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PoliZette Hillary Camp Warns Moderators: Shut Down Trump Campaign manager lays groundwork for blaming debate moderators if Clinton crumbles Hillary Clinton’s campaign is telling the media to “fact check” Donald Trump during the first presidential debate Monday night at Hofstra University in New York — already framing the spin for a potentially weak performance from the Democratic nominee. Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, told ABC News’ “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos it was the job of debate moderates to push back all the “lies” that Trump will try to level against Clinton. “I really don’t appreciate campaigns thinking it is the job of the media to go and be these virtual fact checkers and that these debate moderators should somehow do their bidding.” Advertisement “What we’re concerned about is that there might be some sort of double standard here,” Mook told Stephanopoulos. “You know, Donald Trump can’t lie on that debate stage and win or even get a passing grade. Donald Trump cannot demonstrate that he doesn’t have a command of the issues and get a passing grade.” When Stephanopoulos said the debate commission has been “pretty clear that they think it’s the job of the moderator basically to get out of the way” and “just ask the questions,” Mook insisted that the moderators should defend Clinton. “Well, all that — again, all that we’re asking is that, if Donald Trump lies, that it’s pointed out,” Mook said. “It’s unfair to ask for Hillary both to play traffic cop while with Trump, make sure that his lies are corrected, and also to present her vision for what she wants to do for the American people.” “But isn’t that what a debate is supposed to do?” Stephanopoulos asked. [lz_related_box id=”213066″] Advertisement “Well, I think Donald Trump’s special. We haven’t seen anything like this,” Mook responded. “So we’re saying this is a special circumstance, a special debate, and Hillary should be given some time to actually talk about what she wants to do to make a difference in people’s lives. She shouldn’t have to spend the whole debate correcting the record.” Mook’s excuse-making for Clinton’s inability to combat “lies,” before the debate even happens, underscores her campaign’s unease headed into the first presidential debate. “So I think they’re worried about many things. Hillary Clinton should have been in the much better position. She’s not known for her abundance of self-awareness or being nimble or resilient,” Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s campaign manager, told Stephanopoulos in response, adding that “Hillary Clinton’s casual relationship with the truth is well known to Americans.” “I’m sure we’ll see it on full display tomorrow night,” Conway said. “And I really don’t appreciate campaigns thinking it is the job of the media to go and be these virtual fact checkers and that these debate moderators should somehow do their bidding.” |
Ask ten different people, and you’ll get ten different answers. Ron Paul speaks softly and carries Mises. The eccentric, famous, and infamous Texas congressman has a frail frame and a frailer voice. “I am not powerful, but my ideas are powerful,” he says. Everybody knows his name. Everybody talks about him. But nobody can agree as to who he is. Advertisement Advertisement He’s America’s most prominent libertarian, and he has the college and yuppie fans — fond of styling themselves “fiscally conservative but socially liberal!” — who come along with that. But it’s not that simple; for example, Paul strongly opposes abortion rights. Many are surprised by that. But Paul continually tries to convey — despite the confusion of the mainstream media — that his pro-life advocacy is consistent with, indeed bound up with, his libertarianism: Both protect the right to self that every person (and Paul considers the unborn to be persons) possesses. The congressman is also surprisingly vociferous in his opposition to illegal immigration, which might be considered a turn away from laissez faire economics. On same-sex marriage and the death penalty, Paul’s political priority is to protect states’ rights to decide for themselves, but he personally leans right. So does that mean Paul is another typical conservative? If you believe establishment Republicans, definitely not. During the 2008 Republican presidential primaries, Rudy Giuliani took offense to Paul’s claim that the September 11 hijackers were motivated by American aggression and meddling abroad. Paul spent the rest of the campaign answering the question, “Are you in the right party?” Paul maintains that he presents the essence of true conservatism — that he is the voice crying out in the wilderness, reminding American conservatism it had gone astray under the influence of “neoconservatives.” Advertisement And to hear Paul talk about American imperialism, our military-industrial complex, and the nefarious influence of Leo Strauss, you might think he was a commentator for Democracy Now! Advertisement Some say he’s an isolationist. He says non-interventionism is different. Some say he is a corporate tool and shill for the rich. He says his libertarian opposition to corporate welfare is just the opposite. Some called his 2007 proposal to cut size of the federal government by 40 percent radical and dangerous. He asked whether 1997 — when federal spending was 40 percent lower — was really such a radical and dangerous time. Some say he’s a bigot, pointing to the notorious newsletters bearing his name. He says his brand of individualism — and its attendant politics — is the only curative to group-hatred (and his supporters maintain that Paul was not responsible for the content of the newsletters). Some say his tendency to earmark bills he knows will pass — and then vote against them — is hypocritical. He calmly explains that insofar as government is going to spend so much, better congressmen control it than administrators. Paul’s preference for abstractions and philosophical pronouncements over canned and screened reactions has made him something of a Rorschach politician, his many words an inkblot into which others may read their dreams or nightmares. Hence, perhaps, the enthusiasm of both Paul’s fans and his detractors. Advertisement Paul, however, says his political philosophy is quite simple: “I’m a constitutionalist.” And he takes it as a sign of the times that his faithfulness to an originalist reading of the Constitution — which he claims forbids the existence of the Federal Reserve, among other government creatures — engenders such confusion, so many accusations of both radicalism and reaction. Advertisement Two things about Ron Paul are for certain. The first is that he’s quixotic — unquestionably a little weird, and probably unelectable to higher office — but a necessary gadfly reminding us of our lost constitutional liberty. The second is that Paul, the author of End the Fed, among other books, has been selected as the new chairman of the Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy. The man who wants to end the Fed will now be overseeing it (as far as Congress can oversee the Fed). NRO’s Matthew Shaffer talked to Paul about that oversight, his economics, the presidency, and more. #page#NATIONAL rEVIEW oNLINE: What new powers will you have as chairman of the subcommittee on domestic monetary policy? Advertisement RON PAUL: I won’t have many new powers. It’s not about power for me. I’ll have a better position from which to publicize and get attention for my ideas. nro: Speaking of ideas: Yours are considered strange and radical by some, but now there seems to be an uptick in interest. PAUL: Before two or three years ago, this could have never happened. It was only because of the crisis that the Austrian economists predicted came about, and people said, “Hey, maybe these guys are on to something.” I think that helped me get the job, because I’m really not mainstream in the House here. But now people are looking for alternative answers. Advertisement nro: Even people like Michele Bachmann are showing up to events on the Austrians now. Do you expect cooperation in your agenda from the full committee and Republican leadership? PAUL: I don’t expect them to agree with every single thing, but I think they’ll be cooperative in letting me run my hearings, propose alternatives, and so on. And I expect them to support the effort to get more information from the Fed. The new people coming in certainly should be very supportive, because a lot of them ran on these issues — more transparency in the Fed. Advertisement nro: Are you going to try to use your influence there to, as per your book title, “End the Fed”? PAUL: Not directly. Indirectly, though, yes. The Fed will end because the system we have is not viable. All printing-money systems always end. So my goal in the book as well as in the committee is to expose the Fed for what they do, how important it is economically, why they don’t achieve what they pretend to achieve, and why they need to have more transparency. I would just like to legalize competition, legalize the Constitution, and allow people to use gold and silver as legal tender. And then if people don’t like the paper money, they can start using gold and silver in savings accounts or spending or whatever. Today if you do that, you go to prison. nro: So your goal is to end the federal government’s monopoly over currency, essentially. Advertisement PAUL: That is it. It has monopoly control over supply of money and credit. And it was never meant to be that way. Under the gold standard, the supply of money is dependent on the market and the interest rates are dependent on savings rather than the Fed dictating the interest rate. When I first came to Congress in the Seventies, gold wasn’t even allowed be owned. It was ’75 or ’76 when it became legal again. And some people used gold as a protection back then. It was $35 an ounce and now, look, it’s $1,400 an ounce. So it’s a system that deserves our attention. nro: You’re pretty confident in your economics. So why do you think the Austrian school of economics has been so outside of the mainstream, not always respected by the academy or board members of the Federal Reserve? PAUL: It’s the failure of their views. Not many people think there’s going to be a wave of Communism in the world in the near future, because the collapse of the Soviet Union was a major historical event that proved that radical socialism does not work. And I think what we’re witnessing now is the conclusion that Keynesianism doesn’t work either, that the money, inflationism, corporatism, regulatory systems run wild, spending, and deficits — all that stuff is failing. And that means that now people are looking to the Austrian school that says we should have sound money and balanced budgets and no government regulation of interest rates or regulation of the money supply. #page#nro: But there are conflicting narratives. A lot of people say that deregulation was responsible for irresponsible investments and the financial crisis. PAUL: That’s a really important issue. That’s what always happens. That’s more or less what they said in the Thirties. We had inflation in the Twenties, then the collapse of the financial bubble, and then the depression. But they said, “If only we had had a lot more regulation . . . ” So they added regulations and prolonged our depression. I think it was when Long-Term Capital failed, Sarbanes-Oxley came in and said we needed more regulations. We already had the Securities Exchange Commission and everything else, but they wanted more. And many companies went along with it. I see the opposite. I see the arbitrary regulations of government as a major cause of our problems. Many people ask me, “If you’re not for regulations, how do you control things?” Well, in the marketplace, there are a lot of market regulations — and you don’t have the moral hazard of a government guarantee. If you mess up, you go bankrupt. In free-market banking, for instance, the directors who set up the bank would be personally liable if it went bankrupt. Can you imagine how much more cautious they would be? They wouldn’t be making all these wild loans and responding to the regulators saying you must make certain bad loans to people who don’t qualify. So regulations are very negative when they come from government. What we need are more private-property regulations, more market regulations. So far, we’re doing exactly the wrong thing. We had the recession come because of too much spending, too much debt, too much taxing, and too much regulation. And so we’re trying to solve the problem by spending like crazy, regulating like crazy, printing money like crazy, and taxing. And then they wonder why things are getting worse. Advertisement nro: It seems like that carries over to the moral hazard introduced by the implicit guarantee of banks that are “too big to fail.” PAUL: Sure. And one of the things that I complained about for eight years or so about the housing bubble is that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had a line of credit to the Treasury. It had only $2 billion, and that wasn’t very much, because it was hundreds of billions or trillions that got involved with these derivatives. But the idea that the Treasury was supposed to come to their rescue implied that they can run roughshod. And then there were all these regulations and affirmative actions that said you must make these loans. That was really the basic problem, but the Fed accommodated by creating all this credit and that’s how we got into this mess. But it was the line of credit that created the moral hazard. nro: Were you prescient about that in the early 2000s? PAUL: Oh, yeah, that was my motivation to run for Congress 30 years ago. I thought interest rates were always too low. Nobody wants to make interest rates very high, deliberately. But the low interest rate misleads the businessman and makes him think there’s been a lot of savings, and therefore it’s proper to have more capital investments. And that’s why they overbuild in various areas. And these moneys flow into the various areas — sometimes into asset bubbles, sometimes into housing, sometimes in raw property or whatever. They help create bubbles that have to pop at some point. I want market interest rates. We don’t have enough confidence or understanding of how the market works in this country to set interest rates, and thinking we do is how we’ve gotten ourselves into trouble. nro: What do you think about QE2? PAUL: It’s more of the same. That is what caused our problem. It was the low interest rates at 1 percent under Greenspan that really helped build the bubble, and then QE1 and the promise that Bernanke will do whatever is necessary and print as much as he wants and he will rescue us. But all of a sudden it doesn’t lower interest rates. At the beginning, QE2 was supposed to lower interest rates, and now the interest rates are going up. #page#nro: One thing that matters to you and a lot of disciples of Austrian economics is inflation. Some think it’s necessary and good because, with sticky prices, it helps to stimulate growth. Can you explain your problems with steady inflation? PAUL: It’s the worst thing any government could deliberately do. It’s counterfeit. It means some people will benefit at the expense of others. People who saved money and are living off their savings get cheated. It’s a moral issue: They might make 1 percent on their certificates of deposit, and they can’t live on that. And the government practically gives the money to the banks and then they turn it over and buy Treasury bills and bonds and make 3 or 4 percent. So they make billions of dollars after having just been rescued from their bankruptcy. It’s wrong to deliberately devalue the currency, because prices go up and if your purchasing power goes down, then somebody is stealing from you. So to me, it’s theft. And they should never be allowed to do that. And the responsibility of government is to guarantee the value of currency. The Founders understood it clearly, they had had runaway inflation of the continental dollars, that’s why they said you cannot admit bills of credit, no paper money — we totally ignored that and it’s one of the major reasons we’re in the mess we’re in. nro: So inflation transfers wealth? PAUL: Inflation goes from the middle class to the wealthy, and it is a tax, and the people don’t know about it. It’s invisible. That’s why they get away with it. Eventually the people wake up, and then it’s too late, and you get rampant inflation. Bernanke brags that he can turn off inflation in 15 minutes. He can’t. There’s so much money out there, which is going back into use — commodities are going up. This idea that there is no inflation is absurd. One thing they do is they want everyone to talk about inflation as the CPI. Austrians say that inflation is when you increase the money supply — sometimes some prices go up, sometimes it starts out in land, but eventually it can be everything. Advertisement nro: If you don’t trust the Fed, as an unelected “fourth branch of government” . . . PAUL: Yep, they’re bigger than the Congress now. nro: . . . but if you don’t trust smart bankers to control the currency, why would you trust Congress? PAUL: Well, how could it be any worse? At least with Congress, people would know what they were doing. But I don’t want Congress to do it. People who we call Greenbackers are the ones who say Congress should print the money and pass it out and help the people they want to help. But that’s not what I want, that’s not what is in the Constitution. Nobody is supposed to regulate the money and set interest rates. I want the marketplace to set interest rates, and that means the market decides how much gold and silver circulates. nro: But would you prefer Congress to the Fed? PAUL: Well, you know, I probably would, just to shake up the system. But that would not be my priority. My first step is to expose the Fed for what they’re doing, because they do it in secret. People say that “Congress will politicize the Fed.” Well, how could they get more political? When they help out their buddies at Goldman Sachs, that’s pretty political. nro: Enough of the dismal science. A few scattershot questions now. I’ve always wondered, is your son, the senator-elect, named after Ayn Rand? PAUL: [laughter] No, his full name is Randall. It had nothing to do with Ayn. #page#nro: You two are living together outside D.C. now, right? PAUL: He has high-school kids, and one is going to graduate this year. He doesn’t want to take him out of high school in his senior year and does not want to set up housekeeping here [in D.C.]. So he asked if he could stay at my place for six months while he makes a decision. I said, “Okay, as long as I don’t have to cook.” So he’ll stay. I think he’d like to bring his kids here more often than I brought my kids at that age. nro: Do you consider yourself well-aligned with the Tea Party? PAUL: Well, the Tea Party is so big, and they do have different views. But most Tea Party people come together for one issue, and that is government’s too big, they spend too much, the debt’s too big. I think when you get down to the fine points of foreign policy, there may be differences about what to cut. I think the Tea Party people are pretty good on the Federal Reserve. So it is big and broad, but I don’t think it’s a monolith. I think there’s some disagreement — but the biggest disagreement is with Washington, that’s what they agree on. nro: You’ve had some conflicts with the Republican party. Do you feel more comfortable with the incoming Republican class than with the so-called establishment? PAUL: Absolutely. A lot are not politicians, a lot have run their first races, like Rand did — that was his first race, he didn’t work his way up the system. I think it will be a lot of people like that who will be very independent-minded, and that’s what we need. nro: Can the Tea Party maintain its energy? PAUL: I think they’ll stay organized, and if this Congress does what the Republicans did when they held all three branches — if they don’t do a better job — I think they’ll hear from the Tea Parties. nro: What about from you? Running for president in 2012? Advertisement PAUL: Don’t know, too early to tell. nro: We know what that means. Anyways, another change in direction: How do you square your hard line on immigration away with your libertarian philosophy? PAUL: Well, I just think that it’s unsustainable without having some border protection, mainly because of the welfare state. The welfare state encourages our people not to work, and so then we need workers. And when immigrant workers come in, there are welfare benefits, education, and Medicare for those who come who are not legal. If there wasn’t that, I’d be pretty generous with illegal immigration. I’m writing a book for next year, and I’m going to say I support neither amnesty for everyone nor guns and shooting people when they come over. I want immigration to be legal, but I would argue that there should be no federal mandates to provide services for illegal immigrants. Maybe immigrants would go back, then, to their families, on their own. I think it’s virtually impossible to send back 12 million people, but I don’t think we should give them citizenship. So the Left will be unhappy because they want immediate citizenship, and the Right will be unhappy because they want to send them all home. But the other day, we had that DREAM Act vote — a lot of things there I was sympathetic to. But they wanted to give them tremendous welfare benefits. I don’t like that kind of stuff. #page#nro: You caused controversy recently defending WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Do you stand by your comments? PAUL: I feel stronger about it than I ever have. This can’t be allowed to go without a full debate. If you don’t protect the rights that we have to broadcast and print — as well as for individuals who want to tell the truth about our government — we’re in big trouble. Others say I’m letting people undermine our security, but the truth is, the lies told by our government that have gotten us into wars are the biggest danger. I lived through the ’60s in the military, and Iraq was all based on lies. Just think how many people have died and are wounded and are still being wounded. And the war’s going to go on forever. nro: Do you extend that defense to Pfc. Bradley Manning? PAUL: Well, that’s different. The real problem is that with the $80 billion we spend for national intelligence, we can’t even protect what we have. That might even be the biggest scandal of all. But even if he did this with good intentions, he has to recognize that he is practicing civil disobedience. But in my speech, I differentiated between treason — which is deliberately helping the enemy — and a foreign correspondent putting something on the Internet, embarrassing our government, because they say something embarrassing about our lies in Afghanistan. nro: Will you try to get Republicans on board with cutting defense spending? PAUL: Yeah, I always do. We hear rumblings of that now. I don’t think that will be achieved until we change our foreign policy. As long as the American people encourage Congress to have a military-industrial complex, we’re going to further bankrupt us. But I believe we cannot deal with the budget deficit without dealing with the excesses of the military. — Matthew Shaffer is a William F. Buckley Fellow at the National Review Institute. |
OKPay – the payment-processing company – has told customers it will stop processing bitcoin transactions. Providing customers with no more than a one-lined statement that reads: “Dear customers, we are currently suspending bitcoin processing,” OKPay has left its partners and customers confused about what lies behind the decision. Mt. Gox – the largest bitcoin exchange, based in Tokyo – released a statement to say it is stopping transactions accordingly but is unsure what is happening behind the scenes. The statement said: “Mt. Gox has recently been informed by OKPay, one of our longtime partners, that they are planning to stop performing wire transfers to and from all Bitcoin exchanges, including Mt. Gox. OKPay is offering a solution, but in the meantime we want to make sure that Mt. Gox customers and the Bitcoin community are well-informed about this development. While we are not completely clear about the dates of the transition, we would like to make a couple of points clear: We will soon stop accepting deposits via OKPay. This may take up to a couple of weeks, but it will happen eventually. Withdrawals to OKPay accounts will not be cut immediately, but will only be allowed up to the amount that OKPay users have deposited into Mt. Gox via OKPay. Beyond that amount there are other methods of withdrawal available. Mt. Gox wishes the best to OKPay, and we look forward to working together more closely in the future. The Bitcoin economy is going through many changes recently, and we are positive that they will ultimately work themselves out in the best interests of the community and the World.” |
He’d say we have to cover the uninsured without bankrupting the country. He’d design a set of insurance policy regulations to make sure everybody gets uniform care. He’d get out his magnifying glass and help pay for expanded coverage by identifying waste in Medicare . Photo Then, he’d say, we’ve got to change the way government reimburses providers. He’d set up a $1 billion-a-year Innovation Center within the Department of Health and Human Services . He’d organize a superempowered Medicare commission to rewrite regulations and hold down costs. He’d set up comparative effectiveness research centers with teams of experts who would determine what treatments work best. He’d encourage doctors to merge their practices into efficient teams because he’d seen successful pilot programs along that line. Mr. Hume, I’m afraid, wouldn’t be so impressive. If you asked him to take on global warming , he’d pile up reports on the problem. But if you walked into his office after a few days, you’d find papers strewn in great piles on the floor and him at his desk with his head in his hands. “I don’t know the best way to generate clean energy,” he’d whine, “and I don’t know how technology will advance in the next 20 years. Why don’t we just raise the price on carbon and let everybody else figure out how to innovate our way toward a solution? Or at worst, why don’t we just set up a simple cap-and-trade system — with no special-interest favorites — and let entrepreneurs figure out how to bring down emissions?” 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. On health care, he’d be much the same. He’d spend a few days reading reports. Then one day you’d find him in the fetal position, weeping. He’d confess that he doesn’t know enough to reorganize a fifth of the economy. He can’t figure out which health care delivery system is the most efficient. “Why don’t we just set up insurance exchanges with, say, 12 different competing policies? We’ll let everybody choose a policy, and we’ll let people keep any money they save. That way they can set off a decentralized cascade of reform, instead of putting all the responsibility on us here.” And then Mr. Hume would beg you to leave him alone. I’ve introduced you to my friends Mr. Bentham and Mr. Hume because they represent the choices we face on issue after issue. This country is about to have a big debate on the role of government. The polarizers on cable TV think it’s going to be a debate between socialism and free-market purism. But it’s really going to be a debate about how to promote innovation. The people on Mr. Bentham’s side believe that government can get actively involved in organizing innovation. (I’ve taken his proposals from the Waxman-Markey energy bill and the Baucus health care bill.) The people on Mr. Hume’s side believe government should actively tilt the playing field to promote social goods and set off decentralized networks of reform, but they don’t think government knows enough to intimately organize dynamic innovation. So let’s have the debate. But before we do, let’s understand that Mr. Bentham is going to win. The lobbyists love Bentham’s intricacies and his stacks of spending proposals, which they need in order to advance their agendas. If you want to pass anything through Congress, Bentham’s your man. |
B?s?zoku ("violent running gang") is a Japanese subculture associated with motorcycle clubs and gangs. They were first seen in the 1950s as the Japanese automobile industry expanded rapidly. The first b?s?zoku were known as kaminari-zoku ("Lightning Tribes"). It is common to see b?s?zoku groups socializing in city centers and playing loud music characterized by their lifestyle, such as The Roosters, and the Street Sliders. The word b?s?zoku is also applied to motorcycle gangs, who share an interest in modifications (often illegal) for motorcycles, such as removing the mufflers so that more noise is produced. These b?s?zoku groups also engage in dangerous or reckless driving, such as weaving in traffic, not wearing motorcycle helmets, and running red lights. Another activity is shinai b?s? speeding in city streets, not usually for street racing but more for thrills. With many bikes involved, the leading one is driven by the sent?sha, the leader, who is responsible for the event and is not allowed to be overtaken. Japanese police call them Maru-S? (police code ???), and dispatch a police vehicle to trail any groups of bikes to prevent any possible incidents, which can include riding through suburbs at speeds of 5–10 miles an hour, creating a loud disturbance and waving imperial Japanese flags, to starting fights which can include weapons such as wooden swords, metal pipes and Molotov cocktails. These b?s?zoku gangs are generally composed of people under the legal adult age, which in Japan is 20 years old, and are subject to increasing state and police pressure. |
The final weekend before the NCAA-mandated dead period, which begins Monday and runs through Jan. 11, was an eventful one for the Gators. Florida expected six official visitors on campus, but ultimately the list changed drastically by Friday. Five-star IMG Academy defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles opted to take an official visit to Florida State rather than make the trip to Gainesville, and all indications are quarterback Matt Corral’s de-commitment led Radley-Hiles to re-evaluate his recruitment. And wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, a four-star prospect out of Booker T. Washington who committed to Florida on July 24, also had a late change of plans. Thornton didn’t arrive Friday for his previously scheduled official visit, leading to speculation about his future. By Saturday night, Thornton confirmed the news by flipping his commitment from Florida to Baylor University. Thornton’s de-commitment leaves the Gators with just one wide receiver currently committed, meaning coach Dan Mullen and his work-in-progress coaching staff have work to do before National Signing Day. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom in Gainesville this weekend. Four-star defensive back John Huggins, who had previously committed to FSU and coach Jimbo Fisher, decided to shut down his recruitment and commit to Florida less than 48 hours after arriving for his official visit. The Daytona Beach native is ranked the No. 32 safety prospect in the 2018 class by 247Sports, and his commitment gives UF another prospect who intends to make his commitment official when the early signing period opens Wednesday. However, perhaps the most significant news for the Gators, considering Corral’s de-commitment and the overall uncertainty at the position under Mullen, was the surprise arrival of five-star dual-threat quarterback Emory Jones. The Franklin, Ga., native has been verbally committed to Ohio State since July of 2016, but sources close to Jones indicate the 6-foot-2 quarterback prefers to stay closer to home. And it helps that Jones’ family has long been a fan of UF, too. Can confirm QB Emory Jones has left #Gators visit and will visit #FSU tonight. First reported by @247Sports — Graham Hall (@GrahamHall_) December 17, 2017 While Jones did make a trip Saturday night to Florida State, those close to Jones believe he felt pressured to give FSU a fair evaluation under new coach Willie Taggart, who believes Jones is the ideal quarterback to run the high-octane offense he envisions running in Tallahassee. Yet with the no-contact period beginning Sunday, Florida is confident that their final pitch to Jones will be enough to flip him from Ohio State before the early signing period opens. Where it stands right now, the Gators expect to sign 10 prospects between Wednesday and Friday: Carol City defensive back Randy Russell, Calvary Christian linebacker/defensive back Amari Burney, Bainbridge (Ga.) running back Dameon Pierce, Rancocas Valley Regional High (NJ) running back Iverson Clement, Fort Payne (Ala.) kicker Evan McPherson, Vero Beach linebacker David Reese, Boca Raton tight end Dante Lang, Wyoming Valley West (Pa.) offensive lineman Chris Bleich, Archbishop Wood (Pa.) tight end Kyle Pitts, along with the aforementioned Huggins. As if that weren’t enough for Florida fans to keep track of, Wednesday also marks the first day for junior college transfers to sign letters of intent to become mid-year transfers. If Mullen’s previous recruiting cycles are any indication, the Gators will likely be in for some surprise additions in the next 72 hours. |
It has been ten days since The Atlantic, a flagship liberal publication since it's founding in 1857 in Boston, was purchased by Laurene Powell Jobs for an undisclosed sum on July 29th. The first issue since this purchase will be lead by a major editorial from their Contributing Editor Peter Beinart. That particular 2200 word screed has already appeared on the Atlantic's website and been boosted on social media at some cost. This can only be seen in context as a declaration of new editorial line, policy and intent. It can be read, if one cares to read the cobbled fact-lite hack job that is, as the new worst editorial to pass muster at a major publication in my recent memory. The previous winner is not even a runner-up, they are an also-ran. I loath to insult other professionals on issues of craft unless their actual practice is either completely barbaric, fails to disclose their own hidden connections to the material, or is just plain sloppy. In the grand scheme of sloppy messes, Beinart's missive is the logical equivalent of medical waste on broken roller skates at a chili cook off. Beinart's piece, which is provocatively titled The Rise of the Violent Left, uses cherry-picked half told or largely inaccurate historical anecdotes to lead his would be intellectual victims to his conclusion that “What’s eroding in Portland is the quality Max Weber considered essential to a functioning state: a monopoly on legitimate violence” and therefore “The people preventing Republicans from safely assembling on the streets of Portland may consider themselves fierce opponents of the authoritarianism growing on the American right. In truth, however, they are its unlikeliest allies.” This translates roughly to “The State needs to violently repress anti-fascists because they are fascists.” He spends his entire article using incomplete and de-contextualized history snippets to lead the reader through the first quote to the second. Beinart's framing of Anti-fascist activists in both a present and a historical context make it apparent he never left his office. I know for an absolute fact that the research tools, contacts, social access, phone numbers and already done leg work are at the Atlantic's disposal. He could have had four of five people provide him with different annotated bibliographies. When he discusses a historical event, he seems to forget that some readers were physically present at said event. I personally have been involved in anti-fascist politics for more than two decades. I was there, Beinart was not, and he is dead wrong. Beinart misuses the term Antifa repeatedly. He refers to Antifa in terms of “Antifa is.” No, Antifa is not. Antifa are or they are not. Antifa is a plural descriptive of people with shared politics not an organization. There are many organizations that are conciously and outspokenly antifacist. Some antifascist activists engage in some well-known tactics on occasion. “Antifa is” creates a monolithic organization where none actual exists. If he does not know enough to use singular and plural in the correct context he is not qualified to draw a single conclusion from his limited, carefully currated dataset. Antifascism is an ideology. Antifa is a plural descriptor of Anti-fascist activists engaged in street action. Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP), Anti-Racist Action (ARA), The General Defense Committee of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW-GDC), Red and Anarchist Skinheads (RASH), Hoosier Anti-Racist Movement (HARM) and the Torch Network are anti-fascist organizations. That is just to name a few with strong brand recognition. All of the above have existed for more than 5 years. All but one has existed for more than 20 years. Overlooking that makes Beinart literally too lazy to use Google. Since I've come out and said that I've been participating in Anti-Fascist street actions for a very long time, I can say that Beinart is dead wrong in characterizing the recent post-inauguration (which is an inaccurate time measurement) wave of activity as being the work of young people in need of guidance. “From Middlebury to Berkeley to Portland, the latter approach is on the rise, especially among young people.” and “Antifa’s power is growing. And how the rest of the activist left responds will help define its moral character in the Trump age.” I'm not the only person who has been doing this for more than 20 years. Beinart thinks he is playing adult role model to his barrista trying to work themselves through Georgetown or the server fetching him his avocado toast that in DC costs more than some of my utility bills, but he is not. Now, today, there are active anti-fascists, wearing masks, fighting fascists directly and they are nurses, schoolteachers, carpenters, auto mechanics, vet-techs, legal secretaries, welders, full-time moms, social workers, domestic violence counselors, and filmmakers. At least two that he could have interviewed are grandparents and I'm not the only editor. I did not have to look outside my state for that list of professions and unlike Beinart I can tell when nouns are singular and when they are plural. He thinks we are not old, wealthy or smart enough to read the Atlantic, and therefore won't spit in his food. Actually, some of us might be the people working on his brakes or giving his relatives their in-hospital care. I'd say we are his neighbors, but editors of big magazines based in DC only have contacts and servants. These facts are not something he had no way of knowing, these are facts I am sure he has access to. Beinart references a historical “brawl” in Pennsylvania against the World Church of the Creator in 2002 that resulted in 25 arrests. I was there and he was not. That was not a brawl. That was an all day all city street fight that followed a police riot in York, Pennsylvania. One of those arrested was an 8 year old girl. She was lying on the ground with her arm broken. Her arm was broken because a nazi, who was not immediately arrested, drove a truck through a crowd of protestors. This was followed by a baton charge by the police who beat the girl, beat and arrested her family members, beat and arrested the medics that were treating her and anyone else who got in the way. I was 30 feet away when it happened. I was somewhat distracted by the grenade launcher pointed at my face from inches away. It was attached to a national guardsmen who was crying because he knew he was doing a bad thing. This is the monopoly of state violence that Beinart has called for. Beinart describes the secrecy under which anti-fascist activists operate. He fails to place that in the context of the fact that we are targeted for outright murder and our killers rarely if ever go to jail. One of the same medics that was beaten and arrested in York survived an arson attack on his home by the Aryan Nations 4 years earlier. It came complete with a burning cross. It happened one month after two other anti-fascist activists were lured into the desert outside of Las Vegas and shot to death. It was in response to civil disobedience that happened at an Aryan Nations parade in Idaho on the same day that one of them was buried. I remember, I was at the funeral. Had Beinart used Lexus-Nexis he would have found the New York Times front section article. He would know that it was a criminal conspiracy that left 38 separate and distinct sets of boot prints at the crime scene. Only one neo-nazi has ever been convicted for the crime. This is the rule of law Beinart harkens unto. I have been to close to 1000 anti-fascist actions, protests and events. I stopped counting at 500 in 2001. I have been to them in big cities and small towns in 19 states. I've been there alongside small town activists who are fighting Klansmen because the latter's stated intention is to gas them, their children and put their corpses in an oven. Beinart is correct in when he says “Antifascists call such actions defensive.” We are defending our lives and our homes in our own communities against people who have clear, uncompromising, and clearly announced intentions of actual genocide and whose intellectual fore-bearers carried out actual genocide. My ancestors fought in the war against that as infantry. Military service has always been a quicker path to citizenship for immigrants. If Beinart wanted to discuss or even examine the nuance that is the three way fight between the repressive forces of the state, the fascists, and anti-fascists defending their actual communities, he could have looked no further than his primary geographic focus, which was Portland. While adorning his article with a masked protestor burning a blue lives matter flag which the fascists were flying, he failed to mention the documented fascists in executive positions in the Portland Police Department. Captain Kruger, recently in charge of the vice squad, has been documented pepper spraying reporters, beating protestors, spray painting nazi graffiti, playing hitler speeches in his patrol car as a sergeant, and place memorial plaques to fallen SS soldiers on public property. Attempts to discipline him have resulted in his winning lawsuits. This is not newsworthy nor does it provide context for Beinart, but burning things look cool and jazz up his fact lite editorial. I have only referenced some history, and there is so much more as Beinart noted in his opening paragraphs with “Since 1907, Portland, Oregon, has hosted an annual Rose Festival. Since 2007, the festival had included a parade down 82nd Avenue. Since 2013, the Republican Party of Multnomah County, which includes Portland, had taken part.” The fascists are in the middle of a wholesale takeover of the Republican party. Steve Bannon's booze swollen face is seen staring dizzily around the White House every day. The Right Wing Christian Secretary of Education's brother is trying to craft war policy and owns the largest private army in the world. Somehow historical context in the present tense eludes Beinart. Beinart notes that anti-fascism has a long history as well “Antifa traces its roots to the 1920s and ’30s, when militant leftists battled fascists in the streets of Germany, Italy, and Spain.” Anti-fascists did not battle in the streets of Spain. That was a full scale civil war. It lasted three years. More than half a million died. More than half a million people fled. Nearly a quarter of a million people were executed by garrotte in the 40 year dictatorship that followed. Picaso painted one of his most famous paintings depicting the terror of nazis bombing civilians. This was not a street brawl. Americans went there to fight fascists, along with people from 45 other countries. Some of the greatest writers of the interwar years, like George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway were there. Orwell was shot and wounded in the neck while fighting in the trenches. Atlantic Editor Beinart would have known that if he had been awake in his High School English class. The clear purpose, other than factual misleading of the reader, was to create a moral equivalency between an eliminationist political movement and grassroots organizations of community self defense. He goes so far as to suggest that hate crimes are caused by fascists being denied their right to organize for genocide. “When antifascists forced the cancellation of the 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade, Trump supporters responded with a “March for Free Speech.” Among those who attended was Jeremy Christian, a burly ex-con draped in an American flag, who uttered racial slurs and made Nazi salutes. A few weeks later, on May 25, a man believed to be Christian was filmed calling antifa “a bunch of punk bitches.” The next day, Christian boarded a light-rail train and began yelling that “colored people” were ruining the city. He fixed his attention on two teenage girls, one African American and the other wearing a hijab, and told them “to go back to Saudi Arabia” or “kill themselves.” As the girls retreated to the back of the train, three men interposed themselves between Christian and his targets. “Please,” one said, “get off this train.” Christian stabbed all three. One bled to death on the train. One was declared dead at a local hospital. One survived. The cycle continued.” This is where he ignored George Orwell's plea at the end of his Politics and the English Language “Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.” Obviously he slurped up Orwell's 1984 in middle school because dystopian Stalinism is easy for a small imagination driving a perpetually pre-teen intellect. That is where his historical grounding began and ended. Perhaps this is what allows him to barbarously equate a man who gives nazi salutes and stabs people with the literal people he stabbed and the people who put themselves in danger to keep him from building or joining an army to commit more racist murder. Beinart calls it a cycle as though self-defense begets racist murder committed on public transit in broad daylight. The actual context of the editorial was to announce an a new management editorial course change to the center-right. Other publications were clearly signaled. The Nation was chastised for a lukewarm article it published on the same topic. What it really said was “This is the new establishment line: law and order” Despite racists in the police forces, despite open murder on the streets, the legitimate monopoly of violence will fall on those that dare defend themselves. This is the beltway establishment's boundaries signaling on what is to be tolerated within the political class “And how the rest of the activist left responds will help define its moral character in the Trump age.” |
In the remote north-eastern corner of Alaska, just under 20-million acres have been set aside as a federal protected area since 1960. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has recently come under threat, however, with President Donald Trump’s Department of the Interior proposing lifting restrictions on seismic exploration. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain has been described as America’s Serengeti, and is the year-round or migratory home to numerous species that are uniquely adapted to the conditions found within this rare expanse of undeveloped wilderness along the Arctic Ocean. Over tens of thousands of years, both the Porcupine Caribou herd and the Gwich’in people have come to depend on the integrity of that coastal plain for their survival. “The Gwich'in call this area ‘Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit,’ the Sacred Place Where Life Begins,” explained Vuntut Gwich’in Councillor Dana Tizya-Tramm via email. “It is a keystone in the ecosystems of the Arctic, and the heart that beats outside of the Gwich'in chest.” Oil and gas lobbyists have had the Refuge in their sights from the outset. For decades now, for every push to open up the wildlife refuge to oil and gas development, multiple generations of Gwich’in have stood up to protect the land and the herd that has sustained their way of life. Disturbance to the landscape can upset a delicate balance between the wildlife that makes its home on the coastal plain. Brooks Range mountains tower behind lush arctic tundra in Yukon's north slope region. Photo: Matt Jacques | DeSmog Canada “In a miracle of phenology [the interaction of climate, habitat and plant/animal cycles], Porcupine caribou cows arrive at the coastal plain just as the first flush of spring growth provides a burst of nutrients to them, just as they all deliver their calves at once,” said Yukon Conservation Society energy analyst Sebastian Jones in an emailed response to questions from DeSmog Canada. “In the first few critical days of a caribou calf’s life, predation is the main hazard. Until they have found their legs, they are easy prey to wolves and bears.” To the west of the Arctic Refuge, high levels of industrial activity are already taking place, and to the south and east of the narrow coastal plain area where the caribou calving takes place, steep mountain ranges mean less nutrients and more predators. “There is simply nowhere else suitable for the caribou to go,” said Jones. Exploration Freeze Beginning to Thaw Under Trump There have been numerous victories and setbacks in what has been a sustained effort over that time, but for many, any sense of relief or optimism brought about by President Obama’s 2016 move to freeze arctic oil and gas exploration in the Arctic has now vanished. President Trump’s 2018 Budget includes instructions to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to raise an additional $1B over ten years. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski — Chair of the Committee — has used the opportunity to champion a renewed push to open the coastal plain to oil and gas exploration. Earlier this month Murkowski introduced legislation that would give a green light to exploration in the Refuge. Republicans have now taken Murkowski’s bill and folded it into their tax reform bill. “There is palpable concern among the quiet people of our community of 250 people,” said Tizya-Tramm. “I've even had children as young as 8 years old ask why this is happening and if we can talk with the President, and what they can do. It is hard to see the sincere concern in our youth’s eyes. I encourage them and tell them that we will beat this, as we must.” Jones said that since the current proposal is exploratory in nature, the true scope and scale of potential activity in the area remains to be seen. “It depends on what they find. If the feverish dreams of the oil men come true, it will be another Prudhoe Bay — decades of drilling, all-season roads, pipelines, and oil spills.” For the Gwich’in, Tizya-Tramm says the development would mirror the expected impact on the caribou herd. “Our entire existence will dwindle with any presence in their calving grounds, period.” ‘Delicate like Fine China’ “People need to understand just how delicate this area is,” says Tizya-Tramm. “Traditionally we stayed out of the Coastal Plains altogether. Tundra is a very sensitive and even seismic testing will scar the land with permanent trails. These caribou have been seen to purposefully stay far away from a soup can laying on the ground. Caribou populations have fallen exponentially in Alberta and other regions where there is development.” Arctic cottongrass, mosses, other plants and lichens vital to the Porcupine Caribou can take decades to recover from industrial damage, sometimes taking decades to return. “The picture that arises here, and well known to our people, is that nature is a fine-tuned system. And up in one of the harshest regions in the world, it is especially delicate like fine china. We cannot limit the options of animals that exist in the narrow opportunities afforded to them, especially one of the healthiest remaining herd of caribou left,” explains Tizya-Tramm Murkowski and supporters have pitched fossil fuel exploration in the area as a quick solution to the American budget deficit, presenting minimal impacts within the coastal plain calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou. Murkowski tweeted in November in defense of changes in oil and gas development since ANWR was established. The size of development pads has decreased by nearly 80% since the 1970s. New technologies have expanded the subsurface reach of the newest rigs by 4,000% over the same period. Many exploration wells are now built using ice roads and ice pads—leaving no impact to the tundra. — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) November 15, 2017 “Many exploration wells are now built using ice roads and ice pads — leaving no impact to the tundra,” she wrote. Jones dismisses any notion of low-impact exploration or development in the area. “This exploration is supposed to be restricted to winter on ice/snow roads and drill pads; here are multiple problems with this,” he says. “Drill rigs are massive and require multiple large loads, in turn requiring very robust roads. It is not a trivial exercise building ice roads on the tundra sufficient to deploy an oil rig. In recent years, consistent with global warming, it has become less common to have adequate snow to build winter roads, so it may not even be possible.” Gwich’in Gearing Up for a Fight While the momentum to open up the Arctic Refuge to development seems to be gaining, Gwich’in and supporters have been stepping up their activity as well. The Yukon Branch of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society has launched a nationwide petition, lobbying Prime Minister Trudeau to speak up against development in the Arctic Refuge. A delegation of Gwich’in and other Canadian officials, including Yukon MP Larry Bagnell travelled to Washington, DC earlier this month in the hopes of influencing senate votes on the issue. Upon returning, Bagnell spoke about the trip and raised the issue in the House of Commons. For Tizya-Tramm and Gwich’in in both Canada and Alaska, the battle has been all-consuming. “I have been working late into the night and weekends for over a month now simply trying to keep pace,” Tizta-Tramm said. “This is a time to call upon all of our people and the strong partnerships we have forged over the years.” The Gwich'in Steering Committee held emergency meetings in Fairbanks earlier in November that brought together tribal leadership, Elders, and community members. “There we once again came together seeking guidance and unity. To be of one mind, one heart, so that we may speak with one voice.” Image: Porcupine Caribou crossing the Blow River in north-western Yukon. Photo: Matt Jacques | DeSmog Canada |
De afgelopen weken was het op onze website mogelijk om deel te nemen aan Het Grote Netflix-Nederland.nl Onderzoek 2016. Jullie hebben massaal gehoor gegeven aan ons verzoek om een mening over Netflix te geven. De resultaten hiervan bespreken we in dit artikel en onderaan zijn de grafieken terug te vinden. Tevens maken we de winnaars van de shirts bekende, welke we ook per mail zullen benaderen. Het Grote Netflix-Nederland.nl Onderzoek bestond ook dit jaar weer uit verschillende onderdelen. Zo waren wij benieuwd naar de mening van onze bezoekers over de kwaliteit van het aanbod in het algemeen, maar ook over de series. Daarnaast probeerden wij in kaart te brengen wat de favoriete films en series van de bezoekers van onze fansite over Netflix. Hierbij ging het om zowel de aangekochte films en series, als de Originals van Netflix. Ook probeerden wij meer te weten te komen over het kijkgedrag. Tevredenheid over aanbod Netflix Het aanbod van Netflix is uiteraard zeer belangrijk en uit Het Grote Netflix-Nederland.nl Onderzoek blijkt dat er tevredenheid heerst over de kwaliteit van de beschikbare titels. Bijna de helft van de deelnemers aan het onderzoek beoordelen het totale aanbod met een 8.0. Bijna een kwart van de stemmen deelde zelfs een negen uit. Slechts 28 keer werd er een onvoldoende uitgedeeld. Als we besluiten een film of serie op te zetten via Netflix, dan wordt dat in de meeste gevallen bekeken op een Smart TV (39,2%) en bevinden we ons in de woonkamer. De grootste groep (28.7%) spendeert zo’n vijf tot acht uur per week aan Netflix. De downloadfunctie moet nog ontdekt worden Er was al heel lang vraag naar en sinds november kan het ook: downloaden via Netflix. Toch blijkt uit Het Grote Netflix-Nederland.nl Onderzoek dat we deze offline-functie nog niet massaal zijn gaan gebruiken. Bijna vier op de vijf mensen heeft aangegeven dat zij nog geen gebruik gemaakt hebben van de offline-functie die Netflix biedt. Wellicht moeten we er nog een beetje aan wennen dat een internetverbinding geen vereiste meer is om te Netflixen. De beste titels op Netflix De strijd tussen de beste nieuwe Netflix Original ging tussen The Crown en Stranger Things. Dit zijn dan ook de meest besproken Originals van 2016 en uiteindelijk kreeg Stranger Things de meeste stemmen (30,4%). Het beste nieuwe seizoen van een Netflix Original was volgens de bezoekers van onze website seizoen 4 van House of Cards en daarmee bleef Frank Underwood Orange is the New Black nipt (21%) voor. The 100 is door jullie uitgeroepen tot beste aangekocht serie (14,4%). Ook How To Get Away With Murder (12%) en Designated Survivor (11,2%) mochten het podium betreden. In 2016 lanceerde Netflix ook veel Original Films en ook hier is gretig naar gekeken. Met 18.6% van de stemmen werd The Fundamentals of Caring uitgeroepen tot beste Netflix Original Film, voor True Memoires of an International Assassin en The Siege of Jadotville. De de beste aangekochte film op Netflix werd, hoe kan het ook anders, de volledige Star Wars-filmreeks. Beste documentaire van 2016 op Netflix is volgens onze websitebezoekers Amanda Knox. Jongens tegen de meisjes De verhouding man/vrouw in Het Grote Netflix-Nederland.nl Onderzoek lag mooi dicht bij elkaar. Van de deelnemers was 53,5% man, 46,5% vrouw. In de voorkeuren waren uiteraard een aantal verschillen waar te nemen. Zo kozen de vrouwen The Fundamentals of Caring tot beste Original Film en de mannen kozen voor The Siege of Jadotville. De nieuwe Netflix Original Series The Crown, Stranger Things en Gilmore Girls waren onder de vrouwen het meest populair. Bij de mannen lag dat iets anders: Stranger Things op één, gevolgd door The Crown en Luke Cage. Winnaars Netflix-shirt Zoals beloofd geven we ook Netflix-shirts weg aan twee deelnemers aan Het Grote Netflix-Nederland.nl Onderzoek 2016. Daisy Klein en Mark Tielen hebben van ons bericht gehad dat zij gewonnen hebben. Zij mogen een Netflix-shirt uitkiezen! |
Andre Villas-Boas faces the biggest test of his Chelsea career at Old Trafford Chelsea meet Manchester United on Sunday and, even though this Premier League season is in its infancy, it is already taking on the appearance of a game the Londoners cannot afford to lose. United's start has been spectacular, rather like Chelsea's was this time last year, while Andre Villas-Boas has made a steady start at Stamford Bridge. It has been a case of so far, so good for Chelsea's young manager but defeat on Sunday would leave them five points adrift of United - and quite possibly Manchester City if they win at Fulham. This is not insurmountable but you don't want a gap like that to be opening up at the top, even after only five games. MAN UTD v CHELSEA FACTS Wayne Rooney has scored a record eight goals in his first four Premier League games Andre Villas-Boas was born in October 1977 - five months after Sir Alex won his first trophy In 38 Premier League meetings, Man Utd have won 11, Chelsea 13 and 14 have been draws If there is to be a title challenger from outside Manchester, I think it will be Chelsea. That's why the game at Old Trafford is already so important for them. You will not win the title in the first 10 weeks but it is possible to lose it - and they will not want to fall behind so soon into the season. It will be a test for United as well because, although they have played brilliantly this season, they have rarely been put under any pressure - apart from in the 1-1 draw at Benfica with a much-changed team. Villas-Boas has described the game as "a different challenge". He will mean for him and his players - but I have been impressed with the Portuguese so far. When you are only 33 and go into a dressing room full of experience, you need to earn respect and show you are your own man because the slightest sign of weakness will be pounced upon by players, supporters and the media. He has accomplished this so far but the real pressure will come if Chelsea start to struggle. If they can get a result at Old Trafford, it will give a huge lift to the belief and confidence of everyone at the club. Villas-Boas has freshened Chelsea up by bringing in younger legs and a bit more pace. Juan Mata looks a very good player and Daniel Sturridge gives them an extra dimension with his quick feet and eye for a goal. There is still the problem of Fernando Torres getting back to his best but Villas-Boas still has plenty of quality to work with. The jury is still out on Man Utd's £18.9m goalkeeper Chelsea will have to defend well, remembering how they conceded a goal to Javier Hernandez in 36 seconds when they lost at Old Trafford last season. There are question marks over United goalkeeper David de Gea and Chelsea will want to put him under pressure as quickly as possible by testing him out with shots and getting the ball in and around his head. The concern around De Gea will not go away until he strings a run of clean sheets together or saves United in a game. Chelsea will also want to test United's defenders and see how they react collectively because the season has been a cruise so far. It will be difficult but, if Chelsea can do that, they have got a chance. In no way is it a foregone conclusion United will win this game because the London club have too many good players. Chelsea have got to stop United, as they have been doing to other teams this season. If they can find a fair way into the game and United have not scored, they will hope to test United in a manner no-one has managed so far this season. Having said that, United have looked superb in their first four Premier League games. New signings Ashley Young and Phil Jones have settled in instantly, while the catalyst is the same person it has been for years - Wayne Rooney. I remember watching him play for England in the World Cup against Algeria in Cape Town last summer. He looked as if he had never seen a football before. It was as bad a performance as I have seen from a top player - but I never doubted he would come back to his best. It's not just because of his ability but his attitude. His work-rate is phenomenal and he has got more guts than almost everyone else put together. Rooney will the key figure on Sunday. This may only be their fifth league game of the season but the stakes are already high, especially for Chelsea To prove my point, I recall United's 3-1 defeat at Liverpool last season. Wayne was having a nightmare but he was trying as hard in the 91st minute as in the first - even with the game lost. I have huge admiration for that. It lifts team-mates when they see their best player trying like that and sets an example. Supporters and colleagues will say to themselves, "Well if he's our best player and he is doing that, then I should be as well". It creates solidarity among a team and gives it a sense of presence and self-belief plus a feeling that everyone is in it together. That is is the importance of Rooney to Manchester United, apart from his wonderful natural ability. He will, of course, be the key figure again on Sunday. This may only be their fifth league game of the season but the stakes are already high, especially for Chelsea. |
Why State Channel won’t fit SlotNSlot SlotNSlot Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 9, 2017 State Channel’s Fxxking Good State channel have so much potentials for utility in real-time DApps with frequent micro transactions: such as Gambling services just like SlotNSlot! State channel is basically an off-chain p2p solution where only the initial and final states are processed on the blockchain, and the intermediate states are processed between participants of the channel, off-chain. This has much advantages for DApps in that it relieves from the blocktime dependency and huge gas costs for frequent transactions. One frequently presented scenario of malicious action is where either participant tries to submit an intermediate state instead of the final state. This requires the constructor to wait for a specified time after it receives a final state, so that the other party can claim what is truly the final state. By a game theoretic way, both parties are forced to submit the actual final state, because since the smart contract would accept the submitted state with the greatest sequence number, either party would submit a state that maximizes its profit with a sequence number greater than the opponent’s. An example of state channel Vertical axis represents balance changes to Alice and Bob. Horizontal refers to the sequence number. Alice submits the state with most benefits to her balance, which is sequence #3. Then Bob would submit the state most benefits him after #3, which is #6. Knowing this, Alice would choose another sub-optimal after #6, which is #8. So would Bob with #10. This iterates throughout the whole states, thus both choosing the true final state. But State Channel is Doomed NO. NOT for SlotNSlot. Yes, it’s an amazing scalability solution for so many DApps. But it’s not eligible considering our core value proposition: a Mobile compatible, fast and easy access to fun and cool experience on slot games. Due to limitations in exception handling, SlotNSlot considers implementing the state channel as putting a burden on users. Imagine a exceptional, but likely-to-occur scenario, on Alice and Bob. Alice created a slot machine on SlotNSlot, which runs the games off-chain with state channel solution. Bob, on his way to work in the subway, puts out his smartphone and turns on SlotNSlot mobile application. He visits Alice's slot, and starts playing. After losing some bets, he wins a huge prize, Jackpot, of a x2000 multiplier. Feeling so lucky, he continues to play another tens of bets in Alice's slot. All of a sudden, his phone is disconnected from SlotNSlot contracts due to... 1)battery discharge 2)wireless network disconnection, or 3)his phone broke as he dropped it on the ground. Bob rushes to reconnect to network. As state channel passes its expiry time, Alice is now able to submit her "final state" claim to the constructing smart contract. Since Bob's client stopped interacting with Alice's, she finds out Bob is disconnected, and submits the state before Bob won the Jackpot. To claim a later state, Bob struggles to deal with his problem, a)trying to find a power source in the subway b)reaching his hands upright to reconnect to wireless network c)praying to god that his phone revives Bob was so happy that he'd win 200000% profit from Alice's slot, but he was suddenly in despair. Very highly unlikely, but anyway he finally reconnected to the game, and claimed the final state to the constructor. Unfortunately and tragically, the constructor has already expired and finalized the channel with the state submitted by Alice. Instead of earning x2000 the bet, Bob rather lost some tens of bets to Alice. This is really something we don’t want users on SlotNSlot experience. On SlotNSlot where games are played in atomic unit on-chain, Bob would have been cool with the disconnection and just forget about it. Then he would try reconnecting later to retrieve what he’d been playing before the disconnection(More likely, it would already have been transferred to his wallet because Alice have to trigger the cash-out to accept another player on her slot). What’s done & What should be done As mentioned, using an on-chain alternative to progress the game, exceptional disconnections are easier to deal with, and the blocktime dependency is bypassed as described in our prior post, with a proactive verification on pending transactions. On top of that, games on SlotNSlot always ensure 100% transparency since all of them are processed in atomic unit on the blockchain, whereas off-chain solutions can’t assure what happened between participants. We’re still left with reducing the gas cost. The development team is putting all the resources to optimize the codes, computations, algorithms, and data structures to save as much gas as possible. Furthermore, as the on-chain way strictly relates to the current state of Ethereum network, we will have to keep eyes on the modifications(i.e. EIPs) to Ethereum. We’re keeping researches on creative solutions to overcome barriers on Ethereum, and are already prepared to implement state channel solution on our codes, which we will be using only if we ultimately find it useless to use alternatives. Don’t forget to try our beta release on this weekend. Check out our WebPage // Whitepaper // Github // Reddit // Youtube Facebook // Twitter // Discord // Telegram *Join our fresh new Telegram channel to discuss on the project *we’ve moved from Hipchat to Discord *SLOT Crowdsale starts on August 20th, 2017. |
Lining up before you fill up is tedious at the best of times, but can you imagine waiting more than an hour for petrol? That's what dozens of motorists were prepared to do at a service station in Perth just to get fuel a little cheaper than nearby outlets. Video from outside a Caltex petrol station in Mirrabooka, in the city's northern suburbs, showed queues at least 15 cars deep for each pair of pumps. Dozens of cars lined up outside a Caltex petrol station in Perth, at least 15 cars deep for each pair of pumps The service station was barely visible in the distance with the car park in front of it completely filled and several cars behind it. At the back of the queue was a fuel truck waiting to deliver more petrol to satisfy the motorists' massive demand. The queue formed as the Caltex was selling unleaded petrol for $1.087 a litre, the cheapest in Perth's north. Motorists waited at least an hour to fill up their tanks in Mirrabooka, in the city's northern suburbs At the back of the queue was a fuel truck waiting to deliver more petrol to satisfy the motorists' massive demand Other outlets were selling for five to 10 cents more a litre, saving about $8 on a full tank for a full-size family car. But some social media users questioned whether waiting an hour for petrol was worth the money, especially with the fuel it took to sit in line. The station is known for offering cheap fuel and is regularly swamped with cars during the cheapest days of the week, but rarely this much. |
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: We turn to Syria, where the Associated Press says Syrian government forces are battling rebels outside the capital Damascus and in Aleppo, where fighting for control the country’s largest city has raged for more than two weeks. Several neighborhoods have reportedly been reduced to rubble as the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wages a massive ground assault to retake the cities. The Assad government also appointed a new prime minister, Wael Nader al-Halqi, following the defection of Riyad Farid Hijab. Syria’s state news agency reported the appointment in a brief announcement that did not refer to the defection. Meanwhile, today, the British foreign secretary, William Hague, announced a new commitment of almost $8 million in equipment to the Free Syrian Army, noting the assistance will not include any weapons. WILLIAM HAGUE: I’ve agreed in principle that our assistance to the opposition will include communications equipment to help political activists overcome the regime’s communications blockade and ensure their message gets to the outside world. I can’t say anything, of course, that would risk identifying these people to the regime or reveal the precise nature of all of that assistance, but our help is likely to include, for instance, mobile phones, satellite phones and radio equipment, which can be used to warn civilians of impending regime assaults. We will help build local capacity among Syrian doctors to collect forensic evidence of torture that can be used in future trials. We will provide more training to support the documentation by Syrian activists of human rights violations and abuses, and to support steps to help Syrian opposition groups to uphold human rights. I’ve also agreed in principle that our assistance should include life-saving protective equipment for civilians to help those carrying out vital work in the crossfire, and this could, for instance, include body armor. AMY GOODMAN: British Foreign Secretary William Hague. Veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi is expected to be appointed as the new U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria. If confirmed, Brahimi would succeed former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who resigned last week, saying both sides, particularly the Syrian government, had failed to respect his ceasefire plan. His six-point plan was never fully adhered to by either side, and the violence continued to escalate. According to activists, more than 20,000 people, mostly unarmed civilians, have died in the last 17 months of fighting, and tens of thousands have fled the country. On Thursday, almost 2,000 people reached neighboring Turkey as refugee flows continue to rise. About a quarter of a million Syrians have left the country for neighboring states over the course of the conflict. Heavy fighting in Aleppo has raised fears of a larger exodus. The refugees are housed at nine camps in four Turkish provinces along the Syrian border. A Syrian refugee in Turkey said the opposition has not yet lost Aleppo. SYRIAN REFUGEE: [translated] I was at Salaheddine district last night. The Free Syrian Army has not withdrawn. I was fighting with them. We have killed 100 Syrian soldiers and destroyed tanks. AMY GOODMAN: For more, we’re joined by Reese Erlich, a freelance foreign correspondent, has reported on Syria for several occasions. He joins us on the phone now from Antioch near the Turkish-Syria border. Welcome to Democracy Now! Who are you meeting? What are you reporting on? What is the scene there on the border, Reese? REESE ERLICH: Well, the most recent interviews I’ve done were with refugees from Aleppo, who told me about really horrific carnage as a result of missile and artillery attacks on neighborhoods. Apparently, the pattern is, if a neighborhood was the scene of Free Syrian Army takeover or even previous demonstrations there, the civilian neighborhood is bombarded from the air or by artillery. And it’s forced a lot of people to leave. The one U.N. estimate was 250,000 just over the last week or so, mostly internally displaced. AMY GOODMAN: Can you describe the camps? REESE ERLICH: Well, the camps here in Turkey are kind of what you would traditionally think of as refugee camps, with tents that provide electricity, sewage, food, you know, basic supplies for the people. They have a few small businesses that they operate out of the camps. From what refugees—you know, people sometimes have an image of refugees as these poor, bedraggled, starving people, but, you know, the Syrians are very sophisticated, educated people, and a lot of them have mobile phones, and they communicate with their relatives in Jordan or Lebanon, where there are also camps. And the consensus of people I’ve talked to is that the treatment is much better here in Turkey than Syrians are getting in other places. AMY GOODMAN: How many refugees would you estimate are there? REESE ERLICH: Well, the official figure, prior to this most recent fighting in Aleppo, was 70,000 officially registered. But that’s probably a low number, because a lot of people can come in as tourists, and if they don’t go into the refugee camp, they’re not considered refugees. But, clearly, there are people who have fled the country and are not able to return. AMY GOODMAN: Reese Erlich, you’re on the Turkey-Syria border. Can you talk about the Kurds? REESE ERLICH: Sure. The Kurds are a non-Arabic people of this region who have their own language and culture. They face discrimination in all the countries they have lived in historically and today, particularly in Syria. There were some 300,000 Syrian Kurds who weren’t even given citizenship until the fighting began and the uprising began back in 2011. So they face a lot of discrimination. And they are overwhelmingly anti-Assad. However, they are also very suspicious of the conservative Islamist forces and fear that under a new government, if they were in power, the Kurdish rights wouldn’t be respected, either. So they have not been as actively participating in the uprising as some other Syrians, although that’s begun to change in recent months. And there have been some smaller villages and towns where Kurdish guerrilla groups have set up checkpoints and otherwise, you know, started a armed struggle against the government. AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk, Reese Erlich, about Russia’s role in all of this? REESE ERLICH: Well, Russia, to its credit, in my opinion, has prevented the U.S. and Europe from passing a resolution that would allow a military attack on Syria, like the U.N.—like those powers did using a U.N. resolution on Libya. And Russia has its own interests in Syria. It’s a longtime ally going back to the Cold War days. But they’re kind of made into this boogeyman by the United States, that if only Russia wasn’t blocking the U.N. resolution, somehow, that would mean the end of Assad, and democracy could come to Syria. And the point is, is that the people of Syria are struggling themselves, and Russia’s actions are not any more harmful than those of the United States, which is supplying arms and also supposedly non-lethal equipment to Syria. I couldn’t help but smile when the British official talked about providing body armor as being non-lethal aid. Come on. Imagine if Pakistan was providing body armor to the Taliban in Afghanistan, what the human cry would be from the U.S. AMY GOODMAN: Finally, what are people calling for? What do you think should happen, as you’re there on the border of Turkey and Syria? REESE ERLICH: Well, people—it’s a very, very difficult struggle. People are, of course, angry at the Assad government. They do have faith, however, that they’re going to get rid of him without outside Western interference. I spoke to a number of people who absolutely oppose any kind of U.S. or European military interference. The U.S. should keep its hands off the situation. They’re probably—I mean, nobody has a crystal ball, but it looks like there’s going to be fighting that will continue for some time, because neither side shows any signs of giving up. AMY GOODMAN: Reese Erlich, I want to thank you for being with us, freelance foreign correspondent on the Syria-Turkish border. This is Democracy Now!When we come back, we’re going to talk about what’s happening in London, the Olympics. We’re going to particularly look at women in the Olympics. Stay with us. |
GANDHINAGAR: There is a giggle among the students as an English teacher, explaining basic grammar , tells a boy Devang, 9, that he is in love with a girl. Chuckles grow when the teacher elaborates upon adjectives and announces: "Devang is in love with a tribal girl". Soon, a roar of laughter sweeps the class when the teacher explains adverbs and says, "Devang is madly in love with a tribal girl."The class that lasts for a little above an hour is peppered with such humour. The 30 students are engaged in learning English conversation , basic grammar and tenses.The setting is a sprawling hall of Raj Bhavan and the English teacher is none other than Gujarat governor Om Prakash Kohli.At 80, Kohli, may have retired from active politics but there are no signs that he will quit something that is closest to his heart — teaching. His students are children of class 3 and class 4 employees of Raj Bhavan, who cannot afford to pay exorbitant fees to learn English."After I took over as Gujarat governor on July 16, I noticed that students here are poor in English. Tuition culture is rampant but not everyone can afford paying the high fees. That is how I decided to start teaching these children, who can't afford to pay for English tuitions. The emphasis is on spoken English," Kohli told TOI in an interview.Kohli holds classes for each batch every alternate day. (TOI photoYogesh Chawda)There are close to 40 students divided in two batches. The junior group comprises of students of classes 5 to 8 and the senior batch has those from class 9 onwards. Kohli holds classes for each batch every alternate day."I give them real-life situations and ask them to start a conversation. For example, one student is asked to be a patient who goes to the clinic of a doctor. I become the doctor and ask them to draw my attention in English," Kohli said.Poojaba Jadeja, who studies information technology in Sabar Institute of Technology for Girls near Gandhinagar, said, "English is extremely important. I have been attending Kohli sir’s classes for four months now and there is a sea change in my English conversation." Her father Mahendrasinh Jadeja is an assistant sub-inspector in Raj Bhavan.Simran Tiwari, a class V student whose mother Mamta is a class 4 employee, said, "I was very weak in grammar. Earlier, I was very hesitant to speak in English but now I feel much more confident." Simran added, "We feel very proud to be taught by the governor. We are lucky as not everyone gets such a facility at their doorstep." |
There is a slightly later and extended version of this post, which may also be a little clearer, at the New Statesman here. It is difficult to think clearly when you watch the utter hypocrisy of our Prime Minister, lecturing the SNP about politics not being a game, moments before she needlessly rejects a Lords amendment to secure the rights of EU citizens in the UK. Everyone knows those rights will be guaranteed during the negotiations, so it would be so easy to seize the moral high ground by doing that now. But I’m not sure our Prime Minister, and her MPs, would recognise the moral high ground if it was staring them in the face. Nicola Sturgeon had no choice but to announce a second Scottish referendum. Brexit is a huge economic and political change, and she would be neglecting her duty to the citizens of Scotland not to explore ways she could avoid a hard Brexit fate for her people. She was given no choice by the decision to leave the Single Market, made not by UK voters but by the Prime Minister. Yet it is also difficult to forgive the SNP for inventing the term Project Fear, which became the vehicle by which the Leave campaign was able to pretend that Brexit would not be the economic disaster it almost certainly will be. It is difficult to forgive them for trying to pretend that the short term costs for the Scottish people of leaving the UK would not be severe. I thought then that it was a huge risk to bear those short term costs when the long term benefits outlined by the SNP appeared to be little more than wishful thinking. But Brexit changes everything. The economic cost to the UK of leaving the EU could be as high as a reduction of 10% in average incomes by 2030. If Scotland, by becoming independent, can avoid that fate then you have a clear long term economic gain right there. But it is more than that. If, Scotland can remain in the Single Market it could be the destination of the foreign investment that once came to the UK as a gateway into the EU. By accepting free movement, it could benefit from the immigration that has so benefited the UK public finances over the last decade. No, that is not what you read in the papers or see on the TV, but I’m talking about the real world, not the political fantasy that seems so dominant today. There is an additional issue regarding the short term costs of independence. With little oil at a low price there is no doubt that the rUK is currently subsidising Scotland by a significant amount. Under Cameron it was reasonable to suppose that this subsidy would continue for some time, if only to prevent another referendum. I do not think we can make the same assumption about Theresa Brexit May. The prospects for the UK public finances under Brexit are dire, yet after the Budget there seems no way that the Conservatives will put up taxes to pay for the extra resources the NHS and other public services so desperately need. As the situation gets steadily worse, nothing - absolutely nothing - will be safe from continuing austerity. To be brutally honest, if the SNP loses another referendum, even the formidable Ruth Davidson will not be able to prevent Scotland being plundered by this government. |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some U.S. intelligence officials suspect that Russian hackers who broke into Democratic Party computers may have deliberately left digital fingerprints to show Moscow is a “cyberpower” that Washington should respect. A lock icon, signifying an encrypted Internet connection, is seen on an Internet Explorer browser in a photo illustration in Paris April 15, 2014. REUTERS/Mal Langsdon Three officials, all speaking on condition of anonymity, said the breaches of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) were less sophisticated than other cyber intrusions that have been traced to Russian intelligence agencies or criminals. For example, said one official, the hackers used some Cyrillic characters, worked during Russian government business hours but not on Russian religious or political holidays.”Either these guys were incredibly sloppy, in which case it’s not clear that they could have gotten as far as they did without being detected, or they wanted us to know they were Russian,” said the official. Private sector cyber security experts agreed that the evidence clearly points to Russian hackers but dismissed the idea that they intentionally left evidence of their identities. These experts - who said they have examined the breach in detail - said the Cyrillic characters were buried in metadata and in an error message. Other giveaways, such as a tainted Internet protocol address, also were difficult to find. Russian hacking campaigns have traditionally been harder to track than China’s but not impossible to decipher, private sector experts said. But the Russians have become more aggressive and easier to detect in the past two years, security experts said, especially when they are trying to move quickly. False flags have grown more common, but the government and private experts do not believe that is involved in the DNC case. The two groups of hackers involved are adept at concealing their intrusions, said Laura Galante, head of global threat intelligence at FireEye, whose Mandiant subsidiary conducted forensic analysis of the attack and corroborated the findings of another cyber company, CrowdStrike. Russian officials have dismissed the allegations of Moscow’s involvement as absurd. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in his only response to reporters, said: “I don’t want to use four-letter words.” EMBARRASSING EMAILS While private cyber experts and the government were aware of the political party’s hacking months ago, embarrassing emails were leaked last weekend by the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group just as the Democratic Party prepared to anoint Hillary Clinton as its presidential candidate for the Nov. 8 election. DNC chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, resigned after the leaked emails showed party leaders favoring Clinton over her rival in the campaign for the nomination, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The committee is supposed to be neutral. The U.S. intelligence officials conceded that they had based their views on deductive reasoning and not conclusive evidence, but suggested Russia’s aim probably was much broader than simply undermining Clinton’s campaign. They said the hack fit a pattern of Russian President Vladimir Putin pushing back on what he sees as the United States and its European allies trying to weaken Russia. “Call it the cyber equivalent of buzzing NATO ships and planes using fighters with Russian flags on their tails,” said one official. Two sources familiar with Democratic Party investigations into the hacking said the private email accounts of Democratic Party officials were targeted as well as servers. They said that the FBI had advised the DNC that it was looking into the hacking of the individual officials’ private accounts. They also said the FBI also requested additional information identifying the personal email accounts of certain party officials. The DNC hired CrowdStrike to investigate the hack. It spent about six weeks, from late April to about June 11 or 12, monitoring the systems and watching while the hackers - who they believed were Russian - operated inside the systems, one of the sources said. What actions, if any, the Obama administration will take are unclear and could depend on what diplomatic considerations may ultimately be involved, a former White House cyber security official said. In past cases, administration officials have decided to publicly blame North Korea and indict members of China’s military for hacking because the administration decided that the net benefit of public shaming – and increased awareness brought to cyber security – outweighed potential risks, the former official said. But “the Russia calculation is far more difficult and precarious,” the former official said. “Russia is a much more aggressive, capable foreign actor both in the traditional military sense and in the cyber realm” and that made public attribution or covert retaliation much less likely. The former official, and a source familiar with the Democratic Party investigations, said that they also were unaware of any U.S. intelligence clearly demonstrating that WikiLeaks had received the hacked materials directly from Russians or that WikiLeaks’ release of the materials was in any way directed by Russians. |
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- New consumer-friendly rules taking effect today will mean colossal changes for the 180 million people nationwide who have credit cards -- and even millions who don't. If you pay with plastic: No longer will banks arbitrarily be able to change the interest rate on your balance. No longer can they confuse you by changing the date your monthly payment is due. No longer can they cut your credit limit, allow you to go over it, then charge a penalty. And the list goes on. But even the half of the population that doesn't carry credit debt could feel the impact of the changes. To make up the money the new rules will cost them, banks are expected to impose new fees on credit cards, and even on checking accounts and debit cards. The credit card changes are so extensive that it seems difficult to believe they're all happening at the same time. Any one of them would be a big deal. Congress approved the overhaul last spring. The reform is the biggest to hit the industry since the credit card was invented 60 years ago, said Kenneth Clayton, senior vice president and general counsel at the American Bankers Association. "It's the opening of a new age." Said Jay Seaton, president of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northeast Ohio: "Credit cards are going back to the way they worked 20 years ago. You buy something, you pay the bill. There won't be all of this 'gotcha.' " Here's a look at some of the changes that take effect Monday: Some other changes Here's what else credit card companies must do, or can't do, under the new law: Must give you 45 days' notice before changing your rate on future purchases, changing your fees or making other major changes. Can't charge fees for payments made by phone or online, unless it's a last-minute payment with expedited handling to avoid a late fee. Must allow you to opt out of account changes and pay off existing balances within five years. Must apply payments first to the highest-rate balances. Can't issue cards with upfront fees exceeding 25 percent of available credit. Can't raise your rate if you fall behind on payments to another creditor. Can't increase your rate on new purchases for the first year of opening a card. Must mail statements 21 days before due date. Other changes: Companies that offer free credit reports must disclose that they're not the official free credit report available by federal law and must direct people to annualcreditreport.com Regulators will study issues such as credit profiling of cardholders based on the stores where they shop. -- Teresa Dixon Murray Interest rates can't be raised on existing balances. In the past, the interest rate on your balance could be changed pretty much at the blink of an eye. On a $9,000 balance, the $75 a month you paid in finance charges at 10 percent jumped to $217 a month if your rate was raised to 29 percent. There was nothing you could do about it except pay off the card or transfer the balance. Now, rates can't be raised on existing balances unless you're more than two months behind on payments or you had a teaser rate that expired. However, if your rate is tied to an index rate, such as prime rate, then your rate can increase by the same number of points the index rises. Consumer advocate Adam Levin, chairman of Credit.com, believes this could be the most important change. There was just something inherently wrong with getting people to borrow money, then changing the terms, said Levin, former director of the New Jersey division of consumer affairs. "This is one of the things that made people the craziest." Due dates must be the same every month. Keeping track of credit card payment due dates was often like watching a racquetball game -- the dates could jump from the 20th to the 12th to the 16th and back again. Now, the due date must be the same every month -- the 10th, the 15th or whatever. If that date falls on a weekend or a holiday, then the next business day is the due date. Payments are on time if received by 5 p.m. on the due date. Many companies imposed late fees for payments not posted by 10 a.m. or even 7 a.m. No more. Firms can't charge overlimit fees without your permission. Going over your credit limit isn't a good thing. But it's painful when going over the limit by $1 costs $39, or when one mistake costs more than $100, as multiple fees add up. That can't happen anymore. Unless you ask your credit card company to allow you to go over your limit, transactions that exceed the limit may be denied. You won't be charged a fee. If you do go over your limit, you'll be charged a penalty fee only once per cycle, not once for every purchase over your limit. No more two-cycle billing. Many companies have charged interest based on a customer's average daily balance over the past two months, not just the average balance from the most recent month. That means you were essentially paying interest twice on some purchases. Now, interest will be figured only on your last month's average daily balance. Minimum payment disclosures. Consumers' credit card statements must contain information on how long it will take to pay off their bill if they make only the minimum payment, and how much it will cost long-term. No marketing to college kids. Companies won't be allowed to promote credit cards on college campuses or to send pre-screened card approval letters to anyone under 21. Even if young adults hear about credit cards through other sources, they won't be able to open an account unless they can document they have income to repay the debt. Otherwise, they'll need a cosigner. Jerry Welch, chief executive office of nFinanSe Inc. of Florida, whose company sells reloadable debit cards, expects an explosion in his business, in part from young adults who will have difficulty getting credit cards. The college population alone is 18 million, he said. Of course, all of these changes will cost the industry dearly in interest charges and fees. Just how much is a matter of speculation, said Clayton of the American Bankers Association in a conference call. Seventy percent of credit card companies' revenue comes from interest charges, 20 percent from merchant fees and 10 percent from consumer fees. Penalty fees alone -- such as overlimit or late-payment fees -- yielded $15 billion to $20 billion last year, the federal government says. All of this means credit card companies will have to change their business models, primarily by taking less risk and by finding other ways to get revenue. Consumers have already seen cards canceled and credit limits lowered. Now they will find it more difficult to get new accounts, too, said Nessa Feddis, vice president and senior counsel at the American Bankers Association, in a conference call. Those who do have cards -- people with bad and good credit alike -- can expect to pay higher rates on new transactions, since banks won't be able to raise rates on existing balances. Credit card issuers also are slicing rewards and launching new fees. Annual fees have returned, and some banks such as Citibank are charging fees if you don't use your card enough. And you'll see increases in fees still allowed, such as for balance transfers, Seaton of Consumer Credit Counseling predicts. Look for people without credit cards to feel the effects, too, said Jean Ann Fox, director of financial services for the Consumer Federation of America. She expects some banks to impose checking account overdraft fees by not posting deposits until after all withdrawals have been subtracted each day. And she predicts a surge in banks' pushing cash advances on checking accounts, with interest rates exceeding 100 percent. Levin of Credit.com noted that credit card companies can still make some changes to accounts with 45 days' notice. To sneak those changes past consumers, some companies have been experimenting with making envelopes look as much like junk mail as possible, he said -- so watch your mailbox closely. "You have to remember, these companies aren't making these changes because they wanted to," he said. "They've been dragged kicking and screaming, and they're not really happy about it." |
From the company that brought you the original Tamagotchi “virtual pet,” comes a new gadget which takes that basic premise and injects your own personality into the equation. Bandai’s Human Player starts out by asking you fifty personal questions, then creates your own digital Mini-Me based on your personality traits. The “Ego-gram” test assigns of 22 personalities to start your virtual doppelganger’s life. Once your personality is set, you can interact with other virtual characters on the device, or beam your “self” to other Human Players via infrared and wreak havoc in their worlds. Check out the wacky Japanese video below for an explanation of how the Human Player works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7BClaQ2ZoU&eurl= Now that clears everything up, doesn’t it? If you happen to speak Japanese, you can take the personality test here. Available in Japan starting at the end of March, each Human Player will run |
For those who haven’t heard, Planetary Resources is a company founded by a group of scientists and millionaires with the eventual goal of mining near-Earth asteroids for natural resources. Sara Seager, Professor of Planetary Science at MIT, is an advisor on the core Planetary Resources team. She spoke to The Mary Sue about her groundbreaking work with research into exoplanets and the search for other life in the Universe, and about being involved with Planetary Resources and their incredible ambitions. Jordan Erica Webber: You’ve done some amazing work in the field of planetary science. What first got you interested in that area of physics? Sara Seager: One of my first memories is of the moon following me. As a small chid, I couldn’t understand why the moon would follow while I was in the car; no matter how far the car went, or how many times the car turned, the moon was still there. Another of my vivid early memories is of the stars. When I was about ten years old and on my first camping trip, in Ontario, I remember awakening late one night, stepping outside the tent, and looking up. I was completely stunned by what I saw. Stars – millions of them, it seemed – filled the entire sky. I had never imagined that there was such a vast expanse beyond Earth. So, I was always interested in astronomy. I became interested in planetary science mostly after I began studying exoplanets, in the mid 1990s. JW: So your love for astronomy goes way back. Were you ever told astrophysics was not an appropriate path for you, as a woman, to take? SS: Yes, but not for the reasons you would expect. My late father hammered into me, ‘You must be able to support yourself and not rely on any man.’ He told me astrophysics was not an appropriate path because I wouldn’t be able to get a job that paid highly enough to support myself. He wanted me to be a dermatologist, an easy, low-responsibility, money-making career where I could work part-time to have time for a family, and still bring in the cash. His advice about being able to support myself was so great in the end, because I recently became a widow, yet I can still support myself and my children in the way I want (travelling to rocket launches, hiking mountains all over the world). JW: What advice would you give to young girls interested in astronomy and considering turning that interest into a career, as you did? SS: My advice is always, ‘Find something you love doing that you are also good at.’ This takes time, so make sure your time outside of school is not overcommitted to structured activities. More specific advice is to take math and physics classes so that you have the appropriate background for astronomy and planetary science study. Read books – so many great popular level books are accessible to a high school level audience. Find a summer internship at a local college to give you experience and confirm that a career in astronomy is what you are interested in. JW: What would you say are your proudest achievements from your time spent studying planetary science? SS: My proudest achievements are always those yet to come! In this case, my upcoming work on biosignature gases is my favorite, which will ultimately tell us whether or not a distant exoplanet is inhabited. Looking back, my proudest achievements in the field were laying down the foundation for the study of exoplanet atmospheres and other exoplanet characterization tools. A related outcome was the prediction of sodium gas on a kind of planet we call a ‘hot Jupiter’, which led to the first detection of an exoplanet atmosphere. JW: With regard to exoplanets, what led you to consider that, ‘For exoplanets, anything is possible under the laws of physics and chemistry?’ SS: Exoplanets come in all sizes, masses, and orbits imaginable. Surprising discoveries are still happening. For example, who would have guessed that there could be a planetary system – called Kepler 11 – with five of its six detected planets having orbits all inferior to that of Mercury? And these six planets are not tiny planets like Mercury; some are up to two times the size of the Earth. What are a bunch of relatively big planets doing all squeezed into such compact orbits? There are many, many other examples of exotic planets and planetary systems, yet all obey the laws of physics and chemistry, hence my maxim. JW: So do you think the search for exoplanets will lead to discovering life on planets other than our own any time soon? SS: When will we find an Earth? Identifying a true Earth twin (orbiting a sun-like star) will take about 25 years, because it relies on developing technology and building a highly sophisticated space telescope, as yet to be planned. There is, however, a fast track to finding an inhabited world, and that relates to big Earths orbiting small, low luminosity stars. In this case, we could find a planet with signs of life in a decade if the right pool of planets, around bright enough stars, are discovered, and if we can use tons of time on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, to try to observe their atmospheres. When we do find signs of life, it will be via ‘biosignature gases’ in the exoplanet atmospheres. These are gases that, like oxygen (and to some extent methane and nitrous oxide, and others), are generated by life and can accumulate in the planet’s atmosphere. JW: Do you see any benefits for this work with exoplanets from the plans the Planetary Resources Corporation has to mine asteroids? SS: Absolutely, yes. While NASA succeeds with big, complex space science missions (think about the Mars Science Laboratory, a mission of over $2 billion, with ten science instruments), these space missions for astronomy are few and far between. The highly successful Kepler Space Telescope, for example, took over 25 years from concept to launch. Most of space science would benefit tremendously from cheaper, more frequent launch capability for smaller, more specialized space science missions. A sustainable commercial spaceflight business – one that is not supported by NASA contracts – is required to reduce the costs and increase the launch opportunities. I support any efforts for a self-sustaining spaceflight business. JW: What other benefits do you think will come from asteroid mining? SS: For the investors, wealth. For the private commercial space flight industry, the eventual opening up of space to robotic and human interplanetary travel, by using asteroids as refueling stations (via the extraction of water and conversion to make rocket fuel). To the science community, cheaper, more frequent launches to low Earth orbit and far beyond. JW: How did you come to be a member of the advisory team? SS: Planetary Resources is interested in building upon small-space telescope technology that my MIT team (in partnership with Draper Labs) has been developing. I’ve been working with Planetary Resources for about a year, while the company was under the different name of Arkyd Astronautics. Planetary Resources approached me to be an advisor to the team about a year ago. I would think that it was space technology knowledge and broad general knowledge of space science that was attractive to them. Their advisory board has members with a very wide range of skills and only a couple of scientists on board. JW: That advisory team has obviously been selected on the merits of its members, but the website has you listed as the only woman; would you have liked there to be more female advisors involved? SS: I hadn’t really thought about the lack of women on the Planetary Resources team until now (though there is at least one female engineer employed by Planetary Resources). What I would like to see is more women willing to take risks and find ways to make their own big ideas get launched. In my opinion, the roots of the problem of why women are still often missing from the highest and most exciting echelons run deep, and are related to society’s conditioning of girls’ natural instincts. JW: Why was the decision to send robots to these asteroids, and not humans, made? SS: No one wants to see people getting killed in space. The costs associated with human safety in spae travel are enormous as compared to robotic tasking. JW: Obviously you can’t give many details at the moment, but could you give a brief overview of how the process will work? SS: In terms of mining an asteroid, let’s just say significant research and development is still needed to figure out the best method. At the same time, we know how to get to an asteroid, land on another planet or moon in our solar system, and we know how to get off the moon and return to Earth. NASA even has a mission to scoop up two ounces of an asteroid material and bring it back to Earth (a $1 billion mission called OSIRIS-REx, with which I am involved in the MIT-Harvard student instrument REXIS). What is needed is to determine how to be cost effective, and how to mine in an extremely low surface gravity environment. Planetary Resources and others have talked about capturing an asteroid and bringing it into a high lunar orbit. The Keck Institute for Space Studies studied the concept of capturing and bringing back a seven meter, 500,000 kg asteroid to high lunar orbit for humans to travel back and forth to, for mining for resource extraction. JW: How will Planetary Resources select their target asteroids? SS: Planetary Resources will use standard methods of observing their surfaces to identify metal-rich or water-rich asteroids. JW: How long will we have to wait to see asteroid mining happen? SS: Peter Diamandis (Planetary Resources co-founded and co-chairman) has been quoted in the media as saying it could happen by 2020. In the meantime, Planetary Resources is trying to establish a sustainable business by developing a series of space telescopes and spacecraft. You can find out more at their website: http://www.planetaryresources.com/technology/ JW: Thank you very much for speaking with us. SS: You’re very welcome. To find out more about Sara Seager’s search for life on exoplanets, you can download her ebook for free at http://seagerexoplanets.mit.edu/books.htm If you are interested in building space hardware, Sara recommends finding a university working under the CubeSat program (http://www.cubesat.org/) and getting involved. Jordan Erica Webber is the editor of Godiva Gamers, but also blogs here. |
Introduction 1 of 2 This course provides an introduction to the nature and style of Chan Buddhism, which has been practiced in China since around the 6th century C.E. and, when exported to Japan around the 11-12th century, became the source of "Zen." Rather than attempt to present in depth every important aspect and feature of Chan Buddhism, this course — by presenting some of the highlights of Chan — hopefully conveys its flavor and unique approach. In the near future you will be able to explore aspects of Chan in greater depth on Ashoka. The teachings of the Buddha tell us that everyone has Buddha-nature and that everyone can attain Buddhahood. Everyone who . . . follows the principles and methods of practice can become a Buddha. . . Buddhism emphasizes the cultivation and realization of wisdom, which resolves internal struggles and suffering. But how do we cultivate wisdom? We rely on the guidance of methods such as those found in Chan practice. Master Sheng Yen As Chan is a form of Buddhism, an introduction to Chan brings us to study the basic teachings of the Buddha. Chan is both Buddhism as you may already be familiar with and also forms of practice, meditation and study that evolved in China and eventually migrated to other Asian countries (such as Zen in Japan). Today we are witnessing the widespread interest in Chan and Zen in many countries in the West. Chan is not something new brought here [to the West] by Orientals; Chan is present everywhere, in space without limit and time without end. However before the Buddhism of the East was propagated in the western world, the people of the West never knew of the existence of Chan. The Chan taught by Orientals in the West is not, in fact, the real Chan. It is the method to realize Chan. Chan was first discovered by a prince named Siddhartha Gautama (called Shakyamuni after his enlightenment), who was born in India about 2500 years ago. After he became enlightened and was called a Buddha, he taught us the method to know Chan. This method was transmitted from India to China, and then to Japan. In India it was called dhyana, which is pronounced "Chan" in Chinese, and "Zen" in Japanese. Actually, all three are identical Master Sheng Yen |
I’ve written a lot about content strategy over the past decade. I’ve also highlighted various niche tactics that can help content creators to succeed, as well as plenty of examples of excellent content. But I haven’t created many visualisations, and recently I have been keen to do one. Surprisingly, nobody has yet created a periodic table for content marketing, so I thought I’d have a go. Before I introduce it, allow me to doff my hat at Dmitri Mendeleev, who first published the periodic table of elements. I’ll also nod in the direction of Danny Sullivan, who created one based around SEO success factors. Let me also say that I hope that this is helpful, as the world is awash with dubious infographics and I really didn’t want to produce something just for the sake of it. The usual caveats apply: there will be obvious omissions, possibly duplicated symbols, and other schoolboy errors. I shall fix these things in a future iteration, so please raise a flag if you spot anything. Ok then, let’s take a look at the table, and I’ll explain my thinking along the way… How to use the Periodic Table of Content Marketing If you click the image a large screenshot should appear. I hope it is all reasonably self-explanatory. There are eight areas that I have focused on, as follows: Strategy The fundamental key to success. Planning and focus is essential. You need a clear strategy, mapped to your long-term business goals. If you don’t have one and need some outside guidance then we can help. We also have a very useful best practice guide on content strategy. Format Content comes in many different shapes and sizes. Note that you can use multiple formats for a single piece of content. Slice and dice! Right now, I’m writing a blog post to support a visualisation. Maybe I’ll produce a video or slideshow too. Content Type These are based on the common types of content that work well for our business. Many of them will work well for your brand too. Sometimes you’ll use multiple content types for a single piece of content. You could file this periodic table under a few different types. Platform These are content distribution platforms. You might own some of these (e.g. #59, your website). Others are social sites (your own, your network, third parties). All of these help spread the word about your content. Metrics These help you to measure the performance of your content. For the purposes of brevity, I have largely grouped these metrics together (e.g. ‘acquisition metrics’). Goals All content should support your primary business goals, whether that’s to generate lots of traffic, or to sell more, or to increase brand awareness. Laser-guided content will tick a few of these boxes. Sharing Triggers This is largely inspired by Unruly Media’s triggers for sharing content. Think about the emotional drivers behind sharing, and make sure the content you create makes people feel something. Checklist I will probably edit this post at least 10 times after publishing it, and no doubt the periodic table will need a tweak here or there. Errors need to be fixed, and all content should be properly optimised (for search, for social, and to support your business goals). Be diligent! The Periodic Table of Content Marketing, by Chris Lake. A few footnotes… I have largely numbered the table vertically, rather than horizontally, as it makes more sense to me to do it that way. There may be a little duplication here and there. Forgive me. I haven’t included certain things, such as podcasts, pretty much because I don’t use them. They may be valuable for your business, so by all means add them (I’ve left a little space here and there). I have included the likes of Hacker News because they appeal to our business. You may have your own alternatives. Some elements could live in multiple categories. I designed this in Excel the day after a wine tasting event, so it is a little bit lo-fi. If there is any demand for wall charts or mouse mats then I shall hire a designer to polish it up. Anyway, I hope this is useful. Please leave your comments below or nudge me on Twitter to let me know what I’ve missed, or if there are any errors. Training: Content Marketing for Web, Mobile and Social Media |
The Harper government has picked a relatively little-known Christian college professor to serve as Ottawa's official watchdog for international religious persecution, a new post that makes defence of the right to worship a central objective of Canada's foreign policy. Andrew Bennett, 40, a former federal bureaucrat and Ukrainian Catholic sub-deacon, has been named the first ambassador to head the Office of Religious Freedom, an agency the Conservative Party promised in the last federal election campaign. The measure, inspired in part by the 2011 assassination of an outspoken Christian cabinet minister in Pakistan, was popular with evangelical Christian supporters of the Conservatives and some immigrant groups courted by the party. The Office of Religious Freedom – similar to a U.S. position president Bill Clinton set up in the 1990s – will be inside the secular confines of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and have a budget of $5-million, with four staff to support the ambassador. Dr. Bennett's term is for three years. Story continues below advertisement "Around the world, violations of religious freedom are widespread, and they are increasing," Prime Minister Stephen Harper told a crowd at an Ahmadiyya Muslim community facility in the Greater Toronto Area on Tuesday. He singled out persecution of minorities in Iran, Pakistan and even China, a major trading partner of Canada's. "In China, Christians who worship outside government-approved boundaries are driven underground, and their leaders are arrested and detained, while Uighur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners are subject to repression and intimidation," Mr. Harper said. "In the face of these injustices and atrocities, Canada will not be silent." Mr. Harper acknowledged skepticism about this office, saying he recognizes "there are a few who may believe this is of interest to only a limited number of Canadians and the communities most affected" by persecution. But he added that his government considers religious freedom a necessary precondition for a strong democracy. "Today, as many centuries ago, democracy will not find, democracy cannot find, fertile ground in any society where notions of the freedom of personal conscience and faith are not permitted." Dr. Bennett, the dean of Augustine College in Ottawa, a Christian liberal arts institution, has not made a name for himself in human-rights circles. Amnesty International Canada's Alex Neve, for instance, did not appear to have heard of the academic before Tuesday. The Tories wrestled with the decision of who should head the office: they wanted someone ideologically compatible with their aims but not a gadfly who would risk unduly injuring relations with trading partners such as China or Mid-East regimes such as Saudi Arabia. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom in Washington, was considered for the post. One of the books he has edited is Radical Islam's Rules: the Worldwide Spread of Extreme Sharia Law. Former MP David Kilgour's name was mentioned as a possible candidate, but his high-profile advocacy work to draw attention to Chinese persecution of the Falun Gong movement killed the chances he would get the nod. Dr. Bennett is also a religious leader. He serves as sub-deacon and cantor with the Holy Cross Eastern Catholic Chaplaincy and St. John the Baptist Ukrainian-Catholic Shrine in Ottawa. The government declined to make its new ambassador available for interviews on Tuesday, but in a short scrum with reporters at the announcement, he said he considers the job to be about "building awareness about the issue of religious freedom abroad." The new post sends a message about Conservative government priorities. The Office of Religious Freedom's $5-million budget is nearly twice as much as Ottawa allocates yearly to parliamentary budget watchdog Kevin Page's office. Mr. Page, who has become a thorn in the side of the Harper government for questioning its fiscal assumptions, has a budget of just $2.8-million per year. The new office is in part a workaround to avoid resistance the Tories say they previously encountered from the Foreign Affairs bureaucracy. Conservatives privately complain that federal civil servants in some instances resisted their efforts to raise concern about religious persecution. Critics have charged the office seems to be set up to defend the rights of Christian minorities around the world. Amnesty's Mr. Neve said it's crucial the office be seen as inclusive of all religions. Story continues below advertisement Mr. Harper said the office will defend not just Christianity but all faiths, adding the government announced the ambassador at an Ahmadiyya Muslim facility to reinforce this message. Ahmadiyya Muslims are a persecuted minority in Pakistan. |
On November 21, 2004, voters in the Ukraine took to the polls to elect a prime minister. The incumbent, Viktor Yanukovych, came in with 15.09 million votes, besting the challenger, Viktor Yushchenko, by fewer than 900,000 votes, or about three percentage points. The election, however, was marked by voter intimidation, potential ballot fraud, and poisoning — somewhere along the way, Yushchenko found himself the victim of dioxin poisoning. As often happens with contested elections, the official announcement came a few days later. On November 24th, the state-run news TV station, UT1, announced the incumbent Yanukovych the winner. For many reasons, though, this victory wouldn’t stick. Journalists, wanting to be editorially independent from the state mouthpiece, took a more critical view of the vote totals. International observers cried foul. And one of the sparks behind this was a woman named Nataliya Dmytruk, who said nothing. But what she signed — that’s a different story. On the evening of the 24th, Dmytruk served as UT1’s sign language interpreter, relaying the information broadcast in a way that the hearing impaired could understand. Like the person reading off the ballot results, Dmytruk was given the official statement — the one which declared Yanukovych in his bid for re-election. But unlike the speaker at the lectern, Dmytruk refused to accept that result. Instead of signing that Yanukovych won, she told what she believed to be the truth. According to the Washington Post, Dmytruk signed “I am addressing everybody who is deaf in the Ukraine. Our president is Victor Yushchenko. Do not trust the results of the central election committee. They are all lies. . . . And I am very ashamed to translate such lies to you. Maybe you will see me again.” Plenty of people took notice. Most importantly, Dmytruk’s words spread throughout the UT1 newsroom, and 250 of her colleagues stood with her in demanding the ability to report on the news with a balanced approach. UT1 changed to allow for this and soon after, so did competitor broadcaster (also previously a state mouthpiece to a significant degree) Channel 1+1. While Dmytruk’s influence did not spread much further, her act of defiance was one of the notable ones during this period of political turmoil in the Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands peaceably protested the election results (one such protest seen above) in what is now called the “Orange Revolution.” The Ukrainian Supreme Court overturned the November 21st election results and ordered a re-vote, and on December 26, 2004, Yuschenko defeated the incumbent, 51% to 44%. As for Dmytruk herself, she survived to sign again — and received multiple accolades along the way. The U.S. National Press Club and the White House each honored her for her bravery and dedication to freedom of the press, as did many others. Mostly unrelated bonus fact: In ordinal rank, the ace in a deck of playing cards is lower than the two — it’s the one, after all. But in most card games, the ace plays as the high card, trumping the King. Why? According to Wikipedia, this use became popular after the French Revolution, with the ace symbolizing the rise of the commoner over the monarchy. From the Archives: Rhode Island Revolution: Why the state of Rhode Island once had two governors at the same time (kind of). Related: “Signing Made Easy,” a paperback which teaches you the basics of American Sign Language. 4.1 stars on 53 reviews. |
Charles Johnson wanted to return to the Carolina Panthers so bad, he joked he almost fired long-time agent Drew Rosenhaus because of it. While Johnson wanted to do whatever it took to return to the Panthers despite getting cut earlier in the offseason for cap relief, the veteran’s representative wanted to maximize his worth in dollars elsewhere. Johnson, the franchise’s second all-time leader in sacks, has said multiple times he turned down money with other teams to return to Carolina. “Drew was close to getting fired because of (it),” Johnson told ESPN with a laugh. “He wants the best for you. He wants you to max out everything possible. He was just shocked because we’re leaving this money out on the table, and like I told him, I’ll just bet on myself for one year. “Why wouldn’t I play for somebody I feel comfortable for? They’ve done everything for me.” Johnson was about to enter the final season of a six-year, $76 million dollar deal that was set to pay him $11 million. The team let Johnson go, and re-signed him to a one-year, $3 million contract to save $8 million against the cap. Carolina Panthers on 247Sports Mock Draft Johnson, who went by the nickname ‘Big Money’ after signing the big deal years ago, now knows the pressure is somewhat off his shoulders. “They can’t call me Big Money anymore, they can’t say I wasted the cap,” Johnson said. “I’m getting paid practice squad money now, so I can go out and play freely without all that extra attention.” |
RAHAN LIIKKEET Annika Korpimies Suomalaiset it-yritykset hamuavat osaansa Ruotsin markkinoista yrityskauppojen avulla. Parin viime kuukauden aikana esimerkiksi Avaus, Enfo, Innofactor, Nixu ja Sofigate ovat hankkineet it-yrityksiä länsinaapurista. ”Suomi on elänyt pitkään hiljaiseloa. Ruotsissa it-markkinat vetävät ja moni suomalaisyritys uskoo kasvun mahdollisuuksiin naapurimaassa”, arvioi Nixun toimitusjohtaja Petri Kairinen. Naapurimaan hajanaisilla markkinoilla on tilaa myös uusille tulijoille, ja siksi moni suomalainen it-firma aloittaakin kansainvälistymisensä Ruotsista. Niin teki myös Sofigate. Yritysoston myötä sillä on nyt 40 työntekijää Ruotsissa. ”Toivomme, että seuraavan 12 kuukauden kuluttua Ruotsissa olisi jo sata sofigatelaista. Sitten olisimme aidosti markkinassa läsnä; ei vain Tukholmassa vaan useilla paikkakunnilla”, kertoo toimitusjohtaja Sami Karkkila. Karkkilan mukaan yhtiö suunnittelee jo seuraavaa yritysostoa, sillä Ruotsin työntekijämäärän kasvattaminen rekrytoimalla on hidasta. Enfo aloitti yrityskaupat Ruotsista jo vuonna 2008. Ennen marraskuista yrityskauppaansa se oli tasavahva Suomessa ja Ruotsissa. Kummassakin maassa työskenteli 500 enfolaista. Tuoreen hankinnan myötä Ruotsin työntekijämäärä kasvoi selvästi Suomea isommaksi. Ruotsalaisenemmistöllä ei ole kehitysjohtaja Samuli Savon mukaan dramaattisia vaikutuksia yhtiön yrityskulttuuriin: ”Enfo on ollut pohjoismainen organisaatio kohta 10 vuotta, ja esimerkiksi johtoryhmässämme on yhtä paljon suomalaisia ja ruotsalaisia.” Savon mukaan Enfo on rakentanut aktiivisesti yrityskulttuuria, joka perustuu maarajat ylittäviin erikoistuneisiin osaamisalueisiin. Nixun Kairinen uskoo, että ruotsalaisten työntekijöiden ei ole vaikeaa omaksua yhtiön yrityskulttuuria. ”Kansallisen kulttuurin erityispiirteiden ymmärtäminen voikin sitten olla hankalampaa. Suomalaiset sanovat asioita suoraan, Ruotsissa taas on tärkeää säilyttää tietty poliittinen korrektius.” Sofigaten Sami Karkkilan mukaan kulttuurierot tulevat selvimmin esiin yritysten sisäisissä toimintatavoissa ja viestinnässä. Sofigaten henkilökunnan aamiaistilaisuudet eivät ole Suomessakaan toimitusjohtajan monologeja, mutta Ruotsissa väki osallistuu Karkkilan mukaan keskusteluun vieläkin innokkaammin ja haluaa kuulla tarkkoja perusteluja päätöksille. ”Tämä kulttuuriero pitää huomioida. Jos ei sitä tee, voi tulla kuilu väliin”, Karkkila pohtii. Ole hyvä ja kytke Javascript päälle nähdäksesi kommentit. |
Metro Vancouver is one of Canada’s most multicultural cities, which means you can find fans for just about every World Cup team here. But where exactly are you likely to find the most fans of, say, the German team or the Brazilian one? We built an interactive map to help answer that question (mobile version here): The map shows that you’re most likely to find Italy fans in North Burnaby and Port Moody, Iran fans in North Vancouver, Japan fans in Steveston and both Holland and Germany fans out in Langley. I put the countries with the most interesting geographic patterns at the top of the dropdown list on the map. The rest of the countries are shown in alphabetical order. Because I was mainly interested in seeing the areas of highest concentration for each ethnic group, only the Top 50 neighbourhoods for each group are shown. But you can click on any neighbourhood — whether it’s highlighted or not — to see how many people of a given ethnicity live there. I also made this chart showing, overall, which World Cup nation has the most fans in Metro Vancouver (mobile version here): The data for this map comes from the 2011 National Household Survey. Two quick technical points about both the map and chart: The NHS questionnaire allowed people to specify as many ethnicities as they want, so the numbers above will add up to more than 100%. Also, these charts assume, just for simplicity’s sake, that people will cheer for their home ethnicity. They may not, of course, or they may have ancestry from various World Cup countries. |
[+]Enlarge SMART MATERIALS Windows coated with titanium dioxide nanowires change color to block heat from the sun. Credit: ACS Nano Buildings would save energy on air conditioning if they installed smart windows that change color to block out sunlight on hot days. Some smart windows are on the market, but they are expensive. A new one-step method for making window coatings of transparent color-changing nanowires could simplify and bring down the cost of the window manufacturing process (ACS Nano,10.1021/nn300787r). According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, buildings use 71% of the electricity consumed in the U.S.; about 30% of that load comes from the electricity needed to make up for energy lost through windows. Electrochromic windows, which darken or lighten depending on the voltage across them, could help by darkening to block heat transfer from infrared light. But these windows require multiple layers of materials and are complex and expensive to make. The structure of an electrochromic window resembles that of a battery. Glass electrodes sandwich an electrochromic layer, typically made from tungsten oxide, and an electrolyte, usually containing lithium ions. A voltage across the device makes ions move into the electrochromic material, changing its optical properties so that it absorbs visible and IR light. Reversing the voltage makes the ions migrate out, and the window becomes colorless again. Electrochromic windows need an additional antireflective exterior coating to increase the windows’ transparency—without it, they are quite dark. These coatings increase the windows’ cost. To eliminate the added cost, Kuan-Jiuh Lin, a chemist at National Chung Hsing University, in Taiwan, has been trying to make a coating that’s both antireflective and electrochromic. Titanium dioxide nanowires have these properties but growing them on glass electrodes is not easy, Lin says. So he developed a simple method. First he and his colleagues sputter a thin layer of titanium on the glass electrode. Then they dip it into a vessel containing sodium hydroxide and warm it to 80 °C for an hour. The base reacts with the titanium surface to form titanium dioxide nanowires. Lin can make nanowire coatings of different thicknesses by varying the concentration of the base. He tested the resulting materials to find the most transparent and most porous one. Greater porosity allows the lithium ions to move more freely through the electrochromic device. The best-performing nanowires came from a 2.5 M solution. Lin used these to make a small, 1.69-cm2 electrochromic window that turned light grey when he applied -4.5 volts across it. Lin could reverse the color change by applying 1 volt. Its refractive index, 1.37, was about the same as that of the most common antireflective coatings. The concept of combining antireflective and electrochromic properties in a single material “has been around for a while,” says Sarbajit Banerjee, a chemist at the State University of New York, Buffalo. Lin, he adds, has shown that it works. |
RACISM And I'm not just talking about oblivious color-blind white privilege. I'm talking about about a movement so racist the Nazi Party has given their endorsement. Oh, I know, these groups try to be provocative and they also endorsed Obama in '08. But they also explain their support. While the Nazis felt that Obama was a fool who would ruin African American's chances at ever being elected to high office again, their support for the Teabaggers was explained as support of their pervasive, blatant anti-semetism I could make a post a mile long with example after example, but you can click over to YouTube and watch the related videos yourself. The point is that it is pervasive and undeniable. Whether the Nazi's support is appreciated or not, it is the Teabagger's similar racist philosophy that enamours them. All of our probems are because we still have Joooooooos walking around that Hitler didn't kill. Disgusting. If this does't destroy the Teabagger movement I don't know what will. As a side note, the Communist Party has also given their endorsement. While Communists are certainly responsible for more deaths and misery than the Nazis could ever dream of, at least their intentions were good, so I'll give them a pass. VIOLENCE The Teabagger violence has gotten out of control. We've called them "political terrorists" for some time now, but I think it's time to just refer to them as "terrorists". After all, some of their leaders are being investigated for terrorism. They claim an area for themselves (typical Teabagger greed), refuse to pay for a permit, threaten to kill reporters, block traffic, attack the police, and conspire to kill police. Does the first amendment nullify all other laws? WTF? Rightfully, the NYPD plans to sue the Teabaggers as a whole for their injuries from now on. Violence, violence, violence, violence, violence and I could go on but you get the point. There are over 100 such unique (unrelated, I'm sure) incidents involving upwards of 1000 arrests. We are being terrorized by the Teabaggers. And of course, Teabagger violence isn't limited to their opponents- they turn on each other. Such people can't help themselves, it's their nature. We all know the Teabagger's natural inclination to violence toward women. We've been seeing a disturbing trend of rape lately- here, here and here for starters. The Teabaggers have issued a cult-like decree that their rape victims should remain silent about their abuse. The truly disgusting thing is that this violence is so pervasive rapes can go on WITHIN THE GROUP OF TENTS WITH NOBODY TRYING TO STOP IT. That is who the teabaggers are. If you're a man and you don't hate the Teabaggers right now, then you're not much of a man at all. Real men don't tolerate violence toward women. Real men don't tolerate Teabaggers. Another one of the unfortunate side-effects of Teabagger violence is the drain on our precious public resources, namely the police protecting the women from Teabaggers who aren't demonstrating. All told, the human cost of teabagger violence is incalculable. DOOKIE It is my belief that the reason the Teabaggers are so unsanitary, covered in feces, vomit, and urine is because they are naturally anti-science. They deny that human waste and garbage poses health threats. They don't accept modern waste management. Many of them were taught from the Christian Bible that people were created by god, and so their turds are actually divine. And really, this just makes the case for better public education. We need to invest more in the teachers who can correct the backwards Teabagger hygiene and give these kids a shot at a healthy life. You can't just poo anywhere in this country. It's not healthy and it's not fair to others. We have places to poo. These children need to learn where or we have no chance as a nation. More and more city governments are attempting to address the sanitation issue, but are finding they must deal with the violence issue first. If you are ever near a group of Teabaggers head for the nearest shower and wash yourself immediately. It is reccomended that you dispose of your clothing in a manner consistent with biohazard regulations. IN CLOSING I hope what I've provided here will be used as a reference. The next time some Rethuglikkkan tells you "the tea party isn't racist", or "we're just law-abiding people who love the constitution", now you have the undeniable PROOF to show them what the Teabaggers truly are. Not ony is their movement disgusting, but they are just a disgusting group of people no matter how they're organized. No longer can the media hide the truth from us. Surely there will be many more examples of my points here in days to come. Eventually, the weight of the evidence will be too much and the Teabaggers will go the way of the KKK and the Nazis. Now let's get out there and expose them. |
Kant: The categorical imperative says that actions must be logically consistent if they were to be universalized, in order for them to be moral. Zeno: Zeno's Paradox says that motion is impossible, because in order to get to something, we would have to traverse an infinite amount of space, since we can keep dividing that space into infinite halves. Hume: Hume's is/ought gap says that we cannot derive an 'ought' from an 'is'. That is, a moral command from a fact in the world. Russell: Bertrand Russell's main project was the derive mathematics, and perhaps even language and meaning, entirely from logic. He largely failed in this project. Descarte: In Meditations Descarte claimed we couldn't believe any of our observations, because it was possible an evil daemon was decieving us with false perceptions. In the later parts of meditations (III-V) he built back up our ability to trust our senses by some rather dubious proofs showing that God was necessarily good. Many people don't take those sections seriously anymore, and some theorize that even Descarte didn't, and only put them in to avoid the censors. Singer: Peter Singer is a utilitarian who emphasizes that we should act rationally when making moral choices by increasing global happiness without prioritizing ourselves, people near us, or even humans over animals. Helping starving kids is obviously a better act than giving a small pleasure to one person. Sartre: Sartre's radical freedom said that one was always free to do otherwise. Socrates: Socrates often approached people, and questioned their understanding of basic concepts such as 'justice' or 'goodness'. He was rather obnoxious about it, and many of the people he questioned didn't want to really want to be bothered by him. |
There's a band out on the highway, they're high steppin' into town — "The Music Never Stopped" — The Grateful Dead Do you believe the Grateful Dead performed the best show of its career at Barton Hall on Cornell University's campus in 1977? (No way, man, it was at the Fillmore East in '70 — Editor). Either way, Deadheads, this editorial is for you. On second thought, if you have no idea what we're talking about, please stay: Let us explain how the Grateful Dead, a '60s-era rock band whose main vocalist and guitarist died in 1995, is about to sell out a three-day stand at Soldier Field in July. There are 180,000 tickets to be sold, but requests have already exceeded 300,000. For a band that's missing its leader and hasn't performed in 20 years. Why? The Dead, born of the San Francisco psychedelic scene, reach its 50th anniversary this year and will mark the occasion with what it says is a final tribute to Jerry Garcia, he of the bushy beard (gray later in life) and artistic guitar noodling. Garcia died at age 53, which abruptly made the band's July 9, 1995, performance at Soldier Field its last. Members continued to play together, but they retired the Grateful Dead name. The Soldier Field concerts this summer will reunite surviving members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann plus friends, performing again as the Grateful Dead. The shows, dubbed "Fare Thee Well," July 3 to 5, will be "the last shows with the four of us together," Weir told Billboard. Yes, it's a big deal. The Dead perfected a form of melodic, laconic rock 'n' roll imbued with poetic imagery — some hippyish — that encapsulated the free-spirit vibe of its age. The band's concerts, where it extended the scope and length of songs to accommodate jams and solos, were stuff of legend. Fans obsessively taped and traded performances, then debated their merits. The groovy, cultish passion extended to the fan base: Deadheads followed the band around the country, camping out at festivals. Exceptions aside, they were mellow. If you were at the band's shows in 1994 in Rosemont, you found this scene in the parking lot: freaks and wannabe's together, bongo drummers and jewelry sellers, along with suburban kids and others. Oh, there's a waif named Moonflower selling $2 plates of spaghetti. She was an Indiana University dropout traveling the country in a van with her boyfriend, two dogs and a sign that said, "Need gas," the Tribune reported. Which brings us back to plans for Soldier Field: Some fans want to camp near the stadium for the duration of the shows and have asked city officials to permit overnight parking. Jeremy Davis, 36, who has applied for a permit, says it's safer and more convenient, but really it's about the scene. A petition supporting the idea at change.org has 10,000 supporters. The Chicago Park District owns Soldier Field. A Park District spokesman said the request is under consideration, but noted in the Tribune that it would require committing "resources" during the busy July 4 weekend. The request is unusual, but we can't help being charmed. If the cost of overnight permits covers city expenses and fans can be safe, let's welcome the Deadheads. The city makes exceptions to rules for special events (Lollapalooza closes down Grant Park), and this is going to be a great showcase for the city, and a great finale for the band and its fans: Don't worry about tomorrow, Lord, you'll know it when it comes, When the rock 'n' roll music meets the risin' sun. — "One More Saturday Night" |
Glenn Beck has a dream. On Thursday, the former Fox News host, gold bug, survival-seed guru, movie star, and bestselling author unveiled plans for a new planned community—inspired by the Ayn Rand novel Atlas Shrugged—to be built at an undisclosed location somewhere in the United States*. No, really: Glenn believes that he can bring the heart and the spirit of Walt’s early Disneyland ideas into reality. Independence, USA wouldn’t be about rides and merchandise, but would be about community and freedom. The Marketplace would be a place where craftmen and artisan could open and run real small businesses and stores. The owners and tradesmen could hold apprenticeships and teach young people the skills and entrepreneurial spirit that has been lost in today’s entitlement state. There would also be an Media Center, where Glenn’s production company would film television, movies, documentaries, and more. Glenn hoped to include scripted television that would challenge viewers without resorting to a loss of human decency. He also said it would be a place where aspiring journalists would learn how to be great reporters. Across the lake, there would be a church modelled after The Alamo which would act as a multi-denominational mission center. The town will also have a working ranch where visitors can learn how to farm and work the land. Independence would also be home to a Research and Development center where people would come to learn, innovate, educate, and create. There would be a theme park for people to recharge and have fun with their families. People would also have the option to live in Independence, with a residential area where people of different incomes could all come together and be neighbors. |
YangQing Hao is a Taiwanese brand of pu’erh teas ran by Yang, a collector of old pu’erh. Other than the odd production here and there, Yang produced the bulk of his teas in the mid 2000s. Nearly all of his teas come from Mengla County and Yang can be seen viewed as a greater Yiwu area specialist. A small selection of these teas were originally sold by Houde and later by Origin, but have been sold out and unavailable for a couple years. Thanks to Emmett and his group orders nearly all of Yang’s catalog has become recently available at Taiwanese retail prices. Prices are going up in 2016, specifically for the lower-end offerings. How do you order? Just follow Emmett’s blogger profile and send him an email. Filling the Void A whole article/report dedicated to a brand.. And it’s not exactly tea for the masses. Is your pinky finger broken out of its socket?? $175 for a 500g cake at the bottom of the price spectrum. How many cakes are Emmett/Mr. Yang slipping you on the side to babble marketing on how great his brand is? Tea reviewers have a tendency to babble on and on about how great a lot of teas are. But how often do we actually buy these teas we rant and rave about? This report is me effectively putting my mouth where my money is. Some of my thoughts. I’m willing to spend a decent amount per gram on tea. I spend a lot on tea and it makes more sense (to me) than spending the same amount, but buying 5x the amount of tea for 1/5th the price even if buying in that manner emphasizes getting good value. Whatever that really means. I generally prefer to drink tea that’s ~5-10 years old and has worked its way through any early awkward stages.. I enjoy older teas, but frequently choose to buy somewhere between 2004-2010. This way I’m spending a good amount on leaf quality and not purely the age. With these two very basic criteria it’s easy to find plenty of good daily tea, but there’s a distinct lack of options for more premium teas in the west. For instance… You could find some alright semi-aged teas for anywhere from ($0.10-$0.20/g). I own and drink my fair share of these.. But what if you want something nicer?? This is when it becomes unfortunately necessary to rob a bank. Most westward facing vendors own produced cakes (often the core of their offering) are still young and haven’t really reached the 7+ year mark. More premium beengs like W2T’s 2005 Naka or 2007 Ruichang Hao Yiwu are nearly a $/g. Many of EoT’s teas that fall into this aged + premium category fall into a similar category. And at that point we realize that we’ve ran through nearly all of our options. You could argue that things like the Airplane Yiwu satisfy this but I’d argue that those teas are nice enough to drink, but aren’t anything head and shoulders above everything else. Most vendors don’t even really offer semi-aged teas in this price range, that exists between daily drinking to very expensive.. For the record, I also definitely don’t blame vendors for not carrying these teas.. There’s a couple very legitimate reasons why we don’t see them more.. Most obviously, the market can be very slow to move for items above $100. A vendor once told me that there was almost no point in sourcing anything that costs $100 or more to source. Why?? They just don’t sell and a vendor’s funds can easily get tied up if they buy up the tea and it just sits there. The solution for modern cakes is to press them smaller. Make it 200g! That $80/200g cake would be ~$142 if it were a full 357g beeng (or $200/500g if we’re talking YQH beast mode cake size). The $120/200g cake would be a cringe-worthy $214/357g or $300/500g. Not really cheap at all.. Making smaller cakes is obviously not a realistic option with older beengs. In what may’ve been a marketing mistake but also simply a product of an older era, Yang decided to press everything into fat 500 gram beeng.. These now-available YQH beengs really excel in filling this void. If you’re already buying teas that are $0.30/g or more. You should cover your eyes at the inevitable sticker shock and take these teas into serious consideration. This is one of the best selections of semi-aged premium pu’erh currently available in the west. The bulk of teas are from 2004-2007, and those being offered by Emmett have been aged by Yang in southern Taiwan (Tainan). Avoid sticker shock! Don’t let those 500g cake sizes fool you. Do the $/g calculation ! Storage and preference is obviously largely a personal preference thing. Count me amongst the fans of Mr. Yang’s Taiwanese storage. These teas have matured and are also clean. A 5g session of $0.39 is $1.95.. Just sayin.. Or the $360/500g Teji I love is $3.60 a 5g/session. Another argument on why these teas may be better buys than newer productions. My personal opinion is the leaf quality of many of these teas compare very well with teas being produced now. And they have age!! One final motivation for this report was to write/document how these teas are at this point of time. We have the privilege of having a collection of English YQH reviews online of a few of these teas in their very young tea stages and it’s interesting to see how they’ve developed. Who’s This Grill Guy? Grill is another pu’erh head, fellow YQH fanboy, and generally a fan of face-melting tea. He’s tasted through even more YQH teas than I have and I invited him onto this post to provide some additional perspective. The House Style I imagine Mr. Yang as the most distinguished form of a drug dealer. He wakes up leisurely at 10:30AM, rolling off of his couch. Grabs a nearby tea pick, chips away at whatever of his cakes he’s got laying around from the previous night (probably just some Chawangshu), loads his pot and takes a hit.. Sometimes he’ll have a customer/friend/addict over and the sheer magnitude of the tea will instantly reduce them into a sweaty mess at which point Yang will have the privilege of writing himself a check. A collector of fine pu’erh, Yang has higher tolerance and needs something much older (maybe a 1910 Songpin) to really get him going. Ahhh. The man’s got the product.. Yang’s teas teas emphasize smoothness and aftertaste over boldness. These are not Lao Banzhang or Menghai County teas (although he’s pressed an LBZ in 2006). But they are also definitely not bland nor weak teas .. Especially the better teas are known to have somatic effects.. While most of Yang’s teas tend to follow this sort of style, there’s a couple variations in Yang’s own offerings. One variation is tea that can be more aloof and distant in flavor, but offer qi and aftertaste. On the other end of the spectrum, there are those that are more upfront with their flavors. Some teas fit in both to some extent.. The more distant teas can be a challenge for newcomers as the tastes aren’t always as heavy or obvious. The Rating System Rather than rate these teas under the rating system I normally do and have the ratings start really high, Grill and I decided to rate them relatively against one another. We chose the Tsangliu as our benchmark at which teas will be ranked up against. As Emmett’s budget favorite and one of the less-expensive (but still good) YQH teas we suspect most people that end up partaking in these orders will have a chance to try this. 6M Blends The 6 famous mountains (Manzhuan, Youle, Gedeng, Yibang, Mangzhi, and Yiwu) were originally famous for their tribute tea from the 1800s. Supposedly the maocha from the six would be collected at the Yiwu township which was the distribution point to send the final product to Beijing. Yang is supposedly a sucker for tradition as he’s made several blends of 6 mountains. With the exception of Youle (Jinghong County), all six mountains are all Mengla County areas and are part of the greater Yiwu area. Note: These famous mountains are different from the (in)famous factory of the same name. 2005 Tsangliu ($0.39/g, $195/500g), 20505 James This is a spring/autumn 6M blend. One of Emmett’s recommended teas for those shopping on a budget and one of the best sellers. It’d also be my pick of the less expensive teas.. Heavier and bassier than the higher Yiwu Chawang. Active/buzzy in the mouth with some qi. Good throatiness. This tea lasts something like 20 steeps which is more or less par for many of these teas. The 2005 Yiwu Chawang is a little smoother and sweeter right now but this is the deeper, more complex tea that still has a little more room to age. Note: Double-wrapped and more heavily compressed than the Yiwu Chawang. Grill Fruity and sweet shifting towards leather in later steeps. Some Qi, decently durable 15+ steeps. Only a single session with this tea a long time ago. 2006 Qixiang ($0.53/g, $265/500g), 20607 James Had a lot of gnomes whispering into my air about this one before I tried it. Another best seller. This was originally sold by Houde as the Gushu Chawang, so there’s a number of reviews and opinions out there already. This tea had been described to me as a more qi-laden version of the TsangLiu. Confusingly, Houde also sold this tea as 30% as old arbor and 70% as (presumably) plantation. Yang says this was marked incorrectly and that all of the material is old arbor with 30% of the maocha coming from Yiwu with the rest from the other five tea mountains. Supposedly a purely spring blend. Very friendly tea.. It’s higher than the Tsangliu, with a friendly sweet stone fruit taste and a strong persistent aroma. Soft, smooth with good textures.. There’s some qi, although not discernibly more than the Tsangliu.. Grill Generally fruity. Taste is a bit light but mouth coating and after taste are good. Sessions with this tea can vary a lot being a 6M blend. The best sessions have had really powerful qi with incredible durability with one session going 28 steeps! Taste can again range, some are the more typical woody Yiwu with some light fruitiness others are heavy fruit with layers of flavor including a distinct and unique strawberry note that’s pretty awesome when it shows up. Note: I was incorrect about the qi character in the episode. It’s a different qi. Chinese is confusing… 2006 Baisuixiang ($0.35/g, $175/500g), 20608 James Spring/autumn six mountain blend that was reviewed by Marshaln a long while ago. It’s overall underwhelming and even more underwhelming when put into context with these other YQH teas.. It has many of the positives that Yang’s teas have. Soft, smooth, sweet. It also has a nice buzziness in the mouth-feel that I also get from ths TsangLiu. It’s OK for the first few steeps and it unfortunately gets worst as it steeps out.. A weird vegetal bite comes into the soup around steep 5. In the end, it also doesn’t have the same sort of depth of flavor that I’ve come to expect from Yang’s tea. It’s an OK tea I suppose but the worst production I’ve tasted from Yang. My guess is that this was intended to be the cheap, budget option to the Qixiang and the Qixiang probably sucked up a good chunk of the quality 6FM leaf. This tea is no longer cheap and it’s just not remotely good value compared to all the other teas in this category… Other Attainable Teas ($0.28-$0.60/g) This is the price range where I primarily shop from. I have yet to mindfuck myself into buying more expensive tea.. Anything over this and it gets considerably more difficult for me to open up my wallet. 2005 Yiwu Chawang ($0.39/g, $195/500g), 20503 James Originally sold as the same name by Houde. I picked up a cake of this blindly to test other YQH teas and make sure that Emmett and the Yang connection were legit (they are). Don’t regret having it, but if I were to redo my order I’d pick a different test cake. This has less overall bite to it than the Tsangliu and is sweet to the nth degree. If you have a cake of this, I’d recommend pushing it pretty hard with lots of leaf and steep times. This also makes it a pretty easy tea to brew for beginners that hate bitterness.. It’s less complex and less good than the TsangLiu and hits a bitter slower. The profile is sort of a herbal candied sweetness with a building throatiness. Some qi and good longevity. The taste isn’t overly impressive and gets overshadowed in sessions with stronger/better tea. Grill Single session here as well, a long time ago. Basically a wood leather version of the Tsangliu but overall I feel it wasn’t as good. 2007 Jincha ($0.43/g, $130/300g), 20704 James My original introduction to Yang, courtesy of Origin Tea where I bought a 50 gram sample nearly two years ago. Amazingly, I’ve reviewed this tea twice in tea of the month reports (2014, 2015). I’ve always been a fan and it’s no coincidence that this is the tea that drew me into Emmett’s YQH orders. Considering the compression is high, it’s very dark. The profile is somewhat similar to the also dark Qizhong. Dark flavors, plums, leather, really nice aroma, etc.. Good throatiness and complex taste. It also has great longevity and has some bitterness/astringency that goes away around steep 5 or 6 (depending on brewing parameters), which is where the tea starts to really hit its sweet spot for me. Good qi as well.. I own one and would own more if not for the Qizhong… Note: This beats the Qizhong in aroma and might have a slightly thicker body. Whereas the Qizhong wins in throat activity and qi. 2007 Qizhong ($0.47/g, $190/400g), 20702 James This has a few similarities with the Jincha and 2007 productions which seem darker in general. Varying levels of bitterness in early steeps but usually less than the mushroom. It’s overall profile is similar. Has a dark profile, full body, and a nice soft texture. Plums, leather, etc..I usually get around 20 decent steeps out of this before having to push it too much. Most significantly this tea leaves a really strong feeling in the throat. Good coating and throat balling.. These effects make it stand out a bit from the Jincha. Mouth watering but not drying to the throat with a lot of throat coating. I also enjoy the qi in this one a good deal. Grill Darkest flavors of any YQH tea I’ve had. The Dingjipin had some of the darker flavors but mixed in with lots of other stuff. This is heavy wood, leather, caramel. Some spice notes mixed in. Taste is strong and not just for a yqh either. After taste is also strong, good mouth coating. Pretty good top of the throat feel. Qi was good early and slowly faded out. Session lasted around 20 steeps. 2007 Lingya ($0.50/g, $200/400g), 20701 James It’s kinda like the Qizhong crossed with a more normal Yiwu. Very focused on the back of the mouth/throat. Less throat coating and balling but more standard. A very stable performer steep to steep. Has a nice Yiwu form centered around a back of the mouth and throat sweetness. Dark cherry sweetness. Good, quick, and active huigan. Floral, leathery, some hints of tobacco. Sits heavily in the throat and lasts longer than the Qizhong. The tea eventually thins out around 13 or 14 steeps but maintains a lot of the back of the mouth sweetness and activity for a while after the body has mainly thinned. 2011 Kuyun Bulang ($0.28/g, $140/500g), 201101 James Would put this a notch down beneath the bulk of YQH Mengla teas. Still a decent tea. This crossed me as an unusual Menghai County tea. More of a sweet-leaf Bulang with some but not a ton of bite. The endurance is alright, but not on the marathon level of the rest of YQH and while the first four or five steeps are quite good it falls faster than the YQH Mengla teas. Late steeps are basically sweet water with huigan. Definitely a decent tea and a very decent value vs. other vendor (this would be $56/200 gram cake!!!!!). That being said, I’d personally rather spend money on other YQH over this. Grill A Bulang trying to act like a Yiwu. YQH house taste, wood and leather and such, little floral, some qi early but didn’t last. Don’t remember all that much from this session cause it wasn’t all that memorable. To be avoided, no reason to buy this when you can spend an extra $35 and move up the a good yiwu tea with more age on it or settle for a little less tea and get an excellent Bulang from EoT that actually tastes like a Bulang. Older Teas These were pressed by Yang in 2007. In my opinion, they’re likely not the best value in the collection and don’t really show what makes YQH really good. I suspect these were intended to be more mature daily drinkers.. That being said, you could do a lot worst than $0.35/g for Yiwu tea (Micang) from the late 90s. 1999 Micang ($0.35/g, $175/500g), 9902 James Smooth,earthy. A little less sweet and much less active than the younger productions. Huigan is still very good. In general is less compelling and dynamic than even the cheapest of the younger YQH. Some fruitier, malty, vanilla notes come out late. Would be a decent enough daily drink but I chose not to buy for reasons similar to the 2011 Bulang. Grill Standard aged Yiwu, sweet wood, leather, spice. Quality daily drinker but too expensive for what it is. 1999 Jin Tuo ($0.48/g, $120/250g), 9901 1999 Cangmi 1kg Brick ($0.30/g, $300/1000g), 9903 Ref $ Quantity Cost/g James Rating Grill Rating 1999 Micang 9902 $175.00 500 $0.35 TL-1.5. TL-.5. 2005 Yiwu Chawang 20503 $195.00 500 $0.39 TL-1. TL-.25. 2005 Tsangliu 20505 $195.00 500 $0.39 TL. TL. 2006 Baisuixiang 20608 $175.00 500 $0.35 TL-3. – 2006 Qixiang 20607 $265.00 500 $0.53 TL. TL+1. 2007 Qizhong 20703 $190.00 400 $0.48 TL+1.5. TL+1. 2007 Jincha 20704 $130.00 300 $0.43 TL+1. – 2007 Lingya 20701 $200.00 400 $0.50 TL+1.5. – 2011 Bulang 201101 $140.00 500 $0.28 TL-1.5. TL-.25. TL=Tsangliu. GFZ (& Other Expensive Tea)… YQH is not a cheap brand. Approximately half of his catalog lies above the $0.60/g range. In addition to the six famous mountains, he’s made his fair share of eastern/near the border Mengla teas. He was one of the earliest pressers of Guafengzhai and Bohetang, with his earliest GFZ production dating back to 2004 and culminating in 2006 with three pressings of Guafengzhai. 2004 Dingjipin ($1.16/g, $580/500g), 20401 James Stupidly high sticker shock for this one. This is said by Yang to be from the famed Chawangshu area of Guafengzhai. I got the center of the beeng, but also had enough for two 5g gaiwan sessions.. Unlike Grill and perhaps because of the part of the beeng I got, I didn’t find this to be uber-complex. But I do agree that it is an excellent tea, at the top of what I’ve tasted from Yang’s teas. Lower register, much more oily thickness when put against the Teji. It’s also lower than all of the other 2005 onward productions occupying a similar decibel range as the less premium 2007 CGHT Yiwu Chawang. Nice, slick, mouthfeel. Creamy vanilla earthiness. Great throatfeel. Malty aroma. Heavy qi. It’s got better qi, thicker soup and brews for what seems 30 times. Herbal, malty. Grill Where to start. Most complex flavor of any tea I’ve ever had. Layers upon layers of flavor, each one well defined and separate from each other while still working in perfect harmony. Very unique compared to other teas I’ve drank. The thickest of any YQH tea so far. Good oil, coating, aftertaste, huigans. Durable at 20+ steep. Powerful and durable qi. Strong feeling in the throat reaching all the way to the stomach might be an understatement, my insides were on fire giving the tea a very lively feeling. Overall in a class of it’s own in both quality and price. 2004 Tejipin ($0.72/g, $360/500g), 20402 James This is more of a standard Yiwu than the GFZ. But is of excellent quality. Very well put together in all regards. Dense body, very smooth. Dark plum/apricot aroma, wood. It’s overall a little higher than the Dingji and 2007 productions but a pleasant mixture of low and high. My favorite part is the returning throat feel and depth of taste that extends down into the chest. Pay close attention to the aftertaste which is also excellent. It also has some of the best qi of any of the YQH productions. If you have the money and want to experience what really good Yiwu tastes like this outshines many of the other teas. Grill East mengla flavors of wood, leather, vanilla, little plum and spice. Taste is overall light but was better on my second session. After taste is surprising good and long lasting for a tea with such a light taste. I attribute this to the good leaf quality and mouth activity. OK thickness but nice oil. Silky smooth and velvety mouth feel. Best huigans, some of the best of any tea I’ve had the pleasure to drink, big floral bombs with every breath. 17 – 22 steeps is what you get out of this on average. Strong Qi here as well, second to only the Dingjipin. Good throatiness but not quite to the Dingji level. 2004 Tuocha ($0.67/g, $200/300g), 20403 James I had two dramatically different sessions with this. One good, but with regards to cost disappointing and the second being a bit more satisfying (captured on the episode). First session. Sweet, sweet, sweet. Soft body. Smooth. A nice vanilla, creaminess. Definitely in the higher/fruitier/light wood category. Nice layered textures and back of the mouth/throat sweetness. Very friendly in general. Aroma is sweet fruits. This is a very nice tea, but dare I say a bit boring in Mr. Yang’s catalog. Second session. Fairly different experience. Less sweet and more interesting. Denser, maltier. Less fruity when put against the 2006 QiXiang. More earthy notes and a bit deeper than that tea. For the price, I’d still prefer to spend mroe and get the Teji, but this is better than the first session indicated. 2004 JenTsang Chawang ($0.68/g, $270/400g) The tea originally sold as the Special Reserve on Houde and likely on Origin Tea. Supposedly 100% GFZ with two productions, running 500g and 400g. 2004 Jinhao Chawang ($0.78/g, $310/400g) 2004 Jincha ($0.67/g, $200/300g) 20404 2005 ShihSen LingHuangShanCha ($0.70/g, $350/500g), 20501 James Supposedly Guafengzhai. This tea excels in body, throat-feel and qi. A worst version of the 2006 Chawangshu and I think people will do better spending the extra $50 on that tea. A bit drier and more nutty/floral although that may just be my sample. Powerful effect on the throat. I found my single session to have heavy, powerful qi that almost sent me back to sleep. In addition to the qi, the other significant aspect is the outstanding throat thickness as well. Chawangshu wins by far in overall taste and by more minor counts in body and qi. Grill Wood herbs and spice (hmmm have we seen this before). Medium qi strength but good quality, uplifting and energetic, drink this and feel awesome type of deal. Thicker than most yqh with pretty long lasting after taste. 2005 Tingchipin ($0.50/g, $250/500g), 20502 Grill Fruity and complex flavors. Thinking this might be a 6M blend. Good qi. Not that durable as the fun was over by steep 12 or so on both sessions. Slightly disappointed in this one but only cause I felt the Qixiang is better and cheaper. Still a good tea though. 2006 WuShangMiaoPin ($1.00/g, $500/500g), 20601 Grill Good qi in the early steeps slowly fading out as the session progresses. Not much sweetness, mostly wood and spice with a very distinct nutmeg and cinnamon note. It gives this tea a very unique character that places it somewhat higher up than most. Thicker than the average yqh. Decent throat feel. 2006 Tianxiangpiaopin ($0.63/g, $380/600g), 20602 2006 Lungyafengqian ($0.76/g, $380/500g) 20603 2006 Tianpin ($0.92/g, $460/500g), 20604 Grill Ultra small sample. Honey, honey flavored tea and not just the sweetness, has the floral and spicy notes of honey as well. One of the thicker yqh teas, giving some ok mouth coating and aftertaste. 0 and i mean 0 throat feel, disappointing there and just a smidgen of early qi. Honestly sample was too small to judge. 2006 Wu Yangcha ($0.76/g, $380/500g). 20605 James This is like a better version of the Qizhong crossed with the 6M blends. A variety of effects in the throat. Thickens up on the second steep and becomes more dark cherries and minerals. Oddly, this also feels more dryly stored and I’m guessing this has to do with the sample I got (presumably from a sample cake). The taste is mainly fruit, floral and bits of old smoke that reminds me of the Qizhong on some sessions. The aftertastes are very good, especially in the throat where it excels. Lots of activity and the taste lasts for a very long time. There’s also some buzzing left on the mouth. It has similar flaws to the Qizhong with some consistency issues with the thickness and bits of roughness. The longevity also falls off quicker than the Teji. Grill This tea was a strong starter but lost steam fast. First few steeps had a bit of a creaminess, some vanilla, and honey to go along with the typical yiwu flavors. Thin overall and the initial complexity fades into pretty much just wood. Bit of astringency and bitterness and somewhat rough. No throat, little qi, very little huigan and so so aftertaste. At the end of my notes I wrote in all caps “I’M NOT LOVING IT” this was pretty disappointing for a $380 tea. 2006 Ye ChaWang ($0.60/g, $300/500g), 20610 James Supposedly a spring + autumn blend. Huge leaves even compared to everything else. Much thinner soup viscosity than its counterparts. It is smooth, slick rather than the thick, more robust taste of the bulk of its counterpart. The taste is also different. A little floral/green, bits of sugarcane, a little spicy. It has good effects on the throat, but doesn’t leave the same sense of satisfaction as others. This is a fun enough tea to drink, but there’s no chance of me paying that cost. The fact that this tea is so expensive also makes me feel pretty good about the 2006 CGHT Yecha (another tea with autumnal leaves). I own three of those and while it isn’t on the same level does many of the same things at lower levels, and was acquired at a fraction of the cost of the Ye Chawang. Grill Thin, similar in taste to the teijpin, wood leather and spice but with less to no higher notes. Still green tasting and a bit rough which is very unlike almost any other yqh tea I’ve had. Some ok huigans early and better than average qi. 2006 Chawangshu ($0.80/g, $400/500g), 20612 James Allegedly from Chawangshu, Guafengzhai. Excellent qi that extends down into the chest. It’s fairly front-loaded but rates very highly. Some herbalness. Good soup viscosity initially and a very clean soup. Taste is stone fruits and wood. Buzzing in mouth. Great tastes in the throat. As it steeps out it becomes more dominated with darker, leathery notes. Grill Rich creamy tea, incredibly smooth. Lots of vanilla and plums. Strong mouth cooling effect that continues down into the stomach as you swallow then rising back up as you like to say in some strong tasty huigans. Tea is thick and oily coating the mouth from front to back. One thing it was lacking was a sustained throat feel even with all the activity going with this tea. 2006 Lao Banzhang (500g), 20613 This stands out in the YQH catalog. Not available. Was reviewed in The Leaf. Grill Small sample. Big fat floral(but pleasant) and chocolate bitterness initially changing into sweet sweet sugar, amazing huigan. Qi was strong and might have been better with more leaf. Thick and oily with fantastic aftertaste. Throatiness was present but a bit light. Not sure what lbz is supposed to do in that department 2007 Shishehshenpin ($0.99/g, $495/500g), 20703 James Drank my sample of this the same day as the Qizhong and Lingya. The most complete of all of the 2007s. Smoothest and with the most depth of throat feeling. Has a smooth, slick feeling going down the throat and a similar throat balling to the QiZhong. This is also a dark Yiwu with a leathery aroma. One difference between this and the other teas is a notable maltiness that creeps in on steep 4 and persists for some of the middle steeps. Body isn’t noticeably bigger than the Qizhong or Lingya but it has a solid, consistent form that doesn’t thin out as quickly. I personally would not pay $495 for this and don’t find it too much better than the Lingya or Qizhong, but I do consider it the best tea that I’ve tried from their 2007 line. Grill Strong high quality qi, uplifting and energetic. It fizzled a bit early but that could be from a small chopped up sample. Dark bassy flavors similar to other 07 yqh teas. Average YQH thickness. Good and strong aftertaste with spicy and floral huigans. 2007 600 Yr ($1.20/g, $600/500g) 2009 Yiwu 888 ($1.00/g, $500/500g), 20901 888 cakes produced. Grill To start, this tea is good, really good and expensive but worth every penny. Initially has that lovely vanilla cream slickness that other premium yqp teas have and some floral youthfulness. Later steeps are more typical YQH Yiwu, wood leather spice, the whole nine yards. Strong qi, amongst the strongest of any YQH, of the relaxing, narcotic type. Very Strong lasting aftertaste, big time throatfeel going straight down into the stomach, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars, with huge blooming huigans coming back up. Some heavy mouth drying later in the session along with some astringency. This tea is still a few years off being that first maturation stage but its a lot closer than say the Bohetang. 2010 Lungtuan Fengmei ($0.35/g, $175/500g), 201001 6FM blend. 2010 Shenyuntianchen Bohetang ($1.30/g, $650/500g), 201002 James This is not GFZ, but it’s an even scarcer perhaps more expensive area. Bohetang is another eastern Mengla region, and this is probably one of the earliest productions of Bohetang. Thick thick thick. It may be the thickest of all the YQH I’ve sampled. The tea remains thick for a very long time too. It also has an incredible mouthfeel and mouthcoat. Qi is also the real deal. Right now the tea feels transitional and many of the outward flavors are a bit muddled and not as focused as Yang’s older teas. This is also a bit of an issue with the slightly younger Bulang, although not as much. Pretty obvious flavor here and more bitterness than the Bulang. It also is one of the most complete of all the teas in terms of body, qi, longevity, etc. It better be as you’re paying good money for it! Grill Very warming tea, warm belly hug (someone else’s words but I’m stealing it). Plenty of feeling in the throat reaching into the chest a bit. Flavors are still very young and floral and the tea was pretty bitter. This one needs more time and humidity to reach that first stage or maturation. Some qi but as strong as I would have thought for such an expensive tea. 2011 Jinya ($0.47/g, $235/500g) 2011 Tiantsang ($0.80/g, $400/500g) 2011 Tianshan Yijen ($1.00/g, $500/500g) Ref $ Quantity Cost/g James Rating Grill Rating 2004 Dingjipin 20401 $580.00 500 $1.16 TL+3.5. TL+3.5. 2004 Tejipin 20402 $360.00 500 $0.72 TL+3. TL+2. 2004 Tuo 20403 $200.00 300 $0.67 TL+1. – 2005 YSLHSSC 20501 $350.00 500 $0.70 TL+1.5. TL+.5. 2005 Tingchipin 20502 $250.00 500 $0.50 – TL+.25. 2006 Wushangmiaopin 20601 $500.00 500 $1.00 – TL+1. 2006 Wuyangcha 20605 $380.00 500 $0.76 TL+2. TL-.25. 2006 Yechawang 20610 $300.00 500 $0.60 TL. TL+.25. 2006 Chawangshu 20612 $400.00 500 $0.80 TL+3. TL+1.75. 2006 Laobanzhang 20613 – 500 – – TL+2.25. 2007 Shishehshenpin 20703 $495.00 500 $0.99 TL+2. – 2009 Yiwu 888 20901 $500.00 500 $1.00 – TL+2.25. 2010 Bohetang 201002 $655.00 500 $1.30 TL+2.5. TL+1. TL=Tsangliu Recommendations & Closing Thoughts (by James) Whelp. That’s about it. An absurd amount of tea that ranges from pricy to very premium. My personal picks depending on the sort of buyer you are. The Cheapskate (2005 TsangLiu) Alright. You’re not really a cheapskate since none of these teas are actually cheap. But you do want to spend the bare minimum and experience these teas. Hell, you might even split a cake with a friend. I’ve had an ongoing argument with a couple people on the merits of the TsangLiu and the other six famous mountain blends (Qixiang). While I don’t think they’re the best teas in Yang’s catalog, I think they are very friendly entry points to more premium tea for those that don’t want to spend too much and are a significant step up from your $0.15/g semi-aged daily drinking cake. The Tsangliu comes out to $0.39/g. That’s a $139/357g cake or a $78/200g cake. To me this is a perfectly acceptable price for the quality of this tea.. Others have argued that people should aim for better teas, but in my opinion this would still be money well-spent and I’d definitely choose it over buying young tea from a western vendor. ~<$0.50/g Value (2007 Qizhong) The Qizhong is my personal pick and the tea I’ve bought in the largest quantity. That being said, this is not the absolute best of Yang’s catalog and there’s a few dissenting opinions on the tea. I’d personally rank it well above either of the cheaper 2005 productions (Yiwu Chawang, Tsangliu). The 2007 Jincha is also a reasonable buy and is slightly cheaper. It’s similarly dark, but also a distinctly different tea.. One minor note here concerning the compression of the jincha. It’s very tight and if your ultimate goal is aging it further I’d be concerned with the deadly combination of high-compression and dry-western climates slowing the aging way down. The Stamp Collector You should just write a blank check… Ahh in all seriousness. I’d grab the Bohetang and at least one of the Chawangshu teas (Dingjipin or Chawangshu). These prices are going to be hard to beat for these teas from those regions. And they’re aged… You’re probably out of luck with the LBZ, but the 888 may also be worthwhile because it’s a lower production run. More Premium (Teji/Chawangshu) In my opinion, the Teji ($0.72/g) is one of the best teas that is easily available for under $/g. Just a very well-balanced tea that holds up well against nearly everything. It’s not as bassy/heavy as some of the Guafengzhais or the 2006 Chawangshu, which brings me too… 2006 Chawangshu ($0.80/g). This is tea purportedly from the highest-profile area in Guafengzhai. Oh and it has nearly under 10 years under its belt and it comes under $/g. At $160/200g or $285/357g it’s definitely not cheap but it rates very well in nearly every category. Kind of a Superman/Captain America sort of tea.. Thick, oily, good qi. I find it’s one flaw to be its stiffness. This is especially noticeable when put against the Teji. Despite the Chawangshu winning in metrics like thickness and heaviness, I just feel that I personally enjoy the Teji more. The 2004 Dingjipin used to cost $780 and now is down to $580, would be another good choice. Of course the only real solution is to tong all three….. Now…….. Who’s in to rob that bank and fill up some Christmas stockings? |
Story highlights Obama voted early in previous years as well He will cast his ballot in Chicago Washington (CNN) — President Barack Obama will cast his ballot for Hillary Clinton in Chicago this month, he told Democratic supporters in a fundraising solicitation on Monday. "Later this month, I'm going to head back to Chicago, walk into my local polling place, and cast an early vote for the next president," Obama wrote. "I know who I'm voting for. Michelle knows who she's voting for. And you probably know who you're voting for, too. But there are millions of people across the country who are still making up their minds. And those are the voters who'll decide who succeeds me." The President is scheduled to travel to his hometown on Friday to raise money for Democrats. It's not clear which day he's planning to vote. In the past, Obama has cast early ballots at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, near the brick single-family home the Obamas still own in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood. In 2014, he voted for the incumbent Democratic governor, Pat Quinn, a few weeks before Election Day (Quinn lost). He used the opportunity to promote early voting. "I'm so glad I can early vote. It's so exciting. I love voting," Obama said then. Read More |
I was one of 700 boys in an all-male Catholic high school in Northern Ireland. It was the late Eighties and the topic of same-sex relationships was never mentioned and nowhere on the education curriculum. If current statistics and books such as David Spiegelhalter’s Sex by Numbers are to believed, it’s likely that approximately 10 per cent of my fellow pupils were gay, but at a school run by priests , we were well aware that to be so was a ‘sin'. I wonder if the school has since modernised its approach in light of same-sex relationships becoming more accepted and same-sex marriage being a legally recognised institution? I doubt it, but it is time that my alma mater, and every other school across the UK, did so. At the weekend, the UK’s largest teachers’ union called on the next government to make it compulsory to teach children about same-sex relationships . Delegates at the National Union of Teachers conference in Harrogate passed a resolution calling on whoever is in government after the election to make it mandatory to create a ‘positive climate’ to discuss sexuality and gender. The NUT's Christine Blower has called for all parties to 'show their commitment to tackling discrimination' The motion reads: “Conference believes that schools should be places that allow students and staff to be free from homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, to enjoy a positive educational experience. “Conference demands that a future government must tackle the embedded homophobia, biphobia and transphobia that exists in schools and create a positive climate of understanding about sexuality and gender fit for the 21st century. “This must include a commitment to make it easier to discuss ideas about sexuality and gender so that students and teachers are more confident to identify as LGBT and work in schools without fear of prejudice.” As someone who believes LGBT education must first begin at home, I used Facebook to ask friends, some of whom are parents, how supportive they are of the motion. The responses, as I thought, were overwhelmingly positive. They shared my own views on the matter, that to continue to not talk about same-sex relationships positively in our schools is to reinforce the message that they are inferior to heterosexual unions. ‘Gay’ is a word that many of our children hear every day in the playground. However, it remains the most frequently used term of abuse in UK schools. Every generation of schoolchildren has its playground put-downs that can leave a pupil's reputation in tatters. The 'gay' insult is used by children of all ages, from nursery school upwards, but the worst offenders can be secondary school pupils. It is generally not used as a homophobic insult, but it reinforces the negative connotations of the G in LGBT. Children must be educated about the entire LGBT spectrum – lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender so that they are able to accept themselves if they are L, G B or T. Most importantly, it will allow them to feel that they belong in a tolerant and supportive society. I’ve listened to friends with children who are vocal about the fact they make no point of difference when referring to friends or family who are in heterosexual or same-sex relationships. They tell me they want to reinforce the message that love is love whether its man/man, woman/woman or man/woman. However, a few friends with children say they hope their children are not gay, because they don’t want them to be bullied or teased at school. This view is no doubt shared by many parents, who are seemingly unaware that this attitude reinforces LGBT prejudices. To wish that your child is heterosexual is to effectively tell them that being L, G, B or T is something to be ashamed of. There will always be some of course, who would prefer it if schools didn't talk to children about sex at all. The NUT motion caused outrage amongst influential Christian charities, with Andrea Williams of Christian Concern saying the motion was a "very concerning development". She further elaborated: "This kind of policy is dangerous for our children who are being oversexualised at a very young age. They are being introduced to concepts and having normalised sex relationships which robs them of their innocence and is not good for their emotional and moral wellbeing.” The reality of society today is that children are introduced to sexual imagery - and having sexual experiences - at a much younger age than even 10 years ago. Parents can protect their children to a degree, but to ignore sex and dismiss it with an outdated ‘age of innocence’ argument is a foolish reaction. The earlier we educate our children, within a positive and supportive climate, about sexuality and gender, the better. This will only happen if the next government makes it compulsory in schools. Under current rules, local council-run secondary schools are obliged to provide only basic sex education, including subjects such as Sexual Transmitted Diseases, with no emphasis on a particular gender. The Harrogate conference motion called on the future government to “appoint an education secretary that supports LGBT rights and has a positive track record in supporting civil partnership and gay marriage”. Christine Blower, General Secretary of the NUT, said after the debate: “The NUT calls for all parties standing in the 2015 General Election to show their commitment to tackling the discrimination faced by both LGBT students and teachers in schools by following the ten point action plan outlined in the Motion. “We need education policy that develops a curriculum for children and young people that supports the democratic values of a diverse Britain – including LGBT equality.” There are lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people in all of our school communities as teachers, support staff, students, parents and governors. It’s time the government woke up to, and acted on that reality. |
Show full PR text CTIA-The Wireless Association, Federal Communications Commission and Consumers Union Announce Free Alerts to Help Consumers Avoid Unexpected Overage Charges WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CTIA-The Wireless Association® today announced new commitments by providers that represent more than 97 percent of wireless consumers in the U.S. to send free alerts to help consumers avoid unexpected overage charges. The joint announcement was made by CTIA President & CEO Steve Largent, Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski, and Consumers Union's Communications Policy Counsel Parul Desai. The plan – called the "Wireless Consumer Usage Notification Guidelines" – will provide free alerts both before and after subscribers they reach monthly limits on voice, data and text. In addition, the plan includes a notification to inform consumers of international roaming charges when traveling abroad. Subscribers will be covered by this plan unless they opt-out. The CTIA "Wireless Consumer Usage Notification Guidelines" will become part of the broader CTIA "Consumer Code for Wireless Service" that provides disclosures and practices for wireless service to individual consumers. By October 17, 2012 participating carriers will provide customers with at least two out of the four notifications for data, voice, text and international roaming and all of the alerts by April 17, 2013. President Barack Obama said, "Far too many Americans know what it's like to open up their cell-phone bill and be shocked by hundreds or even thousands of dollars in unexpected fees and charges. But we can put an end to that with a simple step: an alert warning consumers that they're about to hit their limit before fees and charges add up. Our phones shouldn't cost us more than the monthly rent or mortgage. So I appreciate the mobile phone companies' willingness to work with my Administration and join us in our overall and ongoing efforts to protect American consumers by making sure financial transactions are fair, honest and transparent." FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, "Last year, the FCC identified a growing problem known as bill shock and took important steps toward a solution, which led to today's victory for more than 97 percent of wireless consumers. These alerts will give consumers the information they need to save money on their monthly wireless bills. Consistent with the FCC's ongoing efforts, these actions harness technology to empower consumers, and ensure consumers get a fair shake, not bill shock." CTIA President & CEO Steve Largent said, "The 'Wireless Consumer Usage Notification Guidelines' are another step that CTIA and our members have taken to advance consumer interests while recognizing the U.S. wireless industry's incredible innovation and competition. We appreciate the interest and guidance of FCC Chairman Genachowski and Commissioners, the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau and Consumers Union in highlighting the need to harness technology to help empower consumers. Today's initiative is a perfect example of how government agencies and industries they regulate can work together under President Obama's recent executive order directing federal agencies to consider whether new rules are necessary or would unnecessarily burden businesses and the economy." Parul P. Desai, Policy Counsel for Consumers Union, said, "Consumers have been telling us about 'bill shock' for a long time, and we've been pushing for reforms to crack down on the problem. We're encouraged that the industry is offering to provide free alerts to help customers avoid 'bill shock,' and we urge them to do it as quickly as possible. Some companies are already providing free alerts, while others are charging extra fees for them, and we think it's possible – and consumers deserve – to immediately receive free alerts to avoid overage charges. We're going to work closely with the FCC to make sure companies comply, and we're pleased the Commission is keeping this proceeding open to help ensure compliance. Ultimately, this is about helping people protect their pocketbooks, so we applaud the FCC and the industry for this effort to do right by consumers." |
Chris Shen‘s first solo show just opened at 18 Hewett Street in London, and he shared with us about his piece, Infra, built using a Peggy 2: The idea was to build a infrared display out of old remote controls, using the existing infrared LEDs as pixels of a low-res display. 625 old remote controls are mounted in a metal frame connected by individual wires to a modified Peggy 2 that runs the whole installation. The main change to the Peggy was to solder molex headers instead of LEDs: this is to allow the wires to be easily plugged in and out of the board which is necessary when dismantling and reassembling the piece. Yes, all 625 remotes are numbered so they can be removed from the frame for transportation! The current and voltage was also adjusted fo IR LEDs as opposed to visible LEDs. While researching, the main thing I was looking for was the ability to play video (live) on a low-res matrix. I looked into various ways of doing this but once I found the Peggy 2 kit it gave me confidence to go ahead with building Infra because of the open-source nature, existing work done by Windell, and Jay Clegg’s video Peggy mod. I connect all the remote controls via 500 meters of speaker wire to the Peggy, held into the frame by a simple looped elastic band. The circuit is mounted to a sheet of acrylic as the circuit bowed with all the wire attached. Each remote had to be opened to solder the wire directly to the LEDs legs. The wire is then routed out through the back of the remote and closed back up. Preparing all 625 remote controls was the most time consuming part, each was different and often not very clean especially once you get inside. Although looking at all of the remotes individually revealed another side to the project which I’ve documented through a small run of books. Thank you to Chris for sharing about how you made your piece with us. His exhibit will be up through February 3rd, 2013, so if you’re in London, go see it soon! |
Solving the Unknown Probe reference system The math explained Foreword When I published the trilateration results there were several people showing interest in how I came up with the results on both the Frontier forums and later Reddit. I posted the full math behind the trilateration but the complex equations made it intimidating for most people which was evident especially in the Reddit comments. Despite the scary looking equations I feel that the basic math involved is rather simple and the necessary concepts are taught in high school in most countries. This article is my attempt at showing how simple concepts can be combined to calculate results that seem way complex. While I know this probably won't be the most popular post on a gaming-related subreddit, as long as this helps even one person to understand math better or inspires them to approach it in a different way, I feel like spending the time to write this was worth it. Premise in 2D When the Unknown Probe is deployed near a planet, it transmits a distance between the planet and an unknown system (among other things) using an unknown unit of length. For convenience let's name this unit a Bob. While we know that the Probe uses Merope (5C) as a reference planet and 1 Bob is the distance between the unknown system and Merope, we have no way of telling how many light years one Bob is without finding the unknown system. We can still use it to compare planets though: A planet with a reported distance of 0.8 Bobs is twice as far from the target system compared to a planet with a reported distance of 0.4 Bobs. The measurement from a single planet doesn't really tell us anything - but once we gather measurements from different planets we start getting some kind of a picture of the possible location of the reference system. For the calculations here we have measured the distance from three different systems: Sirius, Merope and Betelgeuse. These systems are shown in figure 1 below. Note: The distance values presented in the figure below are not the real values from the probe. The values the probe transmits are specific to Elite's 3D-galaxy and cannot be used for a 2D-example. The values below have been calculated based on the locations of the known systems and the (now known) unknown system location in 2D. Those who are interested in the original 3D-values can check the Python solution at the bottom of the article. Equations The thing about mathematics is that you can always write down some equations. Let's start with the obvious ones: Distance between the unknown system and the scanned systems. Since we don't really have any real numbers to do the calculations with, we need to first introduce some letters: Let's use $d$ for distance (in light years). $d_\text"UnknownSirius"$ is the distance from the unknown system to Sirius. Let's use $x$ and $y$ for the coordinates (in light years). $x_\text"UnknownSirius"$ is the distance on x-axis between the unknown system and Sirius. $y_\text"UnknownSirius"$ is the distance on y-axis between the unknown system and Sirius. These symbols are shown in figure 2. Now given the Pythagorean theorem, we can write our first equations using the above notation. The equations are listed below. $d_\text"UnknownSirius"^2$ $= x_\text"UnknownSirius"^2 + y_\text"UnknownSirius"^2$ $d_\text"UnknownMerope"^2$ $= x_\text"UnknownMerope"^2 + y_\text"UnknownMerope"^2$ $d_\text"UnknownBetelgeuse"^2$ $= x_\text"UnknownBetelgeuse"^2 + y_\text"UnknownBetelgeuse"^2$ That's a start! These groups of equations are called systems of equations in mathematics. The basic systems taught in high school are system of linear equations - what we have here is a system of polynomial equations (thanks to the exponents). Fortunately this doesn't change things too much. Eliminating coordinates A general rule of thumb with systems of equations is that they are solvable when the amount of equations corresponds to the amount of unknown variables. This gives us our first obstacle. Looking at the equations above, each of them contains three unknown values: $d\text"..."$, $x\text"..."$ and $y\text"..."$. Doing more measurements and adding more equations for different planets just introduces more variables. So before we can solve the group we need to find a way to eliminate some of the variables. Let's start with the coordinates. From our premise we know there is only one unknown coordinate: The location of the unknown system. The locations of the three known planetery systems are.. well.. known. So let's introduce these into our equations. First some more letters: $x_\text"Sirius"$ is the x-coordinate of Sirius. $y_\text"Sirius"$ is the y-coordinate of Sirius. Now we can redraw figure 2 using these new variables. This is shown in figure 3. Comparing the two figures (2 and 3), we can spot the following relationship: $x_\text"UnknownSirius" = x_\text"Unknown" - x_\text"Sirius"$ $y_\text"UnknownSirius" = y_\text"Unknown" - y_\text"Sirius"$ We can apply this to the above equations by replacing all the $x\text"..."$ and $y\text"..."$ variables. This gives us the following equations: $d_\text"UnknownSirius"^2$ $= (x_\text"Unknown" - x_\text"Sirius")^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - y_\text"Sirius")^2$ $d_\text"UnknownMerope"^2$ $= (x_\text"Unknown" - x_\text"Merope")^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - y_\text"Merope")^2$ $d_\text"UnknownBetelgeuse"^2$ $= (x_\text"Unknown" - x_\text"Betelgeuse")^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - y_\text"Betelgeuse")^2$ While this made the equation more complicated, the important difference is that it eliminated a large amount of unknown variables. Previously each equation had a different unknown $x$ and $y$ variable. Now all the equations share the same unknown $x_\text"Unknown"$ and $y_\text"Unknown"$ variables. All the other $x$ and $y$ variables are known and we don't need to solve them. We could substitute them with the numerical values (from figure 1), but we'll leave them like this for now just for clarity (I guess a personal preference). Introducing Bob-factor We are still stuck with various $d\text"..."$ variables in the equation. The probe gave us distance values in the units we named Bob. We still don't know how many light years a single Bob is - but we can always come up with a letter for that amount as well: $r_\text"bob"$ is the amount of light years corresponding to one Bob. $b$ Bobs = $br_\text"bob"$ light years. $b_\text"UnknownSirius"$ is the distance between Sirius and the unknown system in Bobs. $b_\text"UnknownSirius"r_\text"bob"$ is the distance between Sirius and the unknown system in light years. This allows us to write more equations. $d_\text"UnknownSirius"$ : Distance between Sirius and the unknown system in light years. $b_\text"UnknownSirius"$ : Distance between Sirius and the unknown system in Bobs. $d_\text"UnknownSirius"$ $= b_\text"UnknownSirius"r_\text"bob"$ Now since we know (or can decode) all the $b\text"..."$ values for the planets, we can finally get rid of the various unknown $d\text"..."$ values in our system of equations. Replacing the $d\text"..."$ values with $b\text"..."r_\text"bob"$ gives us the following equations: $(b_\text"UnknownSirius"r_\text"bob")^2$ $= (x_\text"Unknown" - x_\text"Sirius")^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - y_\text"Sirius")^2$ $(b_\text"UnknownMerope"r_\text"bob")^2$ $= (x_\text"Unknown" - x_\text"Merope")^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - y_\text"Merope")^2$ $(b_\text"UnknownBetelgeuse"r_\text"bob")^2$ $= (x_\text"Unknown" - x_\text"Betelgeuse")^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - y_\text"Betelgeuse")^2$ Final numbers Finally we have 3 equations with 3 unknown variables: $r_\text"bob"$, $x_\text"Unknown"$ and $y_\text"Unknown"$. This should make the equations solvable! The only missing steps are inserting the known values to the equations and finding something to solve it with. Coordinates from EDSM $(x_\text"Sirius", y_\text"Sirius")$ $= (6.25, -5.75)$ $(x_\text"Merope", y_\text"Merope")$ $= (-78.1, -340.5)$ $(x_\text"Betelgeuse", y_\text"Betelgeuse")$ $= (169.4, -462.6)$ Distance measurements decoded from the probe. $b_\text"UnknownSirius"$ $= 1.149$ $b_\text"UnknownMerope"$ $= 1.000$ $b_\text"UnknownBetelgeuse"$ $= 0.673$ $(1.149 r_\text"bob")^2$ $= (x_\text"Unknown" - 6.25)^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - -5.75)^2$ $(1.000 r_\text"bob")^2$ $= (x_\text"Unknown" - -78.1)^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - -340.5)^2$ $(0.673 r_\text"bob")^2$ $= (x_\text"Unknown" - 169.4)^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - -462.6)^2$ And finally typing that last part into Wolfram Alpha will give us the result. ... well, actually two candidates. Polynomial equations (Having exponents like $^2$ or $^3$) often yield multiple values. To figure out which one of these candidates is the real system, we need one more reference value. By replacing the equation values of Belegeuse with those of Sol ($b=1.156$, $(x,y) = (0,0)$) we can write the equations for Sirius-Merope-Sol combination to Wolfram Alpha. This gives us another result. Only the candidate around $(x,y) = (688, -698)$ was common for these calculations. Differences in 3D Unlike the above calculations, Elite Dangerous (and our galaxy in general) is a 3D system. This makes surprisingly little difference though. The two big differences are the ways coordinates are represented and distances calculated: System coordinates. $(x, y)$ $→$ $(x, y, z)$ Pythagorean Theorem $d^2 = x^2 + y^2$ $→$ $d^2 = x^2 + y^2 + z^2$ Like above, everything else follows from these basics. I won't go through the motions to derive the final equations in depth like I did above - the only difference in there being the additional z-term deriving straight from the change to the Pythagorean theorem: Final equations $(b\text"..."r_\text"bob")^2 = (x_\text"Unknown" - x\text"...")^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - y\text"...")^2$ $→$ $(b\text"..."r_\text"bob")^2 = (x_\text"Unknown" - x\text"...")^2 + (y_\text"Unknown" - y\text"...")^2 + (z_\text"Unknown" - z\text"...")^2$ The additional z-coordinate adds one more unknown variable to the final equations: $z_\text"Unknown"$. The only practical difference this causes is that we now need one additional reference point: 4 unknown values - 4 equations - 4 reference systems. Tooling There's one nasty caveat though: As the equations grow more complex, simple tools like Wolfram Alpha become a bit limited. For example while solving this originally I encountered a problem where the equation was too long (more than 200 characters) and it couldn't be entered to Wolfram Alpha. This doesn't mean these cannot be solved though - there are various free alternatives for getting the final numbers out of the math without having to pick up a pen and paper: Python scientific packages (SciPy, SymPy) Octave, Scilab ... and this is where it turns nasty. While I still feel the math above can be understood with a background of high school maths, the tools listed above might need a university degree to operate. :) SciPy script for solving the equations in 3D Out of the options listed above, I chose SciPy to calculate the final values for the equations. The script I used (or a cleaned up version of it anyway) is included below: from scipy.optimize import fsolve # Coordinates from EDSM xMerope , zMerope , yMerope = ( - 78.59375 , - 149.625 , - 340.53125 ) xSynuefe , zSynuefe , ySynuefe = ( 74.53125 , - 149.375 , - 339.96875 ) xCol285 , zCol285 , yCol285 = ( - 78.65625 , - 150.59375 , - 49.25 ) xWredguia , zWredguia , yWredguia = ( - 78 , 175.8125 , - 341.125 ) # Distances in Bobs bMerope = 1 bSynuefe = 0.85 bCol285 = 1.177 bWredguia = 1.149 # Define a function that evaluates the equations def equations ( guess ): r , x , z , y = guess return ( ( x - xMerope ) ** 2 + ( y - yMerope ) ** 2 + ( z - zMerope ) ** 2 - ( bMerope * r ) ** 2 , ( x - xSynuefe ) ** 2 + ( y - ySynuefe ) ** 2 + ( z - zSynuefe ) ** 2 - ( bSynuefe * r ) ** 2 , ( x - xCol285 ) ** 2 + ( y - yCol285 ) ** 2 + ( z - zCol285 ) ** 2 - ( bCol285 * r ) ** 2 , ( x - xWredguia ) ** 2 + ( y - yWredguia ) ** 2 + ( z - zWredguia ) ** 2 - ( bWredguia * r ) ** 2 , ) # Make SciPy solve the system using an initial guess. # The initial guess affects which of the "candidates" SciPy finds. initial_guess = ( 0 , 5000 , - 5000 , - 5000 ) result = fsolve ( equations , initial_guess ) # Display the results. print ( "(r, x, z, y) =" , result ) (r, x, z, y) = [ 871.01391722 687.07099255 -362.1818179 -697.24170006 ] Output: Afterword The analysis above described how simple concepts of Pythagorean theorem and equation systems can be applied together to calculate locations of unknown star systems. The article started with the theory in 2D and then generalized this to 3D by introducing the 3D-version of the Pythagorean theorem. My hope is that at at least few people reading this will finally realize that learning hundreds of different formulas and equations is not important in mathematics. The important thing is to figure out how to apply the few you know to the problems at hand. - Mikko Rantanen / CMDR Wace Any questions and comments can be left on the Reddit post or directly to /u/Wace. This article was written and posted on Reddit August 21st, 2016. |
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in creating new smallpox vaccines due to the threat of the smallpox pathogen being used as a bioterrorism tool. The vaccinia virus vaccine has been used to prevent smallpox disease since the late 18th century and, until 30 years ago, most countries conducted routine smallpox vaccination programs. Thanks to these efforts, smallpox was virtually eradicated from the world by 1977, and many countries discontinued the vaccination programs. For this reason, most Americans under 35 years of age have never had smallpox disease, nor been vaccinated against the disease, making immunity effectively nonexistent in today’s population. Smallpox has been a bioterrorism threat for many years, but has garnered more attention since 2001. The potential comeback of smallpox, coupled with a lack of immunity and a limited supply of existing vaccine, makes this threat all the more frightening. Advances are underway to create a new, improved smallpox vaccine to prepare for a biological terror attack or disease outbreak. The long-held belief and recommendation is that people with repeated risk of exposure to smallpox should be revaccinated every 5 years. As with most vaccines, it was believed that immunity to smallpox decreased over time after inoculation with the vaccine. People who survived a natural course of the disease carry lifelong immunity to smallpox. However, a new study published in the American Journal of Medicine suggests otherwise. In order to evaluate the long-term immunity conferred by the smallpox vaccine, researchers examined 246 subjects enrolled in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). The BLSA was established in 1958 to study normal aging processes and gather information on health and psychological function. Individuals vary in age, and are re-evaluated every 1 to 5 years. Of the 246 subjects examined, 209 had been vaccinated with smallpox vaccine at least once in the past. Time since vaccination ranged from 13 to 88 years. Eight of the subjects had documented smallpox infections as children, and 29 subjects had no history of infection or vaccination. Surprisingly, the vaccinated participants maintained effective immunity against smallpox indefinitely, measured by levels of antibody titers. The vaccine titers were only slightly higher in people who received multiple vaccinations, though this finding does not appear to be clinically significant. Also unexpectedly, the levels of antibody titers were similar in people who had received vaccines and those who had experienced a childhood infection of smallpox. The researchers suggest that not only are multiple vaccinations not necessary, but also that recent vaccinations are not necessary to maintain smallpox immunity. One vaccination may last a lifetime. They suggest that the small supply of vaccine available should be given to individuals who have not been previously vaccinated or experienced a smallpox infection, rather than re-vaccinating at-risk individuals. There is still a need for enhanced smallpox vaccines, since the safe vaccination of special populations needs to be addressed, as well as the risk of morbidity and mortality associated with the disease and the current vaccine. The limited supply of available vaccine makes complete protection of the at-risk population impossible. However, while we wait for newer generation vaccines to become available, the current supply may be more effective than we first thought in protecting at least some individuals. References Andrew W. Artenstein (2008). New generation smallpox vaccines: a review of preclinical and clinical data Reviews in Medical Virology, 18 (4), 217-231 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.571 A GARCEL, J PERINO, J CRANCE, R DRILLIEN, D GARIN, A FAVIER (2008). Phenotypic and genetic diversity of the traditional Lister smallpox vaccine Vaccine DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.11.063 D TAUB, W ERSHLER, M JANOWSKI, A ARTZ, M KEY, J MCKELVEY, D MULLER, B MOSS, L FERRUCCI, P DUFFEY (2008). Immunity from Smallpox Vaccine Persists for Decades: A Longitudinal Study The American Journal of Medicine, 121 (12), 1058-1064 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2008.08.019 Wharton M, Strikas RA, Harpaz R, et al. Recommendations for using smallpox vaccine in a pre-event vaccination program. Supplemental recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). MMWR Recomm Rep. Apr 4 2003;52(RR-7):1-16. |
Sunninghill - A couple's evening out turned into a nightmare when they were allegedly attacked while taking what they believe was an Uber taxi home in Sunninghill, Johannesburg. While Uber has indicated that it is investigating the incident, police have since said it was not an Uber taxi but a metered taxi that was involved. However, a friend of one of the victims who provided details of the alleged incident said they had in fact made use of the Uber app. The couple left the Movida nightclub in Sunninghill in the early hours of Monday morning and allegedly requested an Uber vehicle to pick them up at the venue. They made use of the Uber app and paid attention to the details, including the type of vehicle and driver, as provided by the app. "Shortly after departing, two men hiding in the boot pushed the back seats forward and got into the front of the car and stabbed my friend numerous times and bundled his girlfriend into the boot, eventually pulling my friend into the boot ... all while the car was moving on the highway passing the William Nicol [Drive] off-ramp," the man told News24 via email. They have asked for none of their names to be revealed while the investigation is ongoing. No word to families from Uber The couple were allegedly forced to withdraw money from an ATM in Tembisa before their hands were tied with cable ties and they were blindfolded. They were taken to a house in Tembisa where they were kept overnight before managing to alert a neighbour the following morning. According to a phone interview with 702, the father of one of the victims said they have not yet had any communication from Uber relating to the incident despite Uber claiming in a statement that they were in constant communication with the families and are investigating. In its statement, Uber said the reported incident was "despicable" and its thoughts were with the victims and their families. "We are in contact with the families and have offered our full support. We are assisting law enforcement in their investigation and will continue to provide them with information to support their efforts to bring whoever is responsible to justice. We are assisting the police in an ongoing criminal investigation so cannot say more at this stage." Gauteng spokesperson for the South African Police Service Lieutenant Lungelo Dlamini confirmed that they are investigating the matter, but said it was not an Uber taxi. "We are investigating it, but it wasn't an Uber taxi. It was a metered taxi," Dlamini said. |
Parkway Drive brought their Ire Tour to the Wiltern in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. The show was the second to last date on the tour, ending Sunday in Las Vegas, and in support of their latest release Ire. The band headlined with great revere and took their global success to a new level, headlining in one of the biggest cities on the planet. Ire’s success has fans of new and old coming wanting more. The band took the stage ready to show the crowd what they were made of. The audience was ready as well and gave everything they had. As soon as the band came out and their backtrack to “Destroyer” started playing, everyone in the stands belted their hearts out. Another new track with “Dying to Believe” played and the crowd couldn’t have been happier. The new album gave fans somewhat of a cleaner vocal sound but still sticks to their dominant metalcore roots. “Carrion” was screamed by everyone who has been a fan of the band for quite some time, as it was the last song played throughout many of their sets the last number of years. Without guitarists Jeff Ling and Jia O’Connor, the band would not be where they are now, as many of their songs contain easily recognizable riffs and breakdowns. “Idols and Anchors” held down the fort with great and not so easy guitar solos throughout. “Deliver Me” brought out singer of In Hearts Wake Jake Taylor to finish the song with lead singer of the headliners Winston McCall. “Romance is Dead” never goes out of style when these guys play, which is now the only song the band sings from their debut album, but also one of their most popular amongst fans. Following “Swing” the band exited the stage and returned with the second single off their latest album, “Crushed” and then finalized their performance with the most audience participation for the evening in “Home is for the Heartless.” The band constantly thanked the Los Angeles crowd and played a wonderful set from beginning to end. They will no doubt have to play a large venue next time they are in the area. Miss May I, being the only American band on the bill, took to the stage like seasoned professionals and seem to be getting better with age. They make every show for the fans and an attempt to one-up themselves time after time. The band played many songs off their new album, Deathless, and many of their past hits, most of which, the crowd went nutty for. Led by Levi Benton, he made sure the crowd interacted plenty with the band during each song, which the audience went along with. Thy Art is Murder played second and knew how to get their fans riled up, simply by playing their music. The lone deathcore band on the bill, the pit went insane for the entirety of their set. With crowd surfers, hardcore dancing and crowd surfers, this band knew what the people wanted. Lead singer Chris “CJ” McMahon even suggested that people take off their shirt and twirl it around like he did to get even more participation going. In Hearts Wake opened the night to plenty of fans that arrived early to catch their set. This band is still coming into their own but used their time wisely. The band even brought out clean vocalist from Miss May I Ryan Neff to join in on the song “Breakaway.” Parkway Drive Destroyer Dying to Believe Carrion Dark Days Karma Vice Grip Idols and Anchors Deliver Me (w/Jake Taylor of In Hearts Wake) Wild Eyes Bottom Feeder Romance is Dead Swing Crushed Home is for the Heartless Miss May I I.H.E. Relentless Chaos Bastards Left Behind Our Kings Deathless Masses of a Dying Breed Forgive and Forgive Turn Back the Time Hey Mister Thy Art is Murder Absolute Genocide Coffin Dagger Shadow of Eternal Sin The Purest Strain of Hate Reign of Darkness Light Bearer Holy War In Hearts Wake Earthwalker Survival (The Chariot) Badlands Healer Afterglow Breakaway (w/ Ryan Neff from Miss May I) Divine Did you attend the Ire Tour? How was it? Comment below. Post and review by Corey Kleinsasser Photos by Matthew Saunders Like Concert Crap on Facebook Follow Concert Crap on Instagram Follow Concert Crap on Twitter Or click the “Follow” link on the bottom right corner and type in your email to get updates sent directly to your inbox. #concertcrap Advertisements |
The Kerala Women Commission on Wednesday registered a case against unnamed people who ‘shamed’ three hijab-clad Muslim girls for performing in a flash mob organised by the medical department on December 1 on the occasion of Worlds Aids Day. Registering a suo motu case, the commission also directed the cyber wing of the police to book those attacked the girls with “filthy comments and lewd remarks” on the social network sites. The girls, students of a dental college in Muslim-dominated Malappuram, were trolled after a video of them dancing to the tune of a popular Malayalam song “Jimmki Kamml” was widely circulated on social media. A flash mob is generally an impromptu gathering of people in a public place to perform unusual act in a bid to spread awareness on social issues. The district health department organised the flash mob-- a group dance that appear an impromptu jig on a street — at Malappuram to raise awareness on HIV/Aids. India had 2.1 million people living with HIV at the end of 2016, according to an UNAIDS report. Some trolls even wanted clergies to issue a fatwa against them for what they called insulting Islam. Those who backed the girls were also not spared. A Malayalam radio jockey in Doha (Qatar) was forced to apologise after he cheered the girls in his programme. He said he tendered apology after he received alarming threats and was threatened with jail under blasphemy laws. On Tuesday he posted another video saying he had merely spoken about women’s freedom and no communal angle was involved in it. The state government backed the girls and offered full support. Many also hailed the girls on social media. “It is unfortunate to give a religious tinge to portray women in bad light and degrade them. This emboldens more women to come out publically,” a tweet in support of girls said. The college did not disclose the identity of the girls. First Published: Dec 07, 2017 10:29 IST |
Image copyright AP India has agreed to buy a high-speed bullet train from Japan, in an attempt to transform its creaking rail system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the train would link Mumbai and Ahmedabad, cutting travel time on the route from eight hours to two. The deal was one of a raft of agreements reached after talks between the two sides in Delhi. The leaders of Asia's second and third largest economies also announced other areas of co-operation. These include working on defence technology, and agreeing a memorandum of understanding on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The latter agreement is expected to allow Japan to export nuclear plant technologies to India. Last week Mr Modi's cabinet cleared the $14.7bn (£9.6bn) cost of building the bullet train system. The agreements with Japan came during a three-day visit to India by the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, which began on Friday. Both countries are in territorial disputes with China, and their new accords may be seen by some as a reaction against China's growing influence in the region. |
Saha, a new Middle Eastern cuisine restaurant on Shattuck Avenue that filled the vacancy left by Herbivore, celebrated its opening at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday. Several city officials, including Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, Kirsten MacDonald, the co-CEO of the city Chamber of Commerce, and John Caner, the CEO of Downtown Berkeley Association, were present at the ceremony to welcome the new restaurant into the city. Attendees were treated to some of what the restaurant will offer, such as lamb meatballs, stuffed vegan beets and its selection of wines. “(The ceremony) is something that happens when we have a new business,” said Gregory Magofña, the senior aide to the office of the mayor. “This is a way to show support.” According to Magofña, such support is important to the mayor because of his desire to revitalize the Downtown area as part of the Downtown Area Plan. “We’re witnessing a time period when businesses are opening up simultaneously,” MacDonald said. “They’re going to create a vibe in South Berkeley to eat, dine and socialize.” In the same vein, Caner was optimistic about the future of the restaurant and felt the new restaurant could offer the people in the Downtown a high-end dining experience. Marmee Manack, Saha’s general manager and wine director, said they had decided to move the successful restaurant from San Francisco to Berkeley because they felt their previous location left them less visible to potential customers. “This is like a 360-degree turn,” she said. “We’re now completely exposed. It’s really exciting.” But while the location has changed, Manack said the restaurant’s commitment to good food will stay the same. According to her, everything on the menu — half of which is vegan — is carefully selected to ensure organic ingredients that come from sustainable sources. “We just feel the food that he does fits well into the consciousness of Berkeley,” Manack said, commending the restaurant’s owner and chef, Mohamed Aboghanem. “He’s been conscious of how he makes food.” Aboghanem said the menu’s vegan sensibilities were inspired by the food he ate growing up. But more than simply offering vegan dishes, he hopes to bring a different type of food to the area in order to introduce the city to what Middle Eastern cuisine can offer. “A lot of people think it’s just falafel and hummus,” he said. “But it’s a lot more than that.” Petra Varkonyi, a third-year UC Berkeley student from Hungary, and Brianna Rogers, another third-year student and a commissioner for the city Planning Commission, both complimented the food for its “innovative” taste. “It seems like it’s more exciting flavors coming together,” Varkonyi said after trying the food. “I’ll come back with my dad.” Contact Michael Lee at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @_HyunkyuL. |
Moby has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump. In the lead-up to the election, he called the then-candidate “an actual sociopath.” Later, he said he was asked to DJ the inauguration (“Hahahaha, really?,” he remarked), and created a hypothetical playlist full of protest songs for the occasion. Now, Moby says that he has insider information about Trump, his plans, and his ties to Russia, courtesy of “friends who work in D.C.,” as Spin points out. Among his claims, Moby says that the unverified intelligence dossier that had compromising information about Trump is “100% real.” He adds that “the Trump administration is in collusion with the Russian government, and has been since day one.” Read his full post below. Pitchfork has reached out to Moby’s representatives for more information and comment. |
The bitter Clinton News Network really hates Donald Trump. Reporter Jim Acosta’s big scoop — or so he thought: President Trump didn’t really visit injured Rep. Steve Scalise when he claimed he did. Scalise, two congressional staffers and two Capitol police officers were shot by a crazy leftist gunman during a baseball practice on Wednesday morning. That evening, President Trump and First Lady Melania visited Scalise at a Washington hospital: Just left hospital. Rep. Steve Scalise, one of the truly great people, is in very tough shape – but he is a real fighter. Pray for Steve! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2017 But Acosta tweeted: “WH official on hospital visit: ‘President Trump did not meet with Scalise and did not go into the room where Scalise is being treated,” he reported Wednesday evening. Acosta was forced to delete that tweet and report the exact opposite a short time later. New pool report says POTUS did visit Scalise's room at hospital. — Jim Acosta (@Acosta) June 15, 2017 Acosta acknowledged the president visited “Scalise’s room”. Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs also reported Trump’s visit: President Trump and 1st Lady Melania Trump visiting shooting victim Steve Scalise, House majority whip, at hospital. They brought flowers. pic.twitter.com/ARySRQJJ7C — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) June 15, 2017 Why is CNN unable to cut Trump slack on anything? It’s no wonder Trump sparred with Acosta during a February news conference. President Trump told the CNN reporter that he changed his nickname for the network from “fake news” to “very fake news.” During a press conference in which he named names and put the media on notice, Trump told Acosta, “I’m changing it from fake news.” As Acosta asked a question, Trump continued, “Very fake news,” as the room — including Acosta — burst out into laughter. Trump went on to tell the media that “the public doesn’t believe you people anymore.” And bitter CNN still can’t figure out why. |
UPDATE: Ryan Reynolds had the web well and truly April Fooled. After kicking off the day with the news that his hard-edged comic book movie would be pushed down from an R-rating to PG-13, the actor pulled the rug with a last-second reveal saying this wasn't the case. And he had a little help from Saved by the Bell star-turned-TV host Mario Lopez. Watch the video below, then scroll down to see the original story... February 12th. There will be blood. Guns. F-bombs. And graphic, expertly lit French Unicorn sex. #deadpoolRatedR @deadpoolmovie #Aprilpools — Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) April 1, 2015 Deadpool's makers are reportedly aiming for it to have a PG-13 rating, despite Ryan Reynolds' campaign for the film to receive an R rating in the US. The actor had been fighting for the upcoming Marvel Comics adaptation to receive the higher certificate, which would have restricted people under the age of 17 from seeing the film without a parent or adult guardian. Ryan Reynolds Reynolds had written on Twitter: "I want ‪#Deadpool to be R. Always have. Fighting the good fight still. Lotta yelling today" "@DPklok051: Is it going to be rated R or PG-13?" I want #Deadpool to be R. Always have. Fighting the good fight still. Lotta yelling today. — Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) March 30, 2015 After the certificate was revealed, Reynolds tweeted: "‪#deadpool - So we make the blood green. (Views expressed here are mine - not necessarily those of adorable, taint-punchers releasing films)." #deadpool - So we make the blood green. (Views expressed here are mine - not necessarily those of adorable, taint-punchers releasing films) — Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) April 1, 2015 The actor has credited his fans with convincing studio 20th Century Fox to greenlight the movie earlier in the year. Last week, he used his Twitter account to unveil a provocative first photograph of his Deadpool costume. In early March, Reynolds promised that even the most critical Deadpool fans will be pleased by its adaptation to the big screen. Deadpool premieres on February 12, 2016 in the US and the UK. |
The concept of Balkanisation has been taken to a new level with the creation of a brand new, self-declared country on the border between Slovenia and Croatia – the second such micro-nation to be formed in a month. The Kingdom of Enclava is unlikely to be given international recognition any time soon but its founders insist it has every right to exist because it has been established on land claimed by neither the Croats nor Slovenes. The 1,000 square foot patch of land is near the Slovenian town of Metlika and around 30 miles west of Croatia's capital, Zagreb. It has been designated as the Kingdom of Enclava by a group of Poles who discovered that the land was "terra nullius" – no-man's-land. Micro-nations have been proclaimed in different parts of the world for decades , but the trend has been spurred on by the growth of the internet, which has enabled their founders to attract attention and recruit thousands of 'virtual' citizens. • Mini-states Down Under are sure they can secede They are often born out of discontent or frustration with the established order and represent a way of thumbing one's nose at national authorities. Billed as "the smallest country in Europe", Enclava has no citizens as yet. Despite being the size of a suburban garden, its founders claim to have plans to create a tax-free community of like-minded people, who will be able to choose from five official languages – English, Polish, Slovenian, Croatian and – bizarrely – Mandarin. A constitution is being drawn up and so far more than 5,000 people have applied for honorary citizenship. The idea is to "create a place, where everyone, regardless of skin colour, religion or nationality, will be able to express their opinions, study for free, and earn money without worrying about taxes", said Piotr Wawrzynkiewicz, one of the founders. So far neither Slovenia nor Croatia has commented on the creation of Europe's newest, self-proclaimed country. Enclava lies at the opposite end of Croatia from the similarly minuscule micro-nation of Liberland, a stretch of woodland on the banks of the Danube which was declared independent by its founders last month. Its self-appointed ruler is Vit Jedlicka, a conservative, anti-EU Czech politician and admirer of Ukip. Liberland has its own flag, which features an eagle and a sun, a constitution, and a motto – "To live and let live". Like Enclava, Liberland has not been recognised by any other country but that has not stopped 300,000 people around the world from applying for citizenship. "We are part of a great libertarian movement that is growing around the world. "Governments are becoming increasingly unpopular," Mr Jedlicka told The Telegraph. |
A Stradivarius violin that belonged to the late Roman Totenberg, a violinist and music professor, has been recovered after it was stolen from him more than three decades ago. The violin was made in 1734 by the famed Italian Antonia Stradivari, whose instruments are prized for the quality of their sound, and their rarity, ultimately placing an incomparable value on the violins. Mr. Totenberg’s violin was valued at $250,000 when it was stolen. Today, they sell for millions of dollars at auction. Born a Polish virtuoso, Mr. Totenberg made his debut at the of 11 and immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1930s, and was given the Stradivarius by his wife in 1943. It was stolen in 1980, after Mr. Totenberg played a concert at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Mass. “It was stolen out of a closet that was the equivalent of the green room,” said daughter Jill Totenberg, sister of Nina Totenberg who covers the Supreme Court for National Public Radio. “I remember calling my father and saying to him, ‘Daddy, are you OK?’ He said, ‘Well, it’s sort of like having your arm taken from you.’” At 101, Mr. Totenberg passed away after a 90-year career that included performing all over the world, and teaching music at Boston University among other institutions. The man who stole Mr. Totenberg’s Stradivarius, a musician as well, died four or five years ago, Ms. Totenberg said. He left his violins to his ex-wife, who met with an appraiser in New York in June with a violin. “The appraiser looks at her and says, ‘Well, I have some good news and some bad news,’” Ms. Totenberg said. “‘The good news is that this is a real Stradivarius. And the bad news is it was stolen, 35, 36 years ago from Roman Totenberg, and I have to report it right away.’ And within two hours, two agents from the F.B.I. art theft team were there.” Thanks to NPR, you can also listen to the story here. |
The case bears an uncanny resemblance to the shocking rape of a minor in the Capital last week, in which a five-year-old girl’s neighbour lured her into his rented residence with a chocolate and then brutalised her. On Tuesday, the accused tempted his five-year-old victim to enter his house on the pretext of giving her a chocolate. He then took her to the upper floor of his residence, where he violated her. The incident took place in the jurisdiction of Wadala Truck Terminal police station. The accused has been identified as Chotukumar Trivedi, who was arrested late last evening from Mahim, where he worked as a truck driver. Senior Police Inspector Suresh Bhavar from Wadala Truck Terminal police station said, “The incident took place on Tuesday evening after the accused took the girl into his home, saying that he would give her a chocolate. He sodomised her after this.” The child didn’t report to her parents about the incident, as she had been threatened by the accused not to speak of it. Last morning, however, she informed her parents, following which they started looking for Trivedi, who was missing from his residence. Bhavar added, “When the accused returned to his home, the parents along with some locals attacked the accused, but he managed to escape. A case was registered at the Wadala Truck Terminal police station at 7.30 pm yesterday. We sent a team to his workplace at Mahim and arrested Trivedi.” The arrested accused has been booked under sections 354 (outraging modesty) and 377 (unnatural offence) of the Indian Penal Code. |
Traditions: cavalry_power = 0.2 land_morale = 0.1 Ambition: land_maintenance_modifier = -0.10 The White Sheep "The Aq Qoyunlu, or the White Sheep, trace their lineage to Bayandor Khan, the leader of one of the twenty four Oghuz tribes and the grandson of Oghuz Khagan himself. The blood in our veins is that of true warriors and makes us the predestined leaders of all other peoples." leader_land_shock = 1 Unite the Clans "For many years it has been to our great detriment that we have been unable to settle the succession disputes of our federation. We must settle the disputes of the sons of the White Sheep and unite as one. After decades of warfare there will be few who can stand before us if we would just work together instead." yearly_tribal_allegiance = 1 cavalry_cost = -0.2 Turko-Iranian Bureaucracy "Iran might seem ripe for an army such as ours. It is easy to conquer and keep under foot. However, if we are to extract any form of revenue from our new subjects we will need to rely not only on our military elites. There is no reason that the old administrative families of these lands should not continue to carry out their work. Let us embrace the ancient traditions of Iranian bureaucracy, as long as we make it clear that the military might lies with the armies of the White Sheep." core_creation = -0.2 Dynastic Apanages "The tribes in our confederation are held together by the loyalty to our great ruler but there are many conflicts within this disparate group of supporters. If we want to avoid splintering over petty tribal conflicts we should strive to keep all conquered land directly within our ruling family rather than among the chiefs that support us." global_manpower_modifier = 0.25 Expansive Diplomacy "Our realm lies at a crossroad between the empires of the Mediterranean and those of Greater Iran and South Asia. In many ways this region is one of few friends and many enemies. If we are to find allies we will have to look far abroad, perhaps even among the Christian realms of the far west." diplomats = 1 Religious Pragmatism "These are dangerous times and many look to millenarian sects for answers. We must do what we can to curb religious extremism in our lands while also working together with the more organized dervish sects that many of the Turkoman warriors belong to. By carefully choosing who to ally and who to fight we can build a stronger state, one that will have the allegiance of the Dervishes without the chaos that religious extremism can bring." stability_cost_modifier = -0.1 Qanun-nama-ye Hasan "The source of a land’s wealth is its population. The lands under our control have, however, suffered from centuries of warfare. We must protect our urban and rural subjects alike from wanton raids and coercion. Instead we must build and enforce a set of laws to make living and raising wealth in our realm safe and worthwhile. We will grow rich as our subjects prosper." global_trade_goods_size_modifier = 0.1 Click to expand... |
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