Catholic environmentalism (including several pro-environmentalist sermons delivered by Pope Benedict XVI, Francis’ predecessor), Francis addressed climate change in his inaugural mass as pope, and is rumored to be working on a formal encyclical on the environment.
This also isn't the first time the Vatican has made note of global climate change. In 2011, says the New York Times, “the Vatican released a report... calling man-made climate change "serious and potentially irreversible" and advocating aggressive action to curb emissions.” |
It’s little wonder that attempts to make Australia’s taxation system more unfair have emerged as one of Malcolm Turnbull’s early prime ministerial priorities. In his victorious spill night speech, Turnbull’s pledge to govern “for freedom, the individual and the market” made it explicit that mechanisms to advance the unmentioned “public good”, “community” or, God help us, “the people” were of zero immediate interest.
Raising GST to 15% 'will cost poorest families 7% of disposable income' Read more
So it’s barely November and the Coalition have a new leader but no new tactics, let alone ideas. With dreary inevitability, they’re talking tax reform.
A suitable stalking horse – David Gillespie MP (um, who?) – has been trotted out to suggest a NZ-style overhaul of the tax system that would apply an increased GST to food, health, education and probably the air we breathe, should the government finally manage to privatise it.
The “tax reform” strategy is, as usual, to propose something so preposterous amongst a clutch of other dreadful options that what the government really wants – the increase of the GST to 15% with a packet of tax cuts to rich people – can, with a gentle pucker of the treasurer’s mouth, be presented as a palatable compromise.
Indeed, Scott Morrison has already “stressed [Gillespie’s] idea is not official policy” although all ideas are “on the table”.
Nobody should get comfortable. The Coalition’s radical economic agenda – that came to be in Abbott government documents like the post-election Commission of Audit and disastrous 2014 Budget – didn’t start as “official” policy, either.
This is because Australians will not vote for economic policies they know to be unfair, so the Coalition can’t be too explicit about it – like Abbott and Hockey were – or they’re toast.
Turnbull appears to believe he can deliver the radical economic outcomes Abbott couldn’t if his team – that same Coalition team – just delivers a better sales pitch. He said as much himself in that mightily revealing spill night speech.
The Coalition’s hucksters are at least explicit about this part of their strategy. For Turnbull’s tilt at a GST increase, Arthur Sinodinos, newly-resurrected, claimed urgency was needed to “sell a story to the Australian people”. The AFR reports that communications minister Mitch Fifield “said selling the changes to Australia would nearly be as important as the changes themselves”.
But Australians are right to question just why this particular “reform” is the one preferred by Turnbull. He could instead address revenue gouging created by multinational tax avoidance, domestic tax evasion, superannuation tax concessions, diesel fuel rebates and negative gearing. He could establish a common-sense Buffett Rule, or, you know, simply increase the Medicare Levy.
He’s not going to. For all their colourful antics the Coalition remains an assortment of pro-business and propertied neoliberals, neoconservatives, neocon-libs, neo-lib-cons and petrified single-minded recalcitrants.
Protecting the wealthy is, as always, the real agenda of the Coalition’s taxation “reform”, because – and this may surprise those Australians who have already had their pensions cut, or their services cancelled, or are living in terror of higher medical or education fees - apparently, it’s not about raising revenue.
Hockey insisted there was a “budget crisis” to justify spending cuts – but now assistant treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer’s assures that an increased GST is about “improving the overall tax intake and not increasing it”. The sales claim from the Coalition is for “improving economic efficiency” because to claim that increasing the notoriously regressive GST is fair is not true.
As modelling this week from the Australian Council of Social Services showed, increasing the GST to 15% would cost the poorest Australian families an extra 7% of their disposable income. It would cost the richest families only an additional 3.6% .
In an Australia where wages are not keeping pace with productivity, unemployment is rising, labour casualisation is increasing and two years of Coalition government have coincided with a surge in wealth inequality, proposing to raise the GST is nothing short of shameful. |
Australia has moved into second position, behind the United Kingdom and ahead of the United States, in the World Economic Forum's ranking of global financial centres.
The forum released its second annual Financial Development Report on Friday, ranking 55 of the world's leading financial systems and capital markets.
The forum said global financial centres still led the rankings, but the effects of the global financial crisis had pulled down most countries' scores compared to last year.
''The United Kingdom, buoyed by the relative strength of its banking and non-banking financial activities, claimed the index's top spot from the United States, which slipped to third position behind Australia largely due to poorer financial stability scores and a weakened banking sector,'' the forum said.
Australia rose to second place in 2009, from 11th in 2008 and was the only country in the top five to record a rise in its score. |
The Arizona Cardinals are a step closer to suing cash-strapped Glendale over the loss of about 3,200 parking spots near the NFL stadium that workers demolished to build an outlet mall.
The Cardinals and the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, which operates University of Phoenix Stadium, on Wednesday delivered a notice of claim to the city seeking up to $66.7 million to replace the lost parking with garages, unless an acceptable solution is found.
The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, follows two April letters to the city that laid out the team's and sports authority's concerns that parking demolished in February to build the 38-acre Tanger Factory Outlets complex could not be replaced. They gave Glendale a Tuesday deadline to provide assurances that parking spaces at Westgate City Center would be replaced.
The city never responded, according to the claim.
The Cardinals began playing at the Glendale stadium in 2006. An agreement signed four years earlier required Glendale to provide 6,000 spots for football games and other stadium events at Westgate, the restaurant and entertainment complex near the stadium.
A possible short-term solution the city presented in March did not comply with the parking agreement because the spots were outside Westgate, according to the team's and sports authority's April 9 letter to the city.
City Attorney Craig Tindall, whose city faces a $35 million deficit in next year's budget, said the franchise "jumped the gun" with its notice of claim.
Tindall said the parking agreement requires the 6,000 spots be available only about two months before the first football game. The first Cardinals game is set for Aug. 17, and the city is working to have an answer for the Cardinals within weeks, the city attorney said.
City Manager Ed Beasley said Glendale transportation staffers are working to find spots and are likely to provide responses to the Cardinals soon.
The city manager acknowledged March meetings with the Cardinals and the sports authority, but he could not say whether there had been discussions since or provide details on possible plans.
Cardinals spokesman Mark Dalton said Glendale never responded to April letters, which were also signed by representatives from the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, the Fiesta Bowl and the NFL.
"Today, the city doesn't own or control enough land at Westgate to perform the contract, and under these unique circumstances, we have a legal right to assurances they have the ability to perform that obligation," Dalton said.
The parking woes are further complicated by Westgate's troubles. The 6-year-old complex fell into foreclosure last year.
This year's announcement that Tanger would open an outlet mall there, along Loop 101 just south of Glendale Avenue, was a sliver of good news for the complex that is now partly owned by two separate lenders.
The city attorney said any new development at Westgate would impact stadium parking plans, but he said there has long been an understanding that parking could be shuffled.
"We haven't violated any agreements," Tindall said. "We don't intend to violate any agreements. We are working on a solution."
If one exists, sports-authority President Tom Sadler said he would like to see it soon.
"I think we're prepared to sit down and fully vet any solutions (Glendale) may have, but meanwhile, the clock is ticking toward game day," he said. |
Image copyright Getty Images
About three million EU citizens living in the UK would be allowed to stay after Brexit, Theresa May has proposed.
A new "UK settled status" would grant EU migrants who had lived in the UK for five years rights to stay and access health, education and other benefits.
Proposals were unveiled at a Brussels summit but are dependent on EU states guaranteeing Britons the same rights.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the plan a "good start", but Labour said it was "too little, too late".
Many EU citizens in the UK, and Britons living abroad, are worried about their status once Brexit happens. The UK's exit deadline is 30 March 2019.
Addressing other EU leaders at her first summit since the general election, the prime minister said she did not want anyone to have to leave or families to split up.
"No one will face a cliff edge," she said.
"The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer, one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society.''
Mrs May said the UK wanted to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK - and the rights of UK expats in other European countries.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Angela Merkel said she wanted the "widest possible guarantee" for EU citizens
But Downing Street has not yet specified what the cut-off date will be for new residents, after which the guarantee would no longer apply. It will be no earlier than March 2017, when the UK formally began leaving the EU by issuing the Article 50 notification, and no later than March 2019 when it will actually leave.
Those arriving up until the point of departure would have a "grace period" - expected to be two years - to build up the same "UK settled status", she told EU leaders.
Mrs May also said the system would be streamlined, doing away with an 85-page permanent residency application form which has attracted complaints.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the PM was already on a collision course with her European counterparts over her plan for the rules of the new system to be applied by a British court - Brussels has insisted it must be the European Court of Justice that oversees it.
But she added that the offer was intended to be a symbol that the UK was getting on with Brexit at a time of turmoil at home, in the wake of the general election result which led to Mrs May losing her Commons majority.
Our correspondent said the full details would not be unveiled until next Monday, and it was not yet clear if the offer was as generous as that put forward by the EU a month ago. Details on issues such as the rights of EU citizens' relatives abroad and their descendants, were not yet known.
'Uncertainty for a year'
Labour's Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, said: "Labour has been clear that people should not be bargaining chips in the Brexit negotiations.
"The prime minister's offer is too little too late and falls far short of the full and unilateral guarantee Labour would make."
Giving a "clear commitment" that there would be no change in the status of EU nationals in the UK would help deliver the same deal for UK nationals living in the EU, he added.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said the plans left too many unanswered questions.
"Theresa May could have given a guarantee from day one, instead she has allowed our friends, colleagues and neighbours to live in uncertainty for a year," he said.
"Even now, Theresa May continues to insist on using EU nationals in Britain as bargaining chips and has failed to provide a full and clear right to stay for all."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters she wanted "the widest possible security guarantees for EU citizens" from the Brexit deal and called the offer "a good start".
She added: "But there are still many many other questions linked to the exit, including on finances and the relationship with Ireland. So we have a lot to do until [the next EU summit in] October."
Both the UK and the rest of the EU say they want to come to an arrangement to secure the status of the 3.2 million EU citizens in the UK and the estimated 1.2 million Britons living in EU countries.
The European Union has said they should continue enjoying the same rights, enforceable by the European Court of Justice.
UK opposition parties had urged the government to make a unilateral guarantee to the EU migrants - but ministers have insisted a reciprocal deal is needed to ensure British expats are protected.
The gathering of 28 EU member states' leaders came the day after measures to enable Brexit dominated the Queen's Speech. Mrs May's Conservatives are still trying to secure the Commons support needed to pass their programme.
Mrs May was not present when the leaders of the remaining 27 EU states held a brief discussion about Brexit after her presentation. |
This project was intended to teach myself how to cut a sprite sheet with Python. I then decided I wanted to be able to create a spectrum of the Pokémon’s colors. The following is the tutorial on how to do it using the Emerald sprites of all the 151 Pokémon of the first generation.
First of all, you need to have all the Pokémon sprites separated in separate files. Since I didn’t have that. I used the sprite sheet on spriters-resource. Download that, remove the blue backgrounds around the sprites in a single click using GIMP’s Select By Color tool and put it in a new folder where you will later place your Python application.
To manipulate an image with Python 3, you need to install Pillow. To do so, simply enter the following in a command prompt:
pip install Pillow
We can now split our sprite sheet.
Start by creating a Python file. I’ve name mine “cut_sheet.py” but yours can be different. Then, enter the following:
from PIL import Image #This is the width of the white border that remains after removing the blue backgrounds MARGIN = 5 #Our sprites have a 64x64 resolution SPRITE_RESOLUTION = 64 #The path to our sprite sheet SHEET_FILENAME = "sheet.png" #We open the sprite sheet sheet = Image.open(SHEET_FILENAME) #Set the Pokémon number to 0 pokemon_number = 0 #Iterate through the rows for i in range(0, sheet.size[1] // (SPRITE_RESOLUTION + MARGIN)): #Iterate through the columns for j in range(0, sheet.size[0] // (SPRITE_RESOLUTION + MARGIN)): #Since the sheet has two sprite of each Pokémon and we want only the first one, we skip every second ones (odd numbers) if (j % 2 == 0): #Increase the Pokemon number by one pokemon_number = pokemon_number + 1 #Set the coordinate of the sprite x = j * (SPRITE_RESOLUTION + MARGIN) + MARGIN y = i * (SPRITE_RESOLUTION + MARGIN) + MARGIN #Select the section we want (the sprite) section = (x, y, x + 64, y + 64) #Crop it sprite = sheet.crop(section) #Save it with the Pokémon number in the filename sprite.save("pokemon_" + str(pokemon_number) + ".png")
If everything went well, your folder should now be flooded by sprite files. It’s time to create the spectrum. Create another Python application (I’ve named mine “avg_color.py”) and enter the following:
from PIL import Image, ImageDraw def countVisiblePixels(image): #Load the image pixels = image.load() #Set the counter to 0 visible_pixels = 0 #Iterate through every pixels for i in range(0, image.width): for j in range(0, image.height): #If not transparent if pixels[i, j][3] != 0: #Increment counter visible_pixels = visible_pixels + 1 return visible_pixels def createImageContainingVisiblePixels(image): #Load the image pixels = image.load() #Create the image background = (0, 0, 0, 255) visible_colors = Image.new('RGB', (1, countVisiblePixels(image)), background) draw = ImageDraw.Draw(visible_colors) #Set counter to 0 pixel_counter = 0 #Iterate through every pixels for j in range(0, image.width): for k in range(0, image.height): #If not transparent if pixels[j, k][3] != 0: #Increment counter pixel_counter = pixel_counter + 1 #Draw pixel draw.point((0, pixel_counter, 0, 0), fill=pixels[j, k]) return visible_colors def createSpectrum(width_of_stripe, height_of_stripe, number_of_stripe, avg_colors): #Background of our spectrum, it is not going to be visible anyway background = (0, 0, 0, 255) #Creating a new image for the spectrum result_image = Image.new('RGB', (number_of_stripe * width_of_stripe, height_of_stripe), background) #creating an ImageDraw so that we can draw on the spectrum draw = ImageDraw.Draw(result_image) #Iterating over the color list for i in range(0, len(avg_colors)): #Drawing a line of the average color of the Pokémon draw.rectangle((i * width_of_stripe, 0, (i + 1) * width_of_stripe, height_of_stripe), fill=avg_colors[i]) return result_image def main(): #The number of Pokémon your spectrum will contain, here we do only the first generation so that makes it a total of 151 Pokémon NUMBER_OF_POKEMON = 151 #The height of the resulting spectrum HEIGHT_OF_SPECTRUM = 500 #The width of the stripes WIDTH_OF_STRIPES = 10 #Lists where we will stock our colors later avg_colors = [] #Iterating over every Pokémon for i in range(0, NUMBER_OF_POKEMON): #Opening the file pokemon = Image.open("pokemon_" + str(i + 1) + ".png") #Creating an image containing only the visible pixels, removing the transparency from the average visible_colors = createImageContainingVisiblePixels(pokemon) #Getting data h = visible_colors.histogram() #Getting RGB values r = h[0:256] g = h[256:256*2] b = h[256*2:256*3] #Appending the average RGB value to the list avg_colors.append((int(sum( i*w for i, w in enumerate(r) ) / sum(r)), int(sum( i*w for i, w in enumerate(g) ) / sum(g)), int(sum( i*w for i, w in enumerate(b) ) / sum(b)))) #Create and save the spectrum result_image = createSpectrum(WIDTH_OF_STRIPES, HEIGHT_OF_SPECTRUM, NUMBER_OF_POKEMON, avg_colors) result_image.save("result.png") main()
You should now see in your folder a file named “result.png” which is the color spectrum. It should look like this:
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If Major League Baseball had acted on a request by its players, the broken bat that seriously injured a woman at Fenway Park on Friday night never would have reached the seats.
The players, in each of the last two rounds of collective bargaining, proposed that protective netting extend down the foul lines and even to the foul poles, according to major-league sources.
The owners, however, rejected the proposals for the 2007 and 2012 labor agreements, citing concerns that additional netting would detract from the experience of ticket buyers in certain premium seats, sources said.
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"Some owners are afraid to upset the fans that pay some of the highest ticket prices, when in reality, it’s an effort to protect those very fans," said Diamondbacks reliever Brad Ziegler, a member of the negotiating committee for the players’ union.
"(The owners) seem afraid that fans will lose access to the players – autographs, getting baseballs, etc. — and that will cause those ticket holders to be unhappy. Or, that they’d have to watch the game through a net. (But) fans behind home plate pay the highest prices, have the same issues, and yet those seats are always full."
Baseball requires protective netting behind home plate, and some teams also use protective screens down the foul lines during batting practice. The woman at Fenway struck in the face by a broken bat — Tonya Carpenter, 44, of Paxton, Massachusetts — was sitting beyond the netting, in the second row between home plate and the third-base dugout.
Carpenter, who could be heard screaming as she was taken off the field in a stretcher, was rushed to Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston. Her family said in a statement that her condition was serious. Baseball issued a statement saying fan safety was a priority.
"We have the utmost concern for the victim of this terribly unfortunate incident," the statement said. "We will continue to keep her and her family in our thoughts and prayers. We appreciate the efforts of the Red Sox, the first responders, the Boston Police and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
"Fan safety is our foremost goal for all those who choose to support our game by visiting our ballparks and we will always strive for that experience to be safe and fan-friendly."
In 2008, baseball identified the emergence of maple bats as the reason for a sharp increase in the number of broken bats, and imposed design standards that cut the number of shattered bats in half, MLB spokesman Mike Teevan told the Los Angeles Times.
At the time, former commissioner Bud Selig said he was not considering more extensive protective netting around the field of play, similar to what is used in Japan.
"While we’re always very, very concerned with the health and the welfare of the fans, you also don’t want to do anything to obstruct the views of the fans, which creates really a major problem. You sort of have to weigh one against the other."
A spokesman for baseball said Saturday that the sport is constantly evaluating safety issues and that commissioner Rob Manfred likely will revisit the question of whether teams should install additional netting.
Players, however, say that the owners have seemed to place a greater priority on fan ambience than fan safety.
"The blowback we got is that people pay lots of money for those seats and don’t want a net in front of them," said left-hander C.J. Wilson, the Angels’ player representative to the union. "The difficulty for owners is balancing the premium seats and the safety of the people in the premium seats.
"Obviously, there is a lot of velocity involved with anything that goes into the stands, whether it’s errant throws, broken bats, foul balls — especially foul balls. It’s terrible whenever something happens and somebody gets hurt. That’s why we encourage people to literally bring a glove to the game. It’s completely random when it happens. It’s not predictable."
According to a 2009 study by Sports Illustrated, foul balls had killed 52 spectators since 1887. The only fatality at a major-league park occurred in 1970, when a 14-year-old boy was killed by a foul ball at Dodger Stadium, SI said.
Most parks include signage that warns fans who sit close to the field to pay close attention — "Be Alert Foul Balls and Bats Hurt," the signs at Fenway say. Tickets include disclaimers shifting all responsibility for injury to the fan.
In 2002, the NHL responded to the death of one of its fans — Brittanie Cecil, 13 — by mandating protective netting behind each goal. Cecil was hit by a puck while attending a Columbus Blue Jackets home game, and died two days later.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, addressing critics of the netting, said at the time, "After three minutes people won’t know it’s there."
Left-hander Chris Capuano, the Yankees’ player representative, said that baseball needs to act before a tragedy occurs in a major-league park.
"Hopefully something bad doesn’t have to happen for something to change," Capuano said. "We talked about it the last time (in collective bargaining). I’m sure it will be on the table this time."
Baseball’s collective-bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2016. |
The Delhi High Court today directed the Income Tax department not to take any coercive step against NDTV in connection with a Rs 428- crore demand raised by the authority.
A bench of justices S. Muralidhar and Pratibha M. Singh said it was "satisfied" that there was a prima facie case in favour of New Delhi Television (NDTV).
The court also issued notice to the IT department and sought its reply on the television channel's plea challenging the demand order of July 26 and a show cause notice of the same day. The notice was issued for failure to pay the amount in time.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for NDTV, contended that the July 26 order was "without jurisdiction" and based on "piecemeal assessment".
Pulling up the tax authority for issuing the demand order and the notice, the bench noted that the time given for deposit of the amount was 'immediately now' which appeared to be an "over enthusiastic step" and "on the face of it illegal".
"How can you pass penalty order when no time has been given for payment of the amount which was determined on July 26," the court asked the I-T department.
In its defence, the department contended that only a show cause notice was issued and it was in respect of two unpaid demands for 2007-08 and the one under challenge of 2009-10.
Senior advocate Sanjay Jain, representing the department, also argued that the plea was not maintainable and the media house could go in appeal against the order to the commissioner concerned of the Income Tax department.
He, however, said that the penalty notice with regard to the demand for assessment year 2009-10 would not be given effect to.
He also urged the bench to direct partial deposit of the amount demanded.
The court, while noting the statement made on behalf of the department, did not order partial deposit of the amount.
The bench, instead, allowed the department to raise the issue on the next date of hearing on August 21.
According to NDTV's plea, the July 26 demand order was issued after the July 14 decision of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) by which it had upheld the assessing officer's decision to add around Rs 642 crore, as unexplained money, to the channel's income for the assessment year (AY) 2009-10.
But, the ITAT had remanded back three other issues pertaining to the same AY, NDTV has said, contending that there could not be a demand order for each "truncated" issue.
The media house has also said that the "unexplained money" of around Rs 642 crore was in fact an investment made by NBC Universal Inc through its subsidiary Universal Studio International BV.
The petition, subsequent to the ITAT order of July 14, said the IT department had arrived at a figure of Rs 577 crore as the income of the media house for the AY 2009-10 by taking into account losses of Rs 64 crore claimed by the channel as well as the unexplained money.
Based on the figure of Rs 577 crore income, the department had calculated that a tax of Rs 428 crore was payable, the plea has said.
PTI |
Hashimoto Nanami announced her graduation during the Nogizaka46’s All Night Nippon radio show, which aired on October 19th, 2016. Here is an English translation of her graduation announcement and commentary.
Yes, this is Hashimoto Nanami. Umm, let’ see. Going on like this, when it’s just me who’s talking, I think that some people will be thinking, “Huh? Was there a title like this?”
橋本奈々未「はい、橋本奈々未です。えー、どうだろう。こうやってね、私1人の時間が今流れて、なんとなーく皆さん「あれっ？ タイトルもあれっ？」って思った人いるかとは思うのですが。
I’m Nogizaka46’s Hashimoto Nanami. I’m taking part in the current, 16th single, “Sayonara No Imi”. My birthday is also on February 20th – so with that in mind, on my birthday next year, I’ve decided to graduate from Nogizaka46.
乃木坂46の橋本奈々未ですが、今回のシングル、16枚目のシングル「サヨナラの意味」の活動をして、私自身の誕生日は2月20日なんですが、来年の自分の誕生日、2月20日を目安にして、この乃木坂46を卒業することを決めました。
When I’ve just made my announcement, it’s hard to think about what to talking about next…. but yes, I’m graduating.
いざ発表するとなるとどこから何を話せばいいのかなかなか難しいんですが・・・そうなんです、卒業するんです
Although I’ve made my announcement today, it isn’t until February, not until February 20th. Today is the early morning of October 20th, so there’s still about 4 months. There are still things to be sorted out. I’ve been able to decide on a specific date, so you can relax about that. There are about four months left. I hope that you’ll continue to support me these remaining four months. So there’s that, and on November 9th, the new single, for which I’m the center, “Sayonara no Imi” will go on sale. I’ll hope you’ll continue to support me at that time as well.
でも今日発表して、また2月まで、2月20日まで。ちょうど今日が明けて10月20日なんです。だから4ヶ月ほどあるので。でもまだ今調整中なのでね、まだハッキリ何日にっていうのは出てないんですけど、目安がそこ。およそ4ヶ月間まだあるので、是非皆さん、残りの4ヶ月間よろしくお願いします、ということと、11月9日、私のセンターの新曲「サヨナラの意味」発売されるので、その間の活動、これからもまたよろしくお願いします」
A little later on in the program…
Oh, I almost forget to say. When I graduate from Nogizaka46, I will also be quitting the show business as well. I’ll be a normal person. I’m 23 right now, but as soon as I turn 24 years old, I’ll just be living life as a normal girl. Therefore, I entered show business as Nogizaka46’s Hashimoto Nanami; it started this way, and I want it to end like that.
橋本奈々未「あっ、言い忘れてたわ。乃木坂46を卒業して、私は芸能界も引退します。普通の一般社会で、今23歳ですけど、誕生日を迎えて24歳になってからは普通の女性として生きていこうと思っています。なのでね、ほんとに乃木坂46の橋本奈々未として芸能界に入って、活動をはじめて、そのまま終わろうと思っています」
Author: jerry Sometimes editor. Sometimes translator. Mostly a proofreader. I like Japan and things. Twitter Facebook
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PHOTOGRAPHS By HANNAH STARKEY; STYLED By KATE LANPHEAR and JASON RIDER
Bill Gates was 20 years old. Steve Jobs was 21. Warren Buffett was 26. Ralph Lauren was 28. Estée Lauder was 29.
These now iconic names were all 20-somethings when they started their companies that would catapult them, and their enterprises, into some of the biggest successes ever known. Consider this: many of the truly remarkable innovations of the latest generation — a list that includes Google, Facebook and Twitter — were all founded by people under 30. (Mark Zuckerberg, technically, started Facebook even earlier, when he was 19; at 20 he moved to California to turn it into a business.) The number of people in their mid-20s disrupting entire industries, taking on jobs usually reserved for people twice their age and doing it in the glare of millions of social media "followers" seems to be growing almost exponentially.
So what is it about that youthful decade after those awkward teenage years that inspires such shoot-for-the-moon success? Does age really have something to do with it?
It does. And that leaves the rest of us — even those of us just a little older — at a bit of a disadvantage.
The conventional wisdom is that young people bring fresh eyes and a new perspective to confronting problems and challenges that others have given up on. Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital, a venture capitalist who backed Google, Yahoo and YouTube, once described the phenomenon of 20-something entrepreneurs as a generation of people "who see no boundaries, see no limits, see no obstacle that they can't hurdle — it is the most stimulating environment that you can ever be in." Vinod Khosla, another venture capitalist, goes further. "People under 35 are the people who make change happen," he said at an international conference. "People over 45 basically die in terms of new ideas."
That may or may not be true, but it's only part of the story.
Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, and now an investor who was an early backer of Facebook, has another, colder theory that may explain it: Ultimately, it's about money.
"How many people do you know who said when they were young that they planned to work for a couple of years, put some money in the bank, so that they could later pursue their passion and start a new business or strike out on their own?" he asked me. "It almost never plays out that way in practice. What seems to happen is that after some period of time, people are making good money and they're typically spending all of it and it becomes really hard to dial that back. If you bought a house or have all sorts of obligations of one sort or another it may be very difficult."
In other words, it's the young people who have nothing to lose, with no mortgage and, frankly, with nothing to do on a Friday night except work, who are the ones often willing to take the biggest risks. Sure, they are talented. But it's their persistence and zeal, the desire to stay up until 6 a.m. chugging Red Bull, that is the difference between being a salaried employee and an entrepreneur.
And with the steady march of technology, young people have gained an even greater sense of credibility among their elders — still worried that they themselves don't "get it." Since the 1960s, and especially since the rise of the computer era, older people have been more willing to give opportunities to the most talented 20-somethings as the office politics of old break down. Could this latest crop of entrepreneurial success stories have made it in a pre-Twitter era? Sure. But the rapidity of this digital age has hastened their ascent.
That's not to say that most 20-somethings are finding success. They're not. The latest crop of über-successful young entrepreneurs, bloggers, designers and authors are far, far from the norm. In truth, unemployment for workers age 16 to 24 is double the national average. "Gen X" and "Gen Y" have far less wealth than their parents did at the same age, according to the Urban Institute.
One of the biggest challenges facing this next generation — and one that may prevent more visionary entrepreneurs from succeeding — is the staggering rise in the level of debt college students have been left with. If Thiel's theory is right, it is going to be harder and harder for young people to take big risks because they will be crushed with obligations before they even begin.
If you're over 29 years old and still haven't made your world-changing mark, don't despair. Some older people have had big breakthroughs, too. Thomas Edison didn't invent the phonograph until he was 30. ANDREW ROSS SORKIN
CHRIS HUGHES Facebook co-founder; publisher and editor in chief of The New Republic It was once said — by Michael Kinsley — that Al Gore was every old person’s idea of what a young person should be. It surely applies to The New Republic’s latest editor in chief and publisher, Chris Hughes. He was Mark Zuckerberg’s sophomore roommate at Harvard, a key bridge between the tech world and regular human beings, and made a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars from his tiny share of the company. He moved on to lead the Obama campaign’s groundbreaking use of the Web in 2008.
There’s a confidence about him that I certainly never had — when I, another young gay man, was handed the editorship of that august magazine at the age of 27. We’ve only met a couple of times in coffee shops and, despite my 20 years on him, I felt as if I were a kid talking with a grown-up. His hair is slicked down and neatly coiffed, his attire almost fogy, his young, clear, freckled face open.
Why on earth would an Internet multimillionaire rescue a boutique political and literary magazine that has almost always lost money? Hughes’s answer — he wants to “convene conversations” that help change the world — seems a little jejune, but sincere. There’s a vagueness that immediately evaporates when he turns to the object of his desire: “I love print,” he says. “Because it’s an incredible technology in its own right. It’s colorful, it’s cheap, it’s disposable, it’s sharable, it’s an object.” And when you pick up the new New Republic, you can see the love: the hefty solid paper pages, the superglossy cover, the thoroughly designed interior, the graphics, the use of art and photography in ways the magazine never aspired to before. Because it was too expensive.
As The New Republic turns 100 next year, it says something about its 29-year-old editor that he is seeking to make new what was recently seen as the very definition of old: paper, print, words, meaning. He is the young person’s idea of what a publisher should be. ANDREW SULLIVAN
HELEN OYEYEMI Author of four novels, and the forthcoming "Boy, Snow, Bird" The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Helen Oyeyemi, 28, wrote her first book, “The Icarus Girl,” when she was 18 and still in school. It was met by the British literary scene with amazement and respect. Since that debut, she has written three more novels, her latest being “Mr. Fox,” about a complicated love triangle between a narcissistic writer, his wife and his fictional muse. The book is a bold experiment in storytelling, combining realism and fabulism, humor and darkness, and a new take on folkloric fixtures like the murderous Bluebeard. It’s a heady brew, but Oyeyemi is so fluent with narrative that she seems to revel in its conventions and pick them apart at the same time, fragmenting and reframing in the manner of a Jeanette Winterson. Her age, as fun as it is to report, has really never been a window into her writing style. Besides, she’s seemed wise beyond her years from the very start. Her next book, “Boy, Snow, Bird,” exploring the archetype of the wicked stepmother, comes out in 2014 from Riverhead Books. “I’m still climbing around inside stories we all know, or think we know, and I’m enjoying that,” she says. Oyeyemi is modest about her rise. “The more forcibly I’m made aware of the fact that I’ll never be the kind of storyteller I most admire, the less I’ll be troubled by that,” she says. “I’ll probably just become more myself.” AIMEE BENDER
ALEXANDER WANG Fashion designer of his namesake label; creative director of Balenciaga As a teenager, Alexander Wang was working in a San Francisco boutique after school and remaking thrift finds for his sister and friends. “I’d hardly call them ‘hits’!” he says. Today, he sits atop a multimillion-dollar business that bears his name, and he was recently appointed the creative director of Balenciaga, one of the most storied French houses in the world. Skeptics of the 29-year-old designer might say that his press savviness, youthful good looks and Asian-American roots — after all, China is fashion’s next big frontier — have served him exceptionally well. But since he left the Parsons School of Design to introduce his own line in 2007, his swift ascendancy has been defined by a marked pragmatism that’s made him a success with retailers and women alike: capturing the nuances of urban cool with merchandise that’s delivered to stores on time at an accessible price. With his Alexander Wang label, he’s picked up the baton that Calvin Klein and Helmut Lang carried before him, infusing sportswear with an erotic edge that suggests there’s more to life than office rigmarole. At Balenciaga, stepping into Nicolas Ghesquire’s very big shoes, he’s proven he can do a lot more than dress the downtown set. In his debut, Wang has brought a demure elegance to Balenciaga’s architectural heritage, taking classic silhouettes like high-waisted petal skirts, molded peplums and oval-shouldered coats, and toughening them up with paint-crackled mohair, marbleized silk, punkish velvet lace and pristine ivory soutache. Excelling at two very high-profile jobs is a challenge, but this is where the boundless energy and risk-taking nature of youth is at its best. “I’m a believer in going out there, working for yourself and being very proactive in getting what you want,” Wang says. HARRIET QUICK
BENNY BLANCO Songwriter and music producer There are a couple of ways to determine if that sound percolating out of your radio is a song by Benjamin Levin, the 25-year-old songwriter-producer who goes by the name Benny Blanco. First, there’s Blanco’s telltale sonic tang: the sugary chewiness of bubble gum, salty hip-hop, rock crunch and a sprinkling of other, often surprising musical ingredients. Then there’s the law of averages: if the radio’s on, it’s probably playing his song. In the last five years, Blanco has become one of pop’s most reliable creators of chart-topping records. He has co-written and co-produced dozens of hits, including 15 Billboard No. 1s, by some of the world’s top artists: Rihanna, Katy Perry, Kesha, Maroon 5, Britney Spears. It’s a startling track record for someone whose career began so unpromisingly as a third-rate would-be rapper. “I think somewhere along the way I realized, O.K., no one’s gonna care about a chubby Jewish dude rapping,” Blanco says. “I realized I’d be better behind the scenes.”
Blanco accomplished that career transformation in the time-honored manner of chubby Jewish dudes everywhere: with chutzpah. While still a teenager in the Virginia suburbs, he charmed — or rather fibbed — his way into the record industry. “I would cold-call record labels and pretend I was someone else,“ he says. “If I patched my way up to the top, I’d be like, ‘You’ve gotta listen to my mixtape!’ ” Eventually, he released a critically lauded collaboration with the Baltimore rapper Spank Rock, and came to the attention of the powerhouse songwriter-producer Dr. Luke, who installed Blanco as one of his go-to collaborators. The rest is Top 40 history. “It’s a great time to make music,” Blanco says. “It’s becoming harder and harder to decipher the line between indie, pop, country, alternative. On the radio, listeners want to be familiar with the sound that they’re like, ‘O.K. That doesn’t make me uncomfortable.’ But they also want to be like, ‘Daaaaamn! What’s that sound?’ ” JODY ROSEN
EZRA KLEIN Washington Post columnist; MSNBC and Bloomberg View contributor Don't ask Ezra Klein for a pithy anecdote about how he got to be America's pre-eminent Wonkblogger. "I don't really believe in background stories," he says. What he believes in is data — so let's start there. Klein's Wonkblog, hosted by The Washington Post, gets more than 5 million page views a month. His chart- and graph-heavy analyses — like a recent 4,200-word dissection of a health care experiment for elderly Pennsylvanians — are routinely among the most popular stories on The Post's Web site. Wonkblog is something of an experiment itself, out to prove that a quantitative approach to Washington can be compelling to a mass audience. "What we've been trying to do for a long time," Klein says,"is figure out how to cover the political world through the lens of policy." "A long time" is relative; Klein is 29. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2005 with a degree in political science and, more important, with hundreds of blog posts to his name. He blogged his way into a job at The American Prospect and then came the call from The Post, where Wonkblog will turn two in September.
What he wanted to do on his first day — make the "actual work of government" comprehensible — is what he does every day, almost as often on television (he's a contributor and a frequent fill-in host on MSNBC) as on the Web. An MSNBC anchor slot seems inevitable, seeing as how the channel's president, Phil Griffin, is among his biggest fans.
But what he sounds most excited about is grooming his fellow Wonkbloggers, all of whom, he swears, are smarter than he is. He lets out a laugh. "I didn't think I would face obsolescence this quickly." BRIAN STELTER
SAMANTHA SHANNON Author of a forthcoming literary fantasy series; college student Could an unknown 21-year-old Oxford student named Samantha Shannon be the next J. K. Rowling? Three years ago, Shannon was an intern in the office of the prestigious London literary agent David Godwin. That experience came in handy when, less than a year later, she had a manuscript for “The Bone Season,” an ambitious novel, the first of a projected seven-part series, that she had somehow written between lectures. Blown away by the book’s inventiveness, Godwin promptly sent it to the editor in chief of Bloomsbury, Alexandra Pringle. “Seven hours later I was still reading it,” Pringle recalls. “I just fell completely in love.” Bloomsbury gave Shannon a six-figure advance for the first three books, an unprecedented show of support for such an untested first-time author. “The Bone Season,” which comes out in August, is about a 19-year-old clairvoyant named Paige Mahoney, who roams the streets of London, circa 2059, until the secret police send her off to a penal colony that looks a lot like Oxford. “Her imagination is so extraordinary,” Pringle says. “She reminds me of the Bront sisters — the world she’s created is absolutely real.” Book rights have sold in 18 countries, and three major studios fought over the movie rights. (Britain’s Imaginarium Studios beat out Hollywood.) Shannon, now in her last year at college, is juggling writing with her studies like she did for the first book. “I had to cut down on going out with my friends so I could squeeze in writing chapters,” she says. “There was a lot of coffee involved.” LIESL SCHILLINGER
MIKE KRIEGER & KEVIN SYSTROM Founders of Instagram Compared to the many programming marvels clogging the iTunes App store in 2010, the offering unveiled by a pair of Stanford grads one October day didn’t really do that much. It simply let you take a picture with your smartphone (nothing novel about that) and post it online (ditto).
But putting these two commonplace functions together somehow made both of them feel fresh. It was, in the words of the Instagram founders Kevin Systrom, 29, and Mike Krieger, 26, “like a chemical reaction.”
Neither of the partners had a typical background in computer science or design. They describe themselves as “torn between the world of art and the world of technology.” But in that middle ground they struck pay dirt, and the product instantly became a breakthrough hit. Two years after its debut, the app was one of the iPhone’s most popular applications, with a user base nearing 30 million, success that prompted Facebook to scoop the company up for a reported $1 billion last spring.
What was Instagram’s secret? Looking back, the founders made a few key design decisions that proved critical. First, they removed the choice of portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal) by limiting images to a square (both). Steve Jobs’s famous insight that good design is less about what’s added than what’s subtracted has never been more amply demonstrated. Second, Instagram let you “design” the emotional tone of a photo through instant effects — bringing the power of Photoshop filters to the mobile generation and giving the most mundane of snapshots the instant nostalgia of an old Polaroid.
Instagram has transported users back to the carefree days when a single, simple button and the right subject matter was all you needed to share a magical moment with family and friends. It put good design in all of our hands, and helped us make our photos — maybe even our lives — seem a little more memorable. JOHN MAEDA |
Cooking is an art. François Vatel, a famous chef at the court of Louis XIV, was so distraught over his inability to serve a sufficiently delicious meal to the king that he committed suicide. At last week's European Union summit in Brussels, the European leaders in attendance ruled out such risks from the start, by choosing in advance from a list of top chefs who had bid for the contract.
The menu that was served last Thursday in the European Council building on Schuman Square in Brussels had a distinctly Mediterranean flavor. It included gazpacho of red beets with king crab, sole Provencal with a tangy pea puree and, for dessert, Mallorcan pastries with passion fruit, all prepared by German Michelin-starred chef Gerhard Schwaiger, manager of the luxury restaurant "Tristan" on the Mediterranean resort island of Mallorca.
It was undoubtedly a coincidence, but the Germans also dominated the stage politically in Brussels, once again. The 26 other heads of state and government gave in to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's demand to amend the EU's Lisbon Treaty to include a permanent crisis fund, known as the stability mechanism, for the euro zone starting in 2013. Also at the chancellor's request, they inserted a passage stating that the stability mechanism is only "to be activated if indispensable to safeguard the stability of the euro area as a whole." The group also approved Germany's demand that private lenders be involved in the event of a government bankruptcy.
"We came to an agreement," a clearly pleased Merkel announced. "It was a good day for Europe." The other summit participants had no choice but to make similar statements.
Simmering Conflict
This summit was supposed to send out signals of calm, levelheadedness and solidarity, if only to reassure the financial markets, but the unity was little more than a show. The conflict continued to simmer behind the scenes, especially the dispute over common euro-zone bonds. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker campaigned for the idea once again, and he was backed by many of the attendees. But Merkel was quick to object, arguing that a system of euro bonds would reward spendthrift governments and penalize disciplined countries like Germany.
In short, nothing was resolved at the summit. The more the euro crisis expands into an existential crisis for the European Union, the more critical are other member states about Germany, the largest economy on the continent and the fourth largest worldwide. "This is all about Germany, and it's all about the end of the German appetite for writing checks to the periphery of Europe," said Harvard University historian Niall Ferguson in a recent CNN interview. British historian Timothy Garton Ash complains of a lack of vision. "It is much clearer today what Germany wants from Europe than what it wants for Europe," he wrote in an op-ed for the Guardian.
Both comments imply that Germany is no longer the locomotive of European integration that it once was. In the last few decades, more and more countries joined the unification process, because they saw it as a road to common prosperity in peace and freedom.
Old Fears
The European community of nations, a construct that France in particular had once advocated to tame the furies of European nationalism, faces a severe test, one that reawakens old fears.
It was Jean Monnet, the son of a cognac merchant, who, in 1950, drafted the plan to bring together Western European heavy industry under the umbrella of the European Coal and Steel Community, which later turned into the European Union. In supporting the plan, Paris sought to protect itself from German economic power and political revenge. It also enabled then-German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to break through Germany's international isolation.
Monnet, who is considered a "father of Europe," wanted to guide European countries into a super-state "without their people understanding what is happening. This can be accomplished by successive steps, each disguised as having an economic purpose." Apparently the fathers of the euro acted in accordance with the same philosophy later on. The new currency became a vehicle for further integration, and the EU became a monetary union -- but not an economic, let alone a political, union. As a result, the current financial crisis is too much to handle for the continent and the EU colossus.
Will the 2010 euro crisis also lead to an existential crisis for the Union? Instead of a European Germany, could the continent be faced with a German Europe instead? Is the country that has served as paymaster for so long trying to set itself up as the taskmaster of the entire community?
'A Fight against Brussels'
All of Europe's eyes are on Berlin these days, because it opposes euro bonds, insists that private lenders be involved in government bankruptcies and is discussing scenarios for an end to the current monetary union. "This way of creating taboo areas in Europe and not dealing with others' ideas is a very un-European way of dealing with European matters," Luxembourg Prime Minister Juncker complained.
Even though peace was the order of the day at the EU's Christmas summit, the criticism continues to rage. A senior official at the European Commission said angrily that "in Berlin, European policy in recent years has been treated primarily as a fight against Brussels." And Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a member of the European Parliament for the Green Party, accuses the German government of basing its EU policy exclusively on what the tabloids are saying. Although former Chancellor Helmut Kohl also promoted German interests, Cohn-Bendit says, he never lost sight of the big picture. "If Merkel had been chancellor at the time, there would have been no European unification."
Opinions differ on positions toward Berlin. There are conciliatory signals from Paris while German flags are being burned in Athens. There are biting critics like the Spaniards and skeptics like the Italians, while the Scandinavians are showing solidarity with Berlin. |
Seth Meyers has been tapped to host NBC’s telecast of the Primetime Emmy Awards on Aug. 25.
NBC and the Television Academy have also set kudocast vet Don Mischer as exec producer of the live broadcast originating from downtown L.A.‘s Nokia Theatre.
There was little doubt that the host of this year’s Emmycast would come from NBC’s latenight ranks, given all the changes that NBC implemented this year.
“Seth’s expertise and ease in front of a live audience during his time at ‘SNL,’ as well as his comedic brilliance both as a writer and in front of the camera on ‘SNL’ and ‘Late Night,’ makes him the perfect choice to host the Emmys,” said Paul Telegdy, NBC’s prexy of latenight and alternative programming. “Plus, with Don’s vast experience at putting these type of big productions together, we’ll be in great hands.”
Peacock execs likely concluded that Meyers would get more of a boost from the Emmycast showcase than Fallon, who has been on a strong ratings roll since he took the helm of “The Tonight Show” from Jay Leno in February.
Fallon benefited from the Emmy spotlight when he hosted in 2010, about 18 months after he replaced Conan O’Brien on “Late Night.”
Meyers’ long run at “Saturday Night Live” makes him perfectly suited for awards-show duty. He also hosted ESPN’s Espy Awards in 2010 and 2011.
Mischer is an Emmy mainstay who most recently steered the 2012 telecast and also has numerous Oscars, Tony, and Olympics telecasts on his resume.
This year’s Emmy telecast falls on the final Monday in August — instead of its usual mid-September berth — because of NBC’s commitments to “Sunday Night Football.” On Wednesday, MTV announced it would mount its annual Video Music Awards bash the night before the Emmys, on Aug. 24, at the Forum in Inglewood. |
The Green Institute argues that shorter hours and a universal basic income would be better than more jobs
Age of automation: what if more work is the problem, not the solution?
There isn’t a major political party in the world that doesn’t at least pay lip service to the idea that one of their primary objectives is to create jobs. The idea of full employment as a desirable political goal is so taken for granted that we barely think about it.
But what if work – in the form of paid employment – isn’t the unalloyed good we routinely presume it to be? What if, in fact, more work is the problem?
This is the challenging idea at the heart of a report released by the Green Institute, a progressive thinktank headed by Tim Hollo. The institute was founded in 2008 to provide policy advice to the Australian Greens but Hollo says his goal since being appointed executive director in early 2016 has been to make the organisation more outward-facing.
The report, Can Less Work Be More Fair?, comes at a time when concerns about jobs being displaced by robots and other forms of technology are heightened. “If we fail to analyse these trends and look to the future right now, we’re missing a huge issue,” Hollo says.
He argues that we need to reexamine attitudes to work and see it as less central to defining who we are. “Our culture has increasingly told us that paid work is where we find our dignity and our place in society and if we aren’t able to find paid work, we are less worthy.”
Basic income for all: a 500-year-old idea whose time has come? Read more
But, he says: “There is so much more to life, to contributing to society, than paid work.”
In the report itself, that view is expressed this way: “What if, instead of trying to recreate an old world of abundant paid work, we … built systems, institutions and cultures in which less paid work could lead to greater equity, reinvigorated democracy and civil society, better environmental outcomes, and a more caring, creative, connected community?”
If that is the philosophical underpinning of the report, then its practical aspects rest on a discussion of two key policy positions: shorter working hours and a universal basic income. The policies are presented as the pillars of a new approach to economic management, one that would see Australia move towards what report contributor Prof Greg Marston, a sociologist at the University of Queensland, calls a “steady-state economy”.
“This is an old idea in economics, which simply means an economy of steady or mildly fluctuating size,” Marston explains.
“So if the pie isn’t going to get any bigger,” Marston argues, “we need to focus on a fairer distribution of wealth, which is a critical component of sustainability and the steady state economy.”
This is where a UBI comes in. This suddenly popular policy – the idea of paying everyone a basic wage, whether they are working or not – is being tested in jurisdictions around the world as governments realise that the traditional labour market, predicated on everyone having a full-time job, is increasingly failing to provide the security it once did.
Marston and other contributors to the report see UBI and shorter working hours as the way to address these problems, problems likely to be exacerbated as technology threatens more and more jobs.
“I think the two policies reinforce each other,” Marston says. “They send a message that a healthy society is one where we don’t have a simultaneous problem of overemployment and underemployment, as we currently do in Australia.”
He makes the important point that a UBI is a floor on earnings, not a ceiling, and that therefore, “there is nothing about UBI that is incompatible with paid work”.
Despite the report basically championing UBI, Hollo himself worries that the concept is being oversold by its proponents.
Amazon Go means more than just job losses, it will restructure the economy Read more
“UBI is often posited as a silver bullet, and I am deeply sceptical of that view. It will need to be one small part of a broad suite of policies, addressing universal health and education, affordable housing, job sharing and much more.
“So it’s my belief that working less should be a central aim of a prosperous and fair society. But what policy settings we use to get there, I am not sure.”
This open-mindedness about the best way forward is a welcome attribute in a political landscape now dominated by ideologues and authoritarians. It means the report he has overseen is more about opening up a discussion of our future than closing it down with ready-made answers.
Hollo thinks the argument the report is making can win people over, even those in politics and business who might be inclined at first to dismiss it.
Mark Carnegie, a venture capitalist based in Sydney, is indicative of business leaders at the cutting edge of the economic change discussed in the report. He is just as concerned that business and government simply aren’t prepared for the change that is coming.
“The software robots are coming to eat all the jobs, of that there is no doubt,” he says. But most of us are “floating down the big river in Egypt called Denial”.
He worries that a “couple of generations could easily be flushed down the loo as society adjusts,” and although, historically Australia has been at the forefront of developing innovative social policy, he believes that isn’t the case at the moment.
“We’re doing nothing about thinking about the bigger issues. We’re just trying to trim our existing system,” he says, adding that will not be good enough.
Carnegie thinks a UBI is the one of the few substantial new policy ideas that has any hope of coping with the changes being wrought by technology. He relates it to previous periods of technological change where it took “hundreds of years” for a countervailing powerto restore equity back into the system.
Ultimately Hollo believes there’s a potential win-win available if everyone can see past their entrenched positions.
“People actually work far better when they are treated better, when they work less hard, when they feel respected and valued,” he says. “Many companies are coming to understand that, and I believe those ideas will spread, more than anything, because they are so obviously true.”
With his history of taking part in public debates about climate change, Hollo knows that what is “obviously true” doesn’t always prevail. At least the report offers a stepping-off point for the serious and very necessary discussion. |
Technically Advanced Ancient Tribe Built Indus Valley Civilization
The ancient tribe of asurs had excellent iron extracting skills, researchers say
Researchers believe that what is now one of the most vulnerable tribes in central India built the ancient Indus Valley Civilization using unique metallurgical knowledge.
The Asurs (which in Sanskrit means “the demons”) is the only tribe in the world today with knowledge of how to extract iron from laterite rocks, while everywhere else it is extracted from hematite and magnetite. This tribe, with a total population of 8,000 today, is believed to be the great builders of the ancient era.
Ashis Sinha, a research scholar and local journalist, stated that the Asurs recognize three varieties of iron ore: Pola (magnetite), Bichi (hematite), and Gota (laterite). “By observation and experience, Asurs were able to locate a site for ores,” he said.
Geologist and researcher Nitish Priyadarshi shared a brief monograph series from 1993 by the Tribal Research Institute located at Ranchi with the Epoch Times, which mentions that the Asurs were originally from Illyria (ancient Greece), had adopted the culture of Babylon and Egyptian civilization, and gave this knowledge to Iran and India.
The report, originally written in Hindi, highlighted that the origin of the Asurs is indicated in many places in ancient Indian literature, like the Rigveda and Upanishads.
“The Asurs of 12 B.C. were the greatest. They established the Mohenjodaro and Harappan Civilizations. They were tall and Herculean in their builds,” the report said.
Yet another research work, “Iron Smelting by Asur Tribe: A Thing of the Past,” by Priyadarshi mentions that by the 16th century B.C., Asurs had conquered the Mediterranean coastal areas, were feared as sea-people, and had advanced up to the Indus river.
“A research report also speculates that it was the Asurs who built the famous Ashoka Iron pillar currently at Delhi,” said Priyadarshi said. The iron pillar is famous for its purity, which exceeds even that of modern smelting methods. It also shows few signs of corrosion, despite being almost completely pure iron.
Sinha explained that many other famous ancient iron monuments, like the iron pillar at Dhar and Iron beam at Konark, as well as Damascus steel, are attributed to Asur metallurgical skills. Sinha has written many articles on the Asurs under the Jharkhand Media Fellowship 2012.
While there are many studies on Asur technology of smelting iron and the extinction of their indigenous knowledge, very few researches report on their origin and about why they are called Asurs.
The research by the Tribal Research Institute says, “According to Banerjee and Shastry [researchers], Asurs were those powerful people who had godly powers in the Vedic period. A long fight broke out between Asurs and Aryans. The Asurs who declined to become Aryans were called Asurs. Thus the word ‘Asur,’ which was initially a symbol of Gods, became a symbol of demons.”
The word “Asur” originates from the Sanskrit word “Sura” which means God; “Asur” makes it the opposite of gods. “The word Asura in the Nirukta [etymology treatise] of Yaaska [an ancient Sanskrit language scholar] means those who are ousted from their positions,” said K.K. Yatheendran, a Sanskrit scholar from Kerala.
According to Yatheendran, in the Amarakosa (a Sanskrit dictionary by ancient Buddhist scholar Amarasimbha) one of the synonyms for the word Asura is “Purvadeva,” or ex-gods.
However, anthropologists say that this name doesn’t stand in lieu with the current identity of the Asurs. Ranchi-based anthropologist Ganga Nath Jha said, “They are morphologically very dark [chocolate] in color and have flattened noses. It’s because of this that others might have named them Asurs.”
Priyadarshi also says that some researchers believe that the Asurs were called so because “sur” in the local language means “sound,” and since they didn’t make any sound or noise while hunting in the forests, thus they were called “Asur” (those who don’t make noise).
The Asurs in India in recent centuries have been residing at Netarhat Plateau in Jharkahand state; this plateau is rich in laterite rocks. However, most of them have today taken to agriculture and the mining industry for livelihood.
“The region they live in is also greatly infested by Naxalism [armed Maoists],” said Jha. |
Filed: Monday, 23rd May 2016
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United central defender Angelo Ogbonna has been included in Italy's provisional 30-man squad for this summer's European Championships. The 28-year-old, who joined West Ham last summer has been included in Antonio Conte's squad for the tournament which is being staged in France between 10 June and 10 July.
Ogbonna is one of only two Italians based in the Premier League to be included in COnte's selection; the other being Southampton striker Graziano Pelle.
Ogbonna will join fellow Hammers Dimitri Payet (France), James Collins (Wales) and Darren Randolph (Ireland) at the tournament.
Embed from Getty Images
Provisional Italian squad
Goalkeepers: Federico Marchetti, Antonio Mirante, Marco Sportiello.
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Davide Astori, Leonardo Bonucci, Armando Izzo, Angelo Ogbonna, Lorenzo Tonelli.
Midfielders: Marco Benassi, Federico Bernardeschi, Antonio Candreva, Danilo Cataldi, Daniele De Rossi, Lorenzo De Silvestri, Stephan El Shaarawy, Alessandro Florenzi, Emanuele Giaccherini, Jorginho, Marco Parolo, Roberto Soriano, Davide Zappacosta.
Forwards: Fabio Borini, Eder, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Leonardo Pavoletti, Graziano Pelle.
Goalkeepers: Federico Marchetti, Antonio Mirante, Marco Sportiello.Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Davide Astori, Leonardo Bonucci, Armando Izzo, Angelo Ogbonna, Lorenzo Tonelli.Midfielders: Marco Benassi, Federico Bernardeschi, Antonio Candreva, Danilo Cataldi, Daniele De Rossi, Lorenzo De Silvestri, Stephan El Shaarawy, Alessandro Florenzi, Emanuele Giaccherini, Jorginho, Marco Parolo, Roberto Soriano, Davide Zappacosta.Forwards: Fabio Borini, Eder, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Leonardo Pavoletti, Graziano Pelle.
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Mortal Kombat X is the next highly anticipated installment in its legendary, critically acclaimed fighting game franchise that propels the iconic franchise into a new generation. Mortal Kombat X is scheduled for release in 2015.
Mortal Kombat X combines cinematic presentation with all new gameplay to deliver the most brutal Kombat experience ever, offering a new fully-connected experience that launches players into a persistent online contest where every fight matters in a global battle for supremacy.
For the first time, Mortal Kombat X gives players the ability to choose from multiple variations of each character impacting both strategy and fighting style. Players step into an original story showcasing some of the game’s most prolific characters including Scorpion and Sub-Zero, while introducing new challengers that represent the forces of good and evil and tie the tale together.
DLC Bonus:
Legendary series character Goro. Making his first appearance in more than eight years, Goro, the feral, four-armed Shokan warrior will be available day of launch as a playable combatant.
How To Redeem:
An activation code will be emailed out, you will need an internet connection to download the game via steam, no disc will be sent out. At this time we do not know the file size of the download. For information on how to do this, use the following address.
support.steampowered/kb_article.php?ref=5414-TFBN-1352
Please note: Code will be emailed during office hours Monday - Friday GMT
This item will be emailed to the address from which you order |
FDA Closes Last Option for 20-Year-Old RI Cancer Patient Facing Death
The FDA approved Eugene “Neil” Fachon’s last hope to live, and now they have halted the very clinical trial they had approved.
Fachon is facing a death sentence. The 20-year-old from East Greenwich has an incurable form of pediatric cancer — Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).
Each year there are approximately 300 to 350 new cases of DIPG diagnosed in the U.S. — usually in children under ten. There is a zero survival rate for those diagnosed with DIPG, according to experts at the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, who spoke with GoLocal on Friday.
Fachon was diagnosed on March 4 of this year at Mass General Hospital and was told that he had approximately three months to live, according to Dean Fachon, the father of Neil.
FDA Give and Take
Once the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its blessing for a critical clinical trial and after undergoing required CT-PET, MRI and blood tests, a venous catheter was embedded in Neil’s neck near his collarbone. The catheter is used to administer the medication, which happens 6 times a day, every day, for as long as two years.
Then, after ten days of treatment in April, the FDA canceled the approval for the trial. The FDA said their “concerns stem from its re-classification as 'ingredients' of some of the raw materials the Burzynski Research Institute uses to synthesize antineoplastons,” according to Neil’s father.
“All we are asking for is the FDA to allow what they have already approved to go forward — it is literally our son’s last best hope,” said Neil’s father.
On Friday morning, Neil’s parents held a much delayed conference call with a review panel of five physicians that included Dr. Patricia Keegan of the FDA’s Division of Oncology Products — all to no avail. The panel refused to allow the trial to move forward.
For the Fachons, who been living in an extended stay hospital in Houston now for five weeks, the family is isolated, frustrated, and running out of hope. Family and friends in Rhode Island takecare of their home and keep a steady vigil.
Trying Every Option
The Fachon family is trying everything for their son.
"It is our sincerest hope that the people within the FDA will reconsider and reverse the decision to suspend the clinical trial Neil had been participating in. Neil is out of options, conventional treatments are ineffective and time is of the essence,” said Kathleen Hagerty, the family’s attorney. “We are prepared to petition the court if need be but would much prefer to come to a resolution with the agency that would permit Neil to resume and sustain his treatment, without which there is every reason to believe Neil will succumb to this cancer, possibly within weeks per his original diagnosis."
United States Senator Jack Reed too has joined the effort. “We have reached out to the highest level at the FDA and have been in contact with the White House,” said Chip Unruh with Reed's office on Friday night.
Controversial Physician is Fachon’s Last Hope
In April, Fachon was selected for an approved clinical trial by a Houston-based physician, Stanislaw Burzynski, who is the founder of the Burzynski Research Institute. Burzynski is highly controversial and now under review from the Texas Medical Board.
According to the federal government, the clinical trial, titled “A Study of Atengenal and Astugenal in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG),” which was first green-lighted in April of this year and is termed “experimental” is now marked on the website as “this study is ongoing, but not recruiting participants."
A Newsweek article published in February of this year outlined the yin and yang of Burzynski and his controversial approaches.
“As a young doctor in the 1970s, Burzynski began treating patients with antineoplastons, a collection of peptides, amino acids and amino acid derivatives he originally isolated from blood and urine. Since then, by his reckoning, he’s used the drugs to treat over 2,300 cancer patients—though he isn’t trained as an oncologist.” The article goes on to recite his successes and the doctor’s harshest critics.
According to Burzynski’s bio, he has treated more than 8,000 patients, 2,300 for cancer, has authored more than 300 journal articles, and registered 244 patents across the world.
In a statement from the FDA on Friday night, Angela Stark said, "Regarding the FDA’s discussion with the family, the agency is continuing to work with the family to help find safe, alternate treatment options."
Regardless of the success rate of Burzynski, the Fachon family is hoping beyond all hope that the once-approved trial can move forward.
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BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai transsexual ladyboys are taking to the air as flight attendants for a new airline, a move that some said could be a key step towards still broader acceptance in a nation where they are already unusually visible.
PC Air transsexual flight attendants (L to R): Phuntakarn Sringern, 24, Nathatai Sukkaset, 26, Chayathisa Nakmai, 24, and Dissanai Chitpraphachin, 24, pose for photographers in a PC Air aircraft at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport December 15, 2011. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Known as “katoeys” or “ladyboys,” transgenders and transsexuals hold mainstream jobs in a variety of fields in Thailand. They are especially common in cosmetics shops or health stores, which almost always have a ladyboy shop assistant.
Working for new charter airline PC Air, transsexual flight attendants including 22-year-old Tanyarat Jirapatpakorn made their debut on a flight from Bangkok to the southern city of Surat Thani on Thursday, serving drinks and snacks and carrying out safety demonstrations.
“This is the beginning of the acceptance of transsexuals in Thailand, giving the opportunity for us to work in various fields,” said Tanyarat.
“Maybe in the future we can get any job that transsexuals never did before, such as police, soldiers or even pilots.”
PC Air, whose name comes from the initials of president Peter Chan, originally planned only to hire male and female flight attendants, but changed its mind after more than 100 transsexuals and transvestites applied as well.
Four were chosen, along with 19 female and 7 male flight attendants. The airline said qualifications for the ladyboy flight attendants were the same as for female flight attendants, with the additional provisos that they be like women in how they walked and talked, and have a feminine voice.
Chan, the airline president, said the ladyboy flight attendants actually might have a special advantage.
“They might provide better services because they understand both males and females. And they’re well trained according to the aviation standard,” he added.
The new recruits were chosen in February and have been training since in security measures, in-flight services, and make-up application.
PC Air flies domestically as well as to several Asian destinations, including Japan and South Korea. |
WELCOME to Market Watch, your home for the latest news on player movements at your club.
From transfers, new deals and retirements.
Check it all out here!
EELS SEARCH FOR SEMI REPLACEMENT
North Queensland are in danger of losing yet another of their home-grown talents, with Parramatta circling winger Kyle Feldt.
Market Watch can reveal the Eels have cast their net in search of a winger and Feldt sits high on their list.
The loss of Feldt would be another blow for the Cowboys, who lose Kalyn Ponga to Newcastle next season and co-captain Matt Scott could join him.
Looking for a replacement for rugby-bound Semi Radradra next year, the Eels have formed an early shortlist.
Kyle Feldt of the Cowboys wins the ball. Source: Getty Images
While Feldt, who was in the frame for a Queensland Origin debut last year, is a major target, he’s not the only one in the mix to replace Radradra.
Wests Tigers flyer David Nofoaluma is also on the Eels’ radar for 2018.
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A Campbelltown junior, Nofoaluma told foxsports.com.au earlier in the year that it will be difficult for the Tigers to keep all their locals with the likes of James Tedesco and Aaron Woods also off-contract.
“It’s contract time, what do you do? All you can do is play your best footy and take the best option possible,” Nofoaluma said.
David Nofoaluma celebrates a try. Source: News Corp Australia
“My focus is having a better season than last year, and that’s all I can ask for. What happens in the future happens.
“Of course (I’d like to stay). I started at the Tigers. But things come. I’d like to stay but let’s see what happens.”
Nofoaluma, 23, made his City Origin debut last year and averages a try every 1.8 NRL games.
Feldt, 25, is a premiership winner who can goal kick. He averages a try every 1.3 NRL games.
Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover are joined by Raiders director of recruitment Peter Mulholland to discuss Canberra’s season-eve wheeling and dealing as well as all the big headlines from the off-season transfer bonanza.
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TITANS EYE BIG UNIT
The Warriors have been busy buying players but they could be about to lose one of their own.
The Gold Coast are ready to swoop on promising forward Albert Vete.
The 24-year-old is a prime target for the Titans who are looking to add to their Kiwi contingent of Konrad Hurrell, Agnatius Paasi and Leivaha Pulu.
But he won’t come cheap.
Albert Vete of the Warriors winds up. Source: Getty Images
Market Watch can reveal the barnstorming front rower has an asking price of $500,000 a-season.
Vete finished the 2016 season as the Warriors’ starting prop, keeping Test star Ben Matulino on the bench.
A former schoolboy rugby gun, Vete only started playing league three years ago in what has been a meteoric rise.
The Titans are discussing a two-year offer for Vete who has now played 35 games in the NRL.
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PORT TURNING HEADS
Melbourne introduced exciting Queensland Cup back Linc Port to the NRL world at the Auckland Nines but he could soon be lost to rugby.
Not offered a second-tier deal by the Storm after spending the pre-season training with the club, the Australian Rugby Sevens are ready to pounce.
Market Watch understands coach Andy Friend has reached out to the nephew of Cowboys sensation Matt Bowen and cousin to Cowboy Javid, to gauge his interest in switching codes.
A former Wests Tigers NYC player, Port looked set to secure a one-year-deal with the Storm and still could if injury hits their backline early in the season.
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WILL HE PLAY ON?
Turning 33 in March, Jacob Lillyman is no spring chicken but the Warriors are keen to keep him at the club providing he wants to play on in 2018.
A Queensland Origin representative, the former Cowboy has clocked up more than 200 NRL games, more than 150 of those for the Warriors.
Jacob Lillyman makes a tackle. Source: News Corp Australia
While they’ve signed Tohu Harris for 2018, the Warriors have an abundance of talented young forwards like Bunty Afoa, Ofahiki Ogden and Toafofoa Sipley. The club still needs hardened heads to help aid their development.
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KNIGHTS ADD DEPTH
Newcastle have handed South Sydney centre Tom Hughes a one-year-deal.
The 21-year-old joined the Knights midway through last season from the Rabbitohs and impressed enough to pick up a second-tier deal with the club for 2017.
A graduate of the Rabbitohs’ NYC side, Hughes can play centre, backrow and wing.
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WE TOLD YOU SO
Three weeks ago we wrote Cronulla winger Sosaia Feki would stay with the Sharks for a further two years. Last week the club formally announced the deal.
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SHHHHH
Which off-contract forward is asking $600,000-a-season for his services?
This player is very good but not worth that price tag.
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If you have heard some signing news you want to share with us, tweet us: @FoxNRL, @Nath_Ryan or email Nathan.Ryan@news.com.au
***
OFF CONTRACT LIST FOR 2017
BRISBANE BRONCOS
Jai Arrow, Joe Boyce, Darius Boyd, Mitchell Dodds, Salesi Funaki, Alex Glenn, Jordan Kahu, Benji Marshall, Andrew McCullough, Josh McGuire, David Mead, Anthony Milford, Francis Molo, Corey Oates, Joe Ofahengaue, Jonus Pearson, James Roberts, Marion Seve, Travis Waddell
New deal:
Leaving: Ben Hunt (Dragons from next year until end of 2022 with player option for extra season)
CANBERRA RAIDERS
Eddie Aiono, Lachlan Croker, Adam Clydsdale, Kato Ottio, Jordan Rapana, Zac Santo, Scott Sorensen, David Taylor
New deal:
Leaving: Jeff Lima (retiring at end of season), Edrick Lee (Immediate release to Cronulla until end of 2018), Shaun Fensom (Immediate release to North Queensland until end of 2018)
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
Adam Elliott, Danny Fualalo, Matt Frawley, Craig Garvey, Kerrod Holland, Will Hopoate, Michael Lichaa, Tyrone Phillips, Josh Reynolds, Chase Stanley
New deal: Aiden Tolman (until 2020)
Leaving: Lloyd Perrett (Immediate release to Manly until 2019)
CRONULLA SHARKS
Gerard Beale, Jack Bird, Jayden Brailey, Fa’amanu Brown, Kurt Capewell, Manaia Cherrington, Jordan Drew, Paul Gallen, Wade Graham, Chris Heighington, Jeremy Latimore, Luke Lewis, Daniel Mortimer, Joseph Paulo, Matt Prior, Sam Tagataese, Chad Townsend, Tony Williams
New deal: Valentine Holmes (until end of 2019), Malakai Houma (until end of 2017 from Newtown), Kurt Dillon (until end of 2017 from Newtown), Sosaia Feki (until end of 2019)
Leaving: Ben Barba (rugby immediately)
GOLD COAST TITANS
Nathan Davis, Konrad Hurrell, Karl Lawton, Chris McQueen, Agnatius Paasi, Nathan Peats, Eddy Pettybourne, Leivaha Pulu, Tyrone Roberts, Ryan Simpkins, William Zillman
New deal: Ryan James (until end of 2020), Daniel Vidot (From Salford until end of 2018), Max King (until end of 2019), Joe Greenwood (St Helens until end of 2019)
Leaving: David Shillington (retired immediately), Zeb Taia (released to St Helens)
MANLY SEA EAGLES
Billy Bainbridge, Brenton Lawrence, Brad Parker, Frank Winterstein
New deal: Addin Fonua-Blake (until 2018)
Leaving: Willis Meehan (Immediate release), Brett Stewart (medical retirement), Steve Matai (medical retirement)
MELBOURNE STORM
Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Dean Britt, Will Chambers, Dale Finucane, Slade Griffin, Jeremy Hawkins, Ryley Jacks, Felise Kaufusi, Jordan McLean, Mark Nicholls, Billy Slater, Joe Stimson, Shem Tatupu, Christian Welch
New deal: Suliasi Vunivalu (until the end of 2018)
Leaving: Tohu Harris (Warriors at end of season until 2021)
WARRIORS
Matthew Allwood, Blake Ayshford, Erin Clark, Kieran Foran, James Gavet, Charlie Gubb, Ato Hingano, Ryan Hoffman, Shaun Johnson, Jacob Lillyman, Mason Lino, Ben Matulino, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Ofahiki Ogden, Nathaniel Roache, Ligi Sao, Patrick Sipley, Toafofoa Sipley, Bodene Thompson, Albert Vete
New deal:
Leaving:
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
Mitchell Barnett, David Bhana, Brendan Elliot, Jaelen Feeney, Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Dane Gagai, Jacob Gagan, Peter Mata’utia, Sam Mataora, Mickey Paea, Pauli Pauli, Will Pearsall, Dylan Phythian, Tyler Randell, Josh Starling, Jack Stockwell, Luke Yates
New deal: Joe Wardle (From Huddersfield until 2019), Anthony Tupou (From Wakefield until end of 2017), Tom Hughes (second-tier until end of 2017)
Leaving: Jake Mamo (Immediate release to released to Huddersfield), Korbin Sims (Immediate release to Brisbane until end of 2018)
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
John Asiata, Scott Bolton, Gavin Cooper, Kyle Feldt, Shaun Hudson, Corey Jensen, Patrick Kaufusi, Kyle Laybutt, Gideon Mosby-Gela, Matthew Scott, Ben Spina, Jason Taumalolo, Ray Thompson, Johnathan Thurston
New deal:
Leaving: Kalyn Ponga (Knights at end of season until 2022)
PARRAMATTA EELS
Kirisome Auva’a, Bureta Faraimo, John Folau, David Gower, James Hasson, George Jennings, Cameron King, Tepai Moeroa, Cody Nelson, Rory O’Brien, Frank Pritchard, Jeff Robson, Scott Schulte, Will Smith, Kelepi Tanginoa, Peni Terepo, Honeti Tuha, Alex Twal, Matthew Woods
New deal: Clint Gutherson (until 2019), Tim Mannah (until end of 2019)
Leaving: Vai Toutai (released), Semi Radradra (French rugby at end of season)
PENRITH PANTHERS
Sitaleki Akauola, Zach Dockar-Clay, Sione Katoa, Viliame Kikau, Darren Nicholls, Michael Oldfield, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Dean Whare
New deal:
Leaving: Andy Saunders (Immediate release to Bulldogs until end of 2017)
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
Anthony Cherrington, Brad Deitz, Bryson Goodwin, Damon Goolagong, Jack Gosiewski, Aaron Gray, Brett Greinke, Alex Johnston, Luke Kelly, Dane Nielsen, Robbie Rochow, Toby Rudolf, John Sutton, Kyle Turner, David Tyrrell
New deal: Siosifa Talakai (until end of 2019), Mawene Hiroti (until end of 2019), Campbell Graham (until end of 2019)
Leaving:
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
Jack de Belin, Levi Dodd, Josh Dugan, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Yaw Kiti Glymin, Siliva Havili, Jacob Hind, Drew Hutchison, Tim Lafai, Chris Lewis, Kurt Mann, Jake Marketo, Mose Masoe, Will Matthews, Tyrone McCarthy, Josh McCrone, Taane Milne, Jason Nightingale, Shaun Nona, Russell Packer, Gareth Widdop
New deal: Luciano Leilua (until end of 2018), Jai Field (until end of 2019), Jacob Host (until end of 2020), Euan Aitken (until end of 2020)
Leaving:
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
Paki Afu, Paul Carter, Mitch Cornish, Kane Evans, Blake Ferguson, Michael Gordon, Aidan Guerra, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Brenden Santi, Chris Smith, Zane Tetevano, Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck, Daniel Tupou
New deal: Connor Watson (until end of 2018), Dylan Napa (until end of 2019), Ryan Matterson (Until end of 2019), Mitchell Pearce (until end of 2019)
Leaving: Jackson Hastings (Immediate release to Manly until 2018)
WESTS TIGERS
Matt Ballin, Luke Brooks, Michael Chee-Kam, Joel Edwards, Matt Eisenhuth, Tim Grant, Watson Heleta, Jamal Idris, Jack Littlejohn, Wesley Lolo, Kyle Lovett, Matt McIlwrick, Mitchell Moses, Kevin Naiqama, David Nofoaluma, Jordan Rankin, Ava Seumanufagai, Tim Simona, Bayley Sironen, James Tedesco, Aaron Woods
New deal: Elijah Taylor (option in his favour for 2018), Josh Aloiai (until end of 2019), Moses Suli (until end of 2020)
Leaving: Rod Griffin (immediate release to Bulldogs until end of 2017) |
Radical American critics of centre-left thinking on the economy outline their critique to Tim Finch, who asks how far they are encouraging the British left to be more radical too.
Roberto Unger is an American-based thinker who is highly critical of the current ideas from left-of-centre politicians and thinkers about how to restore advanced economies to healthy growth. His devastating attack last summer on what he saw as the shortcomings of President Obama's plans for a second term made him an overnight internet sensation.
For Unger, what he and others call "vulgar Keynesianism" - the idea that governments should spend more money to stimulate growth and create jobs - has little left to offer. It is unlikely to have a big enough impact and will disappoint both politicians and voters.
Instead, he argues, those who think of themselves as progressive need to think much more boldly and creatively. And this applies not just to ideas about the economy but also to politics and democratic institutions. What he sees as a drab, predictable - and failed - approach needs a complete overhaul.
In this edition of "Analysis", Tim Finch talks to Roberto Unger about his critique of left-of-centre thinking. He asks him to justify his criticisms of current ideas and to set out his alternative vision. Tim then discovers from figures on the left here in Britain how they react to Unger's approach and how likely it is that "vulgar Keynesianism" will give way to something new.
Among those taking part: Jon Cruddas, MP; Sonia Sodha; Tamara Lothian; Stuart White and David Hall-Matthews.
Producer Simon Coates. |
These are the 8 best blogs to follow about Peace Corps. I’ve looked over dozens of blogs of current Peace Corps volunteers and found these to be the most current and interesting. Take a look!
No Sleep Till Peace
https://nosleeptillpeace.com
Hey ya’ll! My name is Brooklynn and I am a Peace Corps Community Economic Development Volunteer in Peru. I graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a minor in Marketing. I’m a piano teaching, Pinterest junkie, photographer with a passion for volunteering.
Peace Corps Stories
https://www.peacecorps.gov/stories/
Tell Stories. Live Stories. There are a lot of stories out there waiting for you to live them. Every Peace Corps Volunteer has a story to tell. Do you have one? Share your story with us!
Peace Corps West
https://peacecorpswest.com
Peace Corps West features the newest Peace Corps Volunteers and stories from current and former Volunteers in the 13-state West Region. Offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Rebekah Writes | Stories of a Peace Corps Volunteer in Macedonia
https://writingrebekah.wordpress.com
I’m Rebekah (the one who writes). I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in Macedonia, where I am part of the teaching English as a foreign language program. I’ve had a number of titles before adding PCV, including student, baker, construction worker, teacher, and most recently, journalist. Other titles include adventurer, feminist, aunt, and sports fan. I’ve studied and worked in journalism and education, and I’m passionate about both. I have lived in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and as of Sept. 13, 2014, Macedonia.
Alicia Carter
http://www.aliciamcarter.com/blog/
I am currently a S.S. Peace corps volunteer in Lesotho, southern Africa. This is an account of my life as a healthy youth advisor focused on HIV/AIDS care & prevention.
Next Steppe in Life – Chronicles of a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia
http://nextsteppeinlife.blogspot.com
Blog chronicling my 27-month service with The United States Peace Corps in Mongolia.
Peace Corps Honduras
http://honduraspeacecorps.blogspot.com/
Not Exactly Retired
https://notexactlyretired.com/ |
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) - A former Prince George's County police officer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to sell untaxed cigarettes and cocaine.
Sinisa Simic, who was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Greenbelt, pleaded guilty in 2011 to cocaine trafficking, extortion and firearm offenses. He admitted protecting the sale and transport of multiple shipments of contraband cigarettes in Maryland, Virginia and elsewhere.
The 30-year-old Woodbridge, Va. resident was indicted in 2010 as part of a probe of corruption in the county that brought down then-County Executive Jack Johnson, three police officers and six others.
Simic received the longest sentence of the officers. All were involved in a cigarette and alcohol smuggling ring, but Simic and a co-conspirator were also selling cocaine in an unrelated scheme. |
Heroes of the Storm is Racist – Or, The Hollowness of the Social Justice Warrior’s Crusade
Heroes of the Storm is Racist – Or, The Hollowness of the Social Justice Warrior’s Crusade
According to Motherboard, Heroes of the Storm (HotS) represents a zenith of prejudice and racism. Apparently their recent addition of the character Rexxar with an optional cosmetic enhancement that makes him look black has shed light on the lack of diversity in the game.
For those who don’t know, HotS is a competitive multiplayer game in the “MOBA” genre, featuring characters from past Blizzard titles. Most of these characters come from either their science-fiction strategy game Starcraft, their gothic-fantasy series Diablo, or their generic fantasy universe Warcraft.
The Motherboard article incorrectly states that Rexxar (with the optional cosmetic) is the first black character featured in the game. It then further argues that HotS treats non-white as non-human by drawing on the Warcraft universe’ tendency to depict stories analogous to real-life racial strife via fantasy races, such as when the Orc’s were forced to migrate at the hands of their oppressors.
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To the article’s author, Rowan Kaiser, this is an endemic quality of games in general. To him it reveals an underlying racism behind the companies that develop mainstream video games.
But if you think about it, all the things Kaiser cites in support of his position actually reveal an impressive cultural awareness on the part of Blizzard.
For instance, take their use of fantasy races as analogues for oppressed peoples. Warcraft 3 features a particularly potent example of this, as an entire campaign revolves around the mass migration of Orcs under the persecution of a cruel, crusader-like force. Their exodus is reminiscent of the infamous Trail of Tears, while their internal conflict brings to mind the debate over tactics (violence or peaceful resistance) among the black community during the civil-rights movement.
There’s also Blizzards inclusion of a vast array of cultural influences from around the world. In World of Warcraft, architecture, accents, holidays, and more mirror a plethora of world cultures.
So given all this, what issue could Motherboard possibly have? There’s piles of diversity in Blizzard’s games, and this diversity slowly, but surely, is filtering into HotS as new characters are introduced.
The only thing left is mere skin color.
Considering all the things Blizzard does right in the area of diversity, the one and only place where diversity could possibly be said to be lacking is in the skin color of the characters in HotS.
And that’s not to say that Blizzard doesn’t often create non-white characters. Human characters with all sorts of ethnicities are in their games. And, as we’ve already discussed, cultures from all over the world are present in the fantasy races of Warcraft.
So the problem seems to be merely with the aesthetics – skin color and other physical features. Nevermind that things that truly define a culture, such as their contributions to art, religion, philosophy, and so on. No, what matters to Motherboard is skin-deep.
If one cannot see the rich diversity in these games past the way characters look on the surface, who’s the real racist?
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California Assemblyman Mike Gatto's father was murdered in a possible home invasion in Silver Lake Wednesday.
LAPD officers responded to a death investigation on the 2800 block of Bright Lane around 8:15 p.m.
The victim's daughter arrived at the home and found 78-year-old Joseph Gatto suffering from a gunshot wound.
Responding officers say Joseph's body was slumped over on a chair. His body was removed from his Silverlake home around 10 a.m. Thursday.
Investigators say the house had been ransacked. No arrests have been made.
The case is being treated as a possible home invasion murder.
Immediately after the discovery, detectives started canvassing the neighborhood. On Thursday, they stopped trash pick-up on Bright Lane as they searched for evidence.
"They are going to go door-to-door to determine what people may have seen, what they may have heard, so that detectives have that information in furtherance of their efforts to solve the case," said Dep. Chief Kirk Albanese of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Mike Gatto's spokesman, Justin Hager, says Joseph was a longtime Los Angeles Unified School District art teacher and had become a well-known jewelry craftsman following his retirement. Hager said the Assemblyman learned of his father's death by phone in Sacramento.
"It's both shocking and very hard for the family. It's hard for this community. I think a lot of people are still in a state of disbelief, including me," Mike Gatto told reporters.
There is no indication Mike Gatto's political career played any role in his father's murder, police say.
His 78-year-old father founded the Visual Arts Department of Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and had reportedly worked for LAUSD for over 40 years. Joseph was honored at the White House with the National Distinguished Teacher Award three times throughout his lifetime.
Those mourning Joseph's death include singer Josh Groban, who took to Twitter to pay his respects to the fallen art teacher.
"LACHSA lost one of their legends last night in a senseless act of violence. RIP Joseph Gatto, visual arts department founder and great guy," tweeted Groban.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti released the following statement Thursday: "My thoughts and prayers are with the Gatto family. This tragedy is devastating to them and is of concern to the entire community. I've spoken with Chief Beck and the LAPD is conducting an aggressive investigation."
Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gatto of Los Angeles was elected to represent California's 43rd District in a special election three years ago.
His father lived in Silver Lake alone, but friends say he was a man of faith who will be missed.
"When you have someone come into church everyday, you have someone who has a focus in life and sees beyond the present realities," said Rev. James Mott of Our Mother of Good Counsel Church.
Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) released a statement Thursday to express his condolences.
"I came to know Joseph Gatto through his son Mike, one of my closest friends. He was thoughtful, gracious, and so proud of his son Michael," Sherman said. "My heart goes out to Mike and his sisters Nicole and Mariann."
LAPD says Joseph's death is the first murder in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles this year. |
If, before the season started, you'd given every member of the Toronto Raptors the option to be playing in May, tied 1-1 in the Eastern Conference semis, odds are they'd all have taken it without blinking.
It has been some kind of winding road to get to that point, though, and the Raptors, after winning a franchise-record 56 regular-season games to nab the East's No. 2 seed, have played some of their worst basketball of the year in the playoffs.
Despite advancing past the Indiana Pacers (the first time the franchise has won a seven-game series) and playing the Miami Heat to a standstill through two games, the Raptors have been outscored by four points per 100 possessions in the postseason. Their defense has actually improved; their offense, though, has been abysmal.
After finishing fifth in the NBA with a 107 offensive rating in the regular season, the Raptors are down to 97.3 points through nine playoff games. They're shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from 3-point range. One issue is that they've simply missed a good deal of open shots. The bigger issue may be how tunnel-visioned they've been.
The Raptors have had the pick-and-roll ball-handler finish 26.6 percent of their plays, the most by far among all remaining playoff teams. Those plays have yielded 0.74 points on average, least among all remaining playoff teams. They played largely the same style in the regular season, but they've taken it to its logical extreme. In their ugly Game 2 win over the Heat on Thursday, they recorded one assist in the second half.
Swingman DeMarre Carroll, who signed with Toronto in the offseason after thriving for two years in Mike Budenholzer's pass-happy system in Atlanta, feels better ball movement is the answer to the Raptors' current offensive woes.
"(Budenholzer) always told us, we pass up a good shot, we get a great shot," Carroll said Friday, according to Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star. "And he wants nothing but rhythm shots. He doesn’t want no forced shots. That's why.
"People understand on that team, when you come down and you know you're going to touch the ball, it gives you something psychological that I'm going to touch the ball where I might be able to shoot, I might be able to be the person who assists it. So it gives you some feeling that you might be connected on the offensive end, rather than just going down, running, and you're just not touching the ball."
Carroll also cited what the record-breaking Golden State Warriors have done, noting that they've done it with player and ball movement, and perpetual flow - which stands in stark contrast to the Raptors' recent stand-and-watch approach.
"Plays are better when it's in rhythm, not stagnant," he said. "Some guys like to play stagnant, but I feel like ... it's kind of bred out. Golden State opened it up."
The Raptors play Game 3 against the Heat in Miami on Saturday. |
Chile's Constitutional Court on Monday approved a bill to decriminalize abortion in certain cases, a move decried by conservative opponents but hailed by Socialist President Michelle Bachelet as a victory for women's rights.
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The court's 6-4 vote accepted the constitutionality of a measure to legalize abortions when a woman's life is in danger, when a fetus is not viable and in cases of rape. President Michelle Bachelet has said she will sign the measure that passed Congress this month. It will end Chile's stance as the last country in South America to ban abortion in all cases.
"Today, women have won, democracy has won, all of Chile has won," said Bachelet, a physician and former head of U.N. Women.
Court secretary Rodrigo Pica said details of the decision, which cannot be appealed, would be released on Aug. 28. Demonstrators in favor of therapeutic abortion celebrated outside the courtroom in the Chilean capital, while opponents protested, including two women carrying anti-abortion banners who embraced in tears after the decision was announced.
Conservative lawmakers had filed an appeal with the court to halt the law, arguing it was unconstitutional.
The Chilean reproductive rights organization Miles hailed the court's decision as a "historic moment that marks a before and after for Chilean women."
Chile legalized abortion for medical reasons in 1931, but the procedure was then banned under all circumstances in 1989 during the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
Women found guilty of having abortions now face prison terms of up to five years. Still, thousands of illegal abortions are performed every year. Most involve black-market purchases of the drug misoprostol to end first-trimester pregnancies.
Those who can afford to sometimes seek abortions in neighboring Argentina or beyond.
"Chile has finally moved one step closer to protecting the human rights of women and girls," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
"This victory is testament to the work of millions of women across the Americas and the world who fight against draconian laws that punish women and push them to seeking clandestine and dangerous abortions, putting their health and lives at risk."
The bill's passage comes as views continue to shift on social issues once considered taboo in the heavily Roman Catholic nation that only began to allow divorce in 2004. Congress recognized civil unions for same-sex couples in 2015.
Chile is one of four countries that currently prohibit abortion in all cases, according to the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, though a few others have rules so restrictive that they amount to de facto bans.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, REUTERS) |
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In December, Republicans in Congress struck a deal with Democrats to extend a package of tax breaks for wind and solar energy projects. Prior to the deal, things looked bleak. The tax credit for wind had already expired the year before, and the one for solar was set to expire by 2016. So the extension, which came after Democrats agreed to support lifting the long-standing ban on US oil exports, was a big and unexpected win for clean energy—one that will help buoy the industry for the next six years.
It could also prove to be one of the most significant actions taken by this Congress to reduce America’s carbon footprint, according to a new analysis from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Thanks to all the new wind and solar that will likely get built because of the legislation, electricity-sector greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by as much as 1.4 billion metric tons by 2030 compared with what they would have been without the extension, the study found. That’s roughly the savings you’d get if you removed every passenger car from US roads for two years.
In other words, the tax breaks—2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by a wind turbine and about 30 percent off the total cost of solar systems—add up to “one of the biggest investments in clean energy in our nation’s history,” Dan Utech, deputy assistant to President Barack Obama on climate, told reporters today.
How much wind and solar actually gets built (and thus the actual carbon savings) will also depend on what happens to the cost of natural gas, which has been low for the last few years thanks to the fracking boom but could rise again. Low gas prices make renewables less competitive, especially without the tax credit. But having the tax credit in place will enable solar and wind to compete in the market even if gas prices do stay low. The extension will also make wind and solar less vulnerable to state-level attacks on clean energy, as well as attacks on Obama’s broader climate agenda.
So, for once: Good job, Congress. |
My wife and I have been living in our current home since we built it in August of 2006. We've made a lot of memories in this house, from the birth of our first son in 2010, to having my wife recover from a near fatal blood clot in 2008. It's been a wonderful place to live, but we've had an opportunity present itself for my in-laws, who are home builders, to build us a house for much lower than it would cost us if we built on our own. They've found a perfect walkout lot with lots of trees, a huge yard and on a cul-de-sac. Oh, and the price for the lot is right at about $80,000. It's basically everything we've been looking for a home. While the timing might not be perfect, we're seriously considering selling our current home and building a new one within the next few months.
As a part of that process of selling our home and building a new house we need to run the numbers for what we can afford and how much we need to sell our current house for in order to not have to bring money to the closing. While we made a 20% down payment when we bought the house 6 years ago, we bought at the height of the market, and our home has lost upwards of $60-70,000 in value. Because of that we're going to be lucky if we can sell the home for more than we owe.
One thing we're doing to help figure out if we can afford to do this is figuring out the total costs of selling our house.
Expenses To Remember When Buying A House
Costs Incurred Before The Sale
Not all of the costs related to selling your home are directly related to the sale itself. A lot of the costs are incurred before the sale even happens.
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Marketing the home
One cost that has to be considered is the cost of marketing your home. If you're using a realtor to sell the home, those costs may be included in your realtor's commission. If you're selling on your own, however, you'll need to pay the costs to list your home. You'll most likely want to go through a third party site in order to get your home listed in the MLS listings, and then there is the costs of time and money in order to list your home on other classifieds and home selling sites.
There is also the costs you may incur in order to put together a website of some sort in order to market the house, and any costs to have professional wide angle pictures taken of your house. Thankfully I'm able to do both of these on my own for little to no cost.
Fixing and staging the home
If you've got an older home, you will most likely incur some costs in order to fix things around the house. You may need to put some fresh paint in some rooms, fix leaky toilets, and freshen up the landscaping outside. Depending on how much you need to do, it could be hundreds or thousands of dollars to do fix things and get your house ready for sale.
If your home is already in good shape like ours is, you may still need to do some staging to your house in order to put it in it's best light. That may involve putting some of your furniture and decorations in storage, putting your rooms in an different configuration, and in some cases you might consider hiring a company to stage your home. Professional stagers could cost anywhere from $500-5,000.
Fixing things for buyers
Once you've received an offer on your house sometimes the contract is contingent upon you as the seller fixing things around the house before the sale completes. Depending on what the buyer wants fixed, it could be a minimal cost, or much more expensive if it's something like getting the roof replaced or having a costly pest remediation.
Fees To Expect At Closing
When you've finally found a buyer and are going to be closing on the house, there are quite a few fees and costs you can expect to pay as a seller at the closing. Obviously the taxes and fees are going to vary by state and county, so check with a realtor in your area for full details on everything, and make sure to get a HUD-1 settlement statement before the closing. The things mentioned below are things we'll be expecting to pay here in Minnesota.
Real estate commission
Any sales commissions you’ve agreed to pay real estate agents. In most cases that's going to be anywhere from 6-7% of the sale price if you have both a buyer's and seller's agent. In our case my in-laws are realtors, and they're not charging us a commission, so we'll pay 2.7% (or about $5400 if we sell for what we hope) if our buyer has an agent. Hopefully we'll luck out and find a buyer with no agent.
Abstract or title search
The cost to update your abstract and check the title for your home in order to make sure you own the home, there aren't any existing liens on the property, etc. Could cost around $75-$150 or so.
Recording fees
The cost to file proper documents with the county satisfying your mortgage and clearing up any other title problems. In Minnesota it's around $20.
Real estate taxes & assessments
If you owe any outstanding property taxes you'll need to pay for those. If you've already paid them in full for part or all of the current year your buyer may need to reimburse you for those costs. We're currently paid up through December, so if we were to sell we'd be due several hundred in reimbursed taxes from the buyer.
State deed tax
In every county in Minnesota people currently have to pay $1.65 in taxes for every $500 of the price of their property. So we'll add on $660 if we sell our house for what we hope.
Conservation fee
In Minnesota it will cost somewhere in the range of $5-20 for a mortgage registration fee and a deed transfer fee. This money is used, in part, to fund Minnesota’s wildlife fund. Other states and counties may or may not have similar fees.
Survey fees
If your state requires it, you may need to pay to have the land surveyed, and supply a plat map to the buyer which can run anywhere from $150-600 or more.
Home warranty
Usually isn't required, but is becoming more common in many places to supply a home warranty to the buyer. It can start from $400 and go up from there.
Title company closing fees
What you pay a closing agent, if you hire one. $150-350
Homeowner's association transfer fee and special assessments
If you have a homeowner's association you may need to pay to transfer the association documents to the new owner. In our case it would cost somewhere in the range of $50. Could be more depending on your association. Also, if the association has any special assessments, often they can become due in full at closing, so be aware of those. Thankfully we don't have any.
Buyer's credits
If there is something wrong with the house, or improvements are needed, often the seller will give the buyer a credit to get it fixed later on.
Buyer's closing costs
Sometimes, especially in a buyer's market, the seller will agree to pay a portion or all of the buyer's closing costs. If that is happening in your case, make sure you're aware of it, and that you're not actually getting what the buyer offered, but less based off of what the closing costs you're paying are. So if the house is selling for $100,000 and you're paying $5000 of the buyer's closing costs, you're actually only getting $95,000 for the house.
Selling A House Is Expensive
Back in the days when homes were selling for way over what people paid for them years before, it wasn't hard to sell a house and walk away from the closing with thousands of dollars in profit in your bank account. With dropping home values these days that isn't always the case anymore.
Selling a house in a down market can be tough, especially when your home's value has dropped as much as ours has, up to 25-30%. Trying to sell our house without having to bring money to the closing is going to be tough now because selling a home isn't free.
When you add it all up, selling a home can cost anywhere from 7-10% of the sale price in many cases. If we're lucky that number will be closer to 3-4% since we've got family who are helping us out, and not all fees apply here in Minnesota. Still, it's an added 6500-7000 that will need to come from somewhere. Something we'll take into account if and when we sell.
Have you tried selling a house only to discover a mountain of fees and commissions at the end of the process? Tell us your experience in the comments! |
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Deciphering the cultural significance of the writings of Sholem Aleichem (1859–1916) is akin to opening a set of Russian nesting dolls: inside one set of meanings invariably lies another. The puzzle begins with the author’s name. Meaning both “How do you do?” and “Peace be unto you” in Yiddish, Sholem Aleichem was the pen name adopted by Sholem Rabinovich, the scion of a Ukrainian merchant. Fluent in Russian and Hebrew, he would leave his mark as a leader of the fin de siècle Yiddish literary revival. He married into money, lost it, then struggled financially despite his international renown as a short-story writer and novelist. As a playwright, he was mostly a failure, scorned by New York’s thriving Yiddish theater. The irony is that today he is most widely remembered for the adaptation of his Tevye stories into Fiddler on the Roof, with its sentimental, tragicomic view of Eastern European shtetl life. Ad Policy
Exploring the shifts in Sholem Aleichem’s reception, creative output and roller-coaster fortunes is a dizzying pursuit. Tracing the various cultural representations of just one of his characters—the loquacious, Old Testament–quoting milkman, caught between traditional imperatives and the modern world—is not much simpler. In both cases, the investigation necessarily ricochets between past and present, Europe and America, the tragedy of the pogroms and the greater tragedy of the Holocaust.
Two new books, complementary in their aims and conclusions, manage these daunting tasks with aplomb, even if they’re nowhere near as much fun as reading the writer himself. In The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem, Jeremy Dauber, professor of Yiddish literature at Columbia University, offers a sometimes irreverent—but also deeply serious—literary biography that attempts to channel his subject’s antic spirit. Episodic in feel, it is most effective as a work of criticism that identifies Sholem Aleichem’s affinities with literary modernism and postmodernism—a perspective that undermines the popular notion of his work as sophisticated folklore.
Dauber also conveys a congenial picture of the man himself: devoted to his family, alternately competitive and collaborative with other writers, a committed wanderer perennially in search of cash and recognition. Without lapsing into long-winded historical digressions, he situates Sholem Aleichem in a sociocultural context that included violent Russian anti-Semitism, European war and the alluring but fragmentary promise of America. In his final pages, Dauber takes on what he calls Sholem Aleichem’s “afterlife,” including the development of Fiddler on the Roof, the focus of Alisa Solomon’s Wonder of Wonders.
Solomon begins with a thumbnail sketch of Sholem Aleichem’s frayed relationship with the American Yiddish stage, as well as the success of Tevye der Milkhiker, an early play based on his Tevye stories. She finds her footing with the wonderfully gossipy creation tale of the long-running Broadway musical, a labor of love plagued by animosity between its temperamental director-choreographer and its rebellious star. She concludes with reporting on select instances of Fiddler’s staging and reception around the world, attesting to the show’s continuing power and relevance.
Dauber’s biography, involving close analysis of individual works, has the salutary effect of sending the reader back to the originals. For those of us not literate in Yiddish, that means English-language translations that struggle to capture Sholem Aleichem’s signature humor and wordplay. In The Old Country, the first English-language collection of his stories, Frances Butwin (co-translator with her husband, Julius) addresses some of the challenges of the translator’s art: “Often what was entirely right and simple and flavorsome in Yiddish completely missed fire when translated literally.” In the case of Tevye, she adds, “some of the pungency and flavor of this most delightful and most completely realized of all of Sholom Aleichem’s characters was lost in translation.”
Both the title, The Old Country¸ and the publication date, 1946, are nonetheless resonant, evoking a world not just forsaken but destroyed. To postwar American Jews with only a Jungian collective memory of the shtetl, Sholem Aleichem signifies as the chronicler of all that fell victim not just to modernity and assimilation, the Cossacks and compulsory military service, emigration and escape, but to the Nazis and (in Ukraine) their murderously efficient Einsatzgruppen. Both Dauber and Solomon cite Ben Hecht’s review in The New York Times to this effect: “It is the epitaph of a vanished world and an almost vanished people,” Hecht wrote of The Old Country.
As Dauber notes, associating Sholem Aleichem with the ravages of the Holocaust is an entirely anachronistic reading of stories written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. But Sholem Aleichem did witness the pogroms that served as both symbol and warning of worse to come. Seeing his work through this prism is in part a reverential act by second- and third-generation American Jews, who may be unable even to name the cities or towns abandoned by their émigré forebears. (I know the precise geographic origins of only one of my four grandparents, and even that was a recent discovery.)
Some of the symbols Sholem Aleichem used, and that Fiddler on the Roof emblazoned in popular consciousness, serve as reminders of the links between the Old World and the New. The tailor Motel Kamzoil’s beloved sewing machine evolved into the garment industry of the Lower East Side, where my paternal grandfather worked as a dressmaker. Tevye’s itinerant dairy business had its mid-twentieth-century equivalent in my maternal grandparents’ Brighton Beach appetizing store, renowned for its smoked fish. “That store,” my cousin Bernie once told me enviously, “was a gold mine.” He might have been mimicking a character in a Sholem Aleichem story.
* * *
Dauber’s biography borrows in formal terms from both the eighteenth-century picaresque novel and the stage. He divides the book, and thus Sholem Aleichem’s life, into five acts, followed by an epilogue designated “An Afterlife in Ten Scenes.” With chapter titles like “In Which Our Hero Has Joyous Meetings and Tragic Partings, and Seeks a Buried Treasure (1907–1908)” and “In Which Our Hero Fights Back Against Libels of a Frivolous and Tragic Nature, and Encounters His Alternate Selves (1911–1913),” he analogizes Sholem Aleichem’s wanderings to those of an adventure-seeking picaresque hero, while leavening his descriptions with postmodern irony.
Dauber’s opening claim doubles as an example of his lively prose style:
If you’re an American, Jew or no, of a certain generational span—born, say, between the time Sid Caesar first mugged for a television camera and the premiere of Seinfeld—there’s no talking about Sholem Aleichem without talking about Fiddler on the Roof, the stage and screen adaptation of his greatest creation, Tevye the dairyman. Forget Sholem Aleichem: there’s no talking about Yiddish, his language of art, without talking about Fiddler.
The life clearly informed the work, from its locales to its obsession with themes such as lost treasure. But Dauber emphasizes that Sholem Aleichem should not be identified too literally with his colorful characters. He was, the biographer says, “a first-class intellect and brilliant writer, who translated the momentous events of the day for an audience looking for nuance wrapped in simplicity.” Dauber describes Sholem Aleichem’s own life, highly peripatetic and striated with disasters, as “Jewish modernity writ small.”
Sholem Aleichem is not just a pen name, one of several the writer adopted early in his career; he is also a character, the man to whom Tevye addresses his famous monologues. The first Tevye story—in the Butwin translation, “Tevye Wins a Fortune”—ends with this admonition to the fictive Sholem Aleichem: “One thing I beg of you. Don’t put me into one of your books, and if you do put me in, at least don’t tell them my real name.” The admonition, obviously not heeded in full, raises questions about the nature of fiction and the complicated, layered relationship between narrator and storyteller.
In any case, Sholem Aleichem, the man, needed the money. In Dauber’s account, Rabinovich was born into a middle-class family that suffered financial reverses. He was raised near Kiev, in the small village of Voronkov. It was there, Dauber writes, that “he amassed the raw stuff of small-town Eastern European Jewish life that he would later transmute into the image of the shtetl, often by removing its Christian presence and proximity.”
In Voronkov, too, the writer’s father was “ruined” in large part by “an unscrupulous business partner,” introducing his son to the vagaries of fortune. That spurred a family move back to his birthplace, Pereyaslav, where Sholem’s parents “would lock the bread away in a cupboard so the starving children wouldn’t get into it”—a horrifying image of dire poverty. His mother died of cholera in 1872, and his father was remarried to a woman who, for years, acted the part of the wicked stepmother.
Already writing prolifically, Sholem Aleichem escaped to become a tutor and stumbled into a Harlequin romance. Leveraging a shared love of literature, he won the heart of his employer’s daughter, Olga, and over strong parental objections finally wed her. “Undoubtedly, there are echoes of [Olga’s] behavior in the portrait Sholem Aleichem would craft of Tevye’s strong-willed daughters,” Dauber tells us. More immediately, though, for his first published Yiddish-language story, he fashioned a melodramatic tale of an impoverished tutor who woos the daughter of a wealthy businessman. The ending is a variation on Romeo and Juliet, with both lovers committing suicide.
In reality, Sholem Aleichem and his bride were happily married and eventually had six children. In 1885, his father-in-law died a freakish early death, and Olga (and therefore, under law, her husband) inherited the equivalent of more than $2.6 million in 2010 dollars. That transformed “the former starving student…into one of the wealthiest Jews in Eastern Europe,” Dauber writes—yet another spectacular reversal of fortune.
Sholem Aleichem began to live lavishly. He also used his resources to promote Yiddish, the lingua franca of East European Jews, previously dismissed as mere “jargon.” In 1889, he published an anthology of Yiddish writing whose supplement would include his novel, Stempenyu, about a married woman who ultimately resists her adulterous attraction to a musician.
By 1890, though, he was broke and hiding from creditors in Paris. Dauber can’t specify exactly what happened to all that money. But, probing Sholem Aleichem’s fiction for clues, he diagnoses the problems as “overconfidence, insufficient hedging against risk, excessive borrowing, and false and ignorant friends who occasionally lured the tyro businessman into disastrous deals.”
One of the recurrent themes of the biography is just how hard Sholem Aleichem, his growing fame notwithstanding, had to fight for a living—both for newspaper gigs and the money due from them. With a family to support, he was frequently penurious. He moved back and forth between Europe and America, wooing new publics, switching publishers, never quite satisfied and in declining health. Early on, he was desperate enough to relinquish his copyrights, but supporters eventually helped buy them back. With his own rock-concert-like benefit appearances, Dauber writes, Sholem Aleichem became “a figure that hovered between reality and fantasy.”
In Boyarke, outside Kiev, in 1894, Sholem Aleichem encountered the man on whom he would model Tevye. “But the original Tevye’s relationship to his literary counterpart was probably akin to what Kenny Kramer’s was to the Seinfeld character: an inspirational canvas on which creators of genius sketch their own comic imaginings,” Dauber writes.
The Tevye stories, focusing on the increasingly wayward marital aspirations of the dairyman’s daughters, were published over a twenty-year period. Despite the buffetings of fortune, Tevye remained “a character who stood for something like hope,” one to whom the author returned periodically for sustenance. After Sholem Aleichem’s first disastrous sojourn in America, Dauber writes, Tevye served for the author as “his resilience, his persistence in the face of adversity.”
* * *
This is the role that Tevye has continued to play for a prodigious public, as Alisa Solomon’s admiring account of Fiddler on the Roof suggests. “The show,” she writes in Wonder of Wonders, “is a global touchstone for an astonishing range of concerns: Jewish identity, American immigrant narratives, generational conflict, communal cohesion, ethnic authenticity, and interracial bridge building, among them.” She adds, persuasively, that the musical “solidified the origin story of American Jews as flight from persecution in East European shtetls—never mind the actual origins of those from urban centers or from Sephardic or Middle Eastern backgrounds.”
From the start, Fiddler has had its critics, who have taken it to task for its overly sentimental view of the old country, for its alleged misrepresentation of Sholem Aleichem’s sensibility, or even for its apparent endorsement of intermarriage. Solomon quotes the Yiddish literary critic Ruth Wisse, who wrote: “If a Jewish work can only enter American culture by forfeiting its moral authority and its commitment to group survival, one has to wonder about the bargain that destroys the Jews with its applause.” The theater critic Robert Brustein issued a broader indictment, chiding Fiddler for ”falsifying the world of Sholem Aleichem, not to mention the character of the East European Jew.” But however influential Wisse and Brustein were in the cultural discourse, their views remained minority ones. And Solomon argues that, for the most part, the musical’s creators got it right.
It is intriguing to ponder just how close Fiddler came to being a Rodgers and Hammerstein project. In 1949, Solomon tells us, the team secured an option to a libretto by Irving Elman based on the Tevye stories. Would Rodgers and Hammerstein have given the show a more triumphalist cast? Would they have added an anthem about the follies of prejudice? We’ll never know. They were at the time thoroughly immersed in creating The King and I and ultimately relinquished their rights. Michael Todd was next in line, but his plans, too, went nowhere.
Meanwhile, the blacklisted writer Arnold Perl and the blacklisted actor Howard Da Silva staged two successful plays, The World of Sholom Aleichem and Tevya and His Daughters. The productions, which served as clarion calls against injustice, “demonstrated that old Yiddish stories could find a sizable contemporary audience and make it happy,” Solomon writes. Together with an earlier dance production by the choreographer Sophie Maslow, they provoked a secondhand longing among American Jews, what Solomon calls “nostalgia for a place one had never actually been.” The creative team for Fiddler on the Roof would include the director-choreographer Jerome Robbins, already famous for West Side Story and Gypsy; lyricist Sheldon Harnick and composer Jerry Bock, who had collaborated on Fiorello!; and librettist Joseph Stein. Harold Prince would become the principal producer. All were Jewish, though from varied backgrounds, and the creative process for Fiddler would send them back to their roots, prospecting for nuggets of authenticity.
Stein’s main challenge, as Solomon describes it, was to knit the separate stories, narrated by Tevye, into a coherent narrative. Robbins “labored mightily to burn away the schmaltz that for two decades had encased the world of the shtetl like amber,” Solomon writes. Seeking to wed the particular with the universal, he tried to persuade Marc Chagall to join the design team; scenic designer Boris Aronson signed on instead. To everyone he enlisted, Robbins assigned homework that included Sholem Aleichem’s stories, archival photos and obscure historical films.
One great coup was the casting of Zero Mostel, another blacklisted actor of outsized talent. “Mostel and Robbins had worked together briefly before and did not like each other,” Solomon writes. It hardly helped that Robbins had been on the opposite side of the Cold War divide, having named names before the House Un-American Activities Committee. In rehearsal, the two would clash frequently, in part because of their opposing temperaments: “Mostel was confident and free as an actor could be, Robbins a sack of insecurity as a director,” Solomon notes.
After out-of-town tryouts in Detroit and Washington, Fiddler opened triumphantly in New York on September 22, 1964. And despite mixed reviews, the audiences kept coming, making it the longest-running musical of its era. Fiddler’s story of generational conflict intersected with the looming challenges of 1960s America, Solomon asserts, “capturing the sensibility—the anxiety”—of a country on the threshold of enormous social change. The final portion of Solomon’s densely reported book describes the making of the 1971 Norman Jewison film and some of the uses to which Fiddler has been put around the world. In Israel, she writes, the show “brought audiences close to the Old World without collapsing the distance that national self-definition still required.” In Brooklyn’s Brownsville section, a middle school production with an African-American cast became a “vehicle…for the assertion and agency that community control aspired to give the whole city.” And in one Polish community, an open-air production that enlisted props from local households stirred up memories, possibly bittersweet, of “the Jews who once shared their town.”
Sholem Aleichem’s own 1916 funeral, a huge cultural event, prefigured the mythic qualities that would adhere to his creations. More than 100 Yiddish writers watched over his body in fine ceremonial fashion. As many as 250,000 people thronged the streets of New York City to witness his funeral procession.
His will, released after the funeral, enhanced his mystique. It asked that he be placed “among plain Jewish laborers, among the people itself.” And it entreated his family and others “not to weep after me, on the contrary, to think of me with joy.” Both Wonder of Wonders and The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem heed that parting admonition. |
A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. — Joseph Stalin
Many people believe that governments are too bureaucratic, incompetent and lazy to accomplish anything substantial. However, history has demonstrated that powerful elites have used governments to do one thing extremely efficiently:
According to Professor R.J. Rummel of the University of Hawaii, Democide is the murder of any person or people by a government, including genocide, politicide, and mass murder. Democide does not include soldiers killed in battle. During the 20th Century (1900s) alone, Rummel calculates that government power was used to murder approximately
Approximately 61,911,000 people, 54,769,000 of them citizens, were murdered by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1987. Rummel writes:
Part of this mass killing was genocide, as in the wholesale murder of hundreds of thousands of Don Cossacks in 1919, the intentional starving of about 5,000,000 Ukrainian peasants to death in 1932-33,2 or the deportation to mass death of 50,000 to 60,000 Estonians in 1949.3 Part was mass murder, as of the wholesale extermination of perhaps 6,500,000 “kulaks” (in effect, the better off peasants and those resisting collectivization) from 1930 to 1937, the execution of perhaps a million Party members in the Great Terror of 1937-38, and the massacre of all Trotskyites in the forced labor camps.
Most people are unaware that all that death resulting from the Bolshevik Revolution would not have been possible absent the support of wealthy financiers in London and New York. Lenin and Trotsky were on the closest of terms with these moneyed interests both before and after the Revolution. Additionally, it was President Woodrow Wilson that provided Trotsky with a passport to return to Russia to “carry forward” the revolution.
China
Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. – Mao Zedong
Whatever the price of the Chinese Revolution [40 million people murdered], it has obviously succeeded not only in producing more efficient and dedicated administration, but also in fostering high morale and community of purpose. The social experiment in China under Chairman Mao’s leadership is one of the most important and successful in human history.– David Rockefeller (CFR, Trilateral Commission, Bilderberg, Chase Bank)
Since 1949 the Chinese communists killed from 5,999,000 to 102,671,000 people; a prudent estimate is 35,236,000. When added to the number they murdered in previous years, the communists likely killed 38,702,000 Chinese, Tibetans, and other minorities.
No other people in the last century except Soviet citizens have suffered so much mass killing in cold blood as have the Chinese.
In 1972, then National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon had no problem meeting with Mao, after Mao’s Great Leap Forward, which banned private property and resulted in the murder/starvation of millions of Chinese. This meeting improved U.S. Chinese relations so that U.S. economy could later be destroyed by outsourcing manufacturing to communist China.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany was a ruthlessly efficient killing machine from 1933 to 1945.
By genocide, the murder of hostages, reprisal raids, forced labor, “euthanasia,” starvation, exposure, medical experiments, and terror bombing, and in the concentration and death camps, the Nazis murdered from 15,003,000 to 31,595,000 people, most likely 20,946,000 men, women, handicapped, aged, sick, prisoners of war, forced laborers, camp inmates, critics, homosexuals, Jews, Slavs, Serbs, Germans, Czechs, Italians, Poles, French, Ukrainians, and many others. Among them 1,000,000 were children under eighteen years of age. And none of these monstrous figures even include civilian and military combat or war-deaths.
Of course, the Nazis did not lose the war, only the German people lost the war. The Nazis simply relocated to the United States under Operation Paperclip and South America (Grey Wolf).
It is important to realize that Hitler’s rise to power was made possible by Wall Street banksters and American industrialist. Anthony Sutton’s Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler demonstrates that the Nazi’s received support from Henry Ford, General Electric, ITT, Texaco, Wall Street houses — Dillon, Read; Harris, Forbes, Morgan and Chase banks, and banker Paul Warburg (co-founder of the private Federal Reserve),
Standard Oil’s [Rockefeller] role was technical aid to Nazi development of synthetic rubber and gasoline through a U.S. research company under the management control of Standard Oil. The Ethyl Gasoline Company, jointly owned by Standard Oil of New Jersey and General Motors, was instrumental in supplying vital ethyl lead to Nazi Germany — over the written protests of the U.S. War Department — with the clear knowledge that the ethyl lead was for Nazi military purposes.
Prescott Bush also helped Hitler’s rise to power.George W. Bush’s grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany. A financial firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism. His business dealings, which continued until his company’s assets were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act, led more than 60 years later to a civil action for damages being brought in Germany against the Bush family by two former slave laborers at Auschwitz.
Vietnam and Southeast Asia
U.S. policy toward the third world should be one of depopulation- Henry Kissinger (CFR, Trilateral Commission, Bilderberg)
Professor Rummel calculates that at least 3,761,000 people were murdered by governments in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1987. This period includes U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
According to James “Bo” Gritz, America’s most decorated Green Beret commander, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War served three purposes for the “international planners.” Most significant was the genocide in Southeast Asia, through a policy of drawn-out, no-win warfare which resulted in the combat deaths of more than 58,000 Americans and more than six million Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians. This policy permitted the collapse of the Lon Nol military government in Cambodia (Kampuchea) in order to make way for Pol Pot, who oversaw the slaughter of nearly half his countrymen.
Cambodia
Professor Rummel notes that in proportion to its population, Cambodia underwent a human catastrophe unparalleled in this century. Out of a 1970 population of probably near 7,100,000 Cambodia probably lost slightly less than 4,000,000 people to war, rebellion, man-made famine, genocide, politicide, and mass murder. The vast majority, almost 3,300,000 men, women, and children were murdered within the years 1970 to 1980 by successive governments and guerrilla groups. Most of these, a figure near 2,400,000, were murdered by the communist Khmer Rouge as directed by Pol Pot.
Unfortunately, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge also received support from the United States:
Two U.S. relief aid workers, Linda Mason and Roger Brown, later wrote, ‘The U.S. government insisted that the Khmer Rouge be fed. The U.S. preferred that the Khmer Rouge operation benefit from the credibility of an internationally known relief operation.’ In 1980, under U.S. pressure, the World Food Program handed over food worth $12 million to pass on to the Khmer Rouge. In that year, I traveled on a U.N. convoy of forty trucks into Cambodia from Thailand and filmed a U.N. official handing the supplies over to a Khmer Rouge general, Nam Phan, known to Western aid officials as The Butcher.
Iraq Democide
After providing weapons to both Iraq and Iran during the Iran/Iraq War, the United States and UN world governments were used by their globalist controllers to conduct democide against the people of Iraq. On May 12, 1996, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told 60 minutes that murdering 500,000 Iraqi children by imposing economic sanctions was “worth it.”
Former private Federal Reserve syndicate boss Alan Greenspan said that the U.S. invasion of Iraq caused the deaths of 1,200,000 Iraqis and was about stealing oil.
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In fact, many Iraq war veterans, which get no attention from the Big 6 military/pharmaceutical/industrial complex media, say that the Iraq War is one long atrocity.
The U.S. military also used depleted uranium against the Iraqi people, which ensures generations of birth defects and disease due to a half-life of 4.7 billion years.
United States Soft-Kill Democide
In their quest for death and depopulation, the globalists are currently conducting soft-kill democide.
Obama’s top science adviser, John P. Holdren, co-authored Ecoscience, in which he advocated the formation of a “planetary regime” that would use a “global police force” to enforce totalitarian measures of population control, including forced abortions, mass sterilization programs conducted via the food and water supply, as well as mandatory bodily implants that would prevent couples from having children.
Maurice Hilleman, one of the most prominent vaccine scientists in the history of the vaccine industry, a Merck scientist, made a recording where he openly admits the vaccines given to Americans were contaminated with leukemia and cancer viruses. Now one in three Americans will suffer and/or die from cancer.
Bill Gates is also and advocate of using vaccines to reduce the population and eugenics. At a TED conference, he announced in front of a live audience: “…if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower [global population] by perhaps 10 or 15 percent.” Additionally, Gates holds 500,000 shares of Monsanto which poisons the population and environment with GMO crops. Fortunately for Gates, he has plenty of money to pay the presstitutes to propagandize him as a saint.
Aluminum is used in many household products, including personal deodorant, despite the fact that it promotes cancer.
Chemtrails are sprayed from planes above, poisoning the population with aluminum, strontium, and barium. There have even been reports that chemtrails contain the SV-40 cancer virus.
Our food has been genetically modified, packed with preservatives, and filled with toxic dyes and chemicals to the point that it is a secret soft-kill weapon.
Our tap water has been contaminated with toxic fluoride, an ingredient in bug poison that harms teeth, the body and mind.
All of these contaminates cause cancer, disease, or continually stress the immune system to the point that we live shorter lives. |
Image caption People have been fleeing the conflict, with the UN warning that food and medicines are running short
A summit of four African heads of state has urged rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo to cease fire and stop threats to depose the government.
The leaders also told the M23 group to leave the eastern city of Goma, which they captured on Tuesday.
Later the rebels said they had met DR Congo President Joseph Kabila, and would hold talks with him.
The summit was held in Uganda which, alongside Rwanda, has been accused of backing the rebels.
Both countries deny the charges.
The UN has warned of a humanitarian crisis, with food and medicines running short.
Armed groups have battled over mineral-rich eastern DR Congo for two decades.
Joint force
President Kabila and the presidents of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania attended the Uganda talks but the Rwandan leader, Paul Kagame, stayed away. He was represented by his foreign minister.
M23 leader Jean-Marie Runiga was also in Kampala.
The four presidents issued a statement calling on M23 to "stop all war activities and withdraw from Goma" and "stop talk of overthrowing an elected government". Mr Kabila was also urged to listen to the rebels' grievances.
Rebels have rejected previous calls to leave Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and the main city in eastern DR Congo.
However, Mr Runiga said a withdrawal was possible, but could only come about from talks with Mr Kabila.
He said he held a meeting with Mr Kabila to arrange the talks, and that despite some tensions the meeting had gone "very well".
"Direct negotiations are scheduled between us and Kabila tomorrow," he said, quoted by AFP news agency.
Who are the M23 rebels? Named after the 23 March 2009 peace accord which they accuse the government of violating
This deal saw them join the army before they took up arms once more in April 2012
Also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army
Mostly from minority Tutsi ethnic group
Deny being backed by Rwanda and Uganda
Believed to have 1,200 to 6,000 fighters
International Criminal Court indicted top commander Bosco "Terminator" Ntaganda in 2006 for allegedly recruiting child soldiers
The UN and US imposed a travel ban and asset freeze earlier this month on the group's leader, Sultani Makenga Q&A: DR Congo's M23 rebels Profile: Bosco 'Terminator' Ntaganda Harding: DR Congo's cycle of chaos
The presidents' statement also proposed:
That the DR Congo government should evaluate the "legitimate grievances of M23"
M23's withdrawal from current positions to at least 20km (13 miles) from Goma within two days
A joint force of neutral regional troops, government soldiers and rebels at Goma airport
That Goma police be rearmed and resume duty
That UN Monusco peacekeepers occupy the neutral zone between Goma and M23
Supervision of the process by army chiefs of Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo
About 500,000 people have been displaced by the rebellion since it began in April, with the formation of M23 after a mutiny in the army.
The rebels said they were not given army posts promised in a 2009 deal to end a previous uprising.
Their exact aims are unclear but they have also advanced beyond Goma, taking the town of Sake despite a loyalist fight-back.
They had threatened to attack the capital, Kinshasa, if President Kabila did not open negotiations with them.
The UN has accused Rwanda and Uganda of backing the M23, saying the chain of command culminates with Rwandan Defence Minister James Kabarebe.
The M23's gains have raised fears of renewed war in DR Congo, where some five million people died in a conflict from 1997-2003.
The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution condemning the rebel seizure of Goma and calling for sanctions against M23 leaders.
Tens of thousands of civilians have fled as the rebel forces have advanced, scattering from villages and refugee camps.
The United Nations' children's fund Unicef says hundreds of children have been separated from their parents. It warns that many of them risk being recruited by armed groups. |
Two days after last season ended, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of getting his team’s payroll under $189 million to avoid Major League Baseball’s luxury tax, “It’s a goal, not a mandate.”
Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner repeated that sentiment throughout the early part of the offseason, as the Yankees signed Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran. The Yankees were going to try to be fiscally responsible, but not at the cost of not putting a championship-caliber team on the field.
SPECTOR: Stars past and present weigh in on MLB's hot topics
There is only one mandate in the Bronx, and that mandate never changes: Win everything. The Yankees made a good-faith attempt to do that under the framework of a $189 million payroll for 2014, even letting themselves get outbid by the Seattle Mariners for Robinson Cano.
Now, Masahiro Tanaka is coming to New York for a reported seven years and $155 million, with an opt-out clause after four years, and it’s a 1-8-7 on Project 189. There is no argument that it was worthwhile for the Yankees to forget about their financial pet project in order to sign the 25-year-old right-hander — the only question now is how much further Steinbrenner will be willing to go in pursuit of the only thing that ever matters to the Yankees, another championship.
— A 10-year-old ranks MLB's mascots
By now, everyone knows Tanaka’s eye-popping numbers from last year — a 24-0 record and 1.27 ERA for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan. For those thinking it may have been a well-timed fluke, over the past three seasons Tanaka has gone 53-9 with a 1.44 ERA, a 0.944 WHIP, 593 strikeouts, 78 walks and 18 home runs allowed in 611 1/3 innings. There will be an adjustment from the Pacific League to the American League, to be sure, but New York is getting a star.
Tanaka slots in at the top of a rotation that also includes CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova, with Vidal Nuno, David Phelps, Michael Pineda and Adam Warren all candidates for the No. 5 spot. Now that the Yankees have put aside their self-imposed financial goals, though, they should go for more certainty in their rotation and sign Ubaldo Jimenez.
FANTASY: How much value will Tanaka have?
Sabathia, at age 33, is coming off the worst season of his career, having allowed a league-worst 112 earned runs in 2013 while seeing his strikeout total dip to 175, his lowest K count since a 2006 season in which he made four fewer starts. Kuroda, who turns 39 next month, went 0-6 with a 6.56 ERA in his final eight starts of last season. Nova has never made more than 28 starts in a season. Jimenez should be the Yankees’ target because of his durability, with six straight seasons of 31 or more starts, and because of his history of keeping the ball in the ballpark, with only 103 homers allowed in 1275 2/3 innings, despite having spent most of his career with the Colorado Rockies. That’s what makes him a better fit for New York than Ervin Santana, Matt Garza or Bronson Arroyo.
Ubaldo Jimenez (AP Photo)
Adding Jimenez to Tanaka, Sabathia, Kuroda and Nova would give the Yankees a rotation to compete with the Dodgers’ starting group as the best in baseball, with the current candidates for the No. 5 spot serving as the kind of depth that a team so reliant on older players needs.
The Yankees also should get in touch with Grant Balfour and Fernando Rodney, because they can use another top reliever to go along with David Robertson and left-hander Matt Thornton. There’s some talent in the New York bullpen now, but also a lot of uncertainty. Playing in a division where the Red Sox have Koji Uehara set up by Craig Breslow, Edward Mujica and Junichi Tazawa, another top-flight relief arm would better position the Yankees for the inevitable late-inning duels with their ancient rivals.
Another way the Yankees could go after the Red Sox would be to sign Stephen Drew, which would leave Boston without a safety net if Xander Bogaerts or Will Middlebrooks struggles. In New York, Drew would start off as a third baseman, but would also provide better insurance than Brendan Ryan as an everyday option at shortstop if 39-year-old Derek Jeter’s health does not hold up. Ryan would be free to split second base with Brian Roberts, while Kelly Johnson would be able to play the super-utility role that he is best suited to play. What would become of Eduardo Nunez? The Yankees have more important things to worry about than how a career minus-1.7 WAR player fits their roster, because he doesn’t.
If some of this seems like overkill, like the Yankees would be filling positions that already are filled, that is exactly what they should be doing, because a team depending almost exclusively on players over 30 needs to have depth — not only in case of injuries, but to keep those aging players fresh over the course of 162 games. New York signed Beltran when it already had Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, and Alfonso Soriano. The DH spot will be a valuable tool for Joe Girardi to keep good hitters in the lineup while simultaneously easing the burden of innings spent in the field on aging legs.
On his own, Tanaka provides a massive boost to the Yankees’ hopes of returning to the playoffs after missing out for only the second time in the wild-card era. There still is work to do for New York to put forward a championship team in 2014. That’s a goal and a mandate. |
Sep 23, 2013
In the study of myth, the question of metaphors presents many a challenge.
When does a ‘sun’ literally refer to the quotidian sun and when is it a metaphor for some other bright sky light? Hard-and-fast rules are risky; every tradition is best examined in its own right.
One group of myths that seem to concern some other luminaries than the familiar sun is the cross-cultural theme of ‘sun shooting’. In this, one, two or more ‘suns’ are found to be unsatisfactory, often for shining too brightly, and are brought down by the arrows of one or more heroes, leaving only the present sun in the heavens.
In cases where the assault results in the victim’s fragmentation there can be no question that the object was not the real sun. This was the fate that befell Ta-vi, ‘the sun-god”, upon raising the ire of Ta-wats, ‘the hare-god’, in a myth from the Ute (primarily of Utah and Colorado):
‘Ta-wats awoke in great anger, and speedily determined to go and fight the sun-god. After a long journey of many adventures the hare-god came to the brink of the earth, and there watched long and patiently, till at last the sun-god coming out he shot an arrow at his face, but the fierce heat consumed the arrow ere it had finished its intended course; then another arrow was sped, but that also was consumed; and another, and still another, till only one remained in his quiver, but this was the magical arrow that had never failed its mark. Ta-wats, holding it in his hand, lifted the barb to his eye and baptized it in a divine tear; then the arrow was sped and struck the sun-god full in the face, and the sun was shivered into a thousand fragments, which fell to the earth, causing a general conflagration.’
A solar referent is also less likely in cases where multiple so-called ‘suns’ were targeted. Where two are concerned, an overlap occurs with the motif of ‘two rival suns, one of which becomes the sun, the other the moon’. Thus, the Karen (Myanmar) spoke of ‘two suns’, which once ‘came forth, but the heat was so great that neither man nor beast could endure it.’ To remedy this, a man by the name of Thye-kha ‘went up into the valley of mount Ra-ko-sho, and shot an arrow into the face of one of the suns, and it ceased to give light and became the moon, which God appointed to rule over the night.’ The other, presumably, turned into the present sun.
This storyline was also common among the natives of Taiwan. For example, the Atayal (northern Taiwan) used to relate that once ‘two suns circled around in the sky, and there was no separation between day and night. One of the suns was much larger than the one we see today, and it caused the weather to be extremely hot. The scorching heat caused the plants started to shrivel [sic! MAS] and the rivers started to dry up which made agricultural crops impossible to grow. The people on earth suffered greatly.’ Eventually, ‘The bigger sun was shot and burning blood oozed out from its wound.’ The moon seen today is its remnant and the distinction of day and night has existed ever since. A neighbouring nation, the Bunun (originally of the central mountain range) likewise recalled ‘that there were once two suns in the sky. The heat was unbearable until the ancestor of the Bunun Tribe climbed to the top of Mt. Jade and blinded one of the suns, so it is now the cool moon.’
Variants on the same theme of the celestial archer involve seven or nine ‘suns’. This number suggests that none of these myths originated in relation to the actual sun and moon. A Mongolian tale serves as an example:
‘Once upon a time there rose seven suns in the universe, and it was exposed to a burning drought. The earth was heated fiercely, the streams and rivers evaporated, the plants and trees were parched. People and living beings suffered from intolerable heat, and horses and animals were tormented by painful thirst. It was dreadfully difficult to live or even survive. However, there lived a very good archer, called Erkhii Mergen. He was an excellent archer, who could shoot skillfully what he saw and hit accurately at what he aimed. A stream of people went to him, and requested him to shoot and destroy the many suns which rose in the sky. … Then he said, ‘I will shoot the seven suns with one arrow each and destroy them’ … From the Eastern side then Erkhii Mergen began shooting the seven suns, those that rose in a file from the East to the West in the sky. He hit and destroyed six of the suns with six arrows. … the last sun was afraid of the archer and it disappeared to hide behind a western mountain. … People say the last sun of this world was frightened of Erkhii Mergen and went behind a mountain, and it is for this reason that the day and the night appear in succession.’
Taking a shot at explaining such myths, some might consider bolides or meteorite impacts – both of which may feature large dazzling bodies, singly or in multiples, which may violently explode and cause conflagrations. However, such events last seconds to minutes and could have nothing to do with the first installation of the sun and moon in their current positions. This impression is strengthened by further variations on the theme.
Some versions associate the pesky suns with a form of the axis mundi, such as a cosmic tree. For instance, in Chinese mythology the giant ‘support mulberry’ (fú sāng), rooted in ‘T’ang (hot water) Valley’, was stated to be the place ‘where the ten suns were bathed’: ‘This is north of Hei Ch’ih. In the water is a large tree with nine suns in the lower branches and one in the upper.’ ‘When one sun gets to the tree, another comes out.’ An early commentator added: ‘In the top of the jo tree are ten suns, resembling flowers strung together, casting light downward.’ On one occasion, all ten suns appeared in the sky at once, producing an intense life-threatening heat on the earth. The archer Hòu Yì then eliminated all except the extant sun: ‘In early times ten suns came out together, burning the vegetation to a crisp.’ ‘Yao ordered Yi to shoot the ten suns, and he hit nine.’
Alternatively, some associated this episode of ‘shooting stars’ with the ‘separation of heaven and earth’, one of the defining events in global creation mythology. This is illustrated in a tradition from the Dusun (west Sabah, Malaysia):
‘Long ago when the sky was very low down, only a man’s height from the ground … the sky was very low. Then the man was very angry because his wife was ill, and he made seven blow-pipe arrows. Early the next morning he took his blow-pipe with him and went to the place where the sun rises and waited. Now at that time there were seven suns. When they rose he shot six of them and left only one remaining; then he went home. At the time the man shot the suns … the sky had risen to its present place; since, when the man had shot the six suns, the remaining sun, being frightened, ran away up into the air and took the sky with it.’
The internal consistency between such superficially preposterous accounts from historically unrelated cultures, interlocking with equally puzzling themes such as the ‘erstwhile rivalry of sun and moon’, the ‘noosing of the sun’ and ‘stationary suns’, cries out for a rational explanation. A long shot it may be, but a compelling solution is offered by plasma physicist Anthony Peratt’s hypothesis of an intense aurora which occurred globally in prehistoric times. This would have taken the form of atmospheric plasma z-pinches developing columnar instabilities. Each Peratt Column would have pinched into some nine superimposed plasmoids. Generally, only one, two or three of these will have appeared at a time in visible light, but on extreme occasions all may have manifested at once, emitting intolerable synchrotron radiation light. While the columns typically appeared motionless, some may have drifted over the horizon.
‘Fiery arrows’ dispatched towards the plasmoids, shattering of individual plasmoids, links with the axis mundi, devastating heat and wildfires, the stationary position indicated in some versions, the lifting of the ‘sky’ and the appearance of the real sun and moon subsequent to the demise of the column – all of these correlative motifs fall into place on the same adventurous model. The upshot? The earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere may have passed through periods of extreme turbulence, of which humans have preserved frail but persistent memories.
Rens Van Der Sluijs
Mythopedia.info
Click here for a Spanish translation |
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Amid questions that emerged about racial bias in America’s police forces following events in Ferguson and New York, the White House has issued a report seeking changes for policies guiding law enforcement, including an end to profiling and discrimination against LGBT people.
The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, established in December, made public on Monday its 101-page interim report. Among the major suggested changes are building trust and legitimacy by treating others with respect and improved oversight through data collection, supervision and accountability.
One chief recommendation is the creation of a National Crime & Justice Task Force to review comprehensive criminal justice reform in addition to enforcement of federal immigration laws and regulation of consent searches.
In remarks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, President Obama said the report is based on “pragmatic, common-sense ideas” from criminal justice experts, community leaders, law enforcement and civil liberties advocates.
“A lot of our work is going to involve local police chiefs, local elected officials, states recognizing that the moment is now for us to make these changes,” Obama said. “We have a great opportunity, coming out of some great conflict and tragedy, to really transform how we think about community law enforcement relations so that everybody feels safer and our law enforcement officers feel, rather than being embattled, feel fully supported.”
The report was produced following a 90-day period in which the Task Force — chaired by Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and former Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson — undertook listening sessions in various cities to obtain input on the relationship between police forces and their communities.
In terms of LGBT issues, the report recommends that law enforcement agencies adopt policies prohibiting profiling and discrimination on the basis of various characteristics, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.
“Invasive searches should never be used for the sole purpose of determining gender identity, and an individual’s gender identity should be respected in lock-ups and holding cells to the extent that the facility allows for gender segregation,” the report says.
One proposed action is for the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control to add on federal surveys questions about sexual harassment and misconduct toward LGBT people by law enforcement officers.
“All human beings have biases or prejudices as a result of their experiences, and these biases influence how they might react when dealing with unfamiliar people or situations,” the report says. “An explicit bias is a conscious bias about certain populations based upon race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or other attributes. Common sense shows that explicit bias is incredibly damaging to police-community relations, and there is a growing body of research evidence that shows that implicit bias—the biases people are not even aware they have—is harmful as well.”
Another recommendation in the report is the end to using possession of condoms as sole evidence of intent to engage in prostitution, a change transgender and HIV/AIDS advocates have sought.
In a joint statement, LGBT groups called on law enforcement agencies and Congress to implement the recommendations in the report and for continued work on the issue with LGBT advocacy organizations.
“Without clear policies ensuring respect for gender identity and the rights of LGBTQ people during police interactions and arrest processing, the people we serve experience danger and frequent violations of their constitutional rights while in police custody,” the statement says. “Additionally, all too often members of our community are also denied HIV medicines and other critical medications while in custody. We look forward to working with the DOJ to establish model policies for local law enforcement to ensure that LGBT people and people living with HIV are treated with dignity and receive medically necessary treatment in police custody.”
The joint statement was issued by the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal, the National Black Justice Coalition, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, the National LGBTQ Task Force and the New York-based group Streetwise & Safe.
The Obama administration has already taken steps at the federal level. In December, outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced a new policy to ban federal law enforcement officials from profiling people based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and other factors.
Also on Monday, the Williams Institute of the University of California, Los Angeles issued its own report finding “ongoing and pervasive discrimination” against the LGBT community by law enforcement officials. Some of the key findings:
• More than one-fifth (21 percent) of LGBT people who interacted with police reported encountering hostile attitudes from officers and 14 percent reported verbal assault by the police. • Nearly half (48 percent) of the LGBT violence survivors who interacted with police reported that they had experienced police misconduct, including unjustified arrest, use of excessive force and entrapment. • Two-thirds of Latina transgender women in Los Angeles County who interacted with police reported that they were verbally harassed by law enforcement, 21 percent report that they were physically assaulted by law enforcement, and 24 percent report that they were sexually assaulted by law enforcement. • Nearly half (46 percent) of transgender respondents in a national survey reported being uncomfortable seeking police assistance, 22 percent reported that they had been harassed by law enforcement because of bias, and 6 percent reported having been physically assaulted by an officer.
For his part, Obama said he wants the media to heavily scrutinize the Task Force report so that it may become an agent of change in law enforcement practices.
“So often we see an event that’s flashy; it makes the news; people are crying out for solutions,” Obama said. “And by the time recommendations are put forward, our focus has moved on and we don’t actually see and pay attention to the concrete ways that we can improve the situation. This is a moment where a lot of work has been done. There’s some good answers to be had if we don’t make this a political football or sensationalize it, but rather really focus on getting the job done.” |
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Who's more important to a team's success: the players or the coaches?
It's a common argument in sports that's unlikely to reach a conclusion anytime soon. Both sides have a good argument. There may never be a consensus. But one thing that both sides can agree on is that the players and coaches both play an important role, and one can't succeed without the other.
For the Oakland Raiders, there's been a dearth of talent on the field in recent years, and it's undeniable this fact has played a major role in the team's struggles. But what can't be ignored is that the same is true for the team's head coaches over this same period of time.
The Raiders didn't have the talent. They also didn't have the right leader.
Oakland drastically raised its talent level this offseason. But more importantly, the team finally brought in a head coach in Jack Del Rio who's capable of leading this once-proud franchise out of pro football purgatory and back to relevance and success.
Experience Matters
With all due respect to the men who have been head coach of the Raiders since 2007—Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable, Hue Jackson, Dennis Allen and Tony Sparano—they weren't up to the task of leading this franchise back to success.
Each one of these coaches was in over his head while on the job. Not one of them was ready to be the long-term solution.
Oakland Head Coaches Since 2007 Total Experience as NFL Head Coach* Season Head Coach 0 2007-08 Lane Kiffin 0 2008-10 Tom Cable 0 2011 Hue Jackson 0 2012-14 Dennis Allen 0 2014 Tony Sparano 62** www.pro-football-reference.com
*at time of becoming Oakland's head coach
** includes one playoff game
The Raiders attempted to find a diamond in the rough, the new, young, hotshot head coach who could burst onto the scene and make a name for himself as a Raider. In other words, they were looking for their next Jon Gruden.
But lack of NFL head coaching experience proved to be an insurmountable issue.
The one exception was Sparano, who had previously been the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. But with the Raiders, as was the case with the Dolphins, he was only given the job after the head coach was fired.
Sparano had an opportunity, albeit a small one, to secure the job long-term in Oakland. But realistically, he was really just a stopgap until a permanent replacement could be found.
After a lot of swings and misses, the Raiders finally got it right with the hiring of Del Rio. He has a crucial advantage over his predecessors, which is his extensive NFL head coaching experience.
During his nine-year run as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 to 2011, Del Rio coached 142 games, including three in the playoffs. That's more regular-season and playoff coaching experience than Oakland's previous five head coaches combined.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times' Sam Farmer, legendary Raiders head coach and Hall of Famer John Madden had this to say about Del Rio:
Jack Del Rio is the right coach for them [the Raiders]. I don't think they needed that guy that's on the sideline with the play card up against his mouth. Those are the guys who ascend quickly. Jack's not that guy. He understands you can help a quarterback as much by building a defense as you can by getting him a receiver. He's going to make them legitimate.
Madden touches on the importance of Del Rio's experience. Del Rio won't be learning on the job, making things up as he goes along and hoping he gets it right more often than he gets it wrong. He knows how to build a team. He's coached in high-pressure situations. He's coached in the playoffs.
Simply put, he knows what he's doing, which isn't something you could say about any of Oakland's recent head coaches.
Thanks to his experience, Del Rio already knows what it takes to succeed in the NFL. He has that knowledge, and he can now immediately implement it in Oakland.
Placing History in Its Proper Perspective
In the same interview with Farmer, Madden made a very important observation: "They [the Raiders] lived on the myth that the Raiders are tough and all that for a long time, when they weren't. Jack sees through that myth."
For too long, the Raiders organization has been hung up on its own proud history. It's become a problem in Oakland because it has frequently clouded the team's decision-making.
Oakland's popular bad-boy image ran its course long ago. Holding on to it has proven extremely detrimental, as it has severely stunted the team's progress and return to relevance.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The fact is that the Raiders were tough. They were bullies. They were a force in the NFL. But they aren't any of those things anymore. And they haven't been for a long time.
In his introductory news conference, via the Bay Area News Group's Jerry McDonald, Del Rio had this to say regarding his approach to coaching the Raiders:
Getting to know the front office that Mark Davis has put together and Reggie, these are bright people and I’m really excited to work with them... I’m excited to join this group of men and pursue the idea and the goal of bringing back the Raiders to greatness... We want to create a winning culture... I want to empower the players in the locker room to be accountable, to step forward, to take the team, to take the torch and build this thing great again.
There are some very important points that can be gleaned from what Del Rio had to say:
He refers to Oakland's greatness and success in the past tense.
He recognizes the organization is not currently successful, and it needs to work its way back to that level.
Everyone, from the players to the front office, needs to play their part in the process.
The Raiders' history isn't a bad thing. The current team can use it ("take the torch and build this thing great again") but not live off of it.
While he appreciates the past of the organization, Del Rio recognizes the Raiders' proud history is just that: history.
The current reality is that the culture in Oakland has become one of losing and failure. It's important for the team's leader, the head coach, to recognize the true state of the team so he can then create a realistic plan for a return to success.
For the Raiders to finally turn things around, they must admit the harsh reality of the team's current state and recognizing the problems in the organization. And in a subtle way, Del Rio has already done that.
Raiders Will Reap Benefits of Del Rio's Growth As a Coach
With all of the positives that come with Del Rio's hiring, there are also some negatives that can't be ignored about his nine-year head coaching history.
He's led a team to the playoffs only twice.
He's finished a season with a winning record only three times.
He didn't have a winning season over his last four years as Jacksonville's head coach (combined record of 23-36).
He was fired with five games to go in his final season.
For his career, he has a sub-.500 regular-season record (68-71) and playoff record (1-2).
Over nine seasons, Del Rio was a good coach at best, but never elite. And there were times, such as when he suffered consecutive losing seasons in 2008 and 2009 while compiling a 12-20 record, when he was fortunate to keep his job.
But his time in Jacksonville shouldn't only be measured in wins and losses. Those nine years as an NFL head coach are indispensable going forward, as they also give him the advantage of both knowing what he was successful in and what he must improve.
Now in Oakland, with more experience and a solid roster that includes stars-in-the-making in Derek Carr, Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, Del Rio is primed to make the leap from good to great.
Del Rio spent the three years following his time in Jacksonville as the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. Yes, it was a demotion. But as he pointed out in his introductory press conference, Del Rio also saw it as an opportunity, per McDonald:
I feel like the last three years have been very beneficial in terms of me being re-energized, rejuvenated, whatever you’d like to call it. I was able to collect myself, go through some things that went well [and] that didn’t go well. I was able to make sure that my thoughts going forward were to not make mistakes again where I had made mistakes, to do the things that I did well even better. Basically just grow from the experience.
Del Rio has plenty to prove. He had some ups and downs during his previous tenure as head coach. Now, he has the advantage of not having to learn on the job. He's had time to reflect on his years in Jacksonville and learn from them. He's grown as a head coach and as a leader, and it's Oakland that will benefit.
The Oakland roster has been vastly improved. For the first time in a long time, the Raiders have enough talent to challenge any other team in the NFL. And in Del Rio, the team finally has a head coach who knows how to lead the way to victory.
The Raiders have made several important additions this offseason. But Del Rio could prove to be the most important one of all.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats taken from Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL.com.
Share your thoughts in the comments section below and on at Twitter @BrianJ_Flores. |
Rise to Ruins IS IN EARLY ACCESS ON STEAM , and comes with a free Steam Key . Make sure to check back often for free content updates!
Rise to Ruins is at heart a godlike village simulator, but it also throws in plenty of familiar game play mechanics from classic 90s era real-time strategy games like Settlers, along with some tower defense and survival elements in an attempt to create a new kind of village simulator. The goal is to try to bridge the gap between the depth and complexity of traditional village simulators, the fun of godlikes and the simplicity of real-time strategy.
Build a village, and die trying!
A major part of the game is village management, and trying to discover new and creative ways to use the tools at your disposal to keep yourself alive as long as possible. In this game, you will lose frequently, but with every failure you learn a little bit more about how to survive and apply that knowledge to your next attempt.
Several Game Modes
Currently, the game offers three game modes. Survival, Sandbox and Peaceful.
Survival is the game the way it was meant to be played, as a brutal survival style village sim, you will probably die often trying to figure out the best way to survive, but that's half the fun right?!
Peaceful is very similar to Survival, but it's balanced much like a traditional village simulator with some godlike and RTS elements sprinkled on top. The monster spawn rates are much lower, and the main focus is keeping your village happy and fed. It's a very easy mode, designed for casual players, or players just wanting to experiment.
Sandbox, like the name implies, is a mode where you can play around with the game mechanics. Change the time of day, weather, spawn monsters or villagers, or even edit the map while you're playing on it. This is the ultimate "Screw around" mode for players wanting to play with the game mechanics.
Godlike Elements
Not only can you manage your village, but you also have many godlike abilities at your disposal. You can alter the terrain, blast enemies from afar, pick up objects or creatures, heal your villagers, speed up resource growth and all sorts of other fun godly stuff.
Tons of map set themes!
Every set of maps will follow a certain theme (Forest, Desert, Underground, etc). Most of the current screenshots only feature a few of these map sets. But many more are planned.
The Soundtrack!
A full original soundtrack, made by Bibiki Garcia that blends orchestral instruments in a way fans of old 1990s era PC gaming will love and remember!
SixtyGig Games is a DRM free independent game developer! Rise to Ruins will not now or ever in the future have any sort of DRM! Piracy protection only hurts you guys, the loyal paying players. So you rest assured knowing that once you buy yourself a copy of Rise to Ruins you'll never again have to concern yourself with nagging questions about if you can continue playing the game down the road due to something like always-online logins, lost registration codes or because you bought a new computer and you're only licensed to put the game on one. All I ask from you is to be reasonable and responsible, you can buy the game and play it as much as you like, wherever you like. Just tell your friends to support my DRM-Free philosophy and buy their own copy! Free Content Patches, no paid-DLC
I don't believe in paying for Downloaded Content. If you buy Rise to Ruins you will have access to the entire game and all the content I'll ever create for this it, forever! I believe DLC is greedy, and you deserve to have the full gaming experience from day 1, right out of the (figurative) box!
Your feedback is extremely important. You can reply here or head on over to the Official Website and help shape the direction of development! :) |
Two new bills to increase New Mexico’s film tax incentives have sailed through the state Legislature. The measures now go to Governor Susana Martinez, who is expected to sign them into law.
One of the bills, which the state Senate approved unanimously last week and passed the House by a vote of 51-2, extends the state’s existing 30% tax incentives for TV series to stand-alone pilot episodes. It also makes it easier for feature film productions that shoot at outdoor movie ranches to qualify for the full 30% labor credit.
The second bill is designed to attract more independent film and commercial work to New Mexico by allowing production companies to pre-assign their tax rebates to a third party. Unlike many states that require producers to sell their credits at a discount, New Mexico provides a direct cash rebate, and the ability to pre-assign the earned rebate is designed to benefit independent producers seeking financing for their projects and commercial producers working for agencies or accounts wanting direct assignment of the rebate. If signed into law, it will go into effect on January 1.
In 2013, Martinez, a conservative Republican, vetoed the tax incentives contained in the state’s so-called Breaking Bad Bill, saying she opposed an “unlimited subsidy to a single industry.” She later changed her mind and signed it into law. |
Piccadilly Circus at rush hour, much less congested than usual, in central London July 31, 2012. REUTERS/Olivia Harris
LONDON (Reuters) - The UK’s Brexit minister, David Davis, will open divorce talks in Brussels next week with an offer to allow the three million European Union citizens living in Britain the same rights that they have now, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
The newspaper said Britain wanted these rights to be available only to those EU nationals who were living in the country before March 29 this year, when the government triggered the start of the two-year process of leaving the EU.
But it is likely to accede to EU demands that the date should be when Britain leaves the EU in 2019, the FT said.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has called on the EU to issue a sweeping, reciprocal guarantee of rights for British expatriates living in the EU after Brexit. But EU leaders insist these must be negotiated in detail for them to have any legal value as reassurance for those people affected.
The FT, citing anonymous officials, said Davis would offer to guarantee the rights that EU citizens currently have in Britain, such as the freedom to move and work in the country, and aim to treat them “as fairly as they have been to this point”.
The newspaper said one area of concern for the EU was whether those EU nationals living in Britain would be able to access the European Court of Justice, a “red line” for London.
A spokeswoman for the Brexit department said: “We have said consistently that resolving the status of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in other member states is our first priority for negotiations.”
Britain’s preparations for the complex Brexit talks have been thrown into turmoil after Prime Minister Theresa May failed to secure a parliamentary majority in a national election last week.
The government is still in talks with a small Northern Irish party to secure the support of its 10 members of parliament to pass legislation. |
The NBA says Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo committed a five-second violation on his game-winning shot against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
In the league's daily "Last Two Minute Report" -- its public review of officiating in the final two minutes of every NBA game -- the league says that Antetokoumpo committed a turnover on the final play when he dribbled with his back to the basket below the free throw line extended for more than five seconds.
Players are not permitted to dribble with their backs or sides to the basket for more than five seconds if they are below the free throw line extended.
The National Basketball Referees Association took to Twitter on Friday to show its disgust with the "absurdity" of the "Last Two Minute Report."
NBA says 5-second violation, but is only "detectable with stop watch." We'll be sure to bring that with us next time. More L2M absurdity. https://t.co/xSnwsKXzym — NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) January 6, 2017
Had referees whistled Antetokounmpo for the violation, the Knicks would have gained possession of the ball with two seconds to play and, presumably, sealed the win.
But the daily report also noted other potential violations prior to Antetokounmpo's game-winner that may have altered the outcome, including a defensive three-second violation by Carmelo Anthony with 4.8 seconds left. Had Anthony been whistled for the violation, Milwaukee would have had a chance to tie the game from the free throw line.
In its report, the league states that Antetokounmpo violated the five-second rule by dribbling the ball for 5.6 seconds, which it says would only be detectable by stopwatch. It labeled Anthony's 3-second violation as "incidental or immaterial" as it was not directly related to the outcome of a possession.
Before Thursday's report was released, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said that he thought Antetokounmpo may have committed a five-second violation on the play but that referees would never make that call on a sequence that decided the game.
Antetokounmpo's shot capped off of 14-point fourth-quarter comeback for Milwaukee. It was the Knicks' sixth straight loss and ninth in 11 games. They play the Bucks in Milwaukee on Friday night. |
WORLD
(MCT)
원조 바비인형은 나치병사들을 위한것?
나치 정권 독재자 아돌프 히틀러는 독일군들이 성병에 감염되는 것을 막기 위해 성인용 인형을 제작하라고 명령했다고 영국 데일리메일이 보도했다.
‘무솔리니의 이발사’(Mussolini’s Barber)의 저자 그래임 도날드는 바비 인형은 1950년대 독일 성인용 인형에서 유래됐다고 말했다.
2차 세계대전에 독일군은 프랑스 여성들과 자면서 매독, 임질과 같은 성병을 걸렸다고 했다. 이에 대해 나치 총장 하인리히 힘러는 프랑스 매춘부들에게서 독일군을 구해야 한다고 하며 보길드 프로젝트를 감행했다고 했다. 보길드 프로젝트는 성병 유발을 축소하기 위해 성인용 인형을 제작한 프로젝트였다.
인형 제작 당시 나치는 헝가리 여배우를 본떠서 만들 수 있을지 문의했지만 거절 당하기도 했다. 대신 군인들의 상상력을 사용할 수 있도록 단조로운 인형을 만들었다고 했다.
Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to come up with a sex doll that would prevent his troops from contracting sexually transmitted diseases from prostitutes, according to reports.Author Graeme Donald’s research to the origins of the Barbie doll revealed that it may be based on a post-war German sex doll toy during the 1950’sSyphilis and gonorrhea were serious problems during World War II as many German soldiers contracted them after sleeping with French women. SS chief Heinrich Himmler said that the widespread presence of French prostitutes posed the greatest danger in Paris.So the Borghild Project was created to develop prototype sex dolls for German troops to control venereal diseases.The Nazis were refused when they asked a Hungarian actress if they could model the doll on her. So instead of creating a typical “Aryan” woman, the synthetic “comforters” were made of silicone and kept plain so soldiers could use their own imagination.The doll project began in 1940 after Himmler wrote: “The greatest danger in Paris is the widespread and uncontrolled presence of whores, picking up clients in bars, dance halls, and other places. It is our duty to prevent soldiers from risking their health just for the sake of a quick adventure.”A trial run for the dolls was conducted at the German barracks in St. Hellier. Himmler was reportedly so impressed that he immediately ordered 50 of them.The whole project was axed in 1942 and all evidence was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden, the daily reported.German sculptor Arthur Rink -- one of the team members who designed the doll -- revealed the truth about the doll.“I was looking at the weird things on the periphery of major events when I came across this story. I was actually researching the history of the Barbie doll that was based on a German sex doll of the 1950s,” Donald said.“Ruth and Elliot Handler from America visited Germany in 1956 and saw the Lilli dolls that were sold in barbers’ shops and nightclubs - and were not for children.”“Ruth didn’t realize this and bought one and realized later they were not toys. But Ruth and her husband used the doll as a foundation for what became Barbie.”By Christopher KimIntern Reporter(chriskim1006@gmail.com)Edited by Rob York |
A Passenger had to be removed from a flight after becoming intoxicated and stripping off on a flight from Dublin, it has emerged.
A Passenger had to be removed from a flight after becoming intoxicated and stripping off on a flight from Dublin, it has emerged.
Drunk passenger delays flight for 11 hours after ‘stripping off and asking stewardess for sex’ on flight from Dublin to Turkey
The incident occurred on a Sun Express flight from Dublin to the popular Turkish resort of Izmir on Saturday.
The man is said to have stripped off shortly after takeoff, before waving his genitals at other passengers.
He is then alleged to have asked a horrified stewardess for sex.
It is reported the man then began to jump on seats, cheered on by his group of friends.
After the flight crew failed to get the man to calm down, the captain was forced to divert the flight to Belgrade.
Police in the Serbian capital were waiting for the aircraft when it landed.
A spokesperson from the Serbian Interior Ministry said the passenger, who was carrying an Irish passport, became abusive to staff on the ground and was arrested and detained until he sobered up.
The spokesperson also confirmed that a female passenger from the same party had to be arrested due to her unruly behaviour.
A police spokesperson told the Daily Mail the woman was drunk and became abusive towards police officers at the scene.
A spokesman for Belgrade airport said in a statement: “Sun Express flight from Dublin to Izmir landed in Belgrade on Saturday, October 17, at 2pm local time.
“It departed to Izmir on the same day at 11pm.”
The airline confirmed the disruption was caused by an ‘unruly passenger’.
Online Editors |
Simon Johnson wrote a remarkably blunt article for the Atlantic in May 2009 titled The Quiet Coup. In case you managed to miss it, it remains critically important reading. He provided an update of sorts in a New York Times column today.
Johnson, a former chief economist to the IMF, described how the financial services industry had effectively engaged in a banana-republic-style takeover of government. And the IMF’s experience of countries that had suffered economics crises due to mismanagement of the ruling oligarchs was that there was one condition that was key to whether reforms stuck: at least some of the ruling group needed to break ranks and be willing to cede power. Clearly, nothing of the kind has happened here.
Johnson depicted how the banking sector came to be bloated relative to the economy as a whole:
…elite business interests—financiers, in the case of the U.S.—played a central role in creating the crisis, making ever-larger gambles, with the implicit backing of the government, until the inevitable collapse. More alarming, they are now using their influence to prevent precisely the sorts of reforms that are needed, and fast, to pull the economy out of its nosedive. The government seems helpless, or unwilling, to act against them…. The financial industry has not always enjoyed such favored treatment. But for the past 25 years or so, finance has boomed, becoming ever more powerful. The boom began with the Reagan years, and it only gained strength with the deregulatory policies of the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. Several other factors helped fuel the financial industry’s ascent. Paul Volcker’s monetary policy in the 1980s, and the increased volatility in interest rates that accompanied it, made bond trading much more lucrative. The invention of securitization, interest-rate swaps, and credit-default swaps greatly increased the volume of transactions that bankers could make money on. And an aging and increasingly wealthy population invested more and more money in securities, helped by the invention of the IRA and the 401(k) plan. Together, these developments vastly increased the profit opportunities in financial services.
Click the chart above for a larger view Not surprisingly, Wall Street ran with these opportunities. From 1973 to 1985, the financial sector never earned more than 16 percent of domestic corporate profits. In 1986, that figure reached 19 percent. In the 1990s, it oscillated between 21 percent and 30 percent, higher than it had ever been in the postwar period. This decade, it reached 41 percent. Pay rose just as dramatically. From 1948 to 1982, average compensation in the financial sector ranged between 99 percent and 108 percent of the average for all domestic private industries. From 1983, it shot upward, reaching 181 percent in 2007.
In the New York Times, Johnson again looks at this topic and has to reframe it only a bit in the light of the intervening years: this isn’t just a US problem, it’s a “rich country” problem. This blog stressed, early in the crisis, how the Japanese were uncharacteristically strident in telling the US that its biggest single mistake in managing its real estate/lending crisis was its failure to clean up bank balance sheets and reform them. That advice was simply ignored.
And Johnson posits that it’s the economic heft that the financial sector comes to assume in big economies that enables them to block reforms. From the New York Times today:
When middle-income “emerging markets” encounter a financial crisis because of dysfunctional incentives in the banking system, the obvious reaction is to adopt reforms that make banks safer…Prominent people in other sectors are deeply annoyed at the collateral damage caused by excessive risk-taking by bankers. And in most middle-income countries, the financial sector comprises at most a few percentage points of gross domestic product… In contrast, in a country like the United States or Britain, the financial sector is much larger as a percent of G.D.P. – from 7 to 9 percent, depending on how exactly you measure it. This is a direct result of having accumulated more financial assets – a direct result of prosperity and the reasonable desire to save for retirement. In addition, because rich countries are able to issue a great deal of government debt in the short-term and have central banks with credibility in limiting inflation, they are able to provide very large amounts of support, direct and indirect, that prevent prominent financial companies from collapsing. There is no sector in the modern United States or Britain that is willing to stand up to big banks in the political arena. And top financial-sector executives continue to enjoy such high prestige that they are still called upon to run public finances.
I have one quibble with Johnson: corporate executives in other industries are in cahoots with Wall Street, so they’ve got no reason to gang up on them. Executive pay is now based on stock market returns, and worse, CEOs are increasingly selected based on how investor and media-genic they are, rather than how good they are at running things. And CEOs regularly buy themselves a new lease on life when performance is flagging by doing a big acquisition (Carly Fiorina at HP is a classic example). Moreover, CEOs of mid-sized companies and C level execs of big ones can further enrich themselves by going to private equity firms, another reason to make nice with the financiers.
That means that Johnson’s “rich country problem” isn’t just that of a bigger financial services industry; it’s also in the differences in the nature of the ruling groups. I invite readers to elaborate, but in developing economies, you often see certain families assuming near dynastic standing in public affairs, and economic power concentrated often in family businesses (again dynastic) which often play big roles in key industries and/or control critical resources (large landholders, meaning they control either agricultural resources or extractable commodities). But in more advanced economies, the tribalism is much more along class lines: CEOs of public companies, for instance, arguably have many common interests, and those in many cases compete with, and can even exceed, industry-based allegiances. So while the financial services industry brings this issue of where the loyalties of other power players into focus, the interdependence among members of elite groups looks to be much greater than even the financial services example indicates.
But consider a related question: the health care industry consumes an even bigger share of GDP than financial services, and with the exception of 2009, has also spent the most on lobbying. Now health care doesn’t engage self-destructive excesses that threaten to pull down the economy like finance; one can think of it as a vastly smarter parasite. But I put it to readers to consider whether the keenly sought “bend the cost curve” exercise will do much more than squeeze the weakest players (presumably doctors and small vendors) precisely because no corporate constituency has chosen to question the health care industry’s privileges. In other words, under any pressure, the elites (in particular corporate executives) will band together and if any sacrifices must be made, you can be sure they’ll come from ordinary citizens. |
Chris Ledgard examines communication in times of crisis and disaster, Stuart Maconie takes a look at mondegreens - aka misheard lyrics, and there is a feature on misophonia.
An exploration of spoken language and communication in the 21st century. Miscommunication, misophonia and mondegreens.
Chris Ledgard meets people with a condition that isn't that widely acknowledged by many General Practitioners: misophonia. People who have it suffer extreme adverse reactions to sounds created by other human beings; frequently breathing or eating sounds. Chris asks about the scientific research that is being undertaken, both in the UK and abroad.
Stuart Maconie takes a look at mondegreens - aka misheard lyrics - considering classics by Jimi Hendrix and Creedence Clearwater Revival as well as some contemporary musical misunderstandings in a track by the band Hot Chip.
Chris Ledgard also looks at communication in times of crisis and disaster.
Producer: Sarah Langan. |
Shortly before Mr. Dahmer was sentenced, nine relatives of his victims described the pain they had suffered.
Rita Isbell, sister of the victim Errol Lindsey, shouted "Satan!" at Mr. Dahmer and screamed, "Jeffrey, I hate you!" as she lunged toward him, shaking her first and shouting obscenities. She was led away.
A jury decided Saturday that Mr. Dahmer was sane when he killed 15 young men and boys he lured to his home. The 31-year-old defendant pleaded guilty but insane. If he had been found insane he would have been hospitalized in a state mental institution and would be eligible to petition for release every six months. Faces Trial in Ohio
After his arrest last July, the former chocolate factory worker confessed to 17 slayings. Mr. Dahmer was not charged in one of the Milwaukee slayings because of lack of evidence, but will stand trial in what he said was his first killing, that of an 18-year-old in Ohio. Although Ohio now has a death penalty, Mr. Dahmer faces no possibility of execution because the killing occurred in 1978, before the penalty's reinstatement.
District Attorney E. Michael McCann said he had worried that Mr. Dahmer's claim that he was driven to kill by a compulsion to have sex with corpses would set a dangerous precedent, giving rapists and child molesters a chance to say they should not be held responsible for their crimes because of sexual disorders. "Fortunately, the jurors saw right through it," Mr. McCann said of Mr. Dahmer's claim.
Making his first public statement about the slayings, Mr. Dahmer told Judge Gram today that he had pleaded insanity not to gain freedom, but understanding.
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"I wanted to find out just what it was that caused me to be so bad and evil," he said. "The doctors have told me about my sickness, and now I have some peace."
The defendant added: "This has never been a case of trying to get free. I didn't ever want freedom. Frankly, I wanted death for myself."
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Mr. Dahmer said he has turned to God since his arrest. "I should have stayed with God," he said. "I tried and I failed, and created a holocaust."
As Mr. Dahmer spoke, his victims' relatives seated in the courtroom gallery leaned forward, straining to hear his words.
"I feel so bad for what I did to those poor families, and I understand their rightful hate," Mr. Dahmer said.
Earlier, he sat emotionless as relatives described their loss.
"Jeffrey Dahmer has erased a million future memories for me of my brother," J. W. Smith, brother of one victim, Eddie Smith, said as he read brief statements from each of the victim's 12 brothers and sisters.
The three-week sanity trial included testimony from the police and psychiatrists who told how Mr. Dahmer's urges to have sex with the dead led him to drug, kill and dismember.
In his statement today, Mr. Dahmer also expressed regret for causing the dismissals of two policemen. The officers had led a naked, bleeding Laotian boy back to Mr. Dahmer's apartment in May, where Mr. Dahmer strangled him.
The officers have appealed their dismissals.
"I hope and pray that they can get their jobs back because I know they did their best and I just plain fooled them," Mr. Dahmer said. |
Description
These springs replace the original Nerf drum springs and give more consistent feeding thanks to double the pull force of the stock spring. Great for replacing old worn out drum springs, or giving a boost to stock springs to keep up with modded full auto blasters. These do not make drums perfect. Wide tipped darts will still be a challenge for drums due to their design especially in hot weather. After loading drums, tap the drum a couple times to move the tips of the darts towards the front of the drum (they have a guard to keep the tips from rubbing). This will aid in the reliability of the drums feeding. We tested the drums with Elite darts and other forms of narrow tips only. In our testing, we could not get them to work reliably with wide tipped darts. Sold Individually.
Compatible with:
18 Round Drum (Requires glue to hold the spring in place)
25 Round Drum
35 Round drum
Check out a tutorial we made a couple years ago for the last time we had replacement springs:
Limit 50 per Customer. Bulk orders available, please contact Michelle for arranging bulk orders.
Blasters should be modified at your own risk by an adult or with adult supervision. Modification of blasters may increase wear and reduce lifespan of blaster. Always wear eye protection. Never point at someone’s face. By purchasing, you agree that FoamBlast is not responsible for injury or damage caused by misuse or accidental usage. |
The vinyl comeback has not been without some growing pains. For all the good that has come of vinyl becoming mainstream, some problems have come to light. We are not talking about backed up vinyl presses and overpriced re-issues, it’s time we address the one of the biggest hurdles facing the industry, especially independent record stores. The used vinyl market is an over inflated, under supplied chaotic mess.
Used vinyl records are the cornerstone of record collecting. Most collection do not start with new LP’s, rather with records handed down from a sibling, salvaged from a thrift store box, or from a record store. Used wax has been the bread and butter more most independent record stores for decades. The reason is simple, properly cared for records almost always increase in value. There is always a waiting market for high quality titles. The record stores especially have always been the hub for this transfer of ownership. With the widest profit margins, used LP’s were a homerun. Many have speculated without the used market, vinyl may have become extinct. For the 15-plus years that saw the rise and fall of the CD, and near death of physical music, used records kept stores in business. This was especially true during the early 90’s when records were being sold pennies on the dollar, with the buyer pleased with their most recent score and the seller satisfied with the free space in their attics. For collectors over the age of 35, or who began collecting at a young age, it’s easy to remember scoring a box full of premium wax for a few bucks at a yard sale or free from our parents’ basements. The market was saturated and the demand was minimal. Value was perceived as minimal. For those collecting, it was an amazing time.
Those days are gone.
The used market has changed drastically over the last decade in three important ways. Availability, price, and value.
Availability is becoming a bigger issue in the used vinyl market. While there are still millions of LP’s just waiting to be found in attics and basements, the supply for good quality records is growing thin. The reason is simple, record collecting is cool again. These records are not changing hands as fast simply because they are becoming part of collection, and people aren’t dumping their records in favor of the next format. Sure, there are still plenty of online outlets and dealers who move mass quantities of used records to stores, but the cherry picking is in full swing. Although frustrating for retailers, it’s great to see people building collections again. These full shelves of vinyl spark conversation, interest, and make collectors out of friends and family who visit the audiophile. It’s preserving the format, and these records are being saved from the dump and mold infested crawl spaces.
The retail cost of used vinyl has also increased since vinyl began its mainstream success. Of course, this goes with any collectables. When demand is high and supply is low, prices are bound to rise. It’s unfortunate but simple economics. It’s easy to understand why prices are increasing. Luckily, most independent stores continue to keep prices as reasonable as possible. However, there are some who are convinced that the bubble will pop any minute and they are trying to suck every dollar out of their used inventory. It’s not uncommon to see identical records, in the same condition, be in the three-dollar bin at one shop and 18 dollars at another. Unfortunately, stores are competing more and more with online retailers, especially Amazons and Discogs. It’s not uncommon to find customers scanning their phones and haggling with record store clerks to match the online price. It’s fair to use these outlets as a gauge for a fair price, but to ask a brick-and-mortar store to match a price, without including shipping and handling, and overlooking the advantage of seeing and touching the LP is not only shortsighted but rude.
The value of used vinyl has gone through the most radical changes. For many collectors, vinyl has been perceived as an investment, as rare properly cared for records continue to go up in cost. While this remains true, many factors have contributed values being changed.
First off, online auction sites and stores have given collectors a vast marketplace. Years ago, the only credible reference were price guides like Goldmine. However, seller friendly outlets such as eBay and Amazon have created marketplace that shows that rare titles may not be more prevalent than previously thought. With more titles coming to the surface, prices tend to fall as titles become more available.
While actual value has changed, what has become more of a headache for collectors and retailer alike is the perceived value of vinyl. One of the curses that came with eBay was the sellers who knew nothing of the vinyl format. While there were some who were unaware of the treasures they had and sold them for peanuts, usually the opposite is true. To this day there are people trying to move Eagles Hotel California and Frampton Comes Alive for hundreds if not thousands of dollars, simply because they believe there is a waiting collectors market ready to take out a second mortgage and buy up their box of dusty Time Life Music collections. Yes, vinyl is back, but that doesn’t make every record chunk of gold.
This has also made it difficult for stores to buy collections from the public. When dad strolls into the record store, he doesn’t understand why the owner isn’t swapping his box of Glen Campbell records for a briefcase full of cash. On more than one occasion we have witnessed owners having to give a crash course in record collecting, the current vinyl market, and basic retail practices before they even agree to look through a collection. It’s frustrating on all sides. Nobody wants to feel like they are getting ripped off, and most stores don’t. This isn’t the fault of the seller. Most are not collectors themselves. With the media declaring “vinyl has found its groove” and “vinyl is hot again,” it’s easy to understand why they think they might be sitting on a fortune.
So, what’s the solution? Time. In time, as vinyl continues its mainstream staying power, these things will even out. People will either move on from collecting or pass away, and the records will find their way to the used bins. What so many ignore is that the vinyl boom has set the stage for a massive used market that is just waiting to hit the shelves! When this happens, prices will plateau (hopefully). Finally, as people learn more about records and collecting, and are tapping in the thousands of on and offline recourses available to them, they will learn more about the perceived and actual value of their collections.
None of us own our collections, we are just keeping them safe for the next owner, whether that be our children or a curious young person who bought their first turntable. That is the beauty of vinyl. |
It's been 80 days since we wrote that receiver Josh Gordon applied for reinstatement to the NFL.
We're still without any resolution on Gordon's future.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that the receiver's situation is "status quo," according to a source close to the situation
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the NFL Annual Meeting two weeks ago that he'd receive a report and decide if it's appropriate to meet with Gordon. An NFL spokesman told Cabot there is no update on Gordon.
The Browns have said that if he's reinstated, they'd have a spot on the roster for the uber-talented, but troubled, receiver.
Yet, Cleveland's brass seems weary of the elongated wait.
Opening up the team's offseason workouts this week, coach Hue Jackson shot down inquiries about Gordon.
"I think it's premature for me to talk about that because he hasn't been reinstated,'' Jackson said.
Last month, EVP Sashi Brown sounded exasperated by continuing questions regarding Gordon and it appears at this point Cleveland is viewing the receiver as a bonus prospect.
"I would just say probably enough Josh chatter," Brown said. "I know he's intriguing but really for us, we're focused on the guys that are on our roster and if Josh comes back, great, and if he doesn't, we're ready.''
The NFL doesn't have requirement on when a decision must be made on a player applying for reinstatement. There is some speculation the league could be waiting for Gordon to show further proof of his commitment to sobriety.
Whatever the reason, we continue to wait to see whether the Browns will get back their most talented receiver, or whether a career already thrown off the track will remain sidelined. |
Photo By Sgt. Anthony Jones | A Ukrainian combat training center staff member shows Sgt. Mitchell Hastings, a medic...... read more read more Photo By Sgt. Anthony Jones | A Ukrainian combat training center staff member shows Sgt. Mitchell Hastings, a medic from Oklahoma City assigned to 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, how Ukrainian medics use ropes to secure and move wounded soldiers after U.S. medics demonstrated how to use the ropes to make harnesses for vehicle gunners training at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, near Yavoriv, Ukraine, on Feb. 10. (Photo by Sgt. Anthony Jones, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team) see less | View Image Page
Training at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center is not just about shooting AKMs and throwing hand grenades.
For Ukrainian units who may face combat around the globe, it is about exchanging ideas and developing critical skills that will keep them and their fellow soldiers alive.
When the 1st Battalion, 28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade arrived at the IPSC, near Yavoriv, Ukraine, they approached their American partners at the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine and asked them to help develop a way to rescue wounded vehicle gunners.
A creative answer came from Sgt. Russell Blevins, a medic with 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard.
“The rotational battalion is very concerned with getting gunners out of armored vehicles without hurting them even more,” said Blevins, a Broken Arrow, Oklahoma resident who is a civilian emergency room technician in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the U.S., vehicle extraction techniques are taught in EMT, police and fire training and, in the National Guard, we have people with that experience, he explained.
Blevins said his EMT experience helped him to think about different ways to rescue wounded soldiers, but the tricky part was coming up with a solution the average Ukrainian unit could easily replicate.
“They were having trouble getting people out of damaged BMPs,” Blevins said. “I thought, ‘What do we have and what do they have?’ They have rope.”
With his materials identified, Blevins worked with fellow National Guardsmen to repurpose a Swiss seat, a rope harness usually used for rappelling and air assaults, as a make-shift gunner’s harness similar to
those U.S. Soldiers use in their tactical vehicles.
Using a gunner’s harness has saved many lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Blevins. It serves two roles: first it keeps the gunner inside the vehicle during a mine or improvised explosive device blast, or a roll over, secondly, it serves as a quick way to pull a wounded gunner out of the turret of a damaged vehicle, speeding up the time it takes to rescue a soldier when seconds count.
After making and testing a harness, Blevins took his idea to his Ukrainian counterparts at the IPSC’s combat training center. He and another National Guard medic demonstrated how to make and implement Swiss seats as gunners’ harnesses.
The demonstration was met with both excitement and apprehension.
One of the Ukrainian trainers, who wished to only be identified as “Doc”, as he was a doctor before joining the army, was deeply interested in finding innovative ways to help save soldiers’ lives, but some of the other combat training center staff expressed concern, saying soldiers would not want to wear the rope seats because they are uncomfortable.
“When it is uncomfortable versus saving your life if you’re blown up,” Blevins said. “It’s better to be uncomfortable and alive than not.”
Doc, who was inspired to join the army after attending the Euromaidan protests in 2013 and 2014, said there are many different safety options for gunners in the army, but not all options are available at all times. He said the Swiss seat method is a good solution because it relies on ordinary and simple supplies that are easy to come by, rather than specially made equipment that can be costly.
After seeing the harness demonstration, Doc took the ropes and showed the U.S. medics various ways he and other Ukrainian medics use them to rescue wounded soldiers.
Sgt. Mitchell Hastings, another National Guard medic who works as an emergency room technician in Oklahoma City, said the meeting and the demonstrations produced good ideas for both the U.S. and Ukrainian trainers.
“It went really well,” Hastings said. “We were able to brainstorm and develop an understanding of what we both need to help save lives.” |
Since GTA V released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 we’ve all been wondering when we’d see some meaty single-player DLC. We’ve had a plethora of multiplayer-related download content but as of yet we’re still waiting on Rockstar to trump GTA IV’s Episodes from Liberty City DLC.
How does Los Santos City Stories sound? Nice? Well it may be on its way.
This isn’t just mindless drivel either, there’s actually some decent hints that Rockstar wants to continue the ‘City Stories’ line of GTA games.
Rockstar’s parent company – TT Interactive – are currently going through the process of re-securing the trademark for ‘City Stories,’ indicating that they still have a use for the two little words. Whilst this may not seem like a big deal, the fact that Take Two are actively working to keep ‘City Stories’ trademark is a good sign.
PS Vita players in particular have been begging for a GTA release since the console was first released and it seemed like it was something we’d actually see. Rockstar were one of the many developers revealed to be working bringing games to the PS Vita, though we’ve yet to see anything of note from the world-renowned developer. Oh yeah, the GTA V companion app. Great.
That being said, not all hope is lost. We’ve previously reported that the team behind the PSP iterations of Liberty City and Vice City Stories are working on something, quite possibly a PS Vita game.
We’ve also speculated that Rockstar may be ready to port GTA San Andreas to the Vita after noticing that the recent re-release on the Xbox 360 was an updated port of the Android and iOS release.
So maybe a Los Santos City Stories isn’t so far fetched after all. We’ve emailed Rockstar to see if they’ll confirm anything. Not holding our breath on that one though…
What do you reckon? Los Santos City Stories a possibility? Or would you prefer a San Andreas City Stories? Mosey on down to the comments and pop a cap in the comments, busta.
Want to Tweet your love to the author? Or maybe you want to send him pictures of your cat? Either way, you can do so here @ChrisHardingTGC.
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Neptune, photographed by Voyager 2 in 1989. (NASA)
Senator Ted Cruz now oversees NASA, and that’s a very good thing.
With the GOP in charge of the Senate, Ted Cruz has taken charge of the Science, Space, and Competitiveness subcommittee. Which means Ted Cruz now oversees NASA. On Wednesday, Cruz issued a statement saying that “Our space program marks the frontier of future technologies for defense, communications, transportation and more, and our mindset should be focused on NASA’s primary mission: exploring space and developing the wealth of new technologies that stem from its exploration. . . . We must refocus our investment on the hard sciences, on getting men and women into space, on exploring low-Earth orbit and beyond . . . I am excited to raise these issues in our subcommittee and look forward to producing legislation that confirms our shared commitment to this vital mission.” It’s not surprising that Cruz has taken an interest in NASA — whatever you think of his policies, there’s no question that he has a powerful intellect. And as a bonus, NASA’s Houston establishment is in the Texan senator’s constituency. So Cruz can be counted on to take this seriously.
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Cruz is right when he calls for focus on manned space flight; a return to launching our own astronauts into space should be at the top of the agenda, and a return to Apollo-style deep-space exploration should be just below it. We’ve already got the unmanned side of things pretty well covered: NASA has ongoing unmanned missions to Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. The European Space Agency is handling Venus. I’d like to make a plea for the forgotten planets — the Ice Giants.
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There are no ongoing or planned missions to Uranus or Neptune. And believe me, there should be. Earth chauvinism makes us forget, sometimes, that we aren’t the only blue planet. But out beyond Saturn are two of the most charming, gigantic, gaseous blue spheres in the solar system.
Poorly christened Uranus is the only planet with a Greek, rather than a Roman, name. Before that, it — improbably — had a Jewish name. It was the first planet to be truly discovered, as Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all easily visible in the night sky. The (part-Jewish) British astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus in March of 1781, and named it the Georgian Planet, for George III. The French weren’t interested in a planet named for a British monarch, and called it Herschel instead. Shtetls were evoked. Which, in hindsight, might not have been a bad thing. The name Uranus was suggested by one of Herschel’s colleagues, as the father of Cronus (Saturn), who was the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Incidentally, if they had followed the convention of Roman names, our seventh planet would have been named Caelus. More hindsight.
Uranus is the only planet that rotates (roughly) in the plane of the solar system; that is, its axis of rotation is (roughly) at a right angle to Earth’s: Uranus rotates on its side. Since a Uranian year — one Uranus-trip around the sun — is 84 Earth-years long, each pole spends 42 (Earth) years in daylight followed by 42 years in darkness. Consequently, the planet has substantial seasonal variation, heat gradients, and weather: bands of cloud, cyclones, and thunderstorms so extreme that astronomers at Hawaii’s Keck telescope have compared the planet’s lightning light-shows to “Fourth of July fireworks.” Our only close-up photographs of Uranus show it as a blank, cerulean-blue canvas. Totally featureless. Our close-up photos come from Voyager 2’s brief flyby, and, unfortunately, we caught it on a dull day. Nothing manmade has ever orbited Uranus.
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Like Saturn, Uranus has a complex ring system. Like Saturn and Jupiter, it has an extensive network of moons: 27 discovered so far. Five of them are, like Earth’s moon, big enough to have achieved hydrostatic equilibrium and become spherical. Little worlds in their own right. Unfortunately, we snapped just a few pictures of them as Voyager zoomed past. We haven’t seen their entire surfaces. We do know at least one has peculiar, chaotic geology that makes it look like a mosaic of moon-bits smashed together. And we know that, big as they are, they’re too small to be examined from Earth.
By the way, inside the carbon-rich pressure-cooker that is Uranus — if you’re interested in this sort of thing — it rains diamonds, into oceans of liquid diamond, upon which float “diamond-bergs.” It also does that on Neptune.
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Neptune — our gorgeous, cobalt blue final planet — was discovered in one of history’s most remarkable applications of mathematical analysis. After Herschel discovered Uranus, a French astronomer named Alexis Bouvard calculated the orbit it would follow. Observation proved that calculation incorrect, prompting Bouvard to speculate that there might be some even more distant planet pulling Uranus off course. Mathematician Urbain Le Verrier calculated where that planet should be; German astronomer Johann Galle looked where Le Verrier pointed, and lo and behold, there was Neptune.
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And with Neptune, you get two planets in one: The largest of Neptune’s moons, Triton, is one of the largest moons in the solar system. It’s larger than Pluto, and — because it’s the only major moon to orbit in the wrong direction, retrograde to its planet’s rotation — it’s thought that before it was a moon, it was a planet, and that Neptune’s gravity captured it. We know Triton is geologically active, that it has an atmosphere, and that its western hemisphere has a peculiar surface texture that makes it look like a gigantic, cosmic cantaloupe. We don’t know why, and we don’t know much else: We have photographs of only about a third of its surface. Triton is a mystery.
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Mystery is a theme of our two big, blue planets. And NASA is finally re-assembling a rocket powerful enough to make exploration of Uranus and Neptune possible on a sub-decade timescale. Science and space are passions of the United States; Republicans, and Democrats, and everyone else should get behind Cruz. And Cruz should get behind planetary science. A big increase in NASA’s budget would be the tiniest of drops in the budget as a whole, and it would have broad, national support.
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And for the cynical among you: It would help the Republican Congress set a precedent for funding individual departments individually, instead of having to send the president a porcine omnibus bill. How could this president not sign off on new funding for NASA? And individual funding bills would save a damn sight more money than we’ll ever spend on space.
Write your congressman.
— Josh Gelernter writes weekly for NRO and is a regular contributor to The Weekly Standard. |
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China’s economy is showing fresh signs of strength, from increased business confidence to an expansionary factory gauge reading, according to the earliest private indicators for September. Bloomberg reports most private gauges showed improvement and a proxy for factory activity jumped to the strongest level in almost two years, suggesting better readings in August data have been followed up this month. A steady flow of credit has boosted property sales, helping offset sluggish exports and continued weakness in private investment. Standard Chartered’s Small and Medium Enterprises Confidence Index rose to 56 this month from 54.9 in August. Sales and production recovered from weather-related disruptions, even as the investment appetite remained muted, Shen Lan, a Beijing-based China economist, wrote in a report.
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As the sport of mixed martial arts continues to grow in popularity, the biggest stars in the UFC are in turn becoming increasingly wealthy. In this article we look at the Top 12 salaries paid out during the past year in the promotion.
Before we start there’s a few things worth that are worth bearing in mind.
A. Salaries are not always disclosed after UFC events. For example, the fighter earnings for events outside of the U.S, such as UFC99 in Germany and UFC 106 in the UK, or in certain states, like UFC 101 in Philly, were not released. This article is based solely on the information provided from the events in which salaries were publicly available.
B. For the purposes of this article we are looking purely at the fighters base salary, and any additional ‘win bonus’ they may have written into their contract. It’s worth remembering that on top of that a number of the UFC’s biggest stars also take home a percentage of the Pay Per View revenue, which can work out to be significantly more than their standard salaries. In addition to this fighters also earn extra money from other avenues such as sponsorship deals, additional bonuses, etc.
With that out of the way, here are the top 12 fighter salaries in the promotion for 2009.
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Chuck Liddell: $500,000 (no win bonus)
Arguably the best known UFC fighter ever, Chuck Liddell took home the biggest base salary in 2009 despite his loss to Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua. Though the salaries for the UFC 97 event in April were not disclosed due to it taken place in Canada, Liddell’s contracted salary of $500,000 is known from his previous fight against Keith Jardine in 2008.
Liddell has one fight left on his contract, and despite rumors of retirement it was revealed last month that he will fight for a third time against Tito Ortiz after the pair go head-to-head as coaches on season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter.
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Brock Lesnar: $400,000 (no win bonus)
Currently The UFC’s biggest box office star, Brock Lesnar takes home a guaranteed $400,000 for each of his fights, win or lose. Interestingly, under his previous deal Lesnar took home a guaranteed $250,000, but he also earned $200,000 for a win, meaning that he claimed a larger salary for his victory over Randy Couture at UFC 91 in November of ’08 than he did for his UFC 100 win over Frank Mir in July of ’09.
That being said, with his reputation now firmly established as a hugely successful Pay Per View draw it’s likely that his latest deal includes an increased cut of the PPV buys. With his last two fights pulling in over one million paying customers that would boost Lesnar’s bank balance dramatically.
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Randy Couture: $250,000 (+ $250,000 for a win)
Along with Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture is consider UFC royalty, and as such the former multiple time champion commanded one of the promotions largest salaries in the past year. Unlike Liddell however, Couture has to win to earn the full $500,000.
Couture spent a year in limbo due to a dispute with the UFC which appeared to partly revolve around his earnings. That is all water under the bridge now though, and his current six fight deal came into effect before his fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in August. As with some of the other big name stars in the UFC, Couture is known to command a share of the PPV buys for his fights which can propel his earnings per fight into the seven figure region.
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Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: $250,000 (+ $150,000 for a win)
Another veteran, Pride legend and former UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, is also well paid for his battles in the octagon. His base salary is equal to Randy Couture’s, though he earns less for a win.
Even so the $400,000 he took home for his victory over Couture in August is double the amount he was paid under his previous contract for his UFC debut in early 2008 against Tim Sylvia.
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Tito Ortiz: $250,000 (win bonus unknown)
Another name synonymous with the UFC, Tito Ortiz publicly fell out with the promotion in 2008, claiming that he was being underpaid. After over a year on the sidelines the two parties came to an agreement and Ortiz returned to the fold with a new contract in tow.
It should be stressed that the dispute was based more on his cut of the PPV buys rather than his base salary, but we do now that he now earns $250,000 per show. Since he lost his comeback fight we do not yet know his win bonus however. After holding out for a more substantial PPV cut Ortiz will surely have been disappointed to discover that his return at UFC 106 against Forrest Griffin had an uncharacteristically low buy-rate.
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Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson: $225,000 (+ $100,000 for a win)
Former light-heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson rounds out the top 5 earners, at least as far as base salaries go. Having said that, his win bonus of $100,000 is lower than some of the other fighters on this list. Jackson fell out with the UFC earlier this year after pulling out of a blockbuster fight with fellow TUF 10 coach Rashad Evans to star in the A-Team movie, but announced in December that he would return to finish the remaining three fight on his contract.
Despite this he appears to still harbor a grudge towards the promotion, and stated in a recent interview that along with feeling that he is not being treated with the respect he deserves, he is also unhappy with his cut of the Pay Per View buys his fights generate.
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Georges St.Pierre: $200,000 (+ $200,000 for a win)
Widely regarded as one of the sports pound for pound best, welterweight champion Georges St.Pierre is considered by many to be an unstoppable force at 170lbs. That means that, for the time being at least, he is expected to earn his maximum $400,000 salary each time he competes.
GSP is also one of the most marketable UFC stars which has also helped him to secure lucrative deals with mainstream brands like Gatorade and Under Armour that helps boost his overall income significantly.
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Rashad Evans: $200,000 (+ $175,000 for a win)
The fifth light-heavyweight star on this list, Rashad Evans has come along way from winning a six figure contract (spread out over three years) with the UFC after winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 2. Having since worked his way to the top of the division, and briefly holding the belt, he now commands a guaranteed $200,000 a fight, and almost that again on top if he wins.
Evans picked the perfect time to negotiate his current contract – just months after winning the title at UFC 92 by beating Forrest Griffin, and only a few months before losing it to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98.
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Anderson Silva: At least $200,000+ (win bonus unknown)
Of all the fighters on the list middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s salary is the one that is most shrouded in mystery so his exact place on this list is unknown. Silva signed a six fight deal with the UFC after his win over James Irvin at UFN 14 in July 2008. Since then all three of his bouts have taken place in locations where the fighters salaries are not required to be publicly disclosed.
What we do know is that Silva was paid $200,000 with no win bonus for his KO victory over Irvin, and so his current deal is likely to be considerably more. Though historically not considered one of the promotions biggest Pay Per View draws, Silva’s status as one of the top three pound for pound fighters in the sport, and currently holding the record for most consecutive UFC wins (10), the Brazilian is undoubtedly worth every penny he earns.
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Lyoto Machida: $200,000 (no win bonus)
Current light-heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida has also made his way into the top earners list this year thanks to a new contract. Despite that it is perhaps somewhat ironic that, considering The Dragon’ has never lost a fight in 16 professional fights, he does not have a win bonus written into his contract.
That being said his current deal, which came into effect for his last fight with Shogun Rua is a marked improvement on the $70,000 to show + $70,000 to win which he received for his title winning performance against Rashad Evans at UFC 98 in May.
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Wanderlei Silva: $200,000 (win bonus unknown)
While Wanderlei Silva’s salary for his UFC 99 fight with Rich Franklin wasn’t disclosed, we do know that he was paid a base rate of $200,000 for his loss against Quinton Jackson just days before the start of 2009 at at UFC 92.
It’s not known whether Silva currently has a win bonus written into his contract, though having won just one of his four fights since his return to the UFC in 2007, this has perhaps been something of a moot point lately. Despite that he is still one of the legends of the sport and a fan favorite, which ensures that he is still handsomely rewarded for his battles in the octagon.
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Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua: $155,000 (win bonus unknown)
The current No.1 contender in the light-heavyweight division, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua claimed $155,000 for his controversial loss against Lyoto Machida at UFC 104.
Considering his days as one of the divisions most feared fighters during the Pride era seemed far behind him after his disappointing performance against Mark Coleman in January of ’09, he has done well to turn his fortunes around, and a win over Machida in the rematch will raise his stock even further.
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Are there any fighters you might have expected to see on the list that are missing from it?
Long time fighter in the UFC and Current lightweight champion BJ Penn is perhaps the most obvious name that didn’t make the top 12. Penn’s last two fights have taken place in states which do not disclose salaries, but in January of ’09 he earned $125,000 for his unsuccessful bid to take the welterweight title from Georges St.Pierre. Based on previous figures from 2008 his win bonus is also $125,000.
Ultimate Fighter season 1 winner and former light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin is another of the promotions most recognized fighters. So much so in fact that he adorned the cover of the ‘UFC Undisputed 2009’ video game. He currently receives $100,000 to show, while unusually his win bonus is even larger at $150,000. That’s notably still some way short of season 2 winner Rashad Evan’s pay-check, but Griffin isn’t complaining, recently stating that he is happy being “moderately wealthy”.
Another TUF winner, Michael Bisping commands a significant fee for his fights in the UFC. Though many of his salaries remain undisclosed since he often competes in UK events, his KO defeat at UFC 100 earned him $150,000. His opponent Dan Henderson on the other hand earned $100,000, plus $150,000 for the win – mirroring Forrest Griffin’s deal. Henderson left the company later at the end of the year after failing to come to terms on a new enhanced contract.
One former champion who may have been expected to appear on the list is Frank Mir, yet remarkably he earned just $45,000 for his first round defeat against Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. It’s certain that ex middleweight champion Rich Franklin is earning more than that after signing a new six fight deal in the summer of ’09. The exact figures of his contract are unknown, but the fighter was previously known to be commanding $100,000 with an additional win bonus of $50,000 back in 2008.
The potential wild-card in terms of salary is another Pride legend – Mirko Cro Cop. When he first entered the octagon at UFC 67 in February of 2007 he earned a whopping $350,000 pay cheque, though he received no additional win bonus for his first round TKO of Eddie Sanchez. His stock has dwindled significantly since then due to a number of defeats and lackluster performances in the UFC, so it doubtful that his new contract, which was signed in July of ’09. We can’t say for sure though due to his salary at UFC 103 not being released to the public.
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If you liked this article then you might enjoy some of out past features on this site, such as:
Where Are They Now? 20 Fighters Cut From the UFC in 2009 (Part 1)
Who Has The Most UFC ‘Submission Of The Night’ Awards
Taking A Closer Look At Antonio ‘Rogerio’ Nogueira
Lyoto Machida: Analyzing ‘The Dragon’
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Article By RossC
Pictures courtesy of Sherdog.com
— |
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Some people are upset about more than just the traffic jams caused by the continuing re-construction of New Brunswick's main artery, Route 18.
NJ Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is currently working to destroy and replace two three-lane bridges that carry Route 18 over US Highway 1 in New Brunswick.
The northbound bridge is to be replaced by a wider one, as the northbound shoulder on the right of Route 18 will become an active travel lane between Westons Mill Pond and Route 1.
Route 18's notorious northbound ramp to southbound Route 1, a sharp cloverleaf curve that has been the site of several overturned truck trailers, will also be reconfigured in this project.
This stretch of 18 is a well-traveled path, seeing about 100,000 vehicles a day.
The $28.4 million project was paid for by the federal government, and the idea is to reduce congestion on the stretch of Route 18 between Route 1 and The NJ Turnpike's Exit 9, as well as to make this part of the road safer.
But, despite the benefits for motorists, the plans have some advocates of walking and biking worried. They say the intersection already has a fair amount of brave pedestrians and cyclists that the new plans should include accomodations for each under the state's "Complete Streets" policy.
A complete streets policy requires that transportation infrastructure engineers consider pedestrians and cyclists when planning out roads.
Because not enough pedestrians crossed the road, according to the engineers' counts, the state DOT is refusing to insert a traffic signal or a crosswalk - they see no need to lower the speed of the motoring public in order for it to be safe for pedestrians to cross.
NJDOT did not respond to New Brunswick Today's inquiries about the decision to include no places for cyclists or pedestrians in the new design. Residents who attended a presentation about the construction project last month said engineers did not have answers at an August 5 public meeting held just as construction was set to begin.
At the meeting, traffic engineers stated that they realized that there was no safe access across Route 1 for several miles, shrugging it off as something they had no control over.
While a DOT engineer agreed that the current bridge was unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists, he claimed that the DOT couldn't add pedestrian or bicycle facilities because it would "require expanding the scope of work."
When asked why they couldn't put a sidewalk inside the current project, they essentially said that they didn't want to encourage walking or bicycling.
Nonetheless, the DOT would replace the small sidewalk on the south side of the bridge, contrary to their previous logic.
New Brunswick officials say they asked about sidewalks shortly before the August meeting, which was itself held just two weeks before the planned start of construction.
That meeting also conflicted with another, larger public event, National Night Out, that tied up parking behind City Hall, making it difficult for some to attend the DOT meeting.
The demolition of the old bridges and erection of the new ones will occur over weekends later in the project, with two lanes of traffic being maintained on Highway 18, in each direction. This way, the NJDOT hopes to keep traffic impacts to a minimum.
Drainage, lighting, and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) components will also be upgraded along the short stretch of highway. The contractor doing the work is Anselmi & DeCicco, Inc.
Pieces of the new bridges will be manufactured off-site and installed, helping to speed construction.
The intelligent transportation system might include a set of variable message signs, while existing signs will tell motorists about ongoing work and changes in traffic patterns.
The DOT anticipates completion of the project in Spring 2016. However, the work schedule might change due to the weather, as well as other issues, events, or incidents.
The NJDOT encourages motorists to check the NJDOT traffic information website, www.511nj.org , for real-time traffic updates. |
OBJECTIVE:
Cognitive impairments contribute significantly to inadequate functional recovery following illness episodes in bipolar disorder, yet data on treatment interventions are sparse. We assessed the cognitive effects of a standardized extract of the medicinal herb Withania somnifera (WSE) in bipolar disorder.
METHOD:
Sixty euthymic subjects with DSM-IV bipolar disorder were enrolled in an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study of WSE (500 mg/d) as a procognitive agent added adjunctively to the medications being used as maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder. Study enrollment and data analyses were completed between December 2008 and September 2012. Cognitive testing at baseline and 8 weeks assessed primary efficacy outcomes. Psychopathology and adverse events were monitored at scheduled visits.
RESULTS:
Fifty-three patients completed the study (WSE, n = 24; placebo, n = 29), and the 2 groups were matched in terms of demographic, illness, and treatment characteristics. Compared to placebo, WSE provided significant benefits for 3 cognitive tasks: digit span backward (P = .035), Flanker neutral response time (P = .033), and the social cognition response rating of the Penn Emotional Acuity Test (P = .045). The size of the WSE treatment effect for digit span backward was in the medium range (Cohen d = 0.51; 95% CI, 0.25-0.77). None of the other cognitive tasks showed significant between-group differences. Mood and anxiety scale scores remained stable, and adverse events were minor.
CONCLUSIONS:
Although results are preliminary, WSE appears to improve auditory-verbal working memory (digit span backward), a measure of reaction time, and a measure of social cognition in bipolar disorder. Given the paucity of data for improving cognitive capacity in bipolar disorder, WSE offers promise, appears to have a benign side-effects profile, and merits further study.
TRIAL REGISTRATION:
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00761761.
© Copyright 2013 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc. |
ITA Main Draw Results
By Jay Garneau , Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMTennis)
TULSA, Okla. - After winning his first four matches, Romain Bogaerts was knocked out in the semifinals of the main draw at the ITA All-American Championships on Sunday.
Bogaerts took on No. 2-ranked Yannick Hanfmann, a two-time All-American and the top singles player on Southern California's NCAA Championship team a year ago. Bogaerts jumped out to an early 2-1 lead in the opening set, but the Trojan battled back to win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
By reaching the quarterfinals, No. 20-ranked Bogaerts clinched an automatic berth into the 2014 USTA/ITA National Indoor Collegiate Championships, set for November 6-9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
In his round of 16 matchup Saturday, Bogaerts cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 sweep over Minnesota's No. 22-ranked Leandro Toledo.
The quarterfinal match for Bogaerts didn't come quite as easily. Against Georgia's Nathan Pasha, ranked 17th nationally, Bogaerts built on a first-set tiebreak win to earn the straight-sets victory, 7-6 (6), 6-2.
Wake Forest men's tennis returns home later this week, hosting the annual Wake Forest Fall Invitational from Oct. 10-12.
MAIN DRAW RESULTS
No. 20-ranked Romain Bogaerts
Rd. 1: Bogaerts def. Albert Wagner (Louisville), 6-2, 6-4 (Thursday)
Rd. 2: Bogaerts def. No. 3-ranked Axel Alvarez Llamas (Oklahoma), 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 (Friday)
Rd. 3: Bogaerts def. No. 22-ranked Leandro Toledo (Minnesota), 6-0, 6-2 (Saturday)
QF: Bogaerts def. No. 17-ranked Nathan Pasha (Georgia), 7-6 (6), 6-2 (Saturday)
SF: No. 2-ranked Yannick Hanfmann (USC) def. Bogaerts, 6-3, 6-3
Jon Ho
Rd. 1: No. 12-ranked Austin Smith (Georgia) def. Ho, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6) (Thursday)
Consolation Rd. 1: Ho def. No. 62-ranked Ralf Steinbach (Ohio State), 7-5, 7-6 (3) (Friday)
Consolation Rd. 2: No. 16-ranked Dane Webb (Oklahoma) def. Ho, 6-1, 6-2 (Saturday) |
A Mexican national charged with aggravated murder in the shooting deaths of three people at a rural Oregon blueberry farm had been deported six times, most recently in 2013, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Bonifacio Oseguera-Gonzalez, 29, has no significant prior criminal convictions, but ICE asked Oregon authorities to turn him over to them if he's released from custody in the current case, the agency said in a statement to The Associated Press on Friday.
Oseguera-Gonzalez pleaded not guilty to three counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder Tuesday in Marion County Superior Court.
His attorney, Deborah Burdzik, did not immediately return a call seeking comment about his immigration status.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tweeted about the case Friday, saying the suspect "should have never been here."
Two men who lived at the blueberry farm in the Willamette Valley town of Woodburn, in northwest Oregon, died at the scene of Monday's shooting. The third victim, the girlfriend of another resident who was not home at the time, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
A third man was seriously wounded but survived and is able to speak with investigators.
The Oregon State Police arrested Oseguera-Gonzalez a few hours later on Interstate 84 in the Columbia River Gorge, about 100 miles northeast of Woodburn.
He acknowledged to authorities in an interview that he shot four people, according to a probable cause statement.
The victims were identified as Ruben Rigoberto-Reyes, 60; Edmundo Amaro-Bajonero, 26; and Katie Gildersleeve, 30, of Logsden.
Authorities have released few details about the case, including the relationship between Oseguera-Gonzalez and the victims, and have declined to specify a motive. |
CORRECTION: The article has been revised to emphasize that the state of Nebraska as a whole has the highest rate of black homicide victimization in the country, not the city of Omaha. The author regrets the error.
Murder rates in the United States continue to plunge to historic lows -- even the blood-soaked streets of Chicago recorded a 16 percent drop in homicides last year, with the city recording its fewest killings since 1965. Still, for uncounted African-Americans, the carnage persists in deprived neighborhoods across the country. While news of gang killings and other forms of mayhem in the grim streets of Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Oakland, Calif. and other metropolises dominate headlines, the city with the highest incidence of black murder victims might raise some eyebrows: the seemingly peaceful, farming state of Nebraska's largest city, Omaha, a city of 420,000, located along the banks of the Missouri River.
The Violence Policy Center (VPC), a Washington, D.C.-based research and advocacy group that promotes gun control, determined that in 2011 (the latest year in which comprehensive national data s available), 30 blacks (including 27 in Omaha) were murdered that year in Nebraska -- meaning, the state had a black homicide rate of 34.4 per 100,000 people, double the national average of black victimization. (On VPC's top ranked states by black homicide victimization rates, Nebraska is closely followed by Missouri, 33.4 per 100,000 people, Michigan, 31.5; Pennsylvania, 29.0; and Oklahoma, 25.5.)
Omaha (and particularly its black neighborhoods in the deprived northern and northeastern parts of the city) accounted for almost half of all recorded homicides in Nebraska -- which, overall, sported a relatively low murder rate of less than four per 100,000 people. (The U.S. as a whole has a murder rate of 4.44 per 100,000 people.) Ninety percent of these murders came from the bullet of a gun.
The data further revealed that two black homicide victims from that year were children (less than 18 years old), while the average age of the victim was 28. The violence has continued into 2014 -- as if to illustrate the parade of killings that have ensnared parts of Omaha, on Jan. 15, a 5-year-old black girl named Payton Benson was gunned down by a stray bullet. “Gun violence is a public health crisis that touches all Americans, but the impact on African-Americans is especially devastating,” said VPC executive director Josh Sugarmann. “This report should be a wake-up call for our elected officials to address the disproportionately high homicide victimization rate among black men and women. The longer we wait to act, the more lives will be lost.”
Since 2009, Nebraska's ranking on this grim scale has jumped from 11th place to the top spot. Missouri, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma feature the highest black homicide rates, just behind Nebraska. “This is not an abstract concept,” Sugarmann added. “This is real people’s lives.”
On an absolute basis, the homicide numbers for Omaha are dwarfed by murder data from places like Chicago and Detroit, since Nebraska has a small population. With about 1.9 million people in the entire state (about two-thirds the size of Chicago), Nebraska is overwhelmingly white. About 88,000 black people reside in Nebraska, accounting for only about 4.8 percent of the state's populace. The black community is concentrated in Omaha, and to a lesser extent, in the capital city of Lincoln, about 50 miles to the southwest, according to the 2012 U.S. Census.
Some of the violence in Nebraska is found in the predominantly black neighborhoods of northern and northeastern Omaha, an area rife with the familiar urban ills of poverty, gang activity, high unemployment and substandard housing conditions. "Northeast Omaha has the highest level of concentrated poverty in the state; it has the highest concentration of unemployment," Willie Barney, president of the Omaha Empowerment Network, told the Journal Star newspaper of Lincoln. "If you look at any map across the country that has heavily concentrated poverty, heavily concentrated unemployment -- in places like Cincinnati, Newark (N.J.), Baltimore, Chicago -- you'll see the exact same thing." Indeed, unemployment in north Omaha is estimated at 25 percent, in stark contrast to a 4 percent figure for the state (one of the lowest jobless rates in the country).
Omaha police estimate that at least one-half of all killings in the city are gang-related, although some appear to be random (like the Payton Benson tragedy). "We had gangs when I was growing up; it's the attitudes that have changed," said Nia Williams, 32, a resident of north Omaha and member of gang-intervention group called Impact One, to Journal Star. "Now, even when one of these kids loses a friend to a shooting, they don't even stop to grieve. Used to be, you'd go to a funeral, and kids would be wearing an RIP [Rest in Peace] pin. Now, they're wearing four or five RIP pins. That's what their legacy is.”
Omaha police chief Todd Schmaderer has responded to the crisis by restructuring his department and assigning more officers to specific gangs. “It's Vietnam around this block,” Larry Davis, a 50-year-old north Omaha resident, told the Omaha World-Herald newspaper in 2012. “These young guys with these guns, they just don't have a value for life.” Quite obviously, the prosperity that the rest of Omaha enjoys has completely bypassed the northern parts of the city, which is scarred by hundreds of condemned properties, among other woes.
However, Susan V. Koski, Assistant Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Central Connecticut State University, cautioned that the data must be perceived through the prism of skepticism since the population numbers in Omaha and Nebraska is so small. “It is important to look at the raw numbers rather than the percentages,” she said. “All data must be looked at critically as there are a number of factors, including the data source, funding party, and reporting media.” |
Former Garda stations, care homes and centres formerly used to accommodate asylum seekers could be used to house homeless families, as part of a Government plan to address the spiralling homelessness crisis.
The “Implementation Plan on the State’s Response to Homelessness to December 2016”, which will be brought to Cabinet next Tuesday, describes the escalating numbers of homeless families as an “emergency crisis”.
It says there should be a relaxation of the rent caps for families at risk of losing their homes, on a case by case basis, and that local authorities must give priority to homeless households in their housing allocations.
The 83-page implementation plan, which has been seen by The Irish Times, sets out what the Government must do to achieve its objective of ending long-term homelessness by 2016. Minister for Housing Jan O’Sullivan, who will be presenting the plan, told The Irish Times the homelessness crisis was “coming to a head”. “It’s going to get worse unless we do things,” she added.
The focus of this plan is exclusively on the homeless population, estimated at about 2,700 people. Among these are more than 200 homeless families with children across the State – about 180 of them in Dublin accommodated in hotels.
Dublin numbers
Numbers in Dublin have increased dramatically since November, when there were 128 families in hotels. In May 2013, there were 58. The Dublin Region Homeless Executive expects to spend €4.5 million on emergency accommodation this year, compared with €1.3 million last year and €455,000 in 2012.
The plan says “with the volume of new presentations it is becoming increasingly challenging to provide appropriate and suitable accommodation for these families”. It warns many will have to be transferred out of their hotels as the tourism season picks up, “which will result in considerable disruption for the families involved and increased costs for the State”.
Ms O’Sullivan said she expects the plan to be fully supported at Cabinet, adding it has been approved by the Cabinet Subcommittee on Social Policy.
Supply
The pressing issue is lack of housing supply and her priority is to increase this wherever capacity can be sourced. “If there are empty properties anywhere that are owned by the State we need to look at them,” she said. “People in our department have actually been looking around to see, to say, ‘What about this place, that place?’”
Among possible “accommodation solutions” that should be considered are social housing units that do not meet the standard required for long-term letting but which, with remedial work, could be used for emergency accommodation; former direct provision centres; former Army living quarters; vacant Garda stations; quarters owned by religious orders; and “a number of former hospitals, homes and care centres” owned by the HSE.
The plan says local authorities must be instructed “to bring into use as a matter of urgency those vacant properties that are vacant”.
While some local authorities are reletting dwellings once vacant within six weeks, others are taking up to 40 weeks. “The figures would suggest the length of time houses are left [that] more urgency is required,” said Ms O’Sullivan. |
Location of Joara in present-day Burke County, North Carolina
Joara was a large Native American settlement, a regional chiefdom of the Mississippian culture, located in what is now Burke County, North Carolina, about 300 miles in the interior in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.[1] Joara is notable as a significant archaeological and historic site. It was a place of encounter in 1540 between the Mississippian people and the party of Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto.[2]
A later expedition under Juan Pardo in 1567 created the first brief European settlement in the interior of the continent, establishing Fort San Juan at this site, together with other forts to the west.[2] It is thought to be the first and the largest of the forts that Pardo established in an attempt to colonize the American South[3] On July 22, 2013, archeologists announced evidence of the long-suspected Fort San Juan at Joara, after previous excavations revealed European as well as Mississippian artifacts.[1]
History [ edit ]
In the 21st century, archaeological finds from excavations have established evidence of both substantial Mississippian and sustained Spanish 16th-century settlement in the interior of North Carolina. Joara was also the site of Fort San Juan, established by the Juan Pardo expedition as the earliest Spanish outpost (1567–1568) in the interior of what is now North Carolina. This was 40 years before the English settlement at Jamestown and nearly 20 years before their "Lost Colony" at Roanoke Island.[2]
Located northwest of Morganton, the site has been excavated in portions by the Upper Catawba Valley Archaeology Project since the early 2000s. They hold regular open houses and educational events for the public during the summer excavation season.
Established about AD 1000, Joara was the largest Mississippian culture settlement within the current boundaries of North Carolina.[4] In 1540 a party of Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto encountered the people at this chiefdom site.[2] It was still thriving in January 1567 when the Spanish soldiers under Captain Juan Pardo arrived. Pardo established a base there for the winter, called the settlement Cuenca, and built Fort San Juan. After 18 months, the natives killed the soldiers at the fort and burned the structures down. That same year the natives destroyed all six forts in the southeast interior and killed all but one of the 120 men Pardo had stationed in them. As a result, the Spanish ended their colonizing effort in the southeastern interior.[4]
Effects of European infectious diseases and conquest, and assimilation by larger native tribes, led to native abandonment of the settlement long before English explorers arrived in the region in the 17th century. De Soto's 1540 expedition noted the Chalaque already in the area at the time. According to some modern-day conjectures, the Cherokee, an Iroquoian-speaking people, migrated into western North Carolina from northern areas around the Great Lakes and used some of the former Mississippian village sites. English, Scots-Irish and German immigrants arrived in the 18th century.
Settlement [ edit ]
Joara is thought to have been settled some time after AD 1000 by the Mississippian culture, which built an earthwork mound at the site. It was a regional chiefdom, established on the west bank of Upper Creek and within sight of Table Rock, a dominant geographical feature of the area. The Joara natives comprised the eastern extent of Mississippian Mound Builder culture, which was centered in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. By the time of the first European contact by the Spanish with Native Americans in the foothills of the southern Appalachians, Joara had already grown to be the largest Mississippian-culture settlement in present-day North Carolina. The town served as the political center of a regional chiefdom that controlled many of the surrounding native settlements.[4]
Most contemporary scholars, following John Swanton, connect the various spellings of Joara with the Cheraw, a Siouan language-speaking people. The later historic Catawba Nation are likely descendants of the natives at Joara.[5]
Cofitachequi and the neighboring Coosa chiefdoms were developed by ancestral Muskogean-speaking groups, who apparently claimed other areas as tributary. The Creek people are their descendants. The scholar T.H. Lewis at first associated the term Xualla with the modern Qualla Boundary and thought it was Cherokee, but most modern scholars no longer believe this. Charles Hudson alone among modern scholars argues that Joara may be a Cherokee name; but the Cherokee were not moundbuilders and were not the first to develop the site.[6]
Spanish exploration [ edit ]
Hernando de Soto [ edit ]
In 1540, Hernando de Soto led a Spanish army up the eastern edge of the Appalachian mountains through present-day Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. This expedition recorded the first European contact with the people of Joara, which de Soto's chroniclers called Xuala.[7] De Soto brought the queen of Cofitachequi province to Joara as an involuntary member of his entourage. The chroniclers also state that the queen claimed political dominion at this time over Joara province as well as the province of "Chalaque", and that the natives in both places respected her office. She managed to escape after reaching Joara.
The Spanish departed to continue their exploration of Spanish Florida's interior, crossing westward over the Blue Ridge into eastern Tennessee, where they visited the Coosa chiefdom at Guasile. It would be another 26 years before the Spanish would return under the Juan Pardo Expedition to try to enforce their claim over the land and its native inhabitants.
Captain Juan Pardo's first expedition [ edit ]
Detail of Joara (spelled Xuala) and neighboring villages on Chiaves' 1584 map of La Florida
On December 1, 1566, Captain Juan Pardo and 125 men departed from Santa Elena, a center of Spanish Florida (located on present-day Parris Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina) under orders from Governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to claim the interior for Spain. Pardo was to pacify the native inhabitants, convert them to Catholicism, and establish a route to Spanish silver mines near Zacatecas, Mexico. The Spanish thought Santa Elena was much closer to the mines than it actually was.
To stay close to food sources on their journey through the foothills, the Spanish traveled northwest where there were friendly natives who would help to feed them. The small Spanish force stopped at Otari (near present-day Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina) and Yssa (near present-day Denver, Lincoln County), before arriving at Joara.
Captain Pardo and his men arrived at Joara in January 1567. He renamed it Cuenca after his hometown of Cuenca, Spain. Snow in the Appalachian Mountains forced the Spanish to establish a winter base in the foothills at Joara. According to the records of the expedition, the explorers built a wooden fort at the north end of Joara and named it Fort San Juan. The fort became the first European settlement of present-day North Carolina, predating the establishment of the first English colony at Roanoke Island by 18 years and Jamestown Virginia by 40 years.
The Spanish kept a base in Fort San Juan and claimed sovereignty over several other settlements in the region, including Guaquiri (near present-day Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina) and Quinahaqui (in present-day Catawba County, North Carolina). In February 1567, Captain Pardo established Fort Santiago at Guatari, a smaller town of Guatari (also called Wateree) natives located in present-day Rowan County, North Carolina.
When Captain Pardo received word of a possible French invasion of Santa Elena (an early Spanish mission on the coast), he left 30 soldiers to occupy Joara, and four soldiers and his chaplain, Sebastián Montero, to occupy Guatari. He departed the area with the remainder of his force. Pardo appointed sergeant Hernando Moyano to command the force stationed at Fort San Juan.
Hernando Moyano's raids [ edit ]
During the spring of 1567, Hernando Moyano led a combined force of natives and Spanish north. The force attacked and burned the Chisca tribe's village of Maniateque (near present-day Saltville, Virginia) before returning to Joara.
After resting and supplying his force, Moyano led his force to Guapere (thought to be on the upper Watauga River in present-day Tennessee). The Spanish and native force attacked and burned Guapere and marched west to Chiaha (also in present-day Tennessee). Moyano's force built a fort in Chiaha and waited for Captain Juan Pardo to return.
Captain Juan Pardo's second expedition [ edit ]
Captain Juan Pardo returned to Fort San Juan in September 1567 to find the local inhabitants angered by the Spanish raids and demands for food, women, and canoes. The effect of newly introduced diseases was also destabilizing the community, causing resentment towards the Spanish. Instead of continuing his mission to Mexico, Captain Pardo left a garrison at Fort San Juan and marched the remainder of his troops westward to resupply Sgt. Hernando Moyano's troops.
Pardo first took his troops to the native village of Tocae (near present-day Asheville, North Carolina), then continued to Cauchi (near present-day Canton, North Carolina. The force continued on to Tanasqui and then to Chiaha where they found Hernando Moyano's troops in need of supply. After resupplying Moyano's troops, Pardo returned to Santa Elena.
Native uprising and end of Spanish colonization [ edit ]
Shortly after May 1568, news reached Santa Elena that the native population had burned the six Spanish forts established by Juan Pardo and killed all but one of the 120 Spanish men stationed in those garrisons. Captain Pardo never returned to the area, and Spain ended all attempts to conquer and colonize the southeastern interior. Captain Juan Pardo's narrative of his travels and settlement at Joara, written by his scribe Bandera, were discovered and translated into English in the 1980s. They have contributed to a significant reassessment of the history of Spanish colonization in the interior of North America.[8]
Demise and abandonment [ edit ]
At the time of the first Spanish contact, the native people of the area were identified by their villages of residence and were not part of large tribes. Death from European diseases and conquest and assimilation by large tribes such as the Catawba and Cherokee caused many of these smaller native groups to disappear.
In 1670, explorer John Lederer, departing from Fort Henry, explored deep into North Carolina and described a large town he called "Sara", in the mountains that "receive from the Spaniards the name of Suala". He states that the natives here mined cinnabar to make purple facepaint, and had cakes of salt. James Needham and Gabriel Archer also explored the entire area from Fort Henry in 1671, and described this town as "Sarrah". However, this was likely several miles to the east of the original Joara.
By the time most English, Moravian, Scots-Irish, and German settlers arrived in the area in the 18th century, Joara and many of the other native towns in the region had been abandoned.
Although the location of Joara and Fort San Juan were forgotten, local inhabitants found numerous native artifacts in certain areas of the upper Catawba River Valley. Unlike areas in which mounds were protected, during the early 1950s farmers bulldozed Joara's twelve-foot-high earthen platform mound to make way for cultivation.[8] The location of the mound is now recognizable only as a two-foot rise in the field but current owners vow to protect the site.
Rediscovery at the Berry site [ edit ]
During the 1960s and 1970s, several archaeological surveys were conducted in Burke County to determine possible locations of Joara and Fort San Juan. By the 1980s, archaeologists had reduced the number of possible locations and began limited excavations. These surveys and excavations showed that the upper Catawba River Valley did have a sizable native population during the 14th to 16th centuries.
In 1986, a breakthrough occurred at the Berry excavation site (named for the family who own the property). Archaeologists discovered 16th-century Spanish artifacts. This evidence, supported by Bandera's 16th century narrative, caused a reevaluation of Pardo's route through the Upper Catawba Valley. Further evidence suggests the Berry Site is the location of Joara and Fort San Juan.[9] The archaeological site has demonstrated the extent to which the Spanish attempted to establish a colonial foothold in the interior of the Southeast.[8]
Further excavations at the Berry site throughout the 1990s and 2000s have yielded remains of native Joara settlement and burned Spanish huts, and more 16th-century Spanish artifacts, including olive jar fragments, a spike, and a knife. In 2007, the team excavated Structure 5 and found a Spanish iron scale, as well as evidence of Spanish building techniques. These artifacts were not trade goods but objects used by the Spanish in settlements. Joara is particularly interesting for the interaction between Native Americans and Spanish, who were relatively few in number and depended on the natives for food. Archaeologists expect to find evidence that will reveal more about events there.[9][10]
Archaeologists familiar with the area have concluded this is the site of Joara and Fort San Juan. It supports documented Spanish settlement of 1567–1568, as well as the natives' burning of the fort. The discovery is requiring a reassessment of the history of European contact with Native Americans.[4]
In July 2013, archeologists reported finding evidence of the remains of the fort itself at the site, including the remnants of burned palisades and what appeared to be the main structure within the fort.[11]
See also [ edit ]
Citations [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Beck, Robin A., Jr. (Winter 1997). "From Joara to Chiaha: Spanish Exploration of the Appalachian Summit Area, 1540-1568". Southeastern Archaeology. 16 (2): 162–169.
Beck, Robin A., Jr.; David G. Moore (Winter 2002). "The Burke Phase: A Mississippian Frontier in the North Carolina Foothills". Southeastern Archaeology. 21 (2): 192–205. ISSN 0734-578X.
Beck, Robin A., Jr.; David G. Moore; Christopher B. Rodning (Summer 2006). "Identifying Fort San Juan: A Sixteenth-Century Spanish Occupation at the Berry Site, North Carolina". Southeastern Archaeology. 25 (1): 65–77. ISSN 0734-578X.
Simmons, Geitner (Aug. 15, 1999). "Insight". The Salisbury Post . Retrieved Jul. 7, 2005.
. Retrieved Jul. 7, 2005. Simmons, Geitner (Aug. 29, 1999). "Spanish empire failed to conquer Southeast". The Salisbury Post. Retrieved Jul. 7, 2005.
Further Reading
Clark, Larry Richard (2017). Imperial Spain's Failure to Colonize Southeast North America 1513-1587. TimeSpan Press. ISBN 978-1542923118.
Coordinates: |
President Trump on Tuesday night fiercely defended his response to violence in Charlottesville, Va., at his first public rally since his remarks ignited a national debate about whether he had emboldened racists.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Phoenix, Trump made passing remarks from a teleprompter about the need for unity and inclusion before veering off-script to attack the news media, Democrats and even Republicans in the Senate whom he accused of distorting his response and blocking his agenda.
The president mocked the protesters outside the building and taunted the “anti-fascist” protesters — known as “antifa” — that clashed with the white supremacists in Charlottesville, where three people died last Saturday.
“All week [the media] are talking about the massive crowds that are going to be outside. Where are they?” Trump asked. “It's hot out. It is hot. I think it's too warm. They show up in the helmets and black masks and they have clubs and everything. Antifa!”
At the 76-minute long rally, Trump threatened to shut down the government if his proposed border wall doesn't get funding from Congress.
"If we have to close down our government, we're building that wall," he said.
Trump teased that he would soon pardon controversial former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of ignoring court orders to end the racial profiling of Latinos.
In the run-up to the rally, Democrats warned that a pardon would further inflame racial tensions in the wake of Charlottesville. Trump signaled that a pardon would come, but that Tuesday night was not the proper venue for it.
“I will make a prediction — I think he's going to be just fine,” Trump said. “But I won't do it tonight because I don't want to cause any controversy. Is that okay?”
And the president ripped Arizona’s sitting Republican senators — John McCain John Sidney McCainGOP lobbyists worry Trump lags in K Street fundraising Mark Kelly kicks off Senate bid: ‘A mission to lift up hardworking Arizonans’ Gabbard hits back at Meghan McCain after fight over Assad MORE and Jeff Flake Jeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Poll: 33% of Kentucky voters approve of McConnell Trump suggests Heller lost reelection bid because he was 'hostile' during 2016 presidential campaign MORE — although he did not mention them by name because he said GOP leaders asked him not to.
McCain helped sink the GOP’s ObamaCare repeal efforts.
“One vote, speak to your senator, please, speak to your senator,” Trump said.
Flake has been touring with his new book “Conscience of a Conservative,” which argues that Republicans need to reclaim the soul of the party from Trump. The president has tweeted his support for Flake’s GOP primary challenger in 2018, putting him at odds with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellHouse to push back at Trump on border Democrats block abortion bill in Senate Overnight Energy: Climate protesters storm McConnell’s office | Center-right group says Green New Deal could cost trillion | Dire warnings from new climate studies MORE (R-Ky.) and the Republican Senate campaign arm.
“Nobody wants me to talk about your other senator, who is weak on borders, weak on crime, so I won't talk about him,” Trump said. “Nobody wants me to talk about him. Nobody knows who the hell he is. And now see, I haven't mentioned any names. Very presidential.”
Nearly 20,000 people packed into the arena to hear the president speak.
Phoenix police and the FBI were on high alert ahead of the event, which marked Trump’s first public rally since the furious blowback to his response to Charlottesville.
There have been street protests in cities across the country in the week since, but reports on the ground from Phoenix indicated there were only a few minor scuffles outside the convention center.
At the end of the night, police in riot gear deployed smoke canisters and flash-bangs to disperse the crowd as protesters mixed with rallygoers streaming out of the complex.
Inside the arena, Trump’s allies — Vice President Pence, Housing and Urban Development secretary Ben Carson Benjamin (Ben) Solomon CarsonPuerto Rico governor, White House clash over meeting Puerto Rico governor says Trump won't meet to discuss hurricane relief The Hill's Morning Report - Can Bernie recapture 2016 magic? MORE and Christian evangelist Franklin Graham — struck a conciliatory tone before Trump took the stage.
"Our differences are nothing compared to our shared humanity,” Carson said.
Trump opened with a similar tone, but quickly veered off script to spend the bulk of the rally unloading on the news media for its coverage of his response to Charlottesville.
Trump called for calm and unity on the day of the protests but was criticized for not directly calling out white supremacists or the Ku Klux Klan by name and for saying that there was violence "on many sides."
The president directly denounced racist groups at a second press conference held 48 hours later, but soon after reaped a whirlwind for blaming “both sides” for the violence and saying there were some marching with the white nationalists that had good intentions.
Republicans quickly lined up to rebuke the president and business leaders fled his economic advisory councils.
On Tuesday night, Trump read through almost the entirety of his initial response, arguing that it was adequate.
He cast all of his troubles on the media’s “false” coverage, sparking chants of “CNN sucks!” from his supporters.
Trump attacked ABC’s George Stephanopolous as “Little George.” He railed against the “failing” New York Times and “pathetic” CNN and called The Washington Post a “lobbying tool for Amazon.”
“These were my exact words — ‘I love all the people of our country. We are going to make America great again. But we are going to make it a great for all of the people of the United States of America,’ ” Trump said. “And then they say, ‘Is he a racist?' ”
“You know where my heart is,” Trump continued. “I'm really doing this to show you how damned dishonest these people are.”
Trump did not mention that he had also blamed "both sides" and "many sides" on two occasions, which is what provoked fury from his critics.
“What about the alt-left that came charging at the — as you say, the alt-right?” Trump asked at a Trump Tower press conference last week. “Do they have any semblance of guilt? What about the fact they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs? Do they have any problem? I think they do. As far as I am concerned, that was a horrible, horrible day.”
On Tuesday night, the president accused the media of obsessing over the white nationalists and of giving “a platform to hate groups” that they wouldn’t otherwise have.
“It is time to expose the crooked media deception and to challenge the media for their role in fomenting divisions,” Trump said. “And yes, by the way, they are trying to take away our history and our heritage.” |
Andy Blatchford, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- Alaska is refusing to budge after the Harper government issued a legal threat over the state's plan to build on Canadian soil with exclusively American iron and steel.
In fact, the Alaskans insisted Tuesday that they're moving ahead with their project to build a new ferry terminal in British Columbia -- protectionist provisions and all.
This week, the Canadian government took the unusual step of signing a legal order to prevent Alaska from imposing "Buy American" policies on the construction work in the B.C. coastal city of Prince Rupert.
International Trade Minister Ed Fast went on the offensive after the state rejected Ottawa's demands that it abandon a rule requiring the Prince Rupert project to use only U.S.-made materials.
The rarely used Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act would enable Ottawa to impose fines and take legal action against the project's winning bidder if it complies with the Buy American provisions.
But an official in the Alaska governor's office said Tuesday that the state intends to proceed with the ongoing call-for-tenders process and will deal with Canadian legal manoeuvres as they come.
"We're going to respond to that action if and when it occurs," Patricia Eckert told The Canadian Press in an interview.
Eckert, associate director for international trade in Gov. Bill Walker's office, said the last day to submit bids for the ferry project is Friday.
She said she expects Canadian companies, if they choose to bid on the project, would be "highly competitive."
But since the project is receiving 91 per cent of its funding from the U.S. federal government, and just nine per cent from Alaska, it must adhere to "Buy American" restrictions. That means the project must use U.S. iron and steel.
Fast said Monday that Canada asked the governor to seek a waiver to remove the protectionist barrier. Walker declined that request, Eckert said.
"The reason Gov. Walker chose not to seek the waiver is that Alaskans and Americans benefit from the Buy America requirement," she said.
The Canadian government signed the FEMA order for the Prince Rupert project, which is expected to cost around US$15 million, on the grounds it hurts the country's interests.
Fast's office has said the only other time Ottawa used FEMA was in 1992 in response to a U.S. attempt to restrict trade between Cuba and American-owned subsidiaries based in Canada.
The order permits Ottawa to take action against the project's winning bidder if it follows protectionist U.S. legislation -- action that could lead to fines against the contractor and police investigations.
A conviction under FEMA could mean a fine of up to $1.5 million for a corporation or up to $150,000 for an individual, as well as up to five years behind bars, according to information provided Tuesday by a spokesman for Fast.
"A waiver would have resolved this issue, allowing it to move forward without delay," Rudy Husny wrote in an email.
"Alaska is denying Canadian companies, on Canadian soil, the opportunity to compete, and the clear benefits that arise from our integrated supply chain."
The minister wasn't immediately available for comment Tuesday, Husny said.
Asked about the legal risks contractors could face from Canada, Eckert responded: "We're going to let the bid process proceed and trust that people will make their own decisions."
The construction project is part of an agreement in a 50-year lease signed in 2013 between the Prince Rupert Port Authority and the Alaska Department of Highways.
The Alaska Marine Highway has operated the terminal for more than 50 years as well as ferry service between Prince Rupert and the state.
Eckert said if the cross-border dispute causes an "inordinate delay," the Alaskan government is prepared to continue its ferry service using existing facilities in Prince Rupert for the next several years, or until the feud is sorted out.
"There's no emergency," she said. |
Security attacks are unfortunately becoming a more regular occurrence. Recently, we identified a coordinated effort to gain unauthorized access to Yahoo Mail accounts. Upon discovery, we took immediate action to protect our users, prompting them to reset passwords on impacted accounts.
Based on our current findings, the list of usernames and passwords that were used to execute the attack was likely collected from a third-party database compromise. We have no evidence that they were obtained directly from Yahoo’s systems. Our ongoing investigation shows that malicious computer software used the list of usernames and passwords to access Yahoo Mail accounts. The information sought in the attack seems to be names and email addresses from the affected accounts’ most recent sent emails.
What we’re doing to protect our users
We are resetting passwords on impacted accounts and we are using second sign-in verification to allow users to re-secure their accounts. Impacted users will be prompted (if not, already) to change their password and may receive an email notification or an SMS text if they have added a mobile number to their account.
We are working with federal law enforcement to find and prosecute the perpetrators responsible for this attack.
We have implemented additional measures to block attacks against Yahoo’s systems.
What you can do to help keep your accounts secure
In addition to adopting better password practices by changing your password regularly and using different variations of symbols and characters, users should never use the same password on multiple sites or services. Using the same password on multiple sites or services makes users particularly vulnerable to these types of attacks.
We regret this has happened and want to assure our users that we take the security of their data very seriously.
For more information, please check our Customer Care help page.
By Jay Rossiter, SVP, Platforms and Personalization Products |
The household product being applied to steel work The £1.99 household product Cillit Bang is being used to help clean plutonium stains at the defunct Dounreay nuclear power plant in Caithness. Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) said it would help reduce the £2.6bn cost of dismantling the site. The cleaner's use has also drawn interest from operators of other nuclear sites in the UK. A different domestic product has already been applied in the cleaning of contaminated glass tubes. Randall Bargelt, of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which owns Dounreay, said such innovative thinking would save taxpayers, who are funding the cost of the dismantling project. Plastic suits Staff at Sellafield in Cumbria were among those monitoring the use of Cillit Bang in Dounreay's experimental chemical plant. One of the clean-up team suggested trying the product after the fluid normally used was deemed to be slowing down the operation. The cleaner was found to markedly reduce levels of radioactive contamination. Project manager David Manson said: "The normal decontamination agents we would use on steel and glass need time to dry and this slowed us down. "The acids that had been used years ago also created problems. It meant we had to think carefully about the most effective way to wipe the plutonium from the steelwork before we could cut it up." He added: "It was at one of our regular toolbox talks that one of the guys suggested Cillit Bang. "He remembered seeing it dissolve the grime on a 2p coin in an advert on TV and thought it was worth looking at. I'm very glad we did. We tested it and found it to be very effective." The 15-strong clean-up team wear whole-body plastic suits with their own oxygen supply and often need four or five layers of gloves to protect them from radiation. Previously, Mr Muscle has been used along with a glass cleaning agent to decontaminate glass columns at the plant's reprocessing laboratory.
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WASHINGTON – It’s been weeks of eye-popping Secret Service scandals – with egregious lapses in security that jeopardize the very safety of President Trump and his family – and now a veteran agent who guarded former President Obama blames “the terrible management class” in the agency.
First, a fence jumper carrying two cans of mace roamed the grounds March 10 for 17 minutes and rattled the door knob of the White House as Secret Service agents ignored alarms.
Then, an agent left a laptop computer containing floor plans for Trump Tower in her car in New York City, and a thief made off with the sensitive information Thursday.
Next, two agents snapped “selfies” with Trump’s sleeping 8-year-old grandson inside a Secret Service vehicle in New York Sunday.
Also Sunday, a guest claimed he “snuck by” the Secret Service and managed to take a photo of himself inside President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago study.
And on Monday, it was reported the Secret Service is permanently removing Agent Kerry O’Grady from her position after she publicly stated she wouldn’t “take a bullet” for President Trump.
The alarming breaches have observers asking: What is going on with the Secret Service?
Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino, best-selling author of “Life Inside the Bubble: Why a Top-Ranked Secret Service Agent Walked Away from It All,” told WND the agency is imploding and suffering an extreme thinning of the ranks.
“They’re losing right now their best and brightest. It’s a tidal wave of attrition,” said Bongino, who once protected Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
“They’re having a significant brain drain in the Secret Service, and it’s leading to an experience vacuum.”
Veteran Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino tells all! Get his bestselling exposé of “Life Inside the Bubble” at radical discount
He said the Secret Service has a “substandard” White House security plan, and it’s outdated by at least two decades.
“The times have changed, and Secret Service upper-level management needs to change with it,” Bongino said. “You have a group of essentially largely sclerotic men and women running the agency who are doing the same thing they did 20 years ago with a few Band-Aids here and there, temporary fixes to big, huge, gaping wounds, sticking Band-Aids on these wounds. And they’re wondering why we’re getting a series of these incidents.”
What do YOU think? What’s wrong with the Secret Service? Sound off now in the WND Poll!
Trump is no longer safe on the White House grounds and must turn to outside forces for protection, Bongino cautioned.
The administration “needs an outside panel,” he advised. “They need a whole consortium of military and law enforcement outside of the Secret Service, private security people who can be read into the program, vetted and cleared to give an independent eyeball on the Secret Service situation. There is just not enough pressure right now internally, or political pressure to ensure the way they do business. And the White House, how it currently stands, just isn’t secure.”
The Secret Service doesn’t get “do-overs,” the former agent warned.
“The Secret Service is a zero-error environment,” he said. “And, right now, I’m afraid they are not operating in a zero-error environment. They’re dealing with a vulnerable security plan.”
Bongino continued: “It’s not open season on the White House right now. I don’t want anyone to take this as some sort of invitation – you attack, you’ll probably going to lose. But the fact is, we shouldn’t have to say ‘probably.’ It should be a guaranteed loss for the bad guys.”
Veteran Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino tells all! Get his bestselling bestselling exposé of “Life Inside the Bubble” at radical discount
The first step in fixing the problem is to address the Secret Service’s “terrible management class,” which is causing the attrition problems, Bongino said.
In some cases, the agents are veterans who have 15 to 20 years in the service and are too invested to leave. Others are rookies. All the mid-level, experienced men and women taking other jobs after they get their top-secret clearances, he said.
“You couldn’t run a publishing company like that, or a computer company, or an engineering company where you’d lose all of your super experienced engineers, and the Secret Service can’t run company like that, either,” Bongino added.
Listen to Dan Bongino’s interview with Washington’s WMAL News:
The rate of attempted incursions into the White House is no greater under Trump than Obama or any previous president, Bongino noted, but the culture of the agency began to crumble as it merged with the Department of Homeland Security. Until 2003, the Secret Service was part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
“The base level of the threat to the president of the United States is elevated all of the time,” he said. “The office of the president of the United States is a magnet for terrorists and people with psychological disorders. The threat level is high no matter who is in the office.”
The Secret Service is the worst place in government to work, according to the annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings, released in December by the Partnership for Public Service. The Secret Service is at the bottom of the list, ranking No. 305 out of 305. In 2015, the Secret Service was second to last out of what was then 320 agency “subcomponents.”
The morale of the Service changed “when we stopped winning,” Bongino explained.
“After 2000 or 2001, when the National Special Security Event started and the Service emerged with DHS, mission creep set in,” he said. “When I was there, guys were ecstatic to be Secret Service agents. It was a very proud label to carry with you. And now, it’s apparently not only not a proud label, it’s the least proud label to carry with you.” |
During any given week, I have a number of conversations ongoing with inquisitive folks who read the blog and want either to send me encouragement or else to challenge me to reconsider my disbelief in their religion. From time to time I like to share a sample of those conversations with the rest of you so that you can get a peek into what they are like, how I respond to them, and what sorts of things will either encourage more conversations or else shut them down.
Here is one from this week with a fundamentalist pastor from Oregon. And yes, those do exist, for as you’ll frequently hear me say: Anytime you get 20 minutes outside of any major city in the U.S., you’re back in the Bible Belt again, no matter in what state you live or travel.
My wife came upon your webpage and told me about your decision to turn away from Christianity. I am a pastor in Oregon but was born and raised and lived in the deep south until moving here 10 years ago. I am curious to know the, “why,” behind you forsaking Christianity.
Please help me understand. Bishop David [Edited]
Oregon
Hi David.
I’m always open to discussing why I no longer believe, although I’ll go ahead and tell you that people like me quickly pick up on loaded language like “decision to turn away” and “forsaking.” Your choice of language indicates you’ve already evaluated my skepticism as a moral failing of some kind. Maybe you could correct me about that, though? Have I misunderstood?
The reasons that were convincing to me as a child are no longer persuasive to me in my adult life. That puts us on opposite sides of a large divide, which doesn’t mean we can’t have a productive conversation. But it does mean misunderstanding each other will happen very easily. So if you’re really interested in understanding why I no longer believe, I feel like the first step will require understanding that I didn’t rebel against anything, or forsake anything. No decision was made to turn away from anything. I just no longer believe what I once believed. Continuing to pretend as if I do would be dishonest from that point forward.
I’m open to discussing this, however, and I’ve written about it many times. The most recent version of my shorter explanation can be found here, if you’d like to start there:
The pastor first wrote me back to apologize, which is pretty rare.
Thank you for your response. I apologize for my poor choice of words in asking what happened. I meant no disrespect at all. The words I used are from years of being in church and words of a pastor. Christians do have their own church language, it’s hard sometimes to not use church words. I will read your link that you sent and then if I have any more questions I will respond back to you.
After reading the link I sent him, he wrote back a short reply which I suppose he felt was a decent closing argument. My second reply follows his.
Hello, I finally got the time to read your explanation of why you no longer believe. My response is this. If you are correct and I live my life praying to and trusting in a god of my imagination who doesn’t exists then when I die, I’m just dead and that’s it. However, if you are wrong, then we both know where that leaves you when you die.
David,
I’m sure you already know that response is called “Pascal’s Wager,” and it’s fairly unpersuasive for people like me for a number of reasons. You said, “If you are wrong, then we both know where that leaves you,” but we actually don’t. If I am wrong, there are hundreds of other possibilities, but you are programmed to be impressed by only one of them. You seem to believe that if my unbelief in gods is wrong, then yours is the only alternative. We call that a “false dilemma.”
What if there isn’t just one god but hundreds? Or what if there is one but it’s not yours? Or perhaps more to the point, what if yours is the right one, but you’ve massively misunderstood his sentiments toward people like me who are unconvinced of his existence? Why are you so certain that my unbelief is the thing that dooms me…in fact why are you so convinced being “doomed” is a legitimate option at all? I know hundreds of Christians who would open the same Bible you do and find Jesus using Gehenna as a metaphor to shame the rich and the religious, a word picture which he never intended to be used as a scare tactic for people like me. Wouldn’t that be something?
I could point to Jesus’s own words that it isn’t the ones who call him “Lord” who make it into heaven but the ones who care for their fellow human beings. I do that all the time, yet you remain certain that my disbelief in deities overrides everything else.
What if you’re wrong about that? If so, you may not be doomed for hell, but you certainly would render your own evangelical effectiveness null and void. What a waste of a single lifetime that would be.
But I don’t expect to change the mind of a man of your age, least of all a man tasked with the care of a congregation. Your job description is too set, your canon of belief too ironclad to change at this point.
All that said, I always appreciate an attempt to reach outside the bubble of the church, because that’s where the overwhelming majority of people live. I still appreciate the respectful tone of your communication, which is more than many in your shoes are able to manage.
Neil
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The end of the Zuma era has been predicted almost as often as the end of the ANC. To date, none of those predictions has been accurate. But we are getting to the stage where it is worth examining what would happen if Zuma were actually to fall, which could even happen by the time you get around to finding the time to read this article. To an extent, the analysis will illustrate why it has been so difficult for his foes to unseat him. But, with his protection now possibly limited to only the (shrinking) parts of the National Executive Committee and the provincial leaders, his political power is heavily boundaried. And those boundaries are getting closer by the day. By STEPHEN GROOTES.
As always in politics, the question to ask if or when someone leaves office is this: who will replace them? Often the answer to that question is what kept someone in office for so long. The ANC would be no different. If Zuma were to leave the position of the South African President, those who back Cyril Ramaphosa would immediately argue that it would make sense for him to just take over now. They will say that he has been groomed, that he is ready, that constitutionally it should be him.
Of course, that argument doesn’t really hold much water. Constitutionally, the deputy president of the country doesn’t hold any special office, he has only the powers and duties assigned to him by the state president. Ramaphosa also has much less Cabinet experience than many other ministers. If experience is the criterion, then Jeff Radebe would be the man, the final minister still in Cabinet appointed by Nelson Mandela.
In the end, the “experience” argument doesn’t matter, it is the politics that matters.
That said, backers of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma would find themselves in a more difficult position. Their candidate, while more experienced, isn’t even an MP, and would face strong criticism for leaving Addis Ababa in haste. They might well argue that Ramaphosa should not take over now, that the precedent set in 2008 should be followed, that a caretaker leader be appointed. If they made this argument, it would be a sure sign that they are in a weaker position; it would be an admission of their problems.
This means that the real question of who will take over is likely to be decided by the balance of power between those backing Ramaphosa and those backing Dlamini-Zuma. If Ramaphosa has enough backing, then it could be him; if not, some form of caretaker. Of course, it is technically possible for it to be Dlamini-Zuma, but that would mean the end of Ramaphosa’s political career, so his backers would fight very hard over this issue.
There may also be some voices that would call for an early national election; they would say that if the president has been removed, then the best way to resolve the crisis would be to go back to the people. But all parts of the ANC would surely be united in their opposition to that suggestion. Because if this were to happen the ANC would be so disorganised that it would be at serious risk of losing that election. Particularly so soon after it did so badly in the local elections, and while the DA is looking like the political equivalent of Switzerland.
Were Zuma’s national career to end so suddenly, what is fairly certain is that several other careers would end as immediately. Mosebenzi Zwane would be lucky to be allowed back into the Free State, Des van Rooyen lucky to keep his seat as an MP. They would not be alone. People like Nkosinathi Nhleko, David Mahlobo, Faith Muthambi and Bathabile Dlamini would surely find a need to get their CVs out. All of them have behaved disgracefully in defence of Zuma, while Van Rooyen and Zwane have appeared to have other clients who are only in the political business through him.
One of the major differences between the situation in this case, and the situation when Thabo Mbeki was defenestrated, is the depth of the president’s tentacles. Back then, several Cabinet ministers resigned, and some agreed to be reappointed. But here, the depth of Zuma’s control extends also to state-owned enterprises and the entire security cluster. People like Dudu Myeni would lose their political protection overnight; Hlaudi Motsoeneng would surely find that without Zuma’s support, performing miracles would become impossible.
And of course, Advocate Shaun Abrahams and Hawks head Mthandazo Ntlemeza would probably be well advised to head for Lesotho or Swaziland as fast as they could.
This means that the instability such an event would bring would be greater than it was in 2008.
There would be many people who would look at these scenarios and say this shows that to remove Zuma now, no matter what the circumstances, would be disastrous. That this in itself, to some, is the strongest argument for why Zuma should stay.
But consider the situation. The real question for those involved in making such a decision is not so much about what is best for the ANC, or even for the country. The real question is what gives the party the strongest chance of retaining power in 2019. Surely, considering all the evidence that we have seen, the fact that the party lost three metros and much support in rural areas in these last polls means that the ANC’s best chance of retaining power is to get rid of Zuma now. The longer he stays, it seems, the worse the ANC’s chances are.
If the ANC were to remove Zuma, the party would see voters coming back to it in droves. Even if the person who replaces him is his ex-wife, the ANC would still get a significant bump. The sheer awfulness of Zuma, Nkandla, the State of Capture report, the corruption charges, the impression that he governs only for himself and his business partners, all of these things would miraculously unstick from the ANC’s image. The party would remove his brand from its brand, and voters would respond accordingly. Particularly if it were able to craft a narrative around how it has now “self-corrected”.
On the ground, there is also a very real possibility that branches would become active again. An internal ANC report has already shown that most of the party’s branches and regions want Zuma, and the entire NEC, to resign. Which shows that this action is being blocked purely by the provincial leaders and the NEC. These branches and regions could suddenly see a re-awakening of interest, people who’ve let their membership lapse may rejoin, others who are members in card only may take more interest. Just this, in itself, may lead to a much better election result for the ANC, as there would be more volunteers available for campaigning.
There would also be several significant trends that would be stopped in their tracks were Zuma to go now. The increasing securitisation of the state may come to an end, the attacks on judges could end, the nonsensical blaming of the media for the party’s woes could stop. Another dynamic that could also slow down at least would be the deepening rural/urban divide in the party, as Zuma has appeared to push hard on that particular dynamic.
Unfortunately, it is not so certain that the rising tide of corruption would stop. It would be much easier to fight corruption without a president who faces such a strong case against him. But there is a culture of corruption that has taken hold that makes it difficult to stop. On balance, it would depend on who takes over, and on their own political will, and political ability.
But, consider the position of the person taking over. They would have a constitutional duty to comply with Advocate Thuli Madonsela’s remedial action, to appoint a judicial inquiry into state capture, and to allow the Chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng, to appoint the judge to head it. There would be no better opportunity to remove Zuma’s supporters than such an inquiry. At a stroke, it could incapacitate their ability to cause trouble for the new person.
And this commission would offer another gift. It would allow the ANC to really reposition itself. It would be able to exert its pressure on government to make sure the inquiry is properly funded, that the best people are appointed as evidence leaders. While the dirty laundry that came out would be foul, it would be historical. The ANC would be able to say it’s changed, and point to the fact that the commission is even happening as proof of that. And of course, appropriate action would be taken against those found guilty of wrongdoing. Zuma himself would be battling legal fights on several fronts, without controlling the real levels of power. With a bit of luck and spin, it could be turned into an advantage for the party on the campaign trail.
Of course, many people may suggest that even discussing this question is wishful thinking. Perhaps. But. This weekend was the first time a motion aimed at removing Zuma was brought before the NEC. Other firsts could follow. And people in the ANC who argue in favour of retaining Zuma should ask themselves that question – what plans do they have for 2020? DM
Photo: President Jacob Zuma gestures during his question and answer session in Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, September 13, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
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40/30 seems like a very competitive point score, with the returner already capturing two points and being just three points from breaking serve.
But don’t be fooled: It’s still one-way traffic for the server.
Even though the returner has won 40 per cent (two of five) of the points played so far in the game, his chance of breaking serve is still less than 10 per cent.
An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings shows that, since the start of the 2015 season, they have held serve from 40/30 92.7 per cent (6331/6826) of the time.
The player who has been the toughest to break when leading 40/30 on serve is Roger Federer, who has held a dominant 95.4 per cent (535/561) of the time from this seemingly competitive point score.
Current Top 10: Holding from 40/30 since the start of the 2015 season
Federer: Past Three Seasons Holding From 40/30
2017 = 96.3% (157/163)
2016 = 95.5% (107/112)
2015 = 94.7% (271/286)
Even worse news for his opponents: Federer has slightly improved in this specific category during the past three seasons. This year, he's led 40/30 during 163 service games and has lost only six of those games. Opponents must feel like they are getting closer to capturing Federer’s serve, but in reality, they are farther away from breaking than they were at 0/0.
Infosys Nia Data shows that in 2017 Federer is holding serve 91 per cent of the time, but at 40/30, he is holding 96.3 per cent (157/163) of the time. The returner winning two points in the service game doesn’t trump the fact that Federer needs just one more point to hold. When the Swiss star has surged ahead 40/15 this season, his win percentage has elevated to a near-perfect 99.1 per cent (229/231).
Marin Cilic is the second best performer of current Top 10 players, holding serve from 40/30 94.6 per cent (596/630) of the time since the beginning of the 2015 season. Former World No. 1s Novak Djokovic (93.9 per cent) and Andy Murray (93 per cent) are third and fourth on the list, being the only other players to reach the 93 per cent mark.
Next are #NextGenATP German Alexander Zverev (92.6 per cent) and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal (92.4 per cent). Rounding out the Top 10 in this category include Stan Wawrinka (92.3 per cent), Dominic Thiem (92.2 per cent), Grigor Dimitrov (91.7 per cent) and Pablo Carreno Busta (89.5 per cent).
Practice Court
A fun practice drill for players at all levels of the game to complement this fascinating data would be to play a set where the server begins the game at 40/30. If the server drops serve, he instantly loses the set. The focus is on the business end of the game, with elevated pressure as fewer points are required to hold and break serve. It’s a fun way to work a five-setter into your afternoon on court. |
Nico Rosberg’s lawyer has denied claims the Mercedes driver is evading tax.
The 2016 championship leader’s name was mentioned among the millions of leaked financial documents known globally as the Panama Papers, amid suggestions countless prominent people are hiding wealth and evading tax.
German reports alleged that the documents, originating from a Panama law firm called Mossack Fonseca, showed that Rosberg’s contract with Mercedes is via a British Virgin Islands-based "letterbox company" called Ambitious Group Limited.
Article continues below ...
"Contrary to some reports," Rosberg’s Berlin lawyer Christian Schertz said, "our client has no letterbox company in Panama.
"It is true that a letterbox for Nico Rosberg was established in the British Virgin Islands by the firm Mossack Fonseca," he added.
But Rosberg’s lawyer denies this has anything to do with tax.
"The sole reason for this was legal liability issues and the ability to act internationally," said Schertz. "This facility has nothing to do with tax," he added, insisting Rosberg has always "behaved fiscally correctly in all respects."
"He is domiciled in Monaco and therefore taxable in Monaco," Schertz insisted. "All compensation that he receives from the (Mercedes) team is therefore taxed directly in Monaco," he added.
German reports say Mercedes is refusing to comment for reasons of business confidentiality, but the carmaker did say there are "no abnormalities" in the dealings with Rosberg in the area of compliance. |
You shall now receive (my deare wife) my last words in these last lines. My love I send you that you may keep it when I am dead, and my councell that you may remember it when I am no more. I would not by my will present you with sorrowes (dear Besse) let them go to the grave with me and be buried in the dust. And seeing that it is not Gods will that I should see you any more in this life, beare it patiently, and with a heart like thy selfe.
First, I send you all the thankes which my heart can conceive, or my words can rehearse for your many travailes, and care taken for me, which though they have not taken effect as you wished, yet my debt to you is not the lesse: but I pay it I never shall in this world.
Secondly, I beseech you for the love you beare me living, do not hide your selfe many dayes, but by your travailes seeke to helpe your miserable fortunes and the right of your poor childe. Thy mourning cannot availe me, I am but dust.
Thirdly, you shall understand, that my land was conveyed bona fide to my childe; the writings were drawne at midsumer was twelve months, my honest cosen Brett can testify so much, and Dolberry too, can remember somewhat therein. And I trust my blood will quench their malice that have cruelly murthered me: and that they will not seek also to kill thee and thine with extreme poverty.
To what friend to direct thee I know not, for all mine have left me in the true time of tryall. And I perceive that my death was determined from the first day. Most sorry I am God knowes that being thus surprised with death I can leave you in no better estate. God is my witnesse I meant you all my office of wines or all that I could have purchased by selling it, halfe of mystuffe, and all my jewels, but some one for the boy, but God hath prevented all my resolutions. That great God that ruleth all in all, but if you live free from want, care for no more, for the rest is but vanity. Love God, and begin betimes to repose your selfe upon him, have travailed and wearied your thoughts over all sorts of worldly cogitations, you shall but sit downe by sorrowe in the end.
Teach your son also to love and feare God while he is yet young, that the feare of God may grow with him, and then God will be a husband to you, and a father to him; a husband and a father which cannot be taken from you.
Baily oweth me 200 pounds, and Adrian Gilbert 600. In Jersey I also have much owing me besides. The arrearanges of the wines will pay my debts. And howsoever you do, solues sake, pay all poore men. When I am gone, no doubt you shall be sought for my many, for the world thinkes that I was very rich. But take heed of the pretences of men, and their affections, for they last not but in honest and worthy men, and no greater misery can befall you in this life, than to become a prey, and afterwards to be despised. I spoke not this (God knowes) to dissuade you from marriage, for it will be best for you, both in respect of the world and of God. As for me, I am no more yours, nor you mine, death hath cut us asunder: and God hath divided me from the world, and your from me.
Remember your poor childe for his father's sake, who chose you, and loved you in his happiest times. Get those letters (if it be possible) which I write to the Lords, wherein I sued for my life: God is my witnesse it was for you and yours that I desired life, but it is true that I disdained my self for begging of it: for know it (my deare wife) that your son is the son of a true man, and one who in his owne respect despiseth death and all his misshapen & ugly formes.
I cannot write much, God he knows how hardly I steale time while others sleep, and it is also time that I should separate my thoughts from the world. Begg my dead body which living was denied thee; and either lay it at Sherburne (and if the land continue) or in Exeter-Church, by my Father and Mother; I can say no more, time and death call me away.
The everlasting God, powerfull, infinite, and omnipotent God, That Almighty God, who is goodnesse it selfe, the true life and true light keep thee and thine: have mercy on me, and teach me to forgive my persecutors and false accusers, and send us to meet in his glorious Kingdome. My deare wife farewell. Blesse my poore boy. Pray for me, and let my good God hold you both in his arms.
Written with the dying hand of sometimes thy Husband, but now alasse overthrowne. |
The Scoop
Adam Bienkov | Wednesday 7 December, 2011 12:04
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Conservative London Assembly Members today prevented a debate about the recent spate of cyclist deaths on London’s roads after they staged a walkout at City Hall.
Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones had proposed a motion calling on AMs to express their condolences to the relatives of those who died and asking the Mayor to investigate whether their deaths could have been avoided through better road designs.
The motion follows a number of recent cyclist deaths including two in the space of three weeks at Bow roundabout.
The walkout meant that the Chair had to close the meeting.
This is the second time that Conservative AMs have prevented a debate on cyclist safety.
Earlier this year, they walked out before a motion could be heard on reducing the speed limit on Blackfriars Bridge to 20mph
Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Mike Tuffrey said that today’s walkout was an “insult” to London cyclists:
“Today’s childish actions by Conservative Assembly Members have thwarted a key debate on cycle safety taking place. Their actions are an insult to every cyclist in London as well as the democratic process.”
Jenny Jones said after the meeting:
“The Tory walkout before we could take the cycling motion was perhaps partly based on embarrassment at the Mayor’s poor safety record. He has consistently ignored cycling campaigners’ advice on how to make junctions safe, leaving cyclists vulnerable to the faster traffic. This is playing with people’s lives, not delivering good government for London.”
Conservative London Assembly leader James Cleverly wrote afterwards that he had walked out in protest over not being given chairmanship of any Assembly committees. |
As it becomes more and more apparent that some form of an early signing period has a good chance to work its way into college football, it’s time to caution against unintended consequences.
On the surface, an early period -- whether it's before the season, shortly after Thanksgiving, or at some other point -- has been billed as an opportunity for high school seniors to end their recruiting process so they can move on with their senior years. No more phone calls, no more text messages, no more distractions. And for some of these kids, it’ll work out just like that.
Just don’t confuse the notion that because it’ll help make the recruiting process better for some, that it’ll have that effect on a majority. That’s unfounded.
Stanford coach David Shaw believes that an early signing period would create more problems than solutions for both players and programs. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
Stanford coach David Shaw has been one of the most outspoken coaches in the country against implementing an early signing period for various reasons, but he’s particularly wary of how it’ll change recruiting practices.
"The reasoning behind it is really bad," he said. "I think we should let these young men take as much time as they need without coaches forcing them, because that’s what will happen. College coaches will be pressuring these guys to sign early, and I think that’s wrong."
The rebuttal to this concept seems to be something along the lines of "you can’t force a kid to sign."
For the four- and five-star recruits of the world -- the ones whose recruitments are more heavily publicized -- this is probably true. The player, in this case, holds the upper hand, and coaches will always be more willing to invest more time to land potential stars.
It won’t work that way for the less-heralded recruits, though. They’ll instantly become susceptible to conditional offers -- a program might extend an offer good only through the first signing day. Even if a recruit isn’t ready to make the final call, he could feel compelled to sign anyway out of fear he could miss out on what will ultimately be his best, or only, opportunity.
Not all programs will operate that way, but enough will to change the recruiting game.
The bottom-line result here is that more kids will inherently wind up at places that might not be the best fit. And because of that, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which it doesn’t lead to more transfers. Speculating on how widespread these potential pitfalls would be is nearly impossible to do, but they certainly need to be taken into account before the NCAA moves forward on the issue.
What also needs to get ironed out is how strictly the NCAA will enforce those early letters of intent.
The way Shaw sees it, those kids that get pressured into signing before they’re ready won’t ultimately be held to those commitments if they change their minds down the road.
"There will still be guys that sign in that early signing period that will want to change. Whether it’s because of a coaching change or something else happens," he said. "They’re going to want to change, and [the NCAA] is going to let them out of it."
If that’s the case, then what’s the point?
Shaw’s words have always rung sincere, but it should also be noted that a change to the current system would likely affect Stanford more negatively than other schools because of the emphasis the school places on its academic admission standards. Often times, even with some of the most high-profile recruits, the football coaching staff doesn’t get the green light from the admissions office on specific kids until days before the February signing day.
Those in the Stanford football program aren’t confident that process would change with an earlier signing day, and most hold the opinion that it shouldn’t have to.
Then again, this is the NCAA we’re talking about. Why would academics play a role? |
Arms control advocates are decrying a new U.S. Department of Defense announcement that it will be building and selling 1,300 cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, worth some 641 million dollars.
The munitions at the heart of the sale are technically legal under recently strengthened US regulations aimed at reducing impact on civilian safety, but activists contend that battlefield evidence suggests the weapons actually exceed those regulations.
Opponents say the move runs counter to a strengthening push to outlaw the use of cluster bombs around the world while also contradicting recent votes by both the US and Saudi governments critical of the use of these munitions.
“Both the US and Saudi Arabia have recently condemned the use of cluster munitions by the government of Syria – that’s ironic given this new sale, because a cluster munition is a cluster munition, no matter what kind it is,” Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, a watchdog group here in Washington, told IPS.
He was referring to the May 15 vote before the U.N. General Assembly in which both the United States and Saudi Arabia joined 105 other countries in strongly condemning Syria’s use of cluster bombs.
“To my knowledge, the sale of cluster munitions by the United States is infrequent today, so this sale is surprising in the sense that this is a very sophisticated, controversial system because these are cluster bombs,” Kimball continues.
“Further, that these weapons are used by Saudi Arabia is questionable from a military standpoint. These weapons have not been used by the US in over a decade, so it’s hard to see why it’s in our interest to sell these to Saudi Arabia.”
Cluster bombs are air-dropped munitions meant to open in midair and release hundreds of additional “bomblets”, thus significantly expanding the potential damage inflicted in the attack. Yet for years global sentiment has coalesced against the use of cluster bombs due to the fact that some of the bomblets invariably fail to explode, resulting in lingering danger for civilians long after conflicts end.
As of 2011, 39 countries were dealing with the aftereffects of cluster bomb use, according to the US Campaign to Ban Landmines, an advocacy group. The group says that list includes Saudi Arabia.
“Cluster munitions stand out as the weapon that poses the gravest dangers to civilians since antipersonnel mines, which were banned in 1997,” the Campaign states on its website.
“Israel’s massive use of the weapon in Lebanon in August 2006 resulted in more than 200 civilian casualties in the year following the ceasefire and served as the catalyst that propelled governments to secure a legally binding international instrument tackling cluster munitions.”
One percent failure
In 2007, 47 governments endorsed a binding agreement, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, to outlaw the production, use or even transfer of cluster bombs. Some 112 countries have now signed the convention, and 83 have ratified it.
In mid-September, more than 100 countries will meet in Zambia to discuss progress in implementing the accord.
Neither the United States nor Saudi Arabia has signed onto the convention, however, which means that the newly announced sale is legal. According to reports, the US has also continued to make irregular sales of cluster munitions to India, South Korea and Taiwan.
“Cluster munitions have been banned by more than half the world’s nations, so any transfer goes against the international rejection of these weapons,” Sarah Blakemore, director of the Cluster Munition Coalition, a London-based advocacy group, said in a statement.
“We are disappointed with the US decision to export cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, as both countries acknowledge the negative humanitarian impact of these weapons on civilians. The US should acknowledge the treaty’s ban on cluster munition exports and reevaluate the criteria for its export moratorium so that no cluster munitions are transferred.”
There are currently legislative moves afoot here that would severely limit the scope of potential US sales of cluster bombs, beyond an export ban signed into law in 2009. In mid-July, Senator Diane Feinstein, who introduced a related bill in the Senate in February, co-authored a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to halt the use of cluster munitions with high failure rates.
“Cluster munitions are indiscriminate, unreliable and pose an unacceptable danger to US forces and civilians alike. The US government’s cluster munitions policy is outdated and should be immediately reviewed,” the letter states.
The lawmakers call for an immediate halt of the use of cluster bombs with an unexploded rate higher than one percent, a failure rate that also forms the basis of the current export ban. In fact, that one percent limit will become military policy by 2018, though Feinstein and other lawmakers are hoping to expedite that deadline.
Yet even if the Feinstein bill were to become law, the weapons system being sold by the US to Saudi Arabia, known as the CBU-105, may still be legal. According to both the Defense Department and the weapon’s creator, the Mississippi-based Textron Defense Systems, the system’s failure rate is indeed less than one percent.
Proponents have hoped that this “safer” cluster bomb would be able to continue being used and sold, even in the context of the growing crackdown on these munitions. Indeed, the sales to India, South Korea and Taiwan were reportedly of CBU-105s.
No clean battlefield
Yet the Arms Control Association’s Kimball says there is evidence to suggest that this number is higher. Such evidence comes from the last period in which this model of cluster bomb was used, back in 2003 in Iraq.
“Despite the [public relations] that has been put out regarding the low failure rate of this weapon, in the field its failure rates are much higher,” he says. “This sale to Saudi Arabia should prompt even greater Congressional scrutiny about US cluster munitions policy, particularly the sale of these controversial weapons to other countries.”
Researchers looking at the weapon’s unexploded rate in 2003 in Iraq found that the weapon “clearly does not leave a clean battlefield”.
“The percentage of submunitions which have failed is higher than 1%. Perhaps substantially so,” Rae McGrath, a spokesperson on cluster munitions for the Handicap International Network, stated in a 2008 presentation on findings for this type of weapon.
“At best, these unexploded submunitions would deny access to land for civilian communities until cleared.”
Inter Press Service
Read more by Carey L. Biron |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday scaled back the Securities and Exchange Commission’s power to recover ill-gotten profits from defendants’ misconduct, handing Wall Street firms a victory and dealing another blow to the regulator’s enforcement powers.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission logo adorns an office door at the SEC headquarters in Washington, June 24, 2011. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
In a 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court found that the SEC’s recovery remedy known as “disgorgement” is subject to a five-year statute of limitations. The justices sided with New Mexico-based investment adviser Charles Kokesh, who previously was ordered by a judge to pay $2.4 million in penalties plus $34.9 million in disgorgement of illegal profits after the SEC sued him.
The decision marked the second time since 2013 that the Supreme Court has reined in the SEC’s enforcement powers. In the prior case, called Gabelli v. SEC, the justices unanimously ruled that civil monetary penalties are also subject to a five-year time bar.
The ruling represented a major victory for Wall Street firms, whose Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association trade group had urged the justices to curb the SEC’s powers in order to provide more certainty and predictability to the enforcement process.
Writing for the court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that disgorgement counts as a penalty and is therefore bound by a five-year statute of limitations that already applies to “any civil fine, penalty or forfeiture.”
The SEC disgorgement process “bears all the hallmarks of penalty: It is imposed as a consequence of violating a public law and is intended to deter, not to compensate,” Sotomayor wrote.
“We are pleased with the Supreme Court’s opinion today, which grants important protection to defendants facing enforcement actions by the SEC and other agencies,” said Adam Unikowsky, one of Kokesh’s lawyers.
An SEC spokesman declined to comment on the ruling.
Kokesh was sued by the SEC in 2009 for misappropriating investors’ money. His penalties covered conduct within the five-year statute of limitations, but the disgorgement covered conduct that largely occurred outside that time frame.
Kokesh appealed to the Supreme Court after losing at the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Kokesh’s attorney argued that a disgorgement in the case constituted a punitive “forfeiture” that is time-barred.
The Justice Department argued that disgorgement is equitable relief that is not considered a punishment, but merely restores the defendant to the same position he was in prior to when the misconduct occurred.
Nick Morgan, a Los Angeles-based lawyer with the Paul Hastings law firm who represents clients being investigated by the SEC, said the ruling will especially affect complicated cases that require more time for the SEC to investigate.
“For the more complex cases, this will be a sea change for them, they will have to move more quickly,” Morgan said. |
>>KEEP GOING TO SEE OTHER SCENES FROM THE TEXAS GHOST TOWN.
Photo: Voni Glaves Facebook less Historic stone ruins in the small town of Terlingua, Texas have been reduced to piles on rubble after vandals destroyed the structures.>>KEEP GOING TO SEE OTHER SCENES FROM THE TEXAS GHOST TOWN.
>>KEEP GOING TO SEE OTHER SCENES FROM THE TEXAS GHOST TOWN.
Photo: ... more Historic stone ruins in the small town of Terlingua, Texas have been reduced to piles on rubble after vandals destroyed the structures.>>KEEP GOING TO SEE OTHER SCENES FROM THE TEXAS GHOST TOWN. Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Vandals destroy historic Terlingua ghost town ruins 1 / 29 Back to Gallery
When employees of a nearby restaurant left for the evening, everything was as it should be in the small town of Terlingua. When they arrived the morning of Sunday, Feb, 19, four historic, 125-year-old stone ruins had been reduced to rubble.
Built in the 1880s, these ruins were what was left of the homes of quicksilver miners, according to an article on Texas Hill Country.
ROAD TRIP: The under-the-radar gems of Texas worth traveling to this spring break
They — along with a few abandoned and capped mines — are what's left of the town's mining days and are located on "private property and a designated historic site" making this a criminal act.
However few, these ruins are what help bring tourism to the town. The locals are dependent on them for business, so it's unknown why people would intentionally destroy them.
Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for any information that could help find the people who may have vandalized the structures.
Take a look through the gallery above to see the results of the vandalism as well as other scenes and structures from the ghost town. |
A bill requiring women in Kentucky seeking abortions to consult with a physician in-person 24-hours before the procedure cleared on Wednesday the state Senate.
It passed 33-5.
The measure’s most vocal critic was a newly elected senator whose seat has been home to some of that chamber’s most outspoken liberal voices.
Democrat Reginald Thomas was elected last December to a seat that’s been home to Kathy Stein and Ernesto Scorsone, strong left-leaning senators, especially on the issue of abortion rights.
And when it came for Thomas to cast his vote on this bill, Thomas found himself carrying out a tradition that precedes him.
He argued that the bill amounts to lawmakers putting a “guilt trip” on women.
“This is an issue that people wrestle with. And I understand that. This is a tough issue. And people have the right to their own opinions,” Thomas says.
“I expressed my own opinion today, which I just indicated, but, after the debate’s over, I mean, nothing’s personal about this. I hope that we’ll continue to have other, healthy debates, and there’ll be healthy disagreements. That’s what statesmanship is all about.”
Supporters contend that current informed consent laws don’t do enough to inform women about certain aspects of abortion. |
A long-running gymnastics program in St. Andrews, Man. is at risk of ending because of a storage snafu between the club and the Lord Selkirk School Division.
The St. Andrews Gymnastics Club has operated rent-free out of St. Andrews School for about 44 years. This year, approximately 153 children, some as young as two years old, are taking classes with the club, said co-manager Brenda Funk. An additional 20 are on the wait list.
But the school announced this summer it no longer has room to accommodate the popular program.
"The school is growing, and every bit of space is needed," said Jean Oliver, chair of the Lord Selkirk School Division.
St. Andrews Gymnastics Club uses the school's stage and part of the girls' change room to store gym equipment including vinyl safety mats, uneven bars, a balance beam, a vault and trampolines.
"We're kind of stuck," said Funk, adding the club will have to find another place to store their stuff as of July 2016.
Pre-competitive and competitive girls stretching their bridges in warm up. The St. Andrews Gymnastics Club is at risk of closure because the school can no longer store their equipment. (St. Andrews Gymnastics Club) "I recognize the value of the club … it's a value to children in the form of exercise and good health but … when our space is being compromised we have to do something about it," Oliver said.
The news is devastating to organizers of the club, many of whom have deep personal ties to the program.
"Last summer was the worst summer of my life," said Funk, who has helped co-manage the club for 28 years. Every other option for storing equipment seems out of reach, she added.
Vinyl and hard plastic needs to be stored in a heated facility, Funk explained, so the school's initial suggestion of building a shed is problematic.
The next best option, building an addition onto the gym, is too expensive; the club was quoted $150,000 for the renovation.
A school board member suggested the club raise fees to cover the cost but that option is out of the question for Funk.
"There's some families that just can't afford … to pay an outrageous amount of money," Funk said. "That's not what we're about."
The club charges $550 for the year-long competitive program compared to other nearby programs that charge $800 to $900, according to St. Andrews coach Lacie Liebrecht.
Fees go towards honorariums for 10 coaches and new equipment costs.
All other options explored: manager
Oliver suggested the club seek out a new location for their club.
"Right next door to the school is the St. Andrews Community Club. I don't know whether they've talked to them at all," Oliver said.
That space, like many nearby buildings and halls, has ceilings too low for gymnastics.
"We looked at different halls. I've gone down dirt roads looking for old barns … there's nothing," said Funk.
At St. Andrews School, the club installed brackets beneath the floor years ago to secure uneven bars, said Funk. No other facility is willing to let the club do that, which could compromise safety.
Oliver hopes a compromise can be made but isn't willing to pay for equipment storage.
"Can I justify as a trustee putting out $150,000, plus ongoing costs of heating, to build a storage space for a gymnastics club? I would have a hard time justifying that to the taxpayers," she said.
The St. Andrews Gymnatics Club has set up a Go Fund Me page to try to save the club, their fundraising goal is $25,000. |
Michel Aoun, a former general, was selected as president by Lebanon’s parliament. The country had been without a president for more than two years because of factional squabbling. (Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images)
Lebanon’s parliament ended a more than two-year leadership vacuum Monday, electing as president a former general supported by Hezbollah in a move that gives the powerful Iranian-backed militia even wider clout in Lebanese affairs.
The selection of Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian, highlights the complex alliances among Lebanon’s various factions as the country struggles with the humanitarian and political fallout from the Syrian civil war next door.
Aoun, 81, is a divisive figure who rose to prominence as a military leader during Lebanon’s devastating 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990. In that conflict, he fought then-occupying Syrian troops and fled to France. He returned to Lebanon in 2005, only to stun observers by befriending the Syrian leadership and its Shiite ally, Hezbollah.
[Persian Gulf Arab states declare Hezbollah a terrorist group]
Hezbollah has become the dominant player in Lebanon, angering many Lebanese by dispatching fighters to aid President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in Syria without receiving permission from Lebanon’s government. Aoun’s rise to the presidency could put Lebanon at odds with its Western and Arab allies that have sided with Assad’s opponents.
Lebanese celebrate the election of Michel Aoun (portrait) in downtown Beirut on Oct. 31. (AFP/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, more than 1 million Syrians have crossed the border into Lebanon to escape the more than five-year conflict, further straining the country’s economy and combustible sectarian politics.
In a speech after his election, Aoun addressed the issue of Syrian war refugees, who are mostly Sunni Muslims, saying that no “solution should be made in Syria that does not include” their return from Lebanon.
Many Lebanese hope that Aoun will help bring badly needed stability to their country of more than 4 million people.
The presidency — which has limited direct powers but confers the title of head of state — had been vacant since May 2014 because of factional squabbling. Meanwhile, corruption has burgeoned, a budget has not been passed in years, and seemingly simple public services, such as trash collection and electricity production, have deteriorated because of dysfunctional governance and feuding religious groups. These include more than a dozen sects of Muslims and Christians.
Lebanon’s Christian minority was divided over Aoun’s selection. Some Christians believed that his political bonds with Hezbollah would offer them greater security and influence. Others backed Aoun’s rivals.
Under a long-standing power-sharing deal in Lebanon, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian. The post of prime minister goes to a Sunni Muslim, and the parliament speaker is Shiite.
But it is unclear whether Aoun can navigate a political system hamstrung by the rivalry between the region’s most powerful players: Iran, which backs Syria’s Assad, and Saudi Arabia, which opposes him.
A key factor behind Monday’s vote was a surprise decision this month by Saad Hariri, a powerful Sunni politician who has long been Riyadh’s key ally in Lebanon, to drop his long-running opposition to Aoun. In exchange, Hariri is expected to return to the post of prime minister, which he held from 2009 to 2011.
Hariri’s father, Rafiq al-Hariri, a businessman who also served as prime minister, was killed in a 2005 attack that an international tribunal blamed on members of Hezbollah.
In a sign of Lebanon’s tense political balance, security was expanded across areas of central Beirut before the vote. Army helicopters crisscrossed overhead, and metal detectors were set up in the streets around parliament.
Hezbollah has launched sporadic rocket attacks from Lebanon against Israel over the years. In 2006, it fought a one-month war against Israel and managed to avoid defeat, winning the group sympathy throughout the region.
But much of that support has since evaporated because of Hezbollah’s growing influence over Lebanese politics, its refusal to relinquish its arms and its involvement in the Syrian civil war.
Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
Read more:
Decade after last Lebanon war, Israel warns next could be bigger
Hezbollah blames commander’s death on Sunni extremists
Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world
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The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) seems to have put its foot down by asking Reliance Infrastructure (RInfra)-led Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) to change metro rail logo and name from “Reliance Metro” to “Mumbai Metro”.
“On December 31, we have sent a letter to RInfra, asking them to change the logo of metro rail from Reliance Metro to Mumbai Metro,” revealed Dilip Kawathkar, spokesperson for the development authority.
According to MMRDA authorities, the demand is well within the concession agreement signed between the state government and RInfra as the fine print states that the project should be titled as ‘Mumbai Metro’, which the MMOPL has been ignoring.
On May 4, 2013, dna had reported about the dispute over logo and refusal by RInfra to change its name.
When contacted, an MMOPL spokesperson said, “We have not received any such official communication from MMRDA. Display of the brand name of the promoter of the company, which includes Reliance and MMRDA, is well within the contract conditions and industry practice.”
According to RTI activist Anil Galgali, who has been trying for rectification of logo and project name, metro rail is a public-private partnership and like ‘Mumbai Monorail’, this too should be called ‘Mumbai Metro’. The logo has to change to ‘Mumbai Metro’, no other name is acceptable, he maintains. |
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Jacob Zuma became South Africa's president three years after he was acquitted of rape
A leading contender to replace President Jacob Zuma as head of South Africa's governing ANC has said he believes the woman who accused Mr Zuma of rape over a decade ago was telling the truth.
Mr Zuma's deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, told a local radio station: "Yes, I would believe her."
In 2006 Mr Zuma was found not guilty of raping Fezekile Kuzwayo - the daughter of an old family friend.
He said she had agreed to have sex.
Mr Ramaphosa is competing against Mr Zuma's ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to become the leader of the ANC in a contest starting next Saturday.
The winner of the party race will be well placed to become the country's new president in 2019.
Analysis - Lebo Diseko, Johannesburg
Image copyright AFP
There has been mixed reaction to Mr Ramaphosa's comments about Ms Kuzwayo's rape allegation.
Some have praised him for being more unequivocal in his response than rival candidate for ANC presidency Lindiwe Sisulu.
When she was asked the same question she responded: "I believe she believes she was raped".
But many on social media have asked why Mr Ramaphosa did not publicly support Ms Kuzwayo when she was alive.
There has been renewed public interest in the rape trial, following the release of a book detailing Ms Kuzwayo's account of events.
In particular there has been public anger over her alleged treatment by members of the ruling ANC at the time.
In the radio interview, Mr Ramaphosa praised Ms Kuzwayo's courage for taking the case to court, saying:
"I know how difficult and painful it is to for a woman to garner up the courage and say: 'Yes I was raped'. It must be one of the most difficult decisions she had to make."
Ms Kuzwayo, who was 32 years younger than Mr Zuma, fled abroad and later died after a long illness, but the BBC's Andrew Harding in Johannesburg says controversy surrounding the case has lingered.
Ms Kuzwayo was HIV-positive and Mr Zuma's statement during the trial, that he showered after unprotected sex with the woman to guard against possible infection, provoked ridicule.
When he acquitted Mr Zuma, the judge concluded: "The complainant was inclined to accuse men of raping her or attempting to rape her," .
The president's office has issued a statement saying: "The court acquitted the president of the rape charges.
"The presidency affirms the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the primacy of the courts as the final arbiters in disputes in society."
The race for the ANC:
Cyril Ramaphosa
Detained for two years for anti-apartheid activities; launched mineworkers' union in 1982
Headed committee that prepared for Nelson Mandela's release from prison
Left politics to become one of South Africa's richest businessmen - on Lonmin board during 2012 Marikana massacre
Became South Africa's deputy president in 2014.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
A leading anti-apartheid activist, fled South Africa to complete medical training in UK
Met Jacob Zuma while working as a doctor in Swaziland, divorcing him after 16 years of marriage in 1998
Declined offer to take place of her ex-husband as deputy president in 2005 after he was sacked
Chair of the African Union commission from 2012 to 2016.
Dlamini-Zuma bids to be South Africa's first woman leader |
Cahokia Mounds, archaeological site occupying some 5 square miles (13 square km) on the Mississippi River floodplain opposite St. Louis, Missouri, near Cahokia and Collinsville, southwestern Illinois, U.S. The site originally consisted of about 120 mounds spread over 6 square miles (16 square km), but some of the mounds and other ancient features have been destroyed. Some 70 mounds are preserved in Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Established in 1979 and encompassing 3.4 square miles (8.9 square km), it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982.
Monks Mound, the largest man-made earthen structure in North America, is part of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, near Cahokia and Collinsville, Ill., U.S. Monks Mound covers some 15 acres (6 hectares) and is approximately 100 feet (30 metres) high; it dwarfs the automobile visible on the road in this photograph. Courtesy of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Cahokia was first occupied in ad 700 and flourished for approximately four centuries (c. 950–1350). It reached a peak population of as many as 20,000 individuals and was the most extensive urban centre in prehistoric America north of Mexico and the primary centre of the Middle Mississippian culture. The area was later named Cahokia (meaning “Wild Geese”) for a group of Illinois peoples that inhabited the area in the 18th century.
Skilled administrators and a large labour force were needed to plan, build, and maintain the site. It was laid out with clearly defined zones for administrative and ceremonial functions, elite compounds, residential neighbourhoods, and even suburbs—all with similar orientation on the cardinal directions. Among the largest features are an enormous central plaza encompassing nearly 40 acres (16 hectares) and numerous immense earthworks, including the pyramidal Monks Mound (built between 900 and 1200), the largest prehistoric earthen structure in the Western Hemisphere, which rises to 100 feet (30 metres), covers more than 14 acres (6 hectares), and contains more than 25 million cubic feet (700,000 cubic metres) of earth. The seat of governance for Cahokia, Monks Mound is believed to have housed a building some 100 feet long, nearly 50 feet (15 metres) wide, and 50 feet tall. Materials excavated at the site indicate that the city traded with peoples from as far away as the Gulf of Mexico, the Appalachians, the Great Lakes, and the Rocky Mountains.
Although there were some specialists within Cahokia’s society, most members were engaged in agriculture, with corn (maize) as the central focus. The city was favourably located on a major local tributary of the Mississippi River. Nearby were diverse habitats, including expanses of open water and marshes that provided fish, the most important protein source for the populace. Most importantly, the largest zone of high-quality soils in the local region was located immediately to the east. There, on the floodplain and along its bordering alluvial fans, large corn outfields were situated. Within the city itself, multicrop infields and house gardens were situated on soils that had been enriched by prior human occupation. Although this mixed agricultural strategy was successful for dispersed populations in the region, it ultimately proved unsuitable for the much denser population at Cahokia.
The site and its hinterland declined and were eventually abandoned, probably because of environmental degradation, although it has been suggested that disease, climatic change, societal stress, and warfare may have been contributing factors. The population placed substantial demands on wood resources for fuel and construction and, during the initial centuries of the city’s occupation, cleared the forests upstream of the site. The denuded watershed produced greatly increased rates of runoff, erosion, and unseasonable summer flooding in Cahokia’s fields, causing crops to fail and overall production to decline. The economic and social consequences were disastrous, probably leading to starvation, loss of faith in leadership, increased competition for land, and regional warfare. During that period, the inhabitants constructed a series of palisaded wooden fortifications through enormous effort—clear evidence of external threats that previously had not existed. The city was slowly abandoned, and its occupants moved to the east, south, and west, where they were most likely assimilated by other Native American groups.
Archaeologists have studied Cahokia since the late 19th century, but only a tiny percentage of the site has been excavated. Researchers have attempted to determine when each mound was built and for what purposes, how and when the elite and common neighbourhoods were established, how the various classes (e.g., labourers, artisans, and elites) interacted, and how Cahokia interacted with its hinterland, including its suburbs. They have also sought to determine precisely the number of people who lived at Cahokia (estimates range from a peak of 8,000 to 40,000) and the occupational composition of the society. An interpretive centre on the grounds includes a re-created village and information about the site. Preservation efforts have focused on acquiring more of the mound areas for the state historic site and combating mound erosion, particularly the catastrophic slope failures that have occurred on the east and west sides of Monks Mound since the mid-1980s. |
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To promote this summer's Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Warner Bros. is releasing a video series that spotlights different characters from the game. The first of these videos, released today, focuses on X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron.
There's a good amount of action in the trailer, but of course some silly sequences as well. At one point, Dameron says, "Don't worry, I work best under pressure, although ideally less than two tons per square inch." And that's actually Oscar Isaac doing the voicework, as he recorded new lines for the game.
Isaac isn't the only actor from The Force Awakens who recorded new dialogue for the game. Others actors who did the same include Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), Daisy Ridley (Rey), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), John Boyega (Finn), Luputia Nyong'o (Maz Kanata), and Max von Sydow (Lor San Tekka).
You may also notice that in one part of the video, Dameron is seen alongside Admiral Ackbar. As announced previously, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens not only re-tells the story of Disney's blockbuster, but also includes some missions that cover the time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
One of these missions is called "Poe to the Rescue," and it involves Dameron's "daring rescue mission to save Admiral Ackbar." You can see more footage from that mission in this video.
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens launches on June 28 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS, PlayStation Vita, and PC. Playable characters include Rey, Finn, Dameron, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, BB-8, Kylo Ren, General Hux, Captain Phasma. For more, check out GameSpot's hands-on preview. |
Lord Patten, the former chairman of the BBC's governing body, has called for the public broadcaster to provide greater recognition of Scotland and Scottish culture in its programming schedules.
The Conservative peer, who ran the BBC Trust between 2011 and 2014, spoke out as the BBC prepares for charter renewal.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh - home to the nation's leading scholars - has already said there should be changes to the way the BBC is governed, to ensure Scotland has a bigger say. The BBC is currently accountable to the UK Parliament.
The RSE position, scripted by a working group chaired by former BBC Scotland controller John McCormick also calls for a stronger news service for Scotland.
The Scottish Government has also called for a semi-autonomous Scottish board to be created to hold BBC Scotland to account. The board would itself be accountable to the Scottish Parliament.
In a speech by Patten at the Reuter’s Institute Lecture, the former EU commissioner supported moves for the BBC to better reflect Scots and their identity.
He said: "The people of Scotland spoke a year and a half ago about their wish to remain within the UK, but no-one should doubt that they also want a greater recognition of Scotland's own national identity.
"In broadcasting there is a clear demand - and it comes from Wales and Northern Ireland too - for their own nations and histories and cultures and politics to be better reflected to audiences across the UK. I agree with them.
"Whether you live in Orkney or Osterley, Portsmouth or Portrush, Stockton or Swansea, everyone pays the same licence fee and they deserve equally to see their own communities and interests and concerns and achievements on their BBC."
He added: "The strength of one United Kingdom comes from the strength of its four nations, and the strength of one BBC must come from utilising and reflecting and celebrating the talents and ideas and heritage of each of those nations.
"I would no more split up the BBC than I would split up the Kingdom, but any UK institution that claims to serve these islands must embrace that duty fully."
However, he did also defend the BBC, and supported the work the corporation was already doing to reflect identities within the UK.
"When you hear politicians call for a more distinctive BBC, remind them of outstanding British drama made in every corner of the UK - remind them of The Fall from Northern Ireland. Remind them of Shetland and of Hinterland.
"Ask them where else they’d find network drama made and set in Scotland. Ask them where else they’d go for network drama made and set in Wales. Only the BBC."
Culture Secretary John Whittingdale is due to publish a White Paper within weeks that will set out a tougher new regime as part of a proposed deal to grant a new Royal Charter to safeguard the service for another 11 years.
In his speech, Patten said the forthcoming charter is "the one chance we have to stop the BBC becoming more and more the plaything of the government of the day".
The SNP wants broadcasting policy to be fully devolved to Holyrood and sees charter renewal as a stepping-stone towards this ambition.
It has also argued for local control of the licence fee to increase investment and jobs in Scotland.
In a policy paper on charter renewal, the party said an autonomous BBC Scotland, with greater control of licence fee revenue, budgets and commissioning, could boost the country’s economy by £60 million a year.
The BBC receives about £3.7bn every year from the TV licence fee, with about £323m collected in Scotland.
The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC and sets out the public purposes of the public broadcaster, guarantees its independence, and outlines the duties of the people that run it - the Trust and the Executive Board.
The current charter states that the BBC exists to serve the public interest. It sets out how the BBC should serve audiences through its six "public purposes" such as "representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities".
The charter runs until December 31 2016, and the UK government has already started a review process to put in place a new charter for the next 10 years. |
By Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter, with CNA
Former representative to the US David Lee (李大維) is to become the minister of foreign affairs in Taiwan’s next government, the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday.
Lee, who is currently Taiwan’s representative to Australia, has accepted the offer and Washington has been consulted on the appointment, the Liberty Times quoted unidentified sources as saying.
“Relevant US departments were very impressed with David Lee’s work and thought he was someone with whom they could communicate openly,” the report said.
Lee was head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington, from 2004 to 2007.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday neither confirmed nor denied the report, but said Lee would be a good candidate.
“Lee has a very strong resume and is very experienced [as a diplomat],” Wu said.
“He was the representative to Canada when I served as the representative to the US, and his performance was outstanding,” Wu said, but added that appointments of Cabinet members were still being discussed and would be formally announced by premier-designate Lin Chuan (林全) when finalized.
In response to media requests for confirmation, Lee, 66, said in an e-mail that he was unable to comment.
In addition to his posts as representative to Canada and Australia, Lee, a professional diplomat, has served as the nation’s representative to the US, the EU and Belgium. He has also held other Cabinet posts, including head of the now-defunct Government Information Office and deputy minister of foreign affairs.
Lee was once seen as a rising star in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), but never attained ministerial rank. Some say Lee was passed over for promotion over the past few years because he accepted the previous DPP administration’s offer to work as Taiwan’s representative to the US.
In April 2007, Lee made way for Wu in Washington and became Taiwan’s representative to Canada. In May 2012, he was appointed chairperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Coordination Council for North American Affairs. |
Obama Adminstration Specifically Denied Exception to Permit Veterans to Attend WWII Memorial
Before we go any further, let us note once again how contrived it is to shut down entryways to a wide open space out in the middle of a park.
This is not a building, like a museum, that has doors and staffers and guides. This is fucking scenery.
And yet the erected artificial barriers to block people from walking through outdoor scenery.
Voila! Now we can pretend a memorial standing unsupervised out in the open is a "National Park" or "Open Air Museum" and close it to pedestrian traffic (and people can in fact just walk through this thing in their normal transversing of the city).
Now, that out of the way: They then took the next step.
When they were informed that the Honor Flight was on the way, and that they should make one exception for the veterans of WWII and open up the artificial barriers they had erected to make a political point, they refused.
Palazzo, a Gulf War Marine veteran who has participated in all five of the Honor Flights, blames the White House for making it harder on veterans and playing politics. At first I thought it was a huge bureaucratic oversight, Palazzo told The Daily Caller, but having talked with the officials I cant help but think this was politically motivated. Honor Flights, which bring WWII veterans to the nations memorials, are planned a year in advance and cost anywhere between $80,000 to $100,000. How low can you get with playing politics over our nations veterans? In a statement, Palazzo noted that he is introducing legislation to ensure that all Honor Flights are granted access this week. This is an open-air memorial that the public has 24/7 access to under normal circumstances even when Park Service personnel arent present, Palazzo said in the statement. It actually requires more effort and expense to shut out these veterans from their Memorial than it would to simply let them through. My office has been in touch with NPS officials and the Administration to try to resolve this issue.
There are no "schedule hours" for scenery. The monument does not close on weekends, or at night.
Because it's scenery.
It is a feature of the landscape.
And yet these See You Next Tuesdays attempted to create a fake "entryway" into a landscape feature so they could block it off and say "the Building is closed."
And then they doubled down.
Note The Lack of Walls and Gates and Barriers: From @slublog, here's what we're talking about.
Look at the gigantic "entrance" -- I don't know if you can call it an "entrance" when it's just a huge area of No Walls out in the middle of a grassy lawn.
Think about all the work it took to turn an open air landscape feature into a blocked off Instant National Park Which Is Now Shut Down You Guys.
[Update - Andy]: It's even worse: |
Alex Salmond has urged Cybernats to help create the kind of debate on Scottish independence that the country deserves.
The First Minister said the internet allows people to use the type of language which would never be repeated in public.
He said everyone has a duty between now and Sept 18 to ensure the independence debate is "worthy of the importance of the decisions which are being made".
The impassioned plea marked the First Minister’s most candid comments to date about a problem which has blighted the independence campaign.
Last week David Bowie became the latest public figure to receive online abuse from so-called Cybernats – ardent independence supporters who use the internet to attack critics.
After urging Scots to "stay with us" in a Brit Awards speech, the 67-year-old rock legend was called a "two-faced old b------" and told to "f--- off back to Mars" in messages posted on his official Facebook page.
Sir Chris Hoy, six-time Olympic gold medallist, and Susan Calman, a Scottish comedian, have also received internet abuse, while one national newspaper has launched a campaign to eradicate the problem.
Mr Salmond has faced criticism for not speaking up loudly enough on the issue, though spokesmen have always insisted he condemns online abuse in the strongest terms.
On Wednesday, the First Minister was asked by The Telegraph if he had done enough to tackle the problem of Cybernats.
“I would make the appeal that everyone participating in this debate should be conscious that we want to have a debate which is worthy of the importance of the decisions which are being made,” Mr Salmond said.
"All of us know that it’s a function almost of the internet when people are participating in perhaps the early hours of the morning, that they don’t choose their language as they would often in a public forum ... or when they were in conversation.”
"I think everyone has an obligation to raise their game – whether it’s online, offline, in a public forum. I think we should talk about the big issues facing the country and we should talk about them in a way which obviously engenders sparky, lively debate, but we should do it in a way which brings credit to the country and to the importance of the issue we’re debating."
He added: "This would be my appeal to everyone participating in this debate, whatever media they’re participating in … let’s all see – and myself included – that we can raise our game.” |
I was feeling a little bad that my (most likely) average male redditor Santa was going to have to go through an awful lot of breastfeeding and teaching posts if he wanted to stalk me. I'm sure it was TMI! But my SS pulled through with an awesome, personal gift!
The Runner's Handbook will definitely help me try to figure out why in the world some people (like my husband) love to run, once I can pry the book out of my husband's hands that is. Thanks masevm for helping inspire me to a new hobby I've been wanting to get into.
But wait, that's not all! I also was thoughtfully gifted an Amazon gift card to get myself another gift! I really appreciate the extra thought, and have not yet decided what goodness to treat myself to.
And yet, that's not all! I know I'm a few days late posting, as I received my gift on Tuesday (I think that was the day...mommy haze.) This is because nap time is my reddit time, and my kid has decided this week that not only does morning start at 4 am, but that he is no longer in need of a mid-day nap! Thus I have been witness to many temper tantrums this week, and my super fantastic Santa thoughtfully (I'm sure) ensured that the delivery man rang my doorbell right in the middle of a really spectacular temper tantrum, ending said tantrum out of curiosity for who could be ringing the doorbell!
AAAWWWWW YEEEAAAAHHHHHHH! masevm, you are an awesome SS! Thanks! |
Exxon Mobil Corporation Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson testifies during a hearing on Jan. 20, 2010, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Alex Wong/Getty Images
The nomination of Rex Tillerson as secretary of state is like something out of a Marxist comic book: Who better to be the chief diplomat of a neocolonial power, plundering the world’s oil riches, than the chairman and CEO of the world’s largest oil company!
Tillerson, 64, has spent his entire adult life working at Exxon (then, after the merger, Exxon Mobil), and even discarding reductionist theories about his material motives, it is hard to imagine that someone of his age and his cloistered background can shift mental gears from corporate imperatives to national interests. In fact, it’s not clear that he could detect a difference between the two.
The only remotely comparable high-level Cabinet nomination in modern U.S. history is President Dwight Eisenhower’s choice of Charles Wilson to be his first-term secretary of defense. Wilson had been CEO of General Motors, and when asked about conflicts of interest, Wilson famously replied that he didn’t think there could be a conflict of interest because “what was good for our country was good for General Motors and vice versa.”
At least there was something to that equation when Wilson took his oath in 1953, before the age of global supply chains, instantaneous transactions, and porous borders. Exxon Mobil, on the other hand, doesn’t see itself as bound up with the country at all. Rather, as Steve Coll, author of Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power, recently wrote in the New Yorker, Exxon Mobil sees itself as “a parallel quasi-state,” a “power independent of the American government, one devoted firmly to shareholder interests and possessed of its own foreign policy,” the goal of which is “to promote a world that is good for oil and gas production.”
Tillerson’s now-famously tight relationship with Vladimir Putin dates to 2011, when Exxon Mobil signed a multibillion-dollar contract with the Russian oil firm Rosneft. Two years later, Putin awarded Tillerson the Russian Order of Friendship. More recently, Tillerson lobbied heavily against President Obama’s sanctions on Russia following the annexation of Crimea—a policy that has cost Exxon Mobil at least $1 billion.
At times, Exxon Mobil has simply ignored American officialdom. The company, for instance, signed a drilling contract with the self-proclaimed autonomous government of Kurdistan, contrary to U.S. policy, which, seeking to unify the Iraqi state, directed firms to do such business through Baghdad. Tillerson explained afterward that his obligation to Exxon Mobil’s stockholders had to take precedent over obeisance to Washington.
Tillerson’s unbridled internationalism may serve as a counter to the nativist protectionism of Trump’s rhetoric, but it may go too far the other way. Cultivating a feel for national interests would require not only an extraordinarily agile mind but also—as a first step—some notion of what “national interests” are, a concept that has rarely weighed on the mind of Tillerson’s boss-to-be, either.
Tillerson is a dealmaker, and Trump likes dealmakers. But the key questions are: What kind of deals—and made in whose interest? Tillerson has made big deals with dozens of leaders around the world, and Trump has said he’s impressed that Tillerson “knows all the players.” But it’s a fallacy to think that knowing the players gets you the deal, much less the right kind of deal.
Trump also recently said that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, could negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians because he “knows the players” in the region. I suspect Trump really believes there’s a connection (leaving aside the fact that Kushner is an unknown in the region), but this reveals only how little Trump knows about Middle Eastern politics, where everybody knows everybody, yet no peace is in sight. It’s true that knowing the players—knowing the right person to call and knowing something about that person, having done business with that person—can open doors and get talks going. But familiarity doesn’t breed the deal. No two diplomats on the planet have a closer personal relationship than Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Yet the two of them can’t make a deal on Syria because their two countries, much less the other countries in the region, have conflicting interests. Even in successes, their friendship was only part of the story: It probably did help smooth things in the prolonged talks that led to the Iran nuclear deal, but it did so only because the United States and Russia shared a long-standing interest in nuclear nonproliferation.
Trump now faces a real challenge in getting this nomination through. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which must confirm the appointment by majority vote before it even goes to the floor, is stacked with Russia hawks who are very suspicious of Tillerson’s close ties to Putin and his opposition to sanctions—especially now, in the aftermath of the CIA’s assessment that Russia’s “senior-most officials” coordinated the hacking and leaking of the Democratic National Committee’s email in order to help hand the election to Trump, whose own fond views of Putin are well-known and disturbing.
Still, it’s possible that Trump named Tillerson not in spite of the advance protests but because of them. Nominating someone else would have looked as if he were caving in to pressure—something Trump doesn’t like to do. He also hates to lose, so we can expect a brutal fight if the committee seems resistant. Already, a handful of eminent Republicans stand at the ready to campaign on behalf of Tillerson, including former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, and former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and James Baker. In fact, when Trump started to widen his search for a secretary of state, Gates and Baker were the ones who suggested a look at Tillerson, according to a former official who knows both secretaries.
In a statement of support released Tuesday morning, Gates acknowledged that he, Rice, and Hadley—all co-owners of a consulting firm—have Exxon Mobil as one of their clients, but he also said that he got to know Tillerson many years before through their mutual work with the Boy Scouts of America. Gates is now president of the Boy Scouts; Tillerson, an Eagle Scout, is very active in the organization. The scouts “are like a religion” to both men, the former official said. “Unlike Gates,” he added, “Tillerson is actually religious, too.”
Gates and Tillerson both supported the move to allow gays into the scouts. And, as Coll wrote in the New Yorker, despite Exxon Mobil’s record as “a ruthless and unusually aggressive corporation,” it “is also rule-bound, has built up a relatively strong safety record, and has avoided problems such as prosecutions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, even though it operates in many countries that are rife with corruption.”
So, one good thing that can be said about Tillerson: It could have been worse. Trump could have nominated Rudy Giuliani, one of the nation’s least diplomatic political figures who seems to have been removed from the running long ago for his myriad, seamy financial conflicts and possibly for his overeager self-promotion. Trump might also have nominated Mitt Romney, though it was clear at the time that their multiple meetings, including a dinner of frog legs, were designed to humiliate one of the president-elect’s fiercest intraparty critics. Trump said, during his charade, that he was mulling Romney for the job because he “looks the part,” which is true, but in that case he might as well choose Jason Sudeikis, and it’s a toss-up which of the two knows less about the subject. Trump might have picked David Petraeus, but the retired general carried way too much baggage (he would have had to consult his probation officer whenever he left town) and perhaps he bowed and scraped a bit too much as well. Trump likes people to kiss the ring, but he may not like it if they slobber over it. (It’s worth noting that the actual nominees to date have not spoken effusively to the press after their visits to the man in the high tower.)
One other possibly good thing about Tillerson: It is unlikely that, after running a gigantic global corporation, he will want to be saddled with a deputy who is dense, troublesome, and dogmatically opposed to Tillerson’s brand of internationalism. In other words, the upside to getting Tillerson as secretary of state is that we may avoid the specter of John Bolton as deputy secretary of state. |
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