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Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Walter Palmer's dental practice in Minnesota has been besieged by angry protesters
US officials have launched an investigation into the killing of a lion in Zimbabwe but say they have been unable to reach the American involved.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said it was "deeply concerned" about the "tragic" death of Cecil the lion.
Director Dan Ashe said they will "go where facts lead" but efforts to reach Walter Palmer have been unsuccessful.
Mr Palmer says he thought the hunt was legal but two Zimbabwean men have been arrested over the popular lion's death.
The dental practice he runs in Minneapolis has been closed since he was named as the tourist who shot Cecil, Zimbabwe's most famous lion.
Protesters gathered outside the building on Wednesday, carrying placards saying "Justice for Cecil", "Trophy hunters are cowards" and "Prosecute poachers".
On Thursday, the White House said it would review a public petition to extradite the American dentist after more than 100,000 signed it.
But spokesman Josh Earnest said it was up to the US justice department to respond to any extradition order.
What Cecil the lion means to Zimbabwe
When is hunting not poaching?
Image copyright EPA/Facebook Image caption Walter Palmer has faced a huge backlash online over his killing of Cecil the lion
Image copyright Reuters Image caption A petition calling for the American dentist to be extradited has more than 100,000 signatures
Earlier, the FWS said: "We are currently gathering facts about the issue and will assist Zimbabwe officials in whatever manner requested."
"At this point in time, however, multiple efforts to contact Dr Walter Palmer have been unsuccessful," it said, saying Mr Palmer or his representative should contact them immediately.
"It is up to all of us - not just the people of Africa - to ensure that healthy, wild populations of animals continue to roam the savannah for generations to come," the statement said.
The whereabouts of Mr Palmer is currently unknown, but he is thought to have returned to the US after Cecil was killed on 1 July.
'Life-long hunter'
In a letter to his patients, the dentist said he would assist authorities in Zimbabwe or the US in their inquiries and apologised for the disruption to the clinic.
The American tourist is believed to have paid about $50,000 (£32,000) to go on the hunt in Zimbabwe.
Prosecutors in Zimbabwe have charged the hunter who supervised Mr Palmer's outing, Theo Bronkhorst, for killing a lion not authorised to be hunted. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
The country's safari organisation also said the way in which Cecil was lured out of a national park was unethical and possibly illegal.
A second suspect, farm owner Honest Ndlovu, was also arrested but is yet to be charged.
Lions in Africa 35,000 Max estimated lion population 12,000 Max lion population in southern Africa 665 Approx number of 'trophy' lions killed for export from Africa per year
49 Lion 'trophies' exported from Zimbabwe in 2013
0.29% Contribution to GDP of Zimbabwe from trophy hunting
17% Of Zimbabwe's land given to trophy hunting AFP
An international hunting organisation suspended the memberships of both Mr Palmer and Mr Bronkhorst on Thursday, saying it wanted a "full and thorough investigation" into the lion's death.
Safari Club International, which promotes big-game hunting worldwide, said "those who intentionally take wildlife illegally should be prosecuted and punished to the maximum extent allowed by law".
Cecil, who was a major tourist attraction at Zimbabwe's largest game reserve in Hwange National Park, was being monitored by UK-based Oxford University as part of a conservation programme.
The animal is believed to have died on 1 July, but the carcass was not discovered until a few days later. It had been skinned and beheaded.
Analysis: The view from Africa - BBC Monitoring
Cecil's killing has attracted little media attention inside Africa. What little comment there was came in the form of derisive editorials in Zimbabwean state media.
"Not since Simba, of The Lion King fame, has a lion captured the world's imagination in this way," Alex Magaisa wrote in the Zimbabwean Herald newspaper. While tragic, the lion's death has not inflamed local passions because it is "far removed from the lived realities of most of the local people," he added, saying that tourism and hunting in Zimbabwe are "mired in elitism".
The writer said neither he nor his family had heard of Cecil the lion before it was killed.
Kennedy Mavhumashava struck a similar note in the Zimbabwe Chronicle and invoked the history of Western colonialism: "Many believe the lion was named after Cecil John Rhodes, the celebrated forerunner of British colonialism in Southern Africa, explaining the saturation coverage on the demise of his namesake." |
About a dozen trucks from major manufacturers like Volvo and Daimler just completed a week of largely autonomous driving across Europe, the first such major exercise on the continent.
The trucks set off from their bases in three European countries and completed their journeys in Rotterdam in the Netherlands today (Apr. 6). One set of trucks, made by the Volkswagen subsidiary Scania, traveled more than 2,000 km and crossed four borders to get there.
The trucks were taking part in the European Truck Platooning Challenge, organized by the Dutch government as one of the big events for its 2016 presidency of the European Union. While self-driving cars from Google or Ford get most of the credit for capturing the public imagination, commercial uses for autonomous or nearly autonomous vehicles, like tractors from John Deere, have been quietly putting the concept to work in a business setting.
Here’s a video of the trucks in action:
When trucks autonomously follow one another, it’s called “platooning.” They’re connected by wifi and can leave a much smaller gap between vehicles than when humans are at the wheel. Platooning can reduce fuel use by up to 15%, prevent human error from causing accidents, and reduce congestion, according to a study by research firm TNO. It also can reduce expenses. Two trucks clocking 100,000 miles annually can save €6,000 on fuel by platooning, compared to driving on cruise control, according to TNO.
That’s why the Dutch set up the elaborate truck-driving event, to pull together everyone with a stake in getting self-driving trucks on the road. That includes transportation officials, truck makers, executives of companies with significant logistics needs (including Unilever and DHL), and academics and researchers.
“We now have huge energy in the network and the idea is that we will go to real-life cases. Companies like Unilever are planning to start these cases in 2017,” says Dirk-Jan de Bruijn, the platooning challenge’s program director.
If all goes to plan, self-driving trucks will pick up goods from the port of Rotterdam and deliver them across Europe in a trial by Unilever and other companies.
But the convoys must first successfully navigate Europe’s bureaucracies. Bruijn’s next goal is to get everyone to sign off on a roadmap for the next five years. This would address the technical problems, such as the inability for trucks from different brands to platoon together (they all use different wifi systems); as well as regulatory problems, like requiring platooning trucks to meet different standards in each European country.
“The challenge is of course not an end point, but a starting point. It’s a new kick-off,” Bruijn said. |
Today we welcome Tom Scioli to TransMissions. He’s the artist and co-writer on the new Transformers vs G.I. Joe ongoing series that begins on Free Comic Book Day 2014. We’ll ask how he got he got into comics, what led him to this book, and how he feels about previous Transformers and G.I. Joe crossovers. We’ll have all this and a bit of Community fun on this episode of TransMissions.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by 80stees.com. 80sTees has an incredible selection of Transformers Shirts and Hoodies including some amazing Transformers costume hoodies. Please support TransMissions and check them out at 80stees.com!
Show Notes
Tom Scioli Online Follow Tom Scioli (@tomscioli) on Twitter Facebook page Website: American Barbarian
Intro [0:00:52]
Tom Scioli Interview [0:01:14]
Rapid Fire questions [1:14:11]
If you enjoy TransMissions, please rate us on iTunes and Stitcher! These ratings greatly help podcasts become more discoverable to other people using those services and is an easy way to help out our show.
Contact us: |
A baby is oblique when the baby’s head is in the mother’s hip. The baby’s body and head are diagonal, not vertical and not horizontal (transverse lie).
Pictured above is our friend Rose, her baby is barely oblique. The baby’s head would be more obvious in her hip. Thanks to Rose for the fun picture, and to Blooma.com where we painted it, and to Trish Gardiner, our friend, and photographer!
Oblique is considered a malposition. I’ve heard from a number of women with oblique babies that these are helpful:
All women (who are not at risk for stroke) may begin doing a daily Forward-leaning Inversion for 30 seconds from about 15-20 weeks gestation. However, if an oblique issue lasts beyond 30 weeks gestation, be more diligent. After 35 weeks gestation, the Forward-Leaning Inversion may be done 5 times within 36 hours, but only for 30 seconds each time. These activities give room in the lower portion of the uterus for baby to drop into a head-down – and vertical! – position. If that isn’t enough, it’s worth seeing a chiropractor or another provider who is trained in a way of soft tissue body balancing, such as Webster or Dynamic Body BalancingTM. Other things that may help, and better to do these following the above body balancing techniques:
Wearing a pregnancy belt may help give tone to the lower uterine segment and help baby to center over the pelvic opening.
To help move baby over, stick a rolled washcloth on your right side under the belt.
Sleep on the side that the baby’s head is on after you’ve done the exercises for one week.
How many do you do?
Forward-leaning Inversion: Do this every day for 30 seconds each time. After 36 weeks, do 2-3 a day for only 30 seconds each time.
Sidelying Release: Once a day while baby is oblique, and in early labor to help straighten baby vertically over your pelvis. It can be repeated in labor if necessary.
Dip the Hip with loose hip joints for 15 minutes a few times a day. See directions.
In labor with an oblique lie?
If you find yourself with a baby in an oblique lie while you are in labor, you may have a chance to slip your baby head down. If you do, you can avoid a cesarean. Do the Sidelying Release first, through 1-3 contractions on each side. You must do the release on the left and on the right! See the article for more. Then, when standing if possible, do the lunge 3-6 times on each leg. See the article describing the lunge. It works with the contractions.
Other useful information
You may find some helpful information on what to do in labor for the asynclitic baby (a tipped head during birth). If the reason for an oblique lie continuing after 30 weeks isn’t completely resolved by labor, there may be a higher chance of asynclitism. I don’t “know” that by data, but it makes sense.
Twins? Oblique is not uncommon for a second twin. If the first is born vaginally, and you find the second twin remains oblique, simply lift that leg as in a lunge, whether standing or on your side through a contraction or two. The baby will slip head down during the contraction. Repeating the Sidelying Release in labor may also help any oblique lie whether 1 or 2 or more babies. Begin SLR before 3 cm as a preventative measure.
A similar article, here on Spinning Babies, to serve your baby’s position is the one about the Transverse Lie, and while the fetal position is not exactly the same, the solutions are often the same. |
Screengrab of G20 detention center surveillance footage, obtained by the filmmakers of What World Do You Live In?
The past couple of weeks have been chock-full of bad press for the Toronto Police (TPS). First there was the independent report conducted by former Supreme Court judge Frank Iacobucci that suggested, in the wake of Sammy Yatim’s killing, that Toronto cops start wearing cameras and beefing up their TASER supply in an effort to curb the officers' temptation to fire their guns at “people in crisis.”
Then, shortly after, news broke that police chief Bill Blair's contract would not be renewed by the police services board. Many believe that the board refused to renew Blair's contract due to two major scandals: his inconclusive surveillance of the city’s crack smoking mayor, and TPS’s handling of the G20 protests in Toronto. Blair spun the G20 as best as he could, given that he was personally open to discussing it in public (after, of course, refusing to provide an apology) and willing to pursue disciplinary action against his most aggressive officers. But the scars of the TPS’s illegal, mass arrests have not fully healed.
As revealed by a new, independent documentary called What World Do You Live In?—and as first reported by sometime-VICE Canada contributor Rachel Browne for Maclean’s in late July—surveillance footage of the temporary detention centre erected by the Toronto Police to house the G20 detainees “confirms security cameras were filming the rooms where people were strip-searched.”
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An exclusive clip given to VICE by the director of What World Do You Live In?, Rebecca Garrett, and its producer, Doug Johnson Hatlem (a well-known street preacher and homeless advocate), provides a quick glimpse of what it was like in the detention center. This footage was obtained by a Freedom of Information request, and because of the particulars of the request, the filmmakers only have surveillance footage that shows Gabriel Jacobs—the paraplegic man who crosses the frame in an electric wheelchair.
Jacobs settled a human-rights-abuse claim with the Toronto Police in late 2012, after he was left unattended on the floor of the detention center for so long that he defecated on himself.
As Jacobs crosses through the video footage, no strip searches are being conducted.
If you watch the footage closely, however, on the right, in a cage full of detainees (which has been partially censored to protect the prisoners’ identities), you can see a peace sign forged out of Styrofoam juice cups and shoved into the holes of the chain-link fence. Closer to the center, you can see large plywood cells without roofs. The camera is clearly peering into them. That is where, according to several G20 detainees, the strip searches were conducted.
I spoke with Kate Bullock, a Toronto woman who was arrested, detained for 16 hours, and released without charges. Her boyfriend, Tommy, proposed to her during the G20 protests, and they are happily married today. Tommy was also arrested and detained during the protests.
Bullock was partially strip-searched in one of those plywood boxes, she told me. “I didn’t have a complete strip search. I did have my bra removed, and then they patted me down pretty extensively. There were a number of women who were strip-searched in there, who said it was a completely invasive and horrible experience. But I was not completely strip-searched…”
While Bullock is furious that the process may have been videotaped, she recognizes the potential legal benefits of having the officers' abuses on film.
“On the silver lining, at least there’s proof that horrible things happened... but it was incredibly invasive, and knowing women who were naked in that situation, who were told to pose in awkward ways so that [police] could get a better view of things… It was already invasive enough to have to form a human wall so that the male officers couldn’t watch us go to the bathroom, let alone knowing that they recorded all of that, and that they recorded women being strip-searched, is just further proof that there’s no sense in obeying the law, and that we can’t trust our own police officers or law enforcement to protect us.”
I also spoke with Jay Wall, a Toronto man who was arrested for “wearing a bandanna around his neck” during the G20. Wall was held for 28 hours, 20 of which were in handcuffs. He was completely strip-searched in the detention center.
Wall told me about the humiliating process.
“They didn’t seem to have any legitimate reason for why I’d been arrested, but they told me, ‘We have to strip-search you, because that’s just what we do.’ So then two officers brought me... to the strip-search room, and then once you’re in there I had to take everything off. It was one half at a time, so I was never fully naked at any time. I can’t remember if it was my top half or my bottom half first, but I had to take off my clothes, lift up my arms, bend down, show them my butt crack, under my scrotum. Everything.”
Similar to Wall's story, Bullock was also confronted with an attitude of we just have to get this done by the officers who stripped her. She told me she was searched by two women who “both seemed kind of exasperated by the situation.”
“They weren’t particularly eager to be doing what they were doing, so they weren’t really malicious. They were just very matter-of-fact and didn’t have an explanation for why it had to be done; they just said it had to be done."
Three days before the G20 detention centre strip searches, a paralegal named Sean Salvati was taken to a room ostensibly for a strip search, but was instead summarily beaten by three officers (though police policy states that only two officers should be present for such a search) at 52 Divison. At that time, the Toronto Star polled legal experts who were “shocked” to hear that people who had been arrested illegitimately were also forcibly undressed by cops. The Star’s report indicates that strip searches are “never justified when the arrest is unlawful.” In the case of G20 detainees, the legality of the arrests is on very shaky ground.
A riot cop patrolling downtown Toronto during the G20. Photo by Carl W. Heindl
In 2010, just before the G20 began, the Ontario government secretly initiated part of the Public Works Protection Act, which was written in 1939 as a wartime measure to protect the government from evildoers. The law allowed cops to stop, search, and prevent anybody from walking on the street. When protesters resisted this warrantless search, the law made it OK to arrest them. Even with this secret law, however, these arrests are arguably a violation of the Charter, which “protects people’s right against unreasonable search and seizure.”
The Star also noted that the Supreme Court made it quite clear that “strip searches conducted to punish or humiliate are always unreasonable and that they violate one's Charter rights when carried out without a compelling reason.” While the Toronto Police may defend the strip searches on the basis of ensuring detainees, who were kept in large cells with multiple others and did not have concealed weapons on their persons, given the alleged conduct of some of the officers who harassed female detainees it still sounds as if many of these searches could not accurately be described as "reasonable." And, in Wall’s case, at least, his arrest was determined to be unlawful by the Ontario Independent Police Review Director.
The act of video surveillance in a detention center, in and of itself, is not necessarily unlawful. I reached out to the Ontario Privacy Commissioner's office, who told me, “Police videotaping of detainees in permanent or temporary detention centers is legitimate to help ensure that they treat individuals humanely and act in compliance with the law.”
They were also careful to note that despite having video surveillance images of the strip-searching cells, “there is currently no definitive evidence available that detainees were videotaped undergoing strip searches in the Eastern Avenue detention center.” They did say, however, that “the practice of strip searches is inherently invasive of privacy,” while noting “videotaping in these circumstances may serve to ensure that police are complying with their responsibilities.”
So, according to the police, while videotaping a strip search is not illegal, strip searching in and of itself is an invasion of privacy. There are also strict requirements as to how the footage is later handled, which was outlined to me by the Privacy Commissioner’s office:
“It is critical... that any such videotaping be subject to strict privacy requirements. For example, access to live and recorded images should only be permitted when it is absolutely necessary and, even at that, it should generally be restricted to police officers of the same sex as the detainee. In addition, blurring technology should be considered to reduce the intrusion on detainee privacy. Finally, footage should be destroyed or over-written pursuant to appropriate retention schedules. Those retention schedules must, of course, account for the need to ensure that recordings are available for the purposes of responding to access requests from affected individuals, requests for disclosure from criminal defendants or civil plaintiffs, and their use in any disciplinary proceedings.”
Unfortunately, it’s not clear whether these regulations are being enforced, as two Toronto Police media liaison officers ignored several written requests from VICE to answer questions about strip-search surveillance.
What World Do You Live In? producer Doug Hatlem had a stern statement for the Toronto Police: “This particular little illegality brings together a trifecta of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair's most sordid legacies: the G20, regularized strip searches in violation of a direct ruling of the Canadian Supreme Court, and absolutely egregious surveillance practices. The idea that Blair was and is a champion of 'community policing' continues to be one of the greatest jokes Toronto's downtown elite ever foisted upon itself.”
Likewise, for Wall, who has been fighting the Toronto Police for four years after being illegally detained, this revelation is another stinging realization that what happened during the G20 was abusive and unacceptable.
“It was outraging to find out [that the strip searches were being recorded], though it’s no secret to any of us that the conditions in there were brutal. I didn’t think there would be cameras [in the strip-search rooms]. It’s just one more way that they’ve chipped away at our rights.”
Even though many of us have moved past caring about the G20 protests, it remains one of the most stunning examples of police-state abuse that Canada has ever seen. With another G20 taking place in Australia this year, and with the structure of the Toronto Police shifting in front of our eyes, it’s important that cops, lawyers, journalists, activists, and civilians continue to keep track of the chaos that took place in 2010, so that we can avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
Follow Patrick on Twitter. |
BOSTON — Police and prosecutors said Monday they thwarted a massacre planned for the Pokemon World Championship held here this weekend.
Boston police arrested James Austin Stumbo and Kevin Norton of Iowa on Saturday “because of threats of violence made over social media.” When police searched Stumbo and Norton’s vehicle parked in a garage several blocks from the Pokemon event, they found a shotgun, an AR-15 assault rifle, a hunting knife, and 250 rounds of ammunition.
Stumbo, 27, and Norton, 18, are charged with unlawful possession of several firearms and unlawful possession of ammunition. Both men are being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on September 1.
“We mitigated the threat by intercepting those people,” Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said at a press conference Monday.
Police Commissioner William Evans said both men on a private Facebook group made references to the Columbine school shooting, Boston marathon bombing, and specific threats against tournament players.
“MY AR-15 says you lose,” Stumbo allegedly wrote online.
The moderator was alarmed enough to tell security at the Pokemon World Championship in Boston where the two men were headed to play in the U.S. masters division. Security detained Stumbo when he tried to enter and then and stopped Norton, too. Both men were slapped with a “No Trespass Order.”
“I think it goes to the whole idea of, if you see something, say something,” Evans said.
Prosecutors said that when Norton learned he was banned from the group for bullying someone, he said: “Oh, ok, that’s fine then I will just shoot him on Friday thanks.”
Stumbo wasn’t exactly shy about his arsenal or his alleged target; he posted a photo of the car and guns in a public Facebook group entitled “Mayhem Pokemon Crew.”
“Kevin Norton and I are ready for Worlds Boston here we come!!!” the caption read before they drove 25 hours to Boston.
“Good luck!” wrote another person.
“With killing the competition?” asked Norton.
“Haha yes,” replied Faux.
Hynes Convention security called the Boston Police Department, which radioed two officers to look into Norton and Stumbo. The “officers were informed” of Stumbo’s post on Facebook, according to police. When Stumbo was questioned, he claimed the Facebook post was taken out of context. However, Norton told police where their car was parked and that it had weapons inside.
Police obtained a warrant on Friday and on Saturday, the two were arrested at a motel in nearby Saugus, Massachusetts, for not having permits to carry the guns and ammo.
The D.A.’s office said Norton and Stumbo are “not currently facing charges in connection with threats each man allegedly made online; the investigation, however, is ongoing.”
The 12th Pokemon World Championship hosted hundreds of players from 30 different countries and thousands more spectators. Winners are given thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes, and $2 million worth of scholarships are donated.
Correction, 8/24/15 7:58 a.m.: A previous version of this article said police found a hunting rifle; it was a hunting knife. |
Story highlights Man arrested as he tried to go through security at Disney's Hotel New York, police say
Official: Man was not known by police or intelligence services and was carrying a Quran
Police say they're looking for a woman who was with the man
(CNN) A man who had luggage containing two firearms and ammunition was arrested Thursday at the entrance to a hotel near Disneyland Paris, and investigators are looking for a woman who was with him, police said.
The 28-year-old Paris man was arrested as he tried to go through security at Disney's Hotel New York , just outside the Paris-area amusement park, said Michel Le Prevost, deputy chief of criminal police of the French city of Meaux.
The man also was carrying a Quran, Le Prevost said. He told police during questioning that he was carrying the guns for his own protection, according to the deputy chief.
Police also are looking for a woman who was with him, Le Prevost said. Police retracted an earlier statement that the woman was in custody.
It's not immediately clear what, if anything, she was accused of.
Read More |
Football Zebras has confirmed the referees for the Wild Card weekend. Officials are listed with their uniform number, years of NFL experience (including this season), the crew each official worked with in the regular season (by the referee’s name), college, and outside occupation.
All times are Eastern.
Three alternates are assigned to each game: generally, one is designated for the offensive backfield (a referee or umpire), one is on the line of scrimmage (head linesman or line judge), and one is a deep position (side judge, field judge, or back judge). When alternates are listed, their position during the regular season is also given. The prior playoff experience that is listed for the crew chief includes his service as an NFL official, including as referee and any other crew position (excluding alternate assignments).
Interestingly, the Wild Card weekend features a referee getting his first postseason assignment and concludes with the referee who has the most postseason games of any active referee with 25.
Saturday, Jan. 7
AFC Wild Card: Raiders at Texans, 4:30 p.m. ESPN ABC
Ron Torbert is the referee for the Raiders-Texans game, and is in his 7th season and 3rd as referee. This is his 5th postseason assignment, including 3 Wild Card Playoffs and 2 Divisional Playoffs; he has received a playoff assignment in every year he was eligible.
Yrs 2016 crew College Occupation R 62 Ron Torbert 7 Michigan State attorney U 40 Butch Hannah 18 Anderson Middle Tennessee State retired federal probation officer HL 74 Derick Bowers 14 Coleman East Central sales representative LJ 68 Tom Stephan 18 McAulay Pittsburg State business broker FJ 33 Steve Zimmer 20 Wrolstad Hofstra attorney SJ 56 Allen Baynes 9 Hussey Auburn realtor BJ 83 Shawn Hochuli 3 Allen Claremont financial advisor
Replay: Billy Smith
Alternates: Fred Bryan (U), Walt Coleman IV (SJ), Greg Meyer (BJ)
NFC Wild Card: Lions at Seahawks, 8:15 p.m. NBC
Brad Allen, who is in his 3rd season, is the referee for the Lions-Seahawks matchup. This is Allen’s first playoff assignment in his second year of eligibility. Allen was hired directly to the referee position from the NCAA in 2014.
Yrs 2016 crew College Occupation R 122 Brad Allen 3 Pembroke State non-profit CEO U 44 Jeff Rice 22 Coleman Northwestern attorney HL 134 Ed Camp 16 Boger William Paterson physical education teacher LJ 18 Byron Boston 22 Anderson Austin tax consultant FJ 103 Eugene Hall 3 Boger North Texas federal agent SJ 73 Joe Larrew 15 Blakeman St Louis attorney BJ 46 Perry Paganelli 19 Parry Hope College retired high school administrator
Replay: Jim Lapetina
Alternates: Walt Anderson (R), Jeff Lamberth (SJ), Mike Weatherford (FJ)
Sunday, Jan. 8
AFC Wild Card: Dolphins at Steelers, 1:05 p.m. CBS
Craig Wrolstad is the referee as the Dolphins visit the Steelers. He is in his 14th season, and this is his 3rd as referee. This is his 11th postseason assignment, including 5 Wild Card Playoffs, 3 Divisional Playoffs, 2 Conference Championships, and Super Bowl XLVII. His Super Bowl assignment was as a field judge.
Yrs 2016 crew College Occupation R 4 Craig Wrolstad 14 Washington athletic director U 31 Barry Anderson 10 Wrolstad North Carolina State builder/developer HL 91 Jerry Bergman 15 McAulay Robert Morris sales executive LJ 101 Carl Johnson 13 Morelli Nicholls State full-time official FJ 15 Rick Patterson 21 McAulay Wofford banker SJ 120 Jonah Monroe 2 McAulay Arkansas systems engineer BJ 119 Greg Wilson 9 Anderson USC law enforcement
Replay: Larry Nemmers
Alternates: Jeff Triplette (R), Gary Arthur (LJ), Jabir Walker (FJ)
NFC Wild Card: Giants at Packers, 4:40 p.m. Fox
Ed Hochuli is the referee for the Giants-Packers game. Hochuli is in his 26th season and 24th as referee. This is Hochuli’s 25th postseason assignment, the most of any active official, which include 10 Wild Card Playoffs, 5 Divisional Playoffs, 8 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls XXXII and XXXVIII.
Hochuli and his crew worked a Sunday night game between the Giants and Packers in week 5 at Lambeau Field.
Yrs 2016 crew College Occupation R 85 Ed Hochuli 27 Texas-El Paso attorney U 19 Clay Martin 2 Hochuli Tulsa high school basketball coach HL 13 Patrick Turner 3 Corrente Cal State-Long Beach plant manager LJ 59 Rusty Baynes 7 Hochuli Auburn-Montgomery general manager, safety services FJ 86 Jimmy Buchanan 8 Hussey South Carolina State insurance agent SJ 125 Laird Hayes 22 Anderson Princeton owner of football camps for high school and youth BJ 17 Steve Patrick 3 Blakeman Jacksonville State owner, supply company |
Residents of a Canadian suburb are receiving post again, after deliveries were suspended for a month because of violent crow attacks.
Residents of a Canadian suburb are receiving post again, after deliveries were suspended for a month because of violent crow attacks.
A notorious neighbourhood crow, dubbed "Canuck” attacked a postman as he attempted to deliver letters to houses in East Vancouver, biting him and drawing blood.
Canada Post said it would not deliver to three addresses in the area "until such time as the hazard no longer exists", according to CBC News. Residents started receiving post again on Tuesday.
Local man Shawn Bergman named the bird after befriending him two years ago. Since then he has made headlines for a variety of antics, including stealing evidence from a crime scene, being featured in an art show and getting his own Facebook page.
In May 2016 Canuck swooped in on a crime scene in East Vancouver, picking up a knife with his beak that was identified as evidence, before attempting to fly away with it. The event was reported by a number of news outlets, ranging from local publications, to ABC News, to the Guardian.
But Canuck’s most recent string of bad behaviour seems to have ended, as Mr Bergman told CBC that he is back to "doing normal crow stuff.”
It is believed that he has been violent in recent months because of nesting season, which generally takes place between April and July.
Mr Bergman said he plans to email Canada Post to thank them for re-instating deliveries and find a solution, should Canuck go into nesting season in future years.
The crow did not attack the carrier during the latest delivery.
Online Editors |
Michael Jordan thinks he has you beat, LeBron James. As for you, Kobe Bryant, he's not so sure.
In a video promoting NBA 2K14, His Airness rattles off a lengthy list of players he would've liked to have played one-on-one against, per the Associated Press (via CBS Philly).
A blend of current superstars and all-time greats made the list, including Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Kobe and LeBron. And Jordan thinks he has each and every one of them beat—except for Kobe.
“I don’t think I would lose,” Jordan said in the video. “Other than to Kobe Bryant because he steals all of my moves.”
Talk about your backhanded compliments. And complete and utter truths.
When watching Kobe, you often see a spitting image of Jordan. Their offensive games are eerily similar in makeup, sometimes right down to the number of dribbles they would take before a particular shot.
Kobe's recent response tried to put the NBA life cycle into perspective for 'ol MJ:
Recognizing Kobe as a worthy adversary attests to Jordan's respect of the Black Mamba. It's also a not-so-subtle way of MJ saying his moves are so effective that not even he himself can defend them. Or that he relishes at looking in a mirror.
Or is fond of the unknown, like Rick Pitino suggests below:
But this is also about LeBron, and Jordan snubbing him. Again.
Asked by NBA TV's Ahmad Rashad last season about which of the two, Kobe or LeBron, had the better career, Jordan rolled with Kobe.
"And not that he won't get five," Jordan told Rashad of LeBron at the time, via the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman. "He may get more than that, but five is bigger than one."
LeBron has since won a second ring, but five is still bigger than two.
Yet this isn't Jordan's version of a malicious slight. The Chosen One wasn't alone in falling behind Kobe in Jordan's hypothetical world of one-on-one matchups; there were other great players Jordan's ego thumped.
The King himself didn't take exception to the comments. Instead he took the "Oh, he said that? Cool." route, also known as the higher road.
Personally, I'd roll with LeBron over Jordan in any one-on-one contest. Kobe might be a tough cover for MJ, but LeBron is bigger and stronger than both the Mamba and Jordan.
LeBron's also now clad with the motivation that comes with Jordan continuing to favor Kobe over himself. In his never-ending quest to become the greatest player ever, a galvanized LeBron scares me.
Five remains more than two, though, so what do I know? |
Pat Dodson said he had been humbled by the endorsement for a WA Senate spot.
Indigenous leader Pat Dodson has been elected as a new senator for Western Australia, saying it is important for the public to witness such events.
Mr Dodson will fill a casual vacancy caused by the departure of Labor's Joe Bullock, who resigned over his party's support for same-sex marriage.
He was been nominated to the position by Premier Colin Barnett and seconded by Opposition Leader Mark McGowan, who met him on arrival this morning.
After the joint sitting, Senator-elect Dodson said he wanted to work to ensure all West Australians enjoyed the same quality of life.
"I want to ensure that people in the remote areas and in the northern areas of Australia are also able to enjoy the services and the quality of those services that we can enjoy in cities and other places," he said.
The Yawuru leader, known as "the father of reconciliation" said he hoped to collaborate with all members of Parliament on matters that effected WA and Indigenous people.
"In particular the constitutional recognition of the first peoples of this nation, and getting to a stage where our nation can put behind us those causes of division and discord that have so divided so many of us from enjoying the fullness and the fruits and the benefits that this nation's got to offer."
Premier Colin Barnett told MPs Mr Dodson was worthy in every way to fill the position and would be a powerful voice for Aboriginal people.
Mr Dodson sat in the president's gallery on the chamber floor during the joint sitting.
Labor's Indigenous affairs spokesman Ben Wyatt said Mr Dodson would serve the Senate with great distinction.
Labor Kimberley MP Josie Farrer said he was a powerful advocate for justice and human rights.
Deputy Opposition leader Roger Cook praised Mr Dodson for his "patience, respect, resilience" when they worked together for Indigenous reconciliation.
"Today, the Senate's stature is raised by the election of Patrick Dodson," Mr Cook said.
Pilbara MP and former Nationals leader Brendon Grylls also strongly praised Mr Dodson.
"Thank you Pat Dodson for what you have done until today," Mr Grylls said. "And Pat Dodson, go well in the Australian Senate."
Same-sex marriage controversy erupts
However there was a brief controversy as Southern Rivers MP Peter Abetz took the opportunity of an open floor to proffer an anti-same-sex marriage speech, and attack Labor's position.
"I'm sure that Patrick Dodson has been used to being a very free voice in the community. Speaking his mind and espousing traditional Aboriginal social values," he said.
"And no doubt he will find it challenging at times to toe the party line."
But when Mr Abetz began to comment on traditional marriage customs in the Indigenous community, he received groans from the chamber and calls of "shame" from the public gallery, while Nationals MP Brendon Grylls walked out of the chamber in apparent disgust.
Mr Abetz was eventually called to order by the Speaker, who questioned the relevance of his comments, sparking applause within the chamber, and from the public gallery.
Senator-elect Dodson did not believe Mr Abetz's comments had overshadowed the joint sitting.
"I don't think it detracted from it at all," he said.
"You'd say it was bad taste, but we live in a democracy. It's a parliament and people have got a right to say what they want to say."
He expressed his support for same-sex marriage, saying no one should be discriminated against.
Mr Barnett apologised to Mr Dodson for his backbencher's comments, and said while everyone was entitled to their view, today was Mr Dodson's day.
"I was disappointed in the comments Peter Abetz made," the Premier said.
"I think it was inappropriate for that reason. I did speak to Pat after and apologised if it caused him any embarrassment. He assured me he didn't and it didn't spoil his day.
"It wasn't appropriate. It wasn't the time or place to debate gay marriage."
Special sitting of Parliament 'unusual'
Mr Barnett acknowledged the Parliament ratifying Mr Dodson as a new senator in a special joint sitting of Parliament was unusual.
"It's a fair a proper thing to do, and the State Government is, and the Parliament is, cooperating with the Labor Party in Canberra to make this appointment be in place quickly," he said.
The sitting comes in the middle of a four-week parliamentary break, and has been scheduled to ensure Mr Dodson can take up his spot in the Senate before Federal Parliament resumes.
That would mean Mr Dodson would sit in the Senate for just a few days, if Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull opts to call a double dissolution election for July 2.
The sitting of WA Parliament to appoint Mr Dodson is expected to come at a substantial cost because of travel requirements for regional MPs. Some MPs are unhappy and labelled the sitting "a waste of money". |
A school minister at Phillips Exeter Academy asked a male student who had been accused of sexual misconduct to bake bread for his alleged victim as an “act of penance,” The Boston Globe reports.
The odd arrangement, reported by the Globe‘s Spotlight team, comes amid a closer examination of how New England’s elite boarding schools have handled sexual misconduct on campus. In May, the Globe reported that an award-winning teacher and administrator at Phillips Exeter had admitted in recent years to sexual misconduct decades earlier, but the school had failed to disclose that to its students and alumni.
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But these questions aren’t all about indiscretions in the distant past.
Last fall, 17-year-old student Michaella Henry told administrators that a male student had put his hands under her shirt and grabbed her backside as she repeatedly said, “No,” she told the Globe.
But rather than take the story to police, school Rev. Robert Thompson gathered the alleged perpetrator, Chukwudi “Chudi” Ikpeazu, and Henry together to work out their differences, according to the Globe.
Out of that meeting came an agreement that Ikpeazu would bake a weekly serving of “monkey bread” and deliver it to her, the Globe reports:
At the minister’s urging, the young man also agreed to an “act of penance”: baking bread and delivering it to Michaella for the rest of the year. The Rev. Robert Thompson praised Michaella for accepting the arrangement, later writing, “You did a great service for Chudi, because you gave him an opportunity to express his regret and to take responsibility for what he had done.”
But the agreement just added to Henry’s stress, as she was pushed to meet with Ikpeazu on a weekly basis.
She eventually reported the incident to police in the spring, and Ikpeazu is facing arraignment on a misdemeanor charge of sexual assault in August, the Globe reports.
You can read the full story at The Boston Globe. |
Did you know that driving an electric car in New England is already lower in emissions than 100 mpg equivalent? Compare that to an average compact/midsize gasoline only vehicle at only around 29 mpg. And did you know that on average in the United States, driving an electric car will result just half the lifetime emissions of a comparable gasoline car, even when emissions from battery manufacturing are accounted for? This is according to the latest 2017 research published by the Union of Concerned Scientists, which shows that charging an EV in the Northeast results in as little CO2 as a gasoline vehicle if it were somehow getting 102 mpg. However most prospective buyers are still hesitant to go electric due to the higher initial price (MSRP), according to a Harris consumer poll conducted in 2015.
The good news is —whether vehicle emissions are a personal concern of yours or not — there’s little reason to wait to go electric (and start reaping all an EV’s other personal benefits) in terms of actual cost to you. With current federal and state incentives, an electric may now even cost less than the average vehicle to buy (at over $33,500 in 2016) — and thanks to something called TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), driving an electric car may actually save you a lot money long term over a comparable gasoline on car, and cost less to own total than even an gasoline “economy” car.
Click on image to link to full New England and average US analysis: https://www.facebook.com/DriveElectricCarsNewEngland/posts/1571827852833250/
But before we get to incentives and savings, first let’s review the basics of what’s out there to buy or lease. There are essentially two types of EVs: BEVs - Battery only electrics that require a charge when the battery gets low, and PHEVs - Plug in Hybrid Electrics that drive like EV at first (for 15 to 50+ miles, depending on model), then switch to a long range hybrid mode only if the battery gets low – providing 100% of something called Range Confidence. According to the consumer information site Nerdwallet, an EV is priced from $3,000 to $10,000 more than similar gasoline-fueled models before incentives. For example, a typical BEV has an MSRP of around $30,000 while a typical PHEV starts around $34,000. However, since consumers benefit from both federal and state incentives, this initial price premium could be all but erased. In fact, Connecticut offers up to $10,500 in incentives, and some are available the moment you buy.
The $7,500 federal EV tax credit is a nationwide incentive that has been around since the last decade. You won’t receive a direct chunk of money when you purchase the vehicle; instead, it will come as a credit when you file your taxes the following year. If your tax liability doesn’t meet or exceed $7,500 (this represents having around $50,000 in taxable income), you will miss out on the part of the credit. You also won’t qualify for the tax credit if you buy a used electric vehicle or if you lease it. However in the case of a lease, any reputable dealer will apply the majority of the credit towards the lease, meaning you would still benefit in the form of a lower payment. Leasing is a great way for those with lower taxable incomes to go electric today, and for those who want to try out the technology with fewer strings attached. Visit the IRS website or consult with your tax preparer if you are not sure if you fully qualify for this credit.
State incentives are often even more enticing as they can take the form of a rebate. Connecticut has one of the best EV rebate programs in the nation, an up-to $3,000 point-of-sale rebate. Any Connecticut resident is eligible for this rebate, regardless of your tax situation. The dealer will immediately apply the amount to your down payment, either in a purchase or a lease. In many cases this could mean zero money down deals, and combined with the federal EV tax credit benefits, a low cost lease payment that is no more per month than the car you drive now. The rebate only applies to new vehicle purchases or leases from a licensed Connecticut franchised new automobile dealership. The program is not funded by tax dollars, rather is through a commitment by Eversource as part of a broader commitment to energy efficiency and related initiatives set forth in a Settlement Agreement related to a 2010 merger. To find out more about eligible vehicles and the easy steps to apply, visit www.ct.gov/deep/CHEAPR. (If you live in Massachusetts, check out https://mor-ev.org/ to learn about their up to $2,500 in EV rebates.)
This takes us to the final story on why driving electric could save you money, thanks to the aforementioned TCO. This means that electric vehicle drivers could save thousands of dollars in total ownership, often over just five years compared with driving a comparable gasoline car. The savings come about because of the lower average cost to “fuel” and maintain electric vehicles, which can quickly add up to big savings in just a few years of average driving. According to NerdWallet’s analysis, drivers of the best-selling mid-size BEV can expect to spend $4,691 less than owners of the best-selling mid-size gasoline only car. Drive Electric Cars New England has conducted its own one-page TCO analysis specific to New England region fuel costs and incentives, which you can download for free from the DECNE facebook page. It shows that in less than 5 years, a driver’s total average costs from driving an electric vehicle will be less than a comparable gasoline only vehicle – and that over longer period or the life of the vehicle, an electric could save the driver thousands of dollars. See figures 1 and 2 that compare the average 5 year and average lifetime (160,000 miles) total ownership costs of an gasoline only “economy” car (Honda Civic) to a BEV (Nissan LEAF) or a PHEV (Chevy Volt).
So when it comes to today’s electric car choices, going green can actually end up putting a lot of “green” back into your wallet. Just how much you save depends on your personal situation, such as tax liability and how many miles you typically drive each year. There are online tools available at energy.gov and other consumer sites to help estimate these costs. It’s great to know that while saving money on fuel and maintenance, we can also reduce the amount of harmful emissions, and help to protect the future and health our planet and people alike.
Mark Renburke is Executive Director of Drive Electric Cars New England non-profit consumer advocacy group, and also produces multimedia EV education and entertainment content for Drive Electric America. Mark has driven the same electric car for over 5 years and over 120,000 miles, avoiding the burning of over 3,000 gallons of gasoline and saving over $8,000 in fuel costs alone. Visit DECNE’s facebook page or youtube channel to watch the latest video episode ‘Why you can Expect Reliability from an Electric Car”, and please subscribe and share.
This article was updated 19Nov17 to include a reference to a more recent article on the benefits of driving an electric car. |
Today in Military History: August 27, 1896
This is another example of the "little wars" which Great Britain fought to expand or protect its imperial holdings in Africa. It was surely the shortest war in history.
Background
The island of Zanzibar – which today is part of the nation of Tanzania – declared its independence from the Sultans of Oman in 1858, which used the island in the lucrative East African slave trade. Great Britain recognized Zanzibar as a sovereign nation in 1886. In 1890 Ali Bin Said became sultan, declared Zanzibar a British protectorate, and appointed a British First Minister to head his cabinet. The British were also guaranteed a veto over future appointments to the sultanate.
By 1896, Britain and Germany – entering late into the colonial scramble for Africa – had demarcated their respective zones of interest. Britain had Zanzibar and British East Africa (the latter would become Kenya) while the Germans controlled the area later to be known as Tanganyika. Both European nations sought to suppress the slave trade, which did not set well with the many of the locals. British officials authorized the sultan – since 1893 a gentleman by the name of Hamad bin Thuwaini [see below] – to raise a 1000-strong palace guard to deal with any local dissent. These guardsmen, however, clashed with the British–led police. Other local European residents also complained of the palace guard's activities.
Hamad bin Thuwaini, Sultan of Zanzibar (1893-1896)
On August 25, 1896 at 11:40 am local time, Sultan Hamad died suddenly in his palace. Suspicion immediately fell upon his 29-year old nephew, Khalid bin Bargash, who moved into the palace complex shortly after the old sultan's death and prepared to declare himself the new ruler of Zanzibar. The British consul to Zanzibar, Basil Cave, warned Khalid about his precipitate action, stating that his actions were not consistent with the Anglo-Zanzibar agreement in place since 1890.
Khalid ignored Cave's warning and immediately began mustering his forces. By the end of the day, he had 2800 men of the palace guard and other locals armed with rifles and muskets. They also had a moderately impressive artillery park, which included several Maxim machine guns, a Gatling gun, two 12-pounder field guns (gifts to the sultanate from German emperor Wilhelm II), and a 17th century bronze cannon. All of these guns were trained on the British ships that were currently anchored in the city's harbor. The new sultan's troops also took control of the "Zanzibari Navy," which consisted solely of the HHS Glasgow, a wooden sloop built in 1878 as a royal yacht for the sultan. [Despite the vessel's armament of seven rifled muzzle-loading nine-pound cannon and a nine-barreled Gatling gun, HHS Glasgow did not impress the sultan and it had lain at anchor for 18 years.]
HHS Glasgow, 1890
Two Royal Navy vessels were currently anchored in the harbor: the protected cruiser HMS Philomel (whose main armament was eight breech-loading [BL] 4.7 inch quick-firing guns) and the gunboat HMS Thrush (armed with six BL 4 in. 25-pound guns). Later that day, the gunboat HMS Sparrow sailed into Zanzibar Town's harbor, anchoring opposite the sultan's palace next to Thrush. This last vessel's main armament consisted of six BL 4 in. 25-pounders.
HMS Philomel
HMS Sparrow
The British officials also began to muster their land forces, primarily 900 British-trained Zanzibari askaris, as well as Royal Marines and sailors from the Philomel and Thrush. The askaris also had two Maxim guns and a nine-pounder cannon, and were stationed at the nearby customs quarter. The marines and sailors were placed to guard the British consulate, where local British citizens were encourage to gather for their own protection.
Consul Cave sent a frantic telegram to the Foreign Office (the British equivalent of the U.S. State Department) in London, asking, "Are we authorised in the event of all attempts at a peaceful solution proving useless, to fire on the Palace from the men-of-war?" He sent further messages to Khalid, urging him not to continue on his chosen path. Instead, Khalid declared himself the new sultan at 3:00 pm, half an hour after the official funeral for his predecessor. Cave contacted all the other foreign consuls in the capital, asking them not to recognize Khalid.
Rear-Admiral Harry Rawson (1843-1910)
The next day at 10:00 am the torpedo cruiser HMS Racoon entered the harbor, followed four hours later by cruiser HMS St. George, the flagship of the Cape and East Asia Station. The latter vessel also had on board Rear-Admiral Harry Rawson, becoming the highest ranking military leader present. At about the same time, a telegram arrived in the British consulate from the Foreign Office, saying, "You are authorised to adopt whatever measures you may consider necessary, and will be supported in your action by Her Majesty's Government. Do not, however, attempt to take any action which you are not certain of being able to accomplish successfully."
Cave sent more messages to Khalid, still attempting to negotiate with him. However, shortly after his arrival, Admiral Rawson sent an ultimatum to Khalid, demanding that he lower his flag flying over the royal palace and surrender to British authority by 9:00 am the next day. All merchant ships left the harbor during the afternoon, anticipating the worst.
The Thirty-Eight Minute War
At 8:00 am on August 27, Khalid sent a messenger to Cave asking for a parley. Cave replied that the usurper could only hope for a peaceful resolution if he obeyed Rawson's ultimatum. At about 8:30, Khalid sent a final reply, "We have no intention of hauling down our flag and we do not believe you would open fire on us." Cave replied that they did not wish to fire on the palace, "but unless you do as you are told, we shall certainly do so." When no further communication came from the palace, Admiral Rawson sent the signal, "Prepare for action" at 8:55 am.
At 9:02 am, Her Majesty's Ships Racoon, Sparrow, and Thrush all opened fire simultaneously at the royal palace. The first shot from the Thrush dismounted one of the 12-pound cannons outside the palace. The mostly-wooden structure was crowded with over 3000 soldiers, servants, and slaves. There were high casualties among the palace's occupants from the naval barrage. A news correspondent for Reuters reported that Khalid and about 40 followers fled the palace at the first shots, fleeing to the nearby German consulate.
In the harbor, a short naval battle also occurred. At 9:05 the HHS Glasgow began firing on the St. George. Return fire quickly holed the Glasgow, and the crew raised a British flag as their sign of surrender. Survivors were picked up by British steam launches. In addition, Zanzibari steam launches – probably from the harbor – fired on the Thrush with rifles. These were quickly sunk by the gun crews of the Thrush.
At the beginning of the shelling, the British-training askaris moved to engage the defenders of the royal palace, and were fired upon by Khalid's men with no effect. At around 9:40 am, all the Zanzibari artillery had been silenced, the palace and attached harem were in flames, and Khalid's red flag had been cut down by shellfire. The bombardment then ceased, ending the short-lived Anglo-Zanzibari War. The British ships and their crews had fired some 500 shells, 4100 machine gun rounds, and 1000 rifle rounds during the "war."
Aftermath
Sultan's palace after the British bombardment
Approximately 500 Zanzibari men and women were killed or wounded in the bombardment, while British casualties amounted to one petty officer severely wounded, who later recovered. British sailors from several of the ships were organized into fire brigades to fight fires that had spread to the customs warehouses near the palace. Later in the day, a Zanzibari more acceptable to the British consul was installed as the new sultan. The sultanate was also required to pay reparations to reimburse the Royal Navy for the cost of munitions used, as well as to reimburse merchants in the Indian quarter of the city for looting which took place during the three-day succession crisis.
Footnote #1: Khalid remained as a "guest" of the German consulate until October 2, when a steam launch from the German cruiser Seeadler arrived. Khalid stepped directly from the dock of the consulate directly onto the launch, thus avoiding British forces seeking to arrest him if he left the German consulate grounds by any other route. He was then transported to Dar es Salaam in German East Africa. Khalid was captured by British forces in 1916, sent into exile first in the Seychelles, then St. Helena, before he was allowed to return to Zanzibar, dying in 1927.
Footnote #2: The wreck of the Glasgow remained in the shallow waters of Zanzibar Town's harbor, with just the tips of the two masts and the funnel protruding above the water. It was eventually broken up for scrap by underwater demolition in 1912. |
Group of small islets
The Liancourt Rocks[a] are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan. While South Korea controls the islets, its sovereignty over them is contested by Japan.
South Korea classifies the islets as Dokdo-ri, Ulleung-eup, Ulleung County, North Gyeongsang Province,[2] and calls them Dokdo[b] ( Korean pronunciation: [tok̚.t͈o]; Hangul: 독도; Hanja: 獨島, "solitary island[s]"). Japan classifies the islands as part of Okinoshima, Oki District, Shimane Prefecture, and calls them Takeshima (竹島, "bamboo island[s]"). The Franco-English name of the islets derives from Le Liancourt, the name of a French whaling ship that came close to being wrecked on the rocks in 1849.
The Liancourt Rocks consist of two main islets and 35 smaller rocks; the total surface area of the islets is 0.187554 square kilometres (46.346 acres), with the highest elevation of 168.5 metres (553 ft) found at an unnamed location on the West Islet. The Liancourt Rocks lie in rich fishing grounds that may contain large deposits of natural gas.
Geography
The Liancourt Rocks consist of two main islets and numerous surrounding rocks. The two main islets, called Ojima (男島, "Male Island") and Mejima (女島, "Female Island") in Japanese, and Seodo (Hangul: 서도; Hanja: 西島, "Western Island") and Dongdo (Hangul: 동도; Hanja: 東島, "Eastern Island") in Korean, are 151 metres (495 ft) apart. The Western Island is the larger of the two, with a wider base and higher peak, while the Eastern Island offers more usable surface area.
Altogether, there are about 90 islets and reefs, volcanic rocks formed in the Cenozoic era, more specifically 4.6 to 2.5 million years ago. A total of 37 of these islets are recognized as permanent land.[verification needed]
The total area of the islets is about 187,554 square metres (46.346 acres), with their highest point at 168.5 metres (553 ft) on the West Islet. The western islet is about 88,740 square metres (21.93 acres); the eastern islet is about 73,300 square metres (18.1 acres). The western islet consists of a single peak and features many caves along the coastline. The cliffs of the eastern islet are about 10 to 20 metres (33 to 66 ft) high. There are two large caves giving access to the sea, as well as a crater.[verification needed]
In 2006, a geologist reported that the islets formed 4.5 million years ago and are quickly eroding.[7]
Distances
The Liancourt Rocks are located at about . The western islet is located at and the Eastern Islet is located at .
The Liancourt Rocks are situated at a distance of 211 kilometres (114 nmi) from the main island of Japan (Honshu) and 216.8 kilometres (117.1 nmi) from mainland Korea. The nearest Japanese island, Oki Islands, is at a distance of 157 kilometres (85 nmi).[9], and the nearest Korean island, Ulleungdo, is 87.4 kilometres (47.2 nmi), [9].
Climate
The Liancourt Rocks viewed from the North
Due to their location and small size, the Liancourt Rocks can have harsh weather. If the swell is greater than 3 to 5 metres, then landing is not possible so on average ferries can only dock about once in every forty days. Overall, the climate is warm and humid, and heavily influenced by warm sea currents. Precipitation is high throughout the year (annual average—1,383.4 millimetres or 54.46 inches), with occasional snowfall. Fog is common. In summer, southerly winds dominate. The water around the islets is about 10 °C (50 °F) in early spring, when the water is coldest, warming to about 24 °C (75 °F) in late summer.
Ecology
The islets are volcanic rocks, with only a thin layer of soil and moss. About 49 plant species, 107 bird species, and 93 insect species have been found to inhabit the islets, in addition to local marine life with 160 algal and 368 invertebrate species identified.[14] Although between 1,100 and 1,200 litres of fresh water flow daily, desalinization plants have been installed on the islets for human consumption because existing spring water suffers from guano contamination.[citation needed] Since the early 1970s trees and some types of flowers were planted.[citation needed] According to historical records, there used to be trees indigenous to Liancourt Rocks, which have supposedly been wiped out by overharvesting and fires caused by bombing drills over the islets.[c][15] A recent investigation, however, identified ten spindle trees aged 100–120 years.[16][17] Cetaceans such as Minke whales, orcas, and dolphins are known to migrate through these areas.[18][19][20]
Pollution and environmental destruction
A view from one of the rocks on a calm day
Records of the human impact on the Liancourt Rocks before the late 20th century are scarce, although both Japanese and Koreans claim to have felled trees and killed Japanese sea lions there for many decades.[21][22]
There is a serious concern for pollution in the seas surrounding the Liancourt Rocks. The sewage water treatment system established on the islets has malfunctioned and sewage water produced by inhabitants of the Liancourt Rocks such as South Korean Coast Guard and lighthouse staff is being dumped directly into the ocean. Significant water pollution has been observed; sea water has turned milky white, sea vegetation is progressively dying off, and calcification of coral reefs is spreading. The pollution is also causing loss of biodiversity in the surrounding seas. In November 2004, eight tons of malodorous sludge was being dumped into the ocean every day.[23] Efforts have since been made by both public[24] and private[25] organizations to help curb the level of pollution surrounding the Rocks.
Demographics and economy
The base that houses South Korean Police Guards on Liancourt Rocks' East Islet
As of February 2017, there were two civilian residents, two government officials, six lighthouse managers, and 40 members of the coast guard living on the islets.[1] Since the South Korean Coast Guard was sent to the islets, civilian travel has been subject to South Korean government approval; they have stated that the reason for this is that the islet group is designated as a nature reserve.[citation needed]
In March 1965, Choi Jong-duk moved from the nearby Ulleungdo to the islets to make a living from fishing. He also helped install facilities from May 1968. In 1981, Choi Jong-duk changed his administrative address to the Liancourt Rocks, making himself the first person to officially live there. He died there in September 1987. His son-in-law, Cho Jun-ki, and his wife also resided there from 1985 until they moved out in 1992. Meanwhile, in 1991, Kim Sung-do and Kim Shin-yeol transferred to the islets as permanent residents, still continuing to live there. In October 2018, Kim Sung-do died, thus Kim Shin-yeol is the last person still living on the islands.[26][27]
The South Korean government gave its approval to allow 1,597 visitors to visit the islets in 2004. Since March 2005, more tourists have received approval to visit. The South Korean government lets up to 70 tourists land at any one given time; one ferry provides rides to the islets every day. Tour companies charge around 350,000 Korean won per person (about US$250 as of 2009 ).[29]
Construction
South Korea has carried out construction work on the Liancourt Rocks, by 2009 the islands had a lighthouse and helicopter pad,[30] and a police barracks. In 2007, two desalinization plants were built capable of producing 28 tons of clean water every day. Both of the major South Korean telecommunications companies have installed cellular telephone towers on the islets.
History
Whaling
American and French whaleships cruised for right whales off the rocks between 1849 and 1892.[34]
Sovereignty dispute
South Korea stamps depicting the Liancourt Rocks from 1954
Sovereignty over the islands has been an ongoing point of contention in Japan–South Korea relations. There are conflicting interpretations about the historical state of sovereignty over the islets.
Japanese researchers of these documents have claimed the various references to Usan-do refer at different times to Jukdo, its neighboring island Ulleungdo, or a non-existent island between Ulleungdo and Korea.[d] The first printed usage of the name Dokdo was in a Japanese log book in 1904.[35]
Other key points of the dispute involve the legal basis that Japan used to claim the islands in 1905, and the legal basis of South Korea's claim on the islands in 1952.[citation needed]
Korean claims are partly based on references to an island called Usan-do (우산도, 于山島/亐山島) in various medieval historical records, maps, and encyclopedia such as Samguk Sagi, Annals of Joseon Dynasty, Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam, and Dongguk munhon bigo. According to the Korean view, these refer to today's Liancourt Rocks.[citation needed]
A South Korean Police boat approaches the dock on Liancourt Rocks' East Islet.
North Korea and South Korea agree that the islands are Korean territory and reject Japan's claim.[36]
See also
Notes
Inline citations
References
Coordinates: |
Julie Lampe (Photo: Provided by Julie Lampe)
Their names were written on smooth rocks, more than 80 in all. Each one symbolized a life that had ended violently over the past 12 months.
J.W. da Silva was stoned to death on Oct. 27, 2016 in Paudalho, Brazil.
Hande Kader had been burned beyond recognition after her August 2016 murder in Istanbul, Turkey.
Erykah Tijerina was stabbed 24 times and killed on August 8th, 2016 in El Paso, Texas.
At the Nov. 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony in Louisville, organizer Julie Lampe decided against reading their causes of death. It might trigger PTSD from those in the audience, many who understood the hatred and bigotry that led to these murders all too well.
“It’s never ‘hit by a car’. It’s almost always ‘shot multiple times and thrown in a river’ or ‘found hanging in a tree’. It’s bad, bad stuff,” said Lampe, Chief Outreach and Relationship Officer of Transwomen National, a local organization dedicated to supporting transgender females. “It gets everybody really emotional to hear all this.”
And so instead, Louisville Youth Group members recited the names in collections of 20.
Afterwards, stone by stone, they handed the pieces to attendees who wanted a physical reminder of those lost to anti-transgender violence and the work needed to stop it.
If recent data is any indication, ending this horror will be no easy feat.
According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation’s hate crime statistics, 114 criminal incidents involving gender identity bias were reported in 2015. In 2013, the first year the FBI began collecting this particular type of data, that number was 33.
In addition, transgender homicides continue to climb at an alarming rate. So far in 2016, at least 21 transgender people have been murdered in America, up from 14 in 2013. Most of the victims were transgender women of color. A Matter of Life and Death, a recent Human Rights Campaign report, stated this group, in particular, has a four-times greater chance of being murdered than the general population of women.
Myriad factors play into this increased risk of violence against the transgender community. Transphobia runs rampant at its root and makes it difficult for basic needs to be met. Correct identification that matches their true gender can also be hard for gender non-conformists to obtain, which makes the population easily recognized and subject to bias.
“For transgender people, right off the bat, they have a huge disadvantage when looking for a job oftentimes because their gender markers on their ID don’t match how they live their daily lives so that instantly outs them,” said Chris Hartman, director of Fairness Campaign. “There’s already trans prejudice out there in the world.”
Workplace discrimination and harassment feed off all of this, contributing to a gender non-conformist unemployment rate of more than double the national average. For a transgender person of color, it’s four times that.
Lack of a steady income leads to poverty. Team that with the difficulties transgender people have finding housing, and higher rates of homeless occur.
Unable to find legal pathways to earn money, some turn to sex. This, again, greatly increases the risk of violence and death.
“That’s where a lot of violent things happen. Period,” Lampe said. “Whether you’re cis or trans or whoever, but especially transwomen of color, it’s not a good demographic to be.”
Exclusion of medical providers and mental health services for gender nonconformists also adds to the marginalization, according to the Human Rights Campaign report. So does the lack of attention to intimate partner violence and sexual assault among the population. Traditional sources of assistance for victims might not always be available.
And then there’s the problem of reporting the crime to proper authorities. Due to societal stigma, concerns of being revealed and fear of police, some of those who experience violence decide not to tell the authorities about it.
“A high percentage of violence is unreported. This is for LGBT people in general because it means outing yourself or it might mean outing someone else,” said Brian Buford, the University of Louisville’s Assistant Provost for Diversity and Director of its LGBT Center. The facility provides numerous resources and programs for LGBTQ students on campus.
“As more people are out and are willing to report as a trans person it gives us a better picture of what the situation is and what we can do about it.”
Likewise, law enforcement agencies might not always classify the crimes as anti-transgender in nature or misidentify the victim as the gender assigned to them at birth. This skews the numbers even more.
“One of the reasons why there is an increase in the statistics around anti-trans violence and murder is not necessarily because the act is increasing in itself. I think it has always been as high as it is,” Hartman said. “But now, finally, many law enforcement agencies are now acknowledging the trans identity of victims and acknowledging the role that that plays and reporting it properly.”
FBI Special Agent Mike Brown has helped with this. Working civil rights cases as a part of the Louisville field office, the subject matter specialist continues to educate other branches of law enforcement on how to investigate anti-transgender violence. Part of that involves finding alternative ways of hearing about the crimes.
“The approach the FBI has taken has been a friend of a friend approach,” Brown said. “We will reach out to a non-government organization or even churches that have built an inroad into the community, so that if that third party hears of a crime against someone in the LGBT community, we can at least learn about it too, and then try to figure out how to best investigate the crime.”
Yet, to decrease violence against the transgender community, society must educate itself as well. With better acceptance and equanimity for our fellow humans, fewer stones could be included in next year’s remembrance ceremony and more lives saved.
“Awareness and education are key,” Hartman said.
“People learn that transgender people are just people and that they have basic needs like everyone else.”
Contributing columnist Amanda Beam’s social justice column appears every other Sunday in the Courier-Journal’s Forum Section. Feel free to let her know your thoughts and column ideas by emailing her at adhbeam@icloud.com.
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The Garden State will get a whole lot greener if one lawmaker gets his way.
There are currently three medical marijuana dispensaries operating in New Jersey. The state legislature legalized cannabis to treat certain medical conditions in 2010. But advocates and some lawmakers have criticized the program for moving too slowly.
Scutari's bill, by contrast, would allow marijuana to be sold to adults over age 21 for recreational or medical purposes. The lawmaker, who heads the state's Senate Judiciary Committee, told The Wall Street Journal that he was modeling the legislation on Colorado's law.
Scutari said his intention in crafting the law was to save valuable resources and to generate more money for the state. “Legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana will generate revenue in the state while saving millions of dollars spent each year on law enforcement,” he told local radio station WCBS 880.
The bill will face a tough journey through New Jersey's legislature. Efforts to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana last year failed, and Governor Chris Christie (R) has said on multiple occasions that he is against legalizing the drug.
Opponents of legalization say marijuana has a high potential for abuse and leads to experimentation with harder drugs. |
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Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are taking a much needed break this week, and after months campaigning for The Donald the two appear to have found the perfect place to get away from it all - the megayacht of a billionaire Democrat.
David Geffen, who was one of the earliest supporters of Barack Obama and donated to both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in the primary, is hosting Ivanka and Jared on his boat the Rising Sun.
The couple was seen jet skiing in Croatia on Friday off the $200million boat, and later went sightseeing in Dubrovnik with Wendi Deng and Brian Grazer and his new wife Veronica.
Grazer is also a big fan of President Obama, and even included an interview with him in his 2015 book A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life.
Relaxing: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were spotted jet skiing off the coast of Croatia on Friday
Lounging: The couple also took some time to read on the boat during their much needed vacation
Vacation: The pair are vacationing on the Rising Sun, the $200million yacht belonging to billionaire Hollywood executive David Geffen
Checking in: Kushner takes a peek at his phone while lying out on the yacht's deck on Friday
Taking a ride: Ivanka is making no secret about who she is vacationing with, tagging Geffen in a photos she posted to Instagram on Monday
Letting loose: Kushner rides the waves as he enjoys a break from working with The Donald on the campaign trail, where he has become a key player
Luxury line: The Rising Sun (above) was bought by Geffen in 2010 from another billionaire, Larry Ellison
Ivanka is not making any secret about who she and her husband are vacationing with, tagging the Grazers and Geffen in a photo of herself and Deng she posted to Instagram on Monday.
THE RISING SUN AT A GLANCE Length: The Rising Sun measures 453ft and is the 11th longest yacht in the world Number of rooms: It is understood the vessel has 82 rooms, spread out over five levels. There is also 36,000 of teak deck space Costs: The superyacht reportedly cost over US$200 million to build. Luxury features: An extensive wine cellar, personal cinema, gym, sauna, spa and basketball court that doubles as helipad Owners: It was built in 2004 for Larry Ellison and bought in 2010 by Geffen, four years after he purchased half a share of the yacht
Geffen was no fan of the Clintons back in 2007 during Hillary's primary race against Obama, supporting the then Illinois senator and breaking with the political power couple because he believes they lied 'with such ease, it’s troubling.'
He had a big change of heart however in 2014 when he called Hillary 'an extraordinary, smart, accomplished woman' who he would 'absolutely' support in 2016 while speaking with Maureen Dowd of The New York Times.
The openly gay Hollywood executive then donated the maximum amount allowed to both Sanders and Hillary during the primary.
Geffen has also hosted some of the most vocal supporters of the Democratic party and Hillary on the yacht over the past few years.
In April he hosted guests including Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, Jimmy Iovine and Rita Wilson on the yacht.
Also on that trip was Bruce Springsteen, who during a June concert in Germany held up a sign that read 'F*** Trump.'
Geffen also posted a photo earlier this year of Leonardo DiCaprio on the boat, who threw his support behind Hillary by agreeing to host a luncheon for her at his Los Angeles home.
The $33,000-a-plate fundraiser which will take place later this month.
Another frequent guest on the yacht is Bob Iger, who will also be hosting an event for Hillary in Los Angeles that will take place the night before DiCaprio's luncheon.
Geffen only recently joined Instagram, and one of his first photos was of him with Karlie Kloss. The 24-year-old supermodel dates Joshua Kushner, Jared's venture capitalist brother.
Kloss commented on the photo, saying she loved Geffen and asking when they could have a reunion on The Rising Sun.
Geffen had Kloss back on the yacht in June, with the model posting a photo of the two and writing: 'The most magnificent weekend with the most extraordinary man.'
Gang's all here: Geffen had some of the Democratic party's biggest supporters on his yacht earlier this year, including Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey and Jimmy Iovine (l to r: Rita Wilson, guest, Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen, Gayle King, Nancy Shevell and Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey, Geffen, Roman Abramovich's wife Dasha Zhukova, Jimmy Iovine and guest)
Testing the waters: Ivanka and Wendi Deng on the yacht Friday afternoon off the coast of Croatia
Chance encounter: It was recently revealed that Deng brought Ivanka and Kushner together after a brief split early in their relationship
Rave: Ivanka recently posted a photo of Deng from her recent Vogue profile while expressing what a inspiring woman she is
Back on board: Deng's ex-husband Rupert Murdoch is a big supporter of The Donald
Chatting away: Ivanka and Deng spent the weekend together on the boat after flying in last week
Setting sail: A look at The Rising Sun at night posted to Instagram by Geffen last month
The group is not spending all their time on the yacht however, and on Friday were seen touring Dubrovnik.
Ivanka was seen in one photo chatting with Grazer as Deng and Kushner looked on, with Grazer's wife Veronica glued to her phone.
In another photo, Grazer can be seen snapping a picture of Ivanka and Kushner on a cell phone.
Ivanka's relaxing European vacation will sadly soon be coming to an end, and on Tuesday Grazer and his wife posted photos as they flew back home to Los Angeles.
'Taking off from the teeny town of Split, Croatia with our spirited pilot,' wrote Geffen on a photo of himself with his arm around the pilot.
One day prior he also posted a photo of himself and Geffen on the yacht at sundown.
On Monday, Ivanka and her husband took some time away from the group with the 35-year-old businesswoman posting a photo of their morning hike together in Hvar.
Chatting it up: Ivanka talks with Brian Grazer while Kushner and Deng look on Friday afternnon (above)
Say cheese: Grazer snaps a photo of Ivanka and Kushner was they tour Dubrovnik on Friday
Happy guy: Grazer posted a photo of himself and Geffen on Monday (left) as well as one after he went paddleboarding with his wife Veronica (right)
Rare sighting: Geffen was not only able to get a photo of DiCaprio on his yacht earlier this year, he also posted it on Instagram for all the world to see
Hillary fan: Disney CEO Bob Iger enjoys some time on the Rising Sun last year
Getting the in: Geffen is close friends with supermodel Karlie Kloss (above on his yacht in June) who dates Jared's brother Joshua |
I wondered what are the most viewed and discussed threads were on BitcoinTalk. So I went over to the forum and filtered the main “Bitcoin Discussion” section for “Views” and “Replies”. The result are some of the more epic stories in Bitcoin’s evolution.
#4 – The Hal Finney Story
Hal Finney, perhaps the first person besides Satoshi to really throw his weight behind Bitcoin. He’s also one of those few unfortunate people who suffer from ALS, or as it’s more commonly known, Lou Gehrig’s disease. His story of Bitcoin, as you may have guessed, is one of both tragedy and triumph.
Mr. Finney is a cryptographer and while many of his peers rejected Bitcoin when it first started circling around the web, he quickly became excited. Indeed, it is believed that Hal was the first person to participate in a Bitcoin transaction when Satoshi sent him ten Bitcoins to test out the system.
Interestingly, Hal only ran Bitcoin for a few days, using his computer to mine them. He found that the mining process was making his computer run too hot, so he shut off the program and more or less forgot about the coins. He didn’t discard the coins but instead let them sit on his hard drive.
In 2009 Hal, then in mid fifties, was in the best shape of his life. His Bitcoins were gathering dust on his hard drive, but Hal was preparing for a marathon, running twenty plus miles per day. And that’s when he found out about his condition. Lou Gehrig’s disease causes people to essentially lose control of their muscles and fully paralyzes them.
Hal didn’t think much about his Bitcoin until late 2010 when he found out that Bitcoin was worth money he pulled his coins into an offline wallet and decided to hold onto them to give to his heirs one day.
Sadly, Hal is now paralyzed, using a motorized wheel chair and eye controlled devices to get around. He also has to use a voice synthesizer. But where many of us might crack, Hal has remained a positive outlook on life. He’s still holding onto his Bitcoins and he’s still involved in programming and other things.
BitcoinTalk readers were truly inspired by the story and some even think that Hal may be Satoshi himself. Read the full thread.
#3 – The dude who bought 250,000BTC for $3,000 (2nd most viewed)
One of the most popular Bitcoin forum threads is entitled “I’m Kevin, here’s my side.” As intriguing as that title is, the end tag line might be even better: “*flame suit on*”. As you’ve probably already guessed, this is a pretty interesting and controversial thread.
You’re going to have to bear with us because the story itself is pretty complex. So buckle up!The thread started with a sort of public release to explain an incident on Mt. Gox in which a man, Kevin, was able to get millions of dollars worth of Bitcoins for a fraction of the price.
Back on June 20th of 2011 someone for an unknown reason decided to sell off over 250,000 Bitcoins on Mt. Gox and didn’t set a minimum sell. It is believed that the Bitcoins being sold were stolen by a hacker who had amassed them and then sold them off en masse. Why and for what purpose still remains a mystery to this day.
When someone placed a sell order on Mt. Gox, the system would go through every buy order and satisfy it, starting with the highest bid and moving down until the minimum price is reached. In this case, the sell order was for the hundreds of thousands of Bitcoin and had no minimum price set.
Given the sell order’s massive size, it quickly met all the demand for higher end buy orders. Meaning everyone who wanted to buy the Bitcoins at or near the market rate had their orders fulfilled. A clever trader, “Kevin”, noticed that there was a huge amount of Bitcoin buy orders for 1 cent. So he basically bid 1.1 cents and offered to buy as many Bitcoins as possible.
When the sell order reached Kevin’s bid price, he was able to buy nearly 260,000 Bitcoins, all for less than $3,000 dollars. This was only a tiny fraction of the market price before the massive sell order was placed and Kevin secured millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin for only a few thousand dollars.
Kevin then withdrew about 650 bitcoins and left the rest in his Mt. Gox account. This immediately set off a firestorm. Some people thought Kevin was the hacker who stole the Bitcoins in the first place. Others thought he was simply in the right place at the right time. Most believed he was innocent, but also in possession of stolen goods and should return them.
In the end, Mt. Gox kept most of the Bitcoins and reversed the trades. The damage in was somewhat limited and the hack forced the Bitcoin community to focus more on security. Read the original forum thread.
#2 – The first reported major theft of Bitcoins (1st most viewed)
Back in June of 2011 Bitcoin forum user Allinvain woke up to discover that someone had hacked 25,000 Bitcoins, then worth about $500,000 dollars, now worth about 16 million! The mind blowing part is that Allinvain noticed that his Slush Pool account had been hacked, and even then decided not to try to move or secure his Bitcoins.
Allinvain quickly reached out to the Bitcoin community, but found out what most of us already know: a Bitcoin stolen is a Bitcoin lost and there’s not much you can do to get it back. Allinvain admitted that it was his own carelessness that resulted in the tragic theft but losing a half million dollars is a tough way to learn a lesson.
This appears to be the first case of Bitcoins being stolen. Forum users began to brainstorm ways to protect Bitcoins, such as encryption methods, storing Bitcoins on dedicated operating systems (such as Linux on a flash drive),and other things. Many similar ideas would later be used to found many of the protection services offered to this day.
The heist, while terrible for Allinvain, did have some positive effects on Bitcoin. For one, people started to take security seriously. Yeah, it’s mind blowing that people would store thousands of dollars on unsecured computers but they did then, and many probably still do now. Two, it did garner the currency a lot of attention, and as they say, no publicity is bad publicity.
As many commenters on the forum noted, the story was bound to repeat itself over and over. And sadly it has. For whatever reason, people are slow learners and still continue to store vast amounts of Bitcoins in single wallets, often on computers connected to the Internet. Mt. Gox itself was also using lax security when it got hacked. Read the full thread.
#1 – The riddle that will get you 3.5BTC (1st most replied)
Amazingly enough the most replied to thread on BitcoinTalk was posted just 3 weeks ago (June 22nd 2014). The thread is an ARG puzzle which holds within it’s answer the private key to a 3.5BTC prize (at the time of posting worth around $2100). In just 15 days this thread has amassed more than 2200 comments of people desperately trying to solve the puzzle.
The idea is that the puzzle start with a main image (posted below) and then hints are spread out different Internet mediums (Twitter hash tags, Reddit posts etc.). It took 2200 comments to solve the puzzle and the winner was a BitcoinTalk user named “GateKeeper“. The original poster (OP) posted this under a fake username and remain anonymous. Here’s a link to the complete solution of the puzzle (it’s 32 pages long).
Read the original thread |
Second missing snowboarder found dead at Mt Bogong
Updated
Rescue teams have found the body of a second snowboarder who disappeared at Mount Bogong in Victoria's high country at the weekend.
Search crews on Tuesday morning discovered the body of 33-year-old Martin Buckland about 60 metres uphill from his friend, Daniel Kerr.
Mr Kerr's body was found under more than four metres of snow about 500 metres from a camp at Michell Hut on Monday.
Inspector Dave Ryan from Victoria Police said Mr Buckland's body was found under about a metre-and-a-half of snow.
"It's a tragic end to what has been a long and protracted search and a lot of time of uncertainty for the family," he said.
"Everybody's really feeling for both families at the moment."
Inspector Ryan said it would be very difficult to get Mr Buckland's body off the mountain.
"It has to go up to the ridge line then back and out via Michell Hut," he said.
"It'll be a lot of brute strength and ropes to slide the sled back up to the top and then it will have to be carried out the top.
"We'll make a decision later in the day as to whether we complete that retrieval tonight or tomorrow."
Inspector Ryan said with two days of bad weather forecast they had some "critical decisions to make", and the safety of the searchers was "paramount in our minds at this stage".
He said the deaths should not deter people from enjoying the high country but they must be adequately prepared, by having appropriate communications links.
"Check in twice a day, at lunch and at end of day," he said.
"These are pretty simple methods of making sure we can be notified as soon as something goes wrong."
Mr Buckland's father-in-law Frank Ahern thanked people for their messages of support and also praised the efforts of the search teams.
"I've been up there and seen the sort of conditions that are up there and it's unbelievable," he said.
"So I just can't express enough how happy the family are with what the police have done and the compassion of the Mt Beauty police here has been sensational."
Topics: emergency-incidents, bogong-3699
First posted |
Twist! M. Night Shyamalan Ghost Wrote She's All That By Kristy Puchko Random Article Blend The Village, The Happening, and The Last Airbender, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan became such a joke to the degree that his name on the trailer for Devil--for which he earned a story credit—got laughs from moviegoers across America. Little wonder then that Columbia Pictures carefully hid his writer and director credits on the marketing for the Will Smith/Jaden Smith vanity project vehicle After Earth. But doing press for the picture, the twist-obsessed filmmaker has revealed something truly shocking: he was the ghostwriter for popular 1999 teen-centered rom-com She's All That.
Speaking with The Sixth Sense (which he wrote and directed) and Stuart Little (which he has a screenplay credit on) were not the only 1999 movies he worked on. After teasing he'd ghost-written a movie that year as well, he confesses:
"I ghost-wrote the movie She's All That. "
Cue the string section to score this stunning reveal! You mean to say that R. Lee Fleming Jr., the writer of the Kirsten Dunst/Sisqo rom-com Get Over It was not the film's sole scribe! Our world is forever rattled!
Here's the She's All That trailer to jog your memory: After cinematic atrocities like, and, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan became such a joke to the degree that his name on the trailer for--for which he earned a story credit—got laughs from moviegoers across America. Little wonder then that Columbia Pictures carefully hid his writer and director credits on the marketing for the Will Smith/Jaden Smithvehicle. But doing press for the picture, the twist-obsessed filmmaker has revealed something truly shocking: he was the ghostwriter for popular 1999 teen-centered rom-comSpeaking with Movies.com , Shyamalan spoke about his range, and then admitted that(which he wrote and directed) and(which he has a screenplay credit on) were not the only 1999 movies he worked on. After teasing he'd ghost-written a movie that year as well, he confesses:Cue the string section to score this stunning reveal! You mean to say that R. Lee Fleming Jr., the writer of the Kirsten Dunst/Sisqo rom-comwas not the film's sole scribe! Our world is forever rattled!Here's thetrailer to jog your memory:
Maybe it's not a bad idea for Shyamalan to attempt to tout his range as a writer, considering his string of movies dependent on a mind-bending third-act twist gave him a reputation for being one-note. The release of After Earth has done little to help his reputation as it's been roundly scorned by critics (11% on Rotten Tomatoes). More painfully, the sci-fi adventure budgeted at $130 million dollars has only made $47 million domestically so far, and bad word of mouth is unlikely to help it gain momentum. But some still have
Maybe it's not a bad idea for Shyamalan to attempt to tout his range as a writer, considering his string of movies dependent on a mind-bending third-act twist gave him a reputation for being one-note. The release ofhas done little to help his reputation as it's been roundly scorned by critics (11% on Rotten Tomatoes). More painfully, the sci-fi adventure budgeted at $130 million dollars has only made $47 million domestically so far, and bad word of mouth is unlikely to help it gain momentum. But some still have faith in Shyamalan . How about you? Does Shyamalan's writing credit on She's All That make you like him more? No. He's not all that.
Yes! I loved that movie. Vote RESULTS WANT TO VOTE? Blended From Around The Web Facebook
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Image copyright Herbalife Image caption Herbalife's sales operations have come under scrutiny
US regulators have launched an investigation into the operations of nutrition and weight-loss firm Herbalife.
The move by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) follows allegations that the company operates a 'pyramid scheme' - making money from recruiting new distributors, rather than sales.
Herbalife has denied these allegations and said it would "cooperate fully" with the FTC inquiry.
Its shares fell by as much as 16%.
But they recovered slightly and ended the day down by 7%.
"Herbalife welcomes the inquiry given the tremendous amount of misinformation in the marketplace," the company said in a statement.
"We are confident that Herbalife is in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations."
Under scrutiny?
The investigation comes just a day after prominent hedge fund manager, William Ackman, renewed his attack on the firm.
Mr Ackman has been one of Herbalife's biggest critics and has a $1bn (£600m) short sale position on the firm's stock - betting that the share price will drop.
He first publically accused Herbalife of running a pyramid scheme in 2012.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Hedge fund manager William Ackman is a strong critic of the company
On Tuesday, Mr Ackman accused the company's China business of violating direct-selling laws in the country, something Herbalife denies.
China is one of the fastest growing markets for the firm and its sales there rose 65% in 2013.
The firm sells a range of nutritional products across the globe through a network of independent distributors.
It reported revenues of $4.8bn in 2013, a jump of 18% from the previous year.
The firm's shares have risen by more than 50% over the past 12 months.
Herbalife has got the backing of billionaire investors George Soros and Carl Icahn, who have picked up stakes in the firm.
Mr Icahn owns nearly 17% of the Herbalife's shares. |
Welcome to the liveblog for D12, the coordinated Port Shutdown on the West Coast. I’m Adam Rothstein, and I’ll be chairing the liveblog today, along with all of our lovely correspondents and camera-people out there.
For the latest, you can follow @occupy_thyself, @occupyoregon, or #D12PDX on Twitter.
8:00 PM – Here’s what’s happening. We are waiting to see what arbitration says about shutting down the shift at Schnitzer. Then, most likely, there will be a decision about whether or not to shut down the Port tomorrow, in response to police violence in other cities.
We’re going to pause the live blog for now. We may restart it again if needed, and will alert you by Twitter (@PDXoccupier) if we do.
For now, workers are honoring the picket line, and things are peaceful.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll talk to you soon.
7:56 PM – Here’s what the GA looks like at Occupy Oakland tonight.
7:54 PM – Fire balloon in front of Terminal Four.
7:26 PM – The bike swarm is still out, roaming out up and down Lombard between Terminal Four and the three Schnitzer entrance roads.
7:06 PM – Several Schnitzer Steel trucks have now been turned back from the Schnitzer gate, like this one.
6:49 PM – Here are some photos of the confrontation with the the truck trying to cross the picket line earlier.
6:34 PM – Here’s a photo of the police that went by before. Where they are now is unknown.
6:21 PM – The city attorney is here, which many people read as a willingness by the city to use force against the protesters. Police are now speaking to protesters about moving back from the street for safety reasons. There is a good bit of traffic on Lombard. Here are some more photos from the last two hours at Terminal Four and Schnitzer Steel:
6:18 PM – Police continued north on Lombard, back towards Terminal Five.
6:11 PM – Currently the three gates of Schnitzer are blocked. A meeting is about to be held in front of Terminal Four to discuss possibly extending the blockade, in solidarity with harsh police repression in Seattle. Lots of riot police just showed up. The arbitrator is on the way, to decide whether or not to call off the shift.
5:57 PM – Jacob reports that a car tried to get into Schnitzer Steel, and got very aggressive. There appears to be indecision between protesters on whether or not people are allowed to break the picket line. The car tried several times to go through, and revved its engine at the protesters, rolling forward as if it was going to speed ahead. The driver was very angry. Things have calmed down now, and protesters are talking to the driver.
5:47 PM – Schnitzer Steel is shut down. The police cars turned on sirens and tried to clear to road into it, but people didn’t move. The media van is moving again because they are giving tickets to vehicles on the side of the road. A man is holding a sign on the street. It says: “Expect Us.”
5:36 PM – Here are three great photos from Terminal Four.
5:32 PM – A contingent of protesters is staying at Terminal Four to make sure it stays closed. Lombard is packed with traffic: bikes and cars.
5:26 PM – Terminal Four in Portland is shut down. Workers got four hours of pay. Now protesters are mobilizing to shut down the Schnitzer Steel terminal. It’s just a bit down the road on Lombard, towards the northwest.
5:16 PM – Watch this video of locked down protesters in Houston being put inside an inflatable tent by police.
5:10 PM – Seattle is being attacked with explosive tear gas grenades, pepper spray, horse police. Here’s a picture.
5:07 PM – The sound truck was issued a $142 ticket for breaking the decibel limit.
5:05 PM – Here’s the scene at Terminal Four. In addition, see the police pulling over a part of the bike swarm.
4:52 PM – In the break, we heard that Oakland is on their way to the Port, and Seattle has succeeded in shutting down Terminal 18. Photo below is the march in Oakland:
4:47 PM – The folks who traveled by cars, buses and bikes are here at Terminal 4. They are blocking the roadway at the entrance and chanting. Photos soon.
3:54 PM – Terminals Six and Five are closed for the second shift. At 4 PM, protesters are meeting at the entrance to the park, to march to Terminal Four! It’s a long walk! But there’s music! We’ll follow the march and resume reporting from Terminal Four. Internet service is bad up here, so we may not report from in between locations.
3:48 PM – Occupy Portland’s main site (not ours) is under DDOS ping flood attack. We’ll let you know more about it when we know.
3:42 PM – Here are a few pictures of the current scene at Terminal Six in Portland. Everything is pretty relaxed. We’ve heard reports that the Port has called off the second shift that was due to come in at 4 PM.
3:39 PM – The Seattle march is approaching the Port. Police are reportedly moving in now.
3:27 PM – Here’s a nice introduction to the Oakland Port Action today.
2:56 PM – Gate at Terminal Six still locked down. Spokes Council is reportedly set to start in half an hour here in Kelley Point Park.
2:31 PM – A bit of clarification on how a port works, in case you were interested: the workers get paid when the ships get loaded and unloaded. They will be loaded and unloaded. Just not today. The workers will get paid. In the meantime, the corporate investors in the Port lose profit. For all of those anti-Occupy trolls that seem to have suddenly become pro-union: congratulations! And don’t worry, the ILWU won’t lose out on ships to unload! We can all celebrate that!
2:10 PM – First, a photo from Long Beach, of arrests going on there. Then, two more photos from Portland.
1:37 PM – The DJ truck moved to Terminal 5. Rumors that the Port will attempt to re-open Terminal 5 today for second shift at 4 PM. Meanwhile, more photos:
1:08 PM – Another shot of photos. Three in a row, no commercial interruption!
12:53 PM – There will be a spokes council meeting at 3:30 PM in Kelley Park, before the second wave of pickets at 4 PM.
12:37 PM – Here are some videos from this morning. The police bikes, and zoom shot of the Terminal Six blockade.
12:29 PM – This is from a separate reported filed by Little Bear, here on The Occupier:
They laid their bodies down on the cold metal tracks that see millions of pounds of goods roll over them every day. They successfully diverted one train, which upon hearing of the protesters, reversed and was taken off course. A truck was also successfully stopped from crossing the tracks. But then, a front-loader operator from Millbank Material USA decided to take matters into his own hands and rolled up to the protesters in his gigantic beast of a truck. Police watched and reported on the scanner that the loader was rolling towards the protesters. They stepped aside to let him through. He lowered the bucket down, inches away from crushing the protesters’ skulls and legs. Another worker cheered the driver on from the background, “Run the motherf***ers over!” The protesters remained steadfast in their resistance. They were not going to move. Upon witnessing this, a larger group of protesters ran over to to driver and screamed at him to stop, which he did. Police monitering the scene reported on the radio that they spoke with the operator and that he claimed that his bucket was broken. Another police officer replied that he’d seen him operating it a little earlier with no problems. The manager of Millbank Material USA forced the operator to come out and apologize. The conversation that followed is paraphrased below.
Operator: “I’m just really frustrated that you wouldn’t move for our trucks. We’re just trying to get our jobs done.” Protester: “i’m sorry that you’re trying to do your job but safety is part of your job – that was not safe. You can’t pretend you have no idea what is happening.” When asked why Shawna was willing to risk her life, her reply was, “I came into this movement knowing that I may lose my friends, my family, my reputation. I have a child. what I do today won’t have an affect on me today, but it will have affect on his future. When he’s my age, he won’t be struggling to get nowhere. If that takes laying down on a track, risking getting crushed by a frontloader, then it’s worth it.”
The confrontation with the loader is seen in this photo:
12:18 PM – Reports that Houston police have duct tape over their badges, using horses to step on protesters. “Privacy” tents are over the protesters locked down, and no one knows what is happening inside.
12:08 PM – Photos from Portland, earlier.
11:58 AM – Report that in Houston protesters are locking down in the streets, both arms and legs. Traffic to the port is backing up. Photos below show when the lockdown started, but now @KitOConnell says that the locked down protesters have been covered in a tent by the police, so no one can see what is happening to them. Police horses are pushing the other protesters back away from them.
11:52 AM – Recent photos of the scene at Terminal 5.
11:35 AM – The march in Houston is getting ready to go. A report came in that police have pulled a gun on someone parking their car near that protest.
11:22 AM – Bike cops were just replaced by cops in tactical gear at Terminal 5. Note: tactical gear is not full riot gear. Helmets, but not full armor.
11:16 AM – Highlight photos from earlier. Lots of photos today; I posted the hot ones as they came in, now I’m going back through the backlog and finding the real gems, like these of the sun rising over the blockade this morning.
11:09 AM – Here are some current pictures of Terminal Six.
10:59 AM – Commenters report (and I’ve heard elsewhere) that Port of Longview was indeed shut down today. Also hearing that maybe the DJ booth will not be allowed to play, because the police look uncomfortable with it.
10:47 AM – Some more photos from Portland. DJ booth on a flatbed is getting set up at Terminal Six.
10:40 AM – A number of truck drivers have posted an open letter of support, and raising the issues that they see with Wall Street, and the conditions of their workers. And they ask us to sign their pledge to work for good, clean, green jobs:
I Pledge to Support Good, Green Jobs and the Truck Drivers at America’s Ports!
*
The EPA estimates 87 million Americans live and work in port regions that violate federal air quality standards due to high diesel soot exposure that puts them at grave risk for asthma and deadly illnesses like cancer, heart and lung disease. At the same time, inadequate regulation and lax enforcement of environmental and labor laws have long made America’s ports look more like a Third World country rather than world-class generators of good, green jobs that can help fuel our nation’s recovery. The current system is broken and its wreaking havoc on the lungs and livelihoods of millions of working families. Because I care passionately about economic and environmental justice, I stand with truck drivers, residents and advocates who are fighting to: 1. Protect the EPA award-winning LA Clean Truck Program as a national policy solution to rid our roads of dirty diesel rigs and make the industry, rather than individual workers, pay the cost of fleet replacement and proper maintenance. 2. Pass the Clean Ports Act of 2011 so Congress makes it clear that local authorities have the power to enact and enforce environmental standards to clean the air, keep our roads safe, boost green jobs, and help businesses grow and compete responsibly in the new economy. 3. Urge federal and state agencies to crack down on illegal employee misclassification to punish companies that disguise truck drivers as independent contractors in schemes to cheat on taxes and saddle struggling blue-collar workers with their business costs. 4. Expose exploitation and poor working conditions to drive up standards in one of America’s most critical professions plagued by decades of low pay, few benefits, wage theft, unsanitary and inadequate restroom facilities, and health and safety violations. 5. Restore collective bargaining rights so that highly-skilled workers in a dangerous industry have the freedom to form a union to negotiate for improvements like a middle-class paycheck, paid time off to spend with family, and improved safety training. I will speak out until U.S. ports are truly clean and safe, and America’s truck drivers are valued and rewarded for the work they do to keep our economy moving!
10:36 AM – Video of the truck that tried to push protesters out of the way. You hear the disagreement about whether to let the truck through, but because the driver was being aggressive, the protesters in the front would not move.
10:21 AM – Sorting through the backlog of photos here. Both terminals here in Portland are mostly quiet, with protesters milling about in front. Hearing reports of arrests in San Diego and Long Beach, including protesters arrested for stepping outside of a crosswalk. Here are some shots from the day’s action thus far in Portland:
9:48 AM – Video from the picket earlier today. Also photo by John.
9:43 AM – Photos:
9:33 AM – More pictures from today.
9:23 AM – Jacob and Lauriel report that this truck pulled up to Terminal 5. The protesters were amiable to letting him through, but then he pulled up aggressively as if to run over the protesters. Then the protesters said no way, and wouldn’t let the truck through. There was a confrontation, and then the truck departed.
9:18 AM – Meet the pig puppet!
9:13 AM – Photo from earlier.
9:00 AM – Police have pushed protesters back in San Diego, breaking the line. Cars getting through. Here’s the PPB’s lovely ice cream truck outside of T-6 currently, and another picture from Portland from earlier this morning.
8:50 AM – In Long Beach, riot police are moving people back, in the first photo below. The second photo is T-6 here in Portland.
8:41 AM – Scanner reports that police in Portland are targeting protesters for specific arrests. The infamous ice cream truck has arrived. Reports of LRAD in Long Beach. Protesters there are trying to leave.
8:38 AM – Many reports now that riot police are heading to terminal 5 in Portland. Police attack seems immanent in Long Beach, from reports via Livestream and Twitter.
8:36 AM – Hearing a report from Twitter that riot police may be on their way to T-5 in Portland. Meanwhile, Rumorz Cafe is at T-6, photo below:
8:34 AM – Report from Long Beach livestream that police kettling is immanent.
8:28 AM – Reports of Long Beach being threatened with “chemical agents, bites from police dogs” if they don’t disperse.
8:24 AM – Video from the march to T-6 earlier this morning.
8:11 AM – A tent was set up in front of T-6. Protesters at T-5 are blocking the trains that go into the grain terminal there.
8:04 AM – A few more photos. Trucks blocked, jubilant attitude at T-5.
7:57 AM – Mainstream media reporting “Port of Portland is shut down for the day.”
7:47 AM – Some more photos. The first shows a truck that tried to enter T-6. The protesters blocked it, the driver said, “ok”, and turned around and left. The two below that are from T-5, where trucks are also turning around.
7:36 AM – Lt. King made a statement, that the port is closed, or something to that effect. Hearing reports that police are moving back from T-5 to T-6. The occasional car is being let through the picket line at T-6. “An injury to one is an injury to all” is the chant at T-6.
7:30 AM – Hearing reports of police issuing “unlawful assembly” warning at San Diego. More photos. Another one from Portland, and a second from Long Beach.
7:27 AM – A few pictures. One of the riot line, at T-5. Another of a solidarity protest in NYC.
7:18 AM – Lauriel reports riot police blocking access road to T-5. About a hundred and fifty protesters are being blocked from approaching the gate. Another group of protesters had made it through from the gate, maybe 300-400. The people at the access road aren’t being let through to join the other group.
7:15 AM – Long Beach is facing down many riot cops. The police are not letting anyone in with livestream equipment, unless they have a press pass. Sun rising here in Portland.
7:10 AM – Jacob reports 400 people at the T-6 gate. More at T-5, but our radio coverage is poor.
7:06 AM – Riot police behind gate at T-6. Just standing there, for now. Report of warm hats available, thanks to Occupy Boise! Here’s a picture of Pier J, down in Long Beach. Solidarity!
6:58 AM – An SUV tried to get through the picket line. Protesters let the car through, but they were turned back by authorities at the gate. The picket line let the car back out to Marine Drive.
6:56 AM – The line of protesters in front of T-6 is 3-4 deep. They are letting people through the picket line, if they wish to go.
6:51 AM – Paul reports there is a heavy chain link fence across the gate to T-6. They could move it, but it doesn’t look like any trucks are getting in there today. Hearing report from San Diego that the blockade there is working, and cars are turning around away from their port.
6:48 AM – News helicopters overhead here in Portland. Two SUVs full of riot cops heading west on Marine Drive. A lot of semis were backed up when we came in, but we’re not sure if that is a usual thing for Terminal Six or not. Here’s a photo of a semi turning around:
6:45 AM – Many bike cops out on Marine Drive here in Portland. Denis Theriault reports they are letting the protesters into the street. There’s no sidewalk on Marine Drive.
6:43 AM – Here’s a map showing different action locations for D12.
6:25 AM – Reports that San Diego is starting their march. Long Beach has apparently broken through a police line, being threatened with arrest.
6:29 AM – Getting reports that Port of Oakland is closed. We’ll be syndicating reports from other cities as we get them.
6:20 AM – The media van is in the parking lot of Kelley Point Park. People are assembling, and we saw a lot of traffic on the way to the park, which is the assembly point for the action. The first assembly point will be Terminal Six, just down the road on Marine Drive. |
Between muddy trails and shorter seasons, global warming puts a chill on ski resorts. Typically the solution is one beloved by cold-themed supervillains everywhere: snow guns! Such blowers used to be expensive to run, but new versions, like Snow Logic's DV4, expectorate winter wonderlands more efficiently. The upshot for one Vermont resort this season: $235,000 in projected savings, a 2.6 million-pound reduction in carbon emissions, and slopes full of happy, mogul-carving skiers.
BRYAN CHRISTIE DESIGN
1. Water Nozzle
Water blasts out through a cruciform nozzle; the perpendicular planes disrupt each other, breaking the stream into lots of tiny droplets. That increases the liquid surface area exposed to the air and speeds up freezing.
2. Nucleator
Snowflakes can form at higher temperatures if they grow from a seed—a piece of dust, a grain of silver iodide, or in this case, an ice crystal. Compressed air shoots ice particles from the nucleator into the water spray, where H2O molecules freeze around them.
3. Settings
Resorts adjust the amount of water to make various kinds of snow: wet, dense lower layers or the dry, fluffy topcoats that skiers love to slice through. Some guns automatically tweak their water settings to account for humidity that's already in the air.
4. Pressurized Air
As the compressed gas escapes, the drop in pressure causes a local plunge in air temperature (like how the air whooshing from your bike tire feels cold). That means water can crystallize even when the ambient temp is several degrees above freezing.
5. Compression
It takes energy to pressurize air and pipe it up the hill. But Snow Logic's model expels just 8 cubic feet per minute instead of (in older snowmakers) 300 to 500 cfm, thanks to optimized channels in the nozzles.
Watch SnowLogic's blowers in action. |
Seymour Hersh says the US government has videotapes of boys being sodomized at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. "The worst is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking," the reporter told an ACLU convention last week. Hersh says there was "a massive amount of criminal wrongdoing that was covered up at the highest command out there, and higher."
This is a summary of Hersh speaking at the ACLU 2004 America At A Crossroads conference according to EdCone.com (via Oliver Willis ). I verified by watching the video myself (it starts at 1:07, the "worse stuff" part starts at 1:30).
There's more bad stuff in here, read Ed Cone's summary.
I'll try transcribing some of the more important bits.
[my transcription from 1:31 - 1:32]
Some of the worse that happened that you don't know about, ok. Videos, there are women there. Some of you may have read they were passing letters, communications out to their men. This is at Abu Ghraib which is 30 miles from Baghdad [...] The women were passing messages saying "Please come and kill me, because of what's happened". Basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys/children in cases that have been recorded. The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling. The worst about all of them is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking that your government has. They are in total terror it's going to come out. It's impossible to say to yourself how do we get there? who are we? Who are these people that sent us there?
Chilling. |
Academy graduate signs until 2021
NORWICH City are delighted to announce winger Josh Murphy has signed a new four-and-a-half year deal, extending his association with the Club until the summer of 2021.A graduate of the Canaries’ Academy, Murphy made his senior debut in September 2013, notably coming off the bench to net and help his side come from behind to earn a 3-2 League Cup win at Watford.He spent the 2015-16 campaign on loan at MK Dons, collecting their Player of the Year Award after netting seven goals in 46 appearances.To date, Murphy has featured 44 times for City across all competitions, scoring six times, including two in 15 appearances this season.Speaking exclusively to canaries.co.uk after agreeing terms on a new deal, the 21-year-old said: "I'm really happy to get this done."It's another four-and-a-half years at the club I love. I've always wanted to play in this first-team and I've enjoyed every minute."My main focus now is getting a regular place in the team and helping us push right back up the league. We're not that far off the play-offs now and everyone's aim is to get back in the Premier League."The news follows Murphy's twin brother Jacob signing a fresh contract last November, also tying him to the Canaries until 2021.Manager Alex Neil added: "It's great news for the future of the club. In the games he's played this season, Josh has shown the qualities that he does have."He's got blistering pace, he's got real athleticism and he's a goal threat in pretty much every minute of the game. Those types of players are rare and hopefully he can become a first-team regular."We're delighted that he's committed his long-term future to Norwich City and it shows that we're retaining our better players, which is a great sign for the club." |
Sometime next year, a new bourbon distillery will open at the site of the former Old Taylor Distillery near Frankfort. Leading the project is master distiller Marianne Barnes, the first woman to hold the title in modern times.
The forthcoming distillery is backed by Will Arvin and Wesley Murry, who asked Barnes to partner with them. The distillery would breathe new life into an abandoned 130-acre property that was once a grand showplace for historic distiller Col. Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr.
For Barnes, a chemical engineer, the journey to being part of a distillery as it’s built from the ground up has been a surprise.
Barnes got her start in the whiskey business in 2009, when she was offered a coveted internship with Brown-Forman, the Louisville company that owns big bourbon brands such as Old Forester and Woodford Reserve. Before that, she said, she wasn’t much of a bourbon drinker.
“I knew I was working for a whiskey company, and I said I better start learning to like it because they were training me to be a taste-tester,” she said.
Barnes eventually became a master tester with Brown-Forman and was also next in line to become Brown-Forman’s master distiller. But then she was given the opportunity to use everything she learned there to start a project of her own.
As a result, Barnes became not only one of the youngest master distillers in the state, but also, according to industry watchers, the first woman in modern day to have the title of bourbon master distiller.
Women have been making bourbon for almost two centuries, bourbon historian Mike Veach said. But it’s still novel for modern times.
“A woman who inherited a distillery from her second husband distilled whiskey in 1818,” he said.
In those days, the title “master distiller” didn’t exist — it was just distillers and yeast makers, Veach said. The “master distiller” designation was borne out of the bourbon boom and the rise in bourbon tourism.
“You know when a person drives all the way across the country to visit a distillery, they want to meet the master distiller,” Veach said.
Barnes’ ascent in the industry could be explained, in part, by an increase in women drinking bourbon, both Veach and Barnes said. The bourbon boom has been sustained not just by a resurgence of consumer interest in dark liquor, but also by the diversifying demographics of people drinking whiskey.
“There are so many women that I am meeting and so many new groups for ladies who enjoy the brown spirits,” Barnes said.
It was just a matter of time before women also started playing bigger roles in the industry, too, she said.
“It’s been a change that’s long coming, I think,” Barnes said. “It was going to happen at some point, whether it’s me or the next person in line.”
With the bourbon boom in full swing, Barnes said now is the perfect time to revitalize the former Old Taylor distillery site.
The plot — complete with a stone castle and formal garden — was abandoned in the 1970s, a down period in the whiskey industry. Col. Taylor used the property to entertain guests and to show people how his whiskey was made. This was a time well before bourbon tourism existed.
“We want to bring this place back because it was so important to the industry,” Barnes said. “But also use it in a similar way. Bring a differentiated experience to the bourbon trail.”
Arvin, Barnes and Murry haven’t released the name of the new distillery yet.
Work on the site has been ongoing and will continue before distilling can begin. Barnes said the first item on the to-do list was digging out the buildings and various structures on the property.
“You couldn’t get through,” Barnes said. “There was just a tiny dirt path that wound its way through the center of the site. You had to cut away decades of trees and weeds and growth that had come up around the buildings to even get inside.”
The next task is running pipes throughout the property. Barnes said the plan is to keep the bones and spirit of the site intact.
Veach said the distillery will be an exciting addition to Kentucky’s bourbon scene. Many of the craft distillers that have popped up during the boom “aren’t that good,” he said. But he’s optimistic about Barnes.
“I’ve tasted some of the stuff that she’s made in the pilot still, and it’s damn good,” Veach said.
Barnes is still tinkering, though. Since bourbon takes years to age, it will be awhile before the distillery’s signature product hits shelves.
In the meantime, Barnes is creating a bourbon drinker’s gin to get the new distillery off the ground. A rye and malt whiskey is possibly in the works. Barnes said figuring out the taste and process for all these products is her favorite part of the job.
She’s confident about entering the bourbon market at a time when demand is soaring faster than production. And she said bourbon has a solid future.
“A lot of that comes from the fact that the big players, the big-name distilleries, are investing millions of dollars and building new warehouses and quadrupling their bourbon inventory,” Barnes said.
Featured photo of Marianne Barnes at Old Taylor Distillery by Ashley Lopez/WFPL News. |
As Harry Redknapp adds hot air to the debate over the Premier League’s welcoming of foreign talent, Huw Davies shouts into the wind...
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On Friday, rent-a-gaffer-turned-rent-a-quote Harry Redknapp appeared on BBC 5 Live to speak in defence of English coaches. Whether it was an impassioned plea or a deranged rant depends on which newspaper you read.
There’s no doubting Redknapp’s strength of feeling on the subject, but the 68-year-old presented a muddled argument. In fact, the word ‘argument’ may be too strong, though it’s hard to precisely deduce Redknapp’s reasoning because so many of his sentences tailed off, disappearing into the ether. Still, the thesis statement shone in neon lights across the land: Foreign Managers Are Getting Premier League Jobs Instead Of Englishmen.
“What chance have young English managers got?” asked Redknapp, rhetorically. “What a waste of time the FA coaching badge must be, because it certainly don’t [sic] help you get a job here.
Redknapp has stuck the boot into foreign gaffers
“They [clubs] sack the manager and go and get a foreign manager in. Can you tell me that someone who comes in, because he’s come from Germany or wherever he’s come from – why don’t they give a young manager a chance? They keep going foreign, foreign, foreign.” (Again, his sentences do tail off somewhat.)
When Redknapp alludes to Germany (or wherever) it’s presumably in reference to Huddersfield Town hiring David Wagner, the German-American manager previously of Borussia Dortmund’s second team, whose appointment – alongside Charlton opting for Belgian 37-year-old Karel Fraeye, after Aston Villa drafted in Frenchman Remi Garde – prompted the radio interview.
“Ridiculous… unfair”
If they’re so clever, let them go and manage lower down to see what they can do - Harry Redknapp
But does Redknapp have a point?
It’s true that a cursory glance at the Premier League, which naturally supplies all the “top jobs” that Redknapp claims are being outsourced overseas, reveals 12 foreign managers compared to eight from Blighty (five Englishmen, two Welshmen and a Scot). British gaffers are in a slight minority.
When asked for a solution, he replied: “Well… foreign owners just keep wanting to employ whoever.” It’s not really an answer, not least as the owner in question was Yorkshireman Dean Hoyle, founder of Card Factory and head honcho at Huddersfield. However, Redknapp did suggest one option for managers arriving into British football from overseas: “If they’re so clever – they’re all supposed to be, and they all come, take top jobs, most of them – let them go and manage lower down to see what they can do. They all walk into decent jobs.”
He was helped on by an obliging BBC host, who – as well as saying Aston Villa should have hired Nigel Pearson – added: “English managers have to do the lower leagues for 10, 15 years to get any credibility, and you get these foreign guys just… it is ridiculous. It’s unfair.” We’re still waiting for the end to that sentence.
En Garde
The former Portsmouth and Tottenham gaffer sighed that “the jury’s out” on Remi Garde at Aston Villa. If so, Garde’s trial must have been the quickest on record
This is a common belief; that there are several talented British managers who just aren’t getting a chance in the higher echelons of the game. Certainly, there are some who have already proved themselves in lower divisions without Premier League clubs noticing: Justin Edinburgh at Newport County and Gillingham, Gary Rowett at Burton Albion and now Birmingham City – that latter appointment in itself representing a rare show of faith – and Gareth Ainsworth at Wycombe Wanderers, to name but three.
However, the difference in having managed a League Two team and a Ligue 1 team should be obvious to Redknapp. The former Portsmouth and Tottenham gaffer sighed that “the jury’s out” on Remi Garde at Aston Villa. If so, Garde’s trial must have been the quickest on record. Somebody should tell the 12 angry men that new evidence has come to light: a draw with league leaders Manchester City in Garde’s first game, after Villa took one point from their previous 10 matches under Tim Sherwood and Kevin MacDonald (that being a 2-2 draw at home to Sunderland, whom the Villans are generously keeping off the bottom of the table).
Garde's Villa got a good point in his first game, after a sorry run of form
Even Garde’s XI in that debut against Manchester City caused fans, detractors and journalists to observe that his line-up had a distinctly French flavour. Perhaps – or perhaps he simply selected the best players available to him. It clearly worked, and a far deal better than when MacDonald picked Dad’s Army to face Spurs; indeed, Villa threatened only when the exotic likes of Carles Gil and Jordan Ayew came off the bench. It is clear that the national obsession with nationality extends beyond Redknapp’s own views.
His claim that foreign managers aren’t prepared to slum it in lower divisions just isn’t true. Fraeye and Wagner show that much
And yet his claim that foreign managers aren’t prepared to slum it in lower divisions just isn’t true. Fraeye and Wagner show that much. Then there’s Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at Burton, Ricardo Moniz at Notts County, Carlos Carvalhal at Sheffield Wednesday and Aitor Karanka at Middlesbrough, the former Spain international having decided to swap the Bernabeu for the Riverside. If you want to labour the point, of today’s Premier League managers Roberto Martinez managed in League One and the Championship with Swansea City, while Jurgen Klopp, Manuel Pellegrini and Claudio Ranieri all began their time in the hot seat beneath the first tier abroad.
Compare this to the very English Frank Lampard Jr, Harry Redknapp’s own nephew, who said in 2012 that he wants to manage Chelsea but on one condition: “I know it might sound a bit big-headed or selfish, but I wouldn’t want to go through ‘showing myself’ with a lower club.” At least he knows how it sounds.
Karanka left behind the Bernabeu for Boro
Perhaps most impressively, Redknapp complained that foreign managers should start their British careers with teams in divisions below the Premier League – while talking about a pair taking over at Championship sides, remember – only to then ask what Remi Garde can give Aston Villa that Tim Sherwood couldn’t. Tim Sherwood, who has been in charge at two major Premier League clubs despite having no managerial experience.
Swings and roundabouts
Recent history is littered with Brits getting top-flight opportunities without managerial experience, sometimes with no qualifications either
Do English coaches right now really have to work for a decade in the lower divisions? Or is it a case, as with so many things in football, of being in the right place at the right time – as with anyone joining from across the waves? Steve McClaren, now at Newcastle, had his first taste of management in the Premier League with Middlesbrough. Mark Hughes’s first job in charge of a club was with top-flight Blackburn Rovers. Garry Monk is still in his, at Swansea.
Recent history is littered with Brits getting top-flight opportunities without managerial experience, sometimes with no qualifications either: Gareth Southgate, Stuart Pearce, Steve Clarke, David O’Leary, Peter Reid, Gary Megson, Gordon Strachan, Roy Evans, Les Reed… often, just being part of the club at the time is enough. Just look at Terry Connor at Wolves or, again, Sherwood. Overseas coaches, meanwhile, have to prove themselves at other clubs first, often very big ones, even if it isn’t in the Football League.
Embedded video for How misplaced xenophobia still damages English football
Redknapp added, despairingly, that after replacing Sherwood with Garde, Villa will, at the end of the year, “probably go and get another foreign manager or something”. He is clearly including Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as “foreign”. He must be, or he’d know that Garde is Villa’s second manager from outside the British Isles in their previous 11 appointments (the other being Gerard Houllier, who had six years of experience managing a Premier League side). Garde is only their third ever, in fact. Villa did, in 1990, bring in the English game’s first foreign manager of a top-flight team, the Slovakian Josef Venglos (whose story you can find in FFT 256). Maybe Redknapp is still upset about that.
The crux is this: it’s fun to question ill-formed opinions, but it’s necessary as well. Even as it embraces more players, managers and especially fans from overseas, English football has yet to completely shake off Little Englander views among prominent figures within the game. If that’s the case, so be it – but at least get the facts right.
More features every day on FFT.com |
Apple today released iOS 10 which contains the first major emoji update for iPhone users of 2016.
Notable additions include more active female roles, single parent families, and a rainbow flag emoji.
This release (iOS 10.0.1) contains a total of 37 new emojis, or 632 emoji updates in total. This latter figure includes completely new characters as well as redesigned images for existing emojis.
There are 1,767 unique emoji images in iOS 10, which correspond to 1,922 emoji characters .
Now on Emojipedia:
TL;DR:
Women
Women, your time has come.
No longer relegated to haircuts, sassiness and pouting, iOS 10 supports women in activities such as running, surfing and swimming.
In addition, female versions of police officer, construction worker and sleuth are also available for the first time.
In total there are 17 New Female Emojis in iOS 10:
Every male emoji has a female equivalent in iOS 10, with the exception of 🕴 Man in Business Suit Levitating and 👲 Man With Gua Pi Mao.
Implementation
Female emojis have been created by the addition of new Emoji ZWJ Sequences which consist of a"base" emoji plus a ♀ Female Sign. When displayed in iOS 10, these sequences appear as unique emojis no different to any other on the keyboard.
The key differences in this implementation are:
Faster rollout (a new codepoint for each woman would have come in 2017 at the earliest)
Backward compatibility (sort of!)
Sending, for example, the 🏃♀️ Woman Running Emoji to an iOS 9 user, or someone on another platform, looks like this: 🏃♀
Incidentally, at these small sizes it can already be a challenge to determine which version is being sent, regardless of platform.
Above: Woman Running (left, iOS 10) falls back to 🏃 Runner emoji + ♀ Female Sign (right, iOS 9) on systems without gendered emoji support.
As with other human emoji characters, each supports modifiers to provide 5 x additional skin tones:
And just like regular emojis, each of these displays on the keyboard with a tap-and-hold. Basically, treat these new Emoji ZWJ Sequences no differently to other emojis. On supported systems, it's near impossible to tell the difference .
Above: 🏃♀️ Woman Running on the emoji keyboard of iOS 10.
Men
Changes put in place that provide more female representation in emoji apply equally to men.
This means emojis with a female appearance such as such as 💁 Information Desk Person and 🙋 Happy Person Raising One Hand now have male equivalents.
This even goes so far as to include a 👯♂️ Men With Bunny Ears emoji , which is one of my favorites.
There are nine new male emojis in iOS 10:
Gender Neutral
The way that female and male emojis are created means that there are now three states for a human emoji:
Base Character (no gender specified, regardless of how it looks) Female Sequence Male Sequence
In iOS 10, the base characters for each human retain the gender-appearance chosen previously. This keeps the additions entirely optional extras, and assists with backward compatibility.
Above: Three states exist for each human emoji in iOS 10, though only two images are used.
Apple could update the base character to have a more gender-neutral appearance in a future release if they wished.
Families
iOS 10 brings new single parent family combinations including one female parent or one male parent, with one or two children.
In total 10 new family combinations are possible. By comparison, previous iOS releases included many two-parent combinations, but no single parent families.
These new family combinations will be a welcome addition, and are a frequent request.
Note that family emojis on iOS don't support modifiers for skin tone. All families show as default-yellow.
Rainbow Flag
Rainbow Flag is a new emoji that makes its debut on iOS 10. This comes after it was documented by Unicode in July 2016.
Above: Rainbow Flag Emoji is now supported on iOS.
Design
Hundreds of emojis have had a makeover in iOS 10, with a completely new design that is sharper, more detailed, and less glossy.
Above: 200 redesigned emojis in iOS 10.
These design changes in iOS 10 make human emojis characters less Simpsons and more Pixar.
Meet your new emoji family: familiar yet different:
It's refreshing to see the gradual updates to the emoji set in iOS 10.
😈 Smiling Face With Horns is an example where it's clear to see the type of changes included, with the gloss removed from the top, the drop-shadow also removed, and some of the bevel effects around the mouth and eyes gone too:
Another good place to see the design changes is in the people, which look great when shown at these larger sizes:
Apple hasn't been known to change the appearance of its emoji characters frequently, but it does happen. The 👯 Woman With Bunny Ears is now on her fourth iOS update:
Changes
🔫 Pistol has changed from a realistic weapon into a water pistol / squirt gun :
😁 Grinning Face With Smiling Eyes has updated to now show a real smile rather than the quasi-grimacing variation it had previously. Don't worry, 😬 Grimacing Face remains available for those awkward moments).
😲 Astonished Face loses the Xs for eyes, making it look less dead and more surprised. This change also helps differentiate 😲 Astonished Face from 😵 Dizzy Face for iOS 10 users.
😖 Confounded Face dropped the eyebrows, helping differentiate it from 😣 Persevering Face:
👳 Man With Turban becomes the first iOS emoji to sport a beard. Particularly noticeable when any of the non-default skin tones are used:
🛁 Bathtub is now filled with bubbles:
🛀 Bath now provides a shower cap to the person bathing:
🇷🇪 Flag for Réunion used an unofficial flag proposal in iOS 9. A "more official" (yet still unofficial) flag is shown in iOS 10:
💁 Information Desk Person is more mature, less sassy:
💩 Pile of Poo gains a thicker, more 3D appearance in iOS 10:
🏃 Runner no longer wears jeans, and has far more appropriate running shorts and shirt.
🎅 Father Christmas looks more like his jolly old self and less like one of the other emojis in disguise:
🏌 Golfer was previously showed no skin, which meant no skin tones required. Skin is now shown, but this emoji still has no skin tone support.
😾 Pouting Cat Face (aka grumpy cat) no longer faces to the right. Joins the other cat faces 🐱😺😸😹😽😻😿😾😼🙀 in facing forward.
Features
In addition to the emoji character updates, iOS 10 also includes new emoji features:
Jumbomoji (iMessage shows larger emojis)
Emojify (tap to replace words with emoji in iMessage)
Emoji Autosuggest (suggest emojis to use when typing)
Missing
The 72 new emojis approved as part of Unicode 9.0 in June are nowhere to be found in iOS 10.
These include popular additions such as the shrug and face palm, which are now supported on Android and Windows.
I suspect we may see these come about in a point release for iOS later this year. Interestingly, Apple chose to go ahead with part of the draft Emoji 4.0 spec, but not all of it. As such we may also see new emoji professions coming out in an iOS 10.x release, too.
Release
iOS 10 was released on September 13, 2016. All emoji updates listed here were automatically available for those receiving the software update from Apple.
macOS 10.12 Sierra is planned for release later this month, and includes the same emoji updates as iOS 10.
If you're new to iOS emoji updates, here's a look back:
This is the state of play today: |
Republicans on Capitol Hill affirmed on Wednesday reaching an agreement reconciling the Senate and House versions of the tax bill.
This accomplishment perhaps eclipses the actual passage in both houses of the bill(s?), which reads as two distinct pieces of legislation despite House Speaker Paul Ryan, in a discussion with Fox News, calling the two chambers’ bills “very similar” and not “difficult to reconcile the differences.”
USA Today reported “hundreds” of differences between the versions passed in the two houses, which feature alternative numbers of personal rates (seven for the Senate and three for the House) and disagreement on whether to repeal the individual mandate (Senate) or not (House). The printed summary of the differences runs 51 pages. The CliffsNotes version totaling a page for every senator who voted for the legislation only begins to indicate how War and Peace long and complicated the tax code strikes Americans without accounting degrees or fluency in Bureaucratese.
The tax code for individuals, with numerous rates and deductions, vexes Americans and heartens accountants every April. The tax code for businesses appears even more byzantine.
Whether a business organizes as a limited liability company or a C-Corporation, whether the venture holds money here or abroad, and whether it qualifies for various credits, deductions, and loopholes all influence the amount it owes Uncle Sam. What it generates in revenue often ranks as a secondary barometer of what it pays in taxes.
C-Corporations enjoy a lower tax rate but get hit a second time with capital gains taxes. Pass throughs generally face higher rates but escape double taxation. Corporations savvy enough to take advantage of the code by hoarding money abroad save hundreds of billions with the sheltered money reaching an estimated $2.5 trillion.
Businesses generating the same revenues pay wildly different amounts at tax time. This bill, salutatory in so many regards, does not change this ugly fact.
Making the tax code simpler makes it fairer. Without so many alleys and holes and hiding places, the tax code works in unfair ways that benefit the savvy rather than the deserving.
By abolishing double taxation for C-Corporations and taxing pass throughs at the lower corporate rate, the code would provide fairness. This requires treating all businesses equally under law and abolishing the constructs created in the latter half of the 20th century to classify one business as a pass through and another as a C-Corporation. Tax them all at the same low rate.
For American companies establishing shelters overseas, a reformed tax code could ensure that they pay the 21 percent rate this legislation calls for no matter the rate established in the tax haven. So, Microsoft, which keeps about 95 percent of its cash abroad, would have to pay the U.S. rate no matter where it stored its money. In effect, this proposal would tax Microsoft at four percent for its money in Singapore, already taxed at the local 17 percent rate, to total the 21 percent rate paid by American companies. Apart from lowering the corporate rate from 35 to 21 percent, imposing a make-up-the-difference tax would discourage American companies from hiding money abroad and allow any company that wishes to keep its cash elsewhere for legitimate reasons to keep its cash elsewhere without additional penalty.
The president promises “a giant tax cut for Christmas.”
“I’m excited to announce if Congress sends me a bill before Christmas,” Trump explained on Wednesday, “the IRS — this is just out, this is breaking news — has just confirmed that Americans will see lower taxes beginning in February, just two short months from now.”
This early Christmas present, given and received without much surprise, certainly makes for a happy new year. Beyond this new year, more Christmases — with perhaps better gifts — follow.
Hunt Lawrence is a New York-based investor. Daniel Flynn is the author of five books. |
Is evolution possible without reproduction? Bacteria living hundreds of metres below the seafloor carry more genetic changes than their peers nearer the surface – even though the deep microbes are unlikely to reproduce and undergo natural selection in its traditional sense.
Investigations over the last 30 years have revealed that life exists several kilometres below both the land surface and the seafloor. Or, perhaps more accurately, life endures: nutrient levels drop off so rapidly with depth that the microbes can barely function at all. In fact, the cells show so few signs of life that it wasn’t until 2011 that researchers confirmed that microbes in sediments below the seafloor are, indeed, living.
To find out more about how they manage to survive, Brandon Briggs at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and Frederick Colwell at Oregon State University in Corvallis have sequenced and compared genomes belonging to one particular class of deep life – Firmicutes bacteria – sampled 21, 40 and 554 metres below the floor of the Andaman Sea, west of Thailand. The sediments from 554 metres were dated to 8.76 million years old.
The results show – for the first time, Briggs thinks – that the bacterial genomes change with depth: the micro-organisms at 554 metres carry more mutations in genes that code for energy-related processes like cell division and biosynthesis of amino acids than are seen in their shallower counterparts. He presented the findings at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco last month.
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Mysterious mutations
The results raise a bunch of questions that, right now, are difficult to answer. Do those mutations help the bacteria cope with the scarceness of food? Or are they harmful mutations brought on by the extreme conditions? Either way, exactly how did the deeper Firmicutes population accumulate more mutations?
“In the classic sense of evolution, the organisms with the beneficial mutations would have to pass these down to their offspring,” says Briggs. But there is so little energy in these deep environments that many researchers question whether the microbes can afford to have offspring. “It is hard to believe that these microbes are dividing, based on the amount of energy that has been calculated that they get,” he says. “If they are not dividing, then can there be evolution?”
“There is simply too little energy per cell to allow growth,” says Hans Røy at Aarhus University in Denmark. “But genome evolution, as observed by Briggs and Colwell, could indicate that the bacteria go through many generations within the deep biosphere. So things seem not to match up.”
“It is very difficult to know what might happen in the subsurface,” says Jennifer Biddle at the University of Delaware in Newark. Her group has previously found signs that cells might be able to grow at depth. “But so far no one has really shown duplication of a cell, hence it’s hard to know if evolution would happen,” she adds.
Slow growers
But if you take evolution in its broader sense to mean genetic changes across the population, then it might be occurring even without cell division, says Briggs. That’s because in theory, bacteria in these environments grow so slowly that they may survive for hundreds of thousands of years.
Individual bacteria might have begun life at the seafloor before being gradually buried, over a period of thousands of years, as more sediment accumulated at the bottom of the sea. If so, perhaps the bacteria now at 554 metres were rare cells in the initial population that have now come to dominate because the other cells, which didn’t carry their genetic mutations, have all died.
No matter how the new results are interpreted, they clearly show that there is still plenty to learn about Earth’s “intraterrestrials”. “My hope is that by understanding these genetic mutations we can better understand the nature of life in these ecosystems,” says Briggs.
“It’s another piece of the puzzle,” says Røy. “It’s most useful in our quest to find out where we go wrong with our measurements, our assumptions, or our prejudgements about how life works.” |
While the soundtrack of a film is an important element in any project, it's something that Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele's upcoming film, Keanu , takes extra seriously. When I had the opportunity to visit the New Orleans set of the film back in July 2015, the importance of music in the film was the first thing that became apparent — and not just because one of the first things I saw when I stepped outside was star/rapper Method Man singing Billy Joel to himself between takes. In fact, it's perhaps even more important than the fact that the movie stars an adorable kitten — after all, entire scenes are built around George Michael songs that Key's character, Clarence, loves. Choosing the correct artist and songs to build scenes around — like George Michael, for instance — may sound easy, but it's actually one of the most difficult decisions for a filmmaker.
When I asked director Peter Atencio and stars Key and Peele specifically about the George Michael pick, they revealed the song choice process was... well, just that — a process. "There were some discussions. But I’ll tell you this — we ended up with the best case scenario," Key reveals.
"Once it worked out and it happened, it was like, ‘Oh, that’s how it was always meant to be,'" Atencio adds.
Peele agrees. "It just clicked... when we got George Michael to say 'yes,' it was this amazing moment, because you realize you’ve just gone from a question mark to what you know is a soundtrack that everybody [will love]."
And George Michael is quite integral to the film. Choosing any artist wouldn't have worked for the film. According to Atencio, it needed to be someone who was beloved enough, but also power pop enough, to sound ridiculous for certain scenes. "There’s a scene where [Key's character, Clarence, and the gangsters] all listen to George Michael for the first time, and by the end, they’re all singing 'One More Try' together. It’s awesome."
Key elaborates:
Part of Clarence’s character is that he likes really — pardon the term — he likes really white music. As so many of us. And George Michael is an example of very white music that is also very awesome and very good, and so we wanted to give Clarence something that he had to justify to the gang, why he’s listening to this music, but also something that would make an awesome soundtrack." He pauses, before adding, "And you forget — you forget. [It makes you go, like,] 'oh, George Michael is a badass!'
As for what sort of "discussions" Key is referring to — well, this is where it gets interesting, and you can thank one of the film's stars, Luis Guzman, for that. It's not every day you're interviewing two comedians and a director about their film only to have Guzman stroll up and start asking questions about George Michael — but it is some days, apparently, because that's exactly what happened next. When Atencio was discussing the movie's soundtrack having become his life's soundtrack, Guzman suddenly asked, "You still have the Paul Simon thing in?"
"That changed to George Michael," Key responds.
"Which songs?" Guzman asks.
Simon, apparently, was the artist whose music was chosen for the film before Michael's music was settled on. Atencio and Peele list off the Simon songs that nearly made the cut — "'Diamonds on the Sole Of Her Shoes," "The Boy In the Bubble…," and, according to Peele, "'Graceland' itself, maybe," — before Guzman questions which George Michael songs made it into the movie. Atencio quickly clarifies, saying, "George Michael? 'Freedom 90,' 'Father Figure,' 'One More Try,' and 'Faith,'" before the songs' importance — and badassery — is reiterated.
And sure enough, after revisiting these classic songs, they are pretty badass, and perfectly fitting... for a movie about a kitten.
Keanu hits theaters April 29.
Comedy Central on YouTube
Image: Steve Dietl/Warner Bros. Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures (2) |
In the best episode of Netflix’s “Master of None” — I think, it’s hard to pick just one — Dev (Aziz Ansari) wants tacos, but doesn’t know where to go. So he whips out his laptop and smartphone, consults Google, Eater and Yelp, finds lists and reviews, dozens of them, New York City’s trendiest tortillas, dissected and annotated by social media. Finally he settles on a food truck said to have the most delicious tacos in the city.
Only by now they’re sold out. Dev is exasperated. “What am I supposed to do now?” he complains. “Go eat the second-best taco?”
“Master of None,” the year’s best comedy straight out of the gate, is a lot of things. It’s an adorable but mature rom-com. It’s an idea-packed bulletin on technology and social mores. It’s a showbiz satire. It’s a casually multicultural, multiracial comedy that’s also acutely conscious of how identity still matters.
But above all it is about the tyranny of choice: how being blessed with every option that youth, technology and privilege offer can be paralyzing. A thousand tacos, a thousand dates, all available at a finger’s swipe, all of them presenting 999 avenues to close, 999 opportunities to choose wrongly. |
"I will only ask once more, who are you?" Noctis voice boomed.Before the strange mare could answer the white alicorn she had asked for came swooping down. She landed infront of Noctis who was slightly taken aback."Auntie?! We were in the midst of apprehending this mare, we didn't mean to disturb you!" Noctis and the other guards bowed quickly as she spoke. Even though Celestia was her aunt she still needed to be shown respect."At ease" Celestia simply answered and the guards all lowered their weapons.Celestia then just stared at the mare infront of her, unable to believe what she was seeing. The mare appeared rugged and tired. She had a few bruises on her chest, around her right eye and around her muzzle. However none of them seemed to be that severe. The most confusing thing about her though was that she was an alicorn. Another alicorn, and one that Celestia recognized.The mare seemed startled as well, seemingly too nervous to speak.Celestia squinted her eyes as to make sure she wasn't just seeing things in the dark. She then took a step closer to the grey alicorn and opened her mouth as to speak, but no words came out.The alicorn then straightened herself slightly, more relaxed this time she finally spoke."Mother...?"At this Celestia's eyes started tearing up and her guard fell completely."Aurora is that really you?"The mare simply nodded and sniffled, tears starting to well up in her eyes too.Clesestia couldn't take it anymore."Oh baby..." She practically threw herself around Aurora's neck and hugged her tightly. "I can't believe it's really you. I thought I would never see you again" Tears started to fall down Celestia's cheeks, quickly escalating into rivers both out of relief and worry."Mother I'm so sorry... I would have returned sooner if I had the chance...""Shhh... it's alright baby, you're home now"Noctis just stared in disbelief. What was happening?!Did she seriously have another cousin that she did not know about? How come no one had ever mentioned her?Cerulean would surely not have had the ability to keep quiet about a thing like this, so did he not know either?"Mother... I'm...""Reserve your energy, we can talk in the morning. Just know that I love you"------------------------------Sorry to all you guys hoping it was Sunset Shimmer ^^''She will most likely not be a big part of this verse unfortunately since I haven't thought out exactly how to incorperate her properly without it feeling forced. I might come up with something and throw her in later but meh, it's for later.But anyway, here we have "Princess Aurora Borealis" Celestia's missing daughter made as a concept a good while ago.But as stated in her description the real Aurora is dead. So who could this be? (totally not obvious in any way)Celestia should know that her daughter couldn't have survived this long as she should be dead of old age as well, but hey crazier magical stuff has happened. Celestia is just thrilled of having her baby back... for now...Tried to do some night shading practice or something as well. Need to work on it but it was kinda fun (if not a bit annoying to get the colors right)EDIT: changed the placing of Aurora's horn a bit since it didn't really make much sense before. |
“The Raid 2” stars Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman will put their amazing fight skills to use in J.J. Abrams‘ “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens,” TheWrap has learned.
The trio of talented martial artists join John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and Oscar Isaac in the Disney movie, which was produced by Lucasfilm and Bad Robot.
Also Read: Best & Worst 2014: TheWrap’s 86 Alternate Movie Awards for Sex, Violence, Music and More
Another member of the “Raid” stunt team also participated in the top-secret shoot, though an individual familiar with the project declined to identify the performer.
Though it’s unclear whether the “Raid” trio will appear on the side of good or evil, one is expected to perish onscreen — meaning the stakes are life-and-death in the new “Star Wars” movie.
Also Read: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Character Names Revealed (Photos)
“The Force Awakens” will hit theaters on Dec. 18.
Disney declined to comment on the castings, which were first reported by Twitch. |
9/11 is perhaps one of the most, if not the most, influential events to have happened in several decades. I recall the day the planes hit the towers as if it were yesterday. Sitting in an art class while I was still in high school, we were told that due to a terror attack in the United States, we would be sent home for safety measures in case something very serious was about to unfold.
I walked home that day with 4 of my good friends as we conversed about the bizarre event that just took place moments earlier. “Imagine all of a sudden jets flew over our head as if heading to battle?” “Do you think this is the start of some war?” We asked each other.
We had no idea what had happened yet and were very curious to turn on the TV when we got home to find out more. Fast forward a year later and I remember when the countdown clock on CNN had struck zero and the US Military was now storming across the desert into Iraq to get vengeance.
This event has been the cause of incredible fear, panic and worry about terror, terrorists, radical groups, war, muslims and more. It was the catalyst for the level of security and control we now see in many aspects of our lives. We saw as rights were taken away from citizens and suddenly everyone and anyone became a potential threat. As each year passes by since 9/11, security measures get tighter and tighter, all to supposedly protect against further terrorism.
But what if the events of 9/11 were not what we were told? This was the question that plagued me and many others 10 years ago when I started to question it. This article isn’t going to be about debunking 9/11, it instead will focus on the images at hand, but I do want to say the following: I believe 9/11 was one of the biggest catalysts for human awakening on this planet – ever.
The FBI’s New Photo’s
In the quietly released new photo’s, that got very little media attention, we see various bits of debris, interesting images of the pentagon and more.
In the very first image of the release we see a photo plainly labeled “9-11 Pentagon Debris 1.” It shows a single piece of wreckage sitting isolated on a lawn. On it we see the American Airlines logo and marked with letters and numbers.
Do these pictures tell us more about what happened? Do they crush theories on what really happened? Do they challenge the official story? It’s difficult to say because in some ways they are ambiguous, in other ways they raise more questions. Looking at the overhead shots of the Pentagon further beg the question: what really hit the pentagon?
9/11 Attacks and Investigation Images: https://t.co/zwxAkLkdw0 — FBI Records Vault (@FBIRecordsVault) March 30, 2017
The true ambiguity of some of the photo’s makes you question why they would even be released since they don’t seem to show much of anything. But none the less, this provides an opportunity to further explore into the subject for those who may not have ventured into the incredible story of what took place that day -through the lens of research outside the commonly preached but no longer widely accepted story that a bunch of terrorists with box cutters hijacked planes and flew them into the towers on September 11th.
There’s plenty you can explore about the 9/11 story in our archives. You can also see the other images the FBI release here.
Why It’s Important to Question
Questioning the events of 9/11 is not a matter of insensitivity or disrespect as what’s commonly stated by politicians, governments and general citizens following suit. Instead, it’s the necessary step in following a gut or intuitive feeling that something wasn’t quite right about what we were told. Not just that, but in looking at the evidence, what we were told and what followed, there are several reasons to ask questions. And so people have.
Typically, the main challenge people have in exploring the alternative theories behind what happened that day stem from a fear of admitting that their government may not be in full control or that they may not be acting in the best interest of the people. It’s understandable how this fear could exist given the implications on our own internal stories and general worldview stability, but at the same time, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for humanity to know the truth if it were different? If you were given the choice right now to open one envelope and find out the certain truth of what happened that day, or not and continue believing whatever we were told, would you want to know the truth? Even if it meant collapsing your worldview?
I believe we are experiencing a massive shift in consciousness on this planet and a big part of that is seeing the truth about how our world truly works and functions. This shift has already prompted millions of people on this planet to explore our world to find out what is truly going on and why. This has led to incredible discoveries about elite banking systems, cabal run planetary structures, the truth about religions, our medical industries, school systems and more. It has also led to incredible spiritual awakenings and massive increases in self empowerment amongst people by breaking free from an unconscious state that has kept us viewing the world from an illusory view.
This powerful shift in consciousness is showing itself in many ways, even as simple as the lack of fulfilment we are now feeling, in intense ways, about our jobs, ways of living and how we interact with one another. We are being challenged to think outside the box, ask ourselves what we’re truly doing here and what it means to be human.
If you wish to explore this shift in consciousness in detail, feel free to check out the latest film Collective Evolution released call CE3: The Shift. You can watch it for free here. |
In keeping with holiday tradition, our favorite family comes over for a visit: the Racetam family. Old uncle Piracetam shuffles in, proudly brandishing his “True Nootropic” Award. Aniracetam and Oxiractam look like they’re having a hard time dealing with the young ones. Coluracetam, Nefiracetam and Fasoracetam run around between the grown-ups, getting into all sorts of mischief.
It’s also a reunion with Dr. Andrew Hill — one of Smart Drug Smarts’ very first guests, as well as the resident neuroscientist at TruBrain and the Founding Director of the Peak Brain Institute in LA, where he specializes in neurofeedback solutions.
Whether you’re complete strangers or bosom buddies with the Racetam family (who trace their roots back to Belgium), Jesse and Dr. Andrew Hill will make you feel welcome and get you introduced to everybody.
Stick around for a few giggles during the Ruthless Listener Retention Gimmick and learn a cool new way to prepare a nice big bowl of “word salad” with a decidedly New Age flavour.
PS: Don’t forget to sign up for that most important mental meal of the week – a good healthy Brain Breakfast.
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VERO BEACH, Fla. — It took driving just over an hour north of his hometown of West Palm Beach, Fla., for Jacoby Ford to get his first taste of the CFL.
One of 54 players involved in Edmonton Eskimos mini-camp at Historic Dodgertown, the former NFLer didn’t even have to leave his own state to experience the northern league for the first time.
And if his previous professional football resume is any indication, Ford could have covered that distance nearly as fast on his feet.
“This is just right up the road from me,” Ford said. “It’s a great experience to come up here and get my first taste of it. It’s definitely a lot different but I’m learning.
“It’s going to be a learning process for right now, but hopefully by the time the season gets going I’ll be feeling a lot more comfortable with everything.”
Fortunately, Ford’s a fast learner.
Heck, he’s plain fast, period.
At the NFL combine, Ford posted a 40 time of 4.28 seconds
But prior to that, he attended another one in prep school where he ran even faster.
“I ran like some ridiculous 4.126 or some crazy thing, it was hand-timed though,” said Ford, 28, who spent four seasons with the Oakland Raiders after being drafted in the fourth round (108 overall) in 2010.
That kind of time is tends to get you noticed.
“You do, it helped me out a lot,” said Ford, a heavily-decorated track athlete who captured the state championship with a 10.32-second 100 m sprint in 2005. “I didn’t have a lot of offers coming out of high school, actually. So I went to prep school and when I ran that time, that’s when everybody was like: ’Woah, he can run.’
“That kind of put me on the map and them watching me play football was a great thing for me then.”
These days, it’s still all about the speed, but Ford is also seeing his game evolve.
“My speed is my strong point,” he said. “If I can take someone on a deep route, that’s my main point.
“I just have to be able to control it on the shorter routes, which I’ve learned. But doing it with this league here, with the running start, it’s just another transition.”
After Oakland, Ford spent the past two preseasons with the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.
“I was their final cut,” he said of the Titans last year. “I thought I would make that team, I did everything they asked me to do but they just kept guys and I was the odd-man out.
“I loved how that camp went for me, it was a big confidence booster just from being out the year before.”
It will be two years by the time he arrives for training camp in Edmonton on May 29.
“I haven’t made a team in two years,” he said. “I’m hungry and I’ve got a little chip on my shoulder. I keep quiet about it but, inside, that fire burns.
“I’m here now, I’ve embraced the CFL. I’m just ready to go back and play football, that’s it.”
No matter how fast you are, there is no running away from the reality that a job can be taken away as quickly as it’s earned.
“This game can humble you real quick,” Ford said. “You can be on top of the world one second and then the next thing you know, you’re out of the league.”
DOZEN GUESSES
It pays to know the history of the number you’re wearing when you come to a new team.
Just ask Ford the significance of the No. 12 practice shirt he sported at Eskimos mini-camp?
“I don’t know about the meaning of 12, I just love the No. 12,” said Ford, who wore it during his three seasons with the Raiders.
Of course, on the Green and Gold, the number belonged to Eskimos head coach Jason Maas back when he played on this team.
“Really? Oh,” Ford said. “So I’ve got to make it look good. I’ll have to remember that next time, that means a lot then.
“I was actually curious what number they’d give me. Then when I saw they gave me 12, that made me happy. I haven’t had that number in a while, so it felt good to have it back on.”
But what does Maas think about a receiver wearing his old number?
“Aw, I’m fine with it.”
HEATING UP
Move over, Charles Darwin.
There was nothing particularly evolutionary about how the pretenders were weeded out from the contenders during the three-day Edmonton Eskimos mini-camp at Historic Dodgertown.
Mother Nature saw to some of it, herself.
There were those whose dedication and off-season training regimen allowed them to beat the Florida heat, while others sputtered and chugged their way through the humid two-a-day practices, which wrapped up, mercifully, with a single session on Tuesday.
“It’s survival of the fittest,” said Eskimos head coach Jason Maas. “Football’s a physical and mental game, so as you get tired, mentally you start to drain a little bit.”
At the same time, the coaches got to see who was willing to push right to the limit, as fatigue and dehydration led to cases of cramping, especially in the early session on Day 2.
But that’s really the whole point of an off-season mini-camp.
Anyone in attendance can play when they’re fresh. Now, the players know what’s expected of them come the opening of training camp on May 29.
“You want to see guys that can fight through some adversity,” Maas said. “And you get to see that at a two-a-day practice this time of year.”
CUNNINGHAM CUT?
Postmedia Calgary’s Scott Mitchell reports a source saying the Eskimos plan to release Sederrik Cunningham, who joined the team’s practice squad in September. The five-foot-11, 199-pound receiver/return man out of Furman spent 2014 with the Calgary Stampeders on the way to being named the team nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie.
The 26-year-old native of Zephyrhills, Fla., was not present at Eskimos mini-camp.
gerry.moddejonge@sunmedia.ca
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Zoltan Istvan caused a stir with his recent article: “When Superintelligent AI Arrives, Will Religions Try to Convert It?” Istvan begins by noting, “… we are nearing the age of humans creating autonomous, self-aware super intelligences … and we will inevitably try to control AI and teach it our ways …” And this includes making “sure any superintelligence we create knows about God.” In fact, Istvan says, “Some theologians and futurists are already considering whether AI can also know God.”
Some Christian theologians welcome the idea of AIs: “I don’t see Christ’s redemption limited to human beings,” says Reverend Dr. Christopher J. Benek, co-founder and Chair of the Christian Transhumanist Association.. “If AI is autonomous, then we have should encourage it to participate in Christ’s redemptive purposes in the world …” Benek thinks that AI, by possibly eradicating poverty, war, and disease, might lead humans to becoming more holy. But other Christian thinkers believe AIs are machines without souls, and cannot be saved. Only humans are created in God’s image.
The futurist and transhumanist Giulio Prisco has a different take. He writes:
It’s only fair to let AI have access to the teachings of all the world’s religions. Then they can choose what they want to believe. But I think it’s highly unlikely that superhuman AI would choose to believe in the petty, provincial aspects of traditional religions. At the same time, I think they would be interested in enlightened spirituality and religious cosmology, or eschatology, and develop their own versions.
Prisco is a member of the Turing Church, an “open-source church built around cosmist principles of space expansion, unlimited growth, and universal love.” In brief, cosmism is an existential orientation that sees the survival of mankind and of the individual as part of humanity’s “common task”. The migration of humans into space is seen as inevitable, since it is essential for humanity’s long-term survival. The increase in human life-span is seen as another essential task.
Others like Martine Rothblatt, author of Virtually Human: The Promise—and the Peril—of Digital Immortality, believe that AIs must have some kind of soul. “Rothblatt foundedTerasem, a scientific “transreligion” similar to the Turing Church in scope and approach, which runs preliminary mindcloning pilot projects. The most famous one is Bina 48, a robotic head that contains a mindclone of Rothblatt’s still-living wife Bina.”
While we don’t know the future, the creation of superintelligence will surely bring about a paradigm shift in our thinking, changing reality in ways now unimaginable. And, as I’veargued elsewhere, if the promises of transhumanism come to be, religion as we know it will end.
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John G. Messerly, Ph.D taught for many years in both the philosophy and computer science departments at the University of Texas at Austin. His most recent book is The Meaning of Life: Religious, Philosophical, Scientific, and Transhumanist Perspectives. He blogs daily on issues of futurism and the meaning of life at reasonandmeaning.com |
Saturday’s $200,000 Lexington (G3) at Keeneland, a Kentucky Derby (G1) prep in name only, is more likely to yield a longshot candidate for the Preakness (G1) at the end of its 1 1/16 miles on Saturday.
Of the 10 three-year-olds in the Lexington, none have acquired an adequate amount Derby qualifying points thus far to have a chance of being in the Derby starting gate without a) winning the Lexington and its 10 Derby points, and b) mass defections over the next several weeks.
No Dozing, who earned some points when finishing second in the Remsen (G2) last fall, saw his Derby dreams fade after two unspectacular performances in Florida this winter in the Sam F. Davis (G3) and Tampa Bay Derby (G2). However, the colt fits in this easier spot, and merits a chance off a rough-trip fourth to Classic Empire in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) here last fall.
“He ran well here last fall in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and that is one positive and I don’t think he liked the track at Tampa,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said.
Trainer Bob Baffert, who won the Lexington a year ago with Collected, looks to repeat with West Coast, a last-out maiden winner by 3 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita going the Lexington distance. The son of Flatter will break from the far outside and with blinkers added.
Senior Investment, an allowance winner at Oaklawn prior to running sixth in the Louisiana Derby (G2) two weeks ago, can improve on the drop in class. Another that wintered at Fair Grounds, Resiliency, overcame an early bump to beat entry-level allowance foes by more than a length at the New Orleans course last time for Steve Asmussen.
Others likely to attract play are Time to Travel, who debuts for Michael Matz following a 4 3/4-length maiden win at Gulfstream going seven furlongs, and Convict Pike, the recent third-place finisher in the Spiral (G3) who’s shown much improved form on turf and synthetic surfaces.
Kentucky Derby qualifying points of 10-4-2-1 will be awarded to the Lexington’s top four finishers. |
TACOMA, Wash. -- Three people are dead after a car crash involving a bucket truck in a Tacoma alley.
A fourth person was in serious condition after an SUV collided head-on with an electrical utility truck.
The crash happened off S 14th St. and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood. Tacoma Fire crews responded, and tweeted a photo of the scene.
The Pierce County Medical Examiners Office released the names of three victims Thursday. Gary Gillen, 65, Timothy Stripes, 48, and Desiree Stipes, 36, all of Tacoma died in the crash.
Tim Tullar was one of the first people to get to the car where three people were trapped inside.
"When I saw the lady in the front seat immediately I tried to go and I tried to pray with her."
Police say the car was going about 55 miles per hour through the alley, plowed through traffic barrier and then slammed into the back of a cable utility truck.
At this point it's not clear why the driver was speeding. But for Tim, at that moment, the cause of the crash wasn't important.
"I noticed when I looked down that there was a stream of blood that was coming from the vehicle, creating a puddle and there was gasoline all over the alley and there were wires that were hanging."
The passenger in the front seat was near death and in cell phone video you can see Tim put his hand through the car window.
"And so I just placed my hand on her shoulder and I began pray with her and she responded somewhat. She couldn't use words because of all of the damage she had to her face."
The driver and the two passengers were all pronounced dead, Tim found out when he returned home later.
"I know that the lord loves them and that God places people at certain places during certain times to be able to help somebody and that's why I was there."
The cause of the crash is not yet known.
Crews on-scene of MVA - alley off 14th and MLK Jr. pic.twitter.com/QfzYuKZW99 — Tacoma Fire (@TacomaFire) March 23, 2016
Copyright 2016 KING |
Remember a couple years back, when Square Enix said it expected to suffer "an extraordinary loss" on the fiscal year because various games in its lineup, including the Tomb Raider reboot, sold far fewer copies than expected? It was bad enough to force the resignation of CEO Yoichi Wada and prompt a major restructuring of "development policy, organizational structure, [and] some business models." If you do happen to recall that particular uproar, you may be surprised to hear that developer Crystal Dynamics announced today that the 2013 edition of Tomb Raider is actually the best-selling game in the history of the franchise.
Tomb Raider went over well with critics and shifted 3.4 million copies in its first month of release, which sounds pretty good to me. But Square Enix said in this March 2013 financial results briefing (via Eurogamer) that it expected to sell between five and six million units and was "very disappointed to see that the high [Metacritic] scores did not translate into actual sales performance." That resulted in "substantial variance in operation profit/loss against the forecast"—business-speak for, "We made a lot less money than we thought we would."
Yet from there, we end up here: The reboot sold more than than 8.5 million units, a franchise record. It also set a Tomb Raider record for launch day sales, and first-month sales. "Tomb Raider ignited and expanded the fan base, pushing the series to a new level. The game’s incredible sales success reflects the passionate response of players,” Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher said in a statement. "Our studio is proud of what we accomplished with the game."
It was also enough of a success to earn a sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, which was announced last year as a timed exclusive for the Xbox One. After the appropriate "duration" has expired, we're betting it will be released for other platforms, including the PC, and so we took a closer look at where Lara's headed next right here. |
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, with Candace, in the series finale of Phineas and Ferb, “Last Day of Summer.” Image curtesy of Disney XD
Were an alien to arrive on earth and ask me what was so great about the Disney cartoon series Phineas and Ferb—the kind of situation that could very plausibly arise on an episode of Phineas and Ferb—he might scratch his head with one gooey tentacle over the confusing and seemingly self-contradictory answer. “Well,” I’d say, drawing a deep breath, “it’s a simple, sweet-spirited celebration of childhood, creativity, and having fun. Each half-hour episode is divided into two 11-minute freestanding stories in which the same exact plot structure recurs every time, with slight variations. Stepbrothers Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher build impossible inventions in their backyard over the course of a summer’s day. Their uptight teenage sister, Candace, spends that whole day trying to bust the boys to their mother but never quite manages to show her their outlandish creations (a full-size roller coaster, a portal to Mars, a dancing metal exoskeleton) before they mysteriously vanish. And though the kids are totally unaware of his existence, there’s an evil villain character, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, who spends his days constructing his own absurd machines to be used for nefarious ends (though unlike Phineas and Ferb’s ingenious contraptions, Doofenshmirtz’s tend to underperform and then explode). But he’s not that bad a guy really—he’s just kind of an insecure bumbler who’s secretly fond of his nemesis, a platypus secret agent who, as the boys’ seemingly inert house pet, is the only connection between these two disparate storylines.”
The alien would then say—or maybe just think to himself, depending on the role of politeness in his planet’s culture—“That sounds terrible. A show whose plot never changes, about two nicey-nice kids, their goody-two-shoes sister and some harmless villain they never even meet. Plus for some reason a platypus spy? I’m heading back to Quozzrax, warp-speed.” But that alien would be making a huge mistake.
Phineas and Ferb, created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, has been my favorite cultural discovery of the past year, thanks to my 9-year-old daughter—who, along with the show’s inventive visual gags and earworm-in-the-best-way songs, gradually convinced me to stop wandering in and out of the room pretending to be tidying and sit down and watch with her already. We’re both sad that the series finale will be airing Friday, after a three-day Disney XD marathon (now underway) in which all four seasons of the show are being run in order. But we’ll always have syndication—and given that my viewing of this show tends to be filtered through the formidable scrim of a 9-year-old’s whims, there are a dozen episodes I’ve never seen for every one I’ve seen a dozen times.
I’m not a Phineas and Ferbhead, one of those people logging on to the wiki page to correct a fact about how many times and in which episodes the floating baby head or the “My watermelon!” line have appeared (although God bless those folks, because that is one tightly run wiki). I’m just a casual yet passionate parent-fan, someone who, every time I stop doing boring grown-up stuff long enough to catch an episode, grows more impressed with this show’s defiantly strange sensibility, its high estimation of the intelligence of both kid and adult viewers, and its generosity of spirit. Over the past year, I’ve grown to realize that generosity is best observed not in the show’s treatment of its title characters—whose plucky adorability makes them easy to love—but in its treatment of its hapless villain, Doofenshmirtz, of whom I’ve grown inordinately fond.
* * *
As the hatch of the alien’s ship whooshed shut, I’d protest that the strict adherence to formal structure I described above (which includes several lines of dialogue that recur in near-identical form in almost every episode) is in fact one of the great pleasures of watching Phineas and Ferb over time. Though the show doesn’t, for the most part, build on the storylines of previous episodes—the boys’ empty summer day is invented anew each time, a blank slate for whatever wild invention or adventure they choose to pursue—many of the best jokes spring from the viewers’ (and, at times, the characters’) familiarity with the show’s unchanging format.
The episodes I’ve liked best so far are the experimental ones that strip that formula down to its bones, making the audience laugh at both how well we’ve gotten to know the show and how well it seems to know itself. In “Blackout,” the fictional town of Danville’s power grid goes out after Doofenshmirtz’s latest invention, the Big Sad Eye-inator, hogs too much of the town’s electricity supply. Thanks to the longstanding cartoon tradition by which googly eyes can be seen even in the dark (a joke familiar from The Simpsons, but traceable to earlier pop-culture ancestors), much of this episode unfolds in total blackness, with the characters identifiable by their eye shapes alone. There’s no mistaking Phineas’ wide, curious bubbles; Ferb’s odd asymmetrically sized eyes; Candace’s narrowed, distrustful glare; or Doof’s temporarily cuteness-enhanced eyeballs, now so outsized and sparkling he’s sure he can win the world to his side. The average Phineas and Ferb episode (hand-drawn in traditional 2-D style, using the Cintiq graphics tablet) is extravagantly colorful and kinetic.* But even with a visual field reduced to nothing but black-and-white eyes against a black background, anyone with a working knowledge of the show can follow what’s happening in “Blackout”—and there’s nary a googly-eyeballs-in-the-dark gag whose possibilities aren’t thoroughly explored.
Similarly, in “Tri-Stone Area”—perhaps my favorite freestanding 11-minute episode and one that gets quoted and re-enacted in my household more than any other—the entire Phineas and Ferb universe is inexplicably transplanted to the Stone Age, where all the characters speak in a primal caveman patois made up of nonsense syllables and grunts. Even without a line of recognizable English dialogue, every story beat is legible. The viewer even starts to learn, by the story’s final twist, some words in the proto-language that at first sounded like gibberish.
In this scene, the caveman version of Dr. Doofenshmirtz—who’s voiced, brilliantly as always, by the show’s co-creator Povenmire and who seems to have remained an evolutionary rung or two behind the rest of the cave-cast—watches drops of water slowly form on a stalactite with the delight of someone watching a thrillingly suspenseful TV show. Upon the inevitable arrival of his nemesis Perry the Platypus (or in cave-speak, “Bunka da Bunkaquan”), Caveman Doof expresses his dissatisfaction with the squalid conditions of his cave, comparing it with the prehistoric high life enjoyed by his smug brother Roger. (Their sibling rivalry is an ongoing motif on the show.) The simplicity of this scene gets me every time: With nothing but a few well-placed squeals and grunts, Povenmire somehow communicates the needy yet endearing essence of this complex and bizarre villain.
What is about the character of Heinz Doofenshmirtz that I find so funny, so fascinating, and so strangely touching? In part, it’s that his evilness is almost an abstract notion, even to himself. As he frequently points out to his nonevil teenage daughter Vanessa (voiced by Olivia Olson), being an archvillain is simply his job. Like Phineas and Ferb, Doof wakes up every day determined to excel anew at his task. It’s just that his agenda isn’t to make the most of summer or build cool stuff with his friends but to take over the entire Tri-State Area—a more achievable goal than world domination, originally urged upon him (as revealed by a flashback in the episode “What Do It Do?”) on a long-ago date with Linda Flynn-Fletcher, eventual mom to Phineas, Ferb, and Candace. Alas, every one of Doof’s would-be wicked -inators (the Gigant-inator, the De-Handsome-inator, the Whale Translator-inator) either malfunctions spectacularly, directs its havoc-wreaking potential back on its creator, or self-destructs. (Why does he keep including that button?)
Doofenshmirtz is far from the first cartoon villain to be smacked down by fate at the end of each episode. There’s a touch of Wile E. Coyote in Doof’s endless -inators and more than a little Road Runner in his silent, uncapturable platypus foil. What sets Doof apart is his wishful relationship with his own imagined evil self. His pathetic dream of Tri-State dominion is really just a thinly disguised—and by that I mean completely undisguised—longing for universal adoration and acceptance. He wants to be loved, not feared. The few times he gets a glimpse of success, Doof soon realizes that if were to attain his longed-for goal, he would be the lonely ruler of a fascistic dystopia. Better to stick with his Sisyphean everyday reality of politely greeting his platypus nemesis, capturing him in an elaborate (but fairly escapable) trap, and, with ever-renewed hope, proudly unveiling that day’s doomed -inator.
*Correction, June 15, 2015: This article originally misidentified Wacom’s Cintiq as an animation program. It’s a graphics tablet. (Return.) |
Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.
There is a war on black people.
You hear about it from powerless black men like Barack Obama, Eric Holder and Al Sharpton. Black people can hardly leave the house without being shot by a cop for no reason at all. That’s what you hear from the activists of #BlackLivesMatter who illustrate the point by blocking traffic, harassing white people in restaurants and shoving elderly Democratic presidential candidates… without getting shot.
Black racist activists and their white leftist allies like to talk up “White Fragility” which means that white people are used to sitting down for brunch without having fat black women yell in their faces about genocide. Or as the official definition would have it, white people are so insulated from critical dialogues about race that they get upset when those women, who are actually working on their PhDs in critical race theory, loudly accuse them of white supremacy.
Or as the official definition goes, “call them out” for their white privilege.
That’s what Eric Holder meant when he accused Americans of being a “nation of cowards” when it comes to race. The former Attorney General and future drug cartel lobbyist was referencing “White Fragility.” White Americans were just fragile cowards unwilling to admit their guilty white privilege.
But if any group is fragile when it comes to racial dialogues, it isn’t white people. It certainly isn’t your average melanin-challenged cisgender heterosexual who has to dive into a safe space or demand censorship the moment that he encounters a dissenting view.
Political correctness is a culture of fragility for minority groups. Every member of a political identity group is a fragile survivor who veers from outraged protests to panic attacks. And any minority who doesn’t act like a manic-depressive twit is a traitor who is no longer a part of his “community.”
To be a true member of the political identity community is to be both angry and fragile.
The hysteria of #BlackLivesMatter embodies angry and fragile. Its members shriek that they’re being murdered on every corner while behaving in ways that would get anyone else murdered. Their racist tantrums are justified by their racial fragility. Their victimhood entitles them to victimize others.
That is black privilege which is based on false claims of black fragility.
Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose latest memoir sits on every good liberal’s bookshelf, takes black fragility to new lows. In his world, “black bodies” are constantly being victimized by “white supremacy.” Even the 9/11 firefighters are “not human to him” because they could “with no justification — shatter my body.”
Why would the FDNY set out to shatter Ta-Nehisi Coates’ body? The black fragility of Coates or #BlackLivesMatter isn’t rational, it’s racist. Its exaggerated sense of peril is really prejudice. When a white man suspects any random black man of being out to get him, he’s a racist. When a black man suspects any random white man of being out to get him, he’s just being #BlackLivesMatter.
White criminals go to jail. Black criminals are victims of “mass incarceration.” White criminals just get shot. But when black criminals are killed, it’s genocide.
A white man who knocks over a convenience store and then dies after getting in a fight with a cop, is a statistic. A black man inspires protests, t-shirts, riots, an Obama investigation and bad hashtags.
There’s a reason #BlackLivesMatter activists hate the rival hashtag #AllLivesMatter. If all lives matter equally, then the rationale for turning random black criminals like Michael Brown into causes comes apart. It’s only by elevating black lives above white lives that the facts of the case stop mattering and it’s only the cult of black fragility that turns the tribal emotions of its activists into a political cause.
Black fragility says that real black people are victims who are afraid all the time. Its protests are exercises in hysterical black fragility in which to be black is to constantly live on the edge of death. America is a white supremacist country out to kill black people, before electing some of them president.
And you are either a fragile angry black activist yelling in panic about the police being out to shoot you while blocking traffic on the interstate or you are one of the race traitors trying to get to work and wishing the activists would get out of the way and get a real job.
If you’re Latino, you’re supposed to spend all your time fearing that the Republicans will deport you, even if you’re not an illegal alien, but have been living in this country for generations. If you’re a female college student, you’re expected to retweet inflated campus rape statistics and treat all men as rapists. If you’re gay, you’re supposed to believe that if Ted Cruz is elected, he’ll send you to a gay labor camp.
Forget hope. Fragility is all about fear and hate. All black people are victims. All white people are oppressors. All women are victims and all men are oppressors. An oppressor can ally with the oppressed only if he recognizes his privileged role. Any space that doesn’t recognize this dynamic is a space of privilege.
And fragile minorities need a safe space to go back to after protesting those privileged spaces.
Social justice warrior activists define a space. Then they campaign to take it over while treating any criticism or opposition as a threat to their collective identities and their fragile politicized “bodies.”
The term “social justice warriors” is ironic because SJWs make a fetish of their fragility. Challenge an SJW and it immediately runs to a safe space to play victim. The SJW cyberbullies opponents when it has a numerical advantage on social media and whines about being terrorized to the press when it doesn’t.
In gaming, this dynamic spawned #Gamergate as its opposition with its accompanying drama of fake bomb threats and accusations of bigotry. The media narrative emphasized this fragility, the suffering of the SJW activists. A recent SJW editorial begins with asserting that “the greatest testimonial to those who endured Gamergate is not to remember it” before writing another twenty paragraphs about it.
“Endured.” “Testimonial.” It’s as if Gamergate was WW2, not a social media debate. But identity politics fragility depends on this narcissistic overdramatizing in which every activist is a survivor and a victim.
Assertions of fragility end every discussion about SJW causes because fragility has become the cause. Every campaign is really about the fragility of the activist. The facts don’t matter and don’t even exist. Debate doesn’t happen. Criticism is something that activists “endure” on their way to achieving their goals. The focus is never on the ideas, but on the suffering of the activists as they struggle to be heard… despite enjoying a total monopoly on the news and editorial side of every mainstream media outlet.
Fragility isn’t a cause, it’s a cult. Like most cults, it fills true believers with the conviction that the outside world is evil and that they are vulnerable because of their unique sensitivity. Its safe spaces are cult spaces in which believers reinforce their programming and their fear of the outside world.
Like most cults, fragility doesn’t teach love. It programs hate and fear.
Black fragility is a racist cult that disrespects both white and black people. It tells black people that to be authentic they must be afraid. It tells white people that they are evil because of their skin color. It offers a blatantly racist narrative in which all black problems can be reduced to white people which is why it disregards the killing fields of gang violence to focus on black criminals who are shot by white cops.
Black fragility denies black equality. It says that black people can’t compete with white people for jobs or college admissions. That they can’t be expected to live by the same laws as white people. That minorities can’t even participate in dialogues on the same terms as everyone else without invoking fragility terms like “White Privilege” or demanding politically correct censorship so comprehensive that it’s indistinguishable from political repression.
We can have equality or fragility, racial progress or racial fragility, but we can’t have both.
Black people are not as fragile as #BlackLivesMatter, Eric Holder or Ta-Nehisi Coates would like white liberals to believe. It’s the cause of the leftist radical activists that is fragile because it depends on infantilizing black people and all political identity group minorities as victims who endure rather than achieve, who struggle rather than thrive, who need safe spaces even when they’re in the White House.
Black fragility is the real war on black people. It’s a war on their dignity and their self-sufficiency. It’s a war waged against their equality. You can never be equal if you’re always angry and afraid. |
The Marlins' clubhouse got a wee more crowded Thursday.
On the day rosters expanded to up to 40 players, the team added four: catcher Tomas Telis, outfielder Destin Hood, and right-handed relievers Brian Ellington and Nefi Ogando, a fairly standard first round of September call-ups.
"September is different things for different teams," manager Don Mattingly said this week. "If you're a team that's 20 [games] out, now is the time to find out what you have and what you're thinking about in your planning for next season.
"If you're a team in a playoff hunt, in a pennant race, you have to do things differently. It's nice to have different pieces to get into a game."
This year, above .500 on Sept. 1 for the first time since 2010, the Marlins fit into the latter description. They began the month 3 1/2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second National League wild-card spot.
CAPTION Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly talks about what he expects from his team as spring training begins. Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly talks about what he expects from his team as spring training begins. CAPTION Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly talks about what he expects from his team as spring training begins. Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly talks about what he expects from his team as spring training begins. CAPTION Miami Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro felt good after his first day of spring training on Wednesday. Miami Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro felt good after his first day of spring training on Wednesday. CAPTION Miami Marlins pitcher Pablo López talks about the importance of outworking his competition after the first day of spring training on Wednesday. Miami Marlins pitcher Pablo López talks about the importance of outworking his competition after the first day of spring training on Wednesday. CAPTION Miami Marlins pitchers Jordan Holloway and Braxton Garrett have both been sidelined after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2017, but the two have strengthened their bond as teammates during the recovery process. Miami Marlins pitchers Jordan Holloway and Braxton Garrett have both been sidelined after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2017, but the two have strengthened their bond as teammates during the recovery process. CAPTION A new initiative under CEO Derek Jeter led by Emily Glass, the Marlins education program is helping minor-league players learn English and develop life skills necessary to succeed in the majors, while also teaching Spanish to English speaking players. A new initiative under CEO Derek Jeter led by Emily Glass, the Marlins education program is helping minor-league players learn English and develop life skills necessary to succeed in the majors, while also teaching Spanish to English speaking players.
Given the Marlins' status as a contender, this quartet does not figure to see significant regular playing time. The mere presence of the extra bodies, however, does help Mattingly do his job.
"With the guys that we have banged up, that does create opportunities," Mattingly said. "Those are different opportunities than a different team that's healthy [and contending]."
That's most true for Hood, who at 26 is in the majors for the first time and got word of his promotion Wednesday night after Marcell Ozuna sprained his left wrist. Ozuna is day-to-day and could return as soon as this weekend in Cleveland, Mattingly said.
The Marlins designated left-handed pitcher Raudel Lazo for assignment to make room for Hood on the 40-man roster.
Hood signed with the Marlins last offseason after splitting 2015 between the Philadelphia and Cleveland organizations, and spending the seven years before that as a Nationals farmhand. He hit .267/.316/.435 with a career-high 15 home runs for Triple-A New Orleans this season.
He's just a little excited to be in The Show.
"I'm very excited, actually," Hood said. "I'm just trying to take it one step at a time, slow down and enjoy it."
In Telis, the Marlins get a third catcher. His presence means that on days Jeff Mathis starts — and J.T. Realmuto sits — Mattingly can use Realmuto and his .300-plus average as a pinch-hitter without having to worry about needing an emergency backstop.
Telis, 25, spent six days with the Marlins in July. In 43 games across three big league seasons, he is a .213/.248/.231 hitter.
In 26-year-old Ellington and 27-year-old Ogando, the Marlins get a pair of bullpen arms that have already contributed this season. Ellington in particular found success in his limited body of work, posting a 0.92 ERA (two earned runs in 19 2/3 innings) and 1.17 WHIP. His four-seam fastball averages 99 mph.
Ogando got into five games, allowing four runs in 6 1/3 innings (5.68 ERA).
Bour vs. Chen on Friday
First baseman Justin Bour (high right ankle sprain) and left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (elbow sprain) will face each other in a simulated game in Jupiter on Friday.
Bour is progressing well and could be activated — for use in at least a pinch-hitting capacity — as soon as sometime during next week's homestand.
"He feels pretty good — not that he's in total shape yet, but he's not having any pain doing anything," Mattingly said.
Chen continues to rehab. The best-case-scenario since he started throwing last month has been a mid-September return.
Nobody designated for DH
As the Marlins head to Cleveland for a three-game series with the Indians this weekend, Mattingly will get to add an extra position player to the lineup as a designated hitter. Who that will be, he isn't sure.
"Just put our best lineup together," Mattingly said. "We don't exactly have one right now."
thealey@sun-sentinel.com, @timbhealey |
Another installment in the Celebrating 50 Years of Anime series of posts. This time we’ve got a hipster, a golfer, a man who most likely profits way more from making music videos than producing anime, a man who established his own studio while still in school, and finally, IT’S CHUCK FROM THE FUTURE!! Without further ado, commencing unhealthy amounts of Studio 4c fanboying.
#40. Kenji Nakamura (1970—)
Notable Works:
Director: Ayakashi Classic Japanese Horror (2006), Mononoke (2007), Trapeze (2009), [C] Control: The Money of Soul and Possibility (2011)
History:
The new kid on the block, Kenji Nakamura has already built himself a respectable resume. He started his career rather quietly during the 90s, working behind the scenes as production coordinator for Cowboy Bebop and Serial Experiments Lain. He would later direct several episodes of The Big O during it’s run in 1999. However, it was the latter half of the 00s when Nakamura really began to break out. He signed on with Toei Animation to direct the last third of 2006’s Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror which aired on the newly created noitaminA programming block on Fuji TV. Apparently, he was doing something right as they made the “Bakeneko” arc from Ayakashi, the one that Nakamura directed, into a full length TV series in 2007 titled Mononoke. Nakamura has since, remained a staple of noitaminA broadcasting, eventually directing yet another Toei series Trapeze or Kuuchuu Buranko in 2009. His latest work is titled [C] Control: The Money of Soul and Possibility.
Personal Favorite: Trapeze
I love Mononoke, but when I think of Kenji Nakamura, Trapeze is what instantly pops into my mind. Theres something peculiar about this show. Once I began watching it, I couldn’t stop, a rare case especially given the show’s episodic nature. In spite of the innovative animation, superb soundtrack, and interesting characters, those are not what sets this show apart from the rest. The answer lies in the Denouement. It takes great directorial skill and writing prowess to end each and every episode spectacularly, start of scratch the next episode, and repeat for an entire season. Trapeze does exactly that, from start to finish.
Legacy:
Interesting fact: Kenji Nakamura worked with a certain other “trippy” director on a show titled Kemonozume. The guy I’m talking about is, of course, Masaaki Yuasa of Studio 4c fame. I will bet money that Nakamura took Yuasa’s Mind Game to heart when he made Trapeze since whenever I see Nakamura, I can’t help but be reminded of Yuasa. Both their styles are distinctly different from the anime norm, characterized by very surreal visuals and frequently contrasting live action photography with animation. Both are exceptional visionaries whom we can expect great things from in the future.
#39. Kazuo Koike (1936—)
Notable Works:
Original Story: Lone Wolf and Cub (manga), Samurai Executioner (manga), Path of the Assassin (manga), Hannape Bazooka, Wounded Man, Mad Bull 34, Crying Freeman, Lady Snowblood
History:
Kazuo Koike started his career working under Takao Saito, creator of Golgo 13. I would imagine Koike slaving away in Sato’s studio repeating the grand total of (one) face that Duke Togo has for hours upon hours. Actually that’s a lie. Kazuo Koike stands out among his contemporaries due to the fact that he doesn’t actually draw his own characters. His craft is writing the story, leaving the artwork to his underlings. Over the years, he has collaborated with many artists including the great Goseki Kojima. The Koike-Kojima duo would go on to make the masterpiece Lone Wolf and Cub in 1970. If Koike had stopped here, he would go down in history as a legendary storyteller and author of samurai period pieces. Needles to say, he was not finished yet. Years of Golgo 13 had hardened this man into a beast, and he would soon unleash his madness among the innocent masses. I can only imagine people’s faces as they began to read Samurai Executioner and Path of the Assassin, expecting Lone Wolf and Cub but only finding rape.
Personal Favorite: Mad Bull 34
I want to say Lone Wolf and Cub, but that has yet to be adapted into anime form. That leaves my options limited. We’re talking about the master of Gekiga here and it just so happens that the Koike works that actually did receive a port to a form other than manga are as follows: Wounded Man, Crying Freeman, Mad Bull 34, Hannape Bazooka, and Lady Snowblood if you count live action. That’s like choosing between violence, rape, violence and rape, violence, rape and revenge, and violence and rape set in New York City. In the end, I decided to go with violence and rape set in New York City.
Legacy:
Kazuo Koike is a whole lot of things. You can view him as a master storyteller, visionary, and respectable teacher. Or you can look at his later works and cry tears…tears of joy. I’m not going to lie, marathoning Crying Freeman, Wounded Man, AND the Mad Bull 34 OVA in one sitting was an experience, a glorious experience. Anime needs a man like this. A man to put all the timid studios, who tip toe around what’s “appropriate” via Tien beams and steam, in their place. He even established his own school to teach the form of storytelling known as Gekiga (intended for older audiences). You have to love this guy for everything he has done. It seems as if everyone is always wondering “what will happen to anime after Miyazaki passes away.” What they REALLY should be talking about is “what will happen after KAZUO KOIKE passes away.” There are people very capable of filling Miyazaki’s shoes. But who will fill Koike’s?
#38. Kōji Morimoto (1959—)
Notable Works:
Director: Robot Carnival (1987), Magnetic Rose (1995), Noiseman Sound Insect (1997), Eternal Family (1997), Animatrix: Beyond (2003), Digital Juice (2003), Genius Party: Dimension Bomb (2008)
Robot Carnival (1987), Magnetic Rose (1995), Noiseman Sound Insect (1997), Eternal Family (1997), Animatrix: Beyond (2003), Digital Juice (2003), Genius Party: Dimension Bomb (2008) Animator: Akira (1988), Neo Tokyo (1989), Macross Plus (1994)
History:
Koji Morimoto was heavily inspired by the super robot show Golden Warrior Gold Lightan while still an up-and-coming animator. This prompted him to become a freelance animator, eventually leading to the founding of Studio 4c. He frequently collaborated with his mentor (and also famous animator) Takashi Nakamura on various animation endeavors including animating the “Order to Stop Construction” segment of the anthology film Neo Tokyo. This eventually led to other involvements with Katsuhiro Otomo, including 1988’s Akira, which both Nakamura and Morimoto acted as animators. In 1995, Morimoto was again part of a three-man directing team, this time in Otomo’s Memories anthology. The segment Morimoto directed, titled Magnetic Rose, was the longest of the three and arguably the best. Throughout his later years, he has focused primarily on various shorts and other Studio 4c projects.
Personal Favorite: Magnetic Rose
Magnetic Rose is everything it claims to be, and more. It is a jarring and stunningly artful story about a group of space debris workers and their encounter with a mysterious opera singer. It features the scripting brilliance of Satoshi Kon, directorial genius of Morimoto, as well as the musical brilliance of Yoko Kanno. The entire segment feels similar to the “Rats in the Attic” episode of Cowboy Bebop. It is, by far, the most visually impressive segment, and arguable the best. The characters are amazingly well fleshed out given their short amount of screen time. The story is hauntingly beautiful and capped by an abstrusely calm ending. Magnetic Rose is beautiful.
Legacy:
I’m a huge fan of Studio 4c and everyone involved with their work. Morimoto is no exception, especially given the fact that he co-founded the studio. If I had to describe the studio in one word, it would be “different.” This little blurb isn’t really about Morimoto’s legacy, but more about Studio 4c’s legacy, as the two are closely related. When it comes to works of “experimental” nature, Studio 4c is top dog. Sometimes these endeavors end in masterpieces like Mind Game. Sometimes they end in failure, like Spriggan. But no matter the case, Studio 4c still stands out amongst all other studios for making the leap despite the risks. Mind Game was Masaaki Yuasa’s directorial debut for crying out loud, and look how that turned out. Tekkon Kinkreet was another experimental work which carried the honor and risks of having an American director. At the end of the day, there really is no one who can stand up to Tanaka, Morimoto, and the rest of Studio 4c. By the way, I realize it’s actually pronounced “studio four degrees celsius,” I’m just too lazy to type the symbol.
#37. Haruka Takachiho (1951—)
Notable Works:
Original Story: Crusher Joe, Dirty Pair, Dirty Pair Flash
History:
Haruka Takachiho was still a university student when he established his own production studio, Studio Nue, in 1972 with several famous visionaries. He would graduate in 1975 and write his first novel in 1977. The novel was Crusher Joe: Rentai Wakusei Pizan no Kiki, which he co-created with colleague Hosono Fujihiko (who later joined Studio Nue as an animator). Thus began Takachicho’s career as one of anime’s most memorable science fiction authors. He would later go on to author all of the Dirty Pair novels which won him two Seiun Awards, once in 1980 and again in 1986. Throughout the 80s, his stories would see many memorable anime adaptations. In 1983, Crusher Joe was adapted into a full length movie with its follow-up movie being released in 1989. In 1985, Studio Sunrise adapted Dirty Pair into a TV series which spawned a number of movies and OVAs.
Personal Favorite: Dirty Pair: Project EDEN
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Lovely Angels, ever since I first saw the duo in that one movie scene in Crusher Joe. I guess I’ve always thought of Dirty Pair as an anime within an anime. The way the stories are presented and all the crazy stuff that happens within the Dirty Pair universe makes for a stark contrast with the Crusher Joe universe. Project EDEN uses the same basic formula seen in the TV series: weapons, destruction, and weapons of mass destruction. Certainly not hard science fiction by any means, but entertaining nonetheless.
Legacy:
Formerly known as Crystal Art Studio, Studio Nue is one of anime’s oldest and most respected. Founded in 1972, the same year as Sunrise, the studio is known for its contributions to anime in the form of science fiction and mecha. The story of Studio Nue reminds me a lot of GAINAX, whom everyone knows these days. Before they formed Studio Nue, the founding members were merely fans of the medium. Having fell in love with stories such as Tetsuwan Atom at a young age, they simply wished to create their own masterpieces. Much like Anno and Yamaga, the founding members of Nue were college students at the time of its formation. As fans of anime, Haruka Takachiho, along with his friends and classmates would go on to become the production force behind Yamato, Combattler V, and of course, Macross. The legacy of Haruka Takachiho, of Kazutaka Miyatake, of Shouji Kawamori, and the rest of Studio Nue, is a testament to anime’s ability to bring fans together to create things. Great things.
#36. Takashi Nakamura (1955—)
Notable Works:
Director: A Tree of Palme (2001), Fantastic Children (2005)
A Tree of Palme (2001), Fantastic Children (2005) Animation Director: Yatterman (1977), Golden Warrior Gold Lightan (1981), Future Police Urashiman (1983), Akira (1988)
Yatterman (1977), Golden Warrior Gold Lightan (1981), Future Police Urashiman (1983), Akira (1988) Voice Talent: Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (voice of Chuck)
History:
Takashi Nakamura began his career as an animator and slowly made his way up the production ladder. His earlier works involve doing key animation for 1977’s Yatterman as well as serving as animation director for Golden Warrior Gold Lightan in 1981. The latter of which went on to inspire Koji Morimoto, founder of Studio 4c. Nakamura would go on to do character designs and animation work for 1893’s Future Police Urashiman. Then came 1988’s Akira, a movie where his entire career as animator would be put to the test. He worked under director and known perfectionist Katsuhiro Otomo, and alongside animator Satoshi Urushihara in what is still one of the best animated movies in the history of anime. After Akira, he would go on to direct several movies and TV shows including Catnapped!, A Tree of Palme, and Fantastic Children.
Personal Favorite: Fantastic Children
One often does not think of Fantastic Children immediately when the topic of conversation is Yatterman, Urashiman, Gold Lightan, or Akira, especially given it’s relative young age compared to other works my Nakamura. Fantastic Children is definitely an underrated show and I can sort of see why. It takes a while to actually get into. It’s a show where the children take the front seat in the story, and it’s reflected in the art and character designs. The keyword however is “story.” Fantastic Children is perhaps the closest modern anime can get to being an epic. It springs several different characters, factions, and plot lines at the viewer at the beginning, with no intention of explaining what the hell is happening. The exposition in this show is non-existent during the first half. It’s confusing to say the least, but it’s the type of confusing that works in such a mysterious atmosphere. A great mystery, science fiction series from 2005. Don’t miss it!
Legacy:
I’ve only mentioned a few of this guy’s works, namely the major shows and movies one can associate with the name Takashi Nakamura. Stuff like Akira is almost a given. However, that does not begin to scratch the surface of this guy’s contributions to anime. In the past, he has worked with Miyazaki as part of the animation team behind Nausicaa. His post-Akira works often times stay towards the lighter sides of things. He did character designs and storyboards for Yasuhiro Imagawa’s 2004 Tetsujin 28 remake. More recently he has been working as Art Director for Sunrise’s award-winning movie Colorful, as well as Brain Base’s remake of the classic Go Nagai manga, Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera. As if that’s not enough, he also spends his off days playing pet dog (and punching bag) to both Panty and Stocking.
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Looks like you’re interested in coming to Unpub 9! Thanks for taking the time to come out and enjoy the biggest weekend in tabletop prototype gaming! Here’s a quick guide detailing everything that’ll get you ready for the biggest and best Unpub yet! When is it again? March 21st – 24th | Unpub opens to the public on March 22nd If you’re a designer, volunteer, VIP Playtester, vendor, or publisher, be sure to arrive after 12 noon on Thursday, March 21st to take advantage of our panels, workshops, mixer, and everybody’s favorite quasi-reality-based-game-thing, the returning and super-fun Feedback Frenzy! The doors open for playtesters on Friday afternoon, March 22nd at 5pm. We have access to the entire venue and although playtesting ends at 9pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, open gaming will continue into the wee hours of the night. The last playtest ends at 4pm on Sunday, March 24th. The event, however continues until 10pm on Sunday if you wish to stick around and take advantage of open gaming. What’s on the schedule? Thursday, March 21 12:00pm – Designer Check-in 2:00pm – Panels and Workshops 6:00pm – Mixer 8:00pm – Open Gaming 9:00pm – Feedback Frenzy Friday, March 22 10:00am – Designer Check-in 12:00pm – Panels and Workshops 4:00pm – Public Attendees Check-in 5:00pm – Block 1 playtesting 9:00pm – Open Gaming Saturday, March 23 10:00am – Designer Check-in 12:00pm – Block 1 playtesting 5:00pm – Block 2 playtesting 9:00pm – Open Gaming Sunday, March 24 10:00am – Designer Check-in 12:00pm – Block 2 playtesting 4:00pm – Open Gaming 10:00pm – Unpub is Donepub. Tell me about the venue! We’re at the Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley again this year, formerly the Hunt Valley Inn, in Hunt Valley, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. If you like gaming and you like horses, man, is this the venue for you: 245 Shawan Road Hunt Valley, MD 21031 It’s a popular destination for geeky conventions in the Baltimore area, as they host Shore Leave and FaerieCon annually. If you think you’re going to be having so much fun that you just don’t want to go home, hotel room blocks are available for $139.00 a night plus tax. When reserving your room, please make sure to use the block name: Unpublished Games Network. Book at the Delta Hotels Website or by calling 1-888-236-2427 and ask for the Delta in Hunt Valley Maryland and the Unpublished Games Network block. There’s FREE PARKING available on-site. Complimentary hotel shuttle service is available within a 3 mile radius of the hotel from 6:30am-9pm on Monday-Friday. The hotel is also accessible to the Light Rail. It’s a short, half-mile walk from the Hunt Valley Light Rail stop to the convention: Is there anything to eat around here? As you can see above, there are lots of food options in the general area around the hotel. A short walk or VERY short Uber ride away are tons of great restaurants and fast food options: Texas Roadhouse – Steak, ribs, chicken, and seafood Outback Steakhouse – Australian themed American cuisine Carrabbas – Italian-American cuisine (pasta, pizza, chicken, seafood) Noodles and Co – Pasta, Salads, Soups, Appetizers Panera Bread – Bakery-café, bagels, baguettes, cold sandwiches, hot panini, salads, soups, coffee and teas Iron Rooster – Traditional comfort food, breakfast all day, lunch, supper and drinks Chick-fil-a – Sandwiches, chicken dishes McDonalds – Hamburgers, chicken, french fries, soft drinks, coffee, breakfast Burger King – See above There are also several dining options on-site if you get hungry while gaming all day long and don’t feel like leaving the venue: Cinnamon Tree Restaurant – Guests are invited to enjoy an exciting menu... |
Publicly-available Census or Department of Energy data can be a powerful tool in the right hands, and the White House wants to help get it there. The inaugural National Day of Hacking from June 1st to June 2nd is inviting everyone, regardless of experience to come together and help "liberate open data," building software that puts the government’s meticulously-compiled facts and figures to good use. Developers could visualize data in new and interesting ways, or build frameworks that make it easier for future software to tap into it, and several federal agencies including NASA and the Department of Labor will be announcing specific challenges for hackers to tackle during the event.
The White House says it plans to have an event in 'at least one city' in all 50 states
The nationwide get-together is being held in conjunction with existing civic hacking groups like Code For America and Random Hacks of Kindness, and is being modeled after Innovation Endeavors' Super Happy Bock Party — a kind of creative mashup of art, music, and technology. The White House says it plans to have an event in "at least one city" in all 50 states, but so far only 27 cities have been announced. If you’d like to participate, contribute ideas, or help organize a hackathon, you can find more details below. |
“If we get into a fight, and I give you directions, follow them immediately,” said Senior Deputy Brad Welch. “And if it looks like we’re losing, help us.”
With those orders and a directive to duck should they reach for their batons, Welch, his partner Deputy Jeff Roberts, and this reporter left the Isla Vista Foot Patrol headquarters for a 10 p.m. - 3 a.m. weekend shift through the seaside college town, where beer pong and dubstep fuel big crowds of rowdy coeds.
Welch wasn’t looking for a fight, and his mini-briefing wasn’t meant to be dramatic. It was a matter-of-fact warning. On any given weekend night, the Isla Vista Foot Patrol (IVFP) — made up of 14 Sheriff’s deputies and seven UCSB police officers — deploys eight to 12 men and women to oversee more than 25,000 people packed into a 1.85-square-mile patch of middle- and lower-class neighborhoods. Some of them hoof it; others patrol on bicycles and in cruisers. “When things get crazy,” explained Welch, “you suck up into the shadows and cross your fingers.”
While the small force is able to keep relative peace in a community famous for massive parties and carefree yet contrarian attitudes, more IVFP troops are assaulted than any other group of peace officers in Santa Barbara County. From 2009-2012, there were 84 street assaults against the IVFP; the next highest was in Santa Maria with 40. Last Halloween, an IVFP sergeant was punched so hard he’s still not back at work. More recently, a young suspect high on bath salts tried to eat Welch’s fingers, and another ripped the sprinkler head off a holding cell’s ceiling, flooding the room and shorting electrical systems.
While these flashes of violence make headlines — especially now that UCSB’s alert system warns students of recent assaults, rapes, and robberies — the IVFP and its commander, Lieutenant Ray Vuillemainroy, have been quietly working to reimagine the adversarial relationship between cops and students. Since he came to Isla Vista in 2010, Vuillemainroy — a 17-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department who is originally from San Francisco and has a doctorate in education — has pushed “community policing” by reaching out to business owners, permanent residents, students, their peer governments, and UCSB/SBCC staff to tackle priorities.
“Crime is a community issue, so it only makes sense that we work together to fight it,” said Vuillemainroy, who’s increased patrols in problem areas, installed more street lamps, and continued a sticker campaign to educate residents that locking doors could reduce burglaries by 80 percent. His pragmatic approach is catching the attention of law enforcement agencies near and far, including Tajikistan, which recently sent a cadre of generals to learn about improving relations between their citizens and police force. Vuillemainroy also traveled to Egypt to help state authorities at the height of the country’s violent upheaval.
Though his community policing is making an impact, a decade of I.V. statistics still show an upward trend in serious felonies. “I think we’ve come a long way, but there’s more work to be done,” said Vuillemainroy.
His most recent challenge was the spring break party Deltopia, a spin-off of the now-squashed Floatopia beach bash, that happened this past weekend when 18,000 partyers took to Del Playa Drive under a warm Saturday sun and triggered 440 calls for service. Twenty-three people were arrested, 71 were issued citations, 59 got tickets from the Highway Patrol, five got DUIs, and 44 people wound up in the hospital (including four who were standing on an overcrowded frat house balcony when it collapsed under them).
Tragically, at around 8:20 a.m. Saturday morning, the body of 18-year-old Giselle Ayala was found by a jogger near the surf line west of UCSB’s Campus Point. A Cal Poly freshman from Santa Rosa, Ayala had arrived in Isla Vista with her friends the night before to attend Deltopia. A toxicology report is pending, and authorities continue to investigate Ayala’s death but say her injuries are consistent with a fall from the cliffs above the beach.
Third District Supervisor Doreen Farr said she was “greatly saddened” by the news. Efforts to end the many public-safety problems associated with past Floatopias haven’t worked, Farr said, as revelers have simply moved the annual super party off the beach and onto the streets. “Going forward, we need to redouble our efforts to see what we can put together,” she said. “Obviously, we’re going to have to do more.”
BETH ASKINS |
The Government could abandon plans to write the Brexit date into UK law
A senior Cabinet minister has hinted the Government could retreat on its plan to formally write a date for Brexit into UK law, amid a backlash from Tory MPs.
Justice Secretary David Lidington admitted ministers will "listen" to concerns over a proposed amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, which aims to enshrine into the legislation the date Britain leaves the EU as 11pm on 29 March 2019.
This week, as the bill returned to the House of Commons for line-by-line scrutiny by MPs, a sizeable number of Conservative backbenchers voiced their anger at the amendment as they fear it could hinder the UK's flexibility in divorce negotiations.
Theresa May's proposal, which was only announced a week ago, was branded "mad" and "silly" by prominent pro-Remain Tories, with their number prompting suggestions the Government could face a humiliating defeat over the amendment.
Their interventions saw the group of around 15 Conservatives branded "Brexit mutineers".
Grieve: 'We have serious concerns about Brexit bill'
Speaking at a lunch in Westminster on Thursday, Mr Lidington signalled the Government may now make a reverse on the plans.
He said: "As the Prime Minister says, various constructive suggestions have been made during the committee debate about how the bill might be improved and obviously we will listen to ideas coming from colleagues across the House during the bill's progress in both the Commons and Lords."
Downing Street also insisted the Government would "listen to the views" of critics.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We put forward the amendment. That amendment remains."
Under the terms of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, a departing EU member state will leave two years after triggering the legal clause, unless there is an agreement to prolong exit negotiations.
This means Britain is already on course to leave the bloc by 30 March 2019.
Later on Thursday, Tory MP George Freeman, the chair of the Conservative Policy Forum, warned the Government the number of rebels on the EU Withdrawal Bill could be "25 or more" if ministers "don't listen" to their concerns about Parliament only having a take-it-or-leave-it vote on the final Brexit deal.
He posted on Twitter: "Many of us unhappy with both the idea that Parliament might be bounced into a #NoChoice Brexit outcome, and the vilification of scrutiny & dissent."
Here in UK, lots of hand-wringing from CEOs over #Brexit. Better sense of the tough and risky road ahead. Reluctant to say, but many wish for a confirming vote on a decision so monumental and irreversible. So much at stake, why not make sure consensus still there? — Lloyd Blankfein (@lloydblankfein) November 16, 2017
Meanwhile, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs appeared to voice his support for a second EU referendum.
Lloyd Blankfein, whose bank is investing in a new European headquarters in London, wrote on Twitter: "Reluctant to say, but many wish for a confirming vote on a decision so monumental and irreversible.
"So much at stake, why not make sure consensus still there?"
Mr Blankfein has recently praised both Paris and Frankfurt, which have been viewed as hints he is preparing to move his company's operations abroad following the UK's exit from the EU.
But Brexit supporters have accused the banking boss of seeking to distract from the firm's recent performance. |
Don't single out church over abuse: Abbott
Updated
Sorry, this video has expired Video: Parliamentary inquiry to probe religious child abuse (ABC News)
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has embraced the Victorian Government's parliamentary inquiry into clergy abuse, but has warned against singling out the Catholic Church.
Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu yesterday announced an inquiry would be held after a police report uncovered dozens of suicides linked to child abuse by Catholic clergy.
Mr Abbott says child abuse is "a terrible blot on society" that has to be eliminated but the blame should not be solely directed at the church.
"There has been a lot of pretty gruesome behaviour in many institutions over the years and we should be careful not to single out particular institutions, given that a lot of this has been or it was pandemic a generation ago," he said.
The State Government has been criticised by victims groups for not announcing a royal commission, although Mr Abbott said that was a determination for Mr Baillieu.
Mr Abbott did however congratulate the Premier for taking a stance on the issue.
State Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews backs the victims groups, saying the parliamentary committee does not have the legal knowledge or resources for such a complex investigation.
Attorney-General Robert Clark says the criticism is disappointing.
"We have every confidence in the representation on the committee," he told ABC News Breakfast.
"In Victoria, parliamentary committees have a very successful and recognised record of inquiring into difficult and complex social issues and coming up with a welcomed set of recommendations."
Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, who recently served as Australia's Ambassador to the Holy See, says he believes a parliamentary committee can be effective.
"Parliamentary committees have often stepped over the edge, stepped outside the envelop to get answers on key issues," he said.
"I was on a Stay Safe committee as a junior backbencher. That introduced RBTs, stood up to the elite that was opposed to it.
"These committees can in fact think laterally because it has a mixture of younger, first-term MPs."
Sorry, this video has expired Video: Handling of inquiry into religious child abuse questioned (ABC News)
Topics: sexual-offences, catholic, community-and-society, states-and-territories, abbott-tony, melbourne-3000, vic, australia
First posted |
The Suez Canal, situated in Egypt, connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas, thereby providing a naval passageway between Europe and Asia without the need to circumnavigate Africa or risk icy conditions by passing through the Arctic Circle. It opened in late 1869 and has been in continuous use ever since, minus a few hiccups along the way. One of those hiccups inconvenienced the world for eight years, as the canal was closed to naval traffic entirely from 1967 to 1975.
Oh, and fifteen ships were trapped in the canal during that period, too.
In June of 1967, war broke out in the Middle East, with Israel at odds with Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The war was short-lived — the Israelis won a decisive victory within a week. (The war is now known as the “Six Day War.”) Following the war, Israel took control of the Sinai Peninsula, the section of Egypt east of the Suez which connects Africa to Asia. Soon after, the Egyptians blockaded the Suez, as the waterway was set to become a main theater for Egyptian-Israeli fighting over the course of the next decade. Most naval traffic was already avoiding the area due to the political uncertainties caused by the Six Day War, but fifteen ships were already making their way through the canal when war broke out. And all fifteen were unable to leave the canal afterward.
The ships dropped anchor in Great Bitter Lake, a saltwater lake roughly 100 square miles (250 square kilometers) in surface area, which divides the north part of the Suez from the south. And there, they sat, until the Egyptians ended the blockade on June 5, 1975. In the interim, the ships — four flying under the flag of the UK; two each from West Germany, the US, Sweden, and Poland; and one each from France, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia — formed their own little community of pseudo-castaways called the “Great Bitter Lake Association” replete with unofficial postal service among them. Their crews gathered aboard one of the British ships to play soccer matches, screened movies on a Bulgarian one, set up church services on a West German one, and availed themselves of the pool on the Swedish ships. To coincide with the 1968 Summer Olympics, the stranded sailors had their own Bitter Lake Olympic Games, replete with life boat regatta races.
When the blockade finally came to a close, the ships were free to leave. But for these vessels now collectively known as the “Yellow Fleet” due to the amount of desert sand blown upon them during their near-decade of isolation, leaving was not so simple. Of the ships, only the two German ones were able leave the canal on their own power.
Bonus fact : Since 2008, ship traffic through the Suez Canal has fallen off by 20% — but only half of that is due to an overall drop off of sea traffic due to unfavorable global economic conditions. The other half is due to Somali pirates for whom the Red Sea is fertile waters for hijacking ships and their cargoes.
From the Archives: Garbage City: A city in Egypt where garbage is the biggest part of the economy.
Related: The postage stamps from the Great Bitter Lake Association are collectors’ items, fetching over $100 each. |
Where UK's SEC skid ranks in FBS, historically
Buy Photo Kentucky's JoJo Kemp scores the first touchdown of the season for the Cats as teammate Patrick Towles celebrates in the background. Aug. 30, 2014 (Photo: Scott Utterback/The C-J)
Want some context for Kentucky's 17-game SEC losing streak, which it desperately needs to break Saturday at home against Vanderbilt? It took quite a bit of digging (and adding, so fingers crossed that these are both accurate, because if I was good at math I wouldn't be typing this) but below are two lists that should help.
The Cats have the longest active conference losing streak in the country. Should they lose to the Commodores, they'll set a new school record for consecutive SEC losses and move into a tie with South Carolina for the eight-longest losing streak in SEC history – sixth-longest among programs still in the SEC. Would you have guessed Sewanee owns the record? Or even played in the league? Check these lists out:
Longest active conference losing streaks in FBS
17 – Kentucky (SEC). Last win: Nov. 26, 2011 vs. Tennessee
15 – California (Pac-12). Last win: Oct. 13, 2012 at Washington State
13 – Arkansas (SEC). Last win: Oct. 13, 2012 vs. Kentucky
12 – Georgia State (Sun Belt/CAA). Last win: Oct. 13, 2012 at Rhode Island
12 – Miami OH (MAC). Last win: Oct. 27, 2012 vs. Ohio
10 – Air Force (Mountain West). Last win: Nov. 16, 2012 vs. Hawaii
* Hawaii has lost eight straight and 18 of 19 in conference play (Mountain West/WAC)
LONGEST SEC WINLESS STREAKS
37 – Sewanee (1933-40), lost every game it played in SEC
33 – Vanderbilt (1976-81), lost 35 of 36
29 – Mississippi State (1965-70), includes two ties in 1968
23 – Vanderbilt (2000-03), lost 30 of 32 (both wins vs. Kentucky)
22 – Vanderbilt (1995-98), lost 30 of 32 (one of two wins vs. Kentucky)
22 – Mississippi State (1958-61), includes a tie in 1960
19 – Tulane (1961-64), includes a tie in 1963
18 – South Carolina (1997-99)
17 – Kentucky (1969-71), ended against Vanderbilt
17 – Kentucky (2012-14)*
16 – Ole Miss (2010-12)
15 – Kentucky (1999-01), ended against Vanderbilt
For the record, I think the streak ends Saturday. I say so right here in our UK-Vandy video preview. Watch it and decide: Am I wearing pants?
CLOSE Courier-Journal UK Beat Writer Kyle Tucker previews Saturday's match up between the Wildcats and the Commodores at Commonwealth Stadium
* For instant updates on the Wildcats, follow me on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ. Email me at ktucker@courier-journal.com.
Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/1syOLzE |
On June 22, 2015, the Szlosek family of Kennebunk endured two heartbreaking tragedies in a single night, losing both their home and their beloved son and brother Kyle in a terrible fire.
For those who know the Szlosek family, and who knew Kyle, the news instantly hits home as if it was our own family. The Szloseks have always been known throughout the community for their kindness, compassion, humor and neighborliness, making them- and especially Kyle- true pillars of the community, and just all around good people.
I have had the honor of knowing the Szloseks and Kyle since childhood, and as I know many out there can attest, it's impossible to remember him without thinking of his infectious humor, glowing positivity, dedication to social justice, and unmatched DDR legacy. He will always live on in our memories, and he will never be forgotten.
Please consider helping us repay the Szlosek family for their unconditional kindness, and help us honor Kyle's memory, by making a donation to this campaign. All proceeds will go directly to the family to help them with home repairs, bills, living expenses, etc. while they work through this ordeal. People coming together to help people... It's what Kyle always believed in. Let's do this for him. Let's do this for Kyle.
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Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) voted against the Obamacare repeal bill on Thursday. | AP Photo The 20 Republicans who voted against the Obamacare repeal bill
House Republicans on Thursday narrowly passed legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare, the biggest step yet in a years-long effort to gut former President Barack Obama's health care law.
The American Health Care Act cleared the chamber, 217-213, and now moves to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.
Story Continued Below
Here are the 20 House Republicans who opposed the bill:
• Andy Biggs (Ariz.)
• Mike Coffman (Colo.)
• Barbara Comstock (Va.)
• Ryan Costello (Pa.)
• Charlie Dent (Pa.)
• Dan Donovan (N.Y.)
• Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.)
• Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.)
• Will Hurd (Texas)
• Walter Jones (N.C.)
• David Joyce (Ohio)
• John Katko (N.Y.)
• Leonard Lance (N.J.)
• Frank LoBiondo (N.J.)
• Thomas Massie (Ky.)
• Patrick Meehan (Pa.)
• Dave Reichert (Wash.)
• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.)
• Chris Smith (N.J.)
• Michael Turner (Ohio) |
In his written testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, James Comey made a point of saying that he wrote memoranda documenting all of his conversations with Donald Trump, something he didn’t feel compelled to do regarding his (very few) conversations with Barack Obama. In his appearance before the committee, Comey broadened this claim to include President George W. Bush, under whom he served as Deputy Attorney General. The reason, he explained, was that Trump was the only one of the three presidents whom he considered untrustworthy. This was his exchange with Senator Warner:
WARNER: And so, in all your experience, this was the only president that you felt like, in every meeting, you needed to document, because at some point, using your words, he might put out a non-truthful representation of that meeting? Now… (CROSSTALK) COMEY: That’s right, Senator. And I — I — as I said in my written testimony, as FBI director, I interacted with President Obama. I spoke only twice in three years, and didn’t document it. When I was deputy attorney general, I had one one-on-one meeting with President Bush about a very important and difficult national security matter. I didn’t write a memo documenting that conversation either — sent a quick e-mail to my staff to let them know there was something going on, but I didn’t feel, with President Bush, the need to document it in that way, again (ph), because of — the combination of those factors just wasn’t present with either President Bush or President Obama. WARNER: I — I think that is very significant.
The one-on-one meeting with President Bush concerned the reauthorization of the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program, a drama in which Comey played a key role. As Deputy Attorney General, he refused to sign the reauthorization order on behalf of DOJ, and he was one of those who rushed to John Ashcroft’s hospital bedside.
A sharp-eyed reader pointed out that, as it happens, Comey has left behind an account of that meeting with President Bush. It is recounted in Angler, a book-length attack on Dick Cheney by Barton Gellman. Comey was one of Gellman’s chief sources.
Angler includes a description of Comey’s meeting with Bush that obviously came from Comey. It is strikingly similar to Comey’s description of his critical meeting with Donald Trump in his written Intelligence Committee testimony.
From Comey’s written testimony:
The President signaled the end of the briefing by thanking the group and telling them all that he wanted to speak to me alone. I stayed in my chair. As the participants started to leave the Oval Office, the Attorney General lingered by my chair, but the President thanked him and said he wanted to speak only with me. …When the door by the grandfather clock closed, and we were alone, the President began by saying, “I want to talk about Mike Flynn.”
From Angler:
Bush stood as the meeting ended, crossing behind Cheney’s chair. Comey moved in the opposite direction, on his way out. He had nearly reached the grandfather clock at the door when the president said, “Jim, can I talk to you for a minute?” … This time the vice president was not invited.
In Comey’s account, as transmitted by Gellman, he was a hero, telling the president something that other aides had kept from him: that the Department of Justice was in revolt over the surveillance program, and mass resignations, including his, were imminent. Comey claims to have quoted Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms, as he explained that as a man of principle he would have no choice but to resign rather than execute an order he believed to be illegal. One of Comey’s colleagues, who also was about to resign, was Comey’s good friend Bob Mueller, who waited for Comey downstairs at the White House while Comey had his dramatic conversation with President Bush.
Comey brought this episode up last week in order to paint himself, not as a sneak who dictated a memo to cover himself every time he had a conversation with a president, but rather as an honest man who was uniquely concerned about Donald Trump’s trustworthiness.
But Comey’s Senate testimony was untruthful. He told the committee that he didn’t document his important meeting with President Bush, but only “sent a quick email to my staff to let them know there was something going on.” Gellman reproduces that email in Angler. He got it from one of the recipients. Written immediately after the meeting, this is what it said:
The president just took me into his private office for a 15 minute one on one talk. Told him he was being misled and poorly served. We had a very full and frank exchange. Don’t know that either of us can see a way out. He promised he would shut down 5/6 if Congress didn’t fix FISA. Told him Mueller was about to resign. He just pulled Bob into his office.
Comey’s assertion that this “quick email” just told his staff “there was something going on” was false. The email was substantive: it documented Comey’s account of the conversation he had with the president. Comey didn’t wait five minutes to create a record of what he said to the president, and what the president said to him.
More important, he also made an extensive report on the conversation. Gellman’s book is footnoted. This is where Gellman says he got his account of Comey’s meeting with Bush:
317 “You don’t look well”: Quotations from the Bush-Comey conversation are taken verbatim from unclassified notes describing Comey’s report of the meeting shortly afterward.
Gellman’s account of the conversation is two pages long and includes the following quotes attributed to Comey or Bush:
“You don’t look well.” “Well, I feel okay.” “I’m worried about you. You look burdened.” “I am, Mr. President. I feel like there’s a tremendous burden on me.” “Let me lift that burden from your shoulders. Let me take that from you. Let me be the one who makes the decision here.” “Mr. President, I would love to be able to do that.”
***
“I decide what the law is for the executive branch.” “That’s absolutely true, sir, you do. But I decide what the Department of Justice can certify to and can’t certify to, and despite my absolute best efforts I simply cannot in the circumstances.”
***
“As Martin Luther said, ‘Here I stand; I can do no other.’ I’ve got to tell you, Mr. President, that’s where I am.”
***
“I just wish that you weren’t raising this at the last minute.” “Oh, Mr. President, if you’ve been told that, you have been very poorly served by your advisers. We have been telling them for months that we have a huge problem here that we can’t get past. We’ve been working this, and here I am, and there’s no place else for me to go.” “I just need you to certify it. Give me six weeks. If we don’t have it fixed in six weeks, we’ll shut it down.” “I can’t do that. You do say what the law is in the executive branch, I believe that. And people’s job, if they’re going to stay in the executive branch, is to follow that. But I can’t agree, and I’m just sorry.”
***
“I think you should know that Director Mueller is going to resign today.” “Thank you very much for telling me that. I really appreciate it, Jim. I’ll talk to him. I’m going to talk to him.”
All of that dialogue comes verbatim from “unclassified notes describing Comey’s report of the meeting shortly afterward.” Gellman’s phrasing is clumsy; it isn’t clear whether the notes were Comey’s or someone else’s. But it is crystal clear that Comey rendered a “report” on his meeting that included these extensive, self-serving quotes, and that Comey’s side of the story was preserved in notes–unclassified notes, that sounds familiar!–against any possible future contingency.
In short, Comey’s statement to the Senate Intelligence Committee that “I didn’t feel, with President Bush, the need to document it in that way” was false. He did document his story about his meeting with President Bush, in great detail, in a “report” that was turned into “unclassified notes.”
James Comey says there is a pattern to his dealings with presidents: he is an honest man who only needed to create memos to document his conversations with Donald Trump, because Trump is untruthful. But that isn’t the real pattern. The real pattern is that Comey is a snake in the grass who creates tendentious, self-serving memos that can later be used to cover his own rear end or to discredit presidents, but only if they are Republicans.
UPDATE: The same eagle-eyed reader found this tweet by Barton Gellman that nails it down:
In 2004, Comey left a 1-on-1 with Bush and sent time-stamped notes from the hallway outside the Sit Room. There will be more. From ‘Angler’: pic.twitter.com/y76CctRsIZ — Barton Gellman (@bartongellman) May 17, 2017
So that’s it: Comey, who testified under oath that he “didn’t feel, with President Bush, the need to document it in that way,” told Gellman that he “sent time-stamped notes from the hallway outside the Sit Room.” What a liar. |
Labour held three council seats last night as the Tories gained one Midlands ward in the latest round of by-elections.
Jeremy Corbyn’s party retained seats in Charnwood in north Leicestershire and Tameside in Greater Manchester.
The Tories gained a ward in Herefordshire where a local county party saw their vote share plunge.
Meanwhile UKIP’s fortunes continued to decline as in every seat up for grabs they either saw a fall in their vote or did not even bother to field a candidate.
East Grinstead Imberhorne (Mid Sussex)
Conservative hold
Conservative 58.5 per cent (-2.0)
Lib Dems: 22.3 per cent (+22.3)
Labour 11.9 per cent (-8.7)
Independent 7.3 per cent (+7.3)
No UKIP (-18.8) as previously.
Kings Acre (Herefordshire)
Conservative gain from It’s Our County Party
Conservative: 38.5 per cent (+38.5)
Independent: 20.6 per cent (+20.6)
IOC: 19.9 per cent (-30.2)
Lib Dems: 11.5 per cent (-21.9)
Labour: 9.6 per cent (+9.6)
Ashbourne South (Derbyshire Dales)
Conservative hold
Conservative 46.2 per cent (-7.6)
Lib Dems: 31.2 per cent (+31.2)
Labour: 22.6 per cent (-1.9)
No Green (-21.7) as previously.
Loughborough Hastings (Charnwood)
Labour hold (x2)
Labour 63.1 per cent (+17.7)
Conservative: 21.3 per cent (-2.1)
UKIP: 8.9 per cent (-8.3)
Greens: 6.8 per cent (-7.3)
Droylsden East (Tameside) result:
Labour hold
Labour 60.3 per cent (+8.9)
Conservative: 32.7 per cent (+23.6)
Lib Dems: 3.6 per cent (+3.6)
Greens: 3.4 per cent (-2.5)
No UKIP (-33.6) as previously. |
The Swedish government on Friday said it would shortly launch a commission on implementing the EU Data Protection Directive, which would discuss where Sweden should set its age limits, which according to the European Union's new law must be between 13 and 16 years of age.
Consumer Minister Per Bolund (MP) told Aftonbladet that be believed the new regulation could have beneficial effects.
"If this gets more parents involved in what their children do online that's fine," he said.
But he also stressed that Sweden had no choice but to enact the controversial regulation, which has been brought into European law in the face of staunch opposition from US social media companies, for whom teenagers are a key market.
“The decree which was made at the EU level says that there should be a 16-year age limit, with the possibility of going down to a 13-year age limit," he told SVT . "This is a binding decree which must at some point enter Swedish law.”
Under the regulation, children below the age threshold would be required to ask parents or guardians for permission before signing up to social media sites.
At present, there is a 13-year age limit for someone to open an account on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, but the limit is only imposed as part of the user agreement people must click to open a new account. |
Excuse me, can you repeat that please? How do you spell that?
They are two questions which have become the norm for this Hamilton man when he is asked for his first name.
"World Cup," he replies. "You know, like the Rugby World Cup."
SUPPLIED There's certainly plenty of double takes when people look at World Cup's licence.
And from there, it's the word 'wow' which so often follows from the fascinated inquirer.
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World Cup, 25, is understood to be the only person in New Zealand with that first name.
TOM LEE/STUFF World Cup says he certainly gets some strange looks and queries when he tells people his name.
The Department of Internal Affairs confirmed there have been no births (he was born overseas) or deaths with that name, while the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment have no other name matches on record.
And now for the full version, which includes three middle names:
World Cup Anthony Manu Samoa Tuiavii.
There's the clue, in the middle names, about how all this came to be.
It was October 15, 1991, and as World Cup was making his way into the world in Samoa, his dad, Agato - a big rugby fan - was still on cloud nine with how the national team were performing in their maiden Rugby World Cup appearance, in the UK, Ireland and France.
A win over Wales, a narrow loss to Australia and then a win over Argentina had them into the quarterfinals (where they were eventually ousted by Scotland), and World Cup arrived a day after that victory over the Pumas.
One of 11 children, World Cup - who ironically now plays rugby league instead of rugby - is the only one with a rather unique name. But not that he even knew of it until a decade ago.
You see, everyone, parents included, just called him Manu. It was considered easier. But, at age 15, he found out a huge surprise.
"I looked at my passport and birth certificate, and was like, 'oh, so is that my whole name'," World Cup said.
"I did not realise. "I was shocked as, out of all the names, and he [dad] named me World Cup.
"I was like 'oh ok cool', and I just asked them [his parents] 'how did I get that?' and they started telling me."
Just a few weeks after his birth, World Cup's family moved from Samoa to Hawaii for three years, then shifted to American Samoa.
In 2004 he moved to Los Angeles with his sister, then was back to American Samoa for high school, before coming to New Zealand for his final two years of school - at St Patrick's College in Wellington, while living with his aunty - before he moved to Hamilton to reunite with family.
Despite never being one to watch much sport, World Cup played rugby at school, and a bit of league - which was more to his liking.
He played for the Te Awamutu Firehawks for a couple of seasons, as a winger, then this year moved to the Hukanui club in the Waikato premier club competition to play alongside a cousin, and two of his brothers who had returned from Australia.
He featured as a prop in his team's campaign, which ended last weekend short of the playoffs.
On and off the field, most still just know World Cup as Manu. Even his partner thought that was his name, for a while after they met.
Of his real name, he said his friends "laugh at it" and it's always a bit of fun when they introduce him to people. And there's always double takes when people read it.
"Every time I go somewhere and they look at my ID they're like 'is this actually your real name? World Cup?' They're like 'what do you mean by World Cup?'."
Once he tells them, he said the response is so often overwhelmingly positive.
However, it hasn't convinced him to pass the name down - he has a two-year-old daughter, named Manaia, with another child on the way.
And despite the All Blacks' popularity, and making history in winning back-to-back global tournaments, along with the penchant for more and more unique names these days, he reckons the World Cup title is his own for a good while yet. |
To study the role of pigmentation in BRAFV600E melanoma development, we used a series of genetically matched mice on the C57BL/6 background with various pigmentation phenotypes (Fig. 1a). To mimic dark-skinned individuals with a high eumelanin-to-pheomelanin ratio, we used mice with the wild-type C57BL/6 pigmentation phenotype (‘black’). To mimic individuals with the red hair/fair skin phenotype who carry a high pheomelanin-to-eumelanin ratio, we used mice with premature termination of the Mc1r transcript (Mc1re/e, ‘red’)8. To mimic individuals with albinism who have no melanin, we used mice with an inactivating mutation at the tyrosinase locus (Tyrc/c, ‘albino’)9. Because tyrosinase is the initial and rate-limiting enzyme in melanin synthesis, albino melanocytes do not produce any pigment, but are normal in number and viability10.
Figure 1: Without ultraviolet radiation, BrafCA red mice have an increased rate of melanoma development relative to black and albino BrafCA animals. a, C57BL/6 pigmentation variants with epidermal melanocytes (K14-SCF). From left to right: black (wild type), red (Mc1re/e) and albino (Tyrc/c). b, Genotype of animals used for experimental studies. c, Percentage survival of pigmentation variants not carrying the K14-SCF transgene, that is, no epidermal melanocytes (n black = 28, n red = 40, n albino = 48). P black–albino = 0.250, P black–red = 0.003, P albino–red = 0.003. d, Percentage survival of pigmentation variants carrying the K14–SCF transgene, that is, epidermal melanocytes (n black = 49, n red = 77, n albino = 41). P black–albino = 0.103, P black–red = 0.009, P albino–red < 0.0001. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
We generated two variants of each pigmentation phenotype. One variant contains melanocytes in the dermis. A second matched variant contains transgenic stem cell factor expressed under the keratin 14 promoter (K14-SCF), which mimics SCF expression in human epidermal keratinocytes and results in epidermal melanocyte localization11.
To create a genetic context primed for the induction of melanoma we also introduced into each of our six variants a system for inducible, melanocyte-specific expression of oncogenic BRAFV600E (ref. 12). In humans, mice and zebrafish, expression of BRAFV600E in melanocytes primarily causes benign nevi, rather than melanoma12,13,14,15. In this context, malignant melanoma progression is thought to be constrained by oncogene-induced senescence15. Consistent with this, expression of BRAFV600E in conjunction with silencing of PTEN, TP53 or CDKN2A leads to development of malignant melanoma12,13,14. However, spontaneous progression of BRAFV600E-expressing melanocytes to malignant melanoma has been reported following a long latency period in C57BL/6 mice, although this phenomenon was not seen on an outbred model12,16,17.
We initially produced six groups of BRAFV600E inducible (‘BrafCA’) mice representing three pigmentation variants (‘black’, ‘red’ and ‘albino’) with or without epidermal melanocytes (+/− K14-SCF, Fig. 1b). Melanocyte-selective expression of BRAFV600E was achieved by tamoxifen-mediated activation of Cre recombinase (Tyr-Cre(ER)T2) in adult mice carrying the BrafCA allele. The animals were then followed without environmental genotoxic stressors (such as ultraviolet radiation). Black and albino BrafCA mice developed similarly low rates of melanoma after a long latency (regardless of K14-SCF status). In contrast, red BrafCA mice developed melanomas at an accelerated rate with >50% having tumours after 1 year, regardless of K14-SCF status (Fig. 1c, d).
The tumours on the black, red and albino backgrounds were grossly amelanotic and largely on the dorsal trunk (within the tamoxifen-treated areas). Occasionally, a tumour would develop on the ventral trunk, tail or paw, which may reflect a predictable spread of tamoxifen secondary to grooming. (Fig. 2a–c). The tumours, which were primarily dermal, were generally amelanotic on the red and albino backgrounds, whereas the melanomas in black mice often had superficial pigmentation adjacent to the epidermis (Fig. 2d–f). Regardless of pigmentation background, the tumours were histologically similar with spindle cell features which were not easily distinguishable from tumours on C57BL/6 BrafCA-Ptenflox/flox animals generated in parallel (compare Fig. 2 with Supplementary Fig. 1). On closer examination, occasional red-BRAFV600E tumour cells were found to contain melanin (Fig. 2g, h). It was further possible to increase pigmentation in the most superficial melanoma cells with topical application of forskolin, an adenylate cyclase agonist known to stimulate skin pigmentation18 (Fig. 2i). The limited induction of pigmentation is likely related to the poor tissue penetration of forskolin, but nonetheless demonstrates the ability of the melanoma cells to become hyper-pigmented in vivo upon activation of cAMP signalling.
Figure 2: Melanomas on all three pigmentation variants are morphologically similar and exhibit common histologic features. a–c, Melanomas on black (a), albino (b) and red (c) mice are grossly amelanotic. d–f, Histologically, black (d), albino (e) and red (f) melanomas are also mostly amelanotic, although superficial tumour cells in black-BRAFV600E tumours carry melanin (original magnification, ×10). g, Red-BRAFV600E melanomas can also carry pigment (arrows) (original magnification, ×20). h, Further magnification of two red melanomas also illustrates pigmented tumour cells (original magnification, ×100). i, Forskolin induces epidermal pigmentation (arrowheads) and mild tumour cell pigmentation (arrows) (original magnification, ×20). j, Tumour cells stain positive for S100 (original magnification, ×10). k, Skin-draining lymph nodes carry gp100+ cells (red) (scale bar, 10 μm). Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
Tumours on all three pigmentation backgrounds stained positively for S100, a standard immunohistochemical melanoma marker (Fig. 2j). In addition, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) showed that the tumours consistently express the melanocytic pigment genes M-Mitf, Dct, Tyrp1 and Tyr (Fig. 3a, d and data not shown). In addition, occasional HMB45+ cells could be found by immunofluorescence (Supplementary Fig. 2). The tumours on all three pigmentation backgrounds were locally invasive to fat and skeletal muscle with active mitoses. Although no gross visceral organ metastases were observed, small clusters of cells expressing gp100, the premelanosome-associated glycoprotein (Pmel/gp100/HMB45), could be found in skin draining lymph nodes (Fig. 2k).
Figure 3: Tumour cells from a red-BrafCA animal behave like classic BRAFV600E melanomas after cAMP upregulation or BRAF inhibition. a, Forskolin (20 µM) upregulates expression of melanocytic markers (n = 4). b, MAPK inhibition by PLX4720 or U0126 decreases melanoma cell proliferation (n = 3). c, PLX4720 blocks melanoma growth in vivo (n = 3). d, PLX4720 (2 µM) upregulates expression of melanocytic markers. Relative mRNA expression normalized to 18S ribosomal RNA and 0 h time point. Error bars denote s.e.m. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
Using a primary cell line derived from one of the red mouse melanomas, we observed that forskolin upregulated the expression of the melanocyte-specific isoform of Mitf (M-Mitf), and produced a marked increase in expression of the Dct and Tyrp1 pigment genes, consistent with the ability of the cells to respond to melanocytic differentiation signals (Fig. 3a).
To determine whether the melanoma cells were dependent on the presumed oncogenic driver BRAFV600E, we tested their response to small molecule inhibitors of BRAF or MEK (also known as MAP2K). Treatment with the oncogenic BRAF inhibitor, PLX4720, or the MEK inhibitor, U0126, prevented melanoma cell proliferation in vitro, and PLX4720 blocked tumour cell growth in vivo, consistent with a dependency of these tumours on the BRAFV600E oncoprotein (Fig. 3b, c). BRAF inhibition also elevated the expression of melanocytic genes as previously reported in human melanomas (Fig. 3d)19.
Because inactivating mutations in Mc1r alter cAMP levels in the cell, red mice undoubtedly have numerous intracellular pathway differences relative to wild-type Mc1rE/E (black) animals, including altered DNA repair20. We therefore wished to study whether the pheomelanin pigment pathway itself has an intrinsic mechanistic role, or whether it is merely a marker of melanoma risk. To investigate this question we introduced the albino tyrosinase (Tyrc/c) allele into the red Mc1re/e background to test melanoma incidence in albino-Mc1re/e animals, which retain low MC1R activity and also lack all pigment production (Fig. 4a). A melanocyte-targeted LacZ transgene was used to confirm that the albino allele does not alter melanocyte number in these mice (Supplementary Fig. 3a, b)10. As shown in Fig. 4b, the albino allele profoundly protected red mice from melanoma. The rare albino-Mc1re/e melanomas occurred after long latency and had the same amelanotic, S100+, histologic features as the other pigmentation variant BrafCA animals (Supplementary Fig. 4a–c). This observation suggests that the pheomelanin synthesis pathway is necessary for the high rate of ultraviolet-radiation-independent melanoma in the red mice.
Figure 4: The ultraviolet-radiation-independent propensity of red BrafCA mice to develop melanoma is dependent on pigment production. a, Genotypes of mice studied. b, The albino allele protects Mc1re/e mice from melanoma development (n red = 40, n albino = 48, n albino-red = 90) P albino–albino-red = 0.308, P albino–red < 0.0001, P red–albino-red < 0.0001. c, ROS react with purine nucleosides to produce 8,5′-cyclopurine lesions (cdA shown). d, Selected-ion chromatograms for DNA from albino-Mc1re/e mouse skin. The insets show the positive-ion MS/MS/MS spectra for unlabelled and labelled S-cdA. e, Both diastereomers of cdA and cdG are significantly higher in red-Mc1re/e skin (n = 3). *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001. f, Lipid peroxide levels are significantly higher in red-Mc1re/e skin (n = 3), ***P < 0.0001. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
Previous studies have demonstrated that ultraviolet radiation amplifies reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and subsequent oxidative DNA damage in the skin of pigmented mice21. Cells with high pheomelanin levels that receive ultraviolet radiation have been found to carry particularly high levels of oxidative damage4,5. Because darkly pigmented individuals carry both pheomelanin and eumelanin, it has been proposed that their lower melanoma risk may result from eumelanin intermediates and polymers absorbing ROS and functioning as in vivo antioxidants22,23.
To determine whether ROS-mediated oxidative DNA damage is affected by the pheomelanin synthesis pathway, levels of 8,5′-cyclo-2′-deoxyadenosine (cdA) and 8,5′-cyclo-2′-deoxyguanosine (cdG) were measured in DNA isolated from skin of red-Mc1re/e and albino-Mc1re/e mice, using a previously reported liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method24 (Fig. 4c). These two ROS-mediated cyclopurines are unlikely to be artificially induced during sample preparation and are quite stable25,26. Significantly, replication studies in Escherichia coli have shown that S-cdA and S-cdG can lead to A-to-T and G-to-A mutations at frequencies of 11% and 20%, respectively27. Comparing cyclopurine levels in the skin of various pigmentation-variant mice, it was found that the levels of cdA and cdG are significantly higher in skin from red-Mc1re/e mice compared to skin from albino-Mc1re/e animals (Fig. 4d, e). This observation indicates that activation of the pheomelanin synthesis pathway results in increased oxidative DNA damage. Correlative evidence for increased cellular oxidative stress was also found in the observation that red-Mc1re/e mouse skin carries higher levels of lipid peroxides, a product of ROS-mediated lipid damage (Fig. 4f).
The findings reported here indicate that in the context of oncogenic BRAF activation, individuals carrying red hair/fair skin MC1R polymorphisms have an increased risk of melanoma, owing to both poor protection from environmental carcinogens like ultraviolet radiation, and also via intrinsic carcinogenic features of pheomelanin synthesis; potentially via pheomelanin itself, an intermediate of pigment synthesis or a by-product of the pathway.
In humans, there are multiple MC1R polymorphisms with varied perturbation of receptor function that produce a red hair/fair skin phenotype; however, a unifying feature of these various polymorphisms is a high pheomelanin-to-eumelanin ratio, which is also produced by the Mc1re/e allele in mice. Recent data intriguingly demonstrated that black animals overexpressing hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) who receive ultraviolet radiation are at a higher risk of melanoma than their albino counterparts21. Although the present study reveals a small difference between black and albino BRAFV600E-driven melanomas in the presence of K14-SCF (Fig. 1d), the effect did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.103), perhaps signifying oncogene-specific differences. It seems that the effects of pigmentation and ultraviolet radiation are likely to work together in determining melanoma risk.
The photometer used for our laboratory’s routine calibration (International Light 1400) was unable to detect any measurable ultraviolet radiation in our mouse cages during ambient light exposure. However, strong epidemiological work links ultraviolet radiation to melanoma, and the current data do not diminish the importance of sun exposure as a key contributing factor1. In humans, it is likely that the ultraviolet-independent effects act in concert with ultraviolet-mediated cellular toxicity. In agreement with published studies, ultraviolet radiation at a UV-A/UV-B ratio similar to that found in sunlight (10 J cm−2 UV-A and 0.65 J cm−2 UV-B) was found to exacerbate oxidative damage selectively in red mouse skin as measured by levels of lipid peroxidation4,5 (Supplementary Fig. 5a). Studies are underway to investigate whether ultraviolet radiation is able to alter the red-BRAFV600E tumour phenotype. Preliminary studies examining the effect of visible light (180 J cm−2) did not reveal significantly altered lipid peroxidation in any pigmentation context (P = 0.4506). Perhaps, however, there is a trend towards an increased level of lipid peroxidation in red mouse skin (Supplementary Fig. 5b).
Further evidence suggesting an ultraviolet-radiation-independent red hair/fair skin melanoma risk is the observation that although darker-skinned individuals have a significantly lower risk of melanoma than lighter-skinned individuals, the sun protective factor (SPF, a measurement of sunburn protection) of darker skin has been estimated at only in the range of SPF 2.0–4.0 (ref. 28). In addition, sunscreen (typically SPF 20–40) has shown weak efficacy in protecting against melanoma, unlike its protection against cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma29,30. There are numerous potential explanations for the sunscreen-melanoma data including the possibility that ultraviolet radiation shielding may protect against only one of several carcinogenic mechanisms—with the intrinsic pheomelanin pathway representing an additional contributor to melanomagenesis via ultraviolet-radiation-independent means. These data are not evidence against a role for ultraviolet radiation in melanomagenesis. Indeed, the effect of ultraviolet radiation is likely to exacerbate this mechanism, such that ultraviolet radiation shielding and sunscreen remain extremely important for skin cancer prevention. However, further preventative strategies may be essential to optimally diminish melanoma risk in the most susceptible individuals. |
President Barack Obama in his final news conference of the year defended the way the U.S. government and intelligence communities handled Russia's intervention in the election.
Obama explained that there were already many sanctions against Russia, and he believed that the responses to these actions should be done in a "thoughtful, methodical way." He mentioned that the relationship between the U.S. and Russia has unfortunately deteriorated over the past several years. Some of what the U.S. does in response is publicized, he said, but some of it isn't revealed.
"Our goal continues to be to send a clear message to Russia or others not to do this to us, because we can do stuff to you," he said.
Obama said when he saw Russian President Vladimir Putin in China in early September, he told him to "cut it out" and that "there would be some serious consequences if he didn't." In the aftermath of that meeting, he said, the government did not see further tampering of the election process. He said he felt at the time that it was the most effective way to ensure that the hacking did not escalate and affect the actual election.
"When I look back in terms of how we handled it, I think we handled it the way it should've been handled," Obama said. "We allowed law enforcement and the intelligence community to do its job without political influence, we briefed all relevant parties involved, when we had a consensus around what had happened we announced it ... through the intelligence communities that had actually carried out these investigations."
He did not go as far as saying the hacking caused Hillary Clinton to lose, but said she was treated unfairly during the election. He said he considered it important that the hacking did not create a political football, noting that at the time Donald Trump was frequently calling into question the integrity of the election. His principal goal leading up to the election was making sure the election itself went off without a hitch.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates. |
Edit: Like a moron, I assumed my santa was a guy, when in fact she was not. I feel like merely changing this in the text isn't enough, so I also offer my abject apologies.
Seriously, what a moron.
I told my Secret Santa I was a fan of poetry and art. I was sort of expecting one book, or maybe a poster.
She went above and beyond. She got me two books I can't wait to start reading, prints of modern art from the MoMA in New York City, a moleskine for me to write my own poetry, and perhaps best of all: an artpiece from Brooklyn that she took off the street.
I absolutely, absolutely love my gift. If every one who signed up put in this much care and attention to detail to their gifts (me included) the world would be a better place.
Thank you so much, kind stranger from the internet! |
We have long urged the FCC to include community networks in discussions around subjects like Universal Service Fund reform -- where communities are better poised to build the networks they need than private companies. The good news is that the FCC is now listening; the bad news is that they are listening during a short window in the middle of August. Doh!
Nonetheless, we urge as many of you as possible to file whatever information you can to inform the FCC. Public Knowledge and the Benton Foundation are coordinating a filing to make it easier on you -- a recent email copied below explains further. Please contact me or one of the people below if you have any questions - getting good information in front of the FCC is essential for them to make the right decision. From Public Knowledge and Benton:
In reforming this portion of the fund the FCC has requested addition information on the idea of communities “self-provisioning” their broadband service. Specifically the Commission is considering requiring all fund recipients to open up their networks to self-provision communities at reasonable rate. Right now this requirement would be limited to self-provisioners that are in areas where USF recipient may have facilities nearby BUT the USF recipient is not providing service to the self-provisioning community.
We think that small, independent or community based ISPs are just the kind of folks the FCC envisions to be “self-provisioning” an unserved community. Public Knowledge and the Benton Foundation are working together to document input from current “self-provisioners” to help answer some of the questions in this proceeding. If you are interested in participating you can either file a comment on your own by August 24, 2011 or work with PK and Benton’s attorneys to put together a coordinated filing.
Note: You can file confidential information with the FCC in the proceeding using the procedures outlined in this document.
If you are interested in working with PK and Benton please answer the following questionnaire with as much detail as possible and email to Amina Fazlullah or John Bergmayer by August 24th 2011.
The FCC needs data on how various kinds of small, independent, community-based, or other ISPs serve their customers. |
Last week, a US airstrike against the Syrian town of al-Mansour hit a school that was housing displaced civilians, killing at least 33 of them, and by some estimates as many as 50. Today, German officials confirmed that the German Air Force was also involved in the incident.
German planes do not conduct airstrikes in Syria, but are rather used for reconnaissance, and officials say that German Tornado jets had taken images of the school and the surrounding area the day before the attack, along with photos after the attack on the damage inflicted.
The German officials conceded that the planes’ images showed nothing to indicate whether the school contained civilians or combatants, which contradicts the Pentagon’s claims that they had cconclusive intelligence that the school was full of ISIS fighters.
That locals described the victims as largely women and children did not deter US commander Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend from declaring the attack a “clean strike,” and insisting that claims of civilian deaths were not credible. German reports appear to give even more credence to the idea that civilians were killed in the incident, or at the very least that the US did not have any conclusive intelligence on ISIS being inside the site.
Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz |
Are you in the market for a tiny hobby-style board like the Raspberry Pi but yearn for something with a bit more power that also happens to be based on the x86 architecture? If so, the JaguarBoard currently seeking funding on Kickstarter may be worth a look.
The JaguarBoard is an x86-based single board computer that measures just 101.9mm x 64.5mm x 1.6mm. It's powered by Intel's quad-core Atom Z3735G (1.33GHz that boosts up to 1.83GHz) mated with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of local eMMC storage.
The board features one HDMI 1.4 port, a 10/100 LAN port, three USB 2.0 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, two COM ports, an SDIO port, four GPIO pins and an I2C port. Because it's an x86 platform, you're free to install a variety of different operating systems including Linux and Windows.
The Kickstarter campaign blew past its initial goal of $3,000 as more than 400 backers have collectively pledged over $25,000 as of writing. The first two early bird tiers - for $45 and $50 - have unfortunately all been spoken for meaning you'll need to pluck down $65 to secure your spot. In addition to the board, you'll also get a USB hub and a 16GB TF card at that price.
Do note that each reward tier lists an estimated delivery of January 2016. Unless they're planning to ship within the next few days (which may be possible if they're already manufactured and ready to go), I'm not sure they'll meet this strict deadline. |
Facebook has also discussed potential partnerships with at least three London start-ups that offer international money transfer services online and via smartphones: TransferWise, Moni Technologies and Azimo, according to three people involved in the discussions.
Read More Facebook buying virtual reality firm Oculus for $2 billion
In the case of Azimo, Facebook offered to pay the company $10 million to recruit one of its co-founders as a director of business development, according to people familiar with the situation. A Facebook spokesperson said the company did not comment on "rumour and speculation".
London's financial technology sector has thrived thanks to the high concentration of financial services companies, a congenial timezone for international transactions and a more unified regulatory environment in Europe compared with the US.
A foray into migrant remittances is part of Facebook's push to increase its presence in emerging markets.
"Facebook wants to become a utility in the developing world, and remittances are a gateway drug to financial inclusion," said a person familiar with the company's strategy. Facebook recently passed 100 million users in India, which is its largest national market outside the United States.
More from the Financial Times:
Facebook passes 100 million users in India
Sandberg slashes Facebook holdings
Oculus founder looks to unlock the impossible
But it is unclear that people will trust Facebook to handle their money, given concerns about personal data mining by the social media network to boost advertising on the site. |
ALEXANDRIA, VA—Lauri Love, 29, of Stradishall, England, was indicted today by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on charges of conspiracy, causing damage to a protected computer, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; John R. Hartman, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); and Stephen Niemczak, Special Agent in Charge, Computer Crimes Unit at the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), made the announcement.
According to the indictment, beginning around October 2012, Love and his conspirators accessed without authorization protected computers belonging to DOE, HHS, U.S. Sentencing Commission, FBI’s Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, Deltek, Inc. and Forte Interactive, Inc. Love and his conspirators gained unauthorized access to the protected computers by exploiting a known vulnerability in Adobe ColdFusion, a software program designed to build and administer websites and databases. The vulnerability, which has since been corrected, allowed Love and his conspirators to access protected areas of the victims’ computer servers without proper login credentials—in other words, to bypass security on the protected computers.
After gaining unauthorized access to the protected servers, Love and his conspirators obtained administrator-level access to the networks using custom file managers, which allowed the conspirators to upload and download files, as well as create, edit, remove and search for data. Love unlawfully obtained massive amounts of sensitive and confidential information stored on those computers, including more than 100,000 employee records with names, Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers and salary information, along with more than 100,000 financial records, including credit card numbers and names. Love’s actions caused total losses in excess of $5 million.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, in conjunction with the Inspectors General for the United States Department of Energy, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States Postal Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan K. Dickey and Jay V. Prabhu are prosecuting the case.
Love faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison if convicted of the offenses charged in Virginia. He also faces a mandatory additional two years in prison if convicted of aggravated identity theft. Love also is the subject of separate indictments on related charges in the District of New Jersey and the Southern District of New York.
Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:14-cr-258. |
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indonesian President Joko Widodo discuss bilateral relations and the fight against Daesh as the Turkish leader shares that 5,000 suspected terrorists have been deported and 53,000 banned from his country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in a news conference in Turkish capital Ankara. (TRT World and Agencies)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Ankara on Thursday and discussed strengthening anti-terror cooperation.
"As leaders closely following global developments, we know this fact very well that the Asia Pacific region's efficiency is growing day by day. Asian countries are becoming more influential in the global economy and trade," Erdogan said, speaking about Indonesia-Turkey relations.
Erdogan said regional issues and latest developments in Qatar also came under discussion during his meeting with Widodo.
"We had the opportunity to discuss mutual steps that can be taken to combat terrorism in the world," he said.
"We are entering a critical period in which we need to be much more careful and maximise intelligence sharing. We have to prevent Daesh terrorists driven from the territories they occupied from entering our country or other target countries."
Widodo highlighted that Indonesia and Turkey have enormous potential for cooperation.
"We have decided to strengthen Indonesia-Turkey anti-terror security cooperation. We would like to do so by sharing intelligence."
"We have already been cooperating in fields of aviation, maritime and energy," he added.
Widodo also said they had agreed to cooperate in manufacturing submarines and drones, along with floating power plants to meet Indonesia's needs for electricity.
The two leaders also attended the signing ceremonies including Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Turkey and Indonesia.
Erdogan said he would attend the G20 summit to be held in Germany on Friday along with the Indonesian president.
Turkey deports terror suspects
Turkey has deported 5,000 suspected terrorists and banned another 53,000 from travelling to Turkey, Erdogan said at the press conference.
"More than 3,000 Daesh terrorists, including the heads, were neutralised in Operation Euphrates Shield," Erdogan added.
Turkey launched the military operation in Syria last August by sending in troops, tanks and warplanes to help the Free Syrian Army (FSA) push Daesh away from its border and stop the advance of the YPG militia which is considered by Ankara to be allied with local terror outfit PKK.
The operation led to Turkey clearing its borders of Daesh and allowing 100,000 Syrians to return to their country, Erdogan said.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies |
Discovery’s breakout reality show hit Alaskan Bush People combines two hugely popular things that TV viewers can’t seem to get enough of these days: people “roughing it” in the wilderness, and Alaska. The show features Billy Brown, his wife Ami, and their seven grown children – 5 boys and 2 girls – who all live in a cabin they built themselves in the Copper River Valley of Alaska.
Of course, this is after the family’s first “cabin where they lived for years was seized and burned to the ground for being in the wrong location on public land,” according to the show’s website.
The site also states that the Browns “are so far removed from civilization that they often go six to nine months of the year without seeing an outsider. They’ve developed their own accent and dialect, refer to themselves as a ‘wolf pack,’ and at night, all nine sleep together in a one-room cabin.”
So: how accurate is Alaskan Bush People? Is the show fake? From the evidence presented online it appears as though the answer to those questions are “not very” and “yeah, pretty much.”
Before I get into sharing that evidence, let me head off some of the inevitable comments by stating that I fully realize reality TV producers have not taken an oath to present only situations and people who are 100% “real.” I further know the main purpose of these shows is to entertain. Is Alaskan Bush People entertaining? ABSOLUTELY! The Brown family’s personalities and antics are a hoot to watch, and it’s obvious why it pulls in around 4 million viewers every Friday night–not to mention the millions of viewers tuning in for the numerous marathons aired by Discovery.
That being said, it is clearly of interest to a large part of the show’s viewership (and potential viewership) to know just how much of the show is authentic and how much is staged, especially with a concept-driven premise such as this. (As an exaggerated example, consider that finding out the boats on Deadliest Catch were actually toys filmed in a scaled set would be far more upsetting than realizing the drama on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is mostly scripted.)
The first thing to try to get to the bottom of is what the true story of the Brown family actually is. Billy Bryan Brown published a memoir titled One Wave At A Time in 2007. It’s now out of print, but it’s available used on Amazon for a steep price — just click the link.
In the book, Billy reveals he was born into a wealthy family in Fort Worth, Texas, but a plane crash killed both of his parents and his sister and left him orphaned at the age of 16.
An archived copy of the March 3, 1969 issue of The Odessa American newspaper seems to verify Billy’s story about the plane crash: “A Fort Worth couple and their 16-year-old daughter were killed Sunday when their light airplane plunged into Lake Travis, about 30 miles northwest of Austin in Burnet County,” reads the article. “They were identified as Billy Joe Brown, 43, the pilot, his wife [Kathryn] and their daughter, Kathy Jean Brown, 17.” Here’s an embed of The Odessa American with the article, which also includes a photo:
Found on Newspapers.com
(I should point out that the article and photo caption list three different ages for Billy’s sister: 16, 17 and 19.)
In a 2008 article about Billy Brown and his family, Capital City Weekly described the next chapter of his story:
By the age of 17, Billy was an orphan living out of the back of his car, homeless and working day jobs to eat as he criss-crossed America over the next 10 plus years in a relentless, near maniacal search of something that was impossible for him to define.
According to online records, Billy married Amora “Ami” Branson on June 16, 1979 in Fort Worth. Those records indicate Billy was born in 1953 and Ami was born in 1964, which means he was roughly 11 years older, and Ami was either 14 or 15 years old when they were wed.
Capital City Weekly continues:
In the mid eighties, still searching, Billy, his young wife Ami and two young sons, ages 3 years and 18 months found themselves, literally, standing on the dock in Wrangell, Alaska. With little more than two sleeping bags, a tent and 13 dollars to their name, they were in awe of their surroundings, but somehow felt deep inside that they had just arrived home… However, in the naivety of youth, and their ignorance of the Alaskan winters, they soon ended up stranded for 18 months on Mosman Island, which was initially terrifying, but, in Ami’s words, became their “first taste of the wonder of freedom and the true value of family.” Once rescued and returned to Port Protection, they soon chose to continue their lives in the bush, and eventually, aboard fishing boats during the season, remained in Alaska and grew as a family to love the Alaskan ways.
^ Brown family photo just after Snowbird was born
If you click on the link to the Capital City Weekly article, you will notice it is titled “Alaskan family to be featured in documentary.” I’m guessing that documentary turned into Alaskan Bush People. The wording of the article is particularly interesting:
The Browns are returning to Alaska in early May from a book signing and speaking engagement tour in the lower 48, to once again venture into the bush to re-create the journey described in the book. Accompanied by a professional camera crew, they will be filming this 57 day journey for a TV documentary to be aired nationally and internationally in early 2009.
So they were returning to the Alaskan bush to “re-create the journey described in the book”?
That description seems backed up by numerous Alaskans leaving comments on the show’s Facebook page and compiled by StoopidHousewives.com, before those comments were deleted:
Verified info from my local Hoonah sources: The crew and family have been primarily staying in Hoonah at the Icy Straits Lodge, and daily boating out to the site to film. It is a long sometimes bumpy boat ride down there even on a speedboat, this is not just “across the bay”. Filming is ongoing right now and projected to end for this season by late Feb. Sounds like they spend some nights out there but unsure how often. They have a road from the dock to the property which DC is leasing from somebody local not 100% sure yet who this is. They have generators, heaters, etc a lot of items requiring fuel and there is a night watchman that comes out from Hoonah to take care of everything during the night, fuel the generators, etc. The bear that wandered by their tent actually happened; they left cameras recording all night. The family wasn’t in there they were in town. The brother had to leave his love interest in Ketchikan for the good of the show and apparently this was hard on him. I love how they act like they are living on a remote island with no other people. There are a few small towns on the island and Juneau is like a 20-minute plane ride away from the town of Hoonah. I’m glad they found their little piece of paradise but they’re not all alone out there like they’re claiming. There are 1200 people living on that island and about 4 small towns. They and the Discovery crew live in a lodge in Hoonah and only go to the land to film. A group of locals have been hired to build their cabin and a couple are acting as bear guards. The land is being leased by Discovery from a local family and it is about a 20 minute boat ride from town. I am an Alaskan who has spent years actually living in the bush. I am also a writer and journalist. The Browns have scammed a multitude of vulnerable people for many years and owe tens of thousands of dollars to their victims. And now they are soon to be felons. They make real Alaskans look like buffoons.
That last comment may seem a bit harsh, but there is an Alaskan Bush People Facebook Group with numerous people claiming to be victims, or to know of victims, of the Brown family over the last couple decades. Here are a couple of excerpts:
Billy never nor any of the Brown “boys” ever worked as commercial fisherman other than maybe a few days over the last 30 years. They didn’t hunt or fish much even when they were in very game rich areas and fish rich areas like around Haines and Prince of Wales Island. Billy has been using his children’s stories CDs as a scam to raise money to make more CDs but his 70 to 80 children’s stories he says he has written don’t seem to be available anywhere? His books, YouTube videos, websites full of lies are now showing contradictions to the TV shows so now those are being taken down. Even when the Browns would show up in Texas, they would show up in broken down motor home and pretending to be broke and then relatives would buy them groceries and other supplies and lend him money though he probably had stuff stored away? He never repaid them or thanked them or visited again till he needed help again. They drove around the lower 48 from WA state to California to Texas to Tennessee and back to WA state and ferry to Alaska, conning people and especially churches to raise money to get back to Alaska and free places to stay.
There are also a number of photos that seem to show Ami and the Brown family in homes in the lower 48 over the last few years, one of which is included in the Stoopid Housewives post.
I realize that these comments (no matter how many there are, and how consistent they are) are just hearsay. But something that isn’t hearsay is the fact that the Brown family members are currently facing 60 counts of first-degree unsworn falsification, and first- and second-degree theft!
A Juneau, Alaska grand jury charged the Browns late last year, accusing them of lying in their applications for the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend. In case you were unaware: after oil was discovered in Alaska, the state set up a the PFD to fund future generations. The result is that all Alaska residents that have lived within the state for a full calendar year (January 1 – December 31), and intend to remain an Alaska resident indefinitely, are eligible for an annual payout based on the performance of the fund’s investments. That amount has varied from $331.29 in 1984 to $2,069 in 2008.
From the Alaska Dispatch News:
Billy Brown, 61, faces 24 of those charges, linked to PFD applications submitted from 2010 to 2013 and for the theft of more than $13,000 in dividend money for himself and others, the documents say. Others facing charges include 51-year-old Amora Brown, 30-year-old Joshua Brown, 27-year-old Solomon Brown, 24-year-old Gabriel Brown and 22-year-old Noah Brown… Scott Stair, investigations manager with the Alaska Department of Revenue, said Thursday that an out-of-state fraud tip prompted the Alaska Department of Revenue to investigate the Brown family. Stair said that between October 2009 and August 2012, the family did not meet the “physical presence requirement” to receive PFDs. This means the state believes the family spent more than 180 days a year living outside of Alaska and lied about it on their applications, Stair said.
Online court records also indicate that Amora Brown was involved in a small claims court case in 1992 involving the PFD for an amount just over $300. I couldn’t find a corresponding case for Billy.
The Brown family trial has been delayed numerous times and is currently scheduled for January 11, 2016 in Ketchikan Courthouse. And, thanks to Stoopid Housewives, we know that there was an application for media coverage filed and approved, so perhaps Discovery will try to incorporate the trial into the show? If so, they must have producers working overtime on how to spin the charges!
UPDATE – Bobby and Joshua Brown admitted they lied on the forms as part of a plea deal that would have meant no jail time for them in addition to the charges against the other Brown family members getting dropped (after paying restitution). However, a judge denied the plea deal despite attorney for both the prosecution and defense arguing in favor of it! “Someone living in a trailer in the Valley (who) stole $2,000 worth of merchandise from WalMart, they would serve jail time,” the judge said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!
UPDATE – The Brown family has run into more difficulties stemming from an exaggeration of their time in Alaska. In July of 2015, citations were issued to six members of the Brown family after they purchased resident hunting and fishing licenses without meeting the Alaska Department of Fish and Game residency requirements.
The licenses, which require 12 months of residency, were all purchased in October of 2012, just after the family moved to Alaska from their residences in Colorado and Texas. (Source: Alaska Dispatch News) Those cited for making false statements include Gabriel Brown, Billy Brown, Matthew Brown, Noah Brown, Solomon Brown, and Joshua Brown. They each face a fine of $310 with “an optional appearance in the District Court of Glennallen.”
In addition, citations were issued to Amora Brown, Joshua Brown, and Solomon Brown for participating in a personal use fishery without a current ADF&G sport fishing license. Each citation comes with a $210 fine with an optional appearance in the District Court of Ketchikan.
OK, back to our original post already in progress…
Speaking of show producers spinning, it seems they did a marvelous job with some irate neighbors, a helicopter, and some fireworks. From Alaska Dispatch News:
Discovery Channel started following the Browns as they moved from Southeast to Chitina under a murky set of circumstances involving a cabin being burned down by “the man.” They were quickly run out of Chitina when, according to the program, shots were fired at the Browns and production stopped. However, what likely happened is they weren’t actually living in the wilderness. They were living in the middle of a subdivision and a neighbor was annoyed and shot fireworks at a production helicopter. Yada yada yada. They moved back to Southeast, sank a boat (maybe two, I can’t remember) and finally ended up near Hoonah, where stories have been surfacing that they might not be the true bush rats they claim to be.
So: for those millions of viewers watching and enjoying Alaskan Bush People, by all means, continue! But be aware that what you’re seeing is apparently staged, for the most part. The Brown family’s charisma and entertaining quirkiness is legit, but it doesn’t appear that the family is actually living the life portrayed on the show when the cameras aren’t rolling.
UPDATE – Click here for details from Matt Brown’s 2013 arrest for DUI and hit and run involving alcohol, sex, puking, and an ill-advised chips run to Walmart after 4 in the morning. (At least it did happen in the state of Alaska, although far from the bush.)
UPDATE – The show continues to fight allegations of fakery.
Alaskan Bush People airs Friday nights at 9/8c on Discovery. |
Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II will arrive in Moscow on Sunday on a visit that could create a general background for progress in bilateral relations which have been almost non-existent since the two countries fought a brief war in August 2008.
TBILISI, January 20 (RIA Novosti) – Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II will arrive in Moscow on Sunday on a visit that could create a general background for progress in bilateral relations which have been almost non-existent since the two countries fought a brief war in August 2008.
“I am going to Moscow to discuss issues that are vital for Georgia,” Ilia II said on Saturday after the Epiphany service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi.
The Georgian Orthodox Church leader is expected to meet with Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and the Russian leadership during his six-day visit.
On Monday, Ilia II will receive an award of the International Fund for the Unity of the Orthodox Peoples in recognition of his contribution to strengthening ties between Orthodox believers and churches around the world.
The Georgian patriarch, who is known to be a strong advocate of normalizing relations with Russia, maintains active ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
On January 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Ilia II on his 80th birthday and 35th anniversary of enthronement.
“We greatly value your warm attitude toward Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. Your personal efforts…have greatly helped in maintaining the centuries-long ties of friendship and mutual understanding between our peoples during difficult phases of history,” Putin said in his greetings message.
Georgia broke off diplomatic relations with Russia after their August 2008 war over South Ossetia. Georgia lost one-fifth of its territory after South Ossetia and another republic, Abkhazia, broke away.
Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose Georgian Dream coalition won the October 1 parliamentary election, said in November that Tbilisi is restarting its ties with Moscow “from a clean slate” but that restoration of diplomatic relations will be linked to the issue of Georgia’s territorial integrity.
Moscow, however, keeps ruling out any negotiations on the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Russia recognized as independent states.
Official representatives of Russia and Georgia held a meeting on December 14 in Geneva in a first attempt to launch the reconciliation process.
Updated to correct reference to 2008 war. |
Gluten–it’s an essential component in the structure and texture of baked goods as we know them. Gluten is predominately found in wheat and, to a lesser extent, in barley and rye. What is it? Well, it’s a protein – or more technically speaking, it’s a group of two proteins bonded to form a network. This protein network gives structure and function to doughs and batters. The two little proteins that constitute the gluten network are called glutenin and gliadin. The network of gluten these proteins form is what gives dough its elasticity (ability to retain its shape) and plasticity (ability to be molded, as in clay) that makes baked goods so unique and amazing.
Here’s how it happens: when water is added to flour, glutenin and gliadin are able to move more freely and form bonds with other glutenin and gliadin molecules they encounter, thereby creating a network of protein (that’s gluten!). Working the dough or batter by kneading or stirring helps encourage bonding, and strengthens the gluten network. Some baked goods require a lot of gluten formation, like bread and pizza dough; others require minimal formation of gluten, like cake and muffins. That is why any bread recipe will call for extensive kneading, whereas cake and muffins are stirred only enough to moisten the dry ingredients. This is all for the sake of gluten formation!
Let’s look closer at that example. When making bread or pizza dough, you’re typically instructed to “work” or “knead” the dough. This thorough mixing of the flour and water results in an extensive gluten network that creates a strong, expandable structure that can hold lots of air during rising, yields a baked product that is sturdy enough to allow for heaving toppings or sandwich contents without falling apart, and gives us bread’s delightful crust. In contrast, tenderness is the goal when it comes to cake and muffins. For these recipes, you’re typically instructed only to stir the batter enough to moisten the ingredients. This minimal mixing of the flour and water limits the ability of gluten to form, which allows the finished product to have a much softer bite and be more tender and crumbly (see the Muffin Method).
The photo below depicts an under-beaten, a correctly beaten, and an over-beaten muffin. You can see the lumpy, dense texture of the under-beaten muffin on the left. Its shiny top is caused by undistributed egg. The center muffin is correctly prepared, and looks normal. The muffin on the right is over-beaten, resulting in an over-abundance of gluten. This allows the steam that escapes during cooking to form large tunnels (called tunneling), which caused this muffin to buckle and collapse. The excess gluten in the right-hand muffin also yields a smoother, stiffer crust, which is not typically desirable in a muffin.
Take a look at these cross-sections of two muffins. The one on the left in both photos is prepared properly, and the one on the right is over-beaten. You can clearly see the tunneling in the over-beaten muffin, both from the bottom and the side views.
But there’s more to gluten formation than just stirring! The type of flour you’re using matters too! Even among commonplace white wheat flours there are many alternatives – cake flour, pastry flour, all-purpose flour, bread flour, durum semolina (for pasta); the list goes on. What’s the difference between these wheat flour varietals? Gluten! Well, technically since gluten isn’t formed in significant amounts until water is added, let’s refer to it as protein. Each type of flour has a unique protein make-up, but at this point, it’s also important to note that the leftover (non-protein) portion of white wheat flour is chiefly starch, which provides the soft, moisture-retaining bulk of baked goods by gelatinizing around the gluten skeleton. Knowing that white flour is essentially a starch-protein blend comes in handy if you have the wrong type of flour and would like to make a substitution. (See the second take-away lesson below.)
Here’s a breakdown of the rough protein levels of these common types of wheat flours:
Cake: 7-8%
Pastry: 8-9%
All-purpose (US national brands): 11-12%
Bread: 12-13%
Durum semolina: 13%
But it’s not just as simple as knowing the approximate quantity of protein in these types of flour, although it is an important factor. An advanced baker must also bear in mind that the quality of protein can vary among these flours as well. For example, durum semolina flour, which is used in pasta making, does not contain significantly more protein than the average bread flour. Why differentiate? Because in durum semolina, the protein makeup skews toward stiffer, more brittle proteins like glutenin, which gives the perfect texture for pasta, dense with stiffer chew. In bread flour, on the other hand, the protein makeup slews toward softer, more flexible proteins like gliadin, which produce a better balance of delicate and strong with dough that’s more stretchy than brittle. Cake flour is unique in a multitude of ways: in addition to its low protein content, it’s also ground finer than all-purpose flour and it’s always bleached, which not only whitens the flour, but also tenderizes it and lowers the pH. If a recipe calls for cake flour, there’s more to it than just protein, and there’s no perfect substitute for it.
It may be interesting to note that even among all-purpose flours there can be some differentiation. For instance, if you use a regional brand of flour, particularly in the Pacific Northwest or the South, your protein content is often closer to 7.5-9.5% (as opposed to the typical 11-12%). This could explain why your niece in Portland could never get her bread to look quite the same as yours in Boston, even though she used your exact recipe. Similarly, if you dine in Europe, you’ll be sure to appreciate their crusty baguettes, but you might notice they make a lousy muffin. Why? They may use the same recipes as we do in America, but European wheat has a stiffer protein content(higher in glutenin) than our more delicate American wheats (higher in gliaden). So, even with the same recipes, we find it difficult to perfectly replicate their crusty breads and they find it difficult to mimic the tenderness of our muffins and other baked confections.
Take-away lessons:
First lesson- Knead your dough according to recipe specs. Kneading more or less will impact the amount of gluten formed and thereby impact your final texture and appearance. (This goes for stirring as well.)
Second lesson. Choose your flour wisely! If your recipe calls for pastry flour but you only have all-purpose, you know what the difference is! If you simply substitute all-purpose flour for pastry flour, you’ll have too much protein in your dough and your product will come out tough (unless of course you’re using a local brand from the South or Pacific Northwest). All is not lost, however. As I mentioned earlier, wheat flour is basically just starch and protein. So if the flour you have on hand has too much protein, you could substitute plain starch (corn starch will usually do just fine) for a portion of your flour to bring the overall protein content down. Alternatively, if your recipe calls for bread flour but you only have all-purpose, you would need to compensate by adding something called vital wheat gluten. This is basically gluten that’s been separated from regular flour. Most vital wheat gluten is 70-85% gluten. Making adjustments yourself to the protein content of your flour is not likely to be very precise, as each brand will differ somewhat in protein content to begin with. However, it’s a great trick to have up your sleeve in a pinch. For example, I might employ the technique of substituting starch for a portion of my flour if I had a brownie recipe that consistently came out a little dry or lacking in tenderness. Instead of buying pastry flour, I could just tweak the flour to be tenderer by using ingredients I already have on hand. (Of course, there are other factors that can impact tenderness too. Click here to see a troubleshooting chart.)
And that’s it! You completely control gluten formation in your baked goods by selecting the proper flour and by working it the proper amount. Of course, there’s always more to be said on this subject, so read on for a few extra tips!
Additional gluten-taming tips:
Using whole wheat instead of white: Whole wheat flour varies in protein content more than white flour. It can contain anywhere from 11-15% protein. However, the bran acts as a physical barrier to gluten formation in the dough and therefore will result in denser products with less ability to rise. You can compensate for this by using additional leaveners, and by allowing half of the flour used in any whole-wheat recipe to be white. Another thing to note about whole wheat flour is that it contains fats that are normally removed in the processing of white flour. These fats are prone to rancidity (producing off flavors and smells), and as a result, whole wheat flour in general has a much shorter shelf life than white flour. Protecting your whole wheat starch from light and heat exposure can slow down this process. Therefore, it’s recommended to keep your whole wheat flour in the refrigerator to prolong its shelf life.
How gluten affects leavening: As any protein cooks, it denatures and hardens (think of an egg hardening from a liquid to a solid in the frying pan). Gluten is no exception to this rule. The heat from the steam and the oven together cause gluten proteins to denature and harden, forming the skeleton of bread. The elasticity and plasticity of the dough allow the mixture to stretch enough to accommodate the expanding steam (thereby leavening), but retains enough of its original structure to prevent the bubbles from bursting before they are set. If that were to happen, your loaf would collapse!
A nutritional note: The methods for controlling gluten formation outlined in this article are meant to relate only to how gluten impacts food, not how it impacts your body. If you are on a gluten-free diet, you should continue to avoid wheat, barley and rye products altogether. Always consult your doctor before making major changes in your diet.
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Courtesy of Deputy Mauricio Alonso Toledo Gutiérrez Deputy Mauricio Alonso Toledo Gutierrez speaks before the Mexico City legislature. The legislature voted on March 2 to ask the federal government to ban Donald Trump from entering the country.
Legislators in Mexico City are asking the federal government to ban Donald Trump from entering the country, citing the GOP presidential hopeful’s repeated anti-Mexican comments.
The proposal passed unanimously on Wednesday, according to Deputy José Manuel Delgadillo of the conservative National Action Party. He described the document, known as a "point of agreement," as a largely symbolic recommendation to the federal government that the local legislature lacked the ability to enforce.
But he told The WorldPost that Mexico City legislators felt the need to prod President Enrique Peña Nieto to confront Trump, whom they view as a hyper-nationalist who has kindled anti-Mexican resentment by describing Mexicans in broad terms as "rapists" and calling for the construction of a wall across the length of the U.S.-Mexico border.
"What we're saying is that if he wants to build a wall so that Mexicans can't enter his country, then he is not welcome in our country," Delgadillo told WorldPost. "What we need now is for President Peña Nieto to make a strong statement condemning Mr. Trump's anti-Mexican comments."
Courtesy of Deputy Mauricio Alonso Toledo Gutiérrez Mexico City legislators asked the federal government on Wednesday to ban GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump from entering Mexico.
Deputy Víctor Hugo Romo of the leftwing Revolutionary Democratic Party, which introduced the point of agreement, referred to Trump as “primeval, egocentric and primitive,” before going on to compare Trump to Hitler in public remarks Wednesday, according to MSV Noticias.
“Hitler was very popular,” Romo said. “He generated a lot of sympathy by adopting nationalist politics that vindicated the Germans’ sense of self-worth. [Trump] is practically a copy. I consider Donald Trump a chauvinist, a misogynist who fosters and leans towards toward repression. … He doesn’t respect diversity.”
The Mexico City legislators’ anger echoes comments from two furious former presidents who have sounded off against Trump in recent days. Felipe Calderón called Trump “racist” and said he was “turning the United States into a neighbor that we’re all going to end up rejecting and hating.” Vicente Fox said repeatedly that he was not going to pay for “that fucking wall,” referring to Trump’s proposal to require Mexico to pay for the wall he wants built along the southern U.S. border.
Watch former Mexican President Vicente Fox say he won’t “pay for that fucking wall” in the video below.
But Peña Nieto, of the Revolutionary Institutional Party, has taken a more cautious approach. He’s largely refrained from publicly criticizing the Republican front-runner, and his chief of staff Francisco Guzmán played down concerns about a Trump presidency on Tuesday -- though he avoided mentioning Trump by name.
“Anyone who becomes president of the United States will have to work with Mexico,” Guzmán said, according to Bloomberg News. “It would be difficult to reverse 20 years of integration.”
Editor's note: Donald Trump is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist, birther and bully who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims -- 1.6 billion members of an entire religion -- from entering the U.S.
Also on HuffPost: |
"Failsafe" is the 16th episode of the first season of Young Justice, and the 16th of the overall series. It aired on November 4, 2011.
Contents show]
Logline
During an alien invasion, the Team faces the ultimate challenge when they are forced to replace the fallen Justice League![1]
Synopsis
A spaceship flies past the moon, and makes its way to Earth. As it approaches, Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart investigate, with Batman in a spacecraft behind them. Stewart orders the spaceship to stop and shut down its weapons, but it does not comply. It disintegrates the two Lanterns instead. Batman deploys the backup—Superman, Captain Atom, Martian Manhunter and Captain Marvel. They too are killed. Batman narrowly escapes the destruction ray by jettisoning in an escape pod, but he is helpless as a smaller craft shoots him down as well.
Zatara informs Red Tornado of the disaster. Now that celestial defenses have failed, they organize the defense on the ground. Red Tornado leaves the Team, and tells them that should the Justice League fail to meet the threat, it will all be on their shoulders.
Iris West-Allen reports from Central City. Multiple alien jets have attacked the city, and kill several bystanders. Flash manages to whisk away Iris in time, and Zatara teleports cameraman Danny to safety. Iris thanks her husband, and the two heroes go off to save more civilians. They don't get far: on the next building, they are disintegrated. Iris watches in horror. From the studio, Cat Grant cuts in, warning Iris that another ship is heading her way, but it's too late. She is killed as well. Cat moves to the feed from Taipei, where Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Green Arrow and Black Canary are disintegrated as well.
In Smallville, Wonder Woman manages to destroy multiple spacecrafts, but she cannot evade the disintegrator ray. Red Tornado, the last surviving Leaguer, contacts the Cave. Moments later, he is destroyed as well. The Team watches on, determined to take up arms. Aqualad suggests a different strategy, as taking them head-on does not work. Robin checks global proliferation of the extraterrestrials, and finds one stray ship in the Arctic, near the Fortress of Solitude. Superboy is surprised Superman had a fortress, but now that he's gone, there'll be a lot he will never know about. Kid Flash vows to kill all aliens, but Artemis points him at the poignant fact that they have a Kryptonian and a Martian on their team.
The lone alien ship hovers outside the Fortress, seemingly unaware that Artemis and Miss Martian approach. Miss Martian telekinetically disables the ship's communication and propulsion systems, and Artemis covers the hatch with foam to seal the aliens inside. Aqualad attacks from underneath, and is saved from a direct hit from the gun by Superboy and Wolf. Robin analyses the cannon and orders Miss Martian and Superboy to detach it. But as Superboy pulls it off, a smaller blast forms up behind his back. Aqualad sees it, but before he can react, Wolf pushes Superboy out of the way and bears the full load of the shot. The Team is a bit dazed, but Superboy urges them on. With Miss Martian, be connects the cannon to the Bio-Ship. She has to decloak the ship for the transfusion to work, and at that moment, they are spotted by two more ships. Artemis manages to shoot down both, but the second craft's weapon is still functional, and hits Artemis. Miss Martian and Kid Flash scream in terror as they watch their teammate die. Aqualad destroys the ship.
In the Bio-Ship, the Team tries to cope with the loss of Artemis. Generally, everyone is silent, except Miss Martian, who cries, and Kid Flash, who is enraged. Aqualad pulls them together, and they set course for the Hall of Justice.
General Eiling leads a handful of soldiers against the alien invaders in front of the Capitol. Their tanks are destroyed, but as the three ships swoop in to finish the soldiers, the Team arrives. Superboy takes down one, the Bio-Ship shoots down the other two. They are greeted with cheers. Jason Bard thinks it's Superman, but David Reid remark that Superboy is too young, and lacks a cape. Eiling cuts in, and Aqualad formulates a plan: a counteroffensive with alien cannons.
They all regroup at the destroyed Hall of Justice. The Team is trying to come to grips with their mentors being really gone. Miss Martian cries at the statue of her uncle, but suddenly senses something. She lifts the statue, and finds Martian Manhunter under it. The Manhunter is dazed, and cannot remember how he got there. Miss Martian posits that perhaps he was density shifting when he was hit by the disintegration beam. Wally gets an epiphany: he detects Zeta-Beam radiation around the cannon. It doesn't disintegrate, it teleports. Everyone has to be still alive, somewhere. As they rejoice with the thought that everyone can be saved, more aliens converge on their location. The Bio-Ship is destroyed, and the feedback knocks out both Martians. Aqualad leads Eiling and his troops further into the Hall of Justice, to the teleporter He wants the soldiers to go first, but Eiling overrules him—the world can't lose more heroes. Martian Manhunter clears each member individually, but as Kid Flash enters the tube, the aliens breach the room. Aqualad shoves him in, and with Superboy helps in the defense. Superboy manages to drag the wounded Jason Bard to the teleporter, and goes in after him. Eiling, Reid and many other soldiers are destroyed. Aqualad carries Martian Manhunter to the gate, and pushes him in. He is hit by the beams directly after.
At Mount Justice, Robin takes command. If people are being teleported instead of killed, they would have to be detained.
The most likely location is the alien mothership, in Smallville . He needs Superboy to be the distraction. Miss Martian objects, but Robin rebuts her concerns. Aqualad would have sacrificed himself—and he did, so now they're without their leader. Superboy accepts; it's what Superman would do.
All around the world, survivors tune in to a televised speech by the young heroes. In shelters in Happy Harbor and Gotham City, on the battlefield; everyone listens as the Team spreads a message of hope. Young heroes gather to take up arms against those who took their mentors.
In Smallville, Robin organizes the Team. Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter head in first, using camouflage and density shifting to sneak past security. When they're in position, Superboy breaks loose. He destroys several turrets, allowing Kid Flash and Robin entrance to the ship. They evade surveillance for a while, but are discovered.Miss Martian takes out a surveillance craft that snuck up behind Robin. The four of them head off further into the ship. Superboy still fights the ships, but can't hold on. One blast knocks him off his feet; when he gets up, he is hit by the beam. Miss Martian collapses from emotions, but Martian Manhunter's mind clears. He tells Kid Flash that there are no prisoners to be found; the disintegration beam really did kill everyone. Robin agrees; he's found no trace of any humans on the ship. The only thing left to do is destroy the mothership. They reach the core, and Robin plants explosives. Kid Flash realizes Robin planned this all along, and knew there were no survivors.On their way out, they are trapped and surrounded. Robin orders Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter away, and vows to follow as soon as they blow through the closed door. But with only nine seconds left until the charges go off, neither Robin nor Kid Flash makes any attempt at blowing the door. They are caught in the explosion.
Outside, Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter watch the explosion and Miss Martian laments that the price of victory was too high. To her horror, a second mothership arrives. She urges her uncle to leave, but he refuses. Instead, he drives his hand through her chest, killing her.
Miss Martian awakes. It takes her a moment to realize she is not dead, and her teammates are all alive as well. Batman asks Martian Manhunter what went wrong with the exercise. But Robin interjects, claiming to have no knowledge of any exercise. Batman explains:
Martian Manhunter devised a telepathic dreamworld in which the Team would fulfill a mission. They were aware it was a simulation, but they did not know it was a doomed-to-fail mission. They did not grieve over the Justice League or Wolf, because they knew it wasn't real. That all changed when Artemis died. Miss Martian's subconscious took over, wrestling the command of the exercise from Martian Manhunter's control. As a result, all the heroes now thought it was real, and Artemis was trapped in a coma. To stop the scenario, Martian Manhunter entered the simulation, but was overwhelmed by the emotions. He could not get a clear mind until everyone except Miss Martian was killed, and shocked her into waking up.
He apologizes to the Team, and Miss Martian, but it cannot console her. She is devastated that she put her teammates in peril, and Captain Marvel steps in to console her. Martian Manhunter collapses, and tells Batman that they all underestimated M'gann. She is untrained, but in terms of raw power, she is far more powerful than him.
Title
The title may have come from the Team being Earth's last hope against the aliens, or the fact that J'onn was sent in to the simulation to shock Miss Martian back to reality as a "failsafe" after the exercise couldn't be stopped.
Cast and characters
Character debut Speaking debut Episode debut
Continuity
Kid Flash still has the cast after he broke his arm against the Injustice League in "Revelation", but now, he can wear it under a shirt.
Trivia
Backwards spells
Speaker Spell Translation Zatara Tropsnart siht namaremac ot ytefas! Transport this cameraman to safety! Noitativel won! Levitation now!
Goofs
The number and position of stars on Wonder Woman's costume changes between shots.
At the Fortress of Solitude, Superboy's eyes are white/silver instead of light blue. This could have been due to the reflection of the white snow onto his eyes, making them appear as though they were silver.
The American flag has 48 instead of 50 stars.
Marvin's eyes are colored blue, whereas they're brown in "Targets".
Cultural references
The opening shot, of a spaceship's shadow gliding over the moon, is a reference to the opening scene of the 1996 movie Independence Day. |
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is when excess fat builds up in the liver due to causes other than alcohol use.[1] There are two types: non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).[2][1][3] Non-alcoholic fatty liver usually does not progress to liver damage or NASH.[1] NASH includes both a fatty liver and liver inflammation.[2] It may lead to complications such as cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, or cardiovascular disease.[1][4]
Risk factors include diabetes, obesity, a diet high in fructose and older age.[3] NAFLD is a type of fatty liver disease together with alcoholic liver disease.[3] NAFLD is related to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. It can be diagnosed by a liver biopsy.
Treatment is generally with weight loss by dietary changes and exercise.[2][5] There is tentative evidence for pioglitazone and vitamin E.[6][7][1] Those with NASH have a 2.6% risk of dying per year.[2]
NAFLD is the most common liver disorder in developed countries, affecting 75 to 100 millions Americans in 2017.[8][9][10] Up to 80% of obese and up to 20% normal-weight people might develop it.[11] It is estimated that 24% of the worldwide population is affected in 2017.[11] NAFLD is the leading cause of chronic liver disease as of 2017.[11] About 12 to 25% of people in the United States have NAFLD,[12] while NASH affects between 2 and 12%.[12] The annual economic burden was estimated at US$103 billion in the US in 2016.[11]
Definition [ edit ]
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by an abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver, due to causes other than excessive alcohol use. NAFLD is a continuum of liver abnormalities, from non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). These diseases begin with fatty accumulation in the liver (hepatic steatosis). A liver can remain fatty without disturbing liver function (NAFL), but by various mechanisms and possible insults to the liver, it may also progress into a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a state in which steatosis is combined with inflammation and sometimes fibrosis (steatohepatitis).[2][13]
Signs and symptoms [ edit ]
NAFLD is evidence of hepatic steatosis, and absence of another factor that could explain the fat accumulation in the liver, such as alcohol (over 21 drinks/week for men and 14 drinks/week for women), drug-induced steatosis, heredity or by deficiencies in parenteral nutrition such as choline.[2] Excessive alcohol use (over 30 g for men and 20 g for women), drug-induced steatosis, hepatitis C and endocrine conditions are alternative causes of fatty liver unrelated to NAFLD.[6][14]
The NAFLD can be separated into two histological categories: NAFL, and the more aggressive form NASH. According to AASLD, both NAFL and NASH are defined by the presence of at least 5% of hepatic steatosis, but for NAFL there should be no evidence of "hepatocellular injury in the form of hepatocyte ballooning," whereas NASH is characterized by the presence of inflammation with hepatocyte injury such as ballooning, with or without any fibrosis.[2]
People with NAFLD are likely to be asymptomatic − to have no noticeable symptoms − and often have normal laboratory profiles.[6][13]
NAFLD can cause symptoms related to liver dysfunction. NAFLD can be diagnosed by performing a liver biopsy, and is often incidentally diagnosed following abnormal liver function tests during routine blood tests or after a hepatic steatosis is detected by biopsy. Indeed, in cases of symptoms or signs attributable to liver disease or when tests show abnormal liver chemistries, NAFLD should be suspected and investigated. However, when no symptoms or signs attributable to liver disease are reported or when the tests show normal liver chemistries, but a hepatic steatosis is detected, other metabolic risk factors (e.g., obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia) and alternate causes such as alcohol should be investigated.[2]
Patients may complain of fatigue, malaise, and dull right-upper-quadrant abdominal discomfort. Mild jaundice may be noticed, although this is rare.[15]
Risk factors [ edit ]
Comorbidities [ edit ]
NAFLD is associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (obesity, combined hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus (type II), and high blood pressure), as well as insulin resistance, persistently elevated transaminases, increasing age and BMI, panhypopituitarism and hypoxia caused by obstructive sleep apnea, with some of them being strong predictors of disease progression.[4][8][11][16][7]
In particular, non-obese people affected by NAFLD ("lean NAFLD") have been found to have impaired insulin sensitivity, to be frequently sedentary, to have increased cardiovascular risk and increased liver lipid levels, being the consequence of a decreased capacity for storing fat and reduced mitochondrial function in adipose tissue and increased hepatic de novo lipogenesis.[11]
Although controversial, NAFLD was observed to be twice as prevalent in men compared to women,[2] which might be explained by estrogen deficiencies.[17]
Genetics [ edit ]
Genetic risk factors of NAFLD are also known. Families with a history of diabetes type 2 are 66.67% to report more than one family member having NAFLD. There is a higher risk of fibrosis for family members where someone was diagnosed with NASH.[13] In addition, Hispanic persons have higher prevalence of NAFLD than white individuals, whereas the lowest susceptibility is observed in black individuals.
Two genetic mutations for NAFLD susceptibility have been identified and validated in large cohorts: the non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PNPLA3 and TM6SF2, as they have been shown to correlate with NAFLD presence and severity, but their roles for patient diagnosis remain unclear.[11][18]
Although NAFLD has a genetic component, the AASLD does not recommend screening family members as there is not enough confirmation of heritability,[2] although there is some evidence from familial aggregation and twin studies.[11]
Dysbiosis [ edit ]
Links between dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and liver diseases, in particular NAFLD, have been documented. Patients with NASH can have increased levels of blood ethanol. Patients with a more aggressive NAFLD were found to have a choline depletion linked to an increased choline metabolism.[19][20][21][22]
Diet [ edit ]
Diet composition and quantity, in particular omega-6 fatty acids lipids and fructose sugar, has an important role in disease progression from NAFL to NASH and fibrosis.[23][24] Choline deficiency can lead to the development of NAFLD.[25] There is indeed a complex interplay between the environment, particularly the diet, the genetics and gut microbiota dysbiosis that can impact the development and progression of NAFLD.[24]
Pathophysiology [ edit ]
NAFLD can include either a steatosis alone; a steatosis concurrent with lobular or portal inflammation without ballooning; or a steatosis with ballooning but without inflammation. In NASH, other histological features can appear but are not necessary for diagnosis, such as portal inflammation, polymorphonuclear infiltrates, mallory bodies, apoptotic bodies, clear vacuolated nuclei, microvacuolar steatosis, megamitochondria and perisinusoidal fibrosis.[14] Hepatocyte death via apoptosis or necroptosis is increased in NASH compared with simple steatosis, and inflammation is one of NASH hallmarks.[18]
One debated mechanism proposes a second hit, or further injury, enough to cause change that leads from hepatic steatosis to hepatic inflammation. Oxidative stress, hormonal imbalances, and mitochondrial abnormalities are potential causes for this "second hit" phenomenon.[13] A further nutrigenomics model named multiple hit extends the second hit model by integrating multiple disease biomarkers and factors such as genes and nutrition to predict the impact of lifestyle changes and genetics for the evolution of the NAFLD pathology.[26] Indeed, NAFLD can be considered a multisystem disease, as it impacts and is influenced by organs and regulatory pathways other than the liver.[27][28][29]
NAFLD and alcoholic fatty liver disease share similar histological features, which suggests that they might share common pathogenic pathways. Indeed, NASH patients can have elevated levels of blood ethanol and proteobacteria (which produce alcohol), with dysbiosis proposed as a mechanism for this elevation.[19] Fructose, a refined sugar, can cause inflammation and addiction similarly to ethanol by using similar metabolic pathways, unlike glucose, which prompts some researchers to argue that NAFLD and alcoholic fatty liver disease are similar diseases.[23][30] Excessive macronutrients intake contributes to tissue inflammation and perturbation of homeostasis, and micronutrients might also be involved.[31] Lifestyle changes, in addition to reducing weight and risk factors, might also prompt changes in the gut microbiota.[32]
Diagnosis [ edit ]
A liver biopsy (tissue examination) is the only test widely accepted (gold standard) as definitively distinguishing NAFLD (including NAFL and NASH) from other forms of liver disease and can be used to assess the severity of the inflammation and resultant fibrosis. However, since most people affected by NAFLD are likely to be asymptomatic, liver biopsy presents too high a risk for routine diagnosis, so other methods might be preferred, such as liver ultrasonography or liver MRI. For children and young people, liver ultrasonography is advised, but biopsy remain the best evidence.[6][2][15] Routine liver function blood tests are not sensitive enough to detect NAFLD, and biopsy is the only procedure that can reliably differentiate NAFL from NASH.[14]
Common findings are elevated liver enzymes and a liver ultrasound or MRI showing steatosis. An ultrasound may also be used to exclude gallstone problems (cholelithiasis). According to NICE guidelines, it is disadvised to test enzymes levels to rule out NAFLD, as they are often within the normal range even in advanced disease.[4][11][6] The EASL recommend screening for a steatosis whenever a NAFLD is suspected as this is a key predictor of the disease evolution and predicts future diabetes type II, cardiovascular events and hypertension.[14]
Blood tests that are useful to confirm diagnosis or rule out others include erythrocyte sedimentation rate, glucose, albumin, and kidney function. Because the liver is important for making proteins used in blood clotting coagulation related studies are often carried out especially the INR (international normalized ratio). In people with fatty liver with associated inflammatory injury (steatohepatitis) blood tests are usually used to rule out viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, B, C and herpesviruses such as Epstein-Barr virus or cytomegalovirus), rubella, and autoimmune diseases. Low thyroid activity is more prevalent in NASH patients, which would be detected by determining the thyroid-stimulating hormone.[33]
Some biomarker-based blood tests have been developed but as of 2011 their use had not been widely adopted.[34]
According to AASLD guidelines, liver biopsy should be considered in patients with NAFLD who are at increased risk of having steatohepatitis and/or advanced fibrosis, but only when all other competing chronic liver diseases are excluded (such as alcoholic liver disease). The presence of a metabolic syndrome, NAFLD Fibrosis Score (FIB-4), or liver stiffness (as measured by VCTE or MRE) may be used to identify the patients who are at higher risk of steatohepatitis or advanced fibrosis. Also, NAFLD patients should be considered for screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) and gastroesophageal varices. They consider that a clinically useful pathology reporting should distinguish «between NAFL (steatosis), NAFL with inflammation and NASH (steatosis with lobular and portal inflammation and hepatocellular ballooning)», with the presence or absence of fibrosis being described, and optionally a comment on severity.[2]
The EASL recommend to assess dietary and physical activities, as unhealthy lifestyles influence the development and progression of NAFLD. They recommend the FLIP algorithm to grade the ballooning, and the use of the NAFLD Activity Score (NAS) to grade the severity of NASH rather than for its diagnosis. They also consider the steatosis, activity and fibrosis (SAF) score to be an accurate and reproducible scoring system.[14] The AASLD recommends the use of the NAS and/or SAF scoring systems if deemed appropriate.[2]
The cardiovascular system screening is considered mandatory by the EASL, as NAFLD outcomes often result in cardiovascular complications[14] which can manifest as subclinical atherosclerosis, and being the cause of the majority of NAFLD related deaths.[27][35] Indeed, patients with NAFLD are at a high risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and «aggressive modification of cardiovascular disease risk factors should be considered in all patients with NAFLD» according to AASLD.[2]
The AASLD further recommends for patients with a cirrhotic NASH to be systematically screened for gastroesophageal varices and liver cancer. Routine screening of liver cancer and liver biopsy is not recommended for non-cirrhotic NASH patients, but it might be considered on a case-by-case basis.[2]
Monitoring [ edit ]
The NICE advises regular screening of NAFLD for advanced liver fibrosis every three years to adults and every two years for children using the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) blood test.[6] Follow-up is recommended for people with obesity and insulin-resistance using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). People with NASH with fibrosis and hypertension should have closer monitoring as there is a higher risk of disease progression.[14]
Management [ edit ]
Guidelines are available from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).[6][2][14][36]
Lifestyle [ edit ]
A combination of improved diet and exercise appears to be the most efficient way to manage NAFLD and reduce insulin resistance.[2][14][5][37][38] Motivational support, such as with cognitive-behavioral therapy, is helpful, as most people with NAFLD do not perceive their condition as a disease, and thus have a low motivation to change.[4][6][2][14][39]
Diet [ edit ]
Treatment of NAFLD typically involves counseling to improve nutrition.[4][40] People with NAFLD might benefit from a moderate to low-carbohydrate diet and low-fat diet.[4][41] The Mediterranean diet also showed promising results in a 6-week scheme in reduction of NASH induced inflammation and fibrosis, independently from weight loss.[4][14][38][42] Tentative evidence supports dietary interventions in individuals with fatty liver who are not overweight.[43]
The EASL recommend energy restriction of 500-1000 kcal/week less than the daily diet, a target of 7–10% weight loss for obese/overweight NAFLD, a low to moderate fat and moderate to high carbohydrate diet or a low carbohydrate ketogenic or high protein diet such as the Mediterranean diet and avoiding all fructose-containing beverages and food.[14]
The NICE guidelines include recommendations for vitamin E, although it is not useful for all people with NAFLD.[4][6] The NICE does not recommend omega-3 fatty acid supplementation since randomized trials were inconclusive,[4][6] although previous systematic reviews found that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in those with NAFLD/NASH using doses approaching or higher than 1 gram daily (median dose 4 grams/day with median duration 6 months treatment) has been associated with improvements in liver fat.[39][44] According to AASLD guidelines, "omega-3 fatty acids should not be used as a specific treatment of NAFLD or NASH, but they may be considered to treat hypertriglyceridemia in patients with NAFLD".[2]
Alcohol is an aggravating factor and should be avoided by people with NAFLD or NASH.[4][6][2][45] The EASL allow alcohol consumption below 30g/day for men and 20g/day for women.[14]
For the EASL, there is no liver-related limitations to the consumption of coffee.[14]
Herbal compounds such as silymarin, curcumin and green tea were shown to be effective for biomarkers enhancement and NAFLD grade reduction.[29]
Physical activity [ edit ]
Weight loss may improve the process, particularly for obese or overweight people. Similar physical activities and diets are advisable for overweight people with NAFLD as for other obese and overweight people.[6][38] Although physical activity is less important for weight loss than dietary adaptations (to reduce calories intake),[39] the NICE advises physical activity to reduce liver fat even if there is no weight reduction.[6][4] Weight loss, through exercise or diet, was shown to be the most effective way to reduce liver fat and help NASH and fibrosis remission.[39] Exercise alone can prevent or reduce hepatic steatosis, but it remains unknown whether it can improve all other aspects of the liver, hence a combined approach with exercise and diet is advised.[2][5] Aerobic exercise may be more effective than resistance training, although there are contradictory results.[4][46] Vigorous training is preferable to moderate training, as only high intensity exercising was shown to reduce chances of NASH developing into a steatohepatitis or advanced fibrosis.[4][47] The EASL recommend between 150 and 200 min/week in 3 to 5 sessions of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity or resistance training. Since both effectively reduce liver fat, the choice of activity can be tailored to fit the individual's preferences with the goal of maintaining in the long-term: "Any engagement in physical activity or increase over previous levels is however better than continuing inactivity".[14]
Medication [ edit ]
Medications should be primarily aimed at improving liver disease and should generally be limited to those with biopsy-proven NASH and fibrosis.[6][2][14]
No medicines specifically for NAFLD or NASH had received approval as of 2015 although antiglycemic drugs may help in liver fat loss. While many treatments appear to improve biochemical markers such as alanine transaminase levels, most have not been shown to reverse histological abnormalities or reduce clinical endpoints.[48]
Insulin sensitizers (metformin and thiazolidinediones, such as pioglitazone) are commonly used to reduce insulin resistance in those with NAFLD, with several randomized trials showing that they can improve all histological features of NASH, lead to resolution of steatohepatitis and may improve hepatic fibrosis. However, the side-effects associated with these drugs, which include osteopenia, increased fracture risk, fluid retention, congestive heart failure, bladder cancer, and long-term weight gain, have limited their adoption.[4][49][50] Due to these side-effects, AASLD recommend the use of pioglitazone only in patients with biopsy-proven NASH. However, AASLD disadvise the use of metformin as studies were inconclusive about the improvement of the liver histological condition, although there was an improvement in insulin resistance and serum aminotransferases, as this did not translate into NASH improvements.[2] NICE provides similar guidelines regarding pioglitazone, which should be administered in secondary care to adults with advanced liver fibrosis, whether or not they have diabetes.[6]
Vitamin E is an effective treatment that can be administered in patients with biopsy-proven NASH.[4][6][2]
Improvements in liver biochemistry and histology have been found in people with NAFLD through treatment with statins. Since NAFLD patients are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, statins treatment is indicated. People with NAFLD are not at higher risk for serious liver injury from statins according to AASLD and EASL. However, even if statins can be used with patients with NASH cirrhosis, they should be avoided in case of decompensated cirrhosis.[2][14][51] Statins have also been recommended for use in treating dyslipidemia for patients with NAFLD. According to NICE guidelines, statins can continue to be administered unless liver enzyme levels double within 3 months of starting statins.[6] Treatment with pentoxifylline has demonstrated improvements in the histological appearance of fatty liver tissue under the microscope in many small trials.[49]
Obeticholic acid and elafibranor are not recommended as of 2018 by the AASLD as they are still under trial.[2]
Synbiotics, combining both probiotics and prebiotics, can have favorable effects on inflammation and dysbiosis in patients with NAFLD.[19][20][52]
Surgery [ edit ]
Bariatric surgery is an effective method for obese and diabetic individuals with NAFLD to induce weight loss and reduce or resolve NASH inflammation, including fibrosis.[4][14][39] For the AASLD, bariatric surgery can be considered only for NASH on a case-by-case basis by an experienced bariatric surgery program.[2]
For NASH patients with an end-stage liver disease, liver failure or liver cancer, liver transplantation is an accepted procedure according to the EASL. The overall survival is comparable to transplantation following other diseases.[14] People with a cirrhotic NASH considered for a liver transplantation should be systematically examined for cardiovascular diseases (whether the symptoms are apparent or not).[2]
About 92% of people with NAFLD saw an improvement in steatosis and 70% a complete resolution after a bariatric surgery.[53]
NAFLD/NASH is expected to become the leading cause of liver transplantation by 2020.[54]
Outcomes [ edit ]
The exact causes of the disease and mechanisms by which the disease progresses from one stage to the next are not fully understood, although findings provide new insights into the mechanisms. Indeed, NAFLD is a multisystem disease, impacting and being influenced by several other organs and pathways other than the liver.[27][39][55][56]
The progression rate of fibrosis in humans with NASH is estimated to 7 years, compared to 14 years with NAFLD, and with a dynamically, exponentially increasing rate along as more stages are reached, but it is very variable with different clinical manifestations among individuals.[11][13][57] Fibrosis in humans with NASH progressed more rapidly than in humans with NAFLD.[4] An international study showed that NAFLD patients had a 10‐year survival rate of 81.5%.[2]
NAFLD is a risk factor for fibrosis, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke and death from cardiovascular causes based on very low to low quality evidence from observational studies.[6][58][59]
NAFL and NASH increase the risk of liver cancer. Cirrhosis and liver cancer induced by NAFLD are the second cause of liver transplantation in the US in 2017. Liver cancer develops in NASH in the absence of cirrhosis in 45% in the cases,[60] and people with NASH cirrhosis have increased risk of liver cancer. Indeed, the rate of liver cancer associated with NASH has increased fourfold between 2002 and 2012 in the US, which is more than any other cause of liver cancer. NAFLD constitutes the third most common risk factor for liver cancer.[61] NAFL and NASH were found to develop into cirrhosis in respectively 2-3% and 15-20% of the patients over a 10–20 year period.[4]
NAFLD is also thought to be a precursor of metabolic syndrome, although a bidirectional influence is not excluded.[62][63]
The presence and stage of fibrosis are the strongest prognostic factor for liver-related events and mortality, in particular for NAFLD.[11]
Although NAFLD can cause cirrhosis and liver failure and liver cancer, the majority of deaths among NAFLD patients is attributable to cardiovascular failure.[27] Indeed, according to a meta-analysis of 34,000 patients with NAFLD over 7 years, they have 65% increased risk of developing fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular events.[13]
Epidemiology [ edit ]
The percentage of people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ranges from 9 to 36.9% in different parts of the world.[64][65] However, studies based on elevated liver enzymes systematically underestimated the true prevalence worldwide, and ultrasonography and proton NMR spectroscopy studies suggest about 25% of the population seems to be affected by NAFLD or NASH.[11] Approximately 20% of the United States population have non-alcoholic fatty liver.[9] Similar prevalence can be found in Europe and Asia-Pacific countries although less data is available.[11] In children ages 1 to 19, prevalence was found to be approximately 8% in the general population up to 34% in studies with data from child obesity clinics.[66] Compared to the 2000s, NAFL and NASH respectively increased 2-fold and 2.5-fold in the 2010s in the USA.[67]
NAFLD and NASH are more prevalent in Hispanics - which can be attributed to high rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in Hispanic populations -, intermediate in Whites and lowest in Blacks.[11][10][68] It is the most common chronic liver disease in children and teenagers just as for adults.[11]
NAFLD was observed to be twice as prevalent in men as women.[2]
Although the disease is commonly associated with obesity, a significant proportion of sufferers are normal weight or lean. Lean NAFLD affects between 10–20% of Americans and Europeans, although some countries have a higher incidence (e.g., India has a very high proportion of lean NAFLD and almost no obese NAFLD). Lean NAFLD people are at the same or higher risks, with a poorer median survival rate (free of liver transplantation) than for obese NAFLD people, according to an international cohort study. PNPLA3 may be relevant for the progression of NAFLD in lean people. Thus, people suffering from NAFLD should be considered as a potential population for treatment regardless of obesity.[11][39][69]
History [ edit ]
The first acknowledged case of obesity-related non-alcoholic fatty liver was observed in 1952 by Samuel Zelman.[70][71] Zelman started investigating after observing a fatty liver in a hospital employee who drank more than twenty bottles of Coca-Cola a day. He then went on to design a trial during a year and half on 20 obese people who were not alcoholic, finding that about half of them had substantially fatty livers.[70] Fatty liver was, however, linked to diabetes, atherosclerosis and choline depletion since at least 1784[72] and sugar in 1949,[73] and was already recognized as a common occurrence in severe diabetes in the 1930s.[74]
The name "non-alcoholic steatohepatitis" (NASH) was later defined in 1980 by Jurgen Ludwig and his colleagues from the Mayo Clinic[75] in order to raise awareness on the existence of this pathology, as similar reports previously were dismissed as patients lies.[71] This paper was mostly ignored at the time but came to be seen as a landmark paper, and starting in the mid-1990s the condition began to be intensively studied, with a series of international meetings were held on the topic starting in 1998.[76] The broader NAFLD term started to be used around 2002.[76][77] Diagnostic criteria began to be worked out, and in 2005 the Pathology Committee of the NIH NASH Clinical Research Network proposed the NAS scoring system.[76]
Children [ edit ]
Pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was first reported in 1983.[78][79] It is the most common chronic liver disease among children and adolescents since at least 2007, affecting 10 to 20% of them in the US in 2016.[11][79][80] NAFLD has been associated with the metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of risk factors that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Studies have demonstrated that abdominal obesity and insulin-resistance in particular are thought to be key contributors to the development of NAFLD.[81][82][83][84][85] Coexisting liver diseases, such as hepatitis C and cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis are also associated with an increased risk of NAFLD.[15][27] Some children were diagnosed as young as 2 years old, with a mean age of diagnosis between 11–13 years old.[79] The mean age is indeed usually above 10 years, as children can also report non-specific symptoms and are thus difficult to diagnose for NAFLD.[79]
Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with NAFLD than girls.[15][66] Overweight, or even weight gain, in childhood and adolescence is associated with an increased risk of NAFLD later in life, with adult NAFLD predicted in a 31-year follow-up study by risk factors during childhood including BMI, plasma insulin levels, male sex, genetic background (PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 variants) and low birth weight, an emerging risk factor for adulthood NAFLD.[11][15] In a study, simple steatosis was observed in up to 45% in children with a clinical suspicion of NAFLD.[15] Children with a simple steatosis have a worse prognosis than adults, with significantly more of them progressing from NAFLD to NASH compared to adults. Indeed, 17-25% of children with NAFLD develop a NASH in general, and up to 83% for children with severe obesity (versus 29% for adults), further suggesting that hepatic fibrosis seem to follow a more aggressive clinical course in children compared to adults.[79]
Early diagnosis of NAFLD in children may help prevent the development of liver disease during adulthood.[83][86] This is challenging as most children with NAFLD are asymptomatic with only 42-59% showing abdominal pain.[15][86] Other symptoms might be present, such as right upper quadrant pain or acanthosis nigricans, the latter being frequently observed in NASH patients, or hepatomegaly found in 30–40% of children with NAFLD.[15]
Liver biopsies for diagnosis in children should be done when the diagnosis is unclear or before starting a potentially hepatotoxic medical therapy according to AASLD.[2] The EASL suggest using fibrosis tests such as elastometry, acoustic radiation force impulse imaging and serum biomarkers in order to reduce the number of biopsies.[14] In followup, children should be offered a regular NAFLD screening for advanced liver fibrosis every two years using the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) blood test according to NICE.[6] Several studies also suggest magnetic resonance elastography as an alternative to the less reliable ultrasonography.[15]
Intensive lifestyle modifications, including physical activity and dietary changes, should be the first line of treatment according to AASLD and EASL as it improves the liver histology and aminotransferases levels. In terms of pharmacological treatment, metformin should be avoided but Vitamin E may improve liver health for some children.[2][14] The NICE advises the use of Vitamin E for children with advanced liver fibrosis, whether they have diabetes or not.[6] The only treatment shown to be truly effective in childhood NAFLD is weight loss.[87]
There is some evidence that maternal undernutrition or overnutrition increases the susceptibility to NASH in childhood and hastens its progression over lifespan.[88]
Research [ edit ]
Diagnosis and biomarkers [ edit ]
Because diagnosis based on a liver biopsy is invasive and makes it difficult to estimate epidemiology, accurate and inexpensive and noninvasive methods of diagnosing and monitoring NAFLD disease progression are a research priority.[18][89] Search for these biomarkers of NAFLD, NAFL and NASH is involving lipidomics, medical imaging, proteomics, blood test and scoring systems.[18]
Magnetic resonance elastography was found to have a good sensitivity to quantify hepatic fat and excellent accuracy to detect fibrosis in NAFLD regardless of BMI and inflammation, and is suggested as a more reliable alternative to diagnose NAFLD and its progression to NASH compared to ultrasonography and blood tests.[15][18][90]
According to a 2018 Nature Review, proton density fat fraction estimation by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI-PDFF) should be considered the most accurate and even gold standard test to quantify hepatic steatosis. They recommend ultrasound-based elastography (FibroScan) to accurately diagnose both fibrosis and cirrhosis in a routine clinical setting, with more objectivity than ultrasonography but with a lower accuracy than magnetic resonance elastography; and plasma cytokeratin 18 (CK18) fragment levels to be a moderately accurate biomarker of steatohepatitis.[18]
Drug development [ edit ]
Drug development for NASH is very active and advancing rapidly. New drugs are being designed to target various intrahepatic sites, from regulating lipids and glucose homeostasis, to oxidant stress and mitochondrial targets in hepatocytes, inflammatory signals on hepatocytes and intracellular targets related to stellate cell activation and fibrogenesis.[13] As of 2018, clinical trials are underway for cenicriviroc, elafibranor, obeticholic acid and selonsertib in phase 3, and several others in phase 2.[4][2][13][91] Since NAFLD is a complex disease that involves several organs and tissues, combination therapies (combining compounds) and conjugate therapies (combining drugs and non-pharmacological therapies such as behavioral therapies or lifestyle changes) are investigated as a way to increase drugs efficiencies.[13][29] However, most trials were relatively short, from 3 to 18 months, whereas real world use will involve administration in the long-term.[13]
Lobbying [ edit ]
In France, the French syndicate of non alcoholic beverages «Boissons Rafraîchissantes de France» including soda producers such as Coca-Cola France, Orangina, PepsiCo France among others, was denounced by the French journal w:fr:Canard Enchainé for misleading consumers using a communication on their website titled "Better understanding the NASH pathology",[92] explaining that "NASH pathology is sometimes called the soda illness by language abuse or an unfortunate semantic shortcut, as it is not directly linked to the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages." Other pages on the same website such as one titled "Say no to disinformation" were since then removed.[93]
References [ edit ] |
Can you believe this month marks seven years since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published?
The final book in the Harry Potter series was released on July 21, 2007. This is an important anniversary in the fandom that cannot be passed over without any fanfare.
Call us abnormally hopeful, but it seems like Rowling has been hinting at something in recent weeks. Let’s review:
1) J.K. Rowling is busy writing
Sure, she’s probably always busy writing, but Rowling felt the need to tell us about a particular writing session on Twitter in mid-June:
It's been a looooong writing day and it's time to give my fingers a rest. No writer ever had more wonderful fans. Thank you X Article Continues Below — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 18, 2014
It could be another Cormoran Strike novel, it could be for the Fantastic Beasts trilogy, or it could be for the seventh anniversary of Deathly Hallows. Why does she thank the fans in this tweet if it wasn’t some sort of milestone moment?
2) The ‘Potter’ fandom is as hot as ever
The Diagon Alley expansion at Universal Orlando just opened its doors, and as if that wasn’t enough to excite the fandom on one particular day, Rowling also felt the need to drop a new Harry Potter short story which was picked up by every media outlet imaginable. Surely this was planned purposely, but why? Does Team Potter want to rev up the fandom as much as possible for something ahead of July 21, 2014?
3) The new ‘Potter’ short story hints at a July 31 release
At the very end of the new short story “written” by Rita Skeeter we learn that the gossip columnist will publish a new book titled Dumbledore’s Army: The Dark Side of the Demob on July 31 – Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s birthday. So many fans loved the new short story, so everyone is now hoping that this supposed book is a real thing.
What’s more: This is one of the only times Rowling has released a present-day Potter story, meaning that July 31 date is specifically referencing the year 2014. This one is in addition to a recent slew of present-day Quidditch World Cup reports on Pottermore.
Maybe we can take a present-day Rita Skeeter book announcement as a major clue.
4) The new ‘Potter’ short story teases more drama for Harry
Rita Skeeter openly wonders in one part of her Quidditch World Cup report, “Is the Chosen One embroiled in fresh mysteries that will one day explode upon us all, plunging us into a new age of terror and mayhem?”
One could read into this and think that Rowling is plotting an entire new series focused on Harry’s life as an Auror. We know she loves foreshadowing!
5) The pesky Encyclopedia
Fans have been clamoring for a Harry Potter Encyclopedia since Deathly Hallows was published. What if the seven-year anniversary was marked by the announcement of this long-awaited book? Rowling hinted that one was in development two years ago.
6) ‘Potter’ has been on Rowling’s mind a lot lately
Between Pottermore, Diagon Alley (rumor has it Rowling visited a few weeks ago), Fantastic Beasts, and relentless fans on Twitter asking questions like how Hogwarts students deal with their period, this is one of the busiest times in Harry Potter in recent memory. The time is now – seven years since the last book – to deliver what Muggles have wanted: More Harry Potter.
7) The number seven
The Harry Potter series has been obsessed with the number seven. Just look at MuggleNet’s list of all the references to that magical number in the book series. Rowling can’t let this opportunity slip by without revealing or saying something important.
Do we have a case or are we overthinking it?
Here’s what we want, plain and simple: Announce a new Potter series and/or Encyclopedia that’ll be published next year.
All GIFs provided by Giphy. |
At its heart, Animal Crossing is a game that's all about personal flair, customization, and expressing yourself. And now that even franchises like Pokemon allow players to choose their skin color, some are wondering: why doesn't Animal Crossing allow you to do the same thing?
All player characters in Nintendo's intensely charming life sim start off as white, although the games have typically allowed players to get a tan if they stay out in the sun for long enough:
The tan eventually wears off, but the inclusion of this mechanic makes it clear that the game already has the assets for a variety of skin colors...it just doesn't let you pick them. (Although obviously, I imagine allowing players to choose their skin color would still take work to properly implement). It should be noted that other facial features are dictated by the game itself, depending on what you say at the beginning of the game—although later you get to customize aspects such as hair style. Savvy players might look at a FAQ to ensure that they look how they desire. Nintendo also added the ability to customize small details with New Leaf, such as socks and shoes.
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For now, many fans have taken to Twitter and other places around the web to voice their concerns to Nintendo—they're hoping for a patch of sorts. Here's a small selection of Tweets, although you can peruse the @ replies in their entirety here:
ur character's skin tone changes when you wear a mii mask, not just when ur tan. come on @ nintendoamerica u can do this. it's already there
please let people choose their skin color in animal crossing! it's important that everyone is able to play as themselves.
I think it would be a Good Idea for a whole bunch of folks to message @ NintendoAmerica asking for this option as a patch in New Leaf.
Hey @ NintendoAmerica having different, non tanning skin tones in New Leaf would make this game even more amazing.
Hey @ NintendoAmerica patch in skin tones in # ACNL because it's really unfair to make your players be white
hi @ NintendoAmerica good job on the gender thing but my non-white friends are still forced to play as a white character pls fix that
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Update: It should also be noted that New Leaf has something called a "Mii Mask," which players can wear to look like their Miis. Miis allow players to choose skin color, meaning that players could sport a darker skin color in New Leaf if they choose—but only on their face. The rest of the character's body retains your original tan level.
Mii masks can be attained in-game via a beauty salon called "Shampoodle." Shampoodle is unlocked after players meet special requirements, such as already having the Kicks shoestore.
We have contacted Nintendo to see if they have any plans to allow players to change or pick skin color in a less roundabout way, and will update with a follow-up if we hear back. |
Mannheim was a convenient layover on our weekend train journey to Karlsruhe. We had just enough time for lunch, so we decided to head to one of the coolest lunch spots in the city.
Enter the Fernmedleturm Tower – a telecommunication tower that stands over 700 feet tall. It was built in the 1970s and sits on the banks of the Neckar river. We took the lift up to the Skyline restaurant, which is a revolving restaurant that sits at 400 feet within the tower. Fortunately, we found it quite empty as we didn’t think to make a reservation – a common mistake foreigners make when eating out in Germany.
The reception area, kitchen, and restrooms are all in the inner part of the restaurant. The tables are on the outer, revolving edge. The turning section is less than ten feet wide and turns quickly enough that you notice but not so fast that you’re dizzy. We enjoyed our sky high view of Mannheim, seen between the many support beams, as we ate lunch.
Most of the beams have names on them to give you an idea of what you are seeing in the distance.
For once I didn’t mind the slower pace of German meals. We lingered over our meal for nearly an hour and a half so that we could experience a full 360 degree rotation of the restaurant. While the slowly changing views made the experience worth it, the food at the Skyline restaurant was just okay. We both ordered the signature Skyline burger with fries, but the burger tasted very strange to me. I think it was simply a difference in the meat and perhaps the cooking style (or the fact that my taste buds are picky and American). I was also quite amused when we were served three ketchup packets on a platter with our meal. I do miss the bottles of ketchup that adorn American restaurant tables – just one of the many differences between Germany and the USA.
We ended up paying €50 for two meals and two soft drinks plus the €4 charge per person to take the lift up to the restaurant. There’s also an option to take the lift to the observation deck instead.
Overall, I definitely recommend the tower restaurant and I’d like to visit again. We had some time left before our next train, so we were able to fit in a few more sights in Mannheim.
We saw Friedrichsplatz as crews prepared for some Fasching celebrations.
The building behind the hastily erected Ferris wheel is the old water tower. It was built in 1886 and is nothing like American water towers with its Romanesque style, open staircase, and sculptures. It was a favorable spot for love locks.
The surrounding area is gorgeous, even in winter.
Our last stop was the Mannheimer Schloss (palace), which remains functional as the main building of the University of Mannheim.
We caught a glimpse of the Mannheimer Traditionscorps practicing at the palace. They appeared to be practicing for a Fasching parade.
We spent just under five hours in Mannheim and I’ve already bookmarked several places, including the Rose garden, the Städtischer Hauptfriedhof, and the Planetarium, in my hopes that we’ll visit again.
Have you been to Mannheim? What would you recommend?
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What the Media’s Not Telling You About Amber Heard
As online commenters and some members of the press malign the bisexual actress, an important part of the story is being left out.
When news broke last Thursday that Amber Heard may have been abused by Johnny Depp, I was already having a pretty disturbing day. I had just learned that Blake Leibel, for whom I had worked for as a proofreader and writer until last December, had murdered his girlfriend. And now seeing that one of my favorite childhood idols quite possibly used his bisexual wife as a punching bag, it suddenly seemed like no matter how well you know someone — whether they’re a celebrity or someone in your personal life — they can always turn out to be someone you never expected.
But the attacks Amber Heard received for being bisexual were entirely expected. The media suddenly painted her as an evil gold digger who was cheating on Johnny with other bisexual celebrities — like Cara Delevingne (convenient, much?).
A particular disturbing article in Hollywood Life blamed Heard’s “bisexual tendencies” for the marriage falling apart. FYI — bisexuality isn’t a “tendency.” It’s an identity. One that doesn’t make you any more likely to cheat on your partner than someone of any other orientation.
Suddenly, everyone from tabloids to Depp’s biggest fans on Twitter were telling us that marks on her face were not real, that she used stage makeup to fake the bruises. And the PR machine for the massive movie star allegedly sprung into overdrive to paint Amber as a fraud, a victim who suspiciously cracked a smile once she was finally free of her abuser at a party the next day — because, don’t you know, domestic violence victims are only allowed to sulk. But she got criticized for that, too, after she left a court hearing “pretending” to be really upset while sporting a bruise on her cheek.
Aside from a few articles, the media seemed to skim over Depp’s penchant for getting wasted and allegedly growing biphobically paranoid about his queer wife’s friendships with gay women like Tillet Wright. The media have unnaturally focused on the blond bisexual actress who dared to make us think yucky things about one of our favorite movie stars, the quirk master in general. And after all, her bruises weren’t that big. No, they were just shaped like the cell phone she claims he threw at her.
But what the media’s not telling you about Amber Heard is that she’s just another statistic, a casualty of the high rates of abuse that everyday bisexual women face. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2013 found that 61 percent of bisexual women have a lifetime prevalence of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner — as opposed to 35 percent of heterosexual women and 43 percent of lesbians.
If that’s not enough for you, try this — 49 percent of bisexual women have a lifetime prevalence of severe physical violence by an intimate partner (e.g., being hit with a fist or something hard, slammed against something, or beaten), as opposed to 23 percent of heterosexual women and 29 percent of lesbians. In other words, there’s an epidemic of violence against bisexual women that no one in the media seems to care to report — even with a celebrity news peg.
No one in the media seems to know about these numbers, let alone question why they are so high. But the answer can be seen clear as day in Amber’s case — in the abuser’s mind, a bisexual woman could be cheating on him (or her) with anyone. This leads to more frequent instances of irrational jealousy from the abuser that also serves to isolate the victim from allies and friends of the same sex.
So you can cry for the injustice of it all — that a middle-aged man landed a woman half his age and might have to give her some of his $400 million for the suffering that he caused her. Or you can tell your friends about the horrific abuse statistics for bisexual women and try to carve out some empathy for a community no one seems to deem relevant enough to mention.
For me, and thousands of other bisexual women like me, it’s a no-brainer — #ImWithAmber.
#StillBisexual campaign and coauthor of The Bisexual’s Guide to the Universe: Quips, Tips and Lists for Those Who Go Both Ways |
The unlikely star of the Ottawa Senators’ miraculous playoff drive will use his goalie mask this season to honour Jonathan Pitre, the iron-willed “butterfly child” who became an inspiration for the hockey team.
Goalie Andrew Hammond’s new mask features a large red-and-black butterfly beside the stylized initials JP on the back of his helmet.
When I saw it, I had to look twice to realize what it was and what it meant.
“I wanted him to feel special and let him know how much he has inspired me, the fans of Ottawa, and the entire hockey world,” Hammond told the Citizen in an email exchange.
Pitre, 15, suffers from one of the most painful conditions known to medicine, Epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disease that causes his skin to endlessly blister, shear and scar. In severe cases such as Pitre’s, it hurts to walk, eat and bathe. Those who suffer from the disease are sometimes known as butterfly children because their skin is so fragile.
But the disease has not stopped Pitre, a Grade 10 student, from helping other people with EB — he has raised more than $100,000 for the EB charity, Debra Canada — or from pursuing his passion for sports. Pitre wants to become a hockey scout or sports broadcaster.
Last year, after the Citizen told his story, the Senators made him an honourary scout for a day. He became a fixture at games, a frequent visitor to the players’ dressing room, and talisman for a team that conjured a wondrous finish to the season. The Sens won 23 of their final 31 games to vault seven teams and secure a playoff berth.
Improbably, a journeyman known as the Hamburglar — pressed into service because the team’s two leading goalies were injured — backstopped the team during its playoff drive. He posted a 1.79 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage in 24 pressure-packed games.
Hammond, 27, who recently signed a three-year, $4.05 million contract with the team, said he first read about Pitre while playing with the American Hockey League (AHL) Binghamton Senators. He then travelled with Pitre to the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, where Hammond was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player whose performance best showcased perseverance and dedication.
“I think Senators fans attached themselves to Jonathan and his story because he teaches us all a lesson: a reminder that we are only given this one chance at life — and we have to enjoy the moments we have,” said Hammond, who unveiled his new mask on Twitter.
Related
The mask was designed by Alberta-based artist, Jason Bartziokas.
Bartziokas, 37, said he added the initials JP to the design to ensure fans understood why a butterfly has joined Alfred E. Neuman — the Mad magazine character famed for his catchphrase, “What, me worry?” — dressed as the McDonald’s Hamburglar on Hammond’s helmet.
“I’m inspired by Jonathan’s story and his outlook on life,” said Bartziokas, a goalie who started painting masks as a hobby and now produces more than 40 custom designs each year.
For his part, Pitre said he was thrilled when he found out about the honour. “That’s crazy,” he said. “When I saw it, I had to look twice to realize what it was and what it meant.”
Pitre has spent his summer taking a high school French credit and watching the Toronto Blue Jays make their playoff run. “It’s an exciting streak that the Jays are having, but hockey is hockey and I can’t wait for the season to start,” he said.
Pitre will undergo two skin graft surgeries in September. He hopes the grafts on his back and legs will allow some of his open wounds to heal. His long-awaited trip to see the Northern Lights has been postponed while he recovers.
aduffy@ottawacitizen.com |
CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Joe Maddon laid out his plan for a three-headed catching rotation on Monday, indicating Miguel Montero will catch for Jake Arrieta while David Ross will be behind the plate for Jon Lester.
It could allow rookie Willson Contreras to catch the Cubs' other three starters.
Maddon discussed his plans before Contreras got his first career start in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
"If we can get Contreras two out of five, possibly a three spot once in a while, I think that can keep him somewhat solvent," Maddon said.
While Contreras is off to a good start in the majors after tearing through Triple-A, Montero is struggling offensively and defensively. Contreras, a day after he was brought in as a pinch hitter and homered in his first career at-bat, threw out his first runner Monday night.
"If he does [take the job], it's for the right reasons," Montero said. "He's young, full of excitement, lots of energy. It's all good, especially because it's Willson."
Montero will still get his at-bats but no longer is he the Cubs' starting catcher as they head toward the second half of the season.
Montero has been through this before, as the Cubs carried three catchers early last season before trading Welington Castillo.
Back then Montero, who is hitting .202 while throwing out only two of 32 attempted base stealers this season, bristled at the notion of sitting so often. He now says he has moved on from it.
"I can't do anything about it," Montero said. "Plus it's a good opportunity for Willson.
"You don't want to hit .200, but it's not bothering me whatsoever. It's not even on my mind."
Montero says he recommended Contreras to his agent last year when he saw the prospect at Double-A while he was rehabbing an injury. This came as Contreras was starting to make headlines. Incidentally, Montero's agent signed him and Contreras has not slowed since.
"He's the guy of the future for the Cubs," Montero said. "At this point in my career, in this clubhouse, it's about winning. Stats don't concern me. I call a good game. That's a big part. My pitchers are doing great.
"I'm not afraid to lose my job. I've always said that because I know what I'm capable of doing, and if I can help someone else in the same position I'd be more than happy. [Kyle] Schwarber last year and now Contreras. When I retire and go home I would like the catchers that took my job to say 'man, he helped me so much' -- not that he hates me. He likes me and I did something good."
Montero is owed $14 million in the last year of his deal in 2017, so the assumption is he and Contreras will split time knowing Schwarber could also log time behind the plate.
For now, Maddon plans to use his young weapon as much as it makes sense for a rookie on a contending team.
"As we move forward, if he were to pinch hit he could actually finish some games because his arm definitely plays in the latter part of the game throwing runners out," Maddon said. "We'll be creative."
Maddon indicated he didn't need to talk with Montero about reduced playing time. And he sounds more than fine with it.
"Hopefully he takes full advantage of me and David [Ross] to help him out as much as we can," Montero said. "I'm here for you. Whatever you need. It's not like me when I came up. I didn't have help from anyone else. It was just me. Now he has people. I'm a big fan of Willson." |
Wes Borland is the guitarist in Limp Bizkit, and you probably remember him as the guy with the makeup and the weird contact lenses in the band’s videos. Even when the band was at its commerically dominant peak, Borland was something of a reluctant participant. There was a “Nookie”-era SPIN cover story that described him a the guy who tries to make the rest of the band listen to Ween on the tour bus, and he said that he didn’t imagine he’d be in the band for much longer. Well, he wasn’t, and then he was again. Borland has quit and returned to the band a few times over the years. But now he’s back in, and he seems to really, truly hate it.
As Metal Injection points out, Limp Bizkit is currently gearing up to play the ShipRocked cruise, which also features bands like Buckcherry, Sevendust, and P.O.D. This is not a dream gig for Borland. In a recent Instagram post, here’s how he described his feelings:
Getting all packed up this week for Broatchella 2015. It’s the same as Brochella but it’s off land. Can’t wait to see me some roided out tribal tattooed spray tanned Jell-O shot filled bohunks do their best drunk MMA impressions in the top deck mosh pit. Whenever we aren’t on stage, I’ll be curled up fetal position in my cabin, palms up, while I desperately cling to the last week of my thirties as it slips through my hooked fingers. So, I’d like to give a shout out now to all the other over-the-hill late nineties/early 2000s bands going on the cruise: Let’s give these people the raging alcohol fueled nostalgia fest they’re paying for guys! I know we can do it if we tune down low enough!
Also, there’s this:
I'm sorry to announce that @samrivers will not be playing Brochella with us. Sorry LB fans. pic.twitter.com/RyLlljEZzj — Wes Borland (@wesborland) January 20, 2015
And this:
I'd like to pose with a dead @KidRock … Fuck you — Wes Borland (@wesborland) January 23, 2015
Remember when Kid Rock shouted out Bizkit on “American Badass”? Happier times…
Borland’s story is a pretty fascinating one. He’s an art-school kid and a jazz-guitar virtuoso who would rather be playing with his industrial side project. But he keeps coming back to Bizkit, presumably because it pays the bills. Plenty of us have had to work jobs we hate, but Borland’s job is to be the guy who used to be on TRL, and if he hates it, he really just has himself to blame. Michael, who will certainly weigh in in the comments section, regards Borland as one of the people who profited by destroying metal in the ’90s. And that makes sense! But don’t you feel just a tiny bit sad for him? |
After his colleague Elizabeth Warren was silenced by the Senate on Tuesday night, Bernie Sanders read Coretta Scott King's letter protesting Jeff Sessions to the body on Wednesday morning. Warren had begun reading the letter before the assembled Senate on Tuesday when Senate Majority Leader invoked Senate Rule XIX to force Warren to cede her floor time. The rule states that Senators may not "by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator." Despite the fact that the words were not Warren's own, a party line vote forced her off the floor to the immediate outrage of millions following the situation across the country.
"The idea that a letter,= and a statement made by Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., a letter that she wrote, could not be presented and spoken about here on the floor of the Senate, is to me incomprehensible," Sanders said before reading the letter. "I want the American people to make a decision whether or not we should be able to look at Senator Sessions' record and hear from one of the heroines of the Civil Rights Movement."
Other Senators had actually preceded Sanders in making this act of protest, including Senators Tom Udall, Sherrod Brown, and Jeff Merkley. None of the men were forced to cede their floor time by the enforcement of Rule XIX. That's most likely because Senate Republicans were trying to avoid making a bad situation worse, but it proves a point nonetheless. As Warren was silenced Tuesday night, online commentators remarked that a similar situation had happened about two years ago. Ted Cruz called McConnell himself a liar from the Senate floor, but the rule was not invoked at the time. The idea of a male senator being treated the way Warren was is almost unthinkable, and the Senate reinforced that perceived sexism with its actions on Wednesday.
The fight against Sessions' nomination, as well as the recent twist of Warren's treatment by the Senate, has quickly become a perceived microcosm of the larger issues facing the federal government. The willingness to listen to other perspectives and respond meaningfully to them is disappearing from Congress, and with it, the intended purpose of representative democracy. Without these strongholds, it will be easier for authoritarianism to rise, as it always has in the absence of compassionate, humanistic leadership. The senators protesting are trying to rebuild that kind of government, but for now, it's dependent on how the Republicans respond. |
There’s a paradox in video game cinema. The industry’s stalwart money-making techniques of rampant special effects and gratuitous sexuality have, while nabbing some successful releases, ultimately failed so far in crafting a proven formula for adapting interactive entertainment into consistently lucrative film franchises. While porting over similar budgets to more talented production crews may inch the transition closer to profitability, the twenty year past with video game films have made them toxic assets, a quick cash in on the momentary popularity of a video game license. The paradoxical solution to the problem then surfaces: if the necessary innovation towards good video game films cannot be found in basic Hollywood, it must be discovered in independent cinema. However, it is this same independent cinema that must also include the spectacle trappings of big budget films to attract a wide enough market for profitability. It seems like an impossible compromise, asking low budget crews to film beyond their means in order to attract more wealthy companies into the fold.
…Enter “Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy.”
Made on a micro-budget of 10,000 Euros (or $13,000,) the film is the product of a small group of Italian students turned filmmakers. The film was made available for free this past September, and can be found for both streaming and downloading (on multiple formats) at http://www.mgs-philanthropy.net.
There isn’t a more film-worthy video game character than Solid Snake. The biggest argument lobbied against his native franchise of Metal Gear Solid is that the cutscenes – while cinematically presented and intricately dialogued – are too long. Taking the series from the HD to the silver screen would seem common sense from a producer’s standpoint, but so far the grizzled special-ops soldier has yet to have a Hollywood adventure. He has, however, managed to make an appearance in an Italian non-profit fan film, and if Snake’s future in theaters is as bright as captured by Hive Division, then action films have a new leading man.
Set in 2007, at the brink of the second Metal Gear Solid (Sons of Liberty) game’s opening exploits. Solid Snake has joined with the radical fringe organization Philanthropy, whose aim of ridding the world of the walking weapons of mass destruction known as Metal Gears fits right into his own. His mission right now is the infiltration of the “Overnight Nation,” aka a small Middle Eastern area in the made up Daskasan region near the Armenian border. Snake’s initial initiative is the recovery of United States Senator Abraham Bishop. However, the mission quickly takes a turn for the near-supernatural as the region holds a weapons facility with many uncomfortable secrets.
Snake is not alone in this discovery, however, as he is joined on this mission by sniper-extraordinaire Pierre Leclerc and soldier-recluse Elizabeth Laeken. The former sports a more laid-back attitude and acts as the film’s philosophical voice towards the second half, with the latter having an unnerving past of dead commanding officers behind her. As Snake’s personality clashes with his officers, secrets about them all are slowly revealed as the tension – and gunfire – mounts.
The story of ‘Philanthropy’ oozes Kojima-love from the first frame onward. Lofty prose mixes decently with the series’ patented technical double-speak, the result successfully recreating the feeling of a Metal Gear game for the most part. The unfortunate byproduct of such a close translation is that the film also recreates the initial difficulty inherent in the franchises’ opening moments. Fans of the series will immediately tack onto the buzzwords and adore the near-cheesy techno-militant style, but new-comers will most likely feel uneasy in the presence of such a mixture of cinematic traditions. Those that stick with, however, will quickly acclimate to the style and by the time the character Elizabeth is introduced, will surprise themselves by how deep their interest in the narrative has grown. ‘Philanthropy’ also manages to tackle the game franchise’s occasional self-reflexive humor, although the effect is 100 times tackier in film form.
The script is solid throughout, with the occasional breach of sense detracting from the immersion. The film’s English dub does a decent job for most scenes, with its more obvious lapses in translation breaking the narrative absorption only enough to be humorous. Solid Snake’s dubbed voice is incredibly true to character, enough to give him an emotional dimension that the dub regretfully strips from most other characters.The biggest complaint that arises from the plot is its ending, a horrendous sputtering out of blatant cliff-hanger lines that feels more incredibly rushed. Considering how much of the film’s anemic length is spent on the expositional mission briefing, the lack of a balanced epilogue feels cheated.
The most astounding thing ‘Philanthropy’ has in its favor is its special effects, epitomized in vista and landscape shots that easily rival anything from Hollywood. Model work has its moment in 360-pan glory as well, in a level of pride that is refreshing to see such independent work taking. The Metal Gears themselves also receive an exceptional degree of authenticity as well, even while admittedly lacking in the final polish that most Tinseltown money shots. Bullet shots are above average, and bloodwork is incredibly well done for the 1% it’s not completely digital. Sound design wise “Philanthropy” fares better than expected, the assorted electronic background beeps adding their expected layer of believability (and yes, the codex call sounds are included and done as well as that mechanic can possibly be.) The sound editing shines brightest with the Metal Gears, their animalistic wails of pain and grunts of effort successfully bringing out the mech’s bestial under-tones to light. The costumes recall the game’s most recognizable assets with impressive attention to detail, Snake’s own uniform bearing all the iconic trappings expected.
The final rearing of Hive Divison’s fan-boy head is the film’s framing, most non-action scenes shot with noticeable reverence to the game franchise’s cinematography. As the adrenaline picks up the film takes more distance than the video game series was comfortable with, the production crew favoring sweeping low angle tracking and panning shots that – while departing from the Kojima aesthetic – look bloody cool. The ratio between dialogue and action mirrors the games, with a couple run and gun set-pieces spliced a bit too heavily towards the end. Oddly enough, the film sports a couple of digitally over-exposed shots that add nothing to the scene, and only distract the attention of the viewer.
“Metal Gear Solid: Philanthropy” is the best movie based on a video game in history. And it’s that exact fact that is hopefully going to change as more people hopefully become aware of this independent gem. The story runs into a brick wall at the end, and the directors seemed to favor an over-exposed motif for no apparent reason, but at its core, it’s a fan project that can serve as a newcomer’s entry into the franchise it adores. From its costumes and cinematography to its script and its acting, “Philanthropy” is not only a glowing tribute, but an independent film that can stand on its own right. Hollywood, take note, this is how you do it. |
The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutras community.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.
How It All Began: Submission Process in the Pre-Greenlight World
Steam is the biggest online game distribution platform and for indie game developers it has always been sort of a Holy Grail – many dreamt and keep dreaming of putting their game on Steam. I was not an exception and as we were one year developing our game, Legends of Eisenwald, I started collecting information about how to get on Steam - it was in 2011. It turned out to be quite a depressing task. I started to search Internet for tips and experiences of indie companies that managed to get their game on Steam. There were quite a few stories of initial rejection, of a long wait for a response and many others along with a few stories of success. Perplexed I decided to actually see how the process looks like.
It turned out that a submission process is very simple – there is a short form where you need to provide a name for your game, some description, link to a game build, some press quotes if you have any. And with a simple submit button it was supposed to be sent to people at Valve. Well, I really hoped our game would get someone's attention there but I had a lot of fears at the same time. What if our game gets rejected? What if they don’t respond for months? If rejected once, is it even possible that my game will be accepted the second time around? And these thoughts kept circulating in my head and I didn't have answers. There seemed to be no way to contact Valve other than through that submission form. Later I learned it’s possible to talk to them at a computer fair like GamesCom or PAX but still, often you need an appointment and that seemed also quite a challenge. There were a few articles that I found very helpful, one of them was here on Gamasutra by Scott Tykoski.
Greenlight Inception
Another year passed, it was 2012, we just finished our campaign at Kickstarter and started to think about submitting our game through this form. But then on July 9 came an announcement that Steam Greenlight will be released on August 30 and that it replaces previous submission process.
First I was upset, I had to rethink all our plans. But the more I read the news about this new way of getting games to Steam the more I liked what I saw. And I realized right away that equally to Kickstarter, Greenlight might become one of the greatest things happened to indie game developers – because Greenlight provides a new platform to reach more players for our game. Actually, this seems like a good road for developers: start making a game, make an alpha, then via Kickstarter and Greenlight into the release.
Steam Greenlight launched as announced and I was overwhelmed with the amount of games it featured. I spend several hours each day voting for games, some in my team too and that seemed so new and fun! For the first four days it was possible to see the individual rankings for each game but then Valve took them away. I think they might have figured that open rankings give popular games more views making the process less fair to other games. The rankings looked like this:
Greenlight Pipeline
Then once a month about 10-15 games were greenlit. We were working very hard on our game and tried to learn what had to be done to be accepted at Steam. That initial splash of votes was really great yet it gave me fears about our game not doing so well. A couple of things were clear though – I saw that projects receive a lot of votes and exposure in the first days but then the votes declined. Also, projects with some promotion were definitely doing better than games that were just put out there with just hopes of being seen by many people.
And in December we launched our Greenlight campaign. We sent our press releases, invited our backers from Kickstarter to vote for us and we were doing really well – we got into top 100 games in just 6 days. Back then the statistics of a project owners looked like this:
Basically, it’s the same information then the rankings in the first four days but available only to developers regarding their own game but no other games are seen.
The feedback in comments on our game was overwhelmingly positive – I heard about other projects when people were writing bad or even mean stuff about games but luckily it didn’t happen to us. I deleted just a few spam comments and a few comments that were using expletives. We answered a lot of questions, kept posting updates and news and it was really a lot of fun.
Greenlight Evolution
Then in January Greenlight evolved once more and statistics became much more informative, including at least some anonymous comparison to other projects (even though sometimes if there was a game that was launched after us, we could figure out by looking how many days the game was on Greenlight). Here are examples of how the statistics looked for Legends of Eisenwald back in January:
After good first month the amount of votes we were receiving kept declining. We were trying to do some promotion but since the game wasn’t really polished at that moment it was not an easy thing to do. There were some articles in press about our game, sometimes a video preview and the result of all those things was visible, votes would spike a bit that day.
But still, despite low amount of visitors we kept climbing higher. When a new batch of games was accepted, we would get significantly higher because mostly games ahead of us were accepted. Sometimes very popular games like Papers Please would overtake us and many other games but still, most games display similar to ours dynamic.
At the beginning of April we were in top 20 games, and after the next batch we got into top 10. Where we stayed until we got greenlit on May 17th. By this time Steam started greenlighting games more frequent but would take a bit less and we felt very happy.
Here are our stats one week before we were greenlit:
Happy Birthday Greenlight
Valve kept accepting games and on Aug 28 accepted biggest batch ever, 100 games! Which brings the number of greenlit games to 176 and 61 released. Over 1300 games will still compete for the votes of players but it remains to be seen how many games will be accepted next. I don't think another 100 will come anytime soon. Also, to celebrate, Steam put all released greenlit indie games on sale, nice move.
So, why Steam Greenlight is actually good for developers?
I read many articles with developers complaining of not being accepted. With over 1300 existing games now it is probably hard for Valve to accept them all. They are making a good effort but competition is healthy. And they promise to increase throughput in the future, so if you have a game put it out! Who knows, it might work faster then you think.
Greenlight is not a perfect system, for players it's not easy at all to dig through so many titles. I saw a few who said they voted for everything (as did I) but it's a minority. And Valve could do some incentives for voting and I am sure it will happen. In my mind, Valve is a company that goes and experiments with things and it's much better than being stuck in one particular business model.
Same thing applies to Greenlight. It's not perfect but it's a giant leap from what the submission process used to be. Here are some important things why I think Greenlight is great:
There is no risk of immediate rejection;
It is a new platform to display a game to many potential customers. When we were greenlit, we had 115k visitors, 47k yes votes, and that's a big amount;
It's possible to track the effect of a promotion campaign by looking at the statistics (the more press the better, of course);
In case of mistakes or even PR nightmares it's no rejection and you just have to keep working towards your goal, it's a delay;
You receive a feedback about your game, an honest and brutal sometimes, yet very helpful;
Valve asks developers for feedback on how to improve service and implements new things (look how the statistics evolved);
Direct contact for developers with Valve in Greenlight Dev group which was virtually impossible before Greenlight.
Negative complaints about Greenlight are mostly about games not having enough visibility and that's definitely can be improved. But at the same time Valve cannot do everything, it's a job of developers as well to promote their game.
Possible improvements from discussions I participated in the forums and in Greenlight developers group:
Improve interface of the Steam store page to increase visibility of Greenlight projects (random displaying of some projects is one solution);
Create again top 10, 20, 50 or 100 lists - this will be mostly helpful for games already in good position but at the same time it will give more press coverage to Greenlight;
Give access to Steamworks SDK if a game enters top50 or top100 and stays there for some time.
I am positive Greenlight will keep evolving and Valve will do other innovative and fun things with it and their other projects.
I hope it was interesting and/or helpful, and would love to hear your comments! |
Democrats are fighting back. It's dangerous only if its Clinton.
Democratic group are launching requests for investigations. I hope this gets more attention and traction.
We need to stop these endless fake investigations from hypocrites.
I don't know why the Bush 22 million emails missing isn't used more as a talking point or the deaths around the world when other people were Secretary of State yet there were no investigations.
Democrats have to fight back this is a war not just a election. The Republicans are not for Country first. They are willing to let Trump become the next President of the United States for tax cuts.
They know what all of us know about him.They may know more then we do.They had millions of dollars to do opposition research yet the do nothing. It’s time to fight back with everything we have and put them on defense.
“The man who has promised to lead the investigations of Hillary Clinton if she wins the White House, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) is under new scrutiny for his potential use of an illegal private email server.”
www.politicususa.com/…
The Democratic Coalition Against Trump is fighting back. Here are just a couple of the things they have been up to:
1.Chris Christie Busted And Reported To The Department Of Justice For Voting Rights Violations
www.politicususa.com/…
2.FBI Complaint Filed Against Rudy Giuliani for Knowledge of Russian Hacks
Read more: hinterlandgazette.com/...
Joan Walsh from the Nation:
Joan Walsh of The Nation asks a question many of us in the media have been pondering over the last few days: When did Jason Chaffetz find out about this Comey letter?
Walsh says:
There is a lot of speculation that he had heads up on the Comey revelation. He tweeted it out before his Democratic colleagues had gotten the letter. He seemed to know that something was coming. He actually reversed his Trump endorsement the day before. What was his role? Was he leaked some of this new information so that he put pressure on Comey?
First of all, we start with Chaffetz, endorsing Trump, then un-endorsing him three weeks ago, then re-endorsing him four days ago. Yes, he flipped, flopped and flipped back again in just a few weeks. I have whiplash from trying to keep up.
So the first two flips and flops I get. First, he supported the GOP nominee. Fine. Party lines and all. And then he flopped to un-endorse after the release of that horrific "grab that p*ssy" video by saying: "I'm out. I can no longer in good conscience endorse this person for president" because he could no longer look his 15-year-old daughter in the eye after what he called "some of the most abhorrent and offensive comments that you can possibly imagine."
Anything for tax cuts and to destroy the social safety net that works of the majority. |
Now that the Asterisk® and Google Voice marriage is finally underway, we wanted to step back today and revise the original methodology a bit to take advantage of some of the terrific comments which were offered in response to our last article. First, the good news. U.S. calls through Google Voice using Asterisk work! They sound great, and they're free. The not so good news was that the MeetMe conferencing trick to join your outbound call with the Google Voice click-to-dial return call from your destination worked great so long as a real person answered the phone. But, if an answering machine picked up or no one answered the call at all, there were problems because these calls already had been transferred to the MeetMe conference and there was no simple way to disconnect them. And the need for two DIDs to support a single Google Voice interface just seemed a bit wasteful.
9/1/2010 Update: A good bit has changed with Google Voice since this article was first published. For the definitive guide and installation procedure, we highly recommend The Incredible PBX and accompanying article which can be found at this link. Google Voice (and much more) already is included in our new PBX which is literally Plug-and-Play. If you prefer to roll your own, be sure to also have a look at this excellent update on the Michigan Telephone Blog.
Today we want to try to eliminate these two quirks while stiill providing a seamless interface between Google Voice and Asterisk. We also appreciate that thousands of you already have implemented the previous approach. So we want your transition to the new way of doing things to be as painless as possible. On the other hand, for frequent readers, we hope you'll bear with us as we repeat some of what already has been covered in previous articles so new visitors don't have to jump around between articles to get the complete picture of what we're trying to accomplish.
The objective remains the same. We want a methodology that lets us make outbound calls from any Asterisk phone using the Google Voice service to take advantage of free calling in the United States and Canada. And we want calls to our Google Voice number delivered to our Asterisk system for transparent call processing. Yes, SIP is still on our wish list for both outbound and inbound calls with Google Voice, but we'll make do with PSTN calls particularly while Google is footing the bill for all of the calls.
Update: There's now a turnkey Asterisk solution that implements Google Voice calling without getting your hands dirty. Check out our new Orgasmatron V.
Tweaked Design. Here's the new design. You obviously still need a free Google Voice account. If you don't have one, you can request an invite here. At last report, it's only taking a few days from application to invite which is really great news. Don't use a space in your Google Voice password! Once you have a Google Voice account and phone number (Google has reserved a million of them so... not to worry!), then you'll need a DID that provides unlimited, free incoming calls. Once you get your DID set up on your Asterisk system, we'll set up a forwarding phone number for this DID in your Google Voice account so that Google Voice calls can be connected to your Asterisk server.
For outbound calls, we'll combine a little dialplan voodoo with pygooglevoice to instruct Asterisk to place a click-to-dial call using your Google Voice forwarding number. Then we'll stuff in the destination U.S. phone number. When you dial GV-678-1234567 from any of your Asterisk phones, Asterisk will park your initial call in a reserved parking lot slot and then join the called party to the originally parked call. The entire procedure is virtually transparent both to the caller and the callee. And, unlike the MeetMe conference, the parking lot fades out of the picture as soon as the call is connected. Thus, if either party hangs up, the active channel for the call is terminated on your Asterisk server.
For inbound calls from your Google Voice number, we'll tweak the dialplan so that it can distinguish between a RingBack call that Google Voice initiated and a true inbound call. We'll peel off the real inbound calls and route them to a separate Inbound Route in FreePBX for processing in any way you desire.
Finally, for those that implemented the methodology in our previous article, we'll walk you through the steps to revise your existing setup to take advantage of these new tweaks. You can skip over the initial installation process if you already have gone through the Google Voice setup from our earlier article. Just skip down to Tweaking Previous Setups.
Special Thanks. At the outset, we again want to express our sincere appreciation to Jacob Feisley and Paul Marks for their pioneering work on a Python interface to Google Voice. We also stumbled upon another Python development project, Google Voice for Python. While we originally had planned to rely upon Jacob and Paul's script, we ultimately decided to implement pygooglevoice because of the additional flexibility it provided for down the road. With pygooglevoice, you not only can make Google Voice calls, but you also can send SMS messages with no muss or fuss. Jacob Feisley has now joined that project as well. So, our special tip of the hat goes to the entire Google Voice for Python development team. It's a terrific product as you will see.
Prerequisites. Today's setup requires a CentOS-based Asterisk aggregation with a current version of FreePBX. Be aware that today's solution requires Python 2.4 or higher and reportedly will not work with Python 2.3 found in some Linux distributions. We've tested everything with PBX in a Flash and, on that platform, you're good to go. The install script should work equally well with the other CentOS-based Asterisk aggregations, but we haven't tested them. Be our guest, and let us know if you encounter any problems. Finally, a word of caution. We don't ordinarily distribute solutions using development tools we don't use. Our knowledge of Python wouldn't fill a thimble. We've made an exception today because of the extraordinary interest in Google Voice by the Asterisk community. But, if something comes unglued, we can't fix it. So have a backup plan in place just in case. 🙂
Today's Drill. To get everything working today, there are six steps: (1) obtaining and configuring a DID to manage calls between Google Voice and Asterisk, (2) configuring a Google Voice forwarding number for this DID to manage your outbound and inbound calls, (3) configuring FreePBX to route all outbound calls with a GV prefix to your special Google Voice dialplan context, (4) configuring an inbound route to manage incoming calls from your Google Voice number, (5) setting up a series of Parked Call extensions, one of which will be used to manage your outbound Google Voice calls, and (6) running our install script which adds the dialplan code for Google Voice calling with your credentials and puts the Python application into place on your server. It sounds more complicated than it is. So hang on to your hat. Here we go!
Dedicated DID. Before you can use Google Voice with Asterisk, you'll need a DID that can be dedicated to your Google Voice interface to Asterisk. We'd recommend a free IPkall or SIPgate DID. To get started, use one of the links above to obtain and configure the DID. Temporarily point the DID to an extension on your Asterisk system that can be used to verify your requests for the number. Since all of these calls are free, the area code of the DID really doesn't matter because you're never going to publish the fact that it exists.
The easiest method for setting up the DID is to first create a SIP URI for the DID on your Asterisk system. Next route the SIP URI to an Inbound Route in FreePBX where you can manage the destination for calls to that DID. Initially, you want the destination to be an extension on your Asterisk system that you can answer to verify both the DID setup and the GV setup below. Finally, point the DID you obtained to the SIP URI defined above.
HINT: The entry in extensions_override_freepbx.conf would look something like this for a SIP URI called ipkall-1: exten => ipkall-1,1,Goto(from-trunk,${DID},1) Then you would create an inbound route named ipkall-1 using FreePBX and designate some existing extension on your server as the destination for these inbound calls. When you set up the SIP forwarding for the DID at ipkall.com, you'd specify the SIP URI as:
ipkall-1@ipaddress_of_your-Asterisk_server
We've previously covered in detail how to do this so read the article if you need a refresher course. To reiterate, the area code of this DID really doesn't matter because you're never going to give out the number. So use one of the free sources and save yourself some money. The real trick is you want to use a DID with unlimited, free inbound calls. Both IPkall and SIPgate provide that functionality at no cost.
Google Voice Setup. Log into your Google Voice account and click Settings, Phones, Add Another Phone. Add the area code and phone number of your DID. Be sure the DID is pointed to an extension on your PBX that you can answer since you have to go through Google's confirmation drill to successfully register the number. After the DID is confirmed, be sure there's a check mark beside this Google Voice destination so that incoming calls to your GV number will be routed to your Asterisk server.
While you're still in the Google Voice Setup, click on the General tab. Uncheck Enable Call Screening. Turn Call Presentation Off. And set CallerID to Display Caller's Number. Be aware that IPkall DIDs only forward your IPkall number as the CallerID number while SIPgate DIDs reportedly forward the actual number of the person calling you. If this matters to you, then you may prefer the SIPgate DID option. Finally, uncheck Do Not Disturb. Now click the Save Changes button.
Integrating Google Voice into Asterisk with FreePBX. Open FreePBX with a web browser and choose Setup, Trunks, Add Custom Trunk. Insert your GV number in the Outbound CallerID field and add the following Custom Dial String on the form and Submit Changes and reload the dialplan:
local/$OUTNUM$@custom-gv
Next, choose Setup, Outbound Routes, Add Route and fill in the following entries on the form:
Route Name: GoogleVoice
Dial Pattern: 48|NXXNXXXXXX
Trunk Seq: local/$OUTNUM$@custom-gv
Inbound Routes. Next, we need two Inbound Routes to get everything working. In setting up your DID with IPkall or SIPgate, you already should have created one inbound route for that provider. It already should be routing calls to an extension on your PBX. Now we need to create a Custom Destination for this inbound route and then reroute these calls there. In that way, your RingBack calls will be routed to some special dialplan code that drops these calls into a custom parking lot where the RingBack call is married up to the extension from which you placed the original call. Then we need to create another inbound route to manage normal incoming calls that are forwarded to your PBX whenever someone dials your Google Voice number.
To begin, choose Tools, Custom Destinations, Add Custom Destination and add an entry like this and then click the Submit Changes button:
Custom Destination: custom-park,s,1
Description: Custom GV-Park
Next choose Setup, Inbound Route and click on the inbound route you created previously for IPkall or SIPgate. Change the destination for these calls to Custom Destination: Custom GV-Park.
Now click on Add Incoming Route and create a new route for your incoming Google Voice calls. Give it any description you like but, for the DID number, it must be gv-incoming. You can leave most of the other defaults. Just be sure you set a destination for your incoming calls from Google Voice. It could be an extension, ring group, IVR, or whatever best meets your needs. The important entry here is gv-incoming for the DID number. Click the Submit button to save your entries. Ignore the warning that you've entered an oddball DID. We know what we're doing. 🙂
Setting Up the Parking Lot. While still in FreePBX, we need to create or adjust your existing settings in Setup, Parking Lot. The parking lot is used by FreePBX to simulate old key telephones where you could place a call on hold and then someone else in the office could pick up the call by clicking on the blinking key on their phone. The Asterisk equivalent is to press the flash hook and dial your Parking Lot Extension which then places the call in a Parking Lot space and tells you what the space number is. Someone else then can dial the number of that space to pick up the call. Our little trick today works like this. When you place an outbound call through Google Voice, your extension will be dumped into a reserved parking lot space. When Google Voice initiates the RingBack call before connecting the destination number you've dialed, that call will be sent to the same reserved parking lot space. The two calls then are joined, and you'll hear the parking lot number followed by ring tones as your call is connected by GV to its final destination. Our special thanks to Richard Bateman for his comment on the previous article and this terrific tip! He wins an Atomic Flash installer from Nerd Vittles. In addition, A. Godong wins an Atomic Flash installer for his tip on consolidating two DIDs into a single DID to manage both inbound and outbound GV calls. Just send us your addresses.
Now, where were we? Most FreePBX systems have a default setup for the Parking Lot. What we need to do is be sure you have reserved one more space in the parking lot than you actually need for day to day operation of your PBX. We'll use the last parking lot space number to manage outbound calling through Google Voice. Our entries look like the following:
Enable Parking Lot Feature: checked
Parking Lot Extension: 70
Number of Slots: 5
Parking Timeout: 30 seconds
Parking Lot Context: parkedcalls Destination for Orphaned Calls: Terminate Call: Hangup
If you use our setup above, the Magic Number is 75 which is the fifth slot in the Parking Lot. If you use a different Parking Lot extension or number of slots, here's how to calculate the Magic Number. Start counting the slots beginning with one more than the Parking Lot Extension. When you get to the last slot in the number of slots you've specified, that's your Parking Lot Magic Number. Write it down. You'll need it in a second when you run our GV installation script.
Save your entries and reload the Asterisk dialplan when prompted.
Integrating pygooglevoice. Now we're ready to complete the setup by running our revised script which loads pygooglevoice and sets up your dialplan in extensions_custom.conf. You'll need 5 pieces of information to run the script so write them down before you begin:
1. Your 10-digit Google Voice phone number
2. Your Google Voice email address
3. Your Google Voice password (no spaces!)
4. Your 11-digit RingBack DID (16781234567)
5. Your Parking Lot Magic Number
A word of caution: If you used a gMail address to set up your Google Voice account, it's possible to have different gMail and Google Voice passwords. For this to work, you'll need to enter your gMail password, not your Google Voice password (assuming they're different).
Now log into your Asterisk server as root and issue the following commands:
cd /root
wget http://bestof.nerdvittles.com/applications/gv/install-gv-new
chmod +x install-gv-new
./install-gv-new
Google Voice Speed Dials. For frequently called numbers, you can add speed dials by inserting entries in the [from-internal-custom] context of extensions_custom.conf that look like the example below where 333 is the speed dial number and 6781234567 is the area code and number to call. Be sure to reload your Asterisk dialplan to activate them.
exten => 333,1,Dial(local/6781234567@custom-gv,300)
Congratulations! You now have what we hope will be flawless and free U.S. calling on your Asterisk system using Google Voice. No gimmicks, no strings, no cost. Enjoy!
Finally, one additional word of caution. Both Google Voice and this call design are set up for a single call at a time. There are no safeguards to prevent multiple calls, but that may violate the Google Voice terms of service.
Asterisk 1.6 Solution. Several readers now have documented the procedure for implementing the Asterisk 1.6 bridge technology to make outbound Google Voice calls. You can read all about it here.
Tweaking Previous Setups. If you installed pygooglevoice using our previous tutorial, here's what you need to do. First, log into your Asterisk server as root and issue the following commands:
cd /etc/asterisk
nano -w extensions_custom.conf
Scroll to the bottom of the file by pressing Ctrl-W then Ctrl-V. Move up the file using up arrow until you reach [custom-gv]. Press Ctrl-K repeatedly to delete all of the lines in the [custom-gv] context. If you get to another line that starts with a label in brackets like [this], STOP deleting. Once you've deleted all of the lines in the [custom-gv] context, save the file: Ctrl-X, Y, and press Enter.
Now continue reading this article by jumping up to the Google Voice Setup topic. The Custom Trunk entry and the GoogleVoice outbound route will already be in your FreePBX system so there's no need to repeat those two steps. You will need to perform the remaining FreePBX steps beginning at the Inbound Routes topic and continuing on with Setting Up the Parking Lot. Finally, when you run the new installation script, it will detect that pygooglevoice is already on your system and will skip that step but will install the new custom contexts in extensions_custom.conf using your new settings. Enjoy!
Thought for the Day. Which is more arbitrary: (1) Apple snubs Google Voice or (2) Google Voice snubs SIP? Pays to look in the mirror occasionally.
Best Read of the Week. Memo to Steve Jobs and Apple: Stop Being A Jerk!
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Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which recently announced that it is ending grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening because of a controversial investigation launched by an anti-abortion Republican congressman, currently funds cancer research at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to the tune of $7.5 million. Like Planned Parenthood, Penn State is currently the subject of a federal government investigation, and like the Planned Parenthood grant, the Penn State grant appears to violate a new internal rule at Komen that bans grants to organizations that are under investigation by federal, state, or local governments. But so far, only the Planned Parenthood grants appear to have been cancelled.
An internal Komen memo written by President Elizabeth Thompson and obtained by Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic states that if “an applicant or its affiliates” is under investigation “for financial or administrative improprieties by local, state or federal authorities,” then “the applicant will be ineligible to receive a grant.” Penn State, the Pennsylvania university that the Hershey center is affiliated with, is currently under investigation by the federal government over the sexual assault scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who has been indicted on multiple counts of sexual abuse of children. In 2008, the Komen foundation awarded a five-year, $7.5 million grant to the Hershey center to study treatments that could reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, university officials are required to “issue a timely warning if a reported crime represents a threat to the campus community.” The Department of Education announced that it was investigating Penn State over possible Clery Act violations last November, and a Penn State spokesperson told Mother Jones that the investigation is ongoing. The Komen foundation has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Komen’s founder, Nancy Brinker, is a former Bush administration official who has given almost $200,000 to Republican officials over the years, and Karen Handel, Komen’s top lobbyist, is a pro-life Republican who was elected secretary of state in Georgia. Komen officials have insisted that Brinker and Handel’s right-leaning politics weren’t a factor in the decision to cut off funding, but Goldberg reported that the new grant standards were written as a pretext for denying funds to Planned Parenthood, and that the decision was “driven” by Handel.
Brinker, appearing on MSNBC Thursday afternoon, denied the decision had anything to do with politics. “I’m troubled that it’s been labeled as political. This is not a political decision,” Brinker said. |
Find An Event Create Your Event Help TOMMY WISEAU and GREG SESTERO present THE ROOM! The Plaza Theatre
Atlanta, GA Share this event: Get Tickets There are no active dates for this event. Online ticket sales have ended but there may still be some available at the door. Not Available
Event TOMMY WISEAU and GREG SESTERO present THE ROOM! Tommy Wiseau, and Greg Sestero come to the Plaza Theatre to present "The most unique film ever made" THE ROOM in person!
The film's so-bad-it's-freakin'-awesome vibe has attracted a devout army of aficionados whose membership includes the cream of Hollywood's comedy community. Role Models star Paul Rudd and Arrested Development's David Cross are both fans, as is Jonah Hill, who uses a still from the movie as his MySpace photograph. Heroes star Kristen Bell hosts Room-viewing parties at her house and last year attended the film's monthly Laemmle screening with Rudd, Hill, and Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright. ''There is a magic about that film that is indescribable,'' she says.
The Room has even infiltrated the halls of cinematic academia. ''It is one of the most important films of the past decade,'' says Ross Morin, an assistant professor of film studies at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. ''It exposes the fabricated nature of Hollywood. The Room is the Citizen Kane of bad movies.''
If The Room is the Citizen Kane of bad movies, that makes Tommy Wiseau the Orson Welles of crap. who speaks with a thick, Schwarzeneggerian accent- directed, wrote, and produced the film. The muscled auteur also plays the cuckolded Johnny, and, when not exposing his ivory rump in the film's sex scenes, gives a performance that's both heartfelt and berserk. In one scene, a vein-poppingly distraught Wiseau howls the line, ''You are tearing me apart, Lisa!'' The moment- a favorite of Room fans - is reminiscent of both James Dean's ''You're tearing me apart!'' howl in Rebel Without A Cause and Marlon Brando screaming ''Stella!'' in A Streetcar Named Desire. At least it would be, if those actors had chosen to play their parts as deranged Austrians. (Entertainment Weekly) Location The Plaza Theatre (View)
1049 Ponce De Leon Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30306
United States 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave.Atlanta, GA 30306United States
Categories None
Kid Friendly: No Dog Friendly: No Non-Smoking: Yes! Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! Contact Owner: The Plaza Theatre On BPT Since: Apr 13, 2007 404.873.1939 jonny@plazaatlanta.com Q&A Question: Hi. Is the Sunday show at 8:30am or *:30 pm? Also the phone number here is listed wrong. Thanks. Look forward to this show. Answer: Sorry it's 8:30 PM. The phone number is 404.873.1939
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Of course I’m going to keep talking about the Hugos, last week was the first post I ever made that made me any money. But seriously, all jokes aside, there’s a lot more I want to talk about on the matter. Like I said last week, this is a big deal. How could I contain it to just one blog post? This is, along with #GamerGate, a defining moment in the history of geek fandom.
What sparked this second post was a reddit conversation by some liberals discussing the broken window effect. For those of you who don’t know, the best description of the broken window effect and its application comes from Malcom Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point.” The idea is that small, petty crimes in urban environments like public drinking, vandalism, and toll-jumping contribute to a social atmosphere where larger, more troublesome crimes like robbery, rape, and assault are more likely to happen. If a window is broken and not fixed, it becomes acceptable to break windows. When breaking windows is acceptable, soon other petty crimes become acceptable. When those crimes become acceptable, larger crimes soon become acceptable. One thing leads to another, and soon you get Detroit.
Broken window theory was one of the driving forces behind Rudy Guliani’s policy that effectively turned New York City around. “The Tipping Point” focuses on the Guliani administration’s cleaning graffiti off of subway cars in order to help curb toll-jumping. By keeping the cars cleaner and nicer, it created an atmosphere that favored civilization over crime. Guliani’s administration cleaned up NYC in other ways as well- he rid Times Square of most of the vice that it was famous for, and made it a family destination. He encouraged a more strict NYPD that cracked down harder on petty crime, creating an atmosphere of public order. In Singapore, the great Lee Kuan Yew did the same thing, cracking down on minor transgressions like spitting, littering, and chewing gum in public as to create order.
Nowadays, broken window theory has fallen out of favor. While only a select few question its effectiveness, liberals soon realized that whenever you build your police policy around the broken windows theory, it means that more black people wind up in prison for criminal behavior. In fact, the idea of improving the neighborhood to keep crime rates down often eventually leads to gentrification. In fact, you could argue that the new ideology of “Dinduism” to spring up from the Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown incidents was coined in direct response to broken window theory: it doesn’t matter that Trayvon Martin or Mike Brown or Eric Garner were acting in a way that was detrimental to public order- neighborhood watch or even the police keeping tabs on them to enforce said order is just racist!
The greater irony in all of this is that liberals love to use broken window theory. Of course, rather than use it to preserve public order, they use it to create a more “equal” society. The entire reason why liberals get so mad over “micro-aggressions” is because those are their broken windows- minor, seemingly harmless actions that reinforce bad attitudes which create an undesirable society. Thus, to the liberal, every single bold anti-liberal, anti-leftist transgression that goes unpunished helps set the precedent that this sort of wrongthink is okay.
This explains the mass amount of rage over the Puppy Coup. More often than not, the rage comes back to one single target: Vox Day. Most of the Sad Puppies are moderate liberals and moderate right-wingers. To them, the Sad Puppy slate is about restoring balance and neutrality to the Hugo Awards. But Vox Day’s Rabid Puppy slate is even more offensive and more enraging- because it means someone as brazenly, unabashedly anti-liberal as Vox Day can win an award. It means that Vox Day has power and influence. It’s him breaking a window and them being unable to punish him for it. The anti-Puppy old guard is screaming for blood, because they know how the slippery slope works. If Vox Day can participate in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, it means people like Vox Day who agree with Vox Day’s views are also welcome. It means that now, evil right-wing people like myself will start to participate in SFF.
That’s also why the leftist rage against #GamerGate has been so severe. Leftists hate #GamerGate because #GamerGate hurt leftists and continues to hurt them, and no one is getting punished for it. Nero is going to E3. Brandon and Liz now write for the Escapist. Jen Dawe and Rogue both got their games on steam, and TFYC is likely to follow. #GamerGate is not going away, #GamerGate is only becoming more visible and more culturally influential in gaming. #GamerGate has broken so many windows.
And ultimately, we need to break even more windows. We need to find more windows and break them. We need to flood the comments sections of anti-#GamerGate websites and make our presence known. We need to find a way around the block lists so we can make it very clear to the opposition that twitter is our territory. We need to spread our shit-talk of SJWs to the public sphere, and go public. Every time #GamerGate gets to transgress against the SJW norm without consequences, we make transgressing against them more acceptable.
One of my personal idols is weev. I get that it’s kind of weird for a gay sperg to like weev, but the man is simply brilliant. He once said to me that his goal was “to widen the overton window until genocide becomes acceptable”. In a sense, Encyclopedia Dramatica has done just that: it’s become the perfect tool to attack the SJW establishment without consequence. Someone on /r/GamerGhazi was chimping out quite hard because googling “Sarah Nyberg” brought up little Nicky’s page on ED. If anyone wants to look up nick Nyberg’s body of work, the first thing they see is that he’s a sexual deviant and complete waste of flesh. ED helps give a platform for otherwise unspeakable ideas and lets people find them, internalize them, and spread them. Part of what helps keep troll behavior alive is that ED can exist without repercussions. Weev is part of what was the most successful window-breaker in internet history.
And yes, I know weev doesn’t think too highly of #GamerGate. But that doesn’t make him any less brilliant. We need to take a page from his book and be more aggressive and transgressive. Every time we hurt SJWs and get away with it, we de-legitimatize them and make hurting SJWs more acceptable. Every time we take away a safe space, we assert that we’re the norm, not them. Every time an Ellen Pao or Sabrina Erdely gets publicly humiliated, they are forced back into the shadows. At this point the #GamerGate doctrine should be to attack, attack attack.
Think about it this way- the more people publicly shit on Gawker and Vox, the easier it will be to pull away their advertisers through our e-mailing. The more vocally people shit on Anita and friends, the harder it will be for the games press to ignore it or try to rebuke us. The more #GamerGate embeds itself into gaming culture, the harder it’ll be for games press and SJWs to take it over. We need to break all of the windows and graffiti all of the subway cars, and change things so #GamerGate is the norm.
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“I should be a sophomore but I have no credits for school. The last grade I completed was eighth. My mom visits. She isn’t a parent; she’s a teenager in a parent body.” — M.O., 16. Richard Ross
Richard Ross has been photographing the juvenile justice system for nearly a decade and has visited youth detention centers in more than 30 states. The system, Ross says, can get kids out of immediate danger, but it doesn’t do enough to help keep them out of trouble in the future or change the conditions that put them there in the first place.
“We say, ‘It’s better than having them on the streets.’ But that doesn’t address the issue of why their neighborhoods aren’t better places to live. Just by the zip codes they’re in. It’s more likely these kids will go to jail than college. The kid hasn’t failed; we’ve failed,” he said.
Part of making reform happen, he knows, is getting people to pay attention to the issue. That’s why, three years ago, he self-published his first book-length exploration of youth in detention, Juvenile in Justice. In February, he published another, Girls in Justice, which collects the photos and testimonies of girls around the country. Girls are the fastest-growing population in the juvenile justice system, accounting for hundreds of thousands of arrests and charges—often for minor offenses, like running away from home or breaking curfew—every year.
As with Juvenile in Justice, he hopes this project will raise questions about why kids end up in detention centers, and what can be done to ensure they have a better shot at life once they leave.
“They took me from my mom at age 12 because she’s had drug problems. She was beating me, and I was molested by her friends. I think I was born in Asheville, North Carolina, but at this point I don’t really live anywhere.” — C.C., 15. Richard Ross
“No one comes to visit me here. I only see my family in court.” — E.Y., 11. Richard Ross
When Ross visits girls at detention centers, he first knocks on the doors of their cells and asks them for permission to enter. If he’s granted it, he takes off his shoes, sits on the floor, and talks with them for about an hour. Often, he said, the conversation turns emotional, as the girls recount childhood abuse and neglect, often followed by stories of homelessness, drugs, or prostitution. He hears a lot of the same kinds of personal histories over and over again, and often meets girls who’ve been in and out of the system several times.
In his photos, Ross either blurs out the faces of his subjects or frames them so that they’re obscured. He does it, he said, because he doesn’t want them to be followed throughout their lives by evidence of their time in detention. But it also serves an artistic purpose—one that he hopes will impact viewers of his work.
“If you see a face, you can say, ‘Well, I’m glad that’s not my kid,’ ” he said. “But if the face is obscured, it could stand in for anybody’s kid.”
“My mom is deceased. Drug overdose. I stayed with my auntie until I was 11 in Compton. She was abusive, verbally and physically. I went to maybe 15–20 foster homes.” — T.L., 16. Richard Ross
“I was four months when I first came in the system. My mom didn’t have a house; she lost it. I’m here with my sister, but my sister’s now with a foster family. If it works out, she gets to stay. But she told me it’s not gonna work out and she’ll be back to see me.” — D., 11. Richard Ross
“Been here two months for a violation. They make me take out all the studs they can. But the one in my throat and in my cheeks are implants. I ran away from placement. It was a group home with 65 kids in Critinton, Orange County.” — K.N., 15. Richard Ross
While Ross wants readers to understand the direness of the situation in juvenile justice, he doesn’t want them to lose hope in his subjects. He believes that with the right care and allocation of funds these girls can “not just survive but thrive.” He also wants readers to know they have power to help bring about change in the system.
“The first step is to think about it. The next part is to think that you’re not impotent to change the system, and to make demands on people that administer taxes and funds. Ask about the treatment of these kids and ask why it’s that way.”
You can follow Ross’ work on Facebook and Twitter, and on the Juveniles in Justice website.
Correction, April 27, 2015: A photo caption in this post originally mispelled the city of Asheville, North Carolina.
“My mom was arrested so I went to my mom’s friends house. When DHS started looking for me they went to the friend’s house. They had warrants on them … and they found drugs in the house.” — E., 14. Richard Ross
“I have a 7-month-old son. He is with foster parents. Today was my first day seeing him in six months. Baby’s dad was there. He makes me feel awful by supposing he is better than me. I’ve been here 10 days. I’m here doing everything I need to take a GED.” — E.E., 17. Richard Ross |
645X363 - Defense Policy Player
Secretary of State John Kerry John Forbes KerryOvernight Defense: White House eyes budget maneuver to boost defense spending | Trump heads to Hanoi for second summit with Kim | Former national security officials rebuke Trump on emergency declaration 58 ex-national security officials rebuke Trump over emergency declaration Ex-national security officials to issue statement slamming Trump's emergency declaration: WaPo MORE mocked an anti-war protester, after she interrupted him at a hearing Wednesday.
The protester from anti-war group Code Pink stood up and shouted during Kerry's testimony: "The American people are speaking out, Secretary Kerry. We're tired of the endless war."
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The protester went on to shout that war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria was "creating more terrorism, killing more innocent people."
Kerry, who famously protested the Vietnam War after serving in the conflict shot back: "Killing more innocent people? I wonder how our journalists, who were beheaded, and the pilot who was fighting for freedom, who was burned alive -- what they would have to say to their efforts to protect innocent people."
The secretary of State was testifying about the administration's request for a new authorization of military force against ISIS, and was referring to two American journalists who have been beheaded by the terrorist group, as well as a Jordanian pilot burned alive.
Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) responded, "We live in a country where people have the opportunity to express themselves in Democratic ways."
"We would hope that you would allow this hearing to proceed in an orderly way and respect other citizens' rights to be here and to observe what is happening in a civil manner," he added. "I don't think you're helping your cause at all. I think you're hurting your cause."
A second protestor interrupted Kerry's testimony a few minutes later.
Code Pink, whose members are known for wearing bright pink and interrupting hearings with outbursts during testimony, gained notoriety earlier this year when they interrupted a hearing chaired by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
"Get out of here, you low-life scum!" McCain said.
-- Updated 1:51 p.m. |
If you think that the Cheryshev Case could only happen in Spain, then you’re wrong. Qatari side Al Saad, who are captained by Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez, could be handed a reprieve in the Asian Champions League after their opponents allegedly fielded a suspended player. Al Jazira, who are managed by former Barça coach Henk Ten Cate, are the team in the firing line.
Javier Miguel
If in the end it’s proven true, they would be thrown out of the competition, allowing Al Sadd to move into the next round in their place. Xavi’s team were eliminated originally on Tuesday, losing on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the game. Unfortunately for Xavi, he was one of the players to miss in the shoot out. In the 93rd minute of the game, Ibrahimi missed from the spot, too, which would have sent Al Saad through if he’d converted.
Ten Cate’s team could be about to follow in the footsteps of Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey… |
An Alberta First Nation that has been plagued in recent years by drugs and gang violence took an unusual step this week — the chief and council all took drug tests.
The idea came from Mario Swampy, a councillor on the Samson Cree First Nation.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Swampy said he made a motion that was seconded by chief Kurt Buffalo and approved unanimously.
Two days later, the chief and councillors were tested for drugs.
"There's a lot of negativity when it comes to First Nations," Swampy said. "It's no secret that we struggle with a lot of social dysfunction.
"We at the leadership level, we have to set an example for our members, for our administration, for our people."
As word spread through the community, Swampy said, people in band management and administration, and members themselves, asked if they too could get involved.
"I thought that was really an awesome step in the right direction," he said, "for others within our nation to kind of step up to that and say, 'We want to be an example also.' "
Results of council's drug tests will be revealed to band members.
"There's a high expectation on leaders to be leaders," Swampy said.
"I think the best way we can combat a lot of the negativity we see and hear in the media, is just by reversing that and demonstrating through by our actions that … there's a lot of positive stuff going on on First Nations, and we shouldn't shy away from demonstrating that as well." |
(Reuters photo: Joshua Roberts)
Despite wishful thinking from liberals about the Manafort indictment, so long as Mueller isn’t proving collusion with Russia, Trump is actually winning.
In any normal administration, the announcement of an indictment of the man who had managed the election campaign of the president would be a political earthquake. That is how the mainstream media are treating the indictments of Paul Manafort, who ran the Trump campaign from June to August 2016, and Richard Gates, Manafort’s longtime business associate who also worked on the campaign, as well as a guilty plea from George Papadopoulos, a onetime foreign-policy adviser. The liberal press responded to the leak last Friday about the coming indictments with anticipation and greeted them with barely restrained glee on Monday morning. But while this is an embarrassment for Trump, it is not a catastrophe or even necessarily very damaging. That’s something that he, White House staffers, and Capitol Hill Republicans should keep in mind in the coming days.
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The indictments against Manafort and Gates paint a dismal picture of their activities. According to Mueller, the duo used their consulting business to carry out a massive money-laundering operation in which shell companies and offshore accounts were used to launder millions of dollars, which allowed them to get rich without paying taxes on a major source of income. This began years before Trump announced his candidacy. Hiring a bad actor like Manafort wasn’t to Trump’s credit, and he’s paying for that misjudgment today. It’s also true that the Trump campaign, including its lower levels, should have been more careful about staying away from anything that could have been linked to Russia.
But the problem for those who have been counting on Mueller to take down Trump is that the words “collusion with Russia” don’t appear in the indictments. Nor is there anything in them that is remotely connected to the president.
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Enthusiastic liberals have responded to this obvious observation with hopeful remarks about these being just the first in what they hope will be an eventual avalanche of indictments that will lead all the way to the top. In particular, they expect that the prospect of conviction on these serious charges will induce Manafort and Gates to accept plea bargains that will require them to give up crucial information about Trump that will ensure his fall. But while this is a theoretical possibility, the expectation that the pair will fold in this manner (and that they have anything damning to say about Trump in the first place) is based on nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of those who still hope that a legal coup will reverse the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
Papadopoulos plead guilty for lying to the FBI about the efforts of the Russians to reach out to the Trump campaign with talk about providing “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. On the surface, this plea is potentially more of a problem. But here again, the emails that have been released show nothing more than that the Russians were interested in making mischief and the Trump campaign was always ready to listen to those who claimed to have damaging information on their opponent. Despite the attempt to hype this into proof of a connection between Trump and the Russians, there is nothing here (as was also the case with the meeting in Trump Tower involving Donald Trump Jr.) that can justify charges that this led to actual collusion. Nor was Papadopoulos a senior figure with connections who might have had any influence on campaign activities. And revelations about the funding for the much-ballyhooed Russia dossier shows that both parties were always willing recipients of anything that fell under the category of opposition research, no matter its source.
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This will be enough to energize the anti-Trump “resistance” and its cheering section in the mainstream press and on CNN and MSNBC. As such, this may present an irresistible temptation to Trump to lash out at critics or at Mueller, whose appointment is something that Trump still holds against Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy Rod Rosenstein. But as angry as today’s coverage will make him, Trump must hold his fire.
The problem for the “resistance” is that stories that would be epic defeats for any normal administration won’t have much impact on Trump. In our bifurcated political culture, there is virtually nothing that could happen that might convince Trump’s supporters to abandon him. The same is true for Trump opponents who are always ready to believe anything that confirms their preexisting conclusion that the president should be impeached.
The problem for the ‘resistance’ is that stories that would be epic defeats for any normal administration won’t have much impact on Trump.
Yet it is that same assumption about Trump’s guilt that undermines the effort to portray Mueller’s actions as significant developments. Though they’d like to scale back expectations about Mueller’s work, Democrats, whether they like it or not, have set a very high bar for him to meet. It won’t be enough to take down figures such as Manafort and Gates or even snaring a low-level volunteer on an advisory council that met once (such as Papadopoulos) for lying about contact with the Russians. No matter how many indictments or pleas Mueller gets by the time he is through, none of it will mean a thing if he doesn’t wind up proving actual collusion between Trump and the Russians, and nothing we heard today did that.
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That’s why it would be another colossal unforced error — like his firing of FBI Director James Comey — if Trump were to fire Mueller or even to expend any effort in trying to discredit his work or to pardon any of those under indictment.
Like all his predecessors who served as special prosecutors or counsels, Mueller treated his brief as an invitation to conduct a fishing expedition in which he could investigate anyone for any possible crime. That made it a certainty, given the enormous power of his office, that some indictments and guilty pleas would follow. But Trump must let him do his worst and suffer it in silence, lest he provide his foes with more ammunition. The only thing he should worry about is a finding that would justify impeachment. Anything less than such a smoking gun won’t have any real impact on his political future.
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Unless and until Mueller produces something that proves collusion, Trump is still winning an argument that Democrats have started about throwing him out of office. The lack of such proof will be a weapon for Trump to use against his critics in 2018 and beyond. Some rarely displayed discipline on the part of the president, even in the face of accusations and innuendo that are likely making this thin-skinned man furious, will pay dividends for him and other Republicans in the future.
READ MORE:
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A Guide to Understanding the Manafort Indictment
The Manafort Indictment: Not Much There, and a Boon for Trump
Trump Advisor Pleads Guilt to Lying about Seeking Hillary Emails from Russia |
The unbridled influx of the toxins into the Varthur lake has resulted in the spilling of froth from the water body on to the road.
While the stench emanated from the foam has made the lives of people living near there miserable, it is also obstructing the movement of traffic near the Varthur waste-weir. With the flow of wind, the poisonous froth is floating everywhere.
Residents fear that the froth may lead to skin and respiratory diseases, besides offering a breeding place for water borne and vector borne diseases.
Commenting on the accumulation of foam and the stink, M A Khan, Principal of K K school, said: “The smell is an indication that it is hydrogen sulfate and the foam is not because of any detergent soap but due to the phosphate getting into the lake. The urine content is so high that the phosphate in the urine turns into the foam.” Citing his students’ study of Water sampling analysis, Khan said: “At many places in the lake, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels are almost zero.”
Sridhar Pabbisetty, CEO, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, said: “Contaminated water flowing from Agara and Bellandur lakes are also adding to the already polluted Varthur lake. There is an estimate of 500 Million liters per day (MLD) of untreated sewage coming into and flowing out of Varthur lake. What you now see is remnant of the problem. There has been higher levels of foams."
He squarely blamed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) for the sorry state of the lake. He said, "BWSSB should be held accountable for the poor condition of the lake,"
Member of Whitefield Rising, Elangovan Elan said the contamination of lake is hazardous to the bikers as it obstructs their movement and also perches on their body.
He rued that the quality of water in Bengaluru is worse than the villages. He complained that the polluted water is giving rise to many diseases.
Sympathising with the economically weaker section, he observed: "Poor people are suffering more than anyone."
Manohar, resident of Varthur Kodi, observed that the amount of foam has increased in the last six months. He was also worried about impact of the polluted water on people's health. |
Europe, the birthplace of the "Little Red Riding Hood" legend and the Big Bad Wolf, is now home to twice as many wolves as the contiguous United States, a new study finds, despite being half the size and more than twice as densely populated.
The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, reports that Europe, one of the most industrialized landscapes on Earth, with many roads and hardly any large wilderness areas, is nonetheless "succeeding in maintaining, and to some extent restoring, viable large carnivore populations on a continental scale."
A team of more than 50 leading carnivore biologists across Europe, from Norway to Bulgaria, details in the research a broad recovery of four large carnivore species: wolves, brown bears, the Eurasian lynx, and the wolverine.
"There is a deeply rooted hostility to these species in human history and culture," the study notes. And yet roughly a third of Europe, and all but four of the continent's 50 nations, are now home to permanent and reproducing populations of at least one of these predators.
So, what if European travelers suddenly stopped going to Yellowstone National Park to see grizzly bears and wolves, instead flocking to see even more of the same species in their own backyards—say, within an hour or two of Rome? What if the "call of the wild"—the sound of wolves howling in the night—became more a European than a North American experience? This improbable scenario may be closer to reality than we imagine.
An estimated 17,000 brown bears (Ursus horribilus, the same species as North America's grizzly) now inhabit 22 countries—compared with just 1,800 grizzly bears in the U.S. Lower 48. (If you are in Rome, you can see them just two hours away, at Abruzzo National Park. For wolves, you need travel only about 40 minutes, to the vicinity of Hadrian's villa.)
What's the key to this "underappreciated conservation success story"? A study last year from the Zoological Society of London and BirdLife International attributed the recovery of many European bird and mammal species to new habitat, created as rural populations have abandoned marginal farmlands and moved into cities.
The new study places greater emphasis on legal protections under the European Union, particularly the EU Habitats Directive, which functions like the Endangered Species Act in the United States. Animals in Norway and Switzerland, countries that are not part of the EU and are thus exempt from that directive, have lagged far behind their recovery elsewhere in Europe, according to the study.
View Images A wild Carpathian gray wolf in Poland is one of several species of large carnivores that are on the rise in Europe. Photograph by Greg Lesniewski, Wild Wonders of Europe, Nature Picture Library
Europe's Change in Thinking
The study's lead author, Guillaume Chapron of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, also attributed the recovery of predators to a profound shift in psychology, from hostility to tolerance, dating back to the environmental movement of the 1970s. "The European model shows that people and predators can coexist in the same landscapes," he said. "I do not mean that it is a peaceful, loving coexistence; there are always problems. But if there is a political will, it is possible to share the landscape with larger predators."
The new study presents this "coexistence model" as a direct challenge to American thinking about wilderness, which separates people and nature. That model, which has spread from its 19th-century origins at Yellowstone National Park to many countries around the world, argues that large predators can survive only in protected areas or wilderness. This American approach to conservation—essentially roping off certain areas—was born in reaction to "former policy goals to exterminate these species" elsewhere, according to the new study.
But if Europe had tried to practice American-style predator conservation, the study continues, "there would hardly be any large carnivore populations at all, because most European protected areas are too small to host even a few large carnivore reproductive units."
As human populations expand, further constricting national parks and wilderness areas, the coexistence model could provide the only way forward for many regions, Chapron said. California, for instance, is currently debating the likely return of breeding wolf packs, and a petition to reintroduce grizzly bears. "Well, look at the European example," Chapron suggested. "You can have a lot of wolves and bears in California; you just have to move to a coexistence mindset."
Finding the Right Level of "Wildness"
Coexistence is, of course, not easy. In Chapron's native France, farmers have recently staged outraged protests against wolf attacks on sheep, and LeMonde recently declared "La Guerre du Loup," the War of the Wolves. Ségolène Royal, a former presidential candidate and the current minister of the environment, claimed that children are now afraid to go to sleep at night because "there are too many wolves!"
But scapegoating wolves is easier than addressing more complex underlying issues. For instance, Chapron said, the real cause of the decline in the sheep industry in France isn't the wolf, it's the arrival of cheaper competition from New Zealand. It's easier for a politician to seem to stand up for sheep farmers by blaming wolves.
Dealing with those kinds of emotional responses will require programs to help farmers and others adapt, said Frans Schepers, managing director of Rewilding Europe. For areas that have been free of major predators for a hundred years, this can mean relearning old methods, including the use of guard dogs, night corrals, and shepherds.
It may also require removing problem animals in certain situations. "It has to be done carefully," he said, "but that's what you need to do to have people accept living with these animals." |
Image copyright Thinkstock
A child born with foetal alcohol syndrome is not legally entitled to compensation after her mother drank excessively while pregnant, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
The seven-year-old girl was born with severe brain damage and is now in care.
Lawyers argued her mother had poisoned her foetus but appeal judges ruled she had not committed a criminal offence.
The case was brought by a council in the North West of England, which cannot be named for legal reasons.
It's not about women's rights, it's not about criminalising women Neil Sugarman, Solicitor
It had been argued the woman ignored warnings and drank a "grossly excessive" amount of alcohol while pregnant.
She consumed eight cans of strong lager and half a bottle of vodka a day, the court heard.
Three appeal judges at the Court of Appeal had to rule on whether or not the girl was entitled to a payout from the government-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme as a victim of crime.
But Lord Justice Treacy said an "essential ingredient" for a crime to be committed "is the infliction of grievous bodily harm on a person - grievous bodily harm on a foetus will not suffice".
'Hugely important' case
The girl, who cannot be named and was referred to in court as CP, suffers with learning, development, memory and behavioural problems.
BBC News legal correspondent Clive Coleman said the case was significant because it centred on whether or not a foetus was considered a person, independent of its mother.
He said: "This case was hugely important, because campaigners argued that if the Court of Appeal had said it was possible for a mother to commit a crime by poisoning her foetus with excessive alcohol, it would have had the effect of criminalising pregnant women who drank excessively, knowing the dangers of alcohol to their foetus."
Foetal alcohol syndrome
Heavy drinking during pregnancy can lead to foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Alcohol passes across the placenta from the mother to the developing foetus.
But the foetus cannot process alcohol effectively until the liver is fully developed and the high levels of alcohol can affect the development of organs and the brain.
Children with FAS are born with a range of disabilities, are often shorter than average and some have learning and behavioural difficulties.
People with the syndrome can have differences in their facial features such as a flat nose bridge, a small head and a thin upper lip.
It is thought that foetuses are most at risk during the first three months of pregnancy when organs are forming - but damage can occur at any time.
John Foy QC, representing the council that has responsibility for CP, told the court her mother drank the equivalent of 40-57 units of alcohol a day.
National Institute for Health and Care (Nice) guidelines suggest 7.5 units daily might damage a foetus.
Mr Foy said the young mother, for whom it was a second pregnancy, was aware of the dangers, adding: "She was reckless as to whether there would be harm to the foetus.
"She foresaw that harm might be caused but went on to take the risk."
Ben Collins, appearing for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) had asked the court to reject the legal challenge, telling the judges: "There is a conflict of ideas about what is or is not dangerous, not only in terms of drink but also in terms of smoking and food."
He asked whether "a pregnant mother who eats unpasteurised cheese or a soft boiled egg knowing there is a risk that it could give rise to a risk of harm to the foetus" could be accused of a crime.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) and the childbirth charity Birthrights welcomed the ruling.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mum "Kathryn" tells 5 live she drank up to two bottles of wine a day whilst pregnant
Rebecca Schiller, co-chair of Birthrights, and Bpas chief executive Ann Furedi said it was "an extremely important ruling for women everywhere".
"The UK's highest courts have recognised that women must be able to make their own decisions about their pregnancies," they said.
"Both the immediate and broader implications of the case were troubling. In seeking to establish that the damage caused to a foetus through heavy drinking was a criminal offence, the case called into question women's legal status while pregnant, and right to make their own decisions."
'Wake-up call'
Neil Sugarman, the solicitor acting for CP, said the decision was "clearly disappointing" and that the case was not about women's rights or "criminalising women".
He said GLP Solicitors, of which he is managing partner, represents about 80 other children with FAS and that they would now be looking at the implications of the ruling.
The only legal option left is to seek to take the case to the Supreme Court.
Julia Brown, chief executive of the Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Trust, told the BBC the case highlighted the need for pregnant women to be given advice about drinking, and support to stop drinking if necessary.
"There are no winners in a case like this," she added, saying she hoped it would be a "wake-up call" to make people think about the dangers of drinking when pregnant.
The NHS recommends that pregnant women should not drink at all - adding that those who choose to have a drink should have no more than two units of alcohol once or twice a week. |
To help correct historic patterns of housing segregation in the Baltimore region, the federal government has created new financial incentives for developers to make room for low-income families in apartment buildings constructed in prosperous, integrated neighborhoods.
The Baltimore-area initiative — born out of the landmark fair housing lawsuit, Thompson v. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — is expected to expand nationally if it succeeds, government officials said.
But so far, it hasn't.
The program was projected to generate at least 300 affordable units every year until 2020. Two years after it began, HUD officials said, none have been built and no developers have applied for the incentives.
"To date we have had some interest in the program, but no applications have been received," wrote Robert G. Iber, an HUD official in Baltimore, in a recent email to potential builders.
The lack of interest highlights how difficult it is to increase the number of apartments for low-wage families in integrated neighborhoods with high-performing schools, low crime and more jobs.
The federal judge in the Thompson case found that HUD had violated federal fair-housing laws by not taking a regional approach to desegregating public housing in Baltimore. As a remedy, a program has moved nearly 10,000 former city residents into surrounding counties, mainly through special rent subsidies that allow them to afford higher suburban rents.
Since the case was settled in 2012, other legal developments have pushed county officials to do more to adjust policies that for decades contributed to clustering low-income residents in the poorest neighborhoods. This year, a Supreme Court ruling and HUD's renewed push to enforce the Fair Housing Act of 1968 have alerted local governments nationwide that they could lose millions in federal housing support unless they take action to address clustering.
Baltimore is one of the few regions in the nation where county and city officials are collaborating on policies that would make it more economically feasible for developers to build affordable units in so-called "communities of opportunity."
Led by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, localities financed a regional analysis of the impediments to creating more units where low-income families could move in the region. The report found the region's policies discourage "expansion of affordable multifamily rental developments into neighborhoods that are traditionally white and low-poverty."
The council's regional Opportunity Collaborative initiative, which is funded by HUD, published a separate regional housing analysis last year that found little relief on the horizon.
Nearly all of the multifamily projects being developed in high-opportunity areas throughout the regionare planned to be market-rate housing, "and likely to be unaffordable to the region's lowest income households without an inclusionary zoning requirement or subsidy," according to the Opportunity Collaborative's assessment. Inclusionary zoning generally requires developers to set aside some affordable units within a project.
"There are no rental homes in the housing market that are affordable to a family earning 30 percent of median family income" of $85,600, the report states. "This income level includes the typical food prep worker with two children earning $23,000 a year or a typical retail salesperson with three children earning $25,000 a year."
Opportunity Collaborative has helped orchestrate regional cooperation to provide more incentives. For example, the housing agencies in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties have agreed to create a pot of their own federally funded rent subsidies and award the funds to developments that set aside units for low-income families.
Housing advocates have said that more affordable apartments and homes would be available in the city's suburbs if Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties followed Howard County's lead and enacted legislation requiring developers to set aside some low-income units and prohibited landlords from turning away tenants with subsidies.
Such legislative proposals are being considered by Baltimore County officials as part of negotiations with fair-housing advocates over a 2011 federal discrimination complaint filed against the county. The complaint accuses the county of perpetuating segregated clusters of renters with government subsidies by not implementing policies to expand affordable options in more prosperous neighborhoods.
The state housing department faces a similar complaint regarding the placement of housing supported by low-income housing tax credits. Advocates say such policies have placed senior affordable housing projects in good neighborhoods while locating family apartment complexes in areas of existing poverty and subsidized housing.
The new federal initiative adds another layer of financial savings for developers seeking those tax credits for multifamily developments. The HUD incentives offer lower mortgage insurance premiums and other incentives to developers that set aside 10 percent of two- and three-bedroom apartments for tenants with rent subsidies.
"HUD believes that the proposed incentives will contribute to reducing racial segregation and increasing opportunities for low-income families to live in areas identified as 'communities of opportunity'" in the Baltimore area, according to HUD documents.
HUD officials did not explain why the new incentive program has failed to attract any applicants.
Several housing officials and developers from across the region said they were either unaware of the new incentives or unfamiliar with their impact.
"I don't know about it," said developer Jeffrey C. Kirby, of KB Company Inc. "I'm surprised I don't."
Last month Kirby began construction on apartments in Elkridge, a project that received tax credits from the state and funding from Howard County. The 84-unit, mixed-income community will offer 42 market-rate apartments and 42 affordable units. The four-story apartment and townhouse development will feature views of the Patapsco River, large lobby windows, a walkway, gazebo and community open areas.
Kirby is close to finalizing a similar deal on a 92-unit apartment building in the Parkville area and is talking to Baltimore County housing officials about getting incentives from a new $9 million fund established by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. The county plans to spend $30 million over the next decade from the fund to provide incentives to developers. |
Taiwan's China-friendly ruling party lost a slew of traditional strongholds in local elections on Saturday, triggering the resignation of the island's premier and the cabinet.
The worse-than-expected showing underlined the growing unpopularity of the government of President Ma Ying-jeou, which has been trying to forge closer ties with China.
China is Taiwan's largest trading partner, but Beijing has never renounced the use of force to take back what it deems a breakaway province.
The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) shed seats across the island, including in the capital Taipei, where Ko Wen-je, the candidate backed by the pro-independence opposition party was elected as the next mayor, ending the ruling party's 16-year hold on the city.
The local elections, held less than two years ahead of a presidential poll, were the first chance for voters to make their views felt since thousands of young people occupied parliament in March in an unprecedented demonstration against a planned trade pact calling for closer ties with Beijing.
The departure of premier Jiang Yi-huah just hours after polls closed left President Ma, who is also KMT chairman, to rebuild a government.
A crowd of several thousand Ko supporters filled the wide city street outside of his campaign headquarters, with rock music blaring out of loud speakers.
Kuo Hsin-tai, a 40-year-old photocopy shop owner and supporter of Ko, said he had grown disillusioned with the Kuomintang.
"They're making Taiwan far too dependent on the mainland. Their policy-making muscle is far too focused on cross-strait ties and not nearly enough on raising the standard of living of the average Taiwanese person."
China's Taiwan Affairs Office, which is in charge of Taiwan matters for Beijing, said in a statement following the vote that it hoped "cross-strait compatriots" would jointly safeguard the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.
Al Jazeera and Reuters |
Radeon HD 8000 Series Radeon HD 8990 Radeon HD 8970 Radeon HD 8950 Radeon HD 8870 Radeon HD 8850 Radeon HD 8770 Radeon HD 8750 GPU Venus XTX Venus XT Venus Pro Oland XT Oland Pro Mars XT Mars Pro Transistors Count ~10 billion 5.1 billion 5.1 billion 3.4 billion 3.4 billion 2.1 billion 2.1 billion Stream Processors 5120 2560 2304 1792 1536 896 768 TMUs 320 160 144 112 96 48 40 ROPs 96 48 48 32 32 16 16 Memory Bus Width 768-bit 384-bit 384-bit 256-bit 256-bit 192-bit 192-bit Base GPU Clock 950 MHz 1050 MHz 1050 MHz 1000 MHz 925 MHz 850 MHz 800 MHz Boost GPU Clock 1050 MHz 1100 MHz 1100 MHz 1050 MHz 975 MHz – – Memory Clock 1250 MHz 1500 MHz 1350 MHz 1500 MHz 1250 MHz 1150 MHz 1150 MHz Effective Mem. Clock 5000 MHz 6000 MHz 5400 MHz 6000 MHz 5000 MHz 4600 MHz 4600 MHz TDP 350 W 260 W 210 W 160 W 130 W 80 W 60 W
In my previous post I compared multiple Radeon HD Series and concluded a possible Radeon HD 8970 specification. It turned out to be a good kick start for other sites to speculate the details further to reveal possible performance of cards coming with Radeon HD 8000 series.
The site called BitDreams (let’s hope these are not just dreams) prepared a list of all Radeon HD 8000 graphics cards. The list even includes the Radeon HD 8990, which after all the fuss around the Radeon HD 7990, doesn’t look very probable. But let’s assume that AMD will be able to prepare such card, since we are expecting a real counterpart for the GeForce GTX 790, or don’t we?
AMD Radeon HD 8990 Specifications
According to this prediction, the Radeon HD 8990 would feature two Venus XT GPUs with 2560 stream processors each, totalling 5120 cores. Here I have to point out one fact, if you read my prediction post closely, then you will find many similarities to those specs — actually the HD 8970 specs are just a copy of it. But despite that, we can assume that these details are based on my long research and comparisons. I cannot say if these are valid, but the data should be correct. Back to the HD 8990, AMD might equip this card with 320 Texture Mapping Units and 96 Raster Operating Units — that would really be a monster, probably the only card that would handle Crisis 3 in full glory. Assuming that each Venus XT GPU would be tied to a 384-bit wide interface, this card should have 768-bit, just like the Radeon HD 7990. Radeon HD 8000 series would probably be the first generation to support PowerTune Boost technology out of the box. So in this part I cannot agree with those specs, since these only mention one frequency of the processor. The Radeon HD 8990 might not reach the one GHz mark here, but it should be somewhere close. If any manufacturer comes up with a custom model, then it’s more than possible to see GHz Editions of HD 8990. The next dual-gpu card from the Radeon family would end up with 6 GB of memory, there is no point in equipping a consumer card with a higher capacity at the moment. Almost no current game is capable of utilizing such a memory buffer, that’s if we consider a single monitor configuration and a game without mods. In terms of maximum power draw, this card would be nothing less than your mom’s hair-dryer. If the specs are valid then we are expecting at least 375 Watts, however if AMD is really looking to earn some money, they should really work with the level of power consumption. No one is going to buy such card, especially considering the $1000 price of current HD 7990 cards, which would likely follow with HD 8990.
AMD Radeon HD 8970 Specifications
As already stated, the specs mentioned in the source’s table is straight from my prediction post. Let’s bring them up once again, the Radeon HD 8970 powered by a single Venus XT might end up with 2560 stream processors (25% increase in comparison to HD 7970). However, this is an optimistic assumption. This card might be equipped with 2304 as well, it all depends on the die size (which almost certainly will be higher) and how many Compute Units this gpu can hold. The most optimistic variant says its 40 CUs, while the worst case scenario is 36 (2304 stream processors). The Radeon HD 8970 would feature the same memory configuration from the HD 7970 — 3GB with 384-bit. However, don’t be surprised if it ends up with 4GB, these days marketing plays a main role. The Radeon HD 8970 should feature GHz clock as the base and 1050 MHz as the boost state. What is almost certain is at least 6GHz for memory.
AMD Radeon HD 8950 Specifications
The Radeon HD 8950, which should be an interesting card to look at next year, is based on Venus Pro. The optimistic speculator says it has 2304 stream processors on board, however the real scenario would be 2048 SPs, just like current HD 7970. Venus Pro should be clocked near the GHz level, that’s if AMD decides to launch a GHz Edition in the very first day. In other words the main difference between the flagship model and this one is SPs count. Memory configuration should be the same. The lower number of cores and slightly lower clocks will cause the card to run at a lowerTDP. According to BitDreams it might be 210W, which I find hard to believe.
AMD Radeon HD 8870 Specifications
Almost two months ago, a site called read2ch, which successfully predicted the Radeon HD 7900 specs, posted the details of Radeon HD 8800 series. It was a great stimulus to discuss the next series (it was the most popular post at VideoCardz by the way, but Keith’s OCing Apps article is the best — Keith). So it’s not shocking that those specs ended up in the table from the source. As a side note, we are not sure how to call the HD 8800 series GPU at this point. I prefer to call it Oland, but the source is calling it “Sun”. We have Venus, Oland, Sun and Mars in all previous rumors. It’s not hard to guess which one does not fit here, Oland is an island in Sweden, neither a planet nor a star. But let’s get back to the specs. The card should feature at least 1792 SPs (this is new information). Radeon HD 7870 has 1280 SPs, while the Tahiti LE Edition has 1536, so it’s not a shocking number and actually is quite possible. The source says that the memory clock of this card is 1500 MHz, since this is the fastest mid-range card of upcoming series this frequency looks valid (that’s 6GHz effective speed (if you didn’t manage to multiply it by 4 already)). The source assumes that this time AMD would launch the HD 8800 series first from the next generation (Q1 2013), but considering the latest rumors this might not be true at all.
AMD Radeon HD 8850 Specifications
The Radeon HD 8850 might just be the most popular card of HD 8000 series. This card comes packed with 1536 stream processors, 96 TMUs and 32 ROPs; might be a great solution for a weekend gamer. According to previous leaks, this card might not feature clock speeds beyond the level of one GHz. Assuming that the previous leaks were at least probable then we are looking at 925 MHz clocks. Both Radeon HD 8870 and HD 8850 should be equipped with 2GB and 256-bit interface. You can find more details in the post I mentioned earlier. Currently, there are no other leaks regarding Radeon HD 8800 series.
AMD Radeon HD 8770 Specifications
The Radeon HD 8700 series will likely be the last one we see next year from AMD. Radeon HD 8770, the fastest card from this ‘almost mid-range’ segment could feature 896 SPs. This series might be the most crippled ones with a 192-bit interface. The assumption would be that the HD 8770 aims at the current GeForce GTX 660/660Ti series. There are many similarities between these cards. Such interface lacks performance in full-HD gaming with anti-aliasing enabled, however if you are not really that interested in image quality and you prefer an acceptable price, rather than a $300 graphics card, this might just be the model for you.
AMD Radeon HD 8750 Specifications
The Mars Pro or Oland Pro, if you prefer, might come with 768 SPs. Both Radeon HD 8770 and 8750 graphics cards could arrive with just 16 ROPs. That’s very important information, but still based on speculation. For unknown reasons the source claims that these cards would consume up to 250 W. This is obviously a mistake, since both cards should come in the sub 200W category.
The Radeon HD 8000 Series
All 8000 series cards will be based on a 28nm architecture, the die size of each GPU depends on the number of stream processors it holds, along with other variables. Each one of these cards should fully support PCI-Express 3.0 bus, DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.2. The big unknown is the price of these graphics cards. Although I am assuming that raising prices is not the best idea for AMD right now. Even the HD 8800 series leak suggested that the company may even lower them.
There are few interesting facts about the specs in the source’s table. They refer to ATI cards, which as far as I know are a couple of years old. They based their details on my prediction, which is not a bad move, just doesn’t make their assumptions anymore valid. The release dates are probably not valid, the TDP of HD 8700 series are wrong too. And finally there’s no boost clock for HD 8900 series (however they mention it in the very short description).
I did not comment on the compute power of these cards for a reason; it would be a speculation based on speculations. Nevertheless, this might be the most important aspect of the Radeon HD 8000 series, especially if you are a fan of mining.
According to the latest rumors, the Radeon HD 8000 series could be launched in the second quarter of 2013.
Anyway, what do you think about the next Radeon series? Should AMD launch them after NVIDIA’s GeForce 700 Series, or just go ahead and release them giving NVIDIA the option of which GPUs they can hide in the closet this time?
Maciej (Edited by Keith)
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