text stringlengths 316 100k |
|---|
Diet influences the composition of the gut microbiota and host's health, particularly in patients suffering from food-related diseases. Coeliac disease (CD) is a permanent intolerance to cereal gluten proteins and the only therapy for the patients is to adhere to a life-long gluten-free diet (GFD). In the present preliminary study, the effects of a GFD on the composition and immune function of the gut microbiota were analysed in ten healthy subjects (mean age 30.3 years) over 1 month. Faecal microbiota was analysed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and quantitative PCR (qPCR). The ability of faecal bacteria to stimulate cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was determined by ELISA. No significant differences in dietary intake were found before and after the GFD except for reductions (P = 0.001) in polysaccharides. Bifidobacterium, Clostridium lituseburense and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii proportions decreased (P = 0.007, P = 0.031 and P = 0.009, respectively) as a result of the GFD analysed by FISH. Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium longum counts decreased (P = 0.020, P = 0.001 and P = 0.017, respectively), while Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli counts increased (P = 0.005 and P = 0.003) after the GFD assessed by qPCR. TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, IL-10 and IL-8 production by PBMC stimulated with faecal samples was also reduced (P = 0.021, P = 0.037, P = 0.002 and P = 0.007, respectively) after the diet. Therefore, the GFD led to reductions in beneficial gut bacteria populations and the ability of faecal samples to stimulate the host's immunity. Thus, the GFD may constitute an environmental variable to be considered in treated CD patients for its possible effects on gut health. |
Important Information:
PC Download Version
INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED FOR PRODUCT ACTIVATION. INTERNET CONNECTION, ORIGIN ACCOUNT, ACCEPTANCE OF PRODUCT AND ORIGIN END USER LICENSE AGREEMENTS, INSTALLATION OF THE ORIGIN CLIENT SOFTWARE (WWW.ORIGIN.COM/ABOUT) AND REGISTRATION WITH ENCLOSED SINGLE-USE SERIAL CODE REQUIRED TO PLAY, ACCESS BONUS CONTENT (IF ANY) AND ACCESS ONLINE SERVICES (IF ANY). SERIAL CODE REGISTRATION IS LIMITED TO ONE ORIGIN ACCOUNT PER SERIAL CODE. SERIAL CODE IS NON-TRANSFERABLE ONCE USED. EULAS AND ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.EA.COM/1/PRODUCT-EULAS. EA ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.EA.COM. YOU MUST BE 13+ TO ACTIVATE SOFTWARE, ACCESS ONLINE FEATURES AND REGISTER FOR AN ORIGIN ACCOUNT. EA MAY RETIRE ONLINE FEATURES, ONLINE SERVICES AND DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT AFTER 30 DAYS NOTICE POSTED ON WWW.EA.COM/1/SERVICE-UPDATES.
Requires the Origin client to install and play |
The one-year anniversary of Eric Garner’s death passed a little more than a year ago. Before Garner’s death, I had never heard of Tompkinsville, the Staten Island neighborhood where Garner regularly hung out, near the busy intersection of Victory Boulevard and Bay Street.
This was Garner’s spot. He played checkers and chess there, bought kids ice cream, earned the reputation of a “peacemaker” among his peers, and, yes, routinely sold untaxed “loose” cigarettes.
This was also the spot were Eric Garner was died.
Over the past year, despite the substantial media attention devoted to Garner’s death and the subsequent grand jury inquiry into the responsibility for his death, I didn’t hear or read much about Tompkinsville.
The lack of attention to the neighborhood in which Garner lived and died is strange given that the NYPD’s initial encounter with Garner was ostensibly motivated by the Broken Windows theory of crime causation. According to the theory, “disorder” in any given neighborhood, if “left unchecked,” will result in ever greater levels of disorder, which, in turn, will ultimately result in higher rates of serious crime. This is the justification for approaching and penalizing people like Garner who are engaged in non-violent, misdemeanors.
Based on my own research in Jersey City, New Jersey (approximately six miles, as the crow flies, from Tompkinsville), I’ve come to the conclusion that Broken Windows is more of a slogan than a theory and, when it comes down to it, morally and empirically wrong. As I wrote at City Limits:
The question that begs addressing is why the police or anyone else should ever aggressively police the likes of people who not only are “down and out,” but are doing nothing to directly harm others? Why create a situation of humiliation, tension, and hostility—the very kind of situation that led to Garner’s death—unless it is truly necessary? If only in one in a thousand instances, the circumstances are such that in such degrading and antagonistic encounters they result in death or serious injury, is that not one time too many? Or if all that results is humiliation and hostility, don’t these costs alone outweigh whatever benefits might conceivably come from cracking down on offenses like selling loosies?
In the three years of ethnographic work I did in Jersey City, I saw plenty of disorder, but this didn’t translate into serious crime:
Much as many people may not like who or what they see in the square, it is undoubtedly a safe space. I know this from experience and it is also borne out in the city’s official crime statistics.
Of course, one case doesn’t definitively show that high disorder never leads to high crime, but it does suggest that it doesn’t necessarily do so. In any case, there has been no definitive science supporting the Broken Windows theory.
On the same logic, the case of Tompkinsville further undermines the theory that disorder leads to serious crime. According to official data, rates of serious crime in and around Tompkinsville have long been relatively low, even during the years when the NYPD was not employing the Broken Windows strategy. This suggests that, however “disorderly” Tompkinsville may have been at times, the recent implementation of Broken Windows was, and remains, a solution in search of a problem.
Upon realizing the possibility that Tompkinsville might be another example of a high disorder/low crime space, I decided it was time to visit the neighborhood. I made the trip twice and I did not encounter what appeared to me to be a dangerous neighborhood or a neighborhood on the verge of becoming dangerous anytime soon.
Here is the part of town where Garner lived out his days:
While this part of town didn’t strike me as “bad,” it is a far cry from the Tompkinsville that sits just a short walk away, separated only by a concrete path. Much of Tompkinsville is actually rather well-to-do:
The socioeconomic disparity on display in Tompkinsville illustrates how policing and punishment are but one part of a much larger, far more complex, and deeply-rooted equation of inequality in America. Perhaps if Garner’s part of the neighborhood had been farther from the kind of real estate that developers and wealthy residents value, a little disorder would have been a little more tolerable.
I’m more convinced than ever that Garner’s death was a gross injustice and the consequence, not just of the actions of a single individual, but of a deeply misguided policy and theory. As Jesse Myerson and Mychal Denzel Smith poignantly argued in The Nation (in the wake of a grand jury’s decision not to indict the officer whose chokehold certainly, at the very least, served as the but-for cause of Garner’s death), neither black lives, nor many other lives besides, will likely matter much unless, in addition to urgently-needed criminal justice reforms, something is done to seriously address the roots of poverty and inequality in America.
Mike Rowan is an assistant professor in the Sociology Department at John Jay College. His book in progress examines how a population of chronically homeless, jobless men and women were policed in a neighborhood of Jersey City. Dr. Rowan is also a member of the Executive Board for the Hudson County Alliance to End Homelessness, the director of the CUNY Service Corps’ Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project, and a contributor to the Punishment to Public Health Initiative at John Jay. |
GoPro’s Karma drone is returning to store shelves after a three-month-long recall. The company announced in a press release that it has fixed the issue that nearly doomed its quadcopter, and that Karma is going back on sale today at GoPro.com and with “select US retailers” including Best Buy, B&H, and Amazon.
Pricing remains the same: the Karma drone will sell for $799 with no camera or $1,099 with a Hero 5 Black in the US. GoPro is also offering a version with of Karma without a stabilizer for $599, since the company began selling Karma’s removable stabilizer separately while the drone was not for sale. The camera company also says shipments will be limited at first, and that Karma will be available internationally later this spring.
Karma was recalled just weeks after going on sale in October 2016 because some of the 2,500 units sold fell out of the sky mid-flight. GoPro attributed the problem to a fault in the design of the latch that holds the drone’s battery in place. This led to loose battery connections that caused several drones to power down while in the sky, resulting in some spectacular crashes. The company says the updated Karma drones have a redesigned battery latch that went through “extensive testing” that should prevent future failures.
The problem that caused the recall has been solved, GoPro says
“We’re a little bit embarrassed that it was something as basic as a battery retention issue,” GoPro CEO Nick Woodman said at a small press gathering at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. “But at the same time we’re relieved that we can show the world that we do understand drones, we do understand the technology, and that it was an unfortunate mechanical engineering slip-up that led to the recall of Karma.”
Woodman also told The Verge at CES that GoPro plans to make more drones, despite the recall. “Our existing customers and new customers are really excited about Karma’s value proposition,” he said. “The foundation has been laid for great things to come in the Karma line.”
Meanwhile, GoPro’s stock price remains low, and it laid off 15 percent of its workforce after the recall in November. It was the company’s second round of layoffs in 2016. GoPro will report on its fourth quarter earnings from 2016 later this week. |
As the stench of impropriety wafts through the Senate, former auditor general Sheila Fraser says the only way to air out the Red Chamber is to open its books to full public scrutiny.
As things stand, the Senate conducts its own largely secret internal audits, and has only let the auditor general through its doors twice in its long history — the last time was Fraser in 2011 for a report presented to Parliament last year.
Now, instead of calling in the current auditor general, Michael Ferguson, to review the controversial travel expenses and housing allowance claims of four senators, the upper chamber enlisted the private accounting firm Deloitte Touche to take this on.
The difference is that the auditor general almost certainly would have made the results of his investigation public. The Senate may never reveal Deloitte's findings, despite Conservative Senate leader Marjory LeBreton's pledge Thursday to make public the "results of these investigations."
In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Fraser said that the auditor general should have full and permanent access to the books of both the Senate and the Commons to conduct the same "comprehensive audits" imposed on all federal departments and agencies.
"It is public money and not an insignificant amount of public money," Fraser says of the roughly $500 million Canadian taxpayers spend on MPs, senators and the operations of Parliament every year.
"While I believe the vast majority of people in both houses are honourable, there will always be a few who will try to circumvent the system."
An uphill battle
Fraser suggests that the auditor general conduct comprehensive audits of the Senate and Commons at least every 10 years, or more frequently if the spending watchdog smells possible trouble.
Former auditor general Sheila Fraser: 'There should be accountability.' (Canadian Press)
"All these allegations are calling into question the reputation of the Senate," she argues. "So it goes beyond the individuals and really to the institutions."
Fraser's often scathing reports on government waste and mismanagement helped to make her one of Canada's most popular public servants of the past decade, before her retirement in 2011.
One of her final achievements was to pry open the books of the Senate, albeit just once, and with the promise that her audit would not include a comprehensive audit of senators' expense accounts.
Fraser retired in the early stages of the actual audit, and it was completed by Ferguson, her successor.
But Conservative Senator David Tkachuk, who chairs the Senate standing committee on internal economy, says the Red Chamber has no plans to call in Ferguson to settle the current expense account kerfuffle — and is not likely to do that for a long time, if ever.
Tkachuk says that after that 2011 review by the auditor general, senators "made a decision" that in future the Senate would conduct its own "random audits over the next number of years."
Tkachuk told reporters Thursday that the current review of travel and housing allowance claims, being carried out by the accounting firm Deloitte Touche, is the first of those random audits.
Earlier this week, however, Tkachuk appeared to say that the Deloitte auditors were called in only after some "very unusual" expense claims came to the attention of the Senate.
And interviews with numerous government and senate insiders suggest that random audits had little or nothing to do with exposing the expense account irregularities now under investigation by Deloitte.
Where do you live?
Under Senate rules, senators who live more than 100 kilometres from Ottawa are allowed to claim up to about $22,000 a year towards a secondary home in the capital to attend to their Senate duties.
Last fall, a media investigation reported that the principal residence being claimed by Patrick Brazeau, the Conservative senator currently facing criminal assault charges, was actually his father's home, which called into question his expense claims for a second house in the capital.
Senator, and former TV journalist, Mike Duffy is having his housing expenses reviewed. (Canadian Press)
A few days later, questions were also raised about housing claims by Liberal Senator Mac Harb who has lived in Ottawa most of his life, including as a long-time MP and former deputy mayor of the city.
Harb's case was apparently reviewed by a special Senate subcommittee that was already investigating Brazeau's claim.
In January, the travel expenses and residency claims by Conservative Senator Pamela Wallin were allegedly flagged to a different senate committee.
At that point, the two committees decided to call in the private accounting firm Deloitte to take over all three cases.
Shortly after, the residency expense claims of Conservative Senator Mike Duffy came to the attention of one of the senate committees and was quickly added to Deloitte's investigation.
Value for money
So far, Tkachuk seems to be the only senator to raise the issue of random audits in all this.
But in any case, Fraser says internal financial audits are no substitute for the kind of work the auditor general does in a comprehensive review.
For one thing, financial audits only confirm that money has been spent as claimed — not whether the expenditure was justified, or whether taxpayers received maximum value for their money.
The former auditor general isn't at all surprised the Senate has once again bolted the doors to its accounting department.
For most of her 10 years in office, Fraser relentlessly hammered both MPs and senators over their refusal to subject themselves to the same scrutiny as other public servants entrusted with taxpayers' money.
"They will get into a large argument about how the members and their offices are distinct," Fraser says, "but it's still public money, and I think there should be accountability."
She adds, a possible understatement, "I think expectations of the public have certainly changed over the last 10 or 20 years." |
Lauded for its mature and philosophical narrative, SMT: Persona stands apart from other RPGs of its era, blending sophisticated storytelling with addictive combat, demon negotiation, and demon fusion components. Boasting a fully redone localization (including content never before seen in North America), all-new music, beautiful new animated sequences overseen by famed artist Kazuma Kaneko, enhanced graphics and sound, adjustments to game balance, and a number of technical and design improvements, this is the definitive version of one of the most sought after RPGs of all time.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is currently scheduled to release in stores and via PlayStation Network on September 22, 2009. Both versions have an MSRP of $39.99, but only the physical launch copies will include the game’s soundtrack on 2 discs, all packaged in a premium oversized outer box. |
A new hope
AMD is today introducing a mainstream graphics processor that is purposefully designed to offer the best gaming performance for around £120. The Radeon HD 7790 fits between the existing Radeon HD 7850 and Radeon HD 7770 GHz GPUs but uses silicon that is from neither graphics chip.
You see, getting semi-technical at the outset, AMD has wrung every drop of performance from the Cape Verde XT 160mm² die powering the HD 7770 GPU, and it's economically and thermally inadvisable to use the 212mm² die present on the Radeon HD 7850 when designing a lower-priced card. What's needed, therefore, is a purpose-built GPU that's primed for a particular price point.
Let's trot out the usual comparison table and see what Radeon HD 7790 is all about.
GPU Radeon HD 7790
(1,024MB) Radeon HD 7770
(1,024MB) Radeon HD 7850
(1,024MB/2,048MB) Codename Bonaire Cape Verde XT Pitcairn Pro DX API 11.1 11.1 11.1 Architecture GCN GCN GCN Process 28nm 28nm 28nm Transistors 2.08bn 1.50bn 2.80bn Die Size 160mm² 123mm² 212mm² Processors 896 640 1,024 Compute units 14 10 16 Texture Units 56 40 64 ROP Units 16 16 32 GPU Clock (MHz) 1,000 1,000 860 Shader Clock (MHz) 1,000 1,000 860 GFLOPS 1,790 1,280 1,761 Memory Clock (MHz) 6,000 4,500 4,800 Memory Bus (bits) 128 128 256 Max bandwidth (GB/s) 96 80 153.6 Power Connectors 6-pin 6-pin 6-pin TDP (watts) 85 80 130 GFLOPS per watt 21.1 16 13.5 CrossFire Support 2-way 2-way 2-way Street Price £120 £90 £125+
A bit of both
AMD uses the well-established Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture and teases it into a 160mm² die that fits in nicely between HD 7770 and HD 7850. What's arguably more important than the potential manufacturing cost to AMD - die sizes are inextricably linked in with GPU costs - is what's inside.
The Radeon HD 7790, though based on a different die, uses the same front-end architecture setup as the more powerful HD 7850. This means the dual geometry and tessellation engines are carried over - HD 7770 has a single instance of both. This front-end setup feeds 14 Compute Units that are seemingly identical to the HD 7850's. Crunching some basic numbers reveals that HD 7790 has 896 shaders and 56 texture units, which represents a 13 per cent drop compared to the Pitcairn-powered HD 7850.
So while the new GPU looks very much like a slimmed-down version of the HD 7850 at the top-end, AMD ensures that there's clear market segmentation by cutting the memory back-end in half. HD 7790, then, has a 128-bit memory bus and 16 ROPs, thus keeping in with the architecture of other HD 77x0 GPUs.
Then there's frequencies to consider. AMD ramps up the core to 1GHz and memory to an effective 6GHz. Linking the architecture and frequencies together exposes two key facts: the HD 7790 has enough grunt to actually beat the HD 7850 in pure GLFOPS throughput, though it won't benchmark as well due to the significantly lower memory bandwidth.
AMD's mix-and-match architecture approach intimates that, on first glance, probable gaming performance also fits in nicely between the two Radeons positioned either side in the 2013 mid-range product stack.
1GHz core speed, really?
We've mentioned that AMD's reference specification calls for a 1GHz clock speed, but it's worth expanding on this point because achieving said frequency isn't perhaps as straightforward as it should be.
Graphics cards operate at a number of different frequency/voltages, largely dependent upon the load imposed on the GPU. The Radeon HD 7970, for example, has four different settings, or Dynamic Power Management (DPM) states. There's no reason to run at maximum speed when the GPU is tasked with simple 2D work such as outputting a Dreamweaver or Google Chrome screen or two.
Radeon HD 7790 takes a leaf out of the AMD Richland APU power-management book by having a greater number of DPM states, eight in total, that offer fine-grained control over frequencies. Simplifying somewhat, having more DPM states enables the GPU to choose the highest possible frequency/least amount of voltage for the given workload at a particular TDP and temperature limit. That's a heck of a lot of variables to throw into one sentence, we understand, so let's take a step back and consider how this works.
More DPM states are plain better because, once the GPU has decided just how much power is available and taken account of thermally-limited headroom, it can pick the closest frequency/voltage preset that matches the workload's requirements. Think of it as choosing points on an ever-rising curve that plots frequency against voltage. A greater number of DPM states also therefore means that the GPU is maximising the TDP more efficiently. All makes sense, right?
HD 7790's flits between one of eight DPM states potentially every 10ms (1/100th of a second), depending upon load, TDP, thermals, etc. You'll never know which state it is really in when looking at overclocking tools; they tend to sample every second.
Now here's the part that relates to the nebulous 1GHz clock speed. The GPU only runs at this speed when it's in the top state, State 7 on the picture, and anything below this means lower frequency and voltage. This is no different than, say, a Radeon HD 7970 GHz, which also runs at its top speed in the highest DPM state. The key difference is that HD 7790 has a greater number of other states to choose from, so it may drop to State 6 or State 5 when running a game, especially if it gets toasty or the game is particularly GPU-intensive.
We suppose it's fair to say that the HD 7790 is 'boosting' to 1GHz, rather than it being the baseline gaming frequency, per cards of yesteryear. Without this PowerTune-type technology present in the GPU it's safe to assume that AMD would have to clock the HD 7790 GPUs in lower, perhaps down to 950MHz.
Summary
The Radeon HD 7790 GPU takes in the front-end of a Radeon HD 7850 and back-end of a Radeon HD 7770 to produce a solid architecture aimed at the £120 price point and 1080p monitor resolution. Fine-grained power controls enables AMD to clock the chip in at 1GHz core, while 6GHz-rated RAM helps paper over the deficits imposed by running a 128-bit memory bus. Actual partner cards will ship from April 2 onwards, we're reliably informed. |
Greens leader Richard Di Natale has proposed a direct levy on coal miners to fund "billions of dollars" in environmental rehabilitation work on former coal mine and storage sites as well as the retraining of coal industry workers for the clean energy jobs of the future.
In one of its most important policy markers leading into the pre-election period for a 2016 poll, Dr Di Natale will unveil the plan on Tuesday and will use an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday to flesh out the details.
Mine site rehabilitation is extremely expensive. Credit:Robert Rough
"As coal companies go bankrupt or leave Australia, it is coal workers who are hit the hardest, followed by state governments, who are regularly left to foot the bill for cleaning up the mine," Dr Di Natale said.
The compulsory payments, likely to be opposed by the industry and the federal government as a form of industry-specific carbon tax, would contribute to "a Federal Trust Fund for the companies to access at the conclusion of their operations". |
A boat crafted from thousands of plastic bottles sailed into Sydney Harbour on Monday, completing an epic trans-Pacific voyage to highlight the benefits of recycling.
The "Plastiki" catamaran, made from 12,500 bottles and the brainchild of an heir to Britain's Rothschild banking fortune, was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers as it ended its 15,000-kilometre (9,000-mile) journey.
"It's totally overwhelming," said project head David de Rothschild, the banking scion and environmentalist. "We're so excited to be here."
The Plastiki, which takes its name from Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition from South America to Polynesia on a raft of balsa husks, set off from San Francisco in March.
The boat, carrying six crew, travelled through a waste-strewn area of the north Pacific and made stops in the Line Islands, Western Samoa and the French territory of New Caledonia before leaving for Australia. |
Aerobic rice: An adaptation strategy that also reduces methane emissions
May 30th, 2016
Dr. Dennis Wichelns, Stockholm Environment Institute, Asia Centre, Bangkok
Rice is the primary food crop for much of humanity, and rice production supports millions of livelihoods across Asia and Africa.1,2,3 Climate change will impact rice production through both direct and indirect effects. The rising temperatures and changes in rainfall accompanying climate change are likely to directly impair rice performance and reduce crop yields.4,5,6 Farmers wishing to sustain rice production will need to shift their planting schedules to accommodate changes in temperature and rainfall patterns. Some will need to select alternative rice varieties or discontinue rice production in the dry season, if irrigation water resources are reduced due to climate change.
The increasing atmospheric concentration of CO 2 will enhance plant growth in some areas, with positive implications for rice yields. However, the net impact will be negative where the yield impairment is substantial due to rising temperatures, drought conditions, or changing rainfall patterns. In regions as large and diverse as Asia and Africa, the impacts of climate change on rice production will vary with location and with differences in regional weather patterns and crop production settings.7
Climate change will impact rice production indirectly as well, through sea level rise, coastal erosion, and saline intrusion into coastal aquifers.8,9 Much of the rice production in South and Southeast Asia is found in the deltas formed by major rivers, such as the Mekong, Irrawaddy, and Ganges-Brahmaputra.9 Rice is well adapted to these deltaic regions, many of which are characterised by monsoonal climates. Rice plants can tolerate extended periods in which the paddy soils are flooded or partly submerged, yet they are susceptible to damage from complete submergence caused by short-term or extended flooding.10,11
The 2011 Southeast Asian flood caused water levels in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap to rise above normal for more than one month, destroying 12% of the area planted in rice in Battambang Province, with impacts on livelihoods and household food security.12 The frequency of such flooding is expected to increase with climate change.8,13 In sum, rice production is susceptible to yield impairment due to several aspects of climate change, including changes in rainfall patterns, higher temperatures, extended droughts, and an increase in the frequency and severity of storms and flooding events. Given the important role of rice production in rural economies across much of Asia, adaptation strategies are needed urgently to ensure that smallholder farmers can continue producing rice for domestic and international markets, while generating sufficient income and ensuring that household and national food security goals are achieved.
Adaptation strategies
Several authors have suggested that adaptation strategies in rice production should include investments in irrigation and rainwater harvesting, in areas where such strategies are feasible.14,15 Others have suggested increasing fertiliser applications, choosing shorter duration varieties, and altering the planting dates for rice, in response to changes in rainfall patterns and higher temperatures.5,15,16,17,18 Another strategy is that of switching from continuously flooded paddies to some form of aerobic rice production, particularly in irrigated areas, where farmers can control the volume and timing of water deliveries.19
Aerobic rice production enhances oxygen availability in the root zone, for at least some portion of the season. The oxygen enhances root development, which results in stronger, more resilient rice plants, with increased tolerance of drought, extended submergence, and pest infestations.20,21,22 Aerobic rice production can be implemented along a spectrum of water management regimes that include draining a flooded rice paddy just once at midseason, intermittent irrigation for much of the season, a programme of sustainable rice intensification (SRI), and the production of rice as an upland crop, for which irrigations are scheduled to replace soil water depletions.20 In a sense, any variation from the program of continuous flooding can be considered a form of aerobic rice production.
Reducing methane emissions
Flooded rice paddies have been known to be a major source of methane, an aggressive greenhouse gas, for many years.23,24,25,26 Methane is generated in the anaerobic conditions that prevail in flooded rice paddies. Rice production in flooded paddies generates higher methane emissions per hectare and per unit of yield than does the production of wheat or maize.27 Rice production in upland areas, in which the fields are maintained in aerobic conditions, generates much less methane per hectare.28,29,30
Methane emissions can be reduced by switching from continuously flooded paddies to a programme of intermittent irrigation and drainage, and by limiting the amount of plant residue incorporated in soils after harvest and before planting.31,32,33,34,35 Small reductions in the time that rice paddies are inundated can substantially reduce methane emissions. Switching from anaerobic to aerobic production can create conditions that increase nitrous oxide emissions.36 However, the degree to which nitrous oxide emissions increase ranges substantially and is influenced by soil characteristics and the history of soil and water management in a given location.32 Several authors have shown that methane emissions can be reduced substantially, while only slightly increasing nitrous oxide emissions.32,37
Farmers in Japan have been draining their rice paddies in midseason for many years, largely to increase crop yields, by enhancing oxygen in the root zone and minimising the excessive growth of ineffective tillers.38 Following the midseason drainage, which requires about seven to ten days, many farmers practice intermittent irrigation and drainage for the remainder of the season.39,40 This practice allows for continued root development, prevents roots from rotting, and reduces the volume of irrigation water from the volume required to maintain continuous flooding.38,41 The enhanced root development also reduces the likelihood of rice plants falling over (lodging) as harvest approaches. Midseason drainage and the intermittent irrigation and drainage practiced by Japanese rice farmers reduce methane emissions.38
In an experiment in Nanjing, China, Wang et al. (2012)32 compare methane emissions from continuously flooded fields (W0), with emissions from fields that were drained twice each season (W2): once for nine days at mid-season, and again for two weeks before harvest. The mean seasonal methane emissions from the W0 and W2 plots were 390 kg and 156 kg of methane per ha, respectively. Thus, modifying the irrigation strategy reduced seasonal methane emission by about 60%.
Summing up
In response to climate change, an adaptation strategy that includes switching from continuously flooded rice production to some form of aerobic production can generate at least three additional benefits: 1) smaller irrigation demands per hectare of rice, 2) a substantial reduction in methane emissions, and 3) an improvement in plant health and rice crop performance. Aerobic rice production might not be feasible in all settings or seasons. Farmers need assured access to water for irrigation before choosing to drain a field at midseason or to implement a programme of intermittent irrigation. Nonetheless, when considering regional investments in new irrigation infrastructure and other adaptation strategies, one might also consider promoting aerobic rice production as an alternative to the traditional, continuously flooded method.
References :
Muthayya, S., Sugimoto, J.D., Montgomery, S., Maberly, G.F. 2014. An overview of global rice production, supply, trade, and consumption. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1324, 7-14. Rodenburg, J., Zwart, S.J., Kiepe, P., Narteh, L.T., Dogbe, W., Wopereis, M.C.S. 2014. Sustainable rice production in African inland valleys: Seizing regional potentials through local approaches. Agricultural Systems 123, 1-11. Adjao, R.T., Staatz, J.M. 2015. Asian rice economy changes and implications for sub-Saharan Africa. Global Food Security 5, 50-55. Masutomi, Y., Takahashi, K., Harasawa, H., Matsuoka, Y. 2009. Impact assessment of climate change on rice production in Asia in comprehensive consideration of process/parameter uncertainty in general circulation models. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 131, 281-291. Li, T., Angeles, O., Radanielson, A., Marcaida, M., Manalo, E. 2015. Drought stress impacts of climate change on rainfed rice in South Asia. Climatic Change 133(4), 709-720. Tripathi, A., Tripathi, D.K., Chauhan, D.K., Kumar, N., Singh, G.S. 2016. Paradigms of climate change impacts on some major food sources of the world: A review on current knowledge and future prospects. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 216, 356-373. Adhikari, U., Nejadhashemi, A.P., Woznicki, S.A., 2015. Climate change and eastern Africa: A review of impact on major crops. Food and Energy Security 4(2), 110-132. Wassmann, R., Hien, N.X., Hoanh, C.T., Tuong, T.P. 2004. Sea level rise affecting the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: Water elevation in the flood season and implications for rice production. Climatic Change 66(1-2), 89-107. Wassmann, R., Jagadish, S.V.K., Sumfleth, K., Pathak, H., Howell, G., Ismail, A., Serraj, R., Redona, E., Singh, R.K., Heuer, S. 2009a. Regional vulnerability of climate change impacts on Asian rice production and scope for adaptation. Advances in Agronomy 102, 91-133. Mackill, D.J., Ismail, A.M., Singh, U.S., Labios, R.V., Paris, T.R. 2012. Development and rapid adoption of submergence-tolerant (Sub1) rice varieties. Advances in Agronomy 115, 299-352. Mottaleb, K.A., Gumma, M.K., Mishra, A.K., Mohanty, S. 2015. Quantifying production losses due to drought and submergence of rainfed rice at the household level using remotely sensed MODIS data. Agricultural Systems 137, 227-235. Kamoshita, A., Ouk, M. 2015. Field level damage of deepwater rice by the 2011 Southeast Asian Flood in a flood plain of Tonle Sap Lake, Northwest Cambodia. Paddy and Water Environment 13(4), 455-463. Mirza, M.M.Q. 2011. Climate change, flooding in South Asia and implications. Regional Environmental Change 11(Suppl. 1), 95-107. Chun, J.A., Li, S., Wang, Q., Lee, W.-S., Lee, E.-J., Horstmann, N., Park, H., Veasna, T., Vanndy, L., Pros, K., Vang, S. 2016. Assessing rice productivity and adaptation strategies for Southeast Asia under climate change through multi-scale crop modeling. Agricultural Systems 143, 14-21. Shrestha, S., Deb, P., Bui, T.T.T. 2016. Adaptation strategies for rice cultivation under climate change in Central Vietnam. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 21(1), 15-37. Xu, C.-C., Wu, W.-X., Ge, Q.-S., Zhou, Y., Lin, Y.-M., Li, Y.-M. 2015. Simulating climate change impacts and potential adaptations on rice yields in the Sichuan Basin, China. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, in press. Rajwade, Y.A., Swain, D.K., Tiwari, K.N., Mohanty, U.C., Goswami, P. 2015. Evaluation of Field Level Adaptation Measures under the Climate Change Scenarios in Rice Based Cropping System in India. Environmental Processes 2(4), 669-687. Banerjee, S., Das, S., Mukherjee, A., Mukherjee, A., Saikia, B. 2016. Adaptation strategies to combat climate change effect on rice and mustard in Eastern India. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 21(2), 249-261. Wichelns, D. 2016. Managing water and soils to achieve adaptation and reduce methane emissions and arsenic contamination in Asian rice production. Water (Switzerland) 8(4), 1-38. Thakur, A.K., Uphoff, N.T., Stoop, W.A. 2016. Scientific underpinnings of the system of rice intensification (SRI): What is known so far? Advances in Agronomy 135, 147-179. Wu, W., Ma, B., Uphoff, N. 2015. A review of the system of rice intensification in China. Plant and Soil 393, 361-381. Chang, Y.-C., Uphoff, N.T., Yamaji, E. 2016. A conceptual framework for eco-friendly paddy farming in Taiwan, based on experimentation with System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methodology. Paddy and Water Environment 14(1), pp. 169-183. Schütz, H., Seiler, W., Conrad, R. 1989. Processes involved in formation and emission of methane in rice paddies. Biogeochemistry 7(1), 33-53 Barron, W., Hills, P. 1991. Concerns over biomass sources of greenhouse gases: Potential issues in selected Asian nations. International Journal of Environmental Studies 38(2-3), 181-188. Wassmann, R., Papen, H., Rennenberg, H. 1993. Methane emission from rice paddies and possible mitigation strategies. Chemosphere 26(1-4), 201-217. Cao, M., Gregson, K., Marshall, S., Dent, J.B., Heal, O.W. 1996. Global methane emissions from rice paddies. Chemosphere 33(5), 879-897. Linquist, B.A., Anders, M.M., Adviento-Borbe, M.A., Chaney, R.L., Nalley, L.L., Da Rosa, E.F.F., van Kessel, C. 2015. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and grain arsenic levels in rice systems. Global Change Biology 21(1), 407-417. Minami, K., Neue, H.-U. 1994. Rice paddies as a methane source. Climatic Change 27(1), 13-26. Xiong, Z., Liu, Y., Wu, Z., Zhang, X., Liu, P., Huang, T. 2015. Differences in net global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity between major rice-based cropping systems in China. Scientific Reports 5, 1-9. Weller, S., Janz, B., Jörg, L., Kraus, D., Racela, H.S.U., Wassmann, R., Butterbach-Bahl, K., Kiese, R. 2016. Greenhouse gas emissions and global warming potential of traditional and diversified tropical rice rotation systems. Global Change Biology 22, 432-448 Sanchis, E., Ferrer, M., Torres, A.G., Cambra-López, M., Calvet, S. 2012. Effect of water and straw management practices on methane emissions from rice fields: A review through a meta-analysis. Environmental Engineering Science 29(12), 1053-1062. Wang, J., Zhang, X., Xiong, Z., Khalil, M.A., Zhao, X., Xie, Y., Xing, G. 2012b. Methane emissions from a rice agroecosystem in South China: Effects of water regime, straw incorporation and nitrogen fertilizer. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 93(1), 103-112 Zhang, G., Ji, Y., Ma, J., Xu, H., Cai, Z., Yagi, K. 2012. Intermittent irrigation changes production, oxidation, and emission of CH 4 in paddy fields determined with stable carbon isotope technique. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 52, 108-116. Finn, D., Dalal, R., Klieve, A. 2015. Methane in Australian agriculture: Current emissions, sources and sinks, and potential mitigation strategies. Crop and Pasture Science 66(1), 1-22. Hussain, S., Peng, S., Fahad, S., Khaliq, A., Huang, J., Cui, K., Nie, L. 2015. Rice management interventions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions: A review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 22(5), 3342-3360. Maris, S.C., Teira-Esmatges, M.R., Català, M.M. 2016. Influence of irrigation frequency on greenhouse gases emission from a paddy soil. Paddy and Water Environment 14(1), 199-210. Tarlera, S., Capurro, M.C., Irisarri, P., Scavino, A.F., Cantou, G., Roel, A. 2016. Yield-scaled global warming potential of two irrigation management systems in a highly productive rice system. Scientia Agricola 73(1), 43-50. Leon, A., Kohyama, K., Yagi, K., Takata, Y., Obara, H. 2015. The effects of current water management practices on methane emissions in Japanese rice cultivation. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, in press. Kanno, T., Miura, Y., Tsuruta, H., Minami, K. 1997. Methane emission from rice paddy fields in all of Japanese prefecture: Relationship between emission rates and soil characteristics and organic matter application. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 49, 147-151. Ogino, Y., Ota, S. 2007. The evolution of Japan’s rice field drainage and development of technology. Irrigation and Drainage 56, S69-S80. Itoh, M., Sudo, S., Mori, S., Saito, H., Yoshida, T., Shiratori, Y., Suga, S., Yoshikawa, N., Suzue, Y., Mizukami, H., Mochida, T., Yagi, K. 2011. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 141, 359-372.
Dr. Wichelns is a Senior Research Fellow with the Stockholm Environment Institute, based in Bangkok, Thailand. He has served on the faculty of several colleges and universities, and he has conducted research in several countries in Asia and Africa. Dr. Wichelns has directed two research centers and he has served as Principal Economist with the International Water Management Institute. He is co-Editor-in-Chief of Agricultural Water Management and the Founding Editor-in-Chief of Water Resources & Rural Development.
The views expressed in this article belong to the individual author and do not represent the views of the Global Water Forum, the UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Water Governance, UNESCO, the Australian National University, or any of the institutions to which the authors are associated. Please see the Global Water Forum terms and conditions here. |
The Bank of North Dakota is the only state-owned bank in America. Despite that, or because of it, the bank earned a record profit last year even as its private-sector corollaries lost billions.
Some who have difficulty even absorbing news of a profitable socialist enterprise point to North Dakota’s well-insulated economy, which is heavy on agricultural staples and light on housing speculation, as the source of its success.
But this has not stopped out-of-state politicos from making pilgrimages to Bismarck for counsel and advice. Could opening state-owned banks across America get us out of the financial crisis? The Bank of North Dakota, with its $4 billion under management, has avoided the credit freeze and crisis by creating its own credit, and in doing so, is leading the nation in establishing state economic sovereignty as well. Could decentralizing large sectors of finance provide better insurance – a better hedge, if one may use that term – for the people, against the “too big to fail” phenomenon?
The North Dakota state bank was created 90 years ago, in 1919, as a populist movement swept the northern plains. Basically it was a very angry movement led by farmers against bank and land speculators in Minneapolis, or New York. Those money markets decided who got credit and who did not and who got to market their goods. So a rebellion swept the northern plains. In North Dakota the movement was called the Nonpartisan League, and the League actually took control of the legislature and created what was called an industrial program, which created both the Bank of North Dakota as a financing arm and a state-owned mill and elevator to market and buy the grain from the farmer. And both of those institutions are in existence today doing exactly what they were created to do 90 years ago.
The funding model, or deposit model, is really the unique engine that drives that bank. The state bank is the depository for all state tax collections and fees. In effect, this is a captive deposit base. The bank pays a competitive rate to the state treasurer to help insure competent management. What separates the state bank from private institutions is that the base of deposit funds is plowed back into North Dakota in the form of loans to foster public state economic development activities.
Private banks also invest their deposits. The difference is that the state bank invests a larger portion of that money back into the state’s own economy. Investments are put into agriculture or other economic development programs that are deemed necessary in the state. Energy production, due to ethanol, now plays a huge role there too. The bank does a lot of student loan financing as well. It designs specific loan programs for different business sectors at very low interest rates to encourage activity along certain lines.
The bank has also played a big role in recovery from disasters caused by flooding. It walks a fine line between competing and partnering with the private sector. Most of the lending is participatory in nature. It’s originated by a local bank wherein the state bank can come in and participate and use some of its programs to share risk, or buy down the interest rate. The bank also works to provide guarantees similar to the Small Business Association (SBA) to encourage entrepreneurial startups.
Aside from that, the bank acts as a bankers’ bank or a wholesale bank, providing services to banks, whether it’s check clearing, liquidity, or bond accounting safekeeping. In this sense it acts as kind of a “mini” Federal Reserve.
The advantage of a publicly owned “bankers’ bank” instead of a privately owned one is this: the model employed is to use the deposit base to help other banks with funding their loans, even providing federal funds lines with excess liquidity – by buying and selling fed funds and acting as a clearinghouse for check clearing activity.
North Dakota citizens are fairly conservative and the bank didn’t do any subprime lending. Nor was there a powerful incentive to get into the derivatives markets and put on swaps and callers and caps and credit default swaps. Their philosophy was: “If we don’t understand it, we’re not going to jump into it.” Thus they avoided those pitfalls.
They also provide a dividend back to the state. The Bank of North Dakota stands to make somewhere north of $60 million this year, and will turn over about half of the profits back to the state general fund. And so over the last 12 years, a third of a billion dollars has been returned to the general fund to offset taxes and to aid in funding public sector needs.
The State of North Dakota does not have any funding issues at all. In fact they are dealing with the largest surplus ever. North Dakota state bank deposits are not insured by the FDIC, but by “the people of North Dakota”. Yet the bank has never been a bank that tries to hit home runs. It has a specific mission that is more important. For most corporations and banks, their top priority is to maximize shareholder return. The Bank of North Dakota does have a nice return – a return on net operating assets of 2 percent; a return on equity of 26 percent. But the mission of making sure the needs of the state are met comes first – being able to finance those types of investments that make the state go forward.
When the act that established the North Dakota state bank was enacted, all public corporations in the state were also required to deposit their funds in the bank. However a ballot initiative the same year eliminated that requirement, though not without a big struggle over the issue. Though initially conceived by Nonpartisan League founders as a credit union style institution to free the farmers from predatory lenders, the bank’s functions were partially neutered by the time of its inception by the business-backed “Independent Voters Association.” The recall of NPL Gov. Lynn Frazier in 1921 effectively ended the initial plan, with the bank taking a more conservative central banking role in state finance.
The current president and CEO is Eric Hardemeyer. The bank is managed by the North Dakota Industrial Commission, which is composed of the governor, attorney general, and the agriculture commissioner (formerly the agriculture and labor commissioner) of North Dakota.
Can a “state bank” play a positive role in current struggles for jobs and sustainable recovery? The answer must be YES – although the emergence of such banks must be linked directly to the kinds of investments each state needs to move forward. |
More than 120 lawyers are calling on the Law Society of New Brunswick to reverse its decision to accredit British Columbia’s Trinity Western University’s new law school.
Carley Parish, a Hampton lawyer, started a petition after the Law Society of New Brunswick voted last month to recognize Trinity Western University's proposed law school. (Julianne Hazlewood/CBC) The university plans to open a law school in 2016, but has faced criticism over a community covenant it requires students to sign that forbids sex, unless within a marriage between a man and a woman.
Carley Parish, a criminal defence lawyer and partner at Lutz Longstaff Parish in Hampton, started a petition after the province’s law society voted last month to recognize the Christian school’s proposed law school.
“To me this flies in the face of what it means to be a lawyer,” Parish said.
"If we don’t take a stance, then things like this are just going to stand."
Trinity Western University students must sign a covenant recognizing the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman. (CBC) "The covenant is a step backwards, it’s discrimination," Parish added.
In a vote of 14-5, the law society’s board decided to accredit the school, which means Trinity Western graduates would be able to practise law in New Brunswick.
The vote doesn’t reflect the balanced input of lawyers across the province, according to Parish.
The Law Society of New Brunswick says it recognizes both freedom of religion and the right to sexual orientation.
‘Asleep at the switch’
Four former New Brunswick justice ministers have signed the petition, including Michael Murphy.
Michael Murphy, a former New Brunswick justice minister, said he believes the petition will convince the law society to change its decision to accredit Trinity Western University. Several members of New Brunswick’s legal community were unaware the law society’s vote was taking place, according to Murphy.
"I think the law society members across the province, including myself, were asleep at the switch," Murphy said.
"If we had been more responsible, we would have been at that meeting and this thing wouldn’t have gone through."
Murphy said he believes the petition will be effective and the law society’s decision will ultimately be reversed.
He said the law society’s decision doesn’t represent Canadian values.
“If we have stood up for fairness and equality and tolerance, than how do we turn a blind eye to what will clearly be an infringement of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Murphy said.
In British Columbia, thousands of lawyers have voted to reverse the B.C. law society’s decision to accredit Trinity Western University.
The Law Society of Upper Canada in Ontario voted against approving the law school in April, meanwhile law societies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nunavut have decided to accept Trinity Western's graduates. |
Hamburger SV will be seeking their first win of the new Bundesliga campaign as they host RB Leipzig on Saturday, with the visitors still flying high after last week’s historic win over Borussia Dortmund (kick-off 15:30 CEST / 13:30 GMT).
It's not too late to sign up to the Official Fantasy Bundesliga! Click here to get involved.
Six-time champions Hamburg have made a slow start to the new campaign. After being held to a 1-1 draw by FC Ingolstadt 04 on Matchday 1, they were beaten 3-1 by Bayer 04 Leverkusen last weekend, as Joel Pohjanpalo grabbed a dramatic late hat-trick from the bench. Coach Bruno Labbadia will be expecting an improved performance as his side face RB Leipzig for the very first time.
For more on the game head to the Match Centre
The promoted side are looking very much at home in the Bundesliga. After rescuing a late draw at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on the opening weekend, their stunning win over Borussia Dortmund – thanks to substitute Naby Keita’s 89-minute strike – pushed them up to fifth in the table. Now they are hoping to build on that result in Hamburg.
- © imago
The venue - Volksparkstadion |
One Company's Way of Fighting Global Warming: Transforming CO2 Into Useful Products
August 26th, 2008 by Ariel Schwartz
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is currently the most common solution proposed for reducing CO2 emissions. But surely there must be an alternative to just burying the greenhouse gas.
California-based Carbon Sciences thinks the answer to our CO2 problem is calcium carbonate—specifically, the company has invented a process to convert CO2 into calcium carbonate that can be used in everything from cosmetics to ceramics.
The transformation process works by using waste mineral products from mining operations— also known as tailings—as a feedstock to transform CO2 into mineral carbonates. The particles are processed into fine mineral particulates to maximize available surface area for reacting with CO2.
The process can use CO2 that has already been buried by CCS as a “seed” for transformation. And getting the CO2 out of the ground may actually be the safest thing we can do. While CCS is a useful way to take greenhouse gases out of the air, it has notable flaws. According to Carbon Sciences CEO Derek McLeish, an earthquake could release buried CO2 in a matter of seconds.
“There’s an infinite timeline when you bury CO2,” said McLeish. “Transforming CO2 into a high value product is much more like recycling.” Additionally, the commercial value of the product offsets the cost of traditional CCS.
Carbon Sciences plans to have a mini pilot plant ready in 24 to 36 months. And the company wants to move quickly from there. “We’ll be developing relationships and business opportunities the second we get through the mini pilot plant phase,” said McLeish.
If Carbon Sciences is successful, maybe we’ll be casually toting around CO2-derived products in our bags instead of hoping that a major quake doesn’t blow the stuff out of the ground.
More Posts on Global Warming: |
The following are the changes to the ICC's playing conditions that will come into effect for all international series beginning from September 28, 2017.
Each team can name six substitutes (previously it was four) in Test cricket.
There are no changes to the permitted width and length of a cricket bat, but the thickness of the edge can be no more than 40mm, and the thickness of the bat must not exceed 67mm at any point. Umpires will have a gauge to check that bats meet the new regulations.
The ICC has okayed the use of bails tethered to the stumps to prevent injuries caused by bails flying at wicketkeepers and fielders after the stumps have been broken. The mechanism used to tether the bails must not interfere with their ability to be dislodged; the implementation of such a system is at the discretion of the host board.
In Test cricket, an interval will be taken if a wicket falls within three minutes of the interval. Previously it was two minutes.
In T20 internationals, if an innings is reduced to less than 10 overs, the maximum quota of overs per bowler shall not be less than two: meaning that if a match is reduced to five overs a side, two bowlers will be able to bowl two overs each.
For boundaries, airborne fielders making their first contact with the ball will need to have taken off from inside the boundary, otherwise a boundary will be given. A boundary will also be given if a fielder in contact with the ball makes contact with any object grounded beyond the boundary, including another fielder.
If the ball bounces more than once after being delivered by the bowler and before it reaches the popping crease of the batsman, it will be called a no-ball. Previously a ball was allowed to bounce twice. If the ball lands off the pitch, then the umpire will signal a no-ball. If a fielder intercepts the delivery before it reaches the batsman, the umpire will call no-ball and dead ball.
Any byes or leg byes scored off a no-ball will now be scored separately. The bowler will have one no-ball put against his/her name, and the other extras will be scored as byes and leg byes. Previously, byes and leg byes scored off no-balls were scored as no-balls.
If a batsman grounds his/her bat or part of his/her body behind the crease while regaining his/her ground before the stumps are broken, and then if he/she inadvertently loses contact with the bat, or if the grounded part of his/her body becomes airborne - while running or diving - when the stumps are broken, he/she shall not be run out or stumped. |
Lindsey Stirling Book Week: The Only Pirate at the Party
NOW THROUGH 11:59PM EST TUESDAY, JANUARY 19
GET YOUR BOOKS SIGNED AND PERSONALIZED BY LINDSEY STIRLING
PROMOTION EXPIRED
Purchasing unavailable as of 11:59pm EST, Tuesday January 19.
Questions about your order? Contact us at orders@changinghands.com or 480.730.0205 during our regular business hours.
MORE GUIDELINES
• Lindsey will sign and personalize all books on January 20.
• We'll ship anywhere in the U.S. and to most international locations!
• Please include the first name only of the person to whom you'd like your book personalized in the order comments. Leave the comments blank if you would not like your book personalized.
• Please allow 2-3 weeks thereafter for delivery; more for international orders. In-store pickup is also available.
LINDSEY STIRLING is an acclaimed electronic violinist, who has over 7 million YouTube subscribers, 1 billion views on her YouTube channel, and has enjoyed Billboard chart-topping hits and sold out tours worldwide. Without the backing of a label, she has released two studio albums to date: her 2013 self-titled debut and the smash 2014 follow up, Shatter Me, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Album Charts and won her a Billboard Music Award for "Top Dance/Electronic Album." On stage, Lindsey combines the infectious energy of dance, electronica, and modern classical music, with ballet-inspired dance moves to sold-out audiences around the world. In her spare time, Lindsey is a motivational speaker, using her own story to show people that you've got to have confidence in the very thing that makes you unique.Dancing electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling shares her unconventional journey in an inspiring memoir filled with the energy, persistence, and humor that have helped her successfully pursue a passion outside the box. A classically trained musician gone rogue, she is the epitome of independent, millennial-defined success. Lindsey is not afraid to be herself. In fact, it's her confidence and individuality that have propelled her into the spotlight. But the road hasn't been easy. After being rejected by talent scouts, music reps, and eventually on national television, Lindsey forged her own path, step by step. Detailing every trial and triumph she has faced until now, Lindsey shares stories of her humble yet charmed childhood, humorous adolescence, life as a struggling musician, personal struggles with anorexia, and finally, success as a world-class entertainer. |
Manchester City are pressing ahead in their bid to sign highly-rated Ante Coric from Dinamo Zagreb.
City will announce the signing of winger Marlos Moreno from Atletico Nacional for £4.75m, which follows on from Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane, yet they are not finished there with Coric and Everton's John Stones still in the sights of Pep Guardiola.
City have been conscious of reducing the age profile of their squad and their recruitment has reflected that.
Manchester City remain interested in signing highly-rated Ante Coric from Dinamo Zagreb
Manchester City have confirmed the £27million signing of Palmeiras forward Gabriel Jesus
Coric is a 19-year-old Croatia international and was part of the squad at Euro 2016. He has been a target for Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool but Zagreb say City are in pole position as they look to finalise a deal which may be around £8m plus add-ons.
Last year, newspaper Vecernji List named Coric as the Croatian Hope of the Year. He is a skilful, creative attacking midfielder who turned down the advances of Bayern Munich and Chelsea as a younger boy and became the Europa League's youngest goalscorer at 17 years and 157 days when he grabbed his side's fifth in a 5-1 win over Astra Giurgiu.
Meanwhile, City remain confident that 18-year-old Tosin Adarabioyo will stay at the club with talks ongoing over a new deal.
Brandon Barker will be joined by defender Kean Bryan on loan at NAC Breda on Friday though Twente have failed in a bid to take Bersant Celina on loan.
Leroy Sane completed his move from Schalke to Manchester City for £37m on Tuesday
West Brom have pulled out of a club record deal for West Ham striker Diafra Sakho.
The 26-year-old was in the Midlands on Wednesday evening and was poised to join in a £16m deal once he had passed his medical. Albion had also agreed personal terms.
West Brom have pulled out of a club record deal for West Ham striker Diafra Sakho (centre)
Stoke manager Mark Hughes was holding talks with chairman Peter Coates on Thursday about transfer targets with a fresh bid pending for Saido Berahino at West Brom.
Securing that deal would also likely signal the end of Stoke's interest in Robin van Persie. However, the fact Albion's deal for Diafra Sakho has fallen through may now prompt further delays on Berahino's departure.
Stoke have added Wimbledon defender Ryan Sweeney to their development squad while 19-year-old winger Ramadan Sobhi arrived for training at Clayton Wood on Thursday morning.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes is still chasing West Brom's wantaway striker Saido Berahino
Ajax are ready to step up their interest in Liverpool misfit Mario Balotelli after making it into the final qualifying round of the Champions League.
Two goals from captain Davy Klaassen secured victory over PAOK on Wednesday which ensured the Amsterdam club went through to the next stage but their performance was far from convincing.
After selling Arkadiusz Milik to Napoli, they lack attacking options and coach Peter Bosz believes, despite his track record, that Balotelli can find his feet again in Holland and Europe. The Dutch club have held talks with Mino Raiola and Liverpool are obviously open to proposals.
The 25-year-old will not feature under Jurgen Klopp and would be open to a prestigious club such as Ajax, particularly with the added bonus of European football.
Dutch giants Ajax are ready to step up their interest in Liverpool misfit Mario Balotelli
Swansea City have held talks over a deal for Anderlecht centre back Kara Mbodji.
The Senegal defender can leave within the next 24 hours for a cut-price £6.25m as stated in a contract clause and Swansea are discussing the move with Everton poised to make a renewed bid for Ashley Williams.
Everton are understood to be offering around £12m for the Wales and Swansea captain after their initial £10m proposal was rejected on Tuesday night.
Swansea remain in negotiations with Sevilla over striker Fernando Llorente and have also discussed the return of Nelson Oliveira from Benfica and Atletico Madrid striker Borja Baston who is also a target for West Brom.
Mbodji has also been discussed by Sunderland.
Swansea City have held talks over a deal for Anderlecht centre back Kara Mbodji (right)
Burnley have made a bid for Belgium midfielder Steven Defour but may struggle to convince him to move to Turf Moor.
The Anderlecht captain wants to leave after being turned on by a section of the club's support and is available for £6million.
Southampton have been linked in recent weeks but Burnley are understood to have made an offer as they look to strengthen their midfield.
'Steven loves being captain at Anderlecht but some things happened with some supporters, like insults and drinks being thrown, that didn't please him,' Paul Stefani told la Derniere Heure. 'He suffered greatly from that.
Burnley have made a bid for Belgium midfielder Steven Defour, who wants to leave Anderlecht
'Certain clubs have got in touch to know Steven's situation. If it's more probable to see him leave than to see him stay? In my opinion, the answer is yes.'
Burnley have already been rebuffed by Derby for Jeff Hendrick, Brighton for Dale Stephens and Tottenham for Alex Pritchard who is joining Norwich instead for £8.5m.
Liverpool, Everton, Wolves, Bayern Munich and Schalke all sent scouts to watch Anderlecht lose to Rostov in their Champions League qualifier on Wednesday. Youri Tielemans and Leo Dendoncker also figured for Anderlecht.
Sean Dyche is on the lookout for a new midfielder but has struggled so far this summer
Newcastle winger Florian Thauvin is joining Marseille after turning down Lazio.
The 23-year-old is joining on loan with an obligation to complete a permanent transfer. He arrived for £13m last summer but failed to convince in a miserable season and was loaned back to Marseille in January.
Newcastle still want another forward and a winger after signing Ciaran Clark and Mohamed Diame this week. They have yet to receive any official bids for Moussa Sissoko despite interest from Real Madrid and Crystal Palace.
Newcastle winger Florian Thauvin is joining Marseille after a torrid time at St James' Park
Harry Maguire is ready to hand in a transfer request at Hull City.
The England U21 international has interest from Middlesbrough who have offered £5million but Hull have said he is not for sale.
The 23-year-old is keen on a move with Hull still to appoint a manager though Gianfranco Zola and Chris Coleman remain their prime candidates.
Zola is understood to be keen on Torino's Maxi Lopez should he get the nod ahead of Coleman.
Harry Maguire (left) is ready to hand in a transfer request at Premier League newcomers Hull
Nottingham Forest forward Jamie Ward is attracting interest from Championship rivals Leeds United, Brighton, Birmingham and QPR.
The 30-year-old Northern Ireland international signed a four year deal when he switched to Forest from rivals Derby County in 2014 on a free transfer.
Forest's new owners may yet consider allowing to leave for free or a nominal fee as they look to streamline their wage bill and make room for new additions.
Jamie Ward (left) is attracting interest from Leeds United, Brighton, Birmingham and QPR
Watford remain in talks with Juventus over midfielders Roberto Pereyra and Mario Lemina.
Pereyra, a 25-year-old Argentina international, has also been offered to West Ham this summer. He can play off the wing or behind the striker and would be considerably cheaper than Lille's Sofiane Boufal who Watford bid for but fell well short of his £18m valuation.
Lemina, who also has interest from Real Betis, is a 22-year-old central midfielder but Juventus are looking to sell for £17m.
Top-flight side Watford remain in talks with Juventus over midfielder Roberto Pereyra (right)
Sunderland are unlikely to match Liverpool's £30m asking price for Christian Benteke.
The Belgium international is still on the agenda for Crystal Palace, West Ham and Hull but may be beyond David Moyes' budget.
Sunderland have an agreement in place with Leeds United for midfielder Liam Bridcutt though finer details are still to be agreed.
Sunderland are on the brink of admitting defeat in their pursuit of striker Christian Benteke
Aston Villa prospect Easah Suliman is joining Cheltenham on loan for six months.
The 18-year-old is a left-sided centre back who turned down overtures from Bayern Munich to commit to a professional contract at Villa.
He has already been touted as a role model for young Asian footballers looking to make the grade in English football having played for England at U18 level.
Roberto Di Matteo is allowing Easah Suliman to join Cheltenham on loan for six months
Fulham are interested in signing Jozabed Sanchez from Rayo Vallecano. The 25-year-old attacking midfielder has a release clause in his contract of around £3.4m and scored nine goals in 27 appearances as Rayo were relegated from La Liga last season. |
It was a particularly humid day in October when I found myself strolling through the streets of Makati in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, to meet with up and coming director Pedring Lopez at his post-production house located in Legaspi Village.
It was a public holiday, so the normally bustling streets, filled with honking jeepneys and exhaust fumes, were eerily quiet for a Monday. It struck me that it was the perfect setting for a tropical climate zombie movie, and the thought crossed my mind that what better person to direct such a concept than Lopez himself. Having cut his teeth on the haunted house tale Binhi, Lopez soon found himself on the international radar thanks to his follow-up, the action/horror hybrid Nilalang.
The combination of having a shape shifting demon, a Japanese adult movie actress as one of the main stars, and production values on a level that are rarely seen in Filipino genre movies, proved to be a winning one, with screenings at multiple film festivals all over the world. I was curious as to how Nilalang had come into being, and what Lopez himself thought of the future for genre filmmaking in the Philippines.
The director already has his next movie lined up, which promises to be an action extravaganza with Mark Dacascos in the lead role, entitled Breach. The thought of a Filipino action movie making it big may seem like a far-fetched one for some, but then just a couple of years ago the thought of a Filipino horror movie would have been treated the same way. Through a healthy working partnership with action director Sonny Sison, Breach could well be the movie that puts Filipino action cinema back on the map (yes, it was there once), and I for one am hoping for exactly that.
Lopez meets me as I exit the elevator on the 6th floor where his company is located, and the first sight to greet me is a bar area with a fridge full of San Miguel beer. He’s clearly a guy who knows how to motivate his staff. After a brief tour of the premises, which includes a meeting room completely covered in pieces of paper storyboarding his next micro-budget slasher movie, an in-house cinema, and a 35mm reel studio, we settle down into his office. It’s covered with shelves filled with both action figurines and (mostly) action DVD’s, in short, a pleasant environment to spend the working day.
After exchanging small talk about a recent night we spent with copious amounts of beer and boxing midgets (welcome to Manila), we got down to business:
PAUL BRAMHALL: First of all, thanks again for taking the time out for the interview, especially when you’re leaving for the States tomorrow!
PEDRING LOPEZ: You’re welcome bro, you know I haven’t even started packing yet, so it’s going to be a busy day!
PB: (laughter) Agreed! Now I wanted to start off by asking you, what are some of your influences as a filmmaker, and how did you get into making films?
PL: Well I grew up during the 80’s, so was really into the new wave punk scene, and also of course the 80’s action movies. I think I’m one of the few people to own all of (Steven) Seagal’s movies, and of course earlier influences like Dirty Harry. I also love kung fu movies, and have always been a fan of Hong Kong action, so most of my influences have come from these main sources.
Then, growing up, my dad is a photographer, so I have memories of him in his dark room, doing stuff in there even if at the time I didn’t know what it was, but I was always curious about it. After that, I dropped out of college in what I think was my first year and went into editing, really teaching myself the trade. I worked for 2 networks initially, before opening up my own post-production house. It was after opening my own company that I started directing various music videos and commercials.
It wasn’t until 2 years ago, a friend of mine asked me if I’d like to direct a French movie, called 408, which was my first movie as a director. It was an interesting setup, with a completely Filipino crew, but an all-French cast. The script was actually in English, but we ended up filming it in French, and to this day it remains in post, as the producers aren’t able to agree on a final edit. (laughter)
After that I had the opportunity to direct Binhi, which was my first real genre horror movie, and then most recently I was able to make my biggest production to date with Nilalang.
PB: That’s definitely an interesting movie to helm as a first time director, one which was neither shot in your own language or with actors who are native English speakers!
PL: Yeah! It was difficult, because the main reason I said yes was that the producer is a good friend of mine. Originally I was only going to be doing 2nd unit, so thought it would be a good experience for me to work on a feature length production, but I ended up doing the whole thing, as the actual director had to be fired. (laughter)
So imagine, I was directing a French movie with an English script, and only half the cast could really speak English, but not fluently. My assistant director doesn’t know any French at all, but thankfully the producer was half French, so he would constantly be having to translate what was being said and what was needed. Even with that though, there were plenty of lost in translation moments, when I wanted the cast to do one thing, but when it came to the shot they’d do something different. It was very difficult, but a good learning experience.
PB: You mentioned one of your influences as Hong Kong action cinema, what are some of your favourite Hong Kong action movies?
PL: I love all of the gangster movies, you know the ones with Chow Yun Fat. So movies like Hard Boiled and The Killer, I love those movies.
PB: There’s definitely an element of the Hong Kong influence in Nilalang, despite it using a Japanese premise, can you tell us how the concept for the movie came into being?
PL: Well, the story for Nilalang has been in my head for the longest time. When I was growing up, I forgot to mention it before, but I was really into Manga, especially anything connected to horror. So I pitched my script to my writing partner Dennis (Empalmado), and I said to him we need to make this movie. Dennis grew up also really being into the punk scene, so was in a punk band but was also into Japanese culture, you know like samurai and ninjas. I’ve also really been interested in Japanese culture for a long time, especially the fetish culture that they have, which is why there are those bondage scenes in the movie. So we just gelled together, and we wanted to see if the story could be a good fit for a Filipino production. But of course a lot of the producers we pitched the project to didn’t like it at all, because it really wasn’t Filipino in style or what local audiences watch.
We did manage to get a really big local actor on-board, Robin Padilla, but then during the pre-production stages he backed out. This in turn led to the producers that we had managed to get a commitment from also backing out, but thankfully we were able to bring in Cesar (Montano), who was really excited to be working on a movie with such a different type of script. He was really into both the script and the action element of it, so while he’s not a film producer, he comes with the money (laughter) and his presence allowed us to raise the funding.
PB: So it seems that the Japanese connection was always a part of the story, and not something which was brought in due to the presence of (Maria) Ozawa?
PL: Right, it was always a part of it. Actually Ozawa’s role was originally for a guy, so the character of Miyuki was never going to be female, and was supposed to be the arch-nemesis for Cesar. But we had to change it, the way it happened was one time we were having a drink with some friends, and Maria Ozawa came on the radio. She was a guest on a talk show while here in Manila, and during the interview she said how much she really wanted to do a movie. At that time we were already in pre-production, and putting the final touches on the script, so Dennis and I said, “F*ck, let’s just ask her if she wants to join the movie, and we’ll just have to re-write the role into a woman and make her the co-star.”
It just so happened that we called up Wesley (Villarica), who had also put money into the production, and is Ozawa’s manager locally here in Manila. He’s a good friend of mine, but before I contacted him about bringing Ozawa on-board, I had no idea that he was managing her here locally. So when I told him that we were going to look up Ozawa’s manager, he said, “That’s me!” It was a big coincidence, and of course he was happy to go ahead with the decision to bring her in.
So when Robin pulled out, we managed to find one person that was able to put in 70% of the budget, and then Wesley came in and put up the remaining 30%, on top of what he’d already been involved in. It was a big relief, because we were pretty bummed out about the whole thing. Robin pulling out meant that the money also pulled out, but at the time he took the decision to leave, we had already brought Ozawa in 100%. Japanese culture being what it is, of course I felt like I didn’t have a face to show if it turned out the movie wouldn’t pull through, so it felt like we were really grappling with how we were going to find the money. In the end my company put in some additional money, we has a silent partner who put in additional funding as well, and of course Wesley. So we had 3 production companies all in all – including Black Ops and Parallax, which is Wesley’s photography studio. So in the end, it worked out well.
PB: Wow, so what was the biggest change that the script underwent once Ozawa was officially on-board?
PL: Well, first of all we had to make it more sexy. (laughter) Actually I had wanted the movie to be sexier anyway, but the censors in Manila wouldn’t allow it, and also some of the producers got a little scared at the direction we wanted to take things. The trade-off however is that, with the budget we saved on not being able to do the sexier scenes, I got to use a lot of blood instead. (laughter)
The version that you saw of Nilalang is the uncut one, so that’s as close as we got to our vision. The one that was shown theatrically in Manila, there was probably 10 minutes less footage than in the uncut version. We had to cut so much blood, we had to cut the severed head at the beginning, and almost all of Ozawa’s sexy scenes had to go, even though they’re not even ‘sexy sexy’! So, it’s weird for me, in Manila, with the MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board) particularly, they have these double standards. If it’s a Hollywood film, they don’t have a problem with it being sexy or bloody, but if it’s a local film, we have to put up with all these restrictions. What they told me was, and this is when we went there to defend it, is that it’s not a Filipino movie, and we’re not supposed to be that violent. So I told them it’s a film, it’s a movie, you know!? It’s supposed to be violent because it’s the Yakuza, it’s supernatural, it needs to be bloody and violent! The scene which has the face being sliced off, we had to cut it by half, so you just see it from the back and not the whole thing, but in my cut, you see everything.
Even in the final scenes, when Cholo (Barretto) is on the platform and he’s slicing his skin with the blade, we had to cut that scene for the local market to the extent that it was basically removed. So it’s weird, you know, in Manila you can screen a movie that shows two guys kissing, and they love it. There’s an independent film scene in Manila, but we were branded not independent enough, just because the movie we were making is different. We wanted to make a movie that we’d love, which is a genre movie, and the problem with the censors is that they care too much. I submitted a trailer for the movie twice, and both trailers were rejected to be shown, so it’s very difficult here in Manila to do horror.
Of course the movie should be R-18, but Viva (cinema chain) asked us if we can make it R-13. I had to tell them that we can’t make it R-13, or else you’re not going to see anything. So we kept it as R-18, but also provided an R-16, cut, so there’s 2 ratings. The R-16 cut was for SM (cinema chain), as they don’t show R-18 movies at their cinemas. The R-18 cut ended up being for all the other cinemas, but still, the differences between the 2 versions are only small.
PB: So the inclusion of the anime style sequences that are used to portray some moments of extreme violence, did you decide to use this technique as a way of getting around the censors, or was it a stylistic choice to have animation in the movie?
PL: The anime sequences were always a part of it, as I really wanted to make a nod to the old anime style from the 80’s. But the thing is, we hadn’t completed these sequences in time for the Metro Manila Film Festival at the end of 2015, so the version that was screened there actually didn’t have them included. The main reason was that we simply didn’t have time, we finished the film in August, and we only had a couple of months until the festival. The animation parts alone took me 8 – 9 months to complete, so I was able to include them in the version that was screened at the festivals playing abroad.
But yes, the idea was always there to marry the animation into the story. You can probably tell from my office with the hundreds of toys everywhere, but I have a big love for anime and Manga, and that’s why the style of the animation was very old school. You don’t really see the characters moving, but the camera is moving, so it’s the normal type of anime that would be seen in the 80’s. My guys were the ones who did the animation, I got someone to hand draw it, then gave it to the animators in layers so that we could do get it completed.
PB: Have you ever considered making a feature length anime?
PL: There were actually a couple of people who were pushing me to do an animated spin-off of Nilalang, one of them was an agent in the U.S., who felt really strongly about it. The other one was a friend in the U.S. who thought it should be the backstory of the demon, and wanted it to either be an animation or a graphic novel. Of course, it’s something that I want to do, but the problem is you still need money to do it. (laughter) So they told me, because they have experience in that field, that if I was to go that route then it’d be important to tour it in Comic Con and events like this, so it’s very much considered a different type of audience than those that perhaps watched the film first.
PB: What was the biggest challenge during filming?
PL: Dude, the budget. You know we only had budget for 20 days, and I wanted to shoot in double that amount of time, so 40 days. The action sequences we could have done better, I really believe we could have done them better, and both Sonny (Sison) and I feel the same way about that. But we were number one, just so pressed for time, and number two, dealing with the budget that we’d been given. We had a shooting budget of under US$1m, but I’m proud that you won’t see that, you can look at Nilalang and think that it has a much higher budget.
But yes, after seeing it I’m my own biggest critic, and I see a lot which we could have done better. The thing is we only had Ozawa for 12 days, and we’d originally wanted her to attend a kind of 1 week acting and action training workshop, but because of the limited time she could only spend 2 days on that instead. This was the first time for her to try anything like stunts or this kind of action, and you can see it in the movie, sometimes she looks a bit awkward. But on the plus side we found a great double for her, who was a local girl that Sonny was able to really spend time with training.
That was the most difficult part, combined with the fact that we were shooting in July and August, which is right in the middle of the tropical storm season. Because of the storms, we ended up having to back up 2 days, because our set was completely rained out. About 80% of the movie is shot here in Manila, and one time it was just completely flooding on the set, it was while Ozawa was there. Of course, she’d never seen anything like it, so she was enjoying being up to her ankles in water. But because of that, our 20 days ended up becoming 21.
So the time constraints were really a challenge, especially when you consider that the fight scene with the Ronin, the one that opens the movie, alone took 36 hours to shoot. I’m proud of the opening though – the shots of the slain bodies in the fields are all CG, which we shot in Rizal. The rice paddies are real, but the smoke, and the mountain in the background, are all CG as well, those we added in later.
PB: Now I know many people reading this will be familiar with Sonny Sison as one of the assassins from the Alpha Stunts movie Broken Path, was Nilalang your first time to work with him?
PL: Yes, it was. So I was looking for a stunt guy, and I knew he’d previously worked on Bonifacio: Ang unang pangulo a couple of years prior with Robin Padilla, then Pao (Orendain), my Director of Photography, also said he knew of a guy from L.A., referring to Sonny, so we should check him out. I’d been hearing from people about the way he works, and I think a big part of the reason why the whole Nilalang team clicked together so well, is that we all come from very different backgrounds. Sonny came from L.A., I came from advertising, Pao had mostly worked on romantic comedies prior to working with us, so this was his first time to work on a genre picture.
The thing with Pao though is we’d worked together many times before on commercials and music videos, so when I told him that we wanted to do a film, he was so excited that he dropped out of a lot of rom-com films that he’d been scheduled to shoot. (laughter) I’ll say it was the right decision, as he ultimately won the award for cinematography at the film festival. Ava (Yap), the line producer, had also done a few movies with Robin (Padilla) before, so when I met with Sonny, we already shared that working history.
The reason why I like Sonny’s style so much, is that I think he’s currently the only person doing what he does in Manila that goes to the effort of creating a previz (pre-visualistaiton), so it’s really easy to storyboard everything with him. Then of course you have all of the stunt guys, well, when I say that (laughter), they’re pretty much non-existent currently. There are stunt people, but they’re really old school, so bringing in Sonny and all of his experience allowed him to pass on his knowledge on set, and I hope that his work will be an inspiration and allow us to see other stunt guys following. During the 80’s the Philippines had so many action movies, yes they were campy, but it was still action, and then that died, you know it just died, for some reason it just went away, and there’s no new action stars or action movies being made in Manila. But there’s a lot of stories to be made here, and I hope that some of them will lead to a resurgence in the action movie.
PB: I hope so too. So out of all the action in Nilalang, what was the most difficult to shoot?
PL: Oh, it was the one with Sonny and Maria. It’s the scene in the temple with the samurai that Maria has to fight, and actually the reason why it was so difficult was really my fault. (laughter) My principal director wanted to create a samurai, and I wanted it to be really authentic, so what I did was tell my production crew that we need to order in the samurai armour. But man, it was so heavy, so the first samurai stuntman, before Sonny had to take over, he was good but he was getting tired because of the heaviness, which led to Sonny stepping in. So half of the action scene is one stuntman, and the rest of it is Sonny.
The armour is actually now displayed in Wesley’s Japanese restaurant, as none of us knew what to do with it once we wrapped filming, complete with a note saying that it was used in Nilalang. (laughter)
I don’t know if you noticed, but the Yakuza Temple itself were the fight takes place is all CG as well, from the rooftop upwards. So we found a nice Japanese looking townhouse which was being used as a country club up in Cavite, which has a golf course. What’s funny is that we also had to make a CG front door, because there was no door on the country club, it was just open, so we had to put a green screen there because the door had to open, which we then added in post.
PB: So how did you come up with the idea for the demon that is Zahagur?
PL: I kind of like the idea of a demon that cuts off the faces of his enemies, especially the girls, to keep as souvenirs. I really wanted to go into his backstory, like a prequel set in ancient Japan, so hope I get to do it one day. Some people have mentioned to me about a sequel, but I think the film itself works as a stand-alone story, so my focus would really be on the prequel, which would lead up to Zahagur facing off against the two brothers who we meet in the opening of Nilalang. So I envision the beginning of Nilalang would be the ending of the prequel. I think it’s a really cool idea, but it would be an expensive one, as I’d want to shoot it in Japan, in the snow, and that’s something you definitely never get here. (laughter)
PB: Well if you’re in Japan, it’ll give you a good reason to cast Ozawa again. (laughter) What was she like to work with as an actress?
PL: Well this was really her first main role, she did one role before I think in a Malaysian horror, but that was really just more of a cameo. This is her first starring role which is, well, not porn. Surprisingly she was really easy to work with, always on time, very professional, and, unlike if you work with a big name local actor here in Manila, who’ll have many demands, with Maria she just wanted Adobo available for her in her tent and a bottle of tequila, which was cool. I guess the tequila helps her, but she was fine to work with. She really wanted to do most of her own stunts, and as a result she got a sprained wrist during filming while they were practicing the fight with the samurai.
I think while she was here she also fell in love with Manila, especially with the weather and the nightlife, as since then she’s now opened a bar in the Remington Hotel close to Resorts World. It’s a gentleman’s bar, and because she owns a management agency in Japan, sometimes she brings the AV (adult video) girls signed to her agency to Manila for a show, which is great. (laughter)
Nilalang ended up being perfect timing for both of us, as one time I was talking with her onset, and she said it’s really like a dream come true, because she’d been on the radio talking about how she wants to do a movie, and the next day we called and invited her to star in ours. (laughter) Her Japanese managers are very excited about her work in Manila, and have even said that if we were to shoot another movie with her in Japan, they’d be willing to help us. I think for some reason the Japanese film industry is really looking to branch out more, looking into co-productions and filming overseas. It’s funny because when I first went to L.A. and New York with Nilalang, everyone I spoke to had assumed it was a Filipino/Japanese co-production, believing that the reason why it looks so glossy must be because the post was taken care of in Japan. But dude, the post was done 100% in my post-production house. I had 18 people working on the post for a period of 6 months, so it can be done.
The thing that’s happening right now in Manila with genre films, is that we have a lot of directors who are scared of doing them, simply because no producer here in their right mind would put the amount of money required behind a local genre film. The only reason I got the money was because one of our main producers is a really big fan of action, and Wesley is both the manager of Ozawa and also a big fan of action, and when I pitched them the idea I told them it’s not supposed to be a Manila based story. That’s why many of the critics in Manila really disliked it, but many of the critics overseas were much more favourable. There’s a lot of critics here locally that love action movies, but they just didn’t like Nilalang, for example guys like Philbert Dy, who hated it. I hate him! I’m just kidding, everyone is entitled to their opinion. (laughter)
But the point is there’s a real split, it’s not a rom-com, it’s not your typical Filipino movie, and I hope for one that it’ll push Manila based filmmakers into creating movies that have more global content. Right now we’re stuck to the stories you always see in Manila, and if it continues that way they’re never going to reach another audience other than the local one here.
PB: Of course what’s interesting is that it’s now been shown at various different film festivals around the world, but here on your home ground, it was actually pulled from the Metro Manila Film Festival after one day!
PL: Yeah, we got pulled out on only the second day! We started in 50 cinemas, on the second day that number was down to just 13. Then we got pulled completely by the third day, and then they put us back on in January. So I said we were never expecting to make money from the film festival, but at the same time we weren’t expecting to get dropped from over 30 cinemas on just the second day! (laughter) But dude, if you know the ins and outs of the festival, especially the Metro Manila Film Festival, it’s really a cartel. It’s mostly for the big producers, so we were taken out because they needed to open up more screens to show Beauty and the Bestie and My Bebe Love. That’s why me and (Erik) Matti’s movie were pulled. It’s weird, because I won 5 awards, most of them for technical factors, while Matti won most of the acting awards, so we had 5 each, but both of our movies were pulled out.
After that, Nilalang got accepted to 8 different film festivals abroad, so there was the UK, Buenos Aries in Argentina, and 3 of them in the U.S. – L.A., New York, and Kentucky. The Kentucky one is one of the oldest horror film festivals, so we’re pretty excited about that one, and we’ll be showing at the Urban Action Showcase in New York. So the bureaucracy of the independent film community here is difficult, and we were basically shunned as an independent company. The Film Development Council recently introduced a new policy, were they said if your film makes it to a festival outside of the Philippines, they’ll pay the cost of the airfare. The guidance was if you’re screening they’ll pay for one airfare, and if you’re actually competing they’ll pay for one plus one. We ended up having to pay for our own tickets, simply because they said the festivals we’re going to be competing in aren’t on their list of festivals that were eligible for the airfare. So I asked them to give me the list of their festivals, and there were no genre film festivals listed on it, only the really big ones like Busan Film Festival, so we had to fight with them constantly, and in the end we just said forget it, we’ll pay for ourselves.
There’s just no support at all for genre filmmaking. It’s funny because if you look at the type of films that they do support, and I don’t have anything against any of the filmmakers who have made them, but they’re all movies that revolve around poverty, drugs, and the downtrodden lives in Manila. But there’s a thriving genre community here in Manila that can’t get any funding or support, despite many directors having an interest in branching out into different genres. But without support they can’t get anywhere, the good thing with us is that we own our own post-production house, so we can do everything ourselves, but other directors don’t have that access. So for a start, my group is funding a few short films that are in development next year which are all genre driven – slasher, action etc., as a way of helping out the community. Because there’s a lot of market outside the Philippines, and I’d rather encourage this type of filmmaking than resort to having to make ‘poverty porn’. (laughter)
PB: Well your next movie definitely isn’t going to fall under that label, with the Mark Dacascos starring Breach. Is the plan for this one to put Philippines action cinema back on the map?
PL: Yes, very much so, we’re all looking forward to this one. Actually we pitched the concept to Tiger Beer, and I’ll also be pitching it to their regional offices when I get back to the Manila after the AFM (American Film Market) and Urban Action Showcase, so hopefully we can get them on-board. But the thing is, they’ve already told me they want Ozawa back, so I said that’s no problem at all, if you’re paying for it of course we can bring her back. So we might end up changing, or adding more, to the story that we have now.
We already have Yoshi Sudarso confirmed, he’s excited and I think is currently wrapping up with the Power Rangers. This will be his first time in the Philippines, and he’s actually working out really hard for the role, if you see his Instagram posts, he’s looking pretty buff. We’re also writing a character for Dan Southworth, who’ll be the nemesis for Dacascos, so it’s an exciting prospect.
For Dacascos as well, I’m hoping to meet with him while I’m in the U.S. over the next few weeks. We also met up last August, and he’s really excited as it’s been a while for him to have a lead role in a pure action movie. He’s had a few villain roles lately on TV, and also tried his hand at directing, so he’s looking forward to being back front and centre. Actually in Breach you could say his character is an anti-hero, as his brother gets killed by PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency), and he has to go home to take care of the family business and bury his brother. So the PDEA are actually going to be the villains of the piece, which is fitting considering the current climate in the Philippines.
PB: How did Dacascos get involved?
PL: I was looking for an American actor that could do action, but also someone who will appeal in Asia, and Dacascos has that Asian look. The reason I say that is I’d originally wanted a Hong Kong actor for the lead role, but Sonny and me were talking and agreed that it’ll be easier to sell if it’s an American actor. Talking to a lot of my contacts in the U.S., they all agreed that Mark would be the best choice, as he’s really big in Russia and Europe, so there should be no issues getting distribution deals there. Of course on top of those business aspects we have to think about, I’m personally a big fan of Mark as well, and believe Brotherhood of the Wolf is one of his best performances. That’s how we decided to cast Mark, and my approach is to bring in some Hong Kong guys that can star alongside him.
I even told Sonny, because he’s come on board as a co-producer, that we should bring in his boys from L.A. for the stunts, who are currently working on Marvel’s Iron Fist series. So they did most of the stunts on that series, and Sonny is going to try and get them over for Breach, which we’re both really excited for. We really want to make Breach a Manila set action movie that will stand out, not just here in Manila, but on a global scale, so I want to make it look as real as possible, especially the fights. It’s not going to be kung fu in the traditional sense of the word, but it’s definitely not going to be just your average fighting, I’d say there’ll be some of The Raid influence in there, but more Hong Kong style.
When I saw how they did the fights in The Bourne Supremacy, particularly the one that takes place in the really confined room, I want that kind of action for Breach, because it was filmed in a way that made you feel you were right there in the thick of it. For a Hollywood film, the action in that movie was really good, especially with there being so much hand-to-hand. So that’s one of the fight styles that I want to bring to Breach, but I also wanted to add in some Filipino Martial Arts, and Sonny is especially pushing for this. So we’ll have the Filipino stick fighting, and also the blades. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a Filipino martial arts movie, there’s been nothing, so now is the time.
If I remember correctly, the last Filipino martial arts movie that I really enjoyed was from the 80’s, the name was Sticks of Death, all of the fighting in that one was based on the Filipino martial arts Arnis, I think it was with Roland Dantes. That one was a really good one. So I’m very thankful to Nilalang, because it’s opened a lot of doors not only for me, but also for my production house, and allows us now to have the opportunity to make these kinds of movies again now. After production wrapped, we’ve been able to set up offices in Vietnam, and also in Hong Kong. We’re also in talks to open up an office in L.A. It’s funny, but for some reason, there are so many rich people in Vietnam! They really want to produce films, and seem to like the idea of having Vietnamese names attached as executive producers, which I don’t mind, so now we’re thinking of working with two people in Vietnam.
For Breach we’re trying to raise between 5 and 6 million dollars, and I’ve already raised about 1.5 of that locally in Escrow, and we’re meeting with producers in L.A. that will help to finance the film through our Hong Kong office, which will be cool. In that way Nilalang was kind of like a trial, or an experiment, but it was one that really paid off. What we did there cinematography wise, production design wise, action wise, now if we double our budget, we can really make a film which looks like a Hollywood movie. Of course the thing I’m most excited about it what we’ll be able to do with the action scenes with a much higher budget.
PB: It’s interesting that Vietnam want to get involved with the Filipino action movie industry, how did that come about?
PL: Well there are currently a lot of Vietnamese working in Vietnam who didn’t grow up there, so they were raised places like the States and Australia, and now they’re in Vietnam looking for ways to invest the money that they made overseas. So there’s a lot of interest in these action movies that could appeal to overseas markets, and what’s most interesting, is that once the industry people there realised I was the director of Nilalang, all they could talk about was if I could bring Maria Ozawa to Vietnam. (laughter) It’s a communist country, but actually Vietnam is the number one Asian country for Google searching her name, which is so interesting. She has a huge following there, despite the internet being regulated. So while she’s not that well known in the U.S., she’s certainly very big in Asia.
So at some point I’d like to do a film in Vietnam, there’s a lot of talented fight guys based there, and I’ve always thought it would be an awesome place to do a car chase scene, with all of those scooters that they have all over the roads there. So hopefully after Breach, we can continue making regional films, ones which have both American, local, and casts from other countries involved so that Filipino cinema can get back on the map again. After Nilalang and Breach, I’ll be signed with Viva, so I can do the films with them, and our production company Black Ops can also co-produce.
PB: Great, and I heard before Breach starts filming, you have one more movie you plan to film?
PL: Yes! It’s a very local micro-budget found footage horror film, in the style of a slasher which I love, and we’re going to film it almost completely with smart phones, so we’ll be starting to film that from next month.
PB: Well, good luck for the movie, and even more so for your time at the AMF next week and the Urban Action Showcase!
PL: Thanks Paul, let’s catch up when I’m back!
• Nilalang will be screening as part of the Urban Action Showcase in New York on the 12th November, under its English title of The Entity. |
Net Censors Arrested In China For Taking Bribes To Delete Unflattering Posts As Well As The 'Harmful' Ones
from the gaming-the-system dept
Techdirt has run a number of stories about China's increasingly pervasive Net censorship, which operates both domestically and further afield. According to this story in Index on Censorship, China seems to think its system still needs bolstering: The Chinese government has revealed it is expanding their censorship of the internet with a new training programme for the estimated two million "opinion monitors" Beijing organised last year.
...
Once trained, monitors will "supervise" the posting of social media messages, deleting those that are deemed harmful. Beijing claims to have deployed "advanced filtering technology" to identify problematic posts, and will need to "rapidly filter out false, harmful, incorrect, or even reactionary information," according to Xinhua.
Internet monitoring in China is an intensive process. Censored search terms are often placed on the list and then removed as a situation develops. That fluid situation and the huge numbers of people involved mean that it's hard to monitor the monitors -- generally a problem with censorship. So it was probably inevitable that some Net censors would start taking advantage of their power to earn a little extra money: Beijing police have detained at least 10 people, including employees at Baidu, the leading Chinese-language Internet search provider, over allegations of abusing their positions to delete online posts in return for money, the Beijing News reports. The idea was simple, as the China News post quoted above explains: staff searched for unfavorable posts about enterprises and government departments, then charged hundreds of yuan to delete the posts.
...
The posts covered a wide range of issues, including forced demolitions, pollution problems, extramarital affairs and bribery by officials, as well as product quality and companies in financial crises Combined with the millions who will be censoring a changing list of forbidden topics, this will make it even harder for Chinese citizens to find out what's going on from the mainstream Internet sites. That might encourage users to explore less well-known services in an effort to avoid such massive censorship, causing the Chinese authorities to recruit even more "opinion monitors."
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and +glynmoody on Google+
Filed Under: bribes, censorship, china, corruption, free speech, great firewall |
The discovery of a system with seven “Earth-like” exoplanets
24 February 2017
The detection of a nearby solar system of potentially Earth-like exoplanets orbiting the star Trappist-1 has evoked widespread public interest and enthusiasm. Millions of people have read reports, watched videos and posted on social media about the seven worlds that might have liquid water on their surfaces.
The Trappist-1 system is comprised of seven planets that orbit a nearby ultracool dwarf star (so-called for its comparatively low temperature). Six of the planets have been confirmed to have an Earth-like size, mass and density. None of them have any hydrogen in their atmospheres, further confirmation that these are all terrestrial, rocky worlds like Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. Moreover, due to the gravitational interactions between all seven planets and Trappist-1 itself, every world in the system may have liquid water.
Of particular interest is the fact that the planets are very close. They are Earth’s next-door neighbors, relative to the vastness of the universe. Trappist-1 is only 39 light years away—that is, it takes light, traveling at about 300,000 kilometers per second, 39 years to travel the distance. In comparison, the Milky Way galaxy of which our sun is a part has a diameter of 100,000 light years, and it is about 2.5 million light years to its larger companion, the Andromeda galaxy, one of trillions of galaxies in the Universe.
An artist's rendering of the seven worlds of the Trappist-1 system, shown to scale in both size and distance, as might be seen from Earth with a future telescope. Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Spitzer Space Telescope, Robert Hurt (Spitzer, Caltech)
The planets are so close that, in the not-too-distant future, it should be possible to make far more detailed analyses and even direct observations of exoplanets.
The discovery of these worlds is the most remarkable of a wave of new scientific findings since the first “exoplanet”—a planet outside of our solar system—was discovered around a Sun-like star in the mid-1990s. At the time, while exoplanets had been predicted for nearly four centuries, none had been conclusively detected, let alone directly observed.
Advances in measuring techniques and the use of instruments placed in the orbit around Earth, free of the distortions of the atmosphere, made it possible to detect very slight dips in the brightness of stars. When those dips were observed with regularity, they could be attributed to the motion of planets across the line of sight between the star and the observers.
When the first detection occurred, it opened a whole new realm of astronomy. The gravitational effects of these unseen planets could also be studied, providing evidence of their mass, density and other physical characteristics. Today, not only have scientists detected more than 3,400 exoplanets, the knowledge built up over the past 20 years makes it possible to visualize what these worlds might look like, either from space or from the surface. And with the launching of the James Webb Space Telescope next year, it should be possible to make far more detailed analysis and even direct observation of exoplanets.
Like most significant astronomical advances, the planets’ discovery was an international endeavor. The detection of exoplanets around Trappist-1 began in May 2016, when a team of astronomers used the Chile-based Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST), remotely operated from Belgium and Switzerland, to first observe the star. They discovered three Earth-sized planets orbiting it, with the outermost one likely within the star’s habitable zone.
This encouraged further observations, which were conducted by a series of ground-based telescopes located in Chile, Hawaii, Morocco, Spain and South Africa. The Spitzer Space Telescope was also commissioned to use its higher precision and greater ability to see in the infrared to study the system. When it was discovered that the system had not three, but seven planets, the Hubble Space Telescope was employed to do an initial survey of the planetary atmospheres for hydrogen. Astronomers across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and Southeast Asia coordinated their efforts to make sense of the data.
The discovery of a planetary system around Trappist-1 is not merely a piece of luck. It is the confirmation of a scientific hypothesis, first advanced in 1997, that, due to the physics of stellar formation, stars with about a tenth of the mass of the Sun are more likely to have terrestrial-sized planets. Trappist-1 is one of many candidates to be studied using this hypothesis, and the first for which the idea has been borne out.
This scientific breakthrough is the culmination of several centuries of advances in astronomy and physics: the understanding of how solar systems are formed; the analysis of visible light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation; and mathematical methods of analysis used to discover the subtle signals in the data from stellar observations.
Trappist-1 is a demonstration of the power of human cognition, science and reason. It is a powerful rebuke to the incessant contemporary glorification of irrationalism, whether through the cultivation of backwardness and religious prejudice or the promotion of postmodernism and its rejection of objective truth, and a mighty vindication of the materialist understanding of the world, that there are objective laws of nature and that humans can comprehend them.
Among millions of people inspired by such discoveries, there is an instinctive understanding that the methods employed to find the Trappist-1 planets and make other scientific and technical advances should be used to solve social and economic problems, to provide sufficient health care, education, shelter and food for all humanity. How can our society discover seven potentially Earth-like worlds more than 350 trillion kilometers away, yet proceed, through environmental recklessness and nuclear-armed militarism, to destroy the planet on which we live?
The exoplanet discovery was based on collaboration towards a common goal whose driving force was the pursuit of knowledge, not the amassing of insane amounts of personal wealth. This sort of thinking is totally alien to the world’s ruling elite, which flaunts its backwardness, vulgarity, ignorance and parasitism, personified in the figure of Donald Trump.
This discovery highlights another contradiction of modern society. The organization and planning required to produce these results is a testament to humanity’s ability to rationally and scientifically coordinate resources on an international scale. The scientists on the project also had to reject the constant mantra of national chauvinism, espoused by the ruling elites throughout the world. While science probes the seemingly infinite distances of galactic space, humanity remains trapped at home within the prison house of the nation-state system, with barbed-wire fences, wars, invasions, bombings and mass flights of refugees.
The squandering of trillions of dollars, yuan, yen, roubles and euros to enrich a parasitic capitalist elite and to wage war around the globe is one reason why scientific announcements of this order are so rare. Immense resources, material and human, are wasted, which should be devoted to the improvement of the human condition and the conquest of knowledge of the material world.
The creation of a society in which the development of knowledge can be freed from the constraints of capitalism requires the application of science and reason to the evolution of society and to politics. In opposition to postmodernism and its many variants, which insist that there is no objective truth, Marxism is rooted in an analysis of the laws of socioeconomic development.
Driven inexorably by its internal contradictions, capitalism is leading mankind toward the abyss of world war and dictatorship. These same contradictions, however, also produce the basis for the overthrow of capitalism: the international working class. The objective process must be made conscious, and the growing opposition of millions of workers and youth around the world must be transformed into a political movement that has as its aim the establishment of an internationally coordinated, rationally directed system of economic planning based on equality and the satisfaction of human need: socialism.
Bryan Dyne
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. |
"I plan to sue, several different lawyers have advised me to sue," Assange told the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) daily.
Assange told the newspaper that he plans to sue for damages for what he considers to be "legal mistakes" directed against him.
"I am very disappointed at the Swedish authorities," the Australian told SvD.
While visiting Sweden in August, Assange was the subject of rape and molestation allegations from two women.
An arrest warrant was issued for his arrest on August 20th and prompted a media frenzy when the Expressen newspaper reported on the case the following morning.
Another prosecutor however abruptly withdrew the warrant later on the Saturday and cancelled the rape charges a few days later, only to see her decision appealed and the rape case reopened by yet another prosecutor.
The 39-year-old activist journalist has since admitted that he had met both women in question, who according to their lawyer are both Swedish and aged between 25 and 35, saying "they were both at my press conference."
He has since insisted that he has never had non-consensual sex with anyone, and refused to discuss whether he had sexual relations with the women in question, saying it was a "private matter".
Assange has also questioned the timing of the rape allegations, inferring that the Pentagon may be behind them to try to smear WikiLeaks ahead of plans to publish a slew of classified documents pertaining to the war in Iraq.
Julian Assange is still under investigation in Sweden, but the probe has not prevented from leaving the country.
Prior to the rape allegations Assange had submitted an application for a residency permit in Sweden, seeking to benefit from protection under Swedish publishing laws. His application was rejected by the Swedish Migration Board in October. |
WorldWatch
First appeared in print in The Rhinoceros Times, Greensboro, NC
By Orson Scott Card April 20, 2008
Cars and Starvation?
As long as we can keep driving our cars and living in our remote suburban islands, what do we care if the rest of the world starves?
It's not our fault those people weren't born Americans. And as long as we seal our border tight so they can't sneak in here and eat our food, those people can starve to their hearts' content. We aren't taking any food out of their mouths.
We'll just donate a few bucks to Idol Gives Back and then we're shut of the problem.
Ha ha. Joke's on us.
We are causing starvation in other countries. Yep, us. And you know why?
The story starts a good while back. We have government-subsidized agriculture. Through tax incentives and other programs, we make sure it's safe and relatively profitable to grow lots and lots of food on that rich soil of the American grain-growing Midwest, California vegetable farms, and Sunbelt citrus groves.
But when we have a surplus of cheap food, how do we unload it so the price doesn't fall so far that our farmers go out of business?
We sell it below value in foreign countries.
That practice of ours has been putting small farmers out of business all over Africa and many other countries. Foreigners can buy American food for less, even after all the shipping costs, than they can get it from farms fifteen miles away in their own countries.
The result has been a flood of small farmers in many countries to urban centers that don't have jobs for them. I've seen poverty like that firsthand in Brazil in the 1970s -- though there it wasn't the fault of American farm policy. Highways lined with poor families walking from their abandoned farmsteads or farming jobs to go live in favelas on the fringes of the big city and beg on the street to survive.
In some places, famines are artificial and caused by wars or vicious government policies -- one thinks of Ethiopia twenty years ago and Darfur right now.
But at this moment, millions of people have been plunged suddenly into serious malnutrition because the cost of food in their countries has doubled -- or tripled. Why? Because of another American agricultural policy.
Now that we've made people in many other countries dependent on cheap American food, all of a sudden we started paying farmers to stop growing food and start growing ethanol.
That's right. Using the rising price of gasoline and our need for energy independence as an excuse, midwestern farmers are now being paid to grow corn and soybeans solely so that it can be converted into something our cars can burn.
And guess what that did to those food surpluses we used to sell overseas? After destroying the agricultural base of many countries, we have suddenly pulled the rug out from under them. They can still get food, but it costs three times as much.
In other words, we have done to them just what the oil-exporting countries (led by Russia, with its deliberately slowed-down production) have done to us. We complain about the evil conspiracy that drove up our oil prices and want to punish Exxon, even though they don't control the price. We whine and cry about it even though we still pay less than most countries for our fuel.
But we have carelessly done the same thing to the poorest people in the world, and we've done it, not with gas, but with the food they feed their children.
Ethanol Solves Nothing
The irony is that our ethanol program is not helpful in any way toward solving the coming petroleum crisis. It's not just that you have to burn a lot of fuel running the heavy equipment we use to plow, plant, and harvest the crops that we turn into fuel.
The real problem is that the soil of the Midwest is not all that rich. We've been overfarming it for years, and the only reason we get the huge crops we get is because of fertilizer. And guess what it takes to make the fertilizers that are most widely used?
Natural gas.
I hadn't known that before I started doing a little research. I always thought fertilizer had manure and compost in it -- that it was all made from waste products. But no, a huge proportion of the fertilizer we use comes from petrochemicals.
If we run out of natural gas (and there's no reason to think we won't), we won't be able to fertilize our fields so we can grow the crops that we turn into ethanol.
This is why ethanol solves nothing. It is part of the problem.
So we're starving people in other countries because we have fooled ourselves into thinking that we can farm our way out of our oil-and-gas problem -- though it takes oil and gas to do the kind of farming that lets us grow enough crops to burn large quantities of them as ethanol.
Even if the margin still allows us to save some petroleum and gas by using ethanol, is it enough that it's worth starving foreigners so we can drive our cars cheaply, as much as we want?
Let Them Grow Rice
Naturally, some will think that people in those other countries can just leave the city and go back to farming.
First, even if that's possible in the long run, it won't help them this year. If you have a shortage of, say, toasters, you can run the toaster factories day and night, putting on extra shifts and hiring extra workers, and in only a few days, extra toasters are on the market.
But you can't do that with food. No matter how hungry you are, you still have to wait for planting season and then wait longer for the plants to grow and produce the fruit or roots or seeds or leaves or stems that we need to eat.
A year, folks, at least with most plants.
It's even more complicated than that. Some of these people left the land twenty years ago. The ones who farmed are now old. The young people have never lived on the farm. They don't know how to do it anymore.
My ancestors were very good farmers. That doesn't mean I know anything at all about growing plants. Especially not in North Carolina, where exactly none of my ancestors lived.
Even worse is the land problem. Right now in rice-growing countries, every square inch of rice-able land is already under cultivation. And land that used to be farmed is now covered with cities and roads or inundated by dams. In other words, there's less and less land, so taking up the slack when America lowers its production is impossible in the short term, and pretty hard in the long term.
Do We Have a Duty to Feed the World?
Yes.
Why?
Because we can.
If we can feed the world, and have made them dependent on our agriculture for their survival, and then choose not to produce enough food to feed them at affordable prices, then we don't have any moral right to continue to live our high life with our much-vaunted freedom -- we cannot build our prosperity on the hunger and starvation of millions of people abroad.
What About Our Need for Fuel?
Ethanol is about as sensible as fuel cells as a "solution" to the looming oil crisis. It's true that many of the world's richest oil fields are well past peak production, and new finds are not keeping pace with the fields that will soon be going off line.
But ethanol is not a "solution," just a slight augmentation, a momentary slowdown in the exhaustion of oil and natural gas.
And fuel cells aren't even that: They're just an energy storage system. They consume more energy than simply burning gas.
Even shale oil and new oil field finds are mere postponements. No geologist seriously suggests that we are not nearing the end of economically extractable oil and gas. In a mere century and a half, we will have burnt nearly all the petroleum and natural gas that can be reached by any known method.
Not that it wasn't a wonderful ride -- look at our population! Billions and billions, in large part because cheap fuel made it possible for every corner of the world to trade with every other, and to transport foodstuffs across vast distances.
And we Americans have ridden the crest of the wave. We never had a shortage of food in our own country -- but now we import fresh fruits and vegetables, at huge expense in fuel costs, from southern-hemisphere countries so that everything is always in season.
What we must have, and quickly, are sources of energy that don't involve any consumption of oil.
Whenever anyone suggests that we use wind, waves, tides, rivers, solar collectors, photovoltaic cells, or geothermal energy, people always trot out stats showing that these sources can only meet "5%" or "2%" of our national energy needs.
But what if we do all of them? How long before they're meeting, in combination 20% or more of our power needs?
Another objection: We have too many furnaces that depend on heating oil or natural gas, and electricity doesn't always work as well.
My answer is: So what? When we run out of heating oil and natural gas, then the efficiency of appliances powered by those fuels will be zero.
Twenty percent of our current energy needs is not trivial -- it's worth subsidizing.
Nuclear Power
I'm fed up with people complaining about the dangers of nuclear power. It's true that a nuclear meltdown can have devastating effects. Compare it with global starvation and then see what you think. The effects of nuclear meltdown can be prevented by rigorous maintenance and oversight. But when there's not enough food, there's just flat-out not enough food.
We have better designs for nuclear power than ever. We need to treat this as a national emergency and start bringing more nuclear power online -- the way France already has -- with the same kind of national effort that we put into building the interstate highway system or getting to the moon.
All these power sources impose costs, and all of them result in electricity, which is useless to an internal combustion engine. We'll have to convert over completely to electric cars and other electrical transportation systems.
So ... we'll drive slower and have to stop and recharge more often. Or we'll have to use more public transportation.
Boo hoo. We'll get used to it in no time.
It's better than the disaster that will strike if we don't act now to get the infrastructure in place to deal with our inevitable, and fast-coming, post-oil future.
The Free Market Likes Devastation
I hear conservatives who hate the idea of the government taking action trumpeting the idea that the free market will deal with the end of oil.
This is such hogwash. The free market doesn't do anything -- it just decides how much it will cost. If there's nothing to sell that will do the job, then the price of it will be very high and making it will be very profitable -- except that there isn't any to sell so the free market will be helpless.
The free market didn't build the interstate highway system -- or the intercontinental railway before it. Government did. The free market will burn every ounce of oil and then collapse. Careful but rapid government-subsidized work on new infrastructure can make it so there's no collapse at all.
If we do it soon enough, we might even be able to stop using petrochemicals for fuel and fertilizer soon enough that we'll still have plenty left for airplane and spacecraft fuel, where electricity just doesn't do the job.
Back to Food
Which brings us back to food. Because it's not just about our cars. When oil is nearly gone, where do you think we'll spend the last dregs of it? It won't be in our cars -- we'll be walking to the supermarket by then.
We'll be spending it on trucks carrying food from distant farmlands to the big city.
That's why we need an agricultural revolution just as badly as we need a fuel revolution. And for precisely the same reason, and on exactly the same schedule.
Cuba, of all places, has been doing interesting work. When their subsidy from the USSR ended (along with the USSR), they had to reinvent agriculture. It had to be moved closer to the city.
So, horrible as their form of government is, they were able to adapt quickly. They encouraged urban and near-urban agriculture and allowed it to be private rather than collective. As a result, some urban space was reclaimed for agriculture and a notable percentage of the need for vegetables is being met by, yes, the free market -- instead of the black market.
Meanwhile, they have been working with non-petrochemical fertilizing systems. We don't use those chemical fertilizers because they're necessarily the best -- we use them because they're the cheapest to make and transport. That won't be true for much longer, so the government needs to subsidize or incentivize alternate fertilization methods.
There are, for instance, plants -- no, let's admit they're weeds -- that can be safely grown along with cash crops. Or cash crops that can be grown together and benefit each other. The "weeds" help protect the soil from erosion; they help replenish the soil without additional fertilizer.
Organic farmers have also developed methods that work quite well. Work with genetics is creating crops that resist pests without using petrochemical-based insecticides.
Right now government incentives are everywhere in agriculture and transportation. It's not like I'm proposing that we introduce a lot of government regulation or fiddling in a pristine field that is right now a free-market paradise.
I'm saying it's time to stop incentivizing destructive programs like ethanol and start shaping our system so it rewards foresight and preparation for the future.
The future has no burnable petroleum or methane in it. Period. That's a fact -- the only disagreement is about the schedule.
People are already starving around the world in part because of wrong-headed government intervention in the U.S. agriculture and transportation system.
Why not do the compassionate, smart, foresighted thing and solve the problem now? It doesn't even take serious sacrifice. It only takes brains.
Earmarks and Pork Barrel
Why are we subsidizing the useless ethanol system? Politics. Congresswights from the ethanol-growing states are behind the program because it means immediate cash to farmers and voters in their states. Shame on them for starving people in other countries just for the sake of fat-cat contributions and votes. Do they really think their continuation in office is worth the death of a single child in Bangladesh?
Why aren't we moving ahead lickety-split with incentives for non-petrochemical agriculture and with nuclear and renewable energy sources?
Why aren't we mandating efficient electricity-based long- and short-distance transportation systems at the expense of automobiles? Right now the electricity comes largely from coal, which does not solve the non-existent carbon-emissions problem -- but even if you believe in Al Gore's sad little god called Global Warming, you must surely see that all the non-carbon-based fuel systems will service only electric-powered vehicles.
Therefore, converting completely to electricity is one of the steps along the way to non-carbon-based transportation, even if we don't yet have enough non-carbon electricity to supply it.
Why do we continue to build more interstates instead of working as fast as we can to get every single truck off the highway and onto the backs of trains? Part of our national salvation is going to be rebuilding our railroads with brand-new high-efficiency rails and many, many more miles of parallel tracks.
We would never have become dependent on trucks and cars to the degree we have today if government had not created the interstate highway system.
Our goal now should be -- must be -- to make it useless and unused as quickly as possible, and replace it with faster passenger trains and vastly more freight trains, all of them powered by electricity alone. Electricity that will eventually be generated by non-carbon-based systems.
You want pork barrel, Mr. Congressman? Then get government to subsidize or give tax breaks to the companies building and installing photovoltaic roofs, or at least plant-growing self-air-conditioning roofs, on every house and building in your district or state -- and then make sure you have companies in your state carrying out this business.
Are We the Stupidest Civilization in History?
You've got to give Rome some credit here -- they really couldn't see their fall coming.
But the fall of Western Civilization is so absolutely predictable and obvious, and its causes are so visible and imminent, that history will surely record ours as being the stupidest civilization that ever existed. We have the money, right now, to convert to systems of transportation and agriculture that do not require any burnable fuel (beyond infinitely renewable hydrogen as a storage and transportation device).
Instead, we go on mainlining petroleum and methane and then gibber on about how our "free market" or "democracy" will triumph over everything.
The free market creates nothing and does not care. And democracy lasts only while stomachs are full -- and armies have the fuel to move.
Global Warming -- or, I should say, Climate Change? A phony, a bugbear exploited by cynical liars like Al Gore for their personal benefit.
The coming collapse in oil? This is one that is visible, obvious, provable.
Our presidential candidates are all claiming that they'll adopt genuinely harmful, stupid, unfair, and ineffective treaties like Kyoto to solve the nonproblem of carbon emissions.
Not one of them is offering a single coherent idea about achieving complete independence from petroleum and methane before it is forced on us, suddenly and with cataclysmic results.
So I guess now is not the time to suggest that our space program's first priority should be to prepare to divert or destroy any meteor on a collision course with Earth. It's just another of those inevitable but unschedulable world-wrecking events that we're just too dumb to foresee and prevent.
Blain Nelson responds to this essay on his blog |
The fleet was still stationed at Yavin, however preparations were being made for for the next part of the Resistance's strategy. Two days had passed since their escape from gas giant. Meanwhile, Ren sat in his and Rey's apartment. He moved his few belongings that morning, and some additional clothes his mother provided for him. He studied Rey, she was pacing, concern filing her stride. She wore a simple slate blue collared top with black pants and knee high boots. He enjoyed watching her, even if she was anxious.
"I'm not sure what Luke is going to say about this. I don't know what he can do to help me." She frowned and looked at Ren.
"He'll give the best advice he can. He may be able to relate more to you than I can. It's a difficult path to balance, and as you know the Dark Side can change an individual." Ren said pensively. He couldn't give her much advice, he actually had fell to the Dark Side. Rey hadn't fallen yet, but the temptation developed on Yavin 4 a few days earlier with their battle against Sicarii. Seeing Rey's eyes, lifeless, scared Ren, and still did. Rey was on unstable ground. Rey continued her pacing and neither of them said nothing for several minutes.
A beep at the door announced a visitor, and it automatically opened a few moments later. Luke strode in, dressed in a dark robe over his cream tunic and his lightsaber clasped to his waist. Rey's eyes darted to Ren, and revealed her fear. Luke addressed them before she could speak. "I got the message the both of you wanted to see me. I wanted to give you a few days before going into detail what happened at Yavin 4..."
Rey looked at Ren, they agreed he'd speak first with his side. Ren informed Luke about the Knights of Ren and finding the holocron. While doing so, Ren walked to his drawer and pulled out the holocron, and played it for both Rey and Luke. He continued, "Finn and I ended outside first, and Sicarii was waiting. Waiting for Rey actually. She still thought I was dead, which means Snoke doesn't realize that I'm alive either. I engaged her but after Rey appeared she Pushed me back and I was unconscious for sometime." Rey had her eyes closed and took a deep breath.
"I started to fight her, and she ended up throwing Poe into the jungle somewhere. With Ren lifeless on the ground, I felt fear, and anger towards Sicarii..." Rey's voice trembled "I felt the Dark Side within me, clawing to take control. I knocked her down by using a feint attack and I felt it, edging me to take hold and use it. I was worried about Finn, about Poe, about Ren. Everyone..." Rey's voice ended in a near whisper. Luke had said nothing but his blue eyes were grave.
Ren picked up where Rey left off. "When I resumed consciousness, I started to make my way concealed over to where they were battling. Then Rey had her lightsaff above Sicarii's throat and I sensed the anger from her in that moment. I bound the both of them, and killed Sicarii with my lightsaber. After which I released Rey from her bindings..." Ren sighed, he hated the next memory and hadn't shared it with Rey. "But Rey's eyes were dead. They had no emotion. I begged for her to come back and thankfully she did."
Luke studied Rey. Her eyes were locked on to Ren from his admission, watery. "I think you're aware of how unsteady you can become, and I am glad you came to me instead of hiding it. Rey, a time would come sooner or later in your life where the Dark Side would find a weakness and tempt you. I have, and I expect every Jedi to have their own battles with the Dark Side."
Rey looked partially comforted with his words, but Luke continued. "You must practice staying resilient and not give in. The Dark side will control you if you fall. This means, even if your friends are hurt, you cannot give in. They love you. They would not want to see you that way."
Rey spoke up solemnly "Luke. Have you ever killed before?"
Luke nodded without hesitation "Yes, I have. And you can as well, although you must try to avoid it at all possible until you feel more stable in your emotions. A Jedi strives for compassion and understanding. Long ago, Jedi meditated affairs and wielded integrity and honesty throughout the galaxy. If you strike for revenge or anger, it will be your downfall. If you are calm in your thoughts, and seek only justice, you will not fall. But, you need a clear mind. When emotions are involved, your feelings for your friends, it can be very challenging. Jedi in the past were forbidden love interests, as their emotions could rule them. That is not something I wish to impose on a new Jedi order, as love and friendships are rewarding to one's life. Rey, I would suggest meditation to help assist moderate any strong emotions you may have."
Rey looked thoughtful. "Thank you."
Luke studied her, then turned his eyes to Ren and coughed into his gloved hand. "The same goes for you. I'm aware of your fondness for each other, and I support the both of you. However, just as her fear and anger can lead to the Dark Side, so can yours." Rey's cheeks turned pink, and Ren nodded.
Having no further questions, Luke left stating he'd contact them to resume their training and left.
Rey hadn't moved but watched Luke as he left. Ren stood up and embraced her. "It sounds easier than it really is" she mumbled into his chest.
"We'll follow what he says. Besides, you are the most determined person I know Rey. I believe in you. Luke believes in you." He tilted her chin up and kissed her lightly. She looked up at him, he always wanted to remember her warm brown eyes. "Why don't we find out what Poe and Finn are up to. The fleet is preparing to move and they may be summoned sooner for orders than we will."
Ren walked next to her in the hallway, his tall frame and preference for darker clothes was like a shadow to her. Busy personnel and droids went about their errands around them. The meeting with Luke went better than she had hoped. She had been nervous of being disowned by the Jedi Master. Dwelling on his message to her, he was right. Luke had true compassion for others. Even though she could tell he was concerned, he heard them out. He even was adverse to fighting Kylo Ren, and she felt even if Ren had not been his own nephew, he would try as much as he could to save him. She needed to emulate Luke as much as she could she realized.
"We should try Poe's apartment before seeing if they're in the mess hall..." Ren mused. She looked at him and he had a small smile on his face.
"You shouldn't tease them like that. They're our friends. And no, we'll go to the mess hall first Ren." Although the way that Finn was concerned about Poe, maybe he was starting to have feelings for the pilot. She knew Finn better from their time together, but Poe looked out for her. He was a good person like Finn said. Rey's heart felt warm, she had friends who all cared about her, and she cared about them.
They arrived to the mess hall, and scanned the tables. Officers and pilots eating together, some quickly, and some reading their itineraries for the day. She spotted Poe and Finn eating breakfast together. Finn was dressed in a Resistance uniform, whereas Poe had basic slacks and a longsleeved shirt on. "I found them. See?" She said to Ren, with a tone of her point being proven.
Ren shrugged "Do you want anything?" Rey nodded and he left to get them breakfast.
Poe saw Rey first as Finn's back was turned to her, and he waived enthusiastically to her. Finn turned and smiled as she sat down next to him.
"Rey! Good morning!" Poe's grin was toothier than normal. She heard a sound from under the table and saw Poe wince.
Finn glared at Poe before turning to her. "Good morning Rey. Did you and Ren get any orders from Luke or General Organa yet?" he inquired.
"Um.. no we haven't. Luke said they don't have any plans for us at this time so we'll continue training..." She answered. Ren just came back and gave her fruit and a nutri bar, and sat next to Poe.
Finn swallowed the rest of his meal and stated "We're going back to the Thesme sector today to see if we can intercept any ships who think that part of the First Order armada is still there. We'll stay there a day or so before leaving. Before the Resistance came to us on Yavin, they had just secured a victory, destroying most of the ships stationed there."
Ren looked pleased with the information. "Do they expect anyone to come?"
Poe pushed his plate away from him and crossed his arms on the table. "Possibly, the First Order was sending out communications before we jammed their distress signal. We're not too sure how much was sent. We have a rendezvous point if a whole fleet shows up, but I don't think they will send anything." Ren nodded in agreement. Poe continued " Rey, maybe you should see if you can take the Falcon out with us."
"I think I'll do that. I'll check with Luke when I'm done here." She said without hesitation. She enjoyed flying and hadn't been able to do as much as she would have liked with her Jedi training. The thought of flying excited her.
Early in the afternoon, with Luke and General Organa's approval, Rey was preparing the Falcon with Chewie. Chewie had finished fixing the targeting system on the lower gun well earlier that morning. Poe and BB8 had already departed the hangar with Red and Blue squadrons. After completing the final checks, Rey summoned Finn and Ren to join them in the cockpit. Chewie was entering in the coordinates for the Resistance's Destination.
"We'll be entering hyperspace soon" Rey said as the Falcon exited the hanger. Finn and Ren said nothing but sat down in the passenger seats behind her and Chewie. When they were far enough away from the ship, Chewie growled an affirmative and they put the Falcon into hyperspace. |
This week we talk with Cordovan about Update 19 and beyond.
General
Diogovpires asks: “Are there any plans to increase the communication between developers and players, specially when it comes to class changes discussion?”
Diogovpires asks: “Will the Palantir Preview Program accept a larger quantity of players now that the councils are coming at an end?”
Housing
Gilnaure asks: “Do you have plans to add real mirrors as housing decorations? Like those are in Bree-town.”
Gilnaure asks: “Do you have plans to add training dummies as (useful) decorations for houses?”
PkCrichton asks: “Are players going to be able to be EVICTED from these houses that they bought with Mithril Coins/TP/Real Money?”
PkCrichton asks: “What is the technical issue behind this decision to only allow 1 kinhouse instead of 1 Classic/Old and 1 Premium Kin house?”
Will players ever be able to own more than one non-premium house?
Will we see more Premium Housing areas outside of Gondor?
What made the team decide to add Premium Housing now instead of previous or future updates?
Expansion/Anniversary
When will the expansion be for sure confirmed/denied?
Music
If we get an expansion, will Chance Thomas be returning to do the music?
Class Balance
Instances
Slaug asks: “Why are raid set bonuses so weak and useless for most classes?”
Will all the instances ever be in the featured instance rotation at the same time?
Gear
PkCrichton asks: “Why is the Flower extract currency character bound instead of account bound? If it were account bound players could sit and gather with a single character and feel that they are helping any character that they have at that level. Similarly they could help their alts that are coming up spending Extracts on the non set bonus armor before getting set bonus armors for their newly leveled characters.”
PkCrichton asks: “In Build 3 of U19’s beta run the Flower Nodes were confined to about 20% of the North Ithilien Map. What is being done to increase this so that players will have a better time obtaining these ‘must have’ items for bartering? Why is it that South Ithilien hasn’t also had flowers added to it as it has been said time and again that Ithilien itself is where all these great herbs were found and yet South Ithilien hasn’t had these Flowers added to it? Spreading the player load between the South Ithilien/Before Battle and North Ithilien/After Battle would also help both finding nodes, player interacts and server loads.”
Future Zones/Revamps
Lsuman asks: “Is it likely that the Dead Marshes map will ever connect to the main landscape?”
Tirian asks: “Any chance that we’ll go North when we’re finished in the South? ie: the Gladden Fields and the Carrock properly fleshed out, Northern Mirkwood and Thranduil’s Halls, Dale, Esgaroth and the Lonely Mountain…”
Henry asks: “We got Dead Marshes, but what about Emyn Muil? I think its important place.”
Cithryth asks: “Do you think we’ll get to participate in/experience/see The Scouring of the Shire? What kinds of challenges do you think you’d have to deal with to make that possible?”
PvMP
Are there any plans for PvMP changes or balance?
Bug Fixes
Gilnaure asks: “There is a bug with a Gondorian Supplier Horn – the Supplier is summoned inside the horn. Will it be fixed?”
Gilnaure asks: “New dyes cause a few Wardrobe problems: items colored in Sunset Orange, for example, aren’t displayed in the Wardrobe, They appear only if the Sunset Orange filter option is chosen. Will it be fixed?”
Cosmetic Changes
Skogarfrost asks: Can players have more quivers? At least can we have all the quivers we currently see in-game? ie: Dunland, Rohan, Ithilien, Gondor, the rangers quiver…
Squirle asks: “Will the hairdresser ever be able to redo the the non-humanoid form of a beorning?”
Skogarfrost asks: Can players have more hair/beard options, since the characters can be made with the 2007 set but a lot more styles came out during the years? ie: Rohirrim, Dunlendings, Gondorians…
Skogarfrost asks: Will there ever be a chance to change skin color and body in-game?
Teriadwyn asks: Would it be possible to add war-steed cosmetic versions of rep horses?
Teriadwyn asks: Is there a chance that we can get a “Copy Wardrobe” button on the character transfer screen, so that we can copy over just the wardrobe from server to server instead of having to transfer around all of the shared items?
LOTRO Store
Timur asks: “Will there be changes in prices for Turbine Points and VIP for Russia? Will regional prices? Thank you.”
Timur asks: “Is it possible to add to the sale of medium armor Faramir 100 level as a costume for appearance?”
Chat Questions
Talyrion asks: “Concerning featured instances: How about an event, where a server can earn a featured instance for a week”
CableKnitDragon asks: “Can we please have an account-wide option for warsteed hides/dyes?”
CableKnitDragon asks: “Is there a chance of adding an option in the settings to increase overall ui text?”
Miscellaneous
Jared asks: “After we finish up the Epic Quests and the Ring is destroyed, do you think there is any chance of returning to classes and content, hopefully improving them?”
Tim asks: “Will we maybe see a cinematic of the destruction of the ring or maybe session play?”
Tomeoric asks: “Crafting – any updates? I know there are more than a few crafters out there (me included), that would appreciate the ability to craft on-level, non-essence, guild recipe (teal) gear. The last time that was available was at 95, and we’re now at 105.”
Tirian asks: “The summer festival rewards were WAY too expensive – any chance of toning this down for next year? Or returning the barter rate for Inn League/AA badges for festival tokens to its previous state?.”
Diogovpires asks: “Can you talk in more detail about the North Ithilien event coming in December? Is it just an increase of the drop rate of the phials or we’re going to see new barter options during that time to spend our phials on?”
Lsuman asks: “Can we get a consume all button for LI pills like we have for rep items?”
LOTROlove asks: “Could somebody give some information about the idea behind the extra tiers for MT defenders? We seem to be moving away from this faction and not a single useful barter item was added in relation to these tiers until now.”
Gagily asks: “Will there be any serious work towards improving connection with users that are far from datacenter? With datacenter move,many of us started having serious problems if not in closer location to it.”
Gagily asks: “Is it possible to get collection that will show all mounts,and not just having list of special ones?”
Gilnaure asks: “Will new quickslot bars be added?” |
(Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty)
She lied to the nation in 2012, and she’s lying again now. You don’t look surprised.
‘We’ve seen the heavy assault on our post in Benghazi that took the lives of those brave men. We’ve seen rage and violence directed at American embassies over an awful Internet video that we had nothing to do with.”
Those words, depraved words, were spoken by then–secretary of state Hillary Clinton, with President Obama by her side, on September 14, 2012. This was at Joint Base Andrews, during the most sacred of rites: the return of the remains of Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, and Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, all slain in the line of duty in Benghazi.
Advertisement
Advertisement
And all slain, it must never be forgotten, by jihadists carrying out what Clinton, Obama, and high-ranking national-security officials throughout the United States government knew full well was a planned terrorist attack, not a “protest” run amok and incited by “an awful Internet video.”
That obvious fact is now explicit after Mrs. Clinton’s galling testimony on Thursday before the House select committee investigating the Benghazi massacre.
Not only had the siege occurred on the eleventh anniversary of al-Qaeda’s 9/11 atrocities. Not only was Obama informed in the first minutes that a terrorist attack was underway. Not only had terrorist attacks in Benghazi been threatened and executed for months. Not only were mortars deployed by trained jihadists. Not only had Gregory Hicks, the senior State Department official on the ground in Libya after Ambassador Stevens was killed, directly briefed then-secretary Clinton about the then-ongoing terrorist attack — the same Gregory Hicks who would later testify that the anti-Muslim Internet video was a “non-event” in Benghazi.
Advertisement
EDITORIAL: What Hillary Knew
Advertisement
Besides all that, we now know that, while the siege ensued, Clinton emailed daughter Chelsea to explain that Americans had been killed in Benghazi by “an al Qaeda-like group.”
This was about an hour before Clinton and Obama consulted by phone, immediately after which the State Department published Clinton’s mendacious “blame the video” announcement:
Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation.
Advertisement
Yes, Clinton and Obama knew it was a terrorist attack but tried to con the country into believing it was a spontaneous response to a video.
A State Department memo documents that on the very next day after her duplicitous public statement, Clinton informed Egypt’s prime minister: “We know that the attack in Libya had nothing to do with the film. . . . It was a planned attack — not a protest.”
RELATED: Benghazi Committee Bombshell: Clinton Knew ‘Attack Had Nothing to Do with the Film’
Advertisement
That was just two days before Clinton, in cold-blooded disgrace, looked Charles Woods in the eye and said, “We are going to have the filmmaker arrested who was responsible for the death of your son.” That was at Andrews as they were receiving the body of Ty Woods, killed while saving American lives in the late hours of a terrorist siege during which his government made no effort to save American lives.
That was moments before Clinton blamed the “awful Internet video” for the massacre.
To repeat, Clinton and Obama knew it was a terrorist attack but tried to con the country, very much including the families of our dead, into believing our heroes had been killed by a spontaneous response to a video.
The lies about “an awful Internet video that we had nothing to do with” were dictated by the bipartisan Beltway policy of Islamist empowerment that Obama and Clinton championed. Indeed, at the time it occurred, the terrorist attack was just the latest in a series of jihadist threats and strikes in Benghazi. The policy of strategically and materially supporting Islamists made such attacks inevitable.
But it was election season. Obama and Clinton needed camouflage for the catastrophic failure of their policy. Thus: Clinton’s fustian about “an awful Internet video that we had nothing to do with.”
Advertisement
In point of fact, Clinton and Obama had everything to do with the anti-Islamic video trailer, Innocence of Muslims. Virtually no one would have known of it had they not tirelessly publicized it in the international media and in official American government statements that were studiously linked to the Benghazi massacre.
#share#In reality, though, it was the video that had nothing to do with the rage and violence directed at Americans, first in Egypt, then Libya, then beyond.
The violence at the U.S. embassy in Cairo had been threatened for months by al-Qaeda operatives and was clearly planned to erupt on the eleventh anniversary of the terror network’s 9/11 atrocities. The jihadists had been empowered by both the overthrow of the Qaddafi regime in Libya, orchestrated by Obama and Clinton, and the Muslim Brotherhood takeover in Egypt, championed by Obama and Clinton.
Advertisement
RELATED: Hillary’s Benghazi Testimony Made Clear Yet Again How Unapologetic a Liar She Is
Advertisement
In the weeks before September 11, 2012, al-Qaeda saber-rattled about a potential Tehran 1979–style attack on the U.S. embassy in Cairo — perhaps they’d burn it to the ground, perhaps they’d take hostages to trade for American concessions like release of the Blind Sheikh (imprisoned for terrorism convictions in the U.S.).
Administration officials knew there would be trouble on the eleventh anniversary of 9/11. They also knew that, if the trouble was perceived as the foreseeable fallout of their Islamist empowerment policy, it could mortally damage Obama’s 2012 reelection bid and Clinton’s 2016 election ambitions.
RELATED: The Clintons’ Greatest Political Gift: Persuading Millions of Americans to Defend the Indefensible
So the administration swung into action. The obscure video trailer had been condemned by a fiery mufti in Egypt. Word of it began to circulate, but almost no one had seen it. Though in some small circles it was added to the endless list of Islamist grievances against America, those grievances are ideologically driven — and Islamist ideology is incorrigibly anti-American, regardless of what pretexts are cited for acting on it.
So Clinton’s opportunistic underlings pounced, seeing the video as their chance to shape a fraudulent narrative. As Muslims — including al-Qaeda operatives — began menacing the Cairo embassy, the State Department put out a series of tweets, a transparent effort to spin the inevitable rioting as incited by the video, not enabled by the administration’s own promotion of Islamic supremacists.
The Benghazi siege began a few hours later.
The administration edited intelligence-community talking points in order to promote the video fraud and conceal the terrorist victory.
In the aftermath, of course, the administration edited intelligence-community talking points in order to promote the video fraud and conceal the terrorist victory — even as Obama touted al-Qaeda’s purported demise in campaign speeches. Susan Rice, an Obama confidant and a top official in Clinton’s State Department, was dispatched to lie to the public on the Sunday shows. Obama and Clinton indignantly condemned the video in public-address announcements for Pakistani television, paid for by American tax dollars. Obama took to the podium at the United Nations to proclaim to the world that “the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”
The administration then put the criminal-justice system in service of the fraud. Making good on Clinton’s deceitful vow, police raided the home of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the video’s producer — arresting him in the dead of night, as if he were a violent criminal, even though he had been cooperating with law enforcement.
Advertisement
Why was he cooperating with law enforcement? Far from a crime, the making of the video was constitutionally protected activity — the kind of activity the executive branch is duty-bound to protect. But Nakoula went to law enforcement because Obama and Clinton’s smear had put his life in danger.
#related#They did that, willfully, because they needed a scapegoat: Nakoula could serve the dual purposes of deceiving Americans into linking Benghazi’s dead to the video while convincing Muslims of Obama and Clinton’s longstanding commitment to subordinate constitutional free-speech rights to sharia’s blasphemy standards. Nakoula, a small-time con man whose prior conviction made him susceptible to revocation of parole, was the perfect foil.
He spent nearly a year in prison while Obama celebrated his reelection, Clinton plotted her campaign to replace him, and the Democrat-media complex helped them bury Benghazi as “old news.”
Just as she looked Charles Woods in the eye three years ago, while his son’s remains and those of three other Americans killed by jihadists lay nearby, so did Hillary Clinton look America in the eye during Thursday’s testimony. Both times, she seemed earnest, composed and determined as only a pathological liar can in the execution of a high-stakes fraud. |
One of the biggest pieces of sci-fi news hitting yesterday did not come from Comic-Con International.
Tom Baker, The Fourth (and, to many fans, the best) Doctor, will return to the role after almost 30 years in a series of Doctor Who audio productions. The U.K.'s Doctor Who Magazine reports that Baker has decided to step in from the Who-less wilderness in five stories recorded specially for BBC Audio.
While David Tennant is the most popular Doctor for the show's new generation of fans, Baker was the man when the show was in its original prime in the mid and late-1970s. He's also the actor featured in the first imported episodes seen by most American fans on PBS in the 1980s.
He became so closely associated in the role and so entrenched in being The Doctor, moving on from the part proved tough for Baker. But, in recent years, while participating in BBC DVD commentaries of his old episodes, Baker revealed that he looks back on those years as the best of his life. At the age of 75, the time was right for Baker to revisit the part that made him an icon.
Image courtesy BBC
See also: |
::::Warning Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen season 2::::
AMC’s mega-hit show “The Walking Dead” is heading to its season finale (but thankfully it has been renewed!) and the body count of cast members is mounting. But just because major characters have already bit the dust, doesn’t mean fans can relax. Showrunner, Glen Mazzara, has promised even more losses for our group of survivors.
In the last two episodes of season 2 have seen the Rick’s group lose two of its pivotal members. Fans saw the shocking loss of Dale and then the not-so shocking, kind of had it coming, death of Shane the groups #2.
Mazzara said Thursday during a conference call with reporters,
“If you count up all the deaths, we’re on a big killing spree here. There’s more bloodshed coming. These characters have felt that they are safe on this farm and they’ve been wrong. I guarantee there will be bloodshed.”
With 13 remaining members of the group, it is pretty much a wildcard on who could be the next to join Sophia, Dale and Shane as casualties this season.
Starting with Rick, who is played by Andrew Lincoln, we can safely assume he is going to survive. Even in the original comic book, he is going 94 issues strong sans one limb. Mazzara has said that the deaths have helped develop Lincoln’s character the most. He went on to say, “[Shane’s death] is a statement about our main character, that he’s evolving as a person and as a leader and what he’s willing to do.” Basically, fans can reasonably rest assured that Rick won’t be killed off anytime soon.
It seems there aren’t any fans who still like Lori, played by Sarah Wayne Callies. There is still major backlash floating through the internet. “Can you watch Carl” has been used as her slogan in meme after meme questions her characters morality and worth to the group. Mazzara has stated that “nothing is over the line” for the writers (especially when the characters death is warranted or will propel the story forward.) When reporters asked the showrunner about mounting wishes for her death, he said, “no character is safe” and that writers “have examined at different times killing every character.” If even Dale wasn’t even safe this early in the show despite lasting much longer in the comic, we can expect that Lori might be right behind her ex-lover Shane in the death tole.
The last, but not so innocent child of the group Carl, played by Chandler Riggs, is one that the writers love writing for. “If he survives, Carl will grow up in a world where the pre-apocalyptic world will be a distant memory,” Mazzara says. Carl can easily put a shot through the head of zombie as proven with zombie Shane. “We do want to see Carl grow into that badass [in the comics],” Mazzara told reporters. Basically, it seems cruel to kill the last child off, so they will probably keep him.
One character that has made great strides in the series is Andrea played by Laurie Holden. Mazzara recently revealed a bit of a teaser regarding her character when he said, “If she makes it out of Episode 13, it will be interesting to see what she does.” Andrea has changed a lot over the last season from a cowering young woman who wanted to die, to a confident survivor who had a sexy romp with Shane. She has taken over Dale’s position in both the series and comics. It seems resonable to say she will continue on for a while in the band of survivors.
With Shane dead, the group for reals needs a new #2, and since Dwight isnt in this show, who better to take over than Daryl, played by Norman Reedus. Mazzara said regarding Daryl, “”If he survives the finale, I would certainly lean on that character heavily,” Mazzara says of Daryl’s Season 3 potential. “He’s a viable leader and a viable No. 2. … Daryl is the character, in a sense, that’s preadapted to the world and most qualified to survive.” Since Rick is going to need an assistant TO THE leader, Daryl seems to be safe as well.
Who doesn’t feel bad for Carol, played by Melissa McBride? Season 2 saw the unfortunate search for her daughter Sophia that ended with her being a walker in Hershel’s barn the entire time. Plus you kind of wanted to see her get it on with Daryl. However, promos for the final invasion in the finale see her literally pinned against the wall. She deserves to live!
T-Dog, played by Robert Singleton has been made fun of countless times by the internet as he seemingly does, well, nothing in every episode. But Mazzara has said that while fans may see him as a prop, his lack of a storyline is intentional. “In our minds, he’s very smart in that he keeps his mouth shut and doesn’t draw anyone’s attention … his agenda has been to survive,” the showrunner told The Hollywood Reporter. “There was an intention here of why this guy was quiet; in our mind, he is playing everything close to the vest. There’s a method to our madness.” For those of you willing to put up with the quite character, Mazzara promises that they will give fans a reason to love T-Dog. He could possibly bite the dust in an epically awesome way, or save the group in an equally epic way.
Which brings us to Glenn, played by Steven Yeun. Poor Glenn is the best at navigating through dangerous zombie filled situations. Because of his worth to the group in that way (I mean they do have to survive the farm and I can bet Glenn will be pivotal for that) it is reasonable to assume he is going to survive.
Hershel, played by Scott Wilson, probably had it right when he said he would die at his farm. Even though Hershel dies by the hands of the Governor in the comics, it doesn’t seem he will be making it off of his land in the series. And besides his daughter will probably get it on with Glenn and the two will be happy together anyway.
Glenn’s lady love, Maggie played by Lauren Cohan, could go either way. She could die along with Hershel or be saved with the help (and love) of Glenn.
Another one of Hershel’s daughters, Beth played by Emily Kinney, has already come INCREDIBLY close to suicide but she now appears to be taking inspiration from Andrea to heart. However, she doesn’t quite have a role in the group yet. Without a plausible function within the group it is easy to see her killed off without affecting the group to devastatingly.
Beth’s boyfriend at the time of the apocalypse, Jimmy, played by James Allen McCune, is pretty useful to the group, unfortunately for Beth who is increasingly uninvested in life with him. But he at least has a purpose to the group not to mention he can actually WATCH Carl. He would be a definite asset to the survivors so it would be easy to see him staying with or without Beth by his side.
Otis’ wife, Patricia, played by Jane McNeil, is incredibly handy when it comes to medical emergencies but unlike the rest of the group she has no weapons training therefore can’t defend herself. It is even questionable that she would leave Hershel’s side in an emergency. She could likely perish on her own when she can’t defend herself or an instance with Hershel while in peril.
Either way, we know that someone else is going to follow Sophia, Dale, and Shane out of the apocalyptic world the question is who. I think the biggest shocker would be Lori despite the ire her character causes for fans.
Be sure to watch the season finale this sunday entitled, “Beside the Dying Fire.”
You can watch the promo for the finale below:
Share this: Twitter
Tumblr
Facebook
Reddit
Google
Pinterest
Like this: Like Loading... |
Ban Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Massachusetts
Our names are Aisha Yusuf, Hanna Stern, and Mariya Taher, and we each are pleading to the Massachusetts State Legislature to pass a law making it illegal for someone to carry out Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting/Circumcision (FGM/C) on young girls. FGM/C involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue on girls, and can cause physical harm including pain, bleeding, shock, tetanus, genital sores, and cause long-lasting psychological harm including sexual disorders, fear of sexual intimacy, nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder. Mariya - I was born in the United States and now live in Massachusetts, but at the age of seven, I was subjected to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in India. Friends and relatives of mine also living in the United States have undergone FGM/C both here in the United States or in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Australia, and many other countries in the world. Aisha- I got my circumcision when I was five. I know many women who also got it done. Personally, I know people in my community who talk about it as if it’s normal. I was aware of people practicing it behind closed doors but I also know that some people are looking for ways to keep the practice alive here in the States even though it might mean legal action is taken against them. I didn't know my home state, Massachusetts, had no laws against FGM/C until I met Mariya who works with many communities to protect girls against FGM/C. Hanna - I literally stumbled on the subject of female genital mutilation searching for a global health research topic online for a school project. I knew nothing about it and was concerned that others would find it uncomfortable and unrelatable. My teacher told me that was all the more reason to focus on FGM/C. It’s not a cultural issue; it’s not a third-world problem. FGM/C happens all over the world; it is happening in Massachusetts! Regardless of culture and tradition, and despite a lack of intent to cause injury, the end result is girls in MA are being violated and need our protection to safeguard them from FGM/C. Massachusetts is known for its progressive policies in terms of reproductive rights, anti-discrimination laws, and equality issues, yet our state still is in the minority of states that do not ban female genital mutilation or cutting. As FGM/C is nearly always carried out on minors, is a violation of the rights of children, and reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes that constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women, we must protect girls from undergoing FGM/C. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that over half a million girls and women in the United States are at risk. Massachusetts ranks 12th in the nation for at-risk populations with an estimated 14,591 women and girls. Since 2012, the Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association has over and over again tried to advocate for a state law criminalizing FGM/C. Yet, still to this day, no law has been put into place. The current bills, S.788, and H.2333, have been sent to committee for study and most likely will not move forward either. All three of us believe in the importance of education and community engagement to help create social change within communities and amongst groups where FGM/C might be happening. To that end, we each have organized and participated in community events to educate our friends and family members about the harms of FGM/C and why it should be abandoned. Yet, despite our efforts, FGM/C continues, often being touted as a religious or cultural practice that is needed to control women’s sexuality. In April 2017, a doctor in Michigan was charged with performing FGM/C on minor girls, highlighting yet again that FGM/C does affect women and girls living in the United States. The doctor claimed FGM/C was a religious requirement and that there were no harmful effects. We three believe that culture and religion should not be an excuse used to sanction harm to girls. We need a bill in Massachusetts that unequivocally reiterates that female genital mutilation/cutting is a form of violence. There are laws against domestic violence and sexual assault. We need a law against FGM/C as well. We three believe our state can do a better job of protecting girls in the Commonwealth by banning FGM/C. You can support us too by signing our petition demanding that legislators make passing a bill banning FGM/C high on their list of priorities. Let’s work together to take a stance against Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting! ~ Aisha Yusuf, Hanna Stern, and Mariya Taher |
Carmen Carrera Slams Drag Race Over Transphobic Slur
RuPaul's Drag Race alum Carmen Carrera has chimed in on the "Female or Shemale" controversy sparked by a recent episode of the popular Logo TV reality series.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Carerra ripped the show for its use of the term "shemale," referring to a recent mini-game during the episode that aired March 17.
"Although I am certain RuPaul's Drag Race didn't mean to be offensive, let this be a learning experience," Carrera began. "I think the show has opened up and educated the minds of many people who were ignorant to the world of drag, and has made equality and respect a possibility for those involved, not only as equal beings, but as phenomenal artists. There has always been a huge presence of trans artists in the drag scene."
"'Shemale' is an incredibly offensive term, and this whole business about if you can tell whether a woman is biological or not is getting kind of old," Carrera continued. "We live in a new world where understanding and acceptance are on the rise. Drag Race should be a little smarter about the terms they use and comprehend the fight for respect trans people are facing every minute of today. They should use their platform to educate their viewers truthfully on all facets of drag performance art."
Carrera ended her post with the hashtag "#SheHasSpoken."
Carrera received numerous messages of support as well as a number of transphobic comments on her post. Responding to one particularly harsh comment telling Carrera that she needed to "accept what [she is]," suggesting that she needed to "accept" that's she is a "shemale," Carrera responded, "I am what I am???? I'M NOT A SHEMALE YOU STUPID FUCKS. I'm a transwoman #bitches."
Last week Drag Race producers and Logo TV released statements saying they've been "newly sensitized" to the issue of transphobic slurs being used on the show. However, when Tony Merevick of BuzzFeed reached out to Logo executives, they would not commit to abolishing transphobic slurs, and last night's episode ran as planned, with the "You've Got She-Mail" segment intact, incorporating a long-running wordplay on the slur used to deliver messages to participants. |
Researchers have identified traces of what they believe is the earliest known prehistoric ancestor of humans -- a microscopic, bag-like sea creature, which lived about 540 million years ago.
Named Saccorhytus, after the sack-like features created by its elliptical body and large mouth, the species is new to science and was identified from microfossils found in China. It is thought to be the most primitive example of a so-called "deuterostome" -- a broad biological category that encompasses a number of sub-groups, including the vertebrates.
If the conclusions of the study, published in the journal Nature, are correct, then Saccorhytus was the common ancestor of a huge range of species, and the earliest step yet discovered on the evolutionary path that eventually led to humans, hundreds of millions of years later.
Modern humans are, however, unlikely to perceive much by way of a family resemblance. Saccorhytus was about a millimetre in size, and probably lived between grains of sand on the seabed. Its features were spectacularly preserved in the fossil record -- and intriguingly, the researchers were unable to find any evidence that the animal had an anus.
The study was carried out by an international team of academics, including researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK and Northwest University in Xi'an China, with support from other colleagues at institutions in China and Germany.
Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology and a Fellow of St John's College, University of Cambridge, said: "We think that as an early deuterostome this may represent the primitive beginnings of a very diverse range of species, including ourselves. To the naked eye, the fossils we studied look like tiny black grains, but under the microscope the level of detail is jaw-dropping. All deuterostomes had a common ancestor, and we think that is what we are looking at here."
Degan Shu, from Northwest University, added: "Our team has notched up some important discoveries in the past, including the earliest fish and a remarkable variety of other early deuterostomes. Saccorhytus now gives us remarkable insights into the very first stages of the evolution of a group that led to the fish, and ultimately, to us."
Most other early deuterostome groups are from about 510 to 520 million years ago, when they had already begun to diversify into not just the vertebrates, but the sea squirts, echinoderms (animals such as starfish and sea urchins) and hemichordates (a group including things like acorn worms). This level of diversity has made it extremely difficult to work out what an earlier, common ancestor might have looked like.
The Saccorhytus microfossils were found in Shaanxi Province, in central China, and pre-date all other known deuterostomes. By isolating the fossils from the surrounding rock, and then studying them both under an electron microscope and using a CT scan, the team were able to build up a picture of how Saccorhytus might have looked and lived. This revealed features and characteristics consistent with current assumptions about primitive deuterostomes.
Dr Jian Han, of Northwest University, said: "We had to process enormous volumes of limestone -- about three tonnes -- to get to the fossils, but a steady stream of new finds allowed us to tackle some key questions: was this a very early echinoderm, or something even more primitive? The latter now seems to be the correct answer."
In the early Cambrian period, the region would have been a shallow sea. Saccorhytus was so small that it probably lived in between individual grains of sediment on the sea bed.
The study suggests that its body was bilaterally symmetrical -- a characteristic inherited by many of its descendants, including humans -- and was covered with a thin, relatively flexible skin. This in turn suggests that it had some sort of musculature, leading the researchers to conclude that it could have made contractile movements, and got around by wriggling.
Perhaps its most striking feature, however, was its rather primitive means of eating food and then dispensing with the resulting waste. Saccorhytus had a large mouth, relative to the rest of its body, and probably ate by engulfing food particles, or even other creatures.
A crucial observation are small conical structures on its body. These may have allowed the water that it swallowed to escape and so were perhaps the evolutionary precursor of the gills we now see in fish. But the researchers were unable to find any evidence that the creature had an anus. "If that was the case, then any waste material would simply have been taken out back through the mouth, which from our perspective sounds rather unappealing," Conway Morris said.
The findings also provide evidence in support of a theory explaining the long-standing mismatch between fossil evidence of prehistoric life, and the record provided by biomolecular data, known as the "molecular clock."
Technically, it is possible to estimate roughly when species diverged by looking at differences in their genetic information. In principle, the longer two groups have evolved separately, the greater the biomolecular difference between them should be, and there are reasons to think this process is more or less clock-like.
Unfortunately, before a point corresponding roughly to the time at which Saccorhytus was wriggling in the mud, there are scarcely any fossils available to match the molecular clock's predictions. Some researchers have theorised that this is because before a certain point, many of the creatures they are searching for were simply too small to leave much of a fossil record. The microscopic scale of Saccorhytus, combined with the fact that it is probably the most primitive deuterostome yet discovered, appears to back this up. |
Most folks know him from his basketball career, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is also a best-selling author (an autobiography, several non-fiction tomes, and multiple books for kids), and an undercover airplane pilot (to cult-movie fans, anyway). And now, his first novel (with co-author Anna Waterhouse) stars Sherlock Holmes' older brother.
Reports the New York Times' Artsblog:
Set in England and Trinidad, the story centers on Mycroft, a recent university graduate working for the British Secretary of State for War. Mycroft learns from his best friend of troubling events occurring in Trinidad — mysterious disappearances, dead children and strange, backward facing footprints in the sand. Mycroft goes to Trinidad to investigate and to follow his fiancée, Georgiana, who was raised on the island. Sherlock has a cameo as a King's College student.
Advertisement
Decades ago, Abdul-Jabbar developed a particular interest in Mycroft Holmes, and the idea for a novel started to form.
"I realized more could be done with this 'older, smarter' character and his window onto the highest levels of British government — at a time when Britain was the most powerful country in the world," Mr. Abdul-Jabbar said in a statement.
The work, titled Mycroft Holmes, is due in the fall from Titan Books, an imprint that's no stranger to Sherlock-centric tales.
Advertisement
Via New York Times Artsbeat, via Laughing Squid.
Image via Ace Showbiz. |
The odd god in the above list, Gla’aki, is the creation of British horror author Ramsey Campbell, and though perhaps not as iconic as one of Lovecraft’s deities, Gla’aki, literally and figuratively, has a cult following of his own.
Gla’aki first appeared in Ramsey’s short story, “The Inhabitant of the Lake,” from his book, The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants, published by Arkham House in 1964. Gla’aki is a Great Old One who traveled through the cosmos with a dead city on his back. He crashed into ancient Earth where Britain is, his impact crater forming a lake where he dwells at the bottom. His appearance is a cross between a turtle and a porcupine with three eyestalks. He can shoot his quills like harpoons, and if they hit someone, they become his slave.
Though Campbell created Gla’aki in ‘64, he wouldn’t revisit his creation until nearly five decades later in his book, The Last Revelation of Gla'aki, published in 2013. Despite not being quite as widespread as other Lovecraftian creations, Gla’aki managed to muster a fanbase of his own, with references appearing in songs and fan art. The Children of Gla’aki, released in 2017 by Dark Regions Press, is an anthology of short stories that is the culmination of efforts by other writers to pay tribute to Campbell’s horrific god. Jointly edited by Brian M. Sammons (World War Cthulhu, Cthulhu Unbound) and Glynn Owen Barras (Arkham Nights: Tales of Mythos Noir), the anthology contains eighteen short stories (including Campbell’s original story), an introduction, and an afterword by Campbell who supplies his musings on each story that either builds upon or reworks elements of the Gla’aki mythos.
Campbell’s original story holds up especially well half a century later, and including it as a starting point to anchor the other stories was a wise decision. The other stories in The Children of Gla’aki are written extremely well; however, almost none of them take advantage of the fresh, clean slate a brand new mythos has to offer. After decades of other authors writing Cthulhu stories, contemporary authors try to find unique or outlandish plot points and narratives so their stories can stand out in the sea of other Lovecraftian stories. In other words, Cthulhu-mythos has been fully foundationalized and extensively built upon over many years, so authors have to resort to gimmicks and niche topics to write in that universe.
With Gla’aki, though, there aren't decades of other writings that needs to be peeled back: there are only two foundational texts, which should create a perfect blank slate for other authors to really build upon or expand Campbell’s creation, except they don’t. They write in the niche-Cthulhu style.
For example, Orrin Grey’s “Invaders of Gla’aki” tells the origin story of Gla’aki coming to Earth via two children playing an arcade cabinet version of a Gla’aki game sometime in the early '90s. The story is written really well, is interesting, and taps into the retrowave nostalgia that is popular now. On the other hand, though, telling Gla’aki’s origin story via an arcade game creates a bare-bones version of it. This would have been an excellent opportunity to really flesh out Gla’aki’s arrival on our planet, but because of the arcade game hook, it winds up being held back.
The Children of Gla’aki features not one, not two, but three short stories (Tim Curran’s “Night of the Hopfrog,” Lee Clark Zumpe’s “Beneath Cayuga’s Churning Waves,” and Robert M. Price’s “In Search of Lake Monsters”) that employ the narrative device of a film crew working on outlandish documentaries/paranormal reality TV programs about Gla’aki. One story using this narrative device would’ve been a great avenue to explore Gla’aki, but having three in the same book is over kill and diminishes the effectiveness of the device.
Tim Waggoner’s “The Nature of Waggoner” is another well-written story - one of the more sombre stories in the lot - yet it doesn’t feel like a Gla’aki story at all. It concerns a recovering alcoholic who returns to a lake where he had accidentally drowned another boy in his youth. An apparition of the drowned lad comes back to the protagonist, encouraging him to join him. The story feels like it was intended to be a ghost or coming-to-your-own-personal-demons story for another anthology and was reworked by incorporating a minor mention of Gla’aki towards the end to make it “Gla’aki” enough for the anthology. Again, well written and emotive, but it doesn’t really contribute, play with, or even subvert concepts from the original story.
Probably one of the best stories in the anthology is Josh Reynolds’ “Squatter’s Rights” which reads as if it was a Call of Cthulhu RPG adventure come to life. It’s an action-oriented period piece with a bit of humor, as characters St. Cyprian, Gallowglass, and Wendy-Smithe race to get a housing deed sorted out before Gla’aki’s minions do them in. Though less in horror, it’s certainly one of the most fun stories in the anthology; however, it should be noted that this story is more of a crossover story of Reynold’s The Royal Occultist universe with Campbell’s Gla’aki mythos, so it provides an excellent jumping-on point to explore that universe.
The Children of Gla’aki has greatly articulated stories written by some of some of horror’s most prestigious writers, yet it is not a necessary book, but it should have been one. Much like the Star Wars Expanded Universe in its heyday in the '90s and 2000s, spinoff books such as Kevin J. Anderson’s Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and Tales of the Bounty Hunters may seem unnecessary, yet they contribute to the universe by fleshing out characters and concepts. The stories in The Children of Gla’aki don’t contribute in any meaningful way to Campbell’s work, nor do they subvert his creation into something new either. It’s as if in their reverence to their the source material, the authors were reluctant to get their hands dirty and really dive into what Campbell had created for fear they may disrespect his mythos. Authors should be about taking chances, and here was an opportunity given to them to really contribute to something new and exciting, but instead they took the safe route as if they were writing in current Lovecraftian hegemony. |
The 45-year-old Djalali was arrested in April 2016 in Iran, while he was visiting his family. He spent no less than seven months in isolation, without ever getting a trial or seeing a lawyer.
‘Since Wednesday some bad news has come to light’, says De Morgen. ‘Djalali told his sister he has been forced to sign a confession, for which he will receive the death penalty. The Iranian governement is calling it a matter of national security. They blame him for collabaration with scientist from foreign, enemy states.
Sign the petition
Meanwhile a petition was started via www.change.org and it has been signed more than 185.000 times up to now.
Amnesty International has also been involved and more than a few prominent Iranians are supporting the petition. Djalali has a wife and two children. |
Sources say Sarwar is likely to get charge of the ministry of human resource and overseas Pakistanis
LAHORE: Punjab governor Chaudhry Sarwar has decided to play a more active role in Pakistani politics from the PML-N platform, sources told Daily Express.
“Sarwar will resign as Punjab governor and assume responsibilities in the centre in a few days,” a person privy to the development confided subject to anonymity. “With this the rumours of Sarwar leaving PML-N, or joining PTI, or PAT, have died,” the source said talking to the Daily Express.
The fact is that the PML-N leadership is ready to give more important responsibilities to Sarwar, the person said.
Sources said that Sarwar, a former British MP, who gave up his British nationality to serve Pakistan on the invitation of Sharif brothers, is likely to get the charge of the ministry of human resource and overseas Pakistanis.
Chaudhry Sarwar has been successful in getting the GSP Plus status, a trade benefit, from the EU for Pakistan.
Sources said that Sarwar has informed PM Nawaz Sharif of his decision and important developments are expected in the next week.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 17th, 2014.
Read full story |
Some things are just cosmic. What if Robert Downey Jr never played Tony Stark/Iron Man because he was already committed to playing Lex Luthor?
Director McG revealed to The Playlist his vision for the Superman reboot that never was. Superman: Flyby was scripted by a younger J.J. Abrams.
“We had Robert Downey Jr. locked up to be Lex Luthor,” he says, “which I think would have been extraordinary. Ironically, we liked Henry Cavill a lot, but we hadn’t cast him yet. J.J. wrote the script, and we got that to a really good place in the end. But I’m to blame [for the film not happening].”
Scarlett Johansson and Selma Blair were reportedly in talks for Lois Lane. Johansson went on to play Black Widow in Iron Man and The Avengers.
Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns starring Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey became the next reboot instead. Singer didn’t direct X-Men 3 for that film.
Downey Jr went on to play another rich genius in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Marvel’s The Avengers and Iron Man 3.
Zach Snyder’s The Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill -minus Lex Luthor – opens July 2013.
Did things work out for the best? Or do you wish McG’s Superman with Robert Downey Jr. as Luthor had flown? And it’s impossible to imagine but who could have played Tony Stark?
Thanks to Total Film for the story. |
Major George Quamo rose to team commander of a SOG team, and was promoted to major in 1967. He was 27 and led three reconnaissance teams that ran top-secret targets along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and across the borders of Laos and Cambodia. The teams employed three Green Berets and nine Montagnards, indigenous persons the special forces recruited in Vietnam. less Major George Quamo rose to team commander of a SOG team, and was promoted to major in 1967. He was 27 and led three reconnaissance teams that ran top-secret targets along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and across the ... more Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close A breakthrough in Medal of Honor quest for Averill Park's George Quamo 1 / 10 Back to Gallery
Friends and family of George Quamo hope two more testimonials — one from a former military medic and another penned by one of his fellow special service members — will bolster the case that the Green Beret from Averill Park deserves a Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Vietnam War.
Two notarized letters — from William Harris of North Carolina and Richard Mullowney Jr. of Alaska — bring to three the supporting documents that supporters will be submitting to the Defense Department requesting that Quamo be posthumously awarded the nation's highest military honor.
The Army Major who graduated from Averill Park High School in 1958 was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leading a dangerous helicopter mission in 1968 that rescued 14 Green Berets and dozens of others who were invaded by two North Vietnamese battalions and were pleading for help at the Lang Vei Special Forces Camp in central Vietnam.
Quamo (pronounced Cuomo) died in a plane crash on April 14, 1968.
Another letter, which is also notarized, chronicles Quamo's bravery. It was written in August 2010 by Master Sgt. Charles "Skip" Minnicks, who passed away a few years ago, said Quamo's younger brother, James Quamo, 74, during an interview Sunday.
"I feel good about what everybody has done and I feel this will push it over the top," said Quamo of suburban Rochester. "They (Harris and Mullowney) were there and the two letters were very nice and they are saying what really transpired."
The son of Albanian immigrants, Quamo grew up in a third-floor apartment in Lynn, Mass.
When he was 12 years old, the family, including five siblings, moved to Rensselaer County when his father died. He fulfilled a dream when he joined the service months after graduating from high school. Quamo never married and didn't have children.
To help their cause, Quamo and two area veterans, John Mullen and Dave Barnum, have enlisted the help of state Sen. Charles E. Schumer and are eager to share the two new letters with his office.
In his letter, dated Aug. 22, Harris lauded the then-27-year-old Quamo for his "bravery, boldness, brilliant planning, organizing, directing and total disregards for his own personal safety."
"To deny him the Medal of Honor would be an insult to all," the letter states. "He is by far beyond the world's greatest composer and conductor or a most finely-tuned symphony."
Mullowney noted in his missive for Quamo that he personally witnessed Quamo's "unflagging courage to rescue the Lang Vei camp survivors."
"Major Quamo's conspicuous gallantry in action and intrepidity ensured the swift and safe extraction of 14 American survivors and numerous indigenous forces despite constantly exposing himself to intense fire during the 45-minute mission," wrote Mullowney.
Mullen, a Rensselaer county Vietnam vet, is optimistic about their chances of getting George Quamo the Medal of Honor.
"We think this is the keys to the kingdom," he said, adding " I think this will do the trick."
pnelson@timesunion.com • 518-454-5347 • @apaulnelson |
Released: February 19th, 2017
Length: 00:17:32
[Mar 30 update: JT's wonderful b'day gift of this IDY video here: https://youtu.be/tDDGKSTzBxk check it out! ]
President's Day for US (2.20.17): Seemed most appropriate to post this freedom anthem on this particular bank holiday. My acoustic Guild is featured here in my performance of the '63 Madara & White melody, strumming aggressively through the piece twice, with one take from the R and the other from the L speaker. I also played some synth piano parts and the choral "Ahh" part on my Yamaha keyboard.
My title, by the way, is very much directed also to the toadies in Congress allowing our Democracy's checks and balances to bounce on a daily basis. These lyrics below aimed at 45 were posted in an earlier version at my Under a Bushel blog back in January. Given the pace of crazy antics from our part-time resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, I could revise them with new additions weekly, but had to put down my red pencil finally to get this recorded. I may update them periodically at kat330.tumblr.com
JT's visual uses my high school senior class photo from the tail end of the same decade Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me" was released. Gore's grrrrl anthem had quite an impact as an early proclamation of female emancipation for me as a preteen, so please check out her performance somewhere on YouTube if you're unfamiliar with it. A few months after this senior photo was taken, I was marching in D.C. against the actions of another White House mad man and criminal, whose ultimate fate foreshadows that of 45's. What goes around comes around. March on, good people of the planet!! xoxoxo
I DISOWN YOU [lyrics by Kathleen Martin © 2017]
I disown you! You are completely beyond belief! I disown you! You'll never be my Commander-in-Chief!
We're going to make you stop trying to turn back the clock; Expose all your lies and such liars as your climate change deniers!
You litter with Twitter pollution! You spit on our Constitution! There's already ample reason to put you on trial for treason!
I disown you, along with your "so-called" presidency! I disown you! Impeachment will be such an "easy D"!
'Cuz Vlad tells you what to say, and Vlad tells you what to do! You'd mortgage our Fourth Estate to repay your Russian IOU!
You can't build a tower to heaven, 'cuz your soul is in Chapter 11! A Faustian bargain with Bannon, and Comey's your homey loose cannon!
I disown you! No need to change US, we're already great! I disown you! You're a disgrace as our Head-of-State!
We're sick of your sycophants, and so tired of your toadies **Toting your huge ego baggage like glorified, overpaid roadies!
McConnell's your miserable Muppet, but the truth is you're Putin's puppet! And trying to muzzle the media is like biting the hand that feeds ya!
I disown you, shamefully shilling sham product offers! I disown you for famously filling your family coffers!
Among your "alternative facts" is "no one cares" about your taxes, But you lost the vote by millions who wonder whither your "billion$"?!
In your bridge game to nowhere, you think that it's US the chump; But the voting majority's well aware our best bid now's won "NO TRUMP"...
To be free from all your "bigly"otry, and US women free of misogyny, And stopped before you even start grabbing control of our private parts!
I disown you! (a mantra repeated as needed :)
** i.e., McConnell and Ryan and their clueless Congressional crews, plus Spicer and Conway and the "alternative facts" news |
Pat Sajak Salary:
Pat Sajak earns an annual salary of $15 million as host of Wheel of Fortune.
Pat Sajak net worth and salary: Pat Sajak is a former weatherman, current television personality, actor and game show host who has a net worth of $65 million. Pay Sajak was born Patrick Leonard Sajdak October 26, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois. Sajak is most famous for being the long term host of the game show Wheel of Fortune. While attending Columbia College Chicago, Sajak's broadcasting instructor told him that the local radio station WEDC was looking for a news anchor. He applied and ended up landing the station's 6am time slot. Sajak joined the U.S. Army in 1968 during the Vietnam war. While serving in the Army he deejayed on Armed Forces Radio. While DJing, he began each broadcast with the line "Good morning, Vietnam!" just like Robin Williams' character did in the movie of the same name. In the late 1970s Sajak moved to Los Angeles seeking work in the entertainment industry. He soon landed a full-time weatherman position at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles in 1977.
In 1983, game show impressario Merv Griffin offered Pat the opportunity to take over hosting duties on Wheel of Fortune from Chuck Woolery. Unfortunately, the President of NBC at the time rejected the idea of hiring Sajak for being "too local". In response, Merv Griffin shut the entire show down entirely and refused to film new episodes until Sajak was hired. Sajak has hosted the daytime and syndicated evening versions of Wheel from for the last 32 years. For his work on the show, Pat has won three Emmys and was even given a star on Hollywood's walk of fame. Sajak hosted his own late-night talk show from January 9, 1989 to April 13, 1990 on CBS. Sajak is a regular podcast and poster contributor on the conservative blog ricochet.com. Pat has been married twice and has two children.
Vanna White Salary |
Paul told reporters that the former secretary of state was 'absolutely responsible.' Paul talks Clinton, Benghazi in Iowa
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The battle over Benghazi has come to Iowa, colliding head-on with the earliest phase of the 2016 presidential race.
On a campaign-style visit to the first-in-the-nation caucus state Friday, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul sharply and repeatedly accused former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of failing to stop the chaos and bloodshed at the American diplomatic facility there in September.
Story Continued Below
At a pair of events here in eastern Iowa, Paul seized every opportunity to assail Clinton, the popular former first lady and potential Democratic presidential candidate.
( PHOTOS: Who's talking about Hillary for 2016?)
He drew the crowd to its feet at the Iowa GOP’s annual Lincoln dinner, a desirable speaking slot for presidential candidates, with a Clinton-whacking discourse that began: “First question for Hillary Clinton: where in the hell were the marines?”
Speaking to a group of about two dozen voters at an earlier household event hosted by the Iowa Federation of Republican Women, the first-term senator went so far as to say Clinton should never be allowed to serve in government again.
“I think it precludes Hillary Clinton from ever holding office,” Paul said of the Benghazi affair. “I think her mistakes were of such significance that she should never again be in that position, to make those decisions.”
And hours before that, Paul told reporters at a press conference that Clinton was “absolutely responsible” for the inadequate security at the U.S. mission in Benghazi. The facility sustained a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2012, that claimed the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
( Also on POLITICO: Paul: Clinton 'absolutely' to blame)
“She was in charge of the State Department. She was asked repeatedly for increased security for Benghazi,” Paul seethed. “I fault her absolutely for not reading the cables.”
He continued: “Part of being in charge is triaging what comes to your desk and what doesn’t come to your desk. And to say that Libya wasn’t important enough for her to be reading the cables from the ambassador asking for more security, I think was inexcusable.”
A Clinton spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment. At a Wednesday briefing, White House press secretary Jay Carney said the administration was fully confident that Clinton had handled her job appropriately. He accused Republicans of trying to politicize the terrorist attack.
“This is a subject that has, from its beginning, been subject to attempts to politicize it by Republicans, when, in fact, what happened in Benghazi was a tragedy,” Carney said
Paul’s appearance at the Lincoln dinner caps off a week in which Republicans in the House of Representatives have grilled State Department and other executive branch officials over the response to the attack in Libya last fall, inquiring whether the Obama administration did everything possible to avert fatalities and inform the public about the details of the tragedy.
Paul says he has not yet decided whether to run in 2016, but by going after Clinton so insistently in a key presidential state, he may hope to convince the GOP faithful that he’s a worthy standard-bearer in three years.
At the same retail event with Republican women, Paul explicitly warned listeners about Clinton as a 2016 candidate – in response to a voter’s musing about the possibility of President Barack Obama seeking an FDR-style third term.
“I tell people, don’t worry so much about a third term of Obama. Worry about a third term of Clintons – because it may not be Bill, but it could be Hillary in 2016,” Paul said.
A woman in the audience called out: “She’s too old!” Paul joked back: “Tell her that – I defy you!” |
It was a little over a year ago when I introduced a project code named Dundee to this community. In the intervening year, we've had a number pre-release builds; all introducing ever greater capabilities into what I'm now happy to announce as XenServer 7. As you would expect from a major version number, XenServer 7 makes some rather significant strides forward, and defines a significant new capability.
Let's start first with the significant new capability. Some of you may have noted an interesting new security effort appear in upstream Xen a few years ago. Leading this effort was Bitdefender, and at the time it was known by the catchy title of "virtual machine introspection". This effort takes full advantage of the Intel EPT virtualization extensions to permit a true agentless anti-malware solution, where the anti-malware engine is placed in a service VM which is inaccessible from the guest VMs. XenServer 7 officially supports this technology with the Direct Inspect API set, and is platform ready for Bitdefender GravityZone HVI. For virtualization users, the combination of Direct Inspect and GravityZone HVI reduces the attack surface for malware by both removing in-guest agents, and by actively monitoring memory usage from the hypervisor to detect malicious memory accesses and flag questionable activity for remediation. When combined with support for Intel SMAP and PML, XenServer 7 offers significantly increased security compared to previous versions. Since secure operation extends to secure access to the host management APIs, XenServer 7 fully supports TLS 1.2, and can optionally mandate the use of TLS 1.2.
XenServer 7 extends the vGPU market initially defined in 2013 to include both increased scalability with NVIDIA GRID Maxwell M10 and the latest Intel Iris Pro virtual graphics. When combined, these vGPU extensions open the door to greater adoption of virtualized graphics by both increasing the number of GPU enabled VMs per host, as well as potentially removing the requirement for a dedicated GPU add-in card.
Operating virtual infrastructure at any level of scale requires an understanding of the overall health of the environment. While recent XenServer versions have included the ability to upload server status information to the free Citrix Insight Services, this operation was completely manual. With XenServer 7, we're introducing Health Check which is a proactive service which works in concert with Insight Services to monitor the operational health of a XenServer environment, and proactively alert you to any issues. The best part of Health Check is that it's completely free and open to any user of XenServer 7.
No major release would be complete without a requisite bump in performance, and XenServer 7 is no exception. Host memory limits have been bumped to 5TB per host, with a corresponding bump to 1.5TB per VM; OS willing of course. Host CPU count has been increased to 288 cores, and guest virtual CPU count has increased to 32; again OS willing. Disk scalability has also increased with support for up to 255 virtual block devices per VM and 4096 VBDs per host, all while supporting up to 20,000 VDIs per SR. Since XenServer often is deployed in Microsoft Windows environments, Active Directory support for role based authentication is a key requirement, and with XenServer 7, we've improved overall AD performance to support very large AD forests with a resulting improvement in login times.
XenServer 7 is available for download today, and can be obtained for free from the XenServer download page. |
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Calling the reform much needed, Republicans in Jefferson City successfully overrode a veto from Democrat Gov. Jay Nixon on a bill reducing welfare benefits for Missourians.
SB24 is aimed at reducing lifetime Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits to 45 months down from 60 and provides no exception for children. The bill also includes new work requirements for recipients that opponents say will adversely and unfairly impact the children of TANF recipients.
Nixon cited more than 6,000 children that would lose benefits — which are capped at $292 per month — beginning January 1, 2016 as his primary motivation for vetoing the bill. On Monday, the Senate spent several hours trying to override the governor as Democrats mounted a lengthy opposition to the bill. The House similarly wrestled with the issue the following day with more than a few emotional exchanges on the floor.
Supporters of the bill say that Missouri has fallen disastrously behind in reforming its welfare system and cite The Heartland Institute, a libertarian think-tank, which cited Missouri as dead last in welfare reform.
“We currently have a broken system that discourages work and needlessly creates welfare dependency,” Sen. David Sater, the bill’s sponsor, said. “Missouri is not the first state to go in this direction, but we are unique because we are reinvesting the money we save into resources to improve work participation and empower more Missourians to become employed and independent.
Opponents of the bill called it “mean-spirited.”
“To take the extraordinary step of overriding a veto to ensure that more than 6,300 of Missouri’s poorest children are plunged even deeper into poverty is mind blowing in its cruelty,” House Minority Leader Jake Hummel said in a statement. “Missouri Republicans are engaged in nothing short of an all-out war on the poor and, unfortunately, they are winning.”
Under the new work requirements, individuals with benefits would have a meeting with a social worker and then six weeks to meet them before losing half of their family benefits. After 10 weeks, they will lose all benefits. |
Are you still using BES 5? You just received new Z10 and you need to set it up? One of the major differences between old (version 5) and the new Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) 10.1 version is that the latest edition does not have express version (free) available. In the past you could use express version for free without buying licences for devices. Basicly what that licensing change means is that you have to buy a server plus new licences for devices.
But there is catch, If you already use BES Enterprise 5 where you have licensed devices you will be able to upgrade for free.
Good news is that you can trade up old licences and you can use them on the latest version. But you are only able to trade up your licences by December 31, 2013. Another catch is that when you trade licences, you better use them. If they won’t get used, they will get disabled.
How to trade up BB BES Licences?
Go to BB Trade up website
scroll to the bottom of the site and choose version of the BES Server you will use
Once you will enter your old licences they will get converted to new ones. You will receive order confirmation that licences were traded in.
You will receive email from BB that new licences were issued. Click on the link and log in to your BB acocunt. Get new licences and log in to your Blackberry Management Studio, go to Licensing.
Click on Activate Licences, add licences and click on Activate.
After you Click on Activate you may receive an error.
What to do if you receive The license activate ID could not be verified with the licensing infrastructure.
Go to licensing settings, first check if your internet connection is working – press test connection.
Now, press Poll now and Save, wait for couple of minutes and check Licensing Summary, most likely Licences will get activated.
Licences that were traded will be valid until 31.3.2014. On that date new permanent licences will get issued, but only for devices that are active on that day, you won’t get permanent licenses if licences will not get used. |
He started with “smelling the gas of cigarette lighters,” the boy’s father told the newspaper.
When his parents find out about it, they had a serious talk with their child. And it kind of worked, as the Transformers-lover never touched lighters again… switching to motorcycle fuel instead.
"But afterwards we found our motorcycle's gasoline was always disappearing, and one day when we found the boy drinking half a bottle of gasoline stolen from the motorcycle, we were too shocked to say anything," the father said.
The parents locked the motorcycle away, but the obsessed boy started stealing the gasoline from neighbors, drinking two or three bottles a day.
Only after that did the parents decide to take him to a hospital. The doctor said the boy was unable to gain supernatural strength, but had mental disorders and had a strong "gasoline dependence" instead.
"Since my son start to drink gas, his intelligence quotient dropped sharply and he couldn’t figure out addition and subtraction of sums within 100," the father said. "Before that, he was a very smart boy, and he could even repair the television. But now he doesn’t know the answer of 7 plus 17."
But the doctors from the 4th Hospital in Yibin city promised to do everything to help the boy “kick the gasoline addiction’.
Meanwhile, the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is now showing in cinemas across China. The film has set the country’s box-office record, gaining 400 million yuan (US$58.4 million) in 19 days, and breaking the previous record set by ‘Titanic’ ten years ago. |
What do you get when you combine a national obesity crisis with an aging workforce?
Injured nurses, says the nursing union that forced a South Jersey hospital to provide more training and equipment to help nurses safely handle patients.
Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly reached a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in which it agreed to pay a fine of $12,471 and to have equipment readily available to move patients as well as train managers and caregivers in their use.
Nurses at the hospital had long been concerned there wasn't enough equipment to help them move patients, sometimes on short notice, said Bridget Devane, public policy director of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union.
"If it's not easily accessible, you'll have to lift the patient yourself," she said. There are special chairs or harnesses that can help get a patient from one bed to another, or from bed to the bathroom and back. In addition, hospitals use "lifting teams" that pull in co-workers to help when necessary, she said.
When members reported what they felt to be dangerous conditions to state health officials, the N.J. Department of Health recommended they file a complaint with OSHA.
Last month the federal agency cited the hospital for requiring medical staff to perform unsafe patient handling tasks. As a result, it is putting into effect several changes to tackle the issue.
"Although we disputed the allegations, Virtua worked cooperatively with OSHA to achieve a resolution that builds upon our Safe Patient Handling Program, which began 10 years ago and involves direct employee participation," a hospital spokeswoman said in a statement. "That program, which includes, among other things, patient handling equipment for caregivers and ergonomics training for all employees, will be enhanced further by the collaborative relationship we developed with OSHA."
New Jersey passed a Safe Patient Handling Act over a decade ago, Devane said. The law was designed to prevent what was called at the time an "epidemic" of back injuries in the profession.
Since then, however, two factors have combined to make those protections more essential: The average patient is getting heavier, while the average nurse is getting older, she said.
"The average nurse is not 20 years old," Devane said. "She's more in her fifties."
As a result, both nurse and patient risk injury if a patient has to be moved without the proper help or equipment. "If she's lifting someone by herself, it also creates a situation where patients are put at risk too. If the nurse's knees go out, the patient will be injured as well," she said.
As part of the settlement, OSHA will conduct at least two inspections next year to monitor compliance with the settlement, the union said.
Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook. |
Not usually lauded for their cuddly appearance, opossums were long thought to have a social inclination to match their looks; the marsupials have mostly been observed lurking alone and hissing at others who encroach on their personal space. However, a new study published online today in Biology Letters suggests that opossums sometimes live in groups and may form pair bonds with mates before the mating season starts. Based on 17,127 observations of 312 artificial nests over 8 years, scientists at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, discovered 10 instances of multiple opossums sharing the same den with no signs of hostility or ongoing reproductive activity. An additional observation made on the university campus revealed a group of 13 opossums from three separate age groups all sharing a single den. The researchers speculate that this type of “gregarious denning” may be relatively common in the wild and that males and females may work cooperatively to build a nest—a ritual that could trigger the onset of an estrous cycle in females. Furthermore, the group of 13 animals was discovered in a large concrete box housing electrical equipment, much bigger than the typical artificial dens used by scientists studying opossums. The team suspects that building larger artificial dens may promote more social interactions like the ones they observed. |
Outgoing Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) said Sunday that he has no plans to campaign for Richard Mourdock, who handily beat him in a primary race earlier this month with the strong backing of Tea Party conservatives.
Asked by host Bob Schieffer on CBS' Face the Nation whether he'll lend Mourdock a hand in the general election, Lugar suggested that his support will be extremely limited.
"I've indicated that I hope Republicans in Indiana will support him," Lugar said. "I would say that I've offered advice to my former opponent as to the kind of way he might be a constructive senator. I hope that he will in fact begin to adopt some of these ideas.
"But for the time being," Lugar said, "I don’t plan an active campaign."
Mourdock, Indiana's current state treasurer, took about 60 percent of the vote to Lugar's 40 in a closely watched primary fueled largely by outside money. Conservative groups, disenchanted with Lugar's willingness to compromise with Democrats, dumped millions of dollars into the effort to unseat him after 36 years in the Senate.
On Sunday, Lugar, 80, argued that national conservative groups had painted a misleading picture of his record, managing to undo his long-term favorability ratings with Hoosiers.
"I think Indiana was unique in the sense that outside groups, whether it's FreedomWorks or the Club for Growth or the NRA or whatever, had no other playground. Indiana was it," Lugar said. "They were able to come in early on with hundreds of thousands and finally millions of dollars. I had 60 or 70 percent [approval] all these years, and it came down in this mirage."
Lugar previously told HuffPost that he wouldn't comment on whether or not he'd campaign for Mourdock. |
Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin checks on his right achilles at the end of the Stars' 4-3 win over Tampa Bay Lightning at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Thursday, March 17, 2016. (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News)
After the Stars' morning skate on Thursday, Tyler Seguin seemed like the last one to learn that he'd been officially ruled out for the Stars' Game 1 contest against the Wild.
Minutes earlier, while Seguin was still on the ice, Stars coach Lindy Ruff said his star forward just needed more time to get up to speed after an Achilles injury that has held him out since March 18.
The Stars showed few signs of missing him in their 4-0 win to take a 1-0 series lead.
"He's had really, in my eyes, one good practice," Ruff said. "He had a practice earlier in the week I mentioned, that I thought was OK. The next day I thought he was better and the fact that playoff intensity is even ramped up more than the regular season. I want him to step in and not play OK. I want him to step in and really be ready.
"If this was a Game 7 he'd probably play. You'd take that chance. You'd take a kick at it. But right now, we're not there. These guys have done a terrific job. We can give him the opportunity of two more days of practice and really ramping it up, which gives him three full days and I think that will make him an even more hungrier and effective player."
Ruff expects Seguin to play in Game 2.
Seguin is recovering from a cut to his Achilles that caused him to miss the team's final 10 games of the season. His first skate since the injury came on Monday, and he skated the next two successive days before taking part in Thursday's morning activities. Seguin said he felt ready to play.
Instead, he watched from the press box as Radek Faksa and Jason Spezza scored to push the Stars out to a 2-0 lead and stay in control from there.
"Unbelievable improvement since Monday," Seguin said. "I think a lot of it is with the conditioning, with doing certain things that help you gain confidence with the actual tendon, and like I said again today, I had probably my hardest skate I've had and it feels great."
Ruff likened Seguin's situation to Jason Demers'. The defenseman's shoulder injury in March was expected to take six weeks to heal. Demers returned in about four, missing just 13 games before returning for the Stars' regulars season finale against Nashville and struggled in his return.
"You don't have time to wait for someone to play well inside a series," Ruff said.
But the Stars' win did buy Seguin an extra two days.
"I've been working hard for the last month to get ready," Seguin said. "I'll be prepared whenever I get my call to play."
How the Stars have performed since Tyler Seguin's injury on March 17:
Games played 11 Wins 9 Losses 2 Goals 38 Goals against 19
Twitter: @michaelflorek |
William Hsu is the co-founder and managing partner of MuckerLab.
Many investors love “disruptive” businesses. This is in part because these businesses are unencumbered by legacy constraints that had previously been hardwired into the companies and industries these startups are trying to disrupt. One such business model is the “online marketplace,” an entirely new business category not possible (at scale) before the Internet.
During the first dot com era, marketplaces were all the rage – with eBay leading the charge. By the end, 99 percent of the B2B marketplaces had cratered and only B2C eBay was left standing and thriving.
The prevailing consensus at the time was that B2B marketplaces were too hard (e.g. it’s really a software business, not liquidity driven) and that B2C marketplaces could not be built under the giant momentum of eBay’s “network effect.” Investment stopped, and entrepreneurs focused on other categories.
It turns out that network effects can be broken — Amazon and StubHub took on eBay in the mid 2000’s. Today, Airbnb, oDesk and multiple second-hand fashion marketplace startups show that there are tons of untapped verticals where horizontal product platform cannot serve properly or where consumer simply prefer a more tailored brand.
Yet, even when e-tail businesses became a hot investment thesis around 18 months or so ago, a significant number of successful VCs continue to hold out from this category. They believe that e-tail does not benefit from increasing return to scale or barrier to entry because of the lack of network effects. The only way many e-commerce verticals can grab the attention of some of the very best VCs is to build a marketplace, not an e-commerce storefront.
However, one of the major problems for many “network effect” driven businesses is the “empty chat room” conundrum. Like a chemical reaction, a certain amount of activation energy, also called liquidity, needs to exist in the value network in order for the virtuous adoption cycle to take place.
With marketplaces, the entrepreneur has to worry not just about building supply and demand but that they also happen to exist simultaneously. As a result, marketplaces are geometrically harder to generate traction. As a rule of thumb, it is 10x harder for a marketplace to generate the first $1M in transactional value than a traditional e-commerce store.
Here are eight common strategies employed by successful marketplaces that can increase your chances of success of building liquidity:
1. Start with aggregating scarce and in-demand inventory
In markets where demand outstrips supply – collectibles, antiques, vintage luxury products – the two-sided marketplace problem can usually be solved by focusing on the business’ supply side part first.
Typically, demand and buyers can be found after supply liquidity has been achieved through a combination of word of mouth and SEO. eBay did a great job by building its initial marketplace around the collectibles category before expanding further.
2. Build “localized” network value
It is essential for marketplaces to focus on creating critical mass in one specific segment of the customer base via marketing and sales. Because users place different network values on others users based on their personal preferences, find a segment of the target market that values each other disproportionately higher than any other segments and concentrate on building critical mass in that segment before moving on to the next. (This is really an extension of Crossing the Chasm for network effects businesses.)
The Beanie Babies craze in the mid to late nineties, for example, essentially jump-started eBay. For many locally focused marketplaces, its significantly more valuable to dominate a single DMA than thinly penetrate multiple DMA’s given the same revenue traction.
3. Siphon off demand and/or supply from another destination
Paypal used a variation of this strategy to build itself under the nose of eBay. Even new companies like Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat have become destinations where startups are hacking for users, traffic, inventory and demand.
The question is no longer “if” but “where” to go to siphon off demand or supply. In reverse, some companies with critical masses of users, such as Google, Facebook and eBay, have come to realize that “traffic” (which begets supply and demand) is the ultimate currency on the Internet. They have become platforms with enabling structured methods (often as APIs) to allow smaller startups to syphon off inventory or users in exchange for revenue, ad inventory, branding or even more traffic.
4. Leverage influencers for liquidity
One of the most important trends in how traffic is distributed on the Internet is that individuals are increasingly able to manipulate, control, even direct their personal network value no matter the platform in which they built their network. Startups building marketplaces even in closed platforms can recruit influencers who already have built a sizable personal network effect to help sell, purchase, market, and source inventory for their destination.
5. Create “point” product value
This strategy is probably the least understood and under-utilized in consumer driven marketplaces. In essence, the aim is to design marketplaces that have two components to its value proposition – point and network values. The point value is the value proposition for the product independent of the number of people in the network.
Point value is SAAS-like in nature – it allow users be more efficient, more accurate, and more productive. As a result, users are compelled to adopt the solution regardless of marketplace liquidity. The next, albeit, difficult step is to develop coherent synergies between the two components that encourage the usage of the network value once the user begins using the point value feature set.
6. Support series of one-to-many relationships
One way to build marketplaces quickly and effectively is to enable a series of connected but individual storefronts. Start by allowing a major buyer (more prevalent in B2B use cases) to more efficiently purchase from its existing supplier base, or as is more common in B2C, enable a single seller to sell to its existing or new customers.
The objective is to have a seller treat the personalized store as his or her own online presence and actively market it in existing marketing channels (social media, business directories, TV etc.). This strategy is especially effective in taking offline merchants online as they often lack sophisticated technology capabilities.
Furthermore, offline merchants already have captive customer bases to bring online, thus increasing marketplace velocity. Once multiple one-to-many networks are stood up, incremental tweaks to the inventory discovery experience can quickly turn the site into a full-blown marketplace.
7. Backfill with non-transactional listings to augment liquidity
In most marketplaces, demand is non-persistent and perishable, i.e. most people do not need to buy 20 of the same Beanie Baby continuously for the next three months. As a result, demand needs to be continuously generated.
Supply, however, is a different animal. Some supply is perishable such as one-of-a kind collectible baseball card because it’s not available for sale once it’s bought. Some supply is more persistent than others, such as plumbing services or commodity goods.
As a result, it is much easier to create liquidity in marketplaces where supply is persistent. Airbnb is a prime example of this phenomenon, where it only has to acquire the “seller” once and his or her room or house will be available for rent on Airbnb for a persistent period of time.
8. Time shift demand and supply
Many of the current mobile focused marketplaces do an incredible job in time shifting demand or supply so that they can artificially be matched. Based on preferences or expressed user behaviors, these apps would send SMS, app notifications and emails when either a product becomes available for sale or conduct flash auction events for a particular product category to pull supply and demand closer together.
Many successful marketplaces still use a technique called “manually making a market” behind the scenes to create liquidity. Like good commodity traders, they will take a “buy order” and shop it proactively across the market even if there isn’t a matching “sell order” listed in the marketplace to find latent demand or supply.
Many of the hottest scaling marketplace businesses have at least 1/3 of their workforce working the phones to help facilitate transactions. As a result, in the early days of a marketplace, don’t rely on the user to “find it” on your marketplace – use any channel or means possible to generate liquidity. If that means picking up the phone, so be it.
Image credit: oriontrail/Shutterstock
Read next: The Xbox One is the ultimate culmination of Microsoft's vision |
President Donald Trump attempted to throw attention toward Bill and Hillary Clinton and Russia – specifically a supposed uranium deal.
Trump, under repeated fire for his own campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, wrote on March 27, “Why isn’t the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to Russia, Russian speech….”
Why isn't the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to Russia, Russian speech…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2017
What is Trump talking about? Did Bill and Hillary Clinton make a deal that “allowed big Uranium” to go to Russia?
It’s not a new claim by Trump, as it turns out.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Claim Dates to a Clinton Foundation Donor Named Frank Giustra
The Washington Post wrote an exhaustive article about the uranium question when Trump raised it during the presidential campaign.
The Post reported that the claim derived from a book called Clinton Cash and a New York Times article about that book.
According to The Washington Post, the players involved were “Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining financier and donor to the Clinton Foundation; Giustra’s company, UrAsia; and Uranium One, a uranium mining company headquartered in Toronto.”
Factcheck.org reported on the same 2015 New York Times story that recounted “how the Clinton Foundation had received millions in donations from investors in Uranium One, a Canadian-based company that sold a controlling stake in 2010 to Rosatom, the Russian nuclear energy agency, in a deal that had to be approved by the U.S. government.”
The site reported that the Clinton Foundation did not disclose the donations “even though then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had an agreement with the White House that the foundation would disclose all contributors.”
The Clinton Foundation acknowledged “we made mistakes, as many organizations of our size do, but we are acting quickly to remedy them.”
The New York Times story had reported: “As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, Canadian records show, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation. Uranium One’s chairman used his family foundation to make four donations totaling $2.35 million.”
2. Russia Bought a Controlling Stake in Uranium One
Politifact also conducted a detailed review of the Trump-Clinton uranium claims.
According to the site, “Russia’s nuclear energy agency, which also builds nuclear weapons, bought a controlling stake in Uranium One. The company has mines, mills and tracts of land in Wyoming, Utah and other U.S. states equal to about 20 percent of U.S. uranium production capacity.”
The New York Times reported in 2015 that Russian President Vladimir Putin crowed about the deal, with a Pravda newspaper headline trumpeting: “Russian Nuclear Energy Conquers the World.”
According to The Times, “The deal made Rosatom one of the world’s largest uranium producers and brought Mr. Putin closer to his goal of controlling much of the global uranium supply chain.”
3. The State Department Signed Off on the Deal but Hillary Clinton Wasn’t Involved, Her Campaign Contended
The Washington Post reports that the State Department was involved.
“The State Department was one of nine agencies comprising CFIUS, which vets potential national security impacts of transactions where a foreign government gains control of a U.S. company,” The Post wrote.
The Post noted that Clinton’s campaign said “Clinton herself was not involved in the State Department’s review and did not direct the department to take any position on the sale of Uranium One.”
However, the New York Times article, from 2015, noted, “Shortly after the Russians announced their intention to acquire a majority stake in Uranium One, Mr. Clinton received $500,000 for a Moscow speech from a Russian investment bank with links to the Kremlin that was promoting Uranium One stock.”
4.Donald Trump Claimed During the Campaign That Hillary Clinton Gave 20 Percent of America’s Uranium to Russia
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump lodged the uranium accusation during a campaign rally.
According to Politifact, Trump said that Hillary Clinton “gave up 20 percent of America’s uranium supply to Russia — to Russia.”
Politifact ranked the claim “mostly false” because there was no evidence of a quid pro quo. According to Politifact, “The State Department did approve the Uranium One deal, but it didn’t act unilaterally. It was one of nine U.S. government agencies, plus independent federal and state nuclear regulators, that had to sign off on the deal.”
Factcheck.org reported that Trump falsely tried to characterize the uranium deal as a pay for play scheme by Hillary Clinton.
“In a TV ad, Donald Trump falsely claims that Hillary Clinton ‘handed over American uranium rights to the Russians’ as part of a ‘pay-to-play’ scheme to get ‘filthy rich.’ Clinton did not have the authority to unilaterally approve that deal,” Factcheck.org reported.
The New York Times story reported that Clinton’s campaign had “emphasized that multiple United States agencies, as well as the Canadian government, had signed off on the deal and that, in general, such matters were handled at a level below the secretary.”
5. The Claim originated From a Conservative Author & Subsequent Article in the New York Times
According to Fact Check.org, the uranium deal claim derives from the book “Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich,” which was written by Peter Schweizer, “a former fellow at a conservative think tank.”
The New York Times then wrote the follow-up investigative article in 2015 headlined, “Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal.”
The Times found that “whether the donations played any role in the approval of the uranium deal is unknown” but said the donations and deal raised ethical challenges. |
Andre Villas-Boas, the Tottenham manager, is keen to add Brazilian playmaker Willian and talks are at an advanced stage with Shakhtar Donetsk, who are hoping for as much as £20 million. An initial offer of around £12 million is already understood to have been rejected but it appeared significant that Willian was omitted from Shakhtar’s league game against Karpaty Lvov on Sunday, with coach Mircea Lucescu suggesting that the 24 year-old was not in the right frame of mind.
“Does any of you believe that in his current situation his head produces thoughts in the direction of right thinking?” Lucescu said.
“I wouldn’t like him to play and suffer an injury but this could happen. He will have some rest, and then we will see what to do. We have a week before the transfer window closes, during which, perhaps, everything will be solved.”
Tottenham, though, are also continuing to line up other options, including Fulham’s Moussa Dembélé, with David Bentley or Jermaine Jenas potential makeweights in a deal that could be worth around £15 million.
Goalkeeper is another area that Villas-Boas would like to strengthen and he retains serious interest both in Hugo Lloris, the France captain, and Birmingham City’s Jack Butland.
Jean-Michel Aulas, the Lyon president, said yesterday that the situation was now in the hands of Lloris, suggesting that there was agreement with Tottenham on a £12 million fee. The sticking point, however, could be Lloris’s desire for Champions League football.
“The sale of Modric from Tottenham to Madrid is important, as is the amount of the transfer,” said Aulas. “It’s true that on Sunday we had a lot of contact with [Tottenham chairman] Daniel Levy. Things progressed during these talks, both qualitatively and quantitatively, but nothing’s concrete yet.
“I’ve informed Hugo of these discussions. We’ll have to be a bit patient to find out. The decision belongs to Hugo, who, I think, will be approached by Tottenham soon. The clubs’ positions have moved closer together.”
Tottenham are also continuing to monitor their central midfield options, with Rennes’ Yann M’Vila still on the list of potential targets. According to Rennes, Tottenham have made one bid – understood to be around £12 million – but there has been no further progress in negotiations.
Rennes are willing to sell M’Vila but they would expect an offer in excess of £15 million. Villas-Boas would ideally like another more creative central midfielder but, with Scott Parker still unavailable, a renewed bid for M’Vila does remain possible.
Joao Moutinho had been Villas-Boas’s preferred choice but Porto’s asking price is well beyond what Tottenham would be willing to pay.
An inquiry has also been made for Russia’s attacking midfielder Alan Dzagoev, who was one of the emerging stars of euro 2012 with his three goals in the tournament.
Dzagoev’s father and agent claimed that there had been an offer from Tottenham earlier in the transfer window and it is understood that there has been renewed interest over the past week.
The problem for Tottenham, however, would be the asking price from CSKA Moscow for their 22 year-old of around £20 million.
Adding another forward is also regarded as less of a priority than reinforcing the midfield, with Villas-Boas minded to start the season with Emmanuel Adebayor, Jermain Defoe and Harry Kane as his three options. An inquiry for International’s Leandro Damiao has also stalled over the cost of the deal.
While Tottenham clearly do not expect to secure all of their potential targets, club sources are expecting a “busy” conclusion to the summer transfer window and two or three new signings. Levy is renowned for his late deals and, with just four days until the summer window shuts, it is a familiar strategy for him to have so many “irons in the fire”.
The Modric money is available for reinvestment in a squad who have stuttered to just one point from their opening two matches this season against Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion.
Villas-Boas has repeatedly stressed that he does not want to implement dramatic changes and it is the signings of Willian and Lloris that appear most attainable.
Players are also still likely to leave, although Michael Dawson has turned down the chance of moving to Queens Parks Rangers and Tom Huddlestone’s prospective move to Stoke City has stalled. Tottenham’s desire to keep Rafael van der Vaart could also be tested by a late bid from Hamburg.
After completing his medical on Monday Modric, who has signed a five-year deal, said: “When I heard Madrid noticed me, the rest lost interest. This is the best club in the world, with the best coach, the best players. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Ángel di María, Gonzalo Higuaín, Mesut Özil, Xabi Alonso – I look forward to playing with them.”
Although there will be no repeat of their dramatic dash for signings last summer, Arsenal are still hoping to add to their squad before the transfer window closes on Friday.
They are likely to make a bid for Montpellier captain Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa who, while primarily a centre-back, could provide cover across the defence. There has also been interest in Caen’s 17-year-old forward M’Baye Niang, although he was on the brink of joining AC Milan on Monday night.
Arsène Wenger will also look to add a defensive midfielder to cover for the sale of Alex Song.
Spurs' shopping list
Willian
Potential cost: £18m
Brazilian playmaker who is currently based in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk. Willian was also the subject of strong interest last summer from Chelsea.
Moussa Dembele
Potential cost: £15m
Fulham midfielder who can also operate as a second striker. Martin Jol has warned that he will not be sold cheaply but Tottenham could offer David Bentley or Jermaine Jenas as part of the deal.
Yann M’Vila
Potential cost: 15m
Regarded among the best young holding midfielders in Europe and was of serious interest to Arsenal, although there have been concerns at his off-field behaviour. Rennes are willing to sell this summer if their valuation is matched.
Alan Dzagoev
Potential cost: £20m
One of the young stars of euro 2012 after his three goals in three matches before Russia’s elimination. Can play as a striker or midfielder. Highly valued by CSKA Moscow and would demand a considerable transfer fee.
Hugo Lloris
Potential cost: £12m
The France captain and regarded among the best goalkeepers in the world. Lyon are keen to bring in some money but Lloris would prefer a Champions League club. |
Ukraine on Friday received $5 billion (4.75 billion euros) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the first tranche of a bailout scheme totaling $17.5 billion in aid over the next four years.
The Finance Ministry said that out of the first tranche, $2.2 billion would go straight to government coffers, while the remaining $2.5 billion would be handed over to the central bank, with the lender struggling to shore up the battered national currency, the hryvnia.
With the first billions of fresh aid in its pockets, Ukraine now has no other alternative than to get serious on radical reforms as a prerequisite for receiving the remainder of the bailout in the years ahead.
Austerity measures ahead
"Without reforms today, we will not have a tomorrow," Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said in a statement. "The government isn't fighting for an approval or popularity rating," hinting at reforms that meant taking on vested interests of pensioners, public-sector workers and some of the nation's most powerful oligarchs.
As part of the IMF program, Kyiv on Friday launched consultations with its creditors in an effort to restructure at least some of the nation's debt load and save some $15 billion over the next two years.
Ukraine's debt is made up mainly of billions worth of bonds. Government officials are holding talks with major bondholders such as Templeton, PIMCO and Blackrock, but have said they would also seek a solution as to bonds held by Russia, which it accuses of supporting pro-Moscow rebels in the east of the country.
hg/bk (AFP, Reuters) |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 12 (Reuters) - A privately owned company plans to use robotic spacecraft to launch a series of commercial missions to the moon, some 45 years after NASA’s last lunar landing, officials said on Wednesday.
Cape Canaveral, Florida-based Moon Express is developing a fleet of low-cost robotic spacecraft that can be assembled like Legos to handle increasingly complex missions, founder and Chief Executive Officer Bob Richards said in an interview.
The initial spacecraft, known as MX-1E, is slated to fly before the end of the year aboard a Rocket Lab Electron booster, which launches from New Zealand. Moon Express hopes the endeavor will clinch a $20 million prize from Google, but Richards said the win was not essential.
Moon Express has raised more than $45 million from private investors to build its first spacecraft and buy launch services.
“The Google Lunar X Prize … is icing on the cake,” Richards said.
Google is offering a top prize of $20 million for the first privately funded team to land a spacecraft on the moon; have it fly, drive or hop at least 1,640 feet (500 meters) and relay pictures and video back to Earth. The second prize is $5 million.
Contenders have until Dec. 31 to launch their spaceships.
Google also is offering bonus money for other milestones, such as traveling 5 km (3.1 miles), touching down near an Apollo landing site or finding evidence of water.
Richards presented the spacecraft design in Washington on Wednesday.
Besides vying for the X Prize, Moon Express will fly science equipment and payloads for at least three paying customers, including Houston-based Celestis, which offers memorial spaceflights for cremated remains.
Richards said the company would pay for the initial mission, with customers funding subsequent ones.
The company plans to set up a permanent robot-operated base on the moon’s south pole to prospect for water and other materials. By 2020, Moon Express expects to return lunar samples to Earth for research and commercial sale.
The MX series of spacecraft also can be scaled up for travel to other destinations, such as the moons of Mars. The company expects to complete the first spacecraft in September. (Reporting By Irene Klotz. Editing by Joseph White and Lisa Von Ahn) |
Jeremy Corbyn has defended his refusal to resign the leadership of the Labour Party on the grounds that to do so would be betraying all his supporters in the country at large. But by staying on as leader of the party and hence dooming it to heavy defeat in the next general election he would be betraying the interests of the working classes this country. More years of Tory rule means more years of austerity, further cuts in public services, and perpetuation of the gross inequality of incomes. The former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Seema Malhotra, made the same point when she told Newsnight that “We have an unelectable leader, and if we lose elections then the price of our failure is paid by the working people of this country and their families who do not have a government to stand up for them.”
Of course, in different ways, many leading figures in the Labour movement, particularly in the trade unions, have betrayed the interests of the working classes for several decades. For example, in contrast with their union counterparts in the Scandinavian countries who pressurised governments to help move workers out of declining industries into expanding sectors of the economy, many British trade union leaders adopted the opposite policy. More generally, the trade unions have played a big part in the election of Labour party leaders, like Corbyn, who were unlikely to win a parliamentary election, thereby perpetuating the rule of Tory governments dedicated to promoting the interests of the richer sections of society.
And worse still, even in opposition Corbyn failed to protect the interests of the working classes. He did this by his abysmal failure to understand the significance of Tory economic policies. For example, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer had finished presenting the last budget, in which taxes were reduced for the rich at the expense of public services that benefit everybody, especially the poor, the best John McConnell could do – presumably in agreement with Corbyn – was to stand up and mock the Chancellor for having failed to fulfill his party’s old promise to balance the budget by this year! Obviously neither he nor Corbyn understood that had the government done so the effects on working class standards of living would have been even worse. Neither of them seems to have learnt that the object of fiscal policy is to balance the economy, not the budget.
Instead, they have gone along with Tory myth about the importance of not leaving future generations with the burden of debt. They have never asked “To whom would future generations owe this debt?” To their dead ancestors? To Martians? When Cameron and his accomplices banged on about how important it was to cut public expenditures because the average household in Britain owed about £3,000, they never pointed out that this meant that the average household in Britain was a creditor to the tune of about the same amount (after allowing for net overseas lending). Instead they went along with all this balanced budget nonsense. They did not understand that balancing the budget was just the excuse needed to justify the prime objective of the Tory Party, namely to reduce public expenditures in order to be able to reduce taxes on the rich. For Corbyn and his allies to go along with an overriding objective of balancing the budget is breathtaking economic illiteracy. And the working classes have paid the price.
One left-wing member of the panel on Question Time last week complained that the interests of the working classes were ignored by “the elite”. But it is members of the elite who have been most successful in promoting the interests of the working classes. The most successful pro-working class governments since the war have all been led mainly by politicians who would be castigated for being part of the elite, such as Clement Atlee, Harold Wilson, Tony Crosland, Barbara Castle, Richard Crossman, Roy Jenkins, Denis Healey, Tony Blair, and many others too numerous to list. They brought to politics not only a burning desire to improve the lot of the working classes (from which some of them, like me, had emerged) and reduce inequality in society but also an understanding of how free market economies work and how to deal with its deficiencies. This happens to be more effective than ignorant rhetoric that can only stroke the egos and satisfy the vanity of demagogues
People of stature like those I have singled out above seem to be much more rare in politics these days. But there is surely no need to go to other extreme and persist with leaders like Jeremy Corbyn, a certain election loser, however pure his motives and principled his ambitions.
Wilfred Beckerman is an Emeritus Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, and was, for several years in the 1970s, the economics correspondent for the New Statesman |
I was talking with the guys behind the NY SAFE Act legal challenge and the one thing that struck me as something no one realizes yet is that the “assault weapons ban” provisions aren’t the section of the law that is “taking your guns.” No, the real trouble is with the magazine capacity restrictions. Because by banning all guns that can accept more than seven rounds, New York State has accidentally banned all of the most popular pump action shotguns. And since no one has really realized the implications of that magazine restriction, I figured it deserved to be explained in its own article.
[The following is based on my conversation with John Tresmond, a Buffalo lawyer who is currently spearheading two lawsuits against New York State for the SAFE Act.]
The way the SAFE Act was structured, it edited multiple sections of the NY legal code in a way where one section didn’t necessarily apply to other sections. So while there was a specific exemption for pump action shotguns and other manual firearms in the “assault weapons” section, according to the lawyers I spoke to it didn’t apply to the magazine capacity restriction section. So, for that section, pump guns are fair game.
That section of the law specifically makes all firearms “capable of accepting” more than seven rounds illegal in the state of New York. While it would appear that this doesn’t apply to shotguns we typically think of as five round guns, the reality is that because the “shorter” 1.75 inch shells are commercially available, the reality is that according to the law those guns are technically 8+ round guns (I’ve personally fit 10 such rounds in my bone stock Remington 870).
This isn’t a problem that can easily be fixed, either. Remington and Mossberg designed their guns with a permanent magazine tube which is integral to the gun. There’s no way to easily modify the firearms to only take five of the smaller rounds.
Even if modified with a smaller magazine, the issue becomes one of the availability of magazine extension tubes. The law talks about a ban on magazines that can be “readily converted” to take more than 10 rounds, and since magazine extension tubes are readily available on the market every single tube fed shotgun applies under the new law.
So, because of the magazine design on the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 shotguns, New York State has accidentally banned them. Good job, New York. |
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids reserve team will not be in a position to win any honors this year in the MLS Reserve League. But after outscoring their last three opponents by a combined score of 10-1, it’s hard to be upset.
Their most recent performance – a 5-1 rout of FC Dallas on Sunday – comes hot on the first team’s 1-0 over FCD, as well as a shock 3-1 defeat of El Salvador’s Isidro Metapan in the CONCACAF Champions League last Wednesday. The Rapids fielded a team comprised largely of reserves for that match.
“The midweek win was instrumental to not only [to the first team's win on Saturday] night but today as well and I think the depth of the group is starting to come to fruition,” Rapids’ reserve coach Brett Jacobs told MLSsoccer.com. ”I think most of the first team guys feel that energy and the positive momentum.”
Just a few weeks ago, the reserve team hadn’t won a game in the league, picking up just one point in six matches. Their last three games have all been wins with the Rapids outscoring their opponents in those games 10-1. Quincy Amarikwa scored a hat trick against Dallas during a seven-minute stretch in the first half.
Jacobs took over reserve team coaching duties this season. Despite the tough string of results in those opening six games, it was always about the bigger picture.
“From day one, it’s been made very clear to me that, between the reserves and the first team, there’s a fine line of separation,” he said. “The reserve group is about player development and supporting that first team group. We were always competitive. I’m not disappointed with those [opening] results. It’s always nice to win but the most important thing is player development.”
Ross LaBaeux scored the first goal against FCD’s reserves. The midfielder has featured in 11 games for the Rapids first team this season, starting four, as well as starting seven games for the reserves.
“There’s an improvement on the [reserve] team and I’m happy that everyone from one to 30 is doing well,” the LaBauex told MLSsoccer.com. “I think today everyone helped each other out which made the game so much more easy. We worked for each other, we passed the ball, we weren’t selfish, our decision-making was good. And the result was five goals.”
The five goals for the reserve team, the win over Metapan and Dallas, as well as a good second half performance against the San Jose Earthquakes on September 24 all give reason for hope. But those performances are in the past now. Now, according to LaBauex, the key is to build on them.
“For us to go down [to El Salvador] and give [the first team] a little break and a little boost was great,” he said. “Everyone was very supportive. The group’s tight. There’s no bitterness towards the first team guys, we are a very tight group. Hopefully, we can keep this going and give the first team a spark and make a good push for the playoffs.”
The Rapids will now enjoy a two week break before their October 14 Rocky Mountain Cup clash against Real Salt Lake at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Colorado then travel to Santos Laguna for a CCL tilt on October 19 before wrapping up the regular season away to Vancouver October 22. The reserve team has one more game at home to Real Salt Lake on October 15. |
A Ford SUV can be your key to unlocking a whole host of adventures, both right here in the UK and abroad. There are so many must visit destinations for unbelievable off-road driving expeditions in truly jaw-dropping environments. The perfect vehicle to pursue planet Earth’s most exciting off-road locations would be the Ford Kuga . Available in a series of models, starting from £21,895, this 4x4 SUV combines off-road ability with the practicality drivers will need on a day to day basis. Taking the Kuga and exploring the desert terrain of Morocco or the rocky mountain paths of the USA , for example, should surely be on your to-do list.
With that being said, we’ve put together the below maps, detailing the very best destinations the world has to offer for an unforgettable off-road adventure in a Ford car , along with the features and terrain to look out for.
Morocco
Share this Image On Your Site |
One million women a year are said to experience domestic violence Every school pupil in England is to be taught that domestic violence against women and girls is unacceptable, as part of a new government strategy. Under the plans, from 2011 children will be taught from the age of five how to prevent violent relationships. And next year, two helplines will be set up to deal with sexual violence and stalking and harassment. The charity Refuge has welcomed the move but parents' groups questioned the government's interference. More than £13m is being provided to help support male and female victims of sexual and domestic violence in a range of actions by the police, local authorities, NHS and government. This political correctness is turning our children into confused mini-adults from the age of five to nine
Margaret Morrissey, Parents Outloud
'I hid the abuse from everyone' Why a domestic violence campaign? Should schools be involved? Read your comments From 2011, lessons in gender equality and preventing violence in relationships will be compulsory in the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum. Before qualifying, trainee teachers will have to learn about teaching gender awareness and domestic violence. Schools minister Vernon Coaker said lessons would be age appropriate. ON THE CURRICULUM The issue of domestic violence will be dealt with in the sex and relationships element of PSHE lessons The focus in primary schools is on developing positive relationships; naming body parts; what is appropriate intimacy; and puberty It aims to prepare young people for mature and unembarrassed discussion when they are older "The appropriateness of what you do with someone who is five years old is totally different in terms of content and how you will be taught to someone who is 15 or 16," he said. Younger children could be taught to prevent bullying and learn how names could hurt people, he added. But critics have accused the government of interfering in how parents bring up their children. Margaret Morrissey, of the Parents Outloud campaign group, said schools should focus on teaching children to read and write. "This political correctness is turning our children into confused mini-adults from the age of five to nine," she said. Strangling and slapping Recent research by the children's charity NSPCC found one in four girls, some as young as 13, had been slapped or hit by their boyfriends. It also found one in nine had been beaten up, hit by objects or strangled. Christine Barter, NSPCC senior research fellow at Bristol University, said it was a significant problem that had not been addressed. She suggested the problem arose from teenage girls' "unequal power relationships" with boyfriends - a feature of violent adult relationships too. She said it was particularly disconcerting that these girls were not telling anyone about the violence. Plans will also see the piloting of domestic violence protection orders - or "Go" orders - which could see perpetrators excluded from their homes and give victims space to apply for longer-term protection. A health taskforce set up to examine the role of the NHS in response to female victims of violence will publish recommendations in 2010. There were 293,000 incidents of domestic violence in 2008/09, with 77% of the victims women, according to the British Crime Survey. However, the government estimates up to one million women experience at least one incident of domestic abuse every year. Home Office minister Alan Campbell said domestic violence against men was also a problem but women and girls were the focus of this latest strategy because 80% of domestic violence victims were female. The strategy coincides with the launch of the Four Ways to Speak Out campaign by domestic violence charity Refuge, fronted by famous faces such as Dame Helen Mirren and Sheryl Gascoigne. ANALYSIS Sue Littlemore, BBC News Why is the government launching a campaign to end violence against women and girls in particular? The difference is that women disproportionately become the victims of these crimes. The figures on domestic violence demonstrate the point. The latest Home Office figures suggest that in one year, 106 people were killed by a current or former partner. But the overwhelming majority, 72 of them, were women. It means that domestic attacks result in the death of at least one woman every week, on average, in England and Wales. Read Sue Littlemore's full analysis It wants people to sign a petition urging the government to put an end to "the postcode lottery of domestic violence services". Lisa King, director of communications at Refuge, welcomed the government's plans but said one in three authorities still did not provide such services. She believes councils should be required by law to provide services for victims of domestic violence and the government should help fund them. She added that the "particular needs" of abused women from ethnic minority backgrounds also needed to be properly served. It is a view echoed by Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council. "We know that refugee women are disproportionately likely to be affected by rape and sexual violence... it is therefore of great concern that women fleeing violence find it difficult to access appropriate services in the UK, and there is nothing in this strategy to address this," she said. Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, said tackling violence against women and girls was one of the government's top priorities and prevention was critical to long-term change. "We have to work to change attitudes in order to eliminate violence against women and girls and to make it clear beyond doubt that any form of violence against women is unacceptable," she said.
Bookmark with: Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version |
The Toronto Blue Jays farm system has been left thinner than most would like, but the next six months could represent a critical period of cumulative growth
The weeks surrounding the annual calendar flip often lend themselves to prospect talk. Not only has the Major League transactional news cycle quieted, but top prospects rankings are released (watch for ours in early January).
Toronto’s system has talent, but unlike the prospect capital from mid-2015, the foundation now rests closer to the bottom of the farm than the top. This is fine, natural even, but a little patience will be required.
Daniel Norris and Dalton Pompey enjoyed launching-pad years together in 2014, moving from further-off projects to impactful and valuable young pieces on the cusp. We saw this again in early 2015 when Roberto Osuna and Miguel Castro, both expected to begin the season in the lower minors, opened the season as a dynamic rookie duo in the MLB bullpen.
John Sickels recently released his own version of the Blue Jays top-20 prospects. He’s got some interesting individual takes on the players themselves, but he seems to agree with this larger notion that the farm system as a whole has the talent to collectively rise in league-wide standing.” Trades and graduations have put this system into a downphase but much of their talent is very young and could improve quickly.”
Towards the top we have highly-ranked players such as Anthony Alford, Conner Greene, Justin Maese or Sean Reid-Foley who could all thrust their way into the blue-chip category under the right circumstances. There are also boom-or-bust talents like former first-rounder D.J. Davis that could finally click. We can safely expect ‘regular’ growth across the board, as you would any year, but one or two springboard seasons could help catapult the entire farm system. Now, the trouble is making that happen.
For all that’s been said about baseball prospects, I still struggle to find a more nail-on-the-head quote than this one from Zora Neale Hurston, written in 1937. [No, it wasn’t about baseball]. “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the same horizon, never out of sight…”
The problematic prospects are those that sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight. Ones like, to this point in his young career, Max Pentecost, whose great talent has unfortunately been hampered by consistent shoulder issues. It’s the quality and quantity of ships coming in with the tide, however, that Toronto is concerned with.
Not only will the growth of these prospects over the next six months drastically impact Toronto’s team beyond 2016 (and their potential decisions with Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion), it will help them to establish a stronger stack of chips come July 31st.
Parting with prospects as part of a deadline splash isn’t Mark Shapiro’s comfort zone by any stretch of the imagination, but with a new roster and new financial dynamics, it’s not a hard ‘no’. At this point, most impact deals would require the inclusion of an Alford, but if the system can grow and provide a handful of other “top” calibre prospects then the Blue Jays, and their trade partners, will have a wider variety of options.
A stronger system at this point in time would surely be valuable, but in all likelihood, the Blue Jays will not “need” their prospect capital until mid-season at the earliest. Even then, it may just be a dip of the toe, so the talent is certainly in place to climb the ladder by the time it is needed most. |
John Paulson gave an interview on CNBC in which he described the “best investment for a retail investor”. To some it may come as a surprise that this wasn’t some stock or bond, it was to buy a home (or primary residence).
For many this will represent a large investment, possibly larger than the whole of their equity investments put together. So why is John Paulson saying it is a good idea?
Housing is an essential cost, if you don’t buy a house then the alternative is renting. Paying a mortgage lasts a finite time, renting lasts forever so in the long term (30+ years), buying is almost always cheaper. High leverage means outsized returns. If I put down a $10k deposit on a $100k house, and that house goes up to $110k in value, I have a return of 100% on my initial outlay. Interest rates are low – it has never been cheaper to borrow money.
I want to focus on the second point above, because ‘high leverage’ to any value investor brings one thing to mind – high risk. If that house instead falls to $90k in value, you have just lost $10k. If it falls to $80k in value you are now trapped in negative equity. Over a period of 20-30 years the chances of house prices being below where you bought are minimal due to inflation, but in the short term it can create financial pressure on you, especially if interest rates rise in combination (and house prices are correlated inversely to interest rates which makes this scenario realistic).
But more than that, us value investors can’t stand paying more for an asset than it’s worth. Even though we are long term focused and pretty much guaranteed to be better off buying in almost any scenario, we can’t help but want $1 for 50 cents and practically vomit at the idea of paying $2 for it.
So we can’t help but be curious, what is the intrinsic value and how do you assess your risk? There are always pundits saying house prices will crash, or interest rates will rocket. How do you know what a ‘fair’ value of a house is. In this article I’ll look at how you can assess this. I don’t disagree with John Paulson, buying a home is a great investment – but from an academic point of view valuing a house is very interesting.
Where to begin valuing a house?
Most people will be familiar with the huge industry in house valuation and selling. Agents use similar sold prices in the area to see what the market is willing to pay for a house and will advise you on it. But us value investors know better than to trust Mr Market to value our assets. If the market fails in such a highly competitive and liquid market like the Stock Exchange, then do we really believe it works for real estate when:
Real estate is highly illiquid with few transactions locally A lot of buyers and sellers have little investment knowledge, and could be thought of as simply ‘dumb money’
So where do we start? Well there is another market connected to real estate that is more liquid and more competitive. It also involves more sophisticated investors. This is the rental market.
Using the rental market
Most big cities will have a large rental market with apartments and houses competing with one another for tenants. This market is much more liquid – people can move around far more freely and will do so if their rent is beyond other rents near by.
Because of this liquidity, the rental market is more competitive and much better reflects supply and demand of housing in the area. If more people want to rent than there are houses available then landlords will charge higher rents. Conversely if few people want to live in an area landlords will have to compete harder on pricing to attract tenants.
Finding market rents is also relatively easy, simply browse a local agents website to find a list of advertised apartments and the rents requested.
But how do we use these rents to determine the value of a house?
Well we treat it as the same as any other investment, its value is the discounted sum of all future cash flows. But there is no need to put together a complex equation, all this says is that the ‘intrinsic value’ of a house is proportional to the rental income it achieves.
Rental yields
To calculate, Rental Yield = Annual Rent / House Price. If we assume that Annual Rent in the current market is fair, and we know a normal rental yield is then we can calculate intrinsic value as Annual Rent / Normal Rental Yield.
But what is a normal rental yield? Well this is the tricky part, there is no universal answer. For me living in London, the norm is for rental yields to be low because of the high demand for houses in the capital and void periods (when houses sit empty waiting for new tenants) are very short. If I was to live in a small town in central USA, a normal rental yield would be much higher. We need to review the historical rental yields in a specific area, and this isn’t easy. Data is scarce and can be difficult to locate.
Example: London
I am going to look at London as an example because house prices have risen around 50% in the last year in some areas. Many are calling it a bubble, others say it’s simply high demand from an increasing population. It’s also easy to get data on London. Here is a table with the current rental yields on London property in different areas.
Postcode 1 Bedroom 2 Bedrooms 3 Bedrooms EC1 City of London 4.5% 3.0% 4.6% W1 Central London 2.9% 2.7% 2.5% W8 Kensington 2.7% 2.3% 3.5% W9 Maida Vale 4.4% 3.7% 3.1% W11 Notting Hill 3.3% 2.8% W12 Shepherd’s Bush 3.9% 3.3% W14 West Kensington 3.5% 2.9% 2.4% NW1 Camden 3.9% 3.5% 4.3% SW8 South Lambeth 3.2% 4.2% SW10 West Brompton 3.4% 2.5% 3.1% SW11 Battersea 5.6% 4.5% 4.2% SW12 Balham 4.8% 4.1% SW15 Putney 5.7% 4.4% 3.7% SW17 Tooting 4.5% 3.8% 4.5% SW18 Wandsworth 4.8% 4.1% 2.9% SW19 Wimbledon 4.7% 3.8% 3.4% N1 Islington 4.5% 4.1% 3.8% E14 Poplar 5.8% 5.5% 4.9% E15 Stratford 6.4% 6.1% 5.4% SE10 Greenwich 5.4% 4.4%
Source: http://www.londonpropertywatch.co.uk/average_rental_yield.html
You can see how much they vary within even one area, depending on the size. Also some areas, like Central London, which has high cash-rich foreign investment, have far lower rental yields than less affluent areas in London like Putney:
The chart shows historical rental yields in Putney, though only for the last 10 years or so. These may look fairly flat to you, but don’t be deceived by the power of rental yield. For example a rise in yield from 4% to 6% may not seem like much, but at constant rental income represents a 33% fall in house value. This chart suggests a 1 bed flat in Putney may represent good value at the moment.
We don’t just need to look at history though, also think from the perspective of a landlord. What % return would you want from a particular house? It would depend on things like what interest the bank pays you. If it’s high at 5% you wouldn’t invest in a property yielding 4% in rent. Conversely, while it’s low now at sub 2% suddenly even a rental yield of 3% looks attractive.
Let’s take a look at Central London:
This shows a completely different and interesting picture. I would be wary of buying a property in Central London at the moment with rental yields so low. If a more normal 5% yield returns, house prices could halve in value. At the very least this suggests that house price inflation cannot continue at the rate it has been without becoming dangerously overvalued.
Conclusion
This analysis can be a good guide when purchasing a house but like I said early in the article, buying a home is almost always cheaper than renting in the long term. Even though rental yields in an area can be abnormally low, you don’t know how long they will remain so. For every year you wait, that is an extra year of paying rent. Unless you foresee some catalyst on the horizon for house price falls, then the sensible thing to do is buy a home that you can afford to make payments on (under higher interest rate scenarios too!)
Also, there is more to buying a home than from an investment standpoint. Having your own home where you can raise a family in stability has a lot of intangible value. On the whole I agree with John Paulson, buying a home is probably the best investment someone can make.
Investing Sidekick Founder of Investing Sidekick. Works as a research analyst and is an avid value investor, always searching for undervalued shares.
If you found this post useful, please subscribe to receive new posts for free by email.Or subscribe to the RSS feed |
Social security won’t be around long enough for me to collect it
Salon has a couple of interesting articles about millennials. Tim Donovan focuses on the plight of young people without college education who are suffering the combined effects of long-term growth in inequality and the scarring that comes from entering the worst labor market in at least a generation[^1]. Elias Isquith has a piece debunking Rand Paul’s prospects of pulling the millennial vote (I’ve seen a few of these lately, which may or may not mean anything), which includes the following observation
Despite the fact that a whopping 51 percent of millennials believe they’ll receive no Social Security benefits by the time they’re eligible, and despite the fact that 53 percent of millennials think government should focus spending on helping the young rather than the old, a remarkable 61 percent of young voters oppose cutting Social Security benefits in any way, full stop.
The idea that “Social security won’t be around long enough for me to collect it” is a hardy perennial, and thinking about it led me to the following observation:
It’s now possible for someone to have spent their entire working life believing that Social Security would not last long enough for them to receive it, and now to have retired and started collecting benefits. This belief has been prevalent at least since the early years of the Reagan Administration when it was pushed hard by David Stockman, and I’m going to date it to the first big “reform” of the system in 1977. Someone born in 1952, who entered the workforce in 1977 at the age of 25, would now be turning 62 and eligible to collect Social Security. I’m betting that, in 20 years time, when the 1952 cohort reaches their average life expectancy, having enjoyed their full entitlement to benefits (assuming no ‘grand bargain’ intervenes) that the belief will be just as prevalent
[^1]: As I’ve argued many times, the shared experience of entering the labor market in a recession is one of the few instances where membership of a particular generation is more than a marketing label. |
Getty Images
Plenty of reports about interest in players go up in smoke during the first round of the NFL Draft and this year’s list includes the Buccaneers’ desire to add quarterback Johnny Manziel to the roster.
The Bucs passed on Manziel in favor of his favorite college receiver Mike Evans and coach Lovie Smith said that Mike Glennon was the team’s quarterback of the future during the draft. Smith’s statement was accompanied by reports that the Bucs turned down trade overtures for Glennon, which didn’t come as a surprise to Glennon because he says he’d been assured all along that he was a big part of the team’s plans.
“It was communicated a while ago both with Lovie and [General Manager] Jason [Licht],” Glennon said, via ESPN.com. “We sat down and they discussed what the plans were for Josh moving forward and they told me this all along, that I was their guy moving forward. Right now, it’s a different situation with Josh [McCown] here, but they told me this for a while now, that this was the plan, this is what’s going to happen and I’m looking forward to this season still competing and helping the team in any way I can and just following their lead.”
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on NFL Insiders Tuesday that Glennon has “opened some eyes” around the Bucs so far this spring and will compete with McCown this summer even though Smith anointed McCown the starter when he signed as a free agent. McCown would seem to be the favorite in any competition given how quickly the Bucs moved to bring him on board, but Glennon certainly looks like a part of the picture. |
“Would you consider being on Caitlyn Jenner’s reality show?” Jen asks me over the phone. It had only been a few months since my best friend Jen Richards and I vacated our Chicago apartment for opposite coasts. Jen moved to L.A. with our dog Mia and I moved to D.C. We were scheduled to see each other next in May to film a new media series she co-wrote with Laura Zak called, Her Story. Jen wrote a part tailored for me as, “a driven, top attorney who projects an image of composure and success, while tending to mask her vulnerability with her ambition.” My friend was telling my story as well as her own to challenge our ideas and assumptions about being women and being trans. Jen’s intersectional perspective would prove to the most valuable asset to “I Am Cait”, and the reason I eventually said yes to appearing on the show. Jen and I talked about the opportunity it would give me to talk about why I started TransTech, and the work we’re doing providing trans people with solutions and opportunities to save themselves from drowning in the debt of transition. Being trans comes at a high cost, but being black and trans can cost you your life.
Every hour of every day for me is occupied with juggling the challenges of building a social enterprise that addresses the unemployment epidemic in the trans community without the access to a big budget or donors with deep pockets. I often hear Renée Zellweger in my head from Jerry Maguire shouting, “Do you know (she) is working for you for free?! And she’s broke! Broke, broke, broke!” As the founding CEO, I write checks weekly to trans and gender non conforming workers, yet I still am not able to draw a salary for myself. I get by mostly on speaking engagements, but as soon as I try to pay myself, I end up having to give it back to the business to cover operating expenses or other unplanned costs.
I left my salaried job one year ago, aware of many of the challenges I would soon face, but I have yet to fully speak on why I really left my job to launch TransTech Social Enterprises. I badly wanted to speak out, but could not afford anything that would feed the angry black woman narrative so I cried in silence instead. For months, I floated by on a life raft made of food stamps and support from friends like Jen Richards who covered the rent until I could pay her back and Precious Davis, a friend and fellow educator and activist who told me to take the time to heal and listened to me cry out loud.
Before saying yes to appearing on I am Cait, I finally watched the Diane Sawyer interview. I was moved by the interview and Caitlyn’s apparent earnestness and believed her when she said, “I want to do this right”. I agreed to come to San Francisco to meet and talk with Caitlyn on camera with a few other trans women of color and folks from HRC. As the CEO of TransTech, I have been developing a partnership with HRC who has given me private office space in D.C. to not only expand our mission in connecting the trans community to more resources and employment opportunities, but also to repair a bridge that had been burned between the trans community and HRC, which has long been thought of as a “White Man’s club.”
“I Am Cait” would air in 123 countries and 24 different languages. Technology has flattened a world where trans people are demanding their rights in the U.S. and abroad. TransTech Social Enterprises is here to empower, educate, and employ them no matter where they are. I could not turn down an opportunity for global exposure that our efforts alone might not have ever afforded us.
Caitlyn and the crew traveled to San Francisco to meet with me and HRC Staff. In the scene leading up to our conversation, Jen Richards warned Caitlyn that the women she was about to meet are, “survivors of violence because they are trans, but we don’t want to reduce them to these traumas.” However, in the very next scene that is exactly what happens. Jen goes on to say, “They are so much more than these things that they suffered,” but from the editing the viewers at home would never know that Laya is an incredibly talented Muralist and Artist, that Chandi works with trans women of color directly helping them navigate a myriad of challenges in Los Angeles, and that I founded a tech social enterprise focused on educating, employing, and empowering trans people to become their own heroes and authors of their own success stories. All these things were discussed but not depicted on “I Am Cait.” |
.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........
Hobson’s choice: the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives.
– Merriam Webster
In Albuquerque, recent vehicle theft attempts have presented property owners with a textbook example of a Hobson’s choice. If you hear someone breaking into your vehicle you can:
1. Confront the thief without a weapon and get stabbed or shot to death;
ADVERTISEMENTSkip
2. Confront the thief with a weapon and get charged;
3. Call an understaffed and overburdened police department, then hide and wait while a career criminal drives off with your car or truck and its contents.
If the options truly are injury/death, a potential prison sentence or losing your property, what kind of message does that send to hard-working folks? And what kind of message to thieves?
Not one the Chamber of Commerce is going to put on billboards. “Albuquerque: Come for the auto burglaries, stay for the cemetery plot, or the prison cell – because now you have no car to drive away in.”
The day after Christmas, William McKinley heard his dogs barking around 5 a.m. and went outside to find two convicted burglars breaking into his truck. A confrontation ended with him stabbed to death in his Four Hills driveway. An APD spokesman noted that people have the right to defend their property and he understands why they do.
In September, Pete Chavez confronted a man breaking into his truck in a La Quinta parking lot and shot him. He was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm; the first charge has been dropped but can be refiled, the second has been taken up by the feds.
A day earlier, Jorge Mateo-Segura went to his car lot after the alarm tripped and found a burglar sitting in an SUV. He shot him in the shoulder and was charged with aggravated battery with great bodily harm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Yet in December when a homeowner confronted two or three people trying to break into a car in his foothills driveway, he shot one multiple times after the thief reportedly pointed a gun at him and was not charged. The homeowner told police he “was looking down the barrel of a gun. I was scared. I thought I was going to die.”
A basic tenet of responsible gun ownership is to shoot only to protect life, not stuff. But as noted, the Albuquerque Police Department recently has offered differing interpretations of what a property owner can do: In the La Quinta shooting a spokesman said under New Mexico law a shooter has to prove “reasonable fear” and “in this instance the subject was outside, breaking into the individual’s truck. (Chavez) left the security of his own hotel room and confronted him and shot him.” But in the Four Hills shooting a spokesman said, “It’s hard not to defend your property.”
That conflict underscores the importance of the city’s plan to reorganize the police department, to hire more officers and put more officers on patrol. Because the current options – death, prison or hide and say goodbye to your ride – are unacceptable.
This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. |
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York computer consultant who appeared as a key government witness against the founder of the underground black market website Silk Road was sentenced on Tuesday to 2-1/2 years in prison.
Michael Duch, who earned $60,000 to $70,000 a month selling heroin on Silk Road using the alias “deezletime,” pleaded guilty in December 2014 to conspiring to sell drugs and testified against the site’s operator, Ross Ulbricht, at trial last year.
Ulbricht, who prosecutors said ran the site under the alias “Dread Pirate Roberts,” was convicted in February and sentenced to life in prison in May by U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest.
Prosecutors said Silk Road generated upwards of $200 million in illicit drug sales in more than two years of operation before authorities shut it down in October 2013.
The site relied on the Tor network, which allows users to communicate anonymously. Vendors and buyers used the digital currency bitcoin as payment in order to conceal their identities and locations.
Duch, 41, will receive credit for the 21 months he has already been in custody.
His lawyer, Samuel Braverman, urged Forrest to release Duch to a drug treatment facility, saying his crimes were all tied to a crippling heroin addiction that he has finally put behind him.
But Forrest said that while she was willing to give Duch a significant break on his sentence, based on the cooperation he provided to the government, it would not be “the right thing” to release him just yet.
Before being sentenced, Duch apologized for his actions, saying his arrest was like “being slapped across the face.”
“This path has been extremely painful, but necessary, and truly I am thankful for it,” he told Forrest.
During Ulbricht’s trial, Duch said his addiction eventually led him to begin dealing the drug on Silk Road, which he had previously used to acquire painkillers. He testified that he did not know the identity of Dread Pirate Roberts.
Duch was arrested in Warwick, New York, on the same day that Ulbricht was taken into custody. |
BECAUSE I’M extremely middle class, my children’s prep school organised exchange trips with pupils at a school in Tokyo. This meant that my kids got to spend a couple of weeks eating fish that were still alive and later they got to host little Japanese people who had no clue what to do with a spoon.
I picked up one of these kids from Heathrow and it quickly became obvious the poor little thing spoke no English at all. So she wandered into the arrivals hall after an 11-hour flight, jet-lagged all to hell, and she was met by a man who was bigger and fatter than anyone she’d seen in her whole life. And he communicated in what to her must have sounded like the grunts of a farmyard animal. Bewildering didn’t begin to cover it.
I loaded her luggage into the boot of the family Volvo — I said I was middle class — and she climbed into the back clutching what at the time was a completely amazing translation machine. The idea was that she spoke into it and it then spoke to me in English.
Browse NEW or USED cars for sale
Shortly after we joined the M25 I could see in the rear-view mirror that my microscopic guest was trying to turn the machine on. And by the time we joined the M40 she was starting to get desperate because plainly she was having some difficulty.
Much later, on the twisting and lovely A44, I heard the telltale beep to say she’d been successful and quickly she garbled something in Japanese into the electronic wonder box. She then held it next to my ear while it said with an electronic Stephen Hawking lilt: “Car sick.”
During her two-week stay she was sick after eating tinned tuna, mashed potato, ice cream and pretty much everything that was dead.
But I bet that if you ask her now to define the low point of her stay she’d say it was that moment on the A44, being hugged by a 6ft 5in monster as she vomited the contents of her stomach into the roadside undergrowth.
Motion sickness is hideous. You really do want to die. I saw a man once lying on the floor in a cross-Channel ferry’s lavatory. The voyage had been as rough as any I can remember and everyone had been sick so violently it was a lake of vomit in there. And it was swilling over the poor man who, as I entered, opened one eye and said simply: “Kill me.”
I felt his pain. I’d been on a boat in the south of France once when the gentle rocking brought about a malaise so intense that I invited my friends to murder me. I meant it. I even told them where the knives were kept and where on my rib cage they should stab.
All of which brings me conveniently to the Mercedes-AMG GT. I thought when I first saw this car that it was a toned-down, more realistic version of the mad old SLS AMG with its bonkers soundtrack and its gullwing doors. I assumed therefore that it too would be a headline-grabbing one-off.
But no. Mercedes has turned it into an entire range that’s now so complex you are able to choose how many brake horsepower you’d like and what shade you’d prefer for the seats. Naturally you can also decide whether you’d like a roof or not. And what colour you’d like that to be.
Well, as I’ve already driven the super-hard and bellowy GT R coupé, which I’m not sure about, I thought — it being summer and all — I should try out the slightly less powerful but still pretty nuts GT C roadster.
Like the “I’m a racing car, I am” GT R, it’s fitted with four-wheel steering. And that, if you are going for a record round the Nürburgring — something the GT R holds for rear-wheel-drive production cars, incidentally — is tremendous. When you drive a car that steers with all four wheels you are always amazed by just how readily it changes direction.
“It’s lighter than you might think, thanks to a chassis that’s made from helium and a boot lid made from witchcraft”
However, I was not on the Nürburgring. I was in Oxfordshire and I was not driving particularly quickly when my passenger invited me to stop. Because she felt car sick. And the last time this happened was when I was driving her in a Porsche 911. Which also had four-wheel steering.
The problem is that when you move the steering wheel even a tiny bit, the car darts. It’s very sudden and if you’re a passenger you have no time to brace or send a signal to your stomach to hold on. You, the driver, may like this sensation a lot. But I think it may be a deal breaker for whoever’s in the passenger seat.
Pity, because there’s a lot to like in this car. It looks like a traditional AMG product. Big, lairy and heavy. But, actually, it’s lighter than you might think, thanks to a chassis that’s made from helium and a boot lid made from witchcraft. There’s even some magnesium in there as well.
All of which means that the big turbocharged V8, which responds as quickly as the steering, has much less to lug around than you might think. Which means this car is properly fast. Knocking-on-the-door-of-200mph fast. It also does a fabulous bonnet-up, squatted-back-end lunge when you stamp on the throttle.
I’d like to say this speed is surprising but you know from the moment you fire up the engine and the exhausts wake everyone in a 12-mile radius that it’s going to be mental. What is surprising, however, is that you can enjoy quite a lot of the speed with the roof down. It really is calm and unruffled in there.
And it’s a nice place to sit. Sure, the gearlever is mounted nearer to the boot than your hand and, yes, there are a lot of buttons to confuse you. I once turned off what I thought was the stop-start feature and then spent the whole day in third because I’d actually changed the seven-speed automatic box into a manual.
My only real gripe is the bumpiness of the ride. It really is firm — too firm — and that’s unnecessary because this isn’t a track-day car. It’s a handsome, look-at-me boulevard cruiser. Or a devourer of motorways and interstates. It should be softer. And it really could do without that four-wheel steering.
Mercedes shouldn’t try to make sports cars. That’s Porsche’s job. What it should do instead is take this vehicle back to the drawing board and turn what’s very nearly there back into an AMG Mercedes. Then it would be absolutely brilliant.
Tweet to @JeremyClarkson Follow @JeremyClarkson
Head to head: Mercedes-AMG GT C roadster vs Porsche 911 Turbo cabriolet
Mercedes-AMG GT C roadster Porsche 911 Turbo cabriolet Price £139,460 £137,533 0-62mph 3.7sec 3.1sec Top speed 196mph 198mph Kerb weight 1,735kg 1,740kg
Write to us at driving@sunday-times.co.uk, or Driving, The Sunday Times, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF |
An 18-page, Metro police report details a rental home full of hidden cameras. The report says Chris Rogers was behind the camera setup. 10/20/16 (LVMPD)
An Airbnb rental turned into a nightmare for convention-goers looking for a place to stay here in Las Vegas. Police say the rental home had several hidden cameras in the bathrooms and private areas where the guests were staying.
An 18-page, Metro police report details a rental home full of hidden cameras. The report says Chris Rogers was behind the camera setup.
"There have been over 100 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings and negative incidents are incredibly rare. Airbnb takes privacy extremely seriously," said Nick Shapiro, Airbnb spokesman.
Back in January, the report says one of eight victims went through the online service site named Airbnb.
One victim rented a place to stay during the consumer electronics show. The man who rented the house had seven of his employees stay there.
The detailed report goes on to say one of the victims noticed a small camera lens inside a smoke detector. Police found six smoke detectors with spy cameras linked to a DVR.
The cameras were positioned in private areas like the main bathroom and the bathrooms where the guests were staying. The report says that after finding the camera, the one guest notified the police.
"There is absolutely no place in our community for this kind of behavior. The host was banned from Airbnb right after the guest reported it," said Shapiro.
An investigation was conducted, search warrants were served and detectives say they linked Chris Rogers with the equipment.
Investigators say it’s possible the disguised cameras did record the victims without their clothes. After a thorough investigation, Rogers was charged and a Clark County grand jury in the 8th Judicial District Court indicted him on five counts of capturing an image of private area of another person.
Detectives are seeking to locate and identify potential additional victims.
The house is question is located in the 7400 block of Forestdale Court near Warm Springs and Pecos.
Anyone who rented the home between October 2015 and January 2016, who believes they may be a victim, is urged to contact detectives with the Southeast Area Command at 702-828-1682. To remain anonymous, they can contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555. |
You’re an NFL scout, and you need a running back. The draft is approaching when a scouting report comes across your desk, and it looks pretty impressive.
Heisman Trophy finalist. Led the nation in rushing as a junior. Averaged over six yards per carry in college with over 5,500 total yards and 47 touchdowns. All-time leading rusher for a Big 12 school. Ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash.
Sounds like a guy you’d have near the top of your draft board, right?
Now, what if I told you he was only 5-foot-6? How far would you let him slide?
That’s the dilemma teams faced when I entered the draft out of Kansas State in 2005. The only number scouts cared about was the one number I couldn’t control: my height. “If you were 5-foot-9, you’d be a top-five pick,” they said. But I wasn’t. I was 5-foot-6, which meant only one thing to scouts.
I was too small.
Durability was the main concern. Scouts thought because I was so small, I wouldn’t be able to withstand the hits I’d take at the NFL level. I never missed a game in college, and I was getting the ball over 20 times a game, plus returning kicks and punts. Durability? That shouldn’t even have been a question.
Going into the NFL Combine, I knew my height was gonna be something I’d have to overcome, but I knew I’d ace the Combine drills, and I hoped that my performance along with my college resume would be enough to make scouts look past my size. I was definitely wrong. Even at the Combine, my size was all anyone talked about when my name came up.
When they measure height at the NFL Combine, they use a laminated sheet of paper taped on the wall at about head level — well, the average player’s head level. When it was my turn to get measured, they had to un-tape the chart from the wall and move it down just so I could reach it. I heard giggles throughout the room. It was just one more reminder to scouts of what they already had written next to my name on their clipboards.
Too small.
So instead of being a top-five pick, I was projected as a fourth-round pick.
When the draft came, I knew I wasn’t going on the first day, so I didn’t even want to watch. Instead, my dad and I went to go play basketball. I needed something to occupy myself and take my mind off the fact that I was being overlooked by all 32 NFL teams.
I wasn’t a big fan of having a draft party, so on Day 2, when I finally watched, it was just me and my dad. I was confident I was gonna get drafted, I just didn’t know when — third, sixth, seventh, I really had no idea.
I remember my dad telling me, “You just gotta get on a team. Once you get drafted, you’re gonna be fine. So don’t worry about where you go. You’ll prove you belong once you get there.” I knew he was right, but it was tough seeing running backs getting drafted in the third round knowing I had a better resume. I had watched 14 running backs come off the board and the fourth round was winding down fast. I was starting to get frustrated.
Then the phone call came. It was coach Marty Schottenheimer. He asked me if I was ready to be a San Diego Charger, and I said, “Hell yeah!”
The Chargers took me in the fourth round with the 130th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. I was the 15th back off the board, and I had a chip on my shoulder. I knew I could play in this league, and just like my dad said, all I needed was a chance to prove it in an NFL camp.
The next day, I was off to San Diego.
The rest is really history. I had the opportunity to learn under an all-time great in LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego, and when I got my chances to shine, I took advantage. I’ve used what LT taught me in every game I’ve played in, from the Chargers to the Saints to the Eagles.
The irony is, I actually think my height has been an advantage in my NFL career. I have linemen and linebackers tell me all the time that they have a hard time seeing me over the offensive line, especially after the ball is snapped. And when they do find me in the scrum, I’m already past them.
I have to see the field a little differently as a running back because of my size. I rely on looking at my offensive linemen and watching the blocking develop rather than looking ahead at what the defense is doing. It’s like being in a maze, and all the walls are taller than I am and I can’t see over them, so I’m just trying to find the holes, and when I see a hole, I hit it. I can’t get ahead of myself and look too far downfield, so I’m very aware of what’s right around me on the field.
When you’re an NFL prospect — even if you’re a top-five talent — you never think you’re going to get into the league and just light it up. You’re confident in yourself, of course, but you know you still have to prove yourself once you get there — otherwise you’ll be out the door quick, no matter where you get drafted. I knew I could play in this league, but even when I was watching the draft with my dad, I never dreamed I’d be able to have a 10-year career. I never thought I’d make the Pro Bowl. I definitely never thought I’d set an NFL record for all-purpose yards in a season. You don’t plan on that. It all just comes from hard work.
It’s a different game now than it was in 2005 with coaches like Sean Payton and Chip Kelly, who I’ve played for, spreading things out. Teams and scouts see how I’ve been used and now they’re trying to get guys like me — smaller guys who can make noise in space — instead of passing on them because of their size. I like to think I helped open the door for some of the shorter players today.
For the first time ever, three running backs went in the top five in that 2005 draft. I wasn’t one of them. I was the 15th running back drafted, and of the 26 running backs taken in that draft, only me and Frank Gore are still active 10 years later.
So, to all you undersized NFL prospects, don’t worry about when you get drafted. The draft doesn’t define you. It’s when you get to camp that you make a name for yourself. Take advantage of that opportunity. If you’re drafted in the seventh round, you still go to camp and compete next to the guy who went in the top five. And the best man — not the highest drafted — always wins.
And to all you folks watching the draft, don’t sleep on the little guys. |
Dear Spring community,
It is my pleasure to announce that a feature-complete Spring Framework 4.3 release candidate is available now! This is a perfect opportunity for you to get involved: Please run your regression tests against it, and of course, feel free to try the new features…
Dependency injection refinements:
@Autowired injection of Map/Collection beans and self references
@Autowired on configuration class constructors (finally!)
No need for declaring @Autowired on a unique non-default constructor
ObjectProvider as a richer variant of an ObjectFactory handle
InjectionPoint/DependencyDescriptor as an injectable argument for @Bean methods
MVC processing refinements:
Default processing of OPTIONS, HEAD, Allow and If-Unmodified-Since
Support for custom HTTP Vary configuration and HTTP Range on custom resources
Precomposed @GetMapping, @PostMapping, @RequestScope, @SessionScope etc
@RequestAttribute and @SessionAttribute as handler method arguments
Full support for Jackson 2.7’s new type resolution algorithm
Various infrastructural refinements across the framework:
Wider support for composed annotations and for placeholders/expressions in attributes
Richer programmatic metadata in core container exceptions
Component scanning in manifest-defined classpath entries
A background initialization option for bootstrapping JPA / Hibernate
A ‘sync’ flag on @Cacheable and support for the Caffeine cache provider
We are working towards an RC2 with some remaining fine-tuning and performance improvements in the meantime, preparing for 4.3’s general availability on June 1st!
Cheers,
Juergen |
Black Sabbath 's upcoming album '13' has finally been given a solid release date! The highly anticipated record will be unleashed on June 11. Sabbath have also launched a pre-order campaign for '13,' offering everything from a simple CD to a 'Super Deluxe Box Set.'
'13' was originally meant to feature the classic lineup of Black Sabbath ( Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler and Bill Ward ), but due to a contract squabble involving Ward, the iconic drummer dropped out of the Sabbath reunion. In his place, Rage Against the Machine stickman Brad Wilk manned the skins on the forthcoming album.
Guitarist Tony Iommi's cancer diagnosis also threw a wrench in the works for Black Sabbath's 2012 world tour plans, but the master of the riff heroically pressed on, constantly writing and recording new material throughout his ongoing recovery process. Thankfully, any doubts harbored by Sabbath fans have been squashed now that '13' has an official release date of June 11.
As a Black Sabbath fanatic down to your bones, you may have trouble deciding which pre-order offer to dedicate your money towards, but fear not, here's a breakdown of the goodies Sabbath have made available. If just pre-ordering a CD isn't enough for your Sabbath fix, the band is also offering a double CD in a deluxe soft pack, which contains an extra album of exclusive bonus audio. '13' will also be printed on 12" heavyweight (180g) vinyl in a gatefold sleeve.
Finally, for the hardcore fans, there's the Super Deluxe Box Set containing the double CD and vinyl pressings of '13,' along with an exclusive DVD of the documentary 'Black Sabbath - The Re-union,' plus five behind-the-scenes videos, a download card containing exclusive track-by-track interviews with the band, 13 exclusive photographic prints and hand-written album lyrics by members of the band.
Black Sabbath have also unveiled a new three-minute video of producer Rick Rubin in the studio with Sabbath. In the clip, Rubin directs Black Sabbath through recording their new material, which is showcased in bits and pieces throughout the video. Although we only get a few seconds to peek into what has become '13,' the sound presented is quintessentially Black Sabbath.
Check out Black Sabbath's new studio footage in the player below, and to pre-order '13,' head on over to Sabbath's official website . |
FREDERICKSBURG, VA. — In a Virginia suburb not far from where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant to end the Civil War, a 21st century clash of a different kind of superpowers is looming.
Two of the nation's most highly touted supermarkets are about to meet and fight for supremacy in Virginia.
From upstate New York, the highly regarded Wegmans chain of grocery stores is pushing south with a seriously loyal following. And from Florida, the much touted Publix, the Sunshine State's dominant supermarket chain, is spreading into Virginia after successfully expanding and taking on all comers in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South and North Carolina.
And now Virginia.
Visiting area family this month, I spied a Wegmans store near Fredericksburg and insisted to my wife that we take a peek to see what all the hype about this grocery chain was really about.
Wow.
Publix, consider your past market conquests as warm-ups. You are about to have your competitive work cut out for you this time.
This store is one of Wegmans' flagships, among the biggest of the chain at 149,000 square feet. Much larger than a traditional Publix, it can best be described to Tampa Bay readers in this formula:
Wegmans = Publix + Fresh Market + Sam's Club (or Costco) + Mazzaro's.
The vast 7-year-old store is broken into large sections featuring an upscale presentation of an extensive array of fresh produce that, for example, included at least six different types of mushrooms and an array of Asian vegetables. The store also has areas dedicated to wide ranges of cheeses, meats, seafood, a bakery and wines.
A large space is allocated to self-service prepared foods for takeout, from Asian and barbecue to vegetarian. There are places to sit and order fresh seafood that is prepared on the spot and can be eaten cafe-style at counter stools or tables. At least two dozen checkout lanes and four self-serve lanes are visible, though on this visit fewer than half are open since the store at midday is busy but not crowded.
This Wegmans, like most Publix stores I have visited, is obsessively clean. Its shelves are well stocked.
I mentioned to one Wegmans employee busy putting out fresh blueberries (large pack, $5.99) and strawberries (large pack, $2.99) that we are from Florida where Publix rules and visiting our first Wegmans.
"We're heading your way," she volunteered cheerfully. Wegmans already is moving in to North Carolina with its first planned locations.
But first, these two top-tier chains ranked by many among the very best supermarkets in America will start to duke it out in Virginia. That clash will come soon now that Publix this month says it will buy 10 Martin's Food Markets store locations in the greater Richmond area of Virginia.
Wegmans and Publix are a lot alike. They are both privately owned businesses with extremely successful cultures. Their food prices appear similar.
What would become Wegmans was founded in 1916 in upstate New York by John and Walter Wegman as the Rochester Fruit and Vegetable Co. Wegmans is headquartered in the Rochester suburb of Gates. Danny Wegman is CEO.
The first Publix was opened in Winter Haven in 1930 by founder George Jenkins. That family still helps run what has become one of Florida's biggest private and employee-owned businesses, now based in Lakeland. New CEO Todd Jones this spring succeeded Ed Crenshaw, grandson of the founder.
The two companies dominate any number of "best business" rankings.
This spring, Wegmans was ranked the nation's best grocery chain, followed by Publix and Trader Joe's, according to a survey of more than 10,000 consumers conducted by Market Force Information. "Its focus on employee training to ensure customers have the best experience has been a winning strategy that creates superfans eager for a new location to open near their home," Market Force said of Wegmans.
As quality places to work, both chains are on the rise.
Fortune magazine ranks Wegmans No. 4 on its 2016 "Best Companies To Work For" list, the highest spot for a retailer and up from No. 7 last year. Publix appears on the same list at a still highly commendable No. 67 and up from No. 81 the year before.
And Forbes, in its latest annual rankings of best companies, places Wegmans at No. 4 (behind Costco) and Publix at No. 17.
Though younger than Wegmans by 14 years, Publix is far bigger, employing more than 175,000 and ranking as the nation's ninth-largest private company. Its $32.4 billion in sales last year is more than four times as large as Wegmans, which employs more than 44,000 and is ranked 46th in size among private businesses.
Publix operates more than 1,120 stores in six states with Virginia on the way. Wegmans has 89 stores spread over six states. That means Publix and Wegmans may have a similar geographic reach but Publix is far ahead in sheer density of stores with nearly 13 times the number of locations as Wegmans. Yet Wegmans generates roughly three times the sales per larger location than does Publix.
Publix has honed its skills statewide in highly populated Florida and pushed rapidly into other Southeastern states that have enjoyed far greater growth in population than Wegmans' turf in New York state and the Northeast.
Other prominent players — including Kroger, Walmart, Food Lion, Aldi and Trader Joe's — are also fighting for market share in Virginia.
But what will happen when these hotshots Publix and Wegmans meet head to head?
Both chains clearly savor competitive battle and taking market share from lesser grocery stores.
Much alike, perhaps they will learn from one another. But it will be the consumer, with more choices from such top organizations, that should be the ultimate winner.
In the end, this may become a contest of customer loyalty.
Contact Robert Trigaux at [email protected] Follow @venturetampabay. |
Ashley Nance couldn’t help but tear up when she thought of the servicemen and servicewomen who fought and died for her freedom.
The least she could do, she said, was to make sure those who passed away were remembered properly.
Several members of York Comprehensive High School’s Navy JROTC planted hundreds of American flags near the graves of fallen veterans Thursday afternoon at Lakeview Memory Gardens.
“It’s very heartbreaking,” Nance said. “Because all of these people who have lost their lives serving us. I know a lot of people who died for our country and did a great service.”
Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Herald
This is the first time a York JROTC did this service, according to Amber Clark, a JROTC teacher at York and the first female commander of Rock Hill’s VFW post.
The names of all 214 local members of the military killed in action from World War I through Iraq and Afghanistan will be read during a memorial service at the cemetery at 4 p.m. Sunday.
York County’s monument with all those 214 names on it is at Lakeview cemetery.
Clark said she thought her students would feel “humbled” to look through the gravestones, see where each military member had served, and place the flag next to them.
“It’s extremely important,” Clark said. “The veterans organizations already do this, but they know the importance of this. It’s important to see the youth doing this, so they can have respect and have their eyes opened to what it means.
“I feel thanked,” Nance said. “They gave their life for this country.” |
The Computer Emergency Response Team warned about Firefox 3.6 Mozilla has released Firefox 3.6.2 almost a week early after security issues were found in earlier versions. Firefox 3.6.2 was originally due to launch at the end of March, but is available to download now from the Mozilla website. The security hole had led the German government to issue a warning about Firefox 3.6. The Federal Office for Information Security made a similar ruling on the safety of Internet Explorer in January. It warned that the Firefox vulnerability, confirmed by Firefox makers, could allow hackers to run malicious programs on users' computers. Germany's official cyber-security response team - BurgerCERT - had recommended that users stop using Firefox until the tested fix was released. It was a move remarkably similar to the January announcement, in which France followed suit just days later. Fox swap? The original Firefox vulnerability was confirmed by maker Mozilla last week on its security blog, when it promised that the next official release would address the issue. It is only the current version that is affected but, given that prior releases have different vulnerabilities, reverting to an older version of the browser is ill-advised. Switching to a different browser may not be a good solution either, said Graham Cluley, senior technologist at security firm Sophos. "Switching your web browser willy-nilly as each new unpatched security hole is revealed could cause more problems than it's worth," he said. "What are you going to do when your replacement browser itself turns out to contain a vulnerability? "My advice is to only switch from Firefox if you really know what you are doing with the browser you're swapping to. If you stick with Firefox, apply the security update as soon as it's available." A Mozilla spokesperson said: "Last week we informed our users that the upcoming security release of Firefox 3.6.2 would include a fix for an exploit that was disclosed to us just over a week ago. "Mozilla is aware of the BergerCERT recommendation to avoid using Firefox 3.6, and encourage users to download... Firefox 3.6.2."
Bookmark with: Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version |
The Churches and the Bosnian War
Categories : Bosnia, History
Tweet
14, July, 2014
One of the most disturbing features of the war which devastated Bosnia between 1992 and 1995 was the widespread refusal of Western politicians, churchmen and newsmen, to acknowledge the role which religion was playing in the conflict. It was only mentioned, indeed, during periodic denunciations of the risks of Islamic extremism – a phenomenon that, when pressed, journalists working in Bosnia conceded was rather elusive. The reality, which was frequently one of militant Christian extremism, was never, to my knowledge, frankly discussed. The war was, we were told, a contest between ‘ethnic factions’; and the fact that its protagonists were divided primarily by religion, and shared a race and a language, was deemed insignificant. Anti-Muslim prejudice was no doubt at work here: one may assume that if the Serbs and Catholics had been Muslims, and their victims Christians, then the Western mind would immediately have characterised the war as a case of violent Muslims murdering secular, integrated, democratic Christians. Since in Bosnia the favoured stereotypes were reversed, the memory has largely been dismissed, censored and forgotten as an annoying anomaly.
That official characterisation, by and large, persists. Generally it is the case that the European and American popular consciousness has forgotten about Bosnia although only ten years have elapsed since almost eight thousand Muslims were pushed into mass graves at Srebrenica, while the local UN commander accepted a glass of champagne from the victorious Serbian general, who then went off to church. [1] And where Bosnia is still remembered, there is a dogged resistance to defining it as what it was: a war which, at least for its Christian participants, was an intensely religious experience.
However among Balkan cognoscenti, and a small but significant public around the world that uneasily recognises that the crime of Srebrenica was far worse than that of 9/11, this comforting amnesia is rejected as the unacceptable whitewashing of crimes whose religious foundations must never be ignored. War crimes investigators have consistently found that the Serbian forces placed religion at the very centre of their hardline national vision, and that many of the most characteristic atrocities bore a strongly religious aspect.
In Bratunac, Imam Mustafa Mujkanovic was tortured before thousands of Muslim women, children and old people at the town’s soccer stadium. Serb guards also ordered the cleric to cross himself. When he refused, ‘they beat him. They stuffed his mouth with sawdust, poured beer in his mouth, and then slit his throat.’ [2] Routinely, Muslims held in concentration camps also told of being forced by their captors to sing Chetnik songs or to make the sign of the cross. Suggestions to Muslims that they convert to Serbian Orthodoxy could be viewed as yet another means to eliminate the Muslim presence. [3] Almost from the first, the Serb-led war was accompanied by an assault against the Muslim religious and cultural tradition, an assault whose impact has become clear as scholars examine the pattern of destruction. Muslim clergymen have been dispersed, imprisoned or killed, according to a variety of Muslim sources. National libraries and religious seminaries have been destroyed. And Bosnian scholars estimate that well over half of the mosques, historical monuments and libraries that comprise a six-century old religious and cultural heritage have been wiped out.[4] … the film was shown in which the notorious Scorpions were seen killing children, after having first been blessed by Father Gavrilo.[5] A Serbian Orthodox bishop, blacklisted by the EU for allegedly supporting war criminals, denied Thursday that he had sheltered top UN court fugitives Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic although he claimed the men were heroes. […] Bishop Filaret appeared in front of TV cameras with a skull in one hand and a machine-gun in the other during the 1992-95 war.[6] [Hague War Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor] Carla del Ponte accused the Church of ‘involvement in politics and hiding those indicted of war crimes’. [7] The old Balkan pattern of clerically-inspired political violence has once again emerged in recent years: first come the priests [popovi] and then the cannons [topovi]. [8] The symbols appeared in the three-fingered hand gestures representing the Christian trinity, in the images of sacred figures of Serbian religious mythology on their uniform insignia, in the songs they memorized and forced their victims to sing, on the priest’s ring they kissed before and after their acts of persecution, and in the formal religious ceremonies that marked the purification of a town of its Muslim population. The term ‘ethnic’ in the expression ‘ethnic cleansing’, then, is a euphemism for ‘religious’.[9]
A succession of academic studies has meticulously documented the wartime activities of the Christian clergy, and particularly the bishops who proudly sat in the front row of the rebel Serbian ‘parliament’ whenever it assembled in its pirate capital of Pale. In the West, these studies have not usually been the work of Muslim scholars. [10] One pioneering example has been the book of Michael Sells: The Bridge Betrayed: religion and genocide in Bosnia . Sells is a Quaker, who is currently professor of religion at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. [11] Here is a paragraph from the conclusion of his book:
The violence in Bosnia was a religious genocide in several senses: the people destroyed were chosen on the basis of their religious identity; those carrying out the killings acted with the blessing and support of Christian church leaders; the violence was grounded in a religious mythology that characterized the targeted people as race traitors and the extermination of them as a sacred act. [12]
Strong words; but not unrepresentative of the way in which the war is now beginning to be understood.
Another invaluable breaking of the silence has come from G. Scott Davis, a professor of religion and ethics at the University of Richmond . Scott Davis’ study is entitled Religion and Justice in the War over Bosnia . [13] It documents the attitude of local churches to what happened; and also includes some sustained reflections on the capability of Europe , given its traditional religious formation, to protect religious minorities.
Many have been heartened by these and other studies. For some time it seemed that the religious dimension of the Bosnian war would be buried forever; but now, rather like the victim of an atrocity, it is being disinterred and reluctantly examined. My own experience during the war corresponds closely to the picture now emerging at the hands of such scholars, and which has been reconstructed by the International Criminal Court investigations at the Hague [14]
The individual most regularly cited in connection with the ethnic cleansing process, and with religiously-based atrocities, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, has been widely feted as a hero in Orthodox church circles. ‘Not a single important decision was made without the Church,’ as he boasted during the war. [15] At the height of the ethnic cleansing process, the Greek Orthodox synod chose to award him its highest honour, the Order of St Denys of Xante. The Greek bishops who conferred the honour upon him called him ‘one of the most prominent sons of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ [16]
The day the award was announced I discussed it with a group of senior British churchmen; but their response was only a kind of grimace. The solution, clearly, was to pass over this indiscretion in shocked silence. The only genuinely outraged individual I was able to find was Roger Sainsbury, the evangelical Anglican Bishop of Barking, who was able to condemn the award, and told me that widespread condemnation was unlikely, given the need to retain good relations with the Orthodox members of the World Council of Churches. It is not clear that this was the only reason for what he regarded as a disturbing Anglican silence, but such was his interpretation.
I next tried to telephone Lambeth Palace . I had not had much joy from them since I had attempted to arrange a meeting between Dr Carey and the head of the Muslim religious hierarchy in Bosnia : Dr Carey simply declined to meet his counterpart. This time I spoke to a secretary for ecumenical affairs, to find out whether there might be any Anglican criticism of this accolade for Karadzic. Again, I drew a blank. Karadzic was regarded by human rights agencies as the architect of the largest crimes against humanity in Europe since 1945; but the ecumenical secretary – I was calling him as a journalist – simply would not give me a clear condemnation of the Greek decision.
A few voices were raised against what Michael Sells was calling ‘the silence of the self-identified Christian leaders in many parts of the world’. [17] Perhaps the most outspoken was Professor Adrian Hastings, a Catholic theologian from Leeds , who asked:
What have the churches done to speak out in defence of Bosnia , of its peace-loving Muslim community and against a revival of the most virulent racism? There appears to have been a most striking silence from all the principal church leaders in Britain . It will go down in history. We pour out our tears at the Holocaust but close our eyes to the Holocaust happening now. ‘Only he who shouts for the Jews may sing the Gregorian chant’, declared Bonhoeffer fifty years ago. Only he who shouts for the Bosnian Muslims is entitled to do so today. [18]
In a later article in the Guardian, Hastings continued his critique:
Why are Christian leaders behaving like this? There is a misguided ecumenism at work here. Anglicans in particular are anxious to remain on good terms with the Orthodox, and the Serbian Orthodox Church has had closer relations with the Church of England than any other. It is also doing a very great deal to fuel Serb nationalism. To take a strong line against Serb aggression could be to displease one’s Orthodox friends. Better to stress instead that this is a complex matter and that there must be wrongs on every side. [19]
In an article published in Theology in 1994, Hastings commented on international Protestant reaction to the Bosnian war, which he again finds wanting. He discusses the main World Council of Church’s resolution on the war in former Yugoslavia, pointing out that ‘for ecumenical reasons’ Bosnia is not mentioned once in 27 pages, and that its discussion of civilian suffering mentions only Croats and Serbs, with no discussion whatsoever of Muslims. He goes on:
Reflecting on the response of the churches in Britain and within the Ecumenical Movement to Bosnia once more, I remain appalled by how little they have done at the level of their leadership to recognise without ambiguity what has been happening, to condemn what is evil and above all to offer any significant support to a European nation oppressed in a way unprecedented since 1945. Again and again, church leaders in this country have been urged to visit Sarajevo , to show some really significant degree of human and religious solidarity with the Muslim community of Bosnia in its ordeal. They have entirely failed to do so. [20]
Hastings was probably one of the heroes of the war: appearing at countless rallies and on television, to denounce the apathy of the West and of its political and spiritual leaders. To make sure of his facts he visited Sarajevo in the darkest days of the siege. Not many retired professors would consent to be pulled on a trolley through the makeshift tunnel which was Sarajevo ’s lifeline, and then face the lurching drive along Sniper’s Alley in a car with only polythene sheets for windows, to a city where three thousand people and even the animals in the city zoo had already been killed by snipers. However he did it. He was the most honourable of exceptions.
Hastings found, as subsequent research has uncovered, a religious war. In Sarajevo itself, it is true, this was not immediately apparent. The Serb cathedral, despite four years of siege by Serbs, was never vandalised by the population. The Muslim president and religious hierarchy continued to sit at the front row of the Catholic cathedral every Christmas Eve. The commandant in charge of Sarajevo ’s defenders, Jovan Divjak, was himself an ethnic Serb; [21] another Serb, Miro Lazovic, was the speaker of Bosnia ’s parliament. Although the defence of the city had first been mounted by the heroic young Sufis of the Sinanova Qadiri Tekke, for many of the defenders this was never a religious war; except for those who saw the defence of the city’s history of tolerance as a sacred task.
In Serb-controlled territory, however, religion was rampant. West of Sarajevo, just over the front-line, stood a Serb church where one could hear a list of captured Muslim settlements being read out in triumph by a priest, who then blessed the congregation – made up of followers of the religious warlord Vojislav Seselj, now an indicted war criminal, and who once fought an election in Serbia with a promise to remove the eyes of his prisoners with a rusty spoon.
In Trebinje, ‘an Orthodox priest led the way in expelling a Muslim family and seizing their home.’ [22] In the formerly Muslim-majority town of Foca , a religious ceremony was held to celebrate the city’s capture. Senior churchmen at the ceremony heard a Serb professor explain that ‘the [Serb] fighters from Foca and the region are worthy defenders of Serbianness and of Orthodoxy.’ [23] The city’s exquisite Aladza Mosque, built in 1550 by Mimar Sinan, was then pulled down, as the complete ethnic cleansing of the town proceeded. [24] When this event was criticised in a liberal Montenegrin newspaper, the highest Herzegovinan bishop, Atanasije, defended it strongly. [25]
Several other militias were no less explicitly religious. The leader of the White Eagles militia, Mirko Jovic, called for, as he put it, ‘a Christian, Orthodox Serbia with no Muslims and no unbelievers.’ [26] His ideological mentor, the Belgrade far-right politician Vuk Draskovic, who promised to ‘cut off the hands of those Muslims who carried flags other than Serb ones’, published his ferociously anti-Muslim writings with the official publishing house of the Serbian church. [27] The Church itself regularly thundered against ‘enemies of God’ who would not join the struggle for a Greater Serbia, and official Church journals were a leading forum for Draskovic and other radical ideologues advocating the dream of a ‘Greater Serbia,’ and the destruction of the ‘disease’ of Islam. [28]
A further tell-tale sign of the involvement of the church was apparent when, in 1994, the Geneva Contact Group tabled its new partition plan for the country. Under this plan, the 32 percent of Bosnians who were Orthodox were awarded 49 percent of the land, including many formerly Muslim areas which had suffered ethnic cleansing. But the church was unsatisfied even with this: Metropolitan Nikolaj of Sarajevo demanded that Sarajevo itself should be incorporated into the Serb-held areas. [29] The argument he gave, which was supported by Karadzic himself, was that since the city’s majority Muslim population was supposedly descended from Serb converts to Islam, the city naturally belonged to Orthodoxy. This idea of the Bosniaks as ‘bad Serbs’ who should be guided by Karadzic’s ‘warriors for Christ’ back to the Orthodox fold (or face expulsion, or worse), lay at the rhetorical core of the debates in the priest-filled Republika Srpska parliament in Pale.
Rather different was the view of the Patriarch in Belgrade , Pavle. Like his admirer the militia leader Zeljko Raznatovic [30] he argued throughout that the Serb nationalist claim to Bosnia was based on the fact – as he believed – that the Muslims were interlopers from the East, and were not indigenous to the region. Hence ‘I believe that Serbs must fight, now as never before.’ [31] This is akin to the widespread argument, advanced by the religious nationalist Dragos Kalajic, which holds that Bosnian Muslim culture was alien as what he called a ‘semi-Arabic subculture’, caused by a ‘genetic predetermination’ which the Bosniaks inherited from the Ottomans and which in fact originated in North Africa. [32] Another ‘Orthodox intellectual’, former Sarajevo University dean Biljana Plavsic, who became Karadzic’s successor as premier of the rebel Bosnian Serb parastate, insisted that ‘it was genetically damaged Serb material which passed over to Islam’, [33] giving pseudo-scientific support for a thesis deeply rooted in Serb religio-political mythology.
Although the Patriarch’s rancorous dislike of Islam played a major role in guiding the national spirit during the war, he was outspoken in his denial of the war crimes which were increasingly being attributed to Orthodox militias. After Maggie O’Kane and other journalists had flashed around the world pictures of the detention camps in which thousands of Bosnian Muslims, Croats and Gypsies were being tortured and executed, the Episcopal Synod in Belgrade issued the following statement:
In the name of God’s truth, and on the testimony from our brother bishops from Bosnia-Herzegovina and from other trustworthy witnesses, we declare, taking full moral responsibility, that such camps neither have existed nor exist in the Serbian Republic of Bosnia – Herzegovina . [34]
In the eyes of the Church, the pictures on the West’s TV screens, and the testimonies collected by Helsinki Watch, the US State Department, the Red Cross, EU observers, and others, were simply falsified. The ‘Semi-Arabs’ had deceived the world.
Again, when a new peace plan was on the table, the Church showed itself more radical even than Milosevic. Pavle, Amfilohije and others insisted that the Belgrade strongman was scandalously weak in upholding the Serbian right to territory. Bishop Atanasije of Herzegovina ‘urged Serbs, as he said, ‘not to capitulate to the world as Milosevic has. The vultures from the West will not get our signature.’ [35]
Overall, as Norman Cigar recalls:
The Serbian Orthodox Church, both in Serbia and in Bosnia-Herzegovina, continued to provide its legitimacy to the Bosnian Serb authorities’ ethnic policies. It backed the most uncompromising options formulated in Bosnia , which had as their goal to create a Greater Serbia, and did not envisage the continued presence of the Muslims. […] The Church continued to lend its mantle of respectability to even the most extreme nationalist elements. [36]
Examples of this could be multiplied; but the general picture is, I hope, clear. In due course I will try to unpack the reasons for the Orthodox Church’s support for the far right. Before doing so, however, I should mention the rather more complex relationship of nationalism to the Catholic hierarchy in Bosnia .
Croat nationalism has its immediate roots in the widespread support in Croatia for the Axis powers during the Second World War. Ante Pavelic, the Croat president, had pleaded with Eichmann to allow Croatia to jump the queue for the ethnic cleansing of its Jewish population. As the Irish human rights investigator Hubert Butler, who worked in the Croat archives after the Second World War, recalls:
When I was in Zagreb I spent several days in the public library looking up the old files of the newspapers that were issued in the occupation period, particularly the Church papers. I wanted to see what resistance, if any, was made by organized Christianity to the ruthless militarism of Pavelitch, the Croat national leader, and his German and Italian patrons; I am afraid the results were disheartening. […] I was wholly unprepared for the gush of hysterical adulation which was poured forth by almost all of the leading clergy upon Pavelitch, who was probably the vilest of all war criminals. He was their saviour against Bolshevism, their champion against the Eastern barbarian and heretic, the Serb; he was restorer of their nation and the Christian faith, a veritable hero of olden time. [37]
Franjo Tudjman, the Croat president throughout the 1992-5 war, made his own ethnic preoccupations quite clear in his book Wastelands of Historical Reality, published in 1990. In this book he suggests that ‘Jews are genocidal by nature’, and that their problems are of their own making. Had they heeded what he calls the ‘traffic signs’, the Holocaust would never have occurred. [38]
Tudjman’s main concern, however, as an unreconstructed ethnic nationalist, was with the Muslim presence in Bosnia , which he spoke of in terms of ‘contamination by the Orient.’ Claiming to be acting at the behest of Western powers, he asserted, ‘ Croatia accepts the task of Europeanising the Bosnian Muslims.’ On the ground this tended to involve rape, the demolition of mosques, forced baptism, and strategies indistinguishable from the radical Serb methods of conquest. Particularly recurrent was the Croat policy of constructing ‘blood shrines’, which took the form of Christian shrines or crucifixes constructed on the site of demolished mosques.[39] The justification was the creation of a Catholic cordon sanitaire against Islam. His defence minister, Gojko Susak, fantasised to an Israeli audience about ‘110,000 Bosnian Muslims studying in Cairo’, in order to create ‘a fundamentalist state in the heart of Europe.’ [40]
In Croatia proper, and in Bosnia proper, the Catholic hierarchy was often able to condemn Croat policies. [41] Archbishop Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo , in particular, emerged as a man of considerable stature, consistently opposing the logic of ethnic partition. The main exception was in Herzegovina . Here the Franciscan clergy included a large number of ultra-nationalists. The city of Mostar , capital of Herzegovina , was partitioned between Muslims and Catholics. The European Union, which has appointed a mayor for the city, has been struggling to reunite the two halves. However a major opponent of reintegration is the provincial superior of the Franciscan order, Tomislav Pervan. [42] Bishop Ratko Peric is also a known opponent of mosque reconstruction and the right to return of Muslim refugees; [43] in 2004 he conspicuously refused to attend the ceremony of the reopening of Mostar’s famous bridge, destroyed in 1993 by Croat extremists. [44]
Church sympathy for Croat nationalist aims was highlighted in the world media when, in 2005, Carla del Ponte, the chief war crimes prosecutor in the Hague, insisted that the leading Croat war crimes suspect, General Ante Gotovina, was being sheltered in a Catholic monastery. ‘The Catholic Church is protecting him,’ she concluded, adding that ‘I have taken this up with the Vatican and the Vatican totally refuses to cooperate with us.’ [45] More generally, she complains that ‘the Church, on all sides, is adding legitimacy to visions of history which are twisted in accordance with nationalist biases’. [46]
Serbian nationalism, however, is a less familiar phenomenon, and we should try to account for what has been, on the face of it, the most striking alliance of men of religion with extreme xenophobic agendas seen in Europe since the collapse of Franco’s ‘National Catholicism’ in 1975. As it happens, ‘theo-democratic’ Serbia resembles Franco’s Spain in certain respects, most notably through idolising a Christian past. It is to be authoritarian, and traditionalist, but not Nazi. In many ways, its vision stands very close to that of Franco’s favourite theorist, José Maria Pemán:
The new state must be founded on all the principles of traditionalism to be genuinely national […] Our fascism, our juridic-Hegelian absolutism, must necessarily sustain itself, as form, in the substance of historic-Catholic tradition. Spanish fascism will be the religion of Religion. […] German and Italian fascism have invented nothing as far as we are concerned; Spain was fascist four centuries before them. It was one, great and free, and truly Spain , in the sixteenth century when state and nation were identified with the eternal Catholic idea, when Spain was the model nation and alma mater of Western Christian civilisation. [47]
German and Italian Fascism had defied the medieval legacy of their homelands by leapfrogging back to pagan times. Spain , however, would solve her identity crisis by remaining in organic continuity with the Christian past. And Christianity recognised the church-state marriage as divinely-willed and indissoluble. No doubt the verbal and practical resemblance between Serb ‘ethnic cleansing’ strategies, and the Inquisition’s ‘blood purity’ measures, has been more than coincidental, forming in fact a key method in what, in Joseph Pérez’s words, became ‘the eradication of Semitism’, a parallel destruction of ancient Jewish and Muslim populations in which Church and State worked hand-in-hand. [48]
Although there is, therefore, more than a whiff of Francoismo about Serb nationalism, the role of this Eastern and very obscurantist church has nonetheless been subtly distinct. Even more than Franco’s bishops, the bishops in Pale, Knin, Belgrade and Podgorica were heirs to a traditional of radical affirmation of the politicalstatus quo, an attitude whose roots lay ultimately in Byzantium . As one human rights expert sees it:
Orthodoxy, by negating the importance of ‘life on earth’, can and does sanction and legitimate whatever political regime holds the reins of power. This subordination in turn insures that the Orthodox Church will survive and retain power. Throughout history the Church has uncritically acquiesced in authoritarian and dictatorial regimes; it has no history of opposition to repression. And in modern times the merger of religion with nationality has reinforced further the Church’s defence of the status quo in the name of the ethnos and religion. [49]
It is easily forgotten, by Muslims as well as by Orthodox, that the Church has no natural affinity with rebellion. The Orthodox bishops had opposed the Greek revolt which, in 1821, produced an independent Greek state, and triggered a wave of violent insurrections throughout the Balkans. The Ecumenical Patriarch of the day, horrified by the violence, insisted that the Ottoman Caliphate was the proper instrument of God’s order on earth. The Church leaders, led by the Patriarch, formally excommunicated the rebels, and called for the return of independent Greece to the Ottoman fold. [50] It is not the case, then, that Orthodox believers can never be loyal citizens of a non-Orthodox state. Why, then, did the Bosnian bishops support the insurrection in 1992, and reject the results of the election? Presumably because their loyalties lay not locally, but with the hierarchy in Belgrade , and therefore with the map and ideology of ‘Greater Serbia’. One might speculate that had the Orthodox in Bosnia been granted autocephalous status during the Ottoman period, with the creation of a Bosnian patriarchate in Sarajevo , the consequent abolition of Belgrade ’s spiritual influence might have allowed Bosnian Orthodox believers to remain loyal to their elected government in 1992. But that was not to be.
In Serbia itself, the Church not only backed the nationalists, but was their major inspiration. To find the reasons for Pavle’s passionate support for Serb nationalism, it is helpful to delve into Serbian theology, and in particular into the ancient Christian idea of a dichotomy between Semitic Letter and Christian Spirit. [51] That this principle is still very much alive is is shown by the Church’s recent record of fierce anti-Semitism. In 2003, the Serbian bishops appointed as their 77th saint one of the 20th century’s most outspoken anti-Semites: Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic (1880-1956). Velimirovic had been famous for his anti-Muslim outbursts, but his anti-Jewish feeling seems to have been even more heartfelt:
All modern European principles have been made by the Jews, who nailed Christ to the cross: democracy, strikes, socialism, atheism, religious tolerance, pacifism, and universal revolution. These are the inventions of the Jews, or their father, the Devil. All this with the sole aim of humiliating Christ and placing on Christ’s throne their Jewish messiah, unaware to this day that he is Satan himself, who is their father and who has bridled them with his bridle and whips them with his whip […] It is surprising that the Europeans, who are a Christian people, have surrendered themselves completely to the Jews, and now think with a Jewish head, accept Jewish programmes, adopt Jewish hatred of Christ, take Jewish lies as truth, endorse Jewish principles as their own … [52] Pursuit of cleanliness has turned into a mania for cleanliness. Unfortunately, here too the Yid (Civutin) is involved … Plumbing, plumbing, plumbing! Baths, baths, baths! Cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness! And everyone tired out with washing and cleaning themselves externally. [53] The Jews, and their father the Devil, have succeeded, with their gradual poisoning of the spirit and heart of European humanity, in deflecting the latter from true faith and persuading it to worship the idol of culture … smoke, dust, mud, sludge … an imbecile nothing. [54]
The bishops’ choice of Velimirovic was no doubt informed by his central role in the development of Serbian religious nationalism. As an official report from the International Contact Group has concluded: ‘Much of the Church’s current thinking derives from the writings of two right-wing anti-Semitic clerics active during the Second World War: Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic, who received a civil decoration from Adolf Hitler, and Archimandrite Justin Popovic’. [55] ‘The Church, together with the VJ’s counter-intelligence service KOS , has been closely linked to the anti-Semitic ultra-right wing nationalist youth group Obraz.’ [56] Since the 1995 Dayton Peace Accord, denounced by the bishops for not giving Serbs enough territory in Bosnia , ‘the Serbian Orthodox Church has strengthened its position in society significantly’. As the ICG report adds: ‘The Church seems to be increasingly and openly tied to ultra-conservative and nationalist groups.’ As a direct result of this enhanced role of the Church, non-Christian minorities are suffering from intensifying repression and even a kind of enforced invisibility:
On the evening television news, one sees exactly how far the government goes to marginalize Serbia ’s minority populations. The Muslim majority city of Novi Pazar , the largest urban centre in the Sandzak region, with a population of over 100,000, is absent from the national map during the weather report. Rather, the map and announcers refer to ‘Ras’, a Serbian medieval settlement that once existed in the vicinity of Novi Pazar. [57]
In this emerging ‘theodemocracy’, [58] where the old Byzantine ideal of a symphonia between religion and state is a nationalist axiom, [59] Jews and Muslims, even if they have survived ethnic cleansing, will be truly invisible. Even non-Orthodox Christians are to be treated with derision. Western Church leaders on well-meaning visits to the Balkans are usually unaware, as they kiss Orthodox cheeks, that the leading Serbian theologian on ecumenism, Justin Popovic, regards them as absurd heretics:
Ecumenism is the common name for pseudo-Christianities, for Western Europe ’s pseudochurches. All European humanism, headed by papism, are in it with all their heart. All these pseudo-Christianities, all these pseudo-churches are nothing but one heresy after another. […] There is no essential difference here between papism, Protestantism, ecumenism, and other sects, whose name is legion. [60]
Today, the ubiquitous presence of the Church suffocates Serb society. In the words of the Montenegrin dissident Mirko Djordjevic:
For the last ten years Serbia has been living in the black shadow of the Srebrenica crime, the most monstrous since the end of World War II. A great proportion of lay opinion and probably of believers too has been asking the Church to speak up. Then again, the SPC [Serbian Orthodox Church] was not actually silent: no one can say that bishops such as Filaret, Amfilohije and Atanasije have kept their own council. For these bishops, Mladic, Karadzic and Milosevic are great heroes and worthy Christian warriors. Their declarations have been riding roughshod over the human and religious rights of millions of citizens who do not think like them. In the current alliance of church and state, few have dared to challenge them. [61]
Again, in seeking to understand the force and spirit of Serbian religious Islamophobia it is helpful to see it as an analogue to anti-Semitism. [62] Anti-Semitism in Europe traditionally claimed at least some of its roots in the gospel account of Jews claiming responsibility for the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:25). [63] Islam, however, is not mentioned in the Bible, and did not figure as a hostile Other in the early formation of Christian identity and theology. It is hence not immediately clear how Islamophobia could be more than a general attitude of rejection of a post-Christian and therefore false claim to prophecy.
Despite this, in Serbia – but not, as far as I am aware, in other Orthodox regions – a mythology emerged which portrayed Muslims as ‘Christ-killers’, and hence as authentic analogues to Jews.
To understand this odd transposition we need to be aware of the great, resonant event in Serbian history, which was the defeat of the Serbian King Lazar by theOttoman Empire in 1389: the battle of Kosovo. According to the Serb chroniclers, an Ottoman sympathizer in the Serbian army, Vuk Brankovic, betrays his king’s battle plans to the Ottomans, and Serbia is defeated in an apocalyptic battle in the course of which Lazar, and also the Ottoman sultan, both die. Thus are ushered in five centuries of Ottoman ascendency in Serbia .
This mythology ignores the actual record of frequent Serbian alliances with the Ottomans against the Byzantines. [64] Even the Serbian revolt of 1802, characterised by modern nationalists as anti-Ottoman, was in fact ‘not against the Sultan, but against the janissaries who were themselves defying the Porte.’ [65]Overwhelmingly, the Serb people and clergy were loyal to their Ottoman rulers, who allowed them extensive rights and privileges, and the church played a vital role in securing this. It was only in the mid-19th century that the Lazar legend, which survived in primitive folk-tales, was mobilised by nationalist ideologues as the basis for a furiously xenophobic national myth.
In this metaphor, King Lazar becomes a kind of reincarnation of Jesus, who is betrayed by the Serbian Judas (Brankovic), and is killed by the Muslims, who thus resemble the Jews. Just as Christ will only return again on earth as a vengeful judge when the Jews have been made to suffer sufficiently for their treachery, so also the punishment of Muslims will atone mysteriously for the death of Lazar, ushering in a Serb millennium. Hence the recurrent popularity of paintings of Lazar’s ‘last supper’, surrounded by his entourage, including the scheming traitor Brankovic, whose face already seems as Muslim as the face of Judas was, in traditional Christian painting, Jewish. The nose is hooked, the skin brown, the eyes glint with a scheming avariciousness.
In this mythic version of Serbia ’s past, the Balkan Muslims become essential symbols of treachery. Like Brankovic, they betrayed Christ; they are hence the devil’s seed, whose only just fate must be humiliation or death. They converted to Islam, thus being treasonable to God Incarnate, only out of cowardice and greed. They were a pollutant of the Serbian nation, which is perceived as inherently, irreducibly Christian. [66]
This poisonous 19th-century mythmaking was not, as is sometimes thought, a simple evolution of older Serbian epic tradition. During most of the Ottoman centuries, Serbs had lived peacefully and loyally under Ottoman caliphal rule, conscious, no doubt, that the Ottomans were an effective guard against the crusading warriors of Western Catholicism. (In fact, the Serbian people’s survival as a religious community would have been unlikely but for the Ottoman protective umbrella.) Instead, the authors of this mythology, many of whom were the agents of Russian imperial designs on the Ottoman lands, borrowed from German Romanticism, in particular from mischief-makers such as Herder, who were seeking to create a unifying national myth out of carefully selected folk songs and epics. But if Serbian nationalism is, historically speaking, not very Serbian, the anti-Muslim core, the sublimating anti-Semitism, was nothing new. The poem which is generally recognised as the national epic of Serbdom, and which stands at the beginning of the romantic creation of ‘Serb identity’, draws on ancient, violently Islamophobic sentiments. This poem is the Mountain-Wreath by Bishop Njegos of Montenegro , who died in 1851. It is a chanson de geste, which celebrates another bishop, Danilo, who in the early 18th century eliminated Islam from Montenegro – the so-called Christmas Eve Massacre. [67]
The Mountain Wreath is interesting in several ways. Not least is the way in which the bishop portrays the Muslims, who plead for coexistence. One of them, for instance, says:
Small enough is this our land,
Yet two faiths there still may be
As in one bowl soups may agree
Let us still as brothers live.
Repeatedly the Muslims are shown as advocates of coexistence; but in the poem, this is simply a satanic temptation, the smile of Judas, which the bishop finally overcomes.
So he replies: ‘Our land is foul; it reeks of this false religion’. And, following his command:
No single seeing eye, no Muslim tongue,
escaped to tell his tale another day.
We put them all unto the sword
All those who would not be baptised.
But who paid homage to the Holy Child,
were all baptised with sign of Christian cross.
And as brother each was hail’d and greeted.
We put to fire the Muslim houses,
That there might be no stick nor trace
Of these true servants of the devil!
When news of the massacre reaches the Serbian leaders, one of the abbots starts weeping. Shocked by the idea that he might be expressing sorrow for the victims, he is reproached, but he replies, of course, that he is weeping for joy. The poem ends with a joyful recital by the Serb warriors returning from the massacre, and observes that they have no need to go to confession before taking communion. [68]
Njegos is the Serbian Shakespeare; his poem was required reading in all schools in prewar Yugoslavia . Even the reformist maverick Milovan Djilas praised this ‘poet of massacres.’ One of his most committed readers has been Radovan Karadzic himself, who although not a priest, loves to wear crosses, and strongly identifies himself with the heroic bishop of the story. His favourite self-image is that of itinerant bard, fiddling at a gusle – a traditional Bosnian instrument – and singing with his soldiers. These sessions, as regularly broadcast on Republika Srpska TV during the war, begin with the passing round of an alcoholic drink, and all the soldiers make the sign of the cross before beginning with the words:
Serb brothers, wherever you are,
with the help of Almighty God,
For the sake of the Cross and the Christian faith,
I call you to join the battle of Kosovo. [69]
Karadzic’s favourite folk song, he tells us, is called ‘The Last Supper’, which as he says: ‘has something to do with Jesus Christ, symbolising Serbian faith after that lost battle.’ [70] Karadzic, is, after all, the descendent of the same Vuk Karadzic who collected the Mountain Wreath and other poems and fashioned them into the matter of Serb romantic nationalism.
Karadzic, and the religious nationalism he represents, can be seen as a product of local Balkan particularities. His ‘christoslavism’, with its concomitant idea that Muslims are Christ-killers and betrayers of Orthodoxy who are thereby expelled from the category of normal humanity, differs substantially from Greek, Romanian, or Russian images of Muslims (although these are not usually more sympathetic). In fact, a characteristic feature of Serbian Orthodox nationalism is a paradoxical portrayal of Muslims as hospitable and eirenic, as we saw in the Mountain Wreath. But this is no more than the devil’s subterfuge, and the true Orthodox warrior must not be tempted by it to show mercy. Velimirovic, the recently-sainted theologian, is quite clear: ‘they are evil, and the evil has to be crushed until it is eradicated. In a row of dried-up heads, Njegos did not see human heads but only the heads of the enemies of justice. These rows of heads served as trophies of avenged justice.’ [71]
Where local Orthodox reflections on Islam do connect with a much wider Christian discourse is in the way they criticise Islam as a religion of the Letter, which contrasts unfavourably with Christian ‘freedom’ in the Spirit. This is perhaps the most fundamental theme of all. Vuk Draskovic, Nikola Koljevic, Justin Popovic and others have advanced this dialectic as evidence of the radical unworthiness of Muslim believers, but here the Serb theologians are broadly in line with wider Christian reflection. Even in the UK, Kenneth Cragg, the former Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, has made this contrast – ‘nomocentric’ versus ‘pneumocentric’ – the foundation of his critique of Islam, which he endlessly, and one must say, tediously repeats. There are other examples too; in fact, the theme is widespread among Christian theorists. [72]
Take Hans Küng, for instance, the German Catholic theologian and advocate of the celebrated Global Ethic. No doubt he is unaware of the use of the theme of ‘degrading legalism’ and ‘ritual cleanliness’ by Serbian religious nationalists. But he writes: ‘By contrast with Muhammad, the decisive thing that interested Jesus was quite different from, say, the rules for ritual purity or the prohibition of wine’. [73] Not many Muslims would recognise such a portrayal of their religion; after all, such matters occupy less than a tenth of the Koranic text, most of which is about God, the judgement, and sacred history. But Küng is serenely confident that this characterisation is valid.
Even stranger is his praise for the judgement of Dürrenmatt that ‘Muhammad, of course, has nothing in common with Jesus […] but Muhammad can well be compared to Paul and Karl Marx’. [74] And on the Protestant side, shared with Cragg, there is the judgement of Paul Tillich that ‘The question is whether the manifestation of the divine in the juristic realm is its ultimate manifestation’ [75] – an interrogation which Tillich is framing against Islam.
Such characterisations of Islam as fixated on ‘Law’ and resistant to the ‘Spirit’ are simply unrecognisable to Muslims, who typically point to the rich mystical literature of the religion as a sufficient refutation. [76] But what is more worrying is the way in which this argument seems to regard Islam as a relapse into ‘Judaic’, or what is sometimes euphemistically called ‘Pharisaic’ formalism. Writers such as Küng and Tillich denounce anti-Semitism, but their treatment of Islam suggests that its underlying assumptions remain present in their minds. The ‘letter versus spirit’ dialectic which they regard as discredited in Christian discourse on Judaism, and indeed morally repugnant in view of what they recognise as its historic entailments, remains alive and well in the way they treat Islam.
The covertly anti-Semitic image of Islam, and the ‘Orient’, as stagnant and rulebound, accounts, I believe, for much of the virulence of traditional European dismissals of Muslims. Perhaps one example of its wide currency may be found in Hitler’s major Nuremberg speech in 1937, where he compared the historic struggle between Nazism and Bolshevism to the struggle between Christianity and Islam. [77] I take it that what he meant, and what he knew his hearers would understand, was that Nazism was ‘free in the spirit’, a triumph of human individuality and will; while Bolshevism was Oriental, ‘Jewish’, stagnant, and imprisoned by forms.
European Islamophobia, as a cadet branch of anti-Semitism, could thus form an ingredient, perversely enough, in Nazism. But more generally still, it contributed to various forms of Muslim suffering in the Second World War which, because they have still not found their novelists or poets, and do not form part of our general perception of the conflict, deserve to be mentioned here.
Nazi Germany captured almost three million Soviet prisoners of war, and two-thirds of these died, mainly of starvation and exposure. And of these, of course, very many were Muslims. The officer corps in the Red Army was overwhelmingly Russian; but the rank and file, particularly those units regarded as the most disposable – mortuary squads and the like – were recruited from throughout the Soviet empire. German propaganda photographs of ‘Oriental types’ among prisoners remind us that many were villagers from traditionally very religious regions such as Kazakhstan, Tatarstan, and the Caucasus, thrown into a European conflict which must have bewildered them.
The first nine hundred people to be gassed at Auschwitz were Soviet prisoners of war. [78] Some of them, presumably, were Muslims. Indeed, the final-point of the Semitic tragedy at Auschwitz was the truly passive, fatalistic prisoner, who although usually Jewish was known in camp jargon as the Muselmann. The pathetic state of such a Semite was the absolute antithesis of the ‘Triumph of the Will’. [79] Forty years later, the world again saw the Muselmänner looking out of the camp wire. Blond-headed, yet still the ultimate Semite, the Muselmann, dehumanised, caged and beaten by the priests of Paul’s God, indeed appears as Europe’s total antithesis, an impurity crying out to be ‘cleansed’.
Traditional European disregard for Muslims, which, as I have suggested, is metabolically related to anti-Semitism, is to a greater or lesser extent endemic on this continent whose only prophet (Paul the Hellene; this is Pope Benedict’s assurance) is the deadly enemy of ‘Law’. The apocalyptic struggle against Semitism was so strong that it could pass underground and take on secular forms, as with Hitler and his epigones. It also informed the Soviet authorities themselves as they dealt with their stubbornly religious Muslim populations. Bohdan Nahalyo and Victor Swoboda, in their book Soviet Disunion, describe in harrowing and unmistakeably Shoah-like detail the mass executions and deportations of Muslim communities. The Chechens were deported to Siberia , losing a quarter of their population en route. And in the case of the Crimean Tatars:
the almost a quarter-of-a-million-strong population was awoken in the early hours by armed Security Police units and within hours all of them, including women, children and old people, were herded into goods wagons or dropped into railway oil tankers. The murderous rail journey to Central Asia and the punitive regime imposed on the deportees in the places of exile took an enormous toll. Crimean Tatar estimates place total losses as high as 46 percent of their number. [80]
As Nahalyo and Swoboda, point out, ‘relative to the size of their population, the Kazakh holocaust exceeded that of any other nation in the Soviet Union at the time’.[81] Almost half of the Kazakh Muslim population died under Stalin alone; and subsequently thousands more died as a result of the hundreds of nuclear tests carried out in Kazakhstan , far from ‘white’ populations, by the Soviet authorities. It is shocking, though hardly surprising, that Western Europe has yet to institute a Kazakh Holocaust Memorial Day. The Ultimate Semite is still despised, misrepresented, theologically excluded.
Under Communism the religious dimension of Islamophobia could only be indirect, a secularised relic translated from a Christian past; but with Communism’s collapse it is breaking surface again, and the growing nationalist chauvinism of modern Russia has Muslims in its sights.
All these comments may seem to have taken us a long way from Bosnia ; but I hope the connection is apparent. Many Muslims, like many Jews, do not share the idealised but standard European view and experience of their continent. Europe has been fundamentally flawed. In the 1940s, Jewish communities were systematically extirpated; in the 1990s the continent’s largest indigenous Muslim populations suffered what – writ small, to be sure – resembled a broadly analogous fate. [82] This fact has been noted by Jewish commentators in particular, perhaps because the relationship between Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, while uncomfortable, is so clear. Here, for instance, are the words of the Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, framed at the height of the Bosnian war:
In 1993 we are faced with a question that demands an answer for the sake of humanity itself. Does nothing change? Have the millions of pages written on bias and prejudice since the second world war proved powerless to prevent their recurrence? Can we stand a bare half century after the Holocaust in a Europe that has replaced the word Judenrein with the equally repellant phrase “ethnic cleansing”, and not ask the question: “Were we wrong to say ‘Never again’?” History is not a film endlessly repeating itself. The ending has not been written. The Bible says: “Behold I set before you today the blessing and the curse, life and death. Therefore choose life.” History is made by our choices. And nothing that has happened in the past forces us to let it happen again. There are too many parallels between the mood of Europe now and the mood 100 years ago; and we have too much knowledge to ignore the line that leads from hatred to holocaust. [83]
Sacks is clearly implying that European Muslims stand in the position once occupied by Jews. The lawbound Semite is the eternal Other, against whom Europe must forever defend itself, by inoculation or, where necessary, cauterisation. In the same year, Jean Baudrillard characterised the European mood, apparently new and but also as old as ‘ Europe ’ itself, in the following terms:
The miraculous end will be at hand only when the exterminations come to an end, and when the borders of ‘white’ Europe have been drawn. It is as if all European nationalities and policies had acted in concert to take out a contract for murder with the Serbs, who have become the agents of the West’s dirty jobs – just as the West had taken out a contract with Saddam Hussein against Iran … Modern Europe will rise from the eradication of Muslims and Arabs – unless they survive as immigrant slaves. [84]
The prophecies of Baudrillard and Sacks need not come true, but Muslims should be paying close attention. For as long as the Letter-Spirit dichotomy endures in European minds, the commandment of yezkor, Remembrance, will stand. Today it is not only Serbian believers who condemn ‘the madmen infected with the Asiatic plague, who hold a knife at our backs.’ [85] Hardline religious nationalism is on the rise throughout the Orthodox world, is politically empowered in the United States , and is gaining ground even in the apparently secular societies of the European Union. Today, Muslims are endlessly instructed to integrate into ‘European values’. How can this be, however, when Europe, the ‘ Dark Continent ’ of Mark Mazower’s grim account, [86] clings to its shadow side, populated by ghosts of its violent religious past? How can it be if, as the Pope insisted at Regensburg , Christianity, and hence the apocalyptic contest with ‘Semitic legalism’, is Europe ’s true faith? Perhaps, instead of surrendering to demands for ‘assimilation’, Muslims on this troubled continent should take on the role of exorcists, seeking to cast out the continent’s myriad unclean spirits. That would be, presumably, the more religious response.
FOOTNOTES
[1] For an excellent, if chilling, account of the massacre see Sylvie Matton, Srebrenica: un genocide annoncé ( Paris : Flammarion, 2005). Thanks to the intensifying anti-Muslim atmosphere in Holland, in 2006 it was possible for the Dutch government, massively applauded by neo-Nazi elements, to award medals to the battalion which had failed to protect the Srebrenica ‘safe area’ (www.guardian.co.uk/yugo/article/0,,1964964,00.html). For more on the deep background of Dutch Fascism, and in particular on Dutch willingness to collaborate with Nazi ethnic cleansing during the 1940s, see Geert Mak, In Europe (London: HarvillSecker, 2007).
[2] Roy Gutman, A Witness to Genocide: the first inside account of the horrors of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Bosnia (Shaftesbury: Element, 1993), 78.
[3] Norman Cigar, Genocide in Bosnia : the policy of ‘ethnic cleansing’ (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1995), 59.
[5] Mirko Djordjevic, ‘Scorpions dressed as priests’, Bosnia Report ( London ) 49-50 (December 2005-March 2006), 36.
[6] Agence France-Press, July 3, 2003. During the war Filaret, appointed Bishop of Milesevo by Pavle, was a close associate of the extremist warlord Vojislav Seselj, and an unwavering supporter of Slobodan Milosevic.
[8] Branislav Radulovic, spokesman of the Social Democratic Party of Montenegro (www.rferl.org/reports/southslavic/2005/09/26-080905.asp).
[9] Michael Sells, The Bridge Betrayed: Religion and genocide in Bosnia (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996), 15.
[10] One distinguished exception has been the British Muslim legal expert Saba Risaluddin; see Nermin Mulalic and Saba Risaluddin, From Daytonland to Bosnia Rediviva (London: Bosnian Institute, 2000); Saba Risaluddin, Case of the Zvornik Seven: ethnic cleansing of the legal system in Bosnia-Herzegovina (London: Bosnian Institute, ca. 1998).
[11] Quakers are often sympathetic to Muslims, partly because in their quest to follow the historical Jesus they typically reject the Trinity and the sacraments.
[14] One example from my own reminiscences: in 1995 at the Saraj refugee camp in Macedonia , which held ethnic cleansing survivors from the Drina Valley region, one woman told me that her small children had been killed by being pushed down onto bayonets held by Serb soldiers. The soldiers, pulling down the trousers of the last of her children, a boy, saw that he was uncircumcised. Telling him that he would be a good Serb, they let him live.
[15] Mitja Velikonja, Religious Separation and Political Intolerance in Bosnia-Herzegovina ( College Station : Texas A&M Press, 2003), 268.
[16] Cited in Sells, 85; Velikonja, 265. Perhaps in divine retribution, several of the bishops who signed this decree have been humiliated in spectactular fashion; seewww.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1418094,00.html .
[18] Adrian Hastings, The Shaping of Prophecy: Passion, Perception and Practicality (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1995).
[19] Reprinted in Hastings , 149.
[21] See his Sarajevo , mon amour: entretiens avec Florence La Bruyere ( Paris : Buchet Chastel, 2004).
[24] For the possible reconstruction of this mosque, and the ongoing obstructiveness of the Serbian authorities, see www.aneks8komisija.com.ba/main.php?mod=vijesti&extra=1075460574&id_vijesti=254&lang=4&&&action=getExternal&id=253; see also www.aneks8komisija.com.ba/main.php?mod=vijesti&extra=1075460534&action=view&id_vijesti=307&lang=4 .
[25] Cited in Sells, 80.
[26] Cited in Velikonja, 267.
[27] For Draskovic, see Mirko Kovac, ‘Vuk Draskovic: another hero of our time’, Bosnia Report 51-52 (April-July 2006), 44: ‘He describes himself as a very devout man. Former Communists are fond of stressing their religious feelings, which the ideology to which they once belonged had denied to them; and it is precisely they who have increasingly imposed the Church and the clergy as new authorities.’
[28] Cigar, 31. For more on the common image of Islam as an ‘Asiatic plague’ see Cigar, 185.
[30] This is the indicted war criminal known as Arkan. For the connection see Velikonja, 265.
[33] Cited in Velikonja, 248.
[37] Hubert Butler, In the Land of Nod (Dublin: Lilliput, 1996), 106-7.
[40] Cigar, 124; Sells, 119. For a detailed account of Israeli popular support for Serbia during the genocide, see Daniel Kofman, ‘ Israel and the War in Bosnia ’, in Thomas Cushman and Stjepan G. Mestrovic (eds.), This Time We Knew: Western responses to the genocide in Bosnia (New York and London: New York University Press, 1996), 90-127. Quoting the Ma’ariveditor and columnist Yosef Lapid, who wrote ‘We must support the Serbs no matter what they do,’ he adds: ‘His views have not been at all unrepresentative of the rest of the Israeli political spectrum’ (p.102). ‘The Jerusalem Post actually distinguished itself throughout the war by running what could only be called straight Belgrade propaganda repeatedly in its op-ed pages, while disallowing responses’ (p. 108).
[41] This may change with the growing influence of the Church on public life: see Vjekoslow Perica, ‘The Most Catholic Country in Europe ? Church, State and Society in ContemporaryCroatia ’, Religion, State and Society 34/iv (Dec 2006), 311-46.
[43] See Ivo Banac, ‘Games beneath Stolac’, available at www.haverford.edu/relg/sells/stolac/Stolacgames.pdf
[47] Cited in Raymond Carr, The Spanish Tragedy: the civil war in perspective (London: Weidenfeld, 1977), 209-10.
[48] Joseph Pérez, The Spanish Inquisition: a history ( London : Profile Books, 2004); see chapter on ‘The Eradication of Semitism,’ pp.26-57 for the Church’s policy towards Muslims and Jews; for ‘blood purity’ see pp. 55-7.
[49] Adamantia Pollis, ‘Eastern Orthodoxy and Human Rights,’ Human Rights Quarterly 15/ii (May 1993), p.351.
[50] Charles A. Frazee, The Orthodox Church and Independent Greece 1821-1852 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1969), 28; cf. Pollis, 347n.
[51] Developed first by Paul in Galatians and Romans; see E.P. Sanders, Paul (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991), 84-100.
[52] Cited by Slobodan Kostic in Vreme ( Belgrade ), 29 May 2003, translated in Bosnia Report 32-4 (December 2002-July 2003), p.43.
[55] ‘Serbia After Djindjic’, ICG Balkans Report No.141, 18 March 2003, cited in Bosnia Report, loc. cit. For the Church’s collaboration with the Germans during the Second World War, see Sabrina P. Ramet, Balkan Babel : The Disintegration of Yugoslavia from the death of Tito to the War for Kosovo (Boulder: Westview Press, 1999), 253-4.
[58] For modern Serbian theories of ‘theodemocracy’, see Anzulovic, 125.
[59] For the strength of this symphonia in present-day Serbia , see Mirko Djordjevic, ‘Shadow of the “Third Rome”’, Bosnia Report 51-2 (April-July 2006), 55: ‘In contemporary Serbia we are exposed to daily political tirades that actually use the anachronistic term ‘symphonia’.
[60] Cited in Anzulovic, 126. As Anzulovic reminds us, Popovic ‘is, besides Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic, the most important twentieth-century Serbian Orthodox theologian. He was the teacher of the aggressively nationalist bishops who are presently playing the dominant role in the Serbian Orthodox Church, and his book on ecumenism is the only major Serbian work on the subject.’ Metropolitan Amfilohije, the senior churchman in Montenegro, is an ardent disciple; seeEulogy in Memory of the Blessed Fr. Justin. A certain naiveté shapes Western Christian views of this church: see John Binns, An Introduction to the Christian Orthodox Churches (Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2002), 198-9, where the crimes of the Church leadership are passed over in silence, presumably in the interests of ‘fellowship in Christ’.
[61] Mirko Djordjevic, ‘Scorpions dressed as priests’, p.36.
[63] Matthew, 27:25. See Luke T. Johnson, ‘The New Testament’s Anti-Jewish Slander and the Conventions of Ancient Polemic’, Journal of Biblical Literature, 108, 3 (1989), 419-41; William Nichols, Christian Antisemitism: A History of Hate (Northvale: Jason Aronson, 1993).
[64] One of the most notable was the support offered by the Serbian ruler Stefan Lazarevic to Bayezid I, who in 1396 was in danger of defeat by the Hungarians. (Colin Imber, The Ottoman Empire 1300-1481 [Istanbul: Isis, 1990], p.46.)
[65] Barbara Jelavic, History of the Balkans: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983), p. 197.
[67] Sells, 41. Some sources estimate the number of casualties at over a hundred thousand.
[72] For the genetic relationship between Christian anti-Semitism and Islamophobia see Achim Rohde, ‘Der Innere Orient. Orientalismus, Antisemitismus und Geschlecht im Deutschland dem 18. bis 20. Jahrhunderts,’ Welt des Islams 45/iii (2005), 344-70.
[73] Hans Küng, Christianity and World Religions (New York: Doubleday, 1986), p.92.
[74] Hans Küng, p.93. The reality, of course, is that Jesus, upon him be peace, was faithful to the Law, while Paul allowed its violation for the sake of ‘gospel freedom’, thus inaugurating the lethal ‘Semitic legalism’ theme.
[75] Paul Tillich, Writings on Religion/Religiöse Schriften, ed. Robert D. Scharlemann (Berlin and New York: De Gruyter, 1988), p.262.
[76] Louis Massignon, that scholar-visionary, used this argument as part of his own dismissal of the deadly charge of ‘Semitic legalism’; but not every Christian has read Massignon.
[77] Alan Bullock, Hitler, a Study in Tyranny (revised issue Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1990), 365.
[78] Robert Jan van Pelt and Debórah Dwork, Auschwitz , 1270 to the present (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996), 292, 293.
[79] Those who deny the existence of a Semitic convergence, such as Primo Levi, have desperately tried to deny the identity of the Muselman as the ‘ultimate’ Semite; see the interview with Gil Anidjar at www.asiasource.org/news/special_reports/anidjar4.cfm .
[80] Bohdan Nahaylo and Victor Swoboda, Soviet Disunion: A History of the Nationalities Problem in the USSR (New York: Free Press, 1990), 96.
[81] Nahaylo and Swoboda, 68.
[82] A major dissimilarity is that while the Nazi death camps were apparently not known in the West in the early years of their operation, the function of the Serb camps of Omarska, Trnopolje, Keraterm and others was identified very early; this fact did not, however, result in action, any more than did the palpable vulnerability of the Serb militias when compared to the legions of the Wehrmacht. See Hastings : ‘ Bosnia has exposed the moral and ideological bankruptcy of Western society more devastatingly than anything this century, even Nazism. The evils are comparable. Yet, while we know far more about what is going on, we have done far less.’ ( Hastings , 148). Consider also the disturbing title of the Cushman and Mestrovic collection: This Time We Knew: Western responses to the genocide in Bosnia .
[83] The Guardian, 30 April 1993.
[84] Jean Baudrillard, ‘No Pity for Sarajevo ’, in Cushman and Mestrovic, 83.
[85] Gojko Djogo, president of the Union of Bosnia-Herzegovina Serbs in Serbia , quoted in Cigar, 185. |
Image caption Salmonella infection causes diarrhoea, cramps and sometimes fever and vomiting
Scores of people in the Netherlands and the US have caught salmonella after eating Dutch smoked salmon, say Dutch health authorities.
About 200 people have fallen ill in the Netherlands along with about 100 people in the US, said the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM).
An RIVM official told the BBC that this could be the "tip of the iceberg".
Smoked salmon made by the Dutch fish producer Foppen is being taken off the shelves.
Foppen supplies major supermarket chains including large retailer Albert Heijn, said the Dutch food safety authority, the NVWA.
"Some 200 people have fallen ill through contaminated salmon" in the Netherlands, said the RIVM, while about 100 people in the US are infected "by the same type of salmonella".
But this was "probably the tip of the iceberg", the institute's Hareld Wychgel told the BBC - "the real number of infected people is likely to be much higher".
Smoked salmon produced by Foppen has been taken off the shelves in the Netherlands, and an international recall targeting salmon sold in the US was being prepared.
In a statement on its website, Foppen offered its "sincere apologies for any inconvenience".
Infection normally causes diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and sometimes fever and vomiting, says the UK's Health Protection Agency.
The symptoms usually clear up in four to seven days, but in some cases treatment may be required for dehydration. |
Syma recently gave the ever-so-popular X5C an update in the form of the X8C. Generally, the quadcopter drone can be found for over $100, but I’ve managed to work out a deal exclusively for RC Drone Arena readers.
The Syma X8C can be had for just $72.99 shipped via reseller CooliCool. The X8C has a 2 mega-pixel camera, a 7.4v 2000mAh battery which takes around 3 hours to charge. Once done, the X8C returns about 7 minutes of flight time.
The X8C has the usual functions — flips, headless mode, and more, which should be fun if you’re just looking to take the X8C out for some leisure flights.
E P I C Camera Drones on sale!
Update: The exclusive has ended, but you can still buy the quadcopter from the following stores that are actually more trusted than the one posted earlier.
You can get the Syma X8C via Banggood, Gearbest, Tmart, and Geekbuying. |
Disclosure
Sometimes I wonder what kinds of shoes I owned as a kid. My mom had cowboy boots that I loved (and wore whenever possible) and a pair of clogs I happily borrowed when I was in about 6th grade. That’s about all I remember though. Around the acreage, I was almost always barefoot. Why not, right? My feet were used to being free. I could run or walk across our country driveway or the gravel drive that separated our home from our cousins next door. Running across gravel was imperative to being able to flee from predators when playing tag, Bloody Murder or Kick the Can. It was a different time, a different location. We didn’t have to worry about broken glass or nails or anything like that. Just the occasional thistle.
Those were the good ol’ days. Maybe it’s because I’m older and not running about the yard, but it is seldom that I am barefoot. So I might as well find shoes (or really cute boots) to outfit my feet.
Once again, Lugz comes through with some variety for my shoe rack. Although most of the Lugz footwear we featured have fallen into the category of boots, they do offer other options including comfortable sneakers. I spent the fall, winter and spring wearing my favorite pair of boots but this past week, I finally felt confident packing away the winter jacks, snow pants and heavy gear. My snow boots were part of that project, but my Lugz Sophia boots get to stay in my closet for days/nights when sandals won’t work. Of course, I need something in the middle of those two. I wear Saucony and Asics that are dedicated for fitness activities along with a few pair of older shoes that have seen better days. None of those fall into the cute nor fashionable category. Lugz came through with something that I think fits both of those: ZROCS, a comfortable, sporty, casual Oxford sneaker.
There were a few different colors to choose from but I opted for white with raspberry accents. Currently on the website they only have Mulberry and Blue accents. Most of my adult life, I’ve worn professional (read: dark) colors and I’m finally at a point that I want to break that cycle. That’s one of the reasons I opted for pink boots. They’re festive and brighten a mood. These raspberry (pink) shoes are much more subtle but still convey that playful feel.
Plus, they are comfortable. But I haven’t met a pair of Lugz footwear that isn’t. While most of the time I’m wearing sandals now, it’s nice to have a non-sandal option besides my running shoes. Simple. Classic. Comfortable. Lugz hasn’t let me down.
Scott picked up a new pair for himself as well. He has more variety in his closet than I do, opting for a better selection of colors and styles. He decided on a pair of Lugz Court Classic shoes. This low-top canvas sneaker compliments a pair of golf or khaki shorts and dresses them up in a way that sandals cannot. Are they comfortable? Of course. Scott hasn’t met a pair of Lugz that aren’t either.
While I’m very conservative with where I choose to wear new shoes, Scott has felt confident wearing his new Lugz to places like Walt Disney World and a weekend trip to Chicago. We are so happy with their products that we’re thrilled to be able to offer a pair to one of you! Enter using the giveaway widget and remember to come back daily for additional chances to win!
What type of Lugz footwear is your favorite?
Lugz – ZROCS Canvas Sneakers |
Public demand for gas masks, rehabbed bomb shelters and other protective measures has risen dramatically as Israelis have become increasingly jittery over a possible Israeli strike on Iran and the ensuing potential retaliation.
Amid numerous speculative reports about the far-reaching implications of such a strike, Israelis are preparing for possible violence by renovating their personal bomb shelters and flocking to pick up gas masks.
Ethan Arkbi, in charge of the distribution of gas masks, told Channel 10 on Tuesday that there had been a “100% increase in the distribution of gas masks,” but that there are only enough gas masks in warehouses for about 60% of the population.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
Building engineers are also reporting that they are unable to cope with the influx of requests for building and bomb shelter inspections.
The Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command said a quarter to a third of regional authorities are not prepared to deal with an emergency. Home Front Command sources estimate that the Gush Dan area is better prepared than outlying authorities.
According to the Home Front Command, only 53 percent of the population has gas masks and only 30% of households have a reinforced safety room. A quarter of the population does not have a bomb shelter in their building or even close by.
The inclusion of a reinforced safe room to provide protection against missile and bomb attacks has been a requirement in all new residential buildings since the 1990s. This replaced the former arrangement of installing bomb shelters beneath buildings or in communal locations. |
Should Tottenham buy low on Southampton's Jay Rodriguez.
Southampton's Jay Rodriguez
Southampton's Jay Rodriguez was not so long ago regarded as England's next breakthrough striker, having made great strides at the Saints.
His 2013/14 form which saw him net 15 Premier League goals earned a call up for the Three Lions, before injury derailed his career.
Picture Supplied by Action Images
The man partly responsible for his success was Saints manager at the time Mauricio Pochettino, who was subsequently linked with signing him, by The Mirror, at a whopping price tag of £20 million.
That was back in October 2014, and Rodriguez remains at Southampton, and is in need of refreshing his career.
The Mirror reported this week he is available, with Hull City and West Bromwich Albion keen on a loan deal, with the striker's transfer value dropping rapidly due to a lack of action.
Yet Rodriguez's best bet to get his career back on track would be a reunion with Pochettino at Spurs, where he could play a useful role.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
Tottenham have just two senior strikers, Harry Kane and Vincent Janssen, and based on Pochettino's desire to play them together up front, will need a third option off the bench.
A bit part role could suit Rodriguez, coming on late in games to try and change them coupled with the odd start, adding vital depth to Spurs' squad.
The opportunity to buy low could appeal to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, with Rodriguez possessing huge potential if he can rediscover his old form and fitness.
At a cut price deal it would be a gamble worth taking for Tottenham if they can pull off a move before the transfer deadline. |
YEREVAN, APRIL 10, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan has spoken on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the tragedy of Maraga. As “Armenpress” was informed from the press service of MFA Armenia, Shavarsh Kocharyan said, “This day symbolizes one of the darkest but not so well-known pages of Karabakh war when 25 years ago the Azerbaijani side grossly violated the international humanitarian law.
The OMON forces of Azerbaijan destroyed and burned down Maraga village of self-determined Republic of Artsakh on April 10, 1992, burned alive and cruelly tortured to death the civilian population taking some of them hostage, while the fate of some is still unknown.
The residents of the village that appeared under Azerbaijani control for a few hours lived through all the violence and barbarism that are really in line with all the criteria of crime against humanity.
Impunity of Maraga massacre fostered the creation of atmosphere of permissiveness and the continuation of carrying out new crimes. The barbaric measures taken by the Azerbaijani armed forces during the aggression against Artsakh last year are the undeniable evidences of that”. |
Newsfeed
27/12/15 - Please confirm your pledge in the pledge manager!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
25/12/15 - Last stretch goal has been unlocked. Many thanks for your support!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
23/12/15 - Unofficial Kings of War list for the Halfmen is now available.
Matt Gilbert was so kind as to write a short list for our Halfmen in KoW.
Download the Doc here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
23/12/15 - Image update in the add-on and stretch goal lists.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
22/12/15 - New Gobbos and 25K stretchgoal
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Please check the updates for more images and older news.
The Halfmen Army
This project began with me wanting a few miniatures for a fantasy skirmish warband; but it quickly escalated into what you now see here, a full army of Halflings. Ones that have scars and know how to ransack a city! I've always liked Fantasy that is influenced by history, so we have included true-to-form knightly armor and weaponry along with many different unit types that would be at home on the battlefields of High Medieval Europe. There are also some more fantastical miniatures such as the mage or the paymaster, to keep a balance between history and fantasy. Whatever you decide to use them for, these Halfmen are tough little butchers, used to winning their battles and grooming the realm's most stubborn goats. If you'd like to learn more about the Halfmen and how to organize a wargaming army of them, please download the Halfmen Gazette.
The Team
The miniatures are sculpted by Michael Anderson, and some of the stretch goals by Paul Hicks. Darall Ballam will cast the miniatures. The project, the sculptors, and the production are all located in the UK.
Pledge Guide
The campaign starts with a basic pledge level of £1. All the pledge levels will allow you to make a custom pledge and include items from the add-on list into your pledge. Additionally, you can also add unlocked items from the stretch goal list to your pledge. To assist with this, we have developed a PLEDGE MANAGER. In order to process your pledge you will need to select the appropriate postage level on the bottom of the Pledge Manager page before you submit your pledge. You can change your pledge anytime until the end of the campaign. The plan is to close the pledge manager when the Kickstarter campaign ends.
Scale and Comparison
The Halfmen miniatures are about 20mm foot to eye, the Ogres 45mm, and the Humans 30mm.
Comparison shot with other ranges.
Why Resin?
We are well aware that among resin miniatures producers, the quality of the resin varies. For this reason we have chosen to partner with DB Creative Moulds. Their work is clean, crisp and of a consistently high quality.
The resin we're using has some serious advantages:
Sturdy - behaves much like hard plastic
Workable - can be cut with a knife to make head and weapon swaps
Leighweight - helps to keep postage in check
Here's some feeback on the miniatures in this Kickstarter from those who recieved early production samples:
Mark aka Midaski / United Kingdom:"I was really impressed with the sample Halfmen infantry I received - Not a great fan of resin in the past, but these are really sharp and detailed and the flash and mould lines are virtually non-existent."
Tim aka Timbor / Canada: "Regarding the resin, I have been pretty impressed with the samples I got. The swords and such seem relatively rigid but flexible, and the detail is great. The figures have withstood some light handling by 4 and 2 year old boys, and nothing has broken off so far. Its not like the figures have been stomped on, but they may have been clashed against some other miniatures in a 'pew pew' fashion a few times."
Thomas aka Tomrommel / Germany: "I am very impressed by the Westfalia miniatures Halfmen. I particularly like the real Halfmen size in comparison with other 28mm ranges. The sculpting is exceptional and detail on the figures is very crisp. They paint up very easily (I was lucky to get some models in advance). For pictures of a painted sample have a look here: www.wargamesgazette.com . The figures are very highly recommended."
Thomas aka ZeroTwentythree / USA: "I've not had any problems with the resin. In fact, I've usually got mixed feelings on resin, but the sample figures were great & easy to work with. There was minimal flash, and it cleaned up quickly with a hobby knife. I washed the figures with soap & water and had no problems painting them."
Rules
In this section you find unofficial rules for :
Dan Mersey - Dragon Rampant
Don Matthies - Songs Of
Rufus - Christmashammer
Matt Gilbert - Kings of War
Stuart Cresswell - Mortheim
Please write a comment or send an e-mail to info@westfaliaminiatures.com if you have any questions regarding this Kickstarter or our miniatures.
Thank you!
The Westfalians |
Image caption Birmingham City Council will make £120m worth of savings in the next financial year.
Bosses at Birmingham City Council say £600m of savings must be made by 2017, £200m more than originally thought.
Cuts of £62m to the Labour-run authority's 2012-13 budget were voted for in February with warnings that 1,100 jobs could go.
Council leader Sir Albert Bore said some services would have to be "decommissioned" completely.
The government said the council still got more than the English average to spend on each of its households.
Sir Albert warned the authority could face an additional £60m to £70m of cuts on top of the £120m for 2013-14, depending on reductions in direct government grants.
'Horrendous' situation
He has written to Eric Pickles, the minister in charge of local government, for clarification.
The council leader said the authority was looking to cut £600m in total over the six years up to March 2017.
With the extent of the cuts over the past few years and with more to come, we have to start decommissioning services Sir Albert Bore, Birmingham City Council leader
He blamed successive cuts in government grants for the council's "horrendous" financial situation, which he said had not taken into account population changes, inflation and other costs.
The leader said the government had banned authorities from raising council tax by more than 1.6% without holding a referendum among voters about whether they would be prepared to pay more. He refused to rule that out as a possibility.
Sir Albert said: "This is the end of local government as we have known it.
"But this is not the end of local government completely.
"It needs to be inventive, it needs to find new ways to work with partners like public agencies, schools and the business community to find different ways to do this."
Sir Albert added: "This is as serious as I've known it in local government."
Labour took over the running of the council, the UK's largest local authority, in May from a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition.
The council said it would be holding several public meetings from next month over which services should go.
Analysis There's a good deal of politics in this. As Labour council Leader, Sir Albert is firing the first salvo in this year's round of claim and counter-claim between local authority leaders and ministers leading up to the government's announcement before the end of December of next year's funding settlement for councils. His negotiating position is not only about decommissioning services. He also believes big cities like his get a raw deal compared with southern, Conservative, councils where there is less need for local services and a greater ability to pay for them. The Communities and Local Government Department says Birmingham still has £2,576 to spend on every household against the England average of £2,186. It adds that Birmingham benefits from government help including a City Deal worth £1.5bn, the New Homes Bonus, a city centre Enterprise Zone and £22m in Growing Places funding.
Sir Albert said that at its height, the council employed 19,000 full-time members of staff but that figure would fall to less than 15,000 over the "next few years".
He said it would be mid to late-November before the authority would have more details on how many and what sort of jobs would be affected, although he said some senior posts could be axed.
Sir Albert said there could be "no more 'salami-slicing' of services".
"With the extent of the cuts over the past few years and with more to come, we have to start decommissioning services," he said.
"I am not looking forward to this but it has to be done."
Image caption Sir Albert Bore said there would be cuts "across the board"
Ravi Subramanian, Unison's regional secretary for the West Midlands, said: "Our members are very, very worried.
"They are worried about their jobs, they are worried about the future of Birmingham and the services to the community.
"And at Unison itself, we are really worried about the massive impact this is going to have on the local economy."
Mr Subramanian said the union felt the city had seen bigger cuts than most parts of the country and it was asking businesses and residents to join a "Stand-up for Birmingham" campaign.
A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said the council "still has £2,576 to spend on every household - more than the average in England of £2,186" and the government would be introducing new incentives for all local authorities.
A statement said: "Birmingham is already getting government help to grow its local economy, through a city deal worth £1.5bn, the New Homes Bonus, an Enterprise Zone and £22m in Growing Places Funding.
"In addition, the government will support a third year's council tax freeze - potentially worth over £200 to Band D residents."
"Given councils account for a quarter of all public spending, it is vital they continue to play their part in tackling the inherited budget deficit by making sensible savings." |
Priscilla Ann Presley (née Wagner, changed by adoption to Beaulieu; born May 24, 1945) is an American actress and business magnate. She is the former wife of American singer Elvis Presley as well as former chairwoman of Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), the company that turned Graceland into one of the top tourist attractions in the United States. In her acting career, Presley had a starring role as Jane Spencer in the three successful Naked Gun films in which she co-starred with Leslie Nielsen, and played the role of Jenna Wade on the long-running television series Dallas.
Early life and ancestry [ edit ]
Presley was born Priscilla Ann Wagner in New York City. Her maternal grandfather, Albert Henry Iversen, was born in 1899 in Egersund, Norway.[1] He migrated to the United States, where he married Lorraine, who was of Scots-Irish and English descent.[2] Their only daughter, Anna Lillian Iversen, was born in March 1926.[2] Later she was called – or her name was changed to – Ann.[2] At the age of 19, she gave birth to Priscilla.[2]
Presley's biological father was US Navy pilot James Wagner.[2] His parents were Kathryn and Harold Wagner.[2] On August 10, 1944, at the age of 23, he married Presley's mother; they had been dating for more than three years.[2] He was killed in a plane crash while returning home on leave when Presley was six months old.[2][3] When she later discovered this "family secret"[4] through clues in an old wooden box of family keepsakes, her mother encouraged her to keep the revelation from her half-siblings from Ann's second marriage, lest it "endanger our family closeness."[3]
In 1948, Priscilla's mother, Ann, had met a United States Air Force officer named Paul Beaulieu, from Quebec, Canada. The couple was married within a year. He took over rearing Priscilla and was the only father she would ever know (he died on January 4, 2018, as she announced on her social media accounts). She took his surname[5], and over the next few years, helped care for the growing family as his Air Force career moved them from Connecticut to New Mexico to Maine. She described herself during this period as "a shy, pretty, little girl, unhappily accustomed to moving from base to base every two or three years."[6] Presley later recalled how uneasy she felt having to move so often, never knowing if she could make ever friends for life, or if she would fit in with the people she'd meet at the next place.[6]
In 1956, the Beaulieus settled in Del Valle, Texas, but soon her stepfather was transferred to Wiesbaden, Germany.[7] Priscilla was "crushed" by this news, as just after junior high, her fear of having to leave friends behind and make new ones was once again justified.[7]
Life in Germany [ edit ]
When the Beaulieus arrived in Germany, they stayed at the Helene Hotel, but, after three months, living there became too expensive, and they looked for a place to rent.[8] The family settled into a large apartment in a "vintage building constructed long before World War I." Soon after moving in, the Beaulieus realized it was a brothel, but, given the scarcity of housing, they had little choice but to remain.[8]
Life with Elvis Presley [ edit ]
Germany [ edit ]
During Elvis Presley's Army career, he met Priscilla, on September 13, 1959,[9] during a party at his home in Bad Nauheim, Germany.[10] Though only 14 years old, she made a huge impression on him. Elvis allegedly regressed to acting like an "awkward, embarrassed" boy-next-door figure in front of her. By the end of the evening, however, he managed to compose himself.[11]
Priscilla's parents were upset by her late return home the night of that first meeting and insisted that she never see Elvis again. But his eagerness for another rendezvous and his promise never to bring her home late again[12] led them to relent. Thereafter, he and Priscilla were frequently together until his departure from West Germany, in March 1960. After Elvis left, Priscilla was inundated with requests for interviews from media outlets around the world. She received fan mail from Elvis fans, some nice and some not so nice, as well as mail from "lonesome G.I.s". With gossip-magazine rumors swirling about his relationship with Nancy Sinatra, Priscilla became convinced that her romance with Elvis was over and she would never see him again.[13]
Move to Graceland [ edit ]
Graceland
After Elvis's return to the US, she managed to stay in touch with him by phone, though they would not see each other again until the summer of 1962, when Priscilla's parents agreed to let her visit for two weeks.[10][14] They allowed her to go on the condition that Elvis pay for a first-class round trip and arrange for her to be chaperoned at all times, and that she write home every day.[13] Elvis agreed to all these demands, and Priscilla flew to Los Angeles. Elvis told her they were going to Las Vegas, and to throw her parents off the scent, he had Priscilla pre-write a postcard for every day they'd be away — to be mailed from Los Angeles by a member of his staff.[15]
It was during this visit, while on a trip to Las Vegas, that Priscilla first took amphetamines and sleeping pills to keep up with Elvis's lifestyle.[16] After another visit at Christmas, Priscilla's parents finally let her move to Memphis for good in March 1963.[10][17][18] Part of the agreement was that she would attend an all-girls Catholic school, the Immaculate Conception High School in Memphis, Tennessee, and live with Elvis's father and his stepmother in a separate house a few streets away from the Graceland mansion, on Hermitage Drive 3650,[19] until she graduated from high school in June 1963. Part of the agreement also was that they would eventually marry.[17] However, according to her own book "Elvis and Me", she "spent entire nights with Grandma at Graceland and gradually moved her belongings there". It is believed she had her permanent residence at Graceland as early as May 1963.[20] Her parents eventually agreed to her living there if Elvis promised to marry her.[10] Priscilla later said, "The move was natural. I was there all the time anyway."[21]
Priscilla was keen to go to Hollywood with Elvis, but he kept telling her that he was too busy and had her stay in Memphis.[15] During the filming of Viva Las Vegas, Elvis began an affair with his co-star Ann-Margret. When Priscilla read of these reports in the press, she confronted Elvis. He told her that they were simply rumors to promote the film and that she should not believe everything that she read in the press.[15] For the next few years, Elvis had intimate relationships with many of his leading ladies and co-stars, all the while denying their existence to Priscilla. Eventually she was allowed to visit him in Hollywood, but her visits were kept short.[15]
Marriage and pregnancy [ edit ]
Elvis Presley and Priscilla with newborn Lisa Marie, February 1968
Shortly before Christmas 1966, Elvis proposed to Priscilla. Accounts suggest that Priscilla threatened to take her story to the press if Elvis refused to marry her, and that her father threatened to have Elvis charged under the Mann Act; "taking a minor across state lines for sexual purposes".[22] Colonel Parker, Elvis' manager, also encouraged him to marry by reminding him about his RCA "morals clause" within his record contract.[22] Priscilla suggested in a 1973 interview with Ladies' Home Journal that she and Elvis were quite happy to just live together, but "at that time it wasn't nice for people to [just] live together".[23] Accounts by Elvis' cook, Alberta, claim that he was so upset about the wedding that she caught him crying about it one day. When she asked why he didn't just cancel the wedding if it upset him so much, he replied "I don't have a choice."[22] Marty Lacker, a close friend to Elvis, has also spoken about Elvis' reluctance to marry,[22] while others such as Joe Esposito have asserted that Elvis was excited to marry Priscilla.[22]
In her 1985 autobiography, Elvis and Me, Priscilla describes Presley as a very passionate man who was not overtly sexual towards her. According to her account,[24] the singer told her that they had to wait until they were married before having intercourse. He said, "I'm not saying we can't do other things. It's just the actual encounter. I want to save it." Priscilla says in her autobiography that she was a virgin and she and Elvis did not have sex until their wedding night. However, this claim is questioned by biographer Suzanne Finstad.[25]
The couple married on May 1, 1967, at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The wedding, arranged by Parker to maximize publicity, featured very few guests and was over in only eight minutes.[22] It was followed by a quick press conference and a $10,000 breakfast reception, attended by friends, family, and business associates from MGM, RCA, and the William Morris Agency.[22] The wedding caused rifts between Elvis and several of his closest friends who were not invited to the actual wedding ceremony.[26] Red West, especially, was furious about the situation. He and his wife had been personally invited by Elvis to Las Vegas for the wedding, had dressed for the occasion, and at the last minute were told that they would not be present.[26] For Red, who had been with Elvis since the beginning of his rise to fame and had given Elvis the role of best man at his own wedding, this was enough of an insult that he decided to quit his job working for Elvis.[26] Many other friends of Elvis were also disappointed and held resentment towards him for many years to follow, although they mainly blamed Parker for their exclusion rather than Elvis himself.[26]
Following the reception, Elvis and Priscilla boarded a private jet and enjoyed a short honeymoon in Palm Springs.[22] On May 4, they flew back to Memphis and retreated to their private ranch, just over the Mississippi state line, for a three-week break.[26] Many of Elvis' inner circle joined them, although for the most part the couple were left alone and were able to enjoy each other's company without the intrusion of the Memphis Mafia.[26] Priscilla reveled in her chance to be a proper wife (according to the values of the time); cooking, cleaning, and washing for her husband. "I loved playing house" she later remarked, adding "Here was an opportunity to take care of him myself. No maids or housekeepers to pamper us."[26] In an attempt to heal rifts, Elvis and Priscilla held another reception at Graceland on May 29 for the friends and family who were unable to attend the original ceremonies.[26]
Soon after, Priscilla found out that she was pregnant. She was upset at such an early pregnancy, certain that it would destroy the closeness she had finally found with Elvis.[27] She had asked him earlier if she could take birth control pills, but Elvis had insisted they weren't perfected yet.[27] She considered abortion, and even discussed it with Elvis at one point, but both decided they could not live with themselves if they had gone through with it.[27] Their only child, Lisa Marie, was born exactly nine months after their wedding, on February 1, 1968.
Priscilla wrote in her 1985 autobiography, Elvis and Me, that around the time Elvis was filming Live a Little, Love a Little (1968) she began taking private dance lessons. She found herself deeply attracted to the instructor, known simply as Mark in the book, and she confesses to having a short affair.[28] She implies regret, however, saying "I came out of it realizing I needed much more out of my relationship with Elvis."[28]
Despite Priscilla's affair and Elvis' on-and-off relationships with his co-stars and leading ladies, the first few years they were married seemed a happy time for the couple. However, when Elvis' career took off again after his 1968 television special, he was constantly touring and playing in Las Vegas. Elvis had also been seeing other women on and off, often leaving Priscilla at home with Lisa Marie. Due to Elvis' being away so often, the marriage soured.
Separation and divorce [ edit ]
Elvis was a keen karate student and persuaded Priscilla to take it up. Priscilla thought it was a good idea, as it would pass the time she spent alone if she had a hobby on which to concentrate, and she was also keen to share in Elvis' interests.[29] Following suggestions from Elvis, Priscilla began taking lessons from Mike Stone, a karate instructor she had met in 1972 backstage at one of Elvis' concerts.[30] She soon began an affair with him.[31] Priscilla states in her book, "My relationship with Mike had now developed into an affair. I still loved Elvis greatly, but over the next few months I knew I would have to make a crucial decision regarding my destiny."[31] She later states "Elvis must have perceived my new restlessness."[32] A couple of months later, she said that Elvis had requested to see her in his hotel suite. It was then that she writes in her book that Elvis "forcefully made love to me...[as he said] 'This is how a real man makes love to his woman.'"[33]
She later stated in an interview that she regretted her choice of words in describing the incident, and said it had been an overstatement.[34] She went on to say following the incident, "what really hurt was that he was not sensitive to me as a woman and his attempt at reconciliation had come too late" suggesting that his actions were a deliberate attempt at reconciliation or compensation for his lack of sexual interest in Priscilla which had been a source of hurt and discontent for her for years. Priscilla states in her book "He had mentioned to me before we were married that he had never been able to make love to a woman who had a child"[35] and she later expressed the personal repercussions of their sexual dysfunction "I am beginning to doubt my own sexuality as a woman. My physical and emotional needs were unfulfilled."[35] After this incident, Priscilla summarized "this was not the gentle, understanding man I grew to love."[36]
Elvis and Priscilla separated on February 23, 1972, and filed for legal separation on July 26.[37] To avoid Priscilla's having to make her home address available on the public records and therefore risking the security of both her and Lisa Marie,[38] Elvis filed for divorce on his 38th birthday, January 8, 1973.[39] Later that month, Elvis reportedly became paranoid about Stone and said: "There's too much pain in me... Stone [must] die." His outbursts continued with such intensity that a physician was unable to calm him, even with large doses of medication. After another two days of raging, Elvis' friend and bodyguard, Red West, made enquiries to arrange a contract killing of Stone, but was relieved when Elvis said, "Aw hell, let's just leave it for now. Maybe it's a bit heavy."[40][41] The divorce was finalized on October 9, 1973.[42]
The couple agreed to share custody of their daughter and Priscilla was awarded an outright cash payment of $725,000 as well as spousal support, child support, 5% of Elvis' new publishing companies and half the income from the sale of their Beverly Hills home.[42] Originally the couple had agreed upon a much smaller settlement; a $100,000 lump payment, $1,000 a month spousal support, and $500 a month child support.[43] Priscilla was keen to make it on her own and prove that her marriage to Elvis was not about money.[43] However, soon afterwards, her new lawyers had persuaded her to up her demands, pointing out that a star of Elvis' stature could easily afford more for his former wife and child.[44]
Priscilla and Elvis remained close, leaving the courthouse on the day of their divorce hand in hand.[44]
Business [ edit ]
Designation of Graceland mansion as a National Historic Landmark in 2006
In 1973, after her split from Elvis, Presley set up a joint venture with her friend and stylist Olivia Bis. Together they opened a clothing boutique in Los Angeles called Bis & Beau.[45] Elvis was supportive of Priscilla's venture, and even contacted several friends in public relations to help with promotion for the launch.[46] In a 1973 interview to promote the opening of the store, Priscilla said, "After the separation, I had to make up my mind about what I wanted to do, and since I had worked with Olivia for such a long time on my own clothes, I decided to try it professionally. We both do the designing for the shop, and have people who sew for us."[45] The shop was a successful venture, with celebrity clients including Cher, Lana Turner, Barbra Streisand, and Natalie Wood shopping there regularly.[47] The shop closed in 1976.[48]
After Elvis's death in 1977,[49] Priscilla acted as executor for his only heir, their daughter, Lisa Marie (who was then only 9).[50] Graceland itself cost $500,000 a year in upkeep, and expenses had dwindled Lisa Marie's inheritance to only $1 million.[50] Taxes due on the property and other expenses due came to over $500,000.[50] Faced with having to sell Graceland, Priscilla examined other famous homes/museums. She hired a CEO, Jack Soden, to turn Graceland into a tourist attraction. Graceland was opened to the public on June 7, 1982. Presley's gamble paid off; only four weeks after opening Graceland's doors, the estate made back all the money it had invested.[50] Priscilla became the chairwoman and president of Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), stating she would remain in the position until Lisa Marie reached 21 years of age. Under Presley's guidance, the enterprise's fortunes soared and eventually the trust grew to be worth over $100 million.
In 1988, Presley launched her own range of fragrances, and followed this up with a range of linen.[15] She has also helped produce a couple of films, including Breakfast with Einstein and Finding Graceland.[15] In September 2000, Presley was elected to the board of directors at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[51] Always supportive, in 2015 Priscilla became the executive producer of a 14-track album titled If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She states "If Elvis were here, he would be evolving and taking risks, seemingly like everybody else today."[52] Also in that year the U.S. Postmaster General, Megan Brennan, and Priscilla Presley dedicated an Elvis "forever" stamp which featured a 1955 black and white shot by photographer William Speer. It was her second dedication of a USPS stamp. The first Elvis stamp, issued in 1993,[53] was the most popular edition of stamps in the Postal Service history. Elvis became the first musical artist to be featured in two different collections of stamps.[54]
Acting career [ edit ]
Hal B. Wallis, a Hollywood producer who had financed many of Elvis' earlier films, had shown an interest in signing Priscilla to a contract.[55] Elvis, however, had no intentions of allowing his wife to have a career of any kind; in his opinion, albeit a very common one at the time, "a woman's place was in the home looking after her man".[55] Priscilla had shown an interest in dancing and modeling, but her knowledge of Elvis' opinion meant that she kept them as hobbies instead of pursuing them as careers. She did get the opportunity to model for a local store once, but when Elvis heard about it, he asked her to give it up.[15]
Presley had originally been offered a role as one of the angels on Charlie's Angels. She turned down the role because she disliked the show.[56] Priscilla made her television debut as co-host of Those Amazing Animals in 1980.[48][57] In 1983, she got her first chance to act professionally on a season 2 episode of The Fall Guy titled "Manhunter".[15] She then found a role in a television film titled Love is Forever, starring alongside Michael Landon.[58] Although she was treated well by most of the cast and crew, and her acting was praised by several of her co-stars, she found Landon difficult to work with on set.[58] After the television film aired, Presley landed the role of Jenna Wade in the soap opera Dallas. Jenna jilted Bobby Ewing in 1983 and 1984 then went on to marry Naldo Marchetta. Bobby went on to marry Pamela Barnes. She played the role of Ray Krebs's wife for five years, leaving the show in 1988 to focus on other parts.
In 1988, Presley starred opposite Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! as Jane Spencer. Presley would go on to act in the next two movies in the series: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). In the late 1990s, she made guest appearances on a number of television series, including Melrose Place, Touched by an Angel, and Spin City.
Presley made her pantomime debut in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon, London, during Christmas of 2012, starring opposite Warwick Davis.[59]
Charity work and activism [ edit ]
Priscilla Presley in 2003
Since 2003, Presley has been the Ambassador of the Dream Foundation, a Santa Barbara-based wish-granting organization for terminally ill adults and their families.[60][61]
Reports in the media in October 2017 that Presley had left the Church of Scientology[15][62] were immediately denied by her.[63]
In 2013, Presley spoke out against the Tennessee Ag-Gag Bill in a letter to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Presley cited her and Elvis' love of horses and expressed her concern that the bill would hinder animal cruelty investigations and reduce protections for horses and other farm animals.[64]
Personal life [ edit ]
Presley's longest relationship has been with Marco Garibaldi, with whom she lived for 22 years. Their son, Navarone, was born on March 1, 1987.[65] In 2006, they ended their relationship.[15]
Legacy [ edit ]
Priscilla has a square named after her in Egersund, Norway: Priscilla Presleys plass.[1] The square is on the street where her grandfather was born and lived.[66] The opening ceremony took place August 23, 2008.[66]
Filmography [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Gutenberg, Project. "Priscilla Presley." Priscilla Presley | Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing - EBooks | Read EBooks Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2017
Notes |
TWELVE months ago, Jarryd Hayne told a stunned Australian sporting public he was quitting rugby league to chase his dream of playing in the NFL.
Today he’s hurrying into the San Francisco 49ers locker room at Levi’s Stadium looking to quickly change out of a sweat-soaked Superman T-shirt into something cleaner before a special teams meeting begins next door.
So much has happened since that teary press conference at the Parramatta Leagues Club on October 14 last year, Hayne says it feels “like a lifetime ago”.
For starters, the boy from Minto who fell in love with American football playing Madden has put away his controller. With a six-day-a-week, 8am-5pm work schedule he simply doesn’t have time for computer games anymore.
“I literally haven’t turned it on for four months now,” Hayne told news.com.au at his locker. “I haven’t got a life anymore. It’s pretty much get home, study or just flick through emails from back home.”
While that means he is yet to experience the unique thrill of playing as himself in Madden, the 27-year-old’s life hasn’t been short of unique experiences. From the early homesickness and struggles learning the playbook to the highs of his unbelievable preseason and now the season proper, Hayne’s life has been a series of memorable twists and turns.
He’s sold jerseys at the same rate as the NFL’s best players, seen interest in his journey reach unprecedented levels for an Australian athlete and had everyone from Andrew Bogut to Magic Johnson offer an opinion on how he’s going.
“It’s been a heck of a journey,” Hayne says.
media_camera Jarryd Hayne, Bruce Ellington and Quinton Patton in the 49ers locker room.
Right now — from the vision we see during games — Hayne looks like a man still greatly enjoying the novelty of playing on stages like New York’s MetLife Stadium but also a born competitor struggling with the transition from being an 80-minute a game NRL superstar to a rarely-used punt returner fighting for crumbs in a struggling team.
So far there has been more good than bad in Hayne’s return game. He’s averaging 10.3 yards per return, not far off the 12-yard average 49ers special teams coach Thomas McGaughey expects of a top returner. His most recent effort — a 16-yard gain in last week’s defeat against the Giants — showcased the parts of his game his coaches love.
“He caught the ball, set it and got vertical,” McGaughey said. “(Giants punter) Brad Wing stuck one a yard from the sideline, Jarryd made a good catch, he made the long snapper miss and got down the field.”
Unfortunately that was the only return he had all game.
Hayne’s desperation to make his mark on the league as quickly as possible adds an element of risk to his position as the 49ers’ preferred returner of punts. It’s one position where mistakes can be game-changing. Be aggressive but not reckless, McGaughey preaches.
“We talk to all of our returners in that fashion,” he told reporters. “We want to make sure we let the plays come to us, we don’t chase them. You start chasing plays you make mistakes and I think that’s something all those guys — including Jarryd — has to manage. You’ve got to pick your spots and then once your spot’s there you got to make it happen.”
While there has been the occasional sign of Hayne’s frustration at his lack of opportunity, he’s too much of a pro to speak about it at length. At least publicly.
“Everything keeps getting better,” he said. “Every week I get more comfortable with understanding what’s going on, the playbook and everything in general.”
That includes the 25C days currently being enjoyed on the West Coast.
“California is great. I can’t believe the weather, it’s the best climate I’ve ever lived in. It’s just consistently warm all year round. Sydney is a bit up and down. Sydney’s summer is beautiful and obviously the winter gets a bit cold. We’re coming into the start of winter now and it’s still nice. I was at the beach two days ago.”
media_camera Hayne making an impact with his limited opportunity at running back.
Projecting where he’ll be 12 months from now is a much cloudier proposition. So far Hayne has enjoyed a relatively smooth beginning in San Francisco. He hasn’t suffered any injuries and appears well-supported by the ’Niners coaching staff.
It would be nice to think his playing time will increase incrementally to the point he’s seeing up to a dozen carries a game at running back on occasion. But this is the NFL, anything can happen. Miami sacked its coach four games into the season. The 49ers — under rookie coach Jim Tomsula — haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire. Who knows what that could mean for Tomsula, and in turn Hayne?
What’s clear is Hayne is good enough to play in this league. Asked where Hayne could be 12 months from now, McGaughey said: “It’s up to Jarryd.”
“How much time is he willing to put in, in terms of studying the game and just the maturation process?
“Who knows? Next year he might be leading the league in punt returns ... He has that kind of ability to get those big averages because he’s a big, straight-ahead, strong runner and he does a good job of making people miss in space. He has the ability to be a great punt returner.”
McGaughey sees things in practice that others may not notice. Hayne looks more comfortable every week. He’s starting to play faster and understand the game more — on offence and special teams.
“It’s going to take a little time but eventually he’s going to get where he wants to be,” McGaughey says.
Where exactly that is, Hayne refuses to say. Is he happy just playing in the NFL — or does he want to be the type of star he was at Parramatta? After taking huge strides in his first 12 months, where will he be this time next year?
“Who knows?” Hayne said. “I’m not worried about (where I’ll be in) 12 months. If I worried about where I was going to be in 12 months, 12 months ago, I wouldn’t be here, you know?”
Originally published as ‘I don’t have a life anymore’ |
Bernie Sanders is set to release a new book at the end of August: Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution. But the Fox & Friends crew is wasting little time bashing the tome, and its author.
On Tuesday, Fox Business Channel host Kennedy stopped by to talk about the upcoming release. And the former MTV VJ promptly mocked the Vermont Senator and his large millennial fan base.
“As he’s creeping into his late 90s, I think he’s fresher and more relevant than ever,” Kennedy mockingly said of the 75-year-old Sanders and his appeal to the youth vote.
Mostly, the Fox & Friends gang objects to Sanders — who identifies as a Democratic Socialist –because of the way in which his rise has resulted in a growth of popularity for Socialism.
“College professors, and academics lived in a bubble for decades teaching virtues of socialism,” Kennedy said. “What they need is a giant class trip of everyone brainwashed.”
“To Venezuela,” Ainsley Earhardt promptly said, interjecting. She added, of the Bernie Sanders youth base, “They don’t know what socialism is.
Watch above, via Fox News.
[featured image via screengrab]
——
Follow Joe DePaolo (@joe_depaolo) on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com |
By Shankara Bharadwaj Khandavalli
Yajña is the central concept of Śrauta -- the tradition that follows from the Śruti (Veda).
There are many concepts that are based on and evolved from the concept of yajña. The word yajña comes from the root-"yaj" which means to worship. Yajña is a broad concept which is hard to translate into English. The closest single English word for yajña is sacrifice. There are multiple synonyms of the word yajña that convey different aspects of this broad concept. For instance it is also called “karma”, meaning action or the act of sacrifice/offering/worshiping. In the general sense it can be understood as any action done with the sense of sacrifice, like praying, remembering, meditating. In the specific sense it is the act of offering oblations to propitiate a Devata.
The word karma is also used in different contexts. Yajña is karma in the general sense. In the more specific sense, karma is the component rite of a yajña. In the most general sense, karma refers to any action. The path of karma/yajña is called Karma yoga or Karma mārga.
The Theory of Yajña/Karma Mārga
Karma mārga is based on the concept of Dharma. The result of an action performed is determined by the Dharmic or adharmic nature of the action. Dharma determines the fruit of karma and karma determines the course of experience of beings. Karma Mīmāmsa the base text for Karma Mīmāmsa, opens up by saying "athāto dharma jijñāsa", to expound the nature of Dharma. The text clearly states that karma and its results are based on Dharma - "Dharma mātre tu karmasyād nivṛtteḥ prayājavat" [1]. In karma mārga, mukti is possible through karma nivṛtti, through the performance of righteous karma.
The object of central importance in karma mārga is karma or action. Worship or sacrifice too, assumes importance in the path of karma, primarily as the “act of worshiping or sacrifice” (karma), rather than the “state of worshiping” (which is the object in upāsana mārga). In contrast to the yoga/upāsana mārga where the worshiper and the process of worship dissolve in the object of worship (Īśvara), in Karma the act of worship assumes importance.
Being action-centric does not make yajña any more outward or superficial compared to Upāsana mārga. For instance, Baudhayana's "nā rudro rudram arcayet" [2] (one who is not Rudra cannot worship Rudra - meaning one becomes or unites with Rudra in order to worship Him, by invoking Him) is interpreted differently in Karma and Upāsana mārgas. Upāsana, the state of union of the seeker and Rudra is primary, while the act of worship is secondary. In karma, the union is taken to be implicit, and the act of Rudra worshiping Himself becomes primary.
In the grand scheme, everything involved – the one who is performing sacrifice, the rites, the material involved, the offerings, the one who receives the offerings, are each a part of the act of sacrifice. Even sacrifice becomes part of a grander sacrifice (the universe itself is a grand sacrifice, involving many rites like creation). The Puruṣa sūkta of Rig Veda for example, explains this grand sacrifice. Sacrifice itself is the purpose in yajña, and there is no greater purpose. Everything else – desires, transcending desires, liberation -- are only by-products.
In Karma Yoga sacrifice assumes primary importance and Īśvara assumes secondary importance. The affirmation of Īśvara in the path of Karma is not unanimous. Īśvara and Nirīśvara [3]approaches are held by Gīta and Karma Mīmāmsa respectively. In Nirīśvara approach Karma phala or the result of sacrifice follows the rules of Dharma. In Īśvara Vāda, Īśvara receives the offerings of a sacrifice, presides over the sacrifice and gives the Karma phala.
Pravṛtti and Nivṛtti
There are two directions of movement or phases in life, pravṛtti and nivṛtti. Pravṛtti is accumulating and indulging. Nivṛtti is clearing debts and transcending. In pravṛtti, yajña brings material possessions, righteousness and heavenly bliss. This helps man fulfill his aspirations as well as contribute to social living. Man gradually grows beyond desires and becomes more impersonal. This is how he enters the nivṛtti phase. During nivṛtti, yajña is done without any desire, merely as a duty. This helps in clearing past karma, but this greatly helps the well-being of surroundings (loka kalyāṇa). This is the way the realized soul performs yajña. This is the niṣkāma karma explained in the Karma Yoga of Bhagavad Gīta. In nivṛtti, yajña brings eternal bliss. Brahmandavalli of the Taittirīya Upanishad expounds the gradation of happiness experienced by men, manes, Devatas, lord of Devatas, teacher of the Devatas, creator of Devatas and the creator of the universe in the ascending order, increasing hundred fold for each level[4]. At each level, the bliss is equated to that of a veda-wise person (Śrotriya) who overcame his desire (kāma hatasya). In pravṛtti one experiences the bliss of Devatas. In nivṛtti one grows beyond desires and experiences the bliss of Brahman. In nivṛtti, yajña brings liberation.
If this is seen in parallel to the ashrama dharma, brahmacarya and grhastha ashramas involve pravṛtti. In brahmacarya, one increases his debts through his dependence, for sustenance as well as learning. In grhastha ashrama he attempts to repay these by offering the same back to the society, but increases his sources of attachment in that attempt. Through fulfillment of responsibilities and desires, one enters nivṛtti. Vānaprastha is the phase of containment, where rites are performed without any personal material desire. However some of the rites like pitru yajña are still performed. Sanyāsa is the phase of complete renunciation. It is not mandatory for a Sanyāsi to perform any yajña/karma, for he can renounce karma itself.
Constituents of Yajña
The primary constituents of a Yajña are the inspiration or urge of the doer (bhāvana), learning (svādhyāya), rites involved (karma), offerings (tyāga), devata and the results (phala).
Karma
There are two types of rites in a sacrifice, principal (artha karma) and subsidiary (guṇa karma). Guṇa karmas are the constituent accessory rites associated with a principal rite.
In artha karma, the rite is primary and material is subsidiary to the rite. Material is treated as accessory. In guṇa karma, material is primary and rite secondary to it.
Artha Karma
Artha karmas are three types.
Nitya karma, done regularly. Example of nitya karma is Agni hotra (the homa done thrice a day).
Naimittika karma, done occasionally. These are rites involving specific occasions. Those like pitru tarpana are naimittika rites. Nitya and naimittika rites are mandatory. There are specific Vedic injunctions that make the rites mandatory [5] .
. Kāmya karma, done optionally. Optional rites are performed when a specific purpose is intended to be served through a sacrifice. The sacrifices like soma yāga and vājapeya are examples of optional rites. These are in turn three types based on the results they give. The rites that give results in the present life are called aihika. The ones whose results are enjoyed after the present life (such as heaven, prosperity in the next life or breaking the cycle of life itself) are called āmuṣmika. The rites that give both kinds of results are called aihika-āmuṣmika.
Guṇa Karma
Guṇa karmas, which are subsidiary and form components of artha karmas, are intended for purification (samskāra). They are four types:
utpatti (origination – for instance creating fire for the sacrifice)
āpti (obtaining/attaining – for instance learning required to perform the rite)
vikṛti (modification – for instance husking or cooking rice for sacrifice)
samskṛti (consecration/purification – for instance purifying the material by sprinkling water and/or through mantra).
Subsidiary rites are in general meant for purification. This is again of two types, disposal (pratipatti) and purification.
Prāyaścitta or expiation rites are also part of the subsidiary rites/guṇa karmas.
Bhāvana
Bhāvana is the urge, inspiration to perform yajña. This is caused by the desire for its result. Thus from the perspective of yajña, desire is seen as an inspiration to performing karma. Need and desire are the two inspirations for beings to perform karma that run the activity of phenomenal world.
Bhāvana has three aspects:
what is desired
what is the means
what is the method.
From the injunctions of Śruti, these are learned. For instance, from injunctions such as “one who desires cattle should perform Citra”[6].
In pravṛtti mārga, one performs karma with a desired result. Following the injunctions of the scriptures and being righteous, one can fulfill these. However in the advanced stages in karma mārga, sacrifice alone remains the purpose. All that is desired is also desired for the sake of performing sacrifice, making yajña the ultimate purpose. The Camaka of Sri Rudram[7] starts with praying for a variety of material gains, fulfillment of desires, grace of devatas, asking for devatas themselves, the various ingredients involved in sacrifice, the different rites of a sacrifice, and then towards conclusion, makes all these along with the life, mind, speech, soul and the whole sacrifice, a part of the sacrifice itself. This explains how desire is positively treated, and then sublimated in karma mārga.
Svadhyaya
Svadhyaya means learning one’s Veda (the branch of Veda one is ordained to pursue) along with the Vedangas. It is through learning that one gains the knowledge of the rites he should perform as his duty, the rites he can perform for various other desired purposes, how to perform those, and what his conduct should be to gain the desired results (these could be material or heavenly or liberation).
Svadhyaya is the primary duty during brahmacarya, and forms the basis for performing all the rites of subsequent ashramas.
Tyāga
Tyāga is associated with offering. There are three kinds of offerings:
Of these, the word yāga refers to principal rite and the other two are associated with subsidiary rites.
Dāna is transferring one’s right over what is given, to the one who is taking. This does not involve any expectation of result (though it has an invisible result, and it ensues only when the result is not desired for).
Homa is offering of havis in Agni. This involves tyāga of what is being offered, with the mention “na mama”, meaning what is being offered is no more mine, it belongs to the Devata (or the pitri as the case may be) to whom the offering is being made[8]. There is no expectation of result in the homa itself, but its result will become part of the result of the entire sacrifice.
Homa is central to any agni karya or sacrifice performed in Agni. It has become almost synonymous to the word yajña itself. However it should be understood that homa is a component of yajña. In some kinds of yajña which do not involve Agni karya, oblations are offered as dana instead of homa.
Devata
Devata is a constituent of sacrifice as well as its result. Devatas consume the havis offered in a sacrifice and give the result of sacrifice performed. As a result of sacrifice, along with the desired result, the grace of devata remains. When sacrifice is performed without desiring a result, devata’s grace remains the result of sacrifice. Devata is mantra-baddha, meaning He is bound to give the result of a sacrifice/mantra when invoked[9]. Thus the result of any form of worship is bound to come.
Havis offered in a sacrifice is the food for Devatas. Devatas grow on havis and bring the well-being of men (through rains and so on). Thus Devatas grow on man’s offerings and man’s elevation is brought by the Devatas. Thus through mutual nourishment, men and Devatas bring about the well being of all.
This is explained in the Karma Yoga of Bhagavad Gīta:
देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः ।
परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ ॥३- ११॥ devān bhāvayatānena
te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ
parasparam bhāvayantaḥ[10]
sreyah param avapsyatha[11] All life is said to be a yajña. Every action, when made as an offering to the Īśvara, is a yajña. Worshipping, eating food, fighting war, creating wealth, contributing to human knowledge, running family, each of these is a yajña. Doing these as offerings to derive something greater, makes these actions yajñas. When these actions are not done for material gain but with a selfless motive, that is the highest form of yajña. Sacrifice brings transcendence. Transcendence through sacrifice is the meaning of life in the Vedic religion.
Agni
Agni[12] is called Deva Mukha[13] and is the central deity for yajña. Oblations (havis) are offered in the fire and Agni is said to carry those to the Devatas.
Offering and the carrier of offerings are inseparable and the former is stated to be the consort of the latter (Agni). There are two contexts of offering, the para (pertaining to Devatas) and apara (pertaining to Pitris). The presiding deities of these two kinds of offerings are Svāha and Swatha respectively. These are the two consorts of Agni. The offerings to Devatas and Pitris are made through these two.
Phala
The result of a sacrifice ensues from the results of each of the subsidiary rites, combined with the result of the main rite.
Each rite creates a unique result, in terms of visible or invisible effect. This is called apurva[14]. The total of unique results of all the rites of a sacrifice cause the grand unique final result of the sacrifice, called Mahāpurva.
Different schools hold different opinions on the results of nitya karmas. According to Prabhākara School it is said that there is no additional benefit or fruit of performing nitya karmas but there is a loss of merit or righteousness in not performing those. According to Kumārila Bhaṭṭa, there will be an additional merit even in the performance of nitya karmas. In case of kāmya rites, since they are optional, there is only an additional result in performing those.
There are two kinds of results of a sacrifice – visible (pratyakṣa) and invisible (ālaukika). Pratyakṣa is the visible gain that results from performing the sacrifice, material or otherwise. Alaukika result can be like begetting heaven in pravṛtti and mukti in nivṛtti (through karma nivṛtti).
Prayoga
Literally prayoga means performance. It is the performance of sacrifice, the application of text to perform yajña. The injunctions to perform the sacrifice or vidhi are found in Brahmana portion of Veda. Kalpa Sūtrās explain the prayoga part further.
There are different stages in performing a sacrifice. It begins with cleaning the place and building the altar. Then the dravya is acquired. Then the priest is invited to officiate. Following that the altar is decorated and Agni invoked. Then the purification of each of the dravya is done. Then the homas (in the fire) and danas (alms etc) are done. The sacrifice concludes with cleaning up the place and taking the fruit of sacrifice.
Yajña Dravya and Homas
Agni karya forms the core of a sacrifice. It includes purification rites and the homas. The ingredients used in a yajña are called dravya. There are six ingradients involved in performing an Agni Karya. [15] They are:
Homa
Sruk and Sruva (ladles used for making offering in fire)
Idhma (wooden pieces/sticks used as fuel in the sacrifice – also called samidhas)
Pātras (bowls)
There are three kinds of pātras used:
the prokṣiṇi (used for purification)
ājya (to hold the clarified butter)
pūrṇa pātra (literally “complete”, the one used for completion of the rite)
Based on the dravya used and rites performed, there are two major classes of prayoga – Catuṣpātra (using four ingredients) and Ṣaṭpātra (using six ingredients). Ṣaṭpātra involves the usage all the six dravyas mentioned above. Catuṣpātra does not involve idhma and pūrṇa pātra. However, the regular rite that a brahmacari performs, does not mandatorily involve any pātra (though usage is not prohibited). Most of the prayogas nitya or otherwise, involve Ṣaṭpātra prayoga.
Some of the sacrifices are referred to variously as involving more than six primary ingredients. For instance marriage ritual in Āpastamba sāmpradāya is called dasa pātra (involving 10 ingredients). Major yāgas like Vajapeya use many more. However all of them come under Ṣaṭpātra only and the additional dravya is classified as one of the six - idhma or ajya for instance.
In general, Catuṣpātra is sufficient for the regular homas to prajāpati, Indra Agni etc. In order to propitiate a specific deity, one has to perform Ṣaṭpātra. This involves additional dravya and homas. Dravya depends on the nature of rite. It could be rice, corn, specific samidhas, blades of grass, milk, curd etc. Fifty eight homas (to Prajāpati, Dikpālakas and Grahas Lokapālakas etc) inclusive of Cakṣur-homas (literally the homas of eyes - two homas with clarified butter poured in the fire circularly, as if they are the eyes of Agni) and done in the beginning of the sacrifice. Then oblations to the main deity of the sacrifice are offered. Jayādi homas (additional homas to propitiate various Devatas representative of faculties of consciousness, prāyaścitta homas etc) follow that, and it is concluded with Pūrṇāhuti (literally the “completion” oblation or the conclusive one).
These homas also include the prāyaścitta rites (expiation rites), as applicable. However prāyaścitta rites are common to Catuṣpātra and Ṣaṭpātra.
Participants of a Yāga
The primary participant of a sacrifice is the one who performs it – the owner or the yajamāni. A dvija performs regular rites himself. However any major yāga requires the yajamāni to be accompanied by his consort, she should offer the fire (Āpastamba Sūtras). In case of a kāmya prayoga, a ṛtvija (priest) is involved.
In major yāgas, there are at least four rtviks involved. [16] They are hota, adhvaryu, brahma and udgāta. Hota should be learned in Rig Veda, and chants the Ṛks. Ādhvaryu is the one who performs the sacrifice (makes the yajamāni do it with instructions). He should be learned in Yajurveda. Udgāta sings the Sāma Veda. Brahma supervises the sacrifice.
Yāga Sāla
The regular rites are conducted in a designated place in the house. Major yāgas are performed in premises meant for them, called yāga śālās.
Yāga sāla follows a specific architecture/layout. It has four entrances, representing the four Vedas. The four entrances have four gates, decorated with the leaves of four kinds of trees, or rather named after the four trees. They are Nyagrodha, Aswattha, Audumbara and Plaksha. In the four directions altars are built in shapes specified against those positions (they could be circular, square or following any other geometry according to the Śrauta Śūtras). The eight Dikpālakas preside over the eight (four directions and four corners) positions of the yāga sāla. Homas are performed in those designated places to the corresponding devatas, according to the rites of the respective Vedas.
There are positions designated for the yajamāni, each of the ṛtvijas, dravya and the audience. Besides there is a bali sthana, where the bali (sacrificial offering) is made.
Classification of Agni
There are three types of Agni, grouped as "tretāgni"s[17].
Gārhapatya (literally belonging to the gṛha pati or the owner of the house)
Dakṣiṇa
Āhavanīyā
Gārhapatya is the origin of the other two, and all the three are worshiped regularly. Besides, Aupāsana[18] is performed by gṛhasthas.
Agnis are also classified into two types:
Viharaṇīyā (those that can be moved)
Upastheya (those that are fixed/deposited at a place).
Each of these two have eight sub-categories and are positioned in different places in the premises where sacrifice is performed.
The Viharaṇīyā Agnis are:
Vibhūrasi Pravāhā, positioned near the Āgnīdhra’s (one of the ṛutviks) place Vahnirasi Havyavāhana, positioned near the Hota’s abode Śvātrosi Praceta, at the place of Maitra Varuṇa (the place where these Devatas are invoked) Tuthosi Viswaveda, invoked at the place of the ṛutvik designated as Brāhmaṇāccha Uśi Gasi Kavi, positioned near ṛutvik designed Potru Anghāri rasi jambhārī, near the ṛutvik designated Neṣṭṛu Avasyurasi Duvasvān, near the ṛutvik called Acchāvāk Śundhyūrasi Mārjālīya, near the ṛutvik called Mārjāla (the one who does mārjana or purification and consecration)
The Upastheyas are:
Samrādasi Kṛuśānū, positioned at the secondary altar in the north. This is the Āhavanīyā Agni. Pariṣadyosi Pavamāna, positioned at Dhruva sthali Pratakvāsi nabhasvān, positioned at the Cātvāla sthāna Asamṛṣtosi Havyasūda, positioned at śamitra (the place of paśu) Ṛtadhāmāsi Suvarjyoti, positioned at Audumbara (the ṛtvija who chants the Sāma Veda). Brahmajyotirasi suvardhāma, positioned with the Brahma (chief ṛutvik) of the sacrifice Ajosyekapāt, positioned at the sukhaśāla. This is the Gārhapatya. Ahirasi budhniya, positioned with the Yajamāni.
Types of Yajna
Yajñas can be classified in different ways. One of them is periodicity. Apart from the Panca Maha Yajñas, Aupāsana and Agnihotra are performed every day. Any other yajña is occasional – performed fortnightly, monthly, yearly or even once in a life time. Agnihotra is the homa done thrice a day. Darśa and Pūrṇamasa are done on new moon and full moon days. Parvani sraddha is done once a month. Most of the other Yajñas can be done once a year or even in a lifetime.
Another classification is the scale of the rite. The ones like Agnihotra are done in the house while the sacrifices like soma yāga or vājapeya need to be undertaken at a much bigger scale involving priests. The rites undertaken at a household level are called gṛhya rites. The ones performed at a collective level are called śrauta rites[19].
Samskāras
Samskāra is a rite that involves mantra. There are forty samskāras or rites performed in one’s lifetime:
Seven are paka Yajñas (aṣtaka, sthālipāka, parvana, srāvaṇi, āgrahayani, caitri and āsvīyuji). They involve consecrating cooked items.
Seven are Soma Yajñas (agnistoma, atyagnistoma, uktya, shodasi, vājapeya, atirātra and aptoryama). The yāgā that involves the extraction, utility and consumption of Soma (in the general sense nectar, but extract of a particular tree specifically) is called a Soma Yajña. Others are usually referred to as haviryañnas.
Seven are Havir Yajñas (agniyādhāna, agni hotra, Darśa-Pūrṇamāsa, āgrayana, cāturmāsya, niruudha paśu bandha, sautrāmaṇi). They involve offering havis.
Five are the panca mahā Yajñās.
Four are Vedavratas, which are done during Vedic education.
Remaining ten are one-time samskāras that are done at different stages in life. They are garbhādhānā, pumsavana, sīmanta, jātakarma, nāmakaraṇa, annaprāśana, caula, upanayana, snātaka and vivāha. These are specified by the gṛhya sūtrās.
The Concepts Involved
Anna or food is the basis of life. Life is sustained by the consumption of life, and this is the inherent principle of nature. And sustenance of life is the highest principle. At the same time, consumption of life defeats the same principle (for other creatures). Harming any living being is against that principle. Thus there arises the need for reconciliation between the principle of consumption and the principle of sustenance. This is explained by the concept of sacrifice.
Body is called anna-maya kosha or the sheath of food. It is the upādhi, the basis for every rite, through performance of which the purpose of life is fulfilled. The rite undertaken for sustaining the upādhi, namely consumption, is one of the most sacred and important ones. However, this means that only the consumption done with the sense of sacrifice, or with the sense of sustaining the upādhi, is considered sacred. Superfluous consumption of life, is against the principle of sustenance.
Most of the offerings in a Sacrifice are edible offerings. Havis offered in a sacrifice is the food for Devatas. In turn, they bring prosperity to man. Offering and consuming are the two sides of a sacrifice. However, each participant offers as well as consumes.
Thus while explaining violence/consumption to be inherent in nature, it is sought to be minimized by the same principle that makes it inevitable.
When eating is performed as a rite, there are two aspects in food - consecration and consumption. Consumption of life involves consuming the karma samskāra of the creature being consumed. Therefore the food is first consecrated, offered to Īśvara who is the ultimate absolver of every samskāra. Anna is called sāda. With consecration, the food becomes prasāda, a remain/fruit of sacrificial offering. In fact consumption is also done with the sense that Īśvara the essence of each being is consuming the food in the form of the oneself.
The Smritis give guidelines for the preparation consecration and consumption of food, along with what kind of food is to be taken. This depends on many factors. Some of them are
Varṇa of the person - practicing brahmins should be vegetarians in general and consuming specific vegetables in particular. However this has exceptions.
The kind of Dīkṣa undertaken - one should be particular about diet during specific Dīkṣās like Manḍala Dīkṣa or Cāturmāsya.
The Devata being worshiped - each Devata is propitiated with a specific kind of food, cooked with specific ingredients to the like of the Devata. The same is consecrated and consumed.
Bali or sacrifice is the most controversial topic in yajña, because of its implications. Broadly, there are two ways to look at it: the literal sacrifice and symbolic sacrifice. Literal sacrifice involves sacrificing an animal. In symbolic sacrifice, a piṣṭa paśu is offered. This could be kūṣmānda (ash gourd) or any other consumable. Yajñas mostly involve symbolic sacrifice (piṣṭa paśu) and seldom involve a literal sacrifice.
Bali in a sacrifice is part of the optional rites, one of the offerings involved in kāmya rites. The Bali sthana of the yāga śala is designated for this, where there is a Yupa (pillar) positioned.
Vedic injunctions regarding sacrifices, such as “saptadasa prājāpatyān paśūn ālabhet” [20] are explicit in their message. However, such injunctions are interpreted in different ways. One of them is the symbolic interpretation of “paśu” as the one that is bound by pāśa (binding), and making sacrifice symbolic. The other is the literal interpretation, where a symbolic bali (piṣṭa paśu) is offered.
The history of yajña shows that Yajñas rarely involved animal sacrifices and that they were always a matter of inconvenience to the Vedic seers. There is a story in the Purāṇa [21]that tells how animal sacrifice is made redundant in yajñas. The ṛṣis had an argument with the Devatas that they would offer only symbolic sacrifice and not animals. The Devatas did not like it. Ṛṣis mandated that animals will not be offered in yajña, and king Vasu conducted a sacrifice by inviting the ṛṣis as ṛtviks for the sacrifice, in which he made only symbolic sacrifices, and mandated that Devatas should not make it obligatory for yajñas to involve animal sacrifices. Appreciative of this, the ṛṣis mandated that in every sacrifice the havis after pūrṇāhuti should go to Vasu. To this day major sacrifices involve havis to Vasu starting with the mantra “Vasordhāra juhoti”.
The fact that Vasordhāra is performed, makes it clear that the sacrifice is not intended to be literal, from the ṛṣis’s perspective. Seers like Sankara have taken the path of advocating symbolic bali in temples and interpreting ritual itself in a symbolic way in case of personal worship.
Texts
The samhita portion of the Veda contains the mantras used for yajña. The Brahmana portion of the Veda deals with Karma kānda. Specifically, out of the four Vedas, Yajurveda is the primary Veda concerned with yajña. It is called Yajurveda because it is composed of Yajus or the mantras used for yajña.
Kalpa Sūtrās deal with the rules, regulations and austerities of yajña, the geometry of altars, and the rites to be undertaken at each stage of life.
Pūrva Mīmāmsa deals extensively with the philosophy of yajña, how to understand the mantra and brahmana portions, and their application in sacrifice. This is also called Karma Mīmāmsa. The text expounding Karma Mīmāmsa is Jaimini's Mīmāmsa Sūtras. This is divided into 12 chapters, called lakṣaṇās. It is primarily an inquiry into the Brahmana portion of the Veda and deals with various sacrifices, their purposes and methods. The authentic commentary on Pūrva Mīmāmsa is Śābara Bhāshya. In turn, Kumārila Bhaṭṭa's Tantra Vārtika is a commentary of Śābara Bhāṣya.
Jaimini also wrote a four-chapter supplement to Mīmāmsa, called Sankarsha Kānda. It is also called Madhyama Mīmāmsa, Madhyama Kānda, Devata Kānda and Upāsana Kānda. It deals with the purpose of mantras, the nature and essence of devatas, and the purpose of worshiping devatas.
Yajña in the four Ashramas
In all the four ashramas, nitya and naimittika rites should be performed. However the prescribed rites are different in each ashrama.
In brahmacarya, the principal rite to be performed is svadhyaya - Vedic learning. This is apart from other rites like daily oblations to Agni and service of Guru.
In grhastha ashrama, one should perform the panca maha yajñas (or nitya karma astaka as the school may be). Along with these, his family and social responsibility as the smriti prescribes, form part of his main rites in grhastha ashrama.
In vānaprastha, many of the rites of grhastha ashrama become optional and even unnecessary. Nitya and naimittika karmas should be performed. Raising children as an injunction is no longer relevant here. However pitru tarpana is still done during vānaprastha. Teaching should be done.
In sanyāsa, there is no compulsion on karma, though minimal nitya karma is performed. A sanyāsi also undertakes naimittika rites such as Caturmasya (four-month austerity undertaken in a year). Even teaching is optional for him.
Yajña in the Daily life of Gṛhastha : The Panca Maha Yajñas
A Gṛhastha is supposed to do five yajñas every day. These are called panca maha yajñas. These are offerings to Devatas, Ṛṣis, Pitris (departed fathers), creatures and men. They are called deva yajña, ṛishi yajña, pitṛ yajña, bhūta yajña and manuṣya yajña respectively[22].
Man has four debts, to Devatas, pitris, ṛishis and fellow-men. These are called deva ṛna, ṛṣi ṛna, pitṛ ṛna and manuṣya ṛna. By doing the above yajñas, man repays those debts and fulfills his purposes in life.
By praying to Devatas and offering oblations to them, and through sacrifices one clears his debts to Devatas. This is called deva yajña.
By gaining Vedic knowledge, by teaching, sharing and passing it on to subsequent generations one clears his debts towards the seers. This is called ṛṣi yajña.
By offering oblations to pitris, and by continuing the race by begetting progeny, raising them properly, by getting good name for the lineage, one clears his debts towards the pitris. This is called pitṛ yajña.
By showing compassion towards fellow men, by treating the guests well, by helping those in need, by excusing those by which one has been wronged, by doing actions that are beneficial to men, one clears his debts towards his fellow men. This is called manuṣya yajña.
Bhūta yajña is showing compassion towards living beings in general. This includes abstaining from inflicting violence and killing, living as a part of nature without harming it.
Extension of the concept of Yajña
Yajnic life is an ancient school, and over time, it became impractical to lead such life because of the rigorous discipline it requires. There are still people who perform regular sacrifice. But the concept of yajña has been extended in different ways, without losing its spirit.
Karma
The widest application has been the karma concept in life. Many of the ideals seen today in learned men, such as being righteous, maintaining a moral code, doing actions without being particular about results, not harming anyone unnecessarily, being content and not greedy, fulfilling desires in a righteous way, keeping righteousness above desires, and doing every action as a sacrifice, follow directly from yajnic principles. Leading a life with these ideals is treated as equal to living a yaajnic life, and causing liberation through karma nivṛtti. The karma yoga that many of the men live (though they are not into the path of worship) is a reflection of the yajnic ideal in their lives.
The yajnic ideal thus has wide impact, and positively influences a moral social order. Smārta which developed after Śrauta, has also based its ideal on the same ideal of dharma.
Symbolic Yajña
The other extension of the concept of yajña is found in its yogic interpretation, as being performed in the subtle body. Śrī Sūkta of Rig Veda khila portion is used in sacrifices and also in Sri Vidya. Saubhagya Lakshmi Upanishad explains the yogic import of Śrī Sūkta. Yāga becomes antaryāga (the inner sacrifice) – performing homa in the svādhiṣṭhāna agni.
In Mantra Vidyas mantra sadhana is likened to yajña. In fact this is supported explicitly by smriti, for instance Manusmriti says that a dvija becomes dvija by mantra japa alone, even if he cannot perform the panca maha yajñas. Smārta, the religion of smritis, follows the Smārta Sūtras (Dharma Sūtras and Gṛhya Sūtras), part Vedanga Kalpa. Smārta and Śrauta are so closely associated that they are usually referred to as the combination Smārta-Śrauta. Smārta prescribes japa, homa, tarpana and sandhyavandana as part of nitya karma, the eight daily rituals to be performed. These are from Brahmana as well as Aranyaka portion. For instance the Sandhya Vandana prakarana itself is found in Taittirīya Aranyaka (Maha Narayana Upanishad). Dharma Sūtrās add one more category to the three classical kinds of karma (nitya, naimittika and kāmya) – the prāyaścitta or expiation rites.
Thus in the general sense mantra japa, kundalini yoga etc are sacrifices, but the sacrificial approach to the same aim differs from the yogic approach. For instance, mantra japa itself is the sacrifice to be done, and devata is a result of the sacrifice. In yogic terms this is described differently: mantra is the means to achieving yoga with the devata.
Temple, the institution that made religion reachable to common man, is a replica of yajña śāla (the place where yajña is conducted) – in its major components as well as concept. The rites of a temple as prescribed by Āgamās are four-fold, (nitya, naimittika, kāmya and prāyaścitta) the same as that in Śrauta/Smārta.
Jnāna and Karma Approaches
Jnāna Mārga is expounded in Vedānta and thus, Vedānta treats yajña/karma to be a means of purification, a preparation for acquiring jnāna. Beyond that, in jnāna mārga, spiritual knowledge is the means of liberation, and not worship. The different categories of yajña, such as vedic ritual, the subtle body yogas such as mantra yoga and kundalini yoga are acknowledged in jnāna mārga as means to attain the necessary state for pursuing the path of knowledge.
This is in contrast with all the karmic and yogic paths, where performing each of those rites at their highest level is the means for liberation. For instance, in karma yoga, karma nivṛtti begets liberation. In mantra yoga realizing para vak is the final realization. In laya yoga dissolving the individual consciousness in the cosmic consciousness is liberation. In kundalini yoga the gross and the subtle unite with the causal being through the movement of kundalini[23]. All these involve different upādhis of the subtle body – mind, prāna and nādis.
Detachment and consecration, the two approaches of jnāna and karma respectively, reflect in the rituals prescribed in these paths. For instance, while anger is sought to be overcome in the former[24], it is praised as a divine inspiration in the latter[25].
Jnāna mārga involves nididhyasana, which is the intellectual’s approach – the path of discrimination. Through contemplation (on the import of mahavakyas) one learns to discriminate between ātma and non-ātma (ātma-anātma vivecana). And realizing one’s identity as ātma, as different from anātma, is liberation – because ātma is always liberated. Jīva is bound because he does not identify himself as ātma but identifies himself with various upādhis. Jnāna mārga is about discriminating these upādhis from self.
Adi Sankara reconciles karma with jnāna approach by categorizing karma as the preparatory stage for acquiring jnāna. In jnāna mārga, liberation is possible only through jnāna. In fact the self is always liberated, and the state of liberation for a being is the knowledge of difference between self and non-self (ātma-anātma vivecana). Karma purifies and prepares the being for the state of knowledge/discrimination.
As the means to acquire the necessary purity and wisdom for pursuing this path, jnāna mārga acknowledges the performance of nitya karma. Beyond that, worship or ritual has no greater importance in jnāna mārga. Thus most of the yajnic procedures are redundant from the viewpoint of jnāna mārga.
However this only differentiates between the Karma and Jnāna approaches, and does not necessarily make one of them superior. Vedantic approach is prescribed for a person who is technically out of the social fold, whose righteousness does not depend much on fulfillment of responsibilities. Fulfilling one’s responsibilities is the primary criterion for detachment, and without that one is not deemed fit for the path of knowledge. In the path of karma, such fulfillment with dissociation brings about the necessary change for salvation.
Notes & References |
At a satellite event to Intel's Developer Conference last week, AMD held an evening soiree with invited analysts and press to talk about their new upcoming Zen microarchitecture. This was intended to be a preview of tomorrow's Hot Chips presentation, and we've already covered the juicier parts of the presentation in terms of microarchitecture announcements as well as diving deep into the Server-based Naples implementation and what the motherboards told us from memory and IO support.
You can read both here:
AMD Zen Microarchitecture: Dual Schedulers, Micro-op Cache and Memory Hierarchy Revealed
AMD Server CPUs and Motherboard Analysis
There was one other element to the presentation that requires further discussion and analysis, if only to clean up some of the misinformation already present online and to label what was shown with a long list of potential caveats which most people seem to have passed by almost entirely. As part of the show, AMD compared the performance of their Zen engineering sample to an Intel Broadwell-E processor.
In this test, they told the audience that each system was running eight cores, sixteen threads, and will all cores set to 3 GHz (implying no turbo). Memory arrangements were not disclosed, nor storage: we were told to assume comparable setups.
We were too busy trying to decipher what was on screen (and take note of the results) to actually photograph the benchmark as it happened (there are videos online), but the benchmark they showed was Blender, an open source rendering engine, with a custom multithreaded workload. The test was to render a mockup of a Zen based desktop CPU, with an effective workload of 50 seconds for these chips. I've seen numerous reports about this result saying the difference was 1 or 2 seconds, but with rarely a mention of the benchmark length, which is as important. The overall results were
Blender Time to Render / sec Intel Broadwell-E
Core i7-6900K
8C / 16T
3 GHz all-core 49.05 AMD ZEN
Engineering Sample
8C / 16T
3 GHz all-core 48.07
(-0.98 sec, 1.998%)
All things being equal (we'll get to that in a second), this would suggest that an 8-core AMD has a ~2% advantage over Broadwell-E at the same clock speeds. Despite this result, there are a lot of unverifiable parts to the claim which makes analysis of such a result difficult. I want to go through each of them one by one to ensure everyone understands what was presented.
I'll preface this analysis with two things though: one is that AMD was very careful in what they said at the event, and only said as much as they needed to. Thus is why the string of caveats for this benchmark test is fairly long. But also, AMD has to set expectations here: if they choose an environment and test that represents the peak, or relies on something special, users will feel burned again after Bulldozer. AMD has to temper those expectations but still represent a methodology that is effective to them. By leaving so many cards on the table, this can both be a help or a hindrance.
But given the measured and calm, professional nature of the event, as opposed to the wild and wacky AMD events of the past, it was clear (either by design or chance) that the words used said only as much as they needed to. Along with the microarchitecture discussions, it was designed to provide a good stepping stone on to the Hot Chips presentation a few days later.
So, caveats. Or disclaimers not readily provided. Let's start at the top.
1) The Results Are Not Externally Verifiable At This Time, As Expected
We were told the setups of the systems being used, but were unable to confirm the results manually. This is typically the case with a high level, early look at performance and other companies do this all the time.
This being said, it would look bad on reports if it to turns out or someone finds a chasm between pre-launch and launch data, so the aspect of reporting this data without understanding this caveat is fundamental. The basis of publishing scientific papers is repeatability and verification - while this wasn't a scientific presentation, it is important to keep it in the back of your mind when you hear any benchmark numbers (AnandTech included - our numbers are designed to be verifiable and we want to have a history of honesty with our readers, especially when it comes to custom software/workloads we cannot disclose).
2) No Memory or TDP Numbers Were Provided
We were able to determine that the AMD-based systems were running 2x8 GB of DDR4-2400, although we did not get a look at Intel's memory arrangement. Similarly, due to the ES nature of the CPU, TDP numbers were also not shared however we did see all the AMD systems use either the AMD Wraith cooler (which is rated at 125W) or the new near silent cooler (95W). That tends to peg the system at a peak power consumption and some of AMD's current competitive parts actually use a cooler designed for the bracket above in TDP (e.g. A10-7860K at 65W uses the 95W cooler, A10-7890K at 95W uses the 125W cooler).
3) Blender Is an Open Source Platform
One of the issues of using open source is that the code is editable by everyone and anyone. Any user can adjust the code to optimize for their system and run a test to get a result. That being the case, it can be difficult to accurately determine the code base for this test, and is relatively impossible to determine the code base of Blender that was compiled for this test.
Even in the base code, there could be CPU vendor specific optimizations in either the code or compiler that influences how the code manipulates the cache hierarchy with the workload and adjusts appropriately. It also doesn't help that Blender has elements in the code called 'AMD', which relates to a series of internal rendering features not related to the company. Going down the optimization for specific CPU microarchitectures leads on to another more philosophical issue...
4) Did It Actually Measure IPC? (The Philosophical Debate)
In the purest sense, measuring the number of instructions per clock that a set of instructions can perform can determine the efficiency of a design. However, the majority of highly optimized code bases do not have general-purpose code - if it detects a particular microarchitecture it can manipulate threads and loops to take advantage of the code design. How should IPC be measured is the main question: using identical code bases makes it easier to understand but are often non-real-world compiler targets, or highly optimized code to show the best of what the processor can do (which means that IPC performance is limited to that benchmark)? With the results we saw, if the difference of about a second in just under fifty seconds translates into a 2% difference, is it accurate to say that this is a 2% IPC increase, or does it rely on optimized/non-optimized code? Optimizing code, or profiling compilers for specific code targets, is nothing new. In the holistic view, most analysts use SPEC benchmarks for this, as they are well-known code structures, even though most benchmarks are compiler targets - while SPEC is not particularly relevant for the real world workloads, it does give an indication about performance for unknown architectures/microarchitectures.
5) The Workload Is Custom
One of the benefits of software like SPEC, or canned benchmarks like Cinebench, is that anyone (with a license) can pick up the workload and run with it. Those workloads are typically well known, and we can get performance numbers out that have known qualities in their interpretation. With a custom workload, that is not always the case. It comes down to experience - an unknown workload can have a lop-sided implementation of certain branches of code which is unknown when it comes to running the results. This is why rendering one scene in a film can take a vastly different time to another, yet the results for the 'benchmark' are significantly different depending on the architecture (one prefers lighting, another prefers tessellation etc.) Using known or standard workloads over long periods of time can offer insights into the results, whereas new workloads cannot, especially with so few results on offer.
6) It Is Only One Benchmark
There is a reason for AMD only showing this benchmark - it's either a best case scenario, or they are pitching their expectations exactly where they want people to think. By using a custom workload on open source software, the result is very specific and cannot be extrapolated in any meaningful way. This is why a typical benchmark suite offers 10-20 tests with different workloads, and even enterprise standard workloads like SPEC come with over a dozen tests in play, to cater for single thread or multi-thread or large cache or memory or pixel pushing bottleneck that may occur. Single benchmarks on their own are very limited in scope as a result.
7) There's Plenty about the Microarchitecture and Chip We Don't Know Yet, e.g. Uncore
One of the more difficult elements on a processor is managing cross-core communication, as well as cross-core-cache snooping. This problem is overtly exponential, with the plausibility of more direct connections per core as the numbers go up. Intel has historically used a torus (ring) interconnect between cores to do this, with their large multi-core chips using a dual ring bus with communication points between the two. We suspect AMD is also using a ring bus in a similar methodology, but this has not been discussed at this time. There's also the interconnect fabric between the cores and other parts of the chip, such as the Northbridge/Southbridge or the memory controllers. Depending on the test, the core-to-core communication and the interconnect can have different performance effects on the CPU.
8) Clock Speeds Are Not Final, Efficiency Not Known
Performance of a CPU is typically limited by the power draw - there is no point getting a small amount of performance for a large increase in power such that efficiency has decreased. AMD has stated that power consumption and efficiency was a premier goal as this microarchitecture was developed.
At the demonstration, we were told that the frequency of the engineering samples was set at 3 GHz for all-core operation. We were told explicitly that these are not the final clock speeds, but it at the very least it puts the lower bound on the highest end processor. In reality, 3 GHz could be a walk in the park for the final retail units, depending on how much difference there is between the chips on display and what people will be able to buy. We are under the impression that the CPUs will have turbo modes involved, and those could be staggered based on the cores being used.
But this is why I said that 3 GHz is the lower bound of the high-end processor. We know from these results (assuming point 1 in this list) that the best processor from AMD will do at least 3 GHz. There's no indication of power, and thus there's no indication of efficiency either, which is also another important metric left in the ether.
9) We Will Have to Wait to Test
Everyone wants the next technology yesterday, so the 'gimme gimme gimme' feeling of new stuff is always there. AMD has already stated that general availability for Zen and Summit Ridge will be Q1, which puts the launch at four months away at a minimum. At this stage of the game, while AMD is trying to be competitive with Intel, they don't want to generate too much hype and give the game away in case it goes incredibly pear-shaped. There's the added element of the hardware and software being finalized or updated.
Since I've been reviewing, no CPU manufacturer has handed out review units four months before launch (in all honesty, we're lucky to get a launch date sample a week in advance these days). In fact we'd have to go back to Nehalem and Conroe to find something that was sampled early; however Conroe just passed its 10th birthday and in that case, Intel knew they were on to a clear winner ahead rather than just 'meeting expectations'. Also, early samples of a great product will mean users will wait for it to come out, which results in revenue loss (the Osborne effect) unless you have zero stock and/or an uncompetitive product that no-one is buying. In this decade, no x86 CPU manufacturer has offered samples this far out. I'd be more than happy for that to change and I would encourage companies to do so, but I understand the reasons why.
Some Final Words
Much in the same way that taking an IQ test tells you how good you are at an IQ test, it is typically an indication that you are good/bad at other things as well (most well-engineered IQ tests go through a lot of spatial reasoning, for example). In this circumstance, a CPU performing a Blender test is only as good as a Blender test, but given what we know about the Zen microarchitecture, it is probably also good at other things. Just how good, in what metric and to what extent, is almost impossible to say.
AMD has given a glimpse of performance, and they’ve only said as much as they needed to in order to get the message across. However it has been up to the media to understand the reasons why and explain what those caveats are. |
"L.A. Woman" is a song by American rock band the Doors. The song is the title track on their 1971 album L.A. Woman, the final album to feature Jim Morrison before his death on 3 July 1971.
In the song's bridge, Morrison repeats the phrase "Mr. Mojo Risin'," which is an anagram of "Jim Morrison".[1]
The song was recorded at The Doors Workshop on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, between December 1970 and January 1971. Morrison recorded his vocal part in the bathroom of the makeshift studio due to the room's natural reverb. Marc Benno was a second guitarist on the session; Jerry Scheff played electric bass guitar.
The 40th Anniversary edition of the album version begins with a guitar riff of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."
Video [ edit ]
In 1985, 14 years after Morrison's death, Ray Manzarek directed and Rick Schmidlin produced a music video for the song. It was aired on MTV and included in the Doors film Dance on Fire.
Lyrics [ edit ]
Morrison's handwritten original lyrics to 1971's LA Woman.
A yellow sheet of lined A4 paper with the lyrics of "L.A. Woman" written by Jim Morrison, was auctioned in Berkshire, UK for £13,000 on Aug 4, 2009.[2]
Personnel [ edit ]
Later covers [ edit ]
References [ edit ] |
A detail of the fictional Frisland, from a 1623 map of the North Pole. Public Domain
In 1558, a Venetian named Nicolò Zeno invented an island in the Atlantic Ocean. The rectangular island, dotted with cities with Italian-sounding names like Forlanda and Sorand, rested just south of Iceland, bracketed by Norway to the east and the mysterious Estotiland to the west. Zeno called the island Frisland and claimed that two of his ancestors, Antonio and his brother Nicolò, had discovered the island in the 1380s. Zeno also went one step further, declaring that Venetians had discovered the New World—labeled Estotiland on the map—a full century before Columbus’s Genoa or Vespucci’s Florence could claim the prize.
While Zeno’s relatives were real and most likely did engage in exploration of some sort, Zeno’s tale, outlined in his 1558 book Della Scoprimento and an accompanying map, was fictional. Nevertheless, his fabrication was convincing. Many of his contemporaries validated and reprinted his claims. Even centuries later, the Zeno story resonated. In the mid-19th century, English scholar Richard Henry Major declared the Zeno story an “authentic … genuine, and valuable narrative,” while geologist William Herbert Hobbs ruled in 1951 that the Zeno brothers were “honest and quite competent discoverers.” As late as 1989, Venetian philologist Giorgio Padoan argued that there was no forgery—Venetians had stepped on the New World before any other Europeans.
There’s very little mystery around why Nicolò Zeno would invent this tale of bravery and adventure by his ancestors and namesake. It elevated the Zeno name to new heights and also described a major accomplishment for Venice, which was quickly being eclipsed as a naval power by the growing strength of Spain, France, and England. But why did people believe Zeno’s story of a lost Venetian voyage of exploration? And why did cartographers and geographers continue to insist the island was real well into the 20th century?
Septentrionalivm partivm nova tabvla, by Nicolo Zeno, showing “Frisland,” 1561. Public Domain
The secret is not in Zeno’s book, which, as historian Elizabeth Horodowich has argued, blends history and fantasy much like other 16th-century travelogues. It certainly reads like fiction, and a particularly hackneyed iteration at that.
Zeno claimed that when he was only a boy, he stumbled upon a treasure trove of letters written between his 14th-century ancestors. The letters, he explained in Italian, were lost when Zeno himself ripped them to shreds. “Being still a boy when they came into my hands, and not understanding what they were,” Nicolò wrote, “I tore them in pieces and destroyed them, as boys will do.” As an adult, he realized the value of the letters and attempted to reconstruct the story for his book.
The hero of Zeno’s narrative is his namesake, Nicolò the Elder. According to Della Scoprimento, in the 1380s, Nicolò led a fleet of Venetians into the North Atlantic where they were shipwrecked on the island of Frisland. Here they found a Latin-speaking prince named Zichmni who was “overjoyed” to learn they were from Italy, as the peninsula’s reputation had spread even to the remotest corners of the known world. The Venetians were instantly accepted by the Frislanders, who, according to Zeno, had “little experience” at seafaring despite being surrounded by ocean. Nicolò the Elder continued to impress the Frislanders with his brilliance, and Prince Zichmni knighted the Venetian for his “great industriousness and genius.”
The Entrance to the Grand Canal, Venice, painted by Canaletto, c. 1730. Public Domain
It was not Nicolò the Elder who discovered the New World, however. That privilege went to his brother Antonio, who heard tales of “a very large country, like a new world,” supposedly called Estotiland––identified today as Newfoundland or Labrador. It was filled with strange people. “They all go naked,” Nicolò the Younger reported, “and suffer cruelly from the cold; nor have they learned how to cover themselves with the skins of the beasts which they take in hunting.” The text described how the mysterious people made bow strings from the skins of animals, ignoring the irony that the same people were supposedly too ignorant to wear animal skins in near-Arctic temperatures. Zeno ended the description of this new land by claiming that the people “fight together to the death, and eat one another.”
The story was familiar to 16th-century readers of travel narratives—in fact, it might have been a little too familiar. Christopher Columbus’s 1493 description of his first voyage mentioned the New World locals’ lack of clothes, and he also described “ferocious” people who “eat human flesh.” Amerigo Vespucci’s Mundus Novus, first published in 1503, similarly told of naked people who “eat each other, even those who are slain, and hang the flesh of them in the smoke.” Columbus and Vespucci clearly embellished their own accounts to appeal to European readers, and Zeno the Younger did the same thing—he borrowed heavily from these stories to create his “14th-century” description of the New World, awkwardly transferring stories that were allegedly about the Caribbean to the Arctic.
This was self-promotion at its finest. Nicolò Zeno even included a family tree in his 1558 book, which went back 15 generations, along with a history of his family from 1200 to the 16th century. And Zeno was extremely successful. Not only was the Zeno name cemented in history for over five centuries, but sailors began to spot the invented Frisland on their voyages––whether from wishful thinking or a case of mistaken identity. For example, the English navigator Martin Frobisher confused Greenland with Frisland in 1576 as he looked for the Northwest Passage. In 1580, Queen Elizabeth’s advisor John Dee preemptively claimed the imaginary island for England. Frisland began to appear on dozens of maps, including the 1569 world map by Gerhard Mercator and the 1570 world map Abraham Ortelius.
Map of Iceland with part of Greenland by Venetian Vincenzo Coronelli, 1592. Public Domain
Zeno’s map provided additional support for his story. It was drawn in the style of mid-16th century Venetian print maps, and the map made Frisland real by using scientific verisimilitude. In his book, Zeno claimed the map dated back to the 1390s, but its sources are clearly from the 16th century. The two most important sources were mapmakers who were active in Venice during Zeno’s lifetime: the Swede Olaus Magnus and the Paduan Benedetto Bordone. Both published maps of the North Atlantic in the decades before Zeno’s appeared. Magnus’s 1539 Carta Marina served as the template for Zeno’s depiction of Scandinavia and many islands of the Atlantic. Bordone’s Isolario of 1528 not only provided images of North Atlantic islands, but it also contained descriptions of Vespucci’s voyage and the island of Hispaniola, which served as a template for Zeno’s picture of the New World inhabitants.
The map packaged Frisland in a recognizable format. It was drawn with lines of latitude and longitude, which made it easily exportable into other maps. This happened almost immediately after Zeno published his book; in 1561, only three years later, Venetian mapmaker Girolamo Ruscelli reproduced Zeno’s entire map.
But even the map can’t fully explain the enduring power of Zeno’s story. By the 19th century, it was clear that Frisland did not actually exist—or at least not where Zeno said it would be found. Instead, scholars in the 19th and 20th centuries tried to identify Frisland with one of the Faroe Islands or Orkney in Scotland.
Septentrionalium Regionum Descrip, a map of the north Atlantic from Abraham Ortelius’s 1570 atlas. Public Domain
The answer to Zeno’s enduring success lies not with his works, but with his audience. For centuries, people believed Zeno because they wanted to believe him. That was Zeno’s true stroke of genius. He created a story too tantalizing for people to ignore.
To understand why modern scholars might defend Zeno’s story, look at another case of alleged exploration forgery: the Vinland map. It was a purported 15th-century map first identified in 1957, which supposedly proved the Viking discovery of the New World in the 11th century. Many scholars argue that the Vinland map is a forgery, perhaps because it lacks a compelling element found in the Zeno tale––a centuries-long track record of evidence. The sheer weight of people who believed Zeno over nearly five hundred years makes it tempting to search for nuggets of truth in the story.
The Vinland map, which many scholars believe is a forgery. Public Domain
The real question, then, is why people believed Zeno in the 16th and 17th centuries. Zeno’s map gave the appearance of truth to his claims, but the English declaration of ownership over Frisland in 1580 reveals the true power of Zeno’s story. Men like John Dee, caught up in a race to carve up a new hemisphere, wanted to believe that the forgery was real, because they benefitted from the lie. Hope, plus a veneer of truth, transformed Frisland into a real island. People believed it was true because it fit with what they wanted to find in the ocean: rich, untouched lands ready for Europeans to exploit.
The truth of Zeno’s success becomes even clearer when comparing the two forgeries he tried to perpetuate. It was not just Frisland that Zeno peddled. It was also a much less successful Venetian claim on the New World. Outside of Venice, Europeans were apparently more willing to buy an undiscovered North Atlantic island than to rewrite the history of the Age of Discovery—especially if that meant a battle with Venetians over territories already disputed between France, England, and Spain. Zeno’s forgery was successful because he packaged it in a dramatic travel narrative that sent others in search of the promised island for centuries––he gave an audience that craved land exactly what they wanted to see. |
On May 18th, 1980, thirty years ago today, at 8:32 a.m., the ground shook beneath Mount St. Helens in Washington state as a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck, setting off one of the largest landslides in recorded history - the entire north slope of the volcano slid away. As the land moved, it exposed the superheated core of the volcano setting off gigantic explosions and eruptions of steam, ash and rock debris. The blast was heard hundreds of miles away, the pressure wave flattened entire forests, the heat melted glaciers and set off destructive mudflows, and 57 people lost their lives. The erupting ash column shot up 80,000 feet into the atmosphere for over 10 hours, depositing ash across Eastern Washington and 10 other states. Collected here are photos of the volcano and its fateful 1980 eruption. |
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into how juveniles are treated and what risks of harm they face at the Jefferson County Jail.
Conditions at the Jefferson County Jail, already crowded and understaffed, could get worse for inmates and their guards as budget cuts demand another 20 percent be shaved from all county departments. (The Birmingham News/Tamika Moore)
Investigators will determine whether juveniles incarcerated there are being held in conditions that pose a serious risk to their physical and psychological well-being, the DOJ announced late Wednesday.
According to the DOJ, allegations have been made that some juveniles housed with adult detainees have been the victims of sexual abuse. Adult detainees have approached juveniles to ask for sexual favors or propose sexual activity.
Chief Deputy Randy Christian, with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, said juvenile inmates incarcerated in the jail have committed crimes so violent or heinous that they have been charged as adults.
"If they would rob, rape or murder you, I would likely assume they would also lie to try and make it out of adult jail," he said. "It isn't a place for the faint of heart but it is a place they are treated fairly. We certainly have no heartburn over proving that in court should we need to."
The DOJ is investigating allegations that some juveniles, including those with mental illnesses and low IQs, are regularly placed in solitary confinement or lockdown for months at a time. In lockdown, they have little or no access to the law library, telephone, commissary, educational opportunities or other services.
"Isolation - particularly the prolonged and restrictive lockdown alleged in Jefferson County - can lead to paranoia, anxiety, depression and suicide, and exacerbate pre-existing psychological harms," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division, said in a news release.
Last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center made claims of violence, abuse and neglect of teen inmates at the Jefferson County jail. The organization sent a letter to the DOJ urging them to launch an investigation.
The allegations were based on 50 interviews with 20 inmates under the age of 18, who reported inadequate medical care, among other complaints.
Local officials responded that the claims were baseless, saying they jail had nothing to hide. They noted that all juveniles housed at the jail have been charged as adults, and some sub-par conditions have been the result of overcrowding.
"Jail is a tough place to be. We wished these criminals would work a little harder to stay out of it,'' Christian said last year in response to the SPLC's claims. "We are going to treat the inmates fairly and humanely while they are in our system and comply with federal mandated standards; we certainly aren't going to coddle them like they are in a country club."
The Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division is conducting the investigation. Anyone with information can contact the DOJ via email at community.jeffersoncounty@usdoj.gov or by phone at 855-258-1432.
Under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, the attorney general has the authority to investigate violations of the constitutional rights of prisoners in institutions, including county jails, and to bring suit against any governmental entity that deprives juveniles of their rights.
"Our commitment to finding solutions to problems in Alabama's troubled jails and prisons is ongoing," U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Joyce White Vance said in a prepared statement. "Where possible, the best solution is always a collaborative approach that encourages the state and counties to correct conditions that are constitutionally inadequate. However, we have not hesitated to file suit where necessary."
Similar investigations have taken place in other jurisdictions, including the Leflore County Juvenile Detention Center in Mississippi, the jails on Rikers Island in New York, the Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Detention Center in Louisiana and the Scioto and Marion juvenile correctional facilities in Ohio.
Updated at 6:53 p.m. with information about 2014 SPLC complaint
Updated at 7:19 p.m. with comments from Chief Deputy Randy Christian |
Sundance Solar installs panels in Asheville, NC
“How can I get a solar job?” As I speak with groups and community members throughout our region about clean energy, this is by far one of the most frequently asked questions I hear, and for good reason! With headlines like Solar Creates 1 Out of Every 50 Jobs, and the reported $154 billion in economic impact in 2016 (according to The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Job Census), it’s no surprise that the solar industry is catching the attention of job seekers.
In an increasingly diverse industry, the solar industry is building a reputation for providing well-paying jobs in a rapidly expanding market. With 67 percent of these jobs not even requiring a bachelor’s degree, this means one thing for a lot of people: opportunity! According the Solar Foundation, the median wage is $26 an hour for solar installers, however the industry also includes a wide range of job types such as manufacturing, sales, project development, finance, and marketing, just to name a few. The solar industry has also become a great fit for military veterans, with veterans currently making up 9 percent of the solar workforce as opposed to 6 percent of the national total.
All of that sounds great, but the question remains: How can somebody break into the industry if they don’t already have a foot in the door somewhere or any “solar” experience? Here are some answers and insights I’ve gained from asking those same questions myself, talking with local solar companies, and diving into the data provided by The Solar Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy and Employment Report.
For starters, job seekers generally find that a lot of their existing job skills transfer well to the solar industry. On the installation side, for example, this is essentially construction work, so experience in areas related to building trades such as construction labor, contracting, permitting, structural engineering, and design tend to be great skills to have on the solar side of things. Given the nature of solar installations, roofing and electrical work are also helpful skills to have, and many solar contractors began as one or the other. Stemming from these local contractor roots, it’s interesting to note that about half of the solar installers currently working in the US are from small companies of 10 or fewer employees. This is especially impressive when you put that stat next to the fact that installation jobs still represent the majority of positions in the industry, totaling 53 percent of all solar jobs.
Interested in becoming an installer? Bill Johnson of Brilliant Harvest, a Florida based solar company, advises getting some hands on experience however is possible: “I would definitely recommend an internship or other job training, to include hands on work with actual equipment in the field. Solar power system installation is physically and mentally demanding work that takes time to learn to do well. Not everyone is cut out for it frankly; it’s hot, bright, and physical, in addition to being mentally complex.” This sentiment is echoed by all solar professionals I have spoken with: If you want to be in the industry, find a way to get your hands on some panels, get up on a roof, and see what actually goes into a solar installation! Research the solar contractors in your area (you can look up NABCEP certified contractors HERE as a start) and see who would be willing to take you on as an intern, apprentice, or even job shadow.
In addition to the building trades side of things, as the industry continues to grow, so do all the other employment needs, such as manufacturing, distribution, finance, research & development, and so on meaning that experience gained in other industries is often applicable and valuable in the solar industry as well. This reality means that job seekers’ resumes are often stronger than they may realize. Simply put, just because none of your previous work experience contains the word “solar” doesn’t mean that it’s not applicable. That being said, the solar industry does have its own technical language, and a myriad of complex and always changing regulations, technologies, policies, challenges, and opportunities that a newbie could find confusing and overwhelming. To get themselves up to speed, job seekers should adopt a proactive approach to learning the industry, networking, and adding relevant skills to their resume in whatever way they can. They can do this through courses, conferences, and good old-fashioned research.
“The solar industry is very much still in it’s infancy. We don’t expect most applicants to have a wide knowledge of solar but having some basic course work completed does help a lot with the learning curve once employed.” Stated Tony Ramudo, Vice President and Co-Founder of Urban Solar Group, a solar contractor based in South Florida. “Here at Urban Solar Group, we look for attitude first. It’s important to have a positive attitude while learning a new trade.”
This advice is no different than what somebody may hear any time they want to switch industries in their career. There’s no secret sauce for solar jobs, but I will leave you with a couple special resources and tips.
First, I recommend checking out the brand new Solar Training Network, an initiative funded by the Department of Energy in collaboration with The Solar Foundation that aims to provide resources, job postings, and training opportunities.
photo credit Creative Commons user Go Green Conference
Second, an ongoing trend at many solar conferences and trade shows is to include a “career fair” or similar networking event, often separate from the main conference in order to make the events more accessible. These are well-worth researching, especially if one happens to be scheduled in your area. For those in the greater Atlanta area or who are already planning to attend Solar Power Southeast, check out their career fair happening May 11. If you’re interested in attending the full conference, use discount code P15SACE17 to get 15 percent off!
Lastly, it’s no secret that some states and local communities are more solar-friendly than others, so if you are serious about working in the field you may need to be open to relocating, working remotely (if this is an option depending on the job), or perhaps joining advocacy and policy efforts to help bring more solar to your area. Yes, this is a long term effort that may not land you a job tomorrow, and it’s also a shameless plug to become a supporting member of the organization that I work with, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, but one of the main reasons I began working with this organization is that I realized good energy policy leads to more local jobs, and without good policy, the industry will never flourish.
So there you have it. I’d love to hear from others how they got started in the solar industry, and what advice they would offer job seekers. If any of you are hiring, feel free to flag your job posting in the comments below! I’ll start things off by flagging our own job posting HERE. |
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for reform to the justice system, including an end to excessive prison sentences in a speech at Columbia University. (Reuters)
This story has been updated.
Tough-on-crime policies that emphasized arrests and convictions for relatively minor offenses have failed the country, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday, leading to overcrowded prisons and too many black men "missing" from their families and communities.
"We need to restore balance to our criminal justice system," Clinton told an audience at Columbia University in New York.
Calling for an "end to the era of mass incarceration," Clinton endorsed body cameras for police nationwide to record interactions between officers and potential suspects. Making her most specific policy proposals since launching her campaign earlier this month, Clinton said it's time for a nationwide overhaul of what she called misguided and failed policing and prison strategies.
In effect, she was saying that policies put in place when her husband Bill Clinton was president have not worked. Clinton did not mention her husband or identify exactly which laws and sentencing policies she thought had gone wrong. But many of those policies grew out of the crackdown on drug crimes and other nonviolent offenses that took place before and during Bill Clinton's presidency 20 years ago.
Later in the day, a Clinton campaign spokesman tamped down on the notion that she was refuting her husband's policies:
Spoiler Alert: HRC policy on internet might also be different than WJC policy in 1994. Not b/c he was wrong but b/c times change. — Jesse Ferguson (@JesseFFerguson) April 29, 2015
In her address, Clinton said there is an emerging bipartisan consensus that the current system isn't working. Much of the speech dealt with the deaths of black men after interactions with police, and the protests that turned violent in Baltimore this week.
She listed some of those men, including Freddie Gray, whose death in police custody set off the Baltimore rioting.
[Here's how the presidential candidates reacted to Baltimore unrest]
"Not only as a mother and grandmother, but as a citizen, as a human being, my heart breaks for these young men and their families," Clinton said. "We have to come to terms with some hard truths about race and justice in America."
She reeled off statistics about what she called the disproportionate arrest and incarceration rates for black men and what she called the broader economic and educational inequality of poor and minority communities.
"We need smart strategies to fight crime that help restore trust between law enforcement and our communities, especially communities of color," she added. |
Share. Actor opens up about Joker's fate. Actor opens up about Joker's fate.
SPOILER WARNING: There are mild spoilers regarding the Joker’s involvement in Suicide Squad, so if you haven’t yet seen the film and don’t want to know the extent of his participation, don't read any further.
Jared Leto has been talking about the Joker’s journey in Suicide Squad, stating that he has no idea where the character disappears to for the film’s second half, and expressing disappointment that so many of the his scenes were cut from the film.
Half-way through proceedings Joker’s helicopter crashes, and we don’t hear from him again until the film’s final scene. And when we asked Leto what the character was up to in the interim, he didn’t really know.
“That’s a good question. I have no idea. I think he probably went and had a drink or something. Stretched – once you get blown up in a helicopter your muscles get a little tight.”
We also asked Leto if he was upset about any of his scenes getting cut – as previously reported – to which he responded.
“Were there any that didn’t get cut? I’m asking you, were there any that didn’t get cut? There were so many scenes that got cut from the movie, I couldn’t even start. I think that the Joker… we did a lot of experimentation on the set, we explored a lot. There’s so much that we shot that’s not in the film.
“If I die anytime soon, it’s probably likely that it’ll surface somewhere. That’s the good news about the death of an actor is all that stuff seems to come out.”
As IGN left the room we told Leto we hope he doesn’t die anytime soon, to which he rather darkly responded “We all die.”
Suicide Squad is in cinemas now.
Exit Theatre Mode
Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN in the UK and reckons Joker was watching BvS in those missing hours. He can be found talking nonsense on The Superhero Show and Twitter. |
Gareth Barry is second on the all-time list of Premier League appearances
West Brom have signed former England midfielder Gareth Barry from Everton for an undisclosed fee.
The 36-year-old has made 628 Premier League appearances in 21 seasons with Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton. He needs five more to break Ryan Giggs' all-time record of 632.
Barry, who had four years at Goodison, has signed an initial one-year deal.
"I think his attitude is gauged by the fact Everton offered him a two-year deal," said West Brom boss Tony Pulis.
"He's a fantastic player, really wants to play and I'm really looking forward to working with him."
Barry, who won 53 England caps, is West Brom's fourth signing, after Jay Rodriguez, Zhang Yuning and Ahmed Hegazi.
And Pulis sees him as a replacement for Darren Fletcher, who joined Stoke earlier in the summer.
"I want to come and help the team. That's always been the same for me wherever I have played," Barry said. "I want to help the team improve, work hard and hopefully add quality."
The Baggies won their opening match of the Premier League season, beating Bournemouth 1-0.
But Pulis warned on Monday that without additions to his squad, "it could be a long season".
"We're desperate to bring players in. We've got a squad of 17 and it's a top-age squad as well," said Pulis.
Barry poised to break appearance record
Barry is currently four games short of equalling Ryan Giggs' record for the most Premier League appearances, but the veteran midfielder now looks set to surpass that.
Giggs had played in every Premier League season before his retirement in May 2014, winning 13 league titles with Manchester United and racking up 632 appearances in the process.
Barry, meanwhile, made his debut at the end of the 1997-98 season and has played more than 30 games in all but one season since.
Of players still currently playing in the Premier League United's former Tottenham and West Ham midfielder Michael Carrick is the next closest on 479.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. |
TUKWILA, Wash. – In the final training session before the Seattle Sounders took on the LA Galaxy last week, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Eddie Johnson hatched a plan.
Rather than have one of them run Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez away from the action on set pieces, either Johnson or Hurtado would attempt to set a pick. On the Sounders' first corner kick of the game, the plan worked perfectly. With Hurtado running interference, Johnson found himself with an unmarked header that he buried to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead.
“When I look at the tape, maybe it's a foul but things play on and it is what it is, and we'll take it,” midfielder Brad Evans said on Tuesday. “It's something that teams have to be aware of. In the past, it's us being concerned about not giving up set pieces close to goal. Now it's something where it's a weapon for us.
“It's just kind of formed, it's not something that we've really worked on. It just came kind of naturally.”
The goal marked the fourth time in six games that the Sounders had scored on a set piece, and gave them eight for the season. A year ago, they scored nine of their 51 goals on corner kicks or free kicks.
Johnson has been especially good on restarts, scoring three goals in four games that way.
“It's just another weapon,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of height, a lot of presence in the box. If I'm an opposing team, I'd be frightened when the likes of Zach Scott, Jhon Kennedy, [Clint] Dempsey, Oba [Martins] and myself. That's a lot of guys with athleticism and power in the box to deal with.”
Find more Seattle Sounders coverage at SoundersFC.com
As much as the defense has been a major reason for the Sounders' ability to claim 25 of their last 30 possible points – allowing just seven goals – the offense has been significantly aided by scoring set-piece goals in half of the games.
“In tight games, a set-piece goal often makes the difference,” head coach Sigi Schmid said. “Obviously you look at the LA game and both goals came off set pieces. In tight games, those are the types of the games that swing it one way or the other.
“It helps the team, the belief is strong. You want to get corners, you want to get free kicks because you know those are opportunities to score. When you believe it, when you go at them with confidence, it also helps the likelihood of you being able to score.
"In Columbus in 2008 [when Schmid's Crew won the MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield] we scored quite a few goals off set pieces. Just knowing you have people there and knowing that every time you get that opportunity, it's there, just lifts the whole team.” |
Happy birthday Bob Hawke, who turned 80 on this very morn. He'll celebrate with a black-tie dinner at the Sydney Opera House, thus giving photographers the chance to capture two great Aussie icons in a single snapshot - one with glorious white sails, the other with luxuriant silver hair.
I have the "Silver Bodgie" to thank for providing one of my more memorable moments covering Australian politics. It came during the 2007 election, when Bob Hawke was "g'daying" and "hello darlinging" his way around a pedestrianised shopping precinct as he sought to lend his charisma and panache to a rather dour Labor party candidate who was in urgent need of a personality transplant. Needless to say, the Silver Bodgie was magnificently presented: resplendent in an electric blue sports jacket, an open-necked white shirt, even whiter leather loathers, no socks and a heavy gold chain that hung lazily from his sun-tanned neck. At a distance he could easily have been mistaken for a sales rep trying to sell retirement homes on the Gold Coast, but up close there was no doubting his presence. For surely nobody else in Australia has such a extravagant head of hair, so perfectly coiffured that it looked like it has been groomed by his very own squadron of stable hands working since the crack of dawn.
Oddly, I had spent that morning compiling a report on how green issues had intruded on the campaign, and I was keen to get Bob Hawke's input. And he was more than delighted to help, since he claimed to be the first Australian prime minister to have been alert to the dangers of greenhouse gas emissions, and had acted accordingly. Shortly after launching into the interview, Hawkie was a few words short of a near perfect sound-bite when his voice started to be over-powered by a busker, who had spotted him approaching and decided to honour him with a musical tribute: a quick rendition of Advance Australia Fair.
Rather than stop Mr Hawke in mid-flow, I tried to make sense of the melody to the listeners back home. It was now drowning out the former prime minister, and could hardly be ignored. "They're playing the national anthem for you, Mr Hawke," I said.
"I gathered that," he replied abruptly, shooting me the most withering of looks. Then, with the microphone still on, he started to hum along with the anthem, bouncing from one word to the next - an impromptu performance in which the Silver Bodgie delivered radio gold.
That morning I left Bob Hawke thinking that the only leader I have ever witnessed do retail politics with more aplomb is another Rhodes scholar, Bill Clinton. And it helps explain why the Silver Bodgie is Labor's longest serving prime minister, with four election victories to his name. Regardless of what you thought of his politics, it was hard not to like him - from his endearing habit of breaking down in tears on national television to that moment of spontaneity on the morning of Australia's America's Cup triumph in 1983 when he essentially gave the whole country the day off.
By far the best profile that I have read of Bob Hawke comes from the pen of one of my favourite Australian journalists, Craig McGregor, who had trailed him for a few days in 1977, when he was still a union leader. "He drinks like a fish," wrote McGregor, "swears like a trooper, works like a demon, performs like a playboy, talks like a truckie - and acts like a politician....Bob Hawke is your typical Australian, oversize."
McGregor went on to say that no other country in the world could have produced a leader like Bob Hawke: "In a way he sums up the best, and the worst, of us. For that reason alone, he could make a great prime minister."
The profile also included a quote from Hawke himself, which offers a good starting point for anyone covering Australian politics. "I don't think in Australia we are going to change things dramatically," he said before becoming prime minister. "We are a very conservative country. And you have to move with within the constraints of what the nation's economic performance will allow. Whatever a future Labor government may achieve, it will live or die according to its economic performance." Prophetic words from the prime minister who "opened up" the Australian economy, and who, with his Treasurer Paul Keating, laid many of the structural foundations for its present-day prosperity.
Almost 30 years on, Hawke still has a penchant for the killer sound-bite. Asked last week what sort of leader Tony Abbott would be, Hawkie deadpanned: "Temporary."
Like McGregor, I've always looked upon Hawke as an emblematic leader, a man of contradictions who led a country full of contradictions (yes, Whitlamite, a "schizophrenic country"). He was the son of a Congregationalist minister whose catchphrase as a union leader was: "You can get f*****." He was a brilliant scholar who won a Rhodes Scholarship, although his students days are best remembered - memorialised even at the Turf Tavern in Oxford - by his skill at downing a yard of ale quicker than anyone else in the world. He was a heavy drinker who gave up the bottle while he was prime minister; he was a back-slapping larrikin, who thought nothing of crying in public. He was the longest serving Labor prime minister who, despite his personal popularity, had a surprisingly conservative political outlook and governing philosophy. So is it an exaggeration to say that, more so than any post-war prime minister, he was a complicated man who personified the complicated country he led?
UPDATE: To avoid any confusion, the Silver Bodgie is indeed the Silver Bodgie. Parrgirl's definition is spot on: "Bodgies were delicious blokes from the 50s/60s with the tight duds and glorious shocks of brushed back hair." And richer than the description from an online dictionary of Aussie slang: "The word was used to describe a young Aussie male, distinguished by his complete conformity to certain fashions of dress - and loutish or rowdy behaviour - the antipodean counterpart of the pommie 'teddy boy'." Seems like the the Silver Bodgie had a fine old time at his Opera House bash. It was attended by Kevin Rudd, along with the former Labor prime ministers, Gough Whitlam and Paul Keating. A burlesque stripper pretending to be John Howard also made an appearance, wearing skimpy swimwear - something which seems to be in vogue among Liberal leaders. The story is here and the pictures are here. |
In all the public discussion of what to do about the worsening congestion that makes it increasingly difficult to get around in San Diego, there is one idea that does not get the attention it deserves — the proposal of county Supervisor Ron Roberts for a network of “skyway” gondolas. That is likely about to change.
The skyway proposal was included in the long-term transportation plan unanimously approved by the board of the San Diego Association of Governments, the regional planning agency, in October. But, like everything else, its implementation depends on funding.
As it happens, Roberts was named this month to be the 2016 board chair of SANDAG. He was also named new chairman of the Board of Supervisors. And he also is vice chair of the Metropolitan Transit System board. These positions give him unique platforms and standing to promote the skyway project and, more important, to seek state and federal funding or organize a possible public-private partnership to develop the initial skyway line from Balboa Park to downtown.
We expect Roberts will outline his skyway hopes and plans when he delivers the annual State of the County address the night of Feb. 25.
A SANDAG study last year documented the realistic possibilities of elevated gondola lines, not just as a touristy attraction but, in tandem with buses, light-rail and other transit, as a means of daily commuting. The skyways would be far cheaper — between $65 million and $75 million for the two-mile line to downtown — and easier to build. And they could add to the unique character of San Diego. We hope skyway skeptics will do their homework. |
ADVERTISEMENTS
Share with:
Santa Claus is launching his XMAS token, on November 11 and says goodbye to chimney. No more dirty work for Santa, he will use XMAS tokens this season to send his gifts.
advertisement
If you ever had to choose gifts for holiday season you know how time consuming and confusing it can be. This year Santa Claus and his team are launching a new and original kind of token meant to be given as gift or thank you to those you care about. You don’t need to worry about what to choose anymore, you can send some XMAS tokens, and instead of spending money on gifts which can devalue, this gift can bring more value to its owner over time.
You may ask why not send ether as gift. Santa Claus, CEO of XMAS Token, has the answer to that: “People are seeing ether like money now. It can be hard to decide how much money you want to send to X or Y, you will begin to ask if it is enough, then you will start to narrow down the list of people who will receive your attention. And before you know it, what started as a nice gesture ends with a pool of worries. That’s why people don’t give money as gift. We needed a symbol of appreciation, a symbol recognized by the entire crypto community.”
Compared to traditional business backed tokens in cryptocurrency market, XMAS does not have a business behind it, but has a strong idea and a general need for something different in the gift industry.
There are only 3 000 000 tokens available for the crowdsale and Santa’s ICO will start on November 11 and will last until December 9. In this period, you can buy XMAS tokens directly from Santa’s digital wallet, you can find the address on XMAS token’s website. After December 9 the token will be listed on exchanges and can be widely bought from there.
Those who will have XMAS tokens in their Ethereum address on December 21 and will be subscribed to Santa’s Gift List with their wallet address, will receive a massive airdrop. Santa has reserved 1 000 000 XMAS tokens for Christmas Eve, December 24 to share with his fans. That’s about 300 000 USD value of XMAS tokens considering ICO price per token. That is Santa’s way of saying Merry Christmas this year.
You can contact XMAS Token team on: |
15User Rating: 1 out of 5
Review title of FEARtheNOISE300 DO NOT BUY, IT'S JUST A CASH GRABBER!
Very disappointed even more: First of all - don't buy this game, there are many reasons why you should avoid this game. I've pre order the UE witch cost 99.99$. The season pass is completely useless, I was hoping they would make a story DLC but all did was remaster the old maps! This game is just a cash grabber: Every week they would throw out microtransaction loot boxes, it's a gamble, rather or not you getting something good out of those paid loot boxes. Multiplayer is horrible with those on going changes, horde is broken too. I love the story mode, it was amazing. I played gow since the day gow 1 came out. I played all of them. Judgment was trash, the others were great but this one was horrible. Season pass was a rip off! After I saw that gow 5 is coming out, I had to SMH. After what gow4 turn out to be. I'm never going to play 5 or this ever again. Great job screwing over the gow fans, I miss you Epic games. 💔 |
Power Play Woes
The difference between winning and losing may just be “One Goal.” But with a failing power play, the Blackhawks are missing out on a lot more than just a goal. Try zero out of their last nineteen chances to net one. What’s going on here?
First power play of Game 3. Let’s have a looksie. First off, face-offs have not been kind to the Blackhawks. Another lost face-off is the reason for the rush pictured below. NOTE: Red will represent Blackhawks movement and black will represent Bruins movement.
The Hawks entry is a mess. Their first three attempts to enter the zone go exactly like the picture above. Center ice pass to a man on the blue line. Two Bruins will pinch while one goes back to retrive the puck and get it out of the zone. Cookie cutter for the Bruins PK.
Finally! Some time in the offensive zone. The player with possession is in the corner drawing the attention of the Bruins PK. Two players at the point ready to take a shot with two guys in front of the net to stuff loose pucks. This would be a picture perfect play if this is what actually happened.
Instead, the player with possession decides to take the difficult route of getting the puck to the point. With little control of the puck, the pass is sloppy and is eventually lost over the blue line. Even if the puck stays on-side, the Bruins PK is ready with a player in the slot to block a pass up to the circle. Another missed opportunity.
Here’s a question, why rush into the zone when your two D-men are going for a line change? The quick entrance could still work if Toews throws the puck around the boards along the path of the dotted line (to two lightning fast D men at that), but you’re currently out numbered on your OWN power play and you have no chance of recovering from the awful pass that is about to occur. Picked off. Cleared.
Again, entrance. The Bruins PK is aiming to collapse around the puck carrier and a potential receiver. Instead of passing the puck against the flow of the Bruins PK to an open man on the blue line, the puck carrier is forced to dump it immediately after gaining the zone. Gathered by the Bruins PK. Cleared.
This is what could have been the Hawks best chance on this power play. The Bruins PK is dialed into the puck carrier in the corner. The Blackhawks have a good setup right now. #1(labeled) for a possible screen for Seabrook if the puck is passed. #2(labeled) for more net front presence. #3(labeled) as a failsafe for any bouncing or tipped passes from the puck carrier. If the puck carrier passes through the wide open lane, Seabrook can either shoot with plenty of support or pass to #3 (labeled) and regroup for a more strategic attempt. Unfortunately, none of that happens.
Instead, the puck carrier makes a bizarre spin-o-rama pass to (the now labeled) #1 who will pass the puck to Seabrook who will be forced towards the boards to take a bad angle shot. The two net front men also abandon their positions and can’t sweep up the bad angle or get into a position for a possible Jagr-esque pass. The great set up a few seconds before has literally imploded. Time expires and they extend their streak of zeroes.
You still haven’t explained what's wrong though!
Entry
The Blackhawks don’t need speed to gain the zone nor do they need patience. They need strategy. They will not be able to blaze past the Bruins PK and they will not get an easy dump and chase out of them either. Combining both is a great start along with making better passes on the rush through the neutral zone. Half of a great power play is great entrance. The Blackhawks have ½ a power play and I still have to get to the next point.
Hesitation
The best two chances I explained were lost because of hesitation. Quick passing is necessary to have a successful power play. If you need to make more than one pass, it needs to be planned. However, quick does NOT equal fancy. No need for spin-o-ramas on the power play. Hold your ground and pass when necessary. Get the Bruins PK flat footed and pass to create a great scoring chance. Both chances I explained would have taken one pass. Not difficult plays at all. No excuses to pass those up.
The Bruins held the best post-season power play to absolutely no goals in the Eastern Conference Finals. I’m not saying these adjustments will make the puck go in, but they will certainly help make it possible. I won’t get into scoring on Rask now. Can’t do that until you have the chance to score on him. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.