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China's economy is holding steady.
The country's gross domestic product grew 6.9% in the second quarter, according to government data released Monday, the same figure as the previous quarter and marginally higher than most forecasts. The latest numbers position the economy above Beijing's stated growth target for 2017.
But China's speedy growth -- an uptick from the 6.7% it recorded last year -- will be difficult to sustain in the months to come, analysts say, as the government focuses on reining in the country's rapidly ballooning debt.
Related: Trump and China could still fall out badly over trade
"We do have doubts about how sustainable the recovery is," said Julian Evans-Pritchard, a China economist for Capital Economics, adding that the economy has "been very reliant" on government stimulus, rapid credit growth and a relatively loose monetary policy.
"A lot of those tailwinds that helped drive the rebound have disappeared," he added.
The Chinese government announced last week it would change the way it calculated economic growth for the first time in 15 years, adding healthcare, tourism and the "new economy" to the overall figure. It was not immediately clear whether those additions had an impact on growth.
The latest growth numbers will also likely reinforce skepticism among analysts about the reliability of official statistics.
"We have doubts over the accuracy of the official figures, which point to implausibly stable growth," Evans-Pritchard wrote in a research note Monday.
Economists often use other measures such as electricity output and freight shipments as an indication of China's true economic strength.
Related: China is trading more with North Korea but buying much less coal
China's ruling Communist Party has focused on keeping the economy stable ahead of a reshuffle of its top leadership in the fall, when President Xi Jinping will start his second term.
The Chinese government said in March that it is targeting growth of "around 6.5% or higher if possible" in 2017. |
Jamie McCourt, ex-wife of Boston developer Frank McCourt, is being tapped to serve as the US ambassador to France.
President Trump Thursday said he will nominate Jamie McCourt, a onetime Boston real estate executive and former co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, to be US ambassador to France and Monaco.
If confirmed, McCourt would assume one of the government’s most prominent diplomatic posts, at a time when relations between the two nations are entering uncharted waters under new leaders. Trump had originally nominated her in June to be chief envoy to Belgium, but withdrew that nod and resubmitted McCourt’s name to the more prestigious job.
A businesswoman and lawyer, she was married to Frank McCourt, and together the couple used their vast holdings in Boston’s nascent Seaport District to buy the Dodgers, before their marriage ended in an acrimonious divorce.
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The White House cited her business background in its announcement, saying McCourt “possesses a unique global perspective, having lived and worked both domestically and abroad in various industries – sports, law, finance, education, and real estate.”
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The Paris posting is viewed as a key post, particularly as Trump imposes changes on US-Europe dynamics. France is long hailed as “America’s oldest ally,” dating to the Revolutionary War, and France’s President Emmanuel Macron is rising on the international scene as a proglobalist counter to Trump’s America first positions.
The France posting “has always been one of the iconic ambassadorships,” dating to Benjamin Franklin’s tenure there, said David Wade, who was chief of staff to Secretary of State John F. Kerry during the Obama administration.
France shares with the United States membership on the United Nations Security Council, the G-7, and the G-20.
“It’s probably taken on outsized importance given the role that Macron and France have played recently on the world stage and, frankly, the larger role that France has played over the last several roles, from climate change to Iran and Syria,” Wade said.
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The website of McCourt’s company lists her as a “proud supporter of Israel and the worldwide Jewish community.”
An aide to Jamie McCourt did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
A major donor to Trump’s presidential campaign, McCourt speaks French, has a law degree, diplomas from Georgetown University and the Sorbonne, and a master’s from MIT’s management school.
She and then-husband Frank McCourt were among the earliest promoters in Boston to have the barren Seaport District, where they had acquired 24 acres of parking lots and empty land, turned into a bustling new commercial neighborhood. The couple also sought to purchase the Boston Red Sox in 2001 before the team ultimately was sold to the ownership group led by John Henry, who is also the owner of The Boston Globe.
Several years later the McCourts used their Seaport property as collateral to purchase the Dodgers for $430 million.
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But their marriage soured, she was fired from her job as Dodgers president by her then-husband, and their messy, public divorce included allegations that Jamie McCourt had an affair with her driver. McCourt reportedly received $130 million from their settlement in 2011, the same year her former husband filed for bankruptcy protection as Major League Baseball threatened to seize the team over troubled finances.
The Baltimore native remained on the West Coast after the divorce, becoming a business powerhouse in her own right. Her company, Jamie Enterprises, invested in startups, including car-sharing service Zipcar and Kite Pharma, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company.
“She has tremendous curiosity — which is what makes her such a great partner for entrepreneurs who are trying to do things that are new and interesting,” said Jonathan Seelig, a cofounder of Akamai Technologies who was also an early investor in Zipcar. “Jamie stays hyperrational in high-pressure situations.”
She has also become an advocate for women’s causes, saying her own experience changed her view of how women should approach their own financial standing.
“Not only does [money] represent security, it represents power and it represents control,” McCourt said at an MIT conference last year. “And until we as women truly understand that, and talk about it, many women will remain vulnerable, they’ll be dependent, and they’re going to ultimately fall short of their potential.”
That background as an advocate, said Jamille Bigio, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, could help create “more opportunities for the US and France and to seek women’s empowerment.”
Federal campaign finance records show McCourt donated about $450,000 to Trump Victory last year, as well as other donations to GOP organizations that worked on his behalf. Presidents frequently dole out choice diplomatic assignments to major fund-raisers and contributors.
McCourt would represent the United States in a key European capital at a time when much of the continent is dismayed with the new American leadership, with Paris one of the world’s top staging grounds for diplomacy on a range of issues. The assignment also affords access to a home several doors down from Elysees Palace, and an embassy overlooking the Place de la Concorde.
Karen Firestone, chief executive of Aureus Asset Management, said she has known McCourt for about 30 years, since their sons played youth hockey together.
“She’s there frequently and has a lot of contacts in Paris, and if they were looking for a candidate to fill that slot, Jamie would be a logical choice,” Firestone said Thursday.
Meanwhile her former husband has returned to the sports world after selling the Dodgers for more than $2 billion. Last year he became the owner of Olympique de Marseille, one of the largest soccer clubs in France.
Jim O’Sullivan can be reached at jim.osullivan@globe.com . Follow him on Twitter @JOSreports |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton once mentioned how he loved going to “Food Truck Friday’’ not far from Bank of America Stadium.
Now the NFL MVP has his own food truck.
Funn projekt with this d👀d @cameron1newton : #smoknaces A photo posted by MARK PAUL DEREN (@madsteez) on Aug 29, 2016 at 7:04pm PDT
Newton revealed his latest project this week during an interview with WCCB-TV anchor Morgan Fogarty. He said the truck, which contains an image of him doing his iconic Superman pose on one side, was painted by California-based artist Mark Paul Deren.
It will be called “Smokn’ Aces,’’ a play on Newton’s nickname, Ace Boogie.
✨✨✨✨ A photo posted by MARK PAUL DEREN (@madsteez) on Aug 31, 2016 at 8:47pm PDT
The menu, naturally, will include fish since Newton is a pescatarian. It also will have chicken.
The plan is to debut the truck for Carolina’s Sept. 18 home opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
The truck will be parked in the Goodyear Arts lot by the Duke Energy Building, where Deren painted it.
Newton told Fogarty the truck will be there Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with all of the proceeds from the first week going toward a program for at-risk individuals in Charlotte.
Newton also said he won’t be inside the truck; he’ll be outside eating.
“I wanted to be closer to the people,’’ Newton said. |
Nick Di Paolo unleashes on the celebrities who turned the SAG Awards into a progressive political rally.
Comedian Nick Di Paolo won’t be hosting an awards show any time soon.
It has nothing to do with talent. The Mass. native’s politics don’t align with Hollywood’s liberal views. That’s putting it mildly. He’s that oh, so rare, right of center comic who tells it like half of America sees it.
RELATED: Will Oscar Ratings Collapse in Age of Trump?
So he couldn’t help but recoil while watching highlights from Sunday’s SAG Awards telecast. The night dedicated to film excellence become a progressive rally against President Donald Trump.
“I wouldn’t wanna f***ing hang with those people for a nanosecond. They make me sick,” tells the Hollywood in Toto Podcast.
“They got up there and they get all ballsy. They’re such f***ing children. They’re childish to me,” Di Paolo says. “Do they have short memories and sh** of what’s been going on in the last five years, 10 years in this country?”
Di Paolo, who vents on both politics and everyday life on his podcast, wasn’t done mocking the night’s speeches.
“Oh, ‘he’s a Nazi … this is not America.’ That’s who speaks for America? Hollywood, the far left? Trump won the election, the last time I checked, because he seems to have more of a grasp of what it means to be an American.”
“‘These are not our values.'” I just laugh my butt off,” he says.
This year’s SAG Award ratings collapsed thanks partly to the rightly perceived notion the night would turn into a political rant. |
AimingToPlease,OftenMiss
Thinking of adding anything here to represent Celestia?
Oh yes, and seriously, get yourself a unit of thunderhammer storm shield terminators. With a 3+ invul save, and 3 strength 8 AP2 attacks each on the charge, they’re like a rock in the middle of your army.
You’ll find either your opponent will throw everything they’ve got at them, (meaning the rest of your army goes unmolested), or they ignore them completely, (in which case they’ll just annihilate anything they get near).
Also, your army appears to be seriously lacking in air support.
Storm raven.
Definitely.
Theme this to whomsoever you choose, but the firepower one of these things brings to the board is a game winner.
Storm Talons are a cheap to field option if you want a smaller skirmish, or want some back up for the Storm Raven.
My 2 are themed to Cloud Chaser and Flitter.
Whilst I doubt you’ll have the funds for one, the Fire Raptor I added to my own pony army totally dominates any game it’s used in. I often leave it at home now because it’s such a devastating unit it feels a little unfair.
With the way the rules are written for the Fire Raptor, it can target a different enemy with each of it’s weapons, so it can wreak havoc on up to 4 enemy units per turn. |
CLOSE Talk show host Stephen Colbert isn’t backing down from all of the criticism regarding his rant on President Donald Trump the other night saying he "would do it again." USA TODAY
FCC chairman Ajit Pai says his agency will do a "comprehensive investigation" to determine whether 'Late Show' host Stephen Colbert's Donald Trump joke was in violation of the indecency standard. (Photo11: Gail Schulman, AP)
What does Stephen Colbert have in common with Bono and Nicole Richie?
He could be the latest celebrity to be investigated by the Federal Communications Commission for using crude language on broadcast TV.
During a radio show interview with Philadelphia's WPHT on Thursday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai acknowledged that his agency has gotten a "number of complaints" about an oral sex joke involving Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin the comedian made during Monday night's Late Show monologue.
Colbert fired back at Trump after he dismissed CBS' Sunday morning politics show Face the Nation as "fake news" and "Deface the Nation" in an interview with CBS journalist John Dickerson last week.
After a fiery takedown of the president, who has been nothing but good for his ratings, Colbert said, "The only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s (expletive) holster."
"I have had a chance to see the clip now," Pai told WPHT's Rich Zeoli, "and so, as we get complaints – and we've gotten a number of them – we're going to take the facts that we find and we are going to apply the law as it's been set out by the Supreme Court and other courts and we'll take the appropriate action."
However, the law — at least as it is currently written — would appear to be Colbert's side.
The Late Show, which comes on at 11:30 ET/PT, airs outside of what is called the "safe harbor" hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., local time, at which point children could be watching TV. Plus, because his show is taped, the editors were able to bleep out the offensive language before broadcast.
"As a consequence, the Commission does not take action on indecent material (meaning sexually explicit or excretory content) aired between 10 p.m. and 6:00 a.m," the FCC website says. "In this way, constitutionally-protected free speech rights of adults are balanced with the need to protect children from harmful content."
Pai added that should his agency decide to penalize Colbert and CBS, it would likely be limited to a fine.
Two days after the inflammatory monologue, Colbert told his audience that while he doesn't regret insulting the president and would do it again, he "would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be."
Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2pPEzpS |
This image of this guy in a logo-laden T-shirt..has attracted a lot of anger on Facebook from people who have taken offense to the ‘Ghetto Chopper’ decal attached to a handgun.
The project is being attributed to two guys and their ‘SmallAlbanytoons’ promotion..with the names Chip Fasciana and Dana Toons attached..according to the Facebook posting. I don’t know these fellows or whether the shirt ‘model’ is one of the two gentlemen. The shirt refers to what you might call the ‘runt’ of the local Price Chopper grocery stores…the one at Delaware and Myrtle Avenues..which for years has served Center Square, Park South, the Mansion neighborhood, the South End, Arbor Hill and West Hill communities. It serves a racially diverse clientele and since the time I arrived in Albany, nearly 40 years ago, has gone through some distinctly tough times as a store. It was in very rough shape in the mid 70’s, but the Golub Corporation has made improvements. Just not the ‘spectacular’ updating recently seen in Guilderland, Latham, or even Watervliet.
People began calling it ‘ghetto chopper’ many years ago. But I never did. I live near there, I used that store, and I know I don’t live in a ‘ghetto’. The presence of minorities as customers is apparently the foundation of that moniker. But this public project, which attaches a handgun to the ‘ghetto chopper’ name, referencing the gun violence that periodically occurs in Albany’s inner city neighborhoods, appears to be the source of ‘uptown Albany’ ..or suburban chauvinism..or just outright racism. I don’t object so much to the name as much as to the gun image. And it also comes with a HUGE product listing. So if you wish, you may buy anything from socks to water bottles to baby blankets, key chains and jackets. The product availability..with this new logo..was astounding. I’ve included it here so you can see for yourselves.
http://www.cafepress.com/smallbany/11819757
Now I know some may view this ‘Ghetto Chopper’ thing as just a ‘funny’ ‘clever’ ‘hipster’ thing, but I don’t see it that way. Several people who saw the image on Facebook weighed in with displeasure and agreed with me..in fact they brought it to my attention. The ‘gun’ logo is not something the City of Albany needs as officials, and the community, continues the struggle to remove the horror of gun violence from these streets. It’s not prudent to exploit this ongoing tragedy all for the purposes of trying to be ‘cool’.
The Golub corporation already has it’s hands full dealing with the reaction to the decision to re-brand ‘Price Chopper’ as ‘Market 32’. I’m sure Neil Golub is not thrilled by the arrival of this entrepeneurial invasion. |
The Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League announced today that they have canceled their pre-season game against the Manchester Monarchs scheduled to be played this Saturday at the Portland Ice Arena.
“Due to the Sabres’ decision to extend the stay of many prospects and veterans further into training camp and participate in the NHL exhibition schedule, the Pirates’ training camp has been reduced in duration,” said Pirates Managing Owner/CEO Brian Petrovek.
“As a result, we will not have the necessary number of players here in Portland this weekend to conduct an exhibition game at the Portland Ice Arena as previously planned. We look forward to introducing the 2010-2011 Portland Pirates to our fans on opening night, October 9 at 7 pm at the Civic Center.”
A Pirates representative will contact all fans who purchased advance tickets for the game to arrange a refund. |
The clean coder “Uncle Bob” aka Robert C. Martin reflects on his career, the way he works and what advice he would give to his younger self if he were to start his career again.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’ve been married for 44 years, have four children and 5.75 grandchildren. I live on the North Shore of Lake Michigan in Northern Illinois. I travel the world teaching classes and giving talks on software professionalism and craftsmanship. I produce software training videos that I sell at cleancoders.com. I am learning to be a pilot, and am looking forward to flying to nearby customers.
How did you get started in programming?
When I was 12 my mother bought me a Digi-Comp I for my birthday. This was a little plastic computer with three flip flops and six and gates. It was a three bit finite state machine that you could program by slipping little tubes onto pegs. You could program it to count from 0 to 7, or count down from 7 back to 0. It could add two bits to produce a sum and a carry bit. And there were several logic puzzles you could solve with it.
The little machine fascinated me. I ordered the “Advanced Programming Manual” for it; from which I learned Boolean algebra and the idea of specifying the transitions of a finite state machine using Boolean equations. With that knowledge I was able to make that little three bit machine do anything it was capable of doing. And I was hooked. I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I have never wavered from that.
What are some of the languages you use today and why?
Java, because it is common and has lots of tooling.
Clojure, because it is powerful, elegant, beautiful, and rides atop the JVM.
Go, because it is fast, fast, fast, and the logical successor to C/C++.
Python, because it is common and easy.
Ruby, because it is common, rich, and full of intriguing fidelty-bits.
C, C++, as needed.
What type of applications do you develop?
Nowadays I work on the cleancoders.com website. That’s built-in Clojure. I also sometimes work on the FitNesse project in Java. And I’m considering writing a SLIM implementation for FitNesse in GO.
What’s your biggest passion these days related to programming?
Keeping the code simple, clean, well structured, and well tested.
What still sucks and shouldn’t be in programming?
SQL. I mean _really_? A text-based language for manipulating data? A text-based language that can easily sneak through the UI to allow security breaches. Can you imagine how many security breaches would have been impossible if database access were done through a true API instead of that horrid text-based language?
And that’s just one thing. You don’t want to start me on a rant. I mean, I could go on about XML, or the absurdity of programmers not writing tests, or…
What are some of the most important skills developers can have?
Care. The skill to care for the code. The skill to be careful instead of to rush. The skill to realize that rushing makes you go slower, not faster. The skill of patience, and care, and professionalism.
Look, it doesn’t take a mental genius to write code. It’s just ‘if’, ‘while’, and ‘assignment’ statements after all. What requires real skill is to write code that other people can read and understand, and that can be easily changed with a minimum of breakage. Those skills are pretty rare in our industry right now.
How do you convince your manager to write more unit tests or practice TDD?
You don’t. It’s none of your manager’s business how you write code, or what disciplines you use. YOU are the one who knows how to do your job. So the real question here is how do you convince your PEERS to write more unit tests and to practice TDD. And that’s a truly tough question to answer. The best approach is to be a role model — to never shirk your disciplines or abandon them because others don’t follow them. You can also do the standard lunch-n-learns, etc. But in the end, only a few people will catch the TDD bug. The rest will not.
If you find yourself on a team which is not doing TDD, you’ll have to change teams; because your values are incompatible. Or, if your team practices TDD, but one or two people resist; those people will have to leave the team. You cannot have a team that doesn’t share values as important as testing.
Any tips on making managers understand the importance of using Typemock?
No. Again, it’s not your manager’s job to know what tools you need. You know the tools you need, and you inform your manager to buy them. If your manager won’t buy them; then you’ll have to buy them yourself.
Of course, this is a team decision. You can’t have a team in which everyone is using different tools. A good team decides what tool suite they will use, and then everyone on the team uses that suite.
Do you practice TDD and if so, what are some of your favorite code katas?
Of course I do. I often do the Video Store Kata that Martin Fowler made famous so many years ago. I also do the Bowling Game, Prime Factors, Word Wrap, Stack, Environment Controller, and many others.
What are some of your must-have tools or libraries that you use in your daily work?
A good unit test library and the Jetbrains suite of IDEs and plugins.
Who or what inspires you in the technical world?
Developing a code of professional behavior for programmers. If we do not develop that code within the next few years, one will be imposed upon us from above by our fearful and resentful governments.
When you need a quick recess at work to regain focus, what do you do?
Nowadays I watch a good YouTube video like Veritasium, Space-time, VSauce, or Numberphile. If my brain is truly fried, and the weather is good, I go on a bike ride.
What’s your horror/war story from the coding trenches?
Sitting in a telephone central office at midnight, trying to patch the software that doesn’t work, and realizing that I just started a procedure that erased every file on the disk. That was not a good night.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received or what advice would you give your younger self?
Understand the business. It’s good to be a coder. It’s good to solve technical problems. But to do a truly good job, you have to understand the business you are serving.
What are some interesting links you can share about yourself?
On Twitter you can find me under @unclebobmartin and my websites are cleancoder.com and cleancoders.com.
What is one question that we should have asked, and we didn’t and what would be the answer?
Why does our industry have such a poor reputation for quality?
Because we’ve chosen the wrong strategy to go fast. You don’t go fast by rushing. You go fast by carefully doing a good job. |
Imagine living in 700 square feet of space, in an apartment, centrally located, stylishly appointed, with stainless steel appliances and public amenities such as a dog wash station. You don't own a car; instead, you rely on transit or a bicycle for getting around. Unlike the old days, it's not a temporary station until you can afford a house. It's life as you'll always know it, as you grow your career and maybe raise a family.
You'll probably move around, from job to job, and city to city. You might consider yourself fortunate to have the freedom from the shackles of a big mortgage, job with benefits, and house that needs ongoing maintenance. Or, you might resent the fact that you can't afford the home ownership rite of passage that belonged to your parents' generation.
Millennial or Gen Y kids born between 1977 and 1994, if we use the Census Canada definition, have entirely different expectations from their parents.
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"They will be the first generation that is not going to be better off than their parents were," says Melanie Reuter, director of research for the Real Estate Investment Network.
Her interpretation. But, because millennials are such a large group in Canada, representing about 27 per cent of the population, says Ms. Reuter, it's imperative that businesses gauge this group's behaviour and respond accordingly. She has been studying Gen Y economic behaviour for the last few years, and has written a report on her findings to be used by investors.
"If you don't pay attention to what this generation wants, regardless if you agree or not, you won't have a business soon because they are such a large cohort that they do have spending power."
They also have a lot of debt. A hefty part of that debt is student loans, but credit card debt is also responsible. British Columbians between the ages of 18 and 24 have the second to highest income-to-debt ratio on average in Canada, according to Ipsos Reid, 2012 Canadian Financial Monitor. British Columbians between 24 and 44 are in third position. (The highest average income-to-debt ratio belongs to Albertans between 25 and 44).
"It's also in part due to their spending habits," says Ms. Reuter. "These are all generalizations – but they aren't savers."
They might have grown up in a bedroom community, such as the west side, or a suburb. But they are a more urban group, no longer dependent on a car, partly because of cost, and partly because they genuinely care about sustainability. They don't see the cachet of owning a car, as did their parents' generation.
"They didn't get their driver's licence the day they turned 16," says Ms. Reuter.
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"For the younger generation, it's almost a badge of pride they wear, not needing a vehicle."
Because they use transit, they'll want to be located close to work, and close to transit hubs. And because of the rise of single-parent households – roughly 16 per cent of all families, according to 2011 census figures – many were likely raised in townhouses or condos, and will already be used to living in smaller spaces, says Ms. Reuter. They also like new spaces, as opposed to old houses they'll have to spend weekends fixing up.
"There's no stigma to a condo," she says. "That's what they know."
We've already seen the demographic shift in Vancouver neighbourhoods such as Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Point Grey and Kitsilano that used to be filled with middle-class families just starting out in life. Young families have mostly gone to the more urban east side, leaving the west side to an older, wealthier demographic.
Ben Smith, VP of sales and marketing at Rennie & Associates, says he's already seen a major shift in the last six months. This year he's seen a sudden surge in demand for three-bedroom condos, purchased by downsizing boomers. Those boomers are trading their homes for spacious condos. Those same boomers are helping their kids with a down payment on their own condo, which is the only way a lot of Millennials will ever afford to live in Vancouver.
"It's exciting, because for years we've been talking about this, and we're finally seeing it happen," he says. "There is $88-billion worth of clear-title real estate tied up with boomers. In B.C. and Vancouver especially, we are all equity and no income. If you don't have that down payment, you don't have a home."
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Hrissa Soumpassis, 31, grew up in a house in Prince Albert, Sask., and currently operates her own fashion label out of her rented 700-square-foot live-work studio at Main and 5th Avenue. Like all Millennials interviewed, she does not own a car. She works from her home, enjoys urban life, and has no problem moving for work. She plans to live in New York for six months, and then return to Vancouver, where she'll eventually settle down and purchase a condo in the same neighbourhood, if all goes according to her plan. She says that growing her own business and condo ownership are priorities.
"All my money goes toward my business because that will grow," she says. "It's not like, 'Oh, I think I'll start my business and see how things go.' I have to organize all my finances with the bank to make sure that in the future I can buy something. That's new for me. I wasn't thinking about that until about a year ago."
Jens Ourom can divide his demographic into three categories. There is the group that sees home ownership has an "unrealistic sacrifice from both a financial and lifestyle perspective." There is the group that is "raging mad, resistant to retiring as renters – a potential powder keg whenever affordability, housing prices, mortgages, and anything related to the white picket fence … are broached as conversation topics." And then there is the "What's the big deal about affordability?" group. Members of that group are counting on a trust fund or big inheritance to get them into the homeowner income bracket.
Mr. Ourom, 27, says he belongs in the first camp, that Millennial who sees pricey property as just too big a sacrifice when there's so much else that the world has to offer. He is debt free because he worked hard to get scholarships to pay for his degree. He lives car-free and pays a premium in rent to live centrally.
"I really think the concept of saving for a home is maybe overblown and what you should be doing is saving for a future," says Mr. Ourom. "If your goal is to have a home and work on a home and invest in that, then great, but this generation is already finding different ways they want to save for the future, whether it's investing in education, or starting a business. I think people are getting more creative with it."
Ben Paylor, 29, is doing his PhD in experimental medicine at the University of British Columbia, but he will not stay in Vancouver because of the high cost. Instead, he expects to move several more times for his career, and he'll settle somewhere more affordable. He does not, however, see his situation as unfortunate, but rather, as liberating.
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"My friends who got teaching jobs, they are mostly still in Calgary and they have bought houses because it made sense, given the life they were following. But the prevalence of that is so much less. I don't look at that negatively; some part of me is envious as well. It just seems so simple, not moving around all the time. But there is some awesome stuff I have been able to do because of my education. There is a trade off involved there.
"With my path and my work I am in, I will likely move around three or four more times before I settle down. I might not own property for five to eight years, or something like that. Questions like that are quite abstract to me right now."
Because he owns a house, James Griffiths, 34, is an outlier among his peers, he says. He and his wife own a modest house on a narrow lot on Vancouver's east side. However, to cover their mortgage, they rent out four bedrooms, which means a constant turnover of tenants. Mr. Griffiths is a self-described workaholic. He obtained his masters while working a 40 to 50 hour work-week. He could only afford the down payment, he says, because he and his wife cared for his ailing grandfather in his final years, living in his grandfather's basement suite rent-free.
"That was a very difficult thing to do," he says. "It's psychologically challenging to help someone you love in the later stages of their life. But that's one way we found to both save up, and contribute to our family."
That helped him pay off his student loan and, along with help from his parents, save up for the down payment. Still, he has a $500,000 mortgage.
"And I'm spooked about that," he says. "I'm very driven to get that number down, and to spend all the time I can working, and it hasn't been very good for life balance on my part." |
Any school kid can tell you that comets are made of ice. That frozen water burning off is what gives comets their characteristic tails. But asteroids were generally thought to be dry. Or at least frost-free. Now two studies published in the journal Nature [Andrew Rivkin and Joshua Emery, http://bit.ly/bkL3DU and Humberto Campins et al, http://bit.ly/bI8Eqa] suggest that notion may be all wet. Because at least one asteroid appears to be coated by a thin layer of ice. And just that kind of asteroidal frosting could have been the source of our water here on Earth.
The asteroid belt just outside Mars is home to a lot of rocky bodies…including a behemoth with a diameter of 129 miles. This asteroid, called 24 Themis, is one of the largest in the belt and has attracted the attention of astronomers because its nearby traveling companions look like comets.
In the latest studies, scientists used an infrared telescope to spectroscopically examine the asteroid’s surface. And the chemical signature they saw was a good match for water ice, which they found all over the asteroid.
The find provides support for the theory that Earth’s water could have been delivered as ice by an asteroid. Lucky for us we could borrow some from the neighbors.
—Karen Hopkin
[The above text is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
See also Water Ice Found on the Surface of an Asteroid for the First Time
[Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.] |
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Andrew Harding reports on the renewed violence
Seleka rebels in the Central African Republic have rejected a ceasefire deal and demanded the country be partitioned between Muslims and Christians.
In an interview with the BBC's Andrew Harding, Seleka military chief Joseph Zoundeiko said his forces would ignore the ceasefire agreed on Thursday.
He said the deal had been negotiated without proper input from the military wing of the former Seleka alliance.
Almost a quarter of the 4.6 million population have fled their homes.
The peace agreement between mainly Muslim Seleka rebels and the largely Christian anti-Balaka militia was signed in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville.
Muslims have been forced to flee the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR) and most of the west of the country, in what rights groups described as ethnic cleansing.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes such as torture and unlawful killing.
'Immediate partition'
But Maj-Gen Zoundeiko has now called for the entire country to be split in two, arguing that CAR as a nation state is finished.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Sectarian fighting has forced much of the Muslim population - and Seleka fighters - to flee to the north or to neighbouring countries
Image copyright AP Image caption A recent study by the medical aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres showed "catastrophic levels of mortality" among some Muslim communities because of targeted violence
He called for an immediate partition between the Christian south and Muslim north.
But our correspondent says that political leaders from both sides insist that reconciliation remains possible and desirable despite months of violence.
Tens of thousands of Muslims have already fled from the south - and daily attacks continue in the countryside.
Maj-Gen Zoundeiko blamed "our Christian brothers" for making peace impossible. He declined to say exactly how the country should be divided.
CAR's religious make-up
Christians - 50%
Muslims - 15%
Indigenous beliefs - 35%
Source: Index Mundi
Andrew Harding: Fighting spreads like an infection
The latest violence in CAR began when mainly Muslim rebels seized power in March last year.
The majority Christian state then descended into ethno-religious warfare.
The presence of some 7,000 international peacekeepers has failed to put an end to the violence and revenge attacks.
Earlier this month Amnesty international named at least 20 people it says are suspected of ordering or committing atrocities and suggests they should be tried under international law by a hybrid court using national and international experts. |
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Interested in going to the Galway Races?
According to travel site trivago.ie, you're not alone.
Interest in traveling to Galway has increased by 56% ahead of next week's popular annual festival.
Hotel searches made by people hoping to find a hotel during the festival week - which runs from 27 July to 2 August - were compared to the same search topics from the week before.
The overall statistics are based off searches which were made from 21 January to 21 July.
It isn't only Irish holidaymakers who are looking ahead to the Galway Races.
The travel site also found that travel interest in Galway from people in the UK increases by 43% during race week.
A spokesperson for trviago said: “Though it is hardly unusual to see interest in regions surge ahead of big sporting events, these figures underline just how popular the annual Galway Races event is, with people coming to Galway from all over the country.
“Despite consistently being Ireland’s second most popular destination for holidaymakers, our data shows a significant increase in searches to Galway despite the surge in hotel prices – which is great news for the city’s tourism industry.” |
Join Reuben Covington and Dan Felder for the fortieth episode of Re-Making Magic, the podcast about game design and custom magic cards.
In this episode:
We talk about recent technical difficulties
We give an update on the Science vs Faith duel decks
You can find everything you need to help us playtest the duel decks HERE
Dan has a funny Pre-Release story
Critique a card: Brotherhood Mindflayer
We start a new Design challenge: Design a uncommon “build around” Golbin card. The build around theme doesn’t have to be about goblins.
You can give us feedback and discuss the episode on the MTGsalvation discussion thread
Contact details:
Blog: remakingmagic.tumblr.com
Reuben Covington
Twitter: @reubencovington
Email: reubencovington@gmail.com
MTGsalvation Account: Doombringer
Dan Felder
Email: minimallyexceptional@gmail.com
MTGsalvation Account: Stairc
Check out this episode! |
Perseus and Andromeda, a fresco from Pompeii
Human sexual arousal and expression is often confused with partial or complete lack of clothing, though each condition exists exclusive of the other.
Sexual and non-sexual nakedness [ edit ]
Some modern cultures have equated human nudity with sexuality, inherently stimulating the libido; historically, that has not been a universal case. Many tropical cultures across the Earth have demonstrated partial or complete nudity (e.g. central sub-Saharan Africa such as Namibia; Polynesia). In ancient Greece, athletes commonly exercised and competed nude; when Japan allowed female sumo wrestlers, they competed nude, without the mawashi now worn by men.[1]
Cultures that demand some degree of modesty draw an association from nudity to sexuality. When physical sexual attributes are shown in the mainstream media of these cultures, this is taken as being sexually related. There are cultural differences regarding the acceptability or sexualization of nudity,[2] but the definition of what is lewd has also changed over the years, as has the comparative acceptability of male or female nudity.
Of itself, human nudity can be sensually pleasing without overt sexual context, as with naturism, and in various artistic media such as figure drawing and photography. Nudity can be intended for sexual arousal without physical contact, as with striptease or pornography.
Many people find nudity inherently erotic and even sexually arousing[why?]. Individuals may have a compulsive desire[when defined as?] to express themselves without clothing. Some people may experience erotic and sexual pleasure in seeing their partner or others in the nude, or to be seen nude. In response, legislated control of acceptable bodily display is couched in moralizing terms such as "protecting decency."
Nudity is a very important facet in the expression of feelings in intimate relationships in which there is physical or emotional intimacy. Exposure (or promise thereof) of the body is a tactic of courtship, a human courtship display or a form of flirting. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity.
Sexual arousal [ edit ]
Sexual arousal is an aspect of a person's sexuality and a part of sexual excitement. It is accompanied by physiological changes in the aroused person. It is difficult for males to conceal full sexual arousal, or indeed lack of it, while fully nude. Penile erection is an obvious indicator of sexual excitement of a male. In the case of females, physiological changes — such as vaginal lubrication and swelling, coloring and engorgement of the labia and clitoris — are less visible to others.
Nudity between sexual partners is widely accepted, and bathing with the partner, sleeping in the nude and dressing in front of partners are common. However, even in private, some partners feel uncomfortable being nude in front of another, or exposing their sexual arousal; and insist on some restrictions on their nudity. For example, a person may feel comfortable being nude only during a sexual activity, and then only with subdued lighting, or covered by a sheet or blanket.[3]
Naturism [ edit ]
Naturists on a beach
In a 2009 report, Smith and King conclude that naturists have been able to sublimate their sexual impulses in a naturist environment:
"Sexuality, when practising naturism, was found often to be suppressed through the use of rules, geographical isolation and thoughts and behaviour. Some participants found ways of exploring and enjoying their sexuality by keeping their feelings hidden and/or seeking out more sympathetic naturist environments. Naturist environments may offer a unique space in which to explore aspects of our sexuality that are currently pathologised, criminalised or commercialised."[4]
See also [ edit ] |
Pokémon Go’s exclusive Raid battles, known as EX Raids, are due for a tweak. Weeks after it began testing the invitation-only multiplayer feature, Niantic confirmed on Twitter that it’s heard the negative feedback from players, and is now working on improving the system.
“Trainers, thank you for your feedback on EX Raid Battles,” the studio’s official support account tweeted. “We’re working to improve the invitation system based on what we heard from you.”
After Niantic launched the EX Raid battles in beta last month, the feature quickly garnered widespread criticism from active players. Unlike typical Raids, the exclusive variant requires players to be regular participants in the co-op gym feature. But Niantic seems to distribute the required Premium Raid pass invitations randomly, so even hardcore Raid battlers may not be guaranteed a chance at the harder, rarer version.
The random system meant that some players who only won a single standard Raid battle will win the Premium Raid pass, while others who regularly battled high-level Pokémon at a variety of gyms end up with nothing. But even having a pass isn’t enough to play in an EX Raid, as they’re typically tied to specific locations. In other words, if you won a Raid battle while you were on vacation and received a pass as a result, you may not be able to get to the EX Raid battle spot in time — because it’s back where you won that first Raid battle.
The worst part is that certain legendary Pokémon, like Mewtwo, are only available through these EX Raid battles. If you don’t have an invite, you don’t get to have a complete Pokédex. Them’s the breaks.
It’s not clear which parts Niantic plans to adjust yet, but the studio’s note is a good reminder that Pokémon Go’s EX Raid system was still just in testing anyway. We’ll see how it changes in the coming months. |
Our attempted mastery over natural law has increased our alienation from our own spiritual nature through our delusion of self-sufficiency and individual autonomy. There is no void more terrible and terrifying than not knowing who you are. The modern spiritual, self-help industry arose as a response to our own inner disconnectedness.
We now have new spiritual answers framed to be palatable to our Western liberal secular sensibilities: There must be – God forbid – no God; spirituality should not fetter our autonomy to make life choices according to own personal and relative morality; and spiritualism must not dare threaten any of our precious material privileges. The new spiritual ecumenism respects everyone’s personal space.
Among the many new answers is mindfulness meditation, which has fast become our zen du jour that promises to give us purpose, peace and presence. Its jingles are ubiquitous: live in the now, stay in the present, become a non-judgemental observer, don’t feel guilt – you are not your feelings.
Mindfulness meditation exercises have been introduced in therapy sessions for addiction and trauma, schools, universities, correctional institutions and the military. Even the heavyweights in the corporate world can be counted among the converted. Among the ranks of the believers, Apple and Goldman Sachs. The McMindfulness revolution, as some have coined it, is in full swing.
What is mindfulness meditation? Mindfulness is promoted as an acute, non-judgemental awareness of the present moment within your subjective consciousness, leading to a gradual, experiential realization that your feelings, thoughts and inner drives are transitory. Once this shift in experiential consciousness occurs, the belief is that one can control their external manifestations and thus become less reactive, calmer, purposeful and more peaceful.
It is at this level that proponents believe that mindfulness provides a useful method in dealing with the triggers, emotions and thoughts that create and feed negative moods, habits, certain addictions and the like.
But the reach of mindfulness meditation extends far beyond therapeutic applications. Mindfulness is traditionally rooted in the normative tradition of Buddhism and was always understood as an avenue to gain insight not only into the workings of the self but the nature of reality itself. In Buddhism, there is no God; nothing is permanent; our self is a fiction and a construction; non-self is the only way to freedom from suffering; and there is no dualism in existence – we are one with all, connected, part of a cosmic being.
Mindfulness experiences were understood in this light. Modern practitioners of mindfulness meditation, for example, frequently recount “experiences” of cosmic unity. One practitioner writes:
According to those who experience profound states of meditation, they often describe it as, liberation from mental constructs and experiencing union with reality and experiencing pure being…They feel connected to the great chain of being and feel fully alive in and of the universe.
Many such experiences are recorded, all of which are then affirmed as truth by the ontological assumptions of Buddhism. The subjective, interpretable experience of reality now becomes “verified” as “objective reality.”
Modern mindfulness meditation was imported for the Western market in neutral and non-denominational terms that supposedly transcend faith differences. Mindfulness does not demand fealty to such core principles of Buddhism such as reincarnation, or some of its ethical prohibitions like abstaining from luxury in food and material possessions; alcoholic drinks; instrumental music; singing and dancing; jewelry, perfumes and cosmetics; and all sensual overindulgences. Many Westerners, especially those who are not tied to institutional faith, do not appear to have reservations in accepting the Buddhist belief of no God and the unity of all being (which is a mainstay belief in many new Western modalities of spirituality).
Muslims should not be uncritical in accepting mindfulness meditation as yet another attempt to treat the spiritual void generated by secular materialism. For all its perceived benefits, mindfulness remains a fast-food solution to the spiritual hunger of our times. It is a proverbial doughnut that satiates symptoms but does not address root malnutrition.
The ‘aqidah, or creed, at the heart of mindfulness should be of even graver concern. Its oneness of everything, akin or similar to Monism, is categorically rejected by Islam, which teaches that there exists a Creator and created. Never will the two meet, join or unite. How can the Infinite ever unite with the finite, or the Perfect with the imperfect? We are not part of God’s being, nor can we ever become, in any way whatsoever, part of Him. The claim by anyone – Muslim or not – of oneness in reality or a wahdah al-wujud is definitively rejected by Islamic texts and the legacy of Islamic scholarship as a perversion that stands in the starkest contrast to the ‘aqidah of Islam.
Some Muslims might claim that modern mindfulness meditation is harmless because it is shorn of its Buddhist ontological tenets. But is it?
It is clear from the experience of many practitioners that their experiences have led them down a slippery path that ends up affirming pure cosmic oneness as true reality.
Mindfulness meditation was originally a means to produce an experience of the nature of reality. Its discourse, method, aims and pedagogy – no matter how instrumentally or therapeutically applied – still bear this imprint.
For example, the discourse of mindfulness meditation brings with it certain supra-rational assumptions about the self, mind and being. Are these harmonious with the revealed texts of Islam and the understanding of those who walked the path of purification? In the absence of revealed guidance regarding issues of the metaphysical and unseen, any such path to purification of the self will be speculative, a result of the states and experiences of practitioners unguided by Divine guidance and driven by personal subjectivities, however well-intentioned.
In its method and aim, the method of modern mindfulness meditation is similar to its classical formulation, as is its aim, which is to realize an experiential awareness of the impermanence of everything, the dissolution of the self and a oneness of being.
In the dimension of pedagogy, the practitioner is beholden to the teacher, whoever they may be, to interpret the experience of meditation, to guide them through its stages and what they might experience. Who are the teachers? Who will you allow to interpret your experience, as they understand it, of reality? From whom will you take your din?
As it wouldn’t be fair for Muslims to immediately deny some of the apparent therapeutic benefits of modern mindfulness meditation, it is equally unfair to be wilfully blind or ignorant to its great probable harms. And, for argument’s sake, even if the benefits were many, the harms negligible and the practice of mindfulness was purely therapeutic, our embracing of mindfulness to find peace and serenity represents a mindlessness of our own faith.
Everything in Islam is about the experiential realization of finding peace and happiness of the heart (qalb) through its loving surrender to the Divine. It is trite to say that Islam has all the answers to peace and happiness. But it does. And it is not enough that we know. Knowledge by itself is necessary but not sufficient for internal change and the experience of tawhid. Perhaps our intellectual blindness is born out of a deeper emotional and spiritual disconnect with Islam itself. Islamic psychology teaches that the mind is in reality the executive officer of the heart. We reason correctly or incorrectly due to our heart’s purity or lack thereof.
How can we justify rationally and Islamically the hours spent in mindfulness meditation? The essence of mindfulness is to focus inward on the mind, thoughts and sentiments, and to strive to then live in that state even outside the meditative moment. But is this focus and preoccupation not the very definition of ghaflah (heedlessness) – that is, to be unaware of the Divine? If our time and energy is spent outside of focus on the Divine in our spiritual journey, the Islamic value of this is at best zero. In Paradise, the abode of infinite, unceasing happiness, we are taught we will regret our ghaflah:
The people of Paradise do not regret anything except an hour or moment that passed them in the world without the remembrance of Allah (al-Bayhaqi, al-Tabarani)
A heart empty of Allah falls either prey to the lower self or the Devil. Ghaflah is to be resisted and struggled against. It is not to be sought directly or indirectly. We remember Allah not for His benefit – for He is beyond need – but rather for our own dire need for His nearness, love and grace. The quality of our happiness, beauty and joy comes from our nearness to their Source. Allah is the Source of Peace, the Beautiful, the Ever-Loving, the Magnanimous, the Subtle in Every Goodness, the Responsive. There is no greater approach to Allah’s nearness than constant remembrance. Dhikr is the means of cleansing the spiritual heart (qalb) which is the seat of cognition, feeling and will. Once the heart is cleansed, it is able to perceive Allah, know Him and seek Him. In that is its ultimate happiness.
This is the reason why dhikr is one of the most foundational Islamic teachings, and why it is the heart and soul of all worship and ritual. For this reason, we should strive our utmost to make dhikr our constant, steady state, to remember Allah with every beat of our heart and every breath.
The texts of Islam encourage us time and time again to seek this means of approach to Allah. We are informed that all the angels fill space-time in perpetual dhikr; that the unseen realm of angelic creation surrounds us when we are in dhikr, that all of space-time – nature, animals, birds, trees, mountains – are in dhikr; that dhikr is the cleanser of the heart’s tarnish; that the Devil flees from the one in dhikr; that dhikr is the deliverance from Allah’s chastisement and draws His bounty; that dhikr removes estrangement; that dhikr draws sustenance and provision; that Allah remembers in His self the one in dhikr.
We are taught to always thirst for more dhikr, for we can never have enough of Allah’s remembrance. For dhikr to truly be the avenue for our nearness to Allah, it must be plentiful. It is for this reason that whenever Allah mentions dhikr in the Qur’an, He qualifies it with the word kathir or abundant. When Allah the All-Emcompassing counsels abundant dhikr, can we ever limit it? Indeed, no other religious injunction comes with such qualification. How can we seek any semblance of true happiness and spiritual freedom without reaching a level of abundant dhikr of Allah?
Dhikr is certainly genuine mindfulness, because it is mindfulness of the Divine, who is the One, the True Reality. It is through the struggle for abundant and plentiful dhikr that that heart or qalb gradually becomes fully involved in dhikr. And it is then that dhikr becomes our greatest delight, solace and intimacy with the Divine – a joy that will supercede any and all other joys. The true masters and teachers of Islamic spirituality have unanimously recorded this for us. In describing his dhikr, one of them stated:
My Paradise is in my chest; it is with me wherever I go.
What greater certainty do we need after reading and hearing Allah’s words when He emphasizes this integral link between dhikr and peace and happiness:
Truly, it is with Allah’s remembrance that hearts find their tranquillity (13:28)
It might further surprise us that mindfulness is very much an integral part of Islamic spirituality, but with a profound difference: Islam prescribes Divine-mindfulness. Allah is al-Raqib, the Ever-Watchful and the Ever-Vigilant. Divine-mindfulness in Islam translates as muraqabah, which is to be experientially aware of Allah watching you.
Certainly, Allah is Ever-Watchful over you (4:1)
Muraqabah is a verb that indicates a reciprocal action. When I am in muraqabah, I am in an intimate relationship with Allah. I know – at least intellectually – that He is near, that He sees me, hears me, and is aware of every aspect of me. Merely struggling to be in muraqabah of Allah is dhikr. In fact, muraqabah is one of the greatest and most beneficial forms of dhikr that will transform one from the inside out.
An obvious difference with modern mindfulness is that I am not vigilant of only what is in me, for me. That would be ghaflah as well.
Our spiritual teachers teach us that Muraqabah begins with me watching my external limbs and actions – the gateways to my heart – and then my heart itself, its thoughts, feelings, and subtle changes. As my experience of Allah’s infinite knowledge, majesty and beauty deepens, my muraqabah of Him deepens to penetrate into the deepest recesses of my heart. For the ultimate intent of my internal vigilance is to liberate my heart of all feelings, moods and sentiments that are ugly and immoral; and to adorn my heart with every virtue and quality that He deems beautiful and beloved. Our teachers mention us that our heart will purify gradually through the struggle of muraqabah and, with Allah’s solicitous grace, the periods of ghaflah will dwindle, to be replaced with the spiritual witnessing of Allah’s nearness at all times. May Allah not deprive us of this great gift.
Dhikr and muraqabah are the gifts of Allah’s love. They are the true and certain avenues for the purification, cleansing and embellishing of the spiritual heart, and they draw it ever nearer to Allah’s infinite beauty and majesty. With Divine nearness, the heart lives in never-ending peace, tranquility and joy. This is Allah’s promise. This is the essence and reality of Islam. And Allah’s promise is true for all times and all places.
In these times of increasing shades of grey, let us never doubt the clear light of Allah’s path. If I do not find the joy and happiness in Islam, I should impute my own deficiencies and summon greater sincerity, resolve and will.
More than ever, in our search for true happiness, we find ourselves in desperate need of the profound supplication of Allah’s Beloved, Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, that our knowledge is beneficial, heart-purifying and liberates us from the philosophical caprice and base desire of our lower self: O Allah, we seek refuge in You from four: from knowledge that does not benefit; from a heart that is not in awe of You; from a lower self that is never satiated; and from a prayer that is not answered. Amin. |
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage shows emergency crews working to rescue passengers
A passenger train has derailed in the Canadian province of Ontario, killing at least three people and injuring dozens of others.
The train travelling from Niagara Falls to Toronto crashed near Burlington, operator Via Rail said.
About 75 people are believed to have been on the train, and 45 were injured. It is not clear what caused the accident.
Images from the scene showed at least one carriage lying on its side.
Via Rail said the three people killed were employees, and a fourth crew member suffered minor injuries.
TV footage showed the seriously injured being carried away on boards and stretchers while others were led out of the wreckage by emergency workers.
Three passengers were airlifted to hospital, one with a heart attack, officials said.
Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring said the crash had caused damage to nearby buildings.
Passenger Deanna Villela, of Welland, Ontario, said she felt a slight bump before the train left the tracks, sending people and luggage flying.
Canada's Transportation Safety Board said it had launched an investigation. |
Alber Saber was arrested in August 2012 on charges of contempt of religion. Saber’s mother called the police asking for protection as a mob surrounded the house. An outspoken blogger who posted many videos critical of religion, Saber was sentenced to three years in prison in December and appealed the decision. He was released for the first time in four months and left Egypt on 26 January, the day of his appeal session.
Why did you decide to leave the country?
I did not want to leave. If it were up to me I would stay and defend myself even if I were to be executed, but many people were suffering because of me and had already suffered enough.
There was nothing I could do but listen to those around me who have suffered because of me and my cause. People congratulate me on leaving. How can I be happy away from my family, friends and loved ones?
The people who should be congratulated are the ones in power. The Egyptian government is now safe from the shameful position they took.
They are safe from the criticism that initially forced them to let me go. They are safe from the possibility of me actually gaining my rights and the rights of many others.
Congratulations should be offered to those ruling Egypt with backward laws that violate the most basic of human rights.
What was your security situation when you got out of prison? Did you go back to your old house or did you have to relocate?
When I was released I left from the security directorate instead of the police station because I had been attacked earlier when I was at the station.
A high rank at the directorate, I don’t know his name, told me not to go back to my neighbourhood because they would be unable to protect me. He was not threatening me.
How do you feel about the fact that your lawyers tried to defend you by arguing that you did not say what you were accused of saying; rather than argue that you had the right to say it regardless of whom it offended?
I refuse to deny what I said. I did compare religions and discuss their differences, I did critique and criticise them. I never denied my atheism. Yes I am an atheist and I am not afraid to admit it.
These are my opinions and they are based on serious studies in comparative religion. I know what I am talking about, whether it is dogma, jurisprudence or history. I am a philosophy major and I studied a lot about religion.
My lawyers know that this is a difficult case, however, and that society might not accept it, so they asked me not to speak in court.
Tell me about your experience in prison
The case was impartial from the start. We called the police to ask for help since a mob was surrounding our house and threatening me.
When the police showed up, two hours late, they stayed downstairs until the people started setting fire to the building. Mostly Christian residents live in the building so the whole thing might have escalated into sectarian clashes.
The police then decided to arrest me instead of protecting me. The person writing up the report at the police station was being dictated to.
The senior officer said I was to be put in solitary confinement while being held on remand but a junior officer threw me in a normal cell with six criminals.
[The junior officer] cursed me; he cursed my mother, and then took me to another cell and incited the prisoners against me, telling them that I insulted Islam and Christianity.
One of them cut my throat with a razor blade. [The officer] knew who it was but did nothing.
He took me to a third cell and told the prisoners not to allow me to sleep and to have me sit by the toilet all night.
How did you arrive to the decision to become an atheist?
My journey towards this decision was in the period between 2001 and 2005. I had decided that I would not simply inherit religion. Faith here is hereditary; if your parents are Christian, you’re Christian. You have it written on your birth certificate before you can even think. And it is the same for Muslims.
In 2001 I decided to read about other religions. My thinking at the time was that I was born a Christian but I had not actually decided that for myself nor had I considered other religions. I felt like there could be a chance that my religion is the wrong one and that God would punish me for it since I did not seek out all the options first.
I spoke to a lot of people, including religious leaders and clerics from several faiths, I read a lot of books, and eventually I realised that religion was merely a way to find God, but that there were so many different religions, and even inside each religion there were many sects, so why did each claim a monopoly on God? Why did they all claim they were going to heaven and everyone else was not?
The circle then started to get wider. When I first started this journey I felt that religion could be easily disputed but I still believed in the existence of a god, so I had a limit, which was the existence of a creator deity. After reading and researching the issue I started to break out of this limit and think that there might not even be a god at all. I eventually decided that it did not make sense to me and I became an atheist.
What drove you to go public with your atheism amidst a period of religious zeal in an already socially and religiously conservative society?
From my studies I have learned that Middle Eastern communities have a trinity of taboos that are not to be spoken about: sex, politics and religion. When I started university in 2001 I had already been talking about politics. I remember at the time we still had presidential referendums, not elections, and I was outspoken on the issue.
I was involved in activism and wanted to join Kefaya and started taking to the streets at the time of the 6 April [strike actions] in 2008. Do you think someone who would take to the streets before the revolution and who chanted against Mubarak would be afraid to reveal their beliefs?
Did you face any difficulties over the decision to go public with it?
The Islamists in university subjected me to three assassination attempts.
Their leader and I had a political discussion once on the train and we became friends, I did not know who he was but my friends told me later.
After that I started to gain a reputation for my views that are critical of religion, mostly because of what I said in comparative religion classes. The Islamist youth leader decided that I was too dangerous.
He started sending members of his group after me, they constantly tried to start fights with me so that they could beat me up but I would not rise to their taunts and my friends were also looking out for me.
What about the Church and the Coptic community at large? You come from a Coptic background, how did your family and those around you react?
My parents knew since I was young that they could not control me and that I do what’s on my mind regardless of what others think. If I am not convinced by something I don’t do it.
Furthermore, they were democratic in that we would discuss things and agree to disagree without any problems arising.
So there was nothing they could do really. Their son is not convinced by their religion and that’s that.
In what way, if any, should religion manifest itself in politics?
Religion is divided into dogma and jurisprudence; it should have nothing to do with politics. Religion is unrelated to who I should elect and no one should be saying vote for this candidate so that you go to heaven. A secular state is not blasphemy.
Religious jurisprudence is a legal concept though; does it not have political connotations?
It is the law within the religion; people should not have to follow it. I am against marriage through the church, for example. I believe we should have civil marriages. The people not the clergy should enact laws.
I believe that we need to break the trinity of taboos I spoke about earlier. Many of the people are not intellectuals even if they are educated; they do not read a lot. We have just come out of an oppressive age and regime; an authoritarian regime does not pay attention to education and in fact tries to ruin it. If the people are ignorant they are easier to oppress.
How, realistically, can Egypt become a secular state, especially in light of the Islamist domination on the political sphere?
We have a movement here in Egypt called “secularists” for example and they take to the streets and raise awareness about the issue. I believe in confrontation. I used to debate Muslim Brotherhood members on secularism before the presidential elections.
However, the way to achieve state secularism is through raising awareness. It is the same way we were able to revolt. We raised awareness amongst the people that we are not just silly youth and that our demands were for their benefit. Eventually they joined us or at least stopped opposing us.
Everyone in Egypt is talking politics right now. We should start political campaigns explaining what the word “secularism” actually means. We need to explain separation of religion and state and how the state is an institution and cannot adopt a specific religion. We need to explain things like dictatorship of the majority and how democracy also means protecting the rights of minorities.
What do you think about the term “civil” as in civil state?
All the politicians are only looking out for their interests so naturally they will use a misleading euphemism like “civil state” since they cannot openly call for secularism or face the Islamists. And it is their fear that brought us to the mess we are in right now. I do not believe in a civil state, a civil state is a state ruled by civilians. A non-religious state is called a secular state and that is what we should call it.
What do you think of secular political forces?
We do not have secular political forces in Egypt, just some well-meaning individuals and small movements
What about the “civil” forces or the non-Islamist ones if you will?
You mean the political elites. The political elites in Egypt are not patriotic; they only go after their own interests. We are the ones on the streets, we get arrested and beaten, we sleep on the streets and all they do is make television appearances.
And in the end they still give in to the Muslim Brotherhood’s will. To be honest not all of them are like that but most of them. The respectable ones are the ones who rarely make television appearances and actually work.
You were part of the National Association for Change and you worked with Mohamed ElBaradei, does he fit the mould you describe?
I met ElBaradei several times. Since even before the revolution I have had several problems with some of his decisions. He does not communicate well with the youth around him and the people general. I used to ask him to make more videos before the revolution
During his presidential campaign he let it splinter into several groups without interfering. He is difficult to get a hold of even for us, his supporters. Even when we met him he always said he was busy, writing books or giving lectures. When we reached a million signatures for his change manifesto he asked us for five.
He is simply not around. We are his people and supporters, the people trying to get him elected president, yet he is never there to talk to us.
What do you think of the upcoming parliamentary elections? Will you participate?
I have been against participation ever since the 19 March 2011 constitutional amendment referendum. We should have demanded and pushed for a new constitution right then.
I also do not feel like boycott campaigns are a positive step. Participation and boycotting are both reactions. We need to be initiators and have the government and society react, not the other way round.
We let them hold whatever elections and referendums they want; it should not concern us. For example we needed to have a parallel parliament. I also suggested the idea of a transitional presidential council to Ayman Nour and the ElBaradei campaign before [former President Hosni] Mubarak had even stepped down.
We would have then had our own executive and legislator and Mubarak could do whatever he wanted like appoint [former Vice President] Omar Suleiman and it would not have mattered.
If you let [the state] take control of the process then they will do what they want. They can remove the people we do not want and appoint worse ones. What we need to do is create and offer our own alternatives and stick to them.
Will Muslim Brotherhood rule lead to a religious state in Egypt or will it backfire and lead to the people rejecting religious rule and forming a secular state?
I think this has already started. As soon as the Brotherhood appeared openly on the political scene they needed allies such as the Salafis, Al-Jama’a Al-Islamiya, and jihadist groups. They all allied because they speak in the name of religion.
These allies started making a lot of mistakes due to their political inexperience. The people started to reject their domination and move towards secularism. The people are now much more critical of religious leaders and feel that they no longer have a monopoly on religion.
This will lead to a secular state without the people even calling it that.
What about figures and groups that claim to be “moderate Islamists” such as Abdel Moniem Aboul Fotouh and Al-Wasat Party?
They are hypocrites. It’s like saying choose between someone who will curse and beat you or someone who will just curse you. They are one and the same as all other Islamists but they are just the “light” version.
What do you think of the newly adopted constitution?
This is not a constitution. I have a problem for example with Article 44 that says prophets and other religious figures cannot be insulted. Who defines insult? Christians do not believe Muhammad is a prophet, is that an insult? If a Christian says that, should they be put on trial? Muslims do not believe Jesus is God, is that an insult?
How can this constitution be brought down?
Forget the constitution, we need to bring down the regime first. Then we talk about a constitution.
Should President Mohamed Morsy be removed from office? Some say regardless of his faults he has to stay for the sake of stability and because he is democratically elected.
This is fear mongering. People were killed because of him and he did not lift a finger on their behalf. A man who lets his country fall just so that he can keep his post is not a president and does not deserve to be one.
Mubarak was better, since he left in 18 days. He was not like the Supreme Council of Armed Forces and the Muslim Brotherhood who both proclaimed “me or death” as opposed to Mubarak who just said “me or chaos.” Obviously I do not support [Mubarak] though and have been opposing him since before the revolution, but he was better in that regard.
If Morsy has to leave, should he leave through popular protests or via constitutional provisions and an elected parliament?
I hope and prefer it to be through an elected parliament but the ignorance that opposition, religious and state media outlets are spreading will make that impossible. Also, how can we be sure this parliament will be representative and that elections will be free? We have seen so many violations in the first constitutional referendum, parliamentary elections, presidential election and the latest referendum.
Mubarak and SCAF had the state and security apparatus on their side. Morsy has that in addition to supporters who genuinely believe in him. How can you force him to step down? What will you do about his supporters?
The Muslim Brotherhood has around three to five million supporters. But SCAF and Mubarak also had their supporters, we are in the same situation and nothing has changed. It is a bit more difficult now. We used to face oppressive regimes that violated human rights and arrested activists; this religious regime is resorting to physically beating the opposition such as what happened to [Socialist Popular Alliance Party leader] Abu El-Ezz El-Hariri, [lawyer] Hamdi El-Fakharani, [journalist] Youssef Al-Husseini, and [director] Khaled Youssef. They have even resorted to assassinations like those of [journalist] Al-Husseiny Abu Deif and [6 April member] Jika [Gaber Salah]. |
A truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin Monday night, killing at least 12 people and injured 48 others in what witnesses described as a deliberate attack.
German authorities said they are still investigating whether the crash was an accident, but a statement from the White House National Security Council (NSC) said the incident "appears to have been a terrorist attack."
The large Scania truck with a Polish license plate crashed into the market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The truck came to a halt on a sidewalk on one side of the market, shortly after ramming a large stand called "Fascination Christmas," ripping off one side and knocking down a large Christmas tree. The three-meter tree lay in the street, red and gold ornamental balls still attached to its limbs and a golden star at the top.
Police said a suspect believed to be the driver was arrested about 1 1/2 miles away, near Berlin's Victory Column monument. A passenger in the truck died at the scene as paramedics were attending to him.
Authorities initially estimated that 50 people were injured. Police later revised the total to 48, while Berlin's fire brigade said others were "more mentally injured."
The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle, driven by his cousin, may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.
"They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24. Zurawski added that the truck had been loaded with steel structures weighing 25 tons.
Die Welt newspaper reported that the arrested suspect is a Pakistani known to police for minor criminal offenses, but not terrorism. The newspaper also reported that the dead passenger was a Polish national.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the incident had a chilling echo of the July 14 truck attack in Nice, France that killed 86 people.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the Nice attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France. ISIS and Al Qaeda have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack public places.
Mike Fox, a tourist from Birmingham, England, told The Associated Press at the scene in Berlin that the large truck missed him by about three yards as it drove into the market, tearing through tables and wooden stands.
"It was definitely deliberate," Fox said. Fox said he helped people who appeared to have broken limbs, and that others were trapped under Christmas stands.
Dozens of ambulances lined the streets waiting to evacuate people, and heavily armed police patrolled the area. Police on Twitter urged people to stay away from the area, saying they needed to keep the streets clear for the rescue vehicles.
Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation, according to German Justice Minister Heiko Maas. But Berlin's top security official, state interior minister Andreas Geisel, told RBB television that it was too early to say whether it was an attack, and called reports that the truck may have been hijacked "pure speculation."
Even so, some politicians were pointing fingers. Marcus Pretzell, a prominent member of the anti-migration Alternative for Germany party, lashed out at the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying on Twitter: "When will the German state of law strike back? When will this cursed hypocrisy finally stop? These are Merkel's dead! (hash)Nice (hash)Berlin."
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement calling the attack "horrifying."
"Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday," Trump said. "ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners."
Germany has not experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by ISIS group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach. Both attackers were killed.
Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, helped stoke tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.
Monday's incident comes less than a month after the State Department warned U.S. citizens to be cautious in markets and other public places, saying extremist groups were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events."
In a statement, State Department spokesman John Kirby condemned the "horrendous events" at the Christmas market.
NSC spokesman Ned Price said the United States has already been in contact with German officials and stands ready to assist in the investigation and response.
Law enforcement sources tell Fox News that the FBI's Legal Attache (LEGAT) office in Berlin had been in touch with German officials to offer intelligence support to investigators. The sources said late Monday that no Americans had been identified among the victims.
Zurich police search for gunman after shooting at mosque; at least 3 injured
Last week, German prosecutors said a 12-year-old boy attempted to set off a nail bomb at a Christmas market in the southern city of Ludwigshafen.
The German-born son of Iraqi parents is alleged to have tried to set off the device at the Christmas market on Nov. 26, and again outside city hall on Dec. 5, Focus magazine reported, citing security sources.
In the second failed attempt, a passer-by spotted the backpack containing the device and reported it to authorities. Inside they found a glass jar packed with firecrackers with nails taped to it, Focus reported.
Police said it would have burned but would not have exploded.
Fox News' Matt Dean and The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
iMac Aquariums
**UPDATE** - Big thanks to everybody who has become a backer! There are still iMac Aquarium and Kit rewards available, let's see if we can spread the word and double it to $10,000 funded! I've also created a new pledge amount and reward for international orders of complete aquariums, but please message me before you pledge so I can confirm that I can ship to your country. The estimated delivery date for rewards will also be much sooner than December!
My Project
My name is Jake, and I give new life to discarded computers by turning them into aquariums! The G3 Apple iMac had a revolutionary design, but these computers are sadly out dated and on their way to be destroyed at electronic disposal facilities when I purchase them. In my shop I disassemble the iMac, modify the case, and install a custom designed tank, light, and filter in place of the screen. I then polish the cases to a lustrous shine and soon it has a new purpose as an aquarium in someones home or office.
My Goal
I built my first iMac Aquarium 4 years ago, one thing lead to another and I am now receiving requests for them faster than I can build them in my spare time! My goal is to transform this hobby into a business. I already have a sufficient supply of discarded computers, now I need to purchase materials for the tanks, lights, filters, and other expenses. My goal is to reach $5,000 in pledges. Upon reaching this goal I will be able to purchase the required materials in bulk quantities and streamline production workflow. Upon success of this Kickstarter Project the business will be able to sustain itself.
iMac Aquarium Kits
I have also developed a Do-It-Yourself iMac Aquarium Kit. I heard from people interested in building an aquarium out of an iMac that they already have. They had the appropriate tools and handy skills but didn't want to attempt the daunting task of building a reliable tank to fit inside. For this reason I decided to offer my pre-built tank in a kit.
The kit includes the tank, light, filter, and all other hardware necessary to turn your own iMac into an aquarium. It also includes detailed instruction videos on how to disassemble your iMac, modify the case, and reassemble using the Kit. The kit is listed in one of the rewards to the right.
Looking Forward
Aquariums are not the only item on my list of things to build. Upon success of this project I have plans to save many other items from being trashed by giving them a new purpose in a home or office. Lamps, clocks, night lights, mirrors and more are on my list of possible uses for discarded electronics. Would a flat screen computer monitor make a good ant farm?...Hmmm...
Every item I can give a new purpose to is similar to pledge. It may not seem like much to one person, but every little bit counts and collectively it adds up to make a huge difference.
Come Along!
To this point I have created every bit of this project myself. From the design of the aquarium, gathering of materials, building and production, sales, shipping, photography, video shooting and editing, website creation, and everything in between. I have literally done everything myself.
Now I want to share this project with you! Make a pledge and join me on this journey, I'd love for you to be a part of it. I have some exciting rewards prepared for you in return for becoming a backer, you can see them in the column on the right.
Feel free to visit my website for more information and follow my journey on Facebook. I love to reply to questions and comments, so feel free to ask.
Website - www.jakeharms.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/iMacAquariums/231246259962
Thank You!
Thank you for your interest and I look forward to your support, it truly means the world to me.
-Jake
Pictured below is the fish fridge magnet that I make described in reward #3. The rest of the photos are of finished iMac Aquariums. iMac Aquariums do not include decorations so you are free to decorate however you wish.
Available colors may include Blue, Aqua, White, Smoke, Red, and Orange. |
Remotr is a new app that allows you to remotely play Windows PC games through your Fire TV. The app is compatible with all Fire TV models and is very similar to Moonlight, formerly called Limelight, a game streaming app that has been available on the Fire TV for over a year. With Remotr, you install their streamer program on your Windows 7 or newer PC to access the games installed through a Fire TV device. If your internet connection is robust enough, Remotr even claims to work outside of your home network over the internet. So, theoretically, you can pack a game controller and a Fire TV Stick for Windows gaming on the road. My gaming PC is currently out of commision, waiting on a new power supply, so I haven’t tried the app myself. Let us all know in the comments how it performs if you end up giving it a try.
Follow AFTVnews on Twitter / Facebook and subscribe via email to be the first to learn when new articles go live. Follow me, Elias Saba, on Twitter and Instagram to see what I'm working on before it's posted here.
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by Gregory Benford
Author spotlight
It had all gone very well, Brooks told himself. Very well indeed. He hurried along the side corridor, his black dress shoes clicking hollowly on the old tiles. This was one of the oldest and most rundown of the Smithsonian’s buildings; too bad they didn’t have the money to knock it down. Funding. Everything was a matter of funding.
He pushed open the door of the barnlike workroom and called out, “John? How did you like the ceremony?”
John Hart appeared from behind a vast rack that was filled with fluted pottery. His thin face was twisted in a scowl and he was puffing on a cigarette. “Didn’t go.”
“John! That’s not permitted.” Brooks waved at the cigarette. “You of all people should be careful about contamination of—”
“Hell with it.” He took a final puff, belched blue, and ground out the cigarette on the floor.
“You really should’ve watched the dedication of the Vault, you know,” Brooks began, adopting a bantering tone. You had to keep a light touch with these research types. “The President was there—she made a very nice speech—”
“I was busy.”
“Oh?” Something in Hart’s tone put Brooks off his conversational stride. “Well. You’ll be glad to hear that I had a little conference with the Board, just before the dedication. They’ve agreed to continue supporting your work here.”
“Um.”
“You must admit, they’re being very fair.” As he talked Brooks threaded amid the rows of pottery, each in a plastic sleeve. This room always made him nervous. There was priceless Chinese porcelain here, Assyrian stoneware, buff-blue Roman glazes, Egyptian earthenware—and Brooks lived in mortal fear that he would trip, fall, and smash some piece of history into shards. “After all, you did miss your deadline. You got nothing out of all this” —a sweep of the hand, narrowly missing a green Persian tankard— “for the Vault.”
Hart, who was studying a small brownish water jug, looked up abruptly. “What about the wheel recording?”
“Well, there was that, but—”
“The best in the world, dammit!”
“They heard it some time ago. They were very interested.”
“You told them what they were hearing?” Hart asked intensely.
“Of course, I—”
“You could hear the hoofbeats of cattle, clear as day.”
“They heard. Several commented on it.”
“Good.” Hart seemed satisfied, but still strangely depressed.
“But you must admit, that isn’t what you promised.”
Hart said sourly, “Research can’t be done to a schedule.”
Brooks had been pacing up and down the lanes of pottery. He stopped suddenly, pivoted on one foot, and pointed a finger at Hart. “You said you’d have a voice. That was the promise. Back in ’98 you said you would have something for the BiMillennium celebration, and—”
“Okay, okay.” Hart waved away the other man’s words.
“Look—” Brooks strode to a window and jerked up the blinds. From this high up in the Arts and Industries Building the BiMillennial Vault was a flat concrete slab sunk in the Washington mud; it had rained the day before. Now bulldozers scraped piles of gravel and mud into the hole, packing it in before the final encasing shield was to be laid. The Vault itself was already sheathed in sleeves of concrete, shock-resistant and immune to decay. The radio beacons inside were now set. Their radioactive power supply would automatically stir to life exactly a thousand years from now. Periodic bursts of radio waves would announce to the world of the TriMillennium that a message from the distant past awaited whoever dug down to find it. Inside the Vault were artifacts, recordings, everything the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian thought important about their age. The coup of the entire Vault was to have been a message from the First Millennium, the year 1000 A.D. Hart had promised them something far better than a mere written document from that time. He had said he could capture a living voice.
“See that?” Brooks said with sudden energy. “That Vault will outlast everything we know—all those best-selling novels and funny plays and amazing scientific discoveries. They’ll all be dust, when the Vault’s opened.”
“Yeah,” Hart said.
“Yeah? That’s all you can say?”
“Well, sure, I—”
“The Vault was important. And I was stupid enough” —he rounded on Hart abruptly, anger flashing across his face— “to chew up some of the only money we had for the Vault to support you.”
Hart took an involuntary step backward. “You knew it was a gamble.”
“I knew.” Brooks nodded ruefully. “And we waited, and waited—”
“Well, your waiting is over,” Hart said, something hardening in him.
“What?”
“I’ve got it. A voice.”
“You have?” In the stunned silence that followed Hart bent over casually and picked up a dun-colored water jug from the racks. An elaborate, impossibly large-winged orange bird was painted on its side. Hart turned the jug in his hands, hefting its weight.
“Why . . . it’s too late for the Vault, of course, but still . . .” Brooks shuffled his feet. “I’m glad the idea paid off. That’s great.”
“Yeah. Great.” Hart smiled sourly. “And you know what it’s worth? Just about this much—”
He took the jug in one hand and threw it. It struck the far wall with a splintering crash. Shards flew like a covey of frightened birds that scattered through the long ranks of pottery. Each landed with a ceramic tinkling.
“What are you doing—” Brooks began, dropping to his knees without thinking to retrieve a fragment of the jug. “That jug was worth—”
“Nothing,” Hart said. “It was a fake. Almost everything the Egyptians sent was bogus.”
“But why are you . . . you said you succeeded . . .” Brooks was shaken out of his normal role of Undersecretary to the Smithsonian.
“I did. For what it’s worth.”
“Well . . . show me.”
Hart shrugged and beckoned Brooks to follow him. He threaded his way through the inventory of glazed pottery, ignoring the extravagant polished shapes that flared and twisted in elaborate, artful designs, the fruit of millennia of artisans. Glazes of feldspath, lead, tin, ruby salt. Jasperware, soft-paste porcelain, albarelloa festooned with ivy and laurel, flaring lips and serene curved handles. A galaxy of the work of the First Millennium and after, assembled for Hart’s search.
“It’s on the wheel,” Hart said, gesturing.
Brooks walked around the spindle fixed at the center of a horizontal disk. Hart called it a potter’s wheel but it was a turntable, really, firmly buffered against the slightest tremor from external sources. A carefully arranged family of absorbers isolated the table from everything but the variable motor seated beneath it. On the turntable was an earthenware pot. It looked unremarkable to Brooks—just a dark red oxidized finish, a thick lip, and a rather crude handle, obviously molded on by a lesser artisan.
“What’s its origin?” Brooks said, mostly to break the silence that lay between them.
“Southern England.” Hart was logging instructions into the computer terminal nearby. Lights rippled on the staging board.
“How close to the First Mil?”
“Around 1280 A.D., apparently.”
“Not really close, then. But interesting.”
“Yeah.”
Brooks stooped forward. When he peered closer he could see the smooth finish was an illusion. A thin thread ran around the pot, so fine the eye could scarcely make it out. The lines wound in a tight helix. In the center of each delicate line was a fine hint of blue. The jug had been incised with a precise point. Good; that was exactly what Hart had said he sought. It was an ancient, common mode of decoration—incise a seemingly infinite series of rings, as the pot turned beneath the cutting tool. The cutting tip revealed a differently colored dye underneath, a technique called sgraffito, the scratched.
It could never have occurred to the Islamic potters who invented sgraffito that they were, in fact, devising the first phonograph records.
Hart pressed a switch and the turntable began to spin. He watched it for a moment, squinting with concentration. Then he reached down to the side of the turntable housing and swung up the stylus manifold. It came up smoothly and Hart locked it in just above the spinning red surface of the pot.
“Not a particularly striking item, is it?” Brooks said conversationally.
“No.”
“Who made it?”
“Near as I can determine, somebody in a co-operative of villages, barely Christian. Still used lots of pagan decorations. Got them scrambled up with the cross motif a lot.”
“You’ve gotten . . . words?”
“Oh, sure. In early English, even.”
“I’m surprised crude craftsmen could do such delicate work.”
“Luck, some of it. They probably used a pointed wire, a new technique that’d been imported around that time from Saxony.”
The computer board hooted a readiness call. Hart walked over to it, thumbed in instructions, and turned to watch the stylus whir in a millimeter closer to the spinning jug. “Damn,” Hart said, glancing at the board. “Correlator’s giving hash again.”
Hart stopped the stylus and worked at the board. Brooks turned nervously and paced, unsure of what his attitude should be toward Hart. Apparently the man had discovered something, but did that excuse his surliness? Brooks glanced out the window, where the last crowds were drifting away from the Vault dedication and strolling down the Mall. There was a reception for the Board of Regents in Georgetown in an hour. Brooks would have to be there early, to see that matters were in order—
“If you’d given me enough money, I could’ve had a Hewlett-Packard. Wouldn’t have to fool with this piece of . . .” Hart’s voice trailed off.
Brooks had to keep reminding himself that this foul-tempered, scrawny man was reputed to be a genius. If Hart had not come with the highest of recommendations, Brooks would never have risked valuable Vault funding. Apparently Hart’s new method for finding correlations in a noisy signal was a genuine achievement.
The basic idea was quite old, of course. In the 1960s a scientist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York had applied a stylus to a rotating urn and played the signal through an audio pickup. Out came the wreeee sound of the original potter’s wheel where the urn was made. It had been a Roman urn, made in the era when hand-turned wheels were the best available. The Natural History “recording” was crude, but even that long ago they could pick out a moment when the potter’s hand slipped and the rhythm of the wreeee faltered.
Hart had read about that urn and seen the possibilities. He developed his new multiple-correlation analysis—a feat of programming, if nothing else—and began searching for pottery that might have acoustic detail in its surface. The sgraffito technique was the natural choice. Potters sometimes used fine wires to incise their wares. Conceivably, anything that moved the incising wire—passing footfalls, even the tiny acoustic push of sound waves—could leave its trace on the surface of the finished pot. Buried among imperfections and noise, eroded by the random bruises of history . . .
“Got it,” Hart said, fatigue creeping into his voice.
“Good. Good.”
“Yeah. Listen.”
The stylus whirred forward. It gently nudged into the jug, near the lip. Hart flipped a switch and studied the rippling, dancing yellow lines on the board oscilloscope. Electronic archaeology. “There.”
A high-pitched whining came from the speaker, punctuated by hollow, deep bass thumps.
“Hear that? He’s using a foot pump.”
“A kick wheel?”
“Right.”
“I thought they came later.”
“No, the Arabs had them.”
There came a clop clop clop, getting louder. It sounded oddly disembodied in the silence of the long room.
“What . . . ?”
“Horse. I detected this two weeks ago. Checked it with the equestrian people. They say the horse is unshod, assuming we’re listening to it walk on dirt. Farm animal, probably. Plow puller.”
“Ah.”
The hoofbeats faded. The whine of the kick wheel sang on. “Here it comes,” Hart whispered.
Brooks shuffled slightly. The ranks upon ranks of ancient pottery behind him made him nervous, as though a vast unmoving audience were in the room with them.
Thin, distant: “Alf?”
“Aye.” A gruff reply.
“It slumps, sure.”
“I be oct, man.” A rasping, impatient voice.
“T’art—”
“Busy—mark?”
“Ah ha’ wearied o’ their laws,” the thin voice persisted.
“Aye—so all. What mark it?” Restrained impatience.
“Their Christ. He werkes vengement an the alt spirits.”
“Hie yer tongue.”
“They’ll ne hear.”
“Wi’ ’er Christ ’er’re everywhere.”
A pause. Then faintly, as though a whisper: “We ha’ lodged th’ alt spirits.”
“Ah? You? Th’ rash gazer?”
“I spy stormwrack. A hue an’ grie rises by this somer se’sun.”
“Fer we?”
“Aye, unless we spake th’ Ave maris stella ’a theirs.”
“Elat. Lat fer that. Hie, I’ll do it. Me knees still buckle whon they must.”
“I kenned that. So shall I.”
“Aye. So shall we all. But wh’ of the spirits?”
“They suffer pangs, dark werkes. They are lodged.”
“Ah. Where?”
“S’tart.”
“‘Ere? In me clay?”
“In yer vessels.”
“Nay!”
“I chanted ’em in ’fore sunbreak.”
“Nay! I fain wad ye not.”
whir whir whir
The kick wheel thumps came rhythmically.
“They sigh’d thruu in-t’wixt yer clay. ’S done.”
“Fer what?”
“These pots—they bear a fineness, aye?”
“Aye.”
A rumbling, “—will hie home ’er. Live in yer pots.”
“An?”
“Whon time werkes a’thwart ’e Christers, yon spirits of leaf an’ bough will, I say, hie an’ grie to yer sons, man. To yer sons sons, man.”
“Me pots? Carry our kenne?”
“Aye. I investe’ thy clay wi’ ern’st spirit, so when’s ye causes it ta dance, our law say . . .”
whir
A hollow rattle.
“Even this ’ere, as I spin it?”
“Aye. Th’ spirits innit. Speak as ye form. The dance, t’will carry yer schop word t’ yer sons, yer sons sons sons.”
“While it’s spinnin’?”
Brooks felt his pulse thumping in his throat.
“Aye.”
“Than’t—”
“Speak inta it. To yer sons.”
“Ah . . .” Suddenly the voice came louder. “Aye, aye! There! If ye hear me, sons! I be from yer past! The ancient dayes!”
“Tell them wha’ ye must.”
“Aye. Sons! Blood a’ mine! Mark ye! Hie not ta strags in th’ house of Lutes. They carry the red pox! An’ . . . an’, beware th’ Kinseps—they bugger all they rule! An’, whilst pot-charrin’, mix th’ fair smelt wi’ greeno erst, ’ere ye’ll flux it fair speedy. Ne’er leave sheep near a lean-house, ne, ’ey’ll snuck down ’an it—”
whir whir thump whir
“What—what happened?” Brooks gasped.
“He must have brushed the incising wire a bit. The cut continues, but the fine touch was lost. Vibrations as subtle as a voice couldn’t register.”
Brooks looked around, dazed, for a place to sit. “In . . . incredible.”
“I suppose.”
Hart seemed haggard, worn.
“They were about to convert to Christianity, weren’t they?”
Hart nodded.
“They thought they could seal up the—what? wood spirits?—they worshiped. Pack them away by blessing the clay or something like that. And that the clay would carry a message—to the future!”
“So it did.”
“To their sons sons sons . . .” Brooks paused. “Why are you so depressed, Hart? This is a great success.”
Abruptly Hart laughed. “I’m not, really. Just, well, manic, I guess. We’re so funny. So absurd. Think about it, Brooks. All that hooey the potter shouted into his damned pot. What did you make of it?”
“Well . . . gossip, mostly. I can’t get over what a long shot this is—that we’d get to hear it.”
“Maybe it was a common belief back then. Maybe many tried it—and maybe now I’ll find more pots, with just ordinary conversation on them. Who knows?” He laughed again, a slow warm chuckle. “We’re all so absurd. Maybe Henry Ford was right—history is bunk.”
“I don’t see why you’re carrying on this way, Hart. Granted, the message was . . . obscure. That unintelligible information about making pottery, and—”
“Tips on keeping sheep.”
“Yes, and—”
“Useless, right?”
“Well, probably. To us, anyway. The conversation before that was much more interesting.”
“Uh huh. Here’s a man who is talking to the ages. Sending what he thinks is most important. And he prattles out a lot of garbage.”
“Well, true . . .”
“And it was important—to him.”
“Yes.”
Hart walked stiffly to the window. Earthmovers crawled like eyeless insects beneath the wan yellow lamps. Dusk had fallen. Their great awkward scoops pushed mounds of mud into the square hole where the Vault rested.
“Look at that.” Hart gestured. “The Vault. Our own monument to our age. Passing on the legacy. You, me, the others—we’ve spent years on it. Years, and a fortune.” He chuckled dryly. “What makes you think we’ve done any better?” |
While we’ve been compiling this list for a few weeks now, we’re bound to miss a few. If there’s a Kosher restaurant that’s open this chol hamoed Pesach and we missed it, please comment below and we will add it. [Please include the restaurant name, city, and state / country]
We will be continuously updating this list until the start of Shabbat on chol hamoed Pesach.
All restaurants are kitniyot-free, unless stated otherwise (see Israel’s restaurants).
We recommend calling in advance to verify the hours of operation and making a reservation, as many of these restaurants will be in high demand!
Wishing all of our readers a Chag Kasher V’Sameach!
GLOBAL LIST:
AUSTRALIA
Melbourne: Kimberley Gardens – 441 Inkerman St., East St Kilda – (+)61 3 9526 3865
CANADA
Montreal: Ernie and Ellie – 6900 Decarie Blvd. – 514-344-4444 Sprinklz – 5328 Queen Mary – 514-419-8801
Toronto: Yogen Früz – 7241 Bathurst St at Chabad Gate – 905.597.8300
ISRAEL
Central Israel: Black Bar-N-Burger – 18 Hasivim, Petach Tikva – 03-9191891 – kitniyot Cafe Neto – 18 Hasivim St., Petach Tikva – 03-9233131 – Non-kitniyot JEM’S – 15 Hamagshimim, Petach Tikva – 03-919-5367 Cafe Gidi RG – 108 Ben Gurion Street, Ramat Gan – 03-6722172 – kitniyot
Eilat: Halleluya Tourist Center , Eilat 08-6375752 Non-kitniyot Ranch House The Royal Beach Hotel, Eilat 08-6368989 Non-kitniyot Wangs Grill The Royal Beach Hotel, Eilat 08-6368989 Non-kitniyot
Jerusalem: 1868 – 10 King David Street – 02-6222312 – Non-Kitniyot Alma – 16 Rivlin Street – 02-5020069 – Non-Kitniyot Alma Al Hagag – 37 Hillel Street, Beit Agron – 02-5020069 – kitniyot Angelica – 7 Shatz St. – 02-6230056 – Non-Kitniyot Ben Ami Cafe – 38 Emek Refaim St. – 02-651-0070 – non kitniyot Black – 18 Shlomtzion Hamalka – 02-6246767 – Kitniyot Black to Go – 1 Malcha Mall – 02-6500507 – kitniyot Bleeker Bakery – 45 Yaffo St. at 2 Luntz – 02-6500932 – Non-Kitniyot Bonsai – 26 Ben Sira St, Near Mamilla Mall – 077-3500379 – kitniyot Cafe Cafe – 12 Betzalel Street, Jerusalem – 077-4008759 – Non-Kitniyot Cafe Cafe – 44 Emek Refaim, German Colony – 02-5637999 – Non-Kitniyot Cafe Inbal – 25D Ein Karem St., Ein Karem – 02-6446533 – Non-Kitniyot Eldad Vezehoo – 31 Jaffo St. (Feingold Courtyard) – 02-6254007 – kitniyot El Gaucho – 22 Rivlin St – 02-6242227 – Non-Kitniyot Frangelico – 18 Shlomtzion Hamalka Street – 02-5702525 – kitniyot Gabriel – 7 Shimon Ben Shetach St. – 02-6246444 – Non-Kitniyot Grill Bar – 1 HaSoreg St – 02-6223761 – Kitniyot Hamoshava 54 – 54 Emek Refaim Street – 02-5635454 – kitniyot Herzl – 13 Mamila – 02-5020555 – Non-Kitniyot Joy Restaurant – 24 Emek Refaim – 02-5630033 – Non-Kitniyot Kedma – Mamila Mall – 02-5003737 – Non-Kitniyot La Boca – 46 Emek Refaim – 02-5635577 – Non-Kitniyot La Regence – King David Hotel – 23 Hamelech David St. – 057-944-4152 Lara – 3 Shimon Ben Shetach St. – 02-5370701 – Non-Kitniyot Little Italy – 38 Keren Hayesod Street – 02-5617638 – Non-Kitniyot Luigi Katamon – 35 Shai Agnon Street – 02-5633338 – Non-Kitniyot Luciana – 27 Emek Refaim St. – 02-5630111 – Non-Kitniyot Luciana Mamila – 8 Mamila – 02-5021000 – Non-Kitniyot Mamila Deli – 15 Shlomzion Hamalka – 02-6240346 – Non-Kitniyot Mike’s Place – 33 Yaffo St 054-5313255 – Non-Kitniyot Moshiko Beit Hakerem – 5 Avizohar Street, Beit Hakerem – 02-6799770 – Non-Kitniyot Muise – 40 Azza St, Rehavia – 02-5611006 – Non-Kitniyot Papagaio – 3 Yad Harutzim, Talpiot Industrial – 02-6745745 – Non-Kitniyot Roza – 31 Jaffa Rd., Feingold – 02-6244111 – Kitniyot Roza Moshava – 2 Rachel Imenu, German Colony – 02-5638000 – Kitniyot Sofia – Inbal Hotel – 3 Jabotinsky St. – 02-6756689 Non-Kitniyot The Spaghettis – Mamila Mall – 02-5003636 – Non-Kitniyot Sushi Bar Rehavia Emek – 48 Emek Refaim – 02-5637777 – Kitniyot Tmol Shilshom – 5 Yoel Salomon – 02-6232758 – Non-Kitniyot Village Green (Hamoshava) – 5 Rachel Imenu – 02-6500106 – Non-Kitniyot YAN – 5 Chopin Street – 02-6732288 – Kitniyot
Northern Israel: Arnold’s – Moshav Netiv Hashayara Naharia – 04-9522211 – Non-Kitniyot Asfur – Industrial Park North, Caesarea – 04-6264041 – kitniyot Balcony – 16 HaMeyasdim St, Zichron Yaakov – 04-6399930 – kitniyot Casa Barone – 4 Tzahal St., Zichron Yaakov – 04-6290390 – Non-kitniyot Nili Wine House – Midrachov, Zichron Yaakov – 04-6292899 – Non-kitniyot Koya – Industrial Park North, Caesarea – 04-6273005 – kitniyot Marinado Banamal – 33 Ein Gev – 04-6658037 – Non-kitniyot Makom B’Sejera – Moshav Ilaniya – 04-6766801 – Non-kitniyot Ben Ezra Fish – 71 Hazayat, Atlit – 04-9842273 – Non-kitniyot Pinat Ochel – Old Customs House, Rosh Pina – 04-6936222 – Non-kitniyot Mon Cherie – Nechamya Mall, Kiryat Shmoneh – 04-6959887 – Non-kitniyot Esh Besh – 95 Tel-Chai, Kiryat Shmoneh – 04-6902330 – kitniyot Galileo – Derech Hamirchatzot, Tiberias – 04-6725123 – kitniyot Steakiya Bakfar – Moshav Ya’ara – 04-9807661 – kitniyot Tanduka – Yokneam Hamoshava – 04-9590323 – kitniyot Cafe Rishonim – Kibbutz Dgania Aleph, Galil – 04-6608273 – Non-kitniyot Villa Galilee Biistrol – Villa Galilee, Safed – 04-6999563 – Non-kitniyot
Sharon Area: Ahuzaleh -128 Ahuza St, Raanana – 09-7400056 -Non-kitniyot Borochov 88 – 88 Borochov St, Raanana – 09-7442203 – Non-kitniyot Cafe Neto – Achuza, Golan Center, Raanana – 09-7711453 – kitniyot Caffe Rigatoni – 1 Yair Stern, Raanana – 09-7733245 – kitniyot Coffee & Friends – 88 Ahuza St, Raanana – 09-7419003 – kitniyot Kyoto Express – 13 Zarchin St, Raanana – 09-7452323 – kitniyot Panko – 135 Ahuza, Raanana – 09-7745353 – kitniyot Bistro56 – Arena Mall, Herzlia Pituach – 09-9565181 – Non-kitniyot Columbus – 4 Abba Eban St, Herzilia – 09-9589880 – Non-Kitniyot Etnika – 7 Shenkar St , Herzlia Pituach – 09-9511177 – kitniyot Batzal Yarok – 12 Kikar Haatzmaut, Netanya – 09-8628883 – kitniyot El Gaucho – Carmel Hotel, Netanya – 09-8841264 – kitniyot Le Bifteck – 8 Shderot Nitza St., Netanya – 09-8321221 – Non-kitniyot Marrakesh – 5 David Hamelech St, Netanya – 09-8334797 – Non-kitniyot Cafe Tapuz – Nehalim St, Moshav, Bazra – 09-7469322 – Non-kitniyot Bello – 66 Hameyasdim, Even Yehuda – 073-7964449 – kitniyot
Tel Aviv: The 11th Floor – Crown Plaza City Hotel, Azrieli – 03-7774067 – Non-kitniyot Armando – 88 Herbert Samuel – 03-5101601 – Non-kitniyot Bariba – 3 Hataarucha St, at the port (Namal) – 03-6025026 – kitniyot Caffe Yaffo – 11 Olei Tzion, Yaffo – 03-5181988 – Kitniyot Einstein Kitchen Bar – Ramat Aviv Mall – 03-6421122 – kitniyot Faraji – 8 Pinchas Ben-Yair, Jaffa – 072-2772337 – kitniyot Goshen – 37 Nachalat Binyamin, Tel Aviv – 03-5600766 – Non-kitniyot Hayarkon 99 – Dan Tel Aviv Hotel – 99 Hayarkon St. – 03-520-2410 Kakao – 37 Rothchild, Tel Aviv – 03-5606175 – Non-kitniyot Lentrecote Alhambra – 28 Achad Ha’am Street – 03-6337733 – kitniyot Liliyot – Asia House, Tel Aviv – 03-6091331 – Non-kitniyot Papagaio – Azrieli Mall – 03-6092000 – Non-Kitniyot Pasha – 8 Ha’Arba’a Street – 03-5617778 – kitniyot Prime Grill – 60 Herbert Samuel, Opera – 03-5100266 – Non-Kitniyot Regina – Hatachana – 03-7367474 – kitniyot Uno – 2 Weitzman St – 03-6932008 – kitniyot
ITALY
Venice: Gam Gam Restaurant – 1122 Ghetto Vecchio – (+39) 041 523 1495
U.K.
London: Deli Max – 134 Brent Street, Hendon – 020 8202 1339 Adafina @ Selfridges – 400 Oxford Street – 020 7624 2013
U.S.A.
California: Los Angeles: Abba’s on La Brea – 129 North La Brea – 323-658-7730 Shiloh’s Steakhouse – 8939 W Pico Blvd – (310) 858-1652 Mexikosher (Trucka) – 8832 W Pico Blvd – 310-271-0900
Florida: Aventura / North Miami: Gigi’s Cafe – 3585 NE 207th Street, Aventura – (305) 466-4648 Shalom Haifa – 18533 W Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach – (305) 936-1811
Florida: Miami Beach: China Kikar Tel-Aviv – 5005 Collins Ave – (305) 866-3316 Europa Restaurant and Grille – 4299 Collins Ave – (305) 535-6300 Grill House – 976 Arthur Godfrey Rd – (305) 674-9005 House of Dog – 456 – 41st Street – (305) 397-8733 Rare Steakhouse – 4101 Pine Tree Dr – (305) 532-7273
Florida: Boca Raton: Sagi’s Mediterranean Grill – State Road 7 – (561) 477-0633
Illinois: Chicago / Skokie: Srulie’s Essen Delicatessen – 8170 N McCormick Blvd, Skokie – (847) 676-3333
New Jersey: Cherry Hill: Cherry Grill – 112 Barclay Farms Shopping Center – (856) 428-6666
New York: Brooklyn: Blueberry Cafe – 1618 Avenue M – (347) 614-8857 Crawford’s – 1942 Coney Island Ave – (718) 998-7002
New York: Manhattan: Abigaels – 1407 Broadway #4 – (212) 575-1407 Ladino Tapas Bar and Grill – 940 8th Ave – (212) 265-6520 Le Marais – 150 W 46th St – (212) 869-0900 Meat Me – 726 Amsterdam Ave – (212) 678-7000 Mendy’s -61 E 34th St – (212) 576-1010 Mendy’s – Rockefeller Center – 30 Rockefeller Plaza – (212) 262-9600 My Most Favorite Food – 247 West 72nd Street – (212) 997-5130 NYU Kosher Dining Hall – Weinstein Residence Hall – 5 University Place off of E 8th st – (212) 995-3939 Prime at the Bentley – The Bentley Hotel 500 E 62nd St – (212) 933-9733 Screme – 176 West 94th Street – (212) 663-1362 Talia’s Steakhouse – 668 Amsterdam Ave – (212) 580-3770 Taam Tov – 41 W 47th St – (212) 768-8001
New York: Long Island & Queens: Berrylicious – 69-38 Main Street, Flushing – (718) 592-3779 Chatanooga – 37 Cutter Mill Road, Great Neck – (516) 487-4455 Cho-sen Garden – 64-43 108th Street, Forest Hills – (718) 275-1300 Colbeh – 75 N Station Plaza Great Neck – (516) 466-8181 Colbeh – 1 The Intervale, Roslyn Heights – (516) 621-2200
Thank you to Great Kosher Restaurants, eLuna, and to the dozens of kosher travelers who helped compile this list. |
Reached by phone at home on Sunday, Mr. Arpaio said that he was not sure why Mr. Trump was thinking of the pardon, and that he had not talked to the president since around Thanksgiving, when Mr. Trump called to ask about the health of Mr. Arpaio’s wife. But Mr. Arpaio would not say whether he had talked to the Trump campaign or White House about the visit Tuesday, or whether he had made formal plans with them to make an appearance.
“I did not have any input. I don’t know what the official comment will be,” Mr. Arpaio said. “He has a mind of his own. We all know that, don’t we?”
Mr. Arpaio had appeared surprised — then flattered — when he learned of Mr. Trump’s interest in the pardon. He told Fox News last Monday that he “would never ask him for a pardon, especially if it causes heat.”
But he said on Sunday that he was “honored by the potential pardon” and would accept it.
Mr. Trump has long admired Mr. Arpaio for what he sees as his no-nonsense posturing against undocumented immigrants.
“Is there anyone in local law enforcement who has done more to crack down on illegal immigration than Sheriff Joe?” Mr. Trump asked during the Aug. 13 Fox News interview. “He has protected people from crimes and saved lives. He doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.” |
How a clerical blunder destroyed India's most prolific boxer's Olympic dream
Suromitro Basu FOLLOW FEATURED COLUMNIST 1.77K // 08 Dec 2015, 19:26 IST SHARE Share Options × Facebook Twitter Flipboard Reddit Google+ Email
Dennis Swamy was nicknamed ‘King of the ring’
Vijender Singh’s climb towards boxing’s professional circuit has been perfect so far. Unbeaten in all his matches, the Olympic bronze medallist is carrying the dreams of millions of Indian sports fans.
What's interesting though is that it’s not just the pro realm where the tri-colour is enhancing its visibility. The country’s prowess in amateur boxing is also at its strongest, with four boxers ranked in the top five across various weight categories.
But it was not long ago that the sport barely managed to garner any kind of national attention. Amateur boxers had no coaches, access to international tournaments or infrastructure, leave alone the encouragement to think about turning professional. And nowhere is that state highlighted better than in the story of Dennis Swamy.
Between 1961 to 1971, the Hyderabad-based pugilist was deemed the era’s most successful boxer. Eight national titles saw him reach the pinnacle of India’s boxing ecosytem. However, his Olympic dream was cut short thanks to a clerical mistake by Indian boxing administrators.
He said, “That particular incident was the saddest moment of my life. I had been training for a year for the Tokyo Olympics, they even mentioned my name in the list. But thanks to their dirty tactics I was removed.”
Prior to the 1964 Olympics, Swamy had won back-to-back national titles, highlighting his claim for a berth. But his dream never came to fruition.
Late Sam Manekshaw used to ask me to prolong my matches: Swamy
Swamy, now 72, was known as the ‘one-round’ wonder. The tag came from his tendency to knock his opponent out within the first round itself. He said, “I clearly remember whenever Field Marshal Manekshaw used to come down to a match of mine. Before the game he used meet up with me and ask me to prolong the match so that I can watch longer.”
Nick-named ‘King of the Ring’, Swamy’s tryst with boxing began at just 14 years of age. He won the silver medal at the Ahmednagar Boxing Championship barely after entering his teens. A stint with the South Boys Batallion saw him represent them in every possible sport.
He said, “My first love was actually football. I used to box and play football at the same time. But due to my sister’s wedding I failed to attend the National Championship. It was around this time I decided to take up boxing completely.
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“I spoke to the coach to enrol me into the boxing course. He told me I must beat their boxer to stand a chance. So I knocked him out within the first round.”
After participating in several state and national events, Swamy won his first major title in 1961. An emphatic national championship victory caught the eye of several people within the boxing fraternity. Immediately after his triumph, he was named in the Asian Games squad for Jakarta.
The Olympic snub
Swamy said, “When I was about to respond to the Asian Games call, I had a talk with my coach. He said I was too young to participate in the National Championship. So I should rest now and wait for the Olympics in 1964 and train for it.” Little did Swamy know what was coming.
After initially being named at the top of the 1964 selection list, his name was cancelled days prior to the event. He said, “I had no injury problems, I trained so hard for that day. During those days, our coaches weren’t professionals, we used to learn the sport together. It was the passion of the boxers that saw us reach that level. But to be removed due to a mistake by the administrators...I was never selected again for some reason.”
He would go on to win four more national championships to prove his supremacy, despite his exclusion.
At times, Swamy even laments taking up boxing. He added, “I love boxing to the core, don’t get me wrong. But it does cross every athlete’s mind whether they should have taken up cricket or not. What’s there not to like? It’s not a physically demanding sport and will be better for you money-wise. Right now I don’t have a proper house to live in, my pension is negligible.”
In 1968, his achievements were finally recognised by the Sports Ministry, who awarded him with the Arjuna award. It was a truly momentous occasion for an ignored hero, whose efforts for international representation were consistently disregarded.
Swamy said, “How does the award matter now? I don’t have funds to pass on my knowledge to younger kids. If I can open one academy, we will have a line of kids attempting to represent India. Boxing will always be plagued with adiministrative problems.”
He remains optimistic about the future though, saying, “It is a lot better now. Vijender is doing well and there is a lot of competition, but the administration is not behind that. It’s the talent of the boxers. Think about it, it’se been 50-odd years, and I’m yet to receive my prize-money. What does that say?” |
In his presentation, Danny Grander walked us through hacking a vulnerable Node.js application, as well as looking in-depth into three different vulnerabilities in popular npm packages.
It is a good learning opportunity to see a real-world software, written by experienced developers that had security issues that later got fixed, and hopefully we can learn something from that.
Below you find the presentation video synchronized with the slides, as well as a near-perfect, stylized transcript of the presentation from a first person perspective:
Intro - About NodeConfBP
NodeConfBP is a one-day, single track conference held in Budapest in 2017 January, sponsored and organized by RisingStack - the Node.js Consulting & Development Company.
Meet Danny Grander from Snyk
Okay so, hi everyone and thank you for coming! My name is Danny, I came here from Tel-Aviv and I'm doing security research at Snyk. This is actually my first time here in NodeConf Budapest.
I'm searching for vulnerabilities in open-source code, and basically building our vulnerability database. Snyk is a devtooling company, we're based in Tel-Aviv and London, and we're building tools for developers to help them consume open-source code securely.
And we have a lot of office dogs! :)
In my past, I've been doing development in different startups, and I worked as a CTO at a security consultant company, doing security research and crypto-analysis.
I also really enjoy playing capture the flag games with my team.
These are security competitions where different teams try to compete against the other by hacking the systems of the other teams, and defending their own from being hacked. And three weeks ago, my team had the honor to win the CCC capture the flag - an event held in Hamburg, Germany.
npm Usage has Exploded
So, at Snyk we're big fans of Node and npm, and obviously we're not alone. npm usage has exploded, there are more than 380.000 packages on the npm registry, with 6 billion downloads per month and 65 thousand publishers. These are striking numbers, and they keep on growing in a staggering pace.
So clearly, Javascript has won. Definitely with the speed of growth and the reach of the community.
A typical Node application has somewhere between hundreds, up to thousand of dependencies - and as Daniel mentioned eariler - some of them are direct dependencies, (these we see in our package.json files) and some of them are indirect.
The majority of the dependencies we use are actually indirect.
We just pull them in into our application, and making them our own code.
The orange part here is representing the npm dependencies, the code we pulled in, making it our own.
This is actually a positive slide, because - thanks to npm and the Node community - we can create all this value by writing this little purple circle, and just focusing on the core.
But with that comes a security risk of course.
And the question is:
Do we even know what dependencies we pull in, what dependencies we end up with?
Do we know if the developers had any security expertise, or if the code went through any security testing?
Do we know whether its a well maintained code, and the bugs or the security issues get reported to the maintainers are addressed in a timely manner?
Finally, do we know if every single dependency has any known security vulnerabilities?
We tested all npm packages with Snyk, and we found 14% of them carrying known security vulnerabilities, either directly in it's own code, or in one of their dependencies.
And roughly 4 out of 5 Snyk users find vulnerabilities in their own app when testing for the first time.
Hacking a vulnerable Node.js application
So now I'm going to show you a sample vulnerable application and walk through the process of finding these issues and fixing them with Snyk.
Also, we'll be looking in-depth into three different vulnerabilities in popular npm packages.
It will be a good learning opportunity to see a real-world software, written by experienced developers that had a security issue that later got fixed, and hopefully we can learn something from that.
The slide contains the URLs and the application, this demo application, which is available on our github.
So this is Goof, a demo MVC todo app. It's pretty simple.
We can add to-do items, we can emphasize things, we can use markdown here, so it's really basic.
We have some awesome about page here, and if you look at the package.json file of this app, it has 20 dependencies. Not too many, pretty standard.
So the first step I'd like to do is to go to Snyk and test my GitHub repositories for the known vulnerabilities in the npm packages.
So once again, it's a demo application, which has sixteen vulnerabilities. And if you go to see the details or the report, you can see that there are the list of the vulnerabilities sorted by severity
We can see the name of the package, the vulnerable version, how it was introduced to our application, and some description about the vulnerability.
And now, I'm going to show you how to hack it in three different ways!
#1: Directory Traversal Hack - the insecure st npm package
The first example I will use is the st module.
st is an express middleware used to serve static files. Basically, these are the files that the JavaScript, the CSS and the images that our application serves.
We required it here just in this line, and we provided two options. One is the path from which folder it can serve the files, and the other is the URL.
You can see that there is a path traversal vulnerability in st . So let's try to exploit it. Let's switch to the terminal.
$ curl https://goof-nodeconf-budapest.herokuapp.com/public/about.html <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <h1>The BESTest todo app evar</h1> </html>
So first thing I'll try to do is to fetch the about page, works as expected.
But as an attacker I'll try to escape the folder right?
So I'll do the ../../ and hopefully in the end reach the root folder and go for the /etc/passwd for example.
$ curl https://goof-nodeconf-budapest.herokuapp.com/public/../../../../../../etc/passwd Cannot GET /etc/passwd
If I run that it actually fails, and the reason is that st protects against this kind of attempts.
It filters out, normalizes the path and prevents the escaping of the folder, but it misses something, and that's where we can encode the dots, with URL encoding.
$ curl https://goof-nodeconf-budapest.herokuapp.com/public/%2e%2e/ <!doctype html><html><head><title>Index of </title></head><body><h1>Index of </h1><hr><a href="../">../</a> <a href="exploits/">exploits/</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z - <a href="node_modules/">node_modules/</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:53.000Z - <a href="public/">public/</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z - <a href="routes/">routes/</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z - <a href="views/">views/</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z - <a href="app.js">app.js</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z 1903 <a href="app.json">app.json</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z 267 <a href="db.js">db.js</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z 893 <a href="package.json">package.json</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z 1070 <a href="README.md">README.md</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z 1334 <a href="utils.js">utils.js</a> 2017-01-21T00:41:42.000Z 641 <hr></body></html>%
We just have to type %2e %2e , and repeat this multiple times. We see that we're getting to the root folder of the app.
$ curl https://goof-nodeconf-budapest.herokuapp.com/public/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/etc/passwd root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/bin/sh bin:x:2:2:bin:/bin:/bin/sh sys:x:3:3:sys:/dev:/bin/sh sync:x:4:65534:sync:/bin:/bin/sync games:x:5:60:games:/usr/games:/bin/sh man:x:6:12:man:/var/cache/man:/bin/sh lp:x:7:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:/bin/sh mail:x:8:8:mail:/var/mail:/bin/sh news:x:9:9:news:/var/spool/news:/bin/sh uucp:x:10:10:uucp:/var/spool/uucp:/bin/sh proxy:x:13:13:proxy:/bin:/bin/sh www-data:x:33:33:www-data:/var/www:/bin/sh backup:x:34:34:backup:/var/backups:/bin/sh list:x:38:38:Mailing List Manager:/var/list:/bin/sh irc:x:39:39:ircd:/var/run/ircd:/bin/sh gnats:x:41:41:Gnats Bug-Reporting System (admin):/var/lib/gnats:/bin/sh nobody:x:65534:65534:nobody:/nonexistent:/bin/sh u37116:x:37116:37116:,,,:/app:/bin/bash dyno:x:37116:37116:,,,:/app:/bin/bash
We see the package JSON file and the source path. We can actually look at them here, and I can go for the db.js file and the source code.
But of course I can go for the root folder with /etc/passwd .
And again, it's not the most sensitive problem in the system.
The password hashes are stored in the shadow file, but still you see that the attacker can access any file that the Node process has access to.
So this was the first one, an easy one, so let's look at another vulnerability..
#2: Content & Code Injection (XSS) Hack - the insecure marked npm package
The second one is a package call marked . Who is familiar with marked?
This is an npm package used for rendering a markdown, and this is how our todo app is able to do all this fancy stuff.
So markdown actually supports HTML, and it tries to prevent from injecting script code.
What you see in marked is a Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability, so the first thing we could try to do is something like that:
<script>alert(1)</script>
The markdown actually protects against this, and it has a security component called sanitizer.
It's not turned on by default, but in this app we actually turned it on and it protects us against this kind of things.
[Gotcha](javascript:alert(1))
But what we can try to do is create a link in markdown formats, and it looks something like this.
And again, it didn't work because it was anticipated and prevented here by the developers.
But luckily, we can create an actually vulnerable version of this link:
[Gotcha](javascript:this;alert(1))
So what we do here is using HTML entities encoding.
We added the the semicolon, and it also requires the closing brackets also to be encoded - so you can see that it gets a little tricky. It's not always obvious how to exploit these things, but when I do that, and click on the link we actually get down where we want.
So yeah, this was a markdown.
#3: Remote Memory Exposure Hack - the insecure mongoose npm package
And the last one I want to show you is the mongoose library. Who here is familiar with Mongoose? Oh, yeah almost everybody..
So our app uses a MongoDB to store the TODO items, and it has a pretty basic schema.
If you look at the DB file here, we see that the content, the extra content of the todo item is stored in a buffer, and if you click through the vulnerability details here, we see that it is a Remote Memory Exposure vulnerability and it has to do with buffer, with how buffer behaves in Node.
So I switch to the terminal and let's take a look at the Buffer.
Buffer can be constructed from strings, or arrays, and when we do so from a string, we see that basically binary Buffers are created with the ASCII values of the value provided in a constructor.
So we can set something like this..
..and it works as expected. It also accepts arrays, and again creates a buffer by the buffer of these values.
It also accepts integers in the constructor, and who knows what will happen when I run this?
> new Buffer (100)
Okay, so a new buffer will be created with the length of 100, but we see that it holds something inside, we see some data. And if you are doing it again, you see some different data.
So what happens is that for historical and performance reasons, we get a buffer of length 100 but this is uninitialized.
Basically what we see here is already used heap memory, previously used heap memory and if you do it again, we just get to see more of the heap memory.
And the reason it happens is that typically when we ask for a buffer the next thing we do is to populate that buffer with some data, so the developers in this case saved us the time, saving the CPU cycles for initializing this Buffer.
And this is really common in lower-level languages like C and C++ but very unexpected in JavaScript.
And that's how this bevahior led to about 5 or 6 vulnerabilities in different npm packages.
It's a documented behaviour, it's not a vulnerability in Node..
So going back to our todo app, if I just somehow can pass an integer to the application instead of a string as my TODO item I would hopefully be able to see the heap memory of the process.
So here I wrote the number 100, obviously it would pass as a string to the application, but as an attacker what I'll try to do is to make the application accept this number as an integer.
So let's try to do that.
I'll again switch to the terminal and I'm going to use an utility called HTTP, its called HTTPie but the command is HTTP. I'm going to submit that form from the command line to the application.
So what I'm doing is do something like content=Buy beer to HTTP -- form as it is a form submission, just going to copy the URL and the endpoint here is create , and I’m about to ask for the -v verbose version.
If we just refresh the app, we can see that a new item was added and everything works as expected.
I can also submit this data as JSON, as content type JSON, because the application uses the JSON body parser, so I can go here and use the JSON syntax to submit this form.
I'll change it to JBeer here, and I'll just add —json so the content type of the post request would be application JSON. So let's try that, and refresh.
So I did that and it was added, and if we switch back to the terminal we can see that this time we submitted the request as application JSON with this data.
So as soon as I use JSON I can actually now control the type, and if I change this to 800 you can already see that much more data came back.
But if I refresh we see the uninitialized memory object parsed:
And actually the fun part here is that we see some string of the source code and in this case it probably was const.
Let's repeat this for like one hundred times, and pipe it in some file.
So I do that, and in a second terminal I'm going to see the hex dump a bit. So this is the real time memory coming back from the node process of the Heroku servers, and if I stop here, again I can actually see some source code.
So the fix for this vulnerability is actually really simple. You just have to verify that when the type is a number, it's just turned it into an array of a singe item with that item, and that's it.
Fixing Vulnerable npm packages, Writing Secure Node.js Code
What we've seen is the first step, we basically looked at vulnerabilities, we tested our application and the next step would be to fix them.
At Snyk we do that with fix PR. We can just click here, we see all the list of the vulnerabilities.
So, we can see all the details of the vulnerabilities that we upgraded the packages from, and also the patches we applied to.
But we cannot get rid of some vulnerabilities with upgrades. Why?
Because basically we pull in dependency A, dependency A pulls B, B pulls C, C has a vulnerability so we are using the latest version of A, we cannot change anything, so we kind of need the developers of B or C to upgrade to the latest version of the vulnerable package.
So in this case what we do is that we have this prepublish hook that runs this command and it basically looks at the vulnerable packages and applies a patch to them. So we backport those patches and apply as soon as npm install finished to run.
And the last thing we can do is to watch the projects. Basically when new vulnerabilities are disclosed, even when we did not change any code in our application, we want to be notified about it.
Snyk takes a snapshot of the dependencies of that project and when a new vulnerability is reported we just send an alert, an email, a slack notification or again, a fix pull request.
And also we can have the test hook here so every time a new pull request is created, we are testing the changes, the dependencies for new vulnerabilities.
Right, so switching back to the slides..
So, there are some JavaScript takeaways:
We've seen three examples of vulnerabilities but obviously there are many more and if you go to snyk.io/vuln, (our vulnerability database) you can see that this is an opportunity to learn from many other vulnerabilities in open-source packages.
And that's it, I'll be around to answer the questions! (In the comments section below as well!)
Question: what's your relationship with the Node Security Project? Are you using their database, or are you contributing to that, and what's the difference between using nsp check and using Snyk?
Answer: So first, we're good friends with nsp and Adam Baldwin.
Our database contains all the vulnerabilities their database has, along with the vulnerabilities we add by our own research. For example we added above a dozen new vulnerabilities in the last month.
We also automatically scan all github npm projects for things that look like reports or fixes of vulnerabilities, so we look at commit messages, we look at issues which are open..
The difference between the two products I would say is the fix part. So basically, both of us kind of detect the issue, but we want to also fix that.
So this is not just like kind of "this is the list of the vulnerabilities, we created more work for you".
This is also our attempt to do the fix, the upgrades and the patches, so we've seen that briefly, but this is our focus, we want to help you fix the issue! |
OBJECTIVE:
Formoterol is a β(2)-selective agonist that enhances protein anabolism in rodents. Whether formoterol imparts anabolic benefits in humans is unknown. The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of formoterol on whole body protein rates of turnover, oxidative loss and synthesis.
DESIGN:
Open label intervention study.
PATIENTS:
Fifteen healthy adults (8 men).
MEASUREMENTS:
Volunteers were treated with oral formoterol 160 μg/day for one week. Changes in leucine turnover (LRa; index of protein breakdown), oxidation (Lox; irreversible protein loss) and incorporation into protein (LIP; index of protein synthesis) were assessed using the whole body 1-[(13)C]leucine turnover technique before/after treatment.
RESULTS:
LRa, Lox and LIP correlated significantly with lean body mass (LBM). LRa, adjusted for LBM was significantly higher (P<0.05, 160±6 vs 109±3 μmol/min) in men but not fractional Lox and LIP (expressed as a proportion of LRa). Formoterol reduced LRa (-9±4%) in men but stimulated LRa (9±3%) in women. Formoterol significantly reduced (P<0.05) fractional Lox, an effect greater in women (-4±1 vs -1±1 %). It stimulated fractional LIP in women (∆4±1%, P<0.05) but not in men (∆1±1%). Formoterol induced an absolute anabolic effect that was greater in women (30 vs 8%). Heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures were unaffected.
CONCLUSION:
In a therapeutic dose, formoterol stimulates protein anabolism in humans. It induced gender-dimorphic effects on protein turnover and on the partitioning of amino acids from oxidative loss toward protein synthesis, effects that are greater in women than in men. Formoterol holds promise as a treatment for sarcopenia.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
According to the Los Angeles Times, insurance brokers say this is the largest rate hike they have seen, and the increase comes on top of previous rate hikes last year. Anthem said that the reason for the rate hike is rising health care costs in the individual market. This is a specious claim. Anthem and other health insurers are a major reason for these rising costs. The company’s actions are nothing more than the result of runaway deregulation in a for-profit health care system that should not exist. Anthem is simply raising its rates because it can.
All Californians need and are entitled to quality, comprehensive medical care. But they are being held hostage by greedy health insurance companies that bleed them financially while offering fewer and fewer services. People can’t choose not to have health care. Consumers in the individual market have little choice but to either drop their coverage, or keep their increasingly unaffordable plans, unable to easily switch insurers if they have pre-existing conditions. And skyrocketing insurance rates will only cause more and more employers to drop coverage for their employees, adding to the nearly 47 million uninsured nationwide.
There is no good reason for Anthem and other health insurance companies to exist. They provide no value for consumers, nor do they provide health care. They are simply unnecessary middlemen who move money around and skim off the top for their obscene profits. Private insurers' administrative costs run anywhere from 15%-25%, compared with about 3% for Medicare. The extra money they rake in doesn’t go to health care, but rather, to paperwork, shareholder profits, advertising, CEO salaries that run in the millions, fancy office space, private jets, luxury mansions and expensive cars. These people have no right to live like kings on others’ suffering.
Health care must be a public service, not a commodity to be traded and sold on the stock market. You can choose to drive a car, but you cannot choose not to become sick. SB 810, California’s single payer legislation sponsored by State Sen. Mark Leno, would eliminate the for-profit health insurance middlemen that are strangling the state’s economy and causing needless suffering and deaths from denying care. Under SB 810, private health insurance would be replaced by a public health insurance plan run by the state of California and paid for through taxes. Every California resident would be covered by the plan that includes medical, dental, prescriptions, mental health, rehabilitation, diagnostics and more. There would be no deductibles, co-pays, or exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Health care would continue to be provided by private doctors and hospitals - only the state government will be paying the bills. And patients would be able to choose any doctor they want, not be limited to providers within a health insurance-mandated network. No procedure would require pre-approval from government officials, nor would anyone’s care be denied. Your health care would truly be decided between you and your doctor - not between you, your doctor and some faceless insurance bureaucrat with no medical expertise. And finally, SB 810 will save California billions of dollars by getting rid of the waste and inefficiency within the private health care industry, and by focusing on preventative care. Moreover, Californians would have the freedom to easily change jobs and start new businesses without fear of losing their health insurance. This flowering entrepreneurialism will jumpstart our flailing economy. And no longer would Californians have to fear going broke just because they got sick.
California OneCare (www.californiaonecare.org), a grassroots organization of health reform activists and concerned citizens, is leading the campaign to pass SB 810 and to make California a model for the rest of the nation. SB 810 has already been approved by the California State Senate, and is currently being considered in the Assembly before moving on to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk. Schwarzenegger has already vetoed the legislation twice, and we now need Californians to pressure him to sign it this time in light of Anthem’s egregious behavior, and Congressional paralysis that has stalled federal health reform legislation. Californians must also put pressure on the candidates in this November’s governor’s race to replace Schwarzenegger in case he refuses once again to sign SB 810. Californians can no longer afford to wait for quality, affordable and comprehensive health care. Everybody In. Nobody Out. |
In May Tourism Calgary hosted their annual "White Hat Awards" where they recognized individuals who have made a difference in Calgary's hospitality industry. Just a few weeks before the ceremony I got a call that I had been nominated for the Media Recognition Award. I was very surprised as my writing is not pure tourism propaganda, rather, I hope, it is a rigorous evaluation of our city's urban sense of place within an international context.
Over the years I have compared Calgary to places like Paris, Lyon, Frankfurt, Dubai, Perth and Portland sharing with readers the lessons to be learned from those cities with respect to how to enrich urban living in our city. It is only recently that I have perhaps focused more on Calgary from a tourist perspective.
However, there is a strong link between tourism and urbanism, if you can make a city centre an interesting place to live then I think you will make it a great place to visit. Tourist are often attracted to cities that are vibrant places to live - Paris, New York, Chicago, Montreal or San Francisco quickly come to mind.
One of the other things that tourist cities have in common is that they have iconic images that are instantly recognizable internationally - the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, The Clouded Gate (The Bean) or The Golden Gate Bridge.
If Calgary wants to attract more tourists it must develop several iconic images that become it postcard to the world and say "Come And Visit." In fact the last time I looked it was ihard to find good postcards of Calgary, most of the time if you go to souvenir shop there are a bunch of out-dated postcards of Calgary's skyline hidden amongst the Banff and Rocky Mountain postcards - even in Calgary souvenir shops.
Fortunately, I suspect postcards are going the way of the dodo bird. With digital cameras and smart phones, who needs postcards in the 21st century?
While we may not need postcards anymore we still must brand our city with several iconic images that "shout out" Calgary is a fun place to visit. Currently we probably one iconic image - The Calgary Stampede and it only works for 10 days of the year.
However, there are several good candidates and new ones being created every year. I thought I'd share a few with you and then perhaps you can share your ideas and together we can create Calgary's top 10 iconic images.
Criteria for being an iconic image are:
Must be photo friendlly Must be memorable Must have mass appeal Must be unique to Calgary Must be timeless
My picks are: |
2019 Nominee
IFMCA Award Best New Release or New Recording of an Existing Score
Dracula (1979)
Shared with: Michael Matessino (album producer, liner notes)
Robert Townson (album producer)
Jim Titus (art direction)
Best Film Music Compilation Album
Shared with: Michael Matessino (album producer, liner notes)
Jim Titus (art direction)
Harry Potter: The John Williams Soundtrack Collection
Film Music Composition of the Year
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Track: "The Adventures of Han"
2018 Nominee
IFMCA Award Film Score of the Year
The Post (2017)
Film Score of the Year
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Film Composer of the Year
Best Original Score for a Drama Film
The Post (2017)
Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Film Music Composition of the Year
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Track: "Finale"
Best Film Music Compilation Album
Shared with: Laura Zsaka (album producer)
Jamie Richardson (album producer)
Jon Burlingame (liner notes)
Amelia Tubb (album art direction)
John Williams and Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection
2017 Winner
IFMCA Award Best Film Music Compilation Album
Shared with: Michael Matessino (album producer, liner notes)
Jim Titus (album art direction)
The John Williams Jurassic Park Collection
Film Music Composition of the Year
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Track: "The Jedi Steps and Finale"
Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Nominee
IFMCA Award Film Composer of the Year
2014 Nominee
IFMCA Award Best Original Score for a Drama Film
The Book Thief (2013)
Film Music Composition of the Year
The Book Thief (2013)
Track: "The Book Thief"
2013 Winner
IFMCA Award Best Original Score for a Drama Film
Lincoln (2012)
Nominee
IFMCA Award Film Score of the Year
Lincoln (2012)
Film Music Composition of the Year
Lincoln (2012)
Track: "The Peterson House and Finale"
Film Composer of the Year
2012 Winner
IFMCA Award Film Score of the Year
War Horse (2011)
Best Original Score for a Drama Film
War Horse (2011)
Best Original Score for an Animated Film
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Film Music Composition of the Year
War Horse (2011)
"The Homecoming"
Film Composer of the Year
Nominee
IFMCA Award Film Score of the Year
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Film Music Composition of the Year
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
"The Adventure Continues"
Best Archival Release of an Existing Score
Family Plot (1976)
Shared with: Robert Townson (album producer)
Michael Matessino (album producer, liner notes)
2009 Winner
IFMCA Award Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure Film
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Best Film Music Compilation Album or Box Set
Shared with: Laurent Bouzereau (album producer)
Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection
Nominee
IFMCA Award Film Score of the Year
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
2006 Winner
IFMCA Award Film Score of the Year
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Film Composer of the Year
Best Original Score for a Drama Film
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Nominee
IFMCA Award Film Score of the Year
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Best Original Score for a Drama Film
Munich (2005)
Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Film
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Film
War of the Worlds (2005)
2005 Winner
IFMCA Award Best Original Score for a Comedy Film
The Terminal (2004)
Nominee
IFMCA Award Film Composer of the Year
Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Film
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
1999 Nominee
FMCJ Award Film Score of the Year
Angela's Ashes (1999)
Film Score of the Year
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Film Composer of the Year
1998 Winner
FMCJ Award Best Original Score for a Drama Film
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Best New Recording of a Previously Existing Score
Superman (1978)
Conducted by John Debney/Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Nominee
FMCJ Award Film Score of the Year
Saving Private Ryan (1998) |
“MBS,” Mohammad bin Salman, is King Salman’s son. Just 29, he’s the defense minister and a savvy publicity hound who shot to prominence in 2015 as the architect of Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels .
"Bin Salman is a pop idol," notes Riedel, who is now at the Brookings Institution. "His picture is all over Saudi social media, on television, on billboards. There are pop music songs about him!"
Bin Salman’s trips to Russia, France and the U.S. were heavily covered in Saudi papers and burnished his image with the huge chunk of the kingdom’s population that is under 30. "They can see themselves in him,” said Riedel. “The system didn’t normally operate that way."
U.S. officials say the younger generations of the Saudi public seem energized by bold action, and the princes are competing for public favor by seeing who can take the most aggressive stance towards the nation’s internal and external enemies. But their bold actions have brought risk and ruin. The byproducts of their power struggle now include mounting tension with Iran, an increasingly costly military quagmire in Yemen, and protests by Shiites around the world.
Last month’s beheading of Nimr al-Nimr, a Shi'ite cleric, which U.S. officials strongly believe was pushed by Prince bin Nayef, has led to a break in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran and a wave of condemnation in the West. A war against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, pushed by bin Salman, had initial success but is now a stalemate that costs the kingdom $200 million per day. Last year’s decision to keep pumping oil in the face of declining prices, which both princes backed, has shrunk Saudi Arabia’s economic power and led to lower revenues and vast cuts in social services.
The rivalry is the result of an odd arrangement the royal family made after King Abdullah died in January 2015. The family's Allegiance Council anointed Salman king and bin Nayef crown prince.
There were multiple rationales for appointing bin Nayef, aside from his counterterrorism work. He is the son of the late Prince Nayef, who would have been in line for the throne if he hadn't died before Abdullah.
The new King Salman, however, then appointed his son, Mohammad bin Salman, deputy crown prince, placing him directly behind bin Nayef in the order of succession.
Which of the two princes will win in the end? Salman has a very high opinion of his son. “The king thinks the sun shines out of the boy's backside," said Simon Henderson, director of the Washington Institute's Gulf and Energy Policy Program. When Secretary Kerry meets with King Salman this weekend, he will also be meeting with young bin Salman.
The public applauded the young prince’s aggressive stance in Yemen. "To them, Saudi had never been so bold,” said a Saudi journalist who wished to remain anonymous.. “The Yemen operation had finally upped the ante for Saudis. Saudi Arabia didn't need any more nurse maids. He represented them, he was in touch with them.
The U.S. is less enthusiastic. Though he has compared himself to Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, bin Salman is not as enamored with the West as his older rival.
Foreign intelligence services also question his decision-making. In December, the BND, Germany's intelligence agency, publicly released an extraordinary and scathing analysis of bin Salman, saying he is behind the kingdom's "impulsive policy of intervention." The minister of defense, the paper stated, “harbors a latent risk that in seeking to establish himself in the line of succession in his father’s lifetime, he may overreach.”
Bin Nayef is favored --it's hardly an exaggeration to say beloved -- by the United States. More than one U.S. official has privately said bin Nayef is the man the U.S. wants to be king.
When King Salman skipped last May's Camp David summit on Syria, seen as an affront to President Obama, he sent the two princes. Obama praised both but particularly noted bin Nayef's counterterrorism role.
"Mohammed bin Nayef has been a partner with us on counterterrorism work and security work for a very long time. So we have great admiration for him," said the President. "This is the first time that we had had a chance to work closely with the Deputy Crown Prince, and I think he struck us as extremely knowledgeable, very smart, I think wise beyond his years."
A senior U.S. intelligence official went even further, telling NBC News, “Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef is a strong and committed partner to the U.S., and he possesses an in-depth understanding on a range of security related issues. His pragmatic, proactive leadership in addressing complex security issues cannot be overstated.”
Here's one example cited by Riedel: When al-Qaida planted bombs on UPS and FedEx planes headed from Yemen to Chicago on the eve of the 2010 U.S. congressional elections, MBN called the White House and gave President Obama’s terrorism advisor -- now CIA Director --John Brennan the tracking numbers for the deadly containers. The planes were then detained at stopovers and the bombs removed.
It's not surprising. Bin Nayef has had an open line to the last four CIA directors, say U.S. officials. During the early post-9/11 years, bin Nayef would visit the U.S. four times a year to meet with his White House counterpart, Fran Fragos Thompson, sessions facilitated by bin Nayef's fluent English, learned in Oregon, where he attended Lewis and Clark College. Bin Nayef also studied at the FBI in the late 1980s, and at Scotland Yard’s antiterrorism institute between 1992 and 1994.
Another western diplomat told NBC News, "He is clearly very smart and ambitious but also focuses on what needs to be done and I would definitely describe him as a doer. One of the smartest things about him is that he has built up a team over the years that has a broad range of expertise and they are extremely loyal to him and if you look at the results successful.”
And he is no shrinking violet when dealing with the media. He will often leak tales of derring-do to the Saudi and other Middle Eastern media. No billboards, just a steady stream of positive stories with him as the hero.
The older generation of Saudi princes, who are closer in age to bin Nayef, also question why King Salman has invested so much power in his 29-year-old son, according to the Saudi journalist.
But whether the old guard’s regard for bin Nayef and American affection for him will help him become king remains to be seen. |
Image caption Some detainees are still holding roof-top protests at Villawood detention centre in Sydney
Australia has promised tough action against asylum seekers convicted of crimes while in detention, after riots at two immigration detention centres.
Immigration Minister Chris Brown said a new law would mean any asylum seeker found guilty of an offence would fail the character requirements for a permanent visa.
He said it was a "clear message" that recent rioting was unacceptable.
Small groups of protesters remain on the roofs of the two restive centres.
Last month riot police were called in after inmates at Australia's offshore asylum processing centre on Christmas Island protested over their detention.
Another riot erupted last week at the Villawood detention centre in Sydney. Fires were started and nine buildings were gutted.
Mr Brown said the law - if passed by parliament - would apply to those involved in the recent rioting.
Under the proposed legislation asylum seekers found to be genuine refugees - but who had committed offences while in detention - would receive only a temporary visa, meaning that they could be deported once the situation in their home country was considered to have improved.
AUSTRALIA ASYLUM STATISTICS Irregular maritime arrivals (IMAs) in 2010: 134 boats carrying 6,535 people
people IMAs up to 19 April 2011: 16 boats carrying 921 people
people As of 20 April 4,552 IMAs detained on the mainland, 1,748 on Christmas Island
IMAs detained on the mainland, on Christmas Island Currently 392 detainees in Villawood of whom 172 are IMAs Source: Australian Department of Immigration
The legislation would send "a very clear message to people in immigration detention that destructive behaviour is not acceptable", he said.
Refugee advocates criticised the move.
"I don't have a problem with them facing the criminal justice system, but you cannot strip them of their refugee status because for many of them that would involve a death sentence," human rights lawyer Julian Burnside told Australian radio.
The opposition, meanwhile, said that the measures did not go far enough and that all those arriving in Australia illegally should be denied permanent resident visas.
Critics blame the unrest at Australia's detention facilities on over-crowding and the length of time it takes for detainees to have their cases processed.
In recent months the number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat - mainly from Iraq, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan - has increased. All those who arrive in Australia by boat are subject to mandatory detention.
The government has announced the provision of another 1,900 beds to accommodate the influx. |
While policymakers in Ottawa and the provinces continue to offer up new tools to push Canadians to better prepare for retirement, workers are still failing to take advantage of hundred of millions of dollars of “free money” for retirement being offered up by the country’s employers.
Sun Life Financial Inc. estimates that Canadians are turning their back on as much as $3-billion that could go into their retirement coffers if they took full advantage of corporate pension plans and their contribution-matching programs.
“It’s kind of a staggering number,” said Tom Reid, senior vice-president of group retirement services at Sun Life Financial.
I don’t think some [people] even know they’re leaving money on the table
Many company defined-contribution pension plans top up employee contributions as they roll in with matching funds. The employee makes a contribution, and the company matches it, often up to between 3% and 6% of earnings. If there’s no contribution, however, there’s no bonus match, while a partial contribution only yields a partial match.
“I don’t think some [people] even know they’re leaving money on the table,” said Sue Reibel, senior vice-president of business development at Manulife Financial.
Employers are paying out just 40% to 50% of available matching funds, according to industry estimates.
About one million Canadians are now relying on defined-contribution (DC) pension plans, which provide retirement income based on market returns rather than the guaranteed payout of a similarly named but very different defined-benefit (DB) plan, according to Statistics Canada.
As a perk, many of these DC plans — which are increasingly popular with companies who are loath to make pension promises they might not be able to keep — have employer-funded matching programs. Some match what an employee contributes dollar for dollar, while others kick in 50¢ for every dollar contributed by an employee, and some have the option of additional matched contributions.
Pension experts are puzzled that so many people fail to take advantage of matching funds from their employers, given that the returns of a 100% of even 50% match would be hard to replicate elsewhere.
By way of comparison, Ms. Reibel notes it would take 15 years with annual returns of 5% to double a $5,000 investment in the stock market.
Group pension plans also tend to cost less to administer than an individual would pay in private investment fees. And because they’re deducted from payroll, pension contributions reduce taxable income, where other investments are made after tax.
Mr. Reid said simple inertia could be keeping many workers from taking advantage of these workplace plans.
“Where are they getting a better return on their money?” he said.
Even when people understand their workplace pension plans and the matching perk, he said, many find reasons not to contribute. Some people think they can’t spare the income, or would rather direct it to paying down a mortgage more quickly, or other investments.
He suggests Canada looks to examples in the U.S. and New Zealand, which have seen some success in automatically enrolling employees in plans. “We need to deploy a lot more smart defaults,” Mr. Reid said.
Other plans focus on “increasing the glide path to saving for retirement” by starting with small contributions and then gradually increasing them.
Ms. Reibel cited one Canadian multi-national that redesigned its plan so that employees in the pension plan were automatically enrolled at the maximum optional contribution level, and were required to opt out. Before the change, only 40% of employees made optional contributions.
After the redesign, more than half the employees, 55%, stayed with the maximum optional contribution. A further 20% of workers switched to smaller optional contributions where the employer still kicked in.
“It’s a totally behavioural-based outcome,” Ms. Reibel said.
Governments have been fixated on the fact that Canadians aren’t saving enough money for retirement and have been seeking policy-based solutions, particularly as defined benefit plans grow scarcer.
Canadians chronically under-utilize the amount of room they are given in retirement savings vehicles such as RRSPs, and the federal government has tried to encourage more saving through new instruments, such as tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs), which don’t tax gains on investments.
Ontario, meanwhile, is implementing a provincial version of the Canada Pension Plan.
And the federal government and some provinces have created a framework for pooled registered pension plans for employees without a workplace pension, but companies are not obligated to adopt them in most jurisdictions. |
Islamabad: People in a village in Pakistan's Punjab province have stopped sending their daughters to a school after it was merged with a boys' institute, saying co-education was against Islamic teachings, a media report said Monday.
Parents in Kaccha village in Hassanabdal held a "jirga" (meeting) and announced that they would not send their daughters to the school until the education department withdrew its decision, the Dawn reported.
The report said it was the only girls' school in the area, and the authorities merged it with the boys' school to establish a "model institution", under the Punjab Government Primary School Education Consolidation (PSEC) programme.
They threatened that they would block the Rawalpindi-Peshawar Grand Trunk Road if the authorities failed to resolve the issue within a week.
An official told the daily that in rural areas people enrolled their children at quite a late age and as per their traditions and culture they did not allow them to sit with boys either in the family or in a classroom.
Three primary schools in Hassanabdal are, meanwhile, on the verge of closure due to unavailability of teachers.
Akram Zia, deputy district officer (education), said that under the PSEC programme, 16 boys' and girls' schools in Hassanabdal were being merged to overcome shortage of teachers.
IANS
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She was standing outside of the pub, leaning against the wall; all twenty one years old and five foot ten of her. French, thin, absolutely beautiful. She was a model with some pro experience—she didn’t brag. I guessed. For once, I believed it. She was all legs and hair. She wore a faux fox tail that I tugged at from time to time. I called her Foxy.
“How is it inside?” I asked. She didn’t know. She’d just arrived and wanted to finish her cigarette before going upstairs to meet her friend. She had an ultra-chill girl, “I won’t mess with you if you’re cool to me,” vibe, so I didn’t say any dumb shit or drop pickup lines. I didn’t even touch her. What I did was look her straight in the eye and tell her that Tokyo was a better bar and just down the street. I sold an experience.
“I will go there and meet with you after this bar.” She said. I pretended like I didn’t care but my god she was sexy. Inside I ordered a drink and then scouted the scene. Plenty of hot girls but nothing like Foxy. I eventually found her in the back, sitting with another beautiful French girl.
“Mind if I join you?” I asked. They were fine with that. Her friend was dating the drummer in a band that I once interviewed in 2006. I showed them the article online. They were impressed. They were artists: Painters and models. They showed me their artwork on Facebook. Foxy’s art was very impressive. I let her know I was very impressed without being too eager to please. Just a simple, “This is really fucking good.”
They asked what I do for a living. “I’m a dating coach.” I told them. They didn’t understand. “Like Hitch.” I said. Now they understood, and were very, very interested. After ten minutes of questioning they believed that my job was real and the service existed. I sold it as, “A way to help men and have time to write my novels.” They thought that was pretty great. The friend got suspicious and said, “So, you are doing it now? What you teach?”
I looked at her for a few seconds, considering my words. Then I said, “If I see a beautiful woman, I will talk to her.” That was a good answer apparently since it didn’t come up again.
I bought them a round of Jager Bombs, total cost, $20 with a tip. Then I asked them if they’d been to Tokyo Bar and they hadn’t–so off we went. As we walked down the street every male, young and old, turned to look at the beautiful, well dressed French girls with the average looking man. I felt like the stud, but didn’t get my hopes up. All I wanted was to hang out with these girls. No pressure on myself.
Tokyo was slow and quiet. I took them to the terrace and bought them another beer. I told them, “You get the next round.” They were happy for the beer. Foxy had some more pictures to show me on Facebook and she covertly caressed my hand as I passed her the Iphone. This was the first indication of Interest other I’d received. That was when I thought, “Maybe I can fuck this girl.” I didn’t expect it would happen tonight. If it did, it would be her decision.
I talked to the girls about music, travel and art. Every guy in the bar was doing the eye contact thing. Walking past and staring the girls down but the girls could care less. They didn’t even notice until I pointed it out. I even said, “Look at the pussies, staring at you. All they have to do is open their mouths.” They thought I was funny.
I left the girls alone while I got another drink for myself. I saw them talking about me. I knew what was up, they were discussing logistics. When I returned the friend said to me, “I will leave her with you. Take care of her please.”
The friend left. I couldn’t believe my luck but played it cool. I told foxy I lived not far and had a beautiful balcony and vodka. She said, “I shouldn’t go. But….ok.”
We got to my house and once inside I made her a drink, sat her on the couch and put on a movie. We watched it for about two minutes before I leaned in slowly and kissed her lips. She let me. Then we made out on and off for about ten minutes. I said, “We should go upstairs to watch this.”
She hesitated then said, “Ok. Let’s go.”
Within minutes I was pulling her way too tight pants off. We were naked together. Her body was absolutely beautiful; thin and curvy with a perfect round anti-gravity ass, long beautiful calves, mess of thick, wavy hair. She tasted great. She gave an amazing blow job and I banged her to orgasm over about twenty minutes. She rode me with great skill for a twenty one year old. Someone had trained her. I couldn’t stop admiring her body and gave her many encouraging compiments. It was like winning the lotto. I would say it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Not kidding. If anyone ever wonders if they should go out alone on a Wednesday, the answer is yes. Hell yes.
I told her she could stay or go. She decided to walk home. I told her I wanted to take her to a party on the weekend. She said, “If you want to fuck me again, message me on Facebook. I think you know what I want.”
I assumed she meant sex.
She would not agree to meet me again.
Goodbye Montreal
***Sign up on the right and get a free pdf with all of my greatest hits from 2010-2012.*** |
Six Russian women in a sealed room and it may get hot – no this isn’t a scene from a movie, but a scientific experiment dubbed ‘Luna-2015’. For eight whole days these female scientists will learn how to survive in conditions imitating flight to the moon.
The purpose of this ‘girls-only’ flight is to see how females will respond to conditions in space mentally and what physical adaptations they will have to endure.
The whole imitation experiment takes place in the Institute of Medical-Biological problems near Moscow and it will last eight days – three to ‘reach’ the Moon, two for ‘orbiting’ the Earth’s satellite and three more days to ‘return’. During these days, six women will learn how to interact with each other and live in a confined space.
READ MORE: Men on the moon: Russia hopes to launch manned lunar mission in 2029
28 октября 2015г. в 11 часов по московскому времени в государственном научном центре Институте медико-биологических проб... Posted by ГНЦ РФ ИМБП РАН on Tuesday, October 27, 2015
In August, the institute chose 10 female candidates, for two months each has undergone numerous tests, both psychological and physical to prove that she is suitable for the ‘job’. On Tuesday, the project leaders announced six lucky stars, who are now sealed off in the Luna-2015 capsule.
“It’s a scientific project. We have over 30 experiments during these studies. We have a lot of things to do inside,” Daria Komissarova, a crew member, told RT.
Девушки-испытатели на занятиях в наземном экспериментальном комплексе ИМБП. Примерка новой экипировки, предоставленной партнером проекта российской компанией «Динафорс». Posted by ГНЦ РФ ИМБП РАН on Sunday, September 20, 2015
RT correspondent William Whiteman visited the facility ahead of the experiment's start. The premises look like a common apartment – a small cozy kitchen with pretty flowers on the table, gym and several rooms. But the women will have to experience the same conditions in terms of comfort as space travelers at the ISS.
READ MORE: Russia and Europe to launch joint mission to dark side of Moon, then build base there
Cameras will be recording the women’s every move. All of them will carry out experiments to analyze how they bodies would react during the ‘space’ trip. They will also test their stress levels during the simulation.
“This method is used to understand how threshold of pain sensitivity alters during flight,” another ‘moon traveler’, Tatiana Shigueva, explained pointing at one of the devices on the table. “It will be used during our experiment.”
According to the project leader Sergey Ponomarev, such experiments with females-only crew haven’t been carried out yet. Any technical fault or an emergency situation may lead to serious consequences, says the institute’s website. |
Canonical is shutting down its Ubuntu One music and cloud-storage service rather than continue to go up against competitors such as Dropbox, Google Drive and EMC Syncplicity.
The service will be available until June 1, but as of Wednesday, customers can no longer sign up for it or make purchases. Users’ content will be available until July 31, after which it will be deleted, Canonical said in a blog post Wednesday. Customers with paid accounts will have their fees refunded back to the day of the announcement. The company said it will try to give users an easy path to download their content and migrate to other services.
Canonical included Ubuntu One with its Ubuntu Linux OS and included 5GB of free capacity, with extra storage available for $2.99 per month per 20GB. An optional music service let users stream music via the Web and smartphones for $3.99 per month, with 20GB of capacity included.
But so-called freemium cloud storage has become a more crowded space since Canonical launched the service in 2009. Among others, Ubuntu One is up against big names such as Google and Amazon and other aggressive rivals that are focused on these services, such as Dropbox and Box.
In announcing the change, the company said its OS for desktops, tablets, phones and other systems is at the core of its business and is intended to highlight third-party content and services rather than Canonical’s own.
“Additionally, the free storage wars aren’t a sustainable place for us to be, particularly with other services now regularly offering 25GB-50GB free storage,” CEO Jane Silber wrote in the blog post. “If we offer a service, we want it to compete on a global scale, and for Ubuntu One to continue to do that would require more investment than we are willing to make.”
Canonical plans to make the code for Ubuntu One available as open source so others can build their own open-source services.
The shutdown will not affect the Ubuntu One single sign-on or payment services or the U1DB database service, Canonical said. |
Did Richard Bain drive to a Quebec election-night victory party with a plan to gun down as many separatists as he could — or was he in a psychotic state, under the delusion that God had sent him there on a mission?
If the jurors determine that Bain is not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder, then that will apply to all four charges and their job will be done.
Otherwise, the panel of seven women and five men will have to come to a unanimous decision in order to deliver a verdict on the charges Bain is facing: one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder.
Follow CBC News and Jaela Bernstien on Twitter for breaking developments
As the jurors wrestle with their decision, here are some of the big questions they will be weighing.
1. Is Bain's 'incriminating' note the truth?
What the jury doesn't know is that Richard Bain's lawyer didn't want the Crown to be able to use this letter as evidence of first-degree murder. (CBC)
What the jury doesn't know is that the defence tried to find a way to stop the Crown from using Richard Bain's handwritten notes as evidence.
"The statements he made .... are very incriminating. Very incriminating," defence lawyer Alan Guttman said in court when the jury wasn't present.
Bain claims he has no memory of the night of the shooting, but two months later he wrote a full account of the events of that night during a question and answer session with a psychiatrist.
In the seven-page note he writes: "The plan was to kill as many separatists as I could, the head, the new MPs, their leader, their backbone."
"If inside, if Madame Marois could be seen, I would have killed her."
Guttman failed to convince the judge that the note should only be admissible for demonstrating Bain's mental state — and not as evidence for the Crown.
In closing arguments to the jury, the prosecution argued the letter proves Bain's intent to kill, while the defence suggested the letter was a fabricated memory and the delusions of a psychotic man.
2. Was Bain psychotic or was he faking it?
Footage shows a man being led away by police after the Sept. 4, 2012 shooting outside Montreal's Metropolis nightclub. 7:37
Two psychiatrists — one called to testify by the Crown and one for the defence — weighed in on Bain's mental state the night of the attack at the Metropolis.
Both psychiatrists agree that Bain was angry with separatists, but the key question is what motivated that anger: Was it psychosis or his frustration with the separatists and the Parti Québécois?
The defence psychiatrist believes Bain was a "ticking time bomb" leading up to the night of the shooting, and that he believed he was carrying out God's will so could not apply his understanding of right and wrong.
But a psychiatrist called by the Crown cautioned against leaping to conclusions, and suggested Bain could be faking his amnesia and other symptoms to escape responsibility.
3. Was Bain intoxicated?
Richard Bain sang Christian hymns to himself and prayed out loud when he was left alone in an interrogation room two days after the deadly shooting. The defence psychiatrist believes Bain thought he was carrying out God's will the night of the attack. (Court evidence)
Bain has repeatedly insinuated that his actions should be blamed on pills he took before the shooting, which he said made it hard to tell right from wrong.
Whether or not Bain was intoxicated is irrelevant to his defence's main argument — their theory is that he was psychotic because of his bipolar disorder, not because of the pills.
But Guttman still tried to shake the credibility of a toxicology screen, which found no evidence of the anti-depressant Cymbalta in Bain's blood. He pointed out that the equipment was not sensitive enough to be absolutely certain.
The Crown, on the other hand, used the lack of Cymbalta in Bain's blood to suggest that Bain was lying yet again.
4. Was it an accident?
Lighting technician Denis Blanchette was shot and killed while standing outside Montreal's Metropolis concert hall on Sept. 4, 2012. (Facebook)
Bain told a police officer moments after the shooting "I just meant to shoot over their heads."
But two months later, in a note to a psychiatrist, Bain wrote "I was aiming to kill, I was not aiming to shoot over their heads."
Will the jury agree it was an accident, and find Bain guilty of manslaughter? Or will they believe what Bain wrote two months later, which suggests the shooting was premeditated?
The Crown asked the jury to consider the following: Does it make sense to think that Bain, an experienced hunter, would have missed by such a wide margin, shooting Denis Blanchette, standing only a few feet away, straight in the chest instead?
The defence countered — why would Bain co-operate with police, and later say "Grace of God, the gun jammed" if he'd truly been shooting to kill?
5. Does Bain hate French separatists?
WARNING: Explicit language
Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois is removed from the stage by police as she speaks to supporters in Montreal on Sept. 4, 2012 following her election win. (Graham Hughes/CP)
If Quebecers remember anything from the 2012 election-night shooting, it's Bain's infamous cry: "The English are waking up!" which he yelled in French while being led away in handcuffs.
But Bain's older brothers — David and Robert — both testified he'd never before expressed anger towards French-speaking Quebecers. In fact, they said his ex-girlfriend, who he'd spent 20 years with, and most of his friends and colleagues, were francophone.
On the other hand, the jury also heard testimony from a man who said Bain called PQ-leader Pauline Marois "f--king shit" four days before the shooting.
Plus, a psychiatrist testifying for the Crown told the court that Bain complained about a "separatist" bureaucrat who refused to grant him an ice-fishing permit, and said "I can size up people, the one who are miserable are the separatists." |
Coordinates:
Anna Creek Station [1] Location in South Australia
Anna Creek Station is the world's largest working cattle station. It is located in the Australian state of South Australia.[2]
Description [ edit ]
Anna Creek Station has an area of 23,677 square kilometres (9,142 sq mi)[3] which is slightly larger than Israel.[4] It is 1,977,000 acres (8,000 km2; 3,089 sq mi) larger than its nearest rival, Alexandria Station in the country's Northern Territory. It is over seven times the size of the United States' biggest ranch, King Ranch in Texas, which is 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi).[5] As of 16 December 2016, the station is owned by the Williams Cattle Company, a family business that bought Anna Creek from S. Kidman & Co, doubling their total area held under pastoral leases. The nearest township is William Creek (which is surrounded by the Anna Creek station), but the nearest town for freight is Coober Pedy.
History [ edit ]
The property was originally established in 1863 but moved to its current location in 1872. It was originally used for sheep, but due to losses from dingo attacks, they switched to cattle.[5]
The land occupying the extent of the Anna Creek Station pastoral lease was gazetted as a locality by the Government of South Australia on 26 April 2013 with the name 'Anna Creek'.[6][7]
Anna Creek in the 2000s [ edit ]
Trail bikes used for mustering, Anna Creek main homestead
Despite its size, in 2007 Anna Creek Station was carrying only 1,500 head of cattle due to the 2000s drought. In 2008, the station was owned by S. Kidman and Co Ltd, there were eight full-time staff and they were destocking all their cattle.[8] Following floods in 2010, conditions improved and the station restocked. It had 10,000 head of cattle in May 2011[9] and is capable of carrying up to 16,500 head of cattle during a good season.[8] They raise Santa Gertrudis cattle as they are suitable for hot, dry climates.
Date Cattle Staff Source September 2002 16,000 ? [10] May 2003 16,500 19 [11] July 2005 13,000 ? [12] November 2006 4,000 ? [13] June 2008 1,500 8 [8] May 2011 11,000 ? [14] August 2012 17,000 17 [15]
In mid April 2016, it was announced that South Australian cattle company, Williams Cattle Company, was to acquire Anna Creek from S Kidman & Co, subject to FIRB approval of the sale of the remainder of the Kidman holding to a foreign consortium.[16] Federal Treasurer, Scott Morrison, blocked the sale later that month.[17] However, the sale finally went through on 16 December 2016.[18]
Life at Anna Creek [ edit ]
There is a main homestead at Anna Creek and an outstation at The Peake. Although the homesteads are very isolated, they have satellite telecommunications including television and internet. The Coober Pedy Oodnadatta One Day Mail Run delivers mail twice a week and can bring a small amount of freight.[19] The Peake Ruins, including those of a former telegraph office, cemetery, mine site and lime kilns at the outstation, are listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.[20] The Strangways Springs Telegraph Station Ruins on the station are also listed on the Heritage Register.[21]
Once there was a large workforce of stockmen at Anna Creek, who mustered the cattle on horses. Today light aircraft are used for spotting animals which are rounded up by stockmen riding motorbikes, requiring a much smaller workforce.
See also [ edit ] |
Description: Star Wars Commander when a war goes terribly wrong and everyone is pissed
Sir the Rebels have all the outposts
We have 15 attacks left
They Have 10
Were loosing 45-35
I'm afraid we are out of options
Just have the lower levels
attack the outpost simutanuously
My Fuhrer
We've....
We were failed to get all of the uplinks
The lower levels did not get all the outposts
Everyone out except level 10's and officers now
Are you fucking kidding me!?
All you need is one fucking star
Why the fuck do we let them in our wars!
They never show up or attack on-time
They were uncoordinated and lazy
Maybe we should just banish them
Put them in a separate squad
We'd win more wars!
Sir, they are in the war to get more Experience
Fuck that were not winning
Sir but what about expanding the squad?
Fuck expanding the squad
I'd rather win!
They Keep donating the wrong things
giving me a hover tank for defense
Hover tanks are junk compared to a sniper
Who the hell gave me that in my WAR SC!
You might as well have given me all Healers!
What I would give for someone to give me what I want
We would be ranked in the top ten by now!
I effen tired
I dont want to have any war over the weekend
Its my weekend!
The things you sacrifice
I need more fucking alloy!
With more alloy I could upgade my turrents
But Noooo
These lower level HQ's have to attack
Someone a level higher than them!
Don't worry it was just a mistake, your new
Maybe I should just...
Start my own squad
Things would be better
We could get our shit together
No...Restarting would be a nightmare
Lose our ranking
Fuck it |
Part Two looks at some more complex animations like simple transitions and animating using bezier curves.
This tutorial will show you the basics of creating animations with Swift .
If you’ve ever wanted to learn enough programing to create rich prototypes and interactive or generative animations now’s a great time to begin.
Now with Xcode 6 and iOS 8, Apple have created a new programming language called Swift that is not only more powerful, but also has a syntax that designers will probably feel a lot more comfortable with compared to Objective-C.
With every release, Apple have been making developer tools easier and more productive to use.
Why Xcode?
Motion software like After Effects are extremely powerful and an important part of any designers toolkit.
But with any motion software the best you can hope for is an simulation of the actual experience. Prototyping with developer tools like Xcode aren’t simulations, they are mini apps that will bring you as close to the final experience as you can possibly get. Along with testing on device, you can take effect of native abilities and do fun things like use the the device gyroscope to programmatically alter your animations.
There’s no doubt that Xcode comes with a steel learning curve, but the same could be said for tools you’ve already put the effort into learning (Photoshop for me is still notoriously complex) and learning Xcode will be a skill that will continue to pay off for years to come in your career.
Finally, when developer timelines start to crunch, it’s often magic like animations that start to get cut from a product. The easier you make an animation to build, then the more likely it will be included. And developers will likely find working from a prototype a lot easier than inspecting an After Effects file, or trying to comprehend a specification.
Let’s start!
To begin, create a new project with the Single View Application template. Make sure you choose Swift as the language and not Objective-C .
Open the ViewController.swift file and add add a blue square to the screen by adding this cope to your viewDidLoad() method.
// Create and add a colored square let coloredSquare = UIView() // set background color to blue coloredSquare.backgroundColor = UIColor.blueColor() // set frame (position and size) of the square // iOS coordinate system starts at the top left of the screen // so this square will be at top left of screen, 50x50pt // CG in CGRect stands for Core Graphics coloredSquare.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 120, width: 50, height: 50) // finally, add the square to the screen self.view.addSubview(coloredSquare)
Run the project and you should see something like this in the iPhone simulator:
Next, we’re going to add a simple animation that moves the square from the left edge of the screen to the right.
We do this with the method animateWithDuration that Apple gives us as part of UIView class.
The animateWithDuration function takes two parameters, the duration of the animation, and a block that defines the end-state of the animation.
// lets set the duration to 1.0 seconds // and in the animations block change the background color // to red and the x-position of the frame UIView.animateWithDuration(1.0, animations: { coloredSquare.backgroundColor = UIColor.redColor() // for the x-position I entered 320-50 (width of screen - width of the square) // if you want, you could just enter 270 // but I prefer to enter the math as a reminder of what's happenings coloredSquare.frame = CGRect(x: 320-50, y: 120, width: 50, height: 50) })
Run the project again and when the simulator launches you should see the square move from the left edge to the right edge, and color change from blue to red:
Notice that iOS automatically does the tweening of the animation. We just define the beginning state, and the end state, and the time it should take to transition between the two and iOS creates a smooth animation.
What can be animated?
We’ve animated the position (via the frame) and background color properties of our UIView but there are lots more we could have animated.
Straight from Apple’s documentation here are the properties that can be animated on any UIView object.
frame: Change the view’s size and position relative to its superview’s coordinate system.
bounds: Change the view’s size.
center: Change the view’s position.
transform: Modify this property to scale, rotate, or translate the view relative to its center point in 2D space .
. alpha: Change the transparency of the view.
backgroundColor: Change the view’s background color.
contentStretch: Change the way the view’s contents are stretched to fill the available space.
Block animation options
Apply currently gives us four block-based animation methods to use. We’ve just used the simplest one. Here’s a list of all four:
1. Simple animation block
duration: number of seconds that the animation will take; and
animations: a block defining changes to animate.
let duration = 1.0 // animation will take 1.0 seconds UIView.animateWithDuration(duration, { // any changes entered in this block will be animated })
2. Animation block with completion block
duration: number of seconds that the animation will take;
animations: a block defining changes to animate; and
completion: another block this one defining code to run when the animation has completed.
let duration = 1.0 // animation will take 1.0 seconds UIView.animateWithDuration(duration, animations: { // any changes entered in this block will be animated }, completion: { finished in // any code entered here will be applied // once the animation has completed })
3. Animation block with options & completion block
duration: number of seconds that the animation will take;
delay: how long to wait before animation starts;
options: various options we can use to change animation behavior;
animations: a block defining changes to animate; and
completion: another block this one defining code to run when the animation has completed.
let duration = 1.0 let delay = 0.0 // delay will be 0.0 seconds (e.g. nothing) let options = UIViewAnimationOptions.CurveEaseInOut // change the timing curve to `ease-in ease-out` UIView.animateWithDuration(duration, delay: delay, options: options, animations: { // any changes entered in this block will be animated }, completion: { finished in // any code entered here will be applied // once the animation has completed })
4. Animation block with spring physics
A new addition in iOS 7, this method allows us to create a physics-engine based animation.
duration: number of seconds that the animation will take;
delay: how long to wait before animation starts;
dampingRatio: how much oscillation (0= infinite 1=none);
initialVelocity: how fast the animation starts (1 is ‘normal’);
options: various options we can use to change animation behavior;
animations: a block defining changes to animate; and
completion: another block this one defining code to run when the animation has completed.
let duration = 1.0 let delay = 0.0 let options = UIViewAnimationOptions.CurveEaseInOut let damping = 0.5 // set damping ration let velocity = 1.0 // set initial velocity UIView.animateWithDuration(duration, delay: delay, usingSpringWithDamping: damping, initialSpringVelocity: velocity, options: options, animations: { // any changes entered in this block will be animated }, completion: { finished in // any code entered here will be applied // once the animation has completed })
UIViewAnimationOptions
Apple have given us a bunch of options that we can pass into the animation block methods.
Lets see what happens when we pass in an option of ‘Repeat’.
let options = UIViewAnimationOptions.Repeat UIView.animateWithDuration(1.0, delay: 0.0, options: options, animations: { // any changes entered in this block will be animated coloredSquare.backgroundColor = UIColor.redColor() coloredSquare.frame = CGRect(x: 320-50, y: 120, width: 50, height: 50) }, completion: nil) // Note: I didn't want to do anything with the completion block // in this example so I set it to 'nil'
The square performs the animation, then repeats the animation again until the app is closed.
Now let’s change that to Autoreverse
let options = UIViewAnimationOptions.Autoreverse
The square performs the requested animation, then the animations are performed in exact reverse order. But There’s a bit of a weird glitch where when the animation completes the square automatically jumps to the left edge of the screen and switches back to red. That’s because this is the last condition we left it.
Finally, lets see how we can combine multiple options by joining them with the pipe character.
We’ll combine the animation options Autoreverse , Repeat and the timing-curve option CurveEaseInOut .
let options = UIViewAnimationOptions.Autoreverse | UIViewAnimationOptions.Repeat | UIViewAnimationOptions.CurveEaseInOut
Great, you’re starting to get the hang of block-based animations! You can review all of UIViewAnimationOptions on Apple’s developer website.
Triggering animations
It gets a little annoying having to re-run the app each time we want to see the animation - especially when the animation isn’t on loop.
Lets update the app so that the animation doesn’t run by default, but instead only happens when a button is manually tapped.
First. Switch from files ViewController.swift to Main.storyboard , drag a Button object onto the storyboard and change the button label to “Animate”.
Then add constraints to the button. I added constraints to force a gap of 20pt on the bottom edge and both side edges.
Next, switch the assistant editor on (which allows you to see the storyboard and swift class file at the same time).
Holding the control key down, drag from the button into a space right below the viewDidLoad() function in the ViewController.swift file and release.
This will open a popover allowing you to make a connection. By default the connection type will be Outlet. Change this to Action and in the name textfield enter a name for your function and press the Connect Button.
Xcode will add a new function to your ViewController that looks something like this:
@IBAction func animateButtonPressed(sender: AnyObject) { }
This function is connected to the button in your storyboard, and it will be called every time the button is tapped. This is how you create hooks between actions performed in the interface to your code.
Finally, cut and paste the code from your viewDidLoad() function into your new IBAction function so that the animation will only perform when the Animate button is tapped.
Your IBAction function should now look something like this:
@IBAction func animateButtonPressed(sender: AnyObject) { // Create and add a colored square let coloredSquare = UIView() // set background color to blue coloredSquare.backgroundColor = UIColor.blueColor() // set frame (position and size) of the square // iOS coordinate system starts at the top left of the screen // CGRect creates a frame with (x,y,width,height) values // so this square will be at top left of screen, 50x50pt // CG in CGRectMake stands for Core Graphics coloredSquare.frame = CGRect(x:0, y:120, width:50, height:50) // finally, add the square to the screen self.view.addSubview(coloredSquare) // lets set the duration to 1.0 seconds // and in the animations block change the background color // to red and the x-position of the frame UIView.animateWithDuration(1.0, animations: { coloredSquare.backgroundColor = UIColor.redColor() // for the x-position I entered 320-50 (width of screen - width of the square) // if you want, you could just enter 270 // but I prefer to enter the math as a reminder of what's happenings coloredSquare.frame = CGRect(x: 320-50, y: 120, width: 50, height: 50) }) }
Run the project again and trigger the animation by tapping the Animate button.
Unfortunately, once the animation ends, the square remains in it’s final position. This is where an animation function that uses a completion block is useful.
So now, we’ll update your animation block to include a completion block. For now all we’ll do in the completion block is remove the square.
UIView.animateWithDuration(1.0, animations: { // animate color change and position coloredSquare.backgroundColor = UIColor.redColor() coloredSquare.frame = CGRect(x: 320-50, y: 120, width: 50, height: 50) }, completion: { animationFinished in // when complete, remove the square from the parent view coloredSquare.removeFromSuperview() })
Now when the animation completes, the square should be removed setting you up for your next animation.
Generative animations
Now that we have our animation set up to act on a trigger we can really start exploring the benefits of creating animations programmatically: generative animations!
First off we need to do some housekeeping to prepare our code to be more reusable. In programming this is called refactoring.
Lets change the code that constructs the square from using hard-coded variables for the position and size of the square…
let coloredSquare = UIView() coloredSquare.backgroundColor = UIColor.blueColor() coloredSquare.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 120, width: 50, height: 50) self.view.addSubview(coloredSquare)
…and switch to using named constants for size and yPosition .
// set up some constants for the square let size : CGFloat = 50 let yPosition : CGFloat = 120 // create the square using these constants // in this example I've also used the Objective-C convention for making the CGRect // but I could have used CGRect(x:0, y:yPosition, width:size, height:size) like we've done previously - they are equivalent let coloredSquare = UIView() coloredSquare.backgroundColor = UIColor.blueColor() coloredSquare.frame = CGRectMake(0, yPosition, size, size) self.view.addSubview(coloredSquare)
And lets refactor the our animation block so that it also uses the same square constants to define the animation. While we’re at it, lets create constants duration , delay and options for the animation too.
// set up some constants for the animation let duration = 1.0 let delay = 0.0 let options = UIViewAnimationOptions.CurveLinear // define the animation UIView.animateWithDuration(duration, delay: delay, options: options, animations: { coloredSquare.backgroundColor = UIColor.redColor() // again use the square constants size and yPosition coloredSquare.frame = CGRectMake(320-size, yPosition, size, size) }, completion: { animationFinished in coloredSquare.removeFromSuperview() })
We’ve not changed any behavior of the code, we’ve just structured it in a different way that makes it easier for the next step.
So running the app again shouldn’t have any noticeable effect.
So. Now lets change the constants we created for the square so that instead of being a fixed number, they are assigned from a range of random numbers.
We’ll use the arc4random_uniform function which returns a whole number between zero and the number you pass into the function. For example arc4random_uniform(4) will randomly return either 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , or 4 each time it’s called.
We can use this and some simple math to make random numbers in a useful range for the animations.
// set size to be a random number between 20.0 and 60.0 let size : CGFloat = CGFloat( arc4random_uniform(40))+20 // set yPosition to be a random number between 20.0 and 220.0 let yPosition : CGFloat = CGFloat( arc4random_uniform(200))+20
Now each time you tap the animate button, the square will be a different size, and start from a different y-position.
Now we have a reusable randomly-generated square and animation, we can use it multiple times by putting it into a loop.
Loops in Swift are a lot easier than Objective-C. Here’s the basic code for a loop that goes from 0 to 10.
for loopNumber in 0...10 { // code in here will be performed in each loop // `loopNumber` will keep track of which loop we're currently in }
Lets all of our animation code so that it sits within the scope of the loop.
Until now our animations have been pretty abstract. Now we’ll pretend that our aim this entire time has been to create an animation of a school of fish swimming across the screen. So we’ll also remove the code that animates the background color, and change our UIView object coloredSquare to the UIImageView object we’ll call fish .
Our entire IBAction function should now look something like this:
@IBAction func animateButtonPressed(sender: AnyObject) { // loop for 10 times for loopNumber in 0...10 { // set up some constants for the animation let duration : NSTimeInterval = 1.0 let delay : NSTimeInterval = 0.0 let options = UIViewAnimationOptions.CurveLinear // set up some constants for the fish let size : CGFloat = CGFloat( arc4random_uniform(40))+20 let yPosition : CGFloat = CGFloat( arc4random_uniform(200))+20 // create the fish and add it to the screen let fish = UIImageView() fish.image = UIImage(named: "blue-fish.png") fish.frame = CGRectMake(0, yPosition, size, size) self.view.addSubview(fish) // define the animation UIView.animateWithDuration(duration, delay: delay, options: options, animations: { // move the fish fish.frame = CGRectMake(320-size, yPosition, size, size) }, completion: { animationFinished in // remove the fish fish.removeFromSuperview() }) } }
Now when we tap the animate button we have 10 fish generated with each one a random size, and at a random y-position.
But now they’re all clumped together ಠ_ಠ. What we really want is for them to be staggered a little bit, again by some random amount.
There are a couple of ways to do that: we could push the x-position back by some amount; or we could randomly apply a delay to the animation.
Lets use the delay approach, just to show we can dynamically change the parameters of the animation to change it’s behavior.
We’ll change the delay constant of the animation from 0.0 …
let delay = 0.0
… to be a random value between 0.9 and 1.0
// randomly assign a delay of 0.9 to 1s let delay = NSTimeInterval(900 + arc4random_uniform(100)) / 1000
At the moment the fish appear instantly at the left edge of the screen, and they are only removed after the animation finishes when they touch the right edge of the screen.
Lets change that so that the fish starts it’s animation from just off the left of the screen, and completes it when it finally goes over the right edge of the screen.
First we’ll move the starting position from 0 …
fish.frame = CGRectMake(0, yPosition, size, size)
… to 0-size so that the animation starts outside the edge of the screen.
fish.frame = CGRectMake(0-size, yPosition, size, size)
And in the animation block, instead of moving the fish to 320-size which will move the fist until it touches the right edge of the screen…
fish.frame = CGRectMake(320-size, yPosition, size, size)
… we’ll move it all the way to 320 which is the width of the screen (remember that we define the position of an object from the top and left position).
fish.frame = CGRectMake(320, yPosition, size, size)
Now when we tap the animate button, 10 fish are created, each positioned to start just off the edge of the screen, and with each animation set to start with a slightly different delay.
This gives a closer effect to what we were hoping for:
This is a very simple example, but hopefully by now you’re getting an idea of what’s possible with generating animations programmatically.
Dynamically exploring constants
We’ve now got a lot more control over the animation now, but to perfect the animation we’re going to want to explore fine tuning a lot of different details.
For example, what does the animation look like with 20 fish, or 100 fish instead of 10? What about exploring different sizes of fish or different animation duration or delays?
Having to run the app every time you want to do this is not only annoying, but also makes it really difficult to quickly explore options with other team members.
Similar to how we added a Button to the storyboard to trigger the animation, now we’re going to add a Slider to the storyboard that controls the number of fish in the animation.
Add the slider to the storyboard (right above the button is a good place). And add some sensible constraints for the position of the slider.
By default the slider has a min value of 0 and a max value of 1 . Show the attributes inspector (the default key binding is option-command-4 ) and change the min value to 1 and the max value to 100 .
Then control-drag onto the ViewController.swift file, but this time let go right above the viewDidLoad() function. This time keep the connection type as Outlet and enter a name like numberOfFishSlider .
Xcode should create an IBOutlet for you with the name you chose.
@IBOutlet weak var numberOfFishSlider: UISlider!
Now, the only change we need to make is to change the loop from going from 0...10 to start from 1 and loop up to the current value of our slider.
We can get the current position of the slider with self.numberOfFishSlider.value but this will be a number with decimal places (e.g. 12.4 ) so we’ll cast the number to an Int to get the whole number (e.g. 12 ).
let numberOfFish = Int(self.numberOfFishSlider.value) for loopNumber in 1...numberOfFish { // loop contents }
Now when we run the app we can dynamically change the number of fish in the animation by moving the value of the slider.
You can create as many sliders (or other interface objects) as you like to control the parameters of the animation.
Ideally you’d also want to include a label for each slider to note what you’re changing and to show what the current value is. but I’ll leave that as an exercise for you to try!
We’ve done quite a lot in one step here so if you’re having any errors running the app, here’s what the complete code for your ViewController.swift should look like:
import UIKit class ViewController: UIViewController { // this time we've added an IBOutlet for the slider // this allows us to reference the slider from code // for example get the current position of the slider @IBOutlet weak var numberOfFishSlider: UISlider! override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() // Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib. // we don't have to do anything here at the moment } @IBAction func animateButtonPressed(sender: AnyObject) { // the slider value returns a float (e.g. 10.4) // to work in the loop we need to round down as an Int (e.g. 10) let numberOfFish = Int(self.numberOfFishSlider.value) for loopNumber in 1...numberOfFish { // set up some constants for the animation let duration = 1.0 let options = UIViewAnimationOptions.CurveLinear // randomly assign a delay of 0.9 to 1s let delay = NSTimeInterval(900 + arc4random_uniform(100)) / 1000 // set up some constants for the fish let size : CGFloat = CGFloat( arc4random_uniform(40))+20 let yPosition : CGFloat = CGFloat( arc4random_uniform(200))+20 // create the fish let fish = UIImageView() fish.image = UIImage(named: "blue-fish") fish.frame = CGRectMake(0-size, yPosition, size, size) self.view.addSubview(fish) // define the animation UIView.animateWithDuration(duration, delay: delay, options: options, animations: { // move the fish fish.frame = CGRectMake(320, yPosition, size, size) }, completion: { animationFinished in // remove the fish fish.removeFromSuperview() }) } } override func didReceiveMemoryWarning() { super.didReceiveMemoryWarning() // Dispose of any resources that can be recreated. } }
Fin
Depending on your experience with code this might be either amazing easy or frustratingly difficult.
My only advice is that like most things, it becomes easier the more you practice, and the more you attempt you own real-life examples (rather than step-by-step tutorials like this one).
If you’re getting stuck and need some help I’m willing to help! Hit me up on twitter @permakittens. If you’re having problem with a specific bit of code it helps to upload your project somewhere like github where I can more easily review.
If you liked this tutorial, Animations in Swift (Part Two) looks at some more complex animations like simple transitions and animating using curves.
Or Getting started with UIKit Dynamics in Swift by Omar Fouad has a similar style post looking at how UIDynamics APIs introduced in iOS 7 can be used to create interactive physics-based animations.
Notes |
By Catherine J. Frompovich
Finally, someone in allopathic medicine has a conscience about expressing the harms of the HPV vaccine Gardasil®, and has published scientific concerns in the American College of Pediatricians (ACP) January 2016 online webpage [1]. Thank you is my very first comment but, if you will pardon my second, what kept you silent for ten long-suffering years for thousands, if not millions, of young women whose lives have been changed for the worse after receiving Gardasil®? [2]
Dr Scott S Field, MD, is the principal author of a “stunning” article of sorts in that it comes from a medical doctor, a member of the very profession that is pushing and ‘demanding’ girls and boys take the HPV vaccines. If Dr Field has become enlightened as to what’s been going on for ten years regarding the HPV vaccines, my respectful suggestion is that he take a look into all the other vaccines because the very vaccine components he questions, e.g., polysorbate 80 (aka Tween 80® and aluminum adjuvants—four in total) are also found in many other vaccines, as verified in the CDC’s Pink Book “Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary” [3].
Dr Field, while you’re checking the biochemical reactions of vaccine ingredients, would you kindly check out L-histindine in both Gardasil® and Gardasil 9®? Oh, and how about the sodium borate, which is used as an insecticide!
The article states:
Few other vaccines besides Gardasil® that are administered in adolescence contain polysorbate 80. Pre-licensure safety trials for Gardasil® used placebo that contained polysorbate 80 as well as aluminum adjuvant… [1]
DTap Infarix®, by the way, given to infants contains aluminum adjuvant (Al hydroxide) and polysorbate 80! So do DTap Kinrix® (Al hydroxide), DTaP-HepB-IPN Pediarix® (Al phosphate), Dtap Boostrix® (Al hydroxide), Prevnar 13® (Al phosphate), DTaP-IPV-Hib Pentacel® (Al phosphate) all contain polysorbate 80. [3]
Will you please look into those vaccines, Dr. Field, as they are given to children?
For the record, both Gardasil® and Gardasil 9® contain Aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate and polysorbate 80.
Medicine, especially the ACP, must demand to know why there is so much ADD, ADHD, ASD occurring in children when those conditions were not on medicine’s radar screen prior to the 1980s when vaccines took off like greased lightning.
Another rather foolhardy practice to research, while I’m offering suggestions, is to investigate the engrained practice of giving nine (9) vaccine actives during one “well baby” office visit.
Can you please explain how an infant weighing less than 25 pounds is expected to handle nine disease organisms being introduced into the body at one time? How is an immune system to respond to such an overload? Short circuits? Nowhere in life and living—not even in the jungles—could a human being be exposed to nine different diseases at one time!
Still, medicine and pharmacology demand that a baby, whose immune systems is not fully developed until 2 or 3 years of age, gets exposed to nine diseases at once and expected to build immunity. What you get is an adaptive immune response, not an innate immune response! Don’t you understand that? Biochemical intervention actually is castrating the undeveloped immune system. Where were professional, biochemical and biological brains when thinking out that paradigm?
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Getting back to Dr Field’s exceptional paper, which I compliment highly for the courage to stand up and be in the counted category, it states in minuscule part, what activists, in particular SaneVax, have been reporting in their work of advocacy on behalf of HPV-damaged victims globally:
– Premature ovarian failure (POF), also known as premature menopause.
At least that’s a start and some recognition—but not enough!
However, there are more devastating VAERS statistics regarding HPV vaccines than what Dr Field cites in his ground-breaking article. According to VAERS as posted to December 2015 [4] there are:
Dr Field, may I suggest you check out my 2013 book, Vaccination Voodoo, What YOU Don’t Know About Vaccines, as it’s the only book to date that I know of that discusses and cites published peer review literature detailing what various toxic chemicals and neurotoxins in vaccines do biochemically in vitro and in vivo.
However, I do want to thank you—seriously—for poking a hole into the side of Big Pharma’s “sacred cow”—vaccines! You are a credit to the medical profession; please don’t stop now. There’s so much more to uncover, if only you will be permitted to look.
References: |
In 1868, after the end of the Bakumatsu war, the former assassin Kenshin Himura promises to defend those in need without killing. Kenshin wanders through Japan with a reverse-edged sword during the transition of the samurai age to the New Age. When Kenshin helps the idealistic Kaoru Kamiya from the gangsters of the powerful opium drug lord Kanryuu Takeda that wants her school for his production of opium, Kaoru invites Kenshin to stay in the school. But the drug chemist Megumi Takani escapes from Kanryuu and seeks shelter in the school. Meanwhile the killer Battosai is murdering police officers and leaving messages attached to their bodies. When Kanryuu poisons the population to get the school, Kenshin and the street fighter Sanosuke Sagara join forces to attack their common enemy. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
The craze for Pokemon GO continues unabated, even after people have literally fallen off cliffs and gotten hit by cars for being so deeply absorbed by the game. In the two weeks since it was released on both iPhone and Android, the augmented reality game that allows us to step into the shoes of Ash Ketchum has added $23 billion to Nintendo’s market value, caused a stampede in Central Park for the rare Vaporean, and has created niche businesses for young entrepreneurs. It’s real.
Which is why it seems like a good time to revisit the 2013 artwork of Mexican illustrator Mona Robles, aka MONΛROBOT, who reinterpreted Pokémon with a Mayan artwork aesthetic. From her take on the evolution of Bulbasaur to her depiction of Lickitung, these Pokémayans may well be the coolest art tribute we’ve seen to Pokémon yet.
“I’m from Chiapas, México, so I’m very familiar with the Maya culture, I find it really appealing and aesthetically interesting, and I love learning new things about it,” Robles told The MindHut. “When I first started doing the Pokemayans I had been wondering why no one seemed to draw inspiration from this culture, around that time plenty of artists I know were drawing their versions of Pokémon so I decided to give it a go with this new idea. I’m hoping to open a Patreon in the following few days and retake the idea to draw at least the entire first gen in a consistent Maya style!”
Check out some of her cool PokéMayan illustrations below: |
At the bachelorpedia office, we once had three free-range dwarf hamsters running around. They're good at eating pests (bugs), and as long as you change their wood-shavings piles every so often, your house won't be replete with hamster shit. It’s also a good litmus test for any potential woman you might bring around: can she handle the carnage? You'll notice, too, that your parents/family will stop around less if they know you have free-range hamsters. All plusses.
When your hamster dies it's only fitting that you give it a Viking burial in the spirit of the Norse rodent god Chukfallah. First, freeze the corpse in a 1KG coffee tin 1/3 filled with water and 1/3 with wood shavings (half freshed, half used) and place in freezer. While he's freezing, rustle up a banana box, two old hockey sticks, a half-litre of fondue fluid, a lighter, some hockey tape and about six friends. Lash the sticks to either side of to the banana box using the tape and nestle the coffee tin (once everything's frozen) in the centre. Next, park three or four guys on either side of the box and carry as a coffin down to the closest urban bridge, preferably one at least 300 feet above the mud-crashing river below.
Once it's dark, you're going to want to soak that bastard in fondue fluid (highly flammable but with a low lick, which lends a blueish, durable glow to your pyre) and then you're going to want to light it as you would bananas foster. Now gently, gently, lean that fucker over the side of the bridge and release simultaneously such that it falls evenly into the crash of the angry bastard Water below and carries your fallen pal into the the low, dull City of God. You can chant while he falls but we didn't. If you've assembled this whole thing properly the sticks will act as pontoons and the banana box will give the coffee coffin heft and size against the fierce stinging jabs of Lady River. |
Last weekend I attended Montreal's legendary Festival Mondial de la Biere, an amalgamation of international beers that feels busier than a United Nations summit. This thing has been around for 21 years. It's an epic event, but one thing was glaringly noticeable: It's confused as to who it's catering to. A frothy mixture of a giant frat party and an excuse for beer snobs to show off their selection skills, it's a bizarre combination of weird and wonderful characters from Montreal and the international beer community alike—local yokels, Canadian citizens, day-drunk bros, clueless business executives with too much money, and die-hard beer lovers were all in attendance. But I'm not complaining.
The festival is dedicated to showcasing emerging brews from unlikely countries like Brazil and Spain. Of course, the heavy hitters came from a wealth of US and Canadian beers and a notable spotlight on the microbrews of Quebec, a province renowned for its quality craft brewing. All of the big name beer companies were there in a big way too, making their presence known with huge booths and massive advertising displays. Even though the craft beer revolution is certainly picking up steam across Canada, it's had a much slower start than in the United States.
Quebecers, at their core, are diehard drinkers of Labatt Blue and Molson Dry. The province was practically raised on these two beer companies and endless mounds of cheese curds. (Translation: heaven.) The eastern Canadian coast tends to have a soft spot for Oland's Export Ale and Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale. I love them all.
The rise in attendance is why this festival has been able to turn the table, embarking on a mission to bring Canadian beer—especially Quebecois types—to the world at large. The North American edition of the festival takes place in downtown Montreal in a showroom that's like an extrapolation of that friend of yours from high school, the one who got you wasted on weeknights in their parent's basement. A ping-pong table and a garish maroon sofa wouldn't look out of place in the concrete and linoleum sprawl, speakers bumping the most inoffensive, bass-heavy dance off-cuts they can scrape from the bottom of the barrel of elevator music obscurity.
Above, the outside terrace at the festival
Thankfully, the outside terrace area was infinitely nicer than the expansive grey showroom. A variety of lush, green overhanging trees, a swath of food trucks, and a gaggle of beer vendors were slinging suds. People were gravitating towards libations from Quebec microbrewery Trou de Diable's Succubus, a farmhouse style sour ale, which packs quite a pucker and a punch, and the newly released lager from festival mainstays Boreale – another Quebec microbrewery.
Scoring a VIP pass involved a full day of access to a lounge for exhibitors, media, and VIPs, where the best selections of beers at the festival were free-flowing and local artisanal cheeses and appetizers were served like clockwork. I felt like a god walking into this area.
Flutes and beer go well together.
But shortly after my arrival at the VIP lounge, I was met with the sight of two bleary-eyed men decked out in brightly colored polo shirts and noticeably wavering as they clumsily sorted through free beer options while they ogled and whistled at a woman nearby with that kind of "I don't give a fuck how perverted I look" abandon that comes with being wasted in the early afternoon. One associate was fumbling around with a bottle that I was certain he would spill before one of the volunteer bartenders grabbed it from him and asked what he wanted. He didn't understand the question and tried for the bottle (again).
Directly behind me, two fellow beer nerds were busy discussing the implications of the recent trend in Canadian microbreweries of "session IPAs," hoppy and fairly intense IPAs with a lower alochol percentage (of around four to five percent). True to their name, those are the kinds of beers intended for session drinking, the kind that ostensibly enable oneself to enjoy heavy, bitter, and lavishly hopped IPAs without waking up in a ditch.
The thing that surprised me the most was that even in the VIP section, it seemed like people cared less about when tasting and information sessions began. The crowd largely consisted of people texting and talking—loudly and quite drunkenly—throughout presentations. One presenter had to stop for several intermittent flute solos by a random musician to try and grab their attention. (It didn't work.)
As night fell and people fell deep into the inebriation zone, the seemingly disparate groups began to blend together effortlessly, the place dissolving into a sticky-floored celebration of all things intoxicating. The seemingly miles-wide gap between the Rickards booth and the booth selling small batch Brazilian beer all but disappeared. God bless alcohol.
The shock of seeing a Molson Canadian 67 Tangerine Twist, a flavored light beer, and Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron, a rich and dark 12 percent ABV brown ale, mingling side-by-side slowly made sense. Even the staunchest celebrators of high-brow brews were dabbling in pints of the new Galaxy Hop IPA at the Alexander Keith's booth, though still making tongue-in-cheek comments like "Wow, it's like they actually put hops in this one." The festival seemed to have reached that level of drunkenness where all you're concerned about is having a good time, joking about your blood alcohol content and hell bent on maintaining the buzz—hop varietals be damned. I was into it.
In the end, I couldn't help but wonder: Aren't we all just looking for a place to go and get buzzed, no matter who we are or what kind of malts we like? For all its seemingly incongruent attendees and disparate selection of vendors, Festival Mondial de la Biere succeeds in bridging social and cultural gaps and uniting everyone under a low hanging haze of intoxication and troublingly sticky floors. And the beer selection is incredible.
From the awe-inspiring craft beer heavyweights like Stone and Dogfish Head to the up and coming microbreweries like Quebec's Brasserie Dunham or Ontario's highly acclaimed Beau's, the festival actually delivers the world of delicious malty beverages it promises, despite the drunken bros and Kenny G type of musical flute interludes between presentations.
At the end of the night when everyone was drunkenly swaying and shamelessly wandering down the hall for that one last perfect festival drink, the only thing separating the drunken guy with a beer helmet from a wasted hedge fund manager with a predilection for bourbon-aged stouts was the amount of drink tickets they had left in their wallet. It was oddly poetic. I'm going back next year. |
Flyers sign Dale Weise and Boyd Gordon by Staff Writer / Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have signed free agent forwards Dale Weise and Boyd Gordon, according to general manager Ron Hextall.
Below are some news & notes on Weise & Gordon:
DALE WEISE (RW)
PREVIOUS TEAM: Chicago Blackhawks; Montreal Canadiens
DRAFTED: 2008 (4th Round, 111th Overall) - NY Rangers
AGE: 27 (8-5-88)
BORN: Winnipeg, Manitoba
VITALS: 6’2”, 206 pounds
SHOOTS: Right
Split last year between the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks where he posted 27 points (14g-13a) in 71 total games. He was traded to the Blackhawks around the Trade Deadline on Feb. 26. Played a majority of his season with the Canadiens where he recorded all 14 of his goals and 26 of his 27 points in 56 regular season games with Montreal. Recorded one goal in four playoff games with the Blackhawks. Has a career total of 86 points (37g-49a) in 329 regular season games - 59 of those 86 points have all come in 152 games in the last three years while he was with Montreal Canadiens. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he has a total of 11 points (6g-5a) in 38 games… Four of his six postseason goals were game-winning goals.
BOYD GORDON (C)
PREVIOUS TEAM: Arizona Coyotes
DRAFTED: 2002 (1st Round, 17th Overall) - Washington
AGE: 32 (10-19-83)
BORN: Unity, Saskatchewan
VITALS: 6’0”, 200 pounds
SHOOTS: Right
Recorded four points (2g-2a) in 65 games for Arizona last season, his third season with the Coyotes. He has appeared in 693 regular season games in the NHL, posting 160 points (55g-105a) over parts of 12 seasons with the Coyotes, Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers. Chicago Blackhawks; Montreal Canadiens2008 (4th Round, 111th Overall) - NY Rangers27 (8-5-88)Winnipeg, Manitoba6’2”, 206 poundsRightArizona Coyotes2002 (1st Round, 17th Overall) - Washington32 (10-19-83)Unity, Saskatchewan6’0”, 200 poundsRight
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SteelSeries is known for its implementation of custom lighting on keyboards, some may think there isn’t much left to innovate in this sector but SteelSeries has come up with “GameSense” to make life a bit easier for PC gamers all around.
It’s a software based technology that is now available as a beta. GameSense uses SteelSeries’ technology to show in-game information on the keyboards.
To get a better idea of how things will work, check out the video above, that shows GameSense in action using Counter Strike: Global Offensive.
You can see that the keyboard stores information related to ammo, armor and health. You’ll notice that at the start of the match, all of the rows were completely lit. However, as the round goes on and the player is out of ammo, taking more damage, number of lit keys is reduced.
When there is only one key lit, it indicates near death or a need to reload your weapon. The keyboard also tracks headshots and kills stats.
Moreover, access to GoLisp coding language is provided in order to add more information and lighting to work on the keyboard.
The downside of GameSense is the limited games it supports. For now, there are only two games – CS: GO and Minecraft – supported by GameSense.
But the good news is that the company is making an effort to make it easier for developers to add support for GameSense, so we can expect support in a wide-range of titles in the future. |
Show Your Work Without Getting Robbed
The Internet is a wonderful way for artists to get their photographs in front of an audience, but it’s also easier than ever for content thieves and plagiarists to steal others’ work. Unfortunately, there is no way to completely protect your photographs from being appropriated, other than hiding it away from the public eye forever. (No one wants that!) However, there are some measures you can take that will make it a lot more difficult for others to get your work for free or use it without your permission.
Lower the Online Quality
Many beginners make the mistake of uploading high-quality files to their online portfolios. For making your own prints, of course, you need the highest quality files you can get. But online, smaller files will do just fine (72 DPI is the standard for web images). Try to keep your online files less than 1M, if possible. They’ll display just fine on a screen, but if someone saves one, that image won’t be very useful for them. Hardcopy print-outs of small files will be grainy (especially at larger sizes) and even digital work will seem pixelated and sub-standard. As an added bonus, small files will also load faster in browsers, giving your site a more professional, seamless effect.
Use a Watermark
You may not like the idea of stamping a big logo across your beautiful photographs, but this is a very good way to deter anyone who would want to steal it. Some photographers compromise by placing their logo in a corner—this helps, but many thieves will just crop off the edges, leaving the rest of the photo intact. There are some services which will encode a “hidden” watermark in a digital file, too, but these can be bypassed or removed. A good compromise is to use a large watermark across the image at a very low opacity. That makes it almost impossible to remove without ruining the photo, and your audience can still see how great your work is.
Be Careful Where You Submit Your Work
Submitting to publications and contests are great ways to get your work out there, but before you send your images out, do some research on the company. There are plenty of unscrupulous editors out there who only want to collect work for their own files, and have no intention of paying the artists.
Get Waivers and Contracts
If you work with models or other clients, make sure they understand your terms and conditions before turning over the finished, high-quality files. When someone else buys your work, you do have a legal right to decide what they can do with it, and it’s up to you to make this clear. You may choose to give them one-time publication rights and retain the copyright yourself. You may give them permission to re-use the images at will, with the stipulation that they don’t change or edit anything. If clients want to purchase the copyrights along with the photos, make sure you charge accordingly, since you’ll be unable to re-publish those shots yourself.
Register Your Copyright
Registered proof of ownership will certainly help you defend your case, should you ever find it necessary to pursue legal action. In the United States, you can register your photographs (singly, or in a collection) with the U.S. Copyright Office for a reasonable fee ($35.00 per application, at the time of this writing). Once you’re the registered owner of a photograph, you can sue anyone who commits copyright infringement for any profit that they may have made off of it, as well as any potential profit that you lost due to their theft.
Periodic Check-Ups
With “reverse image search,” search engines can find all the sites where a specific image has been published online. Now and then, do a spot-check on your own work. If you see one of your photographs show up on a site that you don’t recognize, don’t hesitate to follow up. Many site editors will be willing to remove an image if you ask them politely, but sometimes legal action may be necessary.
Even beginning photographers should develop good habits right away to protect their work. Which of these techniques seem to work best for you? Share your experiences with copyright infringement, and any ideas that you might have to add to the list.
About the writer: D. Scott Carruthers is from Anaheim, California. He acquired his first camera in middle school, and his natural talents soon became apparent—even as a teenager, he was sought after by local bands and fashion designers. Today he travels the world photographing celebrities, top travel destinations, and important cultural events.
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Sinterklaas, or Saint Nicholas, and his sidekicks known as Zwarte Piet, or Black Pete, in Hoorn, northwestern Netherlands, in November 2013.
Two years ago, I was a freelance reporter on the island of Curacao, a former Dutch colony and a territory once key to the European slave trade in the New World. Within a few months, I began making friends, picking up some Dutch and Papiamento (the local, Creolized language) and absorbing a bit of the culture. Before arriving there, I had been aware of the Dutch holiday tradition of Sinterklaas (something like Santa Claus) and his mischievous helper-slave Zwarte Piet (or Black Pete). I knew that many white Dutch loved to dress up as Zwarte Piet by painting their faces black and their lips bright red and donning curly wigs. I thought I was ready to face this character, who is bumbling, mischievous and dimwitted, but nevertheless kind to children.
Nothing could have emotionally prepared me, however, for my first encounters with Zwarte Piet in the flesh.
From late November to early December, I felt as though I was in a colonial “Twilight Zone.” It was like having a front-row seat to a three-week-long minstrel show, with the capital city of Willemstad as the stage. Sure enough, people dressed themselves in brightly colored costumes, painted their faces black and their lips bright red and donned coarse-haired Afro-wigs. Zwarte Piet blackfaces were on the covers of chocolates, ice cream advertisements and gift-wrap packaging. There were Zwarte Piet specials at the mall. I was struck by how deeply embedded Zwarte Piet was in the Sinterklaas tradition and how integral that annual tradition was to what it meant to be Dutch. I found it hard to process the cruel irony that an island that was founded on the trafficking of African slave labor and that was 80 percent black also participated in the Zwarte Piet charade.
I became anxious about going out for those weeks. Blackface was everywhere. There is something especially humiliating to walk about in a world where my skin and hair could be someone’s “costume” for a day. (A Dutch man jokingly told me that my natural hair looked like Zwarte Piet’s. I didn’t find that funny at all.) It got to the point where I preferred to stay home. I wasn’t particularly inclined for social outings, especially when any questions I had about Zwarte Piet were met with defensiveness (“It’s just innocent children’s fun. Do you hate children?”), outright hostility (“It’s not our fault you have low self-esteem about being black”) or even name-calling (“Aren’t you being racist for saying Zwarte Piet is racist?). Frankly, it was a damaging experience. I couldn’t wait for Dec. 5 to arrive so that I wouldn’t have to see Zwarte Piet again. There wasn’t enough pepernoten or kruidnoten in the world that could have made me stomach this tradition.
A Zwarte Piet appears in a Sinterklaas parade in Willemstad, Curacao, in 2012. (Karen Attiah/The Washington Post)
While Curacao celebrated Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet, people from other former Dutch colonies, such as St. Martin, told me that those countries are less tolerant of Zwarte Piet because they are more influenced by the United States and surrounding islands. Curacao is a bit more isolated and in many ways is under a much stronger influence from the Netherlands in its political affairs and its educational system — despite its official status as an autonomous country. So I’m not surprised that the Sinterklaas tradition was so strong there. Colonial ties can be hard to shake.
Nevertheless, dear Nederlanders:Overt celebrations of blackface characters such as Zwarte Piet do not belong in the 21st century. Zwarte Piet, under the guise of entertainment, is a modern-day commodification of blackness as caricature, the mockery of blackness for profit and mirth. I stress profit, because Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet no doubt command big business every year in the Netherlands.
Zwarte Piet simply cannot be divorced from the historical participation of the Netherlands in the trafficking of black labor across the Atlantic. “But he is loved by the children,” Dutch people would tell me. And therein lies the danger: The Zwarte Piet celebrations reinforce, year after year, that to be loved and black in Dutch society is to be subordinate and inferior, an object of mockery.
The defense of Zwarte Piet as a Dutch children’s tradition ignores (perhaps willfully) that Zwarte Piet is a common Western stereotype of people of African descent, just like Sambo in the United States, or Hergé’s depictions of black people in “Tintin in the Congo,” during the time period when the end of slavery and the beginning of the European colonial project necessitated white European supremacy as justification. Zwarte Piet cannot be considered in a vacuum outside of this particular history, nor should the tradition be divorced from the context of inequalities that exist in former Dutch colonies or contemporary racism and xenophobia that persist in the Netherlands against people of color. Dutch politicians such as Geert Wilders engage in openly anti-immmigrant rhetoric. Of the Netherlands’ 16 million people, people from the Caribbean comprise 0.9 percent, people from Suriname 2.1 percent, and Turkish and Moroccans a combined 4 percent. Up to half of respondents to a study from these communities report that they regularly face substantial discrimination in the Netherlands.
In recent years, more international attention and protests have put the Sinterklaas tradition in the spotlight. Last year, the United Nations sent Verene Shepherd to investigate the tradition. In a report to the Dutch government, she said that the “Black Pete segment of the Santa Claus tradition is experienced by African people and people of African descent as a living trace of past slavery and oppression.” She reminded the Dutch government of its obligations under U.N. conventions to respect the rights of minorities. The special team was met with harassment, threats and calls from politicians that they would rather that the Netherlands pull out of the U.N. than end the Black Pete tradition. A few weeks ago, 80 protesters were arrested in Gouda over the issue. Ninety-two percent of Dutch say that they don’t associate Zwarte Piet with slavery, and 91 percent oppose any changes to his appearance.
Do I believe that every person who celebrates the holiday is racist? Of course not. But traditions can be, if they were born during a time when people of color were relegated to being lower-class citizens and especially if they perpetuate that prejudice. Traditions can change, slowly. I do hope that one day the Netherlands will join the rest of the modern world and leave Zwarte Piet, a colorful relic of an overtly racist history, in the past where he belongs. |
Metro's new rail lines open Saturday
A Red Line train makes its way down Main Street at Capitol past the new tracks for the Green and Purple Lines on Oct. 22. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle ) A Red Line train makes its way down Main Street at Capitol past the new tracks for the Green and Purple Lines on Oct. 22. ( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Houston Chronicle Photo: Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Metro's new rail lines open Saturday 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
Saturday is the day Houston goes from having a light rail line to a light rail system.
After years of controversy and delay, Metro is opening its Green and Purple lines with a host of community events, culminating with a sold-out concert at BBVA Compass Stadium.
The openings extend light rail service from the existing Red Line to points east along Harrisburg to Altic and southeast along Scott, past the University of Houston, to the Palm Center Transit Center at Griggs and Martin Luther King Jr.
Rides are free along all rail routes for the openings. The new lines start rolling before 5 a.m.
Trains will run every 12 minutes along the two new lines during most of the day, and every 18 minutes later at night. |
Some Republicans in Congress have mounted stiff resistance to closing Guantánamo, and officials in some American communities, fearing that terrorism suspects could be tried or held in their courts or prisons, said they would fight any such plans. Also, while some European governments have promised to resettle detainees, specific agreements have been slow in coming.
The Yemenis not only are the biggest group of detainees, but also are widely seen as the most difficult to transfer out of Guantánamo. Other countries are wary of many of the Yemeni detainees because jihadist groups have long had deep roots in Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world and the homeland of Osama bin Laden’s father. If the Yemenis are not sent home, there may be few other options for many of the 97 men, detainees’ lawyers and human rights groups say.
Still, Muhi al-Deen al-Dhabi, Yemen’s deputy foreign affairs minister, said in an interview that the United States was now trying to persuade other countries to accept Yemeni detainees and appeared to have rejected Yemen’s request to have its citizens at Guantánamo returned.
“If the United States is going to transfer the Yemeni detainees to a third party, we cannot stop that,” Mr. Dhabi said.
Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, met last month with Mr. Obama’s deputy national security adviser, John O. Brennan. The State Department said Mr. Brennan raised “the U.S. government’s concerns about the direct return of detainees to Yemen.”
The Bush administration also failed to reach a deal with President Saleh, but the Obama administration had hoped to get increased cooperation from Yemen, which critics say has a history of coddling Islamic extremists and releasing convicted terrorists. Complicating the task is the fact that security in Yemen has been deteriorating for more than a year, with several terrorist attacks, including a suicide bombing outside the American Embassy compound in September that killed 13 people.
Among the 97 Yemeni detainees are some men who appear to be candidates for transfer to other countries, including about a dozen with ties to Saudi Arabia. American officials have described some of the Yemenis as jihadist foot soldiers and have suggested that a few, like a student captured while visiting other Yemenis in Pakistan, may simply have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Perhaps a dozen or more Yemeni detainees could face prosecution in the United States, including Ramzi bin al-Shibh, who was charged in the Bush administration’s military commission system with being a coordinator of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
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But with just nine months remaining before Mr. Obama’s January 2010 deadline for closing the prison, some lawyers for the men say they are becoming convinced that there may be no viable strategy to relocate them.
David H. Remes, a lawyer for 16 Yemeni detainees, said it appeared that many of the men might remain in American custody. “Unless President Obama reconsiders his decision to close Guantánamo,” Mr. Remes said, “the Yemeni detainees would have to be brought to the U.S. and put in some sort of prison.”
Although administration officials would not comment on the talks with Yemen, a senior administration official said the government was “working to ensure that any detainee who is transferred abroad will be appropriately monitored, rehabilitated, and assimilated back into their society.”
The complexities of the issues surrounding the detainees are a reflection of Yemen’s tangled domestic and international problems. It is a state that often appears on the verge of chaos. A weak central government is fighting a persistent insurgency in the north, restive separatists in the south and a growing Qaeda presence.
Some Yemeni officials say President Saleh, a wily former army officer, has used the internal threats — and perhaps even nurtured them — to press the United States and Yemen’s neighbor Saudi Arabia for more aid.
As a result, people who have discussed the detainee issues with Yemeni officials say the Obama administration’s frustration with the Yemeni government may be well founded.
Mr. Saleh has publicly demanded the return of the detainees. But Joanne Mariner, director of Human Rights Watch’s terrorism and counterterrorism program, said that after meeting top Yemeni officials, it appeared that the Saleh government seemed to see the detainees as a potential source of security and financial problems.
“Politically, they need to give the impression that they’re fighting to get their people back,” Ms. Mariner said, but she added that it was not clear whether the Yemeni officials were working to meet any American requirements.
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One senior Yemeni official, she said, seemed to suggest that Yemen would require a huge payment from the American government to resettle the detainees. A proper rehabilitation program, the official claimed, could cost as much as $1 million for each detainee, totaling nearly $100 million.
In the recent interview, Mr. Dhabi, the deputy foreign affairs minister, did not mention a price tag. But he said that creating a rehabilitation program would be “long, costly and would require cooperation.” He said the Americans were “disappointed” to hear that.
Every option for the Yemenis at Guantánamo seems to have its roadblocks. There have long been reports that many Yemeni detainees may go to Saudi Arabia’s rehabilitation program for former jihadists. That program has been widely praised in the Middle East, despite recent disclosures that some graduates who are former Guantánamo detainees have returned to terrorism.
But the Saudis have noted that Yemen demands that its citizens be sent home, and a high-level Saudi official said his country would not take any of the detainees unless Yemen asked it to. |
As the countdown to the race debut for the Nissan ZEOD RC at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours draws closer, the testing schedule for the revolutionary electric prototype has switched into high gear.
The Nissan ZEOD RC recently completed a multi-day test at Snetterton in the UK and will soon conduct its first European test at the Paul Ricard circuit in the South of France this month.
Nissan GT Academy winner Wolfgang Reip was behind the wheel at the recent Snetterton test and he will be joined by fellow Academy alumni Lucas Ordóñez at Paul Ricard.
“Testing is probably one of the most important processes of all the development of the car because it’s only when you test that you see the result of all your work and that you see what you need to improve,” Reip said.
“To really see if the car is reliable there is nothing better than a proper track test. A good test day is where you learn a lot and have the least amount of issues as possible.
“With all the information that the team get here it’s extremely useful to work afterwards at the workshop, to study the data, to improve what we need to change – all that information is extremely important.
“It’s completely different to the previous tests I have done so far in my career because everything is new. The main target is to make everything work together. On a normal test day you just focus mainly on your driving and what you need to improve behind the wheel. Here you need to really focus on what you feel about the car, it’s completely different for me – a new experience.’
Testing for the Nissan ZEOD RC has continued on two fronts. While Reip was behind the wheel at Snetterton testing the remarkable 40kg/400 horsepower Nissan ZEOD RC DIG-T R internal combustion engine, the car’s electric power plant was being pushed through its paces at the same time using a rolling road dynometer and a secondary chassis.
The Nissan ZEOD RC will occupy “Garage 56” at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. The car will become the first car to complete a lap of Le Mans on pure electric power. The car will complete one electric lap per fuel stint in the French endurance classic.
“Garage 56” is an additional grid slot reserved at Le Mans for cars showcasing new and innovative technology. Nissan plans to incorporate lessons learned from the “Garage 56” program into its planned LM P1 class assault.
“You really need to be focused on everything you feel about the car to afterwards explain to the engineer because it’s new for them, it’s new for the driver. So developing a car like the Nissan ZEOD RC is really different from traditional testing,” Reip said.
“For the team it’s definitely a huge challenge, because there are so many things to do in such a short period of time. Testing has gone well and everything will be ready for Le Mans – I’m really looking forward to it.” |
Apr 5, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Florida Gators guard Scottie Wilbekin (5) dribbles defended by Connecticut Huskies guard Ryan Boatright (11) in the second half during the semifinals of the Final Four in the 2014 NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Former Florida Gators point guard Scottie Wilbekin is reportedly set to join one of the Orlando Magic’s two Summer League teams.
Scottie Wilbekin will join one of the Magic’s Summer League teams, David Pick reports.
Scottie Wilbekin to pursue NBA deal via Summer League with Magic in Orlando and Sixers in Las Vegas, I'm told. — David Pick (@IAmDPick) June 15, 2015
Pick previously reported Chris Singleton will join the Magic’s Summer League team and InsideNU previously spoke to Erie BayHawks forward Drew Crawford and was told Crawford will join the Magic this summer too. It seems fair to expect Peyton Siva to join the Magic’s Summer League roster this year too after spending the year in Erie.
Wilbekin though presents an interesting case.
He went to school in nearby Gainesville and spent four years at Florida, helping guide them to a Final Four in his senior year. He played well in his two games in Orlando at the Amway Center during that NCAA Tournament run.
That was college though.
He spent last year’s Summer League in Orlando with Memphis and Las Vegas with Philadelphia. He averaged 3.4 points per game and 4.8 assists per game in 20.7 minutes per game (about half a Summer League game).
He went on to play in Australia this year for Cairns Taipans. He was named to All-NBL first team after averaging 14.7 points and 4.4 assists per game and was named the Team MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. Taipans made their first Playoff appearance in four years.
It was a successful year for Wilbekin there and it earned him a contract for the rest of the season with AEK Athens.
He played nine games to finish out the year, averaging 8.0 points and 2.3 assists per game.
That clearly is good enough to get Wilbekin another look in the league.
Wilbekin was something of a guy who helped settle down Florida’s offense when he was finally given the reigns in 2014. He was very different from many other of Billy Donovan’s point guards at Florida.
He also cut his teeth very much on the defensive end of the floor. That is where he made his living at Florida before being asked to take on more of an offensive role as a senior. That has translated into his professional career so far.
As noted, the Magic will have two Summer League teams this year. It remains unclear which team Wilbekin will play for in Orlando or exactly how the Magic will split their team up. It already seems to be getting pretty crowded at point guard. |
As part of my work on EveryWatt, our fledgling energy monitoring web site, I needed a way to consolidate log messages from all the data loggers we have running in a single place. If you're not familiar with it, Python's logging module is good stuff and worth checking out. We already used it for logging to files locally, and the module defines an HTTPHandler that can deliver log messages to a remote server via HTTP.
To implement the Django side, I wrote a lightweight pluggable app to receive the log messages and store them in the database. To use the app, just create an HTTPHandler that points to your Django site, and add it to a logger:
import logging import logging.handlers logger = logging . getLogger ( 'mylogger' ) http_handler = logging . handlers . HTTPHandler ( 'django.app.hostname:port' , '/remotelog/your_app_slug/log/' , method = 'POST' , ) logger . addHandler ( http_handler ) logger . info ( 'testing remote logging' )
On the Django side, navigate to /admin/remotelog/logmessage/ and you should have a nice interface (courtesy of the Django admin) to filter, search, and sort log messages as they come in. The app is called django-remotelog, and it's up on Google code. Check it out, and feel free to comment. |
When he worked for NASA as a scientist and chaplain during the height of the space race, John Stout made it his mission to get Bibles to the moon. courtesy
Kirk was a young reporter covering the space race for United Press International when he first met Stout. A chaplain to many astronauts, Stout had made it his mission to get Bibles to the moon.
When microfiche versions of the King James Bible made it to the lunar surface with astronaut Edgar Mitchell on Apollo 14 in 1971, Kirk broke the news about the "lunar Bibles" around the world.
In 2010, Stout was declared a ward of the state – a decision he opposed. At the time, the Presbyterian minister was active on the Internet, emailing friends and writing letters, Kirk said. Stout was placed into guardianship after he attempted to give a couple of small parcels of land he owned to his hometown of La Porte, Texas, Kirk said.
Stout was also the keeper of some lunar Bibles, now worth a small fortune. One hundred made it to the moon, and they’ve sold at auction for as much as $75,000 each. Stout had as many as 60 in his apartment, according to Kirk.
The state has since seized all of Stout’s property – customary in guardianship cases.
Stout’s visits have been restricted to only his son and daughter-in-law, according to court documents. Kirk said they live out of state and do not visit.
America Tonight also requested permission to visit Stout. The request was denied.
Cecilia Cavuto, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Aging and Disability Services, said privacy concerns prevented her from talking about individual cases. In an email, she said: “The most important job of any guardian is to protect the individuals he or she serves. As such there are times when a guardian must make difficult decisions such as restrict visitors for certain individuals.” |
How to Get Lectora Game Templates to Send Score Results to Your LMS
The Game Templates at eLearning Brothers have tons of fun and exciting interactions to add to your Lectora projects. These are great as stand-alone tests, but with just a little customization, you can use them to pass a score to your LMS, set up customized results, or set branching content within Lectora.
To give the Flash score to Lectora’s AICC_Score variable, both the Lectora and Flash files need to be modified to ‘talk’ to each other. The Lectora page needs to have a new variable declared on the page, and Flash needs to have the correct “ExternalInterface.call” setup in ActionScript.
Let’s start with a Lectora variable, in this case I called it “Tempscore” and I’ll use it to capture the Flash score. I set up a text box (temp2) and ran an action (setUp) to change the contents of the text box with the value of the variable “Tempscore.”
This is important since just creating the variable in the Lectora Variable Tool will not make it “visible” on that page. The text box can have white-on-white text, or be covered by the Flash file; anything is fine to hide it from the viewer.
I also made an action to run a group; we’ll call this action in the Flash later, so it’s in a group (setScore) to keep it from running on the show of page. By clicking the small arrow in the lower right of the actions box, we see the action number (action12999).
Note: I rename the action with a number, so it’s easy to match without having to open the action description again.
The “complete” group contains an action to set the AICC_Score variable to our “Tempscore” variable.
We could as easily set a test score, or in the case for our other action in the group, go to a “congratulations” page if the score is equal to or greater than 80. Another action can be set to take the user to a “sorry” page and have them take the quiz again if they do not pass.
Now for the Flash. For Game Templates like the GameShow template, the “Actions: Frame 1” ActionScript needs to be modified as shown below:
function sendScoreToSCORM(scormScore)
{
ExternalInterface.call(“VarTempscore.set”,scormScore);
ExternalInterface.call(“action12999”);
}
This sets the “Tempscore” variable to the final Flash quiz score, and runs the action in Lectora (action12999) that runs the group to set the AICC_Score and go to completed/failed.
It should be noted that the ActionScript variable name to be set can vary in different interactions; in this case it’s the “scormScore” in ExternalInterface.call(“VarTempscore.set”, scormScore);. This can usually be found on the last “Actions : Frame #” of the interaction.
With this basic concept, the ability to set up actions or results in Lectora based on the score in Flash is unlimited; let your imagination go!
Note: By the way you can do this trick with our HTML5 Games or by using our Lectora Game Templates built natively in Lectora.
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Some eLearning Games can take days, or even, weeks to develop. Save development time with our eLearning Game Templates. Click the button below to learn more.
eLearning Game Templates |
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Outside linebacker Kevin Greene goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio next month.
On a conference call Thursday, Greene told reporters that he’ll receive his Hall of Fame ring later this year in Pittsburgh and that he considers himself “always a Steeler.”
Greene played for the Rams, Steelers, Panthers and 49ers over the course of his 15-year career.
Baseball Hall of Famers choose a team upon induction because their busts wear caps, and one logo must be chosen. Pro Football Hall of Famers aren’t inducted as members of a team, no matter how many different teams for which they played.
Greene is simply choosing the Steelers over the Rams, for whom he played his first eight seasons, for his official ring ceremony. The Rams drafted Greene in the fifth round in 1985.
“Yes, I’ve been approached by the Ram organization to do something similar, but I think at this point it is expressly understood that I’m really gonna receive my ring there at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh,” Greene said, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“Really that was the pinnacle of my career there in Pittsburgh. We had the right attitude on defense. We had great weapons all-around. I played with Hall of Famers…just really the time of my life. Once a Steeler, always a Steeler.”
Greene had 160 career sacks. He had consecutive 16.5 sack seasons with the Rams in 1988-89. He had 35.5 total sacks in his three years (1993-95) with the Steelers and had two of his five Pro Bowl seasons in Pittsburgh. |
What do Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Aniston and George Clooney have in common? According to Donald Trump, they're "not hot anymore."
During his campaign rally Wednesday in Tampa, Fla., the Republican presidential nominee said the celebrities who have been hosting glitzy fundraisers for Hillary Clinton at their private mansions are no longer the cream of the crop in Hollywood.
"Her supporters have very little enthusiasm. The only people enthusiastic about her campaign are Hollywood celebrities, in many cases celebrities who aren't very hot anymore ..." Trump told his supporters.
He noted that "Wall Street donors, special interests [and] lobbyists who want to control government not to the benefit of our country but to the benefit of their wallet" are also the primary contributors to his Democratic opponent's campaign.
Clinton spent Tuesday evening at the Hollywood Hills home of Justin Timberlake and his wife, actress Jessica Biel, where the duo hosted a $33,400-per-guest dinner. The gathering was co-hosted by actress Jennifer Aniston, producer Shonda Rhimes and a handful of other celebrities.
The former secretary of state attended a separate fundraiser at the home of NBA legend Magic Johnson and his wife, Cookie, on Monday. Clinton is expected to attend eight fundraisers during her three-day swing through the Golden State. |
RTE broadcaster Eamon Dunphy has defended Gerry Adams and said controversy surrounding his alleged involvement in the murder of Jean McConville would not harm him politically.
RTE broadcaster Eamon Dunphy has defended Gerry Adams and said controversy surrounding his alleged involvement in the murder of Jean McConville would not harm him politically.
He doesn’t believe Gerry Adams’s alleged involvement in Jean McConville’s murder by the IRA in 1972 taints him as leader of Sinn Féin or even as a possible member of a future government.
“I’ll tell you what I think about Jean McConville,” the broadcaster told independent.ie exclusively.
“I think the Jean McConville case – which is forty two years old - is an atrocity of the worst possible kind: to take a mother of ten and murder her and not tell people where the body was. It was a terrible atrocity. It happened forty two years ago,” he said.
“Forty two years before that, Michael Collins and other revered Irish figures were slaughtering people. So I think there comes a put where we have to realise that this state was founded on violence.All the heroes and icons were involved in violence. Sean Lemass, for example, was a gun man, in the popular parlance.”
“Ryan Tubridy’s grandfather was a gun man and a killer and he went on to be very respected – including being Director General or Chairman of the RTE Authority.”
“So nobody in this country is in a position to claim that Gerry Adams did something that the founding fathers of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour party didn’t do themselves,” Dunphy says.
“And what’s different about Adams and McGuinness and the Sinn Fein leadership is that they ended the IRA. They took the gun out of Irish politics, they took it out of Irish politics not on their terms; there is no United Ireland. It was an enormous political achievement and I recognise it as such. Others don’t. “
“I am a big admirer of Eoghan Harris,” he says later. “We were fellow revisionists when the going was tough in the North. I think the plus on Sinn Féin’s side is the quality of the people that represent them as TDs. People like Mary Lou and Pearse Doherty.”
Asked about whether Irish people have a fear of a hidden agenda with Sinn Fein, Dunphy says: “I think there is resistance.
"I think there is a plateau where they’ll get to, where maybe they’re reaching, with middle class people, and people of a conservative disposition. They’ll say: ‘No. I just don’t trust them. And the memories of the Troubles are vivid still.’"
"But there is a new generation. It is exactly twenty years since they laid down their guns. They had a bomb in 1996 but then they stopped. The Good Friday Agreement is very old now.
"A new generation of people is going to come who won't remember the wretchedness, the atrocities that were committed - Enniskillen, Warrington, that we were all against.
"We asked them to lay down their guns, end the IRA and go into politics. They did those things. They are in politics. Now I think they should be treated on the merits of their argument. You could quibble with their economic policy in a big way. It might empty the country of anyone who is earning ten schillings a week,” he laughs.
Would he like to see Gerry Adams as Taoiseach one day?
“Gerry Adams is much more able and capable – and has a much greater political CV – than Enda Kenny...The more interesting question is: what would America and all those guys say if Gerry Adams was Taoiseach?”
Would the money run from Ireland?
“I don’t think it would, because if you look at some of the guys they deal with South America and Central America, Nicaragua and places like that, the corporate world doesn’t have a conscience. It has interests. “
So you’d market Ireland as the new Nicaragua?
“No. I think if you are saying to me would big corporate people who are important to this county, would they run away if Gerry Adams was Taoiseach. I don’t think they would. They’d run away if we changed our corporate tax rate.”
On the subject of the Labour party, Dunphy thinks “the Irish people have been betrayed by Labour in every single way".
"Labour has basically stood over things that are shameful. They have betrayed people who voted for them. Labour had a golden opportunity. It will come to Sinn Fein’s turn.
"They will have the opportunity to go into coalition. If they [Sinn Fein] go into coalition with a conservative party – Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael – they will be destroyed as well.
"We need a re-alignment. We need Fine Gael to go into government together and have a re-alignment. So we have Left/Right politics like everywhere else.”
He has no interest in getting involved in politics himself. He says he was asked by Fine Gael to stand with Lucinda Creighton in the last general election in Dublin South East. “I wouldn’t make a good politician!”
Irish Independent |
Leading the Charge If humanity were to appoint a general in our war against aging, Aubrey de Grey would likely earn the honor. The British author and biomedical gerontologist has been on the front line for years, researching ways to free the world of age-related disease and, ultimately, extend human life indefinitely. De Grey is the Editor-in-Chief of Rejuvenation Research and a Fellow of both the Gerontological Society of America and the American Aging Association. In 2009, he co-founded the SENS Research Foundation, a non-profit built around his Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS). From the SRF Research Center (SRF-RC) in Mountain View, CA, foundation scientists conduct proof-of-concept research with the goal of addressing the problems caused by aging. They focus on repairing damage to the body at the molecular level, and their work is helping advance the field of rejuvenation biotechnology.
SRF-RC teams are currently focusing on two equally complex-sounding research projects, one centered on allotopic expression (a way to bypass the harmful effects of age-caused mitochondrial mutations) and the other on telomerase-independent telomere elongation (a little-researched process by which some cancer cells overcome mortality). Either project could lead to major breakthroughs in anti-aging treatments, but as de Grey explains to Futurism, the path to immortality doesn’t just run through the science lab. No Money, Big Problems While the research being conducted at the SRF-RC is far from simple, de Grey claims DNA mutations and cancer cells aren’t the biggest hurdles to anti-aging breakthroughs: “The most difficult aspect [of fighting age-related diseases] is raising the money to actually fund the research.” The nature of most science research is exploratory. Researchers don’t know that what they’re working on is going to yield the results they expect, and even if it does, turning basic research into income is no easy task. To support their work, most have to rely on funding from outside sources, such as government grants, educational institutions, or private companies.
“[Aging] is a medical problem that needs to be addressed.” The amount of funding a specific field receives varies wildly. For example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that it allocated $5.5 billion for cancer research in 2016, while amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research received a comparatively paltry $52 million. However, raising funds for anti-aging research has proven even more difficult, according to de Grey. “It’s still an incredibly hard sell,” he claims. “We have very limited resources. We only have about 4 million dollars a year to spend, and so we spent it very judiciously.” That money isn’t going to just the two in-house projects, either. The SENS Foundation funds anti-aging research at institutions across the globe and provides grants and internships for students, so raising money to support those endeavors is key to continued success in its fight against aging. A Radical Disconnect Essential to raising money for anti-aging research is ensuring that those with the funds understands why it’s worth the investment — a not-so-easy task given current misconceptions about aging.
In 2015, eight major aging-focused organizations, including AARP, the American Geriatrics Society, and the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), released a report detailing what they call the many “notable gaps” that exist between expert perspectives on aging and the public’s perception of the process. If the public isn’t well informed on aging, it’s even less knowledgeable about anti-aging. Fifty-eight percent of respondents in a 2013 Pew Research study said they had never even heard of radical life extension before. When asked if they would undergo treatments that would allow them to live to the age of 120 or older, the majority of those surveyed said they would not, and 51 percent thought such treatments would be “bad for society.” “There is still a huge amount of resistance to the logic that aging is bad for you and that it’s a medical problem that needs to be addressed,” explains de Grey. “It’s really, really extraordinary to me that it’s so hard to get this through to people, but that is the way it is.”
The SENS Foundation focuses a significant portion of its resources toward combatting this disconnect. In 2014, it dedicated more than $1 million to outreach and education, spreading the gospel of anti-aging research through speaking engagements, newsletters, press coverage, conferences, and other forms of community engagement. Forever(ish) Young Once the field is properly funded and supported, de Grey thinks researchers will have a clear path forward to “curing” the problem of aging: Aging is not mysterious. We understand it pretty well. It’s not even a phenomenon of biology. It’s more a phenomenon of physics. Any machine with moving parts is going to damage itself…and the result is inevitably going to be that eventually the machine fails. It’s the same for the human body as it is for a car, for example, and if we think about it that way, it becomes pretty easy to actually see what to do about it. The benefits of ending the problem of aging would be tremendous. Not only would we be living longer, we’d be living healthier for longer.
Without the debilitating diseases and disorders that have become synonymous with old age — vision loss, dementia, muscle weakness — we’d have extra years or even decades to do all the things we loved to do when were were younger: travel, play sports, spend time with our loved ones. We’d avoid the personal financial burden associated with treating the side effects of aging, and some argue that governments would even see a monetary benefit from radical life extension as two-thirds of Social Security expenditures for retirees currently go toward healthcare. Anti-aging proponents like de Grey will be the people leading us toward that figurative fountain of youth, but you shouldn’t start living like you’re immortal just yet. “We have made very significant breakthroughs in some of the most difficult areas,” says de Grey. “I’m fairly proud of what we’ve achieved so far, though, of course, we still have a long way to go.” |
With new interfaces, smarter technology and deeper access to information about its users, Google is about to go places no search engine has ever gone.
Harry McCracken / TIME.com
In 1998, a new search engine from an obscure startup launched. It featured a logo, a text field and buttons for search and “I’m Feeling Lucky” — and not much else. Its name, as I don’t actually have to tell you, was Google, and it changed the way that the world interacted with information.
It’s tempting to think of Google search as something that hasn’t evolved radically over the years, in part because the Google.com homepage hasn’t changed much — the logo, search field and dual buttons are all still there. Even the results, which now weave in images, videos, Knowledge Graph summaries and other elements, are still dominated by straightforward text results of the sort that many a would-be Google rival has derided as “ten blue links.”
Under the surface, however, Google has changed plenty, in increasingly profound ways. The way we interact with it has also evolved. And if the company’s ambitious plans pay off, the Google of just a few years from now could be a new kind of search engine.
In a recent visit to Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters, I discussed the future of Google search with Amit Singhal, a 22-year veteran of the search field and the company’s senior vice president in charge of search, and some of his colleagues. They didn’t clue me in on any top-secret projects. (I didn’t even get to try on Google Glass.) But I did leave with a greater understanding of where Google thinks search should go, and the steps it’s taking to get there.
Google Amit Singhal
As Singhal stresses, all Google is doing is continuing a journey it’s already on. “Over the 12 years I’ve been here, we have changed Google every two to four years,” he says. “There have been four or five huge milestones … Google’s beauty is what hides behind that simple interface: incredibly complex mathematics.”
For search research, Singhal says, “these are supremely interesting times.” But when he describes his ideal version of Google, it doesn’t sound all that much like Google as we’ve known it. What he describes is the omniscient fictional computing device from an old TV program.
“As a little child growing up in India, I watched way too much Star Trek. That’s the vision that stuck with me,” he says, speaking of the show’s iconic computer. “You can talk to it naturally, you can ask it whatever you need to. It fades into the background. It’s just there for you.”
Singhal isn’t the only Google staffer who likes to bring up Star Trek when talking about the future of search. It’s the company’s romantic ideal of what it should be aiming for, and even in the 21st century, it still sounds futuristic.
Then again, the first rough draft of Google’s Star Trek-like vision of conversational, anticipatory search already exists. In fact, you might already be using it.
It’s Google’s search apps for Android and iOS, featuring Google Now, a feature which Google introduced in 2012 with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and brought to Apple’s iOS this April. The apps let you pull up information by talking to your phone, and thanks to Google Now, they also figure out what you might want to know, sometimes without you even explicitly asking for it. As Singhal talked about the future of search, he kept referring to the current mobile app and demoing it for me — with good reason.
The Art of Conversation
Like Apple’s Siri, Google’s mobile search uses voice recognition, natural-language technology and voice synthesis to create an interface that’s spoken as well as visual. It’s the start of the conversational Star Trek interface, and it’s critical to Google, particularly as it puts its services on new types of mobile gadgets. “If you think about something like Google Glass, there you have to rely more on the vocals because you just can’t show much,” says Scott Huffman, the company’s head of mobile search. “You’re not going to use that device to research your science project, and even for the weather what you can show is pretty minimal.”
With conversations between two or more flesh-and-blood people, the parties involved convey information to each other in an ongoing sequence that’s rich in context. Every new statement reflects the discussion up until that point. But search engines have never worked that way. Historically, as Huffman says, “Google assumes that every single thing I type stands alone.”
That’s already begun to change, whether you’ve noticed it or not. I hadn’t, to be honest, until Singhal demonstrated it to me by talking to his Android phone:
“How tall is Justin Bieber?”
“Justin Bieber is five feet seven inches tall.”
“How old is he?”
“Justin Bieber is 19 years old.”
Google understands that the subject of the first query is “Justin Bieber,” and correctly assumes that Bieber is also the “he” in the second query. If it were human, you’d expect nothing less. But for a search engine, it’s a genuine back-and-forth discussion. “Imagine this taken to the limit,” Singhal says. “You’re having a natural conversation with the machine.”
Even the simple fact that Google can tell that Justin Bieber is the subject of a query shows that the search engine has a more sophisticated understanding of the world than it once did. If you’d used an early version of Google to search for “Ricky Martin,” it would have provided you with a list of results containing his name. But all Google would have known about “Ricky Martin” was that it was a sequence of 12 characters that showed up on an awful lot of web pages.
Thanks to the Knowledge Graph, which Google announced a year ago, the search engine has a much better handle on just what “Justin Bieber” is. Search for Bieber’s name at Google.com, and the right-hand side of the results are dedicated to a summary box that contains the following:
A brief biography
His birth date and place of birth
His height
Movies and TV shows he’s appeared in
His parents
His upcoming concerts
His songs and albums
Other things people who search for “Justin Bieber” also search for: Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Taylor Swift
Superficially, the Knowledge Graph is cool, but not epoch-shifting: just-the-facts summaries complement conventional search results, but don’t supplant them. “The less people notice, the better — you want it to feel natural enough that they think it was always part of the Google search page,” says Knowledge Graph Product Manager Emily Moxley. “It’s more exciting for me to see people use it as if it were always there.”
But Google couldn’t create the summary unless it knew that Justin Bieber was a person with a height and age, among other attributes. And that understanding is why Google Now is able to hold up its end of a rudimentary conversation about him. “Our Knowledge Graph, from a back-end perspective, is as big a change to search as the original algorithms and [original Google algorithm] PageRank are,” says Singhal.
To Google, Justin Bieber is an entity — one of millions it knows about, including people, places and things. “Entities are pretty fundamental,” says Moxley. “The better we understand them, the better we understand search queries that come in, and the better results we can give to you.”
As Singhal showed me, the summary for astronaut Eileen Collins doesn’t say how tall she is; nobody cares about that. But it does specify the time she’s spent in space. The more you peruse those summary boxes, the clearer it is that the Knowledge Graph helps Google understand not only what entities are, but what aspects of them matter. “For an amusement ride,” explains Moxley, “the interesting things are how many flips it has and the height requirement and how many feet it drops.”
Even for people within the same profession, the Knowledge Graph emphasizes different facts. Search for “Barack Obama,” and it doesn’t bother to tell you his political party. It assumes you already know. For “Michael Bloomberg,” however, it specifies his affiliation.
If the Knowledge Graph were compiled by human editors, you’d just assume that they were making judgement calls about which facts to stress. But “it’s all algorithms saying, ‘this is what the world searches for’,” says Singhal. Real people ask about Bieber’s height, but not his nonexistent space-time. They know the president’s party, but are understandably unsure of serial party-switcher Bloomberg’s. As they request specific pieces of information, the Knowledge Graph is paying attention.
Today, Google understands a question which would have flummoxed it a few months ago: “How far is it from San Luis Obispo to here?” Someday, Huffman says, it may be able to answer ones such as “How long has Tim Burton been friends with Johnny Depp?” It may even be able to do something with a follow-up query such as “Why does he always cast him in his movies?” — even though there may be no single definitive answer to that one.
Still, there’s plenty of information in the world that no algorithm can grind down into a concise, canonical form. Huffman points out that “Did Natalie Portman do her own dancing in Black Swan?” is one of them. “You might think Google should say yes or no, but really there are huge arguments between Natalie Portman and her body double.” If human beings can’t untangle them, Google probably can’t either.
Very, very personal search
The Knowledge Graph is so powerful because it helps Google understand what the world cares about. That’s only part of the future-search puzzle, though. The other one is at least as important, and more controversial: What does every individual Google user care about?
For years, even conventional Google search results have reflected what Google knows about you, based on past searches and other clues. For instance, when I’m logged in to Google, I’m likely to see TIME.com results pop up more frequently than you do, simply because I visit the site so often. And searches such as “Whole Foods Market” and “Burmese Food” provide results which are at least vaguely tailored to Google’s best guess about my physical whereabouts.
Harry McCracken / TIME.com Google Now
But Google Now, and the Star Trek computer approach to search in general, aim to be far more personal than classic Google Search. Already, Now uses your phone’s GPS to keep tabs on your location — not just where you are at the moment, but where you’ve been — so it knows where you live and where you work. It scans your Google Calendar and Google Contacts to help it figure out what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with. It peeks in your Gmail to find items such as tracking information for packages on their way to you. And it checks your search history to deduce stuff like which sports teams and stock quotes you follow. Then it displays cards showing information you might be interested in.
In other words, Google Now provides a form of search which isn’t search at all, strictly speaking. It’s anticipatory rather than reactive, and the only reason it works at all is because it’s so plugged into your life.
It’s not a given that this proposition is automatically appealing to everyone. Much of what Google does isn’t, particularly when private information is involved: Gmail alarmed a fair number of people when it debuted in 2004. Google Glass is already doing so. And so is Google Now.
In 2010, Google chairman Eric Schmidt — who has a knack for phrasing things in ways that can be unsettling to mere mortals — was referring to Google Now-style anticipatory search when he told the Wall Street Journal that “I actually think most people don’t want Google to answer their questions. They want Google to tell them what they should be doing next.” You don’t have to be a Google cynic to instinctively bristle at that notion.
When Singhal talks about the same scenario, it doesn’t sound as creepy — at least to me. “We’re excited about context becoming the query,” he says, referring to Google knowing the details of your doings well enough to proactively tell you stuff it thinks you should know. “The value I get out of Google Now is tremendous. Thus, I’m comfortable with it. It’s a magical moment when I book a meal with someone, and it figures out how long it’ll take to get there and gives me a warning when I’m at work. It lets me lead a better life, in a sense, because I don’t come off as someone who’s late all the time.”
Even people who relish the idea of Google utilizing their personal information in such a matter might fret about a related privacy issue: How will the company use its increasingly deep trove of data on users to make money? All the context Google wants to collect to improve search — where people are, what they’re doing and who they’re doing it with, among other data points — will leave advertisers, who pay Google’s bills, salivating.
When I asked Singhal about the financial side of future Google search services, he said that the subject doesn’t come up in his world. “We in our group do not care about monetization,” he says. “There’s a big Chinese Wall between search and monetization. I thank [Google’s monetization team] every day for paying my salary.”
Time will tell how consumers will react to Google’s Star Trek computer vision — whether they encounter it on a computer, a phone, a tablet, Google Glass or some gizmo yet to be invented. And it won’t be that long until they have a chance to form opinions about new features which are, at the moment, still undisclosed projects in Google research labs.
The goals which Singhal and his coworkers shared with me won’t result in one magical Google upgrade which appears all at once; instead, little bits and pieces of it will arrive as they’re ready. But he sounds confident that even the most challenging parts of the dream aren’t just a dream: “Some of the things we’re working on will not come out for a year or two,” he says. “Some of it, I don’t see how it’ll come out for 3-5 years.”
“If you just peel back on what search should look like, the answers are already there. It’s just a question of how we’re going to get there.” |
“It,” the blockbuster adaptation of Stephen King’s novel about a child-eating clown, has pushed past “The Exorcist” to become the highest-grossing horror film on a domestic basis.
The crown comes with some caveats. “The Exorcist” is still the top-grossing horror film on an international basis, having netted $441.3 million globally to “It’s” $404.3 million. The horror classic also made its money in 1973, so this record doesn’t take inflation into account.
It’s still a stunning result for the King adaptation, and a reason to celebrate at Warner Bros. and New Line, the studios responsible for bringing Pennywise to the big screen. “It” has earned $236.3 million stateside. In contrast, “The Exorcist” has grossed $232.9 million domestically. In addition to terrorizing ’70s theatergoers, “The Exorcist” got two director’s cut re-releases.
“It” is directed by Andres Muschietti (“Mama”) and stars Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise, along with a kid-heavy cast the includes Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, and Finn Wolfhard. The movie follows a band of outcast teenagers as they battle a sinister force that’s terrorizing their town.
The film cost an economical $35 million to produce and pushed past “The Exorcist” after just two weeks of release. Given its monster grosses, it’s no surprise that the studio is moving forward on a follow-up to “It.”
“It” should shatter more records as it continues its torrid pace at the box office. The film is now the ninth highest-grossing R-rated release in history and the highest-grossing September release. |
I don’t live in the US but I listen to music via Spotify’s web app when I’m writing or just browsing the net. I use the free ad-supported tier because I don’t need access to premium mobile features (podcasts FTW) and it’s better than blatant piracy.
Cool Tip: I use Hola Unblocker Chrome extension to mask my real location in Spotify’s web player. That’s also how I made the Spotify account.
The reason I don’t use Spotify’s stellar Mac app is because every week or so I get kicked off for “not being in a supported country”. I need to reinstall the app and wait for the game of cat and mouse to begin again. So eventually I just gave up and settled on the web player. I don’t get support for plugins but that’s OK.
One thing I sorely miss on the Mac app is access to Mac’s built in Play/Pause, Next, and Previous keys. When you’re listening to music on Spotify/Pandora/Rdio on the web, the tab is usually in the background. I hate going hunting for it every time I need to pause playback.
Which is why I’m glad to share with you a simple Mac menubar utility that lets you control more than a dozen web based music/media player sites using your Mac’s media keys. All you need to do is use a keyboard shortcut to set the current tab as active and just like that Mac’s media keys will take over the tab’s playback.
How To Install BeardedSpice
Download the zipped file from the website, use Mac’s built in Archive Utility to unzip it, and drag the unzipped app to the Applications folder. The first time you open the app, Mac will give a default warning. Just click Open.
Hello YouTube: BeardedSpice supports video sites like YouTube and Vimeo as well with no issues in performance. Scroll to the last section for the entire list of supported services.
Now you’ll see the BeardedSpice logo in the menubar. As the name suggests, the logo is a beard and a mustache.
How To Use And Configure BeardedSpice
Now that BeardedSpice is up and running, go to any of the supported web based media players. Click the menubar utility and you’ll see the media tab listed.
Click on a web page to activate it. A checkmark beside the selected site will show up.
Configuring Keyboard Shortcuts
To make the activation process for web based players as quick as possible, BeardedSpice supports keyboard shortcuts. The default shortcut to activate BeardedSpice is Cmd+F8. F8 is conveniently also the Play/Pause key.
But for some reason I found this shortcut to be buggy. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. Thankfully, you can change the keyboard shortcut.
Click the BeardedSpice menubar utility and go to Preferences. Here click on the space beside Set active tab and type in your preferred shortcut. I have mine set to Cmd+8 as it’s right below the Play/Pause button.
Enable/Disable Supported Services
From the same Preferences menu you can decide which web players you don’t want BeardedSpice to interact with.
Here’s the entire list of supported web players:
8Tracks
Amazon Music
BandCamp
BeatsMusic
Bop.fm
Google Music
GrooveShark
HypeMachine
Last.fm
Mixcloud
Music Unlimited
Pandora
Rdio
Shuffler.fm
Slacker
Songza
SoundCloud
Spotify (Web)
Synology
XboxMusic
YouTube
VK (“My Music” from vk.com)
Vimeo
Where Do You Plan On Using BeardedSpice?
What services do you plan on using BeardedSpice with? Do you wish that it supported more players like Netflix.com? Let us know in the comments below. |
The problem with most football statistics that are displayed in the media is that they can be too heavily skewed, they normally don’t allow you to make a fair comparison between players. FutMexNation’s Tom Harrison been attempting to correct this in recent months, by using the fantastic set of data provided by sofascore to create more effective stats, and support from the team at Soccer Nurds.
First, the aim was to remove the influence that game time has on statistics, as, for example, comparing number of dribbles when two players have been on the pitch for differing amounts of time would be unfair and could lead to an incorrect judgement. Therefore, per 90-minute data was calculated, and used to analyse performance.
However, this data could still be greatly skewed, depending on how often each player receives possession in 90 minutes. A player for a side who average high possession figures, such as Tigres, is likely to receive possession more often per match than a player for a side that average low possession figures, like Monterrey. Per 90-minute data doesn’t take into account how often a player receives the ball and therefore has the opportunity to, for example, complete a dribble.
The solution was to use possessions as the control figure, rather than minutes played.
Per possession data, which looks at what each player (or team) does per 100 times that the ball is possessed, can be used to understand each player’s (or team’s) style and their efficiency in different aspects of the game.
It’s important to remember that this data is not completely perfect, as the position on the pitch where players receive possession can differ (although the impact of this is reduced if only players in similar positions are compared), but it is a significant improvement on how statistics were previously presented.
To better explain this new method of creating, presenting and understanding data in football, the Liga MX top fives in certain aspects of the game are presented below. All data is taken from the 2017 Apertura.
Please note that there may be slight errors in the stats due to human error when inputting and calculating various data
Key passes
The first focus is on key passes. Simply described, passes that lead to a shot. The graphic displays the five players with the highest number of key passes per 100 possessions across the season. 15 key passes must have been made to qualify for the top five.
Javier “Chofis” López tops the list, which puts some doubt into the belief of many that Chofis is a highly inconsistent attacking player. Luis Reyes’ position in second is extremely impressive considering he’s a full-back, whilst Elías Hernández, a strong contender for player of the season, sits third.
The top five is rounded off by Rodolfo Vilchis, who’s impressed for Morelia over the last year or so, and deserves more attention.
All of the top five are Mexican, but interestingly none of the five made the latest El Tri squad.
Crosses
Successful crosses are crosses which find a teammate. With many successful crosses leading to shots, there’s a large crossover between this stat and the key pass stat. Therefore, it’s no surprise to see Elías Hernández and Luis Reyes qualifying for both top fives.
Third place will be a surprise to many, Querétaro’s Erbín Trejo. Similarly to Vilchis, Trejo spent many years on the side-lines, but has really impressed since receiving some first-team opportunities.
Another talented Mexican makes the list, Gael Sandoval. It’s important to note that the young Santos midfielder has attempted more crosses per 100 possessions than any other player in the top five, but his cross completion rate (around 25%) isn’t too poor.
Dribbles
Here’s the top five for completed dribbles per 100 possessions. As with the crossing data, dribble attempts are also displayed in order to give an indication of dribble success rate.
Puebla’s Félix Micolta, a powerful and tricky runner, tops the list, followed by some of Liga MX’s usual suspects.
Luis Quinones has been a controversial figure at Lobos, but his position here underlines the talent that he has. Could be a quality pick-up over the winter break if Tigres don’t want him.
Shots
A surprise figure leads the shots per 100 possessions list, which gives an excellent idea of who the most direct forwards in Liga MX are.
Perhaps impacted by his usual role as a substitute, Alejandro Díaz tops the list, followed by some of Liga MX’s top strikers.
Another surprise about this top five is the lack of Dorlan Pabón. Known as one of the most shot-happy players in Mexico, Turco Mohamed has perhaps managed to cut down on Pabón’s shooting this campaign.
Goals and assists
Finally, probably the most interesting top five. Goals and assists have been added, with each player’s goals and assists per 100 possessions calculated.
Camilo Sanvezzo tops the chart, getting a goal or an assist over 4% of the time that he has possession. Extremely impressive considering the Brazilian’s previous injury problems, and suggests that Jimmy Lozano was wrong to rotate Camilo with other forwards Emanuel “Tito” Villa and Everaldo.
League top-scorer Mauro Boselli unsurprisingly sits second, but third place is a major shock. As with last season, when he had the best shots-to-goals efficiency in the division, Silvio Romero’s statistics far out-weigh how his performances come across to the eye. It’s important to remember that these stats can be skewed by luck, e.g. a deflected goal, but his high ranking in such a crucial top five cannot simply be dismissed.
Romero’s striker partner Oribe Peralta sits in fourth, showing how efficient América, whose overall statistics don’t stack up too well against other Liga MX title candidates, have been at turning possession in the final third into goals.
These top fives are just the beginning of ‘Performance 100’ data being used by myself, Tom Harrison, and Soccer Nurds. We hope that this revolutionary method of looking at data within football will help improve knowledge and understanding of the beautiful game, in Mexico and beyond. If you have any questions or requests for data, don’t hesitate to get in touch on twitter, @tomh_36.
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The name or term "Sky Lynx" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Sky Lynx (disambiguation).
Sky Lynx is the most magnificent Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Twice the bot, twice the ego.
Sky Lynx is the unbelievably talented, unsurpassably skilled, and altogether magnificent robot behind most of the greatest, most adventurous, and most daring moments in all of Autobot history. At least, if you ask Sky Lynx, that is. Not that he isn't a skilled, fast, and powerful warrior, well deserving of his rank as Lieutenant Commander—he most certainly is all those things—he's just a rather bit too eager to tell you about it. At length. However, his superiors recognize his undeniable skill and tolerate his ego. Springer has nicknamed him "Commander Modesty."
Sky Lynx's unusual form grants him several abilities. As a shuttle, he can easily travel between star systems and carry passengers as well. When transformed, he can split himself into two autonomous components: a walking lynx and a flying bird-creature. His two components can also combine into a larger and more powerful lynx-bird-creature. In some universes, he can combine to form Sky Reign.
“ Before you do anything, think, 'Is this what Sky Lynx would do in my position?', and you will not go far wrong. ” —Sky Lynx, "Call of the Primitives"
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
"I am Sky Lynx, king of kings! Look on my trouncing of Decepti-cads, ye mighty, and despair!"
In 2006, after the Autobots reclaimed Cybertron, Sky Lynx returned from another region of space to once again share his glory with his fellows. Secret Files of Teletraan II Sky Lynx made his fantastic debut when he selflessly risked his own life to save three vastly inferior specimens. Shortly after this, his peerless battle prowess was needed to fight off some ruffians. He flew his brave comrades to Earth where it took the combined firepower of the Constructicons and Trypticon to shoot him down. Even that was not enough to stop the mighty Sky Lynx, as in his lynx form, he proved instrumental in getting the new transformation cog to Metroplex, trouncing many a Decepticon along the way. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5
A Quintesson once used Sky Lynx's sublime appearance as a disguise. Somehow Ultra Magnus was unable to tell the difference between the real thing and a vastly inferior illusion and stepped on board. He surely recognized his mistake in the aftermath of the adventure, when the genuine Sky Lynx ferried him with Marissa Faireborn back to Cybertron. The Killing Jar
"Oh, hush, Grimm. I'm already fantastic." "I warned ya, bird-bot! I warned ya about them cosmic rays!""Oh, hush, Grimm. I'm already fantastic."
When the Autobots investigated into the destruction of a provincial human law enforcement space station, Sky Lynx deigned to flawlessly transport a doddering old fool, that speech-impaired imbecile and his friends to the filthy planet Goo. During the course of this investigation, Sky Lynx was forced to save his comrades from a pale imitation of himself and a mere hooligan, who had somehow obtained death crystals. Sky Lynx carried his team to Dread, where he was again forced to intercede, rescuing Blurr from a swamp while simultaneously leading the counter offensive against the Predacons. Did they not learn their last painful lesson in humility on Io? They made another attempt during the battle at Queeg Mountain, but even as Sky Lynx attempted to enlighten them on the error of their ways, a lucky shot destroyed the rock he was standing on. Naturally Sky Lynx suffered only minor damage, and he was about to execute his usual daring nick-of-time rescue for Kup and the slaves as the mountain erupted. Chaos
Sky Lynx lent his skill and finesse to the assault on Paradron after the planet was conquered by the Decepticons. His spacious cargo bay was used to transport a stockpile of guns to the captive Paradonians, so that they could join Sky Lynx as he valiantly fought for their freedom. Fight or Flee Upon the discovery of dinosaur transform static at the scene of Fort Knox's apparent theft, Sky Lynx was forced to endure a humiliating trial in Metroplex's ill-conceived kangaroo court, merely because, as that unrefined, multi-gunned cowboy put it, Sky Lynx had dinosaur electrons in his body. Be that as it may, did he have to be lumped together with such unsuitable company when he could be effortlessly tracking down and bringing the real culprit to justice? Thief in the Night
"Does this make my backside look big?"
While his beauty was gracing the entrance to a peace conference, Sky Lynx was approached by Ultra Magnus, who needed a ride to some dingy asteroid or other to save the galaxy. Sky Lynx took him there and helped him fight off a small swarm of some disgusting alien parasites. Unfortunately he was unable to fit through the corridors of the storage asteroid and thus couldn't help defeat the Decepticons, but he could at least take Ultra Magnus, Wheelie and Daniel to safety before the asteroid exploded. Surprise Party After Sky Lynx dropped Kup and Spike off at Autobot City, there was a dreadful kerfuffle resulting in him transporting a group of Autobots to Unicron's head. While he was parked outside, Scourge attacked, and Sky Lynx was forced to retreat to a safe distance, from where he was later able to swoop in and rescue Ultra Magnus and his team. Ghost in the Machine During an isidrite mining operation, Sky Lynx alerted his fellows to incoming Decepticons. A brief battled ensued, in which Galvatron claimed more Decepticon casualties than the Autobots, and Sky Lynx suggested they strategically withdraw with what isidrite they'd gathered. They swiftly did so, leaving the Decepticons to bicker. Webworld
"And that is why I am far superior to the Aerialbots. Including you, Slingshot." "YOU LIE!"
During a journey to through the Junkion sector, Sky Lynx came under attack by another pretender to the shuttle throne. The two proceeded to engage in combat, until both were fired upon by the Junkions. Though the Junkions posed no threat to one of Sky Lynx's skill, he recognized that their actions were out of place, and sped with all possible haste back to Cybertron, informing Rodimus Prime of their out-of-character actions. Despite acknowledging his "ace work", Rodimus, for some reason, dispatched those uncouth flyboys to investigate. However, Sky Lynx proved his undeniable talents by rescuing their combined form from imminent destruction. The Big Broadcast of 2006
When Perceptor detected a Quintesson signal, he naturally dispatched Sky Lynx to investigate. Unfortunately the planet from which the signal emanated proved to be covered in vegetation, preventing Sky Lynx's otherwise flawless chassis from landing and forcing him to send his passengers, Outback and Blaster instead. He was nonetheless able to provide air support against the Predacons, and spirited away the Autobots along with the Quintesson Journal they'd found. Alas, he was subsequently seized by the Quintessons. No sooner had he and his chums escaped that predicament, than they were set upon by Decepticons, who blew a hole in Sky Lynx's side and stole the journal. While they battled over control of the journal, the Quintessons reclaimed their toy, and Sky Lynx was later able to extract it from the Quintesson ship by deftly cutting a hole in the hull at exactly the right point. He could then return the journal to the peace conference, where its contents were used to settle a centuries-old war. The Quintesson Journal On one occasion, Sky Lynx's normally-superb gyros malfunctioned, causing him to crash on Cybertron. It later transpired that the glitch had been caused by anti-electrons and thus was outside Sky Lynx's control. Grimlock's New Brain
"My leading role in this episode was enough to make it the prettiest in the whole series."
Later still, during a skirmish on Earth's Moon, superior forces arrived to save the Autobots in the form of Sky Lynx, though the brutish Trypticon dared challenge him. However, before Sky Lynx could deliver what would have likely been a stunning finishing blow, the other vulgars were drawn away from the battle by a voice in the distance. For some reason, his magnificence was included in this motley crew and was even forced to voyage with them to the far reaches of space, a sojourn they surely could not have made themselves without Sky Lynx's intellect and sense of direction. Upon landing, Sky Lynx took command of that ill-tempered, uncivilized group of evolutionary throwbacks and directed them in a proper manner, a task which nearly exceeded his incredible skill. However, upon finding the caller, the fool had the audacity to call him Primitive! Can you imagine? Unfortunately for Sky Lynx, the menace Tornedron was too much even for him. Call of the Primitives
Finding Galvatron bashing on a strange disc in space, Sky Lynx released his passengers to investigate. He was unable to prevent them from being sucked through the disc into a sealed region of space, however after the seal was broken, he joined them on the newly freed world of Zamojin. The Face of the Nijika Sky Lynx carried Rodimus Prime and Kup to Japan during a Decepticon attack, arriving in time to prevent Cyclonus from shooting Defensor. Kup even complemented him on his shooting, but Sky Lynx just responded "I know". Once they'd landed, Sky Lynx passed on the message that Rodimus was wanted at the Imperial Palace by an irate Prime Minister. The Burden Hardest to Bear
In one of his most successful endeavours, Sky Lynx's unquestioned skills were called into play yet again when Rodimus Prime required a Quintesson during the Hate Plague crisis. With his customary flair and talent, not to mention amazing speed, Sky Lynx located and retrieved one, who subsequently restored Optimus Prime to life. Jolly good show! Just as Sky Lynx hoped, Optimus Prime knew how to stop the Hate Plague. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1 Sky Lynx accompanied Optimus Prime to obtain the heat resistant alloy from Galvatron. When Galvatron attempted to betray the Autobots, Sky Lynx's swift speed enabled him to grab Galvatron's cannon when it was knocked away. During the retreat, Sky Lynx was blessed by not being infected by the Hate Plague despite being grabbed onto by Jessica Morgan. Truly special this was! This did not protect him being infected by Rodimus Prime later on Earth. Sky Lynx, now freed from basic inhibitions, decided to crash through a glass window that prevented him from the sky above. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2
Japanese cartoon continuity
The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers manga
planned to be occupied on Earth. We're guessing that Sky Lynx pulled a Batman on Galvatron andto be occupied on Earth.
During a battle on planet Feminia, the Autobots fought to keep the Prime Energy Tower safe from the Decepticons. Deploying their combiners and giant warriors, the two factions found themselves evenly matched. That is, until Galvatron unleashed his trump card: Predaking. As Predaking squashed his foes, Galvatron chuckled, having ensured that Predaking's only worthy opponent, Sky Lynx, was entangled on Earth battling Decepticons in New York City. With Sky Lynx unavailable, surely nothing could stand in Predaking's way?
Then the Omnibots showed up and took him out. The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #5
Unite Warriors/Legends
In 2011, Sky Lynx carried the Disaster Relief Team made up of Hound, Ratchet, Trailbreaker and Wheeljack to the ruins of Cybertron after the planet was destroyed by Scorponok. There they discovered the intact form of Vector Sigma, which reformatted the five into new forms, granting them enhanced powers and the ability to combine into Sky Reign, a combiner that made use of Sky Lynx's beastly strength. Over the course of the next decade, the team used their abilities to rebuild Cybertron until it was inhabitable again, but the peace was shattered when Grand Galvatron attacked the planet in 2021. During the battle, Sky Lynx fought Roller to stop him from destroying the body of Optimus Prime, then combined with the others to battle Grand Galvatron directly. Sky Reign Chapter After Sky Reign was separated into his components by Megaempress, Sky Lynx was exposed to Moonheart's healing pheromones and fell asleep. Megatronia Chapter After Unicron showed up to attack Cybertron, the team helped defeat him in the form of Sky Reign. Ruination Chapter, Part Two
The Disaster Relief Team later set up a musical in which Sky Lynx played an evil dragon who kidnapped a princess. Invitation to the Dress Rehearsal! They were later deployed to the Legends World to help rebuild Akihabara after it was wrecked by Trypticon. Bonus Edition Vol. 43 When this other world was attacked by Majin Zarak, Sky Lynx helped defend it as part of the "2010 Team". Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two The Legends World ended up being destroyed, however, so Sky Lynx was among the transports that helped evacuate everyone back to their own dimension where they arrived on the planet Beast in 2023. The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 1
Madman The Transformers comic
In the year 2001, the Decepticons had managed to conquer Cybertron completely. Sky Lynx aided in the Autobots' exodus of the planet, though he came under heavy enemy fire during this mission. The Transformers
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
The wonderful thing about Sky Lynx / Is he is a wonderful thing! / His top is made out of rubber / His bottom is made out of springs!
Lieutenant Commander Sky Lynx, of the Autobot Third Air Strike Division, Monstercon from Mars! had, throughout the course of the war, been rescued several times by his old chum, Wheeljack. As such, he did not hesitate to fly to his aid when the latter called upon him to join the Autobots on Earth. There, Grimlock's less than stellar performance as Autobot leader threatened to doom them all! (The uncouth Dinobot was overly obsessed with catching the rogue Autobot, Blaster.) Upon the venerable Sky Lynx's arrival, Wheeljack requested that he put his considerable skills on temporary hold. What a waste of his immeasurable potential! Before too long, thankfully, Sky Lynx was at last called into action! After Grimlock tossed some juvenile humanoids out the airlock of the Ark into space (for "conspiring" with Blaster), Sky Lynx, with utmost aplomb, rescued them, and put to use his finest displays of agility evading those mongrel Dinobots. Indeed, Sky Lynx's feats were subverted only by the actions of another. To wit: While Sky Lynx was surrounded (which posed no true disadvantage to the ever-resourceful paragon), Blaster turned himself in to Grimlock in exchange for the guaranteed safety of Sky Lynx's young charges. Spacehikers! Totaled!
I'm off to outer space / Protecting Autobots / To save annoying kids / I am Sky Lynx!
However, before speedily returning the kids to their home, Sky Lynx took them to a traveling space carnival. As they had no money to pay for tickets, Sky Lynx charitably agreed to work for the carnival, while the kids were taken care of. Unfortunately, the fine print in the magnificent Autobot's contract made all of them permanent guests of the wretched carnival. Before Sky Lynx could effect a no-doubt-brilliant escape plan, Optimus Prime and Goldbug passed by and elected to formulate an escape plan of their own. Optimus pounced into the circus ring while Sky Lynx was about to begin his routine show, and helped ram down all performers who tried to hinder their flight from captivity. Optimus took care of most of them, saving Sky Lynx the indignity of facing down such unworthy foes as a Gilashark and Rorza, the Rocket-cycle Racer from Rigel III. On their way out, the crowd rightfully burst into cheer, and both Autobots took a bow at Sky Lynx's insistence. They then reconvened aboard the Skyhammer with Goldbug, who had been equally successful in securing Sky Lynx's charges. The Cosmic Carnival
Sky Lynx then returned the Spacehikers to Earth with flair and dispatch. The humans, however, seemed impervious to his charm, and drove him away from Earth again with thrown produce and such. Monstercon from Mars!
Some time later, the Mecannibals, through an unfair deception, managed to capture the magnificent Sky Lynx. While they did admit to his wondrousness, they unfortunately considered him wondrously tasty. Luckily, Landmine and Cloudburst happened upon the impending banquet aboard the Mecannibals' ship, and assisted in Sky Lynx's escape. Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?
"Yes, one day you two can tell your children how you were defeated by the incredible Sky Lynx."
When those selfsame Pretenders later found themselves harried by Darkwing and Dreadwind, the noble Sky Lynx showed up to repay his debt, easily dispatching the Decepticon Powermasters. He then explained to the Autobots that Hi-Test and Throttle were the binary-bonded partners of the Decepticons. (Which, really, they should have been able to figure out for themselves.) The ever-helpful Sky Lynx then held the Nebulans hostage while the Pretenders blackmailed the Mecannibals into reconstituting all their former victims. Having once again saved the day, Sky Lynx flew off into the sunset, and a shining place in history. Recipe for Disaster!
The Big Broadcast of 2006
In an alternate future of 2006, Sky Lynx's impeccable perspicacity led him to discover suspicious activity on Junkion, and he swiftly and surely reported his findings to Rodimus Prime. Rodimus recognized Sky Lynx's greatness by declaring him to be one of the best, but inexplicably sent those lesser (though still valiant) fliers, the Aerialbots, to Junkion to investigate Sky Lynx's report. After Superion was defeated by the Quintessons, Sky Lynx's redoubtable abilities were once again required for a rescue. The Big Broadcast of 2006
Regeneration One
The infusion of Nucleon into his systems boosted Silverbolt's hypersonic burn to the point that he blacked out and would have simply shot off into space if it hadn't been for Sky Lynx's quick reactions, as he managed to grab the Aerialbot in time. Destiny, Part Two
Transformers in 3-D
Sky Lynx was hanging around Autobot headquarters on Cybertron when Ultra Magnus checked in with Hot Rod to see how the situation was progressing. The Test
He acted as transport for Ultra Magnus's team as they searched for Metascan Alpha. After a stop on a moon, they reached a city under attack from the Destructons, but were forced to retreat when the enemy proved too much for them to handle. Sky Lynx made it as far as the moon before running out of energy. The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
After awakening from the Great Shutdown, Sky Lynx found himself operating the regime of that uncharismatic, mono-visioned walking calculator, Shockwave. Sky Lynx was requisitioned into mere transportation for Optimus Prime's little brother when he traveled to an insignificant backwater planet to arrest the long-lost Autobots. When Ultra Magnus learned of Shockwave's plans to deactivate the Autobots, he lost his temper and hit a console inside of Sky Lynx. While this news was most distressing, it did not warrant such uncivilized violence against one's vehicle. Brothers' Burden When that small and irritating little flyboy inevitably ran like a coward, he attempted to commander the magnificent Sky Lynx as his transportation. Imagine the horror etched on the faces of his terrified crew when Sky Lynx refused to accept their navigational commands and flew off at his own volition! Revelation
Unfortunately, that monotoned malcontent managed to hack into Sky Lynx's impressive neural processors, and even though he put up a valiant struggle against his Decepticon passengers, he was forced to bring them to the Nemesis on Earth. Black Sunshine
It tickles!
Sky Lynx found himself embarrassingly captured by the Decepticons under Starscream and his band of merry miscreants, as, of all things, a punching bag for their training! Far be it for him to refuse combat, but did these fools not realize they were up against the mighty Sky Lynx, even with the Decepticon energy dampeners in effect? Sportingly, the Autobot lieutenant commander warned Starscream that it was hardly a fair match, which the Decepticon, for some reason, misinterpreted to mean that it was not fair to Sky Lynx.
Taking advantage of Starscream's gross overconfidence, Sky Lynx tipped the scales further in his favour by splitting in half into his separate lynx and dinosaur modes, then soundly thrashing the pitiful Combaticons before the shocked Starscream reactivated the energy dampeners.
Naturally, Sky Lynx's personal punching bag Predaking only appeared after his magnificence was offline, which is just typical, really. The Route of All Evil
Shell Game
Sadly, this world may never know of his magnificence.
In Viron 704.31 Epsilon after the disappearance of several Autobots due to Unicron's abductions, Optimus, Sky Lynx, Hound, and X-Brawn did their best to hold out against Megazarak, but they ultimately all fell to the tyrant's onslaught. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/30
Sky Lynx's corpse was thereafter visible on the surface of Cybertron. Shell Game
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Sky Lynx was used as a transport by a group of Autobots on a mission to rescue Bumblebee and Orion Pax from the Decepticons. He was magnificent, as always. Cause and Effect Sky Lynx would later help transport the Autobots to the Iaconian Newsfeed Service headquarters where the Autobots would hack it to rally more allies for an assault against the Decepticons. Broadcast
When the Toraxxis mega-refinery came under attack from Scorponok, an Autobot strike force scrambled to the location on board Sky Lynx, Faces of Darkness whose participation in the battle naturally ensured an Autobot victory. Rage Sky Lynx was later carrying the Dynobots to Iacon when he received new orders to help prevent a riot at Starsreach Spaceport. Massacre Following Trypticon's defeat, Sky Lynx took Grimlock and Hot Rod on a fly-by over Harmonex to confirm the body of the beast was still there. It wasn't. Primacy #1 Soon after, during the Decepticons' siege on Iacon, Sky Lynx joined up with Optimus and the other Autobots who had been protected from the Cons' bombardments by Trailbreaker. Primacy #4 500,000 years ago he participated in the final defense of the Autobot base, Metroplex. Hello Cruel World
After the war ended, Sky Lynx was, of course, smart enough not to be on the Lost Light, but, along with Bumblebee and Prowl, had a good view of her fate. How to Say Goodbye and Mean It Later, Sky Lynx was seen hovering over a crowd of peasants. The Autonomy Lesson He visited Maccadam's Old Oil House with Bluestreak and Cliffjumper after Blurr reopened it. A Better Tomorrow
Sky Lynx was entrusted with the important task of carrying Ironhide and those ungrateful Dinobot ruffians into Cybertron's wilderness in search of the missing Aerialbots, and made sure to entertain them with many fascinating stories of his glorious victories and accomplishments during the war on the way. Alas, the magnetic interference in the wilderness proved too much even for his finely-tuned navigation systems, and he was forced to leave them to carry on their mission on foot. Dinobot Hunt The strain on his systems only got worse from there, and by the time he reached Iacon he could no longer stay airborne and crash-landed violently. He managed to tell Bumblebee that he lost Ironhide and Dinobots "to the night" before starting to drift in and out of consciousness. Night and the City Wheeljack would later mention that he was recovering. Primus: All Good Things
Sky Lynx had made a full recovery by the time the Lost Light returned to Cybertron, and joined in the celebrations. The Becoming He subsequently attended the trial of Megatron. Towards Peace Months later, Optimus Prime made the wise decision to bring Sky Lynx on a mission to Earth to investigate a lead left by Alpha Trion. Greeted by a barrage of missiles from the humans, the Autobots abandoned that clumsy Ark-7 in favor of using the smaller Sky Lynx to reach the surface. Hello Cruel World On Prowl's orders, Sky Lynx delivered the Constructicons from the Ark-7 to the battle in Poverty Flat, Detonation Boulevard then ferried everyone straight back to the ship where he got some energon to slurp. The Mind Bomb
Next, Sky Lynx carried the team to the Earth Defense Command base on Bikini Atoll, staying clear of the actual fighting. Full Fathom Five Once their mission to rescue Alpha Trion was complete, Sky Lynx returned and carried the team to safety. I Dream of Wires When Arcee and Jetfire rather rudely burst into the hangar following an alarm, Sky Lynx explained to them how Optimus and Alpha Trion had equally rudely left the Ark-7 aboard Prime's personal shuttle without so much as a greeting. The Crucible
When Cosmos came under fire while investigating the remnants of the EDC's Bikini Atoll base, it was up to the valiant Sky Lynx and his comrade, Sideswipe, to come to the rescue of the hapless 'bot. Sky Lynx had much fun destroying the target-seeking missiles before returning to the Ark-7. Signals, Calls, and Marches Sky Lynx was hesitant to fly Prowl and the Constructicons to Tokyo, seeing as how the absent Optimus hadn't authorized such a mission, but begrudgingly did so after Prowl argued that he was in charge in Prime's absence. Vs. When Kup and Sideswipe confronted Sky Lynx about his going through with this trek against Prime's orders, he claimed that Prowl had been supplying him with some top-class Engex, and couldn't see him getting into that much trouble. ONoffON Prowl failed to live up to expectations, however, and it was up to Sky Lynx to come in as the cavalry once again during the Decepticons' fight with Devastator in Wanmu. Sky Lynx restrained that clod, Galvatron, and spat fire at Devastator until the combiner came to his senses; after which, Sky Lynx took the Autobots and Constructicons back to the Ark-7 with a space bridge in tow. The Obliterati
When Arcee brought an Onyx tablet aboard the Ark-7 for examination, Sky Lynx tried to tell his fellow crew members of how useless looking at such primitive human tech would be, but alas, his advice was harshly brushed aside. Now and On Earth When the Autobots discovered some mysterious Cybertronian source code within the device, as well as a quantum signal within it leading to Earth, Sky Lynx went alongside Jetfire and transported Jazz and Kup to the signal's source on the Antarctic island of Bouvetoya. However, Sky Lynx looked on in horror as the team was soon attacked by Garrison Blackrock's Thrust/Ramjet clone-combiners and tried to help by opening fire on them. Finding that the group of combiners were too powerful even for him, Sky Lynx began to fly back to the Ark-7 for assistance. As the violent brutes revealed they could transform and flew after him, Sky Lynx tried leading them to get within range of the Ark-7's weapons; however, the very same Onyx tablet that Sky Lynx warned against looking at took control of the ship's systems and raised its deflector shields just as Sky Lynx was about to reach it, causing him to crash into the shields quite violently and be knocked offline. The combiners then promptly took the finest Autobot of them all captive. This is why one should always listen to Sky Lynx! The Nothing Man
Imprisoned by Blackrock with the other defeated Autobots in a secret, black liquid-filled chamber of the EDC's Bikini Atoll base, even the weary Sky Lynx was rather surprised when none other than Jetfire's drone D.0.C. came to rescue them (although it reminded him of another, sure to be exciting story he promised to tell the drone later). After D.0.C. cut open a hole in the room's ceiling, Sky Lynx emerged from it with the other Autobots, free once more and as majestic as ever! Helden
As the EDC started making preparations for a full-spectrum mindbomb to try to stop Galvatron and his forces after he had gone turncoat, the still-injured Sky Lynx happily volunteered to provide some information about their neocortexes. The humans would have obviously been lost without him. When Optimus and some other Autobots arrived at the EDC base in the Skyroller to pick up their wayward comrades, Sky Lynx climbed aboard. Once Upon a Time on Earth To convince the humans of their innocence, Sky Lynx and his comrades began flying across the globe, heroically helping the small creatures with their petty problems. Edge of the Earth
Indispensable as ever, Sky Lynx carried a complement of Autobots and Decepticons over the ocean to make an attack on Galvatron's submerged base, the Nemesis. Tragically, Sky Lynx fell victim to the energies of the Enigma of Combination, turning him into the torso of Sky Reign (He remained as strikingly handsome as ever). It's Beginning To And Back Again He reverted to normal after Superion loutishly tampered with the Enigma and nullified its effects. As Above...So Below Sky Lynx helped mop up what Decepticons had been left behind after cowardly Galvatron's absconsion White Light, but found themselves having to deal with the bothersome forces of the EDC, now under the command of the brutish Joe Colton. White Heat Some months later, Sky Lynx and some of his comrades were on Cybertron to assist in relief efforts in the wake of Bruticus's rampage. Concorde Hymn
In the wake of the "Revolution" incident, Sky Lynx remained on Earth as Optimus Prime and the Autobots maintained the peace. He ferried Optimus Prime and some Autoobts to a meeting with the wretched Junkions on the Matterhorn, then took the group back to Autobot City, where we was bothered by a group of utterly childish Autobot recruits demanding to know more about the new arrivals. A Lonely Pillar on the Plain Sky Lynx later attended a meeting between Optimus Prime and some dignitaries, which would have been impossible to arrnage had it not been for his impeccable presence on the deck of Metrotitan. It was a tragedy, then, that the uncivilized Junkions sought to spoil this momentous event by unleashing a school of ravenous Sharkticons on all assembled. Dance Among the Shadows Fortunately Sky Lynx was there to ferry the injured Sideswipe to safety with alacrity and aplomb. Future Glories Lost
Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe
Pursuing the AllSpark after it had been launched into space, Sky Lynx was one of the many Autobots that found his way to Earth. There, he participated in a great battle within a human settlement against the Decepticons. The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe
Transformers × Evangelion
Sky Lynx arrived on Earth with a team of Autobots on board just as the Angels were advancing on Tokyo-3. Mode "Eva" chapter 1
Ask Vector Prime
Vector Prime noted that 'bots such as Sky Lynx had mitotic sparks. Ask Vector Prime, The Complete AllSpark Almanac
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Sky Lynx served as Rodimus's steed when the Autobot and Decepticon armies clashed. Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12 After the war was won, Rodimus was still seated on Sky Lynx as he was made ruler of Cybertron. The War Never Ends
Commercial appearances
When Grimlock and Slag found themselves imperiled by an attack from Predaking, Sky Lynx swooped down and blasted away the Decepticon combiner before unleashing his fiery breath onto his foe. Sky Lynx commercial
Games
The Transformers (PS2)
Decepticon story
While searching for Zel Quartz in the present, the Decepticons hunted down several leads, including the Gem of Mystery. Sky Lynx and Ultra Magnus defended the Gem of Mystery from Decepticon raiders. They failed, but the Gem was not the fabled Zel Quartz in the end anyway. The Transformers
Transformers: Legends
Sky Lynx was part of an escort squadron led by Omega Supreme, tasked with protecting important cargo from a Decepticon strike force. Cold Delivery
In the aftermath of the restoration of Cybertron, Sky Lynx led a small team of Autobots in attempting to map the changes to their planet. They were briefly delayed by Spinister and Acid Storm. The Autonomy Lesson
Transformers: Earth Wars
When I split apart, my ego doesn't decrease, it merely doubles (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Class : Triple Changer
: Triple Changer Lowest Star Rating: 2 star
2 star Abilities: Being a triple changer, Sky Lynx has two abilities available to him: Flamestrike : Set the target on fire dealing 109 damage over 8 seconds. Follow with Plasma Shroud: re-ignite the target dealing 169 damage over 6 seconds. Plasma Shroud : Ionized plasma lowers enemy damage by 50% for 7 seconds. Follow with Flamestrike: trigger a plasma burst dealing 121 damage in a big area.
Sky Lynx at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki
Toys
Generation 1
Sky Lynx (Motorized Space Shuttle, 1986)
Part cat, part bird, part danger, all applesauce.
Sky Lynx transforms from a space shuttle with crawler-transporter into two smaller robots; the shuttle grows legs to become a prehistoric bird, while the crawler-transporter grows a head and two tails to become a lynx. The two can then combine into a super robot with the legs of a lynx and the upper-body of a prehistoric bird. The crawler-transporter section has a battery-powered motor that rolls him along in transporter shuttle mode and activates a slow, ungainly walking action in lynx/lower-body mode. The shuttle also has an opening "cargo bay", though there is no room to store anything in it. Even though it fails to capture his magnificence fully, it is still the apex of toy technology.
Unlikely as it may seem that anything could improve upon the perfection of this design, there were two different versions of this toy, released a year apart. On the first version, the rear thruster panel was connected to the body by a basic hinged piece. The second release modified this hinge so the panel could extend out from the body slightly, allowing a little more room for opening the panel and extending the tail.
Unusually for a toy of his size, he has no other accessories packaged with him. But then again, why add to something that is already perfect?
Along with Omega Supreme, Sky Lynx was licensed from a company called Toybox. As a result, Sky Lynx was not initially released by Takara in Japan. They were robbed. They. Were. Robbed.
Encore
Sky Lynx (Encore, 2008)
In February 2008, TakaraTomy's Encore line of reissues had the glorious honor of re-releasing Sky Lynx. This was the first time that this masterpiece of a toy was sold in Japan. As if it was possible, TakaraTomy made perfection even more perfect by painting the shuttle's mouth cannon and the lynx's eyes, and making the gold chrome more subtle.
Generations
Aaron Archer had to quit Hasbro to make this possible!
Sky Lynx (Voyager Class, 2016) 3 OF 5: Sky Reign Accessories : two sword-rifles
(Voyager Class, 2016)
From the sixth wave of Voyager Class toys from the Combiner Wars portion of the Generations toyline, Sky Lynx is a superbly-engineered Voyager-class toy which transforms from shuttle to dinobird. While not specifically called out in the instructions or on the box, Sky Lynx is also able to transform into his glorious lynx mode. Sky Lynx can combine with any Deluxe Class Combiner Wars figures, and can impart a fraction of his innate magnificence upon them to form the splendiferous Sky Reign. Although he can no longer split into his two components, such a minor exclusion does naught to mar his superb excellence.
Unlike most Voyager Class Combiner Wars figures, Sky Lynx's weapons aren't shown in his instructions at all. They can be combined to create a larger sword for Sky Reign, and as further proof of his superiority, they can be combined with either serving as the hilt: they're not limited to combining in a single way like other, less magnificent combiner weapons. They can be attached to his wings to function as cannons in any mode, or peg onto his center thruster fin to form a magnificent tail in beast mode. He also has 5mm peg holes on his wings, front feet, and hips, though his superior self scarcely needs additional weaponry given his unrivaled greatness.
This mold was also redecoed/retooled into Deszarus, with a decent new head.
Unite Warriors
Hi. I'm better than you. I'm better than all of the other combiners, because I turn into a kitty. Meow!
Lynxmaster (Multi-pack, 2016-10-29) Japanese ID number : UW-EX Accessories : two sword-rifles
(Multi-pack, 2016-10-29)
Takara's glorious iteration of Combiner Wars Sky Reign is sold in a gift set including all five Autobots (with Ratchet replacing Smokescreen). Sky Lynx has some splendorous changes and some sub-par omissions in deco to better match their component's marvelous appearances in the Generation 1 cartoon.
Lynxmaster was released as a Takara Tomy Mall exclusive, with the preorders opened at Thursday, 9th of June afternoon till Thursday, 30th of June. It shipped October 29.
Notes
In his Transformers Universe profile, Sky Lynx's "Lynx" component is instead identified as a puma and his bird component is identified as a "dinobird".
profile, Sky Lynx's "Lynx" component is instead identified as a puma and his bird component is identified as a "dinobird". Original scripts for the Generation 1 cartoon identify Sky Lynx's beauteous combined form as his "Dinoblast" mode.
On numerous occasions throughout the Generation 1 cartoon, Sky Lynx's pristine form was blemished with a Decepticon insignia, too often to be an accident. This suggests that a character model bearing the insignia existed that was being drawn from in these instances, in turn implying that Sky Lynx may have been originally characterized as a Decepticon. This fits well with the fact that his perennial rivals, the Predacons, started out the design process as a team of Autobots known as the Anibots!
The true nature of Sky Lynx's transformation remains a mystery even to those intrepid souls who endeavor in that most worthwhile task of chronicling his many laudable adventures. In the Marvel Comics, for example, Sky Lynx does not split into two beast modes; rather, he seems to be a Triple Changer of sorts who has a shuttle mode, a lynx mode, and a bird mode which sometimes retains the four-legged undercarriage ("Spacehikers!") and sometimes doesn't ("The Cosmic Carnival"). While some might see these as "inconsistencies", Sky Lynx's design is grand enough to encompass all such possibilities, so these alternate depictions of his transformation disturb him not in the least.
Though it chafes the magnificent Sky Lynx to share an origin with the ungainly (if powerful) Omega Supreme, both were originally created by a company known as Toybox, from whom Hasbro licensed the designs for sale as Transformers. As with Jetfire and the Deluxe Insecticons, this meant it could not be sold as a Transformers toy in Japan, since Takara didn't want to promote its competition's toys. Thus, Japan was unable to experience Sky Lynx's full grandeur—but such glory could not be denied forever! Sure enough, when Takara merged with former competitor Tomy, the situation changed. After the merger, an especially perspicacious member of the TF development team spotted a "shuttle dinosaur" development code name among the molds listed in Tomy's possession. Soon, the truth of Sky Lynx's esteemed lineage emerged: Toybox was not the original equipment manufacturer, but rather, it had requested that Tomy develop the Sky Lynx design on its behalf. (Such outsourced design and mold development was not uncommon in the Japanese toy market at the time.) This unsung hero of a developer called attention to the fact, helping initiate the process for issuing Sky Lynx as a Japanese Transformers toy for the first time ever. Had the situation moved a bit more slowly, the molds might have been lost forever—a tragedy of such magnitude, it scarcely bears consideration. [1]
Fireflight's puny Classics figure was at one point conceived as Sky Lynx, but someone at Hasbro must wisely have decided that a mold as diminutive as Jetfire's simply wouldn't do for a 'bot of such stature.
Foreign names
Japanese: Sky Lynx (スカイリンクス Sukai Rinkusu )
(スカイリンクス ) Hungarian: Légihiúz ("Air-Lynx")
("Air-Lynx") Italian: Argon
Mandarin: Tiān Māo (天猫, "Sky Cat")
(天猫, "Sky Cat") Russian: Bravyj (Бравый, "Gallant")
(Бравый, "Gallant") Ukrainian: Nebesna Rys' (Небесна Рись, "Sky Lynx")
References |
NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—In a stunning rebuke of the President-elect, a new poll shows that a majority of Americans favor keeping Air Force One and cancelling Donald Trump.
According to the poll, ninety-four per cent of Americans believe that Air Force One is qualified to be an airplane, while only twenty-one per cent feel that way about Trump as President.
When told that Air Force One has a mobile command center capable of launching a nuclear attack, a broad majority said that they would feel safer with Air Force One flying around with no one in it for four years than with Trump on board.
And, in perhaps the most troubling result for Trump, if a Presidential election were held today, Air Force One would defeat him by seventeen points.
Appearing on CNN, Trump surrogate Kellyanne Conway called the poll results "meaningless" and said that they would not prevent Trump from starting Twitter wars with other inanimate objects. |
The Senate inched closer to approving a bipartisan budget deal today when it cleared a procedural hurdle with the help of 12 Republicans.
The Senate voted 67 to 33 to prevent a filibuster on the budget agreement, which was brokered between Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Was.
"This bill isn't exactly what I would have written on my own, and I'm pretty sure it's not what Chairman Ryan would have written on his own," Murray said on the Senate floor today. "It's a compromise, and that means neither side got everything they wanted, and both sides had to give a bit.
"This bipartisan bill takes the first steps toward rebuilding our broken budget process. And, hopefully, toward rebuilding our broken Congress. We've spent far too long here scrambling to fix artificial crises instead of working together to solve the big problems we all know we need to address."
Twelve Republicans joined Democrats in voting to end debate on the bipartisan deal: Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Orrin Hatch, R-Utah., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., John McCain, R-Ariz., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rob Portman, R-Ohio.
McCain, Hatch, Isakson and Johnson have indicated they will support the entire deal, which only needs 51 votes to pass.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the budget measure, which could help avert another government shutdown in January, with a vote of 332-94 last week. But the Senate vote, which is likely to occur Wednesday, is expected to closer as many Senate Republicans, including potential 2016 contenders, have come out in opposition to the deal.
"The new budget deal moves in the wrong direction: it spends more, taxes more and allows continued funding for Obamacare," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said last week. "I cannot support it."
Added Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.: "I cannot support a budget that raises taxes and never balances, nor can I support a deal that does nothing to reduce our nation's $17.3 trillion debt." |
Hospital X
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 1 - Colored cells
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 2 - The ghost
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 3 - Seclusion
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 4 - Hygiene
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 5 - Hangers
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 6 - Classic
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 7
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 8 - Jackpot
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 9 - Soap
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 10 - Peeling
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 11 - Symmetry
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 12 - The gate
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 13 - Brooms
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 14 - The porch, only opening on the outside world.
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 15 - Day room
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 16
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 17 - Notice the lack of handle inside the first cell on the right...
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 18 - Rose
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 19 - Men
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 20
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 21 - Locker room
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 22 - One military shelter can be found in the underground tunnels.
Hospital X - (c) Forbidden Places - Sylvain Margaine - 23 - Remains.
The map of the building 25 we explored. Click to enlarge! The map of the building 25 we explored. Click to enlarge!
The Scary Building 25
In 1870 the State of New York purchased land from local area farmers. In 1912, after the construction was completed, the hospital was opened boasting 32 patients. The campus began to grow at a rapid pace and soon had a total of 50 buildings. In 1959 the hospital is reported to have housed 7,000 patients.
During the 1960’s the asylum was described as overcrowded, poorly equipped, and understaffed. During this era the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric patients caused the decline of many asylums and mental hospitals. Without patients to sustain them they slowly fell into disrepair.
Today most of the buildings are empty and remain abandoned. Less than 500 patients were still housed in the facility during our visit in 2007. We managed to pass patients and ambulances on the immense half-abandoned and forgotten campus even though it was mainly deserted. Strange visions in this desolate landscape.
We explored building 25 and it contained cells, solitary seclusion rooms, a refectory and day room with strange paintings on the walls. Two sad dilapidated porches with thick steel bars are the only glimpse of the outside world patients could expect. One can only try to imagine and guess what types of mental illnesses were present in such a large facility with overcrowding.
The childlike painting on the walls are part of the therapy at this hospital. Notice the very sharp teeth on the dog?
Try to guess what the child has in his hand? A knife? Or is he merely petting the dog? You decide. The childlike painting on the walls are part of the therapy at this hospital. Notice the very sharp teeth on the dog?Try to guess what the child has in his hand? A knife? Or is he merely petting the dog? You decide. |
Communist Research Cluster announces the release of the latest volume of our Communist Interventions reader series: Revolutionary Feminism. Featuring Marxist, anarchist, and other revolutionary feminist theoretical debates from the late 19th century to 1984, Revolutionary Feminism offers a foundation for thinking through capitalism and gender today.
A PDF of the full reader is available for download on the Readers page.
Reading groups are starting in the fall, see here.
Table of contents:
1. Engels
2. Second International
3. Anarchism
4. Russian Revolution
5. American Communist Party
6. Women’s Liberation
7. Gay Liberation
8. Socialist Feminism
9. Sexual Violence
10. Black Feminism
11. Biological Reproduction
12. Wages for Housework
13. Materialist Feminism
14. Domestic Labor
15. Sexuality
16. Dual Systems
17. Social Reproduction
Women must completely discover their own possibilities—which are neither mending socks nor becoming captains of ocean-going ships. Better still, we may wish to do these things, but these now cannot be located anywhere but in the history of capital. – Mariarosa Dalla Costa
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CLOSE A Pennsylvania woman whose dismembered 14-year-old daughter's remains were found in the woods last fall has been charged along with her boyfriend with killing the girl in what officials are calling a "rape-murder fantasy" the couple shared. USA TODAY
Sara Packer, center, handcuffed, the adoptive mother of Grace Packer, was led out of District Court in Newtown, Pa. by Pennsylvania Constables and taken into custody. Packer, whose teenage daughter's dismembered remains were found in the woods last fall, has been charged along with her boyfriend Jacob Sullivan with killing the girl in a "rape-murder fantasy" the couple shared, a prosecutor said Sunday. (Photo11: Michael Bryant, AP)
The mother of a teenage girl found dismembered in Northeastern Pennsylvania last fall was charged along with her boyfriend of killing the 14-year-old, prosecutors said Sunday.
Grace Packer was killed as part of a “rape-murder fantasy,” that her adoptive mother Sara Packer carried out with her boyfriend Jacob Sullivan, 44, according to a statement from Bucks County District Attorney Mathew D. Weintraub.
“Unfortunately, Grace Packer was a disposable child to these people,” Weintraub said.
Packer and Sullivan face a slew of charges including kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child, abuse of a corpse, and simple assault, according to online court documents. Sullivan also faces rape charges and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
Sullivan told detectives that he and Packer had planned Grace's murder in 2015 after she returned home from staying with family in North Carolina.
On July 8, 2016, Packer and Sullivan led Grace to the attic of a home the couple was renting. Sullivan beat and raped Grace while her mother watched, Sullivan told detectives. After the attack, Grace was poisoned, bound and gagged and left in a closet to die.
The couple later returned to check on Grace and found that she was still alive, so Sullivan said he strangled her, according to officials.
Sullivan told investigators that Grace’s body was packed into a container with cat litter to mask the smell, and left in the attic until an October police visit scared the couple.
Sullivan and Packer dismembered Grace’s body after the police visit, and her torso was found by hunters in Luzerne County Park on Oct. 31, according to officials. A K-9 unit found other body parts nearby, according to the statement.
Sullivan and Packer were both arraigned Sunday, hours apart.
The couple had been hospitalized since Dec. 30 after attempting to overdose on pills as part of a suicide pact, according to a criminal complaint.
Sullivan admitted to hospital officials that he killed Grace and that Packer acted as his accomplice, according to Weintraub.
Packer, who reported that her daughter went missing from their Abington home in July, was previously charged with obstructing the administration of law for providing misleading information to authorities.
Packer and Sullivan are being held without bail.
Follow Mary Bowerman on Twitter: @MaryBowerman
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2iaede2 |
wikimedia The Kremlin and the White House have provided conflicting explanations for why President Donald Trump's son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, met privately with the CEO of a state-owned Russian bank during the transition period.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Tuesday that Kushner's meeting with Vnesheconombank CEO Sergey Gorkov in late December "was ordinary business," echoing the bank's previous claim that it had met with Kushner in his capacity as "the head of Kushner companies."
"As part of the preparation of the new strategy, executives of Vnesheconombank met with representatives of leading financial institutes in Europe, Asia, and America multiple times during 2016," the bank told Reuters on Monday night.
"During the talks, the existing practices of foreign development banks and promising trends were discussed," it added. It also said the meetings took place "with a number of representatives of the largest banks and business establishments of the United States, including Jared Kushner, the head of Kushner Companies."
That appears to conflict with the White House's version of events, which is that Kushner met with Gorkov as a representative of Trump's transition team.
"Jared attended the meeting in his capacity as a transition official," a senior White House official told Business Insider on Tuesday. "Nothing of substance was discussed. There was no follow-up."
The official added that the White House statement from Monday — that Kushner took the meetings as part of his role as "the official primary point of contact with foreign governments and officials" — still stands.
"Given this role, [Kushner] has volunteered to speak with Chairman Burr's committee but has not yet received confirmation," the official added, referring to Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The meeting happened while Kushner's company was trying to find investors for an office building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. That building is now set to be heavily financed by Anbang Insurance Group, a firm with ties to the Chinese government. But White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks told The New York Times on Monday that the "Kushner Tower" project wasn't discussed during the meeting.
The seemingly conflicting characterizations of the meeting, which was not disclosed publicly until Monday, raise more questions about what kind of contact Trump's associates had with Russian officials through the latter half of 2016, as Russia was attempting to sway the outcome of the election in Trump's favor.
Kushner also met with Russia's ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, in December at Trump Tower with Gen. Michael Flynn, then the national security adviser. Kislyak set up the meeting between Kushner and Gorkov, according to The Times.
The circumstances surrounding Kushner's meetings with Gorkov are murky not only because its purpose remains unclear, but also because Vnesheconombank was sanctioned by the US in 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea.
"It's an unusual/more significant meeting given that Vnesheconombank was on the sanctions list," Ian Bremmer, president of the political risk firm Eurasia Group, said in an email. "The obvious reason would be that they hoped for better treatment under the Trump administration.
"We know that was the content of Flynn's discussions with the ambassador — which he specifically lied about," Bremmer added. Flynn was forced to resign in February after reports emerged that he had discussed the issue of US sanctions on Russia with Kislyak despite telling Vice President Mike Pence, and the public, that he hadn't.
"Those sanctions weren't as bad as the tanking oil price, but they were a significant hit to the Russian economy, Bremmer said. "Removing them would have been a priority for anyone close to the Kremlin. And Jared was the most important interlocutor for Trump on foreign policy at that point."
Vnesheconombank had huge success between 2007 and 2014 but came crashing down when oil prices tanked and President Barack Obama leveled sanctions against Russia. By February 2016, the bank — whose stated mission is to "take efforts to make the Russian economy more competitive, diversify it, and foster investment" — was struggling to find enough cash to stay afloat. Its bailout needs to stay operation from 2016 to 2020 had increased to $16 billion, Reuters reported at the time.
That was vexing to Putin, who used the bank to finance his "grandest ambitions," Bloomberg reported last year. The Russian leader spent considerable time and effort revamping Vnesheconombank in 2007 to turn it into "a pillar of his Kremlin-driven economy at the height of the oil boom," and he took "personal control" over the bank's key lending decisions, according to Bloomberg.
"When oil prices were high, VEB lent huge sums to politically expedient but financially questionable initiatives such as infrastructure projects for the 2014 Winter Sochi Olympics," Reuters reported last year.
Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he oversees research in Washington and Moscow on Russia, said the meeting was a "very odd choice of interlocutors" because "Vneshekonombank (VEB) is not just any old sanctioned Russian entity."
"VEB (formerly chaired by Putin himself) is Russian govt's primary vehicle for special funding of key projects," Weiss said.
Kushner is the closest person to Trump to be swept up in either congressional intelligence committee investigation so far.
The FBI is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election separately from Congress, FBI Director James Comey confirmed last week. The investigation has been examining whether members of Trump's campaign team colluded with Russian officials to undermine the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. |
Hey Everyone! It’s been quite a week. Team Radiant has officially moved into its new office, Alpha 12 is on the Steam Stable branch (though a few patches are no doubt coming, and we’re waiting on them before updating Humble Bundle), and we hope you’re enjoying Candledark II, Return of Candledark, this year’s official Halloween-themed mod from community superstar Froggy!
With all this going on, plus tons of work on memory usage, performance, and some important code cleanup (modders, all our components now follow our controller interface for a clearer save/load experience!) we thought we’d treat ourselves to a mini-vacation and work on one of our “dessert” projects: The Rabbit Clan!
Mysterious, Ancient Peoples
We actually think about the Rabbit Clan all the time. We know all sorts of things, like where they live, where they’re from, why you don’t see very many of them, and of course, what’s up with the rabbit statues you sometimes find all over the map. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out how to best reveal this sort of stuff in the game. And, of course, we know that they’re fierce warriors. Will they be your allies? Or your enemies?
More to come in a distant, future Alpha! (This means: not A13. Longer!)
This Week’s Stream Schedule
This week’s stream schedule will be normal on Tuesday/Thursday, but we are moving the Wed, 10/28 stream by 1.5 hours, to 10:00am, PST. Again, that’s Wednesday, 10/28/15, 10:00am PST. |
(Newser) – In a move that seems straight out of a sci-fi novel, a Wisconsin tech company is offering to implant tiny smart chips into the hands of its employees. The rice-sized microchips will take care of menial tasks with the wave of a hand at the micro market company Three Square Market (32M) offices, like getting past security, logging into computers, and purchasing food from the cafeteria, reports USA Today. At least 50 employees of 32M plan to line up at a “chip party” in August to have the devices implanted between their thumbs and forefingers, a process that is said to take seconds to complete. Getting the chips is not required by employees, but 32M CEO Todd Westby believes this technology will be everywhere in the future.
"It's the next thing that's inevitably going to happen,” he told ABC 5, “and we want to be a part of it.” He assures that there is no GPS tracking in the secure RFID chips, which run about $300 each (the company’s picking up the tab for any employee that opts in). While 32M is the first US company with chipped employees, microchip implants are becoming more common in Europe, with companies like Sweden-based BioHax International already dipping into the market. “Eventually, this technology will become standardized, allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities,” Westby says. (Using dime-sized microchips, NASA's offered people the chance to be part of the journey to Mars). |
Bitfinex Makes Good on Debt, 100% of BFX Tokens Redeemed
On August 2, 2016, the leading bitcoin exchange by USD volume Bitfinex suffered a major hack that drained them of 119,756 bitcoins, forcing them to issue “Recovery Rights Tokens” as an IOU to customers. These tokens have been traded as BFX tokens, but the exchange announced today that it is now paying off the debt in full.
Also read: Bitfinex Pays Out First Wave of Customer Refunds
All BFX Tokens Redeemed
On April 3 at 8 p.m. UST (4 p.m. EST), Bitfinex stopped all trading of their BFX tokens and started allowing users to cash them out for their full value of $1 per BFX token. Calling it the “final redemption of BFX tokens,” all trades have been closed and margin trades canceled. Those with a negative balance of BFX tokens from a margin trade will see the corresponding negative USD balance in their account.
The BFX tokens will all be automatically converted and then destroyed after they have stopped trading. “Overall we expect the entire process to take approximately 25–35 minutes”, the exchange revealed, adding that “no BFX tokens will remain outstanding”. During the redemption process, “trading in all other pairs will continue throughout this process, with the the temporary inconvenience of not being able to withdraw or move between wallets”, the exchange warned. In the announcement, Bitfinex also thanked its customers for their patience, stating:
We are deeply grateful for the patience and trust of our customers and shareholders as we worked towards—and have achieved—full recovery in just eight months. Without the community’s support, Bitfinex could have easily become a footnote in the history of the digital token revolution, instead of a leader and trend-setter. Thank you.
The Road to Redemption
It has not been easy for Bitfinex after the August 2 hack. After issuing a temporary token, a simple IOU of customer funds which couldn’t be immediately traded on the market, the exchange then finalized its recovery plans and issued the BFX recovery rights tokens. Secondary markets started trading this token immediately, for the low price of two and a half cents on the dollar at first.
However, rumors circulated that BFX tokens were just a scam to buy more time and Bitfinex had to constantly reassure token holders that their plan would eventually work, and that this day would come. On September 1, the company even bought back the first 1.1% of the tokens outstanding, which helped some in the community to keep faith in the company while others were still pessimistic for several months.
After much effort at the end of last year, including adding a few new trading pairs, enabling faster withdrawals, and creating an OTC trading desk for larger trades, the exchange’s volume picked up which enabled it to get out of debt at a faster pace.
In Monday’s announcement, the company cited several factors which made this redemption possible. They include “a dramatic uptick in equity conversions” and “record operating results in March.” Bitfinex also gave itself some credit for “making the decision to reduce our reserves in favor of this opportunity.”
By the end of the week, Bitfinex plans to send more information to its shareholders to inform them of what to expect over the coming months.
What do you think of Bitfinex redeeming 100% of their BFX tokens? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images via Shutterstock, Tradingview and Bitfinex
Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section. |
Rather than confronting (say) Dawkins' arguments with counter-arguments, people like Craven, and many others like him, instead cry out: why are you picking on us? All we want is for you to respect our beliefs. And so, the crybaby theists hide behind the demand for respect, which sounds reasonable enough. The more shameless – and their ranks are represented in many religions, such as Muslims, Christians and Jews – complain that when someone criticises their religious faith, the people who belong to that religion are being subjected to abuse.
The bottom line is that such special pleading is a way for theists to avoid answering their critics. The cry that religious beliefs are not being treated respectfully often demonstrates incredible arrogance and hypocrisy.
Firstly, in a liberal democracy, people should adjust to the prospect of other people finding their views stupid, immoral, pernicious, or any other terrible thing. For example, consider the case of a racist. They may view others with contempt, and members of the targeted minorities might respond with contempt for the views of the racist. Should we demand that victims of racism respect the beliefs of racists? Of course not: we grant the truism that some beliefs are stupid, immoral, pernicious and other terrible things. A liberal democracy cannot function without the possibility of discussing which beliefs are good and which ones are not. Crybaby theists wish to be shielded from the normal rough and tumble of arguments about beliefs. There are people who honestly think religious belief irrational, and find aspects of organised religion troubling. If anything is outrageous, it is the arrogance of religious extremists, here and elsewhere, holding that such views should not be allowed open discussion.
Secondly, hearing of the need for religious beliefs to be treated respectfully by evangelical Christians is galling. This is a religious faith full of those who believe in the importance of preaching to unbelievers and converting them. Obviously, if they respected the views of atheists and believers in different religions, they would not indulge such practices. Yet many Christians, with scriptural support, think non-believers and the un-baptised are going to hell. How respectful is this? Unlike crybaby theists, I'm happy for missionaries to try to persuade adults of the merits of their irrational case. Indeed, no atheists that I know of actually suggest that theists should “respect” their beliefs and stop arguing for theism. Atheists have simply taken up arguing their point of view: against religious belief. Some people whose income depends on irrational belief in the afterlife and dated holy texts have naturally reacted with anger at such developments. |
A lawmaker in the ruling coalition on Sunday accused Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman of supporting an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Syria during a recent “merciless” assault against Druze on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.
Druze MK Akram Hasson of Kulanu said Liberman provided the Fateh al-Sham Front (formerly al-Nusra Front) with protection, logistical support and possibly with “advanced technology” during its attacks on the regime-controlled town of Hader.
“Al-Nusra Front is attacking the Druze town of Hader under the cover and protection of Defense Minister Liberman. We shall not rest until… Liberman ceases his support for al-Nusra against the Druze,” Hasson wrote on Facebook.
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Hasson said the militant group began the “merciless” and “indiscriminate” shelling of Hader, killing dozens of people.
According to the MK, Israel recently targeted army positions belonging to the Syrian regime in order to boost the chances of the jihadist group.
Hasson also claimed, based on information allegedly provided by an eyewitness in the Druze town, that the group possesses “advanced technology” that tipped the balance of power in its favor. He did not specify what this technology was.
“This strategy and these orders come from Liberman alone,” Hasson wrote.
The defense minister’s spokesperson, Tzachi Moshe, said he would not comment on the accusation.
The lawmaker also called for emergency talks between MKs and Druze religious leaders to prevent a “massacre” of the Druze in Hader.
The Syrian side of the Golan Heights has been the site of intense fighting in recent years between Assad forces and al-Nusra.
In June 2015, tensions between Israeli Druze and the Israeli government became inflamed after al-Nusra killed more than 20 members of Syria‘s Druze community. This incident sparked weeks of protests in Israel calling for the IDF to prevent more Druze bloodshed in Syria.
The protests culminated in the an attack on an IDF ambulance transporting wounded Syrian fighters for medical care. One of the Syrians died in the attack.
The Druze assailants claimed the IDF was transporting al-Nusra members in the ambulance. After the incident, the IDF denied it was giving medical aid to the Islamist fighters, but an IDF officer told Haaretz newspaper soon afterwards that al-Nusra fighters had likely been treated in Israel.
The IDF currently refuses to confirm or deny who it is treating, only saying that it does not discriminate against those in need of medical assistance.
Israel routinely takes in and treats Syrians injured in the civil war, and the IDF has set up a field hospital along the border, though it transports more serious cases to hospitals elsewhere in the country.
At the end of July, Israel agreed to allow the civilian aid organization Amaliah, run by Moti Kahana, to provide medical, educational and food aid to Syrians with the IDF working as an intermediary.
The Druze, a mystic sect that broke away from Shiite Islam in the 11th century, are ideologically loyal to the countries in which they reside. Israel’s Druze speak Hebrew and many serve in the IDF.
However, residents of the four Druze villages in the Golan Heights, which was captured by Israel in 1967, remain outwardly loyal to the Syrian regime and have mostly refused to accept Israeli citizenship.
While Israel has taken pains to avoid entering the Syrian civil war, it also regularly strikes at Syrian regime positions to retaliate for errant fire that hits inside its territory or to stop weapons transfers to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group.
Last week, the Israeli Air Force said it struck Syrian artillery positions in the Golan Heights in response to projectiles fired from Syria that struck the Jewish state. Israel says it holds the Syrian government responsible for any breach of its border, even if the fire originated from a rebel militant group. |
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent the views of Townhall.com.
Think Trump would boast about Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet performing at one of his “get out the vote” campaign rallies?
Think the mainstream media might trumpet such an event as the Holy Grail, Golden Fleece and Smoking Gun of that ever-elusive “Russian collusion” with his campaign?
Think Comey’s FBI might “look into it?” Especially in view of the following:
“The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) prohibits any foreign national from contributing, donating or spending funds in connection with any federal, state, or local election in the United States, either directly or indirectly. It is also unlawful to help foreign nationals violate that ban or to solicit, receive or accept contributions or donations from them. Persons who knowingly and willfully engage in these activities may be subject to fines and/or imprisonment.”
And yet a major “get out the vote for Hillary” rally in Miami on Oct. 30th --and paid for by the Democrat Party-- featured Cuba’s (i.e. Castro’s) captive (literally!) musical duo called Gente De Zona.These Cuban “rappers” essentially function as the totalitarian Castro regime’s new musical ambassadors, much as the Buena Vista Social Club served in the past.
There was a day when most Americans understood what the term “totalitarian” means. The longest reigning totalitarian dictator in modern history himself explained the issue: “Inside the Revolution (regime), everything-- outside, nothing.” (Fidel Castro, July 16, 1961.) Like with so many others, Castro copped this line from Benito Mussolini.
In brief, in Cuba you do not become rich and famous globe-trotting musicians without the Stalinist regime’s express permission. This permission, as you might guess, is bestowed by the Castro family only upon those of its subjects whose lack of scruples and penchant for bootlicking allow them to single-mindedly serve the foreign policy and financial interests of the totalitarian regime.
So we’re not talking simply about “foreign nationals” who performed at the Hillary rally. We’re not talking about some Birkenstocked Swedish backpackers who got swept up in the hoopla of the Hillary campaign and joined their granola-eating, Enya-listening American friends on a Conga line at a campaign event.
We’re not even talking the Bolshoi Ballet performing at a Trump rally. Russia, after all, no longer qualifies as totalitarian. Cuba still does—and with bells on. Something like P*ssy Riot would not last ten seconds in Castro’s Cuba.
Instead, with Gente De Zona we’re talking about full-fledged apparatchiks of a terror-sponsoring communist regime openly campaigning for the Democrat Party at election time
A few days earlier Castro’s captive (literally!) media declared that:
“Hillary Clinton is our only hope of detaining barbarism!...The only hope of defeating Donald Trump is Hillary Clinton…the difference between the two candidates is vast. Barack Obama did not exaggerate when he claimed that she was better prepared to be a U.S. President than even he was—or was her husband Bill Clinton….In any nation of the world–and even in the U.S. during normal times–Donald Trump would find himself either in prison or in a mental institution!” (Stalinist Cuba’s KGB-founded and mentored media organ Cubadebate, Oct 15, 2016.)
In Miami, Gente De Zona were simply and dutifully carrying out their master’s wishes. In brief: a foreign totalitarian and terror-sponsoring regime sent its apparatchiks to openly participate in a U.S. Presidential campaign, by performing for free at an event on U.S. soil funded by the Democratic Party. Their purpose was to drum up votes for the Democratic Presidential candidate.
So apparently it’s not enough that the Castro family endorsed Hillary Clinton from their home base, denouncing Donald Trump as fit only for prison or a mental institution. They must also actively join the campaign, and right here on U.S. soil.
And yet, for some reason nobody in the U.S. media (much less the FBI) has called attention to this fascinating item.
This Castroite preference for Democrats is an old story actually.Fascinating datum: Havana’s Museo de la Revolucion has a “Cretin’s Corner” where U.S. presidents are caricatured and vilified. These “Cretins,” however, all turn out to be Republicans. Not a single Democratic President (not even John “Bay of Pigs and Missile Crisis” F. Kennedy is featured.)
Well, nobody ever accused the Castro family of not recognizing their true friends.
“If I were a U.S. citizen I'd vote for Obama for president!" squealed Raul Castro’s daughter Mariela Castro while on a visit to San Francisco in May 2012. Her visa for that visit, as revealed by Wikileaks, was personally pushed through by Hillary Clinton.
What a field day the Fake-News Media/Democrat axis could have if only Trump’s collusion with the “Alt-Right,” was even a fraction as patent as Clinton and Obama’s with the racist, homophobic, misogynistic, mass-murdering, terror-sponsoring Castroite-Left. |
(NaturalNews) If you think the establishment of the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) after 9/11 has really helped to make the skies safer, think again. A new report issued by the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations, says that since November 2001, there have been more than 25,000 airport security breaches, ranging from minor incidents like baggage accidentally being left behind, to major breaches like travelers bypassing security lines and bringing various weapons onto airplanes.The report explains that there have been more than 14,000 incidents of individuals getting into secure areas, including into the secure side of airports, without going through TSA screening.TSA screeners have also personally failed to properly screen travelers about 6,000 times, while more than 2,600 travelers somehow successfully got through the security line without undergoing the normal screening procedures.If that is not bad enough,has been tracking some of the worst TSA security failures throughout the past year, many of which are utterly shocking in light of the agency's aggressive new procedures.These include subjecting flight crews to naked body scanners and molesting pat downs while ground crews freely move back and forth between secure and insecure areas with a simple card swipe ( https://www.naturalnews.com/030844_airline_pi... ), as well as undercover agents slipping through the security line on multiple occasions with loaded weapons ( https://www.naturalnews.com/031529_TSA_naked_... ).And while all this is taking place, the TSA continues to aggressively screen and pat down special needs individuals, the elderly, young children, young girls on their way to prom, and many others who are the least threatening in society ( https://www.naturalnews.com/TSA.html ). Clearly there is something majorly wrong with this picture.Confirming the overall failure of the TSA as a security agency, T.J. Orr, director of aviation at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, testified before Congress that the TSA operates with " a rigid attitude of arrogance and bureaucracy." Add ignorance and ineptitude to that equation and you have pretty much summed up the TSA to a tee. |
Yep, Valve’s unfortgettable opening salvo officially gets a decade under its belt on this very day. This terrifies me in ways I can’t quite vocalise.
Said terror is not simply because it makes me feel so very aged, but also because it’s been so long and yet still most FPSes seem entirely ignorant of what HL did with setpieces, incidental detail, gaming-specific narrative style, pacing and world-building. The straight line to most of today’s shooters that started with Doom seems to almost bypass Half-Life. Fortunately, there is one huge, positive side-effect which does ensure HL’s legacy is unassailable: modding.
Names like Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress Classic, Natural Selection, The Ship and Sven Co-Op trip off the tongue almost as quickly as Half-Life itself. The GldSrc engine might look ten years old by now, but it’s still one the driving forces of community and customisability that defines modern PC gaming and the freedom thereof.
In honour of the occasion, Moddb’s mustered a round up of Half-Life’s notable mods, both commerical (the list) and non-commercial (the video). It’s all too easy to fall into thinking HL modding’s just about Counter-Strike clones and grey weapon renders, but even this collection of the more obvious names makes it clear quite how landmark a modding platform this game was and is.
Happy birthday Half-Life, you wonderful old man, you. |
Diablo 3 Patch 2.3 PTR Datamined - Class changes, Set items, Kanai's Cube, and MUCH more
The PTR patch has just been spotted on the CDN. As always please remember the following is datamined and may contain errors.
Update 15:40 EDT June 26th - Added Nevalistis' tweet about the PTR not going live today.
Update 11:30 EDT - Added Benchmark Messages - may be what Trials will be turned into.
Update 11:00 EDT - Added Conversation and Lore strings at the bottom. Moved Achievements to a thread.
Update 10:30 EDT - Added Patch 2.3 Preview, Store Item strings after Class Changes. And Gizmos suggesting new shrines.
BIG UPDATE - Update 8:57 EDT - Added crafting costs for each cube function
Update 8:40 EDT - Added some graphics. More cube info soon!
Update 7:56 EDT - Added Achievements and Flavor text
Update 7:20 EDT - all sets added. Going on to more datamining
Update 7:10 EDT - Started adding set bonus changes. More to come
Update 6:46 EDT - Added Crafting options for the cube
Update 6:39 EDT - Added Crafting Ingredients for the cube
PTR Not Coming Today
Nevalistis replied to a tweet confirming the PTR is not going live today.
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Twitter) That seems fair. The PTR is not going live today.
PTR Patch 2.3 Round-Up
Quick round-up of the most awesome changes coming with Patch 2.3! Keep in mind some of these are subject to change.
New Area - Ruins of Sescheron: with unique new quests, bounties, NPCs, enemies and lore!
with unique new quests, bounties, NPCs, enemies and lore! New Feature - Kanai's Cube: unique way of storing and equipping Legendary Affixes!
unique way of storing and equipping Legendary Affixes! Kanai's Cube recipes: convert Gems, Materials, transform items, open Portals to other realms, and more.
recipes: convert Gems, Materials, transform items, open Portals to other realms, and more. Trial Rifts removed; Greater and Nephalem Rifts no longer require keys; Bounties great source of gold, materials and recipes!
New Torment Levels - goes up to Torment 10 now.
Levels - goes up to Torment 10 now. Revamped Old Sets : Helltooth, Vyr's, Manajuma's, Shenlong's, Chantodo's,
: Helltooth, Vyr's, Manajuma's, Shenlong's, Chantodo's, Revamped Old Skills : including a complete rework of Wall of Zombies, and tweaks to Toad of Hugeness, Mass Confusion, Spike Trap, among others.
: including a complete rework of Wall of Zombies, and tweaks to Toad of Hugeness, Mass Confusion, Spike Trap, among others. New Achievements and Seasonal Jouney system - with exclusive rewards!
New Legendaries : which boost skills like Archon, Strafe, Seven-Sided Strike, Seismic Slam, etc.
: which boost skills like Archon, Strafe, Seven-Sided Strike, Seismic Slam, etc. New Sets : Monk's based on Exploding Palm and Seven-Sided Strike; Witch Doctor's based on Spider Queen and Toad of Hugeness; Crusader's based on Blessed Hammer and Falling Sword.
:
A Note from Blizzard on this Datamined Patch
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums) I've said this already on Twitter, but it bears reiteration:
Take external information and datamining with a grain of salt. When we experiment with things internally, we often leave behind remnants of those experiments even after a feature or tweak is pulled. Said details may show up in a later patch... or not at all.
It can be a lot of fun to speculate, and I encourage that discussion! But, it's also part of our duty as community managers to help manage (see what I did thar?) expectations. There's already a couple of strings I've seen that I can confirm are not making it into this patch for various reasons. Cursed Realms continue to be an internal experiment and will not be appearing in Patch 2.3.0. The ability to level a Legendary up to your level using the Kanai's Cube was pulled because it created a lot of unforeseen interactions and nasty bugs that will take too long for us to implement for this particular patch (though we may revisit it at a later date).
It's early yet, though. The PTR isn't live yet, after all! I encourage you to temper your excitement over third-party info and hang tight for the official patch notes. They are on their way.
New Torment Levels
We have not datamiend the new bonus gold and exp yet. However it does look like "double blood shards" has been removed as a reward from all torment levels.
Kanai's Cube Information
Please check the 3 sections below for craftable options, information, and ingredients
it looks like you can craft some pretty neat things if these strings are indeed what are enabled.
Extract Legendary Power - Archive of Tal Rasha 1x Legendary Item with Special Power 1x Khanduran Rune 1x Caldeum Nightshade 1x Arreat War Tapestry 1x Corrupted Angel Flesh 1x Westmarch Holy Water 5x Death's Breath
- Archive of Tal Rasha Reforge Legendary - Law of Kulle 1x Legendary Item 5x Khanduran Rune 5x Caldeum Nightshade 5x Arreat War Tapestry 5x Corrupted Angel Flesh 5x Westmarch Holy Water 50x Forgotten Soul
- Law of Kulle Upgrade Rare Item - Hope of Cain 1x Rare Equippable Level 70 Item 25x Death's Breath 50x Reusable Parts 50x Arcane Dust 50x Veiled Crystal
- Hope of Cain Convert Set Item - Skill of Nilfur 1x Set Item 10x Death's Breath 10x Forgotten Soul
- Skill of Nilfur Remove Level Requirement - Work of Cathan 1x Equippable Item 1x Rank 25+ Gem of Ease
- Work of Cathan Convert Crafting Materials - Anger of Iben Fahd 100x [PH] White, Blue, or Yellow Crafting Material 1x Non Legendary Equippable Item 1x Death's Breath
- Anger of Iben Fahd Upgrade Item to Player's Level - The Time of Radament Removed from game
- The Time of Radament Convert Gems - Darkness of Radament 9x Any Gem 1x Any of the five act bounty reagents
- Darkness of Radament Open Portal to Greed Realm 1x Puzzle Ring 1x Any Item
Open Portal to Not A Cow Level 1x Bovine Bardiche 1x Any Item
Open Portal to Whimseyshire - Recipe of Impossibility No data
- Recipe of Impossibility
General Information
p3_KCube_NewVendor -There is a new Vendor in Town Look for the spirit of Zoltun Kulle...
-There is a new Vendor in Town Look for the spirit of Zoltun Kulle... p3_KCube_NewVendor_title -New Vendor Available
-New Vendor Available p3_KCube_Sescheron -Kanai's Cube was last seen in the Ruins of Sescheron Proceed to the ruins and attempt to locate the long lost Cube.
-Kanai's Cube was last seen in the Ruins of Sescheron Proceed to the ruins and attempt to locate the long lost Cube. p3_KCube_Sescheron_title -Locate the Cube
-Locate the Cube p3_KCube_CubeCollected -You have found the powerful Kanai's Cube! Only Zoltun Kulle can unlock its mysterious powers. Return to town when you are able.
-You have found the powerful Kanai's Cube! Only Zoltun Kulle can unlock its mysterious powers. Return to town when you are able. p3_KCube_CubeCollected_title -Kanai's Cube Located!
-Kanai's Cube Located! p3_KCube_CubeInteract -Kanai's Cube can now be used! Talk to Zoltun Kulle to discover its mysterious powers.
-Kanai's Cube can now be used! Talk to Zoltun Kulle to discover its mysterious powers. p3_KCube_CubeInteract_title -Using Kanai's Cube
-Using Kanai's Cube p3_KCube_AddItems -Kanai's Cube can be used to make excting new things
Place recipe items within the cube itself to begin.
Either drag items to the Cube or Right-click ({icon:rmb}) on them in your inventory.
-Kanai's Cube can be used to make excting new things Place recipe items within the cube itself to begin. Either drag items to the Cube or Right-click ({icon:rmb}) on them in your inventory. p3_KCube_AddItems_title -Adding Items
-Adding Items p3_KCube_RecipesPrompt -There are many ancient recipes to discover
Click here to view the ancient recipes Zoltun Kulle successfully documented.
-There are many ancient recipes to discover Click here to view the ancient recipes Zoltun Kulle successfully documented. p3_KCube_RecipesPrompt_title -Recipes
-Recipes p3_KCube_IngredientsPrompt - Each recipe is constructed from a number of ingredients
Those ingredients are listed here, including the number of each component required.
- Each recipe is constructed from a number of ingredients Those ingredients are listed here, including the number of each component required. p3_KCube_IngredientsPrompt_title -Recipe Ingredients
-Recipe Ingredients p3_KCube_RecipePagePrompt -The Kanai's Cube recipe book contains many entries
Use these buttons to page between the recipes you have available.
-The Kanai's Cube recipe book contains many entries Use these buttons to page between the recipes you have available. p3_KCube_RecipePagePrompt_title -Recipe Pages
-Recipe Pages p3_KCube_RecipeLastPage -Tal Rasha's experiments were many and varied
He was known for his free experimentation but also his terrible note taking! Can you uncover further lost recipes...?
-Tal Rasha's experiments were many and varied He was known for his free experimentation but also his terrible note taking! Can you uncover further lost recipes...? p3_KCube_RecipeLastPage_title - Other Recipes
- Other Recipes p3_KCube_TransmogPrompt - You have added sufficient ingredients to complete an experiment
Press this button to engage the Cube and follow in the footsteps of Nilfur.
- You have added sufficient ingredients to complete an experiment Press this button to engage the Cube and follow in the footsteps of Nilfur. p3_KCube_TransmogPrompt_title -Kanai's Cube - Transmogrify
-Kanai's Cube - Transmogrify p3_KCube_PowerExtracted -You have just extracted a Legendary Power
The new power can be viewed within the Horadric Collection, accessed via a Left-Click ({icon:lmb}) here or on the accompanying power locations.
-You have just extracted a Legendary Power The new power can be viewed within the Horadric Collection, accessed via a Left-Click ({icon:lmb}) here or on the accompanying power locations. p3_KCube_PowerExtracted_title - Extraction
- Extraction p3_KCube_NewPower -Newly extracted powers are indicated like this
Once extracted, each power can be equipped at will.
Only one power from each category can be equipped at a time.
Left click ({icon:lmb}) to equip a power.
-Newly extracted powers are indicated like this Once extracted, each power can be equipped at will. Only one power from each category can be equipped at a time. Left click ({icon:lmb}) to equip a power. p3_KCube_NewPower_title - New Power
- New Power p3_KCube_CollectionPagePrompt -Kanai's Cube can be used to extract Legendary Powers and add them to your Horadric Collection
Use these buttons to page between the available potential powers.
-Kanai's Cube can be used to extract Legendary Powers and add them to your Horadric Collection Use these buttons to page between the available potential powers. p3_KCube_CollectionPagePrompt_title - Collection pages
- Collection pages p3_KCube_EquipFirstPower -Your first extracted power is now active
You can view the power here.
You can freely switch powers in town with Kanai's Cube.
While in the field, you can see the powers you have active listed in the Details pane.
-Your first extracted power is now active You can view the power here. You can freely switch powers in town with Kanai's Cube. While in the field, you can see the powers you have active listed in the Details pane. p3_KCube_EquipFirstPower_title - First Power
- First Power p3_KCube_FirstPowerOthers - You can equip up to 3 powers, one in each category
As you extract new powers, remember to check your Horadric Collection while in town to see these new powers and equip them.
- You can equip up to 3 powers, one in each category As you extract new powers, remember to check your Horadric Collection while in town to see these new powers and equip them. p3_KCube_FirstPowerOthers_title -Equip Powers
-Equip Powers p3_KCube_DuplicatePower -You have already extracted this power
Remember to check your Horadric Collection to see the powers you already have.
The collection can be accessed via Left-Click ({icon:lmb}) on any power slot.
-You have already extracted this power Remember to check your Horadric Collection to see the powers you already have. The collection can be accessed via Left-Click ({icon:lmb}) on any power slot. p3_KCube_DuplicatePower_title -Duplicate
-Duplicate p3_KCube_UnequippedPower -You do not currently have a power equipped in this slot
Remember to check your Horadric Collection to see the powers you have already extracted.
-You do not currently have a power equipped in this slot Remember to check your Horadric Collection to see the powers you have already extracted. p3_KCube_UnequippedPower_title -Unequipped Power
-Unequipped Power p3_KCube_CubePaperDoll - You can view the Legendary Powers you have extracted and equipped here
Left Click ({icon:lmb}) to view your currently equipped powers.
You can adjust your equipped powers using Kanai's Cube in town.
- You can view the Legendary Powers you have extracted and equipped here Left Click ({icon:lmb}) to view your currently equipped powers. You can adjust your equipped powers using Kanai's Cube in town. p3_KCube_CubePaperDoll_title - View your Powers
- View your Powers p3_KCube_TransmutePrompt -You have added sufficient ingredients to complete an experiment
Press this button to engage the Cube and follow in the footsteps of Nilfur.
-You have added sufficient ingredients to complete an experiment Press this button to engage the Cube and follow in the footsteps of Nilfur. p3_KCube_TransmutePrompt_title - Transmute
- Transmute p3_KCube_FirstCursedRealm - You have discovered your first portal to a Cursed Realm
Legend has it that Tal Rasha used these realms to fuel his experiments.
Entering one is sure to lead to great reward, if you can survive...
- You have discovered your first portal to a Cursed Realm Legend has it that Tal Rasha used these realms to fuel his experiments. Entering one is sure to lead to great reward, if you can survive... p3_KCube_FirstCursedRealm_title - Cursed Realms
- Cursed Realms p3_KCube_SuperReagentGet - You have just discovered a Super Reagent
Your journey through the Cursed Realm has granted you the mysterious Super Reagent.
It was revered by the Horadrim.
Try using it in the Cube!
- You have just discovered a Super Reagent Your journey through the Cursed Realm has granted you the mysterious Super Reagent. It was revered by the Horadrim. Try using it in the Cube! p3_KCube_SuperReagentGet_title - Super Reagent
- Super Reagent p3_KCube_SuperReagentUse - This Super Reagent can be used in place of any other reagent
Simply use 1 of this reagent to substitue for any amount of another reagent.
- This Super Reagent can be used in place of any other reagent Simply use 1 of this reagent to substitue for any amount of another reagent. p3_KCube_SuperReagentUse_title - Super Reagent
- Super Reagent p3_KCube_FirstCursedRealmEnter -You have discovered your first portal to a Cursed Realm
Legend has it that Tal Rasha used these realms to fuel his experiments.
Entering one is sure to lead to great reward, if you can survive...
Heroes of the Storm Promotion
New Portrait Frames
Sets
We have information on new and changed sets!
Chantodo's Resolve [Reworked]
2 pieces: [Every time you hit with an attack while not in Archon form, 350% weapon damage is added to the Wave of Destruction, stacking up to 20 times.]
Shenlong's Spirit [Reworked] 2 pieces: [When reaching maximum Spirit, all damage is increased by 300%, but you no longer passively regenerate Spirit and 65 Spirit is drained every second until you run out of Spirit.]
Manajuma's Way [ Reworked] 2 pieces: [Your Hex - Angry Chicken lasts 15 seconds and movement speed as a chicken is increased by an additional 100%.]
Zunimassa's Haunt 2 Pieces: Now the cooldown of your Fetish Army is reduced by 80% also
Vyr's Amazing Arcana [Reworked] 2 pieces: [Archon gains the effect of every rune.] 4 pieces: [You automatically start with 50 Archon stacks when entering Archon form.] 6 pieces: [You also gain Archon stacks when you hit with an Archon ability.]
Embodiment of Marauder 4 pieces: instead of saying "hatred spenders" now lists "Elemental Arrow, Chakram, Impale, Multishot, and Cluster Arrow"
Helltooth Harness [Reworked] 2 pieces: [Enemies hit by Wall of Death are afflicted by Necrosis, becoming Slowed and taking 2500% weapon damage every second for 10 seconds.] 4 pieces: [After applying Necrosis to an enemy, you take 50% reduced damage for 10 seconds.] 6 pieces: [Enemies afflicted by Necrosis take an 800% increased damage from your primary skills, Acid Cloud, Firebats, Zombie Charger, Grasp of the Dead, Piranhas, and Wall of Death.]
Wrath of the Wastes 2 pieces: tooltip added "per second"
Uliana's Stratagem [New] 2 pieces: [Every third hit of your Spirit Generators applies Exploding Palm.] 4 pieces: [Your Seven-Sided Strike deals its total damage with each hit.] 6 pieces: [Your Seven-Sided Strike detonates your Exploding Palm.]
Spirit of Arachyr [New] 2 pieces: [Summon a permanent Spider Queen who leaves behind webs that deal [1500]% weapon damage over 5 seconds and Slows enemies. The Spider Queen is commanded to move to where you cast your Corpse Spiders.] 4 pieces: [Hex gains the effect of the Toad of Hugeness rune. While Toad of Hugeness is active, you take 40% reduced damage. After Toad of Hugeness finishes his meal, you will heal for 10% of your maximum Life per second for 10 seconds.] 6 pieces: [The damage of your creature skills is increased by 500%. Creature skills are Corpse Spiders, Plague of Toads, Firebats, Hex, and Piranhas.]
Seeker of the Light [New] 2 pieces: [Every use of Blessed Hammer that hits an enemy reduces the cooldown of Falling Sword and Provoke by 1 second.] 4 pieces: [You take 50% less damage for 8 seconds after landing with Falling Sword.] 6 pieces: [Increase the damage of Blessed Hammer by 750% and Falling Sword by 250%.]
Item passives
NOTE: The term Unique_ring is used for internal data. it does not mean they are attached to a ring
Note2: Some passives have changed. We have not included the ones that have changed (yet)
DiabloFans Quote: ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_743_x1 Increase the effect of any gem socketed into your helmet by {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic}. ( reworded from "this item")
from "this item") P2_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_008 Whenever a gem drops, a gem of the type socketed into your helmet also drops. ( reworded from "this item")
from "this item") P2_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_016 Energy Twister periodically pulls in lesser enemies within {c_magic}{VALUE1}{/c_magic} yards.
ItemPassive_Unique_Gem_018_x1 Each attack you make against an enemy increases the damage it takes from your attacks by [VALUE]%.
ItemPassive_Unique_Gem_018U_x1 Gain [VALUE]% increased damage against Rift Guardians and bosses.
ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_915_x1 Seven-Sided Strike performs an additional [VALUE] strikes. (changed from "seven") P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_001 - You take [{VALUE1}*100]% less damage for 8 seconds after landing with Falling Sword.
- You take [{VALUE1}*100]% less damage for 8 seconds after landing with Falling Sword. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_002 -Increase the damage of Blessed Hammer by [{VALUE1}*100]% and Falling Sword by 250%.
-Increase the damage of Blessed Hammer by [{VALUE1}*100]% and Falling Sword by 250%. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_003 -Every use of Blessed Hammer that hits an enemy reduces the cooldown of Falling Sword and Provoke by {VALUE1} second.
-Every use of Blessed Hammer that hits an enemy reduces the cooldown of Falling Sword and Provoke by {VALUE1} second. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_004 -Increase the attack speed of Blessed Hammer by {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic}.
-Increase the attack speed of Blessed Hammer by {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic}. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_005 -Multishot attacks [{VALUE1}*100]% faster.
-Multishot attacks [{VALUE1}*100]% faster. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_007 -Blessed Hammer damage is increased by {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} for the first 3 enemies it hits.
-Blessed Hammer damage is increased by {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} for the first 3 enemies it hits. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_008 -When your Blessed Hammer hits 3 or fewer enemies, {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} of its Wrath Cost is refunded.
-When your Blessed Hammer hits 3 or fewer enemies, {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} of its Wrath Cost is refunded. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_006 -Strafe projectiles pierce.
-Strafe projectiles pierce. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_009 -After applying Necrosis to an enemy, you take [{VALUE1}*100]% reduced damage for 10 seconds.
-After applying Necrosis to an enemy, you take [{VALUE1}*100]% reduced damage for 10 seconds. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_010 -Enemies afflicted by Necrosis take an [{VALUE1}*100]% increased damage from your primary skills, Acid Cloud, Firebats, Zombie Charger, Grasp of the Dead, Piranhas, and Wall of Death.
-Enemies afflicted by Necrosis take an [{VALUE1}*100]% increased damage from your primary skills, Acid Cloud, Firebats, Zombie Charger, Grasp of the Dead, Piranhas, and Wall of Death. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_011 -Archon stacks also increase your Attack Speed, Armor and Resistances by [{VALUE1}*100]%.
-Archon stacks also increase your Attack Speed, Armor and Resistances by [{VALUE1}*100]%. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_012 -You also gain Archon stacks when you hit with an Archon ability.
-You also gain Archon stacks when you hit with an Archon ability. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_013 -Every second while in Archon form you expel a Wave of Destruction, dealing [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage to enemies within 30 yards.
-Every second while in Archon form you expel a Wave of Destruction, dealing [{VALUE1}*100]% weapon damage to enemies within 30 yards. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_014 -You automatically start with {VALUE1} Archon stacks when entering Archon form.
-You automatically start with {VALUE1} Archon stacks when entering Archon form. Lewis_ItemPassive_Test -{c_magic}[{VALUE1} * 2]%{/c_magic} chance on hit to summon a Fetish Sycophant.
-{c_magic}[{VALUE1} * 2]%{/c_magic} chance on hit to summon a Fetish Sycophant. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_015 -Summon a permanent Spider Queen who leaves behind webs that deal [{VALUE1}*100*5]% weapon damage over 5 seconds and Slows enemies. The Spider Queen is commanded to move to where you cast your Corpse Spiders.
-Summon a permanent Spider Queen who leaves behind webs that deal [{VALUE1}*100*5]% weapon damage over 5 seconds and Slows enemies. The Spider Queen is commanded to move to where you cast your Corpse Spiders. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_016 - Hex gains the effect of the Toad of Hugeness rune. While Toad of Hugeness is active, you take [{VALUE1}*100]% reduced damage. After Toad of Hugeness finishes his meal, you will heal for 10% of your maximum Life per second for 10 seconds.
- Hex gains the effect of the Toad of Hugeness rune. While Toad of Hugeness is active, you take [{VALUE1}*100]% reduced damage. After Toad of Hugeness finishes his meal, you will heal for 10% of your maximum Life per second for 10 seconds. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_017 -The damage of your creature skills is increased by [{VALUE1}*100]%. Creature skills are Corpse Spiders, Plague of Toads, Firebats, Hex, and Piranhas.
-The damage of your creature skills is increased by [{VALUE1}*100]%. Creature skills are Corpse Spiders, Plague of Toads, Firebats, Hex, and Piranhas. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_018 -Your Seven-Sided Strike deals its total damage with each hit.
-Your Seven-Sided Strike deals its total damage with each hit. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_019 -Every third hit of your Spirit Generators applies Exploding Palm.
-Every third hit of your Spirit Generators applies Exploding Palm. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_020 -Your Seven-Sided Strike detonates your Exploding Palm.
-Your Seven-Sided Strike detonates your Exploding Palm. ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_879_x1 -Gain the Leech passive.
-Gain the Leech passive. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_021 -Every time you hit with an attack while not in Archon form, [{VALUE1} * 100]% weapon damage is added to the Wave of Destruction, stacking up to 20 times.
-Every time you hit with an attack while not in Archon form, [{VALUE1} * 100]% weapon damage is added to the Wave of Destruction, stacking up to 20 times. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_022 -The bonuses from Archon stacks now last for {c_magic}{VALUE1}{/c_magic} seconds after Archon expires.
-The bonuses from Archon stacks now last for {c_magic}{VALUE1}{/c_magic} seconds after Archon expires. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_023 -Judgment is cast at your landing location when casting Falling Sword.
-Judgment is cast at your landing location when casting Falling Sword. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_024 -The first time an enemy deals damage to you, reduce that damage by {c_magic}[{value1}*100]% and Charm the enemy for 3 seconds.
-The first time an enemy deals damage to you, reduce that damage by {c_magic}[{value1}*100]% and Charm the enemy for 3 seconds. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_025 -The damage of your Spirit Generators is increased by [{VALUE1}*100]% for each point of Spirit you have.
-The damage of your Spirit Generators is increased by [{VALUE1}*100]% for each point of Spirit you have. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_026 -When reaching maximum Spirit, all damage is increased by [{VALUE1}*100]%, but you no longer passively regenerate Spirit and 65 Spirit is drained every second until you run out of Spirit.
-When reaching maximum Spirit, all damage is increased by [{VALUE1}*100]%, but you no longer passively regenerate Spirit and 65 Spirit is drained every second until you run out of Spirit. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_027 -Each hit with Seven-Sided Strike grants {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100|1|]%{/c_magic} damage reduction for 7 seconds.
-Each hit with Seven-Sided Strike grants {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100|1|]%{/c_magic} damage reduction for 7 seconds. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_028 -Your Hatred generators attack 30% faster and deal {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]% increased damage.
-Your Hatred generators attack 30% faster and deal {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]% increased damage. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_029 -While channeling Firebats, gain {c_magic}{VALUE1} Life per Hit.
ItemPassive_Unique_Mojo_010_x1_tooltipDummy_1 -Your Hex - Angry Chicken lasts 15 seconds and movement speed as a chicken is increased by an additional 100%.
-While channeling Firebats, gain {c_magic}{VALUE1} Life per Hit. -Your Hex - Angry Chicken lasts 15 seconds and movement speed as a chicken is increased by an additional 100%. p1_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_945 -Spike Trap - Sticky Trap spreads to nearby enemies when it explodes.
-Spike Trap - Sticky Trap spreads to nearby enemies when it explodes. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_030 -Reduces the number of items needed for set bonuses by 1 (to a minimum of 2). [NOTE: This is not the same ID as RoRG]
-Reduces the number of items needed for set bonuses by 1 (to a minimum of 2). P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_031 -Wall of Death can be cast up to twice again within 2 seconds before the cooldown begins.
-Wall of Death can be cast up to twice again within 2 seconds before the cooldown begins. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_032 -When Hammer of the Ancients hits an enemy, gain {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]% increased Attack Speed for 3 |4second:seconds;.
-When Hammer of the Ancients hits an enemy, gain {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]% increased Attack Speed for 3 |4second:seconds;. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_033 -Call of the Ancients gains the effect of the Ancients' Fury rune.
-Call of the Ancients gains the effect of the Ancients' Fury rune. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_034 -Cleave deals up to {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]% increased damage based on percentage on missing Fury.
-Cleave deals up to {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]% increased damage based on percentage on missing Fury. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_035 -Seismic Slam deals {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]% increased damage to the first two enemies it hits.
-Seismic Slam deals {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]% increased damage to the first two enemies it hits. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_036 -Demon Hunter defensive item.
-Demon Hunter defensive item. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_037 -Weapon Throw generates up to {c_magic}{VALUE1} additional Fury based on how far away the enemy hit is. Maximum benefit when the enemy hit is 20 or more yards away.
-Weapon Throw generates up to {c_magic}{VALUE1} additional Fury based on how far away the enemy hit is. Maximum benefit when the enemy hit is 20 or more yards away. P3_ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_038 -Your Hatred Generators reduce your damage taken by {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} for 5 seconds.
-Your Hatred Generators reduce your damage taken by {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} for 5 seconds. ItemPassive_Unique_Ring_612_p3 -Lightning damage has a chance to turn enemies into lightning rods, causing them to pulse {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} weapon damage as Lightning every second to nearby enemies for 6 seconds.
-Lightning damage has a chance to turn enemies into lightning rods, causing them to pulse {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} weapon damage as Lightning every second to nearby enemies for 6 seconds. ItemPassive_Unique_Sword_1H_012_p3 -Undead and Demon enemies within 25 yards take {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} weapon damage as Holy every second and are sometimes knocked into the air.
-Undead and Demon enemies within 25 yards take {c_magic}[{VALUE1}*100]%{/c_magic} weapon damage as Holy every second and are sometimes knocked into the air. ItemPassive_Unique_Mighty_1H_006_p3-You are surrounded by a Chilling Aura when attacking.
Class Changes
Please note the following is datamined and may contain errors.
Patch 2.3 and Season 4 Preview
Preview description of the Season 4 and new Patch 2.3 content!
SeasonRewardSubTitle5: Season Journey
SeasonRewardDesc6: Complete the Season Journey to show your Colors with a Unique Portrait Frame and Pennant.
SeasonRewardDesc7: Complete the Season Journey to show your Colors with a Unique Portrait Frame and Pet.
SeasonRewardDesc8: Complete the Season Journey to show your Colors with a Unique Portrait Frame and Wings. p2_3_BodyAdventureMode: Reality has shifted - Greater Rifts no longer require trials, Nephalem Rifts no longer need keys, and Bounties are now a great source of gold, crafting recipes and materials. Has the world gone mad?
p2_3_BodyKanaiCube: An ancient and unspeakably powerful Horadric artifact was entrusted to the barbarians of Sescheron before their fall. If the rumors are to be believed, a dark mage seeks it even now.
p2_3_BodyRuins: Once the heart of all of barbarian civilization, Sescheron is now haunted by carnivorous rodents, towering yetis, and the elusive Unclean. Every stone exudes memories of its violent end.
Store Item Descriptions
Descriptions for BNet Store items - likely for CN servers only.
cosmetic_wings_bat_02: "Why do the just crave the trappings of the wicked? I think we all know the answer to that." -Lorath Nahr "The Purity Wars" Volume II.
cosmetic_wings_bat_03: "The winds of Hell shall blow upon the face of Sanctuary as if a rising tide of sulfuric vitriol. And it shall be glorious." -Gorthalt the Mad
Cosmetic_Pet_teddyBear_02: He once ruled an army of Reapers. Now he's trapped in the cutest little Teddy Bear form.
Cosmetic_Pet_teddyBear_03: You are intimidating, and a tattered little Teddy Bear can soften your image. Perhaps villagers will stop running from you in fear.
Cosmetic_Pet_teddyBear_04: "You cannot keep me in this teddy bear forever. This isn't even my final form!" -Overseer Lord Vallik
Cosmetic_Pet_crawlingHand_01: The Necromancer Zayl lost his right hand, and you gained a new friend. Coincidence?
Cosmetic_Pet_crawlingHand_02: Somewhere a knight is missing his hand.
Cosmetic_Pet_crawlingHand_03: The tic-tic-tic of little metal fingers accompanies you on your journeys.
Cosmetic_Wings_bat_07: "Bone is the structure of life. Flesh without bone is nothing, while bone without flesh… is beautiful." -Deathspeaker Daros
Cosmetic_Pet_fallenHound_03: An unholy melding of various animals and demons into a little ball of cuteness.
Cosmetic_Pet_fallenHound_05: It must have been something he ate. And really, he eats everything.
Cosmetic_Pet_fallenHound_02: She can keep cool, even in the Burning Hells.
cos_wings_angel_twoTone_blue_01: Only those possessed of the most profound hope are worthy of Auriel's favor.
Cosmetic_Pet_goatman_melee_01: "Goatmen are mad, odiferous, and ill-tempered. The perfect pet for an adventurer!" -Barker Chan
Gizmos
Strings on possible new Shrines!
x1_Global_Chest_BossBounty: Diabolic Hoard
px_AwesomeShrine: Awesome Shrine
AwesomeShrine: You get all the shrine buffs. So awesome.
px_AwesomeShrine_Cursed: Cursed Shrine
ActivateCursedShrine: The curse calls forth a monster horde.
Item Flavor Text
P1_Unique_SpiritStone_008 - The monk Vhalit is said to have been driven mad with the power of this stone. Can you withstand the corruption that lies within?
- The monk Vhalit is said to have been driven mad with the power of this stone. Can you withstand the corruption that lies within? P1_Unique_WizardHat_003 - Bestows upon the wearer both formidable power and an unsurpassed statement of fashion.
- Bestows upon the wearer both formidable power and an unsurpassed statement of fashion. P1_Unique_Boots_010 - You've got to mind those feets.
- You've got to mind those feets. P2_Unique_Shield_002 - This shield hums with the Song of the Arch.
- This shield hums with the Song of the Arch. P3_Unique_HandXBow_005_Old - What fevered mind conceived of this vicious device that sends spikes hurling towards one's enemies at incredible speeds?
- What fevered mind conceived of this vicious device that sends spikes hurling towards one's enemies at incredible speeds? Lewis_Test_Dagger - "Blizard QA is the best except for me" -Lewis
- "Blizard QA is the best except for me" -Lewis P1_flail1H_norm_unique_01 - One of the more mysterious tales in the annals of the Crusaders is that of Johanna. A powerful warrior, she disappeared suddenly. The fact that she did not take this, her favorite flail, seems to indicate that her journey was unplanned. She has not been seen since.
- One of the more mysterious tales in the annals of the Crusaders is that of Johanna. A powerful warrior, she disappeared suddenly. The fact that she did not take this, her favorite flail, seems to indicate that her journey was unplanned. She has not been seen since. P3_Unique_WizardHat_003 - Bestows upon the wearer both formidable power and an unsurpassed statement of fashion.
- Bestows upon the wearer both formidable power and an unsurpassed statement of fashion. P2_mojo_norm_unique_02 - The enchanter Yanashima hired the famous craftsman Paul of Westmarch to help her create a mojo of great power. At a critical moment, Paul’s cat Henri leapt into the mix, deep in pursuit of a mouse. Now an inseparable part of the mojo, Henri is said to be eternally searching for that mouse, which has never been seen since.
- The enchanter Yanashima hired the famous craftsman Paul of Westmarch to help her create a mojo of great power. At a critical moment, Paul’s cat Henri leapt into the mix, deep in pursuit of a mouse. Now an inseparable part of the mojo, Henri is said to be eternally searching for that mouse, which has never been seen since. P3_Unique_HandXBow_005 - Valla was one of the most lethal Demon Hunters ever known, until her abrupt disappearance. Some claim that she still lives, fighting in another land. Her body was never found, but she did leave behind her prized possession
- Valla was one of the most lethal Demon Hunters ever known, until her abrupt disappearance. Some claim that she still lives, fighting in another land. Her body was never found, but she did leave behind her prized possession Unique_Helm_Set_01_p3 - “Uliana was the first to venture out amongst the laymen while retaining her status-for in those days, monks were forbidden to leave the monasteries, with their forms being used solely to commune with the gods.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani
- “Uliana was the first to venture out amongst the laymen while retaining her status-for in those days, monks were forbidden to leave the monasteries, with their forms being used solely to commune with the gods.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani Unique_Shoulder_Set_01_p3 - “Uliana questioned the orthodoxy that the gods were actual beings, asking if they might not instead be metaphors to guide the monk’s spiritual development. For her temerity, she was ordered to wander the world and seek repentance.”-Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani
- “Uliana questioned the orthodoxy that the gods were actual beings, asking if they might not instead be metaphors to guide the monk’s spiritual development. For her temerity, she was ordered to wander the world and seek repentance.”-Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani Unique_Chest_Set_01_p3 - “Ultimately, she was unable to view her exile as punishment, as she firmly believed the monks’ true calling was to inspire the masses, not lock themselves away.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani
- “Ultimately, she was unable to view her exile as punishment, as she firmly believed the monks’ true calling was to inspire the masses, not lock themselves away.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani Unique_Pants_Set_01_p3 - “Uliana’s beliefs were forever altered when she was attacked on the road by beings she believed to be agents of the gods of chaos-if not the gods themselves. She had never imagined beings of such horror could actually exist.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani
- “Uliana’s beliefs were forever altered when she was attacked on the road by beings she believed to be agents of the gods of chaos-if not the gods themselves. She had never imagined beings of such horror could actually exist.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani Unique_Gloves_Set_01_p3 - “After her encounter with the demonic creatures in the Aranoch, Uliana became obsessed with defeating the gods of chaos, and, to this end, began adapting the forms of the Veradani towards the martial style every monk is familiar with today.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani
- “After her encounter with the demonic creatures in the Aranoch, Uliana became obsessed with defeating the gods of chaos, and, to this end, began adapting the forms of the Veradani towards the martial style every monk is familiar with today.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani Unique_Boots_Set_01_p3 - “Uliana’s passion to defeat the gods of chaos drew the ire of the Patriarchs, for a monk was to seek balance in all things. She disappeared shortly after her excommunication, never to be seen again, swearing to eradicate all agents of chaos for the good of all mankind.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani
- “Uliana’s passion to defeat the gods of chaos drew the ire of the Patriarchs, for a monk was to seek balance in all things. She disappeared shortly after her excommunication, never to be seen again, swearing to eradicate all agents of chaos for the good of all mankind.” -Poldamyr's Histories of the Veradani Unique_Helm_Set_02_p3 - “Some creatures are born of chaos. They can be summoned, but never tamed.” -The Tomes of Creation
- “Some creatures are born of chaos. They can be summoned, but never tamed.” -The Tomes of Creation Unique_Shoulder_Set_02_p3 - “Arachyr was the first of the beasts created for this world. As such, he is father to all others.” -The Tomes of Creation
- “Arachyr was the first of the beasts created for this world. As such, he is father to all others.” -The Tomes of Creation Unique_Chest_Set_02_p3 - “Arachyr is often portrayed as a spider, but there is much debate as to how many legs he actually had.” -The Tomes of Creation
- “Arachyr is often portrayed as a spider, but there is much debate as to how many legs he actually had.” -The Tomes of Creation Unique_Pants_Set_02_p3 - “Much like his uncontrollable children, it is said he can be charmed to do ones bidding-but often turns on his supplicants with no warning.” -The Tomes of Creation
- “Much like his uncontrollable children, it is said he can be charmed to do ones bidding-but often turns on his supplicants with no warning.” -The Tomes of Creation Unique_Gloves_Set_02_p3 - “The unpredictability of the children of Arachyr is also their strength.” -The Tomes of Creation
- “The unpredictability of the children of Arachyr is also their strength.” -The Tomes of Creation Unique_Helm_Set_03_p3 - Some Crusaders fought the Darkness. Crusader Anajinn sought the Light.
- Some Crusaders fought the Darkness. Crusader Anajinn sought the Light. Unique_Shoulder_Set_03_p3 - The Crusader Anajinn believed that the Light could be found in everyone. But it was dimmed, and in need of succor from some external source.
- The Crusader Anajinn believed that the Light could be found in everyone. But it was dimmed, and in need of succor from some external source. Unique_Chest_Set_03_p3 - The Crusader Anajinn knew that the search for the Light would be the greatest test of her life. She embraced it eagerly.
- The Crusader Anajinn knew that the search for the Light would be the greatest test of her life. She embraced it eagerly. Unique_Pants_Set_03_p3 - Anajinn took an apprentice who would seek the Light as she had, and her master before her.
- Anajinn took an apprentice who would seek the Light as she had, and her master before her. Unique_Boots_Set_03_p3 - Anajinn’s apprentice became Anajinn in her time, and the search for the Light continued.
- Anajinn’s apprentice became Anajinn in her time, and the search for the Light continued. Unique_Gloves_Set_03_p3 - Anajinn knew the Darkness would take her before the Light was found. But it did not matter, it had always been the search that mattered.
- Anajinn knew the Darkness would take her before the Light was found. But it did not matter, it had always been the search that mattered. P3_Unique_Ring_107 - "Contemporary accounts say the Mad King's ring was a wonder to behold, its many jewels glinting like stars in the firmament." —Abd al-Hazir
- "Contemporary accounts say the Mad King's ring was a wonder to behold, its many jewels glinting like stars in the firmament." —Abd al-Hazir P3_Unique_Bracer_101 - “Always seeking to improve the Crusaders’ efficiency, Akkhan’s Master Blacksmith Gabriel crafted these bracers to ease the strain of summoning the Blessed Hammer.” -Rennold's Catalogue of Arms
- “Always seeking to improve the Crusaders’ efficiency, Akkhan’s Master Blacksmith Gabriel crafted these bracers to ease the strain of summoning the Blessed Hammer.” -Rennold's Catalogue of Arms P3_Unique_Belt_01 - “Fall upon your enemies like divine retribution from above.” -Elder Crusader Drakon
- “Fall upon your enemies like divine retribution from above.” -Elder Crusader Drakon P3_Unique_Belt_02 - “Fazula, like many wizards, was obsessed with power. She claimed this belt was crafted by Vyr himself, but I doubt that. Like many, she wanted to benefit from another’s notoriety. What cannot be denied, however, was its effectiveness.” -Abd al-Hazir
- “Fazula, like many wizards, was obsessed with power. She claimed this belt was crafted by Vyr himself, but I doubt that. Like many, she wanted to benefit from another’s notoriety. What cannot be denied, however, was its effectiveness.” -Abd al-Hazir P3_Unique_Belt_03 - All that was ever found of Uliana after her disappearance.
- All that was ever found of Uliana after her disappearance. P1_fistWeapon_norm_unique_01 - The ferocity of Uliana’s unrelenting attacks was often compared to that of a lion.
- The ferocity of Uliana’s unrelenting attacks was often compared to that of a lion. P2_handXbow_norm_unique_03 - “Whispers abound of Kovan's insatiable lust for slaughtering the denizens of the Burning Hells. May the gods save the world if the day comes when he no longer has demons to fight” -Tales of the Wasteland
- “Whispers abound of Kovan's insatiable lust for slaughtering the denizens of the Burning Hells. May the gods save the world if the day comes when he no longer has demons to fight” -Tales of the Wasteland P3_Unique_Bracer_102 - For those who may not be sufficiently holy to find refuge in Inna’s arms.
- For those who may not be sufficiently holy to find refuge in Inna’s arms. P3_Unique_Bracer_103 - Steadies the arm and brings calm certainty in the face of death.
- Steadies the arm and brings calm certainty in the face of death. P3_Unique_Bracer_104 - “These bracers appear to utilize primal forces channeled from the ground itself. Interesting, to say the least.” -Abd al-hazir
- “These bracers appear to utilize primal forces channeled from the ground itself. Interesting, to say the least.” -Abd al-hazir P3_Unique_Bracer_105 - “I do not care if these were forged in long dead furnaces by the Ancients themselves. They help me crush my enemies; that is all that matters.” -Aletur of Sescheron
- “I do not care if these were forged in long dead furnaces by the Ancients themselves. They help me crush my enemies; that is all that matters.” -Aletur of Sescheron P3_Unique_Bracer_106 - You can still see traces of the blood left by the demonic multitudes Jeram slew on his quest for revenge.
- You can still see traces of the blood left by the demonic multitudes Jeram slew on his quest for revenge. P3_Unique_Bracer_107 - It is claimed that Arachyr was able to restore the vital life essence of his followers by using creatures spawned from the realm that lies between our world and the Unformed Land.
- It is claimed that Arachyr was able to restore the vital life essence of his followers by using creatures spawned from the realm that lies between our world and the Unformed Land. P3_Unique_Spear_001 - A relic from the time before the fall of Arreat.
- A relic from the time before the fall of Arreat. P3_Unique_Belt_005 - Your hatred knows no bounds.
- Your hatred knows no bounds. P3_Unique_Shoulder_102 - This mantle was crafted by one banished from the sacred mountain, in order to commune with the ancients.
- This mantle was crafted by one banished from the sacred mountain, in order to commune with the ancients. P3_Unique_Sword_1H_104 - The Quinblades are the only surviving weapons forged by master swordsmith Morad Peerse, each a unique expression of his craft. Made during Peerse's Early Period, Fulminator expresses, through blinding speed and arcing lightning strikes, its maker's youthful exuberance and the joy he found in his craft.
- The Quinblades are the only surviving weapons forged by master swordsmith Morad Peerse, each a unique expression of his craft. Made during Peerse's Early Period, Fulminator expresses, through blinding speed and arcing lightning strikes, its maker's youthful exuberance and the joy he found in his craft. P3_Unique_Sword_1H_012 - Before he fell, Izual was the bearer of the runeblade Azurewrath, an ancient sword blessed by the Song of the Arch as an instrument of the righteous.
- Before he fell, Izual was the bearer of the runeblade Azurewrath, an ancient sword blessed by the Song of the Arch as an instrument of the righteous. P3_Unique_Mighty_1H_006 - It takes a sturdy weapon to survive on the shores of the Frozen Sea.
Benchmark Messages
New message strings that suggest there may be a "Benchmark mode" (similar to trials?) to determine which difficulty is the best for the player.
Benchmark_Level_Normal: Test yourself at Normal Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_Hard: Test yourself at Hard Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_Master: Test yourself at Master Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_Expert: Test yourself at Expert Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_Torment: Test yourself at Torment Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_TormentII: Test yourself at Torment II Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_TormentIII: Test yourself at Torment III Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_TormentIV: Test yourself at Torment IV Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_TormentV: Test yourself at Torment V Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_TormentVI: Test yourself at Torment VI Difficulty
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_Normal: Normal is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_Hard: You are capable but Hard could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_Normal: You are capable but Normal could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_Expert: You are capable but Expert could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_Master: You are capable but Master could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_Torment: You are capable but Torment could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_TormentII: You are capable but Torment II could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_TormentIII: You are capable but Torment III could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_TormentIV: You are capable but Torment IV could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_TormentVI: You are capable but Torment VI could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_Hard: Hard is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_Expert: Expert is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_Master: Master is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_Torment: Torment is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_TormentII: Torment II is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_TormentIII: Torment III is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_TormentIV: Torment IV is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_TormentV: Torment V is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_TormentVI: Torment VI is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_Normal: Normal is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_Hard: Hard is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_Expert: Expert is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_Master: Master is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_Torment: Torment is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_TormentII: Torment II is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_TormentIII: Torment III is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_TormentIV: Torment IV is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_TormentV: Torment V is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_TormentVI: Torment VI is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_Normal: You are almost strong enough for Normal Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_Hard: You are almost strong enough for Hard Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_Expert: You are almost strong enough for Expert Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_Master: You are almost strong enough for Master Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_Torment: You are almost strong enough for Torment Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_TormentII: You are almost strong enough for Torment II Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_TormentIII: You are almost strong enough for Torment III Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_TormentIV: You are almost strong enough for Torment IV Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_TormentV: You are almost strong enough for Torment V Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_TormentVI: You are almost strong enough for Torment VI Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Level Benchmark_Level
Benchmark_Failed: You have failed this Benchmark Test
Benchmark_Finish_Close_TormentVII: You are capable but Torment VII could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_TormentVIII: You are capable but Torment VIII could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_TormentIX: You are capable but Torment IX could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_TormentX: You are capable but Torment X could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Close_TormentV: You are capable but Torment V could take time !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_TormentVII: Torment VII is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_TormentVIII: Torment VIII is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_TormentIX: Torment IX is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Easy_TormentX: Torment X is trivial for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_TormentVII: Torment VII is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_TormentVIII: Torment VIII is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_TormentIX: Torment IX is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_Right_TormentX: Torment X is just right for you !!
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_TormentVII: You are almost strong enough for Torment VII Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_TormentVIII: You are almost strong enough for Torment VIII Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_TormentIX: You are almost strong enough for Torment IX Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Finish_TooHard_TormentX: You are almost strong enough for Torment X Difficulty, but not quite...
Benchmark_Level_TormentVII: Test yourself at Torment VII Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_TormentVIII: Test yourself at Torment VIII Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_TormentIX: Test yourself at Torment IX Difficulty
Benchmark_Level_TormentX: Test yourself at Torment X Difficulty
Benchmark_Finished: You are worthy of the highest level !!
Achievements
List of all the new achievements added this season.
Conversation Strings
Quite a few new conversation strings related to the new content, new side-quests and features.
Lore Related Strings
Lore related strings decribing new enemies, the Ruins of Sescheron, Kanai's Cube and side-quest related stuff. |
September 21, 2010
"It is the people of Fallujahs cherished right to hold to account the International Community that now has both the mandate and moral responsibility to initiate proceedings to prosecute and hold accountable all those perpetrators, and to seek full restitution and compensations commensurate with the endured suffering and pain throughout the occupation period, continuing till the present day." (Dr. Muhamad Tareq Al-Darraji, President of Conservation Centre of Environment and Reserves in Fallujah CCERF, Director of Monitoring net of human rights in Iraq MHRI) Despite the "end of combat operations", American forces stepped in with ground troops and air support in three incidents in different parts of Iraq, when their Iraqi counterparts were so-called "threatened by suicide attackers or well-armed gunmen", according to U.S. and Iraqi military accounts.[1] One of those" incidents" occurred in Fallujah on Wednesday 15 September 2010 [following the official withrdrawal of US troops], where 7 civilians were killed and 4 injured. Their names will be added to the endless list of victims of the US aggression against this troubled city. May they never be forgotten. · Killed during the raid by US/Iraqi forces on 15 September 2010 Humadi Jassim Ahmed..........old man Manzel Humadi Jassim Ahmed.........youngster Sameer Humadi Jassim Ahmed........youngster Sadiek Humadi Jassim Ahmed.........youngster Abid Swissan Ahmed.........old man Yassein Abid Swissan Ahmed.......youngster Yassein Kassar Saad........Former Iraqi officer in Iraqi army · Injured civilians Omar Humadi Jassim.......youngster Ibrahim Abid Kassar.........youngster Hathima Jassim (85 years old) Ahmed Humadi Jassim ....youngster The raid has raised tensions and angered the citys inhabitants. On 16 September the city has declared a three-day long mourning. U.S. and Iraqi officials claim that the raid killed a former Iraqi officer linked to al-Qaeda group in the country. But the claim could not be substantiated and eyewitnesses and officials in the city said all the dead and injured were civilians. Schools, offices and shops were closed in Fallujah on Thursday in protest against the attack that was also strongly condemned by provincial officials of Anbar of which the city of Ramadi is the capital. The officials in Anbar have asked Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for an independent investigation of the raid, according to Mohammed Fathi, the governors advisor.[2] In 2003, after the fall of the capital Baghdad following the US lead invasion, Fallujah[3] remained calm and, contrary to what happened elsewhere, there was no looting. But the policy pursued by the US UK of indiscriminate killing of civilians and of collective punishment, generated resistance in the whole area. In order to eradicate the resistance in and around Fallujah, the invading forces attacked the city and the crimes committed in the course of these attacks are the subject of a new report of Monitoring Net For Human Rights in Iraq (MHRI) called Testimonies of Crimes Against Humanity in Fallujah, Towards a Fair International Criminal Trial [4], presented at the15th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council[5]. This report gives a grim view of a policy of collective punishment, war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed by the US forces between 2003 en 2010: - The killing of peaceful demonstrators - Provocation and killing of the protection and police forces of Fallujah - Arbitrary arrests and torture - The first assault on Fallujah (April, 2004) - The peace talks that could have prevented the second battle of Fallujah but were undermined by the US - The crimes of the US/UK troops in the course of the second assault on Fallujah (November, 2004) - Environmental pollution, its effects on health and the threat to future generations Moreover, the city was totally destroyed. Dr. Hafidh al-Dulaimi, the head of "the Commission for the Compensation of Fallujah citizens" reported the following destruction inflicted on Fallujah as a result of the American attack in November 2004: - 7000 houses totally destroyed, or nearly totally destroyed, homes in all districts of Fallujah. - 8400 stores, workshops, clinics, warehouses, etc.. destroyed. - 65 mosques and religious sanctuaries have been either totally demolished and leveled to the ground or whose minarets and inner halls have been demolished. - 59 kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and technical colleges have been destroyed. - 13 government buildings leveled to the ground. - Destruction of the two electricity substations, the three water purification plants, the two railroad stations and heavy damages to the sewage and rain drainage subsystems throughout the city. - The total destruction of a bridge to the West of the city. - The death of 100,000 domestic and wild animals due to chemical and/or gaseous munitions. - The burning and destruction of four libraries that housed hundreds perhaps thousands of ancient Islamic manuscripts and books. - The targeted destruction (which appears to be intentional) of the historical nearby site at Saqlawia and the castle of Abu al-Abbas al-Safah.[6] A partial list of people assassinated during the first assault on Fallujah in April 2004 contains 749 names, 580 of which are males and 169 are females.[7] (Iraq Bodycount lists 26 casualties of this onslaught in its database, many of them different persons!). The number of civilians assassinated by the US during the 2nd assault on Fallujah in November 2004 is a multitude of the 749 April murders. As a cynical token of "good will", the US helped reconstruct the Fallujah hospital, in which many women now give birth to deformed babies, deformities caused by illegal weaponry used by the occupation forces during the assaults: white phosphorous, depleted uranium, and other chemical and uranium weapons. With a half-life of 4.5 billion years, DU and NDU amount to a permanently available contaminant randomly distributed into the environment. An eternal curse on humanity, inflicted by the "Champions of the Free World". The mainstream media has extensively reported how a British woman, Mary Bale, had been filmed dropping a cat into a wheelie bin. The cat was later released unharmed. "Whereas the story of the maltreated cat received heavy coverage for almost one week across the UK media, we (and activist friends in the United States) can find exactly one mention of the Fallujah cancer and infant mortality study in the entire UK and US national press - Patrick Cockburns article in the Independent. The story has simply been ignored by every other US-UK national newspaper", write the editors of Medialens.[8] The article by Patrick Cockburn[9] was indeed a rare exception to the mainstream media near-blackout of news about this new scientific study, showing soaring rates of cancer and other indicators of mutagenic disorders in Fallujah[10], the city the U.S. obliterated in 2004. Results of a population-based epidemiological study organized by Malak Hamdan and Chris Busby, published on 03 July 2010 in the International Journal of Environmental Studies and Public Health (IJERPH) based in Basle, Switzerland, show increases in cancer, leukemia and infant mortality and perturbations of the normal human population birth sex ratio significantly greater than those reported for the survivors of the A-Bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.[11] As Noam Chomsky has commented, the studys findings are "vastly more significant" than the Wikileaks Afghan 'War Diary leaks[12] The refusal of the mainstream media to write about this report is another proof of cynical negligence. On top of that the city of Fallujah still has no functioning sewage system: Waste pours onto the streets and seeps into drinking water supplies.[13] And Fallujah is still under siege. Nahoko Takato, activist and aid worker of the NGO NCCI testifies: "When I visited Falluja in 2009, it was very difficult to get permission to enter. Its surrounded by checkpoints Basically, only those who have IDs that are provided by the American army can enter. And only cars that get a number from the American army are allowed to enter. The Ramadi citizen can enter Falluja by foot, but he cannot enter Falluja in his own car because he needs special registration that is very difficult to get Maybe the American army is afraid that an international will collect evidence of the pollution, uranium traces, and so on."[14] The demands of the people of Fallujah, formulated in the Testimonies of Crimes Against Humanity in Fallujah, Towards a Fair International Criminal Trial report, are highly justified and should be obligatory advocated and put high on the agenda of all Human Rights Organisations and peace movements worldwide. 1. The inability of the Iraqi judiciary to undertake any proceedings leading to eventual trials and accountability for the crimes and violations by the U.S.-British soldiers, is clear evidence of the complicity and to the continuation of absolute occupation, thereafter the situation was ratified thereafter with the drafting of the security agreement between U.S. government and the Iraqi government confirming and regularizing this deficiency. It is our cherished right to hold to account the International Community who now has both the mandate, and moral responsibility to initiate proceedings to prosecute and hold accountable all those perpetrators and seek full restitution and compensations in appropriate portion and scale, commensurate with the endured suffering and pain throughout the endured periods and continuing till the present day. 2. We appeal to the international community, to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable, and obtain compensation for the victims, including for the suffering and all pain endured. 3. The establishment of an international criminal court, or at least an independent fact-finding mission to look at all violations happened in Iraq by the United States since 1991. 4. The reinstitution of the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iraq is one of the first steps that the international community can take in order to get at the truth regarding the human rights situation in Iraq. 5. We call on all visual media and audio, which have documented the crimes of Fallujah, to send a copy to the office of the special procedures in the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, to assist victims of Fallujah and help stop these crimes.[15] As a final observation Id like to stress that the people of Fallujah have all the right, according to International law, to defend themselves against the illegal invasion and occupation of their city, their country. Their right to resist should be defended by all. Dirk Adriaensens is a Member of the BRussells Tribunal executive committee
Notes
[1] http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/09/17/100778/iraqi-forces-struggling-as-us.html [2] http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news%5C2010-09-16%5Ckurd.htm [3] - Fallujah is a city rooted in history, located some 45 km to the west of the capital Baghdad. It has a population of more than 350.000 inhabitants and is at the crossroad of three rural areas that total 300.000 inhabitants, which brings the overall population of the area of Fallujah to 650000 people. The population of Fallujah is conservative as regards social, religious, traditional and tribal issues [4] http://www.brusselstribunal.org/pdf/MHRI-Fallujah160910.pdf [5] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/15session/ [6] http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=10580&s2=22 [7] http://www.brusselstribunal.org/pdf/Fallujah.pdf [8] http://www.medialens.org/alerts/10/100907_beyond_hiroshima_the.php [9] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/toxic-legacy-of-us-assault-on-fallujah-worse-than-hiroshima-2034065.html [10] http://www.ufppc.org/us-a-world-news-mainmenu-35/9836/ [11] http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Fallujah020710.htm [12] http://www.zcommunications.org/wikileaks-and-coverage-in-press-by-noam-chomsky [13] http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=89829 [14] http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=69624&s2=10 [15] http://www.brusselstribunal.org/pdf/MHRI-Fallujah160910.pdf |
In Guest List, Paste’s favorite artists and auteurs dissect the music that’s inspired some of their most seminal works.
Annie Wu didn’t waste any time topping the charts. Following a stylish stint on Marvel’s Eisner-winning Hawkeye alongside writer Matt Fraction, the Venture Bros. storyboard artist (and possessor of infinitely cool hair) is teaming up with writer Brenden Fletcher and colorist Lee Loughridge to launch Black Canary, one of the most anticipated books to come out of DC’s “DC You” revitalization.
Beyond breathing new life into a classic DC character, Black Canary looks to tap into the same exceedingly enthusiastic fanbase that has made successes out of Spider-Gwen, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Batgirl. Fletcher and Wu’s Dinah Lance is taking a break from the black ops role foisted on her in the New 52 to front a goth-tinged rock band, but anyone with a history in the cape community is likely to carry some super-powered baggage.
In advance of Black Canary’s opening night this Wednesday, Paste chatted with Wu, a self-identified obsessive playlist-maker, about the sonic inspirations behind the series, her collaboration with writer and musician Fletcher, and the awful tunes that encourage her to hit her deadlines.
Annie Wu on the Role Music Plays in Black Canary
I usually make playlists for any project, sometimes even for editorial illustration—just one piece, not even storytelling stuff. If I have a specific atmosphere or mood in mind, it helps put me in that mindset if I have some music to score it. Although weirdly, I don’t really listen to that many scores from films; it’s usually pop songs and things like that.
Any parallel I can find between being a performer on stage and being a superhero, the highs and lows of it and the identity aspect of it, any track that makes me think about that is thrown in here. I hope people can hear whatever they want to hear to help them go through the story. This stuff is just to help me visually express a certain tone or something. I don’t know how much people pick up when they see it on the page, but this is what helps me get into the right mindset.
Black Canary #1 Art by Annie Wu
My deadline playlist is completely different in that it’s all ‘90s garbage. It’s the worst. It’s like Jordan Knight when he had a revival in his career. It’s the worst songs, all that pop music that I play on a loop as I’m rushing toward the deadline because it becomes white noise in my head. This playlist is the stuff that helps me get into the right state of mind to break a story, but when I’m rushing, it’s all ‘90s garbage. Like, Oh god, if I have to listen to “Give It To You” 10 more times, I’m going to lose my mind. And that’s how I get my work in.
1. “Tear Me Down,” Hedwig and the Angry Inch
I started off with the intro song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch because I really wanted the energy of putting on that rock star personality for yourself and for the audience to get everybody pumped up, so you really feel like you’re owning the crowd and the crowd’s also really enjoying it. I wanted that vibe. So, of course, to feel that way, you should pull that song from a musical where she’s doing exactly that. [Laughs]
In issue one, I wanted Dinah to have this elaborate—because you know, Black Canary doesn’t wear a cape—this elaborate cape thing she could rip off at the very beginning to reveal her Black Canary outfit. It’s pulling from Hedwig and Dr. Frank-N-Furter of Rocky Horror and a little bit of Ziggy Stardust. Bowie had this long, almost kimono-y thing he would rip off to reveal this very revealing Ziggy Stardust outfit. It was like all of these things in one that I had in my head, so that’s the kind of moment I wanted to bring to life.
2. “Heavy Metal and Reflective,” Azealia Banks
I forget who said it, it might have been Brenden [Fletcher] or editor Chris Conroy, but someone said something about one of Azealia Banks’s songs being appropriate for Batgirl. They were just talking to each other and I overheard it and thought, well, if there’s going to be an Azealia Banks song for this run of Black Canary, it would have to be “Heavy Metal and Reflective.” Just being a badass chick, owning the scene. I really like this song. I love Azealia Banks’s attitude and she’s just a powerhouse on stage from what I’ve seen.
3. “Boys Wanna Be Her,” Peaches
When I’m feeling down in the dumps, I’ll put these songs on to pump me up and feel like an empowered individual, stomping around New York. [Laughs] I wanted that vibe for this playlist, or while I’m working on this book. You know, Dinah, she has this amazing voice, and that’s why she’s doing so well in this band, but inside she’s not a performer and she has to put on this front and amp herself up to do this job. She’s a superhero, she’s not a rock star, so she has to pretend to be one. She has to put on, in the old-school sense of the word, the glamour of being a rock star to project that image out there. I wanted songs that would pump someone up to feel that way.
4. “Rebel Girl,” Bikini Kill
5. “Kick Out the Jams,” MC5
[This] is the show. You’re being taken to church. The transcendent feeling of being at a show. She’s owning you.
6. “Song 2,” Blur
7. “20th Century Boy,” T. Rex
Black Canary #1 Art by Annie Wu
8. “Get Ready for Love,” Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
9. “Cities In Dust,” Siouxsie and The Banshees
10. “Vicious,” Lou Reed
I was listening to a lot of [Lou Reed’s] album Transformer when I was working on the eight-page preview of Black Canary and the first issue, and one lyric from this song is, “Vicious, you hit me with a flower.” And I was like, Aww, that’s kind of like Dinah, because she used to be a florist, the old iteration of her character. I was like, Oh, that’s kind of funny. [Laughs]. For my own giggles, I put this in there.
11. “Oblivion,” Grimes
We have some mysterious characters in the book who slowly reveal their past. It’s a creeping sense of dread kind of thing, so I loaded that up on the playlist here through Grace Jones, Bauhaus and Ladytron.
12. “Lilies,” Cranes
13. “2020,” Suuns
14. “When The Sun Hits,” Slowdive
15. “I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango),” Grace Jones
16. “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” Bauhaus
Brenden Fletcher is a legit musician. He plays in a band and stuff. He sings, he plays a lot of instruments. So when we discuss what Black Canary sounds like, he knows what he’s talking about, whereas I just have vague, “Oh, it’s kind of like this, it’s kind of like that.” [Laughs].
In the early days, when we were discussing character design and stuff, costuming, we knew they were a rock band, but there’s so many different kinds of rock. The way they dress and present themselves, the type of instruments that they play, are affected by whether or not they’re punk rock, if they’re riot grrrl, if they’re glam rock, whatever. I did tell him early on that my immediate instinct was to go a little goth-y with her, lean a little toward that eighties goth sort of vibe. Brenden loves shoegaze and that slow, goth-y stuff, so we immediately tapped Siouxsie Sioux, a little Bauhaus, sometimes I think a little Sisters of Mercy, so in my head it’s kind of a modern take on that.
Black Canary #1 Variant Cover by Tula Lotay
Brenden has messed around a little bit with possible music too, because you can talk about music all the time but until you actually hear something, it’s difficult to articulate. So he’s put together stuff to be like, “Is this what it sounds like inside your head?” So it’s a little bit ‘80s goth, rough around the edges, a little bit new stuff. It’s really cool.
Brenden has been so amazing about wanting to collaborate. He keeps reminding me that he really wants it to feel like a book that both of us made, where there’s not a super deep line of demarcation where our contributions begin and end. I try to check in with him as much as possible about influences behind the characters visually. He’s been really open. He always asks me, “Whatever you want to draw, let me know. I’ll make sure it’s in there so you have the opportunity to do that.” So it’s been really nice. It feels very much like a collaboration rather than, “Here’s the script, take it and follow it to a T.”
17. “The Way That I Found You,” Ladytron
18. “Kyoto Song,” The Cure
19. “lxC999,” White Ring
20. “That Laughing Track,” Crookers (ft. Style of Eye & Carli)
A lot of times, I’ll have specific “theme songs” for each character, even background people. It’s almost a Disney or Broadway approach to it, where each character has their own song to introduce themselves. In my own head, every character has something like that. And so the last chunk of this playlist is stuff for various villains that are going to show up later in the story. If anyone listens to the playlist from top to bottom, they can probably sense the tone get like, weirdly dark, because I love the villain songs for the mean, catty people who show up. [Laughs]
This one’s kind of a house-y dance track. It’s for someone from the band’s past who shows up, and she may not have the best intentions. My inspiration for her is this new wave of voguing that suddenly appeared in the last five years or so. It’s kind of goth-y. It’s this new wave of dance style. All of her movements are inspired by this movement, so I had this song in my head.
The next few tracks, “Nightclubbing,” “Alabama Song,” are all villainous tracks. It’s supposed to feel like long walks at night, looking over your shoulder, that sort of vibe. [Laughs]
21. “Texas Keller,” Bohren & Der Club of Gore
22. “Funnel of Love,” SQÜRL (ft. Madeline Follin)
23. “Nightclubbing,” Iggy Pop
24. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar),” The Doors
25. “Slippage,” Goldfrapp
26. “This Is Hardcore (End Of The Line Remix),” Pulp
I have everything set like a movie in my head, so each song applies to a specific moment or type of moment. I’m sure anyone who has ever performed on stage in any capacity can relate to this, but the high of performing on stage and having a really good show, and then leaving and having to go home—you don’t want to go home, you’re still buzzing, but the show’s over—there’s that weird comedown. Pulp’s “End of the Line” remix for This is Hardcore...there’s one instrumental part that feels like a long, hard look in the mirror after a show, being exhausted but not ready to go home. [Laughs]
27. “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide,” David Bowie
I end it with “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide,” which is an anthem. Everybody has their hands up in the air. |
Christina Aguchi, Spearmint Rhino Las Vegas take home top honors at ED's Adult Nightclub & Exotic Dancer Awards Show during 2013 Gentlemen's Club Owners EXPO
ED Publications honors the "best-of-the-best" during industry's only national awards show at the industry's national convention: The "ED EXPO"
Clearwater, FL — For the 21st straight year, an entire industry—a multi-billion-dollar industry—came together for three days of networking events, seminars, exclusive parties, a packed tradeshow and an industry Awards Show. The Annual Gentlemen's Club Owners EXPO, held August 20-22, 2013 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, boasted one of the event's highest attendance, including club owners and operators, DJs and other club staff, feature entertainers, industry pros and many more.
As is the case each year, the EXPO's highlight event was the 16th Annual "ED's" Awards Show, held this year on August 21st at the House of Blues and sponsored by Anheuser-Busch. Anchored by Awards Show host, comedian Adam Hunter and including special guest appearances by Motley Crue's Vince Neil and Pantera/Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul, along with command performances by the four Overall Entertainer of the Year Nominees—Lacey Rain, Krystle Cummings, Christina Aguchi and Dakota Skye—the Annual ED's Awards Show presented awards to the industry's top adult nightclubs and feature entertainers. The two top awards—Overall Feature Entertainer of the Year and Overall Club of the Year—went to Christina Aguchi and Spearmint Rhino Las Vegas respectively. (See complete list of winners below.)
"With its fast pace, engaging special presenters and amazing feature entertainer performances—not to mention the great live music provided by Las Vegas' own Brazen—this year's ED's Awards Show will certainly go down as one of the best ever," says ED's Associate Publisher Dave Manack, noting that other "big winners" include Rick's Cabaret for Club Chain of the Year, Hall of Fame inductee (the late) Hal Lowrie of the PT's Showclub chain, Darling Danika for Newcomer Entertainer of the Year and Suzie Malone for Club Favorite Entertainer of the Year. "We not only salute each and every club and entertainer who won this year, but all of the deserving nominees as well. It is our privilege to be the only national awards show for this industry, and we enjoy celebrating the best-of-the-best each year."
But of course, the ED's Awards Show is only one facet of this annual convention. This year's "Money EXPO" featured seminars dedicated to either making or saving club operators money right now, and boasted EXPO Keynote Speaker Steven Hirsch of Vivid Entertainment. The Opening Night "Game Show" Party at the Hustler Club saw feature entertainer Jayden Cole win the first-ever "Stripper Jeopardy," while "bachelorette" entertainer Richelle Ryan was chosen by the "bachelor"—Charles Bass, co-owner of Babe's Cabaret in New Orleans—during the "Dating Game." The entertainment continued at the EXPO Tradeshow Mainstage, where several of the industry's top DJs combined their skills with the industry's hottest performers to ensure that the EXPO Tradeshow would be alive and kicking for two straight days.
"We pack three days full of seminars, networking events, private parties and our Tradeshow with the hope that every attendee gets their money's worth," says Manack. "We appreciate every single guest who joins our annual Vegas get-together, and we're already looking forward to EXPO 2014!"
For more information on ED Publications or the Annual Gentlemen's Club Owners EXPO, please visit EDpublications.com, email dave@edpublications.com or call (727) 726-3592.
Click on images to enlarge
The winners from the 2013 ED's Awards Show include:
Overall Gentlemen's Club of the Year
Spearmint Rhino, Las Vegas, NV
Club Chain of the Year
Rick's Cabaret
Overall Entertainer of the Year
Christina Aguchi
Newcomer Entertainer of the Year
Darling Danika
Club Favorite Entertainer of the Year
Suzie Malone
Adult Movie Entertainer of the Year
Richelle Ryan
Miss ExoticDancer.com of the Year
Miss Mena
Hall of Fame
Hal Lowrie
Club of the Year/Northeast
Hustler Club, New York City
Small Club of the Year/Northeast
Kandy's Gentlemen's Club, Waterford, PA
Club of the Year/Southeast
Thee Dollhouse, Tampa, FL
Small Club of the Year/Southeast
Trophy Club, Florence, SC
Club of the Year/Midwest
Show Palace Gentlemen's Club, Darien, WI
Small Club of the Year/Midwest
Deja Vu, Lansing, MI
Club of the Year/Central
Rick's Cabaret DFW, Fort Worth, TX
Small Club of the Year/Central
Babe's Cabaret, New Orleans
Club of the Year/West
Penthouse Club, San Francisco
Small Club of the Year/West
Fantasy Castle, Long Beach, CA
"Feature" Club of the Year
Cafe Royale, Farmingdale, NY
Club Employee of the Year
Toni Smith, Diamond Dolls, Pompano Beach, FL
General Manager of the Year
Ken DeGori, Gold Club, San Francisco
DJ of the Year
Jon "MC" Harmon, Penthouse Club, San Francisco |
This depression is historic in many ways, but one way that doesn’t get talked about a lot is that it’s the first time America has had a credit-based downturn with a government that is a major existing factor in the economy. Before the Great Depression, in the 1920s, government spending at all levels was around 15% of personal income. Today, it’s close to 50%. Sure, government spending shot up under FDR, but the point is it shot up from virtually nothing. What happens when you hit a depression when government spending is already over one third of GDP before the depression?
So, we have this situation where there is a huge economic entity that is about to see its income drop precipitously, as tax revenues fall off a cliff. Whether by spending cuts or inflationary printing, future real government contributions to the economy are going to have to decline. It’s easy to forget, but the government doesn’t actually make anything. Whatever money they spend either comes from the present or the future or from inflating the currency, but either way it is a hole that has to be filled sometime. Due to the large delay between the effects of a downturn and government spending, this will take a while to play out, and it’s a huge overhanging issue that has yet to completely hit the proverbial fan.
Here’s the thing that scares me about all of this: one of the tenets of control theory is that having a strong feedback loop with a large delay in any system is a good recipe for instability, and yet that’s exactly what we have when the government becomes such a large factor in the economy. Of course, an economy is not a model system, and it could never experience runaway instability like a linear circuit could. But if there are forces pushing it towards instability, I’d argue the result may not be exponentially growing oscillations, but it won’t be good. Humans don’t like unstable systems, especially when their money is involved, and rather than suffer oscillations, I suspect the economy would just fall and stay down.
Why hasn’t this happened before? Well, one likely possibility is that I’m completely out of my mind to be applying principles of control theory to the national economy. But another is that we’ve simply never tied this big of a feedback loop around our economy before. The last time we had a credit dislocation, perhaps government was small enough that these oscillations were damped. But the gain is way up, now, and I’m a little nervous to see what happens now that the system has been given a big kick. |
At Comic-Con Friday, HBO announced nine new cast members coming to Game of Thrones, including acclaimed veteran actor Jonathan Pryce. Some of the newcomers have been the subjects of online casting rumors for the last several weeks.
The list includes a recasting of young Myrcella Baratheon (Cersei’s daughter, last seen being put in a ship to Dorne for her own protection in season 2) and the addition of Pryce, who will play a powerful religious leader in King’s Landing. Several of the new cast members populate the Kingdom of Dorne, as Thrones shifts part of its focus next year to the home of Prince Oberyn Martell (following his gruesome death at the hands of the The Mountain last season). The Dorne scenes will be largely shot in Spain, which is likewise a fresh location for the multi-country production.
Be sure to also check out the new Game of Thrones blooper reel too. Here are all of Thrones’ season 5 cast additions, with HBO’s official descriptions for each character:
Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean series, Ronin and Brazil)as the High Sparrow. “A devout and pious man, the High Sparrow came to King’s Landing to serve those forgotten by much of the world—the poor, the downtrodden and the infirm—and quickly amassed a large following. His fellow believers have swarmed over the city, ministering to the lowest and decrying the corruption of the highest.”
Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Da Vinci’s Demons, 24) as Doran Martell. “Doran Martell is the ruling lord of Dorne and older brother to the late Prince Oberyn Martell. Unlike his brother, Doran is even-tempered and deliberate. Now, all of Dorne waits to see how their lord will react to his brother’s death.”
Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) as Obara Sand. “A fearsome warrior, Obara Sand is the eldest bastard daughter of the late Prince Oberyn Martell. Her mother was a Dornish peasant girl who caught the eye of the late Prince.”
Jessica Henwick (UK shows Silk, North by Northhamptonshire) as Nymeria (“Nym”) Sand. “Nym Sand is the second eldest of the late Prince Oberyn’s bastard daughters. Her mother was an Eastern noblewoman who brought Nym up to be cultured, graceful and deadly with a whip.”
NEXT: Five more! |
Legal experts have hailed the Court of Appeal’s “landmark” decision on Monday to rule in favour of a lesbian expatriate who was previously refused a spousal visa by the Immigration Department.
The applicant, QT, entered into a civil partnership with another woman, SS, in the UK in 2011. But when SS came to Hong Kong for work, Immigration only allowed QT to enter the city on a tourist visa. QT then challenged the decision by filing a judicial review.
Her solicitor, human rights lawyer Michael Vidler, told HKFP that it was a great decision not just for QT and her family, but also for many others in Hong Kong who are in a similar situation and were waiting for a positive decision.
Vidler said that it was also a good decision for the LGBT community, because the chief judge noted that hallmarks previously considered to be exclusive to heterosexual marriage also applied to same-sex partnerships.
“It was the first time that the Hong Kong court made such observations, and there were references in the judgment that we have to keep up with the times. That was something that heartened me and made me optimistic for the future,” he said.
Vidler further said that the ruling will “keep Hong Kong as the top provider of financial services in the world,” noting that the financial industry has had difficulty recruiting and maintaining talent coming to the city.
Step towards equality
Although the court earlier rejected an application by 12 financial institutions to intervene in the case, there was an opportunity for QT’s legal team to put forward their arguments. As one of the major employers and contributors to the city’s GDP, Vidler said that the benefits to the financial industry meant that the judgment was also good for Hong Kong as a whole.
In a press statement on Tuesday, the 12 institutions said they were pleased with the ruling: “This is a major victory for Hong Kong—it is not just about diversity and inclusion but also equality. We believe the ability to attract world class talent, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or background, is essential for maintaining Hong Kong’s competitiveness as a preeminent global financial centre. We will continue to advocate policies and practices that facilitate this.”
Geoffrey Yeung, member of Progressive Lawyers Group, told HKFP: “[The] judgment is an important step towards equality for same sex couples in Hong Kong. It is a recognition that same sex relationships in Hong Kong are valid relationships.”
Yeung added that it was a “landmark judgment” as the Court of Appeal ruling confirmed what the Court of First Instance said in a case involving Angus Leung, a Hong Kong civil servant who registered a same-sex marriage in New Zealand and fought the government to obtain civil service welfare benefits for his husband. There, the court had ruled that differential treatment in marital status in granting of spousal benefits would be discriminatory.
However, he also said that there is a “catch” in that one of the judges said that there is a difference between core and non-core rights, and classified immigration as a non-core right. However, the court did not fully consider arguments relating to core rights such as divorce, inheritance and adoption, leaving questions open as to whether challenges involving core rights by same sex couples will inevitably fail.
“Future challenges to these core rights remain to be determined,” Yeung said, adding that the court will reconsider whether the distinction is satisfactory. |
"The new debate in the Republican party needs to be between conservatives and libertarians," says Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). "A lot of the libertarian ideas that Ron Paul is talking about...should not be alien to any Republican."
Yet right after the 2010 midterm elections, the influential Tea Party favorite proclaimed that "you can't be a fiscal conservative and not be a social conservative," a comment that was widely viewed as a slap at libertarians. And South Carolina's junior senator is also a staunch pro-lifer, has favored a constitutional ban on flag burning, and is on the record saying that gays shouldn't be allowed to teach at public schools.
More recently, DeMint has been leaning libertarian. His new book, Now or Never: Saving America from Economic Collapse, is a warning to the nation that we need radical spending cuts (including putting defense spending on the table) or else face economic oblivion. And he was instrumental in getting Tea Party Republicans elected in 2010, including the most libertarian member of the caucus, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who also wrote the foreword to DeMint's book.
Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch sat down with DeMint for a wide-ranging discussion about fiscal vs. social conservatism, cutting spending, the GOP presidential nomination, whether the Tea Party still matters, and much more.
Approximately 29 minutes.
Shot by Meredith Bragg and Jim Epstein; edited by Epstein.
Scrolldown for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube Channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live. |
Looks like we might see Anthony Mackie on the campaign trail with Donald Trump. During a sit-down chat with BET.com during the promotional trail for his new film Our Brand Is Crisis, the actor showed his adoration for the controversial candidate.
| 10 CELEBS WHO PROVE DONALD TRUMP IS THE IDIOT OF THE CENTURY |
"I would 100 percent want to run Trump's campaign. 100 percent," he said. "I mean, first that'll be the best party ever when he won, and second, Trump's an easy sell... When you look at Trump, he's an easy sell because you can sell him as the guy who worked his way up from nothing. And I think if you're a 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' candidate, people would identify with that."
So, does all this praise mean that Mackie is backing Trump for the 2016 presidency? It seems so: "I'm on the bandwagon," he said. "I'm drinking the Kool-Aid!"
Well, alright then. Watch the video above! Our Brand Is Crisis is in theaters October 30. |
There is no evidence suggesting that Al-Qaeda or any other international terrorist organization took part in the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, a new report suggests.
The investigation by The New York Times has revealed that it was actually the US-made movie ‘Innocence of Muslims’ that fueled the attack, adding that the assault on the consulate did not appear to be “meticulously planned, but neither was it spontaneous or without warning signs.”
The report is based on interviews with Libyans in Benghazi who had direct knowledge of the attack and its context.
Months of investigation “turned up no evidence that Al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had any role in the assault,” The Times said.
The report stresses that the attack “was led, instead, by fighters who had benefited directly from NATO’s extensive air power and logistics support during the uprising against Colonel Gaddafi.”
The September 11 attack on the US consulate in the cradle of the Libyan revolution occurred in the wake of worldwide anti-West demonstrations sparked by an amateur American-made video that ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad. Four Americans - including US ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, a State Department worker, and two ex-Navy Seals - were killed in the attack on the loosely-guarded diplomatic mission.
The Obama administration initially placed the blame on the film’s aftermath. However, reports later suggested that Al-Qaeda was behind the attack.
Republicans held numerous hearings in Congress questioning the Obama administration’s handling of the incident, accusing it of misleading the public and suggesting that it downplayed Al-Qaeda's role in the attack.
At a Senate hearing in January, Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "We were misled that there were supposedly protests and then something sprang out of that, an assault sprang out of that."
But according to the NYT report, it seems that is exactly what happened.
The paper also states that the Americans were aware of the growing threat from local militants who took part in the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
Mohamed al-Gharabi, leader of the Rafallah al-Sehati Brigade, said that he had previously warned the Americans that “since Benghazi isn’t safe, it is better for you to leave now.”
“I specifically told the Americans myself that we hoped that they would leave Benghazi as soon as possible,” he added. |
A Black Man is Killed in the U.S. Every 28 Hours by Police
Police officers, security guards, or self-appointed vigilantes extrajudicially killed at least 313 African-Americans in 2012, according to a recent study. This means a black person was killed by a security officer every 28 hours. The report notes that it's possible that the real number could be much higher.
The report, entitled "Operation Ghetto Storm," was conducted by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, an antiracist grassroots activist organization. The organization has chapters in Atlanta, Detroit, Fort Worth-Dallas, Jackson, New Orleans, New York City, Oakland, and Washington, D.C. It has a history of organizing campaigns against police brutality and state repression in black and brown communities. Their study's sources included police and media reports along with other publicly available information. Last year, the organization published a similar study showing that a black person is killed by security forces every 36 hours. However, this study did not tell the whole story, as it only looked at shootings from January to June 2012. Their latest study is an update of this.
These killings come on top of other forms of oppression black people face. Mass incarceration of nonwhites is one of them. While African-Americans constitute 13.1% of the nation's population, they make up nearly 40% of the prison population. Even though African-Americans use or sell drugs about the same rate as whites, they are 2.8 to 5.5 times more likely to be arrested for drugs than whites. Black offenders also receive longer sentences compared to whites. Most offenders are in prison for nonviolent drug offenses.
"Operation Ghetto Storm" explains why such killings occur so often. Current practices of institutional racism have roots in the enslavement of black Africans, whose labor was exploited to build the American capitalist economy, and the genocide of Native Americans. The report points out that in order to maintain the systems of racism, colonialism, and capitalist exploitation, the United States maintains a network of "repressive enforcement structures." These structures include the police, FBI, Homeland Security, CIA, Secret Service, prisons, and private security companies, along with mass surveillance and mass incarceration.
The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement is not the only group challenging police violence against African-Americans. The Stop Mass Incarceration Network has been challenging the policy of stop-and-frisk in New York City, in which police officers randomly stop and search individuals for weapons or contraband. African-American and Latino men are disproportionately stopped and harassed by police officers. Most of those stopped (close to 90%) are innocent, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union. Stop Mass Incarceration alsoorganizes against the War on Drugs and inhumane treatment of prisoners.
Along with the rate of extrajudicial killings, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement report contains other important findings. Of the 313 killed, 124 (40%) were between 22 and 31 years old, 57 (18%) were between 18 and 21 years old, 54 (17%) were between 32 and 41 years old, 32 (10%) were 42 to 51 years old, 25 (8%) were children younger than 18 years old, 18 (6%) were older than 52, and 3 (1%) were of unknown ages.
A significant portion of those killed, 68 people or 22%, suffered from mental health issues and/or were self-medicated. The study says that "[m]any of them might be alive today if community members trained and committed to humane crisis intervention and mental health treatment had been called, rather than the police."
43% of the shootings occurred after an incident of racial profiling. This means police saw a person who looked or behaved "suspiciously" largely because of their skin color and attempted to detain the suspect before killing them. Other times, the shootings occurred during a criminal investigation (24%), after 9-1-1 calls from "emotionally disturbed loved ones" (19%) or because of domestic violence (7%), or innocent people were killed for no reason (7%).
Most of the people killed were not armed. According to the report, 136 people or 44%, had no weapon at all the time they were killed by police officers. Another 27% were deaths in which police claimed the suspect had a gun but there was no corroboration to prove this. In addition, 6 people (2%) were alleged to have possessed knives or similar tools. Those who did, in fact, possess guns or knives were 20% (62 people) and 7% (23 people) of the study, respectively.
The report digs into how police justify their shootings. Most police officers, security guards, or vigilantes who extrajudicially killed black people, about 47% (146 of 313), claimed they "felt threatened", "feared for their life", or "were forced to shoot to protect themselves or others". George Zimmerman, the armed self-appointed neighborhood watchman who killed Trayvon Martin last year, claimed exactly this to justify shooting Martin. Other justifications include suspects fleeing (14%), allegedly driving cars toward officers, allegedly reaching for waistbands or lunging, or allegedly pointing a gun at an officer. Only 13% or 42 people fired a weapon "before or during the officer's arrival".
Police recruitment, training, policies, and overall racism within society conditions police (and many other people) to assume black people are violent to begin with. This leads to police overacting in situations involving African-American suspects. It also explains why so many police claimed the black suspect "looked suspicious" or "thought they had a gun." Johannes Mehserle, the white BART police officer who shot and killed 22-year-old Oscar Grant in January 2009, claimed Grant had a gun, even though Grant was subdued to the ground by other officers.
Of the 313 killings, the report found that 275 of them or 88% were cases of excessive force. Only 8% were not considered excessive as they involved cases were suspects shot at, wounded, or killed a police and/or others. Additionally, 4% were situations were the facts surrounding the killing were "unclear or sparsely reported". The vast majority of the time, police officers, security guards, or armed vigilantes who extrajudicially kill black people escape accountability.
Over the past 70 years, the "repressive enforcement structures" described in the report have been used to "wage a grand strategy of 'domestic' pacification" to maintain the system through endless "containment campaigns" amounting to "perpetual war". According to the report, this perpetual war has been called multiple names — the "Cold War", COINTELPRO, the "War on Drugs, the "War on Gangs", the "War on Crime", and now the "War on Terrorism". This pacification strategy is designed to subjugate oppressed populations and stifle political resistance. In other words, they are wars against domestic marginalized groups. "Extrajudicial killings", says the report, "are clearly an indispensable tool in the United States government's pacification pursuits." It attributes the preponderance of these killings to institutionalized racism and policies within police departments.
Paramilitary police units, known as SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams, developed in order to quell black riots in major cities, such as Los Angeles and Detroit, during the 1960s and '70s. SWAT teams had major shootouts with militant black and left-wing groups, such as the Black Panther Party and Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) in 1969 and 1974, respectively. SWAT teams were only used for high-risk situations, until the War on Drugs began in the 1980s. Now they're used in raids — a common military tactic — of suspected drugor non-drug offenders' homes.
The War on Drugs, first declared by President Richard Nixon in 1971, was largely a product of U.S. covert operations. Anti-communist counter-revolutionaries, known as the "Contras", were trained, funded, and largely created by the CIA to overthrow the leftist Sandinista government of Nicaragua during the 1980s. However, the CIA's funding was not enough. Desperate for money, the Contras needed other funding sources to fight their war against the Sandinistas. The additional dollars came from the drug trade. The late investigative journalist Gary Webb, in 1996, wrote a lengthy series of articles for the San Jose Mercury News, entitled "Dark Alliance," detailing how the Contras smuggled cocaine from South America to California's inner cities and used the profits to fund their fight against the Sandinista government. The CIA knew about this but turned a blind eye. The report received a lot of controversy, criticism, and tarnishing of Webb's journalistic career, which would lead him to commit suicide in 2004. However, subsequent reports from Congressional hearings and other journalists corroborated Webb's findings.
Moreover, major banks, such as Wachovia (now part of Wells Fargo) and HSBC have laundered money for drug dealers. Therefore, the very threat that the Drug War claims to eliminate is perpetuated more by the National Security State and Wall Street than by low-level street dealers. But rather than go after the bigger fish, the United States has used the pretext of the "war on drugs" to implement draconian police tactics on marginalized groups, particularly poor black communities.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan passed the Military Cooperation with Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies Act, which provided civilian police agencies equipment, training, and advising from the military, along with access to military research and facilities. This weakened the line between the military and civilian law enforcement established by the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, a Reconstruction-era law forbidding military personnel from enforcing domestic laws. Five years later, in 1986, Reagan issued National Security Decision Directive 221, which declared drug trafficking a national security threat to the United States. This militarized the U.S. approach to drugs and overall policing. Additionally, the global war on terror and growth of the National Security State expanded this militarization of domestic policeunder the guise of "fighting terrorism."
The adoption of military tactics, equipment, training, and weapons leads to law enforcement adopting a war-like mentality. They come to view themselves as soldiers fighting against a foreign enemy rather police protecting a community. Nick Pastore, a former Police Chief of New Haven, Connecticut from 1990 to 1997, turned down military equipment that was offered to him. "I turned it all down, because it feeds a mind-set that you're not a police officer serving a community, you're a soldier at war," he told the New York Times. He said "tough-guy cops" in his department pushed for "bigger and more hardware" and "used to say, 'It's a war out there.'" Pastore added, "If you think everyone who uses drugs is the enemy, then you're more likely to declare war on the people." Mix this war-like mentality with already existing societal anti-black racism and the result is deadly. Black people, who, by default, are assumed to be criminals because of their skin color, become the victims of routine police violence.
The fact that a black person is killed by a police officer, security guard, or vigilante every 28 hours (or less) is no random act of nature. It is the inevitable result of institutional racism and militaristic tactics and thinking within America's domestic security apparatus. |
From her base in Caracas, Venezuela, Meridith Kohut has been documenting Latin American life since 2007. Kohut has just been selected to receive the 2017 annual Getty Images and Chris Hondros Fund Award, allowing her to continue her commitment to documenting important local issues.
The award is in honour of photojournalist Chris Hondros, who was killed on April 20, 2011 while on assignment in Misurata, Libya.
"Chris is a true legend among photojournalists - not only for his prolific career covering conflict around the world, but for the compassion and generosity he showed the people whose lives he documented, and his fellow colleagues," says Kohut.
"Having my work recognised by his closest friends and family at The Chris Hondros Fund is deeply humbling and a tremendous honour," she continued.
From the rise and fall of Hugo Chavez's socialist revolution in Venezuela, to prison overcrowding in El Salvador, Kohut's in-depth photo projects reveal the many stories of Latin America.
Here is a selection of her work.
Image copyright Meridith Kohut
This image, taken at at El Pampero Psychiatric Hospital in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, shows Omar Mendoza, a severely undernourished patient.
Working with New York Times reporters, Kohut found that patients such as Omar, a schizophrenic, had access to very few drugs to treat their afflictions. Food was also in very short supply.
Image copyright Meridith Kohut/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Nadia Rodriguez is a 54-year-old resident of the Cana de Azucar neighbourhood of Maracay, Venezuela.
In this photograph from March 2016, she is seen lighting a candle inside her home while electricity was shut off due to state-mandated rationing. A lack of rain has caused a drought and hydroelectric dams could not produce enough power.
Image copyright Meridith Kohut/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Graterol sisters - Natali, Niurka and Edith - sit on their bed in their home, which is made of sheet metal, on Avila mountain in Culebrilla, Venezuela,
Kohut has documented the rising poverty across the country, with a high level of food shortages leading to many protests.
Image copyright Meridith Kohut
Clashes between followers of the socialist policies of the late President Hugo Chavez, his replacement Nicolas Maduro, and their opposition has led to tension across Venezuela.
This image of protesters focuses on their discontent with the government. The throw rocks and petrol bombs and in return, riot police used tear gas.
Image copyright Meridith Kohut/Bloomberg via Getty Images
In the Venezuelan port of Puerto Cabello, boys prepare to jump into the water. This is the location where a Brazilian meat processing company brings government-subsidised meat into the country.
In a Bloomsburg article accompanying these photographs, it was reported that this meat is often taken to state shops where the threat of riots or government opposition campaigning is high.
Image copyright Meridith Kohut
For another project, Kohut trekked for almost five hours to reach the remote town of Rendel on the southern peninsula of Haiti.
The town had been suffering from an outbreak of cholera, worsened by the destruction of Hurricane Matthew. This photograph captures the plight of patients in an overcrowded clinic in the town.
Image copyright Meridith Kohut/Bloomberg via Getty Images
In the town of La Oroya, Peru, Kenyi Barja and his brother eat their breakfast.
Kohut documented the human collateral from the clash between the Peruvian government and Renco Group Inc, a mining conglomerate who were accused of causing local children to suffer from illness related to elevated lead levels.
Image copyright Meridith Kohut/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Pedernales, Ecuador on 16 April 2016.
Here, a young child looks out from a hammock as detritus surrounds her. The quake was Ecuador's largest since 1979, and at least 272 people were confirmed dead, with many more injured.
All images by Meridith Kohut. |
An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 has struck offshore near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, near Aceh province.
The quake struck 214km (133 miles) south of Aceh's capital of Banda Aceh, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
A local tsunami alert was issued and later lifted by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The site is very near that of 2004's 9.2 magnitude earthquake. About 220,000 people were killed in the Indian Ocean tsunami the quake triggered.
The epicentre of the latest quake was at a depth of 61.4km, about 66km (41 miles) south-west of Meulaboh district, the USGS said.
The district, and other parts of Aceh, were devastated in the 26 December 2004 earthquake.
Ring of Fire
The quake hit at 1259 (0559 GMT). Local media reported some houses were damaged and power lines knocked down, Associated Press news agency said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center lifted its tsunami watch several hours after the earthquake.
The earthquake caused some panic in parts of Aceh
"Sea level readings indicate that a significant tsunami was not generated," the Hawaii-based centre said in a statement on its website.
"Therefore, the tsunami watch issued by this center is now cancelled."
The USGS earlier said it believed there was no threat of a destructive, widespread tsunami but the possibility of a local tsunami existed.
Indonesia is located on the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of tectonic activity girdling the Pacific Ocean that triggers earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Aceh is on the north-western tip of Sumatra, one of Indonesia's main islands, and is frequently rocked by earthquakes.
One last year near Padang in West Sumatra province killed more than 1,000 people.
About 170,000 people were killed in Aceh from the 2004 earthquake and the tsunami it launched.
The waves spread across the Indian Ocean to cause death and destruction as far away as Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. |
The Partridge Family star David Cassidy is hospitalized and in critical condition. Both his kidney and liver are failing, a representative for the actor confirms to EW.
The former teen heartthrob, now 67, is “currently conscious and surrounded by family,” the rep notes.
Cassidy checked into a Florida hospital earlier this week and is in need of a liver transplant.
Cassidy is best known for his role as Keith Partridge in the ’70s TV series and for his career as a pop singer. He made 10 albums for The Partridge Family, as well as more than eight solo albums and 24 singles. He’s sold more than 30 million records and was nominated for several Grammys.
Earlier this year, Cassidy revealed he was suffering from dementia. “I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming,” he told PEOPLE of his diagnosis.
The actor also battled substance abuse issues, including a stint in rehab in 2014. In February 2015, Cassidy filed for bankruptcy and was charged following his hit-and-run eight months later in October 2015. |
WHY IT MATTERS
Whether brought on by consumer fatigue of the so-called “seasonal creep,” a general oversaturation in the marketplace, or unseasonably warm Autumn temperatures, brewers were faced with a hard truth last year: pumpkin beers were rotting away on the shelf long past the last day even the Headless Horseman would be looking for a taste. A month ago, we reported that Alaskan Brewing Company had removed pumpkin beers from their release schedule altogether. Now, Forbes counts Boston Beer, Harpoon, Southern Tier, Shipyard, and others, among the pumpkin purists opting to scale back on production this fall. Ithaca has also discontinued its entry entirely.
It’s still a bit premature to spell doom for the category, despite some implying—oddly joyfully, we might add—that the bubble has burst. Rather, this seems less like a death knell than it does an acknowledgement that maybe, just maybe, some brewers got too big for their britches with regards to pumpkin beer (though Dogfish Head, Forbes reports, actually ramped up production for its Punkin Ale this year).
However, this certainly opens the door for new categories to emerge as a potential fall favorite to compete with, or even leapfrog, the pumpkin. Märzens, Porters, something else—who knows! It’s too early to say, but it’s probably a good thing for anyone who likes trying new beer. And that people like trying new beer likely isn’t going to change for a good long while. Unlike the seasons.
—Dave Eisenberg
READ MORE
As Pumpkin Beer Sales Go Flat, Spooked Brewers Cut Production [Forbes] |
It’s never really a bad time to be a Princess. But it just got a whole lot more magical in the Magic Kingdom for Cinderella, and six-foot tall talking mice and whatever in the world Goofy is. Disney World, the Orlando, FL mega theme-park with more than 20 million visitors each year, has given BabyCakes, the teeny tiny gluten-free vegan cupcakeria, prime real estate.
Hailing from New York City’s Lower East Side, BabyCakes opened in Downtown Los Angeles earlier this year, spreading their yummy goodness out to LA's M Cafe's dessert case, as well as maintaining a healthy mail order business for their gluten-free, vegan desserts. Expansion is certainly a logical step many establishments take, but from New York and LA, it’s often next stop San Francisco, Chicago or London. Disney World? Well, that move has caught most everyone a little bit by surprise.
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Erin McKenna, BabyCakes founder blogged about the news on her Web site this morning:
Here's the scoop: a couple years ago I was approached by famed restauranteur [sic] Larry Levy of Spiaggia fame (among many, many many others) to partner with him on a project to bring healthier food to Disney. McDonalds was given the boot and BabyCakes was in, along with his other restaurants Pollo Campero and Fresh Apeel. After much planning, building, fussing and fixing we got this guy opened last Friday night.
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You read right, McDonald’s is out. Earlier this month their Happy Meals got the boot from San Francisco, and now, in what couldn't be a bigger blow, cupcakes have been deemed healthier than a McRib. It used to be that Happy Meal prizes were littered with Disney characters. Could there be a Snow White Cupcake coming some time soon? It actually seems a lot more fitting than a princess sitting alongside heat-lamp soaked McNuggets.
It looks as if the vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free Cupcake Revolution is not only going to be super fun (you know, minus the really long lines), but it will also be seriously delicious. Disney World’s slogan is after all, “Where Dreams Come True.”
Follow Jill on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jillettinger
Photo by Paul Mannix, courtesy of Creative Commons |
How To Be A Good BJJ Partner When A Teammate Is Injured
Any BJJ addict will tell you that there is nothing worse than having an injury that prevents you from training. That being said, often times an injured BJJ addict will attempt to train through the pain.
What can you do as a good training partner to help someone who is injured to be able to roll safely? Below are a few thoughts to consider.
– First and foremost, drop the ego. It is only one five minute match with a teammate. You don’t have to “win” against someone who is injured. There is no glory to be gained.
– Let your teammate initiate where the roll goes. They may normally be a pressure passer but because of a knee injury may be forced to play more open guard. Allow them to get into a position and then work from there. Be like Rickson Gracie and “flow with the go”.
– Be mindful of their injury. If their right shoulder is hurt, don’t go for Kimuras, Omoplatas, Americanas, etc. I would like to say that this is stating the obvious but believe me, people will attack an injury. Most times it is not done intentionally, but in the heat of a roll, movements can become reactionary.
– I know this may sound crazy to some of you, but you can even give up position for an injured teammate, and give them a chance to be offensive! Wild sounding, I know. Doing this will give you a chance to work on your defense, without having the pressure of having to do so.
– If you know someone is injured and know how to practice arte suave (the gentle art), help out the injured person by calling them out a few times in a sparring session, to prevent them from possibly furthering their injury by rolling with an overzealous beginner.
If you are the injured person listen to your doctor and take heed their advice!
When you get to the point like you feel you can begin training again, be sure to pick the right people to roll with. Stay away from the spazzy, explosive types. It is not necessarily a size issue, most larger advanced belts have learned how to roll with smaller people over the years.
If you get called out by someone to roll and you feel that rolling with them might not be the best idea, simply tell them. They can quickly re-injure you if both you, and they, are not careful. Academies are generally filled with people who all get along and consider each other extended families. Saying something shouldn’t be an issue.
Also be sure to talk to your coach so that he can give you some extra attention when it comes time to spar. He can anticipate potentially dangerous situations while watching you roll and give you a warning if needed.
Again, always listen to your doctor. I am not one. This is an opinion blog from a laymen. Click here for full disclaimer.
Hope this post is helpful to some of you and I hope you remain injury free! |
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Also notable is that the Leaf would require a special charging dock, which costs around $2,200 -- though a federal tax credit will also cover half of that. The Volt, however, can be plugged into a standard outlet.
Of course, the Leaf can boast zero tailpipe* emissions, but the Volt cannot.
Still, Affordability Matters
The Leaf will be available in some markets as soon as December. That's around the same time the Volt will hit the streets. At that time, the U.S. economy is still expected to still have pretty high unemployment and consumers will probably still be apprehensive about spending a lot on a new vehicle. So the Leaf's cheaper price tag could go a long way in giving Nissan a distinct advantage.
Think about the monthly payment for each. At the after-rebate prices listed above, with a 5-year loan and a 6% interest rate, the Volt would cost $628 per month. The Leaf's payment would be just $500 (including charging station). The Leaf also goes further on one battery charge, so its energy costs would likely be cheaper, since Volt owners would have to rely on gas whenever they drive more than 40 miles.
Leaf vs. Corolla
When the Volt news broke back in August, I explained why that price was still too high to be affordable for most Americans, even if you figure in the fuel cost savings. Let's do a similar analysis for the Leaf, compared to a Corolla. According to Nissan, the Leaf would get around 100 miles per charge, which should cost "less than $3." Since that's also about the current price of gas, we just need to consider the Corolla's gas mileage -- about 30.5 mpg (the average of its city and highway rates) -- and its $15,450 price.
Under those assumptions (and including the after-rebate charging station cost), the Leaf's break-even compared to the Corolla for total price, including power, comes after driving around 155,000 miles. For the Volt, that jumps to around 200,000 miles, given its reported 230 mpg estimate and assumed price of around $32,500 after rebate. Of course, both those estimates assume that gas doesn't increase in price more than electric power, which may or may not be true. If that happens, then fewer miles would need to be driven to make their purchases more cost-effective.
So for consumers who can stomach the 100-mile limit between charges, I think the Leaf should do quite well. Of course, wealthier Americans looking for a green vehicle might be willing to pay a higher price tag for the convenience that the Volt will provide through its hybrid flavor.
For the record: Nissan has been running a prominent ad for LEAF on this site.
*Another note: I added the word "tailpipe" here after receiving a few e-mails from readers who find this distinction important. Of course, the process for creating electricity for homes involves emissions, but the vehicle itself does not create emissions by burning gasoline. I never meant to suggest otherwise, but thought this fact was already generally understood. Sorry for any confusion.
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