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CLOSE A quick overview of who Bob McGinn thinks will be available when the Packers pick and who he thinks the selection will be. USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Former Washington cornerback Kevin King could give the Packers' secondary a boost. (Photo: Elaine Thompson/Associated Press) GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers can trade up, they can trade down or they can stay where they are and exercise the 29th selection on Thursday night in the first round of the NFL draft. Maybe it will be on opening night. Or maybe it will be in the second round and third rounds Friday night. No matter how you slice it, the Packers must come away with a No. 1 cornerback for the 2017 season. There are no alternatives or excuses. For the Packers to win the Super Bowl, they need a massive upgrade at cornerback. General manager Ted Thompson missed badly on two players, Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins, with his opening choices two years ago. They should be top-notch starters now. The Packers have little choice but to make confidence-enhancing statements regarding the two players, but with Randall’s lack of competitiveness and Rollins’ lack of speed their careers could be over in a year or two. The Packers easily qualify as desperate. They even signed Davon House, a move to bring back a player once deemed expendable that no team prefers to make, and have been calling on and investigating every veteran that became available. MOCK DRAFT: Bob McGinn's first-round projections RELATED: Bob McGinn's Top 100 NFL draft board NFL DRAFT: Round-by-round Packers picks PRE-DRAFT CHAT: Pete Dougherty at noon Thursday Thompson had to bid farewell to concussed Sam Shields, his former No. 1. He also decided that Micah Hyde wasn’t in the plan. Green Bay enters the draft with an unseemly number of voids (four) for a team that is and always will be a legitimate Super Bowl contender as long as Aaron Rodgers is performing at a high level. The voids are running back and right guard on offense, and inside linebacker and cornerback on defense. Only cornerback, however, has the potential to undermine the entire operation if Thompson doesn’t clean up the mess that he made atop his draft in 2015. In the eyes of personnel people, LaDarius Gunter, Randall, Rollins and House all are No. 3 or No. 4 cornerbacks. The Packers really can’t afford not to take a cornerback in the first round, but even beyond that they need to draft another corner some time before the sixth round. Fortunately for the Packers, it’s a bountiful year at the position. A record seven might be taken in the first round, meaning the fifth- or sixth-ranked cornerback on many teams’ draft boards is a much better prospect than in previous years. Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore will be long gone. Depending on the club, the next seven almost could go in any order. Remarkably, every one has first-round capability. Based on Journal Sentinel polling of personnel executives this month, Alabama’s Marlon Humphrey ranked second, Ohio State’s Gareon Conley ranked third, Washington’s Sidney Jones ranked fourth, Southern California’s Adoree Jackson ranked fifth, Louisiana State’s Tre’Davious White ranked sixth, Washington’s Kevin King ranked seventh and Florida’s Quincy Wilson ranked eighth. Sources say the Packers are extremely high on King. If the draft unfolds as predicted, and that’s a massive if, King stands the best chance of being their pick at No. 29. Conley most assuredly would have been gone had it not been for the allegations of sexual assault made against him by a woman during their encounter at a hotel in Cleveland this week. In a statement released Wednesday, Conley strongly denied the accusations. In the last 24 hours, executives from two teams told the Journal Sentinel that they still expected Conley to be selected in the first round. Another team executive projected Conley would drop into the second round; a personnel director from another team indicated he’d fall out of the top 100. There were indications that the Packers might have King ranked even higher than Conley. If not, and Conley becomes available at No. 29, would the Packers draft him? MCGINN'S RANKINGS: Top defensive backs in draft MCGINN'S DRAFT SERIES: Position-by-position analysis, rankings Several people employed by the Packers now and in the past say Thompson generally has taken a strong position against players with domestic-violence issues. Also, Conley hasn’t been charged with a crime. Jones, who suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in mid-March, might not be ready as a rookie and probably won’t be picked until Friday. Jackson (5-10, 186) is the shortest of the leading players but is well admired by the Packers. So is White (5-11, 192), who along with King (6-3, 198) is the only senior. Wilson (6-1 ½, 211) has tremendous size, as well, but his 40-yard time of 4.56 seconds didn’t even compare to King’s stunning 4.45 clocking at the combine. Before Indianapolis, King generally was regarded as a second- or third-round pick. After a great workout, the vibe changed to where one could see him being taken 12 to 18 picks ahead of Green Bay. “If you look at tape, he’s not a first-round pick,” said one personnel man. “If you look at the combine, he’s a top-10 pick.” With his incredible height and 39 ½-inch vertical jump, King could be the type of cornerback able to go up and compete for the ball with the likes of Atlanta’s Julio Jones. After a sophomore season at free safety, King played extensively as a bump-and-run cornerback in both man and zone systems. Strangely, he played a lot in the slot, too. “He’s a finesse press corner,” said one personnel man. “I don’t know if he’s physical enough for Ted. But he is long, and I like long.” White probably is the better player than King right now, according to scouts, but some worry that his speed (said to be anywhere from 4.47 to 4.53) could be an issue over time. The Packers have high regard for the LSU stalwart, but the towering King represents a chance for greatness that apparently has won them over. Should Conley drop out of the first round, it would move King forward on some boards and reduce the chances that he’ll be there for the Packers. Now, if running back Dalvin Cook of Florida State should slip to their position based on non-football issues, he’s such a special player that the Packers probably would draft him. Barring the unexpected, Cook will be off the board and the Packers will draft their running back later. On Wednesday, the Packers made a rare unrestricted free-agent signing in guard Jahri Evans, 33. With his once-stellar career nearing the end, he went back to New Orleans in 2016, lost some weight and played 1,139 of 1,153 snaps. “Tough and strong and limited movement,” an AFC personnel man said Wednesday. “Not a fit for a zone scheme, but he can anchor and plays tough. Stopgap. “His signing indicates to me that they are a little nervous about the interior situation, which they should be.” The Packers still need to draft an interior player. They wouldn’t have needed Evans or to take away a selection from what should be an almost total defensive draft if they had re-signed T.J. Lang any time in the last eight months. Probably without question, the Packers would like to draft any of the three impact inside linebackers: Alabama’s Reuben Foster, Florida’s Jarrad Davis and Temple’s Haason Reddick. They’ll likely be taken, however, so the other defensive position of first-round interest is outside linebacker. Clay Matthews is being paid $13.2 million per year, and Nick Perry’s new contract averages $12 million. They need to play in the neighborhood of 90 percent of the snaps, and Kyler Fackrell was drafted in the third round last year to be an eventual starter. POLL: How much NFL draft coverage will you watch? The Packers have enough bodies at inside linebacker, and probably will add another in the draft. Matthews is more valuable playing outside on early downs and roaming at times in sub-packages. It does Matthews and the defense a disservice to switch him back yet again to the inside in the base defense. No 3-4 team can ever not consider an outside linebacker, but the degree of need there compared to cornerback can’t be compared. Thompson can see that, of course, but only he can decide if he wants to take Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt to join the group at outside linebacker. Sources say Thompson loves everything about Watt, both as a player and person. There’s much to admire, from his outstanding final season to his exceptional combine workout to his pedigree and to his many similarities to Matthews. If Watt isn’t selected in the first round, it would be a surprise to see him last beyond the first 20 choices of the second. Nevertheless, Thompson is somewhat of a lone wolf on Watt, at least on the basis of my interviews with 13 personnel men this month. Ten of the 13 said Watt wasn’t a legitimate first-round pick, two said he was and another called him a possible first-round choice. “I don’t think (Watt) can get in there (first round),” said an AFC executive. “It would shock me if he did. “He has the injury history. This is really his only year of production. But, you can’t deny what he did this year.” When an executive from another team was challenged about his good-not-great evaluation of Watt, he replied, “There’s no (expletive) way if you watch the film. I think (Vince) Biegel is better than him. He’s a better workout warrior than football player. “There’s no way Ted would do that. If he does that he’s lost his mind.” Missouri’s Charles Harris is widely regarded by scouts as a better player than Watt. If he reaches the 29th slot, the Packers would have to consider him. If Thompson trades up, it would be for the 10th time since being hired in 2005. He struck it rich doing it with Matthews and safety Morgan Burnett but doesn’t have much to show, at least not yet, for the other seven players that he felt compelled to go get. It makes sense for Thompson to trade down for additional picks because the Packers’ pre-draft roster might be at an all-time low. He has traded back 19 times in his career. If King is the choice, he would become the fifth player from the Pacific-12 Conference to be drafted in the first round by Green Bay in the last six drafts. The others were Kenny Clark, Randall, Datone Jones and Perry.
Weekend events in Toronto is our guide to events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this July 12-14, 2013. FESTIVAL Salsa on St. Clair St. Clair will be shutdown from Christie to Winona for the annual Salsa on St. Clair Festival, which brings out street eats, dancing in the streets, and some series crowds to an area once categorized as a disaster zone by our municipal leader(s). The event id decidedly family-oriented throughout the day, but tends to get more lively when the sun sets. July 13-14, 12pm-11pm MARKET Toronto Flower Market Ontario flower and plant growers set up stalls at 99 Sudbury for the return of the Toronto Flower Market. One of Toronto's best new markets to pop-up on summer weekends, this event supports local growers whose product come from farms in the GTA and even residential yards. The market operates until 3PM on Saturday only with the best picks going early. 99 Sudbury (99 Sudbury Street), July 13, 2013, 10AM Free White House Market Sale White House Art Studio has organized its first artisan market, doubling as a studio fundraiser, this Sunday. Selling wall art, jewelry, zines and more, this sale offers a peak at what the Kensington art circle is busy creating when not battling big box giants. The secret space will be open to the public to explore and shop this Sunday only. White House Studio (277.5 Augusta Avenue), July 14, 2013, 11AM Free FOOD Night It Up Asian cuisine will be running the night in Markham this weekend with the opening of Night It Up in the Markham Civic Centre on Friday. Sample traditional dishes and twists on culinary treats from across the continent as created by local chefs and Asian restauranteurs while enjoying free outdoor film screenings and dance and musical performances. The event is being held to support Second Harvest, which supplies underprivileged Torontonians with nutritious meals. Try everything you can but be warned that there will be stinky tofu in the vicinity. Markham Civic Centre (101 Town Centre Boulevard), July 12-14, 2013, 7PM Free Pizza In The Pits Tree Tour The Christie Pits neighbourhood becomes a tourist destination this Friday night with LEAF hosting ecology tours about what the community is doing to better the park life. As part of the David Suzuki Foundation's Homegrown National Park Project, representatives from LEAF, David Suzuki Foundation, Friends of Christie Pits and the Christie Pits Residents Association will gather to discuss the improvements and shortcomings of the local environment. Following the tour, attendees will end at the second Homegrown Pizza in the Pits night at the wood-burning oven in Christie Pits. Learn with LEAF and then eat Christie Pits (750 Bloor Street West), July 12, 2013, 5:30PM $5 suggested donation For more food events, check out our Toronto food events post. MUSIC Sound In Motion Festival Sound In Motion got underway last night, but continues through the weekend with a variety of electronic-themed concerts, panels and film screenings. This is one of the biggest events of the year for electronic music fans in Toronto, and even features a show at what is a rarely used venue â Coronation Park. For a full rundown of what's on offer this year, checkout or preview post linked to above. Various venues, July 11-13, $50 for a full festival pass TD Irie Music Festival This long-running festival celebrates the arts of many cultures, including music, dance, virual works, spoken word and culinary. Taking place in Mississauga's Celebration Square this weekend--with further events happening in Nathan Phillips Square next weekend--TD Irie Music Festival celebrates reggae, salsa, soul and African music with dance of the African diaspora. For the full schedule of events and performances, visit iriemusicfestival.com. Celebration Square (301 Burnhamthorpe Drive), July 13-14, 2013, 2PM Free SoundClash Festival Harboufront festivals typically have a cheesy element to them but SoundClash nails it. A free music festival taking place on the WestJet Stage all weekend long, SoundClash features key performances by Brooklyn synthpop duo Chairlift on Friday night and local indie rock band Born Ruffians on Saturday. Keep an eye out for the SoundClash Music Award to see performances by bands like GROUNDERS and Program competing for a $10,000 prize. Harbourfront Centre (235 Queen's Quay West), July 12-14, 2013, 9:30PM Free For more music events, check out our This Week in Music and July Concerts posts. CAR RACING Honda Indy Hear that sound? That'd be the the Indy cars doing practice laps along the Lake Shore in preparation for this weekend's Honday Indy. Car racing isn't for everyone, but the spectacle of it all is something to behold, and the feats these drivers can pull off is nothing short of remarkable. In conjunction with the main race, there's also a craft beer fest and food trucks and other vendors. Exhibition Place, July 13-14. $35-165 FILM Christie Pits Film Festival So, last Sunday's Christie Pits film screening didn't exactly work out, did it? The Christie Pits Film Festival instead celebrates the premiere this Sunday with the aptly-named film Gimme Shelter. Screening in the pit near Bloor West, this documentary follows the Rolling Stones on their 1969 American tour, including their disastrous appearance at the Altamont Free Festival. The festival opens with a screening of a short film by local filmmaker Dan Browne. BYOBlanket! Christie Pits Park (750 Bloor Street West), July 14, 2013, 9:15PM Free Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme Freestyle hip-hop is immortalized in Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme, Kevin Fitzgerald's 2000 documentary. Screening at Big Picture Cinema this Friday night, the film features interviews with important rappers like Mos Def, Ghostface Killah, KRS-One and Talib Kweli as well as archival footage of musical icons as the director traces the social consciousness the genre has created. The screening will be preempted with live performances as this is a one-time engagement at Big Picture. Tickets are available at the door and through guestlistapp.com. Big Picture Cinema (1035 Gerrard Street East), July 12, 2013, 8:30PM $10 For more film events, check out our This Week in Film post. ART Toronto Graffiti Tour Tour Guys take you on a two-hour expedition through Toronto's laneways and alleys to discover and learn about local graffiti. A surprisingly educational experience, these art guides will not only discuss the history and controversy of graffiti but the styles and best places in the city to find works. The tours will be taking place every Saturday throughout the summer. Book your tour through Uniiverse.com. Queen Street West (310 Queen Street West), July 13, 2013, 3PM $30 THEATRE Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story is a two-man musical set in 1920s Chicago where two teenagers fall into trouble and begin committing crimes that lead up to the 1924 murder of Bobby Franks. A twisted and manipulative relationship between two friends, the story is based on the true events that made international headlines. Performances begin this Friday night and continue through to the 27th at Red Sandcastle Theatre. Tickets are available at the theatre box office and online. Red Sandcastle Theatre (922 Queen Street East), July 12-27, 2013, 8PM $25 Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly. Photo of Salsa on St. Clair by Scott Snider
In an interview with the novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson, Robert Long asked her about the too-frequent identification of Christianity with the religious right in America. She doesn’t hold back: Well, what is a Christian, after all? Can we say that most of us are defined by the belief that Jesus Christ made the most gracious gift of his life and death for our redemption? Then what does he deserve from us? He said we are to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek. Granted, these are difficult teachings. But does our most gracious Lord deserve to have his name associated with concealed weapons and stand-your-ground laws, things that fly in the face of his teaching and example? Does he say anywhere that we exist primarily to drive an economy and flourish in it? He says precisely the opposite. Surely we all know this. I suspect that the association of Christianity with positions that would not survive a glance at the Gospels or the Epistles is opportunistic, and that if the actual Christians raised these questions those whose real commitments are to money and hostility and potential violence would drop the pretense and walk away.
Midwestern voters who backed Donald Trump are confident he can deliver on key campaign promises. But if he doesn’t, they’ll blame Congress more than the businessman who defied the odds to capture the White House. If a focus group of 12 Trump voters from Cleveland is a guide, the New York “outsider” can expect the benefits of a honeymoon and Teflon armor reserved for an improbable leader with no experience governing or negotiating on behalf of the United States around the world. “He’s working bipartisan,” Melinda, a 51-year-old homemaker who last voted for a Democrat for president in 1996, said Tuesday. “He’s working in the middle.” Sky-high hopes for Trump and enthusiasm about his approach to Washington, almost in spite of what he says or does, marked a two-hour conversation moderated by pollster Peter Hart of Democratic firm Hart Research, as part of research for the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The center sponsored a series of focus group discussions during the 2016 presidential race, including the final post-election conversation Tuesday with six men and six women in swing-state Ohio, ages 27 to 62, all of them white. The Buckeye State was among Midwestern and Rust Belt territory Trump secured to win 306 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton’s 232. Michael, a 54-year-old mechanical engineer who considers himself a strong Republican, joined with other Trump enthusiasts from Cleveland, including several who had previously voted for President Obama, to predict that Trump’s business acumen will blast through gridlock and scuttle partisan maneuvering, which the electorate in polls associates with garden-variety Washington politicians. Among descriptions of the president-elect offered by the group: “smart businessman,” “powerful,” “intense,” “our future,” “a leader,” “steadfast,” and “great.” Asked to describe why they voted for Trump, rather than for Clinton (described by several participants as a “liar,” and “corrupt”), they offered these phrases: “fire,” “hope,” “change,” “he gets it,” “excited,” “kill health care,” and “lesser of two evils.” Trump’s nomination of corporate leaders to steer the State Department, Treasury, Commerce, Labor and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as his picks from Congress to round out his Cabinet, the Cleveland group suggested, reinforced their confidence that he is assembling a team that can deliver promised changes. “He’s smart enough to delegate to people who will get things done,” Michael said. “And he needs someone who knows the games they play [in Congress] to get things done.” The group conceded they would be disappointed if, in two years, Trump failed to deliver on their policy wish lists. But they expressed few reservations about the incoming president, and instead threw darts at the news media and Trump’s detractors in Congress. Members of the group, for instance, expressed misgivings about House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, calling him “untrustworthy,” a “weasel,” a politician who “had his own agenda” and a member of the GOP who initially opposed Trump. One man described Ryan as “like a typical conservative; he didn’t want an outsider.” Those observations may become more politically important in 2017. Ryan wants to push his ambitious, conservative agenda through the House, but to many voters, he will first need Trump’s blessing. Trump’s Cleveland backers placed premiums on the president-elect’s pledges to create jobs and rev the economy, repeal the Affordable Care Act (without knowing what takes its place), and enforce immigration laws. Whether or not Trump’s promised wall at the border with Mexico ever gets built seemed of little consequence to the group, which debated -- without reaching consensus -- whether or how to deport an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants living and working in the country, many of them for decades. “I think they should find them and give them an opportunity to become legal,” said Marianne, the 62-year-old owner of a small business who described herself as politically independent. She voted for Obama in 2008. The group also wanted to see Trump shrink the federal deficit and debt, and reduce federal spending. That ambition could run counter to some of Trump’s proposals, such as a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure, his proposed tax cuts, increased spending on defense, and his campaign vow to leave the entitlement side of the federal ledger – Social Security and Medicare – unchanged. The Trump voters said they are less interested in whether the 45th president makes good on his call for tax relief for families than whether he cuts federal taxes on corporations, which the group, echoing the man they helped elect, said would spur U.S. companies to return their operations to the United States, encourage new hiring, and pump up federal revenues. Asked which was more important to them – lowering corporate taxes or lowering “the deficit” -- eight of the 12 participants said cutting the deficit was a priority. The deficit was 3.2 percent of GDP in fiscal 2016, but the accumulated federal debt amounted to $19.6 trillion at the close of fiscal 2016 in October. Reacting to a variety of dust-ups in the news during Trump’s transition, the Cleveland group said they remained distrustful of Russian President Vladimir Putin, but were not convinced that Russia was behind cyber breaches in the United States in an effort to put Trump in the White House. Their advice to the incoming president: “tread lightly.” “We need to take things slow,” said William, a 50-year-old service representative. “We don’t need a plastic reset button or anything.” The Cleveland group was unconcerned that Trump has not clarified how he plans to untangle his extensive business interests from his public interests as president, many of which could create potential conflicts. “He already has his wealth,” said a woman who believed Trump has no reason to seek to benefit himself. The group appeared unfamiliar with what a blind trust would entail, and Hart took time to summarize how it might impact Trump if he decided to go that route (which he has resisted). There were two Trump controversies that captured the group’s attention, however. One is his persistent use of Twitter to communicate, and the other was his expressed disinterest in reviewing the Presidential Daily Briefing, created by U.S. intelligence agencies for the commander-in-chief and available to the president-elect to take stock of world conditions and events. Trump’s transition team said Wednesday he currently receives the information three days a week. Eight of the dozen participants said Trump should become a student of the briefings because of his “inexperience.” Several of the Trump voters said he “needs to make decisions with information,” while others said the president would always get the advice of his national security team before making decisions, and some said he could review the information in writing, if necessary. Trump’s Twitter habits were well known to the Cleveland group. Some were aware in detail about his comments regarding claims of cost overruns for a new Air Force One and for the F-35 fighter jet. But in general, they found his middle-of-the-night messaging on Twitter to be “juvenile,” “unpresidential,” and disruptive enough to “detract” from his intended communications. One bit of advice to Trump: get a “social media manager” in the White House, and keep his fingers off his smartphone. “I think he needs to stay off Twitter,” Melinda said. “It seems juvenile. Stay above it.”
people of Southeast Europe This article is about the ethnic group. For other uses, see Demographics of Albania The Albanians (; Albanian: Shqiptarët, pronounced [ʃcipˈta:ɾət]) are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula and are identified by a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language.[63] They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo[a], North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia as well as in Croatia, Greece and Italy. They also constitute a diaspora with several communities established in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. The history of the Albanian diaspora is centuries old and has its roots in migration from the Middle Ages, initially established in Southern Europe and subsequently on across other parts of the world. Between the 13th and 18th centuries, sizeable numbers of Albanians migrated to escape either various social, economic or political difficulties.[64][65][66][67] One population who became the Arvanites settled Southern Greece between the 13th and 16th centuries assimilating into and now self-identifying as Greeks.[67][68][69][70][71][72] Another population who emerged as the Arbëreshës settled Sicily and Southern Italy constituting the oldest continuous Albanian diaspora.[65] Smaller populations such as the Arbanasis whose migration dates back to the 18th century are located in Southern Croatia and scattered across Southern Ukraine.[73][74] Albanians are primarily composed of two sub-ethnic groups known as the Ghegs and Tosks. In the 13th century, the Ghegs converted to Roman Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy as a means to resist the Slavic Serbs.[75][76][77] In the 15th century, Skanderbeg led the medieval Albanian resistance to the Ottoman conquest. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Albanians in large numbers converted to Islam, in part due to the privileged legal and social position of Muslims in the empire[78][79][80] and coercion by Ottoman authorities in times of war.[81][82][83] Albanians attained important political and military positions within the Ottoman Empire and culturally contributed to the wider Muslim world.[84] Following the Albanian National Awakening, during the Balkan Wars, in 1912, Albanians were partitioned between the newly-formed Independent Albania and Serbia, Greece and Montenegro.[85] From 1945 to 1992, Albania was ruled by a communist government. Albanians in neighbouring Yugoslavia underwent periods of discrimination that concluded with the breakup of that state in the early 1990s and eventually the independence of Kosovo in 2008. Ethnonym The Albanians (Albanian: Shqiptarët) and their country Albania (Albanian: Shqipëria) have been identified by many ethnonyms. The most common native ethnonym is "Shqiptar", plural "Shqiptarë"; the name "Albanians" (Byzantine Greek: Albanoi/Arbanitai/Arbanites; Latin: Albanenses/Arbanenses) was used in medieval documents, that gradually entered European languages from which other similar derivative names emerged.[86] From these ethnonyms, names for Albanians were also derived in other languages, that were or still are in use.[87][88][89] In English "Albanians"; Italian "Albanesi"; German "Albaner"; Greek "Arvanites", "Alvanitis" (Αλβανίτης) plural: "Alvanites" (Αλβανίτες), "Alvanos" (Αλβανός) plural: "Alvanoi" (Αλβανοί); Turkish "Arnaut", "Arnavut"; South Slavic languages "Arbanasi" (Арбанаси), "Albanci" (Албанци); Aromanian "Arbineş" and so on.[70][87][88][89][90][91] The term "Albanoi" (Αλβανοί) is first encountered twice in the works of Byzantine historian Michael Attaliates, and the term "Arvanitai" (Αρβανίται) is used once by the same author. He referred to the "Albanoi" as having taken part in a revolt against the Byzantine Empire in 1043, and to the "Arbanitai" as subjects of the Duke of Dyrrachium (modern Durrës).[92] These references have been disputed as to whether they refer to the people of Albania.[92][93] Historian E. Vranoussi believes that these "Albanoi" were Normans from Sicily. She also notes that the same term (as "Albani") in medieval Latin meant "foreigners".[94] The reference to "Arvanitai" from Attaliates regarding the participation of Albanians in a rebellion around 1078 is undisputed.[95] In later Byzantine usage, the terms "Arbanitai" and "Albanoi" with a range of variants were used interchangeably, while sometimes the same groups were also called by the classicising name Illyrians.[96][97][98] The first reference to the Albanian language dates to the latter 13th century (around 1285).[99] The ethnonym Albanian has been hypothesized to be connected to and stem from the Albanoi,[100][101][102] an Illyrian tribe mentioned by Ptolemy with their centre at the city of Albanopolis.[87][103] Linguists believe that the alb part in the root word originates from an Indo-European term for a type of mountainous topography, from which other words such as alps are derived.[104] Through the root word alban and its rhotacized equivalents arban, albar, and arbar, the term in Albanian became rendered as Arbëneshë/Arbëreshë for the people and Arbënia/Arbëria for the country.[86][87] The Albanian language was referred to as Arbnisht and Arbërisht.[103] While the exonym Albania for the general region inhabited by the Albanians does have connotations to Classical Antiquity, the Albanian language employs a different ethnonym, with modern Albanians referring to themselves as Shqip(ë)tarë and to their country as Shqipëria.[87] Two etymologies have been proposed for this ethnonym: one, derived from the etymology from the Albanian word for eagle (shqipe, var., shqiponjë).[89] In Albanian folk etymology, this word denotes a bird totem, dating from the times of Skanderbeg as displayed on the Albanian flag.[89][105] The other is within scholarship that connects it to the verb 'to speak' (me shqiptue) from the Latin "excipere".[89] In this instance the Albanian endonym like Slav and others would originally have been a term connoting "those who speak [intelligibly, the same language]".[89] The new ethnonyms Shqip(ë)tarë and Shqipëria emerged and replaced the older ethnonyms Arbëneshë/Arbëreshë and Arbënia/Arbëria between the late 17th and early 18th centuries.[87] That era brought about religious and other sociopolitical changes.[87] As such a new and generalised response by Albanians based on ethnic and linguistic consciousness to this new and different Ottoman world emerging around them was a change in ethnonym.[87] History Ethnogenesis Middle Ages A text, compiled around the beginning of the 11th century in the Bulgarian language, contains possibly a reference to the Albanian people.[106] It is preserved in a manuscript written in the Serbo-Croatian language traced back to the 17th century but published in the 20th century by Radoslav Grujic. It is a fragment of a once longer text that endeavours to explain the origins of peoples and languages in a question-and-answer form similar to a catechism. The fragmented manuscript differentiated the world into seventy-two languages and three religious categories including Christians, half-believers and non-believers. Grujic dated it to the early 11th century and if this and the identification of the Arbanasi, as Albanians, are correct it would be the earliest written document referring to the Albanian people as a people or language group.[106] It can be seen that there are various languages on earth. Of them, there are five Orthodox languages: Bulgarian, Greek, Syrian, Iberian (Georgian) and Russian. Three of these have Orthodox alphabets: Greek, Bulgarian and Iberian. There are twelve languages of half-believers: Alamanians, Franks, Magyars (Hungarians), Indians, Jacobites, Armenians, Saxons, Lechs (Poles), Arbanasi (Albanians), Croatians, Hizi and Germans. The first undisputed mention of Albanians in the historical record is attested in Byzantine source for the first time in 1079–1080, in a work titled History by Byzantine historian Michael Attaliates, who referred to the Albanoi as having taken part in a revolt against Constantinople in 1043 and to the Arbanitai as subjects of the duke of Dyrrachium. It is disputed, however, whether the "Albanoi" of the events of 1043 refers to Albanians in an ethnic sense or whether "Albanoi" is a reference to Normans from Sicily under an archaic name (there was also a tribe in Italy by the name of "Albanoi").[92] However a later reference to Albanians from the same Attaleiates, regarding the participation of Albanians in a rebellion around 1078, is undisputed.[95] At this point, they are already fully Christianized, although Albanian mythology and folklore are part of the Paleo-Balkan pagan mythology,[107] in particular showing Greek influence.[108] From the late 11th century the Albanians were called Arbën/Arbër and their country as Arbanon,[109] a mountainous area to the west of Lake Ochrida and the upper valley of the river Shkumbin.[110] It was in 1190, when the rulers of Arbanon (local Albanian noble called Progon and his sons Dhimitër and Gjin) created their principality with its capital at Krujë.[111] After the fall of Progon Dynasty in 1216, the principality came under Grigor Kamona and Gulam of Albania. Finally the Principality was dissolved in 1255. Around 1230 the two main centers of Albanian settlements, one around Devoll river in what is now central Albania,[112] and the other around the region which was known with the name Arbanon.[113] In 1271 Charles of Anjou created the Kingdom of Albania, after he captured a part of the Despotate of Epirus.[114] A major attempt to advance further in direction of Constantinople failed at the Siege of Berat (1280–1281). A Byzantine counteroffensive soon ensued, which drove the Angevins out of the interior by 1281. The Sicilian Vespers further weakened the position of Charles, and the Kingdom was soon reduced by the Epirotes to a small area around Durrës. The kingdom however held out until 1368, when the city was captured by Karl Thopia. The presence of the kingdom reinforced the influence of Catholicism and the conversion to its rite, not only in the region of Durrës but in other parts of the country.[115] A new wave of Catholic dioceses, churches and monasteries were founded, a number of different religious orders began spreading into the country, and papal missionaries also reached the territories of the Kingdom of Albania. Those who were not Catholic in Central and North Albania converted and a great number of Albanian clerics and monks were present in the Dalmatian Catholic institutions.[116] In the 14th century a number of Albanian principalities were created. These included Principality of Kastrioti, Principality of Dukagjini, Princedom of Albania, and Principality of Gjirokastër. At the beginning of the 15th century these principalities became stronger, especially because of the fall of the Serbian Empire. Some of these principalities were united in 1444 under the military alliance called League of Lezha. At the dawn of the establishment of the Ottoman Empire in Southeast Europe, the geopolitical landscape was marked by scattered kingdoms of small principalities. The Ottomans erected their garrisons throughout southern Albania by 1415 and established formal jurisdiction over most of Albania by 1431.[117] However, in 1443 a great and longstanding revolt broke under the lead of the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, which lasted until 1479, many times defeating major Ottoman armies led by sultans Murad II and Mehmed II. Skanderbeg united initially the Albanian princes and later established a centralized authority over most of the non-conquered territories, becoming Lord of Albania. He also tried relentlessly but rather unsuccessfully to create a European coalition against the Ottomans. He frustrated every attempt by the Turks to regain Albania, which they envisioned as a springboard for the invasion of Italy and western Europe. His unequal fight against the mightiest power of the time won the esteem of Europe as well as some support in the form of money and military aid from Naples, the papacy, Venice, and Ragusa.[118] Finally after decades of resistance, Ottomans captured Shkodër in 1479 and Durrës in 1501.[119] Skanderbeg's long struggle to keep Albania free became highly significant to the Albanian people, as it strengthened their solidarity, made them more conscious of their national identity, and served later as a great source of inspiration in their struggle for national unity, freedom, and independence.[118][120] The invasion triggered a several waves of migration of Albanians from Albania, Epirus and Peloponnese to the south of Italy, constituting an Arbereshe community. Albanians were recruited all over Europe as a light cavalry known as stratioti. The stratioti were pioneers of light cavalry tactics during this era. In the early 16th century heavy cavalry in the European armies was principally remodeled after Albanian stradioti of the Venetian army, Hungarian hussars and German mercenary cavalry units (Schwarzreitern).[121] By the 16th century, Ottoman rule over Southeast Europe was largely secure. The Ottomans proceeded in stages, first appointing a qadi along with governors and then military retainers in the cities. Timar holders, not necessarily converts to Islam, would occasionally rebel, the most famous case of which is Skanderbeg. His figure would be used later in the 19th century as a central component of Albanian national identity. Ottoman control over the Albanian territories was secured in 1571 when Ulcinj, presently in Montenegro, was captured. Codice de trajes 1547 Albanian men in the 16th century –1547 The most significant impact on the Albanians was the gradual Islamization process of a large majority of the population, although such a process only became widespread in the 17th century.[84] Mainly Catholics converted in the 17th century, while the Orthodox Albanians became Muslim mainly in the following century. Initially confined to the main city centres of Elbasan and Shkodër, by this time the countryside was also embracing the new religion.[84] In Elbasan Muslims made up just over half the population in 1569–70 whereas in Shkodër this was almost 90% and in Berat closer to 60%. In the 17th century, however, Catholic conversion to Islam increased, even in the countryside. The motives for conversion according to scholars were diverse, depending on the context. The lack of source-material does not help when investigating such issues.[84] Reasons in various different contexts included the incentive to escape high taxes levied on Christian subjects, ecclesiastical decay,[122] coercion by Ottoman authorities in times of war,[81][82][83] and the privileged legal and social position Muslims had over that of Christians within the empire.[79][78][80] Areas such as Albania, Western Macedonia, Southern Serbia, Kosovo, parts of northern Greece and southern Montenegro in Ottoman sources were referred to as Arnavudluk or Albania.[123][124][125] The Ottoman period that followed in Albania after the end of Skanderbeg's resistance was characterized by other changes. Many Albanians gained prominent positions in the Ottoman government such as: Iljaz Hoxha, Hamza Kastrioti, Koca Davud Pasha, Zağanos Pasha, Köprülü Mehmed Pasha (head of the Köprülü family of Grand Viziers), the Bushati family, Sulejman Pasha, Edhem Pasha, Nezim Frakulla, Haxhi Shekreti, Hasan Zyko Kamberi, Ali Pasha of Gucia, Muhammad Ali of Egypt and Ali Pasha of Tepelena who rose to become one of the most powerful Muslim Albanian rulers in western Rumelia. During the Ottoman era Albanians involved in imperial service could also be found across the empire in Egypt, Algeria and across the Maghreb as vital military and administrative retainers.[126] Modern Flag used during the National Renaissance by Albanian rebels In the 1870s, the Sublime Porte's reforms aimed at checking the Ottoman Empire's disintegration had clearly failed. The image of the "Turkish yoke" had become fixed in the nationalist mythologies and psyches of the people in the Balkan peninsula, and their march toward independence quickened. Because of the higher degree of Islamic influence, the Albanians internal social divisions, and the fear that they would lose their Albanian-inhabited territories to the emerging Balkan states, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Greece, were the last of the peoples in the Balkans to desire division from the Ottomans.[127] The national awakening as a coherent political movement began after the Treaty of San Stefano, according to which Albanian-inhabited territories were to be ceded to other states of the Balkans, and focused on preventing that partition.[128][129] The Treaty of San Stefano was the impetus for the nation-building movement, which was based more on fear of partition than national identity.[129] Even after, Albania declared independence on 28 November 1912, national identity was fragmented and possibly non-existent in much of the newly proposed country.[129] The state of disunity and fragmentation would remain until the communist period following second World War, when the communist nation-building project would achieve greater success in nation-building and reach more people than any previous regime, thus creating Albanian national communist identity.[129] Distribution Balkans Approximately 5 million Albanians are geographically distributed across the Balkan Peninsula with about half this number living in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro as well as to a much smaller extent in Croatia and Serbia. There are also significant Albanian populations in Greece. Insignificant comunities are available in Bulgaria and Romania. In North Macedonia, there are approximately 500.000 Albanians constituting the largest minority group in the country.[31][32] The vast majority of the Albanians are largely concentrated around the municipalities of Tetovo, Gostivar, Struga and Skopje in the northwest and southwest of Macedonia. In Montenegro, the Albanian population of Montenegro is currently estimated to be around 30.000 forming as well as one of the constituent minority groups of the country.[33][130] They predominantly live in the coastal region of Montenegro around the municipalities of Ulcinj and Bar but also around Plav and the capital city of Podgorica.[33] The cities of Ulcinj and Tuzi constitute the major centres of the Albanian community in Montenegro. In Romania, the Albanians are recognized as a minority group and are hence represented in Parliament of Romania and enjoy ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious rights in the country.[131][132] The Albanian migration to Romanian territory dates back to the 16th century however the actual number of Albanians in Romania is unofficially estimated at around 500 to 10.000. An estimated 2.2 million Albanians live in the territory of Former Yugoslavia, the greater part, which is close to two million, in Kosovo.[a] Rights to use the Albanian language in education and government were given and guaranteed by the 1974 Constitution of SFRY and were widely utilized in Macedonia and in Montenegro before the Dissolution of Yugoslavia.[133] The presence of Albanians in Kosovo as well as in the adjacent regions of Toplica and Morava is recorded since the Middle Ages.[134] As the Serbs expelled many Albanians from the wider Toplica and Morava regions in Southern Serbia, which the 1878 Congress of Berlin had given to the Principality of Serbia, many of them settled in Kosovo.[135] In Kosovo, they and their descendants are known as Muhaxher (meaning the exiled, from the Arabic muhajir).[136][137] During the First Balkan War, Serbia and Montenegro, after expelling the Ottoman forces in present-day Albania and Kosovo, committed numerous war crimes against the Albanians, which were reported by the European, American and Serbian opposition press.[138] Further during the Kosovo War, Serbian paramilitary forces committed war crimes in Kosovo, although the Serbian government claims that the army was only going after suspected Albanian terrorists. This triggered a 78-day NATO campaign in 1999. Nowadays, Albanians in Kosovo constitute the majority with 1,616,869 million.[139] Culturally, Albanians in Kosovo are very closely related to Albanians in Albania. Traditions and customs differ even from town to town in Kosovo itself. The spoken dialect is Gheg, typical of northern Albanians. The language of state institutions, education, books, media and newspapers is the standard dialect of Albanian, which is closer to the Tosk dialect. The most widespread religion among Albanians in Kosovo is Islam, mostly Sunni, and Roman Catholicism. There are small Albanian populations dating to migrations from the 18th century. One group known as the Arbanas are located on Croatia's Dalmatian coast and fled Ottoman repression.[73] The second known as the Албанці (Albantsi) are located in scattered communities across southern Ukraine and descend from Albanian warriors who fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish wars and allowed to settle in the Russian Empire.[74] Italy The Albanian migration to Italy can be broadly categorised into several migration cycles that occurred throughout history which in turn can be attributed to factors such as political or religious difficulties that emerged in the Balkan Peninsula. It dates back between the 15th and 17th centuries as once numerous Albanian and other Balkan soldiers, known as the Stratioti, were recruited to the Italian Peninsula as prominent mercenaries by the Neapolitans, Sicilians and Venetians.[140][141] The Stratiotis, composed of Christians and Muslims, served initially for the Republic of Venice in their campaigns, among others, against the Ottoman Empire.[142] The Arbëreshës are the traditional Albanian population of Italy and started to settle Southern Italy following the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans and Constantinople between the 14th and 16th centuries.[143] Today, the Albanian community constitute one of the largest ethnolinguistic minority in Italy which is protected by law.[144][145][146] The total number of Arbëreshës is approximately 260,000 scattered across Sicily, Calabria and Apulia.[65] There are as well numbers outside of Italy such as in North and South America, especially in such countries as Argentina, Canada, Chile, Uruguay and the United States. Centuries later in the end of the 20th century occurred another and simultaneously the largest migration cycle of Albanians to Italy surpassing the earlier migration of the Arbëreshë. Their migration stems from severe political and social oppression during decades of isolation from the outside world under the communist regime leaded by Enver Hoxha.[147] Between 2015 and 2016, the number of Albanians regularly residing in Italy was numbered to be around 480,000 and 500,000.[147][148] Tuscany, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna represent the regions with the strongest presence of the modern Albanian population in Italy.[147] In 2012, 41.5% of the Albanian population were counted as Muslim, 38.9% as Christian including 27.7% as Roman Catholic and 11% as Eastern Orthodox and 17.8% as Irreligious.[149] Croatia In Croatia, the Albanian language is one of the officially recognized minority languages of the country and is primarily spoken by the Albanians and Arbanasis.[150] As defined in the 2011 census, the number of Albanians in the country was estimated to be 17,513.[151] They are mostly concentrated in the coastal cities of Croatia and the capital city of Zagreb. The history of Albanian presence in Croatia can be traced back to the Middle Ages[vague].[152] In this period, there was a significant Albanian community in Ragusa with numerous families of Albanian origin inclusively the Sorgo family who came from the Cape of Rodon in central Albania, across Kotor in eastern Montenegro, to Dalmatia.[153] By the 13th century, Albanian merchants were trading directly with the peoples of the Republic of Ragusa which increased familiarity between Albanians and Ragusans.[154] The capture of Albania by the Ottoman Empire and the death of Skanderbeg caused many Christian Albanians to flee to Dalmatia and other countries including Italy and Greece.[155][156] In the 18th century, the suppression of Catholicism increased rapidly and dramatically which led the Arbanasis to flee to Dalmatia.[157][158] They found initially refuge in Kotor and moved further north to Zadar where they established the village Borgo Erizzo which is at the present day a neighbourhood of Zadar. Greece An estimated 275,000–600,000 (Includes dual citizens, temporary migrants, and undocumented) Albanians live in Greece, forming the largest immigrant community in the country.[159] They are economic migrants whose migration began in 1991, following the collapse of the Socialist People's Republic of Albania. The Arvanites and Albanian-speakers of Western Thrace are a group descended from Tosks who migrated to southern and central Greece between the 13th and 16th centuries.[66] They are Greek Orthodox Christians, and though they traditionally speak a dialect of Tosk Albanian known as Arvanitika, they have fully assimilated into the Greek nation and do not identify as Albanians.[67][68][72] Arvanitika is in a state of attrition due to language shift towards Greek and large-scale internal migration to the cities and subsequent intermingling of the population during the 20th century. The Cham Albanians were a group that formerly inhabited a region of Epirus known as Chameria, nowadays Thesprotia in northwestern Greece. Many Cham Albanians converted to Islam during the Ottoman era. Muslim Chams were expelled from Greece during World War II, by an anti-communist resistance group, as a result of their participation in a communist resistance group and the collaboration with the Axis occupation, while Orthodox Chams have largely assimilated into the Greek nation..[citation needed] Diaspora Europe In the 20th and 21st centuries, there have been increasingly large numbers of Albanian people settling in other parts of Western and Northern Europe. In Albania, the collapse of communism triggered a new wave of migration and led to the emergence of a new diaspora, largely within Southern Europe, in such countries as Greece and Italy.[161][161][162][163] In the 1990s, the estimated number of Albanians outside the territory of Albania was approximately 500,000 of whom 90% was settling in neighbouring Greece.[163] There are approximately 200.000 Albanians in Switzerland with the main concentration in the cantons of Zürich, Basel, Lucerne, Bern and St. Gallen.[43][160] The neighbouring Germany is home to around 250.000 to 300.000 Albanians while in Austria there are around 40.000 and 80.000 Albanians concentrated in the states of Vienna, Styria, Salzburg, Lower and Upper Austria.[41][42][164][165] A large proportion of these people are from Kosovo and North Macedonia with a lesser extent from Albania and other territories however, the number of Albanians in all three countries has sharply increased following the conflicts in the Balkans and the human tragedy in Kosovo. The largest number of Albanians in Scandinavia is to be found in Sweden where 100,000 people of Albanian descent are thought to live. However, according to official data, only around 50,000 people have declared Albanian as their first language. A smaller number of Albanians have also settled in Norway and Denmark with more than 11,000 and 8,000 Albanians respecitvely.[166] In the United Kingdom, the number of Albanian nationals living in the UK increased from around 2,000 in 2004 to around 14,600 in 2015.[167] As of other estimations, the population of Albanians in the UK lies between 70,000 and 100,000. Albanian migrants live in all parts of the UK especially in England. Asia and Egypt The Albanian diaspora in Turkey was formed during the Ottoman era through economic migration and early years of the Turkish republic through migration due to sociopolitical discrimination and violence experienced by Albanians in Balkan countries.[168] According to a 2008 report prepared for the National Security Council of Turkey by academics of three Turkish universities in eastern Anatolia, there were approximately 1,300,000 people of Albanian descent living in Turkey.[169] According to that study, more than 500,000 Albanian descendants still recognize their ancestry and or their language, culture and traditions.[170] There are also other estimates regarding the Albanian population in Turkey that range from being 3–4 million people[170] up to a total of 5 million in number, although most of these are Turkish citizens of either full or partial Albanian ancestry being no longer fluent in Albanian (cf. German Americans).[26][29] This was due to various degrees of either linguistic and or cultural assimilation occurring amongst the Albanian diaspora in Turkey.[29] Nonetheless, a sizable proportion of the Albanian community in Turkey, such as that of Istanbul, has maintained its distinct Albanian identity.[29] Albanians are active in the civic life of Turkey.[170][171] In Egypt there are 18,000 Albanians, mostly Tosk speakers.[29] Many are descendants of the Janissaries of Muhammad Ali Pasha, an Albanian who became Wāli, and self-declared Khedive of Egypt and Sudan.[29] In addition to the dynasty that he established, a large part of the former Egyptian and Sudanese aristocracy was of Albanian origin.[29] Albanian Sunnis, Bektashis and Orthodox Christians were all represented in this diaspora, whose members at some point included major Renaissance figures (Rilindasit), including Thimi Mitko, Spiro Dine, Andon Zako Çajupi, Milo Duçi, Fan Noli and others who lived in Egypt for a time.[172] With the ascension of Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt and rise of Arab nationalism, the last remnants of Albanian community there were forced to leave.[173] Albanians have been present in Arab countries such as Syria, Lebanon,[172] Iraq, Jordan, and for about five centuries as a legacy of Ottoman Turkish rule. Americas The first immigration of Albanians to Canada began already in the 19th and 20th centuries though the largest wave of migration from the Balkan Peninsula to Canada was in 1999, when 7,000 people mostly Albanians from Kosovo, arrived in that country. They primarily settled in Canada's industrial cities, mostly Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton, which was besides the United States a major centre of Albanian migration to North America. Albanian Canadians have their roots in Albania, although the country of their birth could be Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy or Greece. In 2016, Canada was home to approximately 36,185 Albanians from Albania and 2,870 Albanians from Kosovo predominantly distributed in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver.[53] The largest population of Albanians in the Americas is predominantly to be found in the United States. According to the 2013 American Community Survey, there are 194,028 Albanian Americans (American citizens of full or partial Albanian descent).[51] The descendants of the Arbëreshës from Italy were the first ethnic Albanians to arrive in the United States.[175] The immigration of the Arbëreshës to the country occurred at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.[176] Having a strong sense of identity, the Arbëreshë Americans are often distinguishable from other Albanian Americans with regard to their italianized names and a common religion. They are often indistinguishable from Italian Americans because of being assimilated into the Italian American community.[177] Oceania [178] In 1933, most of Orthodox Albanians settled in Brisbane Albanian immigration to Australia took place in the late 19th century and much of the 20th century.[179] Following the introduction of migration quotas by the United States, people who had planned to immigrate to the States were forced to choose Australia instead. The majority of them had Muslim and Orthodox backgrounds and tended to live in Victoria and Queensland but also in Western and Northern Australia.[179] Italy's annexation of Albania and its alliance with Nazi Germany against the allies marked a difficult time for Albanian and Italian Australians as they were thought by Australian authorities to pose a fascist threat. However, the number of Albanian immigrants slowed consequently during that time but also due to immigration restrictions placed by the communist regime in Albania. The most recent Albanian immigrants came mostly from Kosovo and the former Yugoslavian countries inclusively North Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro. The immigrants were mostly Muslims but also Orthodox and Catholics among them the relatives of the renowned Albanian nun and missionary Mother Teresa.[179] In 2016, approximately 4,041 persons resident in Australia identified themselves as having been born in Albania, while 15,901 persons identified themselves as having Albanian ancestry, either alone or in combination with another ancestry.[180] There are many Albanian Australians that were born in Italy, Macedonia as well as Kosovo, due to this they are recorded under those statistics. Culture Language Numbers in Albanian The numbers from 1 to 10 in the Albanian language. Problems playing this file? See media help. The majority of the Albanian people speak the Albanian language which comprise an independent branch within the Indo-European languages. It is a language isolate to any other known living language in Europe and indeed no other language in the world has been conclusively associated to its branch. The Albanian language is spoken by approximately 5 million people only throughout the Balkan Peninsula as well as by communities around the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Numerous variants and dialects of Albanian are used as an official language in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.[181][182][183][184] The language is also spoken in other countries whence it is officially recognised as a minority language in such countries as Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia.[150][185][186] There are two principal dialects of the Albanian language, Gheg and Tosk.[187][188] The geographical dividing line is traditionally considered to be the Shkumbin River with Gheg spoken in the north of it and Tosk in the south. Dialects spoken in Croatia (Arbanasi), Kosovo, Montenegro and Northwestern Macedonia are Geg dialects, while those spoken in Greece (Arvanites, Çam), Southwestern Macedonia and Italy (Arbëreshë) are Tosk dialects. The origin of the Albanian langauge is a contentious subject that has given rise to numerous hypotheses. The hypothesis of Albanian being one of the descendant of the Illyrian languages is based on geography where the languages were spoken however not enough archaeological evidence is left behind to come therefore to a definite conclusion. Another hypothesis associates the Albanian language with the Thracian language. This theory takes exception to the territory, since the language was spoken in an area distinct from Albania, and no significant population movements have been recorded in the period when the shift from one language to the other is supposed to have occurred.[189] Most of the Albanians in Albania are polyglot and have the ability to understand, speak, read, or write a foreign language. As defined by the Institute of Statistics of Albania, 39.9% of the 25 to 64 years old Albanians are able to use at least one foreign language including English (40%), Italian (27.8%) and Greek (22.9%).[190] The Albanians in Italy are either Albanian immigrants from the 1990s, who came in Italy following the breakdown of the communist regime in Albania in 1990 and speak standard Albanian and the Italian language, or the Arbëreshë people, Albanian refugees who fled from Albania for Southern Italy between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries in consequence of the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans, who nowadays speak the Arbëresh language, a variety of Albanian that derives from Tosk spoken in southern Albania and follows a similar divergence pattern to Arvanitika. Literature The Meshari is currently the earliest published book in the Albanian language written by Gjon Buzuku The roots of literature of the Albanians can be traced to the Middle Ages with works about history, theology and philosophy similar to other European medieval literature of the time.[191] The earliest preserved testaments to Albanian literature are dated to the 13th century represented by a manuscript created by Theodor of Shkodra.[192] The earliest known use of written Albanian is a baptismal formula (1462) written by the Archbishop of Durrës Paulus Angelus.[193] In 1555, a Catholic clergyman Gjon Buzuku from the Shestan region published the earliest known book written in Albanian titled Meshari (The Missal) regarding Catholic prayers and rites containing archaic medieval language, lexemes and expressions obsolete in contemporary Albanian.[194] Other Christian clergy such as Luca Matranga in the Arbëresh diaspora published (1592) in the Tosk dialect while other notable authors were from northern Albanian lands and included Pjetër Budi, Frang Bardhi, and Pjetër Bogdani.[195] With the conversion to Islam of many Albanians, Muslim poetic and other literary traditions were adopted giving rise to authors such as the Bejtexhinj (Albanian poets) and included individuals like Nezim Frakulla, Hasan Zyko Kamberi, Muhamet Kyçyku, and brothers Shahin and Dalip Frashëri.[196] They compiled Albanian literature infused with expressions, language and themes stemming from the Middle East and their local socio-cultural environment.[196] Albanian literature was composed in the Arbëresh diaspora by individuals such as Giulio Variboba, Nicola Chetta, Giuseppe Schirò, Giuseppe Serembe, Girolamo de Rada and others relating to religious, secular, poetic and eventually patriotic themes like Skanderbeg.[197] From the 19th century Rilindja (Albanian national awakening), a corpus of Albanian literature with patriotic and other themes emerged calling for Albanian unity, self-determination and celebrating Albanian culture, language, legends and other figures of sociopoltical, cultural and historic importance.[198] Figures who left their mark during this period were the poet brothers Naim and Sami Frashëri, Pashko Vasa, Luigj Gurakuqi and others.[198] Albanian independence (1912) until the advent of the Second World War marked a transition from patriotic and political Rilindja related literature to more distinctive, expressive and matured forms of Albanian literature, prose and poetry focusing upon additional themes of contemporary life.[199] Andon Zako Çajupi, Ndre Mjeda, Faik Konitza, Fan Noli who translated many foreign works into Albanian, Gjergj Fishta who composed the epic the Highland Lute, Ernest Koliqi, modernist poets Migjeni and Lasgush Poradeci and others.[199] Albania, post World War Two emerged as a communist state and Socialist realism became part of the literary scene.[200] Authors and poets emerged such as Sejfulla Malëshova, Dritero Agolli and Ismail Kadare who has become an internationally acclaimed novelist and others who challenged the regime through various sociopolitical and historic themes in their works.[200] Martin Camaj wrote in the diaspora while in neighbouring Yugoslavia, the emergence of Albanian cultural expression resulted in sociopolitical and poetic literature by notable authors like Adem Demaçi, Rexhep Qosja, Jusuf Buxhovi.[201] The Albanian literary scene at the beginning of the 21st century remains vibrant producing new novelists, authors, poets and other writers.[202] Lifestyle Cuisine The cuisine of the Albanians is diverse and has been widely influenced by their traditions, their varied environment in the Balkans and turbulent history throughout the course of the centuries.[203] The enjoyment of food had and has a high priority in the lives of the Albanians especially when it comes to celebrating religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah or Ramadan. In general, Albanian cuisine is different from region to another and each Albanian-speaking territory preserves a distinctive regional cuisine characterised by local specialties and different styles within Albanian cuisine. Therefore, there is a considerable diversity between the Italian and Greek-influenced cuisines of the Arbëreshës and Chams as well as of the Mediterranean and Balkan-influenced cuisines of the Albanians in the western Balkans. Among the main characteristic in traditional Albanian cuisine is undoubtedly the generous use of a wide range of ingredients and spices specific to their locations. It includes many varieties of fruits such as lemons, oranges, figs and most notably olives. Spices and other herbs such as basil, lavender, mint, oregano, rosemary and thyme are widely used, as are vegetables such as garlics, onions, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. The Albanian diet, for those Albanians who lives closer to the oceans and lakes, are able to complement their diet with fresh and saltwater fish and seafood. Otherwise lamb is often considered as the traditional meat for different religious festivals and poultry, beef and pork are also in plentiful supply. In Albania, Tavë Kosi is a national dish consisting of garlicky lamb and rice baked under a thick, tart veil of yogurt. Fërgesë is another national dish and is made up with peppers, tomatoes and cottage cheese. Another beloved dish in Albania and other Albanian-speaking territories is called Pite which is generally a filled and baked pastry with a filling of a mixture of spinach and gjizë or mish. Also famous is Flia consisting of multiple crepe-like layers brushed with crea. Petulla, a traditionally fried dough, and Krofne, similar to Berliner, constitute as well a popular speciality in Albanian cuisine. Bukë, kripë e zemër is a traditional welcoming custom as symbols of hospitality in Albanian culture which can be traced to the medieval Albanian law.[204] The Albanian code of honour, called Besa, resulted to look after guests and foreigners as an act of recognition and gratitude towards them.[205] Religion Albanians are traditionally adherents of different spiritual traditions, religious faiths and beliefs marked by a majority of people being followers of the three abrahamic religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Today, the most dominant religion of the Albanians is Islam with a Sunni majority and a Bektashi minority while Christianity is split between Catholicism and Orthodoxy with a smaller presence of Protestantism and Evangelicalism.[206] In the medieval era, before the arrival of Islam into the Albanian inhabited lands, Christianity was the predominant religion among the Albanians. They were mostly following Orthodox traditions and practices until the middle of the 13th century as Gheg Albanians began to convert to Catholicism as a mean to resist the oppression of the Slavs.[207][75][76][77] During the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans, Christianity began to be overtaken by Islam, and Catholicism and Orthodoxy continued to be practiced with less frequency. During the modern era, the monarchy and communism in Albania as well as the socialism in Kosovo, historically part of Yugoslavia, followed a systematic secularisation of its people. This policy was chiefly applied within the borders of both territories and produced a secular majority of its population. All forms of Christianity, Islam and other religious practices were prohibited except for old non-institutional pagan practices in the rural areas, which were seen as identifying with the national culture. The current Albanian state has revived some pagan festivals, such as the Spring festival (Albanian: Dita e Verës) held yearly on 14 March in the city of Elbasan. It is a national holiday.[208] The communist regime which ruled Albania after World War II persecuted and suppressed religious observance and institutions, and entirely banned religion to the point where Albania was officially declared to be the world's first atheist state. Religious freedom returned to Albania following the regime's change in 1992. Albanian Sunni Muslims are found throughout the country, Albanian Orthodox Christians as well as Bektashis are concentrated in the south, while Roman Catholics are found primarily in the north of the country.[209] According to 2011 census, 58.79% of Albania adheres to Islam, making it the largest religion in the country. The majority of Albanian Muslims are Sunni with a Bektashi minority. Christianity is practiced by 16.99% of the population, making it the second largest religion in the country. The remaining population is either irreligious or belongs to other religious groups.[210] Before World War II, there was given a distribution of 70% Muslims, 20% Eastern Orthodox, and 10% Roman Catholics.[211] Today, Gallup Global Reports 2010 shows that religion plays a role in the lives of only 39% of Albanians, and ranks Albania the thirteenth least religious country in the world.[212] The results of the 2011 census, however, have been criticized as questionable on a number of grounds, and have been said to drastically underrepresent the number of Orthodox, Bektashi and irreligious Albanians, with problems including whole communities reporting that they had not been contacted, workers filling out questions without even asking the respondents and a drastic difference between the final results and the preliminary results with regard to religion (which showed over 70% declining to answer the question about religion).[213][214][215][216][217][218][219][220] For part of its history, Albania has also had a Jewish community. Members of the Jewish community were saved by a group of Albanians during the Nazi occupation.[221] Many left for Israel c. 1990–1992 when the borders were opened after the fall of the communist regime, but about 200 Jews still live in Albania. Religion Albanians in Albania Albanians in Kosovo Albanians in Macedonia Albanians in Montenegro Albanians in Croatia Albanians in Italy[222] Population % Population % Population % Population % Population % Population % Islam 1,646,236 58.79 1,663,412 95.60 502,075 98.62 22,267 73.15 9,594 54.78 146,642 41.49 Sunni 1,587,608 56.70 — — — — — — — — — — Bektashi 58,628 2.09 — — — — — — — — — — Christians 475,629 16.99 64,275 3.69 7,008 1.37 8,027 26.37 7,126 40.69 137,316 38.85 Catholic 280,921 10.03 38,438 2.20 7,008 1.37 7,954 26.13 7,109 40.59 97,786 27.67 Orthodox 188,992 6.75 25,837 1.48 — — 37 0.12 2 0.01 38,963 11.02 Evangelists 3,797 0.14 — — — — 567 0.16 Other Christians 1,919 0.07 — — — — 36 0.12 15 0.09 — — Atheist 69,995 2.50 1,242 0.07 — — 35 0.11 316 1.80 62,957 17.81 Prefer not to answer 386,024 13.79 9,708 0.55 — — 58 0.19 414 2.36 — — Believers without denomination 153,630 5.49 — — — — — — — — — — Not relevant/not stated 68,022 2.43 1,188 0.06 — — 48 0.16 63 0.36 — — Other religion 6,546 1.85 Arts Performing arts For Albanians, music is a vital component to their culture and characterised by its own peculiar features and diverse melodic pattern. Albanian music differ from region to region with two essential stylistic differences between the music of the Ghegs and Tosks that are contrasted by the heroic tone of the Ghegs and the relaxed sounds of the Tosks. Modern popular music has developed around the centers of Korca, Shkodër and Tirana. Since the 1920s, some composers such as Fan S. Noli have also produced works of Albanian classical music. An Arnaut in Cairo, Egypt Albanian custom Catholic woman from Shkodra, Albania Man and woman from Elbasan, Albania Shkodra man in traditional dress Albanian woman, end of the 19th century A traditional male folk group from Skrapar, Albania Albanians in Macedonia Albanian shepherds of Macedonia Albanian folk dance from Civita, Calabria, Italy Visual arts See also Notes Sources References
Just when you thought the #MSSen race couldn’t get stranger, in dance the Boomers Who are The Boomers? We recently lost one member to retirement. Since then, we gained two new members, putting us back at the full group of eight. •Leslie D. Gore (Dawn Wilson) •Wolfman Jack (Jim Suttlemyre) •Cindy Lou (Cindy Childs) •Stage Name Needed (Danny Franz) •Runaround Sue (Marsha Moncrief) •Cool Jerk (Kenny Johnson) •Mustang Sally (Denise McIlwain) •Chucky Checker (Chuck Underwood) 4/14/14 Posted April 14, 2014 - 1:51 pm Just when you thought the Mississippi US Senate race couldn't get any stranger, in dance the Boomers...We recently lost one member to retirement. Since then, we gained two new members, putting us back at the full group of eight.•Leslie D. Gore (Dawn Wilson)•Wolfman Jack (Jim Suttlemyre)•Cindy Lou (Cindy Childs)•Stage Name Needed (Danny Franz)•Runaround Sue (Marsha Moncrief)•Cool Jerk (Kenny Johnson)•Mustang Sally (Denise McIlwain)•Chucky Checker (Chuck Underwood)4/14/14 YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
I avoided it as much as possible. I found every excuse to delay it. I did not want more controversy. I did not want to make people feel uncomfortable, nor to have to field the protest. But I can’t delay it any longer, and I must speak out now. So here we go. We all recall the episode of three years back in which a Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT) star graduate openly denied the Singular Divine Authorship of the Torah as well as many other Ikarei Emunah (Cardinal Principles of Faith). Whether or not YCT was aware of this person’s beliefs when it ordained him, as well as exactly when he adopted such beliefs, is unknown to the public. But YCT was very hesitant and somewhat tardy in condemning the beliefs, and it took International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF) an extremely prolonged period until this person was no longer serving as one of the heads of its conversion program. This person is still very involved with Open Orthodoxy as a prominent writer and even editor of its publications and as a Yeshivat Maharat Advisory Board member. The question now before us is whether YCT would have ordained this person nonetheless, had it known at the time of his ordination that he professed heretical beliefs. Or, stated otherwise, were YCT to knowingly have another student with similar beliefs, would it proceed to ordain him? Yeshivat Maharat ordained a woman this past year whom it knew opposed halachic marriage and the values of Chazal. This student’s views were obviously known to Yeshivat Maharat well before ordaining her, as is clear from her above-linked Yeshivat Maharat student bio, which cites her book against halachic marriage. Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT) plans to ordain a young man who has written and publicly posted articles that deny some of the most fundamental beliefs of the Torah. This person, whom the Creator gifted with immense talent and incredible articulation, is scheduled to be ordained at YCT in a few months, yet he has penned and posted ideas such as the following on public media, all during his tenure as a YCT student: One may still acknowledge the evolutionary nature of the Bible’s composition, and one may still recognize the archeological, philological, historical and ethnological findings that indicate the Pentateuch’s multiple authorship, while still believing (in a theological sense) in the divine unity of the Torah… The Bible is also not a work of “philosophy” or “theology” because the biblical writers were similarly unfamiliar with such logical, systematic disciplines; to impose our familiarity with these disciplines upon the biblical writers is to commit an anachronism… (Sacred Scriptures, Secular Interpretations: The Bible as an Anthology of Philosophy, Psychology, Literature, and Religion; Religious Studies Review 39:4 , p. 231; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rsr.12070/abstract) In this same 2013 article, the YCT student further wrote that Chazal’s account of the origins of the Bible is ahistorical, and he postulated that accepting the Bible’s account of Creation and the Bible’s account of its own origin as literal truth actually “compromises God’s unity“. (ibid. p. 231 ) In a 2014 article, this student wrote: Religion cannot, nor should it, attempt to explain how the world was created, nor should it attempt to explain how the universe works. Science, not religion, possesses the answers to these questions… The faith of the space age will not believe in the sacrosanct nature of any physical structure, even planet earth—even, yes, the “Holy Land”…. The value in religions’ rules and restrictions lies not in cherishing the rules as ends in and of themselves, but in the power that flows from living with discipline… In a 2014 article published by Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, this YCT student argued that the Torah’s prohibition against homosexual relations should be reinterpreted and overturned. YCT has been aware of this all for a few years, and the ball is in its court. We just read of a broad-based initiative undertaken by senior Open Orthodox leadership in an effort to spread the teachings of Open Orthodoxy – appealingly packaged with nuance and refinement, and using elusive catchphrases such as “values of an inclusive Modern Orthodoxy“, “we want to create a safe space for reflection and conversation“, “the mesorah (tradition) doesn’t mean being cemented to the past” and “it’s time to stop looking over our shoulders“. However, the unfortunate facts on the ground indicate that this is all a front for dispensing in large measure with the Mesorah and instead reforming and reshaping it into a new religious path that is Orthodox pretty much in name only. Although the founder of this new initiative blames the Orthodox establishment, from Yeshiva University to Agudath Israel and all that is in between, as well as to their right and left, for Open Orthodoxy’s estrangement from normative Orthodoxy, it is Open Orthodoxy itself that has created this schism, knowingly and deliberately, as a result of its departure from Tradition, as it continued to cross red lines and move the goalposts with expectations and even demands that all generals and players silently accept its controversial and often hair-raising actions. As demonstrated several weeks ago with numerous examples, Open Orthodoxy’s current trajectory is one of general technical compliance with Halacha (with some very notable exceptions, such as ordaining women rabbis, which has been banned by the most senior poskim across the spectrum), while abandoning traditional Torah values in favor of the values of contemporary secular society. Please see the article for some surprising applications, and kindly note there Rav Lichtenstein’s letter against the Edah organization – which is extremely significant regarding the latest developments, as the new Open Orthodox initiative is being billed as the reincarnation of Edah, with a new name (PORAT) and arguably a more aggressive mission. And, as quoted in the latest Cross-Currents weekly digest, many Open Orthodox leaders are no longer referring to God as “He” or “Himself”, but have instead created a new non-gendered pronoun of “Godself“, as in “God is not as ready to fully give of Godself. God has promised that God’s Presence will go with them, but God has not promised that God Godself will dwell with them”, and“God makes Godself known… God would quietly make Godself known. V’noaditi lecha sham.” However, as much as this may not be a technical halachic violation, it does immense harm to the Mesorah, for although God has no gender or worldly qualities, the manner in which we relate and refer to Him reflects His middos (characteristics) as subjectively perceived and encountered by humanity. The manifestation of Adnus (Mastery/Power/Force) is denoted by the use of a male pronoun, whereas the Shechinah (Divine Presence) is denoted by a female pronoun (and female descriptors in Hashkafah and Kabbalah), representing God as sheltering, protecting and nourishing the human soul – all feminine traits. The important and pivotal role of Mesorah here and everywhere else cannot be underestimated, nor can it be dispensed with or reformed, as it bears the message of God’s interaction with the universe and the values which He infused in it and taught us. This spring’s ordination of an exceptionally talented young man who has penned some exceptionally problematic ideas brings to the table how Open Orthodoxy identifies itself and how it interfaces with Tradition. It will be a watershed moment. Many boundaries have been breached, and this is but one more, yet a major one at that.
In many parts of the world, Jews are increasingly unwelcome in the 21st century. The number of countries in which wearing visibly Jewish clothing such as a kippa means risking physical violence has hit an all-time high. On both the individual and the national level, Jews are targeted with extraordinary ferocity: We hear Israelis (but no one else) being compared to Nazis; we are told that Jewish nationalism is oppressive and archaic; that Israel is a uniquely racist country; that Israel’s terrible misdeeds explain why people hate Jews. Instead of being seen as ordinary or all too human, Jews are seen as carriers of a uniquely transcendent evil. No other group of people on the planet is accused so much and of such fantastic wrongs. For a few decades after the Holocaust, it seemed that anti-Semitism might wane or even die out. That hope has now been defeated. Could anything we do or say stem the tide, or will Jew-hatred persist as long as there are Jews to hate? Anti-Semitism is an inert object of a kind not usually met with in the social sciences. While historians try to see everything in its context to show how our human environment alters our beliefs, anti-Semitism resists context; it is a rock-hard conviction so persistent and monomaniacal that, for all we can tell, it will never go away. In the words of Edouard Drumont, the 19th-century anti-Jewish propagandist, “All comes from the Jew; all returns to the Jew.” Yet when we recognize this persistence, we enter, disturbingly, into a debate with the anti-Semite. The Jew-hater and the maligned Jew face off eternally, one playing offense and the other defense. This is the anti-Semites’ revenge: They make us sound like ranters when we complain about them. But it’s crucial for Jews to talk about anti-Semitism, even as we hear that Jews are so secure these days that anti-Semitism can’t be very significant; that Jews discuss anti-Semitism in order to claim special privileges; that Jew haters are merely nutty rather than dangerous; that talking about anti-Semitism in the Muslim world means that you are a “Likudnik,” or something worse. We have to rebut these wrong-headed sentiments. But a further challenge looms: When we talk about anti-Semitism, we risk confusing our personal wounds with the larger history we’re trying to grasp. Scholarly detachment is a needed remedy. But as two recent books show, being detached is harder than it looks, since even the most neutral academic feels bound to strike back, to answer the anti-Semite’s demonic vigor with a few accusations of his or her own. * In new and heated account of the recent rise in global anti-Semitism, The Devil That Never Dies, Daniel Jonah Goldhagen relies heavily on public opinion surveys, many of which indeed make grim reading. Over 89 percent of the citizens of Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan have a “very unfavorable” opinion of Jews—only a tiny percentage chose “somewhat unfavorable,” and even fewer “favorable.” In these countries only two or three people in a hundred have a positive impression of Jews. By contrast, a mere 2 percent of Lebanese see Christians very unfavorably, a remarkable statistic given the country’s history of violence between Muslims and Christians. It is definitely worth pausing to contemplate such unpleasant facts. It is also a fact, according to European public opinion, that Israel poses the greatest danger to world peace, presumably because it stirs up Muslim enmity. Yet shockingly, most Americans said much the same thing about Jews in a series of surveys taken by the Opinion Research Corporation during WWII, before the State of Israel was founded: Jews posed a greater threat to the United States than Germany or Japan, with whom America was at war. The wish to transfer guilt from persecutors to victims is the same both then and now: If the Jew were less of a cause of trouble, wars might be avoided. Today’s canonical form of anti-Semitism is formally directed at the State of Israel. Yet as former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has remarked, “Anti-Zionism inevitably leads to anti-Semitism.” In the anti-Zionist’s eyes, actual Israeli wrongs are generally not akin to the wrongs committed by other sovereign states, like America, China, or Greece, but rather metastasize into proof of monstrous guilt. Goldhagen is right to say that Jews alone live in a country that is seen by large parts of the world as “self-invalidating.” Since its very existence is understood as a provocation by so many in the Muslim world, Israel’s right to even the barest accouterments of sovereignty comes into question in way that truly makes the Jewish State unique among the nations. As Goldhagen writes, Palestinian suffering at the hands of Israel is the “unifying symbol” for many in the world who have never been troubled by oppression of Palestinians in Lebanon and Syria, or the fate of the world’s many other stateless peoples, like the Kurds, Tamils, Tibetans, or Chechens. Goldhagen’s main points are hard to contradict. But he also runs into the trouble that comes from his habit of denouncing rather than evaluating. Indeed, Goldhagen often seems interested mainly in racking up an enemies’ list, at which point his analysis becomes dully single-minded. Everyone from Stéphane Hessel to Navi Pillay becomes an anti-Semite in his eyes; and he thinks that Palestinians who say that Jerusalem belongs to them alone are also anti-Semites (even as the prime minister of Israel regularly announces that Jerusalem should never be divided). And his writing style is often maladroit and hyperactive, to the point where one becomes uncomfortable; the fact that most of his research comes from the Web makes his book a far cry from the nuanced, scholarly approach to anti-Semitism offered in, say, recent works by Anthony Julius and Robert Wistrich. He is at his most explosive when writing on other religions. “The Christians” and “the Muslims” become monolithic enemies, nearly analogous to the anti-Semite’s “Jews.” The similarity in rhetoric leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth—and it overlooks the many non-Jews who are sympathetic to Israel and to other Jewish causes. If anti-Semitism is widely shared in today’s Europe and the Middle East, nations are still complex entities—and Goldhagen would have done better to recognize some of this complexity. There is no mention in his book of the many ardent defenders of Jewish rights and Jewish memory in France, Germany, Poland, and elsewhere (including elected leaders of these countries). He proclaims that the Quran is anti-Semitic, writing that “The Qur’an’s and Hadith’s treatment of Jews is horrifying, grounded in the foundational anti-Semitic paradigm, and provides the foundation for the Arab and Islamic world’s profound anti-Semitism.” It would be wiser for Goldhagen to recognize that religious traditions are capable of change on the Jewish issue, as the Catholic Church and many Protestant sects have showed us, and as Islam may yet show us, too. But when he deals with Catholics, Goldhagen becomes an outright conspiracy-monger. On the revelations about sexual misconduct among Catholic priests, he writes, “The Church’s reflex behind the scenes was to blame the Jews, a view that was publicly articulated in 2010 by Bishop Giacomo Babini, who said that a ‘Zionist attack’ was behind the criticism of the Pope over the sex abuse scandal … Of course, the Church’s formal public stance was to deny and repudiate this Italian bishop’s public statements.” Does Goldhagen seriously think that the Vatican believes “Zionists” are behind the aggrieved response to Catholic sexual abuse? When the church firmly condemns anti-Semitism, as it did in response to the lunatic Babini, and as it has often done in recent years (most recently, the Vatican newspaper denounced Roger Waters’ use in concert of a floating pig adorned with the star of David), Goldhagen discounts such statements as inadequate, or even mere window dressing: The church “has failed to excise anti-Semitism from its teaching and liturgy,” he writes. He slips easily, and dangerously, from the ravings of one bishop to a claim, offered without a shred of evidence, that the Vatican remains secretly anti-Semitic, even when it speaks out against Jew-hatred. It’s hard not to feel that what Goldhagen does to the church is exactly what anti-Semites do to Jews. While Goldhagen shouts from the rooftops about the pressing threat of anti-Semitism, David Nirenberg presents a calm, scholarly antidote. Nirenberg, a professor at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought, has rebranded anti-Semitism as “Anti-Judaism”: a more abstract entity that has less to do with pogroms than with figures of thought. With magisterial sweep, Nirenberg shows that since antiquity virtually every aspect of life has been criticized as “Jewish”; that “Jewish ideas” are nearly always seen as having the power to corrupt the larger culture; and that Christian and Muslim notions of Jewishness have little or nothing to do with the behavior or beliefs of actual Jews. Nirenberg says he’s not concerned with defending Jews or Israel, only with describing a problem in intellectual history, yet he draws attention to a phenomenon that can only be enormously alarming: Why were Jews seen as so serious a threat to civilization that they needed to be exterminated, and on the basis of such imaginary evidence? Continue reading: The academic study of anti-Semitism Most of Nirenberg’s instances of anti-Judaism are depressingly familiar. We are told for centuries on end that Jews care only for the letter of the law, that they cling to ritual observance but ignore the spirit and are therefore against life. (The irony is that the Hebrew prophets themselves battled against mere empty ritual and for true service to God.) When Romantic philosophers look down on mere reason, it too becomes Jewish, the opposite of living, breathing thought. Nirenberg refers to “the work done by figures of Judaism” in the Christian and Muslim traditions and in post-Enlightenment philosophy as well—but the “work” he describes is almost always a caricature of thought rather than real thinking. The instances Nirenberg selects have little or nothing to do with any real Jewish tradition, as he himself concedes. But if Christians and Muslims exclude actual Jews so completely, if anti-Judaism is as monolithic as Nirenberg says it is, then Jewishness really is utterly isolated—and it becomes hard to explain how the Talmud influenced European law and political theory so profoundly, or how the Exodus story became a beacon for so many revolutionary movements in Europe and the Americas. If all the non-Jewish world knows is a faded, inaccurate cartoon version of the Jew, then Judaism’s claims to be an (or the) origin of Western religion and ethics is untrue. Unless this is a case of anxiety of influence: The more indebted Christianity and Islam are to Judaism, the more they turn against their Jewish sources. Nirenberg’s chosen angle means that he fails to reveal any significant interplay between Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers, letting us believe that real-life Judaism (which, he implies, lies beyond the boundary of his subject) must inhabit its own dark planet, lightyears away from the galaxies of the Gentiles. Unlike Goldhagen, Nirenberg ultimately has little interest in seeing behind every anti-Jewish snub a reminder of genocide. Yet he too knows only too well that anti-Jewish violence is always a possibility. Nirenberg chillingly remarks that “we live in an age in which millions of people are exposed daily to some variant of the argument that the challenges of the world they live in are best explained in terms of ‘Israel.’ ” Although there are bright spots in Islamic-Jewish relations, there is also a pervading darkness that cannot be ignored: Anti-Semitism is something like a majority view in more than a few Muslim countries. An overwhelming consensus about the evil influence of Jews, if combined with sufficient military power, would be just as dangerous today as it was in the 1930s. * The choice between Goldhagen-style polemics and Nirenberg’s scholarly coolness has a turbulent recent past in the academic study of anti-Semitism. The Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Anti-Semitism was abruptly ended by the Yale administration in 2011. The director of the institute, Charles Small, had little connection to the Yale community, and he saw himself as a political advocate as well as a scholar, frequently issuing topical policy statements on the Iranian threat to Israel. In their comments on the fracas at Yale, renowned scholars of anti-Semitism like Deborah Lipstadt and Robert Wistrich lined up against Small. “What happened in the past [at Yale] was a mess,” Alvin Rosenfeld, director of Indiana University’s Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and editor of a new anthology, Resurgent Antisemitism: Global Perspectives, remarked to me in a recent interview. Within a few weeks of the controversy, Yale replaced the defunct YIISA with the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism, which is headed by a professor of French, Maurice Samuels. In an interview, Samuels said, “About half of our program is dedicated to historical forms of anti-Semitism, including Nazism, and about half is dedicated to contemporary forms.” By contrast, Small’s institute was almost completely devoted to current anti-Semitism, especially in the Muslim world. This November, the Yale program will host a panel on Nirenberg’s Anti-Judaism. There are now at least a half-dozen academic programs devoted to the study of anti-Semitism: In addition to the ones at Indiana, Yale, and Tel Aviv, Hebrew University has the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism, headed by Wistrich. There is also a program at Berlin’s Technische Universität, and London’s Birkbeck College, part of the University of London, houses the Pears Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism. The programs in Berlin and London combine their focus on anti-Semitism with an interest in other kinds of racism, including current anti-immigrant violence in Europe. The Pears Institute’s homepage announces that “we set anti-Semitism within a wider context,” seeing it “as part of the broader phenomenon of religious and racial intolerance.” Scott Ury, director of Tel Aviv University’s Roth Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism and Racism, noted in an email that “the most difficult challenge facing the scholar of anti-Semitism is overcoming the inescapable present,” given the fact that anti-Semitism is such a constant topic of conversation among Jews around the world, and a political football for Israeli (and other) politicians. Ury wrote that “We end up asking ourselves: are we allowing our personal opinions and experiences to color our research on anti-Semitism?” At both TU and Birkbeck, Alvin Rosenfeld told me, “anti-Semitism is subsumed under a larger category of prejudice, bias, and racism. That’s partly right, but if you stop there you’ll never really understand it.” This is another large divide among scholars of anti-Semitism: Should this hatred be seen alongside others, or is there a danger of missing what’s distinctive about anti-Semitism when it’s treated as one bias among many? “People who dislike Jews rarely dislike only Jews,” David Feldman, director of the Pears Institute, wrote. This June, the Pears Institute hosted an aggressively comparative conference, “Boycotts: Past and Present.” The conference ranged widely, from anti-Jewish boycotts in 19th- and 20th-century Europe to the boycott of apartheid South Africa and—finally, inevitably—the BDS movement. “It was very polite, no shouting,” remarked Samuels. “Both sides of the debate had a voice” at the conference, Feldman noted, pro- and anti-BDS: “Both positions were up for examination.” It’s hard to imagine a civilized argument over BDS occurring in New York City, but it’s important to know that it can happen: That’s what an academic setting, at its best, can do. * Protesting against the resurgent plague of anti-Semitism, as Goldhagen so adamantly does, is not the same thing as trying seriously to understand how it works. As Samuels told me, “There’s a difference between advocacy and scholarship, though sometimes advocacy can be good for scholarship.” Declaring yourself for Jews and against their enemies does not mean that you’ve explained why these enemies do what they do. There’s another problem, too. Being aware of anti-Semitism seems a fundamentally distinct mission from appreciating Jewish traditions, and it’s often hard to know what the two things have to do with each other. Yet, as Samuels noted in our interview, it’s necessary to study anti-Semitism because “You can’t really understand the positive aspects of Jewish culture without understanding this too.” Hannah Arendt in The Origins of Totalitarianism as well as Isaiah Berlin, in his virtuosic essay “Jewish Slavery and Emancipation,” showed that half-assimilated Jews can draw on, and turn inside out, anti-Semitic prejudices. It’s hard to imagine Disraeli or Proust, not to mention the history of American comedy, outside of this messy but fertile dynamic. But both Nirenberg and Goldhagen, for all their differences, reject this approach; they insist that there must be no commerce between Jews’ ideas about themselves and anti-Semites’ ideas about Jews. Both men have understandable qualms about seeing anti-Semitism as a root of any Jewish creativity, given how anti-Semitic bigotry led to mass extermination. Yet their reticence means that they miss out on a central, if sometimes troubling, aspect of Jewish history—the way Jews react to what the world thinks about them. Perhaps the most basic lesson from the grim continuing history of anti-Semitism is that anti-Semites don’t get to say what the Jew is. Jews do, and each Jew does, and those answers are bound to be rich, confusing, and deeply personal—responses that the anti-Semite will fail utterly to recognize. * Like this article? Sign up for our Daily Digest to get Tablet Magazine’s new content in your inbox each morning. David Mikics is the author, most recently, of Bellow’s People: How Saul Bellow Made Life Into Art. He lives in Brooklyn and Houston, where he is John and Rebecca Moores Professor of English at the University of Houston.
A common pitfall when comes to development teams is the inconsistent software and library versions across developers. The first time you install a Node.js dependency by npm install --save , the latest version of that package, will be installed along with the npm's default save prefix (^). The '^' allows npm to auto install minor upgrades for this package, according to the semver schema. Because of that, it's hard to guarantee that every developer in the team will have the same version and this creates problems. It can really save your day, when two different people on the same codebase gets different results on an predefined procedure and the cause is a breaking change on a package that got updated. So what we do? There are a few ways you can pass this: Reset the default --save-prefix . By running npm config set save-prefix='' you're overriding npm's default save-prefix value which is ^ . Now every package you install will be locked on it's current version and every person that runs npm install will get that version. This can also introduce outdated packages, so make sure that you keep an eye on your dependencies for critical updates that you don't want to miss. You can also take advantage of the npm's outdated command that will check every package and report back for outdated packages. Consider also keeping this setting in your .npmrc file, to not force every developer to set it explicitly on his/her machine. shrinkwrap npm's shrinkwrap is also a handy way to lock your versions across your team. By running npm shrinkwrap , a shrinkwrap.json file will be created at the root of your repo with the current versions of your dependencies that are install at the moment and their dependencies. With shrinkwrap you get the exact same dependencies tree across and not worry about breaking updates. npm install will respect a shrinkwrap.json file if it finds but it must also agrees with the current package.json file, so expect errors if those two files are not align. shinkwrap is the most safe way of locking your dependencies versions and still keeping them out of your repo, which brings me to the third and final option. Keep Your Dependencies Under Version Control This method is widely used, especially when maximum security is required. It's a proven method that keeps not only locked versions but code content too, so you don't worry if a malicious piece of code find it's way inside your favorite open source dependencies. Be careful though, cause your repo will increase in size really quick. In case of a dependency that needs to be compiled (e.g. by node-gyp) the source code is usually really big, so be careful on that. The npm guys have also a few words on this. Not a Node.js Fan In case that you aren't really into Node.js but you still reading this piece (big ups man!!), I shall inform you that these techniques aren't new either have been introduced by the Node.js community for the first time. PHP's Composer keeps a composer.lock file that locks the current installed versions and Ruby's Bundler has a Gemfile.lock file. Same goes for other systems. So, do your homework and find your PM's way of handling this kind of life saver functionality. A Final Word Dependencies of a codebase is an every day process and can easily lead to few hours of bug hunting. Make sure to save those hours. But, sooner or later, your team's inner policies will fail and this is ok, as soon as you understand the causes, you fix them and move. Move faster every time. Like a c25k training. ;) What's your preferred way of handling dependencies versions?
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about Facebook's IPO today. The effort is expected raise about $16 billion, making it the third largest public offering in U.S. history (Visa and GM were a few billion higher). That’s a lot of #$@ing money! Though most of the equity was snapped up pre-open-market by brokerages and large firms, a small percentage is available to the general public starting at 11 AM Eastern Time. How much do you want a share of Facebook? In order to put the price into perspective, we’ve created a handy chart of what you could get if you were to spend the money for a single, lonely share on booze, instead. Of course, you never know what direction the stock will head after the initial offering. Will it skyrocket, never pausing to look back, like Google (GOOG)? Or will it crash and burn, disappointing investors and causing worry of a tech meltdown, like Groupon (GRPN)? Here's a look at the relative value of those companies' shares. Either way, for at least a little while, Facebook will be valued at more than $80 billion, possibly even $100 billion. Now that's a lot of drinks.
CLOSE Republican Senator Jeff Flake announced he will finish out his term in the U.S. Senate, but will not seek re-election. The junior senator from Arizona cited the current political climate as one reason why. USA TODAY Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., watches the action between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs in their baseball game April 9, 2016, in Phoenix. (Photo11: David Kadlubowski/The Republic) Condemning the nastiness of Republican politics in the era of President Trump, Arizona's junior senator Tuesday announced he will serve out the remainder of his term but will not seek re-election next year. The bombshell, which Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., intended to detail Tuesday afternoon on the Senate floor, will further roil Republican hopes of keeping the party's 52-seat Senate majority in the midterm elections of Trump's first term when the president's party historically loses seats in Congress. It also likely will upend the race for Flake's seat. Flake, one of the Senate's more prominent Trump critics, has been struggling in the polls for at least a year. ► Sept. 7: 12 races will be key to who controls the Senate after the 2018 midterms ► Aug. 28: Joe Arpaio wants to get involved in politics, isn't ruling out Senate run He told The Arizona Republic ahead of his announcement that he has become convinced "there may not be a place for a Republican like me in the current Republican climate or the current Republican Party." Flake, 54, said he has not "soured on the Senate" and loves the institution. But as a traditional, libertarian-leaning conservative Republican, he is out of step with today's Trump-dominated GOP. “Here's the bottom line: The path that I would have to travel to get the Republican (Senate) nomination is a path I'm not willing to take and that I can't in good conscience take. It would require me to believe in positions I don't hold.” Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. "This spell will pass but not by next year," Flake said. Republican primary voters have an overwhelming support for Trump's positions and "behavior," Flake said. One of their top concerns is whether a candidate is with the president or against him. While Flake said he is with Trump on some issues, on other issues he is not. And Trump definitely views him as a foe, having denounced Flake publicly and called him "toxic" on Twitter. "Here's the bottom line: The path that I would have to travel to get the Republican nomination is a path I'm not willing to take and that I can't in good conscience take," Flake told The Republic in a telephone interview. "It would require me to believe in positions I don't hold on such issues as trade and immigration, and it would require me to condone behavior that I cannot condone." As of Sept. 30, Flake's campaign had $3.4 million on hand. He has continued to raise money. As recently as Thursday, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice headlined a fundraiser for him in Arizona. Flake said he has ruled out running as an independent rather than a Republican because he doesn't think it is a viable strategy. He also said he has no intention of making a presidential run. Kelli Ward, a former state senator from Lake Havasu City who lost her primary challenge last year against Sen. John McCain, has emerged this year as the top GOP alternative to Flake. But other names have been mentioned as possibilities: Arizona State Treasurer Jeff DeWit; Robert Graham, former Arizona Republican Party chairman; and Jay Heiler, Arizona Board of Regents member. Lesser-known Republicans Craig Brittain and Nicholas Tutora also have filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and are running. ► Aug. 25: Fact check shows attack on Sen. Jeff Flake is flawed ► Aug. 8: GOP candidates who didn't back Trump lost in '16, RNC chair tells Flake Flake's exit is sure to prompt bigger Arizona Republican names to take a fresh look at the Senate race. Steve Bannon, Trump's controversial former White House strategist, has embraced Ward as part of his national "open revolt" against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and the GOP establishment. But other Republicans have warned that Ward is a weak candidate whose nomination would jeopardize GOP chances of holding Arizona's Senate seat. Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, introduces Kelli Ward during her campaign kickoff event Oct. 17, 2017, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Photo11: Michael Chow, The Arizona Republic) The winner of the Aug. 28 Republican primary could face Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., considered the front-runner in the Democratic primary. "It’s been an honor to know and serve with Jeff," Sinema said in an emailed statement. "He is a man of integrity and a statesman who is true to his convictions – an Arizonan through and through.” Flake said he gave McCain a heads-up about his decision. “Of course, he’s a great and honorable man. I’m disappointed," McCain said. “I don’t know if the party has changed." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praised Flake as "one of the finest human beings I've met in politics." "He is moral, upright, and strong and he will be missed by just about everybody in the Senate," Schumer said in a written statement. Late last month, The New York Timesquoted Bannon, now executive chairman of Breitbart News, as saying if Flake "doesn’t get a better poll in the next 30 days, you’re going to see him step down or the establishment is going to make him." RealClear Politics has only one publicly available poll listed. The JMC Analytics survey, conducted Aug. 26 and 27, showed Ward with 47% of likely Republican voters vs. Flake at 21% and 29% undecided. It had an error margin of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. ► Aug. 1: Sen. Jeff Flake's book draws line between Trumpism, conservatism ► July 31: Can Arizona's John McCain and Jeff Flake change the U.S. Senate? Flake said he felt no pressure from McConnell or establishment Republicans to quit the race and insisted that he's not bothered by the thought that Trump and Bannon will crow victory. "They can say whatever they want to say," Flake said. Flake publicly announced his intentions in a Senate floor speech at 3:20 p.m. ET. In his prepared remarks, Flake gave a blistering critique of the "coarseness of our national dialogue" that has defined the Trump era, saying it should never become "the new normal." We must never regard as 'normal' the regular and casual undermining of our democratic norms and ideals. We must never meekly accept the daily sundering of our country — the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms, and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth or decency, the reckless provocations, most often for the pettiest and most personal reasons, reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the fortunes of the people that we have all been elected to serve. None of these appalling features of our current politics should ever be regarded as normal. Throughout his 17-year political career, Flake has been a champion for comprehensive immigration reform. However, Congress has been unable to come to terms on the issue, and Flake's bipartisan work on legislation in the House and Senate alienated many grass-roots conservative activists who consider a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants to be amnesty. Shortly after winning his Senate seat in 2012, he joined the bipartisan “Gang of Eight,” which in 2013 collaborated on a plan to increase border security and establish a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country at the time. It passed the Senate but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives would not take it up. Flake served six terms in the House starting in 2001. ► July 7: Man accused of making threatening comments to Sen. Jeff Flake's staff ► April 14: Sen. Jeff Flake weathers brutal Arizona town hall Phoenix crowd last night was amazing - a packed house. I love the Great State of Arizona. Not a fan of Jeff Flake, weak on crime & border! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2017 Flake has sparred publicly with Trump since Trump emerged as a presidential contender in 2015. He refused to endorse or vote for Trump, and during the campaign was a frequent critic of Trump's tone and tenor and key policy proposals, such as a border wall. Flake further antagonized Trump and the president's supporters this summer by publishing a book, Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle, that took the Republican Party to task for embracing protectionism, nationalism and other tenets of "Trumpism" at the expense of traditional Goldwater-Reagan GOP values. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., announces Oct. 24, 2017, on the Senate floor in Washington that he will not run for re-election in 2018. (Photo11: Senate TV via AP) Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., an ally of Flake's who also has been publicly fighting with Trump, announced Sept. 26 that he would not seek a third Senate term. Something of a political maverick, Flake routinely angered fellow Republicans by highlighting their spending of taxpayer money on parochial priorities. While in the House, Flake’s office ridiculed questionable pork projects with a series of “Egregious Earmark of the Week” news releases that usually included corny jokes and bad puns. In 2006, Flake was profiled by CBS’ 60 Minutes in a flattering segment that compared him to the principled Jimmy Stewart character in the classic 1939 movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. His reform efforts are credited with helping lead to an earmark moratorium on Capitol Hill. "If I'm remembered as the guy who killed earmarks, that's a great thing," Flake told The Republic in 2012. Flake took up other fights during his years on Capitol Hill. Flake was a free-trader who believed that the economic embargo against Cuba, which dated to the Kennedy administration and was part of the U.S. effort to stop dictator Fidel Castro’s brand of communism from spreading to other countries in the region, had long ago outlived its usefulness. Flake worked for years to ease travel restrictions to Cuba, usually siding with Democrats on the issue, and early in the 2000s, drawing the ire of President George W. Bush’s administration and House GOP leaders. ► September 2016: Why was Trump bashing Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake on Twitter? ► July 2016: Flake, McCain support Pence as Trump's veep pick He found an ally on the Cuba issue in President Obama. He also worked with Democrats on legislation aimed at strengthening protections for civil liberties. “It’s been an honor to know and serve with Jeff. He is a man of integrity and a statesman who is true to his convictions.” Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. In 2006, Flake helped stop powerful Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who was facing criminal prosecution at the time, from ever returning to his job as House majority leader. In its November 2008 issue, Esquire magazine honored Flake as one of the 10 best elected officials in Washington. "A true conservative, Flake is as rare as the dodo," the magazine said. "Republicans should learn from him, and liberals and libertarians will find in him a strong privacy-rights ally." By withdrawing from his re-election race, Flake is breaking from Arizona's tradition of long-serving U.S. senators, including Democrat Carl Hayden and Republicans Barry Goldwater and McCain. Only one other senator from Arizona served just a single six-year term: Republican Ralph Cameron, who was elected in 1920 and ousted by Hayden in the 1926 election. Contributing: Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, and Eliza Collins, USA TODAY. Follow Dan Nowicki on Twitter, @dannowicki Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2gEcdwI
Introducing Path of Building: A new offline build planner for Path of Exile! Path of Building is designed to be a one-stop-shop for creating and optimizing builds, featuring all the tools you'll need to plan your builds. Quick summary of features: * Passive skill tree planner, with support for jewels (including conversion jewels!) * Skills planner * Gear planner, featuring a built-in searchable uniques database * Offensive and defensive stat calculations, with support for most skills, passive and item modifiers * Can estimate your effective DPS, taking into account buffs, curses, resistances and more * Life/mana reservation calculations * Stat calculations are fully integrated with the skill tree and items, so you can see exactly how your character would be affected by any given passive skill or item * Full character import: you can import the passive tree, gear and skill setups of any of your characters For a full list of features, see the Where can I get it? You can download the installer from the Releases section of the GitHub page: https://github.com/Openarl/PathOfBuilding/releases There's a standalone version available there as well. Screenshots Spoiler [Removed by Support] Version History Current version: 1.4.71 Spoiler Version 1.4.71 (2017/12/23): This update adds full support for Abyss Jewels: * You can now socket Abyss Jewels in items that have Abyssal Sockets * Item modifiers that interact with Abyss Jewels are now supported * Abyss Jewels can now be crafted using the "Craft item..." option * Abyss Jewels socketed in items will now be imported when importing a character's Items and Skills This update also adds support for item sockets: * An item's sockets are now shown in the tooltip * When editing an item you can now edit the sockets and links * Item modifiers that interact with socket colours are now supported (e.g Prismatic Eclipse) This update also adds support for Shaper/Elder items: * Item tooltips now indicate if an item is a Shaper or Elder Item * These items will need to be re-imported to be recognised as such * When editing a Normal, Magic or Rare item you can set the item to be Shaper or Elder * When crafting an item, setting it to Shaper or Elder will enable the corresponding modifiers Other changes: * Added Oni-Goroshi * Added support for the Elemental Penetration support provided by Shroud of the Lightless * Corrected the Critical Strike Chance per Power Charge modifier on Shimmeron * Corrected the radius values of several skills that were updated in 3.1 * Fixed exported passive tree links to use the correct tree version Version 1.4.70 (2017/12/17): * Added the following new uniques: * Ahn's Contempt * Augyre * Beltimer Blade * Blasphemer's Grasp * Detection/counting of equipped of Elder Items does not work yet * Darkness Enthroned * Does not function, as support for socketing Abyss Jewels in items is not implemented yet * Hopeshredder * Impresence (non-Cold variants) * Inpulsa's Broken Heart (mostly non-functional for now) * Lightpoacher (mostly non-functional; however Spirit Burst is supported) * Magna Eclipsis * Shimmeron * Shroud of the Lightless * Tombfist (mostly non-functional for now) * Vulconus * Added Corpse Explosion skill parts to the following skills: * Bodyswap * Cremation * Detonate Dead (this allows the Spell part to benefit from Spell modifiers) * Volatile Dead * Updated rolls on many of the new uniques * Added an option to the Configuration tab for "Are you always moving?" * Corrected the maximum stack count for Wither (thanks DragoonZ) * "Adds X to Y <Type> Damage to <Weapon> Attacks" stats should now be recognised correctly * The "more Life" stat on Minion Life Support should now work correctly Version 1.4.69 (2017/12/09): * Added the following new uniques: * Balefire * Cyclopean Coil * Gloomfang * Grelwood Shank * Impresence * Nebuloch * Watcher's Eye * Updated Ahn's Might with its final mods * Removed the obsolete 4x DPS multiplier from Lightning Tendrils Version 1.4.68 (2017/12/09): * Added the following new uniques: * Bloodbond (including partial support for the Blood Offering skill; only the damage bonus works at present) * Bubonic Trail (including the Death Walk skill) * Coralito's Signature * The Golden Rule * Invictus Solaris * Iron Heart * Kalisa's Grace * The Long Winter * Oskarm * Soul's Wick * The "Corpse Life" option has been moved from the Skill Options section to the General section of the Configuration tab, as it is now used by several skills * Added an option to the Configuration tab for "# of Poison on You" Version 1.4.67 (2017/12/09): * Fixed error that occurs when trying to import a character's items Version 1.4.66 (2017/12/09): * Added support for the new skill gems * Most should be fully or almost fully functional, with the exception of Mirrage Archer * Added the following new uniques: * Arborix * Cane of Unravelling * Doedre's Skin * Giantsbane * Leper's Alms * Memory Vault * Pure Talent * Ralakesh's Impatience * Stormcharger * The Hungry Loop * Note that it may not be fully functional for a while due to the difficulty involved in handling it * The Poet's Pen * Vix Lunaris * White Wind * Wraithlord * Yoke of Suffering * Applied the 3.1 changes to the following uniques: * Rise of the Phoenix (thanks twiz-ahk) * Queen of the Forest (thanks xmesaj2) * Atziri's Acuity * The Baron * Doomfletch/Doomfletch's Prism * Lion's Roar * Omen on the Winds * Witchfire Brew * Other uniques are awaiting confirmation of wording changes * Added Dialla's Malefaction and Malachai's Mark * Note that Dialla's Malefaction is non-functional as it requires significant changes to support it The following changes are courtesy of eps1lon: * Added an option to the Configuration tab for "Used a Movement Skill Recently" * Fixed variants for Berek's Pass's increased Fire Damage stat Version 1.4.65 (2017/12/07): Apologies for the lack of updates recently; I've been very busy. I'll try and manage a few more updates over the coming weeks, but I can't make any promises yet. * Passive tree updated to 3.1 * You can now rename builds and folders to change only the case of letters * Node tooltips now correctly update when cancelling alternate path tracing * Fixed Discharge's damage penalty when triggered * Fixed Multistrike's attack speed bonus to only apply to Melee attacks * Fixed various Skeleton-related modifiers that were being recognised but were not functioning correctly * Fixed issue where the program's UI wouldn't be correctly scaled when opened in a non-maximised state Version 1.4.64 (2017/10/01): * Trap Throwing Time, Mine Laying Time, and Totem Placement Time are now calculated and shown in the sidebar * Special thanks to aggixx for measuring the base time of those animations * Trap Cooldown is now shown in the sidebar (in addition to the Calcs tab) * Trap Trigger Radius and Mine Detonation Radius are now calculated and shown in the Calcs tab * Added support for Vaal Breach * All Configuration tab options upon which any Support gems depend are now permanently visible, even if enabling them would have no effect * Corrected the "Elemental Resistances while on Low Life" stat on Honourhome * The Melee Damage buff from Phase Run now correctly excludes Totem skills This update also reworked the program's window initialisation code. The most visible change is that the program's main window now opens while the program is initialising, but this rework is primarily intended to solve three uncommon issues: * The program would crash when launched on a non-primary monitor on certain systems * The program's UI would be offset when running on systems with certain Intel HD Graphics driver versions * The program would crash when launched using Wine Version 1.4.63 (2017/09/16): * Added descriptions for support gems * The Caustic Cloud from Beacon of Corruption is now correctly affected by Area Damage modifiers on the minion * Gaining immunity to Curses now correctly prevents self-Curses from applying * Buffs granted by support gems are no longer incorrectly affected by buff effect modifiers of the linked skill * Fixed issue causing gem sorting and stat differences to be incorrect when Empower/Enhance/Enlighten are selected Version 1.4.62 (2017/09/01): * The instant Leech modifier on Atziri's Acuity should now be recognised correctly * Fixed issue preventing modifiers to the damage of Channelling skills from applying to Damage over Time * Fixed issue causing the Innervation buff to apply regardless of the setting in the Configuration tab Version 1.4.61 (2017/08/21): * The Secondary Durations for Blight, Frost Bomb and Phase Run are now calculated and shown in the Calcs tab * Added an option to the Configuration tab for "# of Shocked Enemies Killed Recently" * Added support for the "Your Spells are disabled" modifier on Gruthkul's Pelt * Poison/Bleed Chance on weapons is now correctly local Version 1.4.60 (2017/08/21): * The main Socket Group selector in the sidebar now shows the Socket Group tooltip when you hover over it * Updated the skill data for Charged Dash to reflect the changes made in 3.0.1 * Modifiers that apply when holding a Shield now correctly apply when Necromantic Aegis is allocated * The stat comparison for Total DPS inc. Poison is now more intuitive when gaining or losing the ability to Poison * Updated the "Is the enemy a Boss?" option to remove the Ailment Duration modifiers from Shaper/Guardian * Corrected the base Energy Shield roll on Martyr's Crown * Corrected the Critical Strike Multiplier penalty on Ungil's Harmony * Updated the Poison Chance modifiers on Snakebite and Cospri's Will Version 1.4.59 (2017/08/14): With this update, new builds will default to 3.0, and the version selection dialog will no longer display. Builds can still be converted to 2.6 via the Configuration tab. All 2.6 builds will continue to work as normal, however from this point some new features may only be available for 3.0 builds. * The Helmet enchantments for the new skills are now available in the item enchanting system * The resistance penalties from completing Act 5/10 can now be disabled using a new option in the Configuration tab * Removed the attack rate cap for Blink/Mirror Arrow clones, which is no longer present in 3.0 * An explanatory message is now shown in the sidebar if the main skill is disabled (e.g if no compatible weapon is equipped) * Fixed the Burning Damage roll on Pyre * Fixed the flat Physical Damage rolls on Widowmaker * Fixed the Elemental Resistances roll on Immortal Flesh * Fixed issue preventing Socketed Gem modifiers from applying to gems socketed into the alternate weapon set Version 1.4.58 (2017/08/09): * Added all of the new uniques * Added support for the Void Gaze skill granted by Eber's Unification * Added support for the Storm Cascade skill granted by The Rippling Thoughts * The other skills granted by the new uniques are only partially supported at the moment (no support for the minions) * Charged Dash now has a "Travel distance" option in the Configuration tab * Updated the total available passive skill points * Burn faster/Burn slower should both now be calculated correctly * Modifiers to life/mana/ES recovery rate should now only affect recovery over time * The build list now uses natural sort order (so "Foo 50" comes before "Foo 100") * The gem selection dropdown now accepts "active" as a filter keyword in additional to other gem tags (such as "support") For 2.6 builds: * The link created when exporting the passive tree now opens in the 2.6.2 version of the offical passive tree viewer Version 1.4.57 (2017/08/05): * Now that 3.0 is live, the warning that was shown before importing to 3.0 builds is now shown for 2.6 builds instead * The program now behaves correctly when attempting to import from an account with a private profile For 3.0 builds: * Lioneye's Fall now correctly transforms modifiers that grant Ailment Damage while wielding melee weapons Version 1.4.56 (2017/08/04): * AoE Radius is now shown in the sidebar and stat comparison tooltips * The duration of Wither is now correctly affected by Temporal Chains * Frozen enemies are now correctly considered to be chilled as well For 3.0 builds: * Updated skills and item modifiers from the patch data * Updated the Bleeding bonus damage against moving enemies * Added support for the Death Aura skill granted by Death's Oath * Equipping Varunastra now correctly allows "Ailment Damage while wielding X" modifiers of the appropriate types to apply (thanks Spawnbroker) Version 1.4.55 (2017/08/04): * Fixed an issue where the stat difference tooltip on the gem enable checkbox would sometimes fail to update * Added an option to the Configuration tab for "Are you Bleeding?" For 3.0 builds: * The Innervation buff can now be enabled using a new option to the Skill Options section of the Configuration tab * Dark Pact now uses the Totem's life when linked to Spell Totem * The increased Chaos Damage taken from the Spreading Rot jewel now applies when "Is the enemy Hindered?" is enabled Version 1.4.54 (2017/08/03): * Modifiers to Burn rate should now be simulated correctly For 3.0 builds: * Added support for the %-of-Life damage scaling for Dark Pact * Note that the values are not final, and will change when the patch is released * For Cast on Skeleton, the skeleton life must be input in the Configuration tab * Corrected the charge bonuses which weren't reverted properly * Fixed the "Elemental Damage added as Chaos" modifier on Atziri's Promise; re-import from the unique DB * Fixed the new life modifier on Death's Oath Version 1.4.53 (2017/08/03): * Added Inya's Epiphany, Volkuur's Guidance and The Coming Calamity * Fixed an issue where the effect of the Conflux Buff option would persist after Shaper of Desolation is deallocted For 3.0 builds: * Updated the passive tree to the final version * Updated the charge bonuses * Applied most of the unique changes that hadn't already been applied Still to be added: * Some skill changes (waiting for the patch data to become available) * The new skill granted by Death's Oath * The changes to Shock and Chill Version 1.4.52 (2017/07/30): * Fixed an issue where attack skills could fail to utilise weapons in the second weapon set For 3.0 builds: * Added preliminary support for Charged Dash, Dark Pact, and Storm Burst Version 1.4.51 (2017/07/29): For 3.0 builds: * Applied the unique flask changes from the Beta patch * Added the new threshold jewels from the Beta patch * The Ruthless Blow damage multiplier now correctly applies to Melee Damage only Version 1.4.50 (2017/07/29): * Fixed an error that could occur when dragging items into builds with Animate Weapon For 3.0 builds: * Applied the passive tree, skill, charge and item base changes from the Beta patch Version 1.4.49 (2017/07/27): * Added an option to the Configuration tab to activate the periodic Block chance buff from Bastion of Hope * The stat difference tooltip shown in the gem list should now be correct when the default gem level or quality are set Version 1.4.48 (2017/07/27): This update brings several improvements to the Skills tab: * The gem selection list has been improved: * Compatible support gems are now sorted to the top of the list * Gems are sorted by DPS by default; this can be disabled per-build using a new option below the Socket Group list * The check mark that designates compatible support gems is now coloured according to the effect it has on your DPS; green/red indicates a DPS increase/decrease, and yellow indicates no change * Aura, buff and curse skill gems are now marked with a plus sign that is coloured in the same way as the check mark * Added two options below the Socket Group list for default gem level and quality; these are saved per-build * Gem slots are no longer removed when empty, but can instead be removed using the new "X" button to the left of the slot Other changes: * Added the recently announced 3.0 uniques * Added options to the Configuration tab for "Are you always stationary?" and "Are your minions always on Full Life?" * Corrected the ranges on Mantra of Flames For 2.6 builds: * Converted the rare templates to the new template style For 3.0 builds: * The Decay modifier from Essence of Delirium should now be recognised correctly Version 1.4.47 (2017/07/18): * Added support for Mantra of Flames * Note that the buff count is not guaranteed to be correct under all conditions For 3.0 builds: * Updated Arcane Surge with the changes from the Beta patch Version 1.4.46 (2017/07/18): * The passive tree search field can now also match node type (keystone/notable/normal) * Modifiers that apply to gems socketed in items can now apply to minions summoned by those gems * Improved the program's startup time For 3.0 builds: * Fixed error when using The Consuming Dark Version 1.4.45 (2017/07/17): * Fixed issue causing tooltips in the Shared Items list to display modifier ranges instead of specific values * Fixed the node location display in the Items tab covering jewel tooltips * Fixed issue preventing affixes on pre-1.4.18 crafted Flasks and Jewels from being recognised For 3.0 builds: * Updated many uniques with changes from Beta Version 1.4.44 (2017/07/14): * The Item Crafting UI has been improved: * Tiers of modifiers are now collapsed into a single entry in the affix selectors * Sliders now appears below each affix selector that allow you to set both the tier and roll of the modifier * The Items tab now shows a vertical scroll bar when necessary * Knockback Chance/Distance calculations have been added to the Other Effects section of the Calcs tab * Various minor tweaks and fixes For 3.0 builds: * Applied the skill and passive tree changes from the Beta patch Version 1.4.43 (2017/07/06): * Spectral Spirits (from Essence of Insanity) are now considered to always be on Full Life For 3.0 builds: * Arcane Surge can now applied by Totem skills (as placing the totem can trigger the buff) * Fixed error when trying to use the 3.0 version of Drillneck Version 1.4.42 (2017/07/06): For 3.0 builds: * Applied the skill, passive tree, and unique changes from the Beta patch * Added the Doryani's Touch skill granted by Doryani's Fist * Added Arcane Surge, Onslaught and Ruthless support gems Version 1.4.41 (2017/07/03): This update introduces a new style of rare template which utilises the item crafting system. These templates are available on the same set of bases and with the same sets of pre-selected modifiers as the old templates, but since they are crafted items they have access to all possible modifiers instead of a subset. These templates are only being trialed for 3.0 builds at present, but if the feedback is positive then they will be back-ported to 2.6 as well. Other changes: * Added support for the Conflux buffs granted by Shaper of Desolation, using a new option in the Configuration tab * Fixed error that occured when trying to copy an item set Version 1.4.40 (2017/07/01): * Added support for Manifest Dancing Dervish * With that addition, the program should now support all active and support skills currently in-game * Animated Guardians now correctly benefit from inherent Dual Wielding bonuses * Glove enchantment skills no longer incorrectly benefit from support gems Version 1.4.39 (2017/06/30): * You can now apply enchantments to Gloves * Added support for all Glove enchantment skills * Various minor tweaks and fixes Version 1.4.38 (2017/06/29): * Added support for Devouring Totem * Added basic support for Conversion Trap (calculations for mana cost, cooldown and duration) * With the addition of support for those skills, the program now has support for all skill gems currently in-game * Fixed issue introduced in 1.4.37 that prevented minions from gaining block chance from Necromantic Aegis shields * The Melee Damage bonus from the Punisher buff is now correctly Physical-only * Modifiers to the effect of Fortify should now apply correctly Version 1.4.37 (2017/06/26): This update adds support for item sets: * Item sets allow you to easily switch between different gear configurations in your build * In the Items tab, click "Manage..." above the item slots to add or manage item sets * There's also a shared item set list, which allows you to share entire sets of items between your builds Other changes: * Added support for Animate Weapon and Animate Guardian * These skills utilise the new item set system; to equip items on Animated minions, create a new item set and equip the items, then select the item set in the dropdown in the sidebar * You can now zoom the passive tree with Page Up/Down in addition to the scroll wheel and Ctrl+Left/Right Click * Various minor tweaks and fixes Version 1.4.36 (2017/06/22): * The Consuming Dark is now properly supported; previously, both Chaos and Physical would Poison For 3.0 builds: * Updated item affixes; this will correct various oddities, such as missing affix names or incorrect values Version 1.4.35 (2017/06/21): * Added skill parts to Reave and Vaal Reave for selecting the stage count For 3.0 builds: * Updated many uniques with changes from the 3.0 beta * The split Net Regen calculation for Mind over Matter now only occurs when Life Regen is the dominant regen source * This should fix the interaction between MoM and LL RF Version 1.4.34 (2017/06/19): * Bleed and Ignite DPS are now shown in the Minion section of the sidebar * The Mana Regen and ES Recharge calculations now correctly handle Recovery modifiers For 3.0 builds: * The damage of Minion Ailments have been corrected; previously they were using the same damage ratios as players, when in fact they now deal 50% less Poison and Ignite damage, and 86% less Bleeding against stationary targets * Note that the player damage ratios were increased in 3.0, so this restores minions to their previous damage Version 1.4.33 (2017/06/18): For 3.0 builds: * Updated the wording of various passives * Many conditional modifiers on passives will now apply to Ailments * Frostbolt and Ice Nova now have a "Cast on Frostbolt?" option in the Configuration tab to enable the 40% more Damage * Updated poison and bleed damage ratios to 20% and 70% respectively * The Bleed, Poison and Ignite sections of the Calcs tab now include breakdowns of the source damage for those ailments * The breakdowns for Bleed, Poison and Ignite DPS have had some minor improvements in wording * Damage Multiplier for Ailments from Critical Strikes is now displayed in the Crits section of the Calcs tab * It should also now be calculated correctly * All sources of added base damage should now apply to Ailments if they can also apply to the hit Version 1.4.32 (2017/06/17): * Fixed error caused by Punishment For 3.0 builds: * The "# of Poison on Enemy" option in the Configuration tab now works for Vile Toxins Version 1.4.31 (2017/06/16): * The Buff/Debuff Skill lists in the Calcs tab now have breakdowns that list all the modifiers granted by those skills * Added an option to the Configuration tab for "Are you always on full Energy Shield?" * Fixed issue causing gems with a low maximum level to sometimes be assigned the wrong default level * Fixed issue causing the slot dropdown in the Skills tab to fail to update correctly under some conditions For 3.0 builds: * The new support gems have been updated with the new data from the beta patch * Applied the following changes from the beta patch: * Blade Vortex's per-blade damage multiplier now applies to Ailments * Flameblast's per-stage damage multiplier no longer applies to Decay * Incinerate's per-stage damage multiplier no longer applies to Decay * Blade Flurry's per-stage damage multiplier no longer applies to Decay * Minion's Decay DPS is now shown in the sidebar * Immolate and Hypothermia's conditional modifiers now apply to Ailments * Unbound Ailments's modifier to Effect of Ailments should now function correctly * Fixed issue causing the "increased Physical Damage taken" stat from Maim Support to sometimes apply multiple times Version 1.4.30 (2017/06/16): * Mind over Matter is now displayed in the Damage Taken section of the Calcs tab, instead of Other Defences For 3.0 builds: * Mind over Matter is now factored into the Net Regen calculation; Net Life Regen and Net Mana Regen are calculated and displayed separately Version 1.4.29 (2017/06/15): * Fixed an error that occasionally appeared when editing gems in the Skills tab For 3.0 builds: * Damage multipliers for skill parts (e.g Flameblast stages) should now correctly apply to Decay Version 1.4.28 (2017/06/14): For 3.0 builds: * Deadly Ailments' Ailment Damage modifier should now correctly apply to Ignite * Fixed error caused by setting quality on Unbound Ailments Version 1.4.27 (2017/06/14): * Added support for the additional totem modifier on Skirmish For 3.0 builds: * Added preliminary support for the 11 new support gems * Note that these gems are still using pre-release data, so some stats may change once the beta patch is available Version 1.4.26 (2017/06/12): * Added Bramble Cobra to the spectre library * Added support for the Chaos degen from Forbidden Taste For 3.0 builds: * Damage multipliers for skill parts (e.g Flameblast stages) should now correctly apply to Damaging Ailments * Added damage from buffs (e.g Heralds, Anger) should now correctly apply to Damaging Ailments * Fixed the multiplier on Remote Mine Version 1.4.25 (2017/06/11): * Added options to the Options dialog to show thousands separators in the sidebar or Calcs tab * Fixed error that could result from importing a character into a 3.0 build * A warning is now shown before importing a character into a 3.0 build Version 1.4.24 (2017/06/09): * Converting builds between game versions will now automatically update the names of gems that been renamed For 3.0 builds: * Updated the base damage for Zombies, Raging Spirits and Skeleton Warriors * The duration penalty from Rapid Decay should now apply correctly Version 1.4.23 (2017/06/09): * Fixed issue causing some of the item type filters in the unique and rare databases to disable the other filters For 3.0 builds: * Modifiers to Area Damage should now apply to all instances of Area Damage over Time (Righteous Fire, Vortex, etc) * Modifiers to Skill Effect Duration will now apply to Puncture's Bleed and Viper Strike's Poison * The Decay calculation has been updated to account for the Damage over Time changes * Elemental Damage with Attacks now correctly affects Ignite Version 1.4.22 (2017/06/09): * Fixed bug causing certain skill stats to be ignored; this notably affected Blade Vortex and Wither For 3.0 builds: * Applied the Damage over Time changes * The new DoT code hasn't been tested as thoroughly as it needs to be, so it may have mistakes * Updated the bandit rewards * Reverted some unintended changes to minion's skills made in 1.4.21 Version 1.4.21 (2017/06/08): For 3.0 builds: * Updated skills (except for skills used by minions and spectres) * Updated item bases * Updated item modifiers (affixes, corrupted, master) * Vaal Pact should now work correctly Version 1.4.20 (2017/06/08): * You can now create builds for the 3.0 beta: * You can choose the game version when creating a Build * You can convert a build between versions using the new "Game Version" option in the Configuration tab * All existing builds default to 2.6 For 3.0 builds: * The passive tree has been updated * Other changes (such as the Damage over Time overhaul) are still to come Version 1.4.19 (2017/06/07): * The build list now has support for folders * Importing from a build code no longer requires you to name the build before importing * Fixed an error that could appear while using the item text editor Version 1.4.18 (2017/06/03): * The "Craft item..." feature has been significantly enhanced: * Modifiers are now available for all item types, not just Flasks and Jewels * The affix lists now obey all restrictions that prevent certain modifiers from appearing together * For example, selecting "inc. Attack Speed with Bows" on a jewel will exclude "inc. Physical Damage with Axes" * You can now add custom modifiers to Magic and Rare items using the new "Add modifier.." button * For applicable item types you can choose from Master and Essence modifiers, in addition to writing your own modifier * All master mods have been removed from the rare templates, since they can easily be added using the new option * Additional type filters have been added to the Unique and Rare databases * Added a "# of Poison on Enemy" option to the Configuration tab for Growing Agony * The Poison section in the Calcs tab now displays Max Poison Stacks * Added Merveil's Blessed to the spectre library * Orb of Storms no longer incorrectly benefits from modifiers to area damage * Various minor tweaks and fixes Version 1.4.17 (2017/05/29): * Added base radius for Zombie's slam * Minions (including Spectres) will now show the correct attack range for their melee skills * Fixed an error that would appear when equipping Blood of Corruption * Corrected the radius for Infernal Blow Version 1.4.16 (2017/05/27): * Items can now be corrupted via the new "Corrupt..." button that appears when viewing the item * Explosive Arrow's additional radius per fuse is now factored into the area calculation * Fixed an error that would sometimes appear when editing gems in the Skills tab Version 1.4.15 (2017/05/26): This update adds support for level and attribute requirements: * Item tooltips now show level and attribute requirements * Level requirements shown for items imported from in-game may be lower than in-game; this cannot be avoided * Some previously-imported items may display a more accurate level requirement if they are re-imported * The gem selectors in the Skills tab now have tooltips that show level and attribute requirements, plus some other details * The sidebar now shows your attribute requirements if they aren't met * The Attributes section of the Calcs tab now shows attribute requirements, with detailed breakdowns Other changes: * Witchfire Brew's Vulnerability aura now interacts correctly with Umbilicus Immortalis Version 1.4.14 (2017/05/24): * Added an option to the Configuration tab for "Have you been Crit Recently?" * Fixed some issues with item templates and the All items/Shared items lists Version 1.4.13 (2017/05/20): * Detonate Dead now has an input in the Configuration tab for "Corpse Life" * Added support for Hungry Abyss Version 1.4.12 (2017/05/19): * The Items tab now has a "Shared items" list which is shared between all of your builds * Added an Options screen, accessed via a new button at the bottom left corner. The following options have been added: * Proxy server: specifies the proxy that the program should use when updating or importing characters * Build save path: overrides the default save location for builds * Node Power colours: changes the colour scheme used for the node power display * The breakdowns for hit damage types now show the percentage of total hit damage that is being dealt as that type * The stat differences shown in passive skill tooltips can now be toggled on and off by pressing Ctrl+D * Some friendly toasts have set up camp in the bottom left corner, and may appear occasionally to convey various messages * With the new installer versions, the program will always update itself when started for the first time, but will still start even if the update check fails Version 1.4.11 (2017/05/16): * Fixed a stack overflow error that could occur when trying to view breakdowns in the Calcs tab * Fixed interaction between weapon swap and skills granted by items * Consolidated the program's various list controls; their appearence and behaviour should be largely unchanged, aside from some minor enhancements * Various minor tweaks and fixes Version 1.4.10 (2017/05/12): * Added support for weapon swap: * You can switch between the two weapon sets using the new buttons above the Weapon 1 slot on the Items tab * Skills in the inactive weapon set are automatically disabled * Switching weapon sets will automatically update the main skill selection if the current main skill is socketed in the set being deactivated and there is a skill socketed in the set being activated * Importing character items will now import both weapon sets * Added support for "X% chance to deal Double Damage" modifiers * The comparison tooltip for passive trees now displays the number of refund points needed to switch to that tree * Added an option to the Configuration tab for "# of Freeze/Shock/Ignite on Enemy" (for The Taming) * Fixed several anomalies in the handling of duplicate support gems Also, for those interested in supporting the development of the program I now have a Patreon page. You can find the link in the About window. Version 1.4.9 (2017/05/08): * AoE Radius and Weapon Range are now calculated and displayed in the "Skill type-specific Stats" section of the Calcs tab * The breakdowns for those calculations feature a visual display of the area size * The base radius values of some skills are not known, so they will not be shown * Explosive Arrow now has separate skill parts for 1 fuse and 5 fuses * Added support for Convocation * Rallying Cry's buff is now able to affect minions * The character limit for build names has been increased to 100; the build list has also been widened * Spells of the correct type will now be considered to be Triggered when socketed into Mjolner and Cospri's Malice * Infernal Blow no longer incorrectly benefits from modifiers to area damage Version 1.4.8 (2017/05/02): * Added a Physical Damage Reduction estimate for Armour; by default the estimate is made using the same damage value used in-game on the character sheet, but it can be overriden using a new option in the Configuration tab * Added a new "Damage Taken" section to the Calcs tab that shows the incoming damage multipliers for each damage type * These factor in mitigation (resistances/armour) and modifiers to damage taken * The multipliers for hits and DoTs are calculated and shown separately * The multiplier for Physical hit damage includes the Physical Damage Reduction estimate mentioned above * Added self-degen calculations for Righteous Fire and Blood Rage: * The sidebar will display "Total Degen" and "Net Regen" (Total Regen minus Total Degen) * Detailed breakdowns for these calculations can be found in the new Damage Taken section of the Calcs tab * Added combined avoidance chances for Melee/Projectile/Spell to the Other Defences section of the Calcs tab which factor in evasion, block, and dodge * Added support for Arrow Dancing * The "increase maximum Life if no worn Items are Corrupted" stat on Voll's Vision should now apply correctly * Corrected the range of the life modifier on The Perfect Form * Corrected The Alyardex's variants * Fixed issue that prevented the program's title bar from appearing at low screen resolutions Version 1.4.7 (2017/04/20): * A new section has been added to the Configuration tab for Map Modifiers and Player Debuffs * This section contains options for simulating many map modifiers, as well as self-curses * Added support for Self-Flagellation * Corrected the range of the increased Physical Damage modifier on Edge of Madness Version 1.4.6 (2017/04/20): * Fixed bug introduced in 1.4.5 that prevented Onslaught and Unholy Might from applying correctly * The minion modifiers on the jewel templates are now correctly hidden when their value is set to 0 Version 1.4.5 (2017/04/19): * Added support for Goatman Fire-raiser's Magma Orb skill * Demigod items and legacy (pre-1.2.0) quiver types can now be imported * Fixed issue causing the enchanting UI to only show enchantments for the first skill in each socket group * Fixed issue preventing the life/mana leech boot enchantment from working Version 1.4.4 (2017/04/17): This update fixes two issues affecting the damage calculations for minions. As a result, the calculated DPS for many minion skills will change to some degree: * All golem skills will gain up to 25% DPS * Other minion's attacks will generally lose up to 30% DPS, but some may gain DPS * Other minion's spells are generally unaffected, but some will gain up to 10% DPS * Zombies, Skeleton Warriors and Raging Spirits are not affected Other changes: * Improved the DPS calculation for Blade Vortex skills used by spectres: * The blade count can be set using a new option for Raise Spectre in the Configuration tab * The skills now have a hit rate override, which allows the DPS to be calculated properly * Added support for the Raise Spiders skill granted by Arakaali's Fang * Added support for the Spectral Spirits skill granted by Essence of Insanity * Added the attack rate cap for Blink/Mirror Arrow clones Version 1.4.3 (2017/04/16): * Added Fighting Bull, Kraityn's Sniper, Shadow Lurker and Kaom's Chosen to the spectre library * Added options to the Configuration tab to enable charges for all minions * Corrected the minion damage modifier on the Cobalt Jewel template, and added the minion life modifier * Fixed issue causing minions to trigger Elemental Equilibrium Version 1.4.2 (2017/04/16): * Added support for Beacon of Corruption's Caustic Cloud (adds an extra 'Caustic Cloud' skill to your minions) * Added Goatman Fire-raiser, Towering Figment, Noisome Ophidian and Pocked Lanternbearer/Illuminator to the spectre library * Fixed the flat mana modifier on Grand Spectrum Version 1.4.1 (2017/04/16): * Added Slashed Miscreation, Spectral Scoundrel and Cannibal Fire-eater to the spectre library * The DPS for monster versions of Blade Vortex won't be accurate yet * Added support for the modifier on The Anima Stone that grants an additional golem with 3 Primordial jewels * The Zombie's Slam skill should now count as a melee skill * Minion and Totem Elemental Resistances Support now correctly applies resistances to minions * Fixed the minion damage conversion from The Scourge * Fixed the golem damage modifier on Primordial Harmony * Fixed the Zombie Slam modifiers on Violent Dead Version 1.4.0 (2017/04/15): This update adds support for Minions: * Added support for the following skills: * Blink Arrow * Mirror Arrow * Raise Spectre: * A library of commonly used spectres has been added; with Raise Spectre selected as the main skill, you can click "Manage Spectres..." to browse it and add spectres to your build * The level of the spectre can be set via a new option in the Configuration tab * Spectre curses are disabled by default, and can be enabled in the Configuration tab * Raise Zombie * Summon Raging Spirit * Summon Skeletons * Vaal Summon Skeletons (except generals) * Summon Spectal Wolf (from The Scourge) * Added minion support for: * Summon Chaos Golem * Summon Flame Golem * Summon Ice Golem * Summon Lightning Golem (the Wrath aura can be enabled via a new option in the Configuration tab) * Summon Stone Golem * Added support for: * Minion Instability (adds an extra 'Minion Instability' skill to your minions) * Necromantic Aegis * Most minion-related helmet enchantments Other changes: * A new section has been added to the Configuration tab for skill-specific options * The section will only appear if at least one of your skills have options * The only options added so far are those mentioned above, but more will be added later * Skill cooldowns are now calculated and displayed * Corrected or updated the wording of modifiers on several uniques * Fixed several "NaN" values that could appear for mana-related stats when Blood Magic is allocated Path of Building is designed to be a one-stop-shop for creating and optimizing builds, featuring all the tools you'll need to plan your builds.* Passive skill tree planner, with support for jewels (including conversion jewels!)* Skills planner* Gear planner, featuring a built-in searchable uniques database* Offensive and defensive stat calculations, with support for most skills, passive and item modifiers* Can estimate your effective DPS, taking into account buffs, curses, resistances and more* Life/mana reservation calculations* Stat calculations are fully integrated with the skill tree and items, so you can see exactly how your character would be affected by any given passive skill or item* Full character import: you can import the passive tree, gear and skill setups of any of your charactersFor a full list of features, see the GitHub page You can download the installer from the Releases section of the GitHub page:There's a standalone version available there as well.[Removed by Support]Current version: Last edited by Stacey_GGG on Jul 25, 2018, 1:51:45 AM Last bumped on Feb 25, 2019, 5:08:38 PM
Story highlights Donald Trump's campaign slogan is "Make America Great Again" He told the New York Times in an interview published Saturday when was the last time America was great (CNN) If Donald Trump wants to make America great again, as his oft-repeated slogan promises, then that leads to the question: When was the last time America was actually great? Trump has an answer. In an interview with The New York Times published Saturday, the real estate mogul was asked when the country last reached the GOP front-runner's lofty ideal -- as a reporter asked, when do "you think the United States last had the right balance, either in terms of defense footprint or in terms of trade?" The answer, Trump explained, was during periods of military and industrial expansion at the onset of the 20th century and again in the years after World War II. "If you look back, it really was, there was a period of time when we were developing at the turn of the century which was a pretty wild time for this country and pretty wild in terms of building that machine, that machine was really based on entrepreneurship," he told the Times. Trump also pointed to the "late '40s and '50s," a time when, he said, "we were not pushed around, we were respected by everybody, we had just won a war, we were pretty much doing what we had to do." Read More
How do you spot an astroturfer, or an online fake? Australia’s finest investigative journalist, environment editor Sandi Keane, provides perhaps the most comprehensive ever guide. Part 2 of the Role of Deception. A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO TRICKERY & FAKERY IN THE DIGITAL AGE [Read Part 1 here and Part 3 here Manipulating the mind used to be the weapon of choice of totalitarian regimes. But the last decade has seen an unprecedented rise in corporate funded propaganda in our so-called “beacons of democracy”, USA and Australia. Modern age PR illusionists, today’s digital age snake oil salesmen, are reeling you in by evermore shameful and unethical means. They display no regard for possible tragic consequences. The most despicable are the climate skeptic spinmeisters, whose crowning achievement may well be the end of the planet. Following Part 1, “Deception is our Product”, posted on February 7, Indy Oz has compiled “A Practical Guide to Trickery & Fakery in the Digital Age” to help you sort the shill from the sham and spin from the scam. In the humbug peddler’s SHAM BAG, you’ll find: Phony Grassroots Groups or Astroturfers as well as Multiple Fake IDs - using Persona Management Software, Avatars, Shills, Sockpuppets, Fake Blogs (Flogs) and Trolls. Of these, the most effective at manipulating public opinion is the Phony Grassroots Groups or Astroturfers The following are a list of questions this writer employs when on the trail of an astroturfer. They are by no means finite, but proved successful in exposing the Landscape Guardians and the Waubra Foundation in July last year. The third part of this trilogy on “deception” will be the actual Case Studies. History Did the organisation appear to shoot up overnight? When you dig down deep into a genuine community group, you’ll find real grassroots: roots that start out small and generally grow over a period of time in response to efforts and fundraising by its members. If it sprouts overnight like a weed, it’s probably not grass. Who Benefits? “Following the Money” has served investigative journalists well since time immemorial. Does the campaign benefit a large corporation or industry instead of the public? Marketing Does the group have slick websites, attract wall-to-wall media coverage, use expensive media monitoring services and run protest meetings stacked with more “out of towners” than “locals”? In short, is its marketing campaign the envy of other community groups? Genuine grassroots organisations choose incorporation for these benefits:Legally, the organisation becomes an “entity”, which can open bank accounts, take out public liability insurance and enter into contracts. Its members and officers are protected from personal liability against the organisation’s debts. It also qualifies the group for government and other grants.When an astroturfer incorporates, it is usually to mask the fiction. The difference between a real and faux group is obvious when you check their last financial statement. A copy of this and the Application for Association Incorporation can be applied for in all states and territories (e.g. the Dept. of Justice, Consumer Affairs in Victoria and NSW Government’s Fair Trading in NSW.) A full list can be found here Both provide a mine of information such as date of incorporation, number of members, address of entity, name and address of Public Officer/Secretary and the source of the group’s income as well as expenditure items.Does it hide the source of its funding? If incorporated, it must submit an Annual Financial Return. Does it show “zero” for both income and expenditure? If so, who is paying for advertising, resources, and so on, and why the cover up?If incorporated, how many members are listed on the Application? A minimum of 5 is generally required to incorporate. Applications showing barely the minimum number of members are less likely to be genuine community groups.Can you join or get a list of members? If so, do its members have links to vested corporate, ideological or political interests?Does the number of “branches” outnumber the members?Environment astroturfers far outnumber any other. Genuine environment groups are broad-ranging. A good question to ask is: “is it active on multiple fronts to protect our beleaguered planet or focused on just one issue?”Does it scare off genuine community members who have an opposing point of view through violent and aggressive behaviour? Astroturfers incite the irrational and volatile in our community (sometimes using psychosocial tactics) for one reason: to make a lot of noise and drown out opposition.Does the group operate the classic “blind” of an astroturfer, where you fill in a box as the only means of “contact”, with no published address or phone number listed?If you have a copy of the Application for Association Incorporation, whose name and address is given as the Public Officer (in Victoria called “Secretary” since 1 Dec 2011)? Does the same name and address come up repeatedly for different “branches” of the group? Does the Public Officer live in the community the group purports to represent? Does this person have links to vested corporate, ideological or political interests?If the group has a website, you can look up the name of the person responsible for the site on a “Whois” site such as Internic Does it have any roots? (Other than those that lead back to vested business, ideological or political interests or links to known “front” groups.) Names These follow a pattern in the way they manipulate triggers in the mind to evoke a psychological response, similar to “greenwashing”. I’ve included a number of US examples. Given the clumsy efforts so far by practitioners of the art in Australia, we’re not likely to see anything more original. If it works over there, the “$dollars for deceit” mob will try it here. Names that include “Coalition” or “Partnership” disguise the fact that there is usually just one entity involved, albeit a multinational corporation. Titles like “American” or “Australian” relay nationwide relevance and importance. “Citizen” is a popular moniker disguising the fact that there are no citizens, only corporate fat cats, usually hiding behind several layers of astroturf in the form of front groups, right wing advocacy groups and think tanks. In the case of the US’s “Hands off my Healthcare” campaign, the overuse of names which included words like “patients”, “public” or “rights” was a give-away. Most of the US campaigns were organised by another front group, founded by “free-marketeer” David Koch, Executive Vice-President of multi-national, multi-billion dollar mining conglomerate, Koch Industries – the Americans for Prosperity –on behalf of the health insurance lobby. Conservatives For Patients Rights Coalition to Protect Patients Rights Centre For Medicine In The Public Interest Here are examples of the dozens that proliferated during the campaign. The now disgraced and defunct Enron Corporation’s earlier campaign to stop regulation of the energy industry concentrated on words like “Affordable” and “Reliable” to hit the pocket nerve, adding words like “American” or “Partnership” for reassurance: Americans for Affordable Electricity Coalition for Clean, Affordable and Reliable Energy Partnership for Affordable Clean Energy ExxonMobil has spent over $25 million in its bid to stop action on global warming. Its list is by far the largest with over 150 astroturfers. This is one to download as you’ll refer back to it, time and time again. The list includes several Australian organisations: the Institute of Public Affairs (the driving force behind Australia’s skeptic movement – surprise, surprise) and Australian Climate Science Coalition established by the Australian Environment Foundation, itself a front group for the Institute of Public Affairs. Handles like “Citizen”, “Coalition”, “National” and eco-friendly sounding names like “Earthwatch” or “Environment” abound. In Australia, the word “Foundation” or “Landscape” is popular with climate skeptics and their paymasters (dominated by the mining lobby), to convey authority or a veneer of enviro-cred. Examples include: Waubra Foundation Australian Environment Foundation Note: the look-alike name and logo resulted in the Australian Conservation Foundation suing for trademark infringement Note: the look-alike name and logo resulted in the Australian Conservation Foundation suing for trademark infringement Landscape Guardians (also called Coastal, Spa Country and other forms of Guardians, modeled on the UK’s nuclear-funded Country Guardians) Multiple Fake IDs Fake IDs by individuals These infect the threads of any on-liner but are most virulent on environment web sites. Friends of the Earth’s high profile Campaigns Co-ordinator, Cam Walker, spotted an outbreak of vitriolic anti-wind comments on FOE’s YES! to renewables website. All different IDs but the same toxic rhetoric. A check on the email address showed them to be from the same person – possibly the same person masquerading as “Cam Walker” who was responsible for the anti-wind comments on Victorian Regional newspaper websites. One way to check whether multiple entities are the same person is to check their IP address. Here’s a useful site. Once you know how to look for headers depending on which application you use (Outlook, Hotmail, etc.), look for “Received: from”. The IP follows in square brackets [ ]. Then go on to IP Look Up and type in the IP number. Here’s how a certain senior executive of the paper giant, Solaris, got himself fired: Greenpeace ran a successful campaign on how rainforests in Indonesia’s tiger habitat was being destroyed for the production of toilet paper. Consumers boycotted IGA who, in turn, cancelled its order. The supplier, Solaris, retaliated. The award-winning PR website, Mumbrella, ran the Greenpeace story but became suspicious when a torrent of abuse from a large number of people hostile to Greenpeace suddenly flooded the website. Mumbrella checked the IP addresses and traced them back to an office at Solaris. The company apologized for the abusive and deceptive behavior, and the executive was sacked. Persona Management Software Companies now use highly sophisticated "persona management software" to create multiple identities, which in turn creates the impression of support (for a corporation) or criticism (of a competitor). The most disturbing case is that of the US Air Force, which tendered last year for companies to supply it with such software to sabotage democratic debate and manipulate the outcome. Avatars This is a term to describe the name or handle of an internet user. It is usually a small, square-shaped, pixelled symbol to identify the writer, either designed by the user or selected from a preset list. Avatars are often used as a sham to create the impression of multiple identities. Shills & Sockpuppets ‘A “shill” is a person engaged in covert advertising. The shill attempts to spread buzz by personally endorsing the product in public forums with the pretense of sincerity, when in fact he is being paid for his services.’ (From the Urban Dictionary) Also paid for their services are “sockpuppets”. They post comments under different aliases to spruik the upsides or downsides of a product by supporting and engaging in conversation between their different aliases. The term comes from a puppeteer’s use of two sock puppets engaging in two sides of a conversation. Fake blog (or flog) A blog tricked up to look like an independent on-liner, but is, in fact, created by a company or organisation to push its product or political viewpoint. Troll A “troll” epitomizes all that is ugly on the internet: someone (generally hired) who posts inflammatory comments, often nothing to do with the topic, for the sole purpose of disrupting sensible and rational debate. A favourite tactic with the Tea Party and its ideological kin: the climate skeptics and anti-environmentalists. This is the second part of Sandi Keane’s trilogy on the role of deception in the public debate on global warming. The first part, Deception is our Product, looked at the role of clever PR practitioners hired by the mining oligarchs to trick the unsuspecting into sacrificing their interests for those of their clients. The third instalment is the actual case study - Landscape Guardians and the Waubra Foundation - a look behind the scenes of Sandi’s investigation, the 'Ugly Landscape of the Guardians', published in IA in July 24, 2011. IA was the first to expose the political and vested interests behind the Landscape Guardians and the Waubra Foundation. Sandi's investigation is now in Hansard after being used as a speech to the House of Representatives in Canberra by Labor's John Murphy MP. Useful websites and resources Desmogblog PRWatch Sourcewatch Exxonsecrets Click here to download this guide as a PDF. ***** This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
KSDK made one hell of a production effort for one of their lovely little in-house stand-ups during a recent local news broadcast about the recent might-have-happened-but-who-knows school “shooting” incident involving Parkway Central at the little moron’s Facebook page. They even went to the trouble of bringing up that very Facebook profile in question, blowing it up on the large video monitor beside the reporter. One thing though: He’s an uncharged minor. You aren’t supposed to be blasting his name everywhere! It’s cool though, they thought about that little fact…about 5 seconds too late. Reporter: [Points to screen left of camera] Now this is the profile page in question. [Camera pans to screen showing full view of profile, including name and photo] Reporter: …actually, lets come back to that because…uh…come back to me. [Camera returns to reporter] Reporter: We are going to protect this student’s name…uh…because he has not been charged. Thanks KSDK. That’s probably all the “protecting” the kid can take today. We aren’t sure of the ramifications for their quick legal blunder, but even it amounts to nothing, this is still pretty bad. We also still can’t figure out why they would put the profile up on the big screen if they knew they shouldn’t be showing it. In our mind, everything was cool until the minute they showed that boy’s name and some old guy in the back that’s worked there for years and hasn’t talked in months yelled out “You can’t do that! It’s agains the law!” Old guys always know the law better than anyone. Probably why the always vote and read the news and stuff. We don’t have time for that crap because of all the loud music we listen to while we horseplay. What?! Transcripts are good enough you say? Good thing our eagle-eyed tip-daddy managed to grab a little video evidence of the “minor” mistake (Click through the jump to see the video)
Are you pondering what I'm pondering? I hope so, as I am pondering why this show didn't go for ten years or more. Our best lab rat 'Brain' pours his blood, sweat and tears into plans in his attempt to take over the world. In the process he becomes, among other things, a waiter, a teacher, a sumo wrestler, a baseball player and evens tries to take a day off from all that pondering, but even that does not go to plan. As with this third and last dose of pure maniac enthusiasm Brain has to endure his one and only friend Pinky - the dimwit, but it is a partnership that survives many trying times. Brain came up with some weird ideas that had me pondering how two lab rats could get the funds for their plans to come to fruition, or how the world would go being ruled by two rats, scary isn't it? This is the end of the road, the last swan song, the last train to Clarksville, the last chance to experience the octaine high of two megalomaniacs, one as genius as the other is insane. To cap off the series Rob Paulsen (Pinky) and Maurice LaMarche (Brain) play their swan song in a tribute for the dedicated fans, which left a gaping void so huge. This four disc set gets five stars from me, as one needs to let go and enjoy the maniac side of things once in a while. For those who wish to obtain the series I suggest you go ahead. You should not be disappointed, as long as you do not wish to take over the world, that is.
— Striking civil servants brought public services to a halt across Greece on Wednesday, in a largely peaceful one-day protest against the tough austerity measures that officials have said are necessary to stave off a mounting financial crisis. Greece has been under intense pressure from other members of the European Union to cut its huge budget deficit and is in danger of failing to refinance some $28 billion in debt coming due in April and May. Fears of default in Greece and other struggling European countries have stirred up financial markets around the world in recent weeks. But the government’s proposals for deep spending cuts to rein in the deficit have met significant resistance. “We won’t pay for their crisis!” voices amplified by loudspeakers blared from Klafthmonos Square. “Not one euro to be sacrificed to the bankers!” Advertisement Continue reading the main story In Greece, commentators said the economic problems had exposed a general ignorance about the harsh realities of the global economy, while laying bare the strong sense of entitlement in a country where one out of three people is employed in a civil service that guarantees jobs for life.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region--The Christians of Nineveh in northwestern Iraq were among the first victims of the Islamic State (ISIS) when it blitzed across the province in June 2014 and imposed its draconian rules on its inhabitants. They were ordered to pay a special tax (Jizya) or face death. Their places of worship were either desecrated or demolished. Consequently those who could fled ISIS’s takeover. Many of them to the nearby Kurdistan Region which remains home to a thriving Christian community whose lot in life is in stark contrast to the hardship and dangers faced by their kinsmen across Iraq. “The Christians of Nineveh plains have had to leave their homes which were overrun by Islamic State (ISIS). More than 125,000 had to move to Kurdistan Region for sanctuary,” says Stivan Shany, a journalist and member of the Chaldean Diocese of Erbil. “Baghdad militias terrorize them and intimidate them into leaving. Which they have done in droves. If these current trends continue we will have no Christians in Iraq in just a short few years,” Shany has closely followed the plight of Christians in Iraq and talked with many displaced Christians. While he sees some hope for the future of Christians in the Kurdistan region he is quite cynical about the rest of Iraq. As is the case with other minorities who fled ISIS’s onslaughts many Christians are now “living in very cramped camps and caravans for over 18 months. Living in such conditions for nearly two years has a negative psychological effect, especially for larger families with little to do and little privacy in their day-to-day lives,” Shany said. His diocese have tried to alleviate some of the harsh and unenviable positions many displaced minorities living in Kurdistan face. “We’d love to be able to rent them better accommodation, not necessarily an apartment for each family but one shared for 2-3 families. Until something better comes along and they have the opportunity to better their own situations.” The Christian community of Ainkawa tried to build some basic homes for at least 1,000 families of their refugee brethren but the cost proved beyond their capacity. 8,000 families need help. “Most of the aid we get to try and cope with this humanitarian issue comes from charities and many organizations tied to churches from Europe, the United States, Australia and elsewhere. From governments very little. We’ve gotten nothing from Baghdad, not even an inquiry into what needs to be done to help overcome this crisis,” Shany complained. The Kurdish authorities likewise may not have much to offer, but they facilitate the delivery of foreign aid to the Christian community. “While they have no money to support us they have facilitated delivery of aid and other such things and inquire about the situation. Unfortunately there is little else they can do for now given the very challenging nature of this crisis.” The exodus of this community began in the post-2003 chaos and the ISIS attacks only accelerated an already rapid decline in the country’s Christian population. “Just look at the numbers,” explained Shany. “There are roughly 250,000 Christians in Iraq. Perhaps that number will dwindle further in the coming years, down from about 1.5 million in 2003. Maybe in Kurdistan our community will survive, maybe 100-150,000 Christians will remain here, but for the rest of Iraq the future of the Christian minority is likely to be spent in exile.” Abduction for ransom, intimidation and terrorist attacks like the deadly bombing of Saydat al-Najat Church in Baghdad in 2010 that killed 40 members of the congregation have long forced the community’s business owners and educated class out of the country. Those left behind, said Shany, must brace themselves for religious discrimination by the state. “We feel discriminated against in some institutional ways. For example in the Iraqi parliament we have seen the passing of Article 26. It says that is a Christian parent converts to Islam then their children become de-facto Muslims. We find this extremely discriminatory since it is aimed at further reducing our already declining population.” In addition to death threats that evicted thousands of Christians from their homes across Iraq, now corrupt government officials sell Christian homes and properties without their owners’ knowledge or consent. “For example, there have been cases whereby sick or elderly men have had their land sold from under them without their family being told.” The Doura neighbourhood of Baghdad is a good microcosm of what has happened to Iraq’s Christians where 12,000 families of six years ago have been reduced to a mere 500. “And in many cases these are old men and women who remain with no up-and-coming generation coming to take their place.” Hoping to one day return home and rebuild their lives some Christians from Nineveh have been trained by the Kurdish Peshmerga dispatched to the frontlines to fight ISIS and liberate the land. “Some joined the Peshmerga, the few Christians who are on the front-lines are Christians from Kurdistan,” Shany explained, “Those displaced from Nineveh and elsewhere, however, are not actively fighting on the front-lines but have been undergoing training in Duhok. When the Peshmerga clear ISIS out of the Nineveh plains they then hope to return and, if necessary, then fight to hold on to them.”
After a week full of new product announcements from the DJ industry heavyweights, we decided everyone could use a break from companies trying to sell new shiny merchandise. We’ve rounded up seven of our favorite documentaries (new and old) that we think are important for producers and DJs alike to watch and enjoy – watch them all right now after the jump! THE CHEMICAL GENERATION One of the most prominent cultures that expanded around a certain type of music was the Acid House movement in the UK. There are a number of documentaries on Acid House, but this one not only relates the story of the music and the DJs in the UK underground, but also explores the rising club scene in Ibiza and the mind-altering substance (MDMA) that made a large part of the movement possible. Keep an eye out for clips in the Hacienda as well as interviews with household names like Paul Oakenfold. 1988 AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARY ON SAMPLING For a Australian TV station to do a documentary on sampling in 1988 is pretty great – but for them to include interviews with Prince Paul, Will and Jazzy Jeff, Tom Petty, Russell Simmons, and more – is incredible. It’s a pretty good primer on how contriversial sampling was at the time, especially for our younger readers! Hard to believe that in most countries around the world, nearly twenty four years later, there are still no sensible laws that encourage and properly accomodate this style of sampling. SECONDHAND SURESHOTS Some things change, while others stay the same – this is perhaps one of the coolest documentary experiments on sampling wizardry out there – Dublab sends acclaimed beatcrafters Ras G, Nobody, Daedelus, and J. Rocc into thrift stores to purchase just five records to make brand new tracks out of. Getting to watch and hear their process in such a seemingly intimate way is not only highly entertaining, but also incredibly valuable. IMAGINARY LANDSCAPES – BRIAN ENO Any experienced or aspiring electronic music producer can learn a lot from ambient composer Brian Eno’s incredible ability to craft magnificent musical creations out of pure inspiration. This forty minute documentary offers a chance to relate to this auteur and learn about how he views his creative process – great stuff! FLYING LOTUS – FLY FIRST Shifting gears quite a bit to a more recently-famous electronic producer and live performer, Pitchfork’s mini-documentary on the LA-based genre-transcending beatmaker Flying Lotus does an incredible job of capturing a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a touring artist in the modern festival circuit (this was shot just a few months ago). BAD BOY BILL @ 1989 DMC Less of a documentary and more of a pure classic clip from DJ history in the making, I was encouraged to seek out this incredible performance after a comment on my article last week on DJ name drops: “I come from mid 80s House …and it’s funny to me that this article has to explain what was obvious then. I guess the younger generation need coaching. Remember Bad Boy Bill scratching his drops ?” – Luiz Fueggo It had been a while since I’d seen this performance, but it’s more than worth watching to see just how incredible and performative the championships have always been. Be sure to watch all the way to the end on this one for his lewd and hilarious finale. HOW CLUBBING CHANGED THE WORLD This is a very recent documentary taking a macro view of clubbing (from a UK perspective) and exploring how it has become the giant commodity and industry that it is today. Apparently this has made pretty regular rounds on the BBC in the UK, so it might not be anything new to some of you, but we would absolutely be remiss in not putting it on this list! Hosted by actor/DJ Idris Elba, you might have heard of (we hope) some of the DJs who make appearances in this one: David Guetta, Armand van Helden, Pete Tong, and Skream. Watch More DJ/Producer Documentaries Now: Round One \| Round Two \| Round Three \| Round Four \| Round Five \| Round Six Have any awesome (free to watch online, not well-known like Scratch or Maestro) documentaries about DJs and producers or the culture that surrounds them that you want to share? Link them in the comments below and we’ll add them to this article with credit to you!
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The popular Rochester concert series "Party in the Park" is back in 2017 with a stellar lineup of bands ranging from a multitude of genres. The shows at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park will run every Thursday from June 15 to August 10. Concerts cost $5 for general admission tickets and children 12 and younger receive free entry. A "Party Pack" is also available for $35 for tickets to all nine shows and access to an express entry line. In addition to music, the series also offers rotating local food options from The Bento Box, Pete's Dog Shop, Cheese and Confused, Sonny's Landing, Chef's Catering, J&S Fried Dough and Wraps on Wheels. Beer and wine will be provided by Genesee, Labatts and Woodbridge. See the full sumer lineup: June 15 -- Los Lobos, Adam Ezra Group and Neil Van Dorn June 22 -- Living Coulour, Aqueous and Matthew Corey June 29 -- Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, Big Mean Sound Machine and Personal Blend July 6 -- Tim Reynolds TR3, The Movement and White Woods July 13 -- Blues Traveler, Kat Wright and the Dirty Bourbon Blues Band July 20 -- Los Lonely Boys, The Dan Eaton Band and an artist to be announced later July 27 -- The Machine Peforms Pink Floud and Into the Now August 3 -- Matisyahu, Daniel Ponder and the Tomorrow People and Occular Panther August 10 -- Donna the Buffalo, Zach Deputy and String Theory.
Design Have we seen this smartphone somewhere? Well, the answer may be bot yes and no, depending on how you view things. The Xperia Z2 is undeniably similar to the Z1, seeing that it has pretty much the same design language. With solid, flat glass used for both the front and back panels of the handset, as well as a nice aluminum frame surround the whole body, the Z2 is just as cool as the Z1, as far as looks go. Actually, to be honest, the Z2 seems to be even cooler than the Z1 - we aren't sure exactly why that is, but we do seem to like the Z2 a bit more - probably because the frame's coloring is a little different. In terms of dimensions, we're looking at two veeery big smartphones. Sadly, the Xperia Z2 doesn't seem to have gotten any smaller than its predecessor. Well, there's some minimal difference - it's just ever so slightly narrower, thinner and lighter, but the different isn't quite noticeable. However, the difference in height is more pronounced - sadly, the Z2 has grown even taller than the Z1. But, our thinking right now is that is you've gotten used to the imposing dimensions of the Z1, then you probably won't mind the Z2's size as well. Other than that, it's just a big, but decidedly premium smartphone. It feels great to the touch, and it just has that exquisiteness to it - unlike most Android phones that you can find on the market right now. Another characteristic that we absolutely love about the Z2 is that it's once again IP58 certified, meaning that it's water- and dust-resistant (don't push your luck, though). Display As we already mentioned, the biggest improvement in this phone , compared to its predecessor, seems to be the display. Yeah, it has grown slightly larger - it's now 5.2", instead of 5", but even that's not the biggest thing about it. Ladies and gents, we're especially happy to report that Sony has finally, finally put an IPS LCD display on its high-end smartphone! So, the Xperia Z2 has an IPS screen, and we're telling you, it's leaps and bounds better than the LCD screen of the Xperia Z1. Colors are so much more vibrant and saturated - the difference really get quite striking once you check out both screens next to each other. So, the color fidelity is much better, but the viewing angles are also wider. We can't really be sure as to exactly how accurate the colors will be, but having in mind that there's this handy white balance tweak option in the settings menu, we guess it will be a pretty straightforward experience for everyone to set the screen's colors to fit their own liking. And yeah, there's Sony's X Reality software engine as well, which can be used to enhance the look of media that's displayed by the handset. When it comes to resolution, those who were expecting to see one of those QHD screens might be a little disappointed, because the resolution is still 1080 x 1920 pixels. However, you absolutely shouldn't, because the 1080p resolution delivers amazing detail and perfect legibility with that screen size. Everything looks extremely fine and clear, so things like reading and multimedia consumption will simply be great with that screen. Interface and Functionality Software-wise, the Sony Xperia Z2 is very similar to what've already been enjoying on the Xperia Z and Z1. Running Android 4.4 KitKat, the Z2 comes with the latest version of Sony's custom Android user experience. It's a pretty neat UI, with a modern and consistent design, as well as a rich set of additional features and services, provided by Sony. A free trial of Music Unlimited comes to mind straight away, but of course, the Z2 also comes with those PlayStation apps that will give you access to valuable PlayStation entertainment content. Besides this, all of the core system applications are redesigned by Sony, so that they have a rather different look and feel compared to what you get on stock Android. The redesign has also ensured that those apps, such as Phone, Messaging, Album, Movies, Settings and so on, are also consistent with the rest of the UI. If you happen to be a heavy multitasker, then you might enjoy Sony's small apps. Those are brought up from the multitasking view, and appear on top of your current screen. There are many different small apps available, such as a small browser, a voice recorder, a note recorder, a calculator and more, and you can even add new ones to the list. Processor and Memory Say hello to the first smartphone with the Snapdragon 801 chipset! A slightly upgraded version over the regular Snapdragon 800 found in the Xperia Z1, the Snapdragon 801 with a quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 CPU should present us with just slightly faster performance over what the Z1 was able to deliver (which was already spectacular). The Adreno 330 GPU is basically the same, so graphics performance should be equally great, and once again, the slightly upgraded system chip is expected to make the Z2 just slightly faster overall, and even more future-proof, compared to its predecessor. The Sony Xperia Z2 comes with the healthy 3 GB RAM - an abundance of system memory, considering the current mobile app landscape. Storage space is set at 16 GB, which may seem insufficient to some, but that's actually not such a problem, seeing that there's an easily-accessible microSD card slot that will let you expand you storage space on the fly. Camera The Sony Xperia Z2 is still sporting the wonderful 20.7 MP G Lens camera that was available in the Z1. Sony hasn't said anything in particular in terms of camera quality improvement, be we certainly hope that the sensor has gotten even better. Speaking of which, the Z2 holds onto the sizable 1/2.3" Exmor RS sensor with BIONZ camera tech, so those pixels inside the camera will still have a decent size (1.17 micron) even though there are 20 million of them. The major new feature in the camera department is called '4K video recording'. That's right, you can now shoot 4K videos with the Z2, and then enjoy them on a 4K-compatible display. Now, we would understand it if you just default to 1080p for now, in case you haven't set yourself up with one of those 4K marvells yet, but going forward, we can definitely see that 4K theme growing stronger. There are also some other additions to the feature set of the stock camera app. For exmaple, you can now shoot slow- motion video, or create images with a nice defocused background effect. Meanwhile, the fun AR effect mode is now available while shooting video as well, so you can have those dinosaurs and discoballs add some virtual fun to your motion captures. All in all, we expect the Xperia Z2 to sport a superb camera. The G Lens shooter in the Z1 was great, especially in outdoor conditions, where there's enough light, so we guess things will only get better with the Xperia Z2. Hopefully, it'll be a sizable step forward in this department as well, but we'll be able to confirm that at a later date. Expectations Sony's 6-month upgrade cycle definitely proves that the company is serious about its Android smartphone business. Sure, the new Xperia Z2 may not seem like a revolutionary product compared to its predecessor, but it's a nice improvement over what was already an exceptional smartphone. With a refined design, significantly better and larger display, a slightly faster processor and some cool, new software features, the Xperia Z2 is set to keep Sony fresh and competitive in the high-end Android game, at least until the second half of the year. It's been another six months, and so it's time for Sony to unveil yet another cuting-edge Android smartphone. Coming to replace the critically-acclaimed Xperia Z1, the Sony Xpera Z2 is the manufacturer's latest and greatest smartphone proposition. This time around, Sony seems to be really pushing the technology limits with this one - the Z2 is once again bringing some much-appreciated improvement in most areas, and, thankfully, a pretty major enhancement in the screen department. All in all, Sony's latest flagship shapes up as a very promising offering - one that we're definitely looking forward to.
Despite the success of America’s post–World War II policy, its advocates act as if it is an abysmal failure. Consider analyst Khang Vu’s argument for continuing to treat the Republic of Korea as a helpless dependent. No matter that the Seoul took advantage of Washington’s defense shield to develop into one of the world’s most important, largest and advanced economies. The United States must continue to protect South Korea from the latter’s decrepit northern neighbor. Notably, Vu offers no argument that South Korea is vital for America. He refers to another Korean war posing “an adverse prospect for future U.S. administrations.” That’s about right. It would be a human tragedy, source of instability and all-around inconvenience. But it wouldn’t matter much for American security. The next step would not be a North Korean task force sailing on Hawaii and conquering the West Coast (despite the hysterical plot of the movie reboot Red Dawn ). Frankly, most Americans wouldn’t even notice the Republic of Korea’s fall. But why would South Korea lose? Indeed, why couldn’t it deter a North Korean attack? Vu does not deny that South Korea is capable of defending itself. After all, South Korea possesses an economy around forty times as large and population about twice as large, and has neutralized North Korea’s two traditional military allies, China and Russia. Unless the peninsula has a special gravitational field which prevents South Korea from building as many tanks and fielding as many soldiers as the northern nation, Seoul could easily match, indeed overmatch, the so-called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Yet Vu worries about a “vacuum of power,” apparently fearing that South Korea would not bother to build up its own forces. Like the Europeans who, though possessing far more military potential, don’t see any need to spend more on their own defense. Rather, they want to rely on the United States, apparently forever. America therefore must spend more, deploy more troops and repeatedly “reassure” its helpless allies. Ohm Tae-am of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses recently defended South Korea inadequate spending as having increased six times since 1991. So what? The objective should not be “cost-sharing” with America, as he argued, but “cost-bearing” by South Korea. Seoul is poorer than America, but far richer than the DPRK. So South Korea has no excuse for claiming it cannot defend itself. If Pyongyang can afford to threaten the Republic of Korea, South Korea can more than afford to respond appropriately. Still, maybe the Republic of Korea would not expand its forces while the United States was withdrawing its units. Heck, maybe South Korea Koreans would preemptively surrender. Probably not, but even that would be Seoul’s decision. It makes no sense to force the American people to defend the South Korean people if the latter aren’t willing to defend themselves. Washington should not treat security guarantees as international welfare. However, Vu warns that South Korea might irresponsibly respond “militarily to avoid losing face” to a DPRK provocation. Thus, American troops must remain on station to prevent Seoul from doing something stupid. Seriously? More than six decades after the end of the Korean War the U.S. must occupy the ROK to prevent it from starting a new war? Surely that is a poor reason for Washington to continue to occupy a prosperous, populous nation that is far stronger than its chief antagonist. If Seoul is truly that irresponsible, Washington should disengage immediately. Americans shouldn’t risk dying because South Koreans might gamble away the peace. Of course, Vu says, don’t worry, “the presence of American troops has effectively thwarted North Korean attacks in the first place.” However, deterrence frequently has failed. In both World Wars I and II alliances turned into transmission belts of war rather than acting as firebreaks to war. Moreover, the chief danger on the Korean peninsula is not aggression but mistake. Kim Jong-un appears to be less responsible, more impulsive and less experienced than his father and grandfather. It is impossible to deter misjudgment. If something goes wrong, the United States will find itself automatically involved in someone else’s war. Vu also makes the curious claim that defending the world costs America nothing. Indeed, in his view Washington saves money every time it protects another wealthy nation because other states help pay basing costs. However, the U.S. does not raise military units for pleasure. Rather, they exist to achieve specific ends. Foreign policy drives force structure. If Washington did not promise to defend South Korea—as well as Japan, Europe and a multitude of other states—it could shrink the armed forces. So the cost of protecting the Republic of Korea is not just the expense of basing units overseas, but of creating them in the first place. Finally, Vu authoritatively asserts that withdrawal “will not result in any breakthroughs in negotiations with North Korea.” Unless he has been conducting secret talks with Kim, however, it is impossible to know what the impact of U.S. disengagement would be. It seems highly unlikely that Pyongyang would yield its existing nuclear arsenal under any circumstances, but there are other potentially useful deals that could be struck, including limiting future nuclear developments and reducing conventional force deployments. Of course, positive results remain unlikely. But Vu simply illustrates the old saw that the best definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. His solution to the “North Korea Problem”? Enforce sanctions. Yup, those have brought the North to heel. Get China on board. Yup, U.S. pleading, begging and whining have moved Beijing to, well, tears. Just keep trying and maybe, miraculously, something eventually will change for the better. Not likely. Ultimately, North Korea threatens America only because America threatens North Korea. If U.S. troops weren’t stationed on the peninsula, Kim would find other targets for his abundant venom and threats. Moreover, as noted earlier, South Korea is fully capable of containing the DPRK. There’s no need for America to be, as argued by Vu, an “offshore balancer” against a country which isn’t a threat and can be contained by someone else. The Pentagon once focused on defending the United States. Today the military is a vast fount of international charity. South Korea is one of America’s many foreign welfare dependents. The U.S. military is overstretched. The U.S. government is effectively broke. The American people are overwhelmed with debt. It’s time for Washington to pare back unnecessary security commitments. Allowing South Korea to defend itself would be a good place to start. Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and a former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He is the author of Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World and co-author of The Korean Conundrum: America's Troubled Relations with North and South Korea . Image: A Republic of Korea Army soldiers guards the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Flickr/Ash Carter.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The man (not pictured) was stopped by police after cycling for 30 days A man hoping to cycle home cross-country for Chinese New Year realised 30 days into his trip that he had been travelling in the wrong direction. The young migrant worker from China was aiming for his home in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province, after setting off from Rizhao - over 1,700km away. But he was stopped by traffic police 500km off course, in the central Chinese province of Anhui. When they found out, the police paid for a train ticket to get him home. The man had set off from Rizhao, in Shandong province, in December. A report from the People's Online Daily said the man had been living in internet cafes and was low on funds. But he was determined to make it home so he chose to cycle the route. The unnamed man could not read maps, meaning he had to rely on others for directions. Police stopped him when he was riding on a highway, which cannot be used by cyclists. After discovering his mistake, both police and people working at the toll station he was stopped at contributed to his ticket home.
Rep. Trent Franks Harold (Trent) Trent FranksArizona New Members 2019 Cook shifts 8 House races toward Dems Freedom Caucus members see openings in leadership MORE (R-Ariz.) on Wednesday cautioned that a nuclear weapon could enter the U.S. under the cover of marijuana. “We sometimes used to make the point that if someone wanted to smuggle a dangerous weapon into America, even a nuclear weapon, how would they do it?” he said on CNN. "The suggestion is, maybe we’ll hide it in a bale of marijuana. There are national security implications here for a porous border. “As a group of nations, we need to understand that America is the world’s flagship of freedom. If we don’t have a secure border, that hurts everyone in the long run.” ADVERTISEMENT The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Franks’s suggestion is one that has been floated by nuclear weapons experts and at least one Democrat in the past. “Missile defense is OK politically, but remember you can smuggle a nuclear weapon inside a bale of marijuana,” Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) said at a congressional hearing about North Korea earlier this month. Sherman said something similar at a hearing in January, the Post said, and referenced the scenario at least three times when discussing Iran in 2015. David Kay of the International Atomic Energy Agency explained why the idea is plausible during a 1996 interview on PBS’s “Frontline.” “I’ve often said, my preferred method for delivering a nuclear device is, I would hide it in a bale of marijuana, contract it out to the drug lords and move it,” he said. “Marijuana is a good shielder actually for radiation. The drug lords have a superb record for delivery. They’re not Fed Ex, but they’re awfully close to it. And contract it out and get it across the border.” The director of George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute also pitched the idea in 2014. “If you want to smuggle in a tactical nuclear weapon, just put it in a bale of marijuana,” Frank Ciluffo said during a congressional hearing that year. "Because we’re not doing that well in terms of some of our drug enforcement.” President Trump has vowed to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing it would help curb the flow of illegal immigrants, drug trafficking and related violence into America.
When Alex first tried spice in 2014, he thought it was cannabis. The 23-year-old had been sleeping on the streets in Manchester after his mum had lost her council house. He was just looking to take his mind off his problems, but at lightning speed he became addicted, buying increasing quantities of the drug to feed his habit. “I was waking up, buying it, smoking it, going to sleep, waking up, buying it, smoking it, going to sleep again,” he says. Alex spent about a year addicted to spice, while he was living in tents in the city centre, before kicking the habit near the start of 2016. At the peak of his addiction, he was spending around £200 a week on the drug. “It was horrible,” he says. “Every morning I was waking up being physically sick. I was worn out and tired. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t drink. My bones kept on aching.” Manchester police attend 58 spice-linked incidents in one weekend Read more Spice, one of the names used for a group of substances known as synthetic cannabinoids, has been in the UK for more than a decade and was initially marketed as having effects similar to those of cannabis. The highly addictive psychoactive substance, an illegal class B drug since December, induces an inactive state and in recent years has become commonly used among the UK’s homeless population. Although charities in other big UK cities report spice addiction as an issue among their homeless communities, Manchester’s problem is particularly visible. Between the city’s main train station and Piccadilly Gardens, a transport and shopping hub, it is common to see figures slumped in doorways apparently passed out after smoking the drug. Earlier this week, Greater Manchester police released figures showing the burden the drug has placed on the city’s emergency services. The force attended 58 spice-related incidents in the city centre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday last week. There were also 23 incidents to which an ambulance was called, and 18 dispersal orders or directions to leave were issued. Researchers estimate that 90-95% of homeless people in Manchester smoke the drug. And while there is very little research into the effects of spice on the body, there are scores of reports of people dying after smoking it. “We try and keep our outreach teams away from Piccadilly Gardens,” says Yvonne Hope, operations and resources director at the Manchester-based homelessness charity Barnabus. “It’s so unsafe there now.” The release of police figures prompted a flurry of media interest in the problem. A series of photographs of homeless spice users in Manchester city centre, some covered in vomit and being helped by emergency services, were published by local and national newspapers. Local charities were critical of the coverage, describing it as dehumanising and sensationalist. Spice’s main attractions are that it is cheap and strong. It is thought to be imported from China in liquid form, then sprayed on an inert plant such as marshmallow before being sold to be smoked. Only the tiniest amount of the chemical is needed to have an effect. Alex, who has been helped into supported accommodation by the homelessness charity Depaul UK, is due to start a new job next month. He realised he needed to kick the habit when his former partner refused him access to his daughter. “I went cold turkey,” he says. “I got my cousin to lock me in the back of a van and just leave me there to sweat it out.” The withdrawal symptoms include sweating, vomiting, stomach cramps and headaches, he says. Standing outside Barnabus’s Beacon drop-in centre – which provides showers, cooked breakfasts and cups of tea to Manchester’s rough sleepers – John and Steve, 52 and 35, agree spice has largely replaced heroin, crack and even alcohol as the drug of choice. “You can go get a fiver, buy half a gram and it’ll knock you out for a few hours,” says John, who has been homeless since 2014. “It’s better than buying a bottle of White Ace [cider].” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Packets of spice can contain a range of different cannabinoids. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images “I have tried heroin and it’s worse than that,” says Steve, adding that friends of his have died after taking spice. The last time he smoked a joint of spice he woke up in a hospital bed, he says. “I don’t touch the stuff any more, it doesn’t agree with me.” Hope says there has been a rise in crime associated with the drug since it was banned in May last year, with fights breaking out among people who visit the drop-in centre. “Up until about 2015, we had people who were mostly a community and people who respected each other, and spice just seems to have killed that,” she says. The use of spice has also reached crisis point in Britain’s prisons, helped by the fact that it does not show up in routine drugs tests. Dr Robert Ralphs, a senior lecturer in criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University, who has conducted research into the use of spice in the city, says the drug is used partly because of its ability to make hours pass in what feels like a few minutes. “People have told me they’ve used [spice] for the last two or three years, but that it seems like a couple of months,” he says. Dr Oliver Sutcliffe, a senior lecturer in psychopharmaceutical chemistry at Manchester Metropolitan University, says the strength of the drug can vary wildly, which poses serious health risks. Tests on samples of the drug provided by police show the most recent batch to hit the streets in Manchester was 10 times stronger than is usual. Sutcliffe says that although the packets look the same, they can contain a range of different cannabinoids at varying strengths. “You’re playing Russian roulette,” he adds. The chemicals found in spice in Manchester have been linked to 10 deaths in Japan. Peter Morgan, a support worker with Depaul UK who is helping Alex in his transition back to work, says there is a need for rehabilitation programmes like those provided for heroin addicts. “Spice is clearly the strongest drug in the country right now,” he says. 'Slapped for spice': how synthetic cannabis is wreaking havoc behind bars Read more Alex agrees with Morgan and swears he will not touch the drug again. He wants to rebuild his life with his girlfriend and hold down his new job. He says he has seen homeless friends in tears because they want to stop using spice. “But they can’t,” he continues. “Because no one’s going to help them do it.” Some names in this article have been changed. What is spice? Spice, or synthetic cannabis, is not a single drug, but a range of laboratory-made chemicals designed to mimic the effects of the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The active substance in spice is mass-produced in underground labs, often in China, and sent to Europe in powder form where suppliers typically spray the chemical on to mixes of herbal leaves that are then sold on. The precise chemical formulation of the drug is constantly shifting, meaning there are potentially hundreds or even thousands of variations available. The THC in natural cannabis works by travelling through the blood to the brain, where it binds to cannabinoid receptors. The synthetic version does the same thing, but can be 100 times more potent, binding to the receptors more efficiently and in some cases for far longer. This has led to anecdotal reports of people remaining under the “high” of the drug for more than a day. The precise effects are likely to depend on the chemical formula and, probably more importantly, on the concentration of the substance in the product. Since the drug is sprayed on, even within a single bag of the product there can be highly concentrated “hot spots”. This has made it difficult for scientists to come up with a typical profile of the effects of the drug and associated risks. The positive short-term effects of spice appear to be approximately similar to that of herbal cannabis: users report feeling warm, happy and relaxed, and sometimes report confusion, paranoia and anxiety. But the adverse effects appear to be more severe and wide-ranging. A characteristic side-effect of smoking cannabis is an increased heart rate and there is some evidence that the cardiovascular effects of synthetic cannabis can be more extreme, with case reports of people having heart attacks and strokes after taking the drug. Cases have also been reported of kidney and liver damage and psychosis. Little is known about the long-term effects of synthetic cannabis, since these products have only been in widespread recreational use since around 2008. Hannah Devlin, science correspondent
The Pacific Association has named a new commissioner, appointing Jonathan Stone to the role. Stone, a San Francisco businessman and marketing specialist, was named to the position in a unanimous vote by league owners on Monday, May 1. Stone’s immediate role will be managing expansion, while promoting the league, which is entering its fifth season in 2017. The Pacific Association is set to welcome its fifth team, the Napa Silverados, in 2018, and is evaluating other markets and potential investors for a sixth team as well. Stone feels the league is primed for growth. “The Pacific Association is in a great position. We are the last remaining independent league on the West Coast, and we’re entering our fifth season,” Stone said. “The ownership and stability of the league has never been stronger. With a commitment of Napa to be a fifth team in 2018, we will be fielding six teams in 2018, with a goal of growing the league to eight teams in the Bay Area.” “On behalf of the clubs of the Pacific Association, I’m overjoyed to have Jonathan Stone join our league as Commissioner,” said San Rafael Pacifics managing general partner, Eugene Lupario, who is the league’s longest tenured executive. “We are confident that the Pacific Association will greatly benefit from his wide-ranging experience and commitment as we continue our efforts to build the league and meet the challenges of sustaining independent minor league baseball in the Bay Area.” Stone brings over three decades of marketing experience. In 2014 he sold his San Francisco business of 26 years, Another Dancing Bear Productions, a nationally recognized leader in the promotional advertising industry. Team owners and front offices are hopeful Stone can channel his experience into continued growth and sustainability for the league. Additionally, he will be charged with forging league and corporate partnerships. A strong desire to work and a passion for baseball lured him to the North Bay, where he learned about the Sonoma Stompers. Soon thereafter, Stone grew excited by the league and its prospects, and became closely involved in the operations in Sonoma. In 2015, Stone served as a consultant on marketing, merchandising and fan experience for Sonoma. In 2016, he worked in sponsorship sales, and served as the team’s Host Family Coordinator. In San Francisco, Stone served on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce as well as many other business, charitable and non-profit organizations. He has represented the Stompers in several Sonoma related projects. The Newton, Mass. native currently resides in Sonoma, where the league office will be. Since 2013, the Pacific Association has served as a laboratory of innovation and progressive practices. In 2015, during a series with the San Rafael Pacifics and Vallejo Admirals, the Pacific Association became the first professional league to use robotic umpires, and a computer-automated strike zone. A year later, HBO featured the experiment for an episode on Real Sports. In 2015, the Sonoma Stompers turned over the reins of baseball operations to statistically inclined baseball writers, Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller. The two documented the experience in the New York Times Best-selling book, “The Only Rule Is It Has to Work.” In 2016 the league hired the first female manager, Justine Siegal (San Rafael), and the Stompers became the first pro men’s team to roster multiple women since the Negro Leagues in the 1950s (Stacy Piagno, Kelsie Whitmore and Anna Kimbrell). The Pittsburg Diamonds have been managed and led on the field by Aaron Miles, who played more than nine seasons in the Major Leagues with the White Sox, Rockies, Cardinals, Cubs and Dodgers. Miles played in 135 games with the World Champion Cardinals in 2006, and finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2004 with Colorado. The league has promoted more than 60 players to higher levels of baseball, including several players to MLB organizations in 2016. Nearly a dozen former Major League Baseball players have played in the Pacific Association. Most notably, Jose Canseco, Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee, Eric Byrnes, Tony Philips, and former San Francisco Giants, Tony Torcato and Wayne Franklin. Miles also played for Pittsburg in 2014. In 2014, Lee became the oldest pitcher to win a professional game when he started for the Stompers in August that year. In the two-plus years of Kevin Reilly’s tenure as owner and proprietor of the Vallejo Admirals, the team has enjoyed strong growth in attendance and sponsorship support. Admirals games also serve the Vallejo community as a great opportunity to recognize local and civic-minded achievements, as well as honor students, leaders in the business community and philanthropy.
At least one person has been shot dead and several other abducted during a search operation in Gresha area of Naal on Friday. According to details Pakistani security forces conducted search operations in Gresha, Zabad and Badrang areas of Naal in district Khuzdar Balochistan killing one person and arresting several others. The security forces claimed to have killed one men during an exchange of fire. However, the Baloch Student Organisation –Azad (BSO-Azad) in a press release said that Pakistani force raid the house of their Naal zone President Mr Kamal Baloch and shot him dead inside the house. The Vice Chairperson of BSO-Azad, Karima Baloch, tweeted that Kamal Baloch a 23 year old student was shot dead while he was asleep inside his house. She wrote: “Pakistani Army broke into house of BSO-Azad student leader Kamal Baloch in Gresha and opened fire while he was sleeping. He was only 23.” According to the BSO’s press statement Pakistan forces conducted operation in Zabad, Badrand and Gresha areas in Khuzdar and abducted hundreds of people. The BSO claimed that the operation was conducted on the approval of ruling National Party – the party of CM Balochistan Dr Malik adding that “hundreds of BSO members have been killed during similar operations in previous years.” The BSO has announced to hold a shutter-down and wheel jam protest across Balochistan on Sunday 20, September, 2015 and the murder of their leader and abduction of hundreds of other Baloch activists. Tags: Balochistan, BSO-Azad, Kamal Baloch, Military operations
In this July 27, 2017 file photo, a U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighter runs in front of a damaged building as he crosses a street on the front line, in Raqqa, Syria. (Photo11: Hussein Malla, AP) BEIRUT — The U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State said Wednesday that it won’t accept a negotiated withdrawal for hundreds of ISIS militants holed up in the Syrian city of Raqqa, once the extremists’ de facto capital. The remarks by coalition spokesman, Col. Ryan Dillon, came as coalition allies were working out ways to safely evacuate an estimated 4,000 civilians who remain trapped in the city. The coalition has said ISIS militants are holding some civilians as human shields, preventing them from escaping as the fight enters its final stages. The city, on the banks of the Euphrates River, has been badly damaged by the fighting, and activists have reported that over 1,000 civilians have been killed there since June. The United Nations estimates 8,000 people are trapped in Raqqa, and said September was the worst month in 2017 for civilians in Syria. Dillon said the Raqqa Civil Council, a local administration of Arab and Kurdish officials, was leading the discussions to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians. However, it was not clear with whom the council is speaking inside Raqqa. A Kurdish-led force, the Syrian Democratic Forces, is leading the battle on the ground. “We are seeing some good progress of civilians that are being able to safely exit Raqqa. The trend has turned into … a broader effort by the Raqqa Civil Council to get the remaining civilians out of there,” Dillon told The Associated Press. He said at least 700 civilians have been evacuated from the city since Monday. But Dillon added that discussions about the fate of the militants remaining in the city have focused on “unconditional surrender.” A negotiated withdrawal “is absolutely something that we as a coalition would not be a part of or agree with,” Dillon added. Between 300 and 400 militants are believed to be holed up in about 1.5 square miles of Raqqa, including in the city’s stadium and a hospital, he said. The stadium is believed to be used by the militants as weapons warehouse and a prison while the hospital is one of their major headquarters. Dillon said that in the last three weeks, up to 15 militants, including a senior leader, have surrendered in Raqqa, a trend also seen in Iraq. Dillon said another leading figure was arrested when he tried to escape among a group of civilians. Airstrikes on the city appeared to have decreased recently, apparently to allow for the evacuations. The coalition reported just five airstrikes near Raqqa on Tuesday. The extremist group has suffered a series of major battlefield defeats in both Iraq and Syria in recent months, but has continued to stage attacks far from the front lines. At least three suicide bombers struck outside the police headquarters in central Damascus on Wednesday, killing at least two people and wounding others, according to the Syrian interior minister. ISIS claimed the attack through its Aamaq news agency. The extremist group carried out a similar attack on a Damascus police station last week that killed 17 people. The pro-government Al-Ikhbariya TV on Wednesday showed pictures from outside the heavily guarded police headquarters, which is encircled by blast walls. The street was littered with shrapnel but there was no sign of other damage. Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2wN9GTD
It's been a while since I wrote an entry, so here goes. Familiar grounds was a role-playing game my friends and I played back in highschool. There were little to no rules when exploring the world. Everyone took their turn to create some of the environment or enemies and then assume responsibility of those creations. If one player went out of line by taking advantage of their liberties, the other players could just as easily set the world against them. It was self policed. The original purpose of Familiar Grounds was to motivate me and my friends to do better on test because out score would be used as bonus experience points for our characters. Since some classes offered more tests throughout the semester, some characters leveled-up too fast. Each session would drag on for hours, so we had to schedule our games and budget our time. Eventually, we lost interest because it was too much of a hassle to keep updating the broken stat system and figuring out how much experience points we would receive from enemies. I know we had an equation for leveling-up, but I lost the notes with the increasing numbers to decipher the formula. Most of my old crew and some new faces have come together to bring back Familiar Grounds. We've been using reaper bones models as our characters and I'm making some comic strips of our misadventures. Most of the comics are based on side conversations between players or jokes. I've designed most of our characters and I'll be posting the concept art here on Deviant Art. I'm not expecting much to come out of this project, but it'll be nice to get back into drawing comics. I also need to work on my inking skills. I would like to see feedback on the work that isn't a pat on the back saying, "Nice work." That doesn't help me. At least be specific about the compliment or give some tough criticism on things you don't understand. This was originally going to be an Ink-tober thing with a new comic cover for each character on each day, but most of us don't have complete backgrounds. I couldn't keep up with vague descriptions or, "I don't know." to make a good cover for a character because I would like to incorporate some of the story into it. Just enough to give an idea of what's in store without giving away too much information. I hope this turns out well. I could use some sleep.
“Word Around Washington” is The Insider’s daily sampling of what folks outside The Post are writing about the team: ● Last week, I noticed on footballlocks.com’s futures odds that the Redskins are a 40-to-1 bet to win the Super Bowl next season, which actually sounds like pretty good odds for a team coming off a 3-13 season. The Raiders, who went 4-12, are 150 to 1 by comparison. Today, Chuck Carroll of CBS got a hold of Bovada’s odds, and lo and behold, the Redskins are 40-to-1 there too. The Redskins aren’t too far behind their NFC East brethren, with the Eagles at 25 to 1 and the Cowboys and Giants at 33 to 1. The world-champion Seahawks are 9 to 2, followed by the 49ers and Broncos, which seems about right given what we know now. Richard Sherman, left, and Kam Chancellor, a pair of fifth-round picks, make a tackle during the Super Bowl. (Ben Margot/Associated Press) ● John Keim shared Ten things the Redskins could learn from the Seahawks, largely themed around their success with lower-round draft picks and pickups from other teams. The Seahawks have made the most of the talent on their roster, and have developed from within and accentuated from the outside. Here’s one of Keim’s observations: “I like that players such as Kam Chancellor play special teams. My guess is that he hasn’t lost the drive that turned him from a fifth-round pick in 2010 to a starter and Pro Bowler. Meanwhile, the Redskins had a sixth-round pick (Bacarri Rambo) who was not a good special-teams player. Nor was fifth-rounder Brandon Jenkins. Sean Taylor used to love playing on special teams. When guys have that sort of hunger, it trickles down. When you don’t — and when you have veterans who would rather not be on there — it also trickles down.” CSN’s Rich Tandler also suggested five things the Redskins can learn from the Super Bowl. ● Tandler also explains the NFL’s waiver system, pointing out that the Redskins have second priority. Have a Redskins question? E-mail Mike Jones at mike.jones@washpost.com with the subject line “Mailbag question” for him to answer it in The Mailbag on Tuesdays. Coverage from The Post: The Early Lead: Sherman praises Manning’s classiness \| More Offseason questions: Should Brian Orakpo be re-signed? Redskins, Hall start talks on new contract \| Cousins hasn’t asked for trade Goodell says New York-area Super Bowl was a success D.C. Sports Bog: Theismann on ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ \| More Bog Follow: @MikeJonesWaPo \| @MarkMaske \| @Insider \| Insider on Facebook Video, Peyton Manning after the Super Bowl:
By Geoff Brumfiel of Nature magazine Contrary to what many students are taught, quantum uncertainty may not always be in the eye of the beholder. A new experiment shows that measuring a quantum system does not necessarily introduce uncertainty. The study overthrows a common classroom explanation of why the quantum world appears so fuzzy, but the fundamental limit to what is knowable at the smallest scales remains unchanged. At the foundation of quantum mechanics is the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Simply put, the principle states that there is a fundamental limit to what one can know about a quantum system. For example, the more precisely one knows a particle's position, the less one can know about its momentum, and vice versa. The limit is expressed as a simple equation that is straightforward to prove mathematically. Heisenberg sometimes explained the uncertainty principle as a problem of making measurements. His most well-known thought experiment involved photographing an electron. To take the picture, a scientist might bounce a light particle off the electron's surface. That would reveal its position, but it would also impart energy to the electron, causing it to move. Learning about the electron's position would create uncertainty in its velocity; and the act of measurement would produce the uncertainty needed to satisfy the principle. Physics students are still taught this measurement-disturbance version of the uncertainty principle in introductory classes, but it turns out that it's not always true. Aephraim Steinberg of the University of Toronto in Canada and his team have performed measurements on photons (particles of light) and showed that the act of measuring can introduce less uncertainty than is required by Heisenberg’s principle. The total uncertainty of what can be known about the photon's properties, however, remains above Heisenberg's limit. Delicate measurement Steinberg's group does not measure position and momentum, but rather two different inter-related properties of a photon: its polarization states. In this case, the polarization along one plane is intrinsically tied to the polarization along the other, and by Heisenberg’s principle, there is a limit to the certainty with which both states can be known. The researchers made a ‘weak’ measurement of the photon’s polarization in one plane — not enough to disturb it, but enough to produce a rough sense of its orientation. Next, they measured the polarization in the second plane. Then they made an exact, or 'strong', measurement of the first polarization to see whether it had been disturbed by the second measurement. When the researchers did the experiment multiple times, they found that measurement of one polarization did not always disturb the other state as much as the uncertainty principle predicted. In the strongest case, the induced fuzziness was as little as half of what would be predicted by the uncertainty principle. Don't get too excited: the uncertainty principle still stands, says Steinberg: “In the end, there's no way you can know [both quantum states] accurately at the same time.” But the experiment shows that the act of measurement isn't always what causes the uncertainty. “If there's already a lot of uncertainty in the system, then there doesn't need to be any noise from the measurement at all,” he says. The latest experiment is the second to make a measurement below the uncertainty noise limit. Earlier this year, Yuji Hasegawa, a physicist at the Vienna University of Technology in Austria, measured groups of neutron spins and derived results well below what would be predicted if measurements were inserting all the uncertainty into the system. But the latest results are the clearest example yet of why Heisenberg’s explanation was incorrect. "This is the most direct experimental test of the Heisenberg measurement-disturbance uncertainty principle," says Howard Wiseman, a theoretical physicist at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia "Hopefully it will be useful for educating textbook writers so they know that the naive measurement-disturbance relation is wrong." Shaking the old measurement-uncertainty explanation may be difficult, however. Even after doing the experiment, Steinberg still included a question about how measurements create uncertainty on a recent homework assignment for his students. "Only as I was grading it did I realize that my homework assignment was wrong," he says. "Now I have to be more careful." This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on September 11, 2012.
Last week I reported that KWin compiles and links against Qt 5 and KF 5. This week I’m glad to report that I got KWin also to run. The biggest issue was a PEBKAC – if you try to run anything build against frameworks make sure to not have KDE 4 libraries in your LD_LIBRARY_PATH. Before you are tempted to run KWin next in the new Project Neon setup a word of warning: it will dead lock. The current code base I use for testing depends on not yet upstreamed changes in frameworks and Qt. Obviously I have not yet pushed the KWin code needing these library adjustments but without them KWin will hit a dead lock – more to that explained later on. Project Neon has been a huge help over the last days. Harald reported again and again build issues which we were not able to detect on our system because we also have Qt 4 installed. One example was a file being included which does not exist anymore in KF 5. As it was installed in /usr/include I was not able to detect such a problem, but with a clean setup like Project Neon it becomes immediately obvious. So what is already working in KWin on 5? The most obviously visible one is the compositor. This doesn’t surprise me much, I didn’t expect any problems there. So far I have mostly tested the XRender compositor as I’m currently mostly working with Xephyr which only provides llvmpipe OpenGL and I rather spent my CPU cycles on compiling than drawing triangles. Since yesterday I have also Oxygen shadows working again which I had initially disabled as it needed XCB porting. But it just looked too strange without them, so I had to enable it 😉 I think Hugo ported Shadows in Oxygen for the same reason. Related to the compositor is the effect system and our effects. This was rather surprising for me: they just worked out of the box. The only major problem is that global shortcuts are not yet supported so I have problems triggering them. For some effects I solved this problem by just adding a DBus interface – might be an idea to keep this; some users might appreciate it. Only the scripted effects were not loaded because I did one mistake during the initial porting – this is fixed since today as you can see by the dialog parent effect being applied in the screen shot above. Also window decorations work, though there is still quite some work to be done. For example the QML based Aurorae does not like to work which is the reason why I ported Oxygen over. It’s overall nice to see that it works, but it seems to be only working with compositing enabled. Not so surprising as this hits areas which changed a lot inside Qt. The window manager seems also to be working, though obviously I have not tested all features and are using only a minimal sub set of the available functionality. Due to missing global shortcuts support it’s difficult to test all features and due to missing port of the configuration interfaces I cannot even adjust the configuration (well I could just edit the config file, but…). Nevertheless there are still quite some issues which need investigation and fixing before I can start to consider using KWin 5 in production. The biggest problem at the moment is that all windows present at startup get unmapped and are kind of lost to the window manager. So far I have not yet been able to figure out why this is happening. That is for example a show stopper if you would want to use it in a neon setup. (Update: This issue is fixed as of 3bddd1100aa) The biggest change for KWin is the port of the event filter from XLib to XCB and this is still causing some headaches to me. With XLib one was able to look into the future by inspecting the XEvent queue or to the extreme wait till a specific event has arrived. With XCB the event queue doesn’t allow to be inspected which makes porting properly a non-trivial task. KWin was using this functionality at three places (at least that’s what I found so far). During move/resize operations we only process the last mouse motion event currently in the event queue to limit the resizes. This functionality should be possible to emulate with a more async event handling approach. The second usage is that we do not deactivate a window on focus out event if there is also a focus in event following. The documentation says this is to prevent flickering. In a composited world it doesn’t really matter as the compositor should prevent the flicker, but also here a more async approach should be able to handle it. The big problem though is the third usage: updating the current xTime. KWin needs to have the most recent X time to be able to properly compare timestamps. This is done by changing a property and waiting for the event which contains the timestamp. In addition KWin does some more tricks like looking at the first event in the queue containing a timestamp, to get it really correct. Now with XCB event queue not being available to us this is a sever issue as without this functionality KWin doesn’t function properly. While looking at how to solve the problem I discovered that the XCB QPA internally uses a method providing this functionality of getting a current timestamp. Not with all the bells and whistles as we used to have in KWin, but good enough for a start. So my solution at the moment is to have my local Qt copy to make this function available and by that solve the problem. That’s the change I talked about in the beginning of this blog post. As you can see there has been quite some progress and I hope to get KWin in a dogfoodable state quite soon. And that’s something where you can help. There are many easy tasks available which just need you to be able to compile KWin and with Project Neon this just became easier. So drop by the Trello board and claim your task. This week I was already able to push one first time KDE commit with a small cleanup for our code base 🙂 So who wants to be next?
Lingering concerns about China have helped drive stock selling, but investors may still underestimate how much the world's second-largest economy has slowed, short seller Jim Chanos said Friday. "It's worse than you think. Whatever you might think, it's worse," he said. Chanos, of Kynikos Associates, appeared on CNBC's "Fast Money: Halftime Report" on Friday amid the fourth straight day of losses for major U.S. averages. The Dow Jones industrial average (Dow Jones Global Indexes: .DJI), S&P 500 (^GSPC) and Nasdaq (^IXIC) were setting up for their worst weeks since 2011. He did not classify the drop as a correction or a bear market. But he noted that the yearslong runup in U.S. stocks shows "we've gotten a little complacent." China's slowdown, among other macroeconomic concerns, has spooked global investors. Beijing's handling of a stock market spike, "panic responses" from investors and recent currency devaluation has "given investors pause," Chanos added. Read More Worst week for major averages since 2011 "People are beginning to realize the Chinese government is not omnipotent and omniscient," he said. "In fact, like many of us, sometimes they don't have a clue." He added that investors should forget about the performance of the Shanghai composite (Shanghai Stock Exchange: .SSEC), but instead focus on how declining GDP growth and the Chinese consumer could affect American companies with exposure to the country. Concerns about demand in China, one of the world's largest energy consumers, has added pressure to already sagging commodities. Crude oil fell again on Friday, with West Texas Intermediate (New York Mercantile Exchange: @CL.1) breaking below $40 per barrel for the first time since 2009. A slowdown in consumption has fueled additional concern about what many observers have already called an oversupplied market. "Now that demand is flagging a little bit, the oversupply situation has just swamped the real demand," he noted. Read More What the bears are missing: Tom Lee Chanos is "betting against a number of the big guys" in the energy sector, he added. He dislikes Shell (London Stock Exchange: RDSA-GB) and Chevron (CVX), in particular. Shares of residential solar provider SolarCity (SCTY) have also struggled amid the drop in energy prices, falling nearly 38 percent in the last year. Chanos unveiled a bet against the stock Friday, outlining its continued losses and what he sees as weakness in its operating model. SolarCity was down about 8 percent in Friday afternoon trading. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), another stock Chanos shorts, was trading about 4 percent higher Friday, a day after the company reported mixed quarterly earnings. HP's revenue declined 8 percent from a year ago, with its legacy personal computer and printing businesses continuing to decline. In a CNBC interview Friday, HP CEO Meg Whitman downplayed concerns about slowing growth, touting the company's progress in enterprise computing and strong placement in the PC market. Chanos, though, contended HP faces significant hurdles ahead of a split later this year. "We think it's challenged business. Despite Meg's best efforts, I think they're in businesses that are in secular decline," he said. Read More HP earnings: 88 cents per share vs expected EPS of 85 cents Shares of HP have plunged 30 percent this year. He also remains short in Caterpillar (CAT), saying heavy equipment companies will have "the wind in their face" for the foreseeable future. Disclaimer More From CNBC
Audio Transcript We open the week with two episodes with a guest, Dr. John M. Frame, who is the J. D. Trimble Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. Dr. Frame has published more words in his lifetime than most of us will read in our lifetimes. We get him for two days, and no doubt he is going to hit these out of the park. Thanks for joining us! Well, I am not a radio personality. I am not sure that I will hit anything out of the park, but . . . Haha! Stop it. Just stop it. Tomorrow I have a question for you on literature, so we’re leading up to that. But first, you have an outstanding book coming out soon: A History of Western Philosophy and Theology, which releases in mid-November from P&R — it’s one of the most important books of 2015. In the book, under a section titled “Antithesis in Epistemology,” you write this: “We know God and the world because he has taken the initiative to reveal himself. Otherwise, we could have no knowledge at all.” Riff on this enormous reality. Fundamentally, how is all knowledge tied to God revealing himself? First of all, God is somebody who knows himself — the knowledge of the Father and the Son and the Spirit, the holy Trinity, for all eternity. And so when God makes a world, he knows that world perfectly well, because this is a world that he has planned. This is a world that he has created. This is a world that he has complete control over, and so he knows everything that there is to know of the world. Now when he creates a creature that is also capable of knowing, he creates angels and he creates he human beings. Human beings are capable of knowing him in return. So the Bible says that God created Adam in the image of God, which includes the fact that, just as God knows the world, so in a smaller sense Adam knows the world. But, of course, Adam couldn’t know anything unless God had made him able to know. And so as Adam goes through the world, he looks at the trees, he looks at the ground and the rocks and the sky and everything that there is, and he is always looking at things that God has made. He is looking at things that God has known beforehand. And so Adam’s job is to understand that world. Of course, God gave him the responsibility to keep the garden and to guard it and to till it. And for that, of course, Adam needs to gain knowledge of the world. But it is a knowledge that echoes God’s own knowledge. It is a secondary knowledge. It is a knowledge of God’s knowledge, if you will. So from the very beginning, Adam is working according to God’s revelation. His knowledge is the knowledge that God has permitted him to have, and it is the knowledge of the world that God has made. So we talk about Adam’s thoughts, thinking God’s thoughts after him. So that is the way we all are now. Of course, the fall has messed us up in that regard, because we suppress the truth as Romans 1:18 says. If we are functioning rightly, our job is to think God’s thoughts after him, to come to know the world in a way that is analogous to God’s own knowledge of the world. And when God repairs our minds and repairs our hearts as part of our redemption in Christ, then we begin again to think God’s thoughts after him. We begin to think in a smaller way the great thoughts that God had when he first created the world. Find other recent and popular Ask Pastor John episodes.
The Avalanche have had a few heart breaking losses of late, especially considering how they've played on this road trip. The Avs peppered Braden Holtby (the hottest goalie in the league right now) with 18 shots in the third period, only to fall by a score of 2-1. The next night the Avs were completely out classed, offering up nearly 100 Corsi events to a sub par Carolina team. Yet thanks to a miracle third, the Avs scraped out a point. After handling Florida at Panther's Stadium (per Kyle Keefe) the Boys in Burgundy set out to tackle the best home team in the East. The game was one of the best of the season, yet it was the kind of 5v5 play we've come to expect during this road trip. Colorado native Ben Bishop held The Avs in check (save for two goals, that's right I'm arguing the Iginla call no matter how obvious it was) until Nathan MacKinnon played hero with 6.8 ticks left on the clock. The Avs would lose again in the shootout (new moves please). If the Avs detractors are worth a thing, they'd be encouraged by the play and dismiss the result. Let's get the specific preview stuff out of the way. The Blues have former Avs Paul Stastny, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Brian Elliot. 2014 Olympians from across the globe, a good (albeit crotchety) coach, and a bunch of drinking fountains (read:no cups). They beat us down on the back of Devil's star Marty Brodeur last time around. Now The Avs have what will prove to be a huge game against The Blues in the Scott Trade Center. This has proved to be a tale of two teams season after season for the Avs, either dominating or floundering against the Blues. They are captained by the gutless David Backes, backed up by former Sabre captain and consummate douche Steve Ott. Coming off of a 3-0 shutout and banishing of HOFer Martin Brodeur, St. Louis figures to be a tough, yet critical, two points. Long story short, the Blues don't show up on my radar, but these points sure as hell do. The Central (and really the West in general) has decided to completely dick the Avs over the past few days. Minnesota has decided to win a couple (Ryan Suter is clearly the issue there, I bet they make him a healthy scratch) and Chicago only wins when it won't benefit the Avs. That brings us to St. Louis. The Blues are making a case to ostracize the Avs from the Central playoff spots, considering Nashville and Chicago seem unpassable. The Blues are 7-2-1 in their last ten, and are quickly getting healthier. This means that St. Louis is going to close out another first round loss to the Blackhawks and the term four point game is nothing more than a buzz word. The Jets (along with Dustin Byfuglien) are proving more and more that they're for real, despite Hutchinson and Pavelec making cameos as NHL goaltenders. The Kings will make the playoffs. Period. This leaves very little room for error in key games such as this, so clearly Colorado needs to bring home some of these key games. Four points out of ten. Six points out of ten. One sounds a whole lot better, doesn't it? You can't expect the Avs to win this game, i.e. the Florida or the Canes, but this sure would go a long way towards making the playoffs. The road to the post season is fraught with games that are losses on paper, with long road trips come to an end in hostile environments, therefore these are the games that separate the contenders from the pretenders. Go Avs Go! Puck drop at 6 pm MST Watch: NBCSN Listen: ALT Radio 950 AM
What is the origin of the large heart-shaped nitrogen glacier on Pluto revealed by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015? Two researchers from the Laboratoire de météorologie dynamique show that Pluto’s peculiar insolation and atmosphere favour nitrogen condensation near the equator, in the lower altitude regions, leading to an accumulation of ice at the bottom of Sputnik Planum, a vast topographic basin. Through their simulations, they also explain the surface distribution and atmospheric abundance of other types of volatiles observed on Pluto. Pluto is a paradise for glaciologists. Among the types of ice covering its surface, nitrogen is the most volatile: when it sublimes at -235 degrees Celsius (-391 degrees Fahrenheit), it forms a thin atmosphere in equilibrium with the ice reservoir at the surface. One of the most unexpected observations from New Horizons, which flew by Pluto in July 2015, showed that this reservoir of solid nitrogen is extremely massive, and mostly contained in “Sputnik Planum”, a topographic basin located within the tropics of Pluto. Methane frost also appears all over the northern hemisphere, except at the equator, while carbon monoxide ice in smaller amounts was only detected in Sputnik Planum. Until now, the distribution of Pluto’s ice remained unexplained. To better understand the physical processes at work on Pluto, the researchers developed a numerical thermal model of the surface of the dwarf planet able to simulate the nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide cycles over thousands of years, and compared the results with the observations made by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. Their model shows that the solid-gas equilibrium of nitrogen is responsible for trapping the ice in Sputnik Planum. At the bottom of the basin, the pressure of the atmosphere — and therefore of gaseous nitrogen — increases, and the corresponding frost temperature is higher than outside the basin, which allows the nitrogen to preferably condense into ice. Simulations show that the nitrogen ice inevitably accumulates in the basin, thus forming a permanent nitrogen reservoir, as observed by New Horizons. The numerical simulations also describe the methane and carbon monoxide cycles. Because of its volatility similar to that of nitrogen, carbon monoxide ice is entirely sequestered with nitrogen in the basin, in keeping with the New Horizons measurements. Regarding the methane ice, its lower volatility at the temperatures prevailing on Pluto allows it to exist elsewhere than in the Sputnik Planum glacier. The model shows that pure methane ice seasonally covers both hemispheres, in agreement with New Horizons data. This scenario shows that there is no need for an internal reservoir of nitrogen ice to explain the formation of the Sputnik Planum glacier, as suggested by previous studies. Instead, well-known physical principles underlie this icy cocktail on Pluto and its spectacular activity, one of the most fascinating in the Solar System. The researchers also predict that atmospheric pressure is at its seasonal peak and will decrease in the next decades, while seasonal frosts will tend to disappear. Keep up to date with the latest space news in All About Space – available every month for just £4.99. Alternatively you can subscribe here for a fraction of the price!
Description: Inspired by his grandfather's skills, Kiriyama Kyoutarou's dream is to become a hairstylist. For that he enrolls in Yumemino Private Academy, also known as Tech High, the first combined technical high school in the country, more specifically he enrolls in the Beautician Department. Little did he know that his neighbor in class is Samejima Alto, an infamous female delinquent renowned for her monstrous strength. Even after that meeting his school life proves to be quite eventful as he stumbles upon a mysterious idol's secretive practice, discovers a connection with the biggest up-and-coming idol around and receives a rather unexpected request from the fearful Samejima - "Can you turn me into an idol!?". A story about following your dreams, even when everything and everyone seems to believe they're unfit considering who you are. > Alternative version: ( http://www.batoto.net/comic/_/comics/houkago%E2%98%86idol-r7781 )
President Obama said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he doesn't think he "underestimated" Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I think that I underestimated the degree to which, in this new information age, it is possible for misinformation for cyber hacking and so forth to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating," Obama said on ABC's "This Week." The president said he ordered a report on Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election to make sure people understand this is something Putin has been interfering in for "quite some time in Europe." ADVERTISEMENT "Initially in the former satellite states where there are a lot of Russian speakers, but increasingly in Western democracies," the president said. Obama also said Moscow could meddle in the upcoming elections of NATO members. He added that he's urged President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE to develop a strong relationship with the intelligence community. "I think it's important that Congress, on a bipartisan basis, work with the next administration looking forward to make sure that this kind of influence is minimized," he said. The intelligence community said in a declassified report released Friday afternoon that Putin ordered a widespread influence campaign intended to help elect Trump. The report said Russia's goals in the election were to "undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary [Hillary] Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency." Trump on Saturday tweeted that having a good relationship with Russia is a "good thing." He also said the only reason the hacking of the Democratic National Committee is now being talked about is because "the loss by the Dems was so big that they are totally embarrassed."
The record-breaking rainfall and devastating floods that have drenched Scotland over the last few weeks are the “new normal” – and they could force some communities to abandon built-up areas and move to higher ground. Experts canvassed by the Sunday Herald warn that we will have to get used to more winters like this one, as climate pollution from vehicles and industry warms the globe and wreaks havoc with the weather. Without action to curb carbon emissions, they say, it is likely to get much worse. “There is no natural weather any more,” declared Professor James Curran, the former chief executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and a leading climate expert. “The world is now warmer by one degree centigrade than it would be without climate change – so there is no weather anywhere, at any time, that isn’t man-made these days.” It was wasting time to endlessly debate to what extent the current bad weather was caused by climate pollution, he argued. After last month’s climate summit in Paris, the priority was to tackle the problem. “It’s been long predicted and is almost certain now that, whatever we do, flooding both from the sea and from rivers will become more severe and at least twice as frequent by 2100,” he said. He urged decision-makers to look urgently at how we manage our hills, forests, moors, wetlands, fields and flood plains. “The last resort should be to build concrete walls but they’ll be necessary as well - although, eventually, we may also need to abandon some built-up areas and relocate.” What most worries Curran is the summertime melting of the Greenland icecap, which creates a big north-south temperature difference in the Atlantic to the west of Scotland. “This creates and drives ever more powerful storms onto our shores – producing gales and driving rain,” he said. “It’s no coincidence that we’ve moved from prodigious flooding straight into sleet and snow,” he added. “Our weather is getting increasingly variable and severe.” Many scientists now agree that global warming is at least partly to blame for the floods – something that they wouldn’t have said a few years ago. They point out that warmer air holds more moisture, which then falls as rain. The point was forcibly made yesterday by Professor Alan Jenkins, deputy director of the UK’s leading flood research body, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. “We are absolutely convinced that there is weighty scientific evidence that the recent extreme rainfall has been impacted by climate change,” he said. A study by researchers at the University of Oxford analysed links between global warming and storm Desmond in December. It concluded that heavy rain is now 40 per cent more likely than it was in the past. According to Simon Tett, professor of earth system dynamics at the University of Edinburgh, said changes are happening faster than anticipated. “We have long expected winters in the northern hemisphere to be wetter, and for rainfall to be more intense,” he said. “As humans have increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and warmed the planet, rainfall amount and intensity have, indeed, increased - and by more than we predicted.” Tett thinks there’s been an important change since the start of the millennium. “My impression is that there has been a significant shift since 2000, and we now have a new UK climate, a new normal,” he told the Sunday Herald. “I worry this means more rain and an increased risk of floods for many communities in Scotland. That is something which the Scottish Government should respond too.” December was by far the wettest Scotland has seen since records began over a century ago in 1910, with more than twice the average amount of rain. Some 50 of the river gauges run by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for decades measured record levels. Environmental groups warned that this was just the start, unless the world got serious about cutting climate pollution. “The scale of flood-related damage we've just witnessed will pale into insignificance when compared to the devastation that we can expect in the future if we fail to properly address climate change,” said Lang Banks, the director of WWF Scotland. "Reducing the risk of flooding is yet another reason why, as we approach the Holyrood elections, we need to see every one of the political parties make clear their plans to ensure Scotland meets its climate change targets." Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, argued that communities would need protecting from much bigger floods in the future. “This period of terrible flooding could be the norm in a few decades if the world does not reduce climate emissions very rapidly,” he said. According to a report for the Scottish Government last month, 108,000 homes in Scotland are at risk of flooding. Ministers said that climate change was increasing the dangers. Tomorrow, ministers are due to announce a new “flood risk management strategy”. Such moves will be welcomed. But whether they will be enough to cope with the “new normal” and the floods of the future, only time will tell. Factfile Scotland’s record-breaking rain - December 2015 was by far the wettest Scotland has seen since records began in 1910, with 351.4mm of rain. - Scotland’s second wettest December was in 2013, with 300.7mm of rain. - Average rainfall in Scotland for December between 1981 and 2010 was 153.5mm. - 50 of the river gauges run by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) for decades measured record levels in December. - Six of Sepa’s river gauges in northeast Scotland have measured record levels in January. - At 7am on Friday last week the River Don just upstream of Aberdeen reached a peak over 1.3m higher than any levels recorded since 1988.
No, I don't mean like this, but rather, If you spent any time trying to figure out xkcd's Umwelt April Fool comic this year, you may be interested in the Haskell source code. They used all sorts of information about you, the browser you were using, the resolution of your screen, to the geocoding of the network address you came from, etc. to serve up a custom web comic. Today, davean posted to github the code for waldo, the engine he wrote to drive that comic. Alas, he was not kind enough to actually supply the code for the umwelt comic strip itself, so you'll still be left wondering if the internet managed to find all of the Easter eggs. (Are they still Easter eggs when you release something a week before Easter?) You may find the list of links below useful if you want to get a feel for the different responses it gave people. [ Article \| xkcd's Forum \| Hacker News \| /r/haskell ] [Update: Jun 10, 9:09pm] davean just posted a rather insightful post mortem of the development of waldo that talks a bit about why xkcd uses Haskell internally.
A Fort Worth, Texas, man went home to find an empty lot where his family's house of decades had stood. Local officials still don't know how it came to be mistakenly demolished by a crew last weekend. David Underwood and his wife returned from out of town on Saturday and decided to stop by their house, which had belonged to his late grandmother and where they had planned to move eventually. "We rounded the corner and my wife, Valerie says, 'The house is gone David,'" he told the Dallas Observer blog Unfair Park. "I'm looking at the yard, so I looked and I'm like, 'Wow, OK.'" All that was left of their three-bedroom, one-bathroom ranch-style home was its foundation slab. A passing city marshal informed them that the home was demolished, the Dallas Observer reported. The Underwoods eventually learned that the demolition crew contracted by the city had mistakenly cleared their home instead of a nearby one that was condemned months ago. Read More: Wells Fargo Mistakenly Cleans Out Retired Couples' Home Twice, Mistakes It For Foreclosed House The Underwoods' home is on 9716 Watercress Drive while the condemned home, which is still standing, is on 9708 Watercress Drive. Bill Begley, a spokesman for the City of Fort Worth provided a statement to ABC News. "On July 12, 2013, contractors demolished the wrong property on Watercress Drive," the city's statement read. "The property to be demolished should have been 9708 Watercress Dr. The property that was demolished was a vacant structure located at 9716 Watercress Dr. City staff currently is investigating to determine what happened." In Photos: 'Versace' Home on Bankruptcy Auction Block "A mistake was made," Fort Worth's code compliance director, Brandon Bennett, told The Dallas Morning News. "We have to identify where the weak link was and fix that so it doesn't happen again. We need to look at all of our upcoming demolitions, and double- and triple-check these things to make sure everybody has dotted the I's and crossed the T's." It wasn't clear who whether the city or the demolition contractor would compensate the owners for the house. A call to the Underwoods wasn't immediately returned. Read More: Mortgage Rates Fall to 4.37 Percent
Mesut Ozil was not only the best buy of the English summer. He was also the stupidest sell. Real Madrid must have again wept into the fountain at the Plaza de Cibeles, in the square where they celebrate their triumphs, as he dismantled Napoli in the first half here with his artistry. Many a page will groan and countless blogs will glow this season with descriptions of Ozil's talent, which is most lethal when he is expending the least effort. Shaping his foot to finish, gliding into space or flicking a ball past bamboozled defenders, Ozil affirms that a cool mind causes the most destruction. Like all the best players, he operates on his own clock, and performs entertaining acts according to his own sense of how a ball should work as a weapon. Off to a flier: Mesut Ozil. Credit:Reuters But Ozil's greatest virtue, in the Arsenal context, is that he is a proven winner who has reached the age of 24 not hoping but expecting to lay hands on trophies. His CV is full of conquests. A Spanish league winner with Real in 2011-2012, he is also a European Under-21 Championship winner with Germany and a German Cup holder with Bremen, where he also reached a Uefa Cup final. The last thing Arsenal needed now, especially at 50 million Euros), was another floaty, decorative attacking midfielder who would value beauty more highly than outcomes. Ozil is the polar opposite of self-indulgent. He displays no interest in empty elaboration. Every move he makes, every pass he directs, is intended to cause a problem, or open up some possibility.
Henry twice helped New York Red Bull to top the MLS Eastern Conference There is nothing that quite prepares an elite sportsman for the moment when they wake up and don't have a dressing room, a training ground, a life that revolves around preparation and competition to anchor them. Thierry Henry announced that he would not be staying on at New York Red Bulls on 1 December after his team went out of the MLS Cup, at the age of 37. It has taken the Premier League legend just over two weeks to firm up his future ambitions and opt for a career in the media. Maybe the tricky business of letting go of a vocation that has shaped a person from their teens onwards was too big a deal to do like clicking fingers. Henry was 13 when he passed the exams to be selected for the Clairefontaine academy run by the French Football Federation and stepped into the creme de la creme sporting world he has been in ever since. Even for a stunning success story like Henry, whose personal medal haul includes an array few footballers can match, the next chapter can be daunting. But Henry instead - for now anyway - joins a set of the brightest and most communicative of ex-players in choosing the media instead of management as a focus. For the likes of Gary Neville, Lee Dixon and Danny Murphy, their critical eye is about observing the Premier League now rather than shaping it from within, which reflects on the ramped up pressures these days. One quality he would bring to the job is an encyclopaedic knowledge of football over the past couple of decades. Some players - Lionel Messi is a notable example - just dedicate themselves to playing. Some players prefer to be relaxed enough about the finer details to not even have much interest in who his team might be playing next, or the formbook of opponents. Henry's appetite for football has always been insatiable. His memory for the minutiae of a particular game, how a player fared in a particular situation, scores and records and strengths and weaknesses of teams across world football, has always been striking. A statue of Thierry Henry at Emirates Stadium was unveiled in December 2011 His knowledge was unusually precise - perhaps displaying a hint of a manager's eye - throughout his playing days. It was not uncommon for Henry to surprise a journalist whose opinion he disagreed with with a phone call in order to politely pick apart a theory he couldn't accept. Dennis Bergkamp found it astonishing. "Sometimes he would phone up a newspaper," recalls the former Netherlands and Arsenal forward. "I was thinking I can't believe that he does that. When somebody would say something, where I would say just leave it, he would phone them up and say, 'OK, this is what I think, this is my opinion'. It's very strong." Henry watched and evaluated football relentlessly. In his early days at Barcelona, when he was struggling to find his rhythm in this new environment, one evening he bumped into some old acquaintances and sounded somewhat jaded when talking over his situation. Then he suddenly became animated, and full of enthusiasm, when discussing a match from England's second tier he had seen on TV the night before. It was this kind of intense interest in the game outside of his own daily aspirations that generated a feeling for the club he would become most connected to - Arsenal - before he joined them. Thierry Henry has been known to call journalists to discuss matters where he has disagreed with them He had a reason to keep an eye out for them when he was still a youngster at Monaco, and briefly, a Juventus player. Not only was his old manager Wenger there, but also team-mates from France's youth teams in Patrick Vieira and Nicolas Anelka. He knew all about how Arsenal played before he was signed in 1999. When he arrived, he was given a video of all Ian Wright's 185 Arsenal goals and studied them. This self-taught element of his education was important in two ways - he watched the runs, the finishing, the patterns which he would absorb into his armoury as he relearned how to be a striker after several years playing wide. He also soaked up the history and began to feel the roots growing deeper in terms of his attachment to the club. Naturally, a homegrown player tends to have more of an innate affinity to a club. The likes of Paolo Maldini (AC Milan), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) or Xavi (Barcelona) epitomise that connection that goes back to boyhood. In Henry's case, the union came later and developed over time. But it was evident how much his dominant club got under his skin as the years passed. In fact, he became so into it that when he returned to Arsenal for a second stint on loan in 2012 (five years after leaving) he found the whole experience overwhelming because he had felt himself change from being a player to a supporter. "I get upset like a fan. I think like a fan. People can think what they want but it is true love," he said. And then, as the former player-turned fan playing again, he scored a goal that turned out to be one of the most important moments of his career. It came against Leeds in the FA Cup on a chilly night in January 2012. It was not on the surface the most crucial thing he ever did, but it packed the biggest emotional punch. Henry took a detailed approach to knowing everything he could about opponents during his playing career "I played in some big games for Arsenal, Barcelona, France, Juve, Monaco… nothing will ever top that night for me," Henry said. "I really thought I was in a dream. I remember staying in the dressing room for two hours just contemplating. To score a goal again for Arsenal was out of this world." If he does return to north London, he will bring much more than affection and status. As an unyielding student of the game, in his years he has observed an array of managers with different nuances - World Cup winner Aime Jacquet, Wenger and Pep Guardiola were particularly influential. He has played alongside an array of team-mates with diverse skills - Zinedine Zidane and Lilian Thuram, Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams, Messi and Xavi, and against a generation that includes Gianluigi Buffon, Philipp Lahm, Didier Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo et al. There is a lot of football that has already been forensically analysed in his head that ought to be a very useful part of expertise for the future. The range of experience he can bring to football if he decides he wants to lead and educate others is very broad. He knows how it feels to win the World Cup, and to blow it as France did in the 2006 final. He has won the Champions League with Barcelona, and lost a final with Arsenal. He has been honoured many times as Footballer of the Year, and lambasted for a high-profile handball which called into question his sporting integrity. There is a lot stored away to pass on. "Thierry is always talking," says former Gunners team-mate Sol Campbell. "He just wants to know everything and tell you about everything." Henry's latest venture should allow him to express himself as freely as he did on the pitch.
After hearing about the Allure’s size (1,187 feet long and 16 decks high with a capacity for 6,318 passengers and 2,384 crew members), we did not know what to expect. We were frightened, actually. My aunt has primarily been on smaller luxury ships — Crystal, Regent and the lovely and long-gone Royal Viking — ships with 500 to 1,000 passengers, subtle teak decks and very nice Champagne. She has been on 30 cruises, and I have known the watery high life only because I have been her guest 12 times, either on short cruises like the one on the Allure, or for brief visits during some of the 10 world voyages she has taken that can last four to five months and cost more than $100,000 a person. Not that she is incredibly wealthy. She started as a Montgomery Ward stock girl in 1936 and worked her way up to diamond buyer. Cruising is what she does with her savings. And as part of a cruising group for whom smaller is better (meaning cozy dinners with the ship’s officers, quiet afternoon teas and thoughtful lectures by foreign correspondents), my aunt has always thought bigger meant thousands of passengers atop thousands of deck chairs watching television and eating three pieces of pizza at once. Except for a trip on a Princess Cruise she and I took in 2005, she has avoided ships with capacities of 4,000 or more. But then she heard about the Allure, and how glamorous it was supposed to be as mega-ships go. And she called Malcolm, one of her luxury-cruise-ship friends, who last year went on the Oasis of the Seas (identical to the Allure but two inches shorter). He told her, “Even though there are 24 elevators and 1,700 children, you’re going to love it.” For hard-core cruisers who go a few times a year, speed of check-in is paramount, and fetishistically discussed; it is imperative to begin the pleasure immediately. On the Allure, check-in was extraordinarily fast thanks to the huge new 5.5-acre, 240,000-square-foot terminal that Royal Caribbean built in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 2009 to make sure that the thousands of passengers moving on and off the Oasis and the Allure would be able to go “from curb to stateroom in 15 minutes.” Stepping off the zigzagging gangplank into the enclosed Royal Promenade, we were hit with blinking lights, video screens and shop windows stuffed with jewels and muffins. Where had we come? On smaller ships there is a small area where a social hostess greets you with a little beverage and everyone hugs one another. This place looked like the inside of a shopping mall in Singapore or Dubai, with people from everywhere streaming by — a woman in a Muslim head covering, a tiny wrinkled man speaking Spanish with his arm around a young woman three times taller in bondage shoes, a Japanese couple in formal dress staring up at the top of the Cupcake shop. Still, we were in a crowd of only a few hundred or so; where were the other thousands? Advertisement Continue reading the main story We would feel not only the excitement of being among so many different cultures but also a certain spaciousness the whole week. Never would we be overwhelmed or crowded. One reason for this, it turns out, is that the Allure is not just very long, but hippy in the beam — 215 feet wide, in fact, more than 30 feet wider than Royal Caribbean’s last big ship, Freedom of the Seas. After a quick salad at the Park Café, one of the Allure’s 22 restaurants, where a song played about how wonderful life is, we looked at the ship’s map — nightclubs and casino on Deck 4; specialty restaurants mainly on 8, around the park; child and baby areas on 14; sunlight and sports on l6; staterooms from decks 6 to 14. Arriving at our cabin, where the luggage appeared within seconds, my aunt said that the 182-square-foot space with a 50-square-foot balcony was “skimpy” compared with the 350-square-foot cabin that she was used to. “As you recall,” I said, “you are paying $279 a day per person as opposed to that bargain world-cruise rate of $668.15 a day in 2010.” For our first dinner we went to Deck 16 on the ship’s bow, where a dancer in violet feathers wiggled her way through the fiery orange candles and white cloth chairs and tables at the most exciting of the ship’s specialty restaurants, the Samba Grill, a churrascaria. Eleven of the ship’s 22 restaurants charge an extra $15 to $35 a person, which includes everything that is not in a bottle. (We had made reservations for the specialty restaurants a month before, as was recommended by her travel agent.) We ate olives and fennel and oranges as waiters came through with skewers of picanha, fraldinha, costela and lombo. It is all very Rio. After we ate at the Chops Grille the next night, with its Chicago stockyards theme, and another day at Sorrento’s pizzeria, with photos of Manhattan, I began to see that the Allure is an urban ship, a celebration of cities, a 24-hour dream of lights and movement and the power of being in the center. But the most definitive Allure experience was when we went to sleep. There was no feeling of movement, no gentle rocking of waves that put one into dreams of past excursions, sailing on high-masted ships to mysterious green islands. In the morning we wondered if we really were on a ship, but then it did not matter because we were hungry. At breakfast at the Windjammer buffet, where the host jumped up and down every second saying “Goodmorninggoodmorninggoodmorning,” we were torn, choosing from among the hundreds of trembling eggs and the salmon slices lying coldly on top of each other and every other possible morning food. We looked over the 91 activities listed for Day 2 in the ship’s newsletter, the Cruise Compass. Games were introduced on early ocean liners, it is said, to distract people from feeling seasick, and to distract women from remembering that they were at sea in the first place. These days, the diversions have grown into a marketing monster in a highly competitive business. “Options, options, variety, variety,” said Adam M. Goldstein, the Royal Caribbean president and chief executive, referring to what his passengers want. “We hear it over and over.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story My aunt’s favorite activity was to go to Catholic Mass followed by team trivia, an old-fashioned ship amusement. I, meanwhile, went to watch the DreamWorks parade with the upright hippopotamus dancing to the music of “If My Friends Could See Me Now” on the Royal Promenade. Over the course of the cruise, I did not make it to the Pirate Family Festival, Who Is Fuzz Buzz, GagBall, the Michael Jackson Line Dance Class or the Make Your Own Bangle Workshop. There were too many things going on at once. But I did manage at various points to observe the zip-lining, ice skating, miniature golf, rock climbing, FlowRiding, basketball, spa treatments and people clinging to the 158 cardio and resistance machines in the fitness center. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Later at dinner in the Adagio dining room, I asked the retired, youthful-looking couple from Trinidad at our table, “Are all mega-ships this way?” Meaning so vast, so sublime — a gentle giant in chains? “No,” said the man, a former forensic scientist. “The Allure is above and beyond.” The conversation moved quickly to everyone’s favorite topic: how many cruises they had been on. “We couldn’t begin to count,” the Trinidadian couple said. But Linda Jones, from Manchester, Tenn., knew: “Eighty-four!” Gerald and Greta Barbalock from Florida were the ship’s winners with 319. ON Day 3 the Allure put in at Labadee, Haiti, a stop that raises some people’s eyebrows. How, in good conscience, can a rollicking pleasure ship visit a land so distressed? Royal Caribbean has leased a paradisiacal north slice of the country for its stops since 1986, and Mr. Goldstein has a blog, part of which is devoted to how much Royal Caribbean contributes to Haiti in medicine, supplies, education: a reported $2.5 million in relief efforts to date. When I asked a Royal Caribbean employee if passengers were afraid of getting cholera during the Haiti stop, he whispered that nothing goes into the area we would be visiting (including the lobster and the ribs for the barbecue lunch) that does not come from the ship. Haitians do come in to play the flute and maracas, and to sell dolls, along with mysterious blue and black paintings of the beach. I did not see the fence and the guards that separate Labadee from the surrounding area. My aunt, who has cut back on excursions, stayed on the ship to play Royal Bingo. I walked about, climbed up and down stone steps, put an employee at the Labadee Information Office to sleep with my questions and lazed in a deck chair near the ocean thinking how wonderful nature is and how I almost dreaded going back to the hyper-digital ship. When I got up and started walking, I realized that my iPhone, with which I had taken at least 100 photos, had disappeared, either into the sand or into someone’s hand. This crisis led to discovering how wonderful the Allure’s Guest Services desk is, with the 24-hour SWAT team of 10 or more officers lined up like soldiers — Saacha and Mustafa and Hristina and Carlo — all on alert, vigilant, ready to find that phone. Guest Services turned out to be one of the most interesting places on the ship, as it was the only place on the Allure where real things were happening: true dramas, like arguments about not being able to get on the Internet and losing minutes and money in the process. After a drink in the Rising Tides bar, which goes up and down between Decks 5 and 8, followed by a fillet in the Chops Grille with my aunt, I calmed down. By the next day, the Central Park tour with Jelassi Habi, the ship’s horticulturalist, made me forget the lost iPhone for almost 10 minutes. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “The first idea was to have rolling hills with grass around, but rain would have been a problem, so they chose the plants instead,” Mr. Habi said with a sigh to the small group huddled around him. “Each plant has its own pipe for irrigation,” he said. “We have nine sticky boards for pest control. Department of Agriculture officers come on every two weeks. They send the sticky boards to the Department of Entomology. I use a magnifying glass to check. As of now, we just have flies.” Then he went on to say that they have to cut back the trees and no flowers can grow, which makes him very sad. Though the park is more similar to a nicely landscaped midcentury outdoor shopping mall than it is to the Sheep Meadow, I would find myself coming back to the cool, clean air more and more, even though the whole point of a cruise is to become one with the salty air and leave behind the heavy soil of imprisoning land. That night, we saw my favorite of the ship’s shows (a big list that included live comedy, an ice show and the Cirque de Soleil-like “Blue Planet”): the OceanAria water show at the Aqua Theater in the back of the ship. Men in Aztec costumes rose from the deep on sea horses and wrestled a bit and then dived from boards extending from the top of the ship. Like shows I remember from decades ago, there was the same dramatic structure: a surprising opening, a clown, a thrilling stunt, the adagio, another stunt, the finale. Ships may well be keeping live performance alive. On Day 6, the ship was deserted, with the thousands of passengers going to stare at lurid purple tanzanite in Cozumel. While my aunt began her packing, I happily ran around with our cabin steward’s camera, which he heroically lent me after the iPhone incident. I went back to Central Park and ran into the Costa family from São Paulo, Brazil, whom I had met a few days before. Though I don’t speak Portuguese, I think Mrs. Costa said that there were hundreds of Brazilians on the ship and that she loved the slot machines and that they don’t have gambling in Brazil. The Costas, along with Hannah and Suzanne Soloff, a mother and daughter from Atlanta, were really the only passengers I talked to during the trip. My aunt chatted a lot with her friend Myrna at Mass every day, but that was probably it. The vast spaces on the Allure allow for a feeling of anonymity, which is, of course, common in big cities but not on smaller ships, where in one day, a person says hello to some 30 familiar crew members and passengers, and hears over and over: “How is your aunt?” or “What happened to your hair?” or “Why weren’t you at needlepoint?” On our last night, my aunt and I decided to go against the grain of the formal dinner in the Adagio and eat delicious Mexican food at Rita’s Cantina on the Boardwalk, where we discussed the overwhelming globalism of the ship with the restaurant’s supervisor, Sabrina Cerigui from Paris, who is of French, Tunisian and Italian descent. Her boyfriend, the manager of the ship’s Japanese specialty restaurant, is Romanian. We talked about how fashionable the women on board were: Asians and South Americans in bright, fitted dresses and high high-heeled shoes. Advertisement Continue reading the main story During a last nocturnal expedition around the ship, I visited the track on Deck 5 that I had been compulsively running around eight times every morning and it dawned on me that it had entirely replaced the classic cruise ship’s light-filled outdoor promenade. A person could walk in one of the lanes, but except for at the back of the ship, the humongous lifeboats closed off the view. This, along with the Allure’s predominant visual image of an artificial night sky — hundreds of twinkling lights that served as a ceiling for the casino, the Viking Crown Lounge and the windowless skating rink — shut the boat off from the sea and created a hermetic reality all its own. There was never any moaning over the passage of time, the ebbing of the light, the darkening of the sky. The busy, speedy, cheerful life of the ship distracted from any sense of nature, loss and metaphysical wondering about who one is and why, as happens on those smaller ships while sitting on a deck chair staring at billowing Tiepolo clouds and listening to a shipmate chatter about the best deck on which to do laundry. Later, lying in bed with a towel around her neck, my aunt was happy. “This has been a wonderful trip,” she said. Yet debarkation the next morning was so fast, there was no time to sing, “It’s time for us to leave her, Johnny.” We were back in my aunt’s Fort Lauderdale apartment in 30 minutes, as if we had never left. She has a close-up view of the port and all that goes on in it. As I sat on her balcony later that day, watching the ships go out again into the pinkish-gold sky, I did not feel sad the way one does after a cruise on a smaller ship that has taken one very far away with people one has grown very close to. There was none of that sense of the French proverb, “To leave is to die a little.” I knew the Allure would be back next week and the week after that. In fact, it would be a presence almost as much as the hotels on the beach, moving just a little faster, but not much.
Author: Hai Hong Nguyen, UQ Wen Jiabao stepped down from the powerful Communist Party of China (CPC) Standing Politburo at the 18th Congress of the CPC last week. But he will not hand over the premiership to his successor until the National Congress elections next year. After ten years in power, Mr Wen will be remembered by the Chinese people for three things: as a people’s prime minister, as a political reformist, and as a corruption fighter. Wen has long been proclaimed ‘a people’s prime minister’. Chinese media often show images of him wearing simple clothes, holding a megaphone speaking to victims in disaster-hit areas or enjoying a meal with mine workers. Wen’s populist image makes him like other world leaders, such as Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera, who joined the crowd to congratulate trapped Chilean miners when they were rescued, or US President Barack Obama, who skipped campaigning in battleground states in the recent US election to visit New Jersey and talk to people affected by Hurricane Sandy. This behaviour is typical of political leaders who want to build a good image as leaders of the people, by the people and for the people, and demonstrate their duty to their constituents. All politicians do the same, although some do not know how to do it. Wen’s populism is different because it also has helped consolidate the image of the ruling CPC. Like its counterparts globally, the CPC is struggling to secure legitimacy in a world where movement toward democracy, the rule of law and freedom are on the rise. Wen is also considered a political reformist because he explicitly said that political reforms must catch up with China’s economic reform and growth. Yet, political liberalisation is not what the CPC wants in the short term, so Wen’s call for political reform has been ignored or even censored in the state media. On anti-corruption, Wen made an historic gesture, lodging a letter to the CPC Standing Politburo requesting an investigation of the riches his family was allegedly hiding. Hundreds of corruption cases, many linked to high-ranking officials of the CPC, are discovered and handled annually in China. Some of Wen’s colleagues in the Standing Politburo are reported by foreign media as using their influence to bring benefit to their family members, relatives and friends. Yet none have dared to act like Wen. Admittedly Wen’s move came after allegations that his family have profited from his position were raised in Western press, itself probably a fallout from the moves against Bo Xilai after the Chongqing scandal. Wen’s action was a courageous move nonetheless. In China there are no institutions that guarantee democratic process or the rule of law. The CPC exercises control. This context begs the question about the significance of Wen’s request. Accountability is lacking in China. Representative governments can more readily hold their political leaders accountable to the people. Such systems do not exist in China. A top leader like Wen is only accountable to the party and subject to internal discipline. Exceptions only arise in cases where corruption serves a political rather than financial purpose. What will be the outcome of the investigation and the CPC’s response? There are a number of possible scenarios. The first is that the allegations of hidden riches in Wen’s family are true. How would the CPC handle such a scandal? It is likely that the CPC would undertake internal procedures to protect the party and Wen. The public would be informed that the allegations were false and that Premier Wen was ‘clean’. Alternatively, the CPC might want to prove to the public that it upholds the rule of law by punishing, however lightly, some members in Wen’s family. They would likely deny Wen’s involvement. The most important thing as far as the CPC is concerned is that the good image of both the CPC and Premier Wen be protected. Another scenario would see the allegations declared incorrect. This might happen regardless of the findings of the investigation. If the New York Times allegation were found to be incorrect this would protect the image of the CPC and Wen Jiabao. This would additionally allow Chinese authorities to criticise the Western media, who they say are out to blacken the reputation of Chinese leaders. In such a scenario Chinese authorities may introduce tougher policies toward Western media offices operating in China, reasoning that they have inappropriate motivations and interfere in China’s internal affairs like the Russian government’s allegations about USAID in Russia. The CPC and its 5th generation of leadership under Xi Jinping are facing diminishing trust of leaders within the public. Wen’s call for his own scrutiny answers the call for increased accountability among the political leadership. Yet the findings from the investigation of his affairs are likely to lead to a predictable outcome, possibly even before Wen hands over the premiership to Li Keqiang next year. Wen’s legacy can help the CPC consolidate its legitimacy, although a breakthrough change is unlikely to take place soon in China. Hai Hong Nguyen is a doctoral candidate at the School of Political Science and International Studies, the University of Queensland
A COMPLAINT BY Marriage Equality and BelongTo Youth Services that an article in the Irish Independent was in breach of Principle 2 (Distinguishing Fact and Comment) of the Code of Practice for Newspapers and Magazines has been upheld by the Press Ombudsman. The 14 March 2012 article was headlined: “Every single human decision has a consequence – so remember that the next time you vote for someone’s rights”. It was about giving full marriage rights to same-sex couples. The Ombudsman said that it reported as fact that: “The liberalisation of the laws against homosexual acts” had resulted in the “catastrophic reality” of “at least 250,000 deaths from AIDS” “The record of every society shows that boys without a strong stable male figure in their lives are an express train heading for trouble” Catholic adoption agencies have “closed rather than do something which they feel is immoral, which is to hand children over to homosexual couples”. Response The newspaper responded that it did not accept that the article breached Principle 2 of the Code “because the writer was entitled to express his strongly held views, however controversial, under the principle of freedom of expression”. It repeated a previous offer to publish a right of reply from the complainants, but this offer was declined. The ombudsman said that its opinion is that, “in this case, the failure to distinguish adequately between fact and comment was sufficiently substantial to justify a decision that the article was in breach of Principle 2 of the Code”. Prejudice complaint Marriage Equality and BelongTo Youth Services and Rory McCann, Steven McCall and Adam Long also complained about the article under Principle 8 (Prejudice) of the Code of Practice. In response, the newspaper said that the article “was self-evidently an opinion piece containing views on a matter which was evidently divisive and controversial” and this was a breach of the Code. It said that articles like this were designed to contribute to debates on controversial topics and it offered to publish a further article from Marriage Equality. The Press Ombudsman said the breaches of Principle 2 above were capable of causing grave offence under Principle 8 and, for that reason, amounted to a breach of that Principle also. They did not, however, breach that part of Principle 8 relating to the publication of statements which might act as an incitement to hatred. Welcomed Marriage Equality director Moninne Griffith welcomed the Press Ombudsman’s decision, saying: Whether you are in favour or against marriage for same sex couples, all debate on this issue has to be based on fact, rather than on rumour, conjecture or unconfirmed reports. We all have to make sure that in modern Ireland the conversation about marriage equality is genuine and inclusive. Executive director of BeLonG To Youth Services, Michael Barron said:
In a city where change often involves immense sums of money, the financing for Mr. Ho’s project feels almost vaporous, like loose nutrients harvested out of the air. Mr. Ho is living on his savings. Money to rent the storefront and build the transformer — $33,991 in total — was raised through the crowdfunding website Kickstarter, with the biggest contributors paying $1,000 or $1,500 in exchange for small promotional displays. Karen Wong, deputy director of the New Museum, which featured Mr. Ho at its Ideas City Festival this year, likened him to other young architects who were pursuing socially conscious goals, including the designers of the Plus Pool, which is supposed to someday float in the East River while filtering the water, and the Lowline, a proposed underground park below Delancey Street. “I see MiLES as really community activism 2.0, using a public and private equation,” Ms. Wong said. As landlords hold out for tenants who can pay higher rents, Mr. Ho offered a way to serve both developers and the residents with whom they are often at odds, without bringing more bars into a neighborhood many consider already oversaturated, Ms. Wong said. “If they’re successful,” she said, “there’ll no longer be 200 vacant storefronts in the Lower East Side, which bring the neighborhood down. It’s not an endgame, but a chapter into, how do you remake a city from the bottom up?” A week before opening day, Mr. Ho was swimming in stress. The company he’d hired to build the storefront transformer wouldn’t have it ready until Week 2. The original space’s landlord found a long-term tenant, forcing Mr. Ho to scramble for a new site, which he found in an architect’s office by the Williamsburg Bridge — a little small and away from the neighborhood’s foot traffic, but it would do, he said. Then there were the organizations themselves. Many still hadn’t decided how they were going to use their time, and the architect was pressing Mr. Ho about potential disruption to his business. Week 7 belonged to Ghetto Gastro, a catering and events company run by Bronx chefs; were they planning to have late-night parties? Week 3 paired two potentially dissonant projects: Kollabora, an online community for knitters and other low-tech crafts, and the Makery, known for its high-tech workshops in electronics and 3-D printing; how would the two work together? And what if no one paid attention, or the tenants flaked, or the clients of the Space at Tompkins, the group that serves homeless transients — “the anarchists,” as the head of the architecture office, Gordon Kipping, described them — clashed with the architects?
by Today we’re glad to announce that State of the Net 2016 will be held in Trieste (Italy) on the 28th and 29th of October. You can register and book your seat today. We are happy to be back in Trieste and in Friuli Venezia Giulia, after the 2015 conference in Milan! On Friday, October the 28th we will host a preview with the participation of local institutions of Friuli Venezia Giulia, while on Saturday the 29th we will have the international main event. We will update you about the program, the speakers and all the other details in the next few days. “Facts.” will be the main theme of State of the Net 2016. While the open internet allows for the best fact checking ever available, many are trapped in echo chambers where lies keep bouncing around until they sound like truth and resonate with their beliefs. The press is under pressure and sometimes willing to trade quality and analysis for attention. All this is affecting how we decide, vote, participate in public life. And while people struggle with facts, machines are becoming very good at processing reality and finding new meanings: from storing “truth” in the blockchain to develop artificial intelligence able to interpret and predict our world and drive around town. State of the Net 2016 will still be a free event, thanks to the support of our great partners: the Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia (co-organizer), Insiel, PromoTurismoFvg, Autovie Venete, Fondazione CRTrieste, Trieste Port Authority and many others that we’ll be announcing soon. Please register now to State of the Net 2016 and remember to use the hashtag #sotn16!
A gay New Zealand teen suffered cuts to his face, and a bruised nose, ribs and spine after an assault over the weekend in Auckland, the New Zealand Herald reports: Zakk d'Larte, 18, was dropped off by friends at a boat party about 7pm and was walking back to his apartment in the city centre when three men started to approach him wolf-whistling. "I think they thought I was a girl because they were calling me 'sweetie' and all that sort of stuff." As they drew closer, the three men realised Mr d'Larte was male and he said there was a rapid change in their behaviour and attitude. "It went straight to aggression. They were calling me disgusting – just really homophobic kind of comments." Mr d'Larte was pushed around and when he fell to the ground, the men started kicking him and he lost consciousness. He woke up three and a half hours later in a gutter at the marina.
We are writing to protest against the failure of the mainstream media to provide serious coverage of the local authority elections and, in particular, to report on candidates to the left of the establishment parties. One of the defining characteristics of politics in Britain today is the unanimous support for austerity among the three major parties. Ukip, the supposedly anti-establishment party, is also pro-austerity, with Nigel Farage recently arguing for an "extra" £77bn worth of cuts. At local level, austerity has been translated into the huge destruction of public services, with local authority spending being slashed by one third over five years. Yet the national media appear to consider elections to councils – responsible for administering the bedroom tax and cuts to social care, along with library and youth club closures – to be an irrelevance. We are not arguing here for support for particular candidates standing in this year's elections for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (co-founded by the late Bob Crow), for Left Unity or for other anti-cuts independents. But we are arguing that they, standing in one in seven of all the seats up for election this year, should be given a fair hearing in the media, the Guardian included. Dave Nellist Chair, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, Peter Pinkney president, RMT, Mick Cash acting general secretary, RMT, Steve Hedley assistant general secretary, RMT, Alan Pottage national organiser, RMT, Daren Ireland regional organiser, RMT, Sean McGowan regional organiser, RMT, Mike Sargent Council of executives, RMT, Stephen Skelly Council of executives, RMT, Kevin Morrison Council of executives, RMT, Alex Gordon past president, RMT, Sean Hoyle former member Council of executives, RMT, Steve Gillan General secretary, POA, Joe Simpson assistant general secretary, POA, Brian Caton ex-general secretary, POA, Dave Ward Deputy general secretary, CWU, Ian Hodson President, BFAWU, John McInally PCS vice-president, Cllrs Keith Morrell and Don Thomas Southampton city councillors – expelled from Labour for voting against cuts, Hannah Sell deputy general secretary, Socialist party, Charley Kimber national secretary, SWP, Mark Thomas editor, Socialist Review, Cllr Michael Lavalette independent, Preston, Nick Wrack Independent Socialist Network, Pete McLaren Independent Socialist Network, Glenroy Watson RMT activist on London Underground, Hugo Pierre Camden Unison convenor for education • I agree with Victoria Trow (Letters, 19 May) that the Guardian, a sensible centre-left newspaper, should tell us more about the Green party, and the "other others". In a blind tasting of 2010 election policies, 25% of 400,000 users on Voteforpolicies.org.uk picked the Green party's policies, twice that of Ukip and more than Labour and the Tories. John Launder Skipton, North Yorkshire • This Thursday voters in Scotland will elect six members of the European parliament (MEPs). In total the UK will elect 73 MEPs and between Thursday and Sunday millions of voters across the EU's 28 member states will be electing 751 representatives to the parliament. The parliament is the directly elected law-making institution of the European Union and amends, approves or rejects EU laws, many of which have an impact on our daily lives, from consumer protection to workers' rights. However, despite such a crucial role, voters take little notice of the European policies of the political parties and simply express their judgment on the government of the day. Ukip, like a number of other Eurosceptic parties, is set to gain a bigger foothold in the European parliament through a mixture of protest and voter apathy. These elections will shape the future direction of the European Union, in areas ranging from climate change to immigration. The European policies of the political parties in these, and other areas, is therefore vital. It is also especially important this year as the key political groupings in the parliament have put forward candidates to be president of the European Commission, the body that proposes legislation. It is not only important that electors in Scotland vote in these crucial elections but that those heading to the polling booths treat them with the respect they deserve. Alex Orr Edinburgh • Polly Toynbee stated that "[this] week's polls are a free hit" (Comment, 16 May). Does that mean that local elections are meaningless? Does that mean that local elections are insignificant? Does that mean it is not appreciated that councils have more local and immediate impact on people's everyday lives than Westminster will ever have? Does that mean it is considered that MPs are more influential on the immediate issues that concern residents than are local councillors? Too many electors cast their local election votes on the basis of national issues and national parties' popularity. As a consequence, good, effective and hardworking local representatives, of all parties, are discarded through no fault of their own. It's time that London-based journalists and politicians understood that the world extends further than the Westminster village. Cllr Dave Hibbert Cabinet member for environment and housing, Oldham MBC • You told us what Ukip voted for and against (Say no to Nigel, G2, 30 April), so with the European elections now upon us, can you tell us what the other UK parties supported or voted against? It would also be useful if you could state our MEPs' attendance record as well. Martin Smith Guildford • A simple test of just how much citizenship teaching is going on in our schools today and of what quality (Letters, 19 May; Report, 15 May) would be to find out how many secondary schools, state and private, have been examining the campaigns for this week's local and European elections, and I don't mean merely mentioning they are going on. I never missed the opportunity, 20 years ago, to engage in examining election manifestos, and helping students understand the process of elections, though it never added a grade to anything other than engagement with a process with which they became fascinated. Asking a 15-year-old to write a five-point manifesto will tell you something about him or her – but more importantly about how they perceive the state of the nation and its issues. The great paradox is that in an era of such enormous political interference in education pupils are exposed to so little political education. David Handley Skipton, Yorkshire • I think we've all been amazed at the amount of coverage given to Nigel Farage (Letters, 19 May) but there is no Ukip candidate in the Winchester ward where I am standing as an independent against the three main parties. As a former Lib Dem councillor (I resigned when they went into coalition) I am standing an alternative for the many people who will never vote Lib Dem again, but as a fairly well-known local campaigner I find I am picking up votes from all sections of the community who are disillusioned with the main parties. I've been struck by how much of a protest vote Ukip has attracted by the fact that residents who say they will vote them in the European ballot will vote for me in the local elections. I explain that I could not be further away from Ukip politically but it does not seem to matter. I will benefit by default simply because I am not in one of the main parties. Karen Barratt Independent local election candidate, Winchester
The Battle of Westerplatte was one of the first battles in Germany's invasion of Poland, marking the start of World War II in Europe. Beginning on 1 September 1939, German army, naval and air forces and Danzig police assaulted Poland's Military Transit Depot (Wojskowa Składnica Tranzytowa, or WST) on the Westerplatte peninsula in the harbor of the Free City of Danzig. The Poles held out for seven days in the face of an assault that included dive-bomber attacks and naval shelling. Westerplatte's defense served as an inspiration for the Polish Army and people in the face of German advances elsewhere, and is still regarded as a symbol of resistance in modern Poland. Background [ edit ] Westerplatte is a peninsula in the Bay of Gdańsk.[1]:646 Following the reestablishment of Polish independence after World War I, much of the surrounding region became part of Poland. However, the city of Danzig (present-day Gdańsk, Poland), historically an important port city, became an independent city-state, the Free City of Danzig. The Free City was nominally supervised by the League of Nations but, over time, Danzig became increasingly allied with Germany, reflecting its predominantly ethnic German population.[2]:210[3]:21 In 1921, in the wake of the Polish-Soviet War, the League of Nations granted Poland the right to install a garrisoned ammunition depot near Gdańsk.[4]:2684 Despite objections from the Free City, this right was confirmed in 1925, and an area of 60 hectares (600,000 m2) was selected on the Westerplatte peninsula.[4][5][6]:443 Westerplatte was separated from the New Port of the Free City of Danzig mainly by the harbor channel; on land, the Polish-held part of Westerplatte was separated from Danzig's territory by a brick wall topped with barbed wire.[6][5]:443 A dedicated rail line, passing through the Free City, connected the depot with nearby Polish territory.[6]:443 The depot, referred to in League documents as the Depot for Polish Munitions in Transit in the Port of Danzig [pl][7]:45 (Polish: Wojskowa Składnica Tranzytowa), was completed in November 1925, officially transferred to Poland on the last day of that year, and became operational shortly after in January 1926, with 22 active storage warehouses. The Polish garrison's complement was set at 88 soldiers (2 officers, 20 NCOs, and the rest privates), and Poland was prohibited construction of further military installations or fortifications on the site.[5][6]:443–444 By early 1933, German politicians and media figures complained about the need for border adjustments. In addition, Polish and French discussed the need for a preventive war against Germany. On 6 March 1933, in what became known as the "Westerplatte incident" or "crisis", the Polish government landed a marine battalion on Westerplatte, briefly reinforcing the outpost to about 200 men, demonstrating Polish resolve to defend the outpost; more locally, the Polish maneuver was also intended to put pressure on the Danzig government, which was trying to renounce a prior agreement on shared Danzig-Polish control over the harbor police and to acquire full control of the police and the harbor.[8][9] The additional Polish troops were withdrawn on 16 March 1933, following protests from the League, Danzig, and Germany, but only in exchange for Danzig's withdrawal of its objections to the harbor-police agreement.[8]:50 According to another source, on 14 March 1933 the League had authorized Poland to reinforce its garrison.[4] Over subsequent years, the Poles constructed clandestine fortifications on Westerplatte.[5] These were not impressive: there were no bunkers or underground tunnels, only several small outposts (guardhouses), partially hidden in the peninsula's forest, and several more buildings in the peninsula's center, including barracks. Most buildings were constructed with reinforced concrete, and were supported by a network of field fortifications (trenches, barricades, and barbed wire).[10][5][11]:54 Prelude [ edit ] In March 1939, a German ultimatum to Lithuania led to Germany's annexation of the nearby Lithuanian coastal Klaipėda region; subsequently, the Westerplatte garrison was placed on alert.[5][6]:445 Fearing a possible Nazi coup d'etat in Danzig, the Poles decided to secretly reinforce their garrison[5][6]:445 and, for that purpose, resorted to a subterfuge: civilians in Polish Army uniform would leave the base, and new Polish soldiers would enter it.[6]:445 By late August 1939, the Poles had reinforced their 88-man garrison, though its strength is still debated; older sources speak of 182 men, but more recent research suggests something in the range of 210 to 240, including six officers: Major Henryk Sucharski, Captain Franciszek Dąbrowski, Captain Mieczysław Słaby [pl] Lieutenant Leon Pająk [pl], Lieutenant Stefan Ludwik Grodecki [pl], and Second Lieutenant Zdzisław Kręgielski [pl].[12][6]:445[13] Estimates include some 20 mobilized civilians and about 10 regular troops who happened to be on site when fighting began.[6]:445 In addition to light arms (pistols, grenades, and about 160 rifles), weaponry included a 75 mm field gun wz. 1902/26 [pl], two antitank Bofors 37 mm guns, four 81 mm mortars [pl], and about 40 machine guns, including 18 heavy ones.[14][6]:446 Field fortifications were extended: more trenches were dug, wooden barricades were built, barbed wire was strung into wire obstacles, and reinforced concrete shelters were built into the basements of the barracks. Foliage was thinned to reduce cover from expected avenues of attack.[5][15]:11–12[6]:446 The Polish defense, which anticipated principally a German land-based assault, rested on three lines of defense. The outer line included entrenchments which were to hold long enough for the garrison to mobilize. The second line of defense centered on the six outposts. The final defense comprised the headquarters and barracks at the depot's center.[6]:445 The plan called for Westerplatte to hold out for 12 hours, after which the siege was expected to be lifted by Polish reinforcements arriving from the mainland.[16] On 25 August 1939 the German pre-dreadnought battleship Schleswig-Holstein, under the pretext of making a courtesy call, sailed into Danzig harbor,[6]:446 anchoring 164 yards (150 m) from Westerplatte. On board was a Marinestosstruppkompanie (marine shock-troop company) with orders to launch an attack on Westerplatte on the morning of 26 August 1939. For their planned attack on Westerplatte, the Germans had an SS Heimwehr Danzig force of 1,500 men under Police General Friedrich-Georg Eberhardt, and the 225 marines under Lieutenant Wilhelm Henningsen. In overall command was Captain Gustav Kleikamp, aboard the Schleswig-Holstein. On 26 August he moved the battleship farther upstream. Major Sucharski, commanding Westerplatte, put his garrison on heightened alert.[15]:12 Shortly before the German disembarkation, the orders were rescinded. Hitler had postponed hostilities on learning of the Polish-British Common Defence Pact, signed the day before, on 25 August 1939, and that Italy was hesitant about its obligations under the Pact of Steel.[17]:18 Neither General Eberhardt nor Captain Kleikamp had specific information on the Polish defenses.[18] The Germans assumed that preliminary bombardment would soften up the fortifications enough for the marines to capture Westerplatte.[19]:66 Reportedly Captain Kleikamp had been assured by the Danzig police that "Westerplatte would be taken in 10 minutes."[20]:120 General Eberhardt himself was more cautious, estimating that "a few hours" would be needed to overcome the Polish garrison, which the Germans estimated at no more than 100 men.[16] Battle [ edit ] Map of the battle On the early morning of 1 September 1939, the Schleswig-Holstein suddenly fired a broadside salvo at the Polish garrison. That salvo's time has been variously stated as 04:45,[21][22] 04:47,[23]:5–6 or 04:48.[6]:446[24]:8, 152 Polish historian Jarosław Tuliszka explains that 04:45 was the planned time, 04:47 was the time the order was given by Kleikamp, and 04:48 was the time the guns actually fired.[24]:152 Shortly after, on Westerplatte, Major Sucharski radioed the nearby Polish military base on the Hel Peninsula, "SOS: I'm under fire."[15]:12 Eight minutes later Lieutenant Wilhelm Henningsen's marines from the Schleswig-Holstein advanced, expecting an easy victory over the Poles.[16] A Polish soldier, Staff Sergeant Wojciech Najsarek, was killed by machine-gun fire, the first combat casualty of the battle and perhaps of the war.[25][26]:140 However, soon after crossing the artillery-breached brick wall, the Germans stepped into an ambush. They found themselves in a kill zone of Polish crossfire from concealed firing positions (they believed they were also fired on by snipers in the trees, but that was not so), while barbed-wire entanglements impeded their movements. The Poles knocked out a German Schutzpolizei machine-gun nest, and Lt. Leon Pająk opened intense howitzer fire on the advancing Germans, who faltered and broke off their attack. The single 75 mm field gun fired 28 shots, knocking out several machine-gun nests atop warehouses across the harbor canal, before it was destroyed by the battleship's guns.[15]:12 At 06:22 the German marines frantically radioed the battleship that they had sustained heavy losses and were withdrawing. The Danzig police had tried to seize control of the harbor on the other side of Westerplatte, but had been defeated. Casualties were approximately 50 Germans and eight Poles, mostly wounded.[15]:13 A longer bombardment from the battleship, lasting from 07:40 to 08:55, preceded a second attack.[16] The Germans tried again from 08:35 to 12:30[16] but encountered mines, felled trees, barbed wire, and intense fire.[15]:13 By noon the Germans retreated, Henningsen gravely wounded.[16] On the first day's combat, the Polish side had sustained four killed and several wounded.[6]:446 The German marines had lost 16 killed and some 120 wounded.[16] The German commanders concluded that a ground attack was not feasible until the Polish defenses had been softened.[6]:443 Re-examining aerial photographs, where they had previously underestimated Polish defenses, they now overestimated them, concluding the Poles had constructed extensive underground and armored fortifications (six haystacks were declared to be armored bunker domes).[27][18] In the following days, the Germans bombarded the Westerplatte peninsula with naval and heavy field artillery, including a 105 mm howitzer battery and 210 mm mortars.[6]:447 On 2 September, from 18:05 to 18:25,[16] a two-wave air raid by 60 Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers dropped 26.5 tons of bombs,[6]:446 taking out the Polish mortars, destroying Outpost Five with a 500 kg bomb, and killing at least eight Polish soldiers; the air raid shrouded all of Westerplatte in clouds of smoke and destroyed the Poles' only radio and much of their food supplies.[15]:13 According to some German sources, after the air raid the Poles briefly displayed a white flag; but not all historians are convinced of this, and the German observers may have been mistaken.[16][13][18] On 4 September, a German torpedo boat, the T196, supported by an old minesweeper, the Von der Gronen (formerly M107), made a surprise attack from the sea side.[28]:3 The Poles' Wał post had been abandoned, and now only the Fort position prevented an attack from the north.[15]:14 Though the Poles never landed a hit on the German naval units, the T196 and the Schleswig-Holstein suffered accidents due to crew error or equipment failure, with at least several injured men and at least one fatality on the battleship.[18] On 5 September Major Sucharski held a conference with his officers, during which he urged surrender: the post had only been supposed to hold out for twelve hours.[15]:11,14 His deputy, Captain Franciszek Dąbrowski, opposed surrender and the group decided to hold out a while longer.[15]:14 Subsequently, the Poles repelled several cautious German probing attacks by the marines, Danzig SS and police, and Wehrmacht. At 03:00 on 6 September, during one of the attacks, the Germans sent a burning train toward the land bridge, but the ploy failed when the terrified driver decoupled prematurely.[15]:14 The train failed to reach the oil cistern and set fire to the woods, which had provided the Poles with valuable cover. In addition, the flaming wagons created a perfect field of fire, and the Germans suffered heavy losses. A second fire-train attack, in the afternoon, likewise failed.[15]:15 German soldiers on Westerplatte , 8 September, after the battle At a second conference with his officers, on 6 September, Sucharski was again ready to surrender: the German Army was by now outside Warsaw, and Westerplatte was running critically low on supplies; moreover, many of the wounded were suffering from gangrene.[15]:15 At 04:30 on 7 September the Germans opened intense fire on Westerplatte which lasted till 07:00. Flamethrowers and bombardment destroyed Outpost Two and damaged Outposts One and Four.[15]:15 The Schleswig-Holstein took part in the bombardments.[6]:447 At 09:45 on 7 September 1939 a white flag appeared. The Polish defense had so impressed the Germans that their commander, General Eberhardt, let Sucharski keep his ceremonial szabla (Polish saber) in captivity[6]:447 (it was, however, confiscated later).[15]:15 Contemporary English-language publications (such as Life and the Pictorial History of the War) misidentified the Polish commander as a Major "Koscianski".[29][30] Sucharski surrendered the post to Captain Kleikamp, and the Germans stood at attention as the Polish garrison marched out at 11:30.[15]:15 Over 3,000 Germans (soldiers and support formations such as the Danzig police) had been tied up in the week-long operation against the small Polish garrison; about half of the Germans (570 on land, over 900 at sea) had taken part in direct action. German casualties totaled 50 killed (16 from Kriegsmarine[16]) and 150 wounded.[6]:447 The Poles had lost 15 men and had sustained at least 40 wounded.[16][6]:447 Aftermath [ edit ] On 8 September, the day after the capitulation, the Germans discovered a grave with the bodies of four unidentified Polish soldiers who had been executed by their comrades for attempted desertion. This had likely taken place following the 2 September air raids.[31] Five days after the capitulation, on 12 September 1939, the Polish wireless operator, sergeant Kazimierz Rasiński, was murdered by the Germans. He was shot after brutal interrogation during which he refused to hand over radio codes.[32][33]:55 On 19 September Adolf Hitler came to visit Gdańsk. While there, on 21 September, he inspected Westerplatte.[5] Controversy surrounds the Polish garrison's commanding officer, Major Henryk Sucharski, and his executive officer, Captain Franciszek Dąbrowski. Early historiography considered Major Sucharski to have been in command throughout the battle, and consequently early accounts portrayed him as a heroic figure. More recent accounts from the early 1990s have presented evidence that Sucharski's officers had vowed not to disclose in their lifetimes that their commander had been shell-shocked for most of the battle and had advocated surrender as early as 2 September, and several times thereafter; and that Captain Dąbrowski had effectively taken command following Sucharski's breakdown on the second day of the siege.[34]:153[27][35][36] Sucharski's conduct is still debated by historians.[37] Remembrance [ edit ] Ruins of Westerplatte barracks, 2005 The Battle of Westerplatte is often described as the opening battle of World War II,[21]:1663[22]:19 but it was only one of many battles in the first phase of the German invasion of Poland known as the Battle of the Border. I. C. B. Dear described the Schleswig-Holstein's salvos as having occurred "minutes after Luftwaffe attacks on Polish airfields" and other targets.[38]:995 A bridge in nearby Tczew had been bombed around 04:30 hours,[39]:107[40]:4–7 and the false-flag Operation Himmler had begun hours earlier.[41]:83 The Polish historian Krzysztof Komorowski [pl] writes that "Westerplatte has become one of the symbols of the Polish struggle for independence, and is inscribed in the list of the most heroic battles of modern Europe."[6]:448 For both sides the battle had mostly political, rather than tactical, importance.[6]:447 Still, it did tie up substantial German forces for much longer than anyone had expected, notably preventing the Schleswig-Holstein from lending fire support in the nearby battles of Hel and Gdynia.[6]:448 Westerplatte's defense inspired the Polish Army and people even as German advances continued elsewhere; beginning 1 September 1939, Polish Radio repeatedly broadcast the phrase that made Westerplatte an important symbol: "Westerplatte broni się jeszcze" ("Westerplatte fights on").[42][34]:39, 53 On 16 September Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński penned a poem, Pieśń o żołnierzach Westerplatte ("A Song of the Soldiers of Westerplatte"), voicing a subsequent myth that all of Westerplatte's defenders had died in the battle, fighting to the last man.[34]:51, 158[43]:99 The battle became a symbol of resistance to the invasion – a Polish Thermopylae.[44]:646 As early as 1943, a Polish People's Army unit was named for Westerplatte's soldiers (the Polish 1st Armoured Brigade of the Defenders of Westerplatte).[45] That same year the Polish Underground State named a street after Westerplatte; and the following year, during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, an insurgent stronghold was named Westerplatte.[34]:58 The Polish 75 mm field gun became one of Germany's first war trophies of World War II, displayed on a column at Flensburg. After the war it was moved to stand before the Naval Academy Mürwik.[16] Westerplatte monument Westerplatte's Outposts One, Three and Four, the power plant, and the barracks survived the war.[10][34]:294 In 1946 a Cemetery of the Defenders of Westerplatte and a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were established on the peninsula; the cemetery was placed near the destroyed Outpost Five.[5][34]:296 During the early postwar Stalinist era, Westerplatte was presented as a symbol of Poland's prewar anticommunist government and was marginalized in official history; Dr. Mieczysław Słaby, the garrison surgeon at Westerplatte, was arrested and tortured and died in the custody of the Ministry of Public Security in 1948.[10] After the mid-1950s liberalization, Westerplatte began to be used as a propaganda symbol; in 1956 the Polish Naval Academy was named for the "Heroes of Westerplatte", and that name began to be given to schools, streets, and other institutions.[5][34]:298, 300 In 1962 a Christian cross at the cemetery was replaced with a Soviet T-34 tank, and the first government-organized remembrances began at Westerplatte.[10][34]:302–304 In 1966 a Monument to the Defenders of the Coast [pl], also known as the "Historical Monument, Site of the Battle of Westerplatte", a 25-meter-tall obelisk atop a mound, was erected at Westerplatte, set within a park, with smaller installations.[34]:308–311[46] Westerplatte became a popular tourist attraction.[34]:351 Later Outpost One was relocated in order to save it from destruction in the construction of a new harbor channel.[5] In 1971 Major Sucharski's grave was relocated to Westerplatte from his original burial in Italy.[34]:319–322[5] In 1974 a small museum was opened in the renovated Outpost One.[34]:326 Since the 1980s Westerplatte has been administered by the National Museum in Gdańsk.[10] In 1981 the cross was restored to the cemetery.[34]:334[5] In June 1987 Westerplatte was visited by Pope John Paul II;[34]:338[47] his visit is commemorated by a plaque unveiled in 2015.[48] A change symbolic of Poland's political transformation was the removal of the Soviet T-34 tank from the cemetery (in 2007 the tank was moved to a museum in another town).[5][34]:349–350 In 2001 the Polish government recognized Westerplatte's ruins as an object of cultural heritage.[49] On 1 September 2003 the site was designated an official Historic Monument.[50] In the mid-2010s the Polish government decided to create a dedicated Westerplatte Museum [pl], commemorating the 1939 battle; the museum is to open in 2019.[51] Westerplatte is a common venue for remembrance ceremonies, usually held on 1 September, relating to World War II. They are generally attended by high-ranking Polish politicians such as Prime Minister Donald Tusk (2014),[52] President Bronisław Komorowski (2015),[53] President Andrzej Duda (2016),[54] and Prime Minister Beata Szydło (2017).[55] The commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, in 2009, was attended by Prime Minister Tusk, former Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, and former Presidents Lech Wałęsa and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, as well as by important figures from about 20 other countries, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and French Prime Minister François Fillon.[56] The Battle of Westerplatte has been the subject of two Polish films: Westerplatte (1967), and Tajemnica Westerplatte (The Secret of Westerplatte, 2013).[57] It has also inspired dozens of books and scores of press articles, scholarly studies, and fictional works, as well as poems, songs, paintings, and other works of art.[34]:3, 55 See also [ edit ]
61 Shares 0 61 0 0 Depression is a widespread disease in today's societies and is called the "plague of our age" due to its destructive power. Damaging the spiritual and physical health of the person, disturbing one's work life, social and familial relations, it is a problem that makes it extraordinarily difficult for people to function in daily life. It is a disturbance that negatively affects every aspect of one's life from thoughts to emotions and behaviors, nutrition to sleeping habits, and from work to relationships. It is a state of psychological collapse affecting everyone without distinguishing between rich or poor, ignorant or enlightened, young or old, men or women. Depression can turn the life of a well-educated, good-humored, optimistic, kind and a beautiful woman who is a mother of two, respected by her family and those around her, who values art, avoids unrest, and who has everything she needs out of life, into a nightmare. Or it can take the life of a young businessman who is intelligent, successful, rich, hardworking, ambitious, career-savvy, open-minded, strong in social relations, multi-faceted, and who regularly exercises, and turn it upside down. Most people may think that it is impossible for individuals with such favorable attributes to suffer from such a psychological disorder. In reality, it is entirely possible to come across such people among those who suffer from depression and tell their stories about their experiences with the disorder. According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report from 2017, 322 million people worldwide suffer from depression, in other words, 4.4 percent of the world population. This figure is so significant that it means depression is the most common disease of our world. That's why the WHO designated April 7 as World Health Day with depression being the theme of this year, to draw attention to the seriousness of the issue. Again, some statistical data on the report is important in terms of understanding the magnitude of the issue. Depression seems to be a rising trend around the whole world, including the most modern societies and developed countries of our age. So much so that the rate of increase between 2005 and 2015 is 18.4%, which is a significant jump. Depression is more common among women (5.1%) than men (3.6%). Women are affected more by the negative consequences of this disease. Additionally, the incidence rate of this disease is higher in the elderly than in young people; the most affected people are between 55-74 age range. Again, according to the report, among the non-fatal diseases, the group of diseases causing the greatest loss of health is the depressive disorders. In addition to this, another alarming development is the record increase in the use of depressants and the rising trend to consume these medicines as if they are a part of one’s daily diet. According to a study conducted by the US National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), when the periods between 1988-1994 and 2005-2008 are compared, the rate of increase in antidepressant usage in all age groups in the US is approximately 400%. Among the most commonly used prescription drugs in the US, antidepressants are at the top. Depression is often accompanied by feelings of sadness, grief, discomfort, exhaustion, indifference, restlessness, desperation, hopelessness, nervousness, tension, emptiness, worthlessness and guilt, along with excessive worry, anxiety and also various physical disturbances. The most dangerous among these is, indeed, the thought of suicide, which begins to occupy the patient's mind at later stages of the disease. The gravity of the situation can be understood more clearly especially if we consider the fact that millions of people try to commit suicide every year, about 800,000 of them lose their lives as a result, and according to the WHO report, depression is the main driver of suicidal thoughts. In the fight against depression, regular exercise, healthy nutrition, regular sleep, positive lifestyle changes, antidepressant drug usage under the supervision of a specialist physician and psychological treatment support may be useful to some extent. But as a definitive solution, the conditions that lay the groundwork for depression must be eliminated. Today, societies are under the influence of a strict, cold and loveless atmosphere. Most people have a tremendous tendency towards selfishness, insensitivity, hatred, intolerance, heartlessness and cut-throat competition. Most people prefer to do what suits their interests, not their conscience. The resulting trend for self-interest brings unrest, tediousness and tension. These feelings are not the kind of feelings that the human body can endure. Having a mood contradictory to human nature causes disorders in the health of the mind, spirit and body. In other words, as people move away from love, moral and spiritual values, they get closer to depressive disorders and psychological problems. The human soul has a disposition that only remains satisfied as long as it is in pursuit of goodness, beauty and love. Making a child in need happy with a gift instead of ignoring him or helping a poor man instead of staying indifferent to him are the real sources of the most wonderful joy and happiness. The human soul must constantly be fed with self-sacrifice, love, moral and spiritual beauty. In every respect, a high quality life can only be achieved in this way. A self-centered life that is constantly dominated by anger and hatred is not how a real lifestyle should be. The fact that the majority of people make this mistake shouldn't deceive anyone. People can easily make love and peace rule over their hearts. It is not the conflicts or contradictions of the materialist world that will bring a superior lifestyle to humanity; on the contrary, it is the sacrifices that people make. In a society that understands that the world is not a place of conflict but love, disorders such as depression will disappear altogether.
The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 23–24, 2001, at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida. Final central scouting rankings [ edit ] Skaters [ edit ] Goaltenders [ edit ] Selections by round [ edit ] Teams are in North America unless otherwise noted. Round one [ edit ] Round two [ edit ] Round three [ edit ] Round four [ edit ] Round five [ edit ] Round six [ edit ] Round seven [ edit ] Round eight [ edit ] Round nine [ edit ] Draft by nationality [ edit ] Rank Country Number Percent 1 Canada 107 37.0% 2 United States 41 14.2% Europe 141 48.8% 3 Russia 38 13.1% 4 Czech Republic 31 10.7% 5 Finland 24 8.3% 6 Sweden 16 5.5% 7 Slovakia 15 5.2% 8 Germany 7 2.4% 9 Switzerland 5 1.8% 10 Kazakhstan 2 0.7% 11 Austria 2 0.7% 12 Latvia 1 0.3% 12 Slovenia 1 0.3% 12 France 1 0.3% See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Diamond, Dan, ed. (2001). National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2002. National Hockey League.
Another controversial president is taking over Washington, D.C. House of Cards dropped a dark, ominous teaser trailer for the highly awaited fifth season of the Netflix series on the morning of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Watch it above! The political drama’s official Twitter account posted the 28-second clip along with the caption, “We make the terror.” In the eerie trailer, students recite the Pledge of Allegiance while the camera focuses in on parts of the American flag. It eventually zooms out to reveal the flag is hanging upside-down in front of the Capitol building. The video concludes by revealing the show’s premiere date, May 30, 2017, as the House of Cards theme song plays in the background. The Netflix Twitter account retweeted the post, adding, “We couldn’t possibly comment.” When season 4 left off in March 2016, President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), who was still recovering from an almost-fatal shooting, was running for a second term with his wife, Claire Underwood (Robin Wright), as his running mate. The scheming politician was handling a hostage situation where an extremist had captured an American family, and also attempting to do damage control after journalist Tom Hammerschmidt published details of Frank’s corrupt past in The Washington Herald. Netflix timed the release of the new trailer to coincide with Trump’s swearing-in as the 45th president of the United States. He took his oath of office on Friday, January 20, at the Capitol building in D.C. The real estate mogul proceeded to deliver his first official address, in which he vowed to bring back jobs to the country, protect the borders and put "America first” when making decisions about trade, taxes, immigration and foreign affairs. Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox! Want stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now!
By Angus Crawford BBC News There are thought to be 11,000 radioactive items in the UK The items come from hospitals, schools and private firms. The Environment Agency's programme of disposal has been running since 2005. The effort is also designed to prevent the materials going missing and becoming a hazard to the public. The final cost of getting rid of these "surplus sources" is likely to be £7m. There are thought to be 11,000 radioactive items in the UK, owned by universities, schools, hospitals and private firms, which are no longer used. In hospitals, they might be highly active sources as large as a desk which were used in radiography machines. Private companies often use radioactive elements in measuring devices and military museums have the dials of World War II aircraft which are covered in radioactive paint. Clive Williams, from the Environment Agency, said a sample could be "the size of a finger tip" or much larger. People in the UK should sleep easier knowing that there aren't these sources out there Clive Williams Environment Agency "Eventually it will come to end the end of its useful working life and when it reaches that point it needs to be properly and safely managed and disposed of," Mr Williams said. Dirty bomb The enormous cost of disposal in the 1990s meant that many organisations simply stockpiled their surplus sources. Mr Williams said this now presented "a security threat". The risk is that terrorists could get hold of the material and use it to make a so-called dirty bomb, designed not to kill but to spread low-level contamination. "I wouldn't say these are weapons of destruction, so much as disruption," Mr Williams said. So, working closely with the police and MI5, the Environment Agency began the Surplus Sources Disposal Programme (SSDP) and so far its tally of items has reached 9,000. The programme is due to finish next year. Mr Williams said: "We are very keen to ensure those security issues are dealt with and that the proper protections are provided. "People in the UK should sleep easier, just that bit easier, knowing that there aren't these sources out there." 'Preventing dumping' Ian Day, who trains companies and individuals in radiological awareness, said: "This is excellent news. As the government well knows, they have no long term safe option on the table for the disposal of nuclear waste Shaun Burnie Independent nuclear adviser "If you look at November alone, around the world people have dumped radiation material to get rid of it. People have been paid to dump radiation material. "This programme is a way of preventing dumping in this country." News of the SSDP programme was also welcomed by Shaun Burnie, an independent nuclear advisor, who used to run Greenpeace's nuclear campaigns. But he said many of the sources were being taken for storage at nuclear plants such as Sellafield or Drigg, a practice he said was not sustainable. "As the government well knows, they have no long-term safe option on the table for the disposal of nuclear waste," Mr Burnie said. "To pretend otherwise is dangerously misleading."
The best lunch spots in downtown SF without the wait, according to Yelp Click on the slideshow ahead to see where you can grab lunch in downtown San Francisco without the wait. Click on the slideshow ahead to see where you can grab lunch in downtown San Francisco without the wait. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close The best lunch spots in downtown SF without the wait, according to Yelp 1 / 20 Back to Gallery If you work in downtown San Francisco, you already know grabbing lunch is like solving a math problem. What's the best place you can grab chow within walking distance — and where you'll still have enough time to eat before getting back to your desk — all in 30 minutes? Fortunately for lunch-goers with a time limit, the folks over at Yelp have some ideas to overcome this eternal question. The company gathered the best lunch pickup locations in SoMa and the Financial District, based on the shortest lines. ALSO: Bay Area foodie bucket list: All the dishes you must try whether you're a newcomer or native To narrow their search, Yelp looked at the restaurants that had orders between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then determined the businesses that had the highest number of pickup orders. But to speed up the process even more, the restaurant-rating site suggests you order ahead to avoid waiting. Now Playing: The results were a diverse mix of restaurants and cuisines, like Indian restaurant Chaat Corner and Greek restaurant Ayola. Cafes and delis were also among the most popular businesses where you can be sure to grab a sandwich, if you're looking for something more classic. Take a look at the slideshow above to see the best SoMa and FiDi spots to grab lunch without the wait.
(Reuters) - Residents in Newtown, Connecticut, have voted to accept nearly $50 million in state money to build a new school at the site of an elementary school where a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six adults in December, a town official said on Sunday. The referendum on the Sandy Hook Elementary School, held on Saturday, passed 4,504 to 558, said John Vouros, a Board of Education member. On December 14, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, who had grown up in the town, killed his mother before driving to the school, where he killed 20 children and six adults. He then turned the gun on himself. The shooting, and the fact that most of its victims were 6- and 7-year-olds, stunned the country. The town plans to demolish the school and build a new school on the site. Sandy Hook students have been moved temporarily to the former Chalk Hill school in the nearby town of Monroe. Selectman Jim Gaston told the Danbury News Times the vote was “a major step forward in the healing process.”
If you Googled this (especially in 2016), you’re not the only one. Lila Thulin On Wednesday, Google released its annual “Year in Search,” which tracks trending queries for the past year. But among the list of top memes, prominent people, and how-to questions for 2017, on both the global and United States lists, one normally inescapable topic was missing: Donald Trump. It’s nice to imagine a 2017 without Trump, but really: How did the 45th president not make it on Google’s list? It’s a matter of relativity. According to a Google spokesperson, “ ‘Trending’ queries are the searches that had a high spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2017 as compared to 2016.” So it’s not that Trump disappeared off of the global search map; rather, Google explained, “While Trump was searched incredibly widely, it’s consistent from what we saw in 2016,” so he didn’t make it on the list. That’s because on the week of the presidential election, Trump’s Google searches spiked to an all-time high. He was the third among trending searches worldwide in 2016 and topped the list of trending people. (Hillary Clinton was second.) This graph shows the relative number of searches in the U.S. for Donald Trump over the past decade. Google Trends Google Trends depicts the relative search volume worldwide for Donald Trump from the week of June 15, 2014, approximately a year before he announced his run for president, to the present. Google Trends The three peaks in the graph above correspond to the weeks (in chronological order) right after the Access Hollywood tape broke, of the election, and of his inauguration. Some Trump-adjacent search terms did appear on Year in Search 2017. On the global list, first lady Melania Trump made the No. 7 spot of trending public figures, while 24-day national security adviser Michael Flynn was ninth. And in the customized results for the U.S., “Activations (protests)” was its own category (not so in 2016). “NFL National Anthem Protests” topped that list, while the Women’s March on Washington was ninth. Google’s Year in Search 2017 top trending people globally. Lila Thulin Perhaps, for five glorious seconds, looking at the default listing of only the top five entries in each category for the global Year in Search 2017, you might have entered a relieving, Trump-free internet bubble. But then you’d switch tabs and our Trump-saturated news cycle would be back with a vengeance. Thanks, Google, for the oh-so-brief reprieve—it was nice while it lasted.
Poison laboratory of the Soviet secret services, alternatively known as Laboratory 1, Laboratory 12, and Kamera (which means "The Cell" in Russian), was a covert research and development facility of the Soviet secret police agencies[1][2] which reportedly reactivated in the late 1990s.[3][4] Chronology [ edit ] Human experimentation [ edit ] Mairanovsky and his colleagues tested a number of deadly poisons on prisoners from the Gulags, including mustard gas, ricin, digitoxin, curare, cyanide, and many others.[7] The goal of the experiments was to find a tasteless, odourless chemical that could not be detected post-mortem. Candidate poisons were given to the victims, with a meal or drink, as "medication".[5] Finally, a preparation with the desired properties called C-2 or K-2 (carbylamine choline chloride) was developed.[5][8][9] According to witness testimonies, the victim changed physically, became shorter, weakened quickly, became calm and silent, and died within fifteen minutes.[5] Mairanovsky brought to the laboratory people of varied physical condition and ages in order to have a more complete picture about the action of each poison. Pavel Sudoplatov and Nahum Eitingon approved special equipment (i.e., poisons) only if it had been tested on "humans", according to testimony of Mikhail Filimonov.[5] Vsevolod Merkulov said that these experiments were approved by NKVD chief Lavrenty Beria.[5] After his arrest, Beria himself testified on August 28, 1953, that "I gave orders to Mairanovsky to conduct experiments on people sentenced to the highest measure of punishment, but it was not my idea".[5] In addition to human experimentation, Mairanovsky personally executed people with poisons, under the supervision of Sudoplatov.[5][10] Prominent victims [ edit ] Alleged victims [ edit ] Alleged FSB victims Planned victims [ edit ] FSB era The first democratically elected President of the Republic of Georgia, Zviad Gamsakhurdia. According to former Deputy Director of Biopreparat Ken Alibek, this laboratory was possibly involved in the design of an undetectable chemical or biological agent to assassinate Gamsakhurdia.[22] BBC News reported that some Gamsakhurdia friends believed he committed suicide, "although his widow insists that he was murdered."[23] Threatened dissidents [ edit ] The New York Times reported that Garry Kasparov, the chess champion and Putin opponent, drinks bottled water and eats prepared meals carried by his bodyguards.[24] See also [ edit ] Notes and references [ edit ]
He spent his life trying to determine how people died. But now his colleagues are searching for answers after he died under mysterious circumstances. Los Angeles police detectives, with the help of the Los Angeles County coroner's office, are investigating the death of Michael Cormier. Officials said he might have died of poisoning, but they have not provided further information. Cormier, 61, died last week after being taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank from his North Hollywood home. Earlier he had complained of pain and vomiting. Hospital staff notified police about concerns surrounding the cause of Cormier's death. "At this point we haven't ruled out foul play," said Lt. Alan Hamilton of the Los Angeles Police Department. "It is one of the things being considered. We are waiting for the coroner's results." Ed Winter, deputy chief coroner, said that Cormier's autopsy has been performed but that a cause of death has been deferred pending further tests. Investigators have also interviewed his family and friends. Messages left at the home Friday went unanswered.
The image has been building for well over a year now in the minds of the Mets, their fans and, arguably most of all, Matt Harvey himself: The power right-hander motors in from the bullpen, reclaims the mound as his throne and picks up where he left off, dazzling opposing hitters with his array of nasty pitches and sparking the Mets to their long-awaited revitalization. The reality test of that image approaches — in multiple, escalating segments. Mets pitchers and catchers will hold their first official workout Feb. 21, followed by their Grapefruit League opener March 4 (at the Braves) and Opening Day on April 6 (at the Nationals). Harvey’s participation in each of these steps, most of all the last one, will generate buzz largely unseen in Mets circles since Bernie Madoff’s 2008 arrest rocked their universe. So as we stand at the precipice of this reboot, it’s worth wondering: How realistic is it for Harvey, who turns 26 next month, to pick up where he left off before he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, necessitating Tommy John surgery? “The expectations of what the pitcher can do the next season [after the surgery] have limits,” Scott Boras, Harvey’s agent, said in a recent interview, “limits that may not be necessary the year following the surgery.” “The myth out there is that it’s 100-percent successful, which it’s not,” orthopedist James Andrews, who performed Harvey’s surgery on Oct. 22, 2013, told the YES Network recently. “The basic statistics are about 85-percent successful back to the same level. But if you look at major league pitchers, only about 75 percent of those actually make it back to the major leagues.” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said in November that the team would work with Harvey to control his innings, and Harvey later expressed his support for such a plan — he threw 178 1/3 innings in his 2013 season that was cut short by his elbow injury. That blueprint could manifest itself in multiple ways: Capitalizing on off days to skip Harvey and keep the rest of the starting rotation on normal rest, or calling up a minor leaguer for a spot start in Harvey’s place, or limiting Harvey to some five-inning starts throughout the season, or just giving him a two-week breather. “We’re more concerned with his overall condition than the condition of his elbow,” Mets vice president and assistant general manager John Ricco said of Harvey. The bigger question, however, might not be the quantity of Harvey’s innings. It might be the quality of his innings. He put up a 157 ERA+ in 2013, meaning his production exceeded the league-average pitcher by 57 percent. Is it reasonable to expect him to dominate at that level again, or even come close to it? “Particularly young baseball pitchers think that if they have this operation, they’ll throw harder with higher velocity than prior to the injury. Statistics show they actually could lose a couple of miles per hour in general with this operation,” Andrews said. “Now, the thing that makes them throw harder, or throw with higher velocity, they get bigger and stronger because of the rehab. Probably not the elbow, though.” “Whenever you take a year off from pitching and you go through something like this, there is an adjustment period to return to normal,” Boras said. “This is a process, and it’s a first-time process for every pitcher who has it. “Matt Harvey has extraordinary skills. When a pitcher has extraordinary skills, you’re able to gain a confidence level probably much earlier in the process. Your raw talent works for you. You get results that allow a player to become confident because of your abilities.” Boras represents another recent NL East dynamo who succumbed quickly to Tommy John surgery. Stephen Strasburg created headlines with his dominance upon arriving with the Nationals in 2010, only to have that rookie campaign cut short by a torn a ligament in his pitching elbow. After a brief, five-start cameo at the end of the 2011 season, he has gradually ramped up his innings totals — from 159 1/3 in 2012 to 183 in 2013 to 215 last year — while establishing himself as a front-of-the-rotation starter, though he hasn’t quite matched his early promise of eliteness. One of Strasburg’s Nationals teammates, Jordan Zimmermann, also didn’t make it through his freshman campaign, 2009, without going under the knife. He slowly has become an even better pitcher than Strasburg and stands as one of the most alluring members of next winter’s free-agent class. Adam Wainwright, best known in these parts as the Cardinals reliever who caught Carlos Beltran looking at a curveball to end the 2006 NLCS in the Mets’ disfavor, went onto become a top NL starter, underwent Tommy John surgery during spring training of 2011, returned as a league-average starter in 2012 and has climbed his way back with each successive year. His average fastball velocity dropped from 91.1 mph in 2010 to 90.1 in 2012, according to FanGraphs, then shot back up to 91.1 in 2013 and dipped back to 90.2 last year. “You’re not going to have good days all the time,” said longtime closer Billy Wagner, who underwent Tommy John surgery while under Mets employ in September 2008. “You’re fighting that head game: ‘Why doesn’t it feel the way it should? Should it feel this way?’ You watch a lot of the younger kids, and they’re apprehensive after their first surgery.” Harvey, who complained multiple times last year about the Mets’ (and Boras’) deliberate timeline for his return, would have loved Wagner’s aggressive return. At age 38, he pushed himself to get back for the 2009 season and made his first appearance with the Mets on Aug. 20, less than a year after going under the knife. The Mets traded him to the Red Sox for the playoff drive, and in all, Wagner pitched very well, compiling a 1.72 ERA in 17 appearances, but an 18.00 ERA in two postseason games. In 2010, however, Wagner closed out his career with a bang, putting together a spectacular 1.43 ERA and 4.73 strikeouts-to-walks ratio in 71 games for the Braves. Having enjoyed a full winter of rest, after the rush to get back on the mound in ’09, saw his average fastball tick up to 95.7 mph in 2010 after registering 94.2 in ’09. “I did feel better, I think that’s to be expected,” Wagner said. “You go through that first year back, I probably had been rehabbing for 10 straight months just to get back to pitch that last month and a half. I felt rebuilt. When I came back [for 2010], it was almost like I was 24 again, body-wise.” Harvey’s case differs in he did get some downtime this winter, after working his way up to mound sessions at Citi Field last September. “All of the doctors agree that anyone who goes through a Tommy John surgery and comes back and pitches the first year, how soon he pitches after the surgery is relevant,” Boras said. Assuming Harvey pitches in the first week of the regular season, he will be over 17 months post-op. Then again, “Each one is a different case,” Ricco noted. You can try to find comparables, and you can share experiences, but each post-Tommy John case represents its own journey. The Mets, their medical director David Altchek, Harvey and Boras have communicated steadily about the many moving parts involved in this launch. They all must navigate the tightrope between excitement and patience, all the more so because the Mets want to post their first winning season since 2008 while deploying one of the lower payrolls in the industry. Ricco used words like “slow” and “steady” in discussing the team’s hopes for Harvey. “Harvey’s a big kid,” said Wagner, now the head baseball coach at Miller School in Virginia. “I don’t think he’ll have one bit of problem, hopefully.” Then he noted that two of his 2010 Braves teammates, Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen, both wound up undergoing the procedure for the second time last year. The image of Harvey’s triumphant return might prove to be a vision fulfilled. It could be an unrealized fantasy. If it falls somewhere in the middle — let’s say, Harvey being a very good but not great pitcher and staying on the mound and out of the operating room — then the Mets probably should consider that a victory.
We’ve seen this one coming all year. Facebook is now the third largest website in the world, taking the No. 3 spot from Yahoo, according to comScore. Facebook drew an estimated 648 million unique visitors from across the globe in November, 2010, compared to 630 million for Yahoo. In October the two sites were dead even with 633 million worldwide unique visitors each (actually Facebook had already passed Yahoo by a smidgeon in October with about half a million more visitors). The only two Web properties left which are bigger than Facebook are Microsoft (869 million worldwide visitors) and Google (970 million) when you look at all of their sites collectively. The evidence leading up to this overthrow has been building up for a long time. Facebook became the fourth largest Website in the world nearly 18 months ago, and quickly passed Yahoo in pageviews. Today, Facebook accounts for nearly a quarter of all display ads in the U.S., which is more than twice as much as Yahoo. Facebook also recently passed Yahoo to become the second largest video site in the U.S., and is also the ssecond largest source of traffic (after Google) to other video sites on the Web. No wonder Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz sees Facebook as her biggest competitor, not Google. In the U.S., however, Facebook is still No. 4 in terms of total monthly visitors (with 152 million), and Yahoo is No. 1 (with 181 million). So not all is lost. Note also that these comScore visitor estimates are different than Facebook’s official user numbers which are somewhere north of 500 million worldwide, but they are better for making apples-to-apples comparisons between sites.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warner Music Group ordered YouTube on Saturday to remove all music videos by its artists from the popular online video-sharing site after contract negotiations broke down. The order could affect hundreds of thousands of videos clips, as it covers Warner Music’s recorded artists as well as the rights for songs published by its Warner/Chappell unit, which includes many artists not signed to Warner Music record labels. The talks fell apart early on Saturday because Warner wants a bigger share of the huge revenue potential of YouTube’s massive visitor traffic. There were no reports on what Warner was seeking. “We simply cannot accept terms that fail to appropriately and fairly compensate recording artists, songwriters, labels and publishers for the value they provide,” Warner said in a statement. YouTube is hugely popular, with more than 100 million viewers in the United States alone in October, according to comScore, a Web audience measurement firm. Warner Music, home to artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers and rapper T.I., was the first major media company to negotiate a deal with YouTube in 2006. Its executives believe that deal gave the site legitimacy in the eyes of search giant Google Inc (GOOG.O) which bought it soon after for $1.65 billion. As part of the original 2006 negotiation, Warner, Universal Music and Sony Music all took small stakes in YouTube pre-acquisition and profited when the Google acquisition closed. The music companies typically get paid a share of any advertising revenue associated with the video and a per-play payment for every video viewed. The per-play fee is usually a fraction of a penny and with millions visiting YouTube everyday it was all expected to add up to a substantial amount. But a source familiar with Warner Music’s talks said the amounts it has been receiving from YouTube were “staggeringly low”. YouTube representatives did not immediately return calls for comment. YouTube executives have spent most of 2008 stepping up efforts to develop revenue streams on the site partly in a bid to keep content partners happy. It has been in long negotiations with Warner on how best to split revenues until things came to a head in talks on Friday. “Despite our constant efforts, it isn’t always possible to maintain their innovative agreements,” YouTube said in a statement on its blog about difficulties of music licensing. “Sometimes, if we can’t reach acceptable business terms, we must part ways with successful partners.” YouTube also has agreements with Vivendi’s (VIV.PA) Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music. Warner’s move could see them also making tough demands for higher fees. The demands could leave YouTube in a difficult position as it tries to balance the need to pay a reasonable fee to content partners, including TV and movie companies, and also generate enough return on the substantial investment needed to keep streaming millions of videos around the world.
School Board Sued Kalamazoo Union High School, which many believed to be a necessity for bridging the gap from common school to university, operated with some minor opposition, until 1873. In January of that year, three prominent Kalamazoo property owners filed a suit intended to prevent the school board from funding the high school with tax money. They argued that the 1859 state law had been violated when the high school was established without a vote of the taxpayers. Charles E. Stuart, a former United States Senator from Michigan, along with Theodore P. Sheldon and Henry Brees, initiated the suit. At the time, it was believed to be a "friendly" suit intended to settle the issue legally in favor of the school. However, Stuart’s comments to the Kalamazoo Board of Education years after the suit had been settled, suggest that he and his companions sincerely resented the tax burden that the public high school placed on them. Stuart, like many others of his time, believed that a common school education was sufficient for anyone, and anything beyond that should be paid for privately. Public Support for High Schools Unfortunately for Stuart, the jurists who decided the case did not support his view. Circuit Court Judge Charles E. Brown found in favor of the school board, and the case was appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court. Justice Thomas M. Cooley, internationally known and respected, wrote the court’s response. He upheld the decision of the Circuit Court, finally settling the question of public financial support for high schools in Michigan. Although this issue had been heard by other courts, Justice Cooley’s prestige helped to make the Kalamazoo School Case a leading decision that was cited in many courts in surrounding states. In Michigan the effect was profound. The number of high schools in the state increased from 107 in the early 1870’s to 278 by 1890. A plaque in front of Old Central High School commemorates the Kalamazoo School Case.
The friendly fixture in Austria was called off after just 35 minutes because of the Turkish fans throwing flares and fireworks onto the pitch The pre-season clash between Udinese and Galatasaray on Saturday had to abandoned because of crowd trouble. The friendly fixture in Austria was first halted shortly after kick-off due to the Turkish club's fans throwing flares onto the pitch. The game was restarted after a short delay but was suspended again 35 minutes in after Gala's supporters launched more fireworks onto the field of play. The referee then ordered the players off the pitch and into the dressing rooms before ultimately deciding to abandon the game after speaking with representatives from both clubs. "It's a shame about the suspension," Udinese coach Stefano Colantuono stated. "But we accepted Galatasary's desire to call it off." Udinese sporting director Cristiano Giaretta also felt that it was the right decision to abandon the match. "It's a missed opportunity for everyone," he added. "But we did not have the necessary security guarantees to continue."
'The Hateful Eight' came in No. 2 in its second weekend. Medusa Film’s new comedy Perfetti Sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers) conquered the Italian box office in its first week to come in No. 1 with $3.7 million for the Sept. 8-14 corridor. The comedy involves a dinner party game that results in all parties revealing their darkest secrets to each other over the course of an evening. Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, The Hateful Eight, continued to do well, coming in No. 2 in its second week out with $3.2 million. Despite the buzz of being shot entirely in Rome, Zoolander 2 debuted at No. 3 with $1.4 million. The film features some of the city’s best landmarks, including the Baths of Caracalla and the Pantheon. It marks a significant debut for a Ben Stiller film in Italy, however, 60 percent ahead of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in the country. The hit comedy L’Abbiamo Fatta Grossa held the No. 4 spot with $1.2 million. New Line and MGM's How to Be Single premiered at No. 5 with $1.1 million. Revenant stayed strong in the No. 6 spot with $734,454 for the week. Norm of the North didn't fare so well, coming in at number seven in only its second week out with $697,171. Other films that stayed on in the top 10 included Point Break ($624,000) at No. 8 and Joy ($425,090) at No. 9. And local phenomenon Quo Vado? held onto its No. 10 spot with $357,884. It has now just crossed the $65 million mark in total, slowly trying to beat Avatar’s record for best film performance of all time in Italy.
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we see the villainous Kylo Ren talking to the mask of Darth Vader, his grandfather and touchstone in all things dark side. But it seems that Kylo has been worshipping the wrong helmet. Actor David Prowse, who wore the helmet in Star Wars IV-VI, recently posted a picture to Facebook of the actual melted headgear, the one fished from the pyre in Return of the Jedi. The helmet is in two pieces: a face covering and a head covering. Both have been frayed, which can happen to fiberglass when burned. Between the two, the faceplate looks worse for the wear. The mask that Kylo keeps with him is in one piece, and it’s melted in a way that makes it resemble a ghostly face. The Force Awakens' faceplate is more menacing. But the one Prowse posted is more authentic. For his funeral, Luke had Darth Vader’s body committed to the flame. According to the Star Wars Wookieepedia, Luke held Vader’s funeral pyre alone and separate from the Rebels because he didn’t want anyone celebrating Anakin’s death. Fans now celebrate his passing with a Darth Vader yule log video.
The BMW Concept M4 Coupe, to be shown at the Tokyo motor show, previews the firm's hotly anticipated new M4 coupe. Shown earlier this year at the Pebble Beach show in California, it offers a thinly veiled look at a production version that will launch at the Detroit motor show in January. It is tipped to reach the UK in mid-2014, priced around £60,000. Although officially billed as a design study, BMW have previously revealed that the car will return to straight-six power, ditching the V8 of its M3 coupé predecessor. The engine that the production version will share with the next-gen M3 will offer up 424bhp from its twin-turbo 3.0-litre unit and develop "significantly more than 369lb ft". No performance figures have been announced, but insiders suggest a 4.5sec 0-62mph is possible. Drive will be sent to the rear wheels through BMW M’s seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, essentially the same transmission as found in the M5 and M6. A manual version is understood to be off the cards for the first time in the M3’s history. A four-wheel drive version was understood to be considered but was rejected by M. As the 3-series coupé adopts the new 4-series name for its latest generation, so the M3 version adopts the M4 name. The M4 name will be used for the coupe and as-yet unseen cabriolet and Gran Coupe (four-door) versions of BMW’s new staple M car, with the M3 name remaining for the 3-series-based four-door saloon that will also be shown in Detroit. The redesigned front-end includes larger front air takes, a new bumper, a splitter fashioned from carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), a black kidney grille, LED headlights, a ‘powerdome’ bonnet and vertical air intakes in the front wheel arches to cool the carbon ceramic brakes.
Back in 2001, Plekanec was one of eight players former general manager Andre Savard selected at the NHL Entry Draft in Sunrise, FL. The Kladno, Czech Republic native was picked in the third round, 71st overall, after the Canadiens’ brass had already secured the services of Mike Komisarek (7th), Alexander Perezhogin (25th) and Duncan Milroy (37th) with their first three selections at the National Car Rental Center, which is now known as the BB&T Center and remains the home of the Florida Panthers. Now the second-most experienced player on the Canadiens’ roster aside from Andrei Markov with 11 full-time NHL seasons and 843 games on his resume – all with Montreal – Plekanec is amazed at just how fast the last decade-and-a-half has flown by. His memories of the NHL Draft might be a little spotty at this point in time, but there are a few things that still stand out to the Canadiens’ No. 14, who continues his steady rise in the franchise’s record books every single year. “I remember the long flight over [to Florida]. That’s one of things that pops when I think back to that time [in my life]. It was probably the first or second time I’d ever been in an NHL rink,” said Plekanec, referencing the trek he and his agent, Frantisek Kaberle Sr., had to make to be in attendance at the NHL Draft in the Sunshine State. “I had no idea if I was going to be drafted, which round or whatever. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect because we didn’t get a lot of NHL coverage where I lived. It’s not like these days where there’s all kinds of information out there and the young guys already have an idea of where they might be going and they see themselves in the NHL playing for a team.” Leading up to the draft, Plekanec took part in the NHL Combine in Toronto, working out for potential teams who might be interested in bringing him on board weeks later. Admittedly, conditioning wasn’t necessarily a top priority at the time for the future Canadiens assistant captain, who can now be found in the gym every single day keeping his body in fine form leading up to the 2016-17 campaign. “I did a bunch of interviews with different teams while I was there. I remember interviewing with Montreal, too, but I had no idea they were interested in picking me. I think I did 20 interviews in all. I didn’t do so well in testing, though. I did one chin up, maybe two,” cracked Plekanec, who takes exceptionally good care of his body these days, according to strength and conditioning coach, Pierre Allard, which has enabled him to be a consistent pro from one year to the next. Immediately after the draft, Plekanec returned home where he continued plying his trade for his hometown team in Kladno for the duration of the 2001-02 season. It would be his final year overseas before he felt the time was right to make the move to North America for good. “I think that was my plan all along, to go back to Europe for one more year after the draft. I was playing in a professional men’s league over there. I was happy to play there because that was my goal growing up. Unfotunately, we had a tough year and we lost a lot of games. We were relegated to the second league. So, that was the time to go over to North America. My goals changed. I was 19 years old, so I could go to the minors right away,” explained Plekanec, who would go on to play 231 games with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs between 2002 and 2005, learning from the likes of Claude Julien and Doug Jarvis behind the bench. Plekanec says that when he eventually arrived on Canadian soil in the early 2000’s, his mindset with respect to his game really took a turn for the better, especially when it came to preparing himself for the inevitable grind of a long season. “The year I came here, I started being way more professional. I started to know a little bit more about stuff like eating properly. It really didn’t exist before that. You become much more professional when you have a chance to crack into the NHL. After I signed my entry-level contract, I was thinking more and more about making it,” said Plekanec, who still fondly remembers coming to training camp for the very first time. “I remember being in the dressing room and then on the ice with Doug Gilmour. He was a legend that I knew about, obviously. I was out there with [Mariusz] Czerkawski, Saku [Koivu], [Richard] Zednik and [Jan] Bulis. They were all big names for me.” Plekanec wouldn’t earn a roster spot in Montreal until the 2005-06 season, though. In retrospect, it’s safe to say nothing was handed to him. The process of becoming a full-time NHLer was a lot more difficult than the now father of two thought it would be at the start. “I was going into camp thinking – ‘Now, I’m in camp. If I have a good one, I’m going to play in the NHL.’ I still laugh about that because it really doesn’t work like that unless you’re a top-notch prospect and you were drafted really, really high. I expected myself to stay in Montreal, but then I went down to the minors and stayed there forever,” said Plekanec, who quickly realized nothing was a given in the NHL ranks – especially for a rookie. “When I didn’t get called up, I thought – ‘O.K., it doesn’t work like that.’ So, I was in Hamilton for two years before the lockout hit in the third year [in 2004-05]. I probably would have had a chance to make the Canadiens that year, but it didn’t happen.” It happened the following year, though, and Plekanec has been with the Canadiens ever since. He currently sits tied for second in his draft class alongside Jason Spezza in career NHL games, ranks sixth with 216 goals, seventh with 337 assists and eighth with 553 points. That isn’t too shabby for a player who was selected behind 70 others before his name was called all those years ago. “Obviously, that’s something special. I should have been a first-rounder [with numbers like that],” concluded Plekanec with a laugh. “I’ve been lucky, just not being hurt and being able to keep on playing. You have to take care of yourself, but avoiding injury is the key thing. Everything kind of snowballs off of that. You play more and more games, so you have a chance to put up points and score some goals. It’s definitely nice.” Matt Cudzinowski is a writer for canadiens.com. SEE ALSO Canadiens agree to terms on a one-year contract with Joel Hanley Dates to remember The Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation will build its next BLEU BLANC BOUGE rink in Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Using redis as a task queue At work, some time ago we used azure storage queues as a task queue engine for our workers, but after some time we found that it is not as fast as we want it to be. At the same time, we used redis intensively and started to think about possibility to use it as a task queue. There is a lot of documentation how to use redis as publish/subscibe service, but not as much as a task queue. So I decided to describe how to do it. What is a task queue? Task queue allows clients of some service asynchronously send tasks to it. Usually service has many clients and probably many workers. In short whole workflow looks like this: Client puts task into a queue Workers in loop periodically check the queue for a new task, if task exists then worker executes it But there are some additional requirements to a queue: Quality of service: One client should not block other client’s requests Batch processing: clients and workers should have possibility to put and get several tasks at once for better performance. Reliability: if worker fails during processing of a task after some time this task have to be handed by other or the same worker again. Dead letters: if some task causes worker fail after several attempts to handle it then it have to be put into dead letters storage. One task have to be processed only one time in case of success. Implementation We will use a redis list for every client. List key will use a task queue name as a prefix and second part will be client id. When client wants to put a message into the queue it will calculate list key by concatenation of the queue name and its own id. It would be great to put these lists into a separate redis database, but in case it we have to share redis db with some other code lets add an additional prefix like “queues:” to their names. So let’s define a class RedisQueue which will hide implementation details. import json import datetime import pytz from random import randint import logging import time main_prefix = "bqueues:" class ClientRedisQueue (): def __init__ ( self , qname , clientid , redis ): self . client_id = clientid self . queue_name = main_prefix + qname + ":" + clientid logging . debug ( "created queue % s" % self . queue_name ) self . redis = redis def send ( self , msgs ): jmsgs = [ json . dumps ({ "client_id" : self . client_id , "msg" : msg , "attempts" : 0 }) for msg in msgs ] self . redis . lpush ( self . queue_name , * jmsgs ) def exists ( self ): return self . redis . exists ( self . queue_name ) def length ( self ): return self . redis . llen ( self . queue_name ) def delete ( self ): self . redis . delete ( self . queue_name ) r = redis . StrictRedis ( "localhost" ) cq = ClientRedisQueue ( "worker1" , "client" , r ) cq2 = ClientRedisQueue ( "worker1" , "client2" , r ) cq . send ([ 1 , 2 ]) cq2 . send ([ 3 , 4 , 0 ]) So sending was easy to implement and what about receiving side? First of all, we need to find all queue lists. There are three options: Use KEYS “prefix:” command for all lists search. But this command could cause serious problems on production, it may ruin performance when it is executed against large databases. So never use this option. use SCAN command this command works the same as keys, but has no performance problems. Store all names in a redis set and add a list name to a set on massage sending and delete a queue form a set when all messages are processed. Unfortunately, this step requires additional code to implement so we will use second option. When we found all queues, we need to randomly sort them to guaranty that all queues have the same probability to be processed. After that, we need to get required count of messages in one batch (with redis pipeline). After that if no messages found then we need to run whole process again in other case handle messages and delete them after processing. Also we need to prevent double processing of a message in a list and prevent message lose caused by exceptions during message processing, to do that we will use RPOPLPUSH command which atomically removes message from a list and put it into an additional “processing” list and return value to a caller. So we will use additional list for every queue with key “processing:queue_name”. After message handling we must remove it from prccessing list. But in case of several unsuccessful attempts to process message we need to finally move it to a deed letters. As a dead letters store we will use redis set with key “dead:queue_name”. From time to time we need to check processing list and if attempts count of a message is lower than max allowed count then put it back to a client list or in other case put it into dead letters set. MAX_ATTEMPTS_COUNT = 4 class WorkerRedisQueue (): def __init__ ( self , name , redis ): self . queue_name = main_prefix + name self . processing_lname = main_prefix + "processing:" + name self . dead_sname = main_prefix + "dead:" + name self . refresh_period = datetime . timedelta ( seconds = 2 ) self . queue_pattern = self . queue_name + "" self . redis = redis self . last_refresh_time = datetime . datetime . now ( pytz . utc ) - self . refresh_period - self . refresh_period self . list_names = [] def proccessed ( self , msg ): self . redis . lrem ( self . processing_lname , 0 , json . dumps ( msg )) # start this from time to time def recover ( self ): recovered = 0 proc_msgs = self . redis . lrange ( self . processing_lname , - 5 , - 1 ) for ( msg , orig ) in [( json . loads ( msg ), msg ) for msg in proc_msgs if msg ]: if msg [ "attempts" ] > MAX_ATTEMPTS_COUNT : print "found dead letter" self . redis . sadd ( self . dead_sname , orig ) else : print "recovering" recovered = recovered + 1 msg [ "attempts" ] = msg [ "attempts" ] + 1 self . redis . lpush ( " % s: % s" % ( self . queue_name , msg [ "client_id" ]), json . dumps ( msg )) self . redis . lrem ( self . processing_lname , 0 , orig ) return recovered def get_list_names ( self ): lists = [] print "searching pattern" , self . queue_pattern for l in self . redis . scan_iter ( self . queue_pattern ): print "found list" , l lists . append ( l ) return lists def refresh ( self , force = False ): now = datetime . datetime . now ( pytz . utc ) time_to_refresh = now - self . last_refresh_time > self . refresh_period if force or time_to_refresh : self . list_names = self . get_list_names () self . last_refresh_time = now else : print "skip refresh" def receive ( self , msg_count ): self . refresh () count = len ( self . list_names ) if count == 0 : print "queues not found" return [] p = self . redis . pipeline () for i in range ( msg_count ): l = self . list_names [ randint ( 0 , count - 1 )] p . rpoplpush ( l , self . processing_lname ) msgs = p . execute () return [ json . loads ( msg ) for msg in msgs if msg ] def length ( self ): self . refresh ( True ) res = 0 for l in self . list_names : res = res + self . redis . llen ( l ) return res wq = WorkerRedisQueue ( "worker1" , r ) while ( True ): time . sleep ( 1 ) msgs = wq . receive ( 2 ) if len ( msgs ) == 0 : if randint ( 0 , 10 ) == 0 and wq . length () == 0 and wq . recover () == 0 : print "sleeping" time . sleep ( 1 ) for msg in msgs : print "received msg" , msg try : a = 10 / msg [ "msg" ] wq . proccessed ( msg ) except Exception , e : print "exception" , str ( e ) Full code Recommended reading:
Springfield, MO, Decriminalizes Marijuana Possession, But… The Springfield, Missouri, city council voted 6-3 Monday night to adopt an ordinance decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, but immediately announced plans to amend it or even gut it. The council was forced either to adopt the ordinance or place it before the voters on the November ballot after activists from Show-Me Cannabis Regulation gathered enough signatures to bring the proposal forward. The ordinance reduces the penalty for possession of up to an ounce and a quarter of pot to a maximum $150 fine. It also requires the council to create an oversight committee to monitor the ordinance and it allows violators to have their records expunged after two years. The vote came after the city attorney told the council the city has no authority to expunge records under state law. The city attorney also said an initiative ordinance cannot require the city to form an oversight committee. Article continues after ad Advertisement Council members said they voted for the ordinance mainly to avoid the $180,000 cost of putting it to the voters and that they would work to fix what they saw as problems with it. “It doesn’t do what the petitioners want; it just fouls up the system,” Councilman John Rush complained. It isn’t clear exactly what changes the council has in mind. One councilman, Tom Bieker, said he wants to amend it “to the extent we are comfortable with,” while Mayor Robert Stephens said the council might try to “correct the faulty areas.” The council will present possible amendments for consideration as part of an emergency bill when it meets on September 10. But in the meantime, Springfield has decriminalized marijuana possession.
A leaked draft copy of House Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act was published Friday by Politico. While the language isn’t final, it’s a sweeping plan that would dismantle many foundational parts of Obamacare, including Medicaid expansion and many of the taxes that currently fund the health care law. And as promised by House Speaker Paul Ryan, the ACA repeal bill also defunds Planned Parenthood. It would strip the organization of hundreds of millions of dollars of Medicaid reimbursements, which make up the majority of the organization’s federal funding. But the draft bill goes even further than that. It threatens to dismantle the entire private insurance market for abortion coverage, not just public funding. The bill could effectively eliminate private insurance coverage of abortion Under the new Republican plan, any insurance plans that cover abortion won’t be eligible for tax credits. The tax credits would help make insurance more affordable for some consumers. That means insurance coverage for abortion, specifically, will be more expensive. To be clear, the proposed plan doesn’t ban abortion coverage directly. Nor does it prohibit anyone from buying abortion coverage, or a separate insurance “rider” for that coverage. It just doesn’t allow that coverage to be subsidized by the government. That means many consumers would have to go out of their way to find a plan that covers abortion — and once they did, it would be more expensive. And if abortion insurance coverage is both expensive and a logistical hassle, many consumers simply won’t buy it. That wouldn’t leave insurance companies much incentive to offer abortion coverage at all, even if it’s technically not prohibited by law. Indeed, it gives insurers almost no other choice but to stop covering abortion in many, or even most, of their plans. Similar language on subsidies for private insurance coverage of abortion on the ACA exchanges could be found in another bill the House recently passed, HR7. That bill was a sweeping abortion funding ban that would also permanently codify the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funds from covering abortion except in very rare circumstances (rape, incest, and to save the life of the woman — but not for nonfatal health issues or for fetal anomalies). “It’s clear the goal is to try to eliminate private coverage of abortion entirely,” Megan Donovan, senior policy manager at the Guttmacher Institute, told Vox in an earlier interview. Lumping in Planned Parenthood with Obamacare repeal could threaten the success of the entire bill While targeting Planned Parenthood’s funding is popular among Republicans, most Americans don’t consider it a priority. In fact, most Americans, including nearly half of Trump voters, oppose defunding Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest family planning provider. One in five US women have visited a Planned Parenthood clinic for services like birth control, cancer screenings, STD tests, or pregnancy termination. Republicans have threatened a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood funding before, in 2011 and 2015, but they were ultimately forced to back down — mostly because Democrats in the Senate and President Obama were a firewall. That’s why many GOP members of Congress have expressed reservations about lumping Planned Parenthood defunding and ACA repeal together. Republicans need at least 50 of their 52 senators to pass the ACA repeal through the budget reconciliation process — and two pro-choice Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have said they oppose linking ACA repeal to Planned Parenthood defunding. Murkowski took a harder line Thursday when she said she will not vote to “deny Alaskans access to the health services that Planned Parenthood provides.” What does it actually mean to “defund Planned Parenthood” at the federal level? In practice, defunding Planned Parenthood takes funding away from its mostly low-income patients — who might be forced to seek care elsewhere if the government stopped subsidizing their visits to Planned Parenthood. Low-income women will be hit especially hard, but all Planned Parenthood patients may be affected. The more than $500 million Planned Parenthood receives annually from the federal government — the funding that Republicans in Congress now want to take away — pays for specific health services, like birth control or cervical cancer screening, for people who couldn’t afford them otherwise. Most of the funds (75 percent) are actually reimbursements from Medicaid, the US’s public health insurance program for the poor. Just like with any other insurance, Medicaid patients go to their health care appointment first and then have Medicaid pay all or most of the bill later. The rest of Planned Parenthood’s federal funds come in the form of grants from Title X, the nation’s only federal program for family planning. Title X grants are awarded on a competitive basis to clinics that meet the program’s standards for family planning coverage and services. Title X subsidizes free or low-cost contraception and other preventive services, and it’s especially helpful for low-income or uninsured people who make too much to qualify for Medicaid. The ACA repeal bill targets Medicaid. Another proposal that just passed the House targets Title X, by making it easier for states to block Planned Parenthood from receiving federal Title X grants. Again, Title X grants are competitive. When Planned Parenthood affiliates and clinics earn Title X grants, it’s because they have proven they can administer better care than other local providers. If the government stopped paying for Planned Parenthood to accept Medicaid patients or Title X grants, it would be a huge financial blow to the organization. Federal funding makes up about 40 percent of Planned Parenthood’s budget. Most of its patients are low-income and rely on Medicaid coverage or Title X subsidies for health care. In 2015, a whopping 78 percent of Planned Parenthood’s patients had incomes of 150 percent or less of the federal poverty level. Losing even a significant fraction of these low-income patients would be devastating to Planned Parenthood; it would probably have to close clinics or reduce capacity, which would affect all of its patients, regardless of income. But Planned Parenthood wouldn’t stop performing abortions. It just wouldn’t. No matter how you count it (abortion makes up 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s services provided, but probably a higher percentage of its revenue), abortion is nowhere close to the majority of Planned Parenthood’s business. So giving up abortion services wouldn’t solve the organization’s financial woes if it’s defunded — and, more importantly, it would go against everything Planned Parenthood stands for. Offering women the full spectrum of reproductive health care, including pregnancy termination, is just too central to its mission. Correction: The repeal bill will affect tax credits for private insurance more broadly, not subsidies for plans offered on the Affordable Care Act exchanges, as this piece originally indicated.
It looks like Bachelor in Paradise worked its magic for alum Juelia Kinney — and she’s not even in the cast. The Bachelor alum just revealed she is dating Aaron Bass, who happens to be Evan Bass’ brother. In case you need a refresher, Juelia’s BFF Carly Waddell is married to Evan, and judging from a sneak peek of the nuptials Juelia met her new man at their wedding, which was filmed for BiP. Bachelor Nation just keeps getting smaller and smaller. MORE: Does Raven Gates Find Love in ‘Bachelor in Paradise’? We Have the Spoilers! “He’s tall, he’s handsome, he makes me laugh, and most of all, he knows how to order my sushi,” she captioned a photo with her boyfriend on Instagram. Fans quickly congratulated the single mom, who has been looking for love on the reality series since Chris Soules‘ season in 2015. “So so happy for you,” one follower wrote before another added, “I’m so happy for you! I’ve followed your journey on Bachelor and you truly deserve this!” Even executive producer Elan Gale left a red heart emoji under the photo. Unfortunately for us, Aaron’s social media is private so not much is known about him. Juelia was last linked to Bachelor alum JJ Lane after the pair appeared on Season 2 of Paradise. “What started as a tremendous friendship has grown organically and both of us are very happy and excited,” JJ said at the time. While their romance was short lived, Juelia never lost hope in the process. MORE: ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Spoilers — Everything You Need to Know About Season 4! “Paradise works, and it’s just so nice to see,” Juelia said in a sneak peek of Carly and Evan’s wedding. “It warms my heart. All the people here are so in love with Carly and Evan and it couldn’t be a better setting. It’s just a beautiful, beautiful time.” Love Bachelor in Paradise? Be sure to join our Bachelor in Paradise Facebook group to chat about all the latest updates, exclusive interviews, and juicy gossip! To see where all your favorite Paradise couples are today, check out the gallery below!
TORONTO – Canadian mortgage brokers say they’re seeing a flurry of borrowers trying to pre-empt new federal rules that take effect Monday that will reduce the purchasing power of some first-time homebuyers. “It’s crazy today,” Matthew McKillen, a Toronto-based broker with Mortgage Architects, said Friday. “The national loan origination software that we use to submit mortgages to our lender partners was down for a period of time due to the increased activity.” McKillen estimates that he was 30 to 40 per cent busier this week than during a normal week. “Our lending partners are extremely busy. Most brokers that I know are extremely busy.” Beginning Monday, all insured mortgage applications will be subject to a stress test to ensure that the borrower will still be able to service their loan in the event their situation changes or interest rates rise. Previously, stress tests were not required for fixed-rate mortgages longer than five years. The federal government said it introduced the change in an attempt to stabilize the country’s housing markets, particularly in cities such as Toronto and Vancouver where prices have soared and concerns have arisen that borrowers are stretched too thin. Gregory Klump, the chief economist of the Canadian Real Estate Association, said that although the changes apply nationally, they will have the biggest impact on markets where there is a shortage of supply, particularly in the lower price range. In more balanced markets, people whose purchasing power is reduced can simply buy cheaper homes, he said. But in Toronto and Vancouver, there may not be any homes available at a lower price point, leaving those potential buyers priced out of the market. Rob McLister, the founder of RateSpy.com, says the brokers he talks to are reporting anywhere from a 35 to 150 per cent boost in business ahead of the new rules. “Clearly, consumers are reading the headlines about how this is going to reduce their purchasing power, and a lot of the folks are getting off the bench and acting,” he says. “Most of the people are buyers that already planned to buy.” Steve Pipkey of Spin Mortgage says his sense is that the rush of borrowers is more of a phenomenon in Toronto than in Vancouver. That’s because the market in Vancouver has started to run out of steam, he says. “The government made the time frame from announcement to implementation very tight, which is really what prevented more of a rush of buyers,” Pipkey said in an email. Follow @alexposadzki on Twitter. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the rules took effect Friday. They take effect Monday
d) His tweet calling Iranian president Ahmadinejad a "monkey." 3 False or true? John McCain was for immigration reform before he was against it before he was for it. a) False. His support for it has never wavered. b) True. He was for it until it became a campaign liability in the 2008 GOP primaries, then was against it for years—going so far as to run the infamous "Complete the Danged Fence" campaign ad in 2010—and is for it again now because "Look at the last election. We are losing dramatically the Hispanic vote." 4 "I say with great respect, that's one of the dumbest questions I've ever heard." What prompted this enormously respectful response from John McCain? a) A question about the relative threat to national security of the Benghazi attack and the Petraeus affair. b) A question about his frequent mentions of the reality TV "star" Snooki. c) A question about how high in his obituary he thought the Keating Five scandal would be. d) A question about why he spoke so condescendingly to Hillary Clinton at the Benghazi hearing after having himself made not entirely knowledgeable comments in the days following the attack. 5 What did John McCain say when asked why he was holding a press conference to complain about the Obama administration's failure to provide information about the Benghazi attack instead of attending an extensive classified briefing on the subject that was taking place at the same time? a) "That’s one of the dumbest questions I've ever heard." b) "Now? They're having a briefing right now? Well, forgive me, folks, I seem to have really stepped in it here." c) "I have no comment about my schedule and I'm not going to comment on how I spend my time to the media … I have the right as a senator to have no comment and who the hell are you to tell me I can or not?" d) "Why don't you ask Obama why he's having a briefing while I'm holding a press conference?" 6 What did President Obama do that John McCain didn't like? a) He mocked Mitt Romney's lack of national security experience, which is something McCain said he didn’t do to his opponent during the 2008 campaign (though, in fact, he did). b) He got re-elected. c) He picked Chuck Hagel to be his new Secretary of Defense. d) All of the above, plus, you know, pretty much everything else. 7 What did writer Joe Hagan say about John McCain in his 2010 New York magazine profile? a) When criticized, his face sports "an expression like a grenade about to detonate." b) He "takes the phrase 'sore loser' to a whole new galaxy." c) His inability to accept the fact that the President beat him in 2008 "has turned him into a bitter old man who has forfeited all claims to rationality or principle and who now lives for just one thing: revenge. His entire political philosophy seems to be, 'If Obama's for it, I'm against it.'" d) His willingness to place Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency was "seen by some as closer to treason than getting shot down by the Viet Cong was to heroism." 8 In 2010, John McCain declared, "I never considered myself a maverick." Why was this statement so ridiculous? a) The phrase "I'm John McCain and I approve this message" appeared in several 2008 campaign ads in which he was referred to as "a maverick" or "the original maverick." b) He urged voters at several 2008 campaign appearances to elect his "team of mavericks." c) He told Sean Hannity that he and Sarah Palin were "both mavericks" and told Larry King, "Sarah is a maverick. I'm a maverick." d) All of the above, plus, oh yeah, the subtitle of his memoirs, Worth the Fighting For, was The Education of an American Maverick, and the Heroes Who Inspired Him. ANSWERS 1) d 2) c 3) b 4) a 5) c 6) d 7) a 8) d Paul Slansky is the author of six books, among them My Bad: The Apology Anthology, The Little Quiz Book of Big Political Sex Scandals, and the New York Times bestseller The Clothes Have No Emperor: A Chronicle of the American 80s,which he has reissued as an e-book available at www.theclotheshavenoemperor.com.
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s coast will see more frequent and more destructive floods at high tide over the next 30 years, several studies say – even on mild, sunny days – as rising sea levels shove the Atlantic Ocean higher onto our shores. A 2014 report from the Union of Concerned Scientists warns that minor tidal flooding will become a near-daily, “incessant,” event in the Wilmington area by 2045. Additional Images Bicyclists navigate a flooded street after Hurricane Arthur passed through Manteo, a town on North Carolina’s Roanoke Island. The state’s Outer Banks will see more frequent destructive tidal flooding as sea levels rise over the next 30 years, several studies say. Reuters And worse flooding is expected for the Outer Banks, where the sea level is rising faster. Today it takes a tropical storm or nor’easter to kick up serious floods that can damage buildings and endanger lives on the low-lying barrier islands. But this is changing. The Union of Concerned Scientists study says these disruptive, moderate-to-major floods will become more likely in calm weather as well, during cyclical “spring” tides and “king” tides when the sun and moon align to produce extreme high tides. That’s because the seas are expected to rise by as much as 12 inches in the next 30 years, lifting high tide that much higher on the northern Outer Banks. “If you just raise the sea level by that much, it’s going to push the water deeper inland,” said Melanie Fitzpatrick, a climate scientist and co-author of the Union of Concerned Scientists study. Old Dominion University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published similar reports last year, also pointing to increased tidal flooding as a consequence of a warming climate that is causing the seas to rise. More flooding will close roads, clog storm sewers and damage streets and other public structures that aren’t made to hold up against inundation and salt-water exposure, NOAA said. Even moderate floods can hurt businesses, isolate neighborhoods and disrupt transportation. When the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission’s advisory science panel aired its new forecast for sea-level rise last month, the report made note of the accelerated tidal flooding. Share
As President Trump delivered his inaugural address on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in January , his new national security adviser, Michael Flynn, sent a text to a former business associate telling him that a plan to build nuclear power plants in the Middle East in partnership with Russian interests was "good to go," according to a witness who spoke with congressional investigators. Flynn had assured his former associate that U.S. sanctions against Russia would immediately be "ripped up" by the Trump administration, a move that would help facilitate the deal, the associate told the witness. The witness provided the account to Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (Md.), the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, who detailed the allegations in a letter Wednesday to the panel's chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). Cummings did not identify the witness, whom he described as a whistleblower. But he asked Gowdy to issue a subpoena to the White House for documents related to Flynn, saying the committee has "credible allegations" that Flynn "sought to manipulate the course of international nuclear policy for the financial gain of his former business partners." Robert Kelner, an attorney representing Flynn, declined to comment. White House lawyer Ty Cobb said, "I respectfully decline to comment on anonymous information which impacts the Special Counsel investigation." He was referring to the ongoing inquiry on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. Gowdy said Wednesday afternoon that "criminal matters are investigated by the special counsel," adding that he had pledged to Robert S. Mueller III that he would not do anything to interfere with his probe. "Congress doesn't investigate a crime, and I've had that conversation with Mr. Cummings, and we had it privately," he added. "And if he wants to write me letters so you can ask me about it, and write a story, that's his prerogative, but the answer won't change." [Michael Flynn’s role in Mideast nuclear project could compound legal issues] The episode indicates that Trump officials had planned to jettison sanctions that the Obama administration had imposed on Russia. Congress later passed a bipartisan measure that placed new sanctions on Russia, a bill that Trump reluctantly signed in August. On Friday, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about conversations he had in December 2016 with the Russian ambassador to the United States about the sanctions, among other topics. According to Cummings's letter, the witness said he met Alex Copson, Flynn's former business associate, at an inaugural event. Copson is the managing director of ACU Strategic Partners, a Washington-based company that Flynn said he advised from April 2015 through June 2016, according to a financial disclosure he filed this August. The witness told Cummings and committee investigators that Copson shared a text message he had just received from Flynn, who was on stage at the Capitol during Trump's speech. As the president spoke, Flynn reportedly texted Copson that the nuclear project was "good to go," the witness said Copson told him. "Mike has been putting everything in place for us," Copson said, according to the witness, adding: "This is going to make a lot of very wealthy people." [Inside the White House, Michael Flynn pushed proposal from company he said he had advised] Copson showed the witness the text on his phone. The witness could not read the text, but he saw that the time stamp was 12:11 p.m., according to Cummings's letter. "Mr. Copson explained that General Flynn was making sure that sanctions would be 'ripped up' as one of his first orders of business and that this would allow money to start flowing into the project," Cummings wrote. The witness told congressional investigators that he was "extremely uncomfortable" with the conversation, Cummings wrote, and took brief notes about the discussion during the inaugural event. Neither Copson nor an attorney for ACU responded to a request for comment. Cummings told Gowdy in his letter that he found the witness "authentic, credible and reliable." "Although this individual was extremely hesitant to come forward — and still fears retaliation — the whistleblower has decided to do so now because this individual feels duty bound as a citizen to make this disclosure," he wrote. Mueller's office was aware of the witness's account and asked Cummings not to release the information until the special counsel had taken "certain investigative steps," which are now complete, Cummings wrote. Flynn was involved in the Middle Eastern nuclear project from spring 2015 to the end of 2016, according to recent financial disclosure filings, a period that overlapped with his role as a prominent adviser to Trump's campaign and transition. Flynn had served as an adviser to two Washington-based companies pursuing efforts to build nuclear power plants in the Middle East: Copson's company, ACU Strategic Partners, which proposed a partnership with Russian interests, and IP3/IronBridge, which later began a separate endeavor that initially proposed working with China to build the infrastructure, according to federal documents and company officials. In various filings in 2016 and 2017, Flynn did not initially disclose his connection to ACU and foreign contacts he made while advising the firm. After joining the White House, Flynn forwarded a memo written by a co-founder of IP3 to develop a "Marshall Plan" of investment in the Middle East and told his staff to fashion it into a policy for Trump's approval, The Washington Post reported last month. Carol D. Leonnig, Michael Kranish and Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report.
On any list of medical triumphs of the 20th century, polio vaccination is sure to rate a mention. In the 1950s and early 1960s, the shot and sugar-cube vaccines of Jonas Salk, and later Albert Sabin, offered people the first opportunities to protect themselves from a scourge as feared in its day as AIDS is in our own. Few back then grasped that these vaccines might also be a huge, inadvertent, uncontrolled experiment in interspecies viral transmission. But from 1955 to 1963, according to a 1976 US National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study, 98 million Americans alone probably were exposed to polio vaccines contaminated with SV40—a monkey virus that can cause cancers in animals. Now, a July 7 report in New Scientist has raised fears that hundreds of millions of eastern Europeans, Asians, and Africans also may have been exposed to SV40 in Soviet-made polio vaccines. Michele Carbone of Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, USA, announced at the 2004 Vaccine Cell Substrates meeting (Rockville, MD) that the Soviet vaccine could have been contaminated until the 1980s. This is worrying since, despite 44 years of medical debate, epidemiological studies have yet to establish conclusively whether SV40 has or hasn't caused cancers in people. When Salk developed his vaccine, instead of using human tissues, as did the scientists who won a Nobel Prize for first growing poliovirus in tissue culture, he used minced-up rhesus macaque monkey kidneys, which were remarkably efficient poliovirus factories. Those who sought to supplant Salk's formaldehyde-inactivated vaccine with live, attenuated oral vaccine also used monkey kidney cultures. Despite a manufacturing problem that, at best, left six children who received the vaccine paralysed in the arm, and despite concerns about wild simian viruses, Salk's shots were declared safe and effective after 1954 field trials. The next year, after grudging approval by sceptical government regulators, free Salk shots were made available throughout the USA. By 1960, scientists and vaccine manufacturers knew that monkey kidneys were sewers of simian viruses. Such contamination often spoiled cultures, including those of an NIH researcher named Bernice Eddy, who worked on vaccine safety. In 1959, fresh from co-reporting that the mouse polyoma virus could cause cancer in other animals, Eddy tested the rhesus monkey kidney substrate used to make polio vaccine. She injected 154 newborn hamsters with extracts of the cell cultures: 109 developed tumours. Next, she ground up three of the tumours and injected the residue into other hamsters. The animals receiving injections from two of the three tumours developed cancers. But when Eddy put the substance back into the monkey cell culture, nothing happened, and she couldn't isolate the suspected virus. In The Virus and the Vaccine: The True Story of a Cancer-Causing Monkey Virus, Contaminated Polio Vaccine, and the Millions of Americans Exposed, Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher report that in 1960, when Eddy presented her results to her boss, a polio vaccine champion named Joe Smadel, he was livid and disbelieving: “Its implications—that something in the polio vaccine could cause cancer—was an affront to his career.” Her discovery also threatened one of the USA's most important public-health programmes. “By 1960, tens of millions of Americans had been vaccinated against polio, and it was federal health policy that everyone should be vaccinated and continue to receive Salk booster shots.” Eddy tried to get word out to colleagues but was muzzled and stripped of her vaccine regulatory duties and her laboratory. However, two Merck researchers, Ben Sweet and Maurice Hilleman, soon identified the rhesus virus later named SV40—the carcinogenic agent that had eluded Eddy. In 1963, US authorities decided to switch to African green monkeys, which are not natural hosts of SV40, to produce polio vaccine. In the mid-1970s, after limited epidemiological studies, authorities concluded that although SV40 caused cancer in hamsters, it didn't seem to do so in people. Fast forward to the 1990s: Michele Carbone, then at NIH, was working on how SV40 induces cancers in animals. One of these was mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the pleura thought in people to be caused mainly by asbestos. The orthodoxy held that SV40 didn't cause human cancers. Emboldened by a 1992 NEJM paper that found DNA “footprints” of SV40 in childhood brain tumours, Carbone tested human mesothelioma tumour biopsies at the National Cancer Institute: 60% contained SV40 DNA. In most, the monkey virus was active and producing proteins. He published his results in Oncogene in May, 1994, but the NIH declined to publicise them. Doubters at NIH developed epidemiological evidence that showed no correlation between people who received potentially contaminated polio vaccines and increased cancer rates. Others suggested that the SV40 DNA was a laboratory contaminant. On the first point, the US Institute of Medicine reviewed all published epidemiological studies of SV40 and found them inconclusive. Meanwhile, Carbone had moved to Loyola University. There he discovered how SV40 disables tumour suppressor genes in human mesothelioma, and published his results in Nature Medicine in July, 1997. Studies in Italy, Germany, and the USA also showed associations between SV40 and human cancers. Between 1997 and early 2003, say Bookchin and Schumacher, more than 25 published studies found SV40 in human mesotheliomas; 16 others found the virus in brain and bone cancers, lymphomas, and other cancers and in kidneys and peripheral blood. As of 2003, SV40 had been found in human tumours in 18 developed countries. Bookchin and Schumacher claim that the rates of SV40-positive tumours seem highest in countries that used the greatest amount of contaminated Salk polio vaccine, including the UK, USA, and Italy. As the SV40 story illustrates, until scientists know that a virus exists in cell cultures, they can't create a test to detect it and thus can't eliminate it from vaccines grown on those cultures. Might other potentially dangerous simian viruses lurk in primary monkey kidney cultures used for polio vaccines? Such concerns were relieved in January, 2000, when attenuated oral polio vaccine made since the 1950s by Lederle Laboratories on primary monkey kidney cultures was removed from the US market. Since wild-type polio cases had been eradicated in the USA in the mid-1970s, the eight to ten cases of paralysis caused yearly by return to neurovirulence of the live vaccine virus were finally deemed no longer acceptable. The vaccine was replaced with Aventis Pasteur's killed polio vaccine grown on a well characterised VERO monkey cell line. Thus the odds of further contamination by unrecognised viruses are thought to have been greatly reduced. Bookchin and Schumacher complain that since the era of Bernice Eddy the NIH hierarchy has been consistently dismissive of evidence that SV40 from vaccines may have caused human cancers. Officials who had previously said SV40 was harmless were authorised to assess independent research that challenged that conclusion: “Not surprisingly, they reaffirmed their own previous wisdom.” Accepting that SV40 is a human carcinogen, they continue, raises questions about what the government response should be: “A coordinated and extensive search for SV40 in other kinds of tumors, coupled with far greater efforts to study how the virus causes tumors? A crash SV40 screening program among populations most likely to have been infected? … An anti-SV40 vaccination campaign?” The problem, they continue, is that to undertake any of these options the government would have to admit that it should have acted sooner to protect public health. In The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (University of Chicago Press, 1962) Thomas Kuhn suggests that paradigm shifts don't happen because opponents are converted by evidence, but rather because one generation of investigators and scientific leaders dies and is replaced by another. For credible epidemiological studies confirming whether SV40 from polio vaccines has caused human cancers, we may have to wait until a new generation is put in charge of the USA's health research bureaucracy.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. The recent revolution in genomic technology has provided crop scientists with the opportunity to generate an enormous amount of information about how plants grow under different environmental conditions.However, making sense of this information is extremely difficult as it relies on computational expertise that many crop scientists do not possess.A team of scientists from The John Innes Centre and TGAC, led by crop geneticist Dr Cristobal Uauy, have used their expertise to develop a novel database analysis software tool called expVIP (expression Visualisation and Integration Platform).This is specifically designed to help the worldwide community of crop scientists get more out of their data.ExpVIP allows researchers to submit information from any species into a single web-based tool that will provide a full analysis of their expression data.This enables scientists and breeders to know where and when genes are expressed in their favourite plants.Dr Uauy, said: "This new tool will accelerate scientific discoveries by enabling researchers and breeders to more easily place their discoveries in the context of previous knowledge."Most of the world’s major crops are polyploid, meaning they have multiple copies of a very similar set of genes.This makes analysis of gene expression notoriously difficult. However, expVIP is designed to tackle this effectively and simplifies the interpretation and linkage of this complex data.As a proof-of-concept, the scientists used expVIP to analyse publicly available data from wheat plants grown under a variety of growth conditions.Over 400 datasets which were previously separate and were not easily accessible to most breeders and researchers have now been opened up and linked thanks to this resource.Ricardo Ramirez-Gonzalez, PhD student at TGAC and JIC and a member of the team who created the new tool, said: "ExpVIP makes the analysis of big data from expression experiments more accessible, enabling the research community to focus on the biology behind the experiments."Philippa Borrill, a BBSRC Anniversary Future Leader Fellow and expVIP team member, envisages that, "the ability to visualise the expression patterns and infer the functions of genes presents a tremendous opportunity to improve major food crops".Analysis of genomic data is a key aspect of future strategies that researchers will use to develop improved crop species that are able to flourish in the world’s changing climate.The expVIP tool is an important step to help researchers without advanced computer skills to get the most out of their data, ultimately, better preparing them to develop improved crop varieties.This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP) and from TGAC at Norwich Research Park.
A former aide to President Donald Trump got schooled live on CNN after his sexist dismissal of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). Jason Miller, now one of Trump’s in-house surrogates at the network, accused Harris of “hysteria” for her dogged line of questioning during Tuesday’s testimony from Attorney General Jeff Sessions before the Senate Intelligence Committee. CNN political analyst Kirsten Powers wouldn’t let him get away with it. “How was Sen. Harris hysterical?” she asked on “Anderson Cooper 360” on Tuesday night. “I don’t really understand that. I mean, she was asking some tough questions.” Miller claimed Harris’ questions amounted to a “completely partisan screed.” POWERS: “But how was that hysterical?” MILLER: “From my perspective ― my, I would say, objective perspective ― I mean it was ... it didn’t seem like there was any effort to try to get to a real question or get to the bottom of it.” POWERS: “I think she asked a lot of questions, actually. She was very dogged, there’s no question, but I wouldn’t say she was any more dogged than Ron Wyden [D-Ore.] was, would you? Would you say that?” MILLER: “Look, I have my opinion on that. I think she was hysterical. I don’t think that Sen. Wyden was really trying to get to the bottom of answers either. POWERS: “But he wasn’t hysterical and she was. OK, I just wanted to clear that up. Got it.” Another CNN Trump surrogate, Jeffrey Lord, eventually jumped in to claim that “hysteria is a neutral quality.” Powers wasn’t having any of that, either. “And yet it’s just women that usually are called hysterical,” she said. “Hysteria” has historically been used to dismiss women going back to the word’s Greek root, which means “uterus.”
"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Many Americans can identify the author as Lord Acton. But that is about all they know about John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton–First Baron Acton of Aldenham. That is a pity, because, according to Stephen Tonsor, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Michigan, Acton was both "the most knowledgeable foreign observer of American affairs in the nineteenth century," and deeply concerned about "the threat to freedom from centralized governmental absolutism, the tyranny of the majority, bureaucratic administration, democracy and socialism," threats which have hardly been vanquished today. It is worth remembering more of Lord Acton than his most famous quote. After all, as his Acton Institute biography states, "he was considered one of the most learned people of his age, unmatched for the breadth, depth, and humanity of his knowledge," and "became known as one of the most articulate defenders of religious and political freedom" in the 19th century. At all times sincere friends of freedom have been rare... In every age [liberty's] progress has been beset by its natural enemies: by ignorance and superstition, by lust of conquest and by love of ease, by the strong man's craving for power, and the poor man's craving for food. By liberty I mean the assurance that every man shall be protected in doing what he believes is his duty, against the influence of authority and majorities, custom and opinion. Liberty is the prevention of control by others. This requires self-control... Liberty alone demands, for its realization, the limitation of the public authority, for liberty is the only object which benefits all alike, and provokes no sincere opposition. Liberty and good government do not exclude each other; and there are excellent reasons why they should go together. Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. It is not for the sake of a good public administration that it is required, but for the security in the pursuit of the highest objects of civil society, and of private life. Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought. Liberty enables us to do our duty unhindered by the state, by society, by ignorance and error. We are free in proportion as we are safe from these impediments... ...obscure ethics imply imperfect liberty. For liberty comes not with any ethical system, but with a very developed one. ...sanctifying freedom...teaching men to treasure the liberties of others as their own, and to defend them for the love of justice and charity more than as a claim of right, has been the soul of what is great and good in the progress of the last two hundred years. ...by birth all men are free. ...conscience imperatively demands a corresponding measure of personal liberty...With this no human authority can be permitted to interfere. We are bound to extend to the utmost, and to guard from every encroachment, the sphere in which we can act in obedience to the sole voice of conscience, regardless of any other consideration. ...the interest of individuals is above the exclusive interest of the state. The power of the whole is not to be set in the balance for a moment with freedom-that is, the conscience of the subject-and those who act on other principle are the worst of criminals. It is easier to find people fit to govern themselves than people to govern others. Every man is the best, the most responsible, judge of his own advantage. The great question is to discover, not what governments prescribe, but what they ought to prescribe; for no prescription is valid against the conscience of mankind. The finest opportunity ever given to the world was thrown away because the passion of equality made vain the hope for freedom. The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern. Whenever a single definite object is made the supreme end of the State, be it the advantage of a class, the safety of the power of the country, the greatest happiness of the greatest number, or the support of any speculative idea, the State becomes for the time inevitably absolute. Laws are made for the public good...The public good is not to be considered, if it is purchased at the expense of an individual. The will of the people cannot make just that which is unjust. There are many things the government can't do, many good purposes it must renounce. It must leave them to the enterprise of others. It cannot feed the people. It cannot enrich the people. It cannot teach the people. Popular power may be tainted with the same poison as personal power. The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather if that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections. It is bad to be oppressed by a minority, but it is worse to be oppressed by a majority. The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities. Among all the causes which degrade and demoralize men, power is the most constant and the most active. Those who have more power are liable to sin more; no theorem in geometry is more certain than this. ...the possession of unlimited power...corrodes the conscience, hardens the heart, and confounds the understanding... There is no error so monstrous that it fails to find defenders... There are principles which override precedents...there is such a thing as a higher law. ...all legislation must conform [under a law of nature]...by the voice of universal reason...a principle embracing all mankind... A generous spirit prefers that his country should be poor, and weak, and of no account, but free, rather than powerful, prosperous, and enslaved.
Who are Cameron's backers? In addition to Trevor Pears, who gave £20,000, the following supported his leadership bid. Some have subsequently given more money to the Conservative party. Property tycoons Firoz Kassam (51) Currently a Monaco resident worth £250m and until recently owner of Oxford United football club. Of Indian parentage, he ran a Brixton fish and chip shop on arrival from Tanzania, but built a fortune out of hotels, including housing 700 homeless in the Mount Pleasant hotel near Kings Cross and in cheap B&Bs in Victoria. Complaints by residents about conditions ended council funding, but in the late 90s he bought the London Park hotel in Elephant and Castle, south London and made nearly £3m profit a year by housing 500 single male asylum seekers instead of tourists. He gave £10,000 to the Cameron campaign Poju Zabludowicz (54) Worth £2bn, his father, Shlomo, was an Auschwitz survivor who built up arms firm Soltam in Finland. He holds a Finnish passport but lives in Hampstead. He backs Washington neocon Richard Perle's Center for Security Policy, and Israel lobby group BICOM. He owns 40% of downtown Las Vegas, including casinos. He gave £15,000 to Cameron and another £25,000 to the Conservative party. Ian Livingstone (44) Owns London & Regional Properties with his brother Richard. Recently bought luxury Chewton Glen hotel for rumoured £30m. Company gave £10,000. City traders and their spouses Edwina Herrmann (38) Cameron collected £10,000 from this former lobbyist colleague at Carlton TV. She lives in Chester Square, close to Lady Thatcher's townhouse, with her husband Jeremy. He has made himself an estimated £70m at 37, through a hedge fund, Ferox Capital Management. Jeremy, an Old Rugbeian who says his wife donated her own money of her own accord, became a world-champion fly fisherman in his 20s. Fellow anglers credit his prowess at fooling trout to his "uncanny ability to think like a fish". He and Edwina have since acquired two grouse moors in the north of England, at Muggleswick and East Allenheads. He named his share-trading company after a predatory variety of trout. Last year, AMF, the French financial authority, began an investigation into allegations of insider trading involving Ferox and three other hedge funds. The inquiry centres on a billion-dollar bond issue by the French firm Vivendi. At issue is whether hedge funds, knowing the share price would fall as a result of the bond issue, were able to "short" sell in advance, and make a large profit. Ferox, 75% owned by Herrmann, says in their accounts: "These investigations are invariably lengthy and the partnership is co-operating fully with the authorities. The directors believe, having taken legal advice, that their case is strong." Ferox is also one of the city traders who have used so-called "employee benefit trusts" to shelter from tax. The schemes have now been outlawed after the Inland Revenue challenged them in the Lords. Lewis Chester (38) An Oxford contemporary of Cameron , he and his father David are estimated to be worth £63m. They run hedge fund Pentagon Capital Management. The firm was named in 2003, during critical publicity about "market-timing", a technique in which huge sums are moved rapidly in and out of unit trusts, said to sometimes disadvantage small savers. Mr Chester's lawyer says the Financial Services Authority reviewed the entire industry in 2004 and found "there was no sign either that market timing is widespread or that it has been a major source of detriment to long-term investors. There were no adverse findings against my clients." Chester gave £10,000 to Cameron. Another £50,000 went to the party in the name of his wife, Natalie. He has promised £50,000 a year to Cameron's "Leader's Group" and says: 'He has emerged as a strong charismatic leader." Jonathan Green (46) Made £200m from share in hedge fund GLG Partners founded with former associates from Goldman Sachs bank. Now retired to Monaco. GLG was fined £750,000 this year by the FSA for failing to supervise market abuse in alleged insider dealing by one of its traders. He gave £10,000 plus £25,000 to party. Mark Foster-Brown (42) Notting Hill hedge fund trader at Altima Partners, former director, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell. Cambridge friend of Prince Edward. Altima paid an average of almost £1m to each of its partners last year. Gave £10,000. Robert Fleming (74) The Fleming banking family cashed in a fortune of £1.7bn when they sold out to Chase Manhattan in 2000. Gave £10,000. Tim Carrington (37) Heads foreign exchange derivatives arm in London of Dresdner Bank, after career at Standard Chartered Bank and Natwest Markets. Gave £5,000. Michael Spencer (51) Heads ICAP money-brokers. Worth £370m. Notting Hill house, chauffeur-driven Mercedes. Spent £1m to have Robbie Williams sing at birthday party in St Tropez. Provides Cameron with £19,000 worth of trips in his private jet, plus £10,000 cash for leadership campaign and another £20,000 to Conservatives in March. James Lyle Co-Founded New York-based hedge fund, Millgate Capital in 1997. Previously worked at bankers Morgan Stanley and ran hedge fund Tiger Management. Oxford-educated. Gave £10,000. Insinger de Beaufort London arm of Dutch broking firm, formerly chaired by Labour donor Barry Townsley. Present CEO is Piers White, ex MD of Fleming Premier Banking. Gave £10,000. Paul Dominic Vail Manager of US Asian equities sales at UBS, he moved to the global bank's London office in December 2000 and lives in Suffok mansion. Donated £3,000. Marc Jonas (37) Co-founded the Punch Taverns company, which runs more than 8,000 pubs, taking home almost £1m in share options in 2004. Now director of private equity group Sun Capital. Gave Cameron £10,000. Ken Costa (56) Vice-chairman, UBS bank. Churchgoer and donor to Gt Ormond St Children's hospital. Advised Barclay brothers on Telegraph takeover. Gave £2,500 Other Cameron friends William Sieghart (45) Eton and Notting Hill. He and partner Neil Mendoza sold out business magazines firm Forward Publishing 2002 for more than £40m. Son of "Justice" founder Paul Sieghart and pours cash into arts and homelessness charities. Gave £10,000 from firm joint-owned with Mendoza. Lord 'Paddy' Gillford (45) Old Etonian lobbyist and field sports enthusiast. Son of Earl Clanwilliam. Threw £3,500 conference party for Cameron last year. Simon Wolfson (38) CEO of retailers Next. Father David Wolfson was formerly chairman of Next, and onetime chief of staff to Mrs Thatcher. Serves as economic policy adviser to Cameron. Gave £10,000 and another £50,000 to the party. Andrew Feldman (40) Key Cameron fundraiser, Oxford friend and tennis partner. Now deputy treasurer. Was paid £900,000 last year from family ladieswear firm, Jayroma, which donated £10,000 to the leadership campaign. Michael Green (58) Cameron's old boss at Carlton TV, where he was employed as a lobbyist. Worth £120m. Gave his leadership campaign £10,000. Alasdair Currie (46) Trustee of "Who Cares" charity for children in care. Gave £5,000 Mike Balfour (57) Bournemouth entrepreneur who Founded Fitness First chain of gyms and collected some £21m when he sold out last year. Gave £5,000. Jamie Borwick (51) Recently sold out as chairman of Manganese Bronze, which makes London taxis, netting estimated £15m. Now runs Modec, making "green" delivery vans. Gave £5,000 to Cameron and £10,000 to party. Dominic Casserley (49) UK Managing partner of McKinsey, the US management consultancy which receives millions in contracts from the present Labour government. Gave £10,000. Philip Mould (46) Bond St gallery owner and adviser to Commons art committee. Gave £5,000 Michael Peagram Worth £37m from sale of Huddersfield chemical firm. Gave £5,000 Stephen Barry (63) Notting Hill accountant and chairman of nursing homes group Assured Care Centres. Gave £5,000. Tom Scott (61) Channel Isles-resident Chrysler dealer known as "Mr Guernsey" for his wide interests there £10,000 to Cameron through UK-registered company and another £90,000 to the party since. Adam Afriyie (41) Half-Ghanaian MP for Windsor and Cameron policy adviser. Made £13m last year selling off DeHavilland, his parliamentary legislation-tracking service, to magazine group Emap. Gave £5,000. George Hollingbery (46) Conservative candidate at Winchester. Went to Oxford. Sold off stake in chain of veterinary surgeries in 2001. Gave £5,000. Michael Pass (67) Worth £51m from Derbyshire carpets business. Gave £5,000. Peter Dubens (40) Acquired Pipex, internet firm, and also runs online gambling business, Partner of Jonathan Sieff, M&S founder's grandson. £5,000 to Cameron and £10,000 to party. Longstanding Tory backers who donated to Cameron's leadership bid Malcolm Scott Edinburgh grain merchant, with property interests. Worth £72m. Gave £5,000 to Cameron and £220,100 to the Tories, which may have been a loan now converted into a donation. Philip Harris Carpet tycoon and peer worth £250m. Provided helicopter rides worth £55,000 plus £90,000 cash to Cameron campaign, and £307,000 to the party from family company. Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover Supermarket family fortune of £2.5bn. Not to be confused with Labour donor and minister David Sainsbury. Gave Cameron a token £5,000 plus £50,000 to the party. Peter Gummer PR man and brother of former Tory minister John Selwyn Gummer. Now Lord Chadlington. Gave Cameron £10,000. Susie Anstey Wife of Lord Ashcroft, Tory treasurer and multi-million pound party backer. Gave £10,000 for Cameron and another £12,500 to Conservative Central Office plus £50,000 for an auction prize. Irvine Laidlaw Worth £730m, with homes in Monaco and Florida. Has given £3.5m to the Tories. Ran conference company IIR. Received a peerage. £10,000 to Cameron. Sir Christopher Wates Retired chief of building firm. Family worth £130m. Gave Cameron £10,000. Wates Group Ltd gave another £10,000 to party.
If you've missed the first three parts in this series you may want to check them out before proceeding: Alright, now that you're all caught up, let's dig into some of the cool stuff. In this post we'll look at using Pi4J via a Groovy script to work with the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi. First, for the true beginners out there, what is GPIO? Wikipedia says: General-purpose input/output (GPIO) is a generic pin on an integrated circuit or computer board whose behavior—including whether it is an input or output pin—is controllable by the user at run time. Put simply, the GPIO pins on the Pi give us a way to create simple (or even complex) circuits by hooking up sensors, transmitters, receivers, switches, motors - all kinds of cool, crazy things. I should warn you, now that you're in this deep you're probably going to end up a little lighter in the wallet after your first few months of tinkering. It's not that it costs a ton of money, but it does get rather addictive once you start searching around on Amazon or Adafruit, Pimoroni and some of the other sites out there that cater to the maker crowd. The Pi gives us 40 digital pins to play around with (give or take a few for power and ground) which is more than enough for most projects. It's important to note that the Pi pins are all digital - there are no analog pins (unlike say the Arduino) - so if you want to hook up something like an analog joystick you'll have to get creative with an Analog to Digital Converter (aka ADC) like this example from Adafruit shows. GPIO pins can be configured (via code) as either an input pin (like a temperature sensor or a switch) or an output pin (like an LED). There are tons of examples online and most retailers even include sample code right on their site. Here's 800+ ideas to get your wheels turning. Before you wire up a circuit and work with the GPIO pins you'll need to know which pins are which. Here's the pin numbering layout for the Pi 3 Model B: But since we're using Pi4J, we need the numbering scheme that they use, which looks like this: I have a printed copy of both of those that I keep in a vinyl binder sheet on my desk at all times. I mainly use the Pi4J one, but if I have to do anything with Python it's a good idea to have each one handy. Feelin' pretty good about GPIO so far? Great, let's move on to some code. Let's wire up a super simple LED circuit and use some Groovy code to turn the LED on and off. Here's a diagram of the connections necessary for this demo. Use the Pi4J schematic above to hook up the anode of the LED to GPIO 8 and the cathode to a ground pin with a 220 ohm resistor inline. Now let's write up a quick Groovy script to turn it on, wait 3 seconds and turn it off. In this example we'll use Grape to grab our Pi4J dependency. Create a new file called led-test.groovy, enter the following script and save it. Now run it with: groovy led-test.groovy You should see the LED turn on and then off 3 seconds later. You'll also see the result of the println calls in your console.So what's going on here? Line 10 is where we use the GpioFactory to get an instance of the GpioController. We then use the controller to provision a "digital output pin" located at pin 8. We pass a boolean value to setState to indicate whether we want the pin in a "High" state (true) or "Low" (false). Then we shutdown.That's it. GPIO Magic with Pi4J via a simple, standalone Groovy script. In the next post, we'll take a look at a much better alternative to simple text editors for writing Groovy code for the Pi.
While felis catus is the official spirit animal of RPS, and the endless bear its deity, there is always a soft spot* for the badger. There has been a recent groundswell (pun!) of support that can’t be ignored. That’s all because of Shelter, Might & Delight’s mightily delightful game that somehow transposes all those icky human feelings of family and love, as well as general concerns about feeding and care, into a game about badger survival. It’s out now, and there’s a launch trailer below. I’m telling you now I am not going to play this. I don’t play games to feel things. And my desk is right by my front window, which means my neighbours can see in. I refuse to answer their questions about why I’m blubbing with the word “badgers”. Thankfully for me I won’t have to. John’s been playing this and the review lands later today, so if you feel like waiting you can knowing that RPS cryingest reviewer has been sett on it. (That’s enough – Ed.) Until then, if you missed it Cara’s preview of it then you should read it. It’s quite the thing, and it makes me doubly determined to not play it. At least not without emotional support and the curtains drawn. I’m now off to watch Jurassic Park in 3D, because I demand my entertainment to involve dinosaurs or theme parks that go wrong. Enjoy the badgers. *Made soft by tears and snot.
The drums of war with Iran will be beating loudly in the three months leading up to AIPAC's policy conference early next March. The Republican candidates for president (with the exception of Rep. Ron Paul) will try to outdo each other in professing devotion to Israel coupled with calls to inflict more "crippling sanctions" on Iran while pledging to keep the war option "on the table." The White House will dispatch deputies throughout the country to assure Democratic donors that the president is as hawkish on Iran as any Republican and that the war option is on his table, too. The AIPAC conference itself, with more than half the Congress in attendance, plus the president, will be all about the Iranian threat. Speaker after speaker will claim that Iran is on the verge of possessing nuclear weapons that would be used to finish the work Hitler began. (See this typical AIPAC speech by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor which hits heavily on the Iran/Holocaust theme). As I noted in a column a few weeks ago, the Iran war claque is comprised almost entirely of neoconservatives/right-wing "pro-Israel" activists and opinion leaders (from AIPAC and its associated organizations) joined by politicians seeking campaign contributions. For a politician, being an Iran hawk can be very lucrative while favoring diplomacy is a sure ticket to AIPAC purgatory. (Every candidate for the House and Senate must fill out an AIPAC questionnaire on attitudes toward Iran and the Palestinians. Providing the "wrong" answers or not responding means trouble). Writing in Salon last week, Gary Kamiya, long-time executive editor of the publication, noted that the people promoting war with Iran are many of the same people who led the charge into Iraq. Kamiya asks how it is that anyone would pay any attention at all to people who not only were wrong about Iraq but fixed the intelligence (e.g, Undersecretary of State Douglas Feith) to get the bloody result they wanted. Of course, Kamiya knows the answer. If American politics did not contain an enormous blind spot, no one would pay any attention to what these discredited ideologues have to say. The Iraq war they championed turned out to be one of the biggest foreign-policy disasters in U.S. history. Their ignorant and Islamophobic view of the Middle East is as breathtaking as their bland willingness to commit America to yet another ruinous war against a Muslim country, this time one four times larger than Iraq and with more than twice as many people. They have a demonstrated track record of complete failure. Yet these incompetent militarists are still taken seriously. And the reason is simple: They purport to be supporters of Israel. In American politics, you can get away with even the most cracked war-mongering as long as you claim to be "pro-Israel." And the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for anything having to do with Israel is the Holocaust. Kamiya also addresses the awful irony in the pro-war claques' using fear of a second Holocaust as a rationalization for war. That is because there is no evidence whatsoever that Iran's development of a nuclear arsenal would physically jeopardize Israel while a regional war sparked by an attack on Iran almost certainly would. After all, no country in history has ever committed suicide in order to destroy another. And Israel, with 200 nuclear weapons and air, sea and land launchers, could easily destroy Iran if it was attacked. Listening to Prime Minister Netanyahu's rhetoric and watching the mysterious explosions that keep occurring near Iran's nuclear sites, it has to be clear to the Iranian leadership that a nuclear attack on Israel would destroy Persian culture forever, not to mention the lives of tens of millions of innocent Iranian people. Against that is the absurd argument by neocons that Iranians are innately suicidal, driven mad by their faith. The Holocaust argument is absurd and offensive. Israel is here to stay and Iran knows it. It also knows, as we need to learn, that Israel's ostensible fear of an Iranian nuclear attack is simply the understanding that a nuclear armed Iran would limit Israel's regional hegemony. At the moment, Israel has a free hand to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants to (like kill Iranian scientists with impunity or blow up suspected nuclear sites). But it would not be able to do all of these things, at least not as easily, if Iran has a nuclear arsenal. As for a Holocaust, the main threat to Israel from Iran would come from the regional war that would inevitably follow any Israeli (or U.S.) attack on Iran. Every major Israeli city is within range of Hezbollah's missiles and it has tens of thousands of them. How many innocent Israelis would die in a missile onslaught produced by Netanyahu and Barak's obsession with maintaining Israeli hegemony? How many is it worth? A war with Iran would end any possibility of Israel ever achieving either peace with the Muslim world or any semblance of security. Forever. The dream of a secure Jewish homeland, a dream that took 1900 years to achieve, would be over. It is hard to imagine that any Jew would wish that on Israel. But clearly some do. I'll let Kamiya conclude this piece: It is understandable that a people who suffered one of the most horrific genocides in human history would commemorate it, and vow never to allow it to happen again. But history is filled with ugly ironies, and sometimes the reaction to a trauma ensures that it keeps happening again. A young Polish Jew named Ruth Grunkraut and her mother were shipped to Bergen-Belsen. Grunkraut's mother died just six days before the Allies liberated the camp. Before she died, she told her daughter, "You must live. You must live for me." The annals of the Holocaust are filled with this same message: You must live. An attack on Iran will be carried out in the name of the victims of the Holocaust. But that attack, rather than saving the Jewish state, will sound the death knell for it. Israel and its American supporters owe more to the millions of human beings whose last prayer, before their deaths, was that their children live. In the name of the victims of the Holocaust and, even more, of their descendants, this war must be prevented.
The big losers are the US, its Arab and Western allies, and Israel, despite reports that Russia informed Washington and Jerusalem in advance of its air missions. Yet regardless what Israeli officials say, they will not be able to conceal the fact that Israel's previous unstoppable freedom of action and maneuverability in Syria is now restricted. A gun placed on stage in the first act must be fired by the last one. This axiom is attributed to Russian playwright Anton Chekov - the same one whose work Minister of Culture Miri Regev proudly declared she has never read.Even though it was clear that the extensive military buildup by the Russia Army in Syria was bound to eventually lead to military intervention in the civil war, the first Russian air strikes yesterday were received with a bit of surprise. Yesterday morning the Russia Duma (parliament) approved the use of military force - as if President Vladimir Putin really needed their approval - and yesterday by noon missions were executed near the towns of Homs, Hama, and Latakiya. According to Western sources, the Russians targeted positions of rebel groups opposing the regime of President Bashar Assad, including factions supported by the US. The Russian Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, said that its air force targeted ISIS.Nevertheless, one can assume that Russia is trying to create a division of labor that is not to the liking of the US and its Arab and Western coalition partners assembled to fight on two fronts: the Assad regime and Islamic State.The Russian logic is that the US-led coalition will attack ISIS and Russia will attack the rest of the rebel groups. Regardless of whether such a division will be in place de facto, one conclusion is emerging: the big winner of the new situation is Assad and his failed regime.There are already indications that his self-confidence is growing due to the newly formed supportive coalition of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah and partially the Iraqi government to save his neck.Really? If so, then why did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself travel with the chief of staff and head of military intelligence to meet in Moscow two weeks ago? And why is the deputy chief of staff traveling next week to meet with his Russian counterpart? Of course, to have talks on "deconfliction" to avoid accidental clashes between Israel and the Russia armies.It doesn't mean necessarily that the IDF will not be able to respond in the future - as it did earlier this week to shells or rockets mistakenly or intentionally launched from Syria or to prevent terrorist attempts to penetrate the Golan Heights.Yet the question of what Putin's real goals are and what his grand strategy in Syria is, if he has one, puzzles Israeli and Western experts. All of them agree, however, that on the surface it seems that Putin hopes to achieve the following aims: to help Assad to consolidate his regime, even if it means allowing him to control only his "little Syria" fiefdom - or by a different name his "Alawaitestan;" to ensure Russian access to warm water ports in the Mediterranean; to safeguard Russia's last bastion and stronghold (Syria) in the Middle East; to enable Putin to conduct a confrontational foreign policy against the US; to leverage Syria as a bargaining chip for Russia to enhance agreements across the board - Ukraine versus Syria, for example - between world powers and to divide parts of the world to spheres of influence and interest, as it used to be during the cold war era; to contain ISIS - Putin may not care that the Islamic State controls chunks of Syria and Iraq, but he doesn't want it to advance in the direction of his back yard - the former Soviet- Muslim republic in Central Asia; to avoid sending "boots on the ground" to fight in Syria - for this purpose Putin has Hezbollah, Syrian and even Iranian- sponsored Shiite mercenaries to be used as cannon folder.Despite being an authoritative ruler, he doesn't want Russians to be returned in body bags to military funerals across Russia. He knows the lessons of the Soviet-era war in Afghanistan.From all of the above, it is also clear that the bloody civil war that has already caused the death of more than 250,000 Syrians will be prolonged because of Russian involvement, at least in the short term. Still, one should not rule out the possibility that in the long run Russia's entry may enhance the chance of a political-diplomatic settlement in which Assad will remain in power for a transition period and eventually step down.Against the background of negative ramifications on Israel's security posture, there is a possible positive side, although it is not politically correct to express it: the continuation of the war benefits Israel by enhancing its standing as an unmatched regional power, while Hezbollah and Iran are weakened by their involvement.
Image: Chris Jordan/US FWS Oceans are the world's forgotten landfill, and seabirds are turning into flying garbage cans. By 2050, 99 percent of all seabird species will be contaminated by the plastic waste flooding our oceans. If a new estimate proves correct, in 35 years time you'll be able to find plastic inside the stomachs of as many as 95 percent of the individual, living seabirds on Earth. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an Australian and British trio detail their assessment of the past 40 years of plastic pollution research, which they used to model how the exponential growth of plastic production will lead to toxic trash tickling the innards of all the seagulls and pelicans you happen to see. CSIRO scientist Britta Denise Hardesty with plastic dissected from a dead flesh-footed shearwater, which amounted to 8 percent of the bird's body weight. Image: Britta Denise Hardesty Calling the growth exponential isn't hyperbole, either: "Global plastic production is increasing exponentially, with a current doubling time of 11 years," the authors write, "thus, between 2015 and 2026, we will make as much plastic as has been made since production began." An inordinate amount of that plastic trash finds its way into the oceans, where it floats around on global currents until it's broken down by UV rays or bacteria into ever-smaller bits that are worming their way all over marine food chains. Take a look at albatrosses whose stomachs are so full of plastic bits that they starve to death, then think about the microscopic bits of plastic that are leaking highly-concentrated pollutants into your local cormorant's gut. "One clear implication of our research is that seabird ingestion rates scale with plastic exposure," the study's authors note. "Thus, as more plastic is introduced into the ocean, we can expect ingestion rates to increase proportionately." And the birds in this PNAS study are just one example of how ocean garbage has penetrated every far-flung locale you can think of. A 2012 United Nations report found marine debris, which includes trash and plastic that wildlife either eats or gets tangled in, affected 663 marine species, from turtles to dolphins, a figure that had grown 40 percent over a similar report in 1997. If you combine per-unit-area density of marine debris... with the per-unit-area density of seabird species... You get a map of density of seabird species already found to be impacted. That plastic pollution is expected to affect a global group of wildlife—even in regions thought to be relatively clean, such as the Arctic—is eye-opening in its own right. But it gets even more concerned when you consider the massive decline of seabird populations over the last half century or so. Whether it's plastic that gets stuck in young birds' stomachs, taking up space that should be filled with food and stunting their growth, or toxins that leech from plastic pellets, the growing plastic problem further slims hopes for a recovery. It seems like an obvious conclusion: If you put more plastic into the oceans, more of it will end up inside wildlife. But that simplicity is precisely what makes it profound. We're making more plastics than ever, and until we radically change how we throw it away, it's going to continue to ooze its way into anything that lives off Earth's oceans—including ourselves.
What have been the hinge points in the evolution of Anglo-American literature? Here's a provisional, partisan list BBC Radio Three is currently broadcasting a fascinating series on the "50 key works" of classical music. This is a spin-off from Howard Goodall's BBC2 television series and its tie-in book, The Story of Music (Chatto), and it crystallises – for the amateur listener – the turning points in the evolution of the classical tradition in the most enthralling way. Did you, for instance, know that Procul Harum's Whiter Shade of Pale contains a harmonic line that is pure Bach? So much for music. Following Radio 3, I've found myself speculating about the 50 key moments in the Anglo-American literary tradition. Arguably, Goodall's very good idea works almost as well for the history of the printed page. Note: what follows is not merely a book list, but an attempt to identify some of the hinge moments in our literature – a composite of significant events, notable poems, plays, and novels, plus influential deaths, starting with the violent death of Shakespeare's one serious rival … 1. The death of Christopher Marlowe (1593) 2. William Shakespeare: The Sonnets (1609) 3. The King James Bible (1611) 4. William Shakespeare: The First Folio (1623) 5. John Milton: Areopagitica (1644) 6. Samuel Pepys: The Diaries (1660-69) 7. John Bunyan: Pilgrim's Progress (1678) 8. John Locke: Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) 9. William Congreve: The Way of the World (1700) 10. Daniel Defoe: A Journal of the Plague Year (1722) 11. Jonathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels (1727) 12. Samuel Johnson: A Dictionary of the English Language (1755) 13. Thomas Jefferson: The American Declaration of Independence (1776) 14. James Boswell: Life of Johnson (1791) 15. Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography (1793) 16. Mary Wollstonecraft: A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) 17. William Wordsworth: "The Prelude" (1805) 18. Jane Austen: Pride & Prejudice (1813) 19. Lord Byron: Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812) 20. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Shakespearean Criticism (1818) 21. Ralph Waldo Emerson: "The American Scholar" (1837) 22. Thomas Carlyle: The French Revolution (1837) 23. The uniform Penny Post (1840) 24. Thomas Hood: "The Song of the Shirt" (1843) 25. Emily Brontë: Wuthering Heights (1847) 26. Charles Dickens: David Copperfield (1849) 27. Herman Melville: Moby Dick (1851) 28. Elizabeth Gaskell: North and South (1855) 29. Charles Darwin: On the Origin of Species (1859) 30. Henry Thoreau: Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854) 31. Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) 32. Lewis Carroll: Alice In Wonderland (1865) 33. Wilkie Collins: The Moonstone (1868) 34. First commercially successful typewriter, USA. (1878) 35. George Eliot: Middlemarch (1871) 36. Robert Louis Stevenson: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) 37. Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) 38. Thomas Hardy: Poems (c.1900) 39. JM Barrie: Peter Pan (1904) 40. James Joyce: Ulysses (1922) 41. TS Eliot: The Waste Land (1922) 42. F Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby (1925) 43. George Orwell: George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) (1949) 44. Ian Fleming: Casino Royale (1953) 45. Jack Kerouac: On The Road (1957) 46. Maurice Sendak: Where The Wild Things Are (1963) 47. Truman Capote: In Cold Blood (1966) 48. WG Sebald: Vertigo (1990) 49. The launch of Amazon.com (1994) 50. JK Rowling: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) Plus a bonus book - Ted Hughes: Birthday Letters (1998) This catalogue, in conclusion, is highly partisan and impressionistic. It makes no claim to be comprehensive (how could it?). Rather, it aims to stimulate a discussion about the turning-points in the world of books and letters from the King James Bible to the present day. Over to you.
This post is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about today’s Yuri’s Night’s goings-on. Read on for all the details: Today is the biggest day in the history of celebrating space exploration. On April 12, 2011, the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first human spaceflight and the 30th anniversary of the launch of the first Space Shuttle, Yuri’s Night is throwing over 500 parties and events around the world to commemorate our history in space and build towards a future of humanity on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Hundreds of thousands of people are celebrating by watching our Global Webcast, entering space vacation contests, sharing pictures of their local events with the world, downloading free e-books, and meeting up in local museums, clubs, bars, backyards, schools, and observatories to learn about space–and have fun doing it. “Everyone from Google to the Los Angeles Times is making note of this historical landmark, and I’m thrilled to see how excited people around the world are to celebrate the spirit of exploration and discovery that Yuri Gagarin embodied,” said Assistant Director Brice Russ. “Whether your nearest Yuri’s Night event is down the street or a hundred miles away, there’s something you can do to participate.” As of 12 PM Eastern Time on 4/12, there were over 530 registered Yuri’s Night events in 74 countries on all 7 continents (including, for the second year in a row, the South Pole). Among these parties are: Yuri’s Night Los Angeles, the home of the first flagship YN event in 2001. Yuri’s Night co-founders George and Loretta Whitesides will be joining celebrities and hundreds of space fans to talk about Yuri’s flight and the importance and awesomeness of space at LA’s Griffith Observatory. Yuri’s Night Tokyo: despite the devastation of the recent tsunami in Japan, Yasuharu Kawabata and others are still meeting to celebrate Yuri’s Night with food and drink at the ALICE Aqua Garden in Chiyoda. All proceeds from party admission will be going to disaster relief efforts. Yuri’s Night Moscow: the Russian capital has six YN celebrations this year, not least of them the one being held by the Mars500 crew, an ESA project simulating the challenges of a manned Martian spaceflight. A greeting to YN from Mars500 is available online. On the global level, Yuri’s Night is running three contests: the “Call to Humanity” Space Ad Contest, which calls on participants to create a print ad with the goal of inspiring public interest in space; the Global Space Sweepstakes, completely free to enter in countries around the world, and the OpenLuna Video Contest, where video editors are challenged to use Yuri’s Night’s extensive video resources to create a promotional segment for YN. The first two contests have grand prizes of space-themed vacations to Russia (including microgravity flights and Soyuz rocket launches) provided by Space Travellers and valued at $9,000 each; the final contest has a $500 cash prize. All deadlines are April 15. For the second straight year, Yuri’s Night is partnering with the acclaimed weekly program Spacevidcast to host a YN Global Webcast (at www.spacevidcast.com) running from this evening until the wee hours of Wednesday. Ben and Cariann Higginbotham will be checking in with over two dozen parties around the globe, from Havre, Montana to Kuala Lumpur. Andrew Kessler will be on the show to give away one million e-book copies of his Martian Summer, and the SVC team will be showing clips of Yuri’s Night greetings and interviews by everyone from Bill Nye, the Science Guy to the Expedition 27 crew of the International Space Station. Yuri’s Night is partnering with many groups and organizations. YN has teamed up with Posterous to host Yuri’s Night Live (http://live.yurisnight.net/), a website that anyone can post YN pictures, videos and links to by simply emailing submit2@yurisnight.net. Yuri’s Night is also partnering with First Orbit to premiere their film, a recreation of the view from Yuri Gagarin’s flight using footage from the International Space Station and elsewhere, and is affiliated with Yuri’s Night celebrators such as YuriGagarin50, the X PRIZE Foundation and the Space Generation Advisory Council. Yuri’s Night would like to thank Richard Garriott, Dave Masten, the Musk Foundation, our other sponsors and partners, and everyone around the world who’s helping to celebrate 50 years of human spaceflight. For the latest YN news, keep visiting our Yuri’s Night Blog, Facebook and Twitter pages. Rock The Planet!
Even after 26 days in a country at war, Salma Abuzaiter still believes the boom of an air strike is the happy sound of fireworks. The 8-year-old from Brantford was visiting family in Gaza City with her father when war erupted, bringing an end to sun-filled days playing outdoors with her cousins. Salma Abuzaiter, 8, with her father, Hassan Abuzuiter, 40. ( FAMILY PHOTO ) Her mother, Wesam Abuzaiter, has desperately been trying to get Salma safely out since the first day of fighting. She says officials with the Department of Foreign Affairs have not been able to find a way to evacuate Salma without her father, Hassan Abuzuiter, a pediatric emergency room physician who is working around the clock to treat those injured in the weeks-long conflict. On Saturday, Israel pounded Gaza with more airstrikes, killing at least 72 Palestinians. Article Continued Below “At night, I haven’t been sleeping,” says Abuzaiter, a pharmacist at Brantford General Hospital. “Sometimes I walk through the house and cry, or I just stand at the door of Salma’s room. The last thing I wanted was for Salma to be living like this.” Abuzaiter, her husband and their three children, Yousef, 12, Mohammed, 10, and Salma, are Canadian citizens. They have lived in Brantford since immigrating in 2009. Abuzaiter, who grew up in Gaza, says the family is proudly Canadian — they received their citizenship five months ago — and she is happy her children can safely play on the lawn of their suburban brick home. “To me,” she says, “Canada means freedom.” Salma travelled to Gaza at the beginning of June with her father, who has a contract position at the European General Hospital in Gaza City. The 40-year-old physician returns periodically so he can retain his medical licence while he applies for full-time positions at Ontario hospitals. Abuzaiter says the visit was an opportunity for Salma to spend time with family she rarely sees, including three grandparents. It also helped the family financially; Abuzaiter says full-time childcare for Salma would have been too expensive, given the family’s single income. Her two sons are able to stay home alone while she works. And while she worried about Salma being so far from home, Abuzaiter says there was no suspicion of war when the family made their plans. Article Continued Below “And he (Hassan) told me not to worry, that if something happens we know that Canada is going to help.” Abuzaiter says she has repeatedly asked the Foreign Affairs for assistance getting Salma back home. Her husband, who has been working 24-hour shifts in the hospital, has said he will stay in Gaza to treat wounded Palestinians. Hassan has saved dozens of lives, including infants and children, and believes he can save many more because of his expertise in emergency medicine, Abuzaiter says. “The situation is so bad right now the hospital is asking anyone with medical expertise — anyone — to come and help,” she says. “I feel that Canada should be supporting and be proud of one of their citizens who is helping those who need it.” A July 13 statement said consular officials and the Standing Rapid Deployment Team had organized an evacuation of Canadians from Gaza and escorted 47 citizens and family members to Jordan. Abuzaiter says Canadian officials advised her to send Salma alone on the bus, a five-hour ride from Gaza City across the border to Jordan. She believed this was unsafe, especially since airlines flying out of Jordan don’t allow unaccompanied minors. Salma’s uncle, a Palestinian citizen, is prepared to accompany her to Jordan, but needs help from Canadian officials to organize the appropriate paperwork to get across the border into Egypt. Abuzaiter is prepared to fly to Cairo to meet her daughter. Abuzaiter says she heard from Canadian officials on Friday, who said their office in Ramallah is too busy to help. A Foreign Affairs spokesperson confirmed Saturday that consular officials are assisting a family in Ramallah, but would release no further details. Spokesperson Béatrice Fénelon said Canada’s ability to help is “becoming increasingly limited” in Gaza, and that Canadians had been advised to leave on July 9. NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) told the Star Saturday he believes it is the government’s responsibility to help a young Canadian get safe passage. “The question for our government is: Are they willing to help? And if not, why not?” he says, noting Canada has a fully staffed embassy in Israel. “This is about the safety and security of a young Canadian who is in a very vulnerable circumstance. I think we should do what we can to get her out.” Abuzaiter says her family is protecting Salma as best they can from the harsh realities of war. Her grandmother tells her the bombings in their family’s neighbourhood are fireworks in honour of Salma’s visit. So far, the little girl, who is put to bed early, before it gets dark and shelling intensifies, believes the story. Abuzaiter, who knows well what it’s like to be a child in a conflict zone, wants Salma safely home in her pink bedroom. Canada, she says, is a place where children are allowed to keep their innocence. “I chose Canada as my country. I will do everything for Canada, because it is my country. And because it is my country, I expect Canada to do everything for me.” Read more about:
To cap off the Tribeca Film Festival, there were two legendary reunions this weekend. On Friday, Quentin Tarantino and the cast of Reservoir Dogs appeared for the film’s 25th anniversary (see a recap here); then, on Saturday, The Godfather was celebrated for its 45th anniversary. After a screening of both the first film and The Godfather Part II, director Francis Ford Coppola and cast members Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and Talia Shire gathered for an extensive 80-minute talk on the making of their masterpieces. If you didn’t have a ticket to the event at Radio City Music Hall, moderated by Taylor Hackford, thankfully Tribeca streamed the entire thing and one can watch it in full. Across the wide-ranging discussion, the director and cast discussed the source material, the many screen tests, finally getting cast, their favorite memories of the production (if they can remember, in some cases), and, of course, Marlon Brando. Experience the iconic night by watching the full talk, which begins around the 15-minute mark. The Godfather will return to theaters nationwide Sunday, June 4, and Wednesday, June 7 and will get a 45th anniversary Blu-ray release on May 9.
* “If you want to see Liverpool more successful than in the past, than in the last 24 years, you can do your small part, of course,” said Jurgen Klopp on his Liverpool unveiling. “If you want to make me like Jesus and the next day say, ‘He can’t walk on water’, then we have a problem. I dive.” Klopp was aiming to tone down expectation and postpone impatience but, on the evidence of the first half-hour at the Etihad, it has taken him six weeks to perform near miracles. This was a team playing at the very peak of its powers, making expensive opponents look like sloppy amateurs. Liverpool scored three times in 32 minutes, and could have had two more still. Their players buzzed around Manchester City’s penalty area like joyful bees enjoying the first warm day of spring. Klopp has not completed the mission, far from it. But in this 32-minute spell of wonder he offered enough evidence that he was the right choice at the right time. It was stunning to watch, intoxicating for the near-neutral. For a second, you really believed that Liverpool were back. * Brendan Rodgers was a man who believed in possession as the means to victory. “When you’ve got the ball 65, 70 percent of the time it’s a football death for the other team,” he famously said. “We’re not at that stage yet, but that’s what we’ll get to, it’s death by football.” It became his own managerial suicide note. Klopp’s own strategy could not be more different. “Now we cannot talk about football philosophy and ball possession, playing like Barcelona, playing like whoever. No. This team needs to create their own style,” he said shortly after arriving in Liverpool. “If you have the ball you have to be creative, but you have to be prepared that if you lose the ball the counter-pressing is very important.” In the first half, Liverpool registered just 37.4% possession, and completed 129 fewer passes than Manchester City. They also registered six shots, four of them on target. Where Rodgers believed in quantity of possession, Klopp’s Liverpool are focused on quality. It shows. It is reminiscent of a quote from Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli, made after his side lost to Uruguay with 73% possession last weekend. “One night, I went to a bar, I was with a woman,” Sampaoli said. “We talked all night. We laughed, we flirted, I paid for several drinks of hers. At around 5am, a guy came in, grabbed her by the arm and took her to the bathroom. He made love to her and she left with him. That doesn’t matter, because I had most of the possession on that night.” Well, quite. * Could there be two more different personalities in football management than Manuel Pellegrini and Klopp? One is the relaxed, mild-mannered grandfather who relishes a glass of merlot and some Debussy on the radio. The other is the brash, jokey uncle who wants to take you to Laserquest and playfully punches you that little bit too hard. Their pre-match interviews epitomised their vast differences. When asked to describe the thinking behind his team selection, Pellegrini went for parodical tedium: “I have picked the best team that I thought would win the game.” Fair. Klopp, meanwhile, offered a typical japey, close-to-banter-but-not-quite-banter interview. “Hey, that’s football, cool hey? Ha ha ha,” was the sign-off line. There are merits to both styles, providing extra intrigue to matches between them. Laserquest 4-1 Debussy. * Of course it is necessary to mention just how bad City defended while Liverpool flourished. This was the 15th Premier League or Champions League match that Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis have started together. Before Saturday evening, City’s record in those games read: Won 12, Drew 2, Lost 0. That has been blown out of the water. It was the decision to leave Nicolas Otamendi on the bench that made the least sense, even with Juventus to come in midweek. Vincent Kompany’s absence this season has caused City issues – as the below statistic indicates – so why add to this problem? Man City PL goals conceded this season with Kompany on pitch (720 mins): 1. Man City PL goals conceded, Kompany NOT on pitch (405 mins): 11. — sportingintelligence (@sportingintel) November 21, 2015 Using the pace of Mangala was logical, but having the dancing feet of Coutinho, Firmino and Adam Lallana running around Demichelis became embarrassing during the first period. It was like watching an old dog get worn out just by watching a new litter of puppies at play. * That was not Pellegrini’s only odd selection decision. Against Manchester United and Sevilla last month, the combination of Fernandinho and Fernando behind Yaya Toure worked brilliantly. Having two bodies protecting the defence gave Toure licence to roam forward without having to constantly be aware of his defensive responsibilities. The performance against Sevilla was sensational, Pellegrini finally finding a different way to play as City dominated on the counter-attack. Quite why the Chilean chose to abandon that strategy against Liverpool only he knows, but it backfired spectacularly. Fernando was overwhelmed in front of the defence, having to put out multiple fires with one hose. * The first goal was a result of abysmal defending on City’s part. Bacary Sagna has been excellent this season, but was robbed in his own half by Coutinho. One Brazilian passed to another, and within five seconds Firmino had crossed into the box. Mangala offered a fine impression of Djimi Traore’s own goal against Burnley for Liverpool in 2005. Liverpool played their own role in the goal, however. The term Gegenpressing was used continuously during Klopp’s early days at Anfield, but this was real evidence for the manager’s effect on the team: 1) Press high up the pitch on the opposition defenders, forcing a mistake. 2) As soon as the ball is won, have players overlapping to create space and cause panic. 3) Hope that panic ends in mistakes. Pressing in excelsis. * “There’s a certain amount of poignancy in this, two French players making mistakes,” said Martin Tyler after the first goal, referring to Sagna and Mangala’s errors. Am I the only one that feels really uncomfortable hearing human tragedy and acts of terrorism contextualised in this way? * ‘Edwards encourages staff to use his nickname ‘Eddie’, giving a matey feel to the working environment. It is understood Rodgers has another name for him,’ wrote Neil Ashton during his scathing attack on Liverpool’s use of statistics as part of their decision-making in the transfer market. He wasn’t finished there. ‘Edwards fell perfectly into place with FSG’s Moneyball strategy, the statistical model designed to extract maximum value in the transfer market. Clearly, with the club 10th in the league and paying up to three times the going rate for players, it needs refinement. ‘The committee have yet to explain how they came up with the figure of £29million to sign Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim, who finished eighth in the Bundesliga last season.’ Shall we talk about Roberto Firmino next then? The Brazilian was exceptional against City. Klopp’s decision to leave Christian Benteke on the bench was a gamble, but Firmino excelled in a false nine role. He had more shots than any other player on the pitch, and double the number of shots on target. He also played a sublime pass for Coutinho’s goal and won possession eight times. It is this determination that caused Klopp to put faith in him. As with Memphis Depay at Manchester United, perhaps it’s time to realise just how hard it can be for young players settling in new countries. Given time and support, both are plenty good enough to flourish. And that’s why the committee ‘came up with the figure of £29million’. * We need clarification on the amount of time afforded within the advantage rule. There was an incident in the second half where Sergio Aguero fouled Milner, with referee Jonathan Moss allowing play to continue when the ball ran to Lallana. Lallana was given the time to control the ball, dribble forward and then attempt a poor pass which went to a City player. Five or six seconds had passed since the original incident. As ever, it’s the ‘C’ word we’re discussing; where’s the consistency? * Isn’t it wonderful to see Aguero back? The Argentinean was clearly far from fully fit, but that only meant the moments of brilliance would be less frequent. We still got one. As if to follow the tone of the match, City’s hope-giving goal came as a result of defensive mishap. Martin Skrtel’s clearance was poor and easily intercepted, Aguero received the ball 30 yards from goal and, well… did what Aguero does. One of the (many) joys of watching Aguero is his ability to generate power without noticeably trying to hit the ball too hard. That enables him to add curl to his shots, regularly starting the ball outside of the far post and nestling it into the corner. He also evaded Lucas with embarrassing ease. Welcome back, you lovely boy. * In the 16 Conclusions after Klopp’s first match, I wondered whether there was a risk of Coutinho being turned into an effective worker, thus removing some of his creativity. The early signs are that I was wrong to be concerned, but Klopp deserves credit here too. With Benteke in the team the pressure was on Coutinho to do most of the creative work, but using both of his Brazilians together means that workload is shared. Firmino and Coutinho were excellent in tandem against Chelsea last month. They stepped things up another notch at the Etihad. Dovetailing together, the two Brazilians look sublime, an obvious understanding already built up between them. Coutinho has eight league goals and assists in 999 minutes this season. Half of those have come in the 259 minutes when Firmino has also been on the field. Firmino himself now has three goals and assists in the Premier League. His two assists have been for Coutinho goals, and his goal came from a Coutinho assist. It’s like a Brazilian symbiosis. Sambaosis? Hard not to feel that the man really responsible for Liverpool's performance today was Dunga, dropping Firmino and Coutinho. — Jonathan Wilson (@jonawils) November 21, 2015 The only black mark in Liverpool’s book came with Coutinho limping off through injury. The Brazilian was smiling as he walked onto the pitch after the final whistle, and Klopp will hope that it is a tweak rather than pull. It would be an immense shame if such progress was stopped in its tracks. * Although City were outclassed, two of Pellegrini’s players still deserve praise. The first is Kevin de Bruyne, who continues to impress during his early months back in England. The Belgian completed 49 passes in Liverpool’s half, nine more than any of his team-mates and 26 more than the subdued Raheem Sterling. He also created four chances, only one fewer than the rest of City’s team combined. If City are to win the title, you suspect De Bruyne will be the key component. * The other is Joe Hart, who made magnificent saves from Firmino and Benteke to stop things becoming more embarrassing still for Pellegrini. If there was a moment to epitomise the match, it came when Martin Skrtel had expertly given Liverpool a 4-1 lead. “F*K’S SAKE” came the shout from Hart, audible to those watching on television. Indeed, Joe. Nobody saw this coming. A word too for James Milner, who will be happier than most with the victory back on old stamping grounds. This week’s England Ladder expressed its doubts about Milner’s continued importance to Roy Hodgson, but this was a strong rebuttal from the defence counsel. Speaking after the game, Klopp said it was Liverpool’s “passion” that pleased him more than any other part of their display. It is Milner who personifies that characteristic most. He made seven tackles, two more than any other player, and also covered the most distance. Plus ca change. There is no doubt that some of Milner’s creativity has been starved at Liverpool. Nine of his team-mates created a chance against City , but he was not one of them. Yet with Adam Lallana, Firmino and Coutinho ahead of him, that doesn’t have to be Milner’s remit. Rodgers once infamously remarked that you “you can live without water for many days”. Milner’s the man faithfully carrying it for when you do need a drink. * City will be down, but clearly not out in this bonkers Premier League season. Yet there should be more questions raised about Pellegrini’s big-game tactics. In 2015, City have lost to Liverpool (twice), Barcelona (twice), Manchester United, Tottenham, Juventus and Arsenal. August’s 3-0 win over Chelsea is the only victory against a top (top, top?) side. Even that has been put into context by Chelsea’s subsequent results. The accusation is that City’s manager is leaving them too open, assuming his team’s attack can blow teams away. In those eight defeats, City have conceded 21 goals at a rate of 2.6 per match. That’s not the form of champions, domestically or in Europe. Naivety is an unwelcome trait to find in a 62-year-old manager. * “Remember to update the Leicester report if they are no longer top after the City game finishes,” reminded Sarah Winterburn as she left the office. It didn’t need changing, of course. This Premier League season continues to be utterly captivating through its own lunacy. With this victory Liverpool are now eight points from top spot. The realistic hope is to push on for a top-four place, but this is the wrong season to place any glass ceilings on your expectations. Leicester are proof that anyone really can beat anyone. Should Liverpool replicate this performance level on a regular basis, only the sky is the limit. Daniel Storey
WA likely to get new federal seat in electoral redistribution that would split Hasluck: analysts Updated The Perth electorate of Hasluck is likely to be split in a federal electoral redistribution that would give the Coalition an extra seat in Western Australia, analysts say. The new WA seat would come at the expense of a seat in regional New South Wales, taking WA's total number of electorates from 15 to 16. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) will begin determining the number of electoral divisions each state is entitled to from November 12, one year since the new Parliament sat, as required by the Commonwealth Electoral Act. The commission will use the latest published Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) population figures, released in March, to make its determination within a month. An analysis of ABS data earlier this year by the federal parliamentary library's statistics and mapping section predicted WA would achieve a quota of just over 16 electoral divisions, giving it one extra seat, while NSW would lose one. ABC electoral analyst Antony Green said the March figures confirmed NSW would lose its third electoral division in nine years and WA would gain its first since 2000. "The numbers will show NSW is only entitled to 47 seats, not the 48 it currently has, and Western Australia will be entitled to 16, not the 15 it currently has," Mr Green said. NSW would lose a rural rather than city seat, Mr Green said, as a result of regional population shortages. The Hunter and Riverina electorates could be abolished to form one seat. In WA, a new seat would most likely be formed by splitting Hasluck, currently held by Liberal Ken Wyatt. "I think that's more likely to be divided in two," Mr Green said. "There'll be a seat which is in the north which is based around Midland and a seat in the south based around Gosnells and Armadale." With 1.487 million people enrolled to vote in WA as of June, each of the 16 seats would have about 90,000 voters. Pearce may be redrawn Mr Green said the seat of Pearce, which currently has 106,000 voters and is mostly a rural electorate, could be completely re-drawn out of the metropolitan area. Urban sections like Ellenbrook could be sliced off and added to the new seat. The electorate of Canning, which also has 106,000 enrolled voters, could lose the urban areas of Armadale and Kelmscott to a re-shaped Hasluck. "That leaves room for the current Hasluck to slip south of the river, and once you've got all that, you've got enough room north of the river for a seat," Mr Green said. "You get one seat south of the airport and one seat north of the airport, roughly." Notre Dame University political lecturer Martin Drum agreed. "Canning and Pearce are odd seats at the moment because they have rural and metro areas in them," Dr Drum said. "When you're naturally going to change seats, you'd take the north western part of Pearce and and include that in a north-eastern seat." That new seat could be based around the City of Swan and Mundaring. The newly constituted Hasluck, to the south, would stretch south of Midland to Armadale and include the northern part of Canning. Dr Drum did not believe Labor would improve on the three seats it currently holds in any redistribution. "Both of those seats would be Liberal held seats nominally, but if Labor did exceptionally well in Western Australia, they wouldn't be out of reach," he said. Mr Green said Labor MP Alannah MacTiernan's hold on the seat of Perth could be under threat if the new seat extended into the eastern end of her electorate. "The seat which would be most in danger for Labor would be Perth," he said. "Any changes to Brand in Fremantle are likely to secure them for Labor. But the consequences up the river, around the eastern end of Perth means Perth may struggle." Topics: government-and-politics, political-parties, federal-elections, electoral-system, perth-6000, nsw, wa, cannington-6107, ellenbrook-6069 First posted
You can add reigning Art Ross, Ted Lindsay and Hart Memorial Trophy winner Patrick Kane to the growing list of those impressed with Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and a budding Toronto Maple Leafs team. “You can tell Toronto’s got a bright future,” the Chicago Blackhawks star told Hockey Central at Noon Wednesday. “The Leafs are going to be good–they’re already good–but they’re fun to watch right now too.” Kane registered 21 goals, 51 assists for 72 points in 82 games during his rookie campaign in 2007-08. Matthews has already scored 21 times as an NHL newbie and is on pace for 73 points. Matthews, the first American since Kane to be selected first overall in an NHL draft, has said he’s excited to be around Kane during the NHL All-Star festivities at the end of the month. Kane was one of four Blackhawks named to the Central Division All-Star Team–Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Corey Crawford are the others. “How can you not be impressed with him?” Kane said. “I didn’t realize how skilled he was, how good of a shot he had and how good he is at stripping pucks and making moves along the boards and different things like that.” Marner, who currently ranks third in rookie scoring behind Matthews and Patrick Laine, has been compared to Kane throughout his playing career. “I think there’s obviously some comparison there with the size and that we both played in London. He’s a top pick (fourth overall in 2015) as well,” Kane said. “One of the things with him that I really notice when I watch him is he’s got that all-around complete game where he’s blocking shots, playing defence–which I never really did that much at that age–and he has what seems like great chemistry with that line he’s been on with (James) van Riemsdyk and (Tyler) Bozak. “That team’s maybe one of the funner teams to watch in the league.” The Blackhawks needed a third-period comeback to beat the Maple Leafs 5-4 in a shootout back in October. They’ll complete their season series when Kane and the Blackhawks visit Toronto on March 18.
Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's younger brother Chhota Shakeel has said that Yakub Memon's hanging is unjustified. According to Shakeel, Tiger Memon is responsible for the 1993 Mumbai blasts and Yakub Memon has only suffered for Tiger's deeds. In an exclusive telephonic interview with Aaj Tak, Chhota Shakeel has defended Dawood's involvement in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. Here is full transcript: Chhota Shakeel: The world has seen that how justice is done in India. In a single day, four mercy petitions get dismissed. Is this supposed to be law? The members of this (law) department in India do not know what they have done with Yakub. They have hanged an innocent man. Q: How can you call Yakub Memon innocent? Chhota Shakeel: The whole world is calling him so. See Memon's statement, he surrendered himself to the law, provided all the documents and evidence in this case. I think the only reason Yakub was punished is because he cleared Dawood Ibrahim of the accusations. He said that Dawood had nothing to do with the 1993 Mumbai terror attacks. Q: Does the D-company have any information regarding Tiger Memon's current whereabouts? Because of Tiger Memon's proximity with Dawood Ibrahim, the two are believed to have been the mastermind behind the 1993 Mumbai terror attacks. What is Dawood Ibrahim's reaction to that? Chhota Shakeel: You are interviewing me, that makes a proximity between you and me too. Does that make you a terrorist? And as for Tiger Memon, can his brother be punished for his crimes? Justice has not been done. Q: Does D-company believe that Tiger Memon is responsible for the 1993 Mumbai terror attacks? Chhota Shakeel: The deeds of D-company are not hidden from anyone. Ask your officers... Dawood Ibrahim had no involvement in the terror attacks of 1993 in Mumbai. There is no evidence to prove otherwise. The world has seen what kind of justice has been done to Yakub Memon. Q: The Supreme Court has done justice... Chhota Shakeel: We don't believe in the court. This is not justice, this is vengeance. Revenge has been taken on this man. Click here for the Hindi interview
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Forget Brexit. The real obstacle to deeper European integration is not the awkward British, whether they choose to stay in the European Union with a “special status” or leave. French President Francois Hollande (R) arrives with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to attend a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, November 25, 2015. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer It is a long-running Franco-German impasse on how to make the euro zone stronger and more sustainable, reconciling two radically different economic and political cultures. Now that David Cameron has won a deal to enshrine formally Britain’s semi-detached status in the 28-nation bloc - if his skeptical voters don’t detach it completely - the onus will return to Europe’s founding nations to work out a way forward. European federalists such as Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel are fretting that the terms granted to Britain’s embattled leader may whet others’ appetite for opting out of EU policies and ultimately lead to a disintegration of the union. “We must not give the impression that Europe is a self-service,” French President Francois Hollande said. “There can be differences but there cannot be a Europe where each country picks out what it wants.” The risk of a wider unraveling was highlighted by Austria’s unilateral decision last week to impose migrant quotas at its borders, and the refusal of four central European states to take any share of the million migrants who entered the EU last year. But it is the breakdown of Franco-German leadership in the euro zone - the economic core of the 60-year-old European project - that worries the architects of European integration. Paris and Berlin have long slept in the same bed with very different dreams. In the heat of the euro zone debt crisis in 2010-12, they found just enough common ground: The euro zone tightened fiscal rules and created its own rescue fund, a partial banking union with a common supervisor and a mechanism for winding up failed banks with an embryonic common resolution fund. But since the European Central Bank averted a meltdown of the 19-nation currency zone by pledging in 2012 to do “whatever it takes” to preserve the euro, reforms to reinforce economic governance and mutualism risk have stalled. FRUSTRATED AND CHEATED A 2012 blueprint entitled “Towards a Genuine Economic and Monetary Union” signed by the four presidents of the European Commission, the European Council, the ECB and euro zone finance ministers, led to the first steps in banking union but got stuck after that. The French refused to contemplate the principle of making binding contracts with Brussels to reform their rigid labor market or generous welfare system - issues that could trigger strikes and topple governments. The Germans and their allies balked at providing financial incentives for countries to sign up to such reforms. Berlin brushed aside ideas for a central euro zone budget, common bank deposit insurance or any joint debt issuance. A second report last year outlining a more modest three-stage plan for euro zone reform, adding the signature of the president of the European Parliament, got no more traction. Both main European powers are frustrated and feel cheated. The Germans think fiscal discipline is still not being properly enforced, notably on the French, while the French feel Berlin is still failing to show solidarity with weaker southern economies. And both have other pressing domestic concerns - a massive influx of refugees to Germany, in which Berlin feels abandoned by most EU partners, and a deadly security challenge from Islamist militants in France. The moment of truth has been postponed, at least until after national elections in France and Germany in 2017. Fear of splitting the left and losing another referendum on Europe after the 2005 defeat of the EU constitutional treaty has driven Hollande’s timid European policy, insiders say. Whether a center-right successor - or a second-term Hollande if the Socialist were re-elected against the odds - would be open to sharing more sovereignty remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the challenge of integrating a million refugees - a project on the scale of reunification with ex-Communist eastern Germany in the 1990s - is likely to cramp the political attention span of Chancellor Angela Merkel or her successor. IMBALANCE A growing power imbalance between an economically successful Germany and a stagnant, reform-shy France has compounded underlying differences of national tradition. Germans dream of a rules-based Europe in which governments transfer sovereignty over national budget balances to a central authority with the power to fine or expel them, and economic reform commitments are made enforceable by EU courts. In such a union, Berlin might be willing to accept a limited common euro zone budget and common bank deposit insurance but probably never common debt issuance. A “transfer union” - redistributing wealth from industrious northerners to easy-going southerners - remains many Germans’ nightmare. They see it as an open door to “moral hazard”, a permanent reward for bad behavior. Many in France still dream of a smaller core euro zone with harmonized taxes at or close to their own high levels, a common minimum wage and unemployment insurance, and a sizeable common budget backed by joint public borrowing. But with rare exceptions, the French remain allergic to outside control or supervision of their public finances or economic policies. These divisions will not be dissolved magically whether Britain stays in or leaves the EU, although the shock of a British vote to depart would create political pressure for a bold euro zone initiative. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L), British Prime Minister David Cameron (C) and French President Francois Hollande (R) take part in a meeting at a European Union leaders summit in Brussels October 15, 2015. REUTERS/Alain Jocard/Pool To be sure, Britain has now given a formal commitment not to obstruct further euro zone integration in return for concessions on migrant workers, exemption from EU political integration and safeguards for the City of London financial sector. But euro zone countries would first have to agree on how to deepen their monetary union. The efforts of a pioneer group of 11 euro zone states without Britain to introduce a financial transaction tax, the subject of inconclusive wrangling among finance ministers since 2012, shows just how hard that is likely to prove.
Time declared President-Elect Donald Trump as it's “person of the year,” and released its annual cover to commemorate it. Of course, it seems that the photographer couldn't resist a subtle jab at the future Commander-in-Chief in its staging. Check it: It's a Louis XV style-chair, upholstered in what appears to be silk, with gold roped trim along the edges. What is one thing that the progressive media has always attacked is Trump's wealth. Progressives despise nouveau riche, which is how they define Trump. They claim that his wealth is an fabrication. Now look at the chair. The back of the chair is threadbare. The gold trim is coming off of the back and has completely come undone under the edge of the right arm. They have him turning around, a smug expression of victory on his face as if he's conducting business from this chair and briefly pauses his conversation to throw shade at the media interrupting him for a magazine cover. Whatever party is in front of him likely cannot see the worn chair back or the undone trim. This is a flea market chair, fancy for its breed but old and falling apart. Something someone of smaller means might put into their home to convey more means than actually exists. It's a subtle slam. I'm sure the photographer and photography director felt good about this clever editorializing, but if we point it out they'll accuse us of overthinking it.
A British man, who has twice travelled to northern Syria to fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) alongside the Kurdish YPG militia group, says foreign volunteers like himself “should not be treated as terrorists.” Read more The man, who is operating under the nom de guerre Macer Gifford, told RT’s Rob Edwards that existing laws dealing with returning fighters are “very incoherent” and “hazy.” Gifford, a former currency trader who gave up his job in the City to join the Kurds, says he has been detained by the British government under terrorism laws, but has never been arrested. “There is a very incoherent policy when it comes to returning fighters. “I think the lines are less blurred when it comes to those who fight for jihadist groups. Any extremist needs to be in prison, and I’ve got a very hard view on this. “In fact, anyone who goes and actually sets foot on a plane, never mind actually physically gets to Syria belongs in a jail cell, because the very moment you get on that plane, you’ve attempted murder, you’re trying to assist in what these people are doing out in Syria. “However, those that fight against ISIS, that fight against international terrorists, for a group that are supported by Britain, supported by the Americans and gets a lot of support from international journalists, they should not be treated as terrorists. “As I say, I’ve never been arrested, I’ve just been detained, and when I am spoken to the vast majority of our time is spent talking about how I can keep myself safe while I am in Britain.” Gifford’s comments come as a former soldier who attempted to travel to Syria to fight alongside the Kurdish YPG militia was sentenced under the Terrorism Act on Wednesday. Robert Clarke, 23, was stopped by anti-terrorism police in September last year as he prepared to board a flight from London Heathrow to Jordan. He allegedly planned to meet with Kurdish fighters who would take him to the frontline in Syria. Read more Clarke, from Wales, who served in the British Army for four years, was arrested after he refused to give detectives his smartphone passcode. He was remanded in custody last month after pleading guilty to obstructing a ‘Schedule Seven’ search under the Terrorism Act. According to the Daily Mail, the court heard Clarke had good intentions. He reportedly was planning to go to Syria to “assist victims of war,” including by donating medical supplies that were in his luggage along with “military paraphernalia.” Westminster Magistrates Court heard Clarke had received “extremely nasty threats” from Islamic extremists after details of his arrest first emerged in the media. Prison staff were so worried about the threat from Islamic terrorist inmates that he was transferred to solitary confinement while on remand, it was reported. Clarke was spared jail, and instead handed a year-long community order after pleading guilty to obstructing a search under terrorism laws. He is also banned from leaving the UK for the same period and will have to undertake 50 hours of unpaid work. The sentencing of Clarke came shortly after it emerged that 20-year-old Ryan Lock was killed in Syria on December 21. He is the third British man to die fighting IS with the Kurds in the country. Dean Evans, 22, a dairy farmer from Reading, Berkshire died in the city of Manbij in July last year. Former Royal Marine Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, 25, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire died in the northern village of Tel Khuzela in March 2015. (‘Macer Gifford’ is not the real name of the individual concerned – it is his nom de guerre. There is another individual whose real name is Macer Gifford who has no connection to the individual described in this article.)
Late last night, Derek Anderson tweeted this: Sometimes I wonder why.... Why I can't sleep.. Why I do some things.. Like any Browns fan given the opportunity, Bob Wetsel decided to kick Anderson while he was down, tweeting, "like throw into triple coverage?" Anderson's response was peculiar: triple coverage is actually impossible.. If u had 3 guys on 1 guy someone is running free down the sideline.clown!!! Let's do the math. There are at most five eligible receivers on each play. If one receiver had three defenders on him, then there would have to be four more to cover the other four. That means that seven defenders would have to drop back, which is fairly common — especially when the offensive team is losing big and has to pass, a situation that Anderson finds himself in rather often. Anderson then got in an hours-long argument with Wetsel, first ceding that that triple coverage was possible in zone: tell me how u actually covet 1 guy with 3 guys? There are zone coverages that make it possible to have three guys around 1 but not 3 right on 1 guy.. That still doesn't resolve the seven-or-eight-man drop problem. He kept going, though: can u throw the ball 10 yds? Everything is easier from ur chair and bag of chips. if u can't do it u can't criticize. Thx for watching.. Sorry I'm not as good as u think i should be.. [Presumably after going to Wetsel's profile and reading he was an OSU fan] how about those cheating ass buckeyes! Lol still the most boring football to watch.. maybe I missed it but pretty sure another yr went by and ur name never got called in the draft.. that's exactly my point.. Ur opinions need to stay in your living room. U can't play u can't coach. All u do is watch without knowing what really is going on. they think oh yah that team cheats yr in yr out.. N isn't fun to watch.. I guarantee that if I showed u tape and explain to u sonethings u would go oh shit.. What u hear from most announcers is just a guess 0 truth of actual happenings. ok ok.. Have another bag of chips.. Some more wings.. u have studied the game. U sit in meeting and know what gas been taught? Jv ball doesn't count for shit! did I ever say I was a fucking genius? No. But I've prob forgot more football in the last 10 yrs then u ever have truly known. explain cv 2 sky wk to me? cover 2 sky wk. I don't even know why I'm arguing with u.. I'm sure u know a little football. But not in depth.. I'm just saying u don't know what u think u know. So don't be a hater.. I play in the NFL regardless if u think I can play or not I can fucking play the game. Shity at times yes.. But sure as shit dont try and be shity it's 515 out there u should get physical game right and take ur ass for a run.. The least knowledgeable quarterback in the league knows more than even a diehard fan, so I get where he's coming from. But if that's true (and it is), why does he need to prove it at 2 in the morning? And why does he not actually prove it? Anderson does have a history of being unfairly accused and then overly defensive — here's Dwight Howard making fun of one of his press conferences. But if Anderson's starting next year, I know how many backs to put on Larry Fitzgerald (just kidding, Derek. I have no idea). Advertisement [Derek Anderson]
Image copyright European Photopress Agency Image caption A rescue operation is under way to try and help those buried by the landslide Many people are still missing after a massive landslide at a jade mine in Myanmar's northern Kachin state. At least 104 bodies have now been recovered, with some estimates saying more than 100 people are still missing. The incident happened in Hpakant on Saturday when a huge amount of mining debris collapsed, engulfing the homes of some miners. It is unclear what triggered the landslide in the region, which produces some of world's best jade. Many of those killed were people who made their living scavenging on or near the waste dumps, searching through the debris in the hope of finding fragments of jade to sell. Image copyright AFP Image caption The military is helping with the operation Jonah Fisher, BBC News, Yangon The Burmese jade industry is dominated by companies connected to the army. Their job is to gouge out as much of the ground as quickly as they can, and process it before dumping the rocks they don't need. With China an eager market, the companies make hundreds of millions of dollars every year - but there's still money to be made in the leftovers. A good small-sized rock can be worth several thousand dollars, so small-scale independent miners earn their living by picking their way through the piles of waste. But as we've seen, the dump sites can be unstable, and landslides not uncommon. We tried to visit Hpakant earlier this year to see at first hand how the jade industry works. It's one of the areas in Myanmar designated "no foreigners" (a somewhat flexible rule that doesn't seem to apply to Chinese traders). We applied for permission and got it from the Union government in Naypyitaw. Unfortunately the chief minister of Kachin State didn't concur so we were stopped from going, after several days of discussions. Burmese journalists on the other hand appear able to be able to work quite freely. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Amateur footage shows diggers at the scene of the landslide Rescuers, including the military, have been using backhoes to clear the soil and look for survivors. Communications with this part of Kachin State are poor and details are hard to confirm. Foreigners are not allowed in the area. Authorities said this site and others had previously been designated at risk of landslides and notices had been issued to small-scale miners to not reside there, said state-owned The Global New Light of Myanmar. "We have issued orders and warned the people not to build makeshift huts near mountains of dump soil and not to stay there," an unnamed official from the Hpakant Township General Administration Department was cited as saying. In a report in October, advocacy group Global Witness said the value of jade produced in 2014 alone was $31bn (£20.4bn) - the equivalent of nearly half the country's GDP - yet hardly any of the money is reaching ordinary people or state coffers. Local people in mining areas accuse the mining industry of a series of abuses, including poor on-site health and safety and frequent land confiscations. Many jade mining areas have been turned into a moon-like areas of environmental destruction as huge diggers churn the earth in search of the translucent green stones.

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