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Hello everyone. Welcome to another installment of LORE BUILDER, where we flesh out the Star Citizen universe with you, the community. As always, if you’re new to this feature and would like to participate, you should check out the caveats and background reading described at the beginning of the first issue. In the previous issues, we’ve been creating a sport from scratch, but this week, we’re going to do something a little different and introduce a second topic to discuss alongside Sataball. Hopefully, this will appeal to those whose interests lie elsewhere. So let’s jump into the new topic first: NUMBERING SYSTEM FOR FLEETS /SQUADRONS/ETC. What’s in a name? This question has been asked several times on my Ask A Dev thread, and this seemed like a great venue to create a system for numbering the various squadrons in the UEE military. Again, this is a pretty sizeable topic to tackle. Let’s start by quickly going over what we already know and the parameters we’ve got to work with: 1. Squadron 42 is the name of the game. Literally. We can’t change that, so any system that we come up with has to account for the existence of a Squadron 42. I know it sounds obvious, but we need to keep it in mind. Moving on … 2. This is a retcon from earlier answers given by me indicating that squadrons were going to be of a much larger size. Sorry, that was my mistake. I will invoke my caveats. Anyway, in the current discussions we are using the RAF structure, as illustrated here: Unfortunately, additional information might spoil aspects of the game, so that’s all we’re going to start with. Please feel free to explore potential numbering systems in the comments below. You can mirror realistic flight/squadron designations, build a unique and original system since it’s the future, or come up with a hybrid of the two. Here are some suggestions from Anzig, Radivnal and Quintero in the Ask A Dev thread to get you started. Now, on to topic number two: SATABALL Continuing our discussion from last week, you all made some excellent points advocating each field style and goal type, making me realizing that I probably should have done a survey. Personally, I feel like the floor generators for the various fields make the most sense as the corresponding ceiling generator felt too constrictive on the playing field. We’re going to move on and bring the players and game dynamics into the mix. Hopefully that discussion will help narrow the decision for the other aspects. PLAYERS /TEAMS Keeping the teams smaller feels like it lends itself to a faster paced, higher-scoring game. So for a starting discussion, say there are six players per team on the field. We could take a page from baseball’s rules, add another ten on the bench and that could comprise the active roster. Major league players could then be pulled up from or sent down to the Sataball team’s minor league system. POSITIONS (if any) This question becomes tied into the type of goal we have. A classic rectangular goal would almost require a goalie. Now whether that’s a specified position or if any team member could step into that role could be an interesting question. EQUIPMENT Uniforms: Light pads incorporated into the uniforms to allow for protection without sacrificing flexibility. Helmets: Zan’s original write-up gave the helmets the ability to “predict ball/player trajectories, identify team members/opponents and visualize magnetic barriers/fields,” but I prefer for the helmets to function strictly as a protective/aesthetic accessory. If we have the color-coded barriers, players won’t need special optics to identify them; let’s keep the uniforms simple and let the players’ intuition and skill in the game dictate their actions, rather than being assisted by a computer. SataGlove: A large type of glove made out of a hard, inflexible material worn on the player’s dominant hand (think a crossover between a baseball glove and a saucer) which allows players to hold/catch the ball without making it possible for them to grip it. The other hand has to be tied in a closed fist. This description reminded me also of the cesta baskets of Jai Alai. The Ball: 16”/41cm circumference (roughly the size of a 16-inch softball) but made out of an elastic polymer hull, necessary to create a ricochet effect. GENERAL PLAY Here is Zan’s explanation of how he sees the game being played: My view on Sataball was a game in which athleticism and quick passing/shooting were more important than holding onto the ball and tackling …based on the idea that you can use hands and feet to move the ball around, but are not allowed to hold it. While AFL does it with Umpires and rules, my idea was to make it impossible for the player to really grab the ball using the Sataglove. That sounded good to me. So to combine elements of Zan’s idea with Australian Rules Football: Play begins at the center of the field when the ball is launched via eject barrier in center field and each team’s center try to snatch the ball. Once in possession, the ball can be propelled in any direction by way of a foot, clenched fist (called a handball or handpass) or Sataglove pass/throw. What about player movement when in possession of the Sataball; are they limited in steps, can they move freely, or can they not move at all? We’re going to stop here for discussion. Feel free to work on fleshing out the specific rules, but it’s more important that we get the broad aspects of the game to provide a working foundation of the sport to incorporate into the Lore of the universe. The office will be closed next week for the holidays, but we will have at least one more Lore Builder when we come back to review the Fleet Numbering Systems and wrap up Sataball before launching into a brand new serial. As always, please submit your ideas and comments below. Have a wonderful holiday and New Year. Until next time … |
High school student arrested for 'insulting' Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan Posted A 16-year-old high school student has been arrested in central Turkey for "insulting" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him and his ruling party of corruption. The arrest has sparked angry criticism from the opposition. The boy, identified by his initials M.E.A, is believed to be a member of a leftist organisation, the Hurriyet newspaper reported. On Wednesday in the central Anatolian city of Konya, a bastion of Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), M.E.A. delivered a speech in memory of a young secular teacher killed by Islamists in 1930, according to the newspaper. Arrested by police at the school, he is now facing up to four years in prison if convicted on the charge. It was the latest controversial arrest in Turkey in recent weeks. Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu supported the court's decision of the juvenile's arrest. "Everyone must respect the office of president whoever he is," Mr Davutoglu told Turkish media. In his testimony to prosecutors, the boy denied links with any political party and said that the local governor's office granted permission for the commemoration ceremony organised through social media. "I've made the statement in question. I have no intent to insult," he reportedly said. Law community shows support The boy's lawyer, Baris Ispir, submitted a petition to the court together with around 100 colleagues who came from Istanbul in a show of support. "Even if he is convicted, he is 16 years old which requires a one-third reduction in his penalty," Mr Ispir said, according to the private Dogan news agency. Riza Turmen, politician of the secular opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) denounced the arrest as a violation of the UN charter on children's rights. "Regimes taking children out of classes by police force and putting them in jail are fascist regimes," Mr Turmen, a former judge at the European Court of Human Rights, wrote on Twitter. "This goes against the UN charter on children's rights," he said. Turkey's government faced an unprecedented wave of protests in 2013 against what was seen as authoritarian policies from Mr Erdogan, who was then prime minister. The AKP government was shaken by a vast corruption scandal last December that dragged down four ministers facing accusations of bribery and influence-peddling. Mr Erdogan, who was elected president in August, angrily accused his former ally-turned-foe, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, of concocting the graft scandal. Thirty people were arrested in raids earlier this month against those deemed to have links to Gulen. Most have now been released but a court has remanded the head of the pro-Gulen Samanyolu TV in custody on terrorism charges, as well as three former police chiefs. It also issued an arrest warrant for Gulen himself. In power since 2003, Mr Erdogan has brought relative stability to Turkey after years of rocky coalition governments and an economic meltdown in 2001. But what critics describe as his increasingly authoritarian style and zero-tolerance of criticism have proved a major test for democracy in the country which has long sought to join the European Union. AFP Topics: world-politics, turkey |
In the spirit of Halloween, I challenged Rodney to a special disc golf challenge – The Halloween Disc Golf Bag Challenge! It’s a simple concept, load your bag only with discs having a name related to Halloween. To make the round a little more challenging we only selected discs that don’t normally hold a spot in our bags. This also took away any natural advantage that I’d have since I always carry a Discraft Stalker and Innova’s Monster and Beast. The main difficulty was that we haven’t purchased discs specifically for Halloween related names and we both ended up lacking in midranges. Here’s how our bags looked. Rodney: Discraft Crank Innova Wraith Discmania Craze Latitude 64 Scythe Innova Banshee Discmania P2 Psycho Discmania P1 Maniac Chris: Quest Inferno Innova Wraith Discmania PD Freak Discraft Undertaker Discraft Storm (bit of a stretch but it’s all I had) Innova Spider Gateway Wizard Gateway Warlock So who won the Halloween Disc Golf Bag Challenge you ask? Rodney won by one throw. We both scored about 5 throws higher than our average. The extra throws can be accounted for evenly between unfamiliar drivers, poor midrange selection, and new putters. One great outcome of this challenge is it forced us to use our disc golf fundamentals to adjust to new conditions. This round was less about learning each new disc than it was about changing our strategy to deal with our current assets and situation. Any time that a variable is introduced that causes discomfort you risk getting thrown off your game and scoring poorly and it takes both mental strength and strategic planning to overcome changes. However, by practicing this aspect of our disc golf game using a fun challenge, it doesn’t feel like practice. These types of challenges also give us a chance to throw a few of the hundreds of discs from our basement that we rarely pull out. Rodney’s disc of the day was probably his Innova Wraith which he threw on a lace four or five times. This was the first premium plastic disc he had ever purchased and he’s always thrown it quite well. I keep asking him why it’s not in his bag and he never gives me a good answer. My disc of the day was the Discmania PD Freak. It’s a model of consistency and handles all conditions well. I won this awesome Huk Lab stamped PD Freak from Overstable Studios. Overall our bags covered most of our shots we needed and it was a great practice round. Putting was our largest struggle of the day since we’re so accustomed to our normal putters. We also had great scenery with the gorgeous Fall colors of Michigan, and we only spent about 15 minutes in total looking for our orange and yellow discs among the fallen leaves! Of course showing our best Halloween Huck Faces helped us get extra distance out of our drives. Are you throwing this Halloween? Do you have a Halloween disc golf bag or an excellent Halloween Huck Face to share with us? Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram if you haven’t yet! |
A new study from a Korean lab found that obesity in elderly people may reduce cognition, suggesting a connection between fat and brain function. The study, involving 250 people between the ages of 60 and 70, saw that those with higher body mass index scored more poorly on cognitive tests, according to BBC. Subjects were evaluated by BMI, which looks at the weight to height ratio and waist circumference. "Our findings have important public health implications. The prevention of obesity, particularly central obesity, might be important for the prevention of cognitive decline or dementia," study author Dae Hyun Yoon, a researcher at Seoul National University Hospital Healthcare System in South Korea told BBC News. CBS reported that while the researchers found a link between obesity and brain function, there was no correlation found in people older than 70. The study, which was published in the British journal Age and Ageing. In another study released today in the journal Circulation, Israeli and American researchers found that women who are overweight before pregnancy significantly increase their children’s risk of developing hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes as teenagers. Read more on GlobalPost: Heavier doctors less likely to diagnose obesity, study says |
The organizers of this year's RSA security conference have made at least one thing clear to exhibitors: no booth babes. The industry shindig has sent out a new dress code banning scantily clad models, regardless of gender, from wandering the show floor. The rules dictate that exhibitors cannot wear shorts, tank tops and halter tops, miniskirts or tops that show "excessive cleavage." Lycra body suits are also out, as are "objectionable or offensive" costumes. Anyone breaking the rules will be thrown out of the four-day conference, due to kick off on April 20 in San Francisco, California. The rules apply to men, though we doubt it will have much of an impact; male booth, er, hunks are few and far between. Flocks of buxom young ladies handing out fliers and posing for photos is an all-too depressing sight at tech conferences. Dress code ... Rules sent to RSA Conference exhibitors for the 2015 event The hiring of booth babes is coming under fire more and more, with critics arguing that the practice is sexist, insulting, and encourages harassment of attendees and exhibitors who are women. A number of prominent trade shows, most notably the Shanghai Auto Show, have issued similar rules banning exhibitors from dressing booth staff in revealing clothing. People shouldn't (just) be upset that RSA had booth babes. They should be terrified that security purchasing decisions were based on them. — Matthew Green (@matthew_d_green) March 26, 2015 The RSA conference usually has relatively far fewer booth babes than most conferences due to its decidedly enterprise focus. With the new rules in place, the practice will likely be all but eliminated, forcing exhibitors to rely on the good looks and charm of their own staff or PR agency. ® |
On June 29, the CBI announced a Rs 10 lakh reward for information about Najeeb Ahmed, a PhD student from Jawaharlal Nehru University who has been missing since October 2016. When Ahmed’s case was handed over to the CBI in May 2017, the court gave express instructions that the investigation must be headed by someone at or above the rank of a deputy inspector general. The case will come up for hearing on July 17. More than eight months have passed since Ahmed disappeared from the JNU campus following a scuffle with members of the BJP-backed student organisation, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Initially indifferent to the case, the Delhi police, under mounting pressure from Ahmed’s family and students, was eventually forced to launch a belated and half-hearted search. Till date, however, Ahmed’s family remains in the dark about his whereabouts since the night of his disappearance. Members of his family have expressed a singular lack of faith in the Delhi police. “We are as clueless about Najeeb now as we were on the first day,” his brother, Mujeeb, told the Indian Express. The story of the JNU student’s disappearance is no longer visible on the front pages of newspapers. But by relentlessly pursuing the case – rendered particularly high profile by the recent volatility on the JNU campus – Ahmed’s family and friends have ensured that his name doesn’t totally fall off the radar of public attention. That a PhD scholar from one of India’s best-known universities can be missing for eight months without a trace, raises serious questions, not only about his case but about the subject of disappearance itself and how we as a society engage with the disappeared. Every day, hundreds of people – young and old, women and men, girls and boys – go missing in India. Behind each such sudden disappearance is an individual narrative that ranges from the economic and political to the medical and personal. For just one glimpse into the ubiquity of disappearance, consider the May 15 report in the Indian Express, which, even as it focused on Ahmed’s case, also narrated another such case of disappearance: “Meanwhile, 20 days have passed since a 19-year-old speech and hearing impaired girl, Sunita, went missing from Adarsh Nagar Metro station. Just like Najeeb, police are yet to trace the girl. The girl’s parents too fear their daughter’s case will meet the same fate as that of Najeeb. ‘My daughter has been missing for 20 days. She is innocent, she cannot harm anyone. I fear something has happened to her,’ said Ram Saran, the girl’s father.” According to Child Rights and You (CRY), a leading NGO, 180 children go missing on an average every day, including 22 from the national capital. According to Union home ministry data, the total number of untraced children in 2015 was 62,988 as against 34,244 in 2013. A report in the Indian Express observed that the number of missing children who remain untraced across the country has increased by around 84% between 2013 and 2015. While many among the disappeared are lost to their loved ones forever, the more fortunate among them are tracked down after years of anxious wait by their families. Yet despite the trauma that accompanies someone falling off the map under mysterious circumstances, the issue of disappearances does not figure prominently in public discussion. As we address the circumstances surrounding Ahmed’s disappearance, we would do well to reflect on how little we engage with the widespread phenomenon of disappearance in general, to address how lacking our public conversation really is about missing people. It may be argued that the agony of not knowing is something unique to the phenomenon of disappearance. The prolonged uncertainty surrounding the disappeared is potentially more agonising than confronting the stark tragedy of death or loss. The grey area between hope and despair can stretch out endlessly, denying closure to families of the disappeared. The trauma of plumbing the dark depths of disappearance has provoked many authors and filmmakers into exploring this shadowy territory. In his semi-autobiographical novel, Anatomy of a Disappearance, Hisham Matar weaves a moving narrative around the disappearance of his father in Libya. At the outset of the book, Hisham offers us a glimpse into the agony the family of the disappeared endures, of the endless groping in the dark – unseeing and unknowing – about the fate of their loved one. He writes: “There has not been a day since his sudden and mysterious vanishing that I have not been searching for him, looking in the most unlikely of places. Everything and everyone, existence itself, has become an evocation to him, a possibility for resemblance.” A well-to-do businessman and staunch dissident of the erstwhile regime led by Muammar Gaddafi, Jaballah Matar ‘disappeared’ from Cairo in 1990. Abducted by Egyptian secret service agents, Jaballah was subsequently incarcerated in Libya’s Abu Salim jail. Hisham, then 20-years-old, has since grappled with the agony of not knowing what became of his father. Did he survive the torture in that infamous jail? Or did he breathe his last inside the prison – never to be seen or heard from again? In Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzman’s stunning documentary Nostalgia for the Light, relatives of those who were ‘disappeared’ during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship search the Atacama Desert for the remains of their loved ones – some whittled down to shards of bones. The documentary draws parallels between stargazing, astronomy and politics, suggesting that just as astronomer’s look above and outward to understand the history of the universe, women look for their own pasts in the desert. Closer home, the 2007 film Parzania revolved around the story of the family of Azhar Mody, a 10-year-old Parsi boy who disappeared during the 2002 pogrom in Gujarat. He went missing during the Gulberg Society massacre, in which over 60 people were killed. The film addresses the family’s search for their missing son – without any result in the end. Azhar was eventually declared dead following standard procedure. But his mother Rupa continues searching for him. A Times of India report quotes her as saying: “A few days ago, I went to Kerala and Vadodara to find him. I have hope that I will find Azhar one day.” In India, as in the other cases mentioned above, disappearance often reveals the nature of governments and states. A December 2014 Hindustan Times report detailed how, on Christmas day that year, construction workers in a school in Imphal, Manipur, dug up eight skeletons, skulls and personal belongings. The school used to be a base for paramilitary forces during the period of insurgency in the state – a time when many people were alleged to have been disappeared. Similarly, the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons in Kashmir claims on its website that between 1989 and 2006 anywhere up to 10,000 people have disappeared in the state according to unofficial estimates. Ahmed’s case might seem just one of the many such cases of disappeared people. But the fact that he has not been found, nor has any information surfaced, in eight months speaks volumes about how easy it is for certain populations to ‘disappear’ in India today. Over the years and decades, the value of human life seems to have steadily diminished. The growing numbers of the disappeared, tragically, seems to bear testimony to our national indifference to the phenomenon of disappearance. |
This is a log of user-block/unblock actions. Auto-blocked IP addresses are not listed here, but can be found at Special:AutoblockList. See Special:BlockList for the full list of currently operational blocks. See Wikipedia:Blocking policy for further details. You may enter the name of the blocking/unblocking administrator and/or the user or IP who was blocked/unblocked. Performer is the name of the admin, without any prefix Target is the name of the user, IP or IP range, written with the prefix "User:" Logs All public logs Block log Content model change log Deletion log Deletion tag log Edit Filter modification log Global account log Global block log Global rename log Global rights log Import log Mass message log Merge log Move log Page creation log Page curation log Patrol log Pending changes log Potential copyright violation log Protection log Review log Tag log Tag management log Thanks log TimedMediaHandler log Upload log User creation log User merge log User rename log User rights log Performer: Target (title or User:username for user): Tag filter: Type of block: All Block Block modification Unblock Show (newest | oldest ) View (newer 50 | older 50 ) ( 20 (newest | oldest ) View (newer 50 | older 50 ) ( 20 |
You say you want serious software-defined storage to handle petabytes of storage? Then Red Hat has two new programs for you: Red Hat Ceph Storage (RHCS) 1.3 and Red Hat Gluster Storage (RHGS) 3.1 Both are open-source programs, which are designed to run on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware. While each Red Hat storage program can work on enterprise data loads on data-farms they're most likely to be deployed on clouds. Ceph is a distributed object store and file system. It's designed to provide excellent big data performance, reliability, and scalability. What RHCS 1.3 brings to the table are the following new features. Improved automatic re-balancing logic that prioritizes degraded, rather than misplaced, objects Re-balancing operations that can be temporarily disabled so those operations don't impede performance Scrubbing that can be scheduled to avoid disruption at peak times Object buckets that can be sharded to avoid hot-spots Red Hat also claims that "RHCS has been tweaked and tuned to improve speed and increase I/O consistency." This includes flash storage optimization; read-ahead caching, which accelerates OpenStack virtual machine booting; allocation hinting, which reduces XFS fragmentation to minimize performance degradation over time; and cache hinting, which improves performance. RHCS management has also been improved. Calamari, Ceph's management platform, now supports multiple users and clusters. Want to kick RHCS's tires? You can take RHCS for a free test drive on Amazon Web Services (AWS). RHGS is a scale-out file store with a straightforward architecture suitable for public, private and hybrid cloud environments. The program combines GlusterFS 3.7 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It supports network file system (NFS), Server Message Block (SMB), and Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) file interfaces. The new top-of-mind features in RHGS are: Support for erasure-coded dispersed storage volumes. With this, sysadmins can reconstruct corrupted or lost data by using information about the data stored elsewhere in the system. This can reduce the need for RAID and replication and total cost of ownership by up to 75 percent. Tiering provides for automated movement of data between "hot" and "cold" tiers in a volume-based on-access frequency. This gives operators fine-grain control to deploy storage clusters that are both cost-effective and high performance for a wide variety of workloads. Bit-rot detection scans data periodically to detect data corruption resulting from silent failures in underlying storage media, enhancing end-to-end data integrity. Enhanced security via support for SELinux in enforcing mode and SSL-based network encryption to increase security across the deployment. RHGS also now supports active NFSv4, based on the NFS-Ganesha project. With this you can secure data access through clustered NFSv4 endpoints; and SMB 3 capabilities to allow enable efficient file transfer and secure access in Linux and Microsoft Windows environments. RHGS will be available this summer. You can get an early look at RGHS for free on AWS. Related Stories: |
As basic as Tanigawa Nico’s drawings can sometimes be, one thing I appreciate a lot in Watamote is the way it tells and sequences its comedy. This is something I think the artist understands and feels incredibly well. Watamote is not known for dynamic panels, but she knows that, and she uses Watamote’s overly traditional, movie-like frame sizes, close-ups, wide and full body-shots in some very inventive ways to the story’s advantage. What I love is how it is so reliant on beat panels(much moreso than most other manga) to express its awkward yet realistic humour, and each of them comes to serve a purpose to detail a situation or Tomoko’s mindset and approach to situations. In most other comedy or gag manga that rely on direct, expressive, and physical humour, this page would look like this: This is a much more formal and direct approach to getting to the central punchline. So obviously there are three panels that seemingly serve no purpose which some might consider filler(maybe include the fourth one if you want to make a neat and evenly-paced yon-koma), but when looked at in sequence, they tell an entire series of jokes that makes the entire scene feel so vivid. Just the first two panels alone already are a mini-joke in itself, it immediately subverts a shounen stereotype of strong-willed characters that bring immediate and dramatic change to themselves and their stories. That it uses the same frame size and angle only amplifies the joke as we see Tomoko making promises for herself before descending into an apathetic mess, in a boringly real world where change and excitement don’t come into life so suddenly. This smoothly leads us to… “Well shit, what do I do now? How do I begin?“ This third panel not only gives the first joke a valid and believable continuation where Tomoko briefly realises the inanity and challenge of her wish, but it also serves as a new establishing shot for our next gag. Notice how she doesn’t do anything in this panel but just contemplate as she is now faced with a new problem, a result of the previous, but very subtle gag. Then she finally decides to perform an action and start little: pick up a tooth brush. But even such a small challenge becomes a problem and is what serves to tie up the joke into a nice cohesive whole. What I love is how it doesn’t even show her face in the last panel, instead letting us imagine it for ourselves. Not revealing the face and reactions and not explaining the characters’ emotions through dialogue, while relying on excessive beat paneling is something I think gives Watamote a lot of its charm and originality. Just look at some of these beat panels, its subtle punchlines, and the way they try to convey the characters’ emotions: Without this intuitive style of visual comedy and a sense of “cinematography” that seem inspired by classic movies, I just don’t think Watamote would feel the same. Ironically, it’s this seemingly boring paneling that makes Watamote look so alive. |
Democratic leaders are calling on President Trump to focus his energy on assisting Puerto Rico during its hurricane recovery after the president spent much of the weekend criticizing protesting NFL players. ADVERTISEMENT On Monday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on the Pentagon to deploy more help to the territories, saying that they “deserve to know that their government will be there for them, without question or hesitation," according to The Washington Post. Meanwhile, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) took the president to task for spending so much time "dividing the country" while people in Puerto Rico were in need of help. “Mr. President, instead of dividing the country over this you could give support to the 3.4 million Americans without power in Puerto Rico,” Beyer tweeted Monday. Trump focused his tweets over the weekend on protesting NFL players, days after suggesting at a rally that team owners should fire any player who refuses to stand for the national anthem. Meanwhile, cleanup and recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria began in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló on Sunday asked the Department of Defense for more assistance on law enforcement and transportation. |
Roger Stone, the longtime Republican political operative and current ally of Donald Trump, says he's trying to organize protests at the Republican convention in Cleveland this summer to disrupt any effort by the party to "steal" the nomination from the frontrunner. Stone tweeted several times on Friday evening about his plans, announcing a "Stop the Steal March on Cleveland" and calling on supporters to get to Cleveland for the convention in July. Stone told BuzzFeed News over email that he is planning "#DaysofRage," a seeming reference to the Weatherman-organized Days of Rage protests that took place in Chicago in 1969. Asked to elaborate, Stone said he was talking about "rally-protests -at delegate hotels street theater." Stone said the campaign was not involved in organizing this, instead saying the protests will be "organized by Trump nation," but said that "we did inform them." He said he had "issued the call to action" on Infowars, the Alex Jones-run conspiracy show, on March 30, that they "will stage protests at hotels of state delegates of states supporting the BIG STEAL," and that he and Jones would be speaking (Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul are both invited). Stone, a colorful figure known for his dirty trickster reputation, worked for the Trump campaign until August, when he and the campaign parted ways after disagreement over Trump's feud with Megyn Kelly. But Stone still supports Trump and acknowledges talking to him even though he no longer works for him. "We just have a rhythm," Stone told GQ this week. In the same GQ interview, Stone hinted at unrest at the convention, saying "I think there'd be extreme anger by the Trump supporters. I don't know that it would boil over into violence. Trump is certainly not advocating violence." There have been a spate of violent incidents at Trump rallies, and the campaign appears to condone violence from the top down — Trump has stood by his campaign manager who has been charged with simple battery after grabbing a reporter, and has promised to pay legal fees for supporters who physically confront protesters. This has led to concerns that a contested convention this year could boil over into violence in Cleveland fueled by disgruntled Trump supporters; Trump himself has predicted "riots" if the convention doesn't lead to him as the nominee. It's unclear how serious Stone is about his protest plans, but he is certainly stoking the flames of the idea that Trump is about to get the nomination stolen out from under him. "The Bush, Cruz, Rubio, Romney, Ryan, McConnell faction has united and is moving into high gear to steal the nomination from Trump," Stone wrote in a column for Infowars earlier this week. |
PEARLAND, Texas - A Pearland mom went before the city's school board Tuesday night to fight for her transgender daughter's right to use the girls' bathroom when she starts kindergarten. Five-year-old Kai was born male, but has lived publicly as a little girl for the last two years. "Please understand I'm not fighting about bathrooms, I'm fighting about her life, I'm fighting about her well-being, I'm fighting for her happiness, I'm fighting for her future," Kai's mother, Kim Shappley said. Shappley says during a meeting at the end of last school year Pearland Independent School District leaders told her Kai would have to use the boys' restroom. "Every person that has a degree who has studied this says that it is wrong to tell my child for anyone to tell my child that she cannot use the facility that aligns with the gender she identifies with," Shappley told the school board. Shappley had a lot of support in the audience during the meeting, but not everyone agreed with her stance. "I'm for Kai, I'm for her, but I'm also for our district and I'm for what's put in place," a parent, Rick Torrison, said. The district sent out a statement that read: "Pearland ISD's stance on transgender students remains children whose parents declare them transgender must go to the bathroom for the sex indicated on their birth certificate. Such students have also been allowed to use a private bathroom (such as in the nurse's station) if they are so inclined. All Pearland ISD kindergarten classrooms have a private, gender-neutral bathroom within the classroom for student use." Copyright 2016 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved. |
The 26-year-old was strongly linked with a move to Adelaide and Collingwood was another club which declared an interest in recruiting him before he agreed to see out the final year of his contract with the Lions. "I didn't necessarily do that (look at the market). I didn't speak to any other clubs," Rockliff told SEN on Friday. "It was more about me catching up with the new football people in place, Chris Fagan obviously came on board and David Noble, and once we had the meeting and went through where they thought I sat, where I thought the footy club sat, it was a really good meeting for all parties. "Once we had that meeting, it was just to go away and have thinking time and work out what was best for me, what was best for the football club and in the end we both came to the decision that we thought it was best if I stay and continue to improve and hopefully rebuild this football club. "I definitely did not speak to one other club." Rockliff might be a Lion for the next 12 months at least, but it remains unclear as to whether he will hang on to the captaincy. Fagan has made no secret that the captaincy is up for grabs and while Rockliff said he would like to remain in the role, he would support a new skipper if he was replaced. "He (Fagan) has been upfront me with me and he outlined clearly to me that there will be a process that we go through to select the leaders for 2017," Rockliff said. "If I remain captain, then I remain captain. If not, I'll fully support who it is (but) that's not why I play football or anything like that. You play for team success and he's been really clear on that. "I think he's got to do that and I think if you look across the competition when a new coach comes on board they review everything and that's the most important thing that everyone gets a fresh start and we put our best foot forward and we're all in it together." Rockliff said Dayne Zorko, Dayne Beams and Daniel Rich would all be capable of captaining the Lions. Speculation has been rife that Rockliff has been somewhat of a disruptive influence at the Lions and that he has even played a hand in the sackings of the club's last two coaches Michael Voss and Justin Leppitsch. His leadership style has also come under scrutiny with his abrasive manner reportedly rubbing many of his teammates the wrong way. The All-Australian on-baller admitted it has been tough to deal with all the negative media reports. "It is definitely challenging when people question you and so on and, the way the world is at the moment, you can print something or say something and it's taken as factual," Rockliff said. "As a player you have to suck it up a little bit and it was challenging at times but I have a really strong support base around me and my family and people close to me were really important to help me through that period last year. |
The debate over whether dogs or cats are the smartest pet has raged for decades, if not centuries. But in a twist that is sure to ruffle the fur of cat-lovers, new research shows that dogs are more intelligent than their feline foes after all. Experts showed that dogs have more than twice as many brain cells in a region linked with thinking, planning and other complex behaviours. Scroll down for video Experts found that dogs possess around 530 million cortical neurons, while cats only have around 250 million (stock image) CORTICAL NEURONS The researchers say the number of neurons in an animal's cerebral cortex is a hallmark of intelligence. The cortex is the largest layer of the brain and is associated with thinking, planning and other complex behaviours. The researchers applied their intelligence theory to several carnivorous species, and found that bigger brains do not necessarily mean more cortical neurons. The brain of a Golden Retriever was found to have more cortical neurons than a brown bear, for example, despite being three times smaller. In terms of brain size to cortical neuron ratio, one of the most intelligent animals was found to be a raccoon. Raccoons have a brain the size of a cat, but have a cortical neuron density similar to that of a dog. The researchers, from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, say the number of neurons in an animal's cerebral cortex is a hallmark of intelligence. The cortex is the largest layer of the brain and is associated with a range of complex behavioural characteristics. Researchers found that dogs possess around 530 million cortical neurons, while cats only have around 250 million. By comparison, a human brain houses around 16 billion cortical neurons. 'I believe the absolute number of neurons an animal has, especially in the cerebral cortex, determines the richness of their internal mental state and their ability to predict what is about to happen in their environment based on past experience,' study lead author Dr Herculano-Houzel told Vanderbilt University's news site. The researchers applied their intelligence theory to several carnivorous species, and found that bigger brains do not necessarily mean more cortical neurons. The brain of a Golden Retriever was found to have more cortical neurons than a brown bear, for example, despite being three times smaller. In terms of brain size to cortical neuron ratio, one of the most intelligent animals was found to be a raccoon. Raccoons have a brain the size of a cat, but have a cortical neuron density similar to that of a dog. The researchers say the number of neurons in an animal's cerebral cortex is a hallmark of intelligence. The brain of a Golden Retriever was found to have more cortical neurons than a brown bear despite being three times smaller. Pictured are relative animal brain sizes 'Raccoons are not your typical carnivoran,' Dr Herculano-Houzel said. 'They have a fairly small brain but they have as many neurons as you would expect to find in a primate … and that's a lot of neurons.' The team warns that intelligence is a nuanced and subjective measurement, meaning their study doesn't conclusively show that dogs are smarter than cats. Dr Herculano-Houzel added: 'At the least, we now have some biology that people can factor into their discussions about who’s smarter, cats or dogs.' |
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio expressed disappointment in his performance in the New Hampshire primary after polls closed. “It’s on me,” he said, citing his poor performance at the last GOP debate. (Reuters) Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio expressed disappointment in his performance in the New Hampshire primary after polls closed. “It’s on me,” he said, citing his poor performance at the last GOP debate. (Reuters) Let’s dispel once and for all with this fiction that Marco Rubio knows what he’s doing. A week ago, the youthful senator from Florida was in great shape. His surprisingly strong finish in the Iowa caucuses left him with a clear chance to consolidate mainstream Republican support — and a path to the GOP presidential nomination. But in just a few minutes Saturday night, Rubio undid everything he had worked for during the past year — really, the past five years. His singularly disastrous debate performance, in which he repeated irrelevant, canned phrases, caused would-be supporters to flee for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and other more stable candidates. And Tuesday night, Rubio proved true the axiom popularized by Alan Simpson, the wisecracking former senator from Wyoming: “One day you’re the toast of the town, the next you’re toast.” The culprit here, as in most things that have gone wrong this campaign season, is Donald Trump, who after his convincing win in New Hampshire is once again the front-runner for the nomination. Typically, Iowa and New Hampshire serve as proving grounds for the candidates. Voters there scrutinize the contenders, who rise and fall in the polls as various candidates gain and lose the status of front-runner. But Trump’s celebrity short-circuited the process. With Trump dominating the coverage and the polls, Iowa and New Hampshire failed to fulfill their traditional vetting roles. Rubio was one who never got the scrutiny. And when he emerged, blinking, into the spotlight after Iowa, voters found an empty suit. Watching him campaign last week, I wrote: “Rubio’s strong Iowa finish has brought new attention — and overcapacity crowds — in New Hampshire. But the would-be supporters are greeted by a robot.” [What Marco Rubio would have said if he had won New Hampshire] This wasn’t necessarily a surprise to those who watched Rubio closely (or even to those who recall his water-gulping response to the State of the Union three years ago). Buzzfeed’s McKay Coppins, who wrote about Rubio in a 2015 book, observed that he had an “incurable anxiousness — and an occasional propensity to panic in moments of crisis, both real and imagined.” He had seemed to be a good debater — but with 10 or more candidates crowding the stage in early debates, he didn’t have to go far beyond canned lines. On Saturday, exposed to withering attacks from rival Chris Christie, a former prosecutor, Rubio suffered what was perhaps the most memorable lapse at the presidential level since Edmund Muskie appeared to weep in the New Hampshire snow in 1972. “Let’s dispel once and for all with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Rubio proclaimed early in the debate, as ungrammatical and off-point. “He knows exactly what he’s doing.” 1 of 40 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × On the ground at the New Hampshire primary View Photos Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Caption Voters cast their ballots in New Hampshire. Feb. 9, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reacts to his primary victory at a rally in Concord, N.H. Lucian Perkins/for The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. A moment later, Rubio said again: “But I would add this. Let’s dispel with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing. He knows exactly what he’s doing.” And again: “Here’s the bottom line. This notion that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing is just not true. He knows exactly what he’s doing.” Even when called out by Christie for the mindless repetition, Rubio said again: “We are not facing a president that doesn’t know what he’s doing. He knows what he is doing. That’s why he’s done the things he’s done.” The reviews were savage, and then, on Monday night, RubioBot malfunctioned again. “Janette and I are raising our four children in the 21st century, and we know how hard it’s become to instill our values in our kids instead of the values they try to ram down our throats,” he told supporters, then added: “In the 21st century, it’s becoming harder than ever to instill in your children the values they teach in our homes and in our church instead of the values that they try to ram down our throats.” Exit polls left little doubt that Rubio’s glitches ruined his prospects in New Hampshire. Two-thirds said the debates were important, and of the nearly half of GOP voters who made choices in the last few days, Kasich did far better than Rubio. This left Rubio, with 70 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday night, languishing at 10 percent of the vote. He trailed not only Trump (34 percent) but also Kasich (16 percent), Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush, who was once left for dead. “I’m disappointed with tonight,” Rubio said Tuesday, acknowledging that “I did not do well on Saturday night.” The results also left Republicans, once again, without a consensus alternative to Trump — and with dwindling hope of finding one. Had Rubio received scrutiny earlier, voters might have been able to find a candidate who didn’t wilt in the spotlight. But Iowa and New Hampshire didn’t serve their functions this time. Trump got in the way. Twitter: @Milbank Read more from Dana Milbank’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. |
by Erik Altieri, NORML Executive Director In October of 2011, the White House issued an official response to a petition NORML submitted via their We the People outreach program on the topic of marijuana legalization. Despite being one of the most popular petitions at the site’s launch, the answer we received was far from satisfactory. Penned by Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, the response featured most of the typical government talking points. He stated that marijuana is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment and that its use is a concern to public health. “We also recognize,” Gil wrote, “that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.” Well, just over a year later, the White House has responded again to a petition to deschedule marijuana and legalize it. The tone this time is markedly different, despite being penned by the same man. Addressing the Legalization of Marijuana By Gil Kerlikowske Thank you for participating in We the People and speaking out on the legalization of marijuana. Coming out of the recent election, it is clear that we’re in the midst of a serious national conversation about marijuana. At President Obama’s request, the Justice Department is reviewing the legalization initiatives passed in Colorado and Washington, given differences between state and federal law. In the meantime, please see a recent interview with Barbara Walters in which President Obama addressed the legalization of marijuana. Barbara Walters: Do you think that marijuana should be legalized? President Obama: Well, I wouldn’t go that far. But what I think is that, at this point, Washington and Colorado, you’ve seen the voters speak on this issue. And as it is, the federal government has a lot to do when it comes to criminal prosecutions. It does not make sense from a prioritization point of view for us to focus on recreational drug users in a state that has already said that under state law that’s legal. …this is a tough problem because Congress has not yet changed the law. I head up the executive branch; we’re supposed to be carrying out laws. And so what we’re going to need to have is a conversation about how do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana is a federal offense and state laws that say that it’s legal. When you’re talking about drug kingpins, folks involved with violence, people are who are peddling hard drugs to our kids in our neighborhoods that are devastated, there is no doubt that we need to go after those folks hard… it makes sense for us to look at how we can make sure that our kids are discouraged from using drugs and engaging in substance abuse generally. There is more work we can do on the public health side and the treatment side. Gil Kerlikowske is Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy No tirade about protecting our children. No alarmist claims about sky rocketing marijuana potency and devastating addiction potential. Just a few short paragraphs stating we are “in the midst of a serious national conversation about marijuana” and deferring to an interview with the President where he stated arresting marijuana users wasn’t a priority and that the laws were still being reviewed. While far from embracing an end to marijuana prohibition, the simple fact that America’s Drug Czar had the opportunity to spout more anti-marijuana rhetoric and instead declined (while giving credence to the issue by stating it is a serious national conversation) it’s at the very least incredibly refreshing, if not a bit aberrational. We can only hope that when the administration finishes “reviewing” the laws just approved by resounding margins in Washington and Colorado, they choose to stand with the American people and place themselves on the right side of history. “We the People” are already there. |
I flip flopped quite a bit on whether I wanted to order this collector's edition or not, but once I had confirmation from Triforce that the statue did indeed light up, I was sold. After all, the UE of the game is $100, so in the end the statue and keychain end up being another $100 and you'd hope the detail would be all there. And I'm happy to report, IT IS. Every part of the statue that is lit in the beauty shot is lit in real life as well. The tread on the bike tires, the exhaust oxidation on the pipes, the gore on JD's Mark 3 Lancer, everything is to a T. His clothes look just like they do in the game, right down to the wear on his denim jacket and dirt on his pants. The only spot where the statue lacks in the detail in JD's face - early pictures made him look like a mix between John Cena and Brock Lesnar, and thought the statue is better it's still not a complete likeness. Not bad looking though, and still good quality. My statue also unfortunately had the rear sight on the Lancer get bent or tweaked a bit, but considering every other detail was spot on, I'm still very happy with it. The frag keychain and the game of course are perfect as well. |
President Obama on Between Two Ferns Obama bombs when he jokes that he’ll sic the IRS or the Secret Service on his critics. For all of the nonchalant assurances that he is neither a “dictator” nor an “emperor,” Barack Obama is certainly trigger-happy with the power jokes. The president’s latest witticism was inspired by his much-debated appearance on Between Two Ferns, during which he traded carefully scripted barbs with actor Zach Galifianakis. “Zach actually was pretty nervous,” Obama explained to Ryan Seacrest in a postmortem interview. “His whole character is to go after the guest, and I think he was looking around and seeing all these Secret Service guys with guns and thinking, I wonder what happens here if I cross the line? But we had a great time.” Advertisement Advertisement Gettit? Because if Galifianakis had said something that the president didn’t like, the president’s armed guards would have killed him. In consequence . . . and prepare yourself, because this is hysterical . . . the comedian self-censored, permitting Obama to get in a nice little barrage of prepared zingers and sitting by quietly while he hawked his vision for the federal government! Nice thing you’ve got going here, matey. Shame if anything were to happen to it. Funny or Die! Ha, ha, ha. #ad#Here’s another rip-roaring yarn from our commander-in-chief, this one aimed squarely at the Jonas Brothers: “Sasha and Malia are huge fans, but boys, don’t get any ideas. Two words for you: ‘Predator drones.’ You will never see it coming.” See, if the Jonas Brothers try to date the president’s daughters, he’ll execute them from the sky. The best part? Like so many Pakistani villagers, they won’t even know what has hit them! Brilliant. And who could forget the all-time classic, told without any sense of irony at Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, as the president and his guest viewed the garden from a private balcony: The commander-in-chief on Monday boasted of how, as president, “I can do whatever I want.” Advertisement The joke in each case is simple and similar: I’m more powerful than you, and, if I want to, I can kill you. Is it funny? Occasionally, if the atmosphere in the room is right and if one buys sufficiently into the conceit. Is it healthy that it’s funny? Not really, no. Years before the Tea Party had attracted the attention of the IRS, Obama liked to joke about auditing his enemies. At Arizona State University, the president lamented that the college had refused to award him an honorary degree. “I do think we all learned an important lesson,” Obama told the crowd. “I learned never again to pick another team over the Sun Devils in my NCAA brackets,” and “President Crowe and the Board of Regents will soon learn all about being audited by the IRS.” This ostensibly innocuous crack prompted Glenn Reynolds to risk the damning charge of humorlessness, a charge he delivered in the pages of the Wall Street Journal with an astonishingly prescient warning: Just a joke about the power of the presidency. Made by Jay Leno it might have been funny. But as told by Mr. Obama, the actual president of the United States, it’s hard to see the humor. Surely he’s aware that other presidents, most notably Richard Nixon, have abused the power of the Internal Revenue Service to harass their political opponents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Intent matters, certainly. Only the most fevered and unhinged of Obama’s critics believe that he is likely to drone entertainers who irritate his family or that he will use his armed guards to silence the slings and arrows of America’s complaisant acting class. Clearly, Galifianakis, a progressive Democrat, wasn’t in fear for his life. But, as Reynolds establishes well, the virtue of any joke is heavily contingent upon who is making it. Those of us who wince at such would-be witticisms are not against Obama making jokes per se, nor are we hooked on abstract notions relating to the “dignity of the office.” Quite the opposite. We think that the imperial presidency isn’t funny, and that joking about lethal power is unbecoming. Where, pray, is the humor in “I can kill you with the Secret Service”? Excoriating Obama for making light of civilian casualties, Salon’s Alex Pareene suggested that “the people directly responsible for tragedies should not deliver jokes about those tragedies.” “That’s why Mel Brooks can tell Hitler jokes and Germans can’t,” Pareene concluded. Indeed. The executive branch has reserved the right to murder literally anybody whom it regards as a threat anywhere in the world. If Americans who are alarmed by this have the chutzpah to crack a joke about it, it might be amusing; it’s not so funny when the guy with his finger on the button does it. Of all of the troubles facing the republic, this habit is among the least pressing. Nevertheless, it is instructive — and not only for what it teaches us about power and the people. Five years into his tenure, Obama and his acolytes are still exhibiting a vexing cognitive dissonance and a crippling insecurity, apparently unable to decide whether the president is a plucky outsider sticking it to the Man or an elected emperor whose word should be respected above all others. Sometimes, Obama explains his governing philosophy in brutal, appeal-to-power terms: “I won,” he told a Republican dissenter in 2009. (This is a line that he and his troops have deployed in a thousand different incarnations since 2012.) On other occasions, he lauds the likes of actor Harold Ramis, because, the president gushes, he forced his viewers to “question authority,” “identify with the outsider,” and “root for the underdog.” Advertisement Advertisement With this in mind, the Between Two Ferns episode was moderately funny and extremely illuminating, encapsulating the schizophrenia that has marked this administration from the outset. Desperate for enrollees in the dying days of his signature law’s embarrassingly dramatic rollout, the most powerful man in the world was reduced to throwing himself upon the mercy of a comedian in order to make his pitch — his introduction a torrent of mockery in place of the more familiar Hail to the Chief; his backdrop, a modest black cloth. Subtly aware of the indignities of having to beg, and typically incapable of being the butt of a joke for more than a few minutes, Obama couldn’t quite help himself from rebalancing the stakes, letting us all know after the fact that, if he had so wished, he could have sent his recalcitrant, profanatory host to the guillotine. — Charles C. W. Cooke is a staff writer at National Review. |
The lute was delivered to the son that morning with a note from his father, explaining what he had done and, "that when he played this lute, he would never play alone..." ` ` Three-Strings Instrument (Lute), Legendary (requires attunement by a bard) The Three-Strings is a lute with the following properties. Harmony of the Missing - Though only having three strings it plays as if it had six. The missing strings play in harmony with the other notes pluck from the other three. Adds a +2 bonus to your Bardic Inspiration while being played as an insturment. Beauty Within - Once unstrung the body of the lute can be opened and acts as a bag of holding. Change the Tune - Allows player to cast any spell from the bardic spell list. To do so takes a slot from the level of the spell being cast and another from the same level or higher. After using this ability one string on the lute breaks. Once all the strings are brokenthe lute cannot being used as an insturment , but retains the Beauty Within ability. Any broken string mend themselves one dawn after they were broken. |
We learned early this morning that blogger Ananta Bijoy Das was hacked to death with machetes as he walked to work: While there’s a lot we don’t know, one piece of information that has come out since his death is that Das had been invited to Stockholm by the Swedish branch of PEN (the same group that recently gave a Courage award to Charlie Hebdo). Unfortunately, according to the International Humanist and Ethical Union, … we have been informed that his application for a visa to travel to Sweden, under invitation from Swedish PEN, was rejected last week by the Swedish embassy in Dhaka, on the basis that he might seek to remain in Sweden. Now, Swedish PEN is demanding more information on why Das’ application was rejected: In the final lines we read: “You belong to a category of applicants where there is always a risk involved when granting a visa that you will not leave Schengen area after the visit. Furthermore, the purpose of your trip is not urgent enough to grant you visa.” … Swedish PEN therefore demands a detailed and credible explanation of why the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka chose not to grant Ananta [Bijoy Das] the visa he needed to fulfill the Swedish PEN’s invitation to speak in Stockholm — a invitation that would have guaranteed his stay in Stockholm as Swedish PEN’s guest for two weeks upon his arrival, that was supposed to happen last weekend, and which could have ensured that he would still be here with us today. What proof did the embassy have that Das was not going to come back? Was that standard applied to everyone who requests a travel visa, or just known atheists? Is this just another example of the Bangladeshi government looking the other way when a critic of religion is under threat? I hope they can get some answers. (Thanks to Shabnam for the link) |
Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump , in a call Friday with Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, said that he intends to accept Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's recommendation to shrink the size of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, a spokesperson for the senator told CNN. Trump met with Zinke on Friday, primarily to discuss the "monuments report that will be coming out shortly," according to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. Earlier this year Trump initiated a review -- led by Zinke -- of more than two dozen national monuments designated by Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. If the President officially announces the plan to shrink either national monument it would make Trump the first president to shrink a national monument using the Antiquities Act. "I'm approving the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase recommendation for you, Orrin," Trump told Hatch in a phone call Friday morning, the spokesperson said. In response, Hatch said he was "incredibly grateful the President called this morning to let us know that he is approving Secretary Zinke's recommendation on Bears Ears." "We believe in the importance of protecting these sacred antiquities, but Secretary Zinke and the Trump administration rolled up their sleeves to dig in, talk to locals, talk to local tribes and find a better way to do it," Hatch said. "We'll continue to work closely with them moving forward to ensure Utahns have a voice." Bears Ears, a 1.3-million-acre parcel of lands that includes world-class rock climbing, age-old cliff dwellings and land sacred to Pueblo Indians, was first designated a national monument by Obama in 2016. The former president used the Antiques Act -- a presidential power that was first signed by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906 -- to protect large swaths of land during his presidency, making him the president who protected more federal land than any of his predecessors. Zinke released an interim report earlier this year that recommended shrinking the size of Bears Ears after local officials and Utah Republicans protested the Obama-era designation but stopped short of suggesting the elimination of any federal designations. "The Bears Ears National Monument contains some objects that are appropriate for protection under the act," Zinke wrote in his report, referencing rock art and Native American ceremonial sites and dwellings. "However, having conducted the review ... I find that the Bear Ears National Monument does not fully conform with the policies set forth" in Trump's executive order." The decision over Bears Ears has pinned these local officials against environmental and outdoor advocacy groups, many of whom have spent considerable money to protect the national monument. These groups have also said they plan to sue the federal government if Trump decides to accept Zinke's suggestion and shrink the park. "President Trump is making it clear that he stands with the most partisan and anti-lands faction of his party, not the majority of Americans," Jamie Williams, president of the Wilderness Society, said in a statement. "The sneaky closed-door meetings that continue to happen are a slap in the face to the very public process that drove the protection efforts for Bears Ears as well as other national monuments across our country." Phil Lyman, a San Juan County, Utah, commissioner, told CNN on Friday that they had been informed the President intends to shrink the size of Bears Ears. Though Sanders would not confirm Trump's plan, she said that Trump did plan to visit Utah "in the first part of early December" when asked about Bears Ears. The decision to shrink the national monuments would go against some of what Trump said on the campaign trail, when he told supporters that he was in favor of federal control of public lands. As President, though, Trump has recently fallen more in line with Republican orthodoxy on the issue and said he wants to give more control to the states. |
Manitowoc police have been confused with Manitowoc County sheriff's department. Buy Photo Manitowoc Police squad car. (Photo: File/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)Buy Photo Officers at the Manitowoc City Police Department wear navy blue uniforms. Deputies at the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department wear dark brown uniforms. But the difference between the agencies runs much deeper than apparel in the two high-profile criminal prosecutions involving Steven Avery. In the Netflix blockbuster "Making a Murderer," the sheriff's department is portrayed as unprofessional, corrupt and fueled by revenge and hatred toward Steven Avery. The city's police department, meanwhile, comes across in a much more positive light. In 1985, the sheriff's office targeted Avery, then 23, for an attack and sexual assault committed near Lake Michigan outside the Manitowoc city limits. City police detective Tom Bergner, however, suspected that a dangerous predator, Gregory Allen, was the likely rapist, not Avery. Allen had been prosecuted for lewd and lascivious conduct in 1983. Allen's crime occurred in the same area where the woman was brutalized around 4 p.m. on July 29, 1985. He shared his suspicions with the sheriff's department, but to no avail. TIMELINE: History of the Steven Avery case RELATED: “Making a Murderer” coverage, archived stories and more Avery insisted he was innocent of the sexual assault along the beachfront, but the Manitowoc County authorities and a Manitowoc County jury did not believe him, and he spent 18 years in prison before he was exonerated by DNA evidence that showed Allen committed the assault just as Manitowoc city police had suspected. RELATED: 'Making a Murderer' case tainted, experts say In 2005, Avery insisted he was being framed for the Oct. 31 murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach, but the same sheriff's department insisted he was the killer. A jury in 2007 found Avery and his teenage nephew, Brendan Dassey, guilty of murder. They remain incarcerated in separate prisons, while many people believe the real killer is free. Here's another key difference between the Manitowoc sheriff's department and police force: Buy Photo Manitowoc Police & Fire Departments entrance at the Manitowoc Safety Building. (Photo: File/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin) The City of Manitowoc Police Department maintains an active social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. The Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department currently has no official Facebook or Twitter account. Not realizing the difference between the two, people outraged by the "Making a Murderer" series have mistakenly blasted the police department. "The majority of comments on our law enforcement agency are wrong," Manitowoc City Police Capt. Larry Zimney said. "We had nothing do with the Avery prosecution. I think the vast majority of threats and rude comments directed to us through social media are people who are not from the area or even the state of Wisconsin." DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up for "Making a Murderer" updates The Manitowoc City Police Department is located a few blocks from the sheriff's department, which is next door to the Manitowoc County Courthouse. "Most cities and counties usually have different names," Zimney said. "But we're the county seat and a lot of people are just not able to distinguish this. By and large, local people know the distinction, but there are some that do not." Buy Photo Larry Zimney (Photo: File/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin) During the past six weeks, the police department has had to continuously monitor and scrub hateful social posts being left on its Facebook page by people wrongly denouncing its role in prosecuting Avery for two different violent crimes. Most of the more than 825 social media comments erroneously directed at the city police over the Avery case have been removed from the Facebook page. Trying to thwart unfair backlash, city police have posted the following message on its Facebook site: "The release of the Netflix series regarding Steven Avery has caused some confusion regarding the Manitowoc, WI area. Anyone on this Facebook page commenting about these cases involving Steven Avery has directed their opinion to the wrong law enforcement agency. All of the cases referenced in the Netflix series were the jurisdiction of the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office. The incidents occurred outside of the City of Manitowoc. The Manitowoc Police Department does not have any jurisdiction outside of the City of Manitowoc.The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office and the Manitowoc Police Department are two separate law enforcement agencies. Also, the City of Manitowoc does not oversee the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department. Therefore, any positive or negative comments on this City of Manitowoc Police Department Facebook Page about the Netflix series concerning the Avery cases are directed at the incorrect agency." Criminal justice faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville agree the Manitowoc Police Department shouldn't be confused with the sheriff's department's role in any of Avery's high-profile cases. "To hold the Manitowoc City Police Department hostage to this thing is really unfair," said Patrick Solar, assistant professor of criminal justice at UW-Platteville. Solar is a former police chief of Genoa, Illinois and former deputy chief in Sycamore, Illinois. Solar said he has watched the "Making A Murderer" series. "I didn't see any signs of involvement they had in it," Solar said of Manitowoc city police. "It's incredibly unfair to not recognize a distinction. Just because they're next to each other does not mean they have any working relationship whatsoever." Netflix documentarians Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos portrayed the City of Manitowoc Police Department in a favorable light. Episode 1 chronicles the efforts of city detective Bergner, who tried to convince Manitowoc County Sheriff Tom Kocourek that Avery did not commit the 1985 rape. The horrific crime occurred within the sheriff's territory and in a rare move, Kocourek put himself in charge of that investigation. Avery was arrested at his home several hours after the brutal attack. Several days later, even though Avery was in jail, the victim began receiving creepy and threatening anonymous phone calls at her house. Kocourek, who served as the county sheriff from 1979 until 2001, refused to let anybody second-guess his investigative work. In 1985, the city police department and the sheriff's department were territorial. The two agencies did not share information or contact each other regarding ongoing investigations, reports reflect. Buy Photo Tom Kocourek (Photo: File/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin) "Despite this relationship, Bergner went to Kocourek and discussed the 1985 assault against (the victim). Bergner asked if Kocourek knew about Allen. Kocourek told Bergner that Allen had been ruled out as a suspect. Bergner got the impression that Kocourek knew about Allen and Allen's history," stated a Wisconsin Department of Justice report investigating Avery's wrongful conviction for the 1985 rape. A jury of Manitowoc County residents heard trial testimony and found Avery guilty of attempted murder and sexual assault. Avery was sentenced to 32 years in prison. Allen went on to harm other women. In 1995, Manitowoc County Sheriff's deputy Andrew Colborn received a phone call from a Brown County detective. While in custody, Allen had told Brown County detectives that somebody was wrongfully in prison for an earlier assault he committed in Manitowoc. When Colborn spoke with Sheriff Kocourek, he was told not to concern himself with the matter because the correct person was convicted, sworn testimony taken in 2005 showed. Colborn didn't write a report about the phone call from Brown County until eight years later in September 2003, a day after Avery was exonerated by DNA evidence and was making national headlines. At that point, Colborn huddled with his boss, Detective Lt. James Lenk and Sheriff Kenneth Petersen and was told to produce a brief report about the eight-year-old phone call. Petersen had the report placed into the sheriff's office sealed vault. It only came to light after Avery's civil lawyers, Walt Kelly and Stephen Glynn of Milwaukee, filed a $36 million lawsuit against Manitowoc County. Then, just three weeks after Colborn, Lenk and Petersen gave sworn depositions as part of the Avery lawsuit, a freelance photographer from rural Calumet County went missing. Authorities determined that Halbach visited the Avery Salvage Yard on Oct. 31, 2005 before she vanished. Lenk and Colborn volunteered to help investigate her disappearance, though both men were embroiled in Avery's civil lawsuit. Even though the sheriff of Calumet County announced Manitowoc County would not be involved in the Avery probe, Lenk, Colborn and fellow Manitowoc County detective Dave Remiker remained a regular presence inside Avery's trailer. On Nov. 8, 2005, Lenk and Colborn returned to Avery's bedroom and revealed they discovered a spare key for Halbach's Toyota RAV4 next to Avery's bed. A day later, Avery was arrested. He was charged with Halbach's murder within a week. The single spare key contained Avery's DNA, but not Halbach's DNA. This marks the 11th year since the Halbach slaying captured statewide media attention. These days, nearly 20 percent of the city of Manitowoc's 64-sworn officers were not employed at that time, officials said. Last Friday, city officers handled security for a rally organized by supporters of Avery and Brendan Dassey. The rally drew about 60 pro-Avery supporters, a handful of counter protesters and several onlookers outside the Manitowoc County Courthouse. Buy Photo Supporters of convicted killer Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, gather earlier this month on the north side of the Manitowoc County Courthouse to protest. Some counter-protesters were also present. (Photo: Yi-Chin Lee/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin) The crowd chanted, "Manitowoc County take a stand. Don't imprison an innocent man." Signs with phrases read, "Poor people lose." "Let's get even Steven." "Can't you see? Set Brendan Dassey free!" Last weekend, Avery supporters took to social media urging the rest of the world to draw a clear distinction between the sheriff's department and the city police department in Manitowoc. "Please stop confusing the Manitowoc Police Dept. with the Manitowoc Sheriff's Office," Allysa Apperson of suburban Chicago posted on the Manitowoc Police Facebook page. "These guys were absolutely wonderful at the protest today! They went above & beyond to welcome us all on both sides to come & participate. Thank you so much for the hot chocolate & coffee!" Kathryn Bleckham of Spain posted similar comments on the page. "It's a pity that you didn't have jurisdiction, maybe there would have been a different outcome! Thanks for your policing of the protesters today ..." Numerous times over the past several weeks, frustrated Manitowoc police officers have taken to their agency's social media accounts to bring clarity to the situation. "Just a notice for all the people complaining. The Manitowoc Police Dept. is separate from the Sheriff's Dept.," Manitowoc Police posted on Twitter on Jan. 1. In contrast, Manitowoc County does not maintain active social media accounts. That has not stopped social media pranksters from trying to make a mockery of the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department. For the record, when we tamper with blood vials, we make sure to replace the cap The fake Twitter handle @ManitowocSD currently has more than 4,600 followers. The page shows a Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department patch along with photos of Charles Manson, Al Capone and Steven Avery. The spoof account reads: "We put the PARTY in SEARCH PARTY, ya jokers!" Shout out to our boi Lt. Lenk for organizing this year#39;s #ManitowocCounty blo Joseph Collins, in his 11th year as chief of the Two Rivers Police Department, said he has no concerns involving the sheriff's office. "I have had nothing but a great working relationship with the county in everything they do," Collins said."They are very professional and we have a very good partnership." Buy Photo Joseph Collins (Photo: File/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin) For most of his tenure as chief, Collins said he has worked alongside Robert Hermann, who has been the Manitowoc County sheriff since 2007. "He's got a great group of administrators and all of the people within that agency," Collins said. "If we need their assistance, they are very quick at responding." Zimney said the residents of Manitowoc are fortunate to have "highly dedicated police officers at the Manitowoc Police Department." He said his officers take very seriously the core values posted on the city's website: mission-guided, trustworthy, professional and dedicated. "We are accountable to each other and to the citizens we serve," one of his department's core principles states. As far as the saga surrounding Avery, "It has not stopped us from doing our jobs," Zimney said. "Obviously, it's been a distraction and it's another thing we need to deal with." But "people are painting law enforcement with a very broad brush, and I do think there are a silent majority in this county and state and everywhere in this country that appreciates law enforcement and what we do on a daily basis." John Ferak: 920-993-7115 or jferak@gannett.com; on Twitter @johnferak Read or Share this story: http://post.cr/1X3sEg3 |
According to the previous leak, Samsung was rumored to use Exynos 8895 CPU in the Galaxy S8 Series and Note 8 Smartphones. However, the latest leaked news suggests that Samsung would not produce another version of its Exynos8 CPU, and will directly jump to Exynos 9. The leaked news of Exynos9 is coming along with Samsung’s Wireless Chipset, that is being said to be called “Shannon 359.” It may be the first time you have heard of Shannon, but Samsung has been using this chip for a long time. Shannon is a code name of one of the integrated circuits used in Samsung devices to support mobile’s function and wireless technology. Shannon 359 would support almost all the Network Basebands; FDD-LTE, TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, CDMA2000, CDMA, and GSMA, that means Samsung devices with Shannon 350 Wireless Chip can be used around the world with any service provider as long as the device is unlocked. According to MyDriver Report, Shannon 359 would be launched in the third quarter of 2017, but it will still be as a plug-in. It is little confusing how it will be used as a plug-in, but it may come as an addition accessory that users can connect to the device. However, the leaked detail also suggests that Shannon 359 would be integrated on Samsung devices in 2018 when Samsung launches Exynos10 CPU. Shannon 359 would not affect the launch of Galaxy S8, S8 Edge, and Note 8 models. These models would be launched with Exynos 9 CPU in its usual time. Galaxy S9 and S9 Edge are expected to be the first smartphone to use Shannon 359 Wireless Chip. Exynos 8895 was rumored to be clocked at 3.0 GHz, so this may be for the new Exynos9 CPU. |
Kotaku East East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. The Wii was a juggernaut during Nintendo's last console generation. Since going on sale in late 2006, it sold 100 million. Now, it seems those days are over. For good. On Nintendo.co.jp, the Wii page reads, "Manufacturing is scheduled to end soon" ("kinjitsu seisan shuuryou yotei" or 近日生産終了予定). In Japan, Nintendo has been known to announce it is ceasing hardware production for certain consoles (or colors) via notices like this. Stacked up against the Famicom, which Nintendo finally discontinued in 2003, it looks like the Wii's days were comparatively short. Its sales, however, were huge. Kotaku is following up with Nintendo and will update this post, should the company comment. Advertisement Update: Nintendo has confirmed it was ending Wii production. "Our new generation Wii U console is already on the market and allows users to play software originally designed for the Wii," a Nintendo spokesman told AFP. "So this is part of the transition of our products to new models." 本体 [任天堂] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft. Advertisement |
How concerned are you right now about the US federal deficit? How concerned are you right now about the US federal deficit? The Republican party has shown the same amount of integrity Do you think the Republican party has shown more or less integrity since the election of President Trump? Do you think the Republican party has shown more or less integrity since the election of President Trump? A House staffer who worked for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was fired Tuesday after he was arrested on bank fraud charges, reports say. Imran Awan is accused of illegally acquiring a $165,000 home equity loan from the Congressional Federal Credit Union to pay for a rental property, Politico reports . Because the property was not his primary place of residence, using the loan for that purpose went against the credit union’s policies, the publication said. Awan was arrested Monday night at Dulles Airport on one count of bank fraud. On Tuesday, a spokesperson confirmed that Awan had been fired from his position in Wasserman-Schultz’s office. “Mr. Awan previously served as an employee in our office, but his services have been terminated,” the statement from spokesman David Damron read. It is unclear when exactly Awan was fired. Awan reportedly transferred the funds from the credit union to two people in Pakistan and is unable to leave the country while charges are pending. His arrest comes in the midst of a criminal investigation surrounding a computer equipment scandal, Fox reports. Published 23 minutes ago | Updated 16 minutes ago |
As per the February 6, 2017 Latest News, the WFTDA has released updated Games policies and an updated WFTDA-Regulation Track Layout Guide to support the February 15, 2017 version of The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby. An updated WFTDA StatsBook and WFTDA StatsBook Manual will follow this week and we will update this post when it’s released. The documents now available are: WFTDA Expulsion and Suspension Policy - (Previously titled WFTDA Suspension Policy) This document has been edited and includes direction for managing expulsions should an expelled individual return to the track area (previously managed in The Rules). Practices for Officials will be described in future officiating procedures documents. This policy should be utilized for all sanctioned games starting March 1, 2017. WFTDA Forfeit Policy - This document has been edited and includes direction for forfeits that were previously described in The Rules. This policy should be utilized for all sanctioned games starting March 1, 2017. WFTDA-Regulation Track Layout Guide - (Previously titled WFTDA Track Layout Guide) This document has been updated to match the new WFTDA Risk Management Guidelines and is meant to work with Appendix A: WFTDA Track Design and Specifications. Released February 22, 2017: WFTDA StatsBook in US-Letter format (Excel) and the WFTDA StatsBook Manual in US-Letter and A4 format (PDF) - Contains bug fixes and updates to match The Rules and the upcoming update of the WFTDA Sanctioning Policy. WFTDA Insurance Risk Management Guidelines and appendices For a target date of February 24, 2017, the WFTDA is working to release: Updates to The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby web version for bug fixes and the addition of several new Casebook scenarios WFTDA Officiating Procedures for the Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby Online and PDF versions of the WFTDA Skater Rules Test Juniors version of The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby Translated versions of The Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby For a target date of March 15, 2017, the WFTDA is working to release: |
An N.C. House Republican says the NCAA and ACC have “stepped out of bounds” by moving sports championships out of North Carolina over House Bill 2. Rep. Mark Brody, a Republican from Monroe, announced in a Facebook post Sunday that he’ll file a bill this week to address the boycotts. Brody says his “Athletic Association Accountability Act” will “determine whether the NCAA and the ACC have violated their tax-exempt status by engaging in political or lobbying activities.” “The NCAA and the ACC have allegedly engaged in excessive lobbying activities that exceeded their respective charters by using economic retaliation against NC for the purpose of forcing the General Assembly to adopt social legislation that is not connected to their core mission,” Brody wrote. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer “I believe the NCAA and the ACC have stepped out of bounds and, to the best of my ability, will never allow the General Assembly to relinquish its legislative authority over the internal affairs of the state or succumb to economic extortion to and from either the NCAA or the ACC.” In September, the NCAA relocated seven championships, including men’s basketball tournament games, for the current academic year to other states due to concerns that the law is discriminatory, and the organization could ban North Carolina from hosting future championships. HB2 struck down local nondiscrimination ordinances and requires transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds to the gender on their birth certificate while they are in schools and other government facilities. SHARE COPY LINK VIDEO: NCAA president Mark Emmert discusses North Carolina's passing of HB2 and possible impact on hosting NCAA events in the future. The ACC followed a few weeks later and announced it would move 10 neutral-site championships scheduled in North Carolina during the 2016-17 academic year. It’s unclear how Brody’s proposal would work, and his Facebook post offers no further details about his bill. According to the IRS website, nonprofit groups can’t have tax-exempt status “if a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation.” The groups “may engage in some lobbying, but too much lobbying activity risks loss of tax-exempt status.” Brody isn’t the first Republican politician to question whether the boycotts should be considered excessive lobbying under Internal Revenue Service standards. U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson of Concord brought up the issue when the ACC announced its boycott last year. “This blatant political move – less than two months before the election – brings into question their tax-exempt status,” he said in a news release at the time. “This is an avenue we intend to explore.” SHARE COPY LINK University of North Carolina coach Roy Williams calls HB2 "discriminatory", "harmful" and "not right" while talking about the N.C. law and politics at his weekly press conference Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. |
Two more people have been charged in connection with Whitehall's eighth homicide of the year, and additional charges were filed against two other suspects, Whitehall Sgt. John Grebb said Wednesday, Nov. 25. Two more people have been charged in connection with Whitehall's eighth homicide of the year, and additional charges were filed against two other suspects, Whitehall Sgt. John Grebb said Wednesday, Nov. 25. Gregory L. Smith, 28, of Youngstown was fatally shot Nov. 16 at 4648 Eastway Court. The shooting occurred at the Common at Royal Landings Apartments on the south side of East Broad Street, just west of South Hamilton Road. Amber N. Rencher, 30, of Eastway Court was arraigned Tuesday, Nov. 24, in Franklin County Municipal Court for tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. Byron L. McCarroll, 45, of Eastway Court was arraigned Saturday, Nov. 21, in Municipal Court on the same charge. McCarroll is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30, in Municipal Court. On Nov. 18, police arrested Demitrious Desmond McKnight, 19, of Labella Drive in Columbus, and Donald Nelson, 26, of Fairway Boulevard, for murder. A grand jury indicted McKnight and Nelson this week on felony charges of murder, felonious assault and weapon-related charges, Grebb said. McKnight and Nelson remained in custody awaiting a bond hearing Nov. 30 in Common Pleas Court. Grebb said Nov. 25 that charges were dismissed against Marina Howell, 21, of Ethel Road in Columbus. Howell allegedly was driving a vehicle in which McKnight and Nelson were riding when Whitehall and Reynoldsburg SWAT officers, acting on a tip that McKnight and Nelson were at an apartment near Agler Road and Capital Park, arrested all three. During their investigation, police opted not to charge a 41-year-old Whitehall man who reportedly was involved in the exchange of gunfire Nov. 16, Grebb said. "We found he was acting in self-defense," he said. Whitehall's investigation found that Smith, McKnight and Nelson were acquaintances and at the Common at Royals Landings Apartment complex together about 5:30 p.m. Nov. 16. "There was (name-calling) directed at a group of females at the one of the apartments," to which exception was taken, Grebb said. The incident escalated into gunfire, Grebb said. Police concluded that bullets from the gun of the 41-year-old man did not strike Smith. But police have not conclusively identified a murder weapon, Grebb said. Multiple shell casings from guns of the same caliber were found at the scene, Grebb said. After he was shot, Smith reportedly walked about 100 yards to the porch of a nearby residence, where Rencher called 911. In the 911 call, Rencher told the dispatcher Smith had "a gunshot wound to the chest" and is heard asking Smith his name and telling him "they're coming." Rencher was charged with tampering with evidence after police determined she took Smith's gun, Grebb said. McCarroll was charged with tampering with evidence for removing a gun belonging to the 41-year-old man who was involved in the exchange of gunfire, Grebb said. Additional charges or suspects are possible, but police believe the investigation has identified all who were involved in the fatal shooting incident, Grebb said Nov. 25. |
Dengeki Bunko revealed the title of the fourth Sword Art Online game at a stage presentation at the Dengeki Bunko Autumn Festival 2015 event on Sunday. The Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization game will ship in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2016. The event also livestreamed a trailer for the game. The trailer featured the text "Welcome to Sword Art: Origin." The event staff also revealed that Sword Art Online is getting two special PlayStation 4 models: one in white and one in black. Pre-orders for the model start on October 5 at 11:00 a.m. JST (October 4 at 10:00 p.m. EDT) at the Sony Store. The models will bundle the PlayStation 4 "Game Director's Edition" that collects both the Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment and Sword Art Online: Lost Song games, and includes product codes for downloadable costumes for both games. The model will ship when the game ships on November 19, and the bundle will cost 42,980 yen (about US$358). The event also revealed that the Sword Art Online Code Register iOS and Android game will have crossover costumes with the Tales of franchise. The event revealed Asuna in a Tales of Xillia's Milla costume, and Milla in an Asuna costume. Sword Art Online: Code Register had also revealed earlier on Sunday that it will have special Halloween-themed costumes for Pumpkin Witch Asuna and Trick or Treat Sinon. The costumes are available until October 3 at 23:59 JST (11:00 a.m. EDT). Bandai Namco Entertainment released Sword Art Online: Lost Song for PS3 and PS Vita in Japan on March 26. The game is slated for November 13 in Europe, and November 17 in North America on the PS4 and the PS Vita. Bandai Namco Entertainment released Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment for PS4 in North America on July 28, and for Europe, Australia, and the Middle East on August 4. The game is a remake of the Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment 2014 PS Vita game. Bandai Namco Games released the Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment game for the PlayStation Portable in Japan in March 2013. Halloween costume news via Animate.tv |
Kat Von D MetalMatte Cruelty-Free Tutorial Smoky Teal Today I’m excited to share my Kat Von D MetalMatte Cruelty-Free Tutorial Smoky Teal for Teal Thursday with you. While I don’t think you can pick up the MetalMatte palette online at Sephora now, it still seems to be available in store. I love this palette and even a few months after having purchased it, I still find myself reaching for it. I love the cooler tones. Pr + purchased by me. Smoky Teal Eyes Milani primer NARS light reflecting loose setting powder – as base shade KVD Suede + Stone – transition & lower lid KVD Velour – thickly at upper and lower lash line KVD Moss – blended into & above velour KVD Nebula – on lid and lower lid KVD Watt – on top of Nebula Aromaleigh Thalassa – damp on inner lid & inner corner Colour Pop Jet Set brow pencil Glossier Boy Brow in Black NARS Abbey Road – waterline (set with KVD Watt) Face Lucy Minerals Courtney foundation Physicians Formula bronzer Nyx Nude to Me ombre blush Makeup Geek Moon Phase highlight Aromaleigh Illuminata Luxe Light UD Chill Spray Kat Von D MetalMatte Cruelty-Free Tutorial Lip Combinations Lips 1 BareMinerals Borderline Aromaleigh Rara Avis This is a soft coral nude type lip. Lips 2 NARS Abbey Road Sugarpill U4ea It’s hard to beat the teal blue matte lip. Lips 3 NARS Abbey Road Sugarpill U4ea Aromaleigh Thalassa I love the depth that Thalassa gives U4ea. Lips 4 NARS Abbey Road Sugarpill U4ea Aromaleigh Thalassa Inglot 541 Throwing 541 on top of it was gorgeous, but immediately after I did that I had to toss 541 and wipe off my lips. 541 had gone bad. Lips 5 UD Perversion pencil UD Perversion vice lipstick Such a perfect black lip. Lips 6 UD Perversion pencil UD Perversion vice lipstick Aromaleigh Thalassa UD Vanity I love the added dimension from putting Vanity at the center of the lips. Kat Von D MetalMatte Cruelty-Free Tutorial Smoky Teal Picture Tutorial Kat Von D MetalMatte Cruelty-Free Tutorial Smoky Teal First, use a fluffy brush to apply Bone as a base shade all over. Second, with a fluffy crease brush, mix Suede & Stone together to create a light taupe transition shade for the hood of the eye, the lid, and lower lid. Next, take a stiff shader brush and line the upper lashline and lower lashline thickly with Velour. Keep it smaller towards the inner corner and make it wider towards the outer corner, winging it out. Immediately after that, using the same brush blend Moss onto the lid slightly above Velour, winging it out. Then blend Nebula on top of Moss and Velour on the lid. Next, blend Watt on top of Moss and Velour on the lid, and on top of Velour on the lower lid, winging it out. Using a small fluffy crease brush blend Stone into the edge of the lid and hood colors, where matte meets metallics. Spritz a brush with UD All Nighter spray, then pat Aromaleigh Thalassa onto the inner lid and inner v. Line the waterline with a teal liner. I used NARS Abbey Road. I also set this with Watt. Finally, highlight under the brows with Makeup Geek Moon Phase. Shop Your Stash for Similar Shades Bone – white matte Suede – light beige matte Stone – deep grey matte Moss – green matte Velour – royal blue matte Nebula – metallic blue Watt – metallic teal Thalassa – pale teal with gold to green iridescence Abbey Road – teal blue eyeliner Moon Phase – iridescent white with blue and purple shift The Kat Von D MetalMatte Cruelty-Free Tutorial was honestly one of those looks that I had a ton of fun during its creation. You could technically stop at step 4 in the eyeshadow and still have a really cool all matte look. However, I chose to go on and add shimmer to it. I don’t normally apply eyeshadow the way I did in this look, which is what ultimately made it so much fun. Sugarpill U4EA is essentially the best teal blue lipstick I’ve ever owned. I love it. Not crazy about the ‘citrus’ smell, but the color and formula are top notch. Urban Decay Perversion lipstick is the best black ever. Seriously. It’s significantly heads and tails above any other black lipstick that I’ve owned, and I’ve owned a lot. If you want the perfect black lipstick that will wear all night for you without drying out your lips, this is it. Use it with the Perversion lip pencil, blot, apply another coat, and blot. Then you’ll be set. It’s so good. Though I gotta say, I love how it looks with just a touch of Thalassa and the Vanity gloss on top. Vanity gloss is altogether great for deepening or cooling off any lipstick color. It’s that perfect sheer black that adds a lot of shine. It immediately makes your lips look bigger if you apply it just to the center of them. All in all, I hope you find the lip combinations and eyeshadow Cruelty-Free tutorial inspiring. I really enjoyed making them. More to See |
Music streamers craving some shuteye are spoiled for choice, with 282 albums released in the last week alone – and Ed Sheeran a popular aid for snoozing Putting on music is often seen as an energising action to aid dancing, even jogging. But now one of the fastest-growing new album categories features music focused on the opposite goal: putting listeners to sleep. Spotify’s fastest-growing music category is the newly named “environmental/sleep/relaxative” – in the last week alone, 282 albums from the category were added to the music streaming service’s catalogue, many times more than other genres including hard rock, latin pop and dancehall. The figure comes from a new tool released by the company’s data team, which sorts new music releases by genre. Named Sorting Hat after the headwear from the Harry Potter books, it is described by Spotify as an “experimental attempt at an algorithmic organisation of the week’s new releases”. The resulting data shows how much music is being added to Spotify’s catalogue each week, as well as the genre breakdown. For the week ending 4 September, for example, it tracks 6,735 new releases – a total that includes singles, EPs and albums. An album-only view reveals that 2,425 of those were albums and compilations. Spotify has six years of my music data, but does it understand my tastes? Read more This means that 11.6% of all new albums on Spotify that week fell into its sleep and relaxation category, with collections including White Noise for Baby Sleep, Zen Spa, Beach Sleep Sounds and Spiritual Guitar Chillout. Earlier in 2015, Spotify said that its users had created more than 2.8m sleep-themed playlists of their own, with Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud the most popular track among those collections. Chief executive Daniel Ek may not be a fan of the genre – “Sleep is overrated!” he tweeted in July 2011 at 4.34am. But the glut of relaxation albums and user-generated playlists on his company’s service suggests that listeners have no shortage of options in this area. Sorting Hat is also a useful way for streamers to dig into some of Spotify’s other niche genres, from filthStep/brostep/catstep (seven new albums added last week) and Chilean rock (four) to Slovak hip-hop or electro dub (three apiece). |
1975 short story by Stephen King For the film with the same name, see The Lawnmower Man (film) "The Lawnmower Man" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the May 1975 issue of Cavalier and later collected in King's 1978 collection Night Shift. Plot summary [ edit ] One summer, Harold Parkette is in need of a new lawn mowing service. The summer before, a neighbor's cat was accidentally killed when another neighbor's dog chased it under the mower. Harold has been putting off hiring new help for the summer, but when he sees an ad for a mowing service, he calls. A van reading "Pastoral Greenery" soon pulls up to Parkette's home. The man working for the service, a hairy, pot-bellied fellow, is shown the overgrown back lawn and is hired. Harold is enjoying a rest as he reads the paper, wondering about the lawnmower man mentioning Circe, when he hears the lawnmower outside. Startled, he races to the back porch and sees the lawnmower running by itself and the naked lawnmower man following it on all fours and eating the grass. The lawnmower seemingly deliberately chases and kills a mole and Harold faints. When Harold revives, the lawnmower man explains that this new method, introduced by his boss, grants substantial benefits, and that he makes sacrificial victims of customers who cannot appreciate the process. Parkette, though unnerved, allows the lawnmower man to return to work. As soon as the man is out of sight, Harold desperately calls the police, but is interrupted by the lawnmower man, who reveals his boss's name: Pan. The lawnmower briefly chases Harold through his living room before brutally slaughtering him. When the police arrive, they conclude that Parkette was murdered and dismembered by a schizophrenic sex maniac. As they leave, the scent of freshly cut grass hangs strongly in the air. Adaptations [ edit ] See also [ edit ] |
Image caption Mr Bashir appeared alongside Nigel Farage at the launch of the party's 2014 elections campaign An MEP who defected from UKIP to the Conservatives has branded his old party a "vanity project" for its leader Nigel Farage, who runs it "like a dictator". Amjad Bashir said Mr Farage was using UKIP "as a means for getting power". Shortly before Mr Bashir announced his defection on Saturday, his former party said he had been suspended over various allegations - all of which he denies. Meanwhile, Labour has released footage of a UKIP official calling the NHS the "biggest waste of money" in the UK. Mr Bashir was elected as a UKIP MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber last year, and was also the party's communities spokesman. 'Crude attempt' Formerly a Tory, he became involved with UKIP three years ago, but met David Cameron on Friday to discuss his defection. Mr Cameron said he was "delighted" Mr Bashir was rejoining the Tories. But before the defection was announced, UKIP suspended Mr Bashir and said he was being investigated for matters including "unanswered financial and employment questions" and "interference" with candidate selection processes. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Bashir said his suspension was a "crude attempt" to discredit him. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption MEP Amjad Bashir explains why he is defecting from UKIP "There is not a shred of truth in any of the claims but it has made me more convinced than ever that I made the right decision," he said. He said he had joined UKIP because he wanted a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, and better controls on immigration. But he said he now had "no doubt" that Mr Cameron would deliver this, so UKIP "has outlived its usefulness". On Mr Farage, he said: "He runs the party like a dictator, employs people who are totally inappropriate for party positions and gets rid of anybody who stands in his way." Mr Bashir also said he had experienced racism within UKIP, and criticised the "appalling" behaviour of its MEPs, who "make childish remarks during debates and are abusive towards MEPs from other countries". 'Reichstag bunker' In a separate development, Labour has published footage of UKIP's party secretary Matthew Richardson describing the NHS as the "Reichstag bunker of socialism". In various clips, which Labour says were filmed at a 2010 conference in the US, Mr Richardson described "socialised healthcare" as "dangerous" and "very, very hard to get rid of". "The biggest waste of money in the whole United Kingdom is of course the NHS," he added. At that time Mr Richardson was executive director of the Young Britons' Foundation, which "promotes conservatism" and trains activists, then "places philosophically sound conservatives in full-time jobs and work experience in the City, the professions, business, the media, academia and politics". Speaking about the Mr Richardson's comments, Labour's Jon Trickett said: "Either Nigel Farage supports this or Mr Richardson cannot stay in post. "Nigel Farage cannot simultaneously defend these comments and claim that his party stands for the NHS free at the point of use." Mr Trickett said the comments revealed "UKIP's real agenda on the NHS", which he said was to "dismantle its foundations". A UKIP spokesman said Mr Richardson was being critical of NHS management rather than the institution. Last week Mr Farage said his desire to replace the NHS with an insurance-based system, like that used in many other countries, had been rejected by his party - so UKIP policy remains in favour of a tax-funded NHS, free at the point of use. But Mr Farage told the BBC "this is a debate that we're all going to have to return to" as demand for healthcare increased because of Britain's ageing population. |
By Kevin McLoughlin Working class people made the demonstration of 11 October last year a historic event. They mobilised themselves and changed the political situation in the whole country and in so doing they propelled Right2Water to a prestigious position of being a key convenor for this new movement. Incredibly within months in another historic mobilisation, the working class has again dramatically put its imprint on events by being the inspiring leading force in the decisive Yes vote for marriage equality alongside women and young people. A desire for radical change This willingness to struggle and the support for radical change should be music to the ears of the unions who are the de facto decision makers in Right2Water as they seek to organise a new political alliance to challenge in the next general election. With their authoritative position, all the indications are that if Right2Water reflected the fighting and radical position of ordinary people they could bring together a movement that would have a huge immediate effect. It could defeat this government on water charges within months. It could now create and channel such pressure that could force change on key issues of oppression like repeal of the Eight Amendment. Such an approach would make it likely that twenty or thirty new working class and left TDs could get elected in the coming election. The need for non-payment Unfortunately, while being at the head of the new movement, Right2Water hasn’t really sought to give full expression to the new movement, nor reflect its radical position. Water bills are dropping but unfortunately Right2Water still hasn’t come out and organised mass non-payment. Given the radicalisation that is unfolding in working class communities, if Right2Water had opened up its conference on building a political challenge, scheduled for 13 June, to the working class it could be a huge and significant event. It could be a platform for consolidating a new movement in each area that could fight on the key issues and be the basis for a political challenge that could have involved thousands of working class people. Open conference Unfortunately it seems that the unions at the centre of Right2Water are focused too much on facilitating existing political forces, mainly Sinn Féin, and are prepared to limit the activity and policy positions of the movement to what is acceptable to them, rather than politically embracing and organising the working class itself. According to Right2Water, the conference on 13 June will roughly have the same numbers attending, two hundred, as the initial event on 1 May. There doesn’t seem to be any facility for active community groups to select and send in delegations so that the event could be predominantly made up of the new working class movement. Arguments that the venue doesn’t have enough space have been made. However, such technical points are not really serious or credible, particularly when compared to the need to maximise the potential of any new movement or political alliance. A real left alternative Any new political alliance, claiming the mantle of the anti-water charges and anti-austerity movement couldn’t be in a government with any of the establishment parties, Fine Gael, Labour or Fianna Fáil and all groups that are part of the alliance should be asked to give a commitment on this. We need a government that says no more austerity measures under any circumstances, and that actually follows through on the popular sentiment that people must come before profit. That can only be done if the wealth and resources of the country are taken out of the control of the 1%. |
British director Michael Powell and Hungarian writer and producer Emeric Pressburger were a two-man creative powerhouse in the mid-20th Century. ‘The Archers’ (as they styled themselves) unleashed a sequence of classic films onto the world that has a unique place in cinema history. Huge box office and critical hits upon first release, their work was latterly (and incorrectly) dismissed as quaint, twee and whimsical fare for several years, until directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola re-educated the critical consensus. Twee? Quaint? According to Scorsese, P&P’s run of movies through the 1930s and 40s was ‘the longest period of subversive film-making in a major studio, ever.’ They performed the magically rare trick of being singularly identifiable, yet impossible to categorise. Hitchcock can be locked down as a Master of Suspense; Ford, forever embalmed as the king of Westerns. How though do you define the output of Powell & Pressburger? “They made nice ballet films?” Their work is as instantly recognisable as a Picasso abstract or the first note of a John Barry brass section. Yet thematically, their brush strokes paint light and darkness across such disparate subjects and genres that they refuse to allow a critical mass to put them in a box and label them. Powell summed up his career by saying, ‘I am not a director with a personal style, I am simply cinema.’ Powell & Pressburger were magical, miraculous and marvellous and here are ten reasons why their names will live forever… 1. The Thief of Bagdad (1940) This list will end with an anomaly in the Powell & Pressburger partnership, so why not start with one? Michael Powell’s role in this enormously influential fantasy adventure is pared back even further as he is not the sole director. Rather inconveniently, World War II broke out half way through filming and the production moved from the UK to California where it was completed by Tim Whelan and Ludwig Berger (with producer Alexander Korda and his brilliantly named brother Zoltan taking uncredited turns in the director’s chair). However, Powell was directly responsible for the creation of the most fabulous elements of the film and they all foreshadow the magician-techniques that he would use later in films like A Matter of Life & Death and The Tales of Hoffman. Some scenes, like the fight with a giant spider – which I vividly recall left me catatonic with fear as a child – are starting to show the metal under the paint. However, it is extraordinary just how many of the special effects still hold up in 2014 – the magic carpet attack especially – and at no time do they impede the storytelling which gallops as determinedly as Jaffar’s ingenious mechanical horse. Like Ray Harryhausen’s best work, the majestic spectacle is so iconic that the mind has no time (or desire) to nit-pick about the dated nature of the visuals. When Rex Ingram’s 100 foot genie first appeared to me as a lad, I think I hid beneath my pyjama top. Today, when the bellowing giant magically appeared on the beach, I trembled anew. As influential as the film is – Disney’s Aladdin (1992) borrows from it wholesale – it has secured an alternative place in history (and in this list) because it was Thief’s producer Alexander Korda who, on his previous collaboration with Michael Powell, The Spy in Black (1939), introduced the director to a writer called Emeric Pressburger. 2. 49th Parallel (1941) A Boy’s Own, World War II action adventure film, made with the explicit intention of frightening the Americans into joining the war effort, 49th Parallel (or The Invaders as it was released in America) was a huge box office hit at the time (and won Pressburger his only Oscar). However, while it ticks many of the same boxes as other ‘Die, Nazi Scum,’ actioners, this has a uniqueness that only Powell & Pressburger could have delivered. Six Nazis are stranded in Canada. On their murderous way towards neutral America and thus safety they encounter eskimos, Hudson Bay trappers and an Amish-like farming community of Hutterites. This is indeed a path rarely trodden in 1940s espionage thrillers. Its Homeric narrative makes it a wholly unusual entry into the British War Film genre. There are no stalwart British Good Guys in hot pursuit for us to cheer on and identify with. The Germans are well-drawn and three dimensional. Controversially, one of them is even a pretty decent cove (and pays for that flaw with his life). Most extraordinary of all is Laurence Olivier’s ‘Pepe Le Pew on cocaine’ performance as a French Canadian trapper which is either the worst accent-mangling job in history, or evidence of a genius-level acting style the world has yet to apprehend. 3. The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) At 163 minutes in length and taking in three key stages of a man’s life over three wars, The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp is P&P’s Lawrence of Arabia. An epic on every conceivable level, it nonetheless contains some priceless, unmistakably Powellian moments: a skirmish in a Turkish bath which becomes a trompe l’oeil cut taking the story back decades; a crane shot cruelly taking us up and away from a sabre fight we’ve been eagerly anticipating; the bravery of having Deborah Kerr play three different women during the course of the film. At its centre is one of the greatest male friendships in film. The fact that one of the friends was a German officer is key to Churchill’s notorious disapproval of the film, but tells us all we need about P&P’s greater world view, even at the height of war. However, this is a good time to bring up Roger Livesey, whom time has yet to see lavished with the same praise and adoration as many of his less talented contemporaries. P&P maintained a superb stock company of actors during their collaboration, particularly Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Eric Portman, Moira Shearer and Raymond Massey. Livesey was Powell’s twinkle-eyed avatar; the De Niro to his Scorsese. His unique presence anchored three consecutive P&P masterpieces and his Major-General Clive Wynne-Candy is the greatest British cinematic performance of the 20th century. Just so you know. 4. A Canterbury Tale (1944) Released in two different versions (British and American), this was always something of an oddity in the P&P canon. It puzzled its initial audience with its somewhat rudderless (and bizarre) plot but over time, its reputation has blossomed. Of all The Archers’s works, Emeric Pressburger always claimed that this was his personal favourite. Informed by, rather than adapted from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, this started life as another sop to wartime Anglo-American relations. Typically of P&P, their idea of pro-Allied propaganda was to subtly create a pastoral, mythical England and reflect Britain back to the British, reminding them of just what Hitler wanted to take away from them. A romantic world of fields, streams, churches and village pubs, where the present and the past are never too far from each other, this film is what birdsong looks like. From out of nowhere, the film turns into something akin to a fog-strewn Basil Rathbone-era Sherlock Holmes mystery – who is the notorious ‘Glue-Man’ and why does he keep dropping glue into the hair of courting maidens? The quest to solve the mystery leads three disparate characters on a spiritual pilgrimage through Kent, until they find closure at Canterbury Cathedral. This is a sweet, eccentric and gentle love letter to an England worth fighting and dying for, filmed and released at a time when the threat of losing it forever was terrifyingly genuine. 5. “I Know Where I’m Going” (1945) Denied access to expensive, Technicolor film, Powell & Pressburger used stark monochrome photography to capture the full extent of nature’s magical hold on man. The relationship between nature and man is a theme they returned to several times, but never more effectively than in this classic romance. It is nature herself that ruins the set-in-concrete plans of Wendy Hiller as she travels up to Scotland to marry a millionaire that she hasn’t even met. At the final stretch, the elements gang up on her, stranding her upon cinema’s most charming island where she falls (against her will) in love with its laird, Torquil MacNeill (Roger Livesey). A direct influence on films like Local Hero (1981) and Forces of Nature (1998), “I Know Where I’m Going” is The Archers at their most open-hearted and unsceptical. Wendy is, like the viewer, pulled into the dream-world of Michael Powell and finds herself unable to resist this new life of wonder and superstition. Old fashioned even in 1945, it offers an alternative to the postwar (just) mood of progress and modernity, presenting a mystical world where the weather is determined by the making of wishes to the oak beams in your bedroom and where people aren’t poor, they just don’t have any money. The burgeoning romance, as Hiller’s resistance crumbles in the face of Livesey’s charms, is one of the great slow-burning relationships in cinema. |
A woman in California said she faked a seizure while she was getting robbed on a train.Passsenger Julie Dragland was on the train Saturday when she said someone dropped a note in her lap."Somebody dropped a note into my lap, I didn't see them, or like a hand or anything," Dragland told KGO-TV . "The note said that there were two guns pointed at my head, which logistically, doesn't really make sense, cause they dropped the note."The threat on paper said in part, "There are two guns pointed at you now. If you want to live hand back your wallet and phone now."Dragland was scheduled to leave for an international flight the next day so she knew she couldn't lose her wallet. She faked a seizure."So I started slumped over to the left and started like shaking and people started to notice and were like 'Are you OK, are you OK?'" said Dragland.The scene Dragland caused scared the attempted robber. Police said she got off the train."I've been with BART police 19 years and I've never seen anything like this," said Deputy Chief Lance Haight, BART PD.BART police said 20-30 people were on board the train at the time of the attempted robbery and they're asking those people to come forward and act as witnesses.Detectives are now reviewing station surveillance footage for more evidence. |
When Tom Hardy played Heathcliff to Charlotte Riley’s Cathy in ITV's adaptation of Wuthering Heights in 2009, their passion continued off screen and the pair were soon engaged. Sadly, the actors’ love story seems to have come to no more of a happy ending than that of Emily Brontë’s characters. Mandrake hears that the couple's wedding has been put on hold. It is said that Hardy, 35, who played Bane in the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises , is being comforted by Noomi Rapace, the 33-year-old star of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo . Last year, the Hammersmith-born Hardy told me that Riley, who starred in the Channel 4 series World Without End , was “a difficult woman to pin down” when it came to choosing a wedding date. “You’d have to ask Charlotte when we’re getting married,” he said. “She’s always so busy with work.” Riley, 31, who will appear opposite Tom Cruise in the big-budget film All You Need Is Kill , responded in January: “That’s not true at all. He’s a cheeky bugger. We are desperate to do it, but I’ll never have a celebrity wedding. It will be low key, with family and friends.” She was nowhere to be seen last week when Hardy and Rapace attended a gala dinner hosted by Denise Rich for her Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation, at Battersea Power Station. The pair stayed close together throughout the evening and could be seen cuddling while the pop star Jessie J performed songs. They later left together. Hardy is currently shooting the Hollywood thriller Animal Rescue with Noomi, who divorced her fellow Swedish actor Ola Rapace in 2011 after 10 years of marriage. She and Hardy are due to appear together again, in Sir Ridley Scott’s film Child 44. Riley shared a home in London with Hardy, who has a son Louis, aged four, from a relationship with Rachael Speed. He and Speed met when she was an assistant director on The Virgin Queen. He was previously married to Sarah Ward, a producer, but the couple divorced in 2004 after five years of marriage when his drink and drugs problem spiralled out of control. A spokesman for Riley declines to comment. Hardy’s spokesman was unavailable. |
Formerlyhere! So awhile back on Tumblr I said I was going to be re-branding my handle and I have finally gotten to a point where I am able to do so. I figured I would also do so here so that it is easier to associate my media all under one name. So I am officially reintroducing it here: you will find my username as!!! I’ve been using Ranger 26 for awhile now as my cosplay persona, and I find that I have widely better success for people being able to remember me by this handle (and they are generally less confused about the meaning of it) than as Monocle/Monocle Complex. I will still be posting the same kind of content as before, so don’t worry. The name’s changed but the artist hasn’t! Posting has yet again been slow because I am getting married in 2 day and these last couple of months been trying to coordinate for it and iron out details. I have some ideas lined up for when I return, but I am not able to get to any of these until things calm down. Rest assured, I am still around and very active in drawing. If you like my stuff on here, you might also appreciate my which I update even more frequently, and post WIPs, partial drawings, drawn responses, and art dumps. |
EA's E3 press conference is over, and thanks to the Titanfall 2 campaign trailer leaking earlier in the day, there weren't any huge surprises. Even the section dedicated to the publisher's roster of Star Wars games didn't reveal an awful lot - except this: Did you miss that? Here it is again. Is that an X-Wing VR game we spot? It certainly looks like it. In March, Electronic Arts and Sony announced they were working together to create a version of Star Wars Battlefront especially for PlayStation VR. Sure enough, at EA Play 2016 EA said: "DICE is also working with Criterion on an exclusive Star Wars Battlefront VR mission for PlayStation VR this year." So it appears that's what we're looking at. But EA's portfolio of Star Wars titles stretches well beyond Battlefront: Titanfall creator Respawn is also working on a game, as is Dead Space studio Visceral Games. You can see a few more teases in the full video below. |
ROCK HILL, South Carolina – MSNBC’s First in the South Democratic Forum Friday provided each of the three candidates a moment to highlight their strengths and address some of their biggest weaknesses, and it gave hints at how the race is changing as we head into a new phase of the campaign. Here are three moments from Friday’s forum, hosted by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, that help explain where each candidate wants to go from here. RELATED: At MSNBC forum, Democratic candidates court black voters Bernie Sanders and his underwear Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said that the biggest misconception people have about him is that he’s “grumpy” and “too serious.” Well, he may only have himself to blame for that. In his nearly four decades in politics, Sanders has generally worn a demeanor that says he’s too consumed by the fate of the middle class to worry about the frivolity of personal anecdotes or humor. But Sanders is starting to accept that Americans want to know the people they’re considering for the presidency, not just their policy agendas. As his wife begins appearing more on the campaign trail, Sanders’ first TV ad — which got a new voice-over from actor Reg E. Cathey, who plays Freddy on “House of Cards” – leans heavily on his upbringing in Brooklyn and personal story. This softer side of Sanders was on full display Friday night as he cracked jokes about his underwear and his foul mouth that left the audience in stitches. Then he turned personal, discussing his seven “beautiful grandchildren who are the joy of my life.” “That’s Bernie being Bernie,” campaign manager Jeff Weaver told MSNBC later. So can we expect to see more humor on the trail? “We don’t plan to be spontaneous,” he replied. O’Malley and the kilt Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley just could not catch a break – until maybe Friday night. The candidate has been stuck at 1% in most national polls, and his dogged attempts to change the trajectory of the race have gone nowhere. But in a one-on-one setting with Maddow, he came alive. “I think this was the first time the viewing public and the American people have tuned and seen that they actually more than just two choices,” he told MSNBC after the forum. “Tonight, people zeroed in for the first time on their three choices. I feel like tonight is a very, very important moment for our campaign.” He had strong moments, including on the Iraq War and a shot he took at Sanders for being a newcomer to the Democratic Party. O’Malley also funny moments discussing a kilt that was given to him. Rep. James Clyburn, the most powerful Democrat in South Carolina, who is staying neutral in the primary, said the former Maryland governor was one of his biggest takeaways from the night. “I think O’Malley did himself well,” Clyburn told MSNBC. O’Malley could be due for a upswing, but he’ll have to first prove Friday was not a fleeting moment or a product of that particular format. RELATED: Clinton leans into criminal justice reform at MSNBC forum Clinton and the mothers of gun violence victims The former secretary of state showed Friday night why she is the Democratic front-runner, especially in South Carolina, where black voters make up a majority of Democratic primary voters. She discussed a recent meeting she had with the mothers of young black people killed by police and gun violence in what proved to be Clinton’s strongest moment of the night. It will likely become a part of her message to black voters in future appearances. Her strength here is a major reversal from 2008, when Clinton lost South Carolina handily to Barack Obama and was accused of making racially insensitive comments. But the former secretary of state has become the de facto heir to the Obama coalition, and she co-opted the innovative organizing model that helped Obama dominate in the state in 2008. Georgia Democratic Party Chair DuBose Porter, who supports Clinton, told MSNBC that Clinton’s support among African Americans in the South will break any momentum Sanders might have coming out of the earlier two states in the nominating process. “No matter what happens in New Hampshire and Iowa, they head down here to South Carolina and then the rest of the Southern states on March 1st, and that will propel her to the nomination,” he said. |
To say that auditing or ending the Federal Reserve reflects "19th century thinking" is to propose that economic responsibility and transparency in government are ideas whose time has passed. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, the Federal Reserve has presided over the near-complete destruction of the United States dollar. Since 1913, the dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power, aided and abetted by the Fed's loose monetary policy. The Federal Reserve has caused every single boom and bust that has occurred in this country since the bank's creation. It pumps new money into the financial system to lower interest rates and spur the economy. Adding new money increases the supply of money, making the price of money over time — the interest rate — lower than the market would make it. These lower interest rates affect the allocation of resources, causing capital to be malinvested throughout the economy. The housing crisis was a perfect example. The Fed's quantitative easing programs increased the national debt by trillions of dollars. The debt is now so large that if the central bank begins to move away from its zero interest-rate policy, the rise in interest rates will result in the U.S. government having to pay hundreds of billions of dollars in additional interest on the national debt each year. Thus, there is significant political pressure being placed on the Fed to keep interest rates low. USATODAY OPINION About Editorials/Debate Opinions expressed in USA TODAY's editorials are decided by its Editorial Board, a demographically and ideologically diverse group that is separate from USA TODAY's news staff. Most editorials are accompanied by an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature that allows readers to reach conclusions based on both sides of an argument rather than just the Editorial Board's point of view. The Fed has painted itself so far into a corner now that even if it wanted to raise interest rates, as a practical matter it might not be able to do so. But it will do something, we know, because the pressure to "just do something" often outweighs all other considerations. What exactly the Fed will do is anyone's guess. If the Fed would just stop intervening and distorting the market, thus allowing the functioning of a truly free market that deals with profit and loss, our dollar would grow stronger, we could create new jobs, and our economy could finally recover. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. |
School segregation enthusiast Samantha Bee, who also hosts the late-night comedy show Full Frontal, recently visited the infamously abusive Rikers Island jail and emerged feeling like she’d just come back from “a Caribbean vacation.” Her words. People even told her her skin was glowing! Those tidbits arrived as part of a long conversation between Bee and Girls creator Lena Dunham, published by The Hollywoood Reporter on Wednesday. It’s worth reading this particular exchange in full to really capture Bee’s craven lack of self-awareness (emphasis mine): DUNHAM I tweeted something about the TV show Friends, and then everyone was like, “Nice timing. We just dropped a bomb.” Do you feel like you could ever untether yourself from the news? BEE It’s funny. I went to Rikers [Island, New York City’s main jail] a couple of weeks ago to shoot something that I think will be really good. It was a really interesting experience. But you’re not allowed to take your phone in because you can’t take glass or anything like that. So they took my phone, and they put it in a lockbox for eight hours. And I felt like I had gone on a Caribbean vacation. I emerged from Rikers, and everyone was like, “Your skin is shining.” And it was because I’ve never been more relaxed. I felt so free just knowing that my phone was safe, but I wasn’t allowed to see it or know what was happening in the world. DUNHAM So Rikers became the most relaxing place you’ve been in months? BEE It was the most free I’ve felt in months. The irony was apparently lost on Bee that she felt so liberated while, all around her, human beings were locked in cages. Will her eventual Rikers segment focus on the rampant human rights abuses within the prison’s walls and the lives the facility has claimed even after inmates are granted release, or will it be about the therapeutic value of “locking up” your iPhone? Only time will tell. |
by Brian Hioe 語言: English P hoto Credit: AFP/Sam Yeh AFTER A BUS accident which claimed the lives of thirty-three on February 13th, discussion in Taiwan should turn towards how bus drivers and other transportation workers in Taiwan are among the most overworked people in the nation, despite the crucial nature of their jobs in the functioning of everyday life in society. And so, the bus accident in many ways returns to unresolved labor issues in Taiwan. Although labor regulations stipulate that bus drivers should not work more than ten hours per day, have thirty minute breaks after four hours of continuous driving, and have at least ten hours of rest between working days, such rules are sometimes violated by bus companies. In the case of the bus driver who died on February 13th, he was later found to have been working 16 hour days and to have been working for 18 days consecutively. Indeed, the existing laws are not enough to begin with and already contain a number of loopholes which allow for further work to be forced out of drivers at the cost of public safety. For example, if drivers are made to drive six hours consecutively, their rest time merely increases to forty-five minutes. Likewise, as Directorate-General of Highways Director-General Chen Yen-po stated, tour bus drivers’ work hours are counted by the number of hours their hands are on the wheel. Even then, low penalties and the inability of bus drivers to stand up to companies that break labor regulations contributes to a culture of disregarding labor regulations. Photo credit: AFP As has been pointed out in much commentary already, the bus accident earlier this month comes in the wake of a similar tour bus fire in July of last year which claimed 26 lives. The July 2016 bus fire was later found to be a deliberate act of murder-suicide, when it was discovered that the driver had stockpiled gasoline in the bus in a premeditated act aimed at taking his own life and the lives of his passengers. Nevertheless, the discovery that the bus driver had been working long hours with little pay, facts which likely contributed to his decision to take his own life, did not prompt a larger conversation in view of the incident as an outcome of overworked bus drivers in Taiwan. In overview of labor demonstrations in Taiwan in the last year, there have been a number of demonstrations in the transportation industry, including the historic China Airlines demonstration in June 2016, demonstrations by Taiwan Railways workers who have been forced to work more longer despite recent labor reforms which should ostensibly provide them with set days off per week, and other protests. These demonstrations attest to the fact that transportation industry workers in Taiwan have poor working conditions, despite the crucial nature of their jobs. Bus drivers, for example, literally hold the lives of their passengers in their hands as part of their jobs. Yet bus companies seem bent on extracting the maximum amount of work from bus drivers for a minimal amount of pay. Again, as with Taiwan Railways workers, in many cases, the labor initiatives of the Tsai administration have only led bus companies and other transportation industry companies to try and force greater amounts of labor from their workers. In some cases, rather than hire new workers to fill the gaps in work scheduling that were caused by changes to labor regulations as part of the Tsai administration’s labor reforms, companies have sought to merely make their existing workers work longer hours, for the same mediocre amount of pay. How will this change? After the failure of its labor policy to date, one generally does not have faith in the Tsai administration to carry out the wide-sweeping reforms needed to change work culture in Taiwan. But public incidents as the bus accident which took place last week are an unfortunate reminder of the very human costs of extractive labor policy and it remains to raise awareness of the poor work conditions faced by Taiwanese transportation workers. |
‘Million Dollar (lady)’ encountered in Fort Pierce FORT PIERCE — A woman who police say introduced herself as the “Million Dollar (lady)” got arrested after investigators report she offered amorous services for considerably less than seven figures, records show. Debra Thomes (Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY FORT PIERCE POLICE) The bust went down July 18 as Fort Pierce police detectives were in the area of North 13th Street and Avenue D. An investigator parked his car and reported a woman later identified as Debra Thomes, 49, approached. She asked whether he wanted a date. “Thomes entered the passenger side of the car and introduced herself as the ‘Million Dollar (lady),’” the Fort Pierce police report states. The “Million Dollar (lady)” is accused of offering sexual services to the investigator for $999,960 less than $1 million, the report states. “$40 and I`ll give you everything you want,” Thomes is quoted as saying. “You`re the first one today." Police say Thomes, who has a tattoo on her upper thigh, exposed herself. Listed as homeless, Thomes was arrested on a prostitution charge. CLOSE Off the Beat with Will Greenlee - your stop for strange stuff on the Treasure Coast. Wochit Read or Share this story: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/blogs/off-the-beat/2017/08/08/million-dollar-lady-encountered-fort-pierce/508915001/ |
Gareth Bale provoked an angry reaction from Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid fans during his side's 3-0 victory over Espanyol at the Bernabéu. The flashpoint came in the 72nd minute, when the Welsh international ran on to Isco's pass and decided to shoot, despite the Portuguese being better placed, and rolled the ball past the post. Ronaldo was visibly furious with Bale and the supporters were equally unforgiving, jeering the former Tottenham player for selfishness. The moment is likely to add another layer of intrigue to Bale's position at Real, which has been the subject of much scrutiny in recent weeks. Various reports have suggested that Real are considering whether to cash in on the player they bought for a world record £85.3 million in the summer of 2013, with Manchester United believed to be seriously interested in signing him . Real coach Carlo Ancelotti did his best to play down the incident afterwards and noted the Welshman had earlier scored a superb free kick that put Real 2-0 ahead. "Later on the fans wanted him to pass to Cristiano but forwards are determined to score when they are through on the goalkeeper," Ancelotti told a news conference. "Generosity is very important and if someone is being selfish then we will address it," added the Italian. "The supporters are very demanding when it comes to the important players and Bale is one of those. "We shouldn't blow this out of proportion. It's one moment in a football game. Relations between them (Bale and Ronaldo) and everyone are very good. We are all pursuing the same goal which is to lift Real Madrid as high as possible." The reaction to Bale's indiscretion appeared all the more curious given he had earlier scored with an unstoppable free-kick, as Real Madrid ended a two-game losing run and stay top of the Spanish league on Saturday. James Rodríguez opened the scoring after a long pass from Bale was headed back to the Colombian by Ronaldo in the 12th minute. Bale made it 2-0 16 minutes later when Espanyol goalkeeper Kiko Casilla could only watch as he rifled a left-foot free kick in off the post. The home side played with 10 men for the last 36 minutes after Fabio Coentrao was given a straight red card for a low tackle, but it barely bothered them though Ronaldo was booked for protesting the decision, and the substitute Nacho scored in the 76th with Espanyol in disarray. A moment of silence was held before the match for the 12 people killed at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper office in Paris. Madrid also paraded their Club World Cup trophy won last month before kick-off. The victory gave Madrid a four-point lead over Barcelona and Atlético, before the defending champions visit the Nou Camp on Sunday. |
“In the 21st century, innovative mayors will have to redefine development rules, and it’s commendable that this mayor is willing to take the risk,” said Thomas Murphy, a senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute and a former mayor of Pittsburgh. “If Quincy succeeds, it’s a game changer.” But the consequences of failure can be significant. In downtown Boston, for instance, there is a gaping block-size hole where Vornado Realty Trust and Gale International halted construction of a large mixed-use project, One Franklin. “The bigger projects are, the more difficult and fragile they are,” said George J. Fantini Jr., the chairman of Fantini & Gorga, a commercial real estate mortgage broker based in Boston. “For a project to succeed, each building has to be feasible in its own right.” Ken Narva, a partner in Street-Works, said the risk in Quincy was minimized by the city’s easy access to mass transit, the broad scope of the project, a strong local economy and the lack of a vital urban center elsewhere on the South Shore. “We’re building a new neighborhood, not a project,” he said. Photo The plan is to build, in increments, 3.5 million square feet of new space: 1,200 rental and condominium apartments, 625,000 square feet of retail, two hotels and entertainment; 1.5 million square feet of offices for higher education, health care, professionals and businesses; and parking for 5,500 vehicles. Ten years of construction will start mid-2012, first on the infrastructure and then in mid-2013 on the buildings. The first group of buildings, 1.3 million square feet valued at about $700 million, will include approximately 300 apartments, 325,000 square feet for retailers, 350,000 square feet of offices, a hotel and parking for about 2,000 cars. Before construction starts, Street-Works estimates it will have spent $50 million of its own funds, as well as money raised from Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Ronus Properties of Atlanta and others. For construction financing the developer plans to take the city bond guarantee and its signed leases to the private equity and debt markets for institutional and traditional loans, Mr. Narva said. He and his partner, Richard Heapes, are talking to potential joint venture partners to develop at least 12 of the 25 new buildings with financing they raise themselves. 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. “The underlying premise is that Quincy is a great location,” Mr. Narva said. “Its mass transit is a main driver of value creation.” Quincy Center has a Red Line subway stop, six stops from downtown Boston and 10 from Cambridge. The city is on a main highway, Interstate 93, and has 27 miles of waterfront. “The developer is here because of the T stop,” said Mayor Koch, referring to the transit system, who said he was impressed when he visited Street-Works’ Blue Back Square project in West Hartford, Conn. He said he hoped to secure another $50 million in state and federal grants for infrastructure work. Advertisement Continue reading the main story New Quincy Center will offer what many empty nesters and young workers say they prefer: a walkable, urban place to live, work and play. But this type of overhaul would not succeed everywhere, said Gregory Bialecki, the state secretary of housing and economic development. It may work here because Quincy is willing to make a big financial commitment; the developer has a long-term plan with the flexibility to survive a few market cycles; and since the fall of 2009 the regional South Shore economy has performed well, creating jobs in sectors that are driving the overall state economy like health care, higher education and financial services. Further, Mr. Bialecki said, “that everyone has skin in the game from the start is a strong sign it will work.” Whether it does, “rests on how much space Quincy can absorb” said Gleb Nechayev, an economist with CBRE Econometric Advisors. Because Quincy added 6.8 percent more housing units and 4.8 percent more residents from 2000 to 2010, he said, “the project has a good chance of success.” By mid-2013, the Quincy region is expected to return to peak employment, with the jobless rate dipping below 7 percent for the first time since early 2009, said Michael Lynch, an economist at IHS Global Insight. “By the time buildings come online, the economy will be in much better shape to handle them,” he said. By early next year Street-Works hopes to have letters of intent for a cinema; at least 300,000 square feet of offices for education, health care and businesses; and 100,000 square feet of large format retailing, Mr. Narva said. If the plan fails, Mayor Koch said, “the city walks away with more than it had five years ago.” If it succeeds, Mr. Narva said, “we’ll feel good about creating a great urban place and make a lot of money.” |
Apartment List is committed to improving the process of renting, and as part of that mission, we publish research on issues that impact both renters and landlords. In this report, we study the prevalence of evictions, an issue that has serious implications for renters, and often for landlords as well. Our data shows that the vast majority of evictions are the result of non-payment of rent. Apartment List does not endorse the views or opinions of any individuals mentioned in this article, including Matthew Desmond. Analyzing data from Apartment List users, we find that nearly one in five renters were unable to pay their rent in full for at least one of the past three months. We estimate that 3.7 million American renters have experienced an eviction. Evictions disproportionately impact the most vulnerable members of our society. Renters without a college education are more than twice as likely to face eviction as those with a four-year degree. Additionally, we find that black households face the highest rates of eviction, even when controlling for education and income. Perhaps most troublingly, households with children are twice as likely to face an eviction threat, regardless of marital status. The impacts of eviction are severe and long-lasting. Evictions are a leading cause of homelessness, and research has tied eviction to poor health outcomes in both adults and children. These effects are persistent, and experiencing an eviction makes it difficult to get back on one’s feet. Performing a metro-level analysis, we find that evictions are most common in metros hit hard by the foreclosure crisis and in those experiencing high rates of poverty. Perhaps counterintuitively, expensive coastal metros have comparatively low rates of eviction, in part because strong job markets with high median wages offset expensive rents in those areas. Introduction Earlier this year, urban sociologist Matthew Desmond won the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for his book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Last month, at a public policy forum on eviction in Madison, N.J., Mr. Desmond spoke about the issue of evictions with New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker, just months after the local newspaper, the Asbury Park Press, published a series on evictions, headlined, “Renter Hell.” And, from Philadelphia to Denver, policymakers are discussing solutions for renters who face evictions. Clearly, America is increasingly confronting the eviction crisis that its renters face. But, with that said, it is difficult to address a problem that we can’t fully measure, and there is currently a serious lack of comprehensive nationwide data on evictions. Using court records, we can track evictions adjudicated in legal proceedings, but those records are not stored in a central database and fail to capture the many evictions that occur informally. For every household that goes through eviction, there are many others struggling to pay rent and living with the threat of eviction close at hand. To help add to this discussion, Apartment List analyzed data from our users to explore eviction trends for the nation as a whole, as well as estimating eviction rates at the metro level. We found that many renters struggle to pay their rent, with nearly one in five survey respondents reporting that they were unable to pay their rent in full for at least one of the past three months. Missed rent payments often lead to eviction, which uproots households, destabilizes families and communities and creates an instability from which it can be extremely difficult to recover. Evictions are a leading cause of homelessness, and research shows that frequent moves lead to poor educational performance and increased behavioral problems in children. Even when they do not face eviction, members of households that struggle to pay rent live with the fear of housing insecurity, which often means sacrificing other basic needs, such as food and transportation. For years, rent growth has outpaced wage growth, and a severe lack of affordable housing affects many parts of the country. Although programs, such as Section 8, provide assistance for low-income renters, these programs are underfunded, and only a small share of those eligible for benefits actually receive them. Understanding the national crisis that America faces, with evictions, is a critical part of improving the conditions of families across the nation. Data and Methodology To contribute to the research on the complex issue of rental insecurity, Apartment List dug into data from our millions of users to examine trends at the national and metro levels. We collected detailed data on rental security through our annual renter survey, which has gathered over 41,000 responses. Survey questions related to rental insecurity include: In the last three months, has there been a time when you were unable to pay all or part of the rent? Have you been threatened with eviction in the last year? What was the primary reason for threatened eviction? Was the move from your most recent prior residence the result of an eviction? Our survey also captures information on location and various demographic traits, such as race, educational attainment and family status. For metro-level breakdowns, we analyze anonymized data on prior evictions from over eight million registered Apartment List users. We weight survey responses and user data by income, in order to align the income distributions for these datasets with the actual distribution for the U.S. . 3.7 million Americans have experienced eviction, with rental insecurity affecting nearly one in five Our Apartment List estimates show that 3.3 percent of renters have experienced an eviction at some point in the past, and 2.4 percent were evicted from their most recent residence. With an estimated 118 million renters in the U.S. today, we estimate that 3.7 million Americans have been affected by eviction at some point. If we assume that some share respondents fail to report informal evictions, this estimate is most likely understated. While experiencing eviction is a worst-case scenario with dire effects, a much larger share of renters still struggle with some form of rental insecurity. Our analysis shows that 18 percent of respondents had difficulty paying all or part of their rent within the past three months. The issue is particularly acute for low-income renters, 27.5 percent of whom were recently unable to pay their full rent. When households are unable to reliably pay rent, they live in uncertainty, with the risk of eviction looming. Low-income renters, in this situation, often have to choose between paying rent and providing for their other needs, and avoiding eviction often means cutting back on other essentials, including food. We find that 7 percent of respondents were threatened with eviction within the past year, which is more than double the share that was evicted from their previous residence. This is likely due in part to the fact that many renters choose to move voluntarily to avoid eviction. While doing so allows a renter to maintain a clean eviction record, moving under these stressful circumstances still poses many of the same problems as an actual eviction. . The vast majority of evictions are due to non-payment of rent Our analysis shows that 77.3 percent of eviction threats were due to non-payment of rent. An additional 9.5 percent were due to other lease violations, while the remaining 13.2 percent of eviction threats were due to factors outside the renter’s control, such as a home being put to another use, foreclosure or demolition. . Renters without a college education are twice as likely to have been evicted Evictions disproportionately impact those on the lower rungs of the education ladder. We find that respondents with just a high school diploma are more than three times as likely to have faced an eviction threat in the past year than those with a Bachelor’s degree. Of those who did not attend college, 4.1 percent cited an eviction as the reason for their last move, compared to just 1.9 percent of those with at least some college education. This trend points to a broader issue of the housing market leaving behind less educated Americans. A recent Apartment List study showed that the gap in homeownership rates between high school and college graduates widened from 1.6 percent in 1980 to 14.9 percent in 2015. A similar trend holds when broken down by income. Of those earning less than $30,000 per year, 11 percent faced an eviction threat in the past year, and 3.4 percent were evicted from their previous residence. In contrast, for those earning more than $60,000 per year, these figures are 3.1 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. . Black households more than twice as likely to face eviction compared to white households When breaking down the data by race, we find that 11.9 percent of black households faced an eviction threat in the past year, compared to just 5.4 percent of white households. Asian households are least likely to face eviction, with just 2.5 percent of Asian respondents reporting a threatened eviction in the past year. This holds true even when controlling for education. For those with a high school diploma or less, 15.2 of black respondents reported facing an eviction threat within the past year, compared to 10.5 percent of white households and just 5.6 percent of Asian households. This racial disparity holds for more educated respondents, as well; black households have the highest eviction rates at all levels of educational attainment. We obtained similar results when controlling for income; 15.6 percent of low-income black respondents faced an eviction threat, compared to 9 percent of low-income white respondents. Perhaps, surprisingly, our data show that Hispanic households tend to have lower eviction rates than white households. If we assume that some share of Hispanic respondents are undocumented immigrants, this result may suggest that such households are more likely to move voluntarily to avoid an eviction record, for fear of deportation. . Households with children twice as likely to face an eviction threat, regardless of marital status We also looked at breakdowns by family status, placing respondents into four groups, based on their marital status and the presence of children in the household. The data show that households with children are much more likely to have difficulty paying rent, regardless of marital status. Single parent households are at the highest risk, with 30.1 percent reporting difficulty paying rent within the past three months. However, married couples with children do not fare much better, with 27.2 percent struggling to pay rent. For those without children, the rates are 14.7 percent for single respondents and 13.3 percent of married respondents. Our findings are consistent with previous research showing that, among tenants who appear in eviction court, those with children are significantly more likely to be evicted. This result points to the fact the child care represents an essential but often overwhelming expense for many families, even those with both parents in the house. Analysis from Care.com shows that average daycare costs for toddlers range from $8,043 to $18,815 per year. Furthermore, one-third of families surveyed reported that childcare costs take up 20 percent or more of their household income. . Evictions have long-term impacts The finding above is particularly troubling because it implies that a large number of young children are suffering from the negative impacts of unstable housing situations. Experiencing an eviction at a young age can have serious, long-lasting consequences on childhood development. Research from Matthew Desmond, Princeton sociologist and author of Evicted, shows that mothers who experienced a recent eviction are more than twice as likely to report poor health in their children compared to those who did not experience eviction but share otherwise similar traits. The same study found these effects to be lasting, with evicted mothers still reporting significantly higher rates of material hardship and depression two years after eviction. The authors state that “because the evictions we observed in our sample occurred at a crucial developmental phase in children’s lives, we expect them to have a durable impact on children’s wellbeing.” Lasting impacts of evictions are consistent with our data, which shows that those who were evicted from their previous residence are more than twice as likely to have missed a rent payment in the last three months, compared to those who were not previously evicted. The eviction process can be quite expensive, making it difficult for the evicted to get back on their feet, and having an eviction record can make it extremely difficult to find future housing. . Eviction rates highest in the South and Midwest With data on millions of users across the nation, we are able to estimate eviction rates at the local level for metros across the country. We find that many of the metros with the highest eviction rates are located throughout the South and Midwest, while perhaps surprisingly, more expensive coastal metros tend to have lower eviction rates. . Highest eviction rates in metros with widespread poverty Of the 50 largest metros in the nation, evictions are most prevalent in Memphis, with 6.1 percent of users reporting a prior eviction. Most of the metros with the highest eviction rates are located in the South and Midwest and include Atlanta, Indianapolis and Dallas. We find that the factors most strongly correlated with eviction rates include (1) the rate of foreclosures from 2007 to 2008, during the height of the foreclosure crisis, and (2) current poverty rates. Memphis, for example, has the highest share of its population living in poverty at 19.4 percent, and it also has the highest eviction rate. In metros with high poverty rates, many households may qualify for assistance through programs such as Section 8, but, unfortunately, only a small share of those eligible for such benefits actually receive them, leaving the majority of low-income households struggling to pay rent. Las Vegas had the second highest foreclosure rate from 2007 to 2008 at 9.2 percent and now has the sixth-highest eviction rate at 5.5 percent. This correlation suggests that many of the areas hit hardest by the foreclosure crisis have had a difficult time recovering. Despite lower housing costs, renters in these areas — some of whom are likely former owners who had their homes foreclosed upon — face a lack of opportunity that makes it difficult for them to pay their rent. . Some of the most expensive metros have the lowest eviction rates Although displacement of long-time renters is a sensitive and high-profile topic in fast-gentrifying markets such as the Bay Area, these metros actually tend to have lower overall eviction rates. The list of metros with the lowest eviction rates contains locations well-known for their lack affordability, such as San Jose, San Francisco, Boston and New York. While this result may seem counterintuitive, it seems to be driven by the fact that the most expensive areas also tend to have the best job opportunities. We find that median income and rent growth over the past 10 years are both negatively correlated with evictions. Despite high costs and fast rent growth in many of the metros above, the majority of renters in these markets have high incomes that offset the expense. Additionally, because of their thriving economies, housing markets in these metros are also more competitive, meaning that renters who are more likely to have difficulty paying rent will find it difficult to find an apartment in the first place. This is not to say that evictions do not pose a problem for these cities. It’s important to note that our analysis is done at the metro level, meaning that we do not capture nuance in how eviction rates vary within metros. For example, the San Francisco metro contains a number of wealthy suburbs where evictions are likely rare. However, certain neighborhoods in the urban core surely experience much higher eviction rates. . The role of tenant protections Local laws that protect tenant rights are another important factor affecting the prevalence of evictions in a given location. Rent control, which places a ceiling on the amount that landlords can increase rents, is a well-known form of renter protection, though these laws are actually fairly rare. Another example is what are known as “just cause” eviction ordinances, which limit the ability of landlords to arbitrarily evict tenants. While differences in tenant protection laws certainly play a role in explaining the variations that we observe in metro-level eviction rates, the exact impact is difficult to measure. Such ordinances are enforced at the local level, meaning that specific protections vary even within a given metro, and there is no comprehensive measure to compare the relative strength of tenant protections by location. That said, the ranking of metros in our analysis does seem to generally coincide with what experts on the issue might expect. According to Philip Verma of the Center for Community Innovation at UC Berkeley, the California metros that we rank as having some of the lowest eviction rates are also well known for having some of the strongest tenant protection laws. . Conclusion Nearly one in five renters have difficulty paying rent, putting them in a tenuous position where the threat of eviction is never far out of mind. Evictions disrupt families and communities, imposing further harm on what are often the most vulnerable members of our population. The prevalence of this issue demonstrates the need to allocate additional resources to prevent evictions. This includes additional funding for Section 8 rental assistance programs, which are effective but underfunded, serving only a small share of those who are eligible for benefits. Given that many evictions are the result of temporary hardship, increasing the availability of short-term loans to help low-income renters avoid missed payments would also likely be effective. The costs of expanding such benefits would be at least partially offset in the immediate term by reducing related costs associated with homelessness and health care. In the long term, reducing rental insecurity can help create more safe and stable communities which provide their residents with a greater chance at success. Metro Eviction Rate: Overall Eviction Rate: Low-Income Eviction Rate: Middle-Income Eviction Rate: High-Income New York, NY 2.2% 3.7% 1.9% 1.1% Los Angeles, CA 1.9% 2.9% 1.8% 1.2% Chicago, IL 3.1% 4.8% 3.0% 1.3% Dallas, TX 5.6% 8.1% 6.3% 2.8% Houston, TX 5.0% 7.1% 5.3% 2.4% Philadelphia, PA 2.8% 4.2% 2.6% 1.3% Washington, DC 2.4% 4.3% 2.8% 1.4% Miami, FL 3.5% 5.0% 3.2% 1.6% Atlanta, GA 5.7% 8.3% 6.1% 2.7% Boston, MA 2.0% 3.6% 1.6% 0.8% San Francisco, CA 1.6% 3.1% 1.6% 0.9% Phoenix, AZ 5.9% 9.2% 5.8% 2.6% Riverside, CA 3.6% 4.7% 3.4% 2.5% Detroit, MI 4.5% 6.4% 3.6% 2.0% Seattle, WA 2.3% 4.0% 2.5% 1.1% Minneapolis, MN 3.1% 4.9% 2.9% 1.2% San Diego, CA 1.9% 3.0% 1.8% 1.2% Tampa, FL 4.5% 6.8% 4.1% 2.1% St. Louis, MO 3.2% 4.6% 2.8% 1.4% Baltimore, MD 3.6% 5.2% 4.1% 1.9% Denver, CO 2.5% 4.1% 2.9% 1.1% Pittsburgh, PA 2.2% 3.6% 1.2% 0.8% Charlotte, NC 4.6% 6.8% 4.6% 2.2% Portland, OR 2.0% 3.3% 1.9% 0.9% San Antonio, TX 4.2% 5.9% 3.9% 2.2% Orlando, FL 4.0% 5.5% 3.7% 2.4% Sacramento, CA 3.0% 4.4% 2.8% 1.8% Cincinnati, OH 4.8% 7.4% 3.7% 1.6% Cleveland, OH 4.1% 5.9% 2.8% 1.7% Kansas City, MO 4.2% 6.4% 3.8% 1.7% Las Vegas, NV 5.5% 8.3% 4.8% 2.9% Columbus, OH 4.1% 6.0% 3.5% 2.0% Indianapolis, IN 5.6% 8.3% 5.0% 1.9% San Jose, CA 1.2% 3.0% 1.4% 0.6% Austin, TX 2.7% 4.8% 3.2% 0.9% Nashville, TN 2.4% 3.7% 2.4% 1.1% Virginia Beach, VA 4.9% 7.1% 4.8% 2.8% Providence, RI 2.7% 3.9% 2.1% 1.3% Milwaukee, WI 3.7% 5.3% 2.8% 1.7% Jacksonville, FL 4.7% 7.1% 4.3% 2.2% Memphis, TN 6.1% 8.4% 5.1% 2.8% Oklahoma City, OK 3.4% 5.0% 2.9% 1.2% Louisville, KY 5.3% 7.2% 4.4% 2.9% Richmond, VA 4.2% 6.3% 3.7% 1.8% New Orleans, LA 2.4% 3.5% 1.8% 0.9% Raleigh, NC 3.0% 4.8% 3.2% 1.2% Hartford, CT 3.4% 5.5% 2.9% 1.2% Salt Lake City, UT 2.4% 3.9% 2.3% 1.2% Birmingham, AL 2.8% 4.1% 2.3% 0.5% Buffalo, NY 2.8% 3.9% 1.7% 1.7% Rochester, NY 5.0% 7.2% 3.0% 2.9% Grand Rapids, MI 4.3% 6.4% 3.2% 1.7% Tucson, AZ 4.5% 6.6% 2.8% 2.3% Honolulu, HI 1.2% 2.2% 1.0% 0.7% Fresno, CA 3.2% 4.6% 1.9% 1.4% Bridgeport, CT 2.5% 4.6% 2.1% 1.0% Worcester, MA 3.3% 4.7% 2.7% 1.7% Albuquerque, NM 3.9% 5.4% 2.9% 1.9% Omaha, NE 3.1% 4.4% 2.5% 1.6% Albany, NY 2.4% 4.3% 1.4% 1.0% Bakersfield, CA 3.4% 4.8% 2.6% 1.8% New Haven, CT 4.1% 6.0% 3.6% 2.1% Greenville, SC 3.8% 5.4% 3.4% 1.4% Knoxville, TN 2.6% 3.7% 1.9% 0.9% Oxnard, CA 1.8% 2.9% 1.7% 1.2% El Paso, TX 2.7% 3.7% 2.0% 1.5% Allentown, PA 3.8% 5.0% 3.5% 2.5% Baton Rouge, LA 3.5% 4.7% 2.9% 1.9% McAllen, TX 1.6% 2.0% 1.0% 0.8% Dayton, OH 4.8% 6.9% 3.5% 1.8% Columbia, SC 4.9% 7.0% 4.5% 1.7% Greensboro, NC 4.9% 6.2% 4.2% 2.7% North Port, FL 3.9% 6.0% 3.8% 1.7% Little Rock, AR 2.7% 4.0% 2.0% 1.1% Charleston, SC 3.0% 5.2% 2.1% 1.2% Stockton, CA 3.8% 4.7% 3.4% 3.2% Akron, OH 3.9% 5.3% 2.9% 1.9% Colorado Springs, CO 4.0% 6.0% 3.9% 1.8% Cape Coral, FL 3.1% 4.5% 2.6% 1.7% Syracuse, NY 3.3% 4.8% 2.1% 1.3% Winston, NC 5.7% 8.1% 4.2% 1.5% Boise City, ID 2.2% 3.0% 2.4% 0.7% Wichita, KS 4.5% 5.5% 3.8% 3.3% Springfield, MA 3.2% 4.4% 2.2% 1.4% Madison, WI 3.0% 4.5% 2.6% 1.5% Lakeland, FL 4.3% 5.7% 3.9% 2.5% Ogden, UT 3.3% 4.9% 2.6% 2.3% Toledo, OH 5.2% 7.4% 3.9% 1.1% Deltona, FL 3.5% 5.0% 2.9% 1.2% Augusta, GA 4.3% 5.8% 3.6% 1.9% Provo, UT 1.4% 2.1% 1.2% 0.7% Scranton, PA 2.9% 3.6% 1.7% 2.5% Harrisburg, PA 3.1% 4.8% 2.7% 1.8% Palm Bay, FL 4.2% 6.2% 3.7% 1.7% Chattanooga, TN 3.1% 3.7% 2.6% 2.2% Spokane, WA 3.1% 4.7% 2.0% 1.8% Durham, NC 4.1% 5.6% 3.1% 1.7% Lancaster, PA 3.4% 4.2% 2.3% 2.9% Modesto, CA 3.4% 4.2% 2.5% 1.9% Portland, ME 2.0% 3.0% 1.4% 0.5% Santa Rosa, CA 2.0% 2.7% 1.6% 1.6% Lexington, KY 4.4% 5.7% 2.3% 1.2% Lafayette, LA 1.9% 2.3% 1.6% 0.8% Pensacola, FL 2.9% 3.9% 1.9% 0.9% Visalia, CA 3.5% 4.5% 2.0% 0.5% Springfield, MO 5.6% 6.9% 2.3% 2.9% Port St. Lucie, FL 4.0% 4.4% 3.8% 1.8% Reno, NV 4.7% 5.8% 3.5% 1.7% Asheville, NC 1.7% 2.4% 1.2% 0.9% Santa Maria, CA 1.5% 2.2% 1.4% 0.5% Salinas, CA 2.3% 3.3% 1.9% 1.0% Vallejo, CA 3.9% 4.6% 3.5% 3.2% Fort Wayne, IN 5.6% 7.1% 3.9% 1.8% Killeen, TX 8.1% 9.5% 5.3% 4.4% Reading, PA 4.0% 4.8% 2.7% 1.6% Myrtle Beach, SC 3.4% 4.1% 2.5% 1.5% Manchester, NH 3.2% 4.4% 2.5% 1.4% Salisbury, MD 2.9% 3.7% 1.8% 1.5% Fayetteville, NC 6.0% 7.0% 4.2% 3.6% Montgomery, AL 6.5% 7.6% 4.2% 3.0% Tallahassee, FL 3.8% 4.8% 2.5% 0.9% Savannah, GA 4.2% 5.3% 3.0% 1.6% Eugene, OR 2.3% 2.7% 1.8% 0.8% Ann Arbor, MI 1.6% 2.6% 1.0% 0.7% Naples, FL 2.3% 3.1% 2.2% 0.4% Ocala, FL 4.2% 4.7% 3.4% 2.2% Spartanburg, SC 7.6% 8.7% 5.5% 3.3% South Bend, IN 4.9% 6.0% 3.8% 1.7% Fort Collins, CO 1.9% 2.4% 1.7% 0.6% Lincoln, NE 2.6% 3.2% 1.8% 1.7% Columbus, GA 4.0% 5.3% 2.5% 1.1% Boulder, CO 1.0% 1.4% 1.0% 0.6% Duluth, MN 2.7% 3.9% 1.2% 0.3% San Luis Obispo, CA 1.3% 1.9% 1.0% 0.6% Clarksville, TN 5.2% 6.1% 3.7% 3.3% Greeley, CO 3.5% 4.0% 3.2% 1.2% Santa Cruz, CA 1.3% 2.2% 1.0% 0.6% Wilmington, NC 1.9% 2.6% 1.2% 1.3% Olympia, WA 2.3% 3.2% 1.7% 1.0% Waco, TX 3.2% 4.3% 2.0% 1.4% Macon, GA 4.3% 5.0% 3.3% 2.2% Fargo, ND 2.2% 2.9% 1.6% 0.5% Tyler, TX 3.5% 4.1% 2.7% 1.8% Prescott, AZ 3.5% 4.2% 2.9% 0.6% Barnstable Town, MA 1.8% 2.3% 1.3% 1.6% Rochester, MN 2.1% 2.9% 1.6% 1.1% Lake Charles, LA 2.8% 3.3% 2.7% 1.6% Athens, GA 2.1% 2.7% 1.8% 0.7% Bloomington, IN 1.8% 2.4% 1.7% 0.3% Concord, NH 3.0% 3.5% 2.9% 1.4% Ames, IA 0.9% 1.1% 0.5% 0.3% Hinesville, GA 3.9% 5.2% 2.3% 1.1% . |
Conceived to illuminate the breakthroughs of marginalized communities, IDENTITY: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders The List Portraits is comprised of 151 uniquely compelling large-format photographs of pioneers in five distinct-but-often-overlapping groups. Each installment (The Black List, The Latino List, The Women’s List, The Out List and The Trans List) calls attention to cultural progress as exemplified by the stories of its subjects, people who have overcome obstacles to achieve success in disparate walks of life. This is the first time the full series can be seen in its entirety. The exhibition includes the world premiere of The Trans List, the latest installment in Greenfield-Sanders’ ongoing series. This new collection is a curation of 40 intimate and revealing photographs of members of the transgender community. The Trans List will also debut as an HBO Documentary Film on December 5th, 2016. IDENTITY: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders The List Portraits offers a refreshing and deeply engaging look into race, gender, class, sexuality and ethnicity in America. This exhibition runs through February 26, 2017. Bringing your family? Download our Family Activity guide here or ask for one at the front desk. |
SEATTLE -- A psychology major in North Seattle who is able to pick up women at will was burglarized last week despite an intricate system of hiding places for his wallet. Or, maybe he just really likes filing false police reports. According to the Seattle Police Department report for the incident, the man went to a bar near North 105th Street and Aurora Avenue North around 11 p.m. May 1 in order to pick up a woman, a feat he was able to accomplish in only 20 minutes. He and the woman then drove around Seattle for a while before going back to his apartment in the 9400 block of Ravenna Avenue Northeast around 1 a.m. The man told officers the woman was acting strange, which he was able to deduce because he has a major in psychology. Also, she was allegedly grabbing things from around his apartment and putting them into a grocery bag. He took the bag away from her, and they decided to drive around some more since he no longer wanted her in his apartment. He ditched her a short time later because she kept acting stranger and stranger, according to the report. The man told officers he went back to his apartment alone around 7:30 a.m. and went to sleep. When he woke up around 6:30 p.m., he discovered he'd been burglarized. He told officers his wallet was stolen, as were his car keys and car. According to the report, there was no sign of forced entry into the apartment. And, officers have been warned not to take stolen-vehicle reports from the man. The man was very animated and excited while describing the burglary and told officers he has all sorts of secret places in his apartment where he hides his wallet. He did not know how the woman, who he denied was a prostitute, would have found the wallet. According to the report, the items the man was showing officers as evidence of the burglary, including a wine glass, picture frames and a crowbar outside the door, appeared to have been staged for their benefit. The man was informed false reporting is a crime. |
Motorola’s lineup has already seen the addition of a new model line this year in the form of the Moto C and C Plus, and now the Lenovo subsidiary is preparing to announce its first special edition handsets, as well. Marketing material for one of those devices, the Moto G5S Plus, was shared with VentureBeat, and it describes a phone that is larger than the standard G5 Plus, while also built of a more premium material and featuring enhanced imaging capabilities. Possibly set to be unveiled alongside the non-Plus special edition of the Moto G5 as well as the Moto Z2 Force at a July 25 event, the G5S Plus eschews a plastic enclosure for anodized aluminum. And although the screen resolution remains unchanged from the G5 Plus’ Full HD (1080 x 1920), it includes a larger, 5.5-inch display. (The G5 and G5 Plus have 5.0- and 5.2-inch displays, respectively.) Also unchanged are key internals like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 system-on-chip (2.0GHz octa-core) and memory configurations that max out at 4GB RAM / 64GB internal storage. The standout feature, then, is the new dual rear camera module, whose 13-megapixel sensors (one color, one black-and-white) replace the regular G5 Plus’ single 12-megapixel component. The front-facing selfie cam also sees an upgrade in resolution, from 5 to 8 megapixels. That rear camera sensor pairing will enable such features as the bokeh effect, background replacement, and the display of selective elements in black-and-white. Besides the G5S Plus, two other impending Moto-branded handsets are said to sport dual rear cameras: the Z2 Force and the X4. |
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