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Voters wait in line at a polling location Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. John Minchillo/AP Nearly two-thirds of Ohio residents voted against an initiative Tuesday that would have legalized marijuana, eliciting glee from legalization opponents but a shrug from many advocates of treating the drug like alcohol. "We crushed it," the anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana titled a celebratory email. "Ohio voters weren't fooled. Tonight, they defeated legalization by one of the widest margins of victory any marijuana measure has seen in decades,” the group’s leader, Kevin Sabet, beamed. "This is huge! This proves that our movement is thriving – and we have many more victories in front of us.” There’s no consensus on that point, however, particularly among pro-legalization advocates who either sat on the sidelines or actively opposed the Ohio initiative known as Issue 3. The doomed initiative would have written into the state constitution an oligarchy with 10 commercial grow sites operated by the initiative’s investors for at least four years. Backers said the approach was necessary to raise enough money for paid petition-gathering and to then run a successful campaign in major media markets, but the novel idea irked core cannabis reformers. Some, such as Don Wirtshafter of the Ohio Rights Group, appeared on TV and spoke to the New York Times about wealthy donors wrecking personal dreams for legalization. Others, such as Sri Kavuru, began laying the groundwork for another push next year, drafting a more conventional ballot initiative that would not mandate an oligarchy. Until Tuesday evening, the race in Ohio appeared tight. In the past two months, several polls indicated majority support for legalization in Ohio. Quinnipiac University found 53 percent in favor of legalization, the University of Akron gauged support for legalizing personal use at 53 percent with an even divide on Issue 3, and a Kent State University poll put support for legalization at 58 percent and support for the initiative at 56 percent. Buddie, the mascot for the pro-marijuana legalization group ResponsibleOhio, waits on a sidewalk to greet passing college students at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. John Minchillo/AP The pro-legalization campaign’s internal polling, conducted weekly for more than a year, showed the race tied among residents very likely to vote, ResponsibleOhio Executive Director Ian James told U.S. News on Monday. A more plausible concern than crushing defeat appeared to be the prospect of victory for both the initiative and an anti-monopoly measure referred to the ballot by the state legislature. Shortly after polls closed, it became clear that voter surveys didn't reflect Election Day realities, and with nearly all precincts reporting Wednesday morning, the massive margin of defeat was clear. Fewer than 36 percent of the 3 million votes cast were in favor. “I was confident they would lose, but even I didn’t expect it would be that bad,” Kavuru says, attributing the near two-to-one thumping to low voter turnout. Kavuru, president of Legalize Ohio 2016, says it's not necessarily bad news for reformers. His group has been gathering signatures for six months and is planning a big push ahead of a July deadline to reach the more than 300,000 required for a spot on November 2016 ballots. He believes donors will pitch in, perhaps including national groups wary of Issue 3 – though groups such as the Marijuana Policy Project already are stretched in 2016 by likely campaigns in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada. There’s historical precedent for a legalization measure going down in flames before voters pivot and embrace a second proposal. Colorado voters rejected an initiative by 18 points in 2006 before a resounding win for legalizers six years later. And Oregon voters rejected a measure in 2012 before accepting a rewrite in 2014. If Ohio voters are given an opportunity to vote again on legalization next year, they may join California in making an about-face. Like Colorado and Oregon residents, Californians rejected a legalization initiative that in 2010 would have made theirs the first state to take that path. “There are a lot of parallels,” Kavuru says of the Oregon and California measures that were voted down. In Oregon, the 2012 measure “split the activist community right down the middle, and in California [the 2010 initiative] split the industry,” he recalls. “If the activists won’t get behind your law, it’s getting harder and harder to win, because you can’t have your base split.” Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, which has taken the lead in organizing many of the 2016 initiatives, said the Ohio result "only reflects where Ohio voters stand on a specific and rather unique proposal in an off-year election." He wasn't prepared to comment on the Legalize Ohio 2016 effort. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, another influential group in state-level legalization campaigns said “I don’t see the defeat of Issue 3 slowing the national momentum for ending marijuana prohibition." “Voters, including those who would like to see marijuana legally regulated and taxed, were clearly turned off by the oligopoly provision," he said. "None of the legalization initiatives enacted to date – in Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska – contains such a provision nor do any of the initiatives headed to the ballot in 2016.” It’s unclear if the backers of Issue 3, who spent about $25 million, will attempt any future action to see their plan or some variant to fruition. “We started the conversation, and we're going to continue the conversation starting tomorrow,” James said in a statement. “The status quo doesn't work, it's unacceptable and we're not going away.” Editorial Cartoons on Pot Legalization View All 12 Images Sabet says, however, the Ohio results suggest a solid tactic for future anti-legalization campaigns. "It means that when people understand this is about money – not pot – they are turned off," he says. "And since all legalization efforts are essentially about money, you can be sure we'll be reminding voters in other states about the true intentions of legalization advocates." |
The Federal Reserve in the United States just released a new report showing that “Total Household Wealth” in the United States has reached a record $94.8 trillion. That’s an impressive figure. Even more impressive is that Total Household Wealth has increased by $40 trillion since the lows of the Great Recession in 2009. No doubt there’s probably a multitude of central bankers and bureaucrats toasting their success in having engineered such magnificent prosperity. And it’s certainly an achievement worth celebrating. As long as you don’t look too closely at the data. Total Household Wealth is exactly what it sounds like– the total net worth of every person in the United States, from Bill Gates down to the youngest newborn baby. So when you add up all the 330+ million folks in the Land of the Free and tally up their combined net worth, the total is $94 trillion. The thing is that the VAST majority of that wealth, especially the incredible growth over the last 8 years, has been from increases in just two asset classes: real estate and the stock market. In fact, stocks and real estate alone account for roughly 2/3 of the wealth increase since 2009. I’ll come back to that in a moment. Now, simultaneously, we see plenty of other interesting data, also published by the Federal Reserve and US federal government. Both the Fed and Census Bureau, for example, tell us that over 80% of businesses in the US are “nonemployer” companies, i.e. businesses which only employ one person (the owner), and often provide his/her primary source of income. Yet according to the Federal Reserve, only 35% of these small businesses are profitable. Most are operating at a loss. In other words, only 35% of the companies which make up 80% of American businesses are profitable. You’re probably already doing the arithmetic– this means that a whopping 72% of all US businesses are NOT profitable. That hardly sounds like record wealth to me. Shifting gears, there’s the little factoid that an astounding 40% of young Americans are living with their parents– the highest percentage in the last 75 years. And who can blame them considering student debt in the Land of the Free also hit a record $1.4 trillion three months ago, more than double the amount since the Great Recession. Speaking of record debt, US credit card debt passed a record $1 trillion, and total US consumer credit hit a record $3.8 trillion last month. Again, all of this hardly seems like ‘wealth’ to me. Then there’s the issue of wages, which have remained essentially flat since the 2009 Great Recession if you adjust for inflation. According to the US Department of Labor, inflation-adjusted wages, aka “real hourly compensation” in the US fell an annualized 0.9% last quarter, and fell a dismal 5.6% in the previous quarter. Adjusted for inflation, the average American isn’t making any more money. Once again, this is a pitiful excuse for ‘wealth.’ American businesses aren’t more productive either. The same Labor Department report shows that productivity in the Land of the Free was flat in the first quarter of this year. And productivity actually declined in 2016– something that hasn’t happened in at least the last 50 years. Not to mention total economic growth in the Land of the Free has been pretty pitiful, logging a pathetic 1.6% last year. And GDP growth in the first quarter of 2017 was just 1.2% on an annualized basis. The US economy has exceed hasn’t surpassed 3% growth in more than 10-years, and it’s only happen two times so far in this millennium. Seriously? This is “wealth”? Look, I get it. Houses are ‘worth’ more than they used to be, and the stock market is much higher. But these effects are heavily influenced by the trillions of dollars that was conjured out of thin air by the Federal Reserve. ExxonMobil may be the most telling example. In early September 2008, just prior to the financial crisis, Exxon had recently reported revenues of $72 billion, with $11.1 billion in net operating cashflow. For the first quarter of 2017 the company reported revenues of $61 billion and net operating cashflow of $8 billion. Plus, ExxonMobil managed to add nearly $20 billion in debt to its balance sheet over that same period. So over 8-years, Exxon is making less money and has more debt. Yet its stock price is actually HIGHER. More broadly, 66% of the largest companies in the US that have given estimates of their earnings for next quarter have issued “negative guidance”. Companies expect to make less money. But stocks are near all-time highs. Does this make any sense? Is that also wealth? No. This is nothing more than the result of paper money that has been created by central bankers, allocated to a tiny financial elite, and dumped into the stock market. It’s the same with real estate. Sure, prices are higher. But it’s not because of fundamentals. In terms of population, there’s only been a 7% increase in the number of households in the United States since 2009. There’s been a commensurate increase in the supply of homes as well. So in terms of supply/demand fundamentals, the average price nationwide shouldn’t be that much higher. But take a look at this chart, courtesy of the Federal Reserve. The red line shows interest rates, which have been generally falling since 1990. The blue line shows home prices, which have been rising like crazy since 2012. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to spot the correlation: record low interest rates mean higher home prices. This isn’t wealth. It’s just phony paper. And as the Great Recession showed in late 2008, phony paper wealth can go ‘poof’ in an instant. With that in mind, it may be time to consider taking some of that paper wealth off the table and setting it aside for a rainy day. |
By David Klepper The Associated Press SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — Police at the University of Rhode Island could soon be carrying firearms following a vote Thursday by state education officials to end Rhode Island's distinction as the only state to prohibit police on public campuses from carrying guns. The Rhode Island Board of Education voted 8-1 to allow leaders at the state's three institutions of higher education to decide for themselves whether to arm campus police. Expert Analysis Active shooters in schools: The enemy is denial By Doug Wyllie, PoliceOne Senior Contributor “How many kids have been killed by school fire in all of North America in the past 50 years? Kids killed... school fire... North America... 50 years... How many? Zero. That’s right. Not one single kid has been killed by school fire anywhere in North America in the past half a century. Now, how many kids have been killed by school violence?” So began an extraordinary daylong seminar presented by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, a Pulitzer Prize nominated author, West Point psychology professor, and without a doubt the world’s foremost expert on human aggression and violence. The event, hosted by the California Peace Officers Association, was held in the auditorium of a very large community church about 30 miles from San Francisco, and was attended by more than 250 police officers from around the region. Grossman’s talk spanned myriad topics of vital importance to law enforcement — the use of autogenic breathing, surviving gunshot wounds, dealing with survivor guilt following a gun battle, and others — but violence among and against children was how the day began, and so I'll focus on that issue here. URI President David Dooley favors the idea. The Community College of Rhode Island does not plan to arm its police. Rhode Island College officials are studying the idea and have not decided either way. Calls to arm campus police got a boost after reports of a gunman in a URI building last month. No gun or shooter was found, but supporters of arming campus police say the incident highlighted security weaknesses. While the first campus police arrived within about a minute, officers could not enter the building because they weren't armed. It took South Kingstown police about six minutes to arrive and go inside. State police arrived within about a half-hour. Before being armed, campus police would receive the same level of training given to other officers. "I feel quite comfortable that the people we are looking to arm — if that decision is made — are duly trained and certified and all the things we expect from police officers," said Board of Education member Colleen Callahan. Several URI faculty spoke out against the proposal at Thursday's board meeting. Physics Prof. Peter Nightingale said supporters of arming the campus police are reacting out of fear. He said studies show that guns don't reduce crime. "The experiment is over and the results are in," he said. "More guns spell more violence, more victims, more fatalities." Dooley said he wants to get input from faculty and students before making a final decision. The university must present a report on its deliberations before any of its officers may be armed. "There's a strong divide of opinion on campus," said Dooley. "We'll consider all the information. We will think very carefully about the consequences of that decision." The state's General Assembly had been considering legislation that would allow URI or the other two institutions to arm their police forces. Those bills are now moot. Gov. Lincoln Chafee, an independent, supports the board's decision to allow each institution to set its own policy, according to spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger. Only one board member voted against the measure. William Maaia said he has philosophical objections to arming campus police. He also said he thinks that the policy should be consistent across the state's three public institutions of higher education. Copyright 2013 Associated Press |
The Obama Administration’s efforts to cobble together a coalition of nations for the new war on ISIS has netted a handful of Sunni Arab nations willing to conduct airstrikes inside Iraq, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and by some accounts Egypt. The big problem is that no one asked the Iraqis if they were okay with this, and President Fuad Massoum today made clear that the Iraqi government considers such nations “unnecessary,” which is a polite way of saying extremely unwelcome. It’s not hard to imagine why, as the Shi’ite dominated Iraqi government, allied with Iran, is not on the best of terms with the Sunni Arab world, and having those nations’ warplanes looming overhead is going to be problematic for Shi’ite leaders. President Massoum is a Kurd, however, so it is rather surprising that he would be the one vocalizing government disquiet about the US moves to include such nations in the strikes, without consulting the Iraqi government. Massoum’s comments came in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, in which he also expressed “regret” that the US was not allowing Iran, the primary nation currently involved in the fight against ISIS in Iraq, to even attend the coalition meeting in Paris. France had similarly said they wanted to invite Iran to the coalition meeting, though the US insisted it was “not appropriate” to include them. It was seen at the time as a concession to the Sunni Arab nations which the US has been so desperate to include, but seems to be putting the coalition on a rather sectarian-looking footing to the Iraqis, and an unwelcome one at that. Ever since putting itself on the path to a new war in Iraq, the US has been eager to put on the show of a broad “coalition,” even if it meant many of those coalition members weren’t doing anything. Keeping the Iraqi government more or less on board seems to have fallen by the wayside in favor of getting more members, which is making the US intervention far less comfortable for all involved. Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz |
The NBA announced this week some changes to the annual NBA Draft Combine process that should add some pretty interesting wrinkles to the mid-May draft evaluation window. The jist of the changes will sort of merge both the G-League’s annual showcase event held in Chicago a few days before the Combine and the Combine itself. In previous years select veteran free agent players were invited to work out and showcase in Chicago in front of G-League and NBA executive, then a day or so later the Draft Combine would begin. The Showcase event was meant to give veteran players another chance to be seen with all of the NBA gathered in Chicago. This year the G-League event will not only feature invited veteran players, but it will also include several borderline draft-eligible prospects that will get to work out in front of G-League and NBA executives and then potentially earn a spot or two in the actual Combine. Historically, roughly 70 percent of Combine invitees get drafted each year, however, there are always players that get the proverbial “snub.” This new G-League wrinkle not only lets teams look at more players, but it may also help ease the snub factor for players that get pushed out for would-be players that are “testing the waters.” It will create an interesting wrinkle, especially for guys that have historically been left out of the process. We will start our annual Consensus Mock Drafts the first week of May. Here is this week’s 60-pick Mock Draft. There are a number of first-round picks that are owed. Here is how those picks landed where they are. The Atlanta Hawks are to receive the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-round pick as a result of the Kyle Korver trade in 2017, which is top-10 protected. But based on the standings, it will not be conveyed. The Boston Celtics are to receive the Memphis Grizzlies first-round pick as a result of the three-team Jeff Green trade in 2015; the pick is top-eight protected and, based on the current standings, would not convey. The Atlanta Hawks are to receive the Dallas Mavericks first-round pick as a result of the Luka Dončić – Trae Young swap on draft night in 2018. The pick is top-five protected and, based on the standings, would convey. The Boston Celtics are to receive the more favorable of either the Sacramento Kings or Philadelphia 76ers first-round picks as part of the Markelle Fultz pre-draft trade in 2017. Based on the current standings, the Kings pick is the more favorable and would convey to Boston. The Boston Celtics are to receive the LA Clippers first-round pick as a result of the Deyonta Davis draft day trade with Memphis in 2016. The Grizzlies got the pick in their Jeff Green/Lance Stephenson deal at the deadline in 2016. The pick is lottery protected and, based on the current standings, would not convey. The Cleveland Cavaliers are to receive the Houston Rockets first-round pick as a result of the three-team deadline deal that sent out Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss. The Brooklyn Nets are to receive the Denver Nuggets first-round pick as a result of the Kenneth Faried – Darrell Arthur trade in July 2018. The pick is top-12 protected and, based on the current standings, would convey. The San Antonio Spurs are to receive the Toronto Raptors first-round pick as a result of the Kawhi Leonard – DeMar DeRozan trade in July 2018. The pick is top-20 protected and, based on the current standings, would convey. The Phoenix Suns are to receive the Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick as a result of the Eric Bledsoe trade in 2017. The pick has top 3 and 17-30 protections, designed to yield a lottery-level pick to Phoenix. Based on the current standings this pick would not convey. If the debt is not settled this year, the pick in 2020 would be top-7 protected. More Twitter: Make sure you are following all of our guys on Twitter to ensure you are getting the very latest from our team: @stevekylerNBA, @LangGreene, @EricPincus, @TommyBeer, @jblancartenba, @SpinDavies, @JamesB_NBA, @MattJohnNBA, @DrewMaresca, @JordanHicksNBA, and @Ben__Nadeau . |
Edinburgh Napier University A family of Labradors have been helping out at Edinburgh Napier University, where they were called in to put hopeful new student vets through their paces. The students were competing for places on a vet nursing programme, but probably weren't expecting to see dogs on their interview panel! The dogs had an important job to do, because vets need to be good at communicating with the animals they treat, so that they don't get scared or stressed. Edinburgh Napier University Mum Tia, Dad Simba, and puppy Fern helped the human staff to put the students through their paces, to see who had the skills they need to be a great vet. A spokesman for Edinburgh Napier University said: "The teaching staff watch to see who is most comfortable handling, talking to and playing with the dogs, because this will be an important skill for students to have if they go on to work as a vet nurse." |
Rail traffic continues to decline despite very easy year over year comps. In a sure sign of tepid recovery, we continue to see improvement off the lows, but a still very meager traffic trends. A recovering economy would have no problem overcoming the very low levels of last fall, but we actually continue to see declines. Total intermodal traffic was down 6.4% versus 2008 and down a staggering 32% versus 2007. The recovery on Wall Street might be real, but it’s certainly not real on Main Street as these numbers clearly show. A few commodity groups are showing strong year over year climbs, but all data is still very weak compared to 2007. The AAR reports: The Association of American Railroads today reported that freight rail traffic was down for the Thanksgiving holiday week ended Nov. 28, 2009. U.S. railroads reported originating 246,133 carloads for the week, down 3.9 percent compared with the same week in 2008 and down 29.3 percent from the same week in 2007. The comparison week from 2008 included the Thanksgiving Holiday, while the 2007 comparison week did not. In order to offer a complete picture of the progress in rail traffic, AAR will now be reporting 2009 weekly rail traffic with year over year comparisons for both 2008 and 2007.In the Western U.S., carloads were down 3.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 23.9 percent compared with 2007. In the East, carloads were down 4.3 percent compared with 2008, and 37.3 percent compared with the same week in 2007. Intermodal traffic totaled 165,856 trailers and containers, down 6.4 percent from a year ago and 32.1 percent from 2007. Compared with the same week in 2008, container volume dropped 0.9 percent and trailer volume dropped 27.2 percent. Compared with the same week in 2007, container volume fell 26.2 percent and trailer volume dropped 51.9 percent. While 10 of the 19 carload freight commodity groups were down compared with the same week last year, increases were seen in nonmetallic minerals (38.1 percent), grain (21.3 percent), farm products not including grain (20.1 percent), motor vehicles and equipment (15 percent), chemicals (13.2 percent), grain mill products (11.5 percent), metals and products (11.2 percent), metallic ores (3.1 percent) and petroleum products (2.2 percent). Declines in commodity groups ranged from 0.9 percent for crushed stone, sand and gravel to 28.3 percent for coke. Total volume on U.S. railroads for the week ending Nov. 28, 2009 was estimated at 27.6 billion ton-miles, down 3.8 percent compared with the same week last year and down 25 percent from 2007. For the first 47 weeks of 2009, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 12,571,696 carloads, down 17.1 percent from 2008 and 18.2 percent from 2007; 8,967,824 trailers or containers, down 15.5 percent from 2008 and 18.3 percent from 2007, and total volume of an estimated 1.35 trillion ton-miles, down 16.2 percent from 2008 and 16.7 percent from 2007. |
“There’s no doubt in my mind if I went out as a free agent, I could have made an awful lot more money than what I’m signing for. In fact, I know I could have. It’s just a situation, if you want to play for one team, you’re going to have to make sacrifices for that. If it was going to be me taking a pay cut, it was going to be me taking a pay cut.” Pettitte’s agent, Randy Hendricks, said he was surprised at the Yankees’ stance but knew he had little leverage. He spoke with other teams but never took formal offers, and stayed in contact with General Manager Brian Cashman. “We always had cordial talks, we just had a disagreement on where he should be placed,” Hendricks said. “And it was especially difficult because I knew we would do much better elsewhere.” The stalemate with the Yankees lasted for months, but Pettitte said he always believed he would return. A critical point was last month when Cashman met with Pettitte in Houston on his way back from the winter meetings in Las Vegas. Photo It was the first time Cashman had spoken to Pettitte, and he sensed Pettitte’s sincerity in wanting to come back. Pettitte has spent 11 of his 14 seasons with the Yankees. “I remember him telling me at one point, ‘Cash, if you want me back, we’ll find a way to get this done,’ ” Cashman said. “He honored that every step of the way.” Pettitte did not want the $10 million offer, but he agreed to the concept of an incentive-based deal. Details were the problem, and weeks passed. Pettitte took a vacation, and so did Cashman. Finally, on Monday, it was time. 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. “We had talked about so many scenarios and possibilities, it wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say everybody was worn out,” Hendricks said. “I think Cash and I both knew if we don’t get it done now, we’ll probably never get it done.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Pettitte pitched 204 innings last season, but he was 2-7 with a 6.23 earned run average in his last 11 starts. That brought his final record to 14-14. His 4.54 E.R.A. was his highest since 1999. Yet Pettitte is only 36 — a year older than Derek Lowe, who got a four-year, $60 million deal from Atlanta — and Cashman said he was surprised at the positive medical reports he got on Pettitte’s tired shoulder. Pettitte said he has worked this winter to strengthen it. “I got a clean bill of health from the Yankees’ doctors,” Pettitte said. “I knew I wouldn’t need any surgery, and my shoulder, structurally, looked very sound.” The signing of Pettitte takes the mystery out of the Yankees’ planned rotation. Barring injuries, their five starters are set: Sabathia, Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees have a spare outfielder — Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher could be traded — but they will likely start spring training with the team they have now. The Yankees’ payroll is rapidly approaching last year’s $209 million, and the Steinbrenners finally seem prepared to stop spending. “I wouldn’t expect anything further at this stage, or anything significant,” Cashman said. “The family has allowed us to do so much this winter, and we hope all this stuff plays out well for us in the summer.” |
It is my pleasure to announce that Booking.com approached Karen Pauley, President of The Perl Foundation, to announce further sponsorship of the Perl5 Core Maintenance Fund. Booking.com have been generous contributors and supporters of this fund since its inception and this latest generous support is for the incredible amount of €10,000 (ten thousand euros). Booking.com have sponsored Perl events and initiatives for many years and have also been host to Perl events at their offices in Amsterdam. They employ a large and committed team of Perl developers and use Perl for a vast number of tasks in their business. Booking.com have spoken favourably about how Perl has given them the "flexibility and efficiency that has enabled them to grow quickly". "Once again we are deeply honoured to receive funding from Booking.com." said Karen Pauley, president of TPF, "Their consistent support for the Perl community, language and events has always been at the core of our relationship and I know I speak for the whole community when I express my gratitude". Booking.com is one of the world's leading online accommodation reservation services and part of the Priceline.com group (NASDAQ: PCLN). Booking.com was founded in 1996 and is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Booking.com attracts millions of unique visitors each month who can choose from over 425,000 hotels and other accommodations based in 195 countries worldwide. Booking.com reserves in excess of 625,000 room nights every 24 hours in over forty languages. They have over 115 ofï¬ces worldwide serving their customers 24 hours a day. |
Radicale, poi Indipendente di sinistra, eletto in Parlamento nelle liste del PCI, Stefano Rodotà, nei difficili anni 70 e 80, condivise, nel Parlamento e nel Paese, con il suo amico e concittadino, il socialista Giacomo Mancini (1916-2002), tante, significative e delicate battaglie, garantiste e laiche, sui diritti civili e per la giustizia giusta, spesso non in linea con le posizioni ufficiali del vertice comunista, guidato, su tali temi, da "Pekkioli". Nel 2013, quando Re Giorgio fu rieletto al Quirinale, la riconferma bipartisan di Napolitano bloccò il professore calabrese, che era stato candidato per il Colle dal M5S di don Beppe Grillo... E, pur con rispetto e stima, questa ultima posizione del "professorone" (Renzi dixit) non l'avevano condivisa, in molti, nella sinistra, come il "No" alla riforma della Costituzione... Divisioni e polemiche non scomparse neppure post-mortem. E, forse, avrebbero dovuto rendere omaggio a Rodotà anche i suoi più recenti contraddittori. Come avvenne in occasione delle morti, negli anni 80, del comunista Berlinguer e del missino Almirante, ossequiati anche dagli avversari. Altri tempi, altri leader... |
Needing a win to clinch the number-one seed in the West Division of the America East Conference, No. 18 Stanford women’s field hockey (10-7, 4-2 America East) produced a dominant performance against UC Davis (1-16, 0-6) on Saturday’s senior night. In their final regular season home game, senior attackers Marissa Cicione and Kristina Bassi led the Cardinal offense to a 6-2 victory, the most goals Stanford has scored in a single game this season. “It was a senior game, but it was also the last game to clinch the number-one spot for the conference,” head coach Tara Danielson said. “I think the team was really intentional about why we’re here and what we’re doing and how we need to go about it.” The Cardinal came out with a strong attack, outshooting the Aggies 13-2 in the first half while keeping possession for most of the period. Before the match was two minutes old, Bassi delivered a cross to Cicione, who one-touched the ball to the left corner. The duo connected again just 25 seconds later when Cicione led the attack to send a pass to Bassi for a tip-in goal. “Coming out hard puts the opponent’s’ confidence down right at the beginning of the game,” Cicione said. “Immediately, we have so much momentum and generate a lot of attack.” On its first drive of the game, UC Davis tipped the ball into the circle, which was collected for a goal by Aggie midfielder Emily Chen on senior goalkeeper Maddy Belin. Belin started her first career game on her senior night, eventually earning the complete-game win. In the 22nd minute, Cicione fought the ball off a defender and sent in a cross to Bassi for the goal to bring the lead to 3-1. On the strong start from the Cardinal upperclassmen, Cicione spoke to the significance of senior night. “I think all of the seniors wanted to go out with a bang, and I think we all left it all on the field,” she said. Soon after, freshman attacker Corinne Zanolli struck on a penalty stroke to score her team-leading 12th goal of the season. The opportunity was Stanford’s first penalty stroke of the season. Cicione kept piling on a minute later, earning her second goal of the night off a left side cross from Bassi. Despite a comfortable 5-1 lead, Stanford came out just as aggressively on offense in the second half. In the 40th minute, freshman defender Sarah Johnson took a pass from Zanolli on a penalty corner to put in her fourth goal of the season. The Cardinal let another goal from Chen slip through with less than one minute left in the match, but the dominant offensive performance ensured the victory and the number-one seed. “I think the team has been slowly putting pieces together with combination play over the season, and now they’re starting to put a full game together,” Danielson said. “We’re kind of bubbling on the surface, and we’re ready now. I think we’re right at the right place.” Boasting the number-one seed in the America East Conference tournament, Stanford looks to defend its 2016 conference title in Lowell, Massachusetts next week. The Cardinal will take on UMass Lowell on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. Contact Laura Anderson at lauraand ‘at’ stanford.edu. |
Get the biggest Middlesbrough FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Former Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren is set for a new role in the Championship, according to The Sun. Reports this morning suggest that McClaren, sacked by Newcastle in March, is wanted by QPR owner Tony Fernandes. It is believed that the R's want to employ McClaren in a senior role alongside manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who worked with him as a player at Boro and is now a close friend. It would be a second stint at Loftus Road for McClaren, after working in west London as a coach under Harry Redknapp. McClaren is out of work following his disappointing spell in charge at Newcastle, and has been keeping busy with media work over the last few months. The former England manager has also signed up for a Sporting Directorship university course, according to the Mail , with the 55-year-old preparing for the possibility of running his own football club in the future. QPR sit 16th in the Championship table after eight games, four points adrift of the play-off places at this early stage. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now But Hasselbaink's side are winless in four, in a run that saw them beaten 6-0 at home by Newcastle and 2-1 at league leaders Huddersfield on Saturday. The Rs were knocked out of the EFL Cup last night by Sunderland, with a brace by Paddy McNair overturning Sandro's opener for the home side. |
Former Holland Mayor Al McGeehan gives us a quick history of his city's heated streets and sidewalks Imagine, in the wake of a big snowstorm, city sidewalks and streets that never get caked with snow and ice. No salt, no slopping your way through slush or gingerly walking on ice. That’s a luxury people in Holland, MI have been enjoying for some time now, thanks to their heated sidewalks and streets. What started out as a daring idea and a monetary long shot seems to have paid off. Former Mayor Al McGeehan was a city councilman when the decision was made to install the heated streets and sidewalks. McGeehan tells us Holland’s “snowmelt” system takes heated water the nearby power plant would usually feed into an adjacent lake, and instead runs it through miles of piping laid under the surface of the city’s streets and sidewalks. "We didn't know anything about it. It had never been done before in the United States." According to downtownholland.com, the system can melt about an inch of snow per hour at temperatures as low as 15 degrees. McGeehan says the idea first came up in spring 1988, when Holland’s downtown area was already undergoing a massive overhaul. “We had torn up our downtown from storefront to storefront. Sidewalks, curb, gutter, street - we were putting in all new infrastructure,” McGeehan says. “A leading industrialist here in Holland by the name of Edgar Prince who had seen this kind of a system used in some piazzas and plaza areas in Europe, he said … why don’t we dream? Could we, while the streets are torn up, could we put in a system that would use that heat energy to save us money from snow plowing and shoveling and all that?” Though it was inspired by similar setups in Europe, Holland’s snowmelt system would be the first in America and presented a number of challenges. "The majority of the city council said, 'Let's dare to dream big, and let's give it a shot.'" “Back in 1988, when the idea was first launched, it was rocket science to us,” McGeehan says. “We didn’t know anything about it. It had never been done before in the United States. We had no idea, number one, how it worked, how we could hook it up to our power plant. We had no idea how much it was going to cost to create, and the biggest question was, how much is it going to cost to operate it and maintain it?” Despite these uncertainties, McGeehan tells us, “The majority of the city council said, ‘Let’s dare to dream big, and let’s give it a shot.’” According to McGeehan, that gamble has paid off. He says the operating costs turned out to be “much less than anybody had anticipated." Holland continued to expand the system until all heat from the wastewater had been put to use. A new gas-fired power plant is being built in Holland, and McGeehan tells us that current city leaders plan to use hot water from the turbines there to quintuple the snowmelt system's coverage downtown. |
A "League of Nations" that would be a third major tournament for European countries after the World Cup and European Championship is expected to be given the go-ahead by Uefa on Thursday. Games would be played in odd-numbered years on dates reserved for friendlies, starting after the 2018 World Cup. No exact details have been confirmed, but there would be up to four divisions with promotion and relegation, plus a 'final four' competition in the summer. England would likely be in a top tier. League of Nations key points Played biennially in odd-numbered years Winners of the lower divisions could be granted entry to the European Championships The first tournament is scheduled for after the 2018 World Cup There will be up to four divisions, with the top tier expected to feature England The 54 member associations of European football's governing body will vote on the proposal at its annual congress in Kazakhstan. Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino has confirmed an agreement to set up the new tournament should be reached on Thursday. He said: "What has triggered what is being called the Nations League is the international calendar and the dates for friendly matches. "We have been looking at optimising the structure of the calendar without bringing in any more dates. "There are teams everyone wants to play against and other teams who struggle to get the opponents they'd ideally like. For all national associations, the fact is that national team matches are key for their development." On rankings, England would be in the top division alongside the likes of Spain, Germany and Italy. Each division would then be divided into groups with the winners qualifying for a semi-final and final, played at neutral venues. Winners of the lower divisions could be granted entry to the European Championship. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - ranked 31, 34 and 39 respectively by Uefa - could find themselves playing each other in the third of four divisions using the current national team coefficient. While matches will be played on dates reserved for friendlies, there will still be flexibility for smaller countries to arrange high-profile fixtures with bigger European teams and for nations to play friendlies against national sides from outside Europe. The Football Association is in favour of the plan, with chairman Greg Dyke saying earlier this month: "The hard thing is the detail but I think a Nations League where we played the top nations would be very attractive." |
The United States currently has a massive cheese stockpile. And Uncle Sam is stepping in to help buy up the excess. The Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday that it will spend $20 million on 11 million pounds of cheese from private inventories and then give it to food banks and pantries across the U.S. Increased milk inventories, higher European exports, low prices, sluggish demand and shifting consumption habits have helped to create the huge cheese reserve, pushing the surplus to a 30-year high. While that might sound like a dairy-filled dream, it's problematic for dairy farmers, who have seen their revenues drop 35% in the last two years. Related: Venezuela food crisis deepens as shipments plummet Congress, the National Farmers Union, the American Farm Bureau and the National Milk Producers Federation reached out to the USDA requesting the purchase. "This commodity purchase is part of a robust, comprehensive safety net that will help reduce a cheese surplus that is at a 30-year high while, at the same time, moving a high-protein food to the tables of those most in need," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a release. Related: Blizzard kills thousands of cows and threatens Texas dairy business The massive cheese purchase comes more than two weeks after the USDA announced more than $11 million in government assistance to the Dairy Margin Protection Program, which provides a safety net to dairy producers. Last year, the U.S. produced nearly 12 billion pounds of cheese -- an all-time high, according to the USDA. Production has increased 3% in the past year, and 29% in the last decade. Americans are also eating a record amount of cheese at 35 pounds of cheese each year. |
By Chad Nance Additional Reporting by Stephanie Hess & Carissa Joines Following draconian cuts to education, a push toward privatization funded by ALEC, Art Pope, and private education companies like K12, as well as open, politically motivated attacks on the teaching profession in North Carolina – 273 of Forsyth County’s teachers chose to resign at the end of the 2012-13 school year. Ten of those who resigned had previously retired, returned to work, then resigned. An additional 92 teachers retired. “I would have waited another year [to retire] and waited until I could get full social security, but I chose to retire now because of the stressors of the position.” said Karin Binkley, a 5th grade teacher who retired at the end of the 2012-2013 school year. The fact that North Carolina is at the bottom of the national rankings for teacher pay is not the only reason that educators resign or retire, but there is little question that it is the elephant in the room. The hard right extremism of the NC legislature’s Republican Supermajority added insult to injury by giving educators a paltry 1.2 percent pay raise last year. That is the same as all other state employees who do not or have not worked for Governor Pat McCrory‘s campaigns, and the net effect is that teacher salaries have not increased. North Carolina has seen the most severe decline in teacher pay in America. According to the NEA, teacher salaries dropped by 15.7 percent from 2001 to 2011, putting North Carolina 46th in the US for teacher pay. According to reports compiled by the NC Department of public instruction the teacher turn-over numbers have hovered between 11 and 12%. A more dramatic change has been in the number of teachers who left the job citing “dissatisfied with teaching” or “career change” as their reason. This represents an increase from 5% in 2008 to 7% in 2012. After 2010 the state reports quit listing “dissatisfied with teaching” and simply began to record the data under the reason “Other”. Contrary to Republican messaging about “greedy” and “lazy” teachers, the reasons given by educators who are leaving is rarely just financial. “Teachers are torn in so many different directions with additional responsibilities – professional development, data collection and recording, testing – that the energy for the classroom is depleted. So much is planned into a day, I felt I was losing time to be personal with my students.” Binkley said. Since 2010 the North Carolina legislature has seen the election of politicians who have run for office on the idea that North Carolina’s education system was broken and needed reform. While this claim was false and North Carolina’s public schools were a national model, it turned out to be effective political messaging. The results of “reform” have been the dismantling of former Governor Jim Hunt’s proud education legacy and the introduction of confusing and sometimes contrary mandates from Raleigh onto NC’s educators. Basically the plan appears to be to break and crush public education in North Carolina, then create a situation where the further privatization of public education seems like a viable option to frustrated and concerned parents. “The changes have been immense – to the point of confusion. And all of the changes [in curriculum, class sizes, testing, etc] never go to a goal to help the children. I’ve seen economically needy children suffer the most,” one former teacher told CCD. Teacher “accountability” is also a major issue that is driving educators from the profession. While the political messaging about holding educators “accountable” sounds good, the reality is that unlike any other state job, such as those given to young, former campaign staffers of Governor McCrory, teachers are already held to a higher standard. Teachers must have earned specific degrees and passed rigorous licensing testing, as well as continue professional development to maintain their certification. Politicians know that if they yell enough about “accountability” that the impression on the public will be that teachers are not currently being held accountable. It is the same way messaging worked on voter fraud in spite of the fact that there is no evidence of voter fraud. One of the biggest issues frustrated teachers cite is a high level of accountability with almost no autonomy. “I was 100% accountable for the achievement of the students – measured only through quantitative assessments and data – but I was told exactly how, when, and what to teach: my schedule was laid out for me down to the minute. I could make very few decisions day to day based on what I thought was best for my kids,” another teacher who resigned from the school system at the end of the 2012-2013 school year told CCD. Teacher and instructional support personnel in NC grew from 56,000 in 1980-81 to 130,594 in 2011-12, (most recent data available) more than doubling in that 30 year time span. Data reported for the last two school years shows that the top reason teachers left the school system was retirement. Resignation for a career change rose from the #11 reason for turnover in the ’09-’10 school year to the 8th reason in ’10-’11 and the 6th reason for teachers leaving the system in the ’11-’12 school year. These numbers do not include those teachers who left the profession citing “dissatisfaction with teaching” who may not seek any employment after quitting teaching. According to information from the Public School Forum of NC, an estimated 20,000 students will be added to the NC school system every year for the foreseeable future. NC typically hires 9000-12000 teachers a year. Considering that the turnover rate for NC saw approximately 11,000 teachers leaving the school system in the most recent year reported, the hiring rate is not keeping up with the growing need for teachers required by the increase in students. This increase in student population, combined with the large number of baby boomers who are approaching retirement based on age and years of service, will mean that NC will soon face an immense teacher shortage. Add to that the increase in teachers leaving the profession because of dissatisfaction with teaching and/or to pursue another profession, this shortage could quickly reach a crisis level. Although teacher retirement will likely result in the largest loss of teachers in the system in the next 5 years, the loss of teachers to other professions could have an equally profound impact on the quality and effectiveness of teaching in the state. Inexperienced teachers have lower student outcomes than experienced teachers, with first year teachers being less effective in 9 of 11 comparisons, and second and third year teachers being less effective in 5 of 9 comparisons. Additionally, elementary reading teachers are less effective until their 5th year of teaching, and elementary math students lose the equivalent of 21 days of schooling when taught by an inexperienced teacher. Middle school math students lose the equivalent of 47 days of school under inexperienced teachers – which equates to missing one full 9 week quarter of school. What is missing from the current policy discussions about the future of education in North Carolina are the children, the students themselves. While partisan ideology and the anticipated market opportunities of private educators and their capital investors are driving “reform”, it is the students who will suffer in the end. This will be especially true as more and more experienced teachers leave the workforce, leaving young teachers without mentors. If we are going to hold teachers to a data-based standard as if they were corporate telemarketers or assembly line factory workers, then the students will no doubt emerge from their educational experience no more creative, fluid, or educated than the average widget. “You get what you pay for” is a cliché rooted in reality. Unfortunately for many of North Carolina’s students they are going get exactly what the current state government has paid for… a substandard education purchased on the cheap then owned and operated by the lowest bidder. |
We are conditioned to always expect the unexpected in college football. Upsets that alter the national title landscape? Those happen every year. But blowout upsets? Those are a bit more rare. Team of the week: Iowa (def. No. 6 Ohio State, 55-24) Just last year in Iowa City, Kirk Ferentz’s Iowa Hawkeyes threw a major kink in Michigan’s title plans, upsetting Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines in mid-November. Earlier this season, they almost did the same to Penn State. Those were close games, however. Iowa 14, Michigan 13. Penn State 21, Iowa 19. Late in the second quarter of their win over Ohio State on Saturday, the Hawkeyes began turning this into something other than an upset. Nate Stanley and Noah Fant connected for a 25-yard score with 3:06 left in the half, giving them a 24-17 lead. Then Joshua Jackson picked off J.T. Barrett, setting up a 3-yard Stanley-to-Fant touchdown and giving them a 14-point halftime lead. Late in the third quarter, it was 38-17. And then the points kept coming. Ohio State went three-and-out, and Iowa drove 60 yards. 45-17. Jackson picked off Barrett again, and Iowa added a field goal. 48-17. Ohio State scored, but Iowa recovered an onside kick and rushed five straight times for another touchdown. The upset wasn’t a stunner. The margin was. Iowa sat on top of the bully, one it had only defeated once in 20 years, and didn’t stop punching. The Hawkeyes scored their most points ever on Ohio State. They scored more than anyone had scored on the Buckeyes in 23 years and the fifth-most ever. They scored the most ever on an Urban Meyer team, period. All this a week after Ohio State proved its bona fides with a comeback win over Penn State. The Buckeyes showed up in Iowa City expecting a bit of a challenge and another win. They were not ready for what awaited them. They paid the price. Any in-conference blowout of Ohio State is surprising. The way this one came about was even more so. That Iowa was able to frustrate Barrett, force four turnovers, and hold the Buckeyes to a decent-not-great 5.7 yards per play wasn’t a shocker. Barrett’s carelessness a week after his shining moment was disappointing, but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility in this funky sport. Iowa, after all, did come into the game ranked 16th in Def. S&P+. This was more opportunism than domination, and the former is far more common in an upset than the latter. (That Ohio State completely forgot about its running backs in a loss was also not the most surprising thing in the world. J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber averaged 7.1 yards per carry ... on all of 11 carries.) The offense, though? Iowa ranked 99th in Off. S&P+ after nine weeks, held back by dreadful run inefficiency (113th in rushing success rate) and the typical Ferentzian insistence on running the ball. Ohio State, meanwhile: 12th in Def. S&P+ and first in Rushing S&P+. Ohio State dominated Penn State’s offensive front a week ago, shutting down star Saquon Barkley in the second half. But the Buckeyes allowed Akrum Wadley and James Butler to gain 192 yards in 30 carries. Stanley played off this run success perfectly, completing 20 of 31 passes for 226 yards. Tight ends Fant and T.J. Hockenson caught nine balls for 125 yards and four scores. Fullback Drake Kulick caught a touchdown pass as well. The Hawkeyes hadn't averaged more than 6.1 yards per play all season. With an indomitable running game and lots of big dudes running pass routes, they averaged 7 per play against one of the best defenses in the country. The turnovers helped to turn this into a rout, sure, but Iowa still had scoring drives of 89, 80, 78, 63, 60, and 47 yards. College football is always offering us something we're not ready for. Other teams of the week 2. No. 5 Oklahoma (def. No. 11 Oklahoma State, 62-52) That was exhausting and only sort of a football game. But OU combined a lucky early break and more than a half-mile of yardage to overcome a bowlful of adversity (some self-made) and a relentless rival. And the Sooners are still alive in the national title race because of it. 3. No. 24 Michigan State (def. No. 7 Penn State, 27-24) After qualifying for the 2015 College Football Playoff, Mark Dantonio’s Spartans went 3-9 last fall, then suffered massive attrition in the offseason. I thought I was being optimistic by thinking that a reset roster could figure enough out to eke out a bowl bid in 2017. Instead, after yesterday’s storm-delayed, last-second win over PSU, Sparty is tied with Ohio State atop the Big Ten West and will face the suddenly reeling Buckeyes for a likely conference title game bid next Saturday. Things change quickly. Things can change back just as quickly, too. 4. No. 10 Miami (def. No. 13 Virginia Tech, 28-10) The Hurricanes averaged 7.4 yards per play, allowed 4.0, and passed the turnover chain around four times. They even had a celebrity turnover chain. Hard Rock Stadium was rocking like the Orange Bowl. This was one hell of a statement, even if the offense was a little bit more unstable than I would prefer. 5. UAB (def. Rice, 52-21) A 52-21 victory has your BOWL ELIGIBLE!!!!!!! Celebrate good times Birmingham!#GreaterBHAM pic.twitter.com/zLcUsEEV2k — UAB Football (@UAB_FB) November 4, 2017 College football’s favorite zombie program is going bowling. I just cannot tell you how impressed I am with the Blazers and head coach Bill Clark. The Blazers’ mere existence is a more unlikely win over Alabama than Clemson’s in last year’s national title game. That Clark is actually building a viable program as well is just stunning. 6. Army (def. Air Force, 21-0) Put yourself in position to win your first Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in 21 years? Check. (The Army-Navy winner will take the trophy, thanks to each team’s win over Air Force.) Do it without throwing a pass? Check. 7. No. 9 Wisconsin (def. Indiana, 45-17) One of the primary themes emerging from Saturday was “The Big Ten is doomed!” Ohio State and Penn State were each all but eliminated from national title contention, yes, but ... Wisconsin remained undefeated, romping over an Indiana that has been pretty competitive. And they did it in a very Wisconsin way, easing in (down 10-0 after 16 minutes) and then physically dominating. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 183 yards, the defense forced three turnovers, and the Badgers gave the Hoosiers almost nothing after the early going. If the Badgers win out (which would include a win over probably either Ohio State or Michigan State in the Big Ten title game), I highly doubt the CFP committee will keep them out, if not because of UW’s résumé, then because a few more top teams are likely to lose and clear the path. 8. Northwestern (def. Nebraska, 31-24) Every Northwestern-Nebraska game comes down to the wire — it is one of the most reliably dramatic series in college football — but it would have been nice if Northwestern had given its fans a week off from craziness. No FBS team has ever won three straight overtime games. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. #B1GCats — #B1GCats Football (@NUFBFamily) November 4, 2017 9. ULM (def. Appalachian State, 52-45) Matt Viator took on one of the hardest jobs in FBS in 2016. He just scored his best win yet, when his Warhawks lost a halftime lead to Sun Belt heavyweight Appalachian State, got it back, lost it again, then won anyway. They drove 60 yards for the go-ahead score with 3:17 left, then watched the Mountaineers tie it up with 53 seconds left. No worries! And no overtime! Caleb Evans and R.J. Turner connected for a 50-yard game-winner with 23 seconds left, moving the Warhawks to 4-5 for the season. Bowl eligibility isn’t likely — their remaining games are against Auburn, Arkansas State, and, assuming it is rescheduled, Florida State — but this was a big win all the same. 10. Rutgers (def. Maryland, 31-24) Speaking of nod-worthy 4-5 teams ... after a 1-4 start, Chris Ash’s Scarlet Knights have won three of their last four games. They, too, will struggle to get to six wins — they still have to go to Penn State and host Michigan State — but after serving as the butt of plenty of jokes last season (and early this year), they are showing definitive improvement late in Ash’s second year. This piece has taken on quite the Big Ten theme. TWO BONUS TEAMS: 11T. Wyoming and Colorado State (UW won, 16-13) Snow football is just the best. As long as you’re not in the stands for it, anyway. |
The video will start in 8 Cancel Get the biggest Weekday Stoke City FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Mark Hughes is to remain manager of Stoke City for next Saturday's crunch clash with fellow strugglers West Brom. The club's top brass remain gravely concerned by the club's position after yesterday's 3-0 home defeat by West Ham leaves them fourth bottom after five defeats in six. But neither chairman Peter Coates nor vice chairman John Coates were minded to make a change at the top. For now, at least, they share Hughes' confidence that he is the man to steer the club away from a relegation dogfight. But clearly a repeat of yesterday's events come next Saturday against West Brom, a club currently two places and two points below Stoke after losing at home to Manchester United this afternoon, could force a re-think. (Image: Getty) The club's board remains optimistic that forthcoming fixtures offer Hughes and his players the chance to pull clear of immediate trouble. Stoke City follow the West Brom game with a trip to Huddersfield on Boxing Day, to Chelsea on December 30 and then entertain free-falling Newcastle on New Year's Day. As for Albion, they scored their first goal in more than six hours at The Hawthorns this afternoon but, despite late pressure, it proved no more than a late consolation in a 2-1 defeat to United. |
There was a distinct trend in women's fashion on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards Sunday night, and it was not pixie cuts or gowns with trains. It was cleavage. Not your average demure decolletage, either. Some of the night's most famous attendees had their breasts fully out on front street. Obviously there's the factor of breast objectification, but this was not entirely about that. The amount of cleavage on display was not just a sexual statement but some kind of dare, an act of confrontational femininity that challenged viewers to reevaluate any preconceived notions they might have about large breasts and their impropriety. As a chesty woman who has often been on the receiving end of sneers simply for wearing tank tops in the summer (can I live?), let me just say: thank you, ladies of television, for putting it out there. Christina Hendricks, goddess of curves, led the pack: the full-figured "Mad Men" beauty has been instrumental in challenging the impossibly thin beauty standard that has reigned for at least a few decades. And while her hourglass figure is constantly objectified (and has made an excellent plot point on her show), Hendricks is never reserved about wearing low necklines—and it's hard not to think about her goth past and not imbue her dress choices with a sense of determined agency. That for every dis from the Fashion Police, she clocks another strapless dress into her wardrobe to floss her cleavage as defiantly as two middle fingers up. It might sound absurd, particularly for an award-winning actress, but for every Esquire piece talking about how she is the most beautiful woman in America, there's another piece shaming her for her cleavage. In 2010, three years after she became famous for her role as Joan on "Mad Men," she told a Daily Record reporter that "no designer in town will loan me a dress" because she is a size 14. This time around, Hendricks wore a design by Christian Siriano, the "Project Runway" winner made good, and she didn't seem shy at all about its neckline. On the red carpet, she was poised as ever, being who she wants to be. Advertisement: It's a little different for Sofia Vergara, the Colombian star of "Modern Family," because while her curves are celebrated, they're also often tied to her Latin background. The way the Emmy writers played the comedic siren's presence was typical of the "spicy" tropes that get tossed on any woman with Latin American roots. (The mocking of her accent on a pre-shot skit with the "Modern Family" cast was particularly egregious.) So maybe she gets more of a pass from the critical masses since there's a subconscious expectation of Latinas to be more sexualized. The same went for Morena Baccarin ("Homeland"), the Brazilian-American whose architectural neckline called to mind J Lo at her most showstopping, and garnered just as much post-show "hubba hubba" hullabaloo. But Vergara also wore a revealing gown with self-confident impunity—and even better, when she had a wardrobe malfunction, she tweeted about it before anyone could dominate the conversation. She seems to feel good enough about her body not to react with humiliation; when her zipper split and revealed her rear, she tweeted a photo and said, "Yes!!!! This happend 20 min before we won!!!! Jajajajja. I luv my life!!!!" (Even more amazing than her easygoing attitude about the open zipper: she wasn't wearing Spanx!) One difficulty for the naturally large-breasted is the double standard; even in an asexual tank top, they are looked upon as more sexual than women with smaller chests, both objectified and shamed for their genetics (which, by the way, they have no control over). This reaction involves a mixed-up cocktail of evolutionary biology and Victorian standards, complicated by weird media expectations. Ever hear the rumor that Anna Wintour doesn't like breasts? Ever seen a runway model? Messages operate at two extremes, telling large-breasted women they're the most desirable women ever because of their mammary glands, and also that they're wrong and gross freaks who will never, ever be able to fit into designer clothing. That's why the ballsy, breast-proud exposure of the likes of Hendricks and Vergara feels like non-conformity, rather than over-sexualization. They're representing for those of us stuck in the middle, who have been made to feel like we have something to hide, or that we're only our chests. They're representing for those of us who got sent to the principle's office in seventh grade just for wearing a tank top, or who were doused with water in eighth grade for making the mistake of wearing a white T-shirt. Maybe it sounds ridiculous, taking a concept so simple and banal as dressing for an awards show in 1-percenter Hollywood, and turning it into a righteous reclamation of body politic. But it does a lot for those of us who've struggled with this our whole lives. And when anyone in the public eye wears their chests with confidence—whether it's Kat Dennings, Zooey Deschanel, Tina Fey, or Padma Lakshmi, all of whom let their necklines go free—it's a welcome bit of encouragement. Don't call it a comeback. We've been here for years. |
ERBIL, Iraq — Dynamics affecting armed opposition groups from Syria’s easternmost region, the Islamic State-held Deir ez-Zor, have shifted significantly in recent months. Though some of the groups deployed north and south of the region are helping Kurdish fighters retake Raqqa, most are strongly against involvement by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their home region. The importance of using local forces in the fight to retake Syria’s easternmost region has long been seen as key to preventing backlash from the local Sunni Arab population, ethnic-based violations and land grabs. In the southern desert, Jaish Usud al-Sharqiya (Lions of the East Army) made vast gains in the first few months of the year but lost territory after being cut off by the regime and allied foreign, Iranian-backed, Shiite militias and prevented from further advancing into IS-held areas. The group, made up mostly of fighters and commanders from Deir ez-Zor, has struggled to advance in recent weeks but has managed to advance in some areas such as Bir Mahroutha in the south, where it reportedly seized a tank and weapons from the regime and allied forces Aug. 1 with the help of a local opposition group, the Forces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo. Jaish Usud al-Sharqiya receives support from the Amman-based Military Operations Center and has in recent months focused on fighting regime-allied forces after long concentrating on the battle against the Islamic State (IS). The group has forces near al-Tanf military base, where US special forces are stationed alongside British and Norwegian ones acting as military trainers for fighters from Maghawir al-Thawra (Revolutionary Commandos Army, or MaT), another group from the Deir ez-Zor region. MaT fights exclusively against IS unless it comes under attack from other groups as part of its agreement with the Pentagon in exchange for the support MaT receives. A former member of the MaT communications team told Al-Monitor at a meeting in Turkey on condition of anonymity that a more powerful Pentagon and a weaker CIA as wanted by the Trump administration since it came into office in January has led to greater support for MaT from the United States and lesser for Jaish Usud al-Sharqiya, despite the latter's holding more territory, and that this trend seems likely to continue. Jaish Usud al-Sharqiya spokesman Badreddin al-Salama agreed, telling Al-Monitor in an interview in southern Turkey in late July that relations between his group and MaT “are in relation to those between the CIA and the Pentagon.” “We have fought against IS a few times in collaboration with MaT, but that is all,” he added, noting that “we could do so much more if we had air support.” Salama said, “We could send thousands more men” originally from eastern Syria to join the fight in southern Syria if they could get the necessary permission from the Turkish and Jordanian authorities. The only way to get the men to Jordan and then through the border into Syria is to enable them to cross into Turkey from northern Syria and then fly them to Amman; otherwise, it would require crossing IS or regime territory, he said. A small part of Jaish Usud al-Sharqiya has also been stranded in a besieged area of Qalamoun near the Lebanese border for several months. There are “about 100 fighters” there, Salama said, adding that “a ‘reconciliation deal’ has been proposed by the Russians” that is likely to be accepted but has not yet been. Meanwhile, the Syrian Elite Forces, a group based in the northern area under Kurdish control whose leaders and core are also Arabs from the Deir ez-Zor region, withdrew from fighting alongside the SDF on the front lines of Raqqa in July. In December 2016, Col. John Dorrian described the group as a “notable” force when he was spokesman for the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve. The fighters' commander, Abu Saleh, told Al-Monitor in an interview in Erbil in early August that the decision to withdraw from the battle for Raqqa was made after the SDF “continually put pressure on us to come under their direct control and prevented necessary supplies from reaching us.” He said the SDF had also repeatedly partially withdrawn during battles, leaving some of his fighters exposed. Abu Saleh is from the Shaitat tribe, which rose up against IS in the oil-rich area in the eastern part of the country and suffered a major massacre at IS hands — at least 1,000 mostly young men were killed in only a few days in August 2014. Prior to this, he was also the head of a local armed group fighting against the regime. Now, he says, the over 1,000 men he commands have withdrawn to the south of Hasakah. They are not trying to advance and will not do so until they get direct support from the international coalition not channeled through the SDF, he said, adding that this is unlikely to occur until after Raqqa has been retaken, if at all. The leaders of the groups working in the north and south are in contact with each other “at a personal level,” they all say. Plans to gather all groups whose cores and command structures are from Deir ez-Zor under one umbrella group have been frequently discussed for years, but nothing has come of it yet. Abu Saleh has lost the optimism he had even a few months back, he told Al-Monitor, adding that he believes the only option for opposition forces to regain Deir ez-Zor would be from the north, given the heavy presence of Iranian-backed militias in the Syrian desert to the south. The regime is also advancing toward Deir ez-Zor from the north. Several members of various groups from Deir ez-Zor and locals who recently escaped IS-held territory told Al-Monitor they reject out of hand the idea of Kurds being involved in the fight to retake the region, with some saying they would “fight on the side of IS before letting Kurds into the territory.” Though he feels this attitude is counterproductive, Abu Saleh agrees that the Kurds should not be allowed to take part in the battle. Advancing from the north would necessarily require using Kurdish-held land at least as a staging ground for the operation. Though some analysts say the Russian-backed Syrian regime and Iranian-backed militias are likely to retake Deir ez-Zor, all of the armed groups Al-Monitor spoke to originally from the region oppose the idea. The United States and others in the international anti-IS coalition would also be averse to the oft-predicted direct supply line from Iran through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea that would result. Supporting local opposition groups such as Jaish Usud al-Sharqiya, MaT and the SEF may be the only real way to prevent this. |
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte inspects a police honour guard Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday announced "dead-or-alive" bounties worth $40,000 each for policemen he accused of helping an accused narco-politician, and said he prefered they be killed. The call for police officers to kill their colleagues is the latest inflammatory comment by Duterte in his controversial drug war, which has claimed thousands of lives, and comes shortly after a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Duterte made the offer during a speech at national police headquarters, offering two million pesos ($40,000) for an unspecified number of officers who allegedly helped a mayor killed in an anti-drug operation on July 30. "Each of those policemen carry on their heads now, I am announcing, two million per head and you are free to go on leave (to pursue them)," Duterte told the officers in the audience. "I'll cut short my speech so that you will have a chance for a crack at the two million for those idiots." Duterte added the bounty would be paid if the policemen were found "dead or alive -- better dead". He said the unidentified policemen had worked with Reynaldo Parojinog, the mayor of the southern city of Ozamiz, who was killed in the pre-dawn raid along with his wife, his brother and 13 other people. Police said they were forced to kill the 16 people in self-defence, but Parojinog's lawyer has insisted the mayor and others had not resisted arrest. Duterte had accused Parojinog of being a major drug trafficker. As he has done in similar cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, Duterte on Wednesday also vowed to give legal protection to the policemen who killed Parojinog and the other 15. If they were found guilty of murder, he would pardon them, he vowed. Duterte easily won presidential elections last year after promising an unprecedented war on drugs in which tens of thousands of people would be killed. Since he took office in the middle of last year, police have confirmed killing more than 3,400 people in anti-drug operations. More than 2,000 other people have been killed in drug-related crimes and thousands more murdered in unexplained circumstances, according to police data. Rights groups say many of those victims have been killed by government-backed vigilantes, and Duterte has boasted that he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts. Former US president Barack Obama was among the many international critics of Duterte's tactics. But criticism from the United States, the Philippines' former colonial ruler and mutual defence partner, has been toned down under the administration of Donald Trump. Tillerson met Duterte in Manila on Monday on the sidelines of a regional security forum. Duterte said American officials did not raise any concerns with him. |
In science fiction, from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Ender's Game, astronauts zip around zero-g environments clad in stylish, skin-tight spacesuits. In reality, outfits designed for outer space are bulky, hard to maneuver, and have all the charm of adult diapers. Even their name, Extravehicular Mobility Units, or EMUs, is clumsy. Enter Dava Newman, fashion designer to the stars. You won't see her work on the red carpet, but if this MIT professor has her way, all the most fashionable space explorers will be wearing her designs when they set foot on the red planet. >A thousand feet of ribbing is held in place with over 140,000 stitches. For a mission to Mars to succeed, off-world explorers desperately need a new wardrobe to deal with the planet's unique challenges. In humanity's entire spacefaring existence, there have been 514 extravehicular space walks, but a single, multi-year mission to Mars will require over 1,000. On the ground, astronauts will be expected to explore extreme environments like the Olympus Mons, a volcano the size of Arizona that's nearly three times the height of Mount Everest. Suits will need to be easier to don and doff, provide greater freedom of movement, and be comfortable for long haul journeys. Newman's solution is called the BioSuit and looks a bit like a superhero's costume, but it's actually just a form-fitting math problem. In order to survive in the vacuum of space, human bodies require pressure. EMUs solve this problem by creating a pressurized vessel, sort of like a mini airplane cabin. By contrast, the BioSuit employs semi-rigid ribs traced across the body to provide mechanical counterpressure while letting the wearer retain a full range of movement. While they haven't sent the suit to space, Newman's group has access to a focus group of astronauts, including moon walker Buzz Aldrin. Photo: Marla Aufmuth Providing that life-preserving pressure requires over a thousand feet of ribbing, which is threaded through the suit at critical strain points and held in place with over 140,000 stitches. Gold fibers are woven through the outfit and paired with biometric sensors to collect data that helps mission control keep tabs on the crew. The snug unis protect astronauts, provide greater freedom of movement and more physically taxing experiments, and importantly, make the astronauts look more like characters in a J.J. Abrams movie than some doofy educational film. "Aesthetics are a critical component of design and engineering," says Newman. "I still think space exploration is the most exciting thing going on, and heroic-looking suits might help make more of a human connection for folks." Beyond its good looks, the BioSuit will also be safer. If a micrometorite or piece of space junk pierced an EMU, the suit would rapidly depressurize, leaving the astronaut out of luck in outer space, but the BioSuit could be patched with next-gen duct tape. Newman has filed a number of patents on her invention, but is quick to share credit with earlier thinkers in the field. Dr. Arthur S. Iberall developed a similar concept for NASA in the 1960s, and a textbook from 1882 called Lehrbuch der systematischen und topographischen Anatomie provided Newman with the basic math that dictates the placement of the ribs that create the suit's soft exoskeleton. These older ideas served as a launchpad while modern innovations like shape memory alloys, passive-elastic materials, and electro-spun fabrics served as the fuel. >Newman's team has tested the suits by exploring the alien terrain near Area 51. 3-D tools have also been critically important to the project. Scanners allow the design team to make perfectly fit gear for each member of the flight crew. "Custom-designed individual suits are critical in my opinion since we want to facilitate extreme exploration," says Newman. "And the best way I know how to improve performance is to provide astronaut explorers with maximum mobility while requiring the least amount of energy expenditure." Meanwhile, 3-D printers have advanced to levels that would have been unimaginable at the start. "The great thing about 3-D printing today is that we can use it for concepts, almost like sketch models, early in our design process rather than 3-D printing for only final designs, as we did in the past," says Newman. "A former NASA Administrator was quoted as saying 'anytime you can tell a female astronaut from a male astronaut in a spacesuit, that’s a good thing.' I tend to agree," says Newman. Photo: Marla Aufmuth Newman's team has tested the suits by donning the futuristic garb and exploring the alien terrain near Area 51 in the Southwest. They also developed a custom robot that can simulate a full range of human movement and withstand the uncomfortable prodding required to ensure a proper fit. While they haven't sent the outfit to space, the group is lucky to have a focus group of astronauts, including moon walker Buzz Aldrin, to provide feedback. Science comes first, but Newman isn't skimping on style. While busy bringing dozens of technologies to bear and developing the complex mathematics that drive the suit's functionality, Newman sought out design partnerships with Dainese, an Italian firm that makes high-performance gear for motorcyclists and extreme athletes, as well as a contingent of RISD students to ensure that the suits are flattering as well as functional. "A former NASA Administrator was quoted as saying 'anytime you can tell a female astronaut from a male astronaut in a spacesuit, that’s a good thing.' I tend to agree," says Newman. There's no final countdown for the suits to become available. Newman has spent years refining the designs, testing new materials in simulations, and developing new fabrication techniques—in fact, many of her most recent publications have focused more on advances in testing technology than extravehicular missions. The majority of the work is completed on the mechanical aspects of the suit, but the life support systems still need to be integrated before it can be tested in the unforgiving vacuum of space, a process which will require significant funding. In the past NASA has funded the development of the research, but perhaps Virgin Galactic or Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin might want spiffy threads for their stewards? Even if the flight plan for Mars is delayed indefinitely, all of Newman's R&D will have down to Earth applications. Already, some of the innovations are being applied to treatments for children with cerebral palsy and seniors with severe balance impediments. Ultimately, Newman hopes we can design our way towards a world devoid of disability. |
A Russian military delegation is currently in Pyongyang talking to the Command of the Korean People’s Army. A Russian military delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Monday to conduct a military-to-military dialogue with the command of the Korean People’s Army TASS reports. The Russian delegation, headed by First Deputy Chief of Russia’s General Staff Nikolay Bogdanovsky, is slated to begin talks with their North Korean counterparts this Wednesday and will stay in North Korea until November 13. The precise topics of discussion between Russia and North Korea are unknown, although there have been speculations that a defense agreement “on prevention of dangerous military activities” could be signed as a result of the talks. According to TASS: This issue was discussed at a meeting held in June this year in Moscow between Russia’s State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin and Chairman of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly Choe Thae-bok. The sides came to the conclusion that the document “is in a quite high degree of readiness” and “may be signed before the end of this year. Back in June, Naryshkin told Russian media that “[w]e consider it appropriate to significantly intensify our efforts to improve and to update the legal framework of our relations. We consider it possible before the end of the year to sign two important documents: a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and an agreement on preventing dangerous military activities.” The draft agreement has already been approved by the Russian government. According to Interfax, the draft agreement states that an agreement between Russia and North Korea is necessary in order to “to prevent dangerous military activities and promptly and peacefully resolve any incident between the parties’ armed forces, which could arise as a result of dangerous military activities.” Furthermore, the draft agreement emphasizes that “in the interests of mutual security, the personnel of either party shall act with the utmost caution and prudence while conducting activities close to the territory or the armed forces of the other party.” Both countries also pledge not to interfere in each other’s domestic affairs and pledge to prevent “the creation of interferences capable of hampering efforts to provide national security in an area of special consideration.” “The parties shall implement whatever measures possible to promptly ensure discontinuation and peaceful resolution, without resorting to the threat and use of force, of any incident which could arise as a result of dangerous military activities,” the draft agreement further reads. According to North Korean state media both countries declared 2015 a “year of friendship” in order to commemorate “Korea’s liberation and the victory in the great Patriotic War in Russia.” A North Korean delegation, led by Lieutenant General Choe Jang Sik, deputy head of the Korean People’s Army General Staff Operations Bureau, visited Moscow in August to discuss the possible participation of a North Korean team in the “2016 International Army Games,” annually hosted by the Russian Ministry of Defense (See: “Russia Beats China in This Year’s International Army Games”). |
Political turmoil, social unrest, civil war and terrorism could all be on the table unless the world boosts its food production by 60 percent come mid-century, the UN’s main hunger fighting agency has warned. The world’s population is expected to hit 9 billion people by 2050, which, coupled with the higher caloric intake of increasingly wealthy people, is likely to drastically increase food demand over the coming decades said Hiroyuki Konuma, the assistant director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization Asia-Pacific. Increased food demand comes at a time when the world is investing less in agricultural research, prompting fear among scientists that global food security could be imperiled. "If we fail to meet our goal and a food shortage occurs, there will be a high risk of social and political unrest, civil wars and terrorism, and world security as a whole might be affected," Reuters cites Konuma as saying at a one-week regional food security conference in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Several factors could exacerbate the potential for apocalyptic famines. In November, a leaked draft of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report warned that climate change could cause a 2 percent drop each decade of this century. In the past three years for example, Australia, Canada, China, Russia and the United States have all suffered big flood and drought induced harvest losses. Exacerbating this problem is a convergence in diets worldwide, with reliance on an ever smaller group of crops leaving global food supplies increasingly vulnerable to inflationary pressure, insects and disease. "As the global population rises and the pressure increases on our global food system, so does our dependence on the global crops and production system that feeds us,” Luigi Guarino, from the Global Crop Diversity Trust, told the BBC earlier this month. "The price of failure of any of these crops will become very high." Progress has been made in the battle against global hunger, with vegetable production in Asia and the Pacific, where more than three-quarters of the world’s vegetables are grown, increasing by 25 percent over the last decade. The FAO estimates, however, that 842 million people in the world remain undernourished, with nearly two thirds of them living in the Asia-Pacific. One in four children under the age of five is stunted due to malnutrition. To combat the problem, the UN body has outlined two primary options: increasing arable land areas as well as productivity rates. A lack of available arable land and more sluggish growth rates in staple crops have complicated efforts to bolster these two pillars of food security. Over the past two years, productivity rates for rice and wheat have hovered around 0.6 to 0.8 percent. Those rates would have to stabilize around 1 percent in order to offset serious shortages, said Konuma. Environmentalists have also urged better food distribution methods. In February, the FAO, World Bank and World Resources Institute estimated that the world is losing 25 to 33 percent of the food it produces – nearly 4 billion metric tons. More efficient agricultural production, better means of storing food and biologically diverse, local food systems less susceptible to global changes have also been proposed as solutions to help tackle the growing threat of food insecurity. |
The government will unveil its plans later to replace the House of Lords with an elected second chamber. There will be a draft bill included in a White Paper for a house of 300 members serving 15-year terms, with one third of them elected by proportional representation every five years. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will set out a series of options in an attempt to secure consensus for change. But the plans are expected to face strong opposition from peers and MPs. Many options In the coalition agreement, the government promised to bring forward proposals to reform the House of Lords. On Tuesday it will fulfil that promise, at least up to a point. The draft bill will be tucked discreetly at the back of a White Paper containing as many options as there are proposals. The government will not specify whether the whole chamber should be elected or whether some - 20% - should be appointed. It will not specify the chamber's name, which form of PR should be used for the elections, the size of the multi-member constituencies and - most contentious of all - what should happen to the 800-odd existing peers. One option is for all but 200 to be expelled immediately, with the survivors elected from among their own number. Another would see their expulsion phased in more gradually with a third nominated out as a third elected come in. Another option would see them all staying on until 2025, at least those who survived. Early fight Ministers had been hoping to come up with something rather more specific but the plans changed in recent weeks. First the alternative vote referendum was overwhelmingly defeated and Mr Clegg is keen to avoid a reputation as a man obsessed with tilting at constitutional windmills when the rest of the country is worried about the economy. Second, a strategic decision has been taken to try to seek some kind of consensus, optimistic though this may be. By listing options rather than a prescriptive plan, Mr Clegg hopes to avoid provoking an early fight with peers. And by offering them the chance to stay on in the reformed second chamber, he hopes to buy off some who are more interested keeping their backside on a red bench than the constitutional niceties of reform. All the detail will now be considered by a joint committee of both houses of Parliament that will be asked to report by next February. Only once that committee has reported will we see just how serious the government is about reform. Timetable doubts In theory the government would like to be able to respond to the committee by the spring so it is in a position to put forward a proper, all-singing, all-dancing bill in the next Queen's speech in May 2012. The bill would go through Parliament in the back end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 so that there would be enough time to get everything ready for the first Lords elections on the same day as the general election in 2015. That, at least, is the optimistic scenario. But the prospects for delay and parliamentary trench warfare are huge. For a start, the government may ask the joint committee to report by next February but that may not happen. The committee may decide to take more time. Committees do that. The May 2012 deadline for a proper bill may, as a result, be missed. The bill may make such slow progress that it clogs up all other parliamentary business and has to be abandoned. It might eventually get through but too late for arrangements to be made for the 2015 elections. Bad omens Opponents of reform are already getting organised, sending letters to MPs and forging cross-party alliances. The three main party leaderships may all be signed up to some kind of elected second chamber but their parliamentary parties are much less keen. Many peers oppose an elected second chamber because they fear it will politicise their house, depriving it of independent expertise, knowledge and wisdom, and filling it instead with party apparatchiks. Ed Miliband may favour a wholly elected second chamber but many of his Labour peers are as opposed to reform as their Conservative colleagues. And many MPs oppose an elected second chamber because they fear it will be more assertive with its new found elective legitimacy, and challenge the supremacy of the House of Commons. Already the search is on for the new Michael Foot and Enoch Powell, the two MPs who formed a cross-party alliance to head off an elected Lords in the late 1960s. The likelihood is that if the government wants to get this through, it will probably at some stage have to use the Parliament Acts to override the Lords and force the changes through against their will, something that has only been done four times in the last century. Ultimately, the question for the government is how much political capital it is prepared to spend on something that a Liberal government first promised in the pre-amble of the Parliament Act of 1911. The omens for a speedy result are not good. |
The government has once again failed India’s large community of people with disabilities, this time in its drafting of the Goods and Services Tax. Many assistive devices for persons with disabilities and services for the disabled will be taxed at between 5% and 18% under GST, which is scheduled to come into effect on July 1. The new tax rates demonstrate the government’s apathy to the needs of the disabled as well as the lack of consultation with the disability sector while formulating this new tax regime. For persons with disabilities, assistive devices ensure personal mobility, communication and often mean the difference between a life of seclusion and a life of activity. To ensure the best possible outcomes for persons with disabilities, a comprehensive habilitation and rehabilitation programme that includes the availability of aids and appliances as per the choice and requirement of the individual is essential. Habilitation is the process of helping disabled people attain, keep or improve skills and functioning for daily living. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which India ratified in 2007, speaks of the right to personal mobility for persons with disabilities. State parties are supposed to facilitate access to quality mobility aids, devices, assistive technologies and forms of live assistance and intermediaries (like personal assistants, interpreters and service animals), including by making them available at affordable cost. This does not specifically mandate removing taxes and other levies on the assistive devices, nor does it mandate that these be provided free of charge, though it may be necessary in many cases. The announcement of the rate slabs under the GST regime has included disability-related aids and appliances within taxable items. Currently, assistive devices are exempt from charges like Value Added Tax at the state level, central excise, customs and additional customs duties. These devices include wheelchairs, hearing aids and implants, prosthetics and orthotics that are worn to correct foot and ankle problems, artificial limbs and parts, crutches, cycle carriages, intraocular lenses and simple spectacles. Under the GST regime, wheelchairs and many other items will be taxed at 5%. Orthopaedic appliances, including crutches, artificial limbs and hearing aids will be taxed at 12%. While products for the visually impaired were earlier notified at higher GST slabs, all products including braille paper, braille typewriters and braille watches will now also be taxed at 5%, while braille printed books will be exempt from tax. Adapted cars for physically handicapped persons will be taxed at 18%. Disability rights activists rightfully believe that this move will make these aids and appliances unaffordable for persons with disabilities and impinges upon their right to life, communication and movement. Still inaccessible The availability of aids and appliances in India is extremely low. The government’s Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances or ADIP scheme is open to persons who have a personal income or family income (in case of dependents) not exceeding Rs. 15,000 per month. Aids and appliances manufactured by the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India or ALIMCO and are distributed through various registered non-governmental organisations. The distribution of wheelchairs and tricycles under the scheme has been extremely poor, with no distributions between 2012-’13 and 2013-’14, and only 134 distributions till April 2015. By June 2016, ALIMCO reportedly reached out to 1.58 lakh beneficiaries by conducting 766 distribution camps throughout the country. However, these camps are conducted only upon the request of the ministry, local representatives or district authorities. For persons trying to access the scheme individually, the success rate is abysmally low. Obviously, they cannot afford to seek options from the private sector. Even for families and individuals above the poverty line, the government fails to consider the additional cost costs of disability that may push them into poverty. Large parts of urban and rural India are disabled-unfriendly. People with disabilities cannot make use of public transport and may have to hire assistance and avail of rehabilitative services that take up a large portion of the family income. Even in high-income households, persons with disabilities get very little say in how much gets spent on them. A girl reading braille at the Bihar Natraheen Parishad or Bihar School for Blind Girls. Photo credit: JP Davidson/Flickr [Licensed under CC BY 2.0] Bhargav Sundaram is the chief executive of Callidai Motor Works, a company in Chennai that manufactures motorised wheelchairs and other mobility aids for various impairments. In his experience, families that will buy motorcycles for their able-bodied sons without a second thought, worry about returns on investments on a motorised wheelchair. “They even weigh the cost against the possibly short lifespan of the individual, whereas for ourselves we believe that even if we are living for a day it should be the best quality of life.” If the manufacturer wants... As a manufacturer, Bhargav explains that in theory, the five percent tax slab under the GST regime may actually result in expensive assistive devices becoming more affordable. Because of the tax exemptions on assistive devices at present, manufacturers of assistive devices cannot take advantage of the input tax credit mechanism, whereby the credit of tax paid at every stage would be available as set-off for payment of tax at every subsequent stage. Manufacturers of assistive devices were paying taxes on supplies but could not set these off against the final sale. Under the GST regime, if the manufacture of a Rs one lakh motorised wheelchair involved the payment of Rs 20,000 in tax, the manufacturer can seek a rebate of that amount minus five percent. In effect, Rs 15,000 can be claimed as a refund or carried forward, which may be passed on as a benefit to the end consumer. Of course, as Bhargav points out, this is entirely up to the manufacturer. Other manufacturers of goods that are otherwise high in demand may not find any incentive to reducing prices without a government directive to that effect. In terms of services, there appears to have been no specific consideration for the requirements of persons with disabilities. The existing service tax regulations exempt services rendered by charitable institutions registered under Section 12AA of the Income Tax Act for “care or counseling of terminally ill persons or persons with disabilities”. The requirements of persons with disabilities have gone beyond care and are more on the lines of empowerment – they may need interpreters for sign language, augmentative and alternative communication charts, skill coaching, service animal training and personal assistants. They may choose to receive services from individuals not affiliated to charitable institutions. These services, which are extremely beneficial for persons with visible and invisible impairments, are unregulated at present and a service tax at 18% under GST may discourage their usage. While drafting and determination tax rates of goods and services for persons with disabilities, the government has failed to consult with the disability sector as to the potential impact. There has also been no attempt to make information regarding GST accessible to persons with disabilities or available in simple language formats for a larger audience. Since different interest groups appear to have found success in seeking exemptions, the realities of the lives of persons with disabilities too requires consideration to ensure that they have choice and control in affording quality assistive devices. Before calling upon persons with disabilities to contribute to the state exchequer when they purchase their bare necessities towards a dignified life, there needs to be consideration of what the state has done to treat them as equal citizens. Amba Salelkar works on disability law and policy at the Equals Centre for Promotion of Social Justice, Chennai. The views expressed here are personal. |
The BP oil disaster in the Gulf Coast is now the most massive spill in world history. The negative impact of oil refining operations is being felt not just along the Gulf Coast, but right next door in Whiting, Indiana as well. The BP refinery in Whiting is polluting our air and water, and threatens the ecosystem of the Great Lakes. It is refining oil made from tar sands, one of the dirtiest forms of crude in the world, and is one of the largest polluters along the Great Lakes. While the eyes of the world are focused on the unmitigated disaster along the Gulf Coast, there is a growing danger right here in Illinois. BP's planned expansion of its Whiting, IN refinery -- already the 6th largest polluter in the greater Chicago area -- threatens the clean, cheap, and plentiful Lake Michigan drinking water, one of our region's greatest natural resources. As Capitol Hill Blue reported, BP's attack on the Great Lakes comes in three parts: a) BP wants to drill under Lake Michigan, almost a mile below the lake's bottom. Think of the Gulf leak, but with fresh, not salt water. b) BP is the 6th largest polluter in the Chicago area. With its new Whiting refinery capacity, its pollution output will increase by 40%. c) BP deliberately pollutes Lake Michigan with benzene & mercury. Remnants from the tar sands refining process will be far, far worse. The $3.8 billion dollar Whiting expansion project is designed to refine dirty Canadian oil shale and tar sands. The EPA estimates that greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 40% and add huge amounts of nitrogen oxides (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (C0), and particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) to our air. To make matters worse, according to Capitol Hill Blues, "BP got permission from Indiana's Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to increase the amounts of pollution it could dump into Lake Michigan. BP is now free to take as much water as it needs, and can dump all the pollution it creates." The Whiting refinery already releases huge amounts of toxins, including benzene and mercury, into our drinking water. BP is purposely releasing polluted water right near the Chicago water intakes. In 2009, the EPA cited the BP Whiting refinery with emitting cancer-causing benzene at its wastewater treatment plant without proper air pollution control equipment. BP, which markets itself as environmentally friendly, must be held accountable for their actions. Federal officials say cleaning up the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has already cost the government $87 million, making it the third-most expensive cleanup effort in the nation's history. Rainbow PUSH Coalition will be protesting these unsafe and ecologically damaging practices at BP. |
The Bay Area job market hit an unexpected speed bump in August, state labor officials reported Friday, but analysts believe the nine-county region remains poised to extend its yearslong pace of robust employment growth. The region added 1,200 jobs in August, but that was just a fraction of the gains seen in the previous months. Over the one-year period that ended in July, the Bay Area employment market expanded at a rate of 9,200 new jobs per month, or 110,000 total. “We could be cooling off a little bit, but this report isn’t enough to make us too nervous about the strength of the expansion in Santa Clara County and the Bay Area,” said Scott Anderson, chief economist with San Francisco-based Bank of the West. Santa Clara County lost 500 jobs, while the East Bay gained a scant 200, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by the state Employment Development Department. The San Francisco-San Mateo metro center was the Bay Area’s primary bright spot, adding 1,400 jobs. “These numbers don’t reflect the underlying strength of the Bay Area economy,” said Stephen Levy, director of the Palo Alto-based Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy. “You look at all the economic activity around here — we will definitely see job gains resume this year in the Bay Area and Santa Clara County.” And despite a federal report indicating a deceleration in the nationwide job market, experts say the Bay Area should be able to withstand that trend. “I don’t think there is a big slowdown going on right now” in the Bay Area,” said Mark Vitner, a senior economist with San Francisco-based Wells Fargo Bank. “We are looking at other data from the government that suggests the trend in job growth is still very strong, both in Santa Clara County and the rest of the Bay Area.” During August, employers in the United States added 151,000 jobs, far below the pace of 271,000 jobs added in June and 275,000 gained in July. Job gains nationally have averaged 182,000 a month so far in 2016. That’s 21 percent below 2015’s average gains of 229,000 a month. The job losses in Santa Clara County contrast sharply with the previous employment trends in the South Bay. “Santa Clara County has been growing at a very strong annual pace, so to see a complete drop-off like this is genuinely surprising,” said Jon Haveman, principal economist with San Rafael-based Marin Economic Consulting. “It’s entirely possible we will see a rebound in Santa Clara County over the next few months.” Over the 12 months that ended in July, Santa Clara County gained more than 33,000 jobs and added 2,800 jobs a month. The county also had posted employment gains for 10 straight months before the August losses. California added 63,100 jobs in August, and the statewide jobless rate was unchanged at 5.5 percent, according to the EDD. “In August, California accounted for 42 percent of the 151,000 jobs created in the nation,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor with Cal State Channel Islands. “California’s economy is surging, while the rest of the country is not so hot.” Experts warn that Santa Clara County and the San Francisco-San Mateo region could encounter some obstacles if the stock markets continue to struggle. “It could be more difficult for initial public offerings to go to market, and that could discourage venture capital investments in new companies,” Anderson said. Measured over a one-year period, Santa Clara County continues to outpace the Bay Area job market, according to this newspaper’s analysis of seasonally adjusted numbers supplied by the EDD. Santa Clara County added 34,300 jobs over the 12 months that ended in August, a gain of 3.3 percent in total jobs during that period. By comparison, over the same 12 months, the Bay Area added 101,000 jobs, an increase of 2.7 percent from the totals the year before. Similarly, the East Bay gained 27,100 jobs over the one-year period, which translated into annual job growth of 2.5 percent. The San Francisco-San Mateo region added 25,700 jobs, a 2.4 percent increase. |
ESPNcricinfo staff Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the World Cup due to his hernia and will return home immediately to undergo surgery. He complained of further soreness following an eight-over spell during England's six-run victory over South Africa in Chennai and Eoin Morgan has been confirmed as his replacement "I fly home tonight. Out of the WC & IPL. Absolutely devastated!!" Pietersen said on his Twitter page on Monday morning. Morgan's call-up to the World Cup completes a full turnaround for the left-hander who was initially ruled out of the tournament with a broken finger picked up in Australia. However, after being told he needed surgery the injury didn't prove as severe as first thought and Morgan has followed the same route as Michael Hussey, who replaced Doug Bollinger for Australia after recovering from his hamstring injury, into a tournament that appeared to have passed him by. Pietersen, meanwhile, will be out of action for around six weeks after surgery, which means he will struggle to be fit in time to take up his contract with Deccan Chargers in the IPL, but he is expected to return in time for the first Test of the home season against Sri Lanka, in Cardiff, on May 26. Pietersen's injury was confirmed after the team returned from Australia last month and revealed on Saturday, although the original intention had been to manage the problem through the rest of the World Cup. Reacting to the news, England's coach, Andy Flower, reiterated his belief that Pietersen could have made it through the tournament with careful management, and remarked that the player might have tried to "bite the bullet". "Unfortunately he says the pain is too debilitating, and he can't go on like that," added Flower. "So it's a pretty simple decision to replace him." Despite his early Twitter remarks, Pietersen was quick to look on the bright side of his early return to England, with the prospect of seeing his young son, Dylan, right at the top of his priorities. "Every cloud has a silver lining they say.. Well, as frustrated as I am to be missing the rest of the WC & IPL, I'll be at home with my family & friends.. I haven't been home properly since 29 Oct... Time with family & friends is always sorely missed when on the rd... Can't wait to see my little man....." On a spinning wicket in Chennai, England had no option but to turn to Pietersen's offbreaks in a bid to force their crucial victory over South Africa and the decision to send him home was made after the game. He had picked up a groin strain during the one-day series in Australia but only missed one match. However, with only three days back at home between that tour and leaving for the World Cup there was little time for players to overcome any injury concerns. Pietersen had taken on a new role at the World Cup, having been promoted to open the batting alongside Andrew Strauss. He had looked in good form during his first three innings with scores of 39, 31 and 59 before edging to slip for 2 in the first over of the match in Chennai. Pietersen spent time off the field during Ireland's famous run-chase on Wednesday and looked hampered during the tense final stages of the South Africa victory. Before the World Cup there was a report that Pietersen was planning on quitting ODI cricket after the tournament and although he denied the story there is a strong chance he has now played his last international in the format. England's next ODIs after the World Cup are against Sri Lanka in June. There are various options to replace Pietersen at the top of the order with most of England's batsmen having had time in the role. Matt Prior was opening in Australia before reverting to the middle order, Ian Bell was touted as an option for the World Cup while Ravi Bopara, who returned to the side with a Man-of-the-Match 60 against South Africa, is another possible solution. |
The South China Sea contains some of the planet’s most disputed territory. Six countries — China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei — are squaring off as they compete over the rights to the sea. The dispute centers on the contested Spratly Island Chain, a hodgepodge of small islands and submerged reefs which lie near the center of the South China Sea. All but Brunei have built military outposts in the Spratlys, and all of these countries minus China have built military airstrips on the islands. China, which arrived late to the Spratly land-grab, was left to occupy eight fully and semi-submerged reefs. With such little land to build upon, China has been playing catch up ever since. Over the past year, China’s Spratly outposts have been systematically undergoing a process known as “land reclamation,” where dedicated dredging vessels dig up sediment from the sea and dump it on top of submerged reefs to make islands. China has already built five islands through reclamation, and at least two additional islands are in the early stages of development. China is not the first claimant to reclaim land – Malaysia’s Swallow Reef and several Vietnamese islands have been artificially built or extended – but China’s reclamation efforts are operating at a larger scale than any previous project. Already, the artificial island built on Fiery Cross Reef has eclipsed Taiwan’s Taiping Island as the largest in the Spratly Chain, and buildings are under development on several other Chinese reefs. As their new military outposts become operational, it is imperative that we understand just what China is building in the South China Sea. Fiery Cross Reef Fiery Cross Reef (also known as Yongshu Island) was completely underwater until August 2014, when Chinese dredgers began to dig up the surrounding sediment. Before construction began, the Chinese presence consisted of a single concrete bunker on the reef’s southwest end, but this island has since become the largest in the Spratly chain, measuring nearly 2.3 km². The new island includes a nearly two-mile long strip of land that appears to be the future site of an airfield. Between November 2014 and January 2015, the southwest of the reef was reclaimed, connecting the airfield with the original concrete structure and enlarging the total land mass of the reef. Dredging activity has not ceased, and land is still being reclaimed. Recent photographs released by Philippine media show that foundations in development for a large scale construction project on the northeast of the island. Johnson South Reef Johnson South Reef has undergone one of the most extraordinary transformations of any Spratly feature. Photographs released by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs show that land reclamation began in early 2014, and new photographs indicate that reclamation is still ongoing. In early September 2014, nearly simultaneous reports released by IHS Janes and the BBC revealed the beginnings of a large construction project. It is unclear exactly when this construction began, but photographs taken in early December of 2014 clearly show a sizable building, possibly as high as ten stories, under construction on the newly developed island. The photographs taken and released by Vietnam’s Thanh Nien News agency show a number of construction sites under development, including what may be an air traffic control center. Philippine media has claimed that Johnson South Reef will one day contain an airstrip, but current photographs fail to backup this claim.The reef’s area is roughly 6 km², and the island itself is approximately .16 km², which leaves ample room for further reclamation. Cuarteron Reef Cuarteron Reef is both China’s southernmost and westernmost outpost in the Spratly chain. Land reclamation on the reef appears to have started in March 2014. As of January 2015, China has built between .3 and .4 km² of new land. The newly built island is home to a seawall, a small military outpost, a helicopter pad, an artificial harbor, and a dock. Satellite photographs show ongoing construction projects, however photographs are not clear enough to make out what is being built. Gaven Reefs The Gaven Reefs are home to a mid-scale land reclamation project that has produced an artificial island approximately .08 km². Between June and August 2014, this island expanded from one small outpost into the buttressed island that exists today. Photos show that the new island contains barracks for construction workers and military personnel, shipping containers used as temporary shelters, an artificial harbor, and anti-aircraft weaponry. A report from IHS Janes indicates that this island contains both radar equipment and anti-ship guns. Hughes Reef Land reclamation on Hughes Reef appears to have begun in March 2014. Satellite photographs suggest that construction is ongoing on the newly built island. Reports indicate that the new island is home to a lighthouse and a military outpost. Subi Reef Subi Reef, China’s northernmost outpost in the Spratlys, is the most recent subject of land reclamation. Satellite photographs from early February, 2015 show a significant presence of dredgers working two separate points on the southeast and the southwest of the reef. Dredging at Subi Reef first appeared in satellite photographs taken on January 26, 2015, which showed that two dredging ships had begun work on Subi Reef’s southwest end. Prior to the start of land reclamation, Subi reef contained a helicopter pad and a small concrete outpost used to house visiting troops. Mischief Reef Mischief Reef is China’s easternmost outpost in the Spratly chain. Satellite photographs from the end of January indicate that land reclamation has just begun. These photographs show a presence of dredging vessels on the southern end of the island, as well as the addition of new land separate from an existing concrete structure. Mischief Reef is less than 200 miles from the Philippine island of Palawan (less than 150 miles from some points), thus putting the reef well within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. Predictably, the start of reclamation at Mischief Reef has been met with significant protest from the Philippines. Eldad Reef Eldad Reef is home to a naturally occurring teardrop-shaped sandbar on its north end. The sandbar’s size and shape remained consistent in photographs taken between January 2012 and November 2013. More recent photographs, show a slight increase in size of the sandbar, indicating that there may be a low-level reclamation project underway on Eldad reef. These photographs fail to capture dredging vessels and may simply be showing naturally occurring changes, however Philippine intelligence and media claim that Eldad Reef is in fact a current target of Chinese land reclamation. The situation on Eldad is ambiguous, and we should continue to watch the reef for signs of reclamation. Based on satellite photographs and intelligence reports, it is clear that China is currently reclaiming land on at least seven of its eight reefs — Fiery Cross, Johnson South, Gaven, Hughes, Cuarteron, Subi, and Mischief — and that reclamation may have also begun on Eldad Reef. Reclamation on Johnson South, Gaven, Hughes, and Cuarteron Reefs started in early 2014, reclamation of Fiery Cross Reef began in August 2014, and reclamation on Subi and Mischief Reefs started in late January 2015. Land reclamation on Eldad reef may have started in December 2014. Photographs indicate that massive construction projects are underway on the newly build islands at Fiery Cross and Johnson South Reefs, while less extensive but still serious construction is ondoing at Hughes, Gaven, and Cuarteron Reefs. Given the extent to which future control over the shipping lanes of the South China Sea will impact the global balance of power, China’s island construction is worthy of our attention. |
by Sherry Lipp The original James T. Kirk closed Seattle’s Official Star Trek Convention 2013 to a packed house of Star Trek fans. Though it was my third Trek convention, it was my first opportunity to see Shatner. Shatner took the stage late in the afternoon on Sunday, August 25. As Trek nears its 50th anniversary, it’s hard to believe the starship Enterprise’s first captain (not counting Captain Pike) is 82 years old. Shatner entertained the crowd with the exuberance of a much younger man. He focused primarily on his current projects, which include a new album and a documentary about fan conventions. He’s even helping design a line of motorcycles. One thing to note about seeing Shatner speak – there’s not a lot of Trek talk, at least there wasn’t this weekend in Seattle. It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk about Trek, it’s just that he’s obviously more excited about his current projects. Anyone who happens to be at the front of the question line might want to take the opportunity to ask a Trek question if they want some tidbits about his time on the show or making the films. Shatner tended to go off on tangents as soon as any question was asked. Though entertaining, it didn’t leave room for more than four or five lucky fans to have a personal moment with him. With his boundless energy, booming voice, and total rejection of negativity, Shatner expressed a life philosophy that was truly inspiring. This Renaissance man shows no signs of slowing down, even in his ninth decade. His new album, Ponder the Mystery, releases October 8. He has several L.A. performances scheduled to support the album, with a possible tour or Vegas show to follow. Stay tuned for more coverage of Seattle’s Official Star Trek Convention 2013. (Photos: Sherry Lipp) http://feeds.feedburner.com/CinemaLowdown Share this: Email Print Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Reddit LinkedIn Pocket Like this: Like Loading... Related |
Just a few days after collaborating in the studio for the first time, Pharrell and Lil Uzi Vert spoke with Scott Vener about what they worked on together on OTHERtone on Beats 1 Radio. "My first time meeting him was the other day in the studio," Pharrell admits. "I've been sort of seeing him just do shit on the scene, and he struck me as a guy that's just not thinking about any kind of rules. Just doing what he likes, good, bad, or ugly. He don't care, and that I can relate to." As for what to expect out of their studio session together, Pharrell says the beats reflect "the newer zones that I'm in." "He's kinda getting, like, that super fresh iteration of where I am, and where some of our stuff is right now," Pharrell said. Uzi responded to P's description of this new sound with one word: "Nuts." Lil Uzi Vert also went into being a fan of Marilyn Manson, as well as divulging what purchases he has made since amassing his fortune. The group also opened up about the passing of Prodigy of Mobb Depp at the age of 42. While Pharrell recalls seeing plenty of fights to "Shook Ones, Pt. II," Lil Uzi Vert has a completely different memory associated to that song. "I got a beating to that song before, I can remember that," he confessed. POST CONTINUES BELOW You can listen to the entire episode here. |
NEW YORK -- All-Star forward Rick Nash confirmed after the morning skate that he will be in the lineup for the New York Rangers on Tuesday night as they take on the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN). It will mark Nash's first game since sustaining a concussion on Oct. 8 against the San Jose Sharks. Nash missed 17 games with the injury and admitted he was curious to see how he would respond to his first game action in over a month. FANTASY SPIN Activate Rangers' Nash in your leagues By Pete Jensen - NHL.com Fantasy Insider Rick Nash is back on the fantasy grid, but owners must consider these factors when deciding who to drop for him. READ MORE › Rick Nash is back on the fantasy grid, but owners must consider these factors when deciding who to drop for him. MORE FANTASY HOCKEY COVERAGE › "I'm excited. Kind of a controlled emotion. It's been a long six weeks, so I'm excited to get in there," Nash said after the morning skate. "I think the first everything is going to take a while, whether it's a hit, a shot, a pass, making different plays. It was a long time off, so it's going to take some time." After being symptom-free for some time, Nash was medically cleared to play Sunday and has spent much of the past week or two just working on his conditioning. "He has been working extremely hard for the last 10 days to two weeks. He got physically tested on the ice last Thursday and his test scores came back better than he was at training camp," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "We talked briefly over the phone yesterday and left the decision up to him. Today, he came in and said he wanted to play." Coming off a 1-0 loss against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night, the Rangers have gone 9-8-0 in Nash's absence and have scored three goals in their past three games. Fully healthy, Nash is looking to help any way he can. "It seems like it's been a while. It will be fun, it will be exciting," Nash said. "It's tough watching when your team is playing well and the fans are excited and there's a buzz in the town. It will be nice to be back there tonight." |
Valtteri Bottas secured his first Formula One victory at the Russian Grand Prix, in his 82nd race. He made suggestions to the press afterwards that he believed it had been a long time coming, but there are drivers who have had to wait much longer for their moment in the spotlight. A win on his 82nd race puts him equal tenth on the list of ‘most Grands Prix before first victory’ list, but here’s a run-down of who’s in the rest of the top ten: =10) Valtteri Bottas – 82nd race – 2017 Russian Grand Prix =10) Eddie Irvine – 82nd race – 1999 Australian Grand Prix The opening race of the 1999 season set the scene for an unexpected year, where Eddie Irvine became Ferrari’s number one driver and faltering McLarens would almost cost Mika Hakkinen the drivers’ title. The McLarens of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard had been the quickest by far in Melbourne, but their nearest challenger, Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, suffered from a variety of problems; he stalled on the grid, had a puncture and a broken front wing and had to pit for a new steering wheel in the race. It should’ve been an easy one-two for McLaren, but both retired. Coulthard was out in the initial .Sp5rl!47rs with transmission problems, whilst Hakkinen discovered throttle problems when trying to accelerate after a safety car restart. Irvine took the lead and would control the race to take his maiden victory in the sport. He would take a further three wins en route to finishing runner-up to Hakkinen by two points. 9) Jean Alesi – 91st race – 1995 Canadian Grand Prix In a career which was often blighted by poor fortune, the 1995 Canadian Grand prix saw the arrival of some good fortune for Ferrari’s Jean Alesi. Starting fifth, Alesi was able to pass team-mate Gerhard Berger and benefit from a race-ending error for Williams’ David Coulthard to move up into third place. He soon passed the other Williams of Damon Hill – who would eventually retire with a gearbox problem – to sit second, some 30 seconds behind Michael Schumacher. However, Schumacher’s Benetton suffered an electrical problem with eleven laps to go, gifting Alesi his first – and only – Formula One win. 8) Thierry Boutsen – 95th race – 1989 Canadian Grand Prix The 1989 season was part of the dominant McLaren-Honda era, where races were often won by either Alain Prost or Ayrton Senna. However, changeable conditions in a topsy-turvy race threatened to disrupt the form book. With a drying track in the opening .Sp5rl!47rs of the race, the majority started on wet tyres, but many drivers pitted for slick tyres only to find the track being drenched by a downpour of rain moments later. Alain Prost was out with suspension issues early on and Williams’ Boutsen – starting sixth – had initially put himself out of race contention by making the wrong decision to switch to slicks. His team-mate Riccardo Patrese had profited by keeping his wet tyres to lead the race. Senna, who had tried to stay out on the slick tyres on the wet track before pitting eventually caught back up to Patrese and passed him through the pit stops. Owing to retirements and the performance of the Williams, Boutsen had recovered up to third, and soon passed Patrese for second when the Italian damaged his Williams’ undertray. Boutsen then inherited the lead with a couple of laps to go when Senna’s Honda engine gave up, giving the Belgian his first Formula One win. 7) Mika Hakkinen – 96th race – 1997 European Grand Prix The 1997 European Grand Prix in Jerez is perhaps known for a certain controversial championship fight between Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher, but a lesser-known fact is that it was also the scene of Mika Hakkinen’s first victory. The Finn spent most of the race close to his team-mate David Coulthard, with the pair moving up to third and fourth place over the course of the race. Following the infamous collision which left Schumacher out of the race and Villeneuve in the lead, Hakkinen was able to catch – and pass – Villeneuve on the final lap of the race. The Canadian had refused to fight the charging McLaren’s and yielded to them both, giving the Woking team a one-two finish, with Hakkinen taking his first victory in the sport. 6) Giancarlo Fisichella – 110th race – 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix A man known for dragging notable performances out of midfield machinery, Giancarlo Fisichella was a surprise candidate for the race lead at a wet Brazilian Grand Prix in the uncompetitive Jordan-Ford. With several drivers spinning out of podium contention, Fisichella benefitted from a mistake from McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen to lead the race on lap 54 out of 71. However, a huge crash for Jaguar’s Mark Webber and Renault’s Fernando Alonso resulted in the race being red flagged on lap 55. According to the rules, if a red flag is shown after a race is over 75% complete, then the final results are taken from two laps prior to the incident. There was confusion over whether the win belonged to Raikkonen or Fisichella. The former was originally awarded the win, but evidence seen several days after the race showed that Fisichella had started his 56th lap at the time of the red flag, meaning that the results – taken from the end of lap 54 instead of 53 – should’ve given Fisichella the win. He was handed the trophy in a small handover ceremony at the next race weekend in Imola. 5) Nico Rosberg – 111th race – 2012 Chinese Grand Prix With the 2012 season looking like a close-fought year, seven different drivers took wins in the first seven races. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg beat McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton to take his first pole position by over half a second. Team-mate Michael Schumacher inherited second place on the grid following a penalty for Hamilton to result in an all-Mercedes front row lock-out. Following a strong start, Rosberg was mostly untroubled and took a commanding first Formula One victory – Mercedes’ first as a manufacturer since 1955. 4) Jenson Button – 113th race – 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix Despite already achieving multiple podium finishes, Button entered 2006 still looking for that elusive first win. With Honda failing to hit the performance heights that they managed in 2004, he looked like he was in for another win-less season. His odds at the Hungaroring didn’t look great, either. He started 14th after a penalty for an engine change, but was presented an opportunity to progress when rain fell before the race start. Gradually picking off drivers over the course of the race – including seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher – Button took advantage of a safety car period to move up into second place when many chose to make pit stops. He inherited the lead later on when Renault’s Fernando Alonso spun into retirement and sealed one of the unlikeliest victories of that era. 3) Jarno Trulli – 119th race – 2004 Monaco Grand Prix In a race where plenty of drivers were involved in collisions – including Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher, Renault’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s David Coulthard – Renault driver Jarno Trulli started from pole position and lead most of the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, surviving early pressure from team-mate Alonso and late-race pressure from BAR-Honda’s Jenson Button. However, the Italian would lose his Renault seat to Giancarlo Fisichella and miss out on Renault’s successful 2005-2006 seasons. 2) Rubens Barrichello – 123rd race – 2000 German Grand Prix The year 2000 was another season-long McLaren vs Ferrari affair, with Rubens Barrichello brought in to replace Eddie Irvine at the Scuderia alongside Michael Schumacher. He dutifully played the ‘number two’ role, but when Schumacher retired from the German Grand Prix at the first corner, Ferrari were left with just one car on-track. With Barrichello starting 18th on the grid, their chances of disrupting a McLaren 1-2 looked slim, but thanks to numerous overtakes, safety car periods and a gamble to stay on dry tyres on a damp circuit, Barrichello took an emotional first Formula One victory. 1) Mark Webber – 130th race – 2009 German Grand Prix The likeable Aussie began his career in 2002, but despite podiums and impressive qualifying performances, his first chance in race-winning machinery came in 2009 with Red Bull Racing. Having already seen young team-mate Sebastian Vettel win that year, Webber responded by winning on his team-mate’s home turf in Germany. At the Nurburgring, he took his first Formula One pole position and his maiden victory – despite receiving a drive-through penalty for some wheel-banging with Rubens Barrichello. |
LIAM and Noel Gallagher will mend their feud and re-form Oasis, their older brother has told an Irish documentary. Noel Gallagher walked out on the band after a backstage spat with his younger brother in August 2009. But the squabbling siblings' older brother, Paul, has said he believes Irish audiences haven't seen the last of the Britpop band. And he predicted they will call truce and put the band back together. He said: "I think they've got unfinished business. I think Noel regrets walking out the way he did. FEELING "Liam was always going to carry on and do his own thing. I've got a funny feeling something might happen in the future, in two years time, maybe three." He went on: "All it takes is two guys to say, 'You know what, I'm sorry, but I love you.' That's all it takes, it's not hard. It's easy." Paul features extensively in tonight's edition of Guth, a TG4 documentary series which explores the Irish roots and influence of some of the world's top musicians. The contributors to the show said the Irish roots of Oasis' five original members was integral to their success. The Gallagher brothers, whose mother Peggy hails from Charlestown, Co Mayo, and father Tommy, from Duleek, Co Meath, had "music running through their family", according to the programme. Paul said: "My mother reckons the music comes from our granny. She was apparently a great whistler and our father played the accordion and the guitar. There was always music in our family." The oldest Gallagher brother also spoke of the brothers' tough upbringing in Manchester, recalling how their mother used to make all their clothes. He said: "We knew we were different when we came back to school and all the other kids would have pristine jumpers from the stores and we'd be in our knitted jumpers." Guth: Oasis, 9.30pm tonight, TG4 |
Former F1 team owner Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, whose Onyx outfit raced in the late 1980s, has formally asked to be euthanised at a time of his choosing in his home country, Belgium. Van Rossem, a flamboyant character with the appearance of a 1960s hippie who held a degree in economics, had allegedly devised a computer-based system called Moneytron which could endlessly predict winning trades in the stock market. Unfortunately, it all turned out to be nothing but a huge ponzie scheme. But before the operation was shut down, Van Rossem lavishly spent millions, acquiring Onyx and running the team in the 1989 world championship with Stefan Johansson and Bertrand Gachot. Van Rossem later dabbled in Belgian politics but was equally unsuccessful and quickly discredited. In a recent interview published on Youtube, the former millionaire and con-man said the time had come to put an end to his life. "I've had a very tumultuous life, but now it's enough," explained Van Rossem. "I am declining and I want to decide on my own when I will stop living. I hope to be able to say before the end of the year: 'Now is enough'." "I've had beautiful women and owned beautiful women cars. At one point, I was worth $891 million, and I lost everything by betting against my own system. I will confer with my two sons about my decisions, and I hope they will understand." GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter |
After repeated attempts, Judicial Watch has managed to pry loose certain documents relating to Teddy Kennedy from the FBI. The FBI’s original redactions plainly had nothing to do with national security, so the agency apparently was trying to protect Kennedy’s reputation. The most entertaining documents relate to a trip Kennedy took to Latin America in 1961. He visited a number of countries, accompanied by his “political counselor.” In each country, Kennedy met with prominent Communists or other left-wing leaders. The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico was outraged that Kennedy wanted to bring such people to the embassy–this was the heart of the Cold War, after all–and he refused, telling Kennedy to arrange his own interviews somewhere else. A State Department official in Peru described Teddy as “pompous and a spoiled brat.” In Colombia, the first person Kennedy wanted to meet with was Lauchlin Currie, a Russian spy who served as a key aide to Franklin Roosevelt, then moved to Colombia and renounced his American citizenship. By the time he got to Chile, Kennedy apparently was tired of political work, so he “made arrangements to ‘rent’ a brothel for an entire night” in Santiago. You can read the FBI reports here. Here is one of them; click to enlarge: The year after his Latin American tour, Kennedy entered the United States Senate. It is quite remarkable: the Kennedy that emerges from the FBI reports sounds like a right-winger’s cartoon fantasy of the man. However bad you thought Ted Kennedy was, he was worse! Reddit 12 Email 507 Shares |
The best team in 20 years of mostly sorry Royals baseball is playing in the Arizona sunshine now, all hopes and dreams and James Shields and Sal Perez. Mike Moustakas has cut some fat. Eric Hosmer swears by a new confidence, and Billy Butler swears by an old belief. Danny Duffy is healthy and Yordano Ventura is ready and, who knows, maybe Alex Gordon is going to dominate again. The reputations of lifelong baseball men will be shaped by how this goes. But before we get to the business of the 2014 Royals, it’s worth a few minutes here to talk about the, um, business of the 2014 Royals. This team is the product of seven full years of Dayton Moore’s Process and that doesn’t include 13 clueless years before that under an overmatched board of directors and David Glass’ ownership — so the consequences of failure will be shame and anger. A franchise that’s grown used to talking about three years from now has no more time to make good on the blockbuster trade that sent uber-prospect Wil Myers to Tampa Bay. This will be a Royals season like no other in a generation, at least. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Kansas City Star An 86-win team that filled two black holes in its lineup not only can win in 2014, it must win to make all of this worthwhile. Following the Royals means following payroll, spending habits and who’s under club control for how long. This is how baseball operates, particularly in the Royals’ tax bracket. So before the spring developments start, this is as good a time as any to look closely at how well the franchise’s best hope since the strike is being supported by an owner who generally has the approval rating of the flu among fans. The answer might surprise you. The first thing to talk about here is the new national television contracts that kick in this season. You hear a lot about this $25 million figure. That’s the number being thrown around locally and nationally — we’ve used it here — as the per-team increase from last year to this year. But some phone calls around baseball show the number to be misleading. Most relevantly, there is no $25 million-per-team jump in revenues from 2013 to 2014. That figure (which doesn’t account for a share that MLB takes) comes from the average of the new contract compared to the average of the old contract. But the old deal increased every year, just like the new deal is scheduled to. The highest total of the old contract was last year, and the lowest total of the new contract is this year, so the raw increase from last year to this year is thought to be more like $5 million to $10 million, before MLB takes its share. At the moment, the Royals’ opening day payroll projects to be about $90 million, excluding benefits and bonuses, up from around $81 million on opening day last year. It is tempting to think that Glass is getting a $25 million infusion while only increasing payroll by about $9 million, which would mean an extra $16 million to buy an island or something, but it’s just not the way it works. “The $25 million is a made-up number,” says Kurt Badenhausen, senior editor for Forbes Sports. “The $25 million doesn’t mean anything if you’re comparing ’13 to ’14.” The Royals’ payroll is a franchise record, and by Forbes’ estimates, figures to be about half or more of the team’s revenues (including revenue sharing). Many teams around baseball informally use the 50 percent rule as a spending threshold. Depending on where a few remaining free agents land — yes, including Ervin Santana — the Royals should rank around 16th in payroll while playing in the sport’s third-smallest market, with revenues that rank in the bottom four. When Moore said last week that the franchise is past its break-even point on payroll, he was mocked with the math of the $25 million infusion. But according to Badenhausen and sources in baseball, Moore’s claim adds up. Plus, Badenhausen and others will point out that virtually no teams plan on losing money. In 2012, the most recent season for which Forbes has estimates, only six teams lost money. That includes the Rangers and Angels, who knew they would soon make the money back with bigger local TV deals, and the Marlins, who made a one-year gamble that blew up. “Ninety million is a very big number for a franchise like the Royals,” Badenhausen says. “They’re spending money. They’re out of their days of the $30 million payroll. If you told Royals fans four years ago they’d be closing in on a $100 million payroll, I think they would’ve taken it.” Now, if there was ever a time for Glass to lose a relatively small amount in the name of winning baseball games, this is it. Moore calling the $90 million payroll “a gamble” is a bit like a millionaire “gambling” on the penny slots. The Royals’ financial situation is strong, and any one-year loss would be more than offset by past profits and rising franchise value. Glass may very well lose money this year, but an owner more focused on taking advantage of this opportunity and less on a potential one-year loss would be willing to extend further beyond break-even. Then again, an owner solely focused on profit would keep the payroll below that break-even point. Glass is operating, in other words, like a C student. In terms of payroll and how this is viewed around the fan base, the Royals have given themselves three significant disadvantages. The first is that Glass is either apathetic or just awful at communicating with fans. He carries residual wounds from justified criticisms he took in the miserly, scouts-without-cell-phones days, and hasn’t bothered to push the message of representative spending for a small-money team since Moore’s hiring in 2006. The second is that the Royals have an embarrassingly bad local TV deal, even adjusting for market size. The Royals get about $20 million per year, one of the smallest TV contracts in baseball. By comparison, the Reds, who play in baseball’s smallest market, get about $30 million per year. Plus, in an age where rights fees are stronger than Google stock, the Royals are locked into an antiquated, pre-DVR deal through the 2019 season. Between now and then, whenever any other team signs a new contract, the Royals are pushed even further behind. The third self-imposed disadvantage is that the Royals have been the worst team in baseball over the last two decades. The owner doesn’t have to talk if he doesn’t want to, and they can’t change their TV contract for six more seasons, but they sure can be better at putting together good baseball teams. Which brings us to the 2014 Royals, the team that will ultimately determine whether the last seven years have been productive or more like the Febreze you sprayed on your smelly couch in college. Without Glass going all Mike Ilitch and bankrolling large operating losses in the name of ending the longest playoff drought in the four major North American pro sports, the Royals have to make it work in the margins. Perez’s contract is perhaps the most club-friendly in baseball, the Royals’ greatest asset, but it’s also an example of how they have to do business to compete with deeper pockets. To that end, there are four spots in particular where the Royals aren’t getting enough value on the dollar: Jeremy Guthrie ($8 million, after restructuring), Jason Vargas ($7 million), Luke Hochevar ($5.2 million) and Wade Davis ($4.8 million) will earn more than a quarter of the team payroll. It’s worth keeping in mind that most projections have each player performing well enough that their salaries will be less than their value on baseball’s open market, but that’s still a lot of money for the Royals to spend on two league-average starting pitchers in their 30s and two middle relievers. Their presence is also a reminder of one of the Royals’ greatest failures under Moore. For all the progress these last seven years in building from an industry punchline to one of the game’s best farm systems, the glaring hole remains the lack of a successful and homegrown starting pitcher. This is part of why Danny Duffy, Yordano Ventura and Kyle Zimmer are so important in the big picture. The Royals had a good offseason, particularly in filling holes in right field (trade for Nori Aoki) and second base (free agent Omar Infante) as well as insurance in case Moustakas can’t hit (trade for Danny Valencia). But if they had been able to develop a starting pitcher or two with suppressed, club-control salaries the way they’ve done with Perez, Hosmer and Greg Holland, the front office would have more money to address other needs — or address the same needs with more money. In the court of public opinion, the success or failure of the last seven years of future-building will be determined this season. Time and effort and reputations are on the line. Their owner could have done more, but is no longer the problem. The front office can claim success in some spots, but only hope in others. Royals’ five-year financial snapshot Year Player expenses* Revenue Operating income** 2009 $83 million $143 million $9 million 2010 $94 million $155 million $8.9 million 2011 $90 million $160 million $10.3 million 2012 $69 million $161 million $28.7 million 2013 $83 million $169 million $16.3 million Source: Forbes *calculated after the season; includes benefits and bonuses; not opening day payroll. **not a bottom line profit; reflects earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. |
GRAPHIC CONTENT: Villagers cut open a giant python to find their missing friend inside who had been swallowed whole after being crushed to death. Courtesy: Viral Press WARNING: Graphic content and images. SHOCKING details are coming to light over the discovery of a man swallowed by a giant reticulated python. A man who went missing in a remote Indonesian village on the island of West Sulawesi on Sunday night has been found inside a seven-metre-long python. Footage released by Viral Press shows the horrifying moment 25-year-old harvester Akbar Salubiro’s body was reportedly cut out of the giant snake’s belly. “This probably attacked from behind,” a villager told Tribun Timur. The Timur said the snake weighed 158 kilograms, almost four times the body weight of its victim. Mamuju ‘Sarang’ Ular Piton Terbesar di Indonesia: Mayat ayah dua anak ini, ditemukan dalam… https://t.co/erIbORnABE — Tribun Timur (@tribuntimur) March 30, 2017 Reticulated pythons are some of the world’s largest reptiles and suffocate their prey before swallowing them whole. Large reticulated pythons generally eat mammals, from birds to large deer and one large meal could take several months for a snake to digest. Nia Kurniawan, from Brawijaya University, told BBC Indonesian a snake the size of the one captured would typically hunt for larger prey. They aren’t known to devour humans, though there some cases where young children have been swallowed. “The more prey python snake wild boar and foxes, which are more easily found than men. It just happened this time, between the human habitat and the python was overlap, which allows humans to be eaten by a python,” herpetologist Nia Kurniawan told the Timur. Neighbours reported cries from the palm grove the night Mr Salubiro went missing, but it wasn’t until the next day when their fears were confirmed. A spokesman for police in West Sulawesi told BBC Indonesian the man had been missing for 24 hours. It is believed Mr Salubiro was swallowed after he left his home to harvest palm oil. When his family became concerned over the missing man’s whereabouts, they spotted the python looking a little, well, full. “Here indeed is often found a giant python, but this new,” said one resident. Palm oil plantations would attract these types of reptiles as they would make for perfect hunting ground, finding boars and dogs. “They didn’t find him (Akbar), but the villagers saw an unmoving python in the ditch,” Mashura, a spokesperson for the police in West Sulawesi province, told BBC Indonesian. “They grew suspicious that maybe the snake had Akbar. When they cut it open, Akbar was inside the snake.” National Geographic reports that similar to Burmese pythons, reticulated python’s kill their prey before they eat it, making it “unlikely Salubiro was eaten alive”. His body, still intact, was discovered inside the snake after residents sliced open its belly. The footage, which runs for five minutes, shows horrified locals peeling open the snake, only to be confronted with the man’s boots. As the snake’s body is sliced open, it reveals more and more of the missing man, still clothed. |
People shouldn't fear their government; government should fear its people. Publishers and journalists will not be intimidated nor silenced. Now entering day 626 of the financial blockade against WikiLeaks, Julian Assange sits in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London awaiting safe passage. Following a massive release of secret U.S. diplomatic cables in November 2010, donations to WikiLeaks were blocked by Bank of America, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal and Western Union on December 7th, 2010. Although private companies certainly have a right to select which transactions to process or not, the political environment produced less than a fair and objective decision. It was coordinated pressure exerted in a politicized climate by the U.S. government and it won't be the last time that we see this type of pressure. Fortunately, there is way around this and other financial blockades with a global payment method immune to political pressure and monetary censorship. On its public bitcoin address, Wikileaks has taken in over $32,000 equivalent in more than 1,100 separate bitcoin donations throughout the blockade (1BTC = $10.00). But these amounts may be significantly higher, because it does not even include the individually-generated bitcoin addresses that WikiLeaks provides for donors upon request. Also announced last month, WikiLeaks appears to have found another way around the VISA and Mastercard blockade by using the French national credit card system, Carte Bleue, to process these payments (at least temporarily). According to WikiLeaks, VISA and MasterCard are contractually barred from directly cutting off merchants through the Carte Bleue system and the French non-profit FDNN (Fund for the Defense of Net Neutrality- Fonds de Défense de la Net Neutralité) has set up a Carte Bleue fund for WikiLeaks. Time Magazine declares that WikiLeaks "could be as important a journalistic tool as the Freedom of Information Act." It used to be that people had secrets and the government was transparent; now it's the people that lack privacy and the government has secrets. Freedom of payments is an extension of financial privacy and digital cash-like transactions without financial intermediaries become a critical piece of that foundation. Money was never intended to act as a form of identity tracking or payments restriction and this is why the option for anonymous and untraceable transactions is so vital as society moves to a world of digital currency. "It is the privatization of censorship, because this is being done because of extreme pressure by the U.S. Government," says Kristinn Hrafnsson, spokesman for WikiLeaks. "It’s extremely important to fight back and stop this process right here and now so that we won’t see in the future, ....where we have the financial giants deciding who lives and who dies in this field." To those that don't support freedom of payments, consider this financial blockade invoked in the name of political correctness before you dismiss the inherent value of a nonpolitical unit of account and of a decentralized medium of exchange. It should be offensive to most free-minded people that you are not the final arbiter of how and where you spend your money. Bitcoin restores the balance. Follow author on Twitter. |
Southern League - Division A Winners: Rangers Southern League Cup Winners: Hibs Match Results Round Competition Date Venue Outcome Opponents For Agt Crowd Southern League Aug 14 Sat H W Hibs 4 0 20,000 Southern League 21 Sat a W Motherwell 5 0 7,000 Southern League 28 Sat H W Clyde 3 2 10,000 Southern League Sep 4 Sat a W Airdrie 3 1 5,000 Southern League 11 Sat H L Celtic 0 1 30,000 Southern League 18 Sat a W Third Lanark 6 0 10,000 Southern League 25 Sat H W Falkirk 2 0 6,000 Southern League Oct 2 Sat a W St Mirren 4 1 14,000 Southern League 16 Sat H L Hearts 1 3 15,000 Southern League 23 Sat a D Morton 1 1 Southern League 30 Sat H W Hamilton Acas 6 0 9,000 Southern League Nov 6 Sat a W Albion Rovers 5 1 4,000 Southern League 13 Sat a W Queen's Park 4 1 8,000 Southern League 20 Sat H W Dumbarton 2 0 20,000 Southern League 27 Sat a W Hibs 4 3 30,000 Southern League Dec 4 Sat H W Motherwell 2 0 15,000 Southern League 11 Sat a W Partick Thistle 2 1 12,000 Southern League 18 Sat H W Airdrie 3 0 8,000 Southern League 25 Sat H W Third Lanark 3 1 10,000 Southern League Jan 1 Sat a W Celtic 3 1 60,000 Southern League 3 Mon a D Dumbarton 1 1 Southern League 8 Sat a W Falkirk 2 0 10,000 Southern League 15 Sat H L St Mirren 1 2 20,000 Southern League 22 Sat a W Clyde 3 0 12,000 Southern League 29 Sat a W Hearts 3 1 25,000 Southern League Feb 5 Sat H W Morton 4 1 8,000 Southern League 12 Sat a W Hamilton Acas 4 1 14,000 Southern League 19 Sat H W Albion Rovers 5 0 5,000 Southern League 26 Sat H D Queen's Park 1 1 10,000 Group A Southern League Cup Mar 4 Sat a W Hearts 4 2 20,000 Group A Southern League Cup 11 Sat H L Motherwell 0 1 20,000 Group A Southern League Cup 18 Sat a W Airdrie 1 0 12,000 Group A Southern League Cup 25 Sat H W Hearts 2 0 40,000 Group A Southern League Cup Apr 1 Sat a W Motherwell 3 2 20,000 Group A Southern League Cup 8 Sat H W Airdrie 4 0 8,000 Southern League 10 Mon H D Partick Thistle 3 3 15,000 Semi Southern League Cup 29 Sat n W Celtic 4 2 87,121 Final Southern League Cup May 20 Sat n L Hibs 0 0 63,000 Trivia Due to the continuing World War II, crowds were limited because of nearby Govan shipyards. Image Gallery |
In 1907, a Michigan librarian named Lulu Miller had a wild proposal. She wanted her library in Muskegon, then a bustling industrial port on the shores of Lake Michigan, to subscribe to a set of photos documenting North American Indian tribes living west of the Missouri River. She managed to convince the library board to pay $3,000 — roughly $80,000 today — to purchase 20 volumes from photographer Edward S. Curtis, who was largely unknown at the time. The small town library joined a handful of other subscribers, mostly wealthy and famous, including the King of England, President Teddy Roosevelt and Alexander Graham Bell. In the years that followed, Edward S. Curtis became one of the most well-known photographers of his time, especially of North American Indians. Now more than 100 years after librarian Lulu Miller’s gamble, these photogravures — the resulting images from a printing process that uses a metal plate and etching — have come out of their dusty volumes and are seeing the light of day. All 723 are displayed at the Muskegon Museum of Art, in what’s believed to be the largest ever exhibition of Edward S. Curtis’ work. “Quite honestly, I never was entirely sure the exhibit could work,” said curator Ben Mitchell, citing the sheer size of the undertaking for a small museum. He’d wanted to mount an exhibition of 300 of the photos but museum director Judith Hayner was insistent: all or nothing. So Mitchell and a team cleared out four-fifths of the museum’s wall and floor space to accommodate the photos. But as the installation process got underway and the photos went up on the wall over the course of two weeks, Mitchell said, “I began to be very gratified. It worked. It really worked.” Many of the images are iconic, some are controversial. There are portraits of tribal chiefs, sweeping landscapes and depictions of the daily lives of 80 North American tribes — the Nez Percé, the Navaho, the Piegan. What was intended to be a seven-year project took Edward Curtis 30 years to complete. Mitchell said, “I think he began the project thinking they would all be gone, just be wiped out either physically through genocide but at the very least, forever changed, no longer have their rituals, their history, their language. Luckily, he was wrong.” For many of those 30 years, Curtis lived with the tribes he was photographing and controversially in some instances, paid his subjects to pose for him. He also made audio recordings of his work and took copious notes. The exhibition tells both the story of the North American Indians he documented and also of the photographer himself. Curtis had pulled himself out of poverty in the late Victorian era. “The people who were in charge were white men,” Mitchell said. “They firmly believed the world, the social and the human world, was a hierarchy, and white maleness was at the top, and in descending order were people of color from other places. We can’t condemn Curtis for [also having] that view.” Larry Romanelli, the leader of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in Michigan, said Curtis captured a culture that would have otherwise gone unseen. “The thought was that Native Americans were going to be eliminated, and while that didn’t completely happen, we were diminished greatly,” Romanelli said. Native Americans now make up just 2 percent of the total U.S. population. Early on in the planning stages, Mitchell involved elders from the Little River Indian tribe, the nearest Native American tribe in the Muskegon area. Even though their tribe was never photographed by Curtis, Mitchell wanted to assure the tribal leadership that critiques of the photographer’s representation of North American Indians would be included in the exhibition. He also asked them to perform a formal blessing at the public opening. Attendance is up 390 percent at the museum since the exhibition opened. “In the end,” Mitchell said, “what could be more poignant for us to sense in this turbulent, troubled, fraught time than how important it is to learn from people who are not us.” “Edward Curtis: The North American Indian” is on view through September 10th. |
ISIS Amaq News Agency Releases Report on Istanbul Killer Iakhe Mashrapov Turkish officials released a passport photo of Istanbul New Year’s Eve mass murderer Iakhe Mashrapov who moved to Turkey with his wife and two kids about a month before the massacre. Mashrapov allegedly fought for ISIS in Syria and is from Kyrgyzstan. (Mirror) Translated from Turkey: Speaking to the press today, the first photo is the second video of Lakhe Mashrapov … the man in photo. İlk foto bugün basına konuşan Lakhe Mashrapov … İkinci foto videosu dolaşımda olan kişi… pic.twitter.com/uIYHXxDraL — jiyan (@nishtmann) January 3, 2017 Another photo of Mashrapov. Facebook shows the suspected #ISIL terrorist Lakhe Mashrapov, who killed 39 in Istanbul & still remains at large, visited Arab countries pic.twitter.com/waxzGkHfkk — Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) January 3, 2017 ISIS Amaq News Agency released a report in English on the New Year’s Eve slaughter at an Istanbul nightclub. The announcement claims a fighter from the Islamic State carried out the attack in Istanbul where “150 Christian celebrants” were killed and wounded and forced to jump into the Bosphorus Strait. When ISIS leader Abu Baghdadi last spoke in early November he said Turkey was a “priority for jihad”. When #IS‘s caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, last spoke, on 2 NOV 2016, he said #Turkey was a “priority for your jihad” https://t.co/Uz7jRemT0j pic.twitter.com/FhHzkz6UFU — Kyle W. Orton (@KyleWOrton) January 2, 2017 |
Story highlights Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday He is meeting with Arab world leaders Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (CNN) Moments after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi complimented President Donald Trump on his "unique personality that is capable of doing the impossible," Trump exchanged pleasantries back, praising el Sisi's shoes. "Love your shoes. Boy, those shoes. Man ... ," Trump said, as reporters were being escorted out of the room. U.S. President Donald Trump, right, holds a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Sunday, May 21, 2017, in Riyadh. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) It's unclear the exact shoe the Egyptian President was wearing, but appeared to be black boots, similar to those Trump was wearing, but shinier. The exchange wasn't observed by video cameras in the room, but was captured in an audio recording. Trump held meetings with several Arab world leaders Sunday morning, ahead of a planned speech on confronting Islamist extremism and later a forum on Twitter. |
House Intel Committee: FBI’s McCabe Was Not Telling Truth During Hearing, Especially About Trump Dossier Facebook Tweet Pinterest Email Print FOLLOW US! Whatever was said behind closed doors at the House Senate Intelligence Committee marathon hearing with FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on Tuesday remains largely confidential, but sources said House members doubted much of the top FBI agent’s assertions. “We have our sources too you know and they’re pretty damn good,” one House source said. The source said McCabe’s answers during the eight-hour hearing to many questions and situations surrounding the FBI’s Hillary Clinton email investigation simply did not match material facts developed during the House investigation. “I think his testimony created more questions,” the House source said. “I can’t go into all the issues but there are many areas where his (McCabe’s) answers felt disingenuous to put it nicely.” The source said McCabe offered contradictory testimony related to the funding of the Dodgy Trump dossier. McCabe claimed he could not recall who paid Christopher Steele for the dossier. House members peppered him with questions on whether the dossier was underwritten by The FBI? The DOJ? The DNC? Or Hillary’s campaign? McCabe said he couldn’t recall. When House members pointed out to McCabe that he had internal FBI documents with his name on them dealing with the genesis of the financing for the Trump dossier, he denied familiarity with the documents. “He knows exactly who paid for the dossier,” the House source said. Did McCabe perjure himself? “This isn’t going to end any time soon,” the source said. “We have to hear more testimony and then we can get into the conclusions about who is lying and about what.” Like Our News? Then Help Support Our Independent Journalism! $ Donation Amount: We can only deliver independent news & Intel with your support. Keep our unique voice alive. Donate Now Select Payment Method PayPal Credit Card Bank Account Personal Info First Name Last Name Email Address |
Former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister believes Harry Redknapp is the only manager who could tempt Paul Scholes to play for England again. Scholes, 37, quit playing for his country in 2004 but, having retired at the end of last season, returned for Manchester United in January. "Harry's got great powers of persuasion," Pallister told BBC Sport. SCHOLES IN PREMIER LEAGUE THIS SEASON Appearances: Six Minutes played: 380 Goals: Two Total shots: Four Assists: 0 Mins per pass: 0.99 Pass completion: 90% Times tackled: Four "He could be the only man, apart from Sir Alex Ferguson, that could do that but my feeling is it won't happen." Tottenham boss Redknapp has been tipped by several England players to be the next manager after Fabio Capello resigned over the handling of John Terry being stripped of the captaincy in February. And, although he has distanced himself from the job, the Spurs manager said Scholes should go to the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine this summer. Scholes, who won 66 caps playing for England and scored 14 goals, retired from international football following Euro 2004 after being frustrated at being played out of position - and because he wanted to spend more time with his family. And Pallister, who was also capped 22 times, said: "Harry knows how good a player he is. Unfortunately, when he was playing for England, he got messed about. Media playback is not supported on this device Pallister on Scholes "Ultimately that led to him walking away from that scenario because he was getting so frustrated, so I think he's made his mind up once about it and it would be very much a surprise if he was to turn around now. "Scholes is probably right in just concentrating on Manchester United and hopefully getting another season out of himself next year." Manchester United boss Ferguson said it would be a "big step" for Scholes to return for England. But the midfielder surprised the football world when he came out of retirement to play for his club against Manchester City in their FA Cup third-round tie on 8 January. And he almost completed a shock return for England to play in the 2010 World Cup. He was contacted by Capello's assistant Franco Baldini at short notice, but said he was not given enough time to make a decision and did not want to replace players who had secured England's qualification to South Africa. He has since said that was a cause of regret. FOOTBALL TACTICS BLOG "Scholes has a rare quality in English football which allows him to control the pace of the game." Read more of the blog here "International football suits Scholes down to a tee," Pallister added. "If you give the ball away in international football you can wait a hell of a long time to get it back. "The one thing he does give you is control of the ball and doesn't give it away too often. I'm sure he would be a plus but I don't think that's going to happen. "If Harry Redknapp went to him and said, 'Listen Scholesy I want you to be a pivotal part of this European Championship', then it might sway him. "But Capello sent his second in command to speak to him last time and I think he felt that, if you were desperate for him to go to a major championship, then the manager would have come and asked Scholes himself." |
Close Russian hackers launched new attacks less than six hours after Donald Trump was proclaimed as the next president of the United States, according to cybersecurity company Volexity. The attacks were in the form of targeted phishing campaigns, and the targets were political think tanks and non-government organizations in the United States. Who Are The Russian Hackers? In Volexity's blog post covering the incidents, the cybersecurity company calls the hacking group as The Dukes, though they are also known as Cozy Bear and APT29. The group of hackers have been previously tied to the security breaches suffered by the Democratic National Committee and several high-profile organizations in the United States government. The group is believed to have started targeting NGOs and research organizations in July of last year, and that it had access to the systems of the Democratic National Committee for over a year. What Kind Of Hacking Attack Was Launched? According to Volexity, the attacks that The Dukes launched after the proclamation that Trump had won the United States presidential election were very similar to what the group launched in the past. Making its appearance once again was the PowerDuke malware, a backdoor that was first used by the group in August. The Dukes sent out phishing emails to its targets, with the emails being very cleverly crafted to entice possible victims to open them. The emails claimed to contain the truth behind election rigging, or promised documents which show the flaws of the United States presidential election. The hackers then launched additional waves of emails that claimed to have come from members of the Clinton Foundation. The Goal Of The Phishing Attempt The hackers sent out the phishing emails as they looked to gain long-term access to the systems of their targets, similar to how they were able to infiltrate the systems of the Democratic National Committee. By gaining access to think tanks and NGOs, The Dukes will have more channels from which it could acquire sensitive information regarding the United States government and its policies. Is The Government Of Russia Behind These Attacks? Last month, the United States government officially accused Russia of being the mastermind of hacking attacks that have been launched in the country, with Russia said to be looking to interfere with the national elections. The government of the United States might be planning to retaliate in some way, but engaging in an all-out cyberwar against Russia is not a good idea. There have also been accusations that Trump is actually supported by Russia, with a recent report said to reveal that the largest private commercial bank of Russia has been communicating with a server of the Trump Organization. Trump's camp, however, has strongly denied the claims. ⓒ 2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. |
Many Witches use their own personal Besom, or Magickal Broom as a part of their rituals. Some Besoms are structurally different in shape from the flat ones sold today, being round on the end and having a smaller sweeping surface. They can, however, be fashioned flat or however you personally desire. These Magickal Brooms are commonly used for cleansing and purifying Sacred Space, but can be used for many other things... such as using one in place of a Wand, Athame, or finger to project your personal energy when casting your Circle. Here is a simple way to create your own, quoted from one of Edain McCoy's wonderful books: If you would like a Besom of your own, they are fairly easy to find in craft stores, country markets, or folk art fairs. You can also invest your energies into making one, a good idea if you wish to use it in place of a Wand or other ritual tool. To make a Besom you will need a four-foot dowel one inch in diameter, a ball of twine, scissors, and straw or other long strands of pliable herbs. Take the straw, or another herb you have chosen for the bristles, and allow them to soak overnight in warm, lightly salted water. The water softens the straws to make them pliable, and the salt soaks out former energies. When you are ready to make your Besom, remove the straws from the water and allow them to dry a bit, but not so much that they lose the suppleness you will need to turn them into your Besom. Find a work area where you can lay out the length of your dowel, and begin lining the straws alongside the dowel. Starting about three inches from the bottom, lay the straws, moving backward, along the length of the dowel. Begin binding these to the dowel with the twine. You will need to tie them very securely. You can add as many layers of straw as you wish, depending on how full you would like your Besom to be. When the straw is secured, bend the top straws down over the twine ties. When they are all gently pulled over, tie off the straws again a few inches below the original tie. Leave the Besom overnight to allow the straw to dry. The dowel part of the Besom can be stained, painted, or decorated with Pagan symbols, your Craft name, or any other embellishments you choose. Dedicate your finished Besom in your Circle as you would any other ritual tool. |
During Britain’s 13-year campaign in Afghanistan, 453 soldiers lost their lives. Photographer Louis Quail captures the gaps in the lives of those left behind Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘When they told me, my teeth started to chatter; they chattered for over a year and a half – I couldn’t stop.’ Photograph: Louis Quail Brenda Hale, from Northern Ireland, with her husband Captain Mark Hale, of 2nd Battalion the Rifles, outside Notre Dame in Paris, 2008. Mark was killed in an explosion on patrol in Sangin, on 13 August 2009, aged 42. Mark and I met at a disco in my home town of Bangor in 1985, when I was 16 and he was 17. He was on his first posting in Northern Ireland, and after that he did tours of the Falklands, Bosnia and Iraq. He was posted to Afghanistan in 2009, when our daughter Tori was 15 and Alix was seven. This time was different. Mark said they were expecting huge casualties. We had a big dinner party before Mark left, and three of the people round that table were dead within a few months. Mark was one of them. I spoke to him for the last time on the morning before he was killed. It was a Wednesday, and I said, “Can you phone Sunday as usual?” He said, “It shouldn’t be an issue” and I said, “Mark, just stay in for me”; his job was office-based, but he always wanted to go out on patrol to help. “Staying in is boring,” he said. The phone call never came; the knock on the door did. When they told me, my teeth started to chatter; they chattered for over a year and a half – I couldn’t stop. I knew I had to tell the girls but I was trying to delay; I had two hours in which their life would still be OK. When I went to pick up Tori I said, “Sweetheart, I need to speak to you” and she started to scream: “Not my daddy, not my daddy.” Mark was killed retrieving soldiers from an IED blast. They managed to keep him alive until they got him into Camp Bastion, but he died from blood loss. The next day, the army came round with the insurance forms. They told me that because Mark died at 10 past nine in the morning, he wouldn’t get paid a full day’s wage, because “technically he didn’t turn up for work”. He was the longest-serving soldier to be killed in Afghanistan: he had served for 26 years. I kicked up such a fuss that they’ve changed that rule now, and you do get a full day’s wage. But to think that at 9am on 13 August Mark’s wages were going in, and by 10 past nine they weren’t. That’s how quickly your life changes. On top of that, they lost his will and then tried to tell me that Mark hadn’t written one; but I knew he had. They said it would have to go into probate. My local MP, Jeffrey Donaldson, arranged for me to see the then secretary of state for defence, Des Browne, who promised a review into how families are looked after under the military covenant. After the review began, I was asked if I would consider standing in the Stormont elections to become a member of the Northern Ireland assembly for Lagan Valley, which is the area just outside Belfast. I got elected and I’ve carried the cause of army families as far as I can. On his next of kin form, Mark had written: “Caution: fiery Irish woman.” The fact that I speak about Mark a lot in my job helps, because he’s my favourite subject. We were together so long, all my adult life: if you’ve had a love like that, you have to believe there’s love enough for a lifetime – and that is what we’re living on now. Rosemary Day with her daughter, Channing, at home in Comber, Northern Ireland, in 2012. Channing was a corporal serving in 3 Medical Regiment when she was killed on patrol in Helmand, on 24 October 2012, aged 25. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Rosemary Day and daughter Channing in Comber, 2012 Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘For me, everything is about keeping Channing’s name alive.’ Photograph: Louis Quail Channing always wanted to win. She played football and did gymnastics for Northern Ireland; football and rugby for the army at first team level. She loved her sport. She also liked to party. She was full of life and direction, with her whole life mapped out. Channing’s dad, Leslie, was in the army, so from when she could walk, she would put his beret on and say, “Dad, show me how to march.” Leslie had been safe, so I didn’t think anything would happen to Channing. At 25, she was just coming into her own. This was her job and she loved it. I think because she knew what she was getting into on the second tour, she was more nervous. I just sensed something was different. This picture was taken on the last day of her leave; just us having a last cuddle. When she left that day, our eyes met. It was the sort of look we’d never given each other before, almost as if we just knew. She hugged her brother Aaron, and after she left he said, “Mum, you will never see her again.” And I said, “Don’t be so silly, Aaron, please don’t say that.” But he said, “I am telling you, we’re not going to see her again”; he sensed something, too. Channing was shot while out on patrol. In the weeks after we found out, my brain went to complete mush. But because I have three other children and Leslie, and my mum, who is 82, I had to carry on. I had to have the kids believe I was coping. The respect shown to Channing at her funeral was mind-blowing. The streets were lined with thousands of people. Afterwards, I threw myself into fundraising for Combat Stress in Channing’s memory and I went back to work. I thought I was coping but then, in March this year, there was a remembrance ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral, and after that I had a sort of breakdown; I realised I needed help. I was crying from the moment I got up to the moment I went to bed. I just got to the stage where I couldn’t stop. For me, everything is about keeping Channing’s name alive. I want the next generation coming up to see what these young people died for. I never want her to be forgotten. I use Channing’s handbag now, and I have a settee upstairs with a throw and pillows on it that she had on her bed at camp. To know it was Channing’s cushion or scarf, that a part of her is still with me, is really important. Sometimes I have a squirt of her perfume; it makes me cry, but I still like to do it. When a fallen soldier leaves Afghanistan, they fire shells in their memory and make a cross out of those shells, so I have that on display. Rachel Murphy, from Bristol, with her husband, Lance Corporal John Murphy, who served in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, and their children Emily and Steven, who were two and three when John took his own life, in January 2007. Rachel Murphy with her husband, Lance Corporal John Murphy, and their children. ‘When they lowered the coffin into the ground, it really hit home and I started screaming.’ Photograph: Louis Quail We got engaged just before 9/11; I was 24 and John was 25. He was one of the first British troops on the ground in Afghanistan. During that tour, in early 2002, his friend was killed by a bomb, which struck John, too, deflating his lungs. He was minutes from death, and when I saw him for the first time in Selly Oak hospital, I didn’t recognise him. He’d lost the best part of four stone; he was a wreck. I said, “What do we do now?” And the doctor said, “He’s passed his checks, you can take him home.” Nobody said, “Are you all right? Is there anything we need to do?” They didn’t even mention the accident on his medical records. After we married, he did another tour in Afghanistan, but he became very disillusioned. He grew more and more distant and aggressive. We were in the process of getting a divorce when John killed himself. He had the full military honours at his funeral – I think he would have appreciated that. I was completely calm throughout the whole service until they lowered the coffin into the ground, and that’s when it really hit home and I started screaming. I didn’t think I was ever going to stop crying. When John was unwell, I was saying, “You really need to go and see someone” and he was saying, “I don’t need no head doctor, what will people think? I’ll be a laughing stock among the blokes.” From the moment you enter the army, you are bred to be a fighting machine, to show huge personal courage in the face of adversity. Those are all wonderful attributes, but they can also be detrimental to the human psyche: the brain isn’t wired to cope with that amount of stress. There’s not a day goes by when I don’t think about some aspect of our life together. It could be a facial expression that one of the children pulls, or something they say, or just something on the TV. I want my husband to be remembered because he served his country valiantly. He had a chest full of medals. My children wear them proudly on Remembrance Sunday. As far as they’re concerned, he’s Hero Daddy, and that’s the way I want him to stay. Corbin Mackin, from Plymouth with his brother Travis in Cyprus. Travis was 22 and serving in 45 Commando Royal Marines when he was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2009. Corbin was also serving, in 1st Battalion the Rifles, and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Travis and Corbin Mackin in Cyprus Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘I was devastated: I’d lost my big brother, my best mate and my role model.’ Photograph: Louis Quail I was told by my commanding officer around the breakfast table. As soon as he said, “Your brother…” I knew it was bad news; I had an out-of-body experience. Then I was angry. Why had no one found the IED before it exploded? That was my job out there. I was devastated: I’d lost my big brother, my best mate and my role model. People thought I was strong, they thought I was coping, but I wasn’t. Fighting isn’t in my nature, but I kept on doing it to let out my anger. I didn’t realise I needed help. Now I try to think of good things, like my little brother, and good times with my older brother before he died. If I feel lost, angry and overwhelmed, I get out on the water and go surfing. The battle doesn’t end when you get back from Afghanistan. People can never understand what you’ve been through. I never want to forget my brother. I feel more alive and happy talking about him. I’m trying to live the life he would have led. Anne Linley, from Bournville, West Midlands, with her son, Brett Linley, a staff sergeant who was killed in 2010, aged 29, trying to deactivate a bomb in Afghanistan. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Anne Linley with her son Brett ‘The repatriation was the most traumatic thing I’ve ever gone through.’ Photograph: Louis Quail Brett was a loving, kind, gentle boy. He was the one everybody turned to – even me. He always seemed to know the right thing to say. He wanted to be an ammunition technician, not a fighting soldier; he didn’t want to take life, he wanted to save life. He was chosen to dismantle the IEDs in a way that meant they could contain as much forensic evidence as possible. That’s why he got his George medal for bravery. The day we found out, we were at our caravan in Wales. I just screamed and screamed. My husband and the neighbour from the next caravan came running; they thought I’d cut my leg off or something. He died on the Saturday and came back the following Wednesday. The repatriation was the most traumatic thing I’ve ever gone through, but we felt a sort of peace, because we knew we’d got him home. It’s still as painful today. You remember them more each day; you miss them more. We are lucky in that we’re still a family. There are an awful lot of parents and families that are completely broken. For a mother to lose a child, to whom she gave birth – it’s not supposed to happen. But I have his things around us, his pictures while he was in the army. The colour purple means a lot because that was the theme of his funeral. I still wear lots of purple. Brett was the life and soul of everything. He had such a close circle of friends outside the army, and it just fell apart once he’d gone. They didn’t know what to do with themselves. I’ve never seen young people as devastated. He wasn’t the ringleader, but he shaped each one’s life, the way they wanted to go; and if you talk to them now, they feel he is still here doing the same thing. I think he was just a one-off, a very special human being. Helena Tym and Rob Thatcher, from Caversham in Berkshire, with their son, Cyrus, a rifleman with 2nd Battalion the Rifles, on prom night in May 2006. Cyrus was killed in Afghanistan on 2 June 2009, when he was 19. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Helena Tym and Rob Thatcher with their son Cyrus on prom night in 2006. Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘As a parent, I’m scared people will forget him because their lives move on, whereas we’re stuck in this place.’ Photograph: Louis Quail Helena Tym We haven’t taken many photographs since Cyrus was killed, because all we see is the one face that isn’t there. There is this space all the time. I feel it very physically. Cyrus was born knowing he was the middle child, kicking and screaming. He was demanding and cheeky and vivacious, and very loving. He always wanted to be on the frontline, and when he went out to Afghanistan he was a light machine gunner. He loved it. It made him feel alive. On 2 June, we were just going to bed when two men in suits walked up the drive. I think my words were: “I am not going to sit down while you tell me my son’s been killed.” My son Zac didn’t look me in the eyes for a year. He said: “I can’t bear to see the pain.” I stopped being the mum I was, Rob stopped being the dad he was. There are huge chunks missing in all of us. For me, Cyrus lives until the last person who says his name dies. As a parent, I’m scared people will forget him because their lives move on, whereas we’re stuck in this place. Because they were soldiers, their deaths are public; but I want people to know who he was, to know our soldiers are not just machines who go out there for killing – they’re human beings, who had family who loved them very much, who still love them. Rob Thatcher Cyrus was fantastic in so many ways: his laugh, his smile, his sense of humour, and yet at times I could have throttled him, because he always had to push it to the limit. In this photo, he’d almost definitely done something naughty, that’s why he’s smiling over his mum’s face, saying, “You can’t touch me now!” I always used to say, “That smile of yours might work for your mum…” He was so cheeky. I miss him more now than I did the day I found out he’d been killed, because every day is one more day since I saw him. After he was killed, I had nightmares where I’d see him blown up over and over again. Five years after, I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. I asked the doctor how much my body could take, because it feels like the knot in your chest could destroy you. When people say time is a healer, I have to clench my fists, because it’s not: “So, it’s been six years now, you must be used to it.” You never get used to it. I know Cyrus would have wanted us to pick ourselves up, but it’s out of your hands. People may think at least you had three kids, so losing one can’t be as bad. But if you’ve got children, go on, you choose which one you’d be prepared to lose. It doesn’t work like that. But we’re still living, we’re being “happy being sad”. Steve Barnsdale and his son, David, at home in Tring, Hertfordshire, Christmas 2004. Corporal David Barnsdale was serving in 33 Engineer Regiment when he was killed by an IED in Afghanistan in October 2010. Steve Barnsdale and his son David in Tring, 2004 ‘The point where they take you out on the runway at RAF Lyneham and you see that plane come in is when it really hits home.’ Photograph: Louis Quail David was our youngest. He came along 18 months after his sister, Vanessa, and he was just a lovely little boy, always a bundle of laughs. In March 2002, just prior to his 16th birthday, he said he wanted to join up. He went on his first tour of Afghanistan in September 2008. He was transferred to the bomb disposal unit, based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, and we were really worried then. That’s the most dangerous job. David stood on an IED that was buried so deep it was actually aimed at a vehicle; but because they’d all been walking back and forth, they’d gradually worn away the soil. He started a relationship with an old friend, Helen, and he was home most weekends. We had a meal the week before he was going to Afghanistan, with Helen, our daughter Vanessa and her soon-to-be husband, David. We were thinking there would be a lot more of these. We knew he was going away the next week, but although it was a more dangerous job, we were less worried because he’d been on two operational tours and returned safe. He went out on 23 September 2010 and died on 19 October. The point where they take you out on the runway at RAF Lyneham and you see that plane come in is when it really hits home. Afterwards, in the pub at Wootton Bassett, the landlady said she’d never known so many people turn out for just one soldier. We’ve stayed friends with the army lads. They come to an annual football tournament we have for David each October, and on Remembrance Sunday we go down the pub and remember the good times – you’ve got to. His mum Wendy and I used to make up a story that he was on a secret mission, like the Tom Cruise film where he turned up at his parents’ house years after he’d died. I knew it wasn’t true, though, because I’d seen him at the funeral director’s. Wendy didn’t want to see him, but I went three or four times. We’ve talked about moving house. At least we wouldn’t have the constant reminders. It’s right for David’s name to be on the memorial outside the church in Tring; but it’s difficult to see. David is the only person from Tring who has been killed in action since the second world war. They didn’t lose anyone in Bosnia, the Falklands or even Ireland. I only found that out when he died. • The work shown here will be exhibited at the Oriel Colwyn Gallery, Colwyn Bay, North Wales, from 5 November to 5 December. To donate, visit soldierscharity.org, scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk or helpforheroes.org.uk. |
Both the criminal and civil complaints against Mr. Friehling cover 1991 through 2008, which roughly matches the timing of events Mr. Madoff provided last week when he pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts. But federal prosecutors and market regulators have consistently said that Mr. Madoff’s fraud began much earlier, at least by the 1980s. In that decade, the Madoff businesses were audited by Mr. Horowitz, who died at age 80 on March 12, the day Mr. Madoff pleaded guilty. The disputed chronology affects the fight over how much of the profits of Mr. Madoff’s legitimate business, wholesale stock trading, can be linked to his crime — and, therefore, claimed by the government under criminal forfeiture laws. Photo In court filings, prosecutors have said they intend to seek $170 billion in forfeited assets in the Madoff case, a figure the defense disputes. The charges against Mr. Friehling are the first filed publicly since Mr. Madoff, 70, pleaded guilty. Mr. Madoff’s crimes carry a potential prison term of 150 years. After the plea, Judge Denny Chin of Federal District Court ordered him jailed to await sentencing in June. At a hearing scheduled for Thursday morning, Mr. Madoff’s lawyers will try to persuade an appeals court panel in Manhattan to reverse Judge Chin and grant bail. People briefed on the matter said they expected more cases to be filed as prosecutors and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, ignoring Mr. Madoff’s assertion that he acted alone, continue to focus on Madoff family members and employees. As part of that investigation, Mr. Horowitz was interviewed fairly recently by federal investigators, one person briefed on the matter said. 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. Mr. Friehling, 49, is facing one count of securities fraud, one count of aiding and abetting investment adviser fraud, and four counts of making false S.E.C. filings. If convicted on all six counts, he faces up to 105 years in prison. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mr. Friehling’s lawyer, Andrew M. Lankler, declined to comment. Joseph M. Demarest Jr., the head of the New York F.B.I. office, said that Mr. Friehling, betraying his fiduciary duty to investors and his legal obligation to regulators, did little or no testing or verification of the records he was hired to certify as an independent auditor. “His job was not merely to rubber-stamp statements he didn’t verify,” Mr. Demarest said. “Simply put, Friehling failed to do his job and lied to investors and regulators in saying he did.” Photo The civil complaint by the S.E.C., in addition to citing the deceptive audits, accused Mr. Friehling of collecting “ill-gotten gains” in the form of substantial audit fees — about $186,000 a year — from the Madoff enterprise and millions of dollars taken from accounts he and his family maintained with Mr. Madoff. According to the S.E.C., Mr. Friehling and his family had more than $14 million in their Madoff accounts by last November and had taken more than $5.5 million from them since 2000. People who knew them said Mr. Friehling and Mr. Horowitz had lost substantial sums. Mr. Friehling “essentially sold his license to Madoff for more than 17 years while Madoff’s Ponzi scheme went undetected,” said James Clarkson, acting director of the S.E.C.’s office in New York. The criminal complaint, sworn out by an F.B.I. special agent, Keith D. Kelly, says that Mr. Friehling “caused false and misleading” certified year-end audits to be filed with the S.E.C. from 2004 through 2007. Some of Mr. Madoff’s critics have contended that the tiny accounting firm he used was a red flag, given the size of Mr. Madoff’s legitimate operations. After the fraud was discovered, a list of past and current customers of Mr. Madoff assembled by a court-appointed trustee showed more than 100 accounts attributed to Mr. Friehling, and 17 more attributed to the accounting firm he shared with Mr. Horowitz. Someone who identified himself as Mr. Horowitz’s son, Irwin, posted a poem about his father on the day of his death on a Web site called Newwest.net. The poem called Mr. Horowitz “a decent, honorable man” and described how the fraud has affected the family. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “The irony that Bernard Madoff pled guilty to 11 counts of fraud, perjury and money laundering on this day is beyond measure,” Irwin Horowitz wrote. “My father’s passing has become part of this great American tragedy. He served as Mr. Madoff’s auditor for over three decades, before handing it off to my brother-in-law. He never suspected the crime that was happening.” |
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