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Recent data from Spotify showed that 20% songs on the site have never been streamed, accessed, or searched for, even a single time by any user, leaving a large chunk of Spotify’s humongous library untouched. Services like Forgotify have already tried to remedy that situation by letting users play tracks that no one else has ever listened to. Now meet The Long Tail, a similarly designed web app that pulls the 50 least played Spotify tracks of any artist and lets you import them to the desktop Spotify application in a few clicks. The best thing about The Long Tail is that it gives you more control over what to play than Forgotify does. You can easily search for your favorite artist and begin streaming their songs right away. Using The Long Tail to stream songs from Spotify is a straightforward process. No sign up is required, nor you will need to download anything to your computer provided you already have Spotify installed on your system. Once you’re logged in to Spotify from its desktop application (I tested the app on Windows), simply head over to The Long Tail’s website via the link provided below. In the the search box, just type your favorite artist’s name and click ‘Play’ upon which the app will generate the playlist. The playlist is transferred to Spotify’s desktop app from where you can listen to the actual song. It should be noted that the app only searches for songs by artist name only, so if you usually type album names, you’re pretty much out of luck. One crazy thought: when you listen to a song on The Long Tail, and the desktop application is not already running, it won’t launch it automatically making users think the app isn’t working. Listeners also can’t share the track via social media integration. Unlike Forgotify, however, TLT automatically excludes those tracks with zero popularity, as it seems they are not always the less popular ones. The developers cite that the service is built using the Polymer web platform and Spotify’s new web API. The source is on github (MIT license), and you can see how easy it is to create All in all, The Long Tail is a really great way of finding songs that you may like but were never as popular as other songs by your favorite artists. Visit The Long Tail SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER |
Preston striker is in the Republic of Ireland squad for the first time and confident his Championship experiences have prepared him for World Cup football The Republic of Ireland need events to take an extraordinary turn over the next week if they are to secure a World Cup play-off spot. Not only must they beat Moldova in Dublin on Friday but they must then win in Wales and hope other results go in their favour. And they have to do all that with a depleted team. What they need, then, is a new hero to step forward. Is this Sean Maguire’s time? “If the opportunity arises for myself, I’d be very confident I can step up,” says the Preston North End forward, who has made the final cut for his country’s squad for the first time. Pontus Jansson: ‘Let them hate us, I don’t care, Leeds are on the way back’ Read more Given the injury to Jonathan Walters and the sudden retirement of Kevin Doyle, there is a chance the 23-year-old could be handed his debut and asked to help his country out of a hole. Many observers share his confidence he will be able to step up, which is why there has been a clamour for most of this year for Maguire to be given that chance. Only after he has proved he can thrive in the Championship, as opposed to the League of Ireland, has the call come. Martin O’Neill and his assistant, Roy Keane, watched Maguire in action for Cork City last June and saw him score a hat-trick in a crucial match against Dundalk. It did not convince them he was ready for international football so Maguire was not picked for the following week’s game against Austria and instead contested a Europa League qualifier against Estonia’s Levadia Tallinn, and scored another hat-trick. That made him Cork’s all-time leading scorer in European competition and before he completed his move to Preston, he equalled the club’s domestic record for a season, ending with 20 goals from 21 matches. He scored on his debut for Preston in a pre-season friendly against Burnley and has continued to thrive. The bald statistics – two goals from nine starts – do not reflect the excellence of his all-round contribution. He is an artful creator as well as a scorer. “It’s going great at Preston,” he says. “We’re flying as a team. We’re staying level-headed but we’re a very young team and we’re very hungry to succeed. I’ve found myself playing in numerous positions across the front four and I’ve found my feet rather quickly. It took time to get my first goal [against Barnsley in his sixth game for Preston] but then I scored again rather quickly against Cardiff and my performances have been going well.” He says moving to the Championship has already made him a better player. “I’ve only been here for three months but I feel I’ve improved in so many ways. It’s very different [to the League of Ireland] in many ways. The main one is probably physically. You’re coming up against guys who are 6ft 2in and built like machines. If you take that second or third touch, they’re going to go through you. Mentally, as well, going into the latter stages of the game, with 20-30 minutes to go, you really have to keep your concentration. If you lose the ball you’re going to get punished – even if you’re playing up front or out on the wing you can find that you end up conceding. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Republic of Ireland’s squad, including Scott Hogan (left) who also bolsters Martin O’Neill’s attacking options, train before their game against Moldova. Photograph: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images “For the physical side you just have to work hard in the gym and use your body well – so I need to do a lot because obviously I’m a small guy at 5ft 9in. And on the mental side, you also have to work hard to stay focused. But when you’re playing with this standard of player, it improves you every day coming into training. I’ve learned a lot of things. Against Birmingham I was at fault for the goal we conceded but I learned from that. I’ve learned to use the ball better. Here you have to make decisions that split-second earlier.” Preston represents Maguire’s second crack at life in England – or his third if you consider he was born in Luton before his parents moved back to Kilkenny when he was a couple of months old. At 18, after impressing for Waterford United in Ireland’s second tier, he was signed by West Ham but never made a senior appearance, the closest he got being an unused substitute for a FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest in January 2014. “I then went to Accrington on loan and thought I did quite well but when I came back I found myself released,” he says. “So I was back to square one.” He moved to Dundalk, where “it didn’t really click for me”, and then, in December 2015, he joined Cork, where it could not have clicked more smoothly. “And now I’m back in England, mentally and physically better and more mature in every single way. This time around I know how to do things.” It has helped he has found an Irish community at Preston. Not only did the club sign Cork’s left-back Kevin O’Connor at the same time as Maguire, but earlier in the year they had lured Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle from Dundalk, and there is also another former Cork player, Alan Browne, while Preston’s captain is a Galway man, Greg Cunningham. “Obviously when they brought Daryl and Andy to the club they found the League of Ireland is a great standard and you can go from doing well in that to stepping up to this level,” Maguire says. “It’s always great to look to your left and right and have Irish lads by your shoulder. But it’s not only them, the other boys are brilliant, too. The relationship on and off the pitch is shown in how well we’ve been doing so far.” Maguire was signed by Simon Grayson, who left to join Sunderland before he arrived, but has prospered under Alex Neil. “His plans have come across to the players brilliantly and we have great relationship with him and it’s getting stronger,” he says. “We don’t want to get over the top we just want to keep doing what we’re doing.” Preston are sixth in the Championship and, without getting carried away, are not ruling out finishing in the play-off spots. “I found that against the bigger teams we’ve performed and stepped up to that level. We went away to Leeds and Middlesbrough and feel we should have beaten them but only came away with a point each time. But then came up against Cardiff, who are top of the league, and we thrashed them 3-0. So who knows what’s possible?” Indeed. Shane Long looks likely to start for Ireland against Moldova if fit, and Nottingham Forest’s Daryl Murphy carries a potent aerial threat, while Aston Villa’s Scott Hogan could be given a debut. But what if Maguire’s form at Preston has banished O’Neill’s doubts and convinced the manager to throw the forward in for a vital World Cup qualifier? Does Maguire feel ready to rise to that challenge? “Definitely,” he says. “People had their doubts about whether I could step up to Championship level and I was very confident I would, so if you’re asking me the question: ‘Would I be able to step up to the next level?’ I’m very confident I could do that as well.” |
Burnt out vehicles are strewn next to a destroyed building in Pisky village, in the eastern Donetsk region, controlled by Ukrainian froces on February 26, 2015 (AFP Photo/Oleksandr Ratushniak) Pisky (Ukraine) (AFP) - This frontline Ukrainian village lacks gas, power and water. Yet with barely a house left standing, Pisky remains a daily target of shelling, despite the latest truce with pro-Russian rebels, and Kiev's troops are digging down to survive. Before the separatist conflict erupted in the east of the ex-Soviet country 14 months ago, Pisky was home to 2,000 people, many of whom worked in the coal mining centre of Donetsk just three kilometres (two miles) away. But with Donetsk becoming the rebels' de facto capital last summer, Pisky became a strategic flashpoint that changed hands on repeated occasions. It was an important supply centre for troops trying to control Donetsk's international airport, and became a prized outpost once the militants finally seized the hub in January. Pisky's residents fled for safety, with only a handful of elderly people still somehow managing to survive amid the mangled metal and piles of rubble today. Their new neighbours are Ukrainian soldiers, who spend much of their time underground. The troops like to remain inside a network of trenches facing southeast toward Donetsk, the well-armed rebels just 300 metres (yards) away. "Man is an animal who can get used to living in conditions like this," said one soldier nicknamed Uncle Vova, short for Volodymyr. - Watching Batman on TV - Now 46, Uncle Vova lives with a dozen other soldiers in a two-storey house just behind the trenches. They say the house was built by a businessman as his summer retreat. It was abandoned when the first booms of warfare echoed over Ukraine's once-thriving rust belt. Traces of its original use as a summer residence are still evident. There is a small gym and a second outdoor kitchen in the garden. The soldiers spend their time in the basement, where they sleep, eat and while away the time. The television still works, using a generator, as does an ancient video player. Tapes of Batman and Moby Dick are scattered nearby. The soldiers say they prefer watching films to the news on TV. That is hardly surprising, since the channels aired locally are only Russian or the one run by the rebels' self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. Troops take turns cooking on a gas cylinder. And to make life even remotely resemble the one before daily bloodshed, they have started gardening and planting vegetables. In a central courtyard, a small farmyard is sprouting up. "I've got five chickens, a rooster and a turkey," said an officer who goes by the call sign Farmer. "There's even a small pig named Putin," he added, referring to the Russian president that most in Pisky blame for starting the war. "We used to have Yanukovych, but we killed him and ate him on Victory Day," he said, invoking the name of the Kremlin-backed Ukrainian president ousted in the weeks preceding the fighting. - Walls pierced with bullets - To wash, they have set up a small wooden outdoor hut that they prefer not to use more than once a week. The shower drains precious water, which they get through irregular deliveries in plastic bottles. But one man, 75-year-old Vasyl Bobyl, refuses to spend his nights sheltering underground like the other dozen or so residents still clinging on in the village. "I'm not afraid," said Bobyl, a toothless man who has lived in Pisky for six decades. "Those who can still walk have left, the others have stayed," said Bobyl, who walks with a limp. His daughter, for example, has fled for Odessa, a southern port controlled by Kiev and a fairly safe distance away from the front. A poster of a religious icon is pinned on one of the walls inside Bobyl's residence. "That's my armour," he said with seeming irony. "You see, all the other walls have been pierced with bullets or shrapnel. But this one is intact." |
Sign-up for the Urban Milwaukee daily email Anyone who read a Monmouth College Poll from back in 2011 might have predicted the unexpected rise of Donald Trump. The poll found Midwestern residents — by huge margins — saw themselves as losers from global trade, just as Trump would insist in his campaign. Some of the poll’s key findings: -64 percent felt the Midwest lost more from global trade and just 20 percent felt it gained. -64 percent said it cost the Midwest jobs; only 19 percent said it created jobs. -71 percent felt it hurt manufacturing, versus 12 percent who thought it helped. Given such negative feelings about global trade, it’s hardly surprising a majority of respondents — 48 percent — agreed that trade restrictions were needed to protect U.S. industries, compared to 37 percent who disagreed. That would become a key issue for Trump, who argued that free trade had destroyed American jobs and the nation must adopt more protectionist policies. And the issue clearly helped him win Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But at least in the case of Wisconsin, the opposition to global trade makes no sense. For Wisconsin, unlike the rest of the Rust Belt, is a global trade winner. Consider the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, which made trade far easier with Canada and Mexico. Wisconsin has a big surplus with these countries, exporting $7.3 billion in products to Canada while importing $4.2 billion in 2015 and exporting $2.97 billion to Mexico while importing $2.69 billion. Any measures to institute protectionism or otherwise reduce the flow of trade under NAFTA will hurt Wisconsin. Wisconsin is a big trade loser with just one country: China. In 2015, this state exported goods worth $1.55 billion to China and imported $4.2 billion from that nation. But despite this deficit, when you look at Wisconsin’s total trade picture, the state has tended to export as much in an average year as it imports, varying between a small trade surplus (in 2013, the state had $23.1 billion in exports compared to $22.2 billion in imports) and small trade deficit (in 2015 Wisconsin has $22.4 billion in exports and $23.0 billion imports). That compares to other Rust Belt states that have huge trade deficits, as the accompanying table shows. In 2015 Michigan’s trade deficit was $70.3 billion, Pennsylvania’s trade deficit was $40.3 billion and Ohio’s was $17.8 billion. State Imports Exports Deficit Michigan $124.2 $54.0 $70.3 Illinois $121.3 $63.4 $57.9 Pennsylvania $79.7 $39.4 $40.3 Ohio $68.9 $51.1 $17.8 Indiana $49.1 $33.8 $15.3 Wisconsin $23.0 $22.4 $.08 Statistics from U.S. Census Bureau What makes Wisconsin an island of success amid a Rust Belt with huge trade deficits? The best guess is it combines a still strong manufacturing economy that tends to specialize in higher-end products — rather than basic goods like steel — that can’t be duplicated, plus a robust agriculture sector that is a huge exporter of cheese. One report found Wisconsin ranks second among the states in export of dairy products ($597 million), in HVAC & refrigeration equipment ($531 million), and miscellaneous animal products ($235 million), and third in miscellaneous transportation equipment ($413 million). “It is the top exporter of furskins and ranks among the top 10 exporters of berries, potatoes, vegetables and melons, and corn,” the analysis noted. All of which has made Wisconsin a big winner from trade. The same report found that more than one in five jobs in Wisconsin are trade related. Other statistics from the report paint a very positive picture: -Wisconsin’s trade-related employment grew 13.6 times faster than total employment from 2004 to 2013. -Wisconsin’s goods exports have grown two-and-a-half times faster than state GDP since 2003. -Jobs in U.S. exporting plants pay on average up to 18 percent more than similar jobs in non-exporting plants. -U.S. exporting plants increase employment 2 to 4 percent faster annually than plants that do not export. And that is just the export side of Wisconsin’s trade. On the import side, trade greatly lowers the price paid for retail goods. The number one item imported by Wisconsin is sweaters, which can be made much cheaper in places like China and Mexico. As a result of imports, the cost of retail items purchased declined greatly between 2003 and 2013, with the price of TVs dropping by 87 percent, computer prices by 71 percent and toys by 42 percent. Were there some trade losers in Wisconsin? Undoubtedly. A study last year by three economists — David H. Autor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, David Dorn of the University of Zurich and Gordon H. Hanson of the University of California, San Diego — found that Chinese imports eliminated nearly one million American manufacturing jobs from 1999 to 2011. When you add in suppliers and other related industries, the total job losses reached 2.4 million. And some of those job losses were suffered in Wisconsin. But the reality, as many economists have noted, is that the decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs is mostly due to automation, not overseas trade. A 2015 study by the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University in Indiana found that of the 5.6 million manufacturing jobs lost by the U.S. between 2000 and 2010, just 13 percent were due to trade. The rest were eliminated due to automation, robots or other efficiencies realized by factories. Even in states with huge trade deficits — like Michigan and Pennsylvania — the big culprit is likely automation, while the benefits from cheaper imports and faster growth in export-related jobs may make trade a net positive. But the size of their trade deficit would certainly explain why these Democratic-leaning states voted for Trump. Wisconsin’s vote, by contrast, is harder to understand. Voter suppression was likely a factor. So was the long-term decline in rural farming jobs noted by Data Wonk columnist Bruce Thompson. But whatever the reason for Wisconsin’s vote, it’s hard see how trade protectionism will help it. In particular, any efforts to reduce trading under NAFTA will be a downer for the Dairy State. If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits, all detailed here. |
UPDATE: It appears the game has begun rolling out to Asia, with Indonesia having the first solid connection to the servers. Keep an eye out for your country’s introduction very soon. Looks like fans in Asia don’t have to wait too much longer for the Pokémon fever to hit their cities. Already making a huge impact following its initial release in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, the Pokemon Go augmented reality mobile game is now set to release in Asia within the next 48 hours. However, the Pokémon Company is recommending Japan users to “please wait for a while” for the app’s official launch in those markets. How exactly do we know the Pokémon are about to land? According to “industry experts,” some telltale signs include servers strengthening for the past few days, increasing their load capacity with lesser reports of glitches occurring. This with the added fact that the iOS App Store refreshes every Thursday globally is an opportune time for launch. Stay tuned for more updates, and make sure to practice those Pokéball throws and check out our tips and tricks guide in the meantime. |
Gotham City, or simply Gotham, is an American city rife with corruption and crime. It is the home of its iconic protector , or simply Gotham, is an American city rife with corruption and crime. It is the home of its iconic protector Batman I'm not particularly fond of Gotham. It's like someone built a nightmare out of metal and stone. --Supermansrc Contents show] History Gotham City, or simply Gotham, is an American city rife with corruption and crime. It is the home of its iconic protector Batman. Origins The origins of Gotham City are some shrouded in mystery. Many millenniums ago, an evil warlock was buried alive beneath what would one day become the central island of Gotham. It is alleged that while the warlock laid in a state of torpor, his evil essence seeped into the soil, poisoning the ground with his dark, corrupt touch. By the warlock's own reasoning, he claims that he fathered the modern spirit of Gotham City and has even taken to calling himself Doctor Gotham.[1] The territory surrounding Doctor Gotham's burial spot was also the home of an ancient Native American tribe known as the Miagani. The Miagani inhabited the Gotham islands several centuries before European explorers ever crossed the Atlantic. The Miagani tribe is no longer in existence, and there is much speculation as to their final fate. One posited theory suggests that a shaman named Blackfire came to them, proclaiming to be a holy messenger. Within short order, however, Blackfire took control of the Miagani and proved to be a cruel and evil tyrant. The Miagani chieftain, Chief Paleface, demanded that Blackfire leave the tribe. Unfortunately, the shaman would not be silenced, and he struck down Paleface with his staff, killing him. The other Miagani revolted against Blackfire. They shot him with their arrows and tied him to a pole to die. Blackfire didn't die though, so the Miagani sealed him inside of a cave. They erected a totem in front of the tomb as a warning sign of the evil that resided within. Some sources cite that Shaman Blackfire emerged from the cave and used his power to cause a blight across the land. As such, the Miagani had little choice but to abandon their homes in search of fertile ground. Two days into their journey, a rival tribe came upon them and slaughtered all of the Miagani. Some legends, however, say that it was actually Shaman Blackfire who murdered them.[2] In 1609, the Dutch East India Company selected English explorer Henry Hudson to chart an easterly passage to Asia. Along his journey, he surveyed the Northeastern coastal region of what would one day become the United States.[3] Following Hudson's course, Dutch pioneers sailed for this New World and began populating the region once inhabited by the Miagani. The pioneers established themselves in two different colonies. One colony was set up along the shore where fishing was plentiful, and the other was developed further inland. The latter colony came upon the sealed cave with the Miagani totem erected before it. Unaware of its significance, they ignored the totem's warning and loosed Shaman Blackfire from the cave. The colonists were never seen again. Two days later, men from the coastal community traveled to visit their inland brothers. When they arrived in the village, they found the town deserted. Pools of blood dotted the streets, but there were no bodies. A trapper claimed to have seen the image of a naked Indian walking from the woods to the settlement.[2] During the latter half of the 18th century and the early half of the 19th century, Gotham was a major port city known as Gotham Town. Beginning as early as 1799, Darius Wayne began construction on a family estate that would eventually become known as Wayne Manor. On January 1st, 1800, the frontiersman known as Tomahawk became embroiled in a fight with a British spy named Lord Gerald Shilling. Shilling had disguised himself as Tomahawk's close ally Stovepipe in order to get in close enough to procure a piece of mystical amber that Tomahawk had acquired from occultist Jason Blood years earlier. The two fought one another inside of an immense, bat-filled cavern not far from the Wayne estate. During the fight, the piece of amber fell into a stream of molten fluid. Shilling reached to retrieve it, and the amber fused itself to his hand, mummifying his entire arm. Tomahawk severed the arm and returned with it to Gotham Town. The arm and amber later became known as the Claw of Aelkhünd. The cavern in which the two fought one another would later service modern age super-hero Batman as the Batcave.[4] In 1840, Gotham underwent a major urban planning initiated by Judge Solomon Wayne and architect Cyrus Pinkney that laid the foundation of Gotham City.[5] Under Wayne's commission, Pinkney's design was meant to invoke a "bulwark against the godlessness of the wilds wherein we may nurture the gifts of Christian civilization and be protected from the savagery which lurks in untamed nature."[6] Pinkney saw his designs as an organic whole, almost a living being that would itself fight against evil. Gargoyles to frighten people onto the path of righteousness; rounded edges to confuse malevolent beings; thick walls to lock in virtue. It also had many elevated walkways, with some buildings connected to each other in such a way as they could not stand alone. Although vehemently criticized by Wayne's fellow Gothamites, the edifice pleased the judge and, in fact, was highly successful in that it attracted others to locate their ventures nearby - which in fact became the focal point for a thriving commercial center in Gotham's financial district. Together Wayne and Pinkney raised no fewer than a dozen other similar buildings. Pinkney's "Gotham Style" structure, for a time, was widely imitated, both in Gotham and elsewhere despite universal vilification in the architectural world.[7] In 1895, the legend of Solomon Grundy was born when Gothamite Cyrus Gold, through varying accounts, came to his death in Slaughter Swamp that led to his transformation into the undead being who would emerge to the public fifty years later. By the end of the century, Gotham City became a bustling hub of industry. However, it also became a haven for crime, known more for its poverty, the squalidness of its slums and the utter corruption of its government than for commercial and cultural achievements. By the 1930s, crime and corruption had reached a significant height in Gotham in which it became immortally characterized as a dark foreboding metropolis. At the same time, however, Gotham became the home of two of the earliest super-heroes: the Golden Age Green Lantern and Black Canary. Eventually, the Justice Society of America would even make its headquarters in Gotham for a short while. However, no matter what good these forces managed to do, the city remained in the control of organized crime. During the 1950s, Gotham evolved with the changing times, particularly in light of the paranoia perpetuated by the Cold War. Various bomb shelters were erected all throughout the city. By the 1960s, Gotham City planners began an ambitious project called the Underground Highway. Beginning at Fourth Avenue, they began building an actual subterranean thoroughfare designed to link with the subway system. They only managed to complete two-hundred yards worth of tunnel before budget cuts forced them to abandon the project. In later years, the unfinished highway became a haven for the homeless and even a few criminals such as Killer Croc.[8] Crime in Gotham would continue to proliferate in the later half of the century. This increase in criminal activity would provide Gotham to host its iconic super-hero, Batman. Other vigilantes such as Robin, Batgirl, and the Huntress appeared in the years that followed, countering the increased evil with their presence. But with heroes, Gotham was also introduced to a number of outlandish, yet very dangerous super-villains such as the Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Riddler, and Scarecrow. No Man's Land Shortly following Ra's al Ghul's attempt to contaminate Gotham with a deadly virus, the city suffered an magnitude 7.6 earthquake in an event commonly referred to as the "Cataclysm". With hopes for rehabilitating the broken city, the United States government declared it a "No Man's Land," which effectively quarantined the entire island city. Eventually, thanks in no small part to the financial and political machinations of Lex Luthor — dipping his hands, as ever, in both legitimate and illegal means to achieve his goals — Gotham City was released and rebuilt, and rejoined the United States. War Games Gotham later fell into a massive gang war between many of the city's major criminal groups following a botched contingency plan created by Batman that was implemented by Stephanie Brown (without Batman's permission). The end results allowed the crime lord Black Mask to single-handedly rule over the city's organized crime until his death at the hands of Catwoman and a temporary police arrest warrant on vigilantes until being revoked by Police Commissioner James Gordon. Battle for the Cowl Gotham was once again victim of chaos when word about Batman's death spread. Criminals all over the city tried to claim their own territory while the heroes and vigilantes tried to keep the situation under control, with much more success than the GCPD. However, chaos and violence were rampant in Gotham in which the National Guard was forced to intervene and create a citywide curfew. Challengers Mountain When the Bat-God Barbatos and his underlings The Dark Knights launched their attack on Prime Earth, the centrestage of their invasion was Gotham City. The dark energies involved wiped out a huge portion of the city by erupting a giant mountain (Challenger's Mountain) into the city centre, which subsequently served as a base for The Batman Who Laughs. Points of Interest Neighborhoods Parks and Recreational areas Museums Waterways Gotham River Sprang River Finger River Hinkely Creek (Nolanverse) Schools Other Public locations Businesses Media Other locales Residents Heroes Villains Sports Teams Baseball Basketball Hockey Notes In the early Batman stories, his home base was established as New York. Despite the information given in Batman #252, the name "Gotham City" was first used in Batman #4. #252, the name "Gotham City" was first used in #4. "Gotham" is one of the nicknames of New York City, and the city serves as an analogue to it - Dennis O'Neil has said that, figuratively, "Batman's Gotham City is Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November. Metropolis is Manhattan between Fourteenth and One Hundred and Tenth Streets on the brightest, sunniest July day of the year."[28] Neal Adams, in contrast has long believed that Chicago, with its proliferation of mobsters in the 1940s, was the basis for Gotham, adding that the city, in contrast to New York, is full of alleys, "where Batman fights all the bad guys."[29] Trivia In the Golden and Silver Age Gotham Cities, the rooftops were littered with bizarre gigantic props that were often used as staging places by villains, but by the 1970s they had all but been removed. In Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #3, it's revealed that Humpty Dumpty is responsible for this, as he once accidentally set off a chain reaction causing all of the props to be knocked down off of their rooftops, like a chain of dominoes. This caused the Senate to actually place a ban against giant unnecessary props, referred to as the "Sprang" Act. #3, it's revealed that Humpty Dumpty is responsible for this, as he once accidentally set off a chain reaction causing all of the props to be knocked down off of their rooftops, like a chain of dominoes. This caused the Senate to actually place a ban against giant unnecessary props, referred to as the "Sprang" Act. In the parallel universe of Earth-S, Gotham City is the home base of Mister Scarlet.[30] |
"Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing … after they have exhausted all other possibilities" is a famous quote, versions of which have been attributed to Winston Churchill. It might now be the turn of European Union member countries to do the right thing in the refugee and migrant crisis. Finally. Myriad mistakes from the past might, however, still lead to a sad outcome, where those who genuinely need help will not get it: real refugees. The best way to avoid perilous crossings is by taking control of the crisis, not by letting Greece keep breaking EU law (Photo: Reuters/Stoyan Nenov) The first thing that EU countries must do is to stop lying to each other over refugees. The declared closure of the so-called Balkan route for migrants heading to northern Europe is a long overdue step. It is the sign of a profound change in consensus. The bottom line is that the whole EU now seems to be adopting an approach that the Central European countries have been pushing for since the beginning of this crisis. Those countries are still vilified in Western European media. However, many Western diplomats and policymakers now acknowledge tacitly, that they were right after all. The EU as a whole seems to be realising the need to follow some basic rules. Firstly, to say that the Balkan route should not be closed, as Germany’s Angela Merkel is advocating, means to deliberately ignore those rules. Without the closure, this crisis cannot be managed. It is symptomatic that everyone professes his or her outrage about the fate of migrants stranded at the Greek-Macedonian border, but no one seems to be dismayed by the fact that Greece still does not have enough facilities for those people. Fooled by Greece Last October, the Greeks promised to build 50,000 places by the end of 2015 to house migrants and refugees. Where are those places? The plight of people stranded in Greece is tragic, no doubt about it, but without the closure of the border, the Greeks will never cease their illegal practice of waving refugees through to other countries. If this continues, Schengen is dead. And we should not be fooled by Greece’s claims that it cannot handle this crisis on its own. Until now, the Greeks have, compared to the Germans, the Austrians or the Swedes, paid little for this crisis since they have simply sent all the refugees and migrants north. Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras says that his country should not become “a warehouse of souls” and he is right. To achieve this, the EU needs an agreement with Turkey at almost any cost. Turkey, of course, knows this and uses this advantageous position to the maximum. But does anyone have a better idea how to stop thousands of people, less than half of whom are Syrians, coming to Europe by boat and paying a fortune to smugglers than by doing a deal with Turkey? Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken a dangerous turn towards authoritarianism, no doubt about it. But if anyone wants to, while sorting out this mess, deal only with genuine democrats, good luck finding them. Central Europe has won To sum up, what is the new approach of EU member states? To limit, preferably to zero, the number of people who arrive from Turkey to Greece. To return almost all those who make the journey to Turkey, even in case of Syrians. To preclude any secondary movement from frontline countries further into Europe. Is all this closer to the position of Germany and the European Commission from last summer or to what the Czechs, the Hungarians or the Slovaks were saying at that time? In this respect, Central Europe has won. There is a danger, however, that one crucial aspect of the deal with Turkey might become impossible to implement (apart from visa free travel for Turks), namely a plan to resettle refugees directly from Turkey to Europe, thus destroying the business of smugglers. Central European countries, and not only them, might refuse to take part, although the Czech Republic, for example, was one of those member states that preferred resettlement from Turkey to relocation from Greece and Italy. There is no doubt that there is a lot of xenophobia in Central Europe and that politicians like Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, while being right in many aspects, are dangerous populists playing on fear. But one can hardly deny the fact that the original foolish approach to the crisis, pushed for by Germany and the European Commission, has set EU countries against one another and has contributed to the breakdown in mutual trust. Genuine refugees might be the victims of avoidable mistakes that the EU committed at the beginning of the crisis. Ondrej Houska ( @OndrejHouska on Twitter) is Brussels correspondent for Czech public radio |
The reasons why people wish to be famous are sometimes not what you may expect. During her appearance on the August 24 broadcast of MBC’s “Radio Star,” Oh My Girl’s YooA tells a chilling narrative of how she came to decide she wanted to debut. When asked by MC Yoon Jong Shin, the idol starts off by explaining that she had problems with a large number of stalkers when she was younger. She says, “Someone would always follow me at least five times a week. It would be men I don’t know, anyone from those in their 20s to much older men.” YooA continues on and explains that when she was in high school, there was even someone who tried to force her into his car. Another time, she reveals, “Someone walked beside me making lewd remarks constantly.” The idol concludes with how she wanted to appear in the public’s eye and debut, so that “people couldn’t approach me in that manner anymore.” Hopefully she no longer has issues with any stalkers! Source (1) |
Friday’s Eurogroup agreement amounts to the government’s capitulation to the Troika’s blackmail. The agreement provides for a four-month extension, not simply of the “loan agreement”, but, as is expressly stated, of the “programme”, that’s to say of the Memorandum itself. [This statement by the , was issued on Friday 20 February] Moreover, the agreement contains an insulting provision that not only prohibits any “unilateral action” on the part of the Greek government that conflicts with the Memorandum, but it also prohibits the government from taking any of the measures – such as those in the programme on which it was elected by the Greek people – without the agreement of the creditors. In fact, the agreement requires that on Monday, 23 February [today], (in just three days) the Greek government submit a fully costed list of “reforms” that are within the spirit of the Memorandum. The Greek government would then have to undergo the humiliating process of having this list of measures assessed by its creditor-guardians. Moreover, what was also agreed is that by the end of April, and following successive assessments by the Troika, it would be decided whether there is to be a further programme for Greece and what might be its content. There is nothing in the current agreement, as it stands, to suggest whether the content of a post-April deal will be a clear break with the Memoranda and with extreme austerity. What is more, under the recent agreement the Greek government commits to achieving primary surplus targets. However, the agreement fails to provide any relaxation of the existing unrealistic quantitative targets. Moreover, the government appears to have de facto accepted the viability, and the regular servicing, of the insufferable debt, without any specific commitment on the part of the Troika with regard to providing funding for the next period. This raises questions as to where the necessary funds are to be found for the fundamental needs of the state, and as how they can avoid a suspension on debt repayments. Lastly, the government’s request to freely dispose of the remainder of the loan – administered by the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund – that was received in 2012 for the liquidity of the Greek banking system, has been turned down. What is the political significance of all this? It is baseless for the Greek government to even suggest, let alone claim, that the Memoranda have been removed and that the Troika is no longer going to be involved in our affairs. It is precisely the opposite that has taken place, and the more the government’s apologists attempt to spin it and present it as its opposite, the more they compound the sense of disappointment and disapproval by the working masses. By signing Friday’s extension agreement, the Greek government has not only contradicted the mandate it received from the working class and the poorer layers of society on election day, but has also contradicted its own government programme that it had presented to, and which was approaved by, the Greek Parliament a few days ago. Friday’s agreement amounts to the government’s unconditional surrender to the Troika with no discernible benefit of any substance. Up to the point of the recent agreement’s conclusion at the Eurogroup, what has become abundantly clear is that the entire process of “negotiating” with Greece’s creditors as a means of overturning austerity and the Memoranda has proved to be a total fiasco. As we, the Communists of SYRIZA, have patiently been explaining for some time – and as recent events make clear – there is no real possibility of negotiating successfully to the benefit of Greek working people. What is more, it would be ever more difficult for the Greek government to attempt to negotiate with the creditors in the future, following its disorderly retreat on Friday. The government has practically accepted that for the following months the framework of the Memorandum will remain in place, as well as the humiliating assessments on the part of the Troika. It has also accepted the viability and regular servicing of the existing debt. All this shows that there is very little room for manoeuvre and very little ground for any meaningful successful negotiations to take place. The abolition of the Memoranda and the removal of Troika supervision are objectives that can only be achieved through “unilateral action” such as the repudiation of the debt, and the adoption of a radical, socialist, programme capable of inspiring a wave of solidarity and a common political struggle against austerity and capitalism on the part of the workers and the labour movement across Europe. The Communist Tendency of Syriza declares its total opposition to the signing of the agreement by the government. That signature amounts to an open repudiation of Syriza’s political commitments towards the Greek people, and a violation of the party’s key founding programmatic positions. As we have repeatedly pointed out recently, the government, taking note of the support and demands of the overwhelming majority of the Greek people, should have stood firm to achieve its commitment to the immediate abolition of the Memorandum and of austerity, and should not have sacrificed the Thessaloniki Programme (the party’s election manifesto) under the pressure of the blackmailing tactics of Greece’s creditors. Rather, the government should have carried out that programme by turning to socialist measures to fund it such as the nationalisation of the banking system and of the large enterprises. We call upon all Left MPs to vote against this unacceptable agreement. The fact that they gave a vote of confidence to the government must not be equated with any duty to vote in favour of any measures proposed by the government that harm the interests and rights of the working masses. Left MPs are under the fundamental duty to vote against such proposals whenever they are put to the vote. We call every left activist to a common and organised struggle for an immediate change to the policies of the government and of our party towards the “unilateral” adoption of a genuinely left, socialist, programme. A fundamental step in this struggle must be to demand an extraordinary party congress with the aim of an immediate change in our present policies, but also a change in leadership. (February 20, 2015) |
"What we want to do tomorrow [Monday)] is to open a case against the SAPS [South African Police Service]," said George Tyobeka, a worker representative. A man identified by mine workers as Mtshunquleni Qakamba (48) died when police fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse a gathering on a hill on an Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) mine in the northwestern town of Rustenburg on Thursday. "They shot against the people ... until they killed one of our colleagues," Tyobeka told AFP, adding that the workers wanted to file charges of murder and attempted murder. "Employees weren't fighting, they were just sitting on the hill," he said. Authorities have not confirmed the man's identity or cause of death. An independent police watchdog has meanwhile taken over the investigation "as the incident appeared to have arisen from police action", police said in a statement. A day after the death Amplats, the world's top platinum producer, formally dismissed 12 000 of 28 000 striking workers following disciplinary hearings. Workers had downed tools on September 12 demanding wages of R16 070 – more than double what some earn. On Saturday around 1 500 people gathered at the hill where the clashes occurred to commemorate Qakamba. Vowing to fight for higher wages, the worker representatives will meet with government mediators on Monday about their demands, but not to discuss their sacking, Tyobeka said. "Tomorrow we don't want to mention the issue of dismissal. Dismissal is an issue of management," he said. Wildcat strikes have spread across South Africa's mining sector as workers reject their conventional union structures. Lonmin, the world's third largest platinum producer, gave strikers pay rises of up to 22% in September after 46 people were killed, including 34 shot by police on August 16, during six weeks of illegal work stoppages. – Sapa-AFP |
At times, for web developers content importing appears to be the task which is far from trivial. Writing the import assignment out "from scratch" when aimed at covering each and every instance can't be practical, thus we advice sticking to the ones already in use, say, Migrate, Feeds. Let us take a close look at Feeds module. It's architecture is made up of a range of plug-ins. The mainstream ones are: Fetcher: it acts for supllying the data for further parsing and importation; Parser: performs data parsing and consolidates the arrays of elements for further importng; Processor: performs data parsing and consolidates the arrays of elements for further importng. This article is describing how a plug-in for the parser is being written out. We are going to import an XML-file which has been received due to the use of Views Data Export. Voices may be heard stating there is no point in writing a plug-in, as out-of-the-box Feeds provide for its own plug-in that does XML parsing. That is true. In fact, so as to get it operational, one has to make some major alterations to the VDE outlet. As it is, it takes far less effort to write out a parser of your own: hook_feeds_plugins() is being announced wherein we describe our parser plug-in: |
Morgan Stanley’s second-quarter fixed-income sales and trading revenue declined 60 percent from the previous year, more than other parts of its operations. Companywide, the bank said that it would be cutting about 7 percent of its work force this year. No banks report the specific staffing levels of their bond operations. Fixed-income desks help companies and government agencies raise money by selling bonds to the public. They have made even more money trading existing bonds for their own account and on behalf of clients such as pensions and mutual funds, and managing the portfolios of these clients. The same divisions at banks have also bought and sold derivatives, financial contracts whose prices are based on bond values. But those derivatives are being forced onto open exchanges or other platforms under the Dodd-Frank financial regulation law. Other new rules, requiring strong capital buffers, have made it more expensive for banks to hold the large inventories of bonds that allow them to serve as the middleman for buyers and sellers. Money managers and banks are creating open electronic marketplaces for trading government and corporate bonds. Still more new rules will limit banks from using their own money to make financial bets on bonds. The series of changes will make it easier for regulators to monitor these complex markets and could drive down the large cut that banks take from most bond trades and make it cheaper for investors to buy and sell bonds. But some industry experts have said that more transparency in the trading of bonds could make it harder to buy and sell some less popular bonds because investors will not want to have their enormous trades exposed. This could drive up the cost of borrowing for companies and governments. Revenue from fixed-income trading among the top dozen global banks has already dropped from its height of $190 billion in 2009 to $105 billion last year, according to Keith Horowitz, who researches large banks for Citigroup. Mr. Horowitz estimated in a recent research report that the changes overtaking the industry were likely to keep revenue down about 15 to 20 percent in the long run. The big banks have only made about a third of the layoffs they will need to make in this area, according to a report from Kian Abouhossein, an analyst at JPMorgan Cazenove. “It’s a huge shift,” Mr. Horowitz said. To understand the breadth of the transformation under way, step onto the sprawling trading floor at Credit Suisse in Manhattan. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The old style of trading is still visible on the corporate bond desks, where orders are yelled across the room and voices constantly come crackling through the “hoots,” a system that allows traders to broadcast questions to everyone on the floor. The trading here has resisted automation because companies that have only one stock have many different varieties of bonds, each of which carries its own price. Banks have found trading these bonds profitable because they have greater leeway over the pricing than if they traded in a market with transparent prices. By contrast, the area where Treasury bonds are traded is hushed. These bonds are among the most standardized and have been easily automated. Credit Suisse released a program earlier this year, labeled Onyx, that lets its customers get a price for a specific Treasury and trade it without ever dealing with a human. The traders here are mostly educated in math or physics, often outside the United States, and their desks are piled high with textbooks like the “R Graphs Cookbook,” for working with obscure computer programming languages. 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. “Our best traders spend a lot of their time pounding away writing code,” said Ryan Sheftel, head of the bank’s automated Treasury bond trading, pointing at one of his young employees. “He is doing thousands of trades, but doesn’t need to be manually involved anymore. The code he wrote is making the trading decisions.” The increased use of automated platforms means that more programmers are needed, but fewer employees over all. Corporate bonds may be next. While banks have long said corporate bond trading is too complex for automated trading, new companies are coming up with ways to price the many varieties of corporate bonds in real time. MarketAxess, a popular platform for trading corporate bonds, has introduced real-time pricing of some fixed-income products over the last two years, according to its chief executive, Rick McVey. On Tuesday, the company announced that it was introducing new technology that will allow institutional bond investors to connect directly without going through a trading desk. “The model in fixed income has been pretty much the same for the last 20 or 30 years,” said Tim Grant, a managing director at Benchmark Solutions, one of the companies trying to make the corporate bond market more automated. “People will look back on this and will see that this is when everything changed.” Banks are being pushed to move their trading onto automated platforms as a consequence of the international bank changes known as Basel III. These require banks to hold big cushions of capital to protect themselves in case trading positions lose value, with bonds requiring particularly large and expensive cushions. This has resulted in banks shrinking the inventories of bonds they used to have on hand in case a customer wanted, say, a million dollars’ worth of 10-year General Motors bonds. Now, those same customers have to look more broadly to find the same quantity, potentially bypassing Wall Street all together. Advertisement Continue reading the main story BlackRock, the large asset management firm that holds trillions of dollars in bonds on behalf of its clients, has introduced a platform known as the Aladdin Trading Network, which will allow customers to connect directly to buy and sell bonds. Banks like Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse have battled for the same business by designing their own platforms to give clients access to a wider supply of bonds. Another regulation forcing fixed-income desks to change quickly is a part of the Dodd-Frank financial legislation that is set to push derivatives like interest rate swaps onto exchangelike platforms later this year. Banks have lobbied vigorously against it, arguing that the electronic infrastructure is not ready for the complexities of the multitrillion-dollar market. “Instead of evolving our way, we’re being pushed rather hard,” said the head of one fixed-income trading desk. Analysts expect that the changes ahead will largely mirror what happened to stock trading a decade ago, when a combination of regulations and new technology transformed buying and selling stocks into a more automated business. That shift reduced staffing levels by 35 percent and compensation by 45 percent, according to recent research from Mr. Abouhossein. The changes in stock trading also laid the foundation for the rise of high-speed trading firms that now account for a majority of stock trading. So far, the high-speed firms have largely been unable to penetrate the fixed-income world, but that is likely to change once they can link in to the bond market electronically. Although banks have been building up their electronic platforms and laying off employees, Mr. Horowitz said they have not adapted fast enough. “You can kind of fight it,” he said, “but you can’t fight that fight for too long.” |
Here’s a look at how the players involved in the trade have done since the December 2012 trade: Noah Syndergaard makes his major-league debut Tuesday with the New York Mets, two years after the Blue Jays traded the blue-chip prospect for former Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey. Skinny: Not the dominant pitcher he was in the NL. Is roughly a .500 pitcher battling with a very inconsistent knuckleball. Has tried to increase velocity and is now backing off. He is the MLB leader in homers given up since arriving in Toronto. Skinny: Dickey’s catcher was questionable to make the 2015 roster out of spring training, as the Jays wanted Russell Martin to catch Dickey. That experiment faded, and Thole is now catching Dickey exclusively. To Mets TRAVIS D’ARNAUD 2013 (Mets): 31 G, .202, 1 HR, 5 RBI 2014 (Mets): 108 G, .242, 13 HR, 41 RBI 2015 (Mets): 11 G, .317, 2 HR, 10 RBI Skinny: Blossomed into a bona fide major league catcher and hitter in 2014 and is now poised to grow with a good, strong young starting staff. Fangraphs is projecting d’Arnaud to hit .252 this season with 18 homers and a .482 slugging percentage, which would rank at all-star levels. NOAH SYNDERGAARD 2013 (A and AA): 9-4, 3.06 ERA, 117 IP, 133 K, 11 HR, 28 W 2014 (Triple-A Las Vegas): 9-7, 4.60 ERA, 133 IP, 145 K, 11 HR, 43 W 2015 (Triple-A Las Vegas): 3-0, 1.82 ERA, 29.2 IP, 34 K, 2 HR, 8 W Skinny: Makes his major-league debut Tuesday, and it comes with the promise; has the promise of being a front end of the rotation type pitcher. Boasts a 95-m.p.h. plus fastball and has the best curve of the former “Big Three” prospects with the Jays (Aaron Sanchez, and Justin Nicolino). Huge upside if he stays healthy. Retired Acquired by Jays MIKE NICKEAS 2013 (Triple-A Buffalo): 58 G, .166, 1 HR, 11 RBI 2013 (Blue Jays): 1 G, nothing across 2014 (Triple-A Buffalo): 49 G, .207, 3 HR, 17 HR 2015: Retired Skinny: Nickeas was hit by a pitch in 2014 and suffered a broken forearm, He recovered but was never the same player. He announced his retirement in March and pursued his education at the University of Georgia. He was born in Vancouver while his father, Mark, played pro soccer with Vancouver of the former NASL. Acquired by Mets JOHN BUCK 2013 (Mets/Pirates): 110 G, .222, 15 HR, 62 RBI 2014 (Mariners/Angels): 32 G, .225, 1 HR, 6 RBI 2015: Retired Skinny: Hit 15 homers and 60 RBI for Mets before trade to Pittsburgh. Jays started slow in 2013 and reports suggested the team missed Buck’s impact. He was invited to major league spring training with Atlanta in 2015, and had one homer and a .320 average in 25 at-bats, but decided to retire to spend more time with family. Minor leaguer WUILMER BECERRA, JAYS 2013 (Gulf Coast League): 52 G, .243, 1 HR, 25 RBI 2014 (Rookie league and A ball): 64 G, .300, 7 HR, 20 RBI 2015 (Class-A South Atlantic League): 28 G, .275, 4 HR, 15 RBI Skinny: Was once called the potential “steal” in the Dickey deal but has remained at the A-ball level. Not listed near the top of any minor league prospects reports on the Jays farm systems but has shown steadily increasing numbers since last season. |
The fact is, few if any coal jobs are ever coming back. That’s something Pruitt never cops to but energy investors and even dinosaurs like coal baron Robert Murray know is true. Most of the coal jobs lost in the past three decades have not been eliminated because of environmental protections. They have been lost to automation, to a switch from underground mining to surface mining of low-sulfur coal in the West, to cheap natural gas and, increasingly, to renewables. The false choice Pruitt complains about began decades before becoming president even occurred to Barack Obama. Rightists back in the 1980s claimed that environmental advocates were intent on making over our energy system into one in which we all “freeze to death in the dark.” Then and now, their propaganda implicitly or explicitly describes the economy and the environment as separate entities. But they aren’t. They are inextricably intertwined. What Pruitt failed to mention to his friends at Fox is that the ever-expanding industries behind the generation of electricity by wind and sun now employ four times as many people in the United States as the coal industry does. Last year, solar jobs increased by 25 percent over 2015, with 260,000 such jobs now tallied. Meanwhile, by the end of 2016, there were 88,000 Americans working in wind jobs. In both cases, that’s more than three times as many people who were employed in those fields in 2010. Some analysts say these numbers could triple by 2030. As with any large-scale transition, it’s impossible to predict all the impacts more than a few years in advance. But one thing is clear: as the nation and the planet undergo the transformation of our energy system from one based on fossil fuels and nukes to one based on renewables, whole other industries, such as transportation, are going to be transformed or developed from scratch. This will provide even more jobs. And those jobs will not include the malignant side effects for workers and everybody else caused by the coal industry that once provided the majority of our electricity. Then, of course, there will also be the ameliorative benefits from ceasing to add still more carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. Pruitt is right. We can have good jobs and a good environment. But there’s no evidence in the policies and palaver that he and other members of the Trump regime have issued that any of them truly understand this, at least not beyond its efficacy as a talking point. And nothing indicates that anything they do in this regard will give us either good jobs or a good environment. Rather, it’s quite the opposite. |
Oregon softball team Oregon catcher Janelle Lindvall tags out an Arizona State runner last season at Howe Field. The stadium will be torn down after the 2015 softball season to make way for new Sanders Stadium. (Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian) EUGENE -- Oregon's search to find the best site for its new softball stadium has led to a familiar place. Athletic director Rob Mullens announced Wednesday that the new Jane Sanders Stadium will be built in time for the 2016 season on the same plot of land where Howe Field — Oregon softball's home stadium since 1987 — already sits. "Having the hills in the background and having the on-campus feel and having students drop by and take part in the games, it's great," head coach Mike White said Wednesday by phone. "It's a great blend of the old and the new." Because Howe Field's site is hemmed in on three sides by streets or buildings, White said the playing field will be pushed away from University Street on the west to make extra room for the complex, which is expected to seat 1,500, with a capacity of around 2,500. The site and opening date stand as important milestones for the stadium project, which was long-desired at Oregon because of prominent limitations that include obstructed view seating from above-ground dugouts and lack of permanent restrooms. But it got a major boost on June 7, when lumber businessman and 1949 Oregon alumnus Robert Sanders donated $10 million to name the stadium after his late wife, a 1950 UO alumnus. Howart S. Wright will be the project's general contractor and Chris Hartson its senior project manager, UO also announced. SRG, an architectural firm with offices in Portland and Seattle, will design the park. It has previously designed the stadiums for the Hillsboro Hops and University of Washington baseball program. "We are pleased to build Jane Sanders Stadium on campus where so many memories have been made," Mullens said in a news release. "Following the multi-step university approval process, our team is anxious to join forces with SRG and Howard S. Wright to begin the journey toward another innovative athletics facility that will enhance the student-athlete experience, create a new fan experience and appropriately honor Jane Sanders." With the Sanders' financial backing, the Ducks have compiled a stadium "wish list." "It's not only for fan experience but it's also going to be a training facility we'll use a lot more than just games," said White, a two-time Pac-12 coach of the year who led Oregon to its first No. 1 ranking last season. "When you look at that and say what do we need, we need a player development center indoors, a place where we can have batting cages, and for recruiting a place we can have a great team room and space that screams 'Oregon softball.'" Howe Field was originally constructed adjacent to the south side of McArthur Court as a baseball stadium 78 years ago before Oregon disbanded the program in the 1980s and renovated the stadium for softball. Its listed capacity is 1,700, though close to 3,000 filled Howe when Oregon hosted two regionals in the NCAA Tournament last May, thanks to temporary outfield seating. The park will be dismantled after the 2015 UO softball season to make way for Sanders Stadium. In the spring, when White campaigned for a new stadium amid Oregon's run toward a second Women's College World Series trip in three seasons, Oregon officials considered fewer than a half-dozen locations that included ground near Autzen Stadium, across the Willamette River, in order to keep players close to weight rooms and treatment centers. At the time, UO vice president of planning and real estate Chris Ramey said of keeping a new stadium on campus: "You just never say never, but you can't help but think that's a pretty attractive location for academics." Ramey wasn't available for an interview Wednesday afternoon, but White said that though the southern edge of campus will retain its academic footprint — McArthur Court's usage remains a point of campus discussion — he's glad to keep softball there, too. "The biggest issue is parking, I suppose," White said. "When you look at Mac Court they got 10,000 fans in there and they found parking OK. With a capacity of 1,500 seats and up to 2,500 there should be an ability to park. It won't be as convenient as it could be on the other side (of the river) but the pluses really outweigh the minuses. From what's outlined, it should have a great feel to it." Along with getting a new stadium, White also pushed for increased salaries for his coaches last spring, a goal that has since been met, he said Wednesday. In his first four seasons at UO, three assistants had been hired away, and White hoped the administration would make his staff's pay competitive with other top-10 programs. White said his assistants' earnings are now comparable with their peers, though the contracts, requested in June by The Oregonian, have yet to be processed by UO's office of public records. Combined with the news of the new stadium's location, White acknowledged he'll be riding a high when he heads to Southern California this weekend on a recruiting trip. "Things are going to move real quickly from here on," White said. "It's so great." -- Andrew Greif | @andrewgreif |
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Garrison, at a conservative event on Capitol Hill iast week. When Republicans and Democrats agree on something, he says, it’s almost always to spend more money. (Photo: USA TODAY/H. Darr Beiser) On May 20, the House was about to clear a bill by voice vote to award a gold medal to Ohio native and golf star Jack Nicklaus – a gesture by Congress to recognize his “service to the nation” for promoting good sportsmanship and philanthropy. Rep. Thomas Massie, who represents Northern Kentucky, was incensed. The Garrison Republican raced to the House floor and demanded a roll call vote, trying to persuade his GOP colleagues to oppose the measure. Despite Massie’s efforts, it passed easily – 371-to-10. To the Kentucky Republican, that vote stands as a small symbol of what’s wrong with Congress – lawmakers rushing to approve feel-good bills without truly evaluating their costs or their merit. “Giving a gold medal to a golf figure ... is not a good use of our resources,” Massie said. “(Nicklaus) didn’t die on the golf course, and he’s got plenty of medals.” Massie has voted “no” at least 324 times so far in the 113th Congress – opposing about one of every three measures that have come to the House floor since January 2013. Politico dubbed him “Mr. No”; even some local Republicans worried about Massie’s contrarian nature, and the longtime president of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Steve Stevens, briefly explored – but then dropped – a potential primary challenge. Massie has voted against Republican bills, Democratic bills and bipartisan bills. He has opposed sweeping policy proposals, such as a GOP-crafted bill to map out national defense policy for 2014. And he’s opposed minor, almost meaningless bills, like a proposal to name an interstate bridge after baseball legend Stan Musial. Some might look at his voting record and see a reason for the gridlock that has essentially paralyzed this Congress – an explanation for why Congress can’t tackle big issues or small ones. There’s no question that Massie is part of a band of arch-conservatives who have tugged the Republican Party strongly to the right – making any form of compromise with the Democrats extremely difficult for House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester. Massie: It’s not always bad when bills die NEWSLETTERS Get the News Alerts newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Be the first to be informed of important news as it happens in Greater Cincinnati. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-800-876-4500. Delivery: Varies Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for News Alerts Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters Two congressional scholars, Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, have analyzed the rightward shift of the Republican Party and concluded that it has contributed significantly to the current congressional dysfunction. The GOP has become dominated by “an insurgent outlier” who abhors compromise and has declared “war on the government,” they write in their 2012 book “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks. How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism.” The Democratic Party is “no paragon of civic virtue,” Ornstein and Mann write, but its members are “more ideologically centered and diverse.” The asymmetrical paths of the two parties “constitutes a huge obstacle to effective governance,” they conclude. Ornstein is a congressional expert with the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank, and Mann is with the left-leaning Brookings Institution. Massie agrees that Congress isn’t working. But he says the tea party faction in the House is not contributing to the sorry state of affairs in Washington. He says he votes against more bills than many of his colleagues because he’s giving them more scrutiny – and appropriately so. If there were more lawmakers like him – super conservative with an obsession for the details – Congress would work much better, he said. He said most bills cost money and are unaffordable given the debt. While Massie says he’s no fan of gridlock, he does see some problems with consensus. That’s because when Republicans and Democrats agree on something, he says, it’s almost always to spend more money. He jokes that the buttons lawmakers push to register their votes on the House floor – which are labeled “yea” and “nay” – should be relabeled “spend” and “don’t spend.” And more of his colleagues should hit the “don’t spend” button as often as possible, as he does. Massie also says that legislative stalemate isn’t always bad. Take, for example, a patent reform bill that the House passed in April. Supporters said the measure was needed to stop “patent trolls” who buy up patents and then sue companies for infringement in an effort to win big legal settlements. Massie argued that it would help big companies at the expense of small inventors who are trying to protect their innovations. He said the bill would have reduced the value of their intellectual property. He tried to kill the bill. It sailed through the House on a vote of 325-to-91, but it has since stalled in the Senate – thanks in part, Massie says, to his efforts to bring more scrutiny to the bill and highlight its negative potential. “When things die because of dysfunction, I think that’s bad. Now when things die because the process worked, I think that’s good,” Massie said. ‘Half-measures’ are the new norm Whatever the explanation for gridlock, there’s no doubt that this Congress is immobilized by it. Lawmakers are deadlocked over immigration reform. They can’t agree on a bill to modernize the U.S. Postal Service. They’re fighting over how to renew an expiring transportation bill. While lawmakers in both parties say they support overhauling the tax code, no one expects them to do it. Sarah Binder, an expert on Congress and governance at Brookings, said that, even when the two parties do manage to reach an agreement, it’s often a last-minute, narrow deal. A short-term extension of the highway bill, for example, or a stop-gap spending bill to keep the government open for a few months. “Half measures, second bests, and just-in-time legislating are the new norm,” Binder wrote last month in a paper on gridlock. Her analysis concluded that the last Congress, the 112th, was the most gridlocked in the post-war era – tied with the 106th Congress, which convened in 1999-2000. Almost three-quarters of the nation’s most pressing issues remained unresolved at the end of both sessions, according to Binder’s analysis. The 113th appears to be on track to achieve the same dismal results, she said. She and others say that the polarization between the two parties has become so acute, it’s almost impossible for lawmakers to find any common ground. “You just have very different approaches to issues of the day,” she said, whether it’s on immigration policy or energy issues. With the “problem-solving capacity” of Congress at a low point, she said, long-term problems are left to fester at a steep cost to the American public. Massie doesn’t dispute there’s a cost to dysfunction, but he says it won’t be solved by electing more moderates to Congress or closing the ideological chasm between the two parties. He said congressional leaders need to come up with a way to make the process work more smoothly – something to replace earmarks, which Democrats and Republicans alike used to use to grease the legislative skids. Earmarks are the special projects that funneled federal dollars to lawmakers’ home districts. And Massie said he understands, watching lawmakers dither on the House floor about their votes, why they helped congressional leaders rack up support for various bills. Instead of earmarks, Massie said, “the new process seems to be to create a crisis right before Christmas break (or) create one right before the election” as a way to get lawmakers to fall into line. That, he said, has led to “chaos” – and a lot of bad bills being whisked through Congress without enough examination. In the meantime, Massie said he takes solace in small steps forward. He noted that in the last Congress, the Jack Nicklaus gold medal bill only got 4 votes before dying in the Senate. This time, the opposition in the House has swelled to 10, and the Senate still hasn’t acted on it. “Things are improving,” he said. “We need more of me here.” ⬛ Why Massie voted ‘no’ Of 823 votes cast so far this year, Massie voted yes 499 times and he voted no 324 times, according to a Gannett Washington Bureau analysis. The analysis relied on a vote database maintained by the Washington Post. • The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2014 authorized about $552 billion for national defense programs and another $85.8 billion for Afghanistan and other overseas contingency operations. It passed the House on June 14, 2013 by a vote of 315-108. Why Massie voted no: Among other things, he objected to a provision that preserves the ability of the government to detain indefinitely American citizens suspected of terrorist activity. • The Stolen Valor Act, which passed the House 390-to-3 on May 20, 2013, and is now law, made it a crime to lie for profit about being the recipient of military medals or decorations. Why Massie voted no: He felt it duplicated another federal law and was overly broad because it failed to define “fraudulently.” • The United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 would bolster cooperation between the U.S. and Israel on a number of fronts, including defense, cyber-security, energy and trade. The measure cleared the House by a vote of 410-to-1 on March 5, 2014. The Senate has not taken up the measure yet. Why Massie voted no: Massie said this bill would have subsidized green energy companies in Israel. He said he wouldn’t support subsidies for American green energy companies, let alone foreign ones. • A $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the federal government for fiscal year 2014. The measure softened across-the-board budget cuts and came after a bitter fiscal fight that sparked a government shutdown. The measure passed the House 359-to-67 on Jan. 15, 2014, and the Senate approved it the next day. Why Massie voted no: Massie said the bill exceeded agreed-to budget cuts – trading “spending increases in 2014 and 2015 for spending reductions in 2022 and 2023.” About this series Forget big stuff like immigration reform and a tax overhaul. Lawmakers in Washington are unable or unwilling to approve even modest, bipartisan bills. Congress is often paralyzed even when it comes to must-pass legislation, such as spending measures and transportation proposals. What is the real cause of this legislative dysfunction and its impact on Greater Cincinnati residents? This is the second in an occasional series of articles aimed at pulling back the curtain on congressional gridlock and documenting how it affects average Tristate residents. EARLIER: Sen. Rob Portman and House Speaker John Boehner are both influential Republican members of Congress from Greater Cincinnati. But even they couldn't agree on a plan to extend unemployment benefits. Sen. Rob Portman and House Speaker John Boehner are both influential Republican members of Congress from Greater Cincinnati. But even they couldn't agree on a plan to extend unemployment benefits. The result: The long-term unemployed in Ohio – where many are still struggling to rebound after the recession – are left in limbo. What went wrong? Talk to us How has Washington gridlock affected you – for better or worse? Email the Enquirer's Washington correspondent Deirdre Shesgreen at dshesgreen@enquirer.com. Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/1q2kyEx |
VfB Stuttgart’s decision to extend the contract of coach Bruno Labbadia until 2015 after a run of three straight defeats (now four) seemed to be met with, at best, resigned acceptance by fans of the Schwaben. And that despite the man from Darmstadt achieving a Hinrunde points total that VfB haven’t bettered since the title-winning 2006/07 season, a place in the last 32 of the Europa League and a promising DFB Pokal quarter-final against second-division VfL Bochum. So I decided to dig a little deeper and try to square the views of one of the more vocal anti-Labbadistas with my own neutral viewpoint. 46-year-old Labbadia joined the likes of Thomas Doll and Giovanni Trapattoni when he famously lost his temper at perceived unfair criticism in an October press conference. So what is this criticism based on, and is it fair or not? Let’s start with Labbadia the man. And no, I’m not referring to any off-pitch superinjunction-inviting rumours from previous jobs, but simply his media personality. That press conference blow-up was really the nadir of a character trait that has bothered fans for some time – a victim mentality. That’s not to say his feelings are without reason, but there’s little doubt Labbadia (consciously or not) also shifts the blame as a defence mechanism. He likes to claim that he is constricted by a lack of financial clout, a small squad, unrealistic expectations and a lack of appreciation for his work from the fans in the stadium. How fair is this? Well it might be true that the surprise title win six years ago raised some people’s expectations for the future to unsustainable levels, the first-team squad does lack the depth to maintain a strong challenge on three fronts, and in money terms the club of course cannot compete with the very best. Nevertheless, after two years in charge, even in the continental system whereby he does not have full control over transfers, a coach has to take responsibility for the quality of the squad he has built. Given that the club has a top-six wage bill and has given out €14 million in transfer fees since Labbadia’s arrival, it also seems unjustifiable to complain about a lack of financial support. On the other hand, selling players like Christian Träsch and Bernd Leno boosted the club’s coffers to the point that Labbadia has actually brought in €15.9 million more than he has spent. What’s more, he took over a club in the relegation zone mid-season and led them to safety, followed by a Europa League place the following year and, as previously stated, an acceptable first half of the current campaign. In the aforementioned press conference, Labbadia apparently threatened to walk away if he wasn’t treated better. Now that he’s decided to stay, he has to start proving his worth and winning over his critics. What does that involve? Well, even in modern football, the media circus is a sideshow, so it really comes down to Labbadia the coach. As a starting point, let’s take a quote from that now-legendary rant – “As a normal Bundesliga coach, you have to ask yourself these days: do I go down a difficult road, as VfB Stuttgart has to do – do I go along with that, or do I say ‘Screw you!’?” One of the criticisms levelled at Labbadia by fans is that he has in fact taken the easy road in terms of both tactics and selection. With regard to the second point, the words he used in German, “einen schweren Weg”, are also significant. The Stuttgarter Weg is an abstract phenomenon, but one that is part of the club’s tradition and promotes the use of the club’s young talent (Stuttgart is known for the quality of its youth system: alumni include internationals Timo Hildebrand, Sami Khedira, Mario Gómez and Serdar Tasci), but Labbadia (as he did at HSV and Leverkusen) seems to have gone a different “Weg” – to the annoyance of supporters. Indeed, that reaction from the boss was instigated by fans calling for his head after he subbed off 19-year-old Raphael Holzhauser against Bayer Leverkusen. Holzhauser and Antonio Rüdiger (also 19) are two who have seen some playing time, and Gōtoku Sakai (21) is a regular, but the feeling in the stands is that they have made the breakthrough either due to overwhelming fan and media pressure or because they were the last available option – “The boys aren’t ready yet” has become Labbadia’s catchphrase, and the likes of Kevin Stöger and Sami’s brother Rani Khedira are yet to see Bundesliga action. The argument in favour of Labbadia’s selection policy is the rather unusual make-up of the squad generally: Tamás Hajnal and Cacau are the only first-team players over 30, and perhaps the coach feels bringing in genuine youth alongside this group of twenty-somethings would mean too little experience on the pitch and might even be damaging to the long-term prospects of the potential future stars, as well as the team’s current form. On the other hand, a group aged 24–29 should be at its peak, and if they aren’t impressing on the pitch, why not give youth a chance? The fact that the club’s reserve side have held their own in division three for the last four seasons and the under-19s and under-17s sit second and fourth in their respective leagues suggests the quality is there. But Labbadia has also faced negative reactions to the way he uses the players he does select – again, the criticism is probably over the top, but not without reason. While Bayern dominate the Bundesliga with penetrative possession play and the league’s surprise success stories base their strategy on disciplined pressing and quick transitions, Stuttgart have often looked slow in their build-up when they play through midfield. At a basic level, Stuttgart look to play a passing game, but lack the quality to implement it when they are put under pressure. This often leads to the ball ending up at the feet of their less talented passers, such as Georg Niedermeier, who simply look to get rid of it – admittedly the difference from team to team is small, but only relegation-favourites Greuther Fürth have played a higher percentage of long balls than VfB this season. And although Labbadia has been open to tactical alterations, this often hasn’t been enough to outwit his opponents. Mirko Slomka turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 victory for his Hannover side by moving to a 4-1-3-2 and decreasing the time Stuttgart’s midfield three got on the ball, and VfB also threw away leads against Mainz, Leverkusen and Bayern in the Hinrunde. It would certainly appear that this difficulty in holding onto leads is down to tactics rather than stamina, as fitness is one area where Labbadia’s side cannot be criticised: despite regularly playing Europa League matches on Thursdays, Stuttgart covered more distance in “intensive” runs than their league opponents in 18 of their 20 matches so far this season, and ran further overall in 14 of those. Unfortunately, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are expending their energy effectively: Christian Streich’s Freiburg are renowned for energetic pressing to stifle their opponents – VfB nevertheless outran them in every area, but were easily beaten 3-0. On the other hand, they were bested by Dortmund in terms of ground covered, but managed a surprise goalless draw against the champions. Thankfully there does seem to be a middle ground that could both placate fans of exciting football and bring positive results. On the occasions when VfB have used the width of the pitch and got direct but targeted passes to the flanks, followed by quick service to their danger man Vedad Ibišević, they have caused teams problems. Victories against Schalke and Gladbach can be put in this category, which is by no means tiki-taka, but is at least dynamic and effective. There’s no doubt that VfB haven’t managed results like that often enough this season, and four defeats on the bounce is always cause for concern. But before we move on, let’s reiterate the bare facts: Stuttgart remain (despite underwhelming performances) involved in European competition, in the German Cup with an excellent opportunity to reach the semi-finals, and, despite their poor start to the Rückrunde, still only four points off reaching a Europa League place again. Criticism of Labbadia is therefore only partially justified, but there is a more general and arguably more important aspect to consider. The club’s management have made many mistakes since the famous Meisterschaft of 2007, and to this day there are complaints from fans about a lack of direction among those at the top of the club’s hierarchy. A combination of panic buys and ill-advised contract extensions have led to the current imbalanced squad, which is arguably performing at around the right level for its quality, but is a long way from title-winning aspirations – or even the achievements of the mid-1990s “magic triangle” that included today’s sporting director Fredi Bobic. In that respect, January was mixed: on the one hand a new contract for the ageing and underperforming Hajnal is hard to comprehend, and the arrivals of Tunay Torun and Felipe Lopes are unlikely to power the team up the table. On the other, while he has struggled for form this season, the summer capture of Fürth’s Sercan Sararer looks deft, and bringing in Federico Macheda on loan is relatively risk-free and may provide the edge up front that is sorely missing whenever top scorer Ibišević is unavailable. Then there is the signing of forward Alexandru Maxim from Romanian side Pandurii Targu Jiu. If he can contribute this season, he could prove a bargain. But at 22 years old, with a transfer fee of €1.5 million and a reported €1.2 million salary, if Labbadia suggests “the boy isn’t ready yet”, Stuttgart fans will be tearing their hair out. So does the Stuttgart board’s decision to give Labbadia more time fall into the “ill-advised” category, or is it the beginning of a long-term strategy that could signal a return to the glory days? Two years ago Labbadia restored stability to a side that was at genuine risk of relegation, but signs of development have stalled in the meantime and there is a risk of complacency setting in. And yet, with so many clubs clearly suffering from a lack of continuity, his performance has hardly represented grounds for removal, and anything other than a vote of confidence now would have seemed an odd decision. And that is where the two sides meet – the fan who has seen his team drift up and down over many years, can analyse every error and master stroke, and feels the accompanying frustration; and the neutral who sees a team performing adequately and laying the foundations to continue that work, and perhaps make a gradual further improvement. And in football, both viewpoints can simultaneously be entirely correct. Thanks to @Jens1893 for the forthright opinions! Sources: wallstreetjournal.de, transfermarkt.de, whoscored.com, Bundesliga.de. |
In an executive order issued Friday, President Barack Obama laid out an all-hands-on-deck approach to developing policies for preserving government communications in the event of a national disaster or emergency. “The federal government must have the ability to communicate at all times and under all circumstances to carry out its most critical and time sensitive missions,” Obama said in the order, which calls for “survivable, resilient, enduring and effective communications” during emergencies. Obama’s order creates the Executive Committee on National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications — or NS/EP communications — to be staffed with high-ranking officials from eight agencies and departments. The committee will include officials from the: Advertisement Defense Department State Department Justice Department Commerce Department Homeland Security Department Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) General Services Administration Federal Communications Commission The secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security will co-chair the committee. The director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, an office within the White House, will be required to issue a yearly report on NS/EP communications and will advise the President on how radio spectrum and wireless can best be prioritized. The full committee is tasked with coordinating planning for the use of NS/EP communications “under all hazards,” according to the order. The committee will also develop a “long-term strategic vision” and detail funding requirements. Specifically, DoD will be responsible for developing capabilities to support national security interests, while DHS is tasked with developing policies to support continuity of government operations. DHS will take the lead in deciding how communication networks will be prioritized or restored in the event of an emergency and will operate a joint industry-government office to toward that end. DHS already manages a number of offices designed to provide telecommunications functions during crises, namely the National Communications System, which was created after the Cuban missile crisis in the 1960s. The system includes a number of programs, such as the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS), which allow federal agencies to access telephone and wireless service in the event of high-outages or services disruptions. Its tagline is “When the going gets tough, GETS keeps you going.” However, the executive order now directs DHS to develop a detailed plan describing the agency’s organization and management structure for such services. Notably, the order comes a week after a severe storm caused widespread power outages and disruptions to wireless and cell service in the Washington, D.C. area. RELATED STORIES: Obama to push spectrum development for first responders DHS: Smartphones ‘next stage’ of emergency communications Copyright © 2019 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. |
Michael Morell is the former deputy director of the CIA. His new book, written with Bill Harlow, is The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism--From al Qa'ida to ISIS (Twelve). Like clockwork, every several weeks, someone discovers a new document that, to their minds, “proves” that what the administration and the intelligence community have been saying about Benghazi is a bunch of lies. But time and again these documents don’t add up. They don’t show what the pundits think they show—and the Benghazi broadsides miss their mark anew. Here is a recent example: Earlier last week a handful of number of news organizations, including Fox News, breathlessly reported that they had just gotten their hands on a Defense Intelligence Agency report—acquired through a FOIA request by Judicial Watch—that they say proves that the government knew very soon after the attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya on 9/11/12 that they had been planned ten or more days in advance. These news organizations suggest that this document puts the lie to what I and other current and former intelligence officials have been saying—that there was little planning before the attacks. Story Continued Below But the only thing that newly released document proves is that the people who trot out these reports do not understand the world of intelligence and do not take the time to ask the right people the right questions before publishing the “news.” The DIA report in question was an “Intelligence Information Report” or IIR. It is what we term “raw intelligence.” It was not the considered view of DIA analysts. Often from a single source, these bits of information represent one thread that some intelligence collector has picked up. The all source analysts in the Intelligence Community are charged with looking at that snippet of information and every other bit of available information from communications intercepts, human intelligence, open source material and much more to come up with an overall judgment. Those all source analysts—without any input or pressure from above—looked at all the available information and determined that there was not a significant amount of planning prior to the attacks. You don’t have to take my word for it. You can look at the briefing slides produced by the National Counterterrorism Center (which is not part of CIA) and coordinated across the Intelligence Community. These slides were declassified over a year ago and were appended to the report on Benghazi produced by the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee. In describing the attacks at the State Department facility, the slides say “attackers moving in multiple directions,” “attackers do not appear well coordinated” and “no organized effort to breach every building.” Not the words one would expect to see associated with an attack planned well in advance. Some of the media reporting on the DIA IIR say that they have found another gotcha as well. They say DIA’s report was issued on September 16th—the same day that former U.N. ambassador Susan Rice appeared on five Sunday talk shows, so she must have known before she went on the air, right? Wrong. The DIA report was issued hours after her final TV appearance that day. Some accounts, including the first piece written on the DIA report by Judicial Watch, erroneously say that the report was issued on September 12th, four days before Rice was on national television. They simply misread the report. When I recently asserted my belief in an interview on Fox News that the terrorist attacks in Benghazi were not the result of a carefully planned operation, I was confronted with the Justice Department indictment of Abu Khattala, the lone participant in the attacks in U.S. custody. The indictment says the object and purposes of Khattala and others was to kill U.S. citizens at the mission and the CIA annex and that they “intentionally participated in an act intending lethal force be used.” It was alleged that either I was wrong or the indictment was wrong. Not necessarily. What my interviewer failed to share with his viewers were these words from the indictment: “Beginning on a date unknown to the Grand Jury but no later than on or about September 11, 2012…defendant Khatallah did knowingly and intentionally conspire….” (emphasis mine). What does this mean? It means that the grand jury found no evidence of planning before the day of the attack either. Exactly the point of the intelligence community analysts. While there are no shortage of new arguments on this old subject, there are also some old ones that resurface on a regular basis. One is the debate on whether an anti-Islam YouTube video played any role in sparking the Benghazi attacks. The short answer is that we still don’t know with absolute certainty. Intelligence community analysts in the days immediately after the attack said that the attackers were probably motivated by an attack that happened in Cairo earlier in the day. We know that that attack was motivated at least in part by the video. However the analysts also said that the attack in Libya might have been motivated by Al Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri’s call just two days before the Benghazi attack for avenging the death of the terrorist Abu Yaya al-Libi earlier in the summer. The most strident voices on Benghazi ridicule the notion that a video might have played any role. But among those who have argued that the video may have been a factor include the FBI, who told the House Intelligence Committee in February 2014 that the attacks were ordered in response the YouTube video and to Zawahiri’s call for avenging the death of al-Libi. You can read that on page 18 of the House Intelligence Committee’s report on Benghazi. What those who focus on the questions of the amount of pre-planning and the role of the YouTube seem to miss is that the answers to those questions make no difference to the bottom line: That the attacks were terrorism and that the terrorists murdered four Americans. And they make no difference to the most important point going forward—that the U.S. must do the best job it can in protecting its diplomatic, intelligence and military personnel serving in dangerous places. |
Diner suffers cardiac arrest while eating a Triple Bypass Burger in restaurant called the Heart Attack Grill Paramedics wheel man in his 40s out of restaurant's Las Vegas branch He was eating a 6,000-calorie burger when he suffered a heart attack Triple Bypass Burger contains three slabs of meat, 12 bacon rashes, cheese, red onion, sliced tomato and 'unique special sauce' It was always going to be unwise naming a restaurant that glorifies unhealthy food the Heart Attack Grill. And on Saturday the inevitable happened when a customer suffered a cardiac arrest in the chain's Las Vegas branch. An onlooker captured video of paramedics wheeling the unidentified man, thought to be in his 40s, out of the fast-food diner. He was midway through eating a 6,000-calorie Triple Bypass Burger when he began experiencing chest pains. Scroll down for video Living up to its name: A customer is wheeled out of the Heart Attack Grill restaurant in Las Vegas on Saturday night after suffering cardiac arrest 6,000 calories: The Triple Bypass Burger contains three slabs of meat, 12 rashes of bacon, cheese, red onion, sliced tomato and a 'unique special sauce' The restaurant chain - founded in 2005 using the catchphrase 'Taste Worth Dying For!' - is run by a former nutritionist 'Doctor' Jon Basso who, remarkably, used to run a Jenny Craig weight loss diet centre. He denied the incident was an elaborate publicity stunt. Mr Basso told Fox News: 'The gentleman could barely talk. He was sweating, suffering. 'I actually felt horrible for him because the tourists were taking photos of him as if it were some type of stunt. 'Even with our own morbid sense of humour, we would never pull a stunt like that.' The Heart Attack Grill sells calorie-laden fare with names such as Quadruple Bypass Burgers and Flatline Fries. Controversial: The restaurant, which promises free food to the obese, is located on Sin City's Fremont Street Meals can exceed 8,000 calories. The recommended daily intake is 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men. The Triple Bypass Burger contains three slabs of meat, 12 rashes of bacon, cheese, red onion, sliced tomato and the Heart Attack Grill's own 'unique special sauce'. And that's before taking into account the accompanying 'Flatliner Fries', cooked in pure lard, and a giant soft drink. Accentuating the medical theme, waitresses dressed as nurses deliver the artery-clogging food. A sign at the entrance to an Arizona restaurant reads: 'Go away. If you come in this place, it’s going to kill you.' But the chain has provoked widespread anger with promotions including offering free food to morbidly obese customers. Scantily-clad: A waitress leaves little to the imagination. Heart Attack Grill meals can exceed 8,000 calories In an exploitative advertising campaign, the restaurant announced that it would pick up the bill for any patron who weighed more than 25-stone. Mr Basso hired a 46-stone man, Blair Rivers, to star in a tongue-in-cheek commercial promoting the special offer. In the ad, Mr Basso says with a smile: 'I personally guarantee a stable upward progression of body weight while you're enjoying great tasting foods. 'Along with a cold beer and cigarette, it's a diet you can stick to for life.' The advertisement then states the side affects from eating Heart Attack Grill food 'may include sudden weight gain, repeated increase of wardrobe size, back pain, male breast growth, loss of sexual partners, lung cancer, tooth decay and liver sclerosis stroke. |
0 0 0 4 0 Thanks to the previous part, we have SQL Server 2016 installed and configured. Before running the SCCM installation process, let’s remember the architecture we are implementing: Prerequisites Before installing SCCM, you’ll need to satisfy certain prerequisites. The first step, create the system management container. Configuration Manager does not automatically create the System Management container in Active Directory Domain Services when the schema is extended. If the computer account does not have access to the System Management container, then it will not be able to publish any data to Active Directory. So it is definitely a good idea to give your new ConfigMgr server full control to the system management container. Open ADSI Edit (or AD Users and Computers) and right click on CN=System and choose New Object: Enter the name System Management and click Next. Add the SCCM computer object Delegate control to the SCCM site server to the newly created container Create a custom task to delegate and choose “This folder, existing objects in this folder and creation of new objects in this folder” Select all permissions and complete the wizard. The second step, extend the Schema. From your domain controller, mount the SCCM ISO and navigate to \SMSSetup\Bin\x64\ folder. Ensure the account used is a member of the Schema Admins group. Right click the Extadsch.exe and select “Run as Administrator”. You can check if the AD schema is extended. Open the ExtADSch log file and check for the entry “Successfully extended the Active Directory schema”. The third step, install site server prerequisites. On your SCCM server, select the following roles and features: BITS Remote Differential Compression .Net Framework 3.5 .Net Framework 4.5 IIS Components Verify the IIS components are installed: Common HTTP Features Static Content Default Document Directory Browsing HTTP Errors HTTP Redirection Application Development NET .NET Extensibility ASP ISAPI Extensions ISAPI Filters Health and Diagnostics HTTP logging Logging tools Request Monitor Tracing Security Basic Authentication Windows Authentication URL Authorization Request Filtering IP and Domain Restrictions Performance Static Content Compression Management Tools IIS Management Console IIS Management Scripts and Tools Management Service IIS 6 Management Compatibility IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility IIS 6 WMI Compatibility IIS 6 Scripting Tools IIS 6 Management Console You can easily check Windows features with PowerShell: PS > Get-WindowsFeature | ? {$_.Installed –eq $True} 1 PS > Get - WindowsFeature | ? { $ _ . Installed – eq $ True } The fourth step, Download and install Windows ADK 10. SCCM will check if USMT, Windows PE, and Deployment tools are installed. So download ADK here: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=526740 and install it. Select the default path The only required components are: Deployment Tools, Windows PE, and USMT. But you can, of course, select other components to suit your needs. Here I also select ICD and Configuration Designer. Next, click Install. Fifth step, installing WSUS. This step is only required if you want to install the Software Update Point (SUP) role on your primary site server. Add the WSUS role from the “Add roles and features” wizard. StarWind HyperConverged Appliance is a turnkey, entirely software-defined hyperconverged platform purpose-built for intensive virtualization workloads. Bringing the desired performance and reducing downtime, the solution can be deployed by organizations with limited budgets and IT team resources. Also, it requires only one onsite node to deliver HA for your applications that make the solution even more cost-efficient. Find out more about ➡ StarWind HyperConverged Appliance Select “SQL Server Connectivity” instead of WID (Windows Internal Database) if you want to use your SQL Server database. Next, you must enter a location to store the WSUS Updates and the NETBIOS name of your SQL Server. You are now ready to install SCCM. Installing System Center Configuration Manager Download the SCCM ISO and run the splash.hta file. I don’t know why but the SCCM 1610 ISO is not available on Microsoft Volume License Service Center or MSDN, so I downloaded the 1606 version but if you have any idea why, please leave a comment at the end of the article. Note: Don’t forget to run the setup with domain administrator account. Depending on your needs, you will install a primary site or a central administration site. In this guide, I will install a configuration manager primary site. Next screens will ask you to enter the license and to accept the license terms. Setup will automatically download the prerequisite files to the location you specify. Now, you must select supported languages for server and client. Be sure, you can modify server and client languages by running again the setup and select “Site Maintenance” option. Next important step is to specify the Site Code that identifies your SCCM site in your hierarchy. Be careful, the Site Code cannot be changed! Microsoft does not recommend that you use the following names as site codes: AUX CON NUL PRN SMS Several Configuration Manager components use the site code as a folder name, and because these names are reserved names in Windows, folders cannot be created with these names. These names are reserved for all versions of Windows. You can join the primary site to an existing hierarchy, but here I select the second option. Enter the SQL Server name and the instance name. If you don’t change the instance name during SQL installation, then leave blank for default. Next screen: specify the path to the SQL Server data and log files. Now you must specify the server where SMS provider will be installed: Here, I want to install MP and DP role on my primary site server. The management point is the primary point of contact between Configuration Manager clients and the site server. Management points can provide clients with installation prerequisites, client installation files, configuration details, advertisements, and software distribution package source file locations. Additionally, management points receive inventory data, software metering information, and status and state messages from clients. System Center Configuration Manager uses distribution points to store files needed for packages to run on client computers. These distribution points function as distribution centers for the files that a package uses, allowing users to download and run these files, programs, and scripts when a package is advertised. Because of SQL Mixed Mode, the prerequisite check shows me a warning message that you can safely ignore. Click Close once the installation is complete. Launch the SCCM Console If you are not in the latest version, you can update SCCM to the latest version in “Updates and Servicing” section. Conclusion That’s all! Our SCCM environment is up and running. I will explain later how to use SCCM, and how it can save you a lot of time by helping you to manage your devices. Thanks for reading! Related materials: Views All Time Views All Time 2 Views Today Views Today 18 Appreciate how useful this article was to you? 4 out of 5, based on 1 review 4 out of 5, based on 1 review |
File pic: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has apparently dumped his free laptop scheme besides a series of pet projects after his Samajwadi Party's rout in the national election.The state government's Rs 2.75 lakh crore budget presented in the UP Assembly today makes no fresh allocation for the laptop scheme, indicating that the flagship project was being abandoned."Why should I say yes or no to your questions?" the Chief Minister told reporters who sought a clarification. He only said his government's focus would now be on "e-books and e-learning."No fresh provision has been made either for other populist schemes like unemployment allowance and a scholarship for girls known as "Kanya Vidya Dhan".Sources say the Samajwadi Party assesses that these schemes, despite their political promise, did not translate to votes. The party won just five of UP's 80 parliamentary seats in the polls that saw the BJP sweeping the state and coming to power at the Centre.BJP's Shahnawaz Hussain remarked, "The SP government wanted to get votes by showing lollipops. They are now taking revenge on the people by withdrawing the scheme."Pilloried for poor law and order after a spurt in crime, state government has also set aside a staggering Rs 1,24,00 crore for upgrading its police force.Mr Yadav announced that more allocations will be made for rural development and new job schemes, but didn't specify. Rs 23,928 crore has been allocated for power.Since the election drubbing, the Chief Minister has been facing sharp criticism even from within his party and has rejigged his cabinet.The ambitious laptop scheme cost the state government heavily; it owes Rs. 900 crore for the freebies that Mr Yadav promised while campaigning for the 2012 assembly elections. The government distributed almost tens of thousands of laptops at various rallies across the state but some four lakh laptops were left in godowns as the Chief Minister wanted to hand them out personally. Some laptops were badly damaged just lying in storage. |
Climber Tommy Caldwell tells us about this climb, the benefits of thick clouds, his decade-long Yosemite Dawn Wall obsession, and his favorite recovery food. “I think most climbers will drool over this photo,” says top climber Tommy Caldwell, who has made several significant first free ascents in Yosemite, Colorado, and Patagonia. “The rock is unique and perfect. Its gotta be one of the more aesthetic pitches I have climbed.” Dream team Tommy and photographer Mikey Schaefer have been in Switzerland doing what they both do best, as showcased in our current Extreme Photo of the Week. We eagerly await following Tommy’s progress this fall on Yosemite’s Dawn Wall, likely the world’s hardest big-wall free climb and a project he has been working on for a decade. Adventure: What were you thinking at this moment? Tommy Caldwell: Climbing these big routes is about letting the moment carry you. I was doing my best to focus on the climbing but at the same time in awe of the unique nature of the rock and our surroundings. A: Where are you? Why did you want to climb this route? Was it hard to get to? TC: I am at a climbing area called the Wendenstock in Switzerland. This area has some of the best quality multi-pitch climbing I have seen on limestone. There is about a two hour approach on one of the steepest grass slopes I have ever seen. The setting is amazing. The route itself was established by a friend of mine. These water runnels are pretty rare and I have always thought it would be cool to climb on them. A: Are there any good anecdotes from the climb? TC: On the morning that we went to climb this route the clouds were sitting low in the valley. From the car we hiked up out of the clouds and climbed above them for the first half of the day. Around noon the cloud level raised and engulfed us. A: Do clouds like this make climbing harder or easier? In some ways, as someone afraid of heights, I kinda like the idea of not seeing all the exposure. TC: In some ways, climbing in the clouds is comforting. You can no longer see how high off the ground you are. But in other ways it was a bit eerie. On this day the clouds were so thick that your rope would disappear into the clouds below. A: Tell us about this rock wall. It looks very pretty. Is it good for climbing? TC: I think most climbers will drool over this photo. The rock is unique and perfect. Its gotta be one of the more aesthetic pitches I have climbed. A: Do you spend much time climbing in Switzerland? Is his area a hub for climbers? TC: This climb is less that a hour from the Eiger and in one of the more climbing rich regions in Europe. I have been to Switzerland a handful of times, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to climb. A: When will you be headed back to your multiyear project on Yosemite’s Dawn Wall? How are you feeling about it? TC: I plan on returning to the Dawn Wall mid October. Each year I get closer and closer to completing the project. Right now I am feeling optimistic. Having said that, I still feel like many things will have to go right to make it happen. A: What are you most interested in achieving at this point in your climbing career? TC: The Dawn Wall has been a decade-long obsession, and I would love to see it through. Other than that I love travel and share the love of the mountains with people around the world. A: How do you train to do what you do in rock climbing? TC: I travel and climb about eight months a year. That’s pretty great training in itself. When I am home I do a lot of bouldering, gym climbing, and specific strength training in a effort to get stronger for climbing. |
Yesterday, the(ICIJ) released a database of offshore entities created by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, one of the world’s top creators of hard-to-trace secret companies, anonymous trusts and foundations.They include Amadis Compañia Naviera SA, B.B. Naft Trading SA, Pescatlan SA, Acepex Management SA, Seagulls and Seafoods SA, Comercail Mercadu SA, Travelnet LTD, Resimevis Limited, Mavis Group SA, Tecnica Hidraulica SA, Octagon Industrial LTD, Corporacion Panamericana SA and Labiofam SA.Ironically, Labiofam S.A. is one of the Castro regime's pharmaceutical companies from where they market various cancer "miracle drug" scams.Meanwhile, Corporacion Panamericana SA, is a subsidiary of Castro's GECOMEX (Grupo Empresarial del Comercio Exterior), led by Cuba's Minister of Foreign Commerce, Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz.Malmierca Diaz, a senior Cuban intelligence official in charge of foreign trade and investment for the Castro regime, is a favorite of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Cuba Business Council.It features Victor Moro Suarez, head of the Association of Spanish Businessmen in Cuba; Inocente Osvaldo Encarnacion, director of Tabacuba; Alejandro Gutierrez Madrigal, commercial attache of the Cuban Embassy in London; and Wilfredo Leyva Armesto, director of the Institute of Hydraulic Resources.Others named are Rolando Diaz Gonzalez, Orlando Romero Merida, Armando Rosales Fernandez, Paola Perticone, Jeroen J. Van Der Lip, Atilio Enrique Wagner, Antonio Gonzalez Checa, Forconi Ignacio Miguel Raul, Katiuska Penado Moreno, Lorenzo Paciello, Wael Bassatina, Ramon Chavez Gutierrez, Miriam Prieto and Jose Luis Baena Carrion. |
Hello again! First off, I believe I owe everyone an apology. Last week the chapter did not get posted as promised. I should explain: I just became burned out from all the writing I had been doing, so I took the two weeks after as break for me. Unfortunately, no writing got done, and I just needed a little more time. That's all on me, and I'm sorry. Hope this chapter isn't too bad to make a return from. I'll talk more after the chapter; there's some info that you might want to know. Chapter 5: AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE Ruby trudged forward, trying her best to keep up a brave face. "What about these rooms? Have we been here before?" "I think we have," responded Blake warily. "In fact, I hate to break it to you, but I think we've been walking in circles for the last fifteen minutes." Ruby heaved a depressing sigh. "Of course we have…" Blake looked worriedly at her despondent leader. It hurt her to see the most exuberant member of their team so down-and-out, and given their current situation, Ruby wouldn't even be able to have the luxury to mourn the loss of her sister. Not to say that Blake didn't mourn Yang's loss either, but death of her loved ones was not an unfamiliar concept to her. It didn't hurt any less, to be fair, but she had more experience keeping her composure directly afterwards. Her mind did still threaten to attack her body, but unless it stuck anytime soon, she would be able to put on the façade of emotional strength. Criminal… killer… Blake vigorously shook her head. Why was that bothering her? Why was Weiss's verbal abuse the thing that resided in her mind? By all means, it shouldn't; Blake knew she obviously wasn't the killer. … Or was she? "Blake?" The cat faunus blinked and realized that Ruby was giving her a concerned sideways glance. "Y-yeah? What's up?" Ruby walked towards her. "You stopped moving for a few seconds with this really scared look on your face. You okay?" Blake swallowed and realized that her throat was parched. "I'm fine. I just… had a really stupid thought, that's all." Ruby squinted at her dubiously, but nodded. "Alright." As Ruby continued forward, Blake let out a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding until now. She carefully walked after her leader, trying to walk off the shakiness in her bones. Her mind was racing faster than she could keep up with. It was a ridiculous thought, to think that she might have been the killer without even realizing it. It was, by all mean, preposterous. There was absolutely no way – that bullshit didn't happen in real life… did it? If anything, the voracious amount of books that Blake read did not help separating fiction from reality, especially in as dire situation as this. It also occurred to Blake that she could not tell anyone, not now. The one person that she accompanied was already distant as it was, and revealing her worries to Ruby would probably incite a Weiss-like reaction. There was no way. No way in hell could she disclose these accusatory thoughts. And it was terrible. She had no one to assure her that her worries were silly – the one person with whom she'd be comfortable talking to about it was dead, and the current situation did not provide her the luxury to go to anyone else with her doubts. Blake knew it was going to make her lose her mind, and she wasn't sure whether that scared her more than the possibility that she was the killer. "Hey, Blake, look!" Ruby's voice broke through Blake's torrent of thoughts. The cat faunus looked up and saw several doors on either side of the hallway before her, all of which were open. "Looks like some people might have been here," noted Ruby, the determination returning to her eyes. "Have we been here before?" "No. This looks new," murmured Blake. "Good!" Ruby nodded. "Finally, something to work with." Blake nodded. "Sure. I'll take the doors on the left." "Alright," replied Ruby. They separated, and Blake entered the closest room, which happened to be a teacher's office. Of course, with the luck that they had been working with that night, Blake wasn't surprised to find the room completely unremarkable, aside from obvious signs that someone had ruffled through the room and inspected it. Still, that was better than nothing, and the cat faunus took solace in that fact. Blake set down the fire extinguisher and moved towards the central desk in search of any minute details that could possibly identify the person that had been in the room prior to her. "A newspaper, some club fliers, random school paperwork, exam grades… not like those are important anymore…" Blake muttered, setting aside the assortment of papers. Before she had the chance to examine the rest of the items on the desk, her vision suddenly turned to black. "What the –" she yelped, frantically grasping at her face, which felt like a burlap sack. A pressure from behind her kept the sack firmly over her head, and she felt something blunt club her on the right side of her head. Unbearable sharp pain took over Blake before she abruptly lost consciousness. When Ruby reached the third room, she found a sight that chilled her to the very bone. On the far left of the room, Neptune's body lay slumped, looking like a frame out of the Zapruder film. In the middle of the room was Pyrrha's horribly mutilated body, her right hand still gripping tightly to her spear. And kneeling next to her body, with his head down, was Jaune. "YOU." The words dripped out of her mouth like venom, and Ruby aimed Crescent Rose at Jaune's skull without hesitation. "You killed them, you sick fuck…" Jaune barely turned his head at the sound of her voice. "Rubes." "Don't talk to me like we're friends!" cried Ruby, the waterworks beginning to spout, and she cocked her weapon. The blonde didn't as much as flinch at the sound of the gun. "Go ahead. Shoot me. End my miserable life here." "W-wait, what?" Ruby wavered, but she kept Crescent Rose's barrel on Jaune. "What sick game are you trying to play?" Jaune didn't answer her question, but rambled on own instead. "I found her with all these Grimm traps biting deep in through her skin and bones... I couldn't keep her safe, not as a partner, not as a leader. And all I could do was take those terrible things off her. Some useless hunter I am… I didn't even get to tell her that she was more than a friend to me…" Ruby hesitated for a moment, then lowered her weapon. "Jaune… I'm sorry… I was just so angry when I saw the bodies… I wasn't thinking straight…" "It's not your fault… it's all mine." He turned to his friend and opened his arms. "Just kill me, please. I've got nothing left to live for. I can't save anyone else, so why do I deserve to live?" "W-what!? Jaune, no!" Ruby grabbed his arm and roughly lifted him up. "I'm not going to kill you! How insulting to Pyrrha's memory would it be if you just gave up? She would be livid! Now you're coming with me, and we're going to go find that son of a bitch, because we owe it to Neptune, to Sun, to Pyrrha… to Yang…" Jaune's eyes widened. "They got Yang, too!? No…" "Yeah…" Ruby grimaced. "And I'll be damned if I let this piece of shit get away with killing my sister. Jaune, if you truly feel the way for Pyrrha that you say you do, then we need to do this. For their sake." Jaune looked back at Pyrrha's corpse. "Yeah… you're right." He knelt over her and kissed his partner softly on the brow before closing her eyes with his fingers. "I'm sorry Pyrrha." With a sigh, the blonde turned back to Ruby. "Let's go." The first sensation that Blake felt was cold. The kind of cold that would cause you to recoil immediately if you were alert enough. Blake, however, was still barely aware that she was even awake. The second sensation she felt was a dull, throbbing pain that engulfed the right side of her head. She groaned – or would've groaned, if her throat wasn't completely parched. As her cognitive abilities began to kick into functionality, the cat faunus noticed that the feeling of cold only radiated from her left side, and she moved a hand slightly. She almost gasped at how cold the untouched area was. It was biting and bitter, like metal. Groggily, Blake opened her eyes. At first her blurred vision was barely able to recognize more than a few colors, but as her eyes adjusted whatever light was available, she could make out the floor, which was indeed metal. She identified her own hands and clothes, just to be sure. She could see the metal bars protruding from the ground… Wait. What? Blake snapped upright in the blink of an eyes, and immediately regretted it as pain shot up her right side and straight to her head. Grimacing, she waited a moment for the pain to settle, digging her fingers into her own skin until it did. As her attention eased off the pain, she slowly refocused it on the strange bars. They surrounded her in every direction, and if she looked up, the bars reached all the way to the ceiling – Oh. "A cage," Blake muttered. "How racist…" "BLAKE!" "Hello? Blake? Where are you?" Now before we continue, you'd think that with a murderer out on the loose who can hear everything that you do in an otherwise abandoned school, you'd be smart enough to not do something really stupid – like calling out someone's name. Still, as much as we'd hate to admit it, we often do said stupid things in the face of danger. Ruby and Jaune were no exception. "BLAKE? Where are you?" "Man… this is like the time at the docks…" "The docks?" "… Don't worry about it. It's basically how we met Sun." "Oh… right." Ruby acknowledged Jaune's uneasiness and sighed. "Geez. I hope they didn't get Blake, too." "I don't think that they did," frowned Jaune. "Everyone else left behind a body." "Huh…" mused Ruby. "You're right. Color me impressed, Jaune." "I resent that," retorted the blonde quietly. "You don't think… you don't think that… Blake…?" Ruby shoulders slumped. "I thought that I knew it wasn't her. But now that she's just disappeared without even a warning… I don't know anymore… it's someone we know. I… I'm still having a hard time coping with that…" Jaune looked at her worriedly. "Ruby?" "I… I'm fine, Jaune…" Ruby gave him a faint smile. "I just… c'mon, I wanna check out my dorm room. Maybe Blake left to get something from inside." Jaune nodded. "Sounds like a good place to start. You lead, I'll follow." The two leaders made it back to the dorms with surprising ease, having gained a better grasp of the darkened halls after wandering them ad naseum. The dorm room door was previously unlocked, so Ruby instantly knew something was up when the handle of the door refused to budge. "That's weird," she muttered, cautiously reaching for her scroll. "Maybe Blake's in there!" Jaune exclaimed brightly before his mood dropped. "Then again, maybe she's the killer…" The door beeped as it unlocked, and Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose in sniper form. "Okay, Jaune, on three, I want you to open the door." "Can do." "One… two… THREE!" Jaune shoved the door open and Ruby jumped forward, with her weapon cocked and ready. "No one here…" The blonde crouched and peered under the beds. "Yup, not a soul." Assured that the room was, in fact, devoid of any other people, the two began to search the room. Ruby took her and Weiss's side of the room (Jaune noted that she barely gave Yang's belongings a glance), while Jaune examined Yang and Blake's side. "What exactly are we looking for?" inquired Jaune? "Just any sign that Blake might have been in this room, or anything else that looks out of the ordinary." "Uh… okay. I mean, I'm not really familiar with your room…" "Oh c'mon," Ruby chuckled softly. "You've been in here a million times." "Yeah… but I've never been through… well… " Jaune gulped. "… the drawers." "Oh. Uh… just do the best you can… I think?" "Uh… alright." Jaune exhaled. "I've got seven sisters, this shouldn't be too bad…" They searched in silence for a while, with only the sounds of rummaging to remind them that the other was there. After ten minutes, Ruby groaned and sat down in a more comfortable position. "I got nothing… what about you, Jaune?" "Nothing here," murmured the blonde from across the room. "Hey Rubes?" "Yeah?" "Did you ever read this?" A hand shot up from behind Blake's bookshelf, with a copy of "Ninjas of Love" in it. "… Really Jaune?" "Hey, I'm just curious, alright?" Ruby sighed and walked over to Jaune's side. "All I know is that every time I tried to bring it up, Yang and Blake both change the subject, so I feel like it's not something I really need to know about. Wait a minute," Ruby pulled out another book from Blake's collection. "'Blood Rose?' I've never seen this book here before." "What's it about?" Jaune asked. "Honestly, I don't know, and I don't really think it's important right now." Ruby sighed. "C'mon. Let's get out of here. I think I'm gonna lose it if I stay here for another minute." "Gotcha." Ruby made her way out, and as she walked past him, Jaune shrugged and shoved both books in a knapsack before quickly followed after his friend, knapsack in hand. Weiss had never been a fan of running. She had been groomed as an heiress for most of her life, of course, and even her fencing lessons hadn't relied on anything aside from finesse and flexibility. Her glyphs had carried her for the rest of the way. However, she found herself running the most she'd ever run in her life on this particular night. In heels, no less. "There… has to be… a better way…" muttered Weiss under her breath as she slowed to a stop. Her lungs greedily drew in air, and her body bowled over in the effort. After her heart rate returned to a more manageable pace, Weiss steadied herself and took a look around. "Okay… a classroom! Surely there has to be something in here with which I can break a window," said Weiss triumphantly. Without so much more thought, she walked up to the door and opened it. "Huh." Before the heiress stood a myriad of tall, standing mirrors. Weiss hmphed. "This is ridiculous. Why on earth would there be a room full of just mirrors? That's absurd!" The audience of no one gave a resounding agreement. The heiress gave a tired sigh. "Still, I suppose there could be a chair in here. Or something." And blindly, stupidly, like fucking sheep to the slaughter, Weiss walked into the maze of mirrors. Each deliberate step sounded even louder in the room's eerie quiet, and soon every single direction loomed over Weiss with mirrors. As much as she hated to admit it, looking in any direction and seeing herself staring back unnerved her greatly. It was as if she could not escape her own gaze, and the effect was even more disturbing with every mirror reflecting off of each other and providing several different Weisses everywhere she looked. The heiress shivered. "Stay calm, Weiss. They're just mirrors," she whispered to herself, inching forward little by little. Eventually the path cut to a mirror with something scribbled in marker across it. She almost walked past it, but a nagging feeling drew her back. The text seemed drawn rather large and in bright red, as if someone had wanted her to see it. Weiss collected herself, and as calmly as she could, she walked up to the mirror and read the scrawl. I'm the loneliest of all. Weiss blinked. She read the text again. Then again. And again once more. The last time that she did, she made out a looming dark figure in the mirror behind her. That was the last straw for the heiress, and her façade of confidence shattered instantly. She ran. She ran and she ran, and the disorienting mirrors worked their magic against her; when an opening seemed to present itself to Weiss, she would find only more mirrors. Her stamina ran out quickly afterwards, and she could not help but stop to catch her breath. Desperately, she looked up, hoping to see some form of exit or help. What she saw instead was herself, tired, crying, and afraid. She wiped at her face. The tears were in fact real. She continued to watch, as if hypnotized, as a hand holding a broken shard of mirror reached around her neck and pressed the glass painfully against her skin. The glass slid in one, swift motion, and the once pale skin parted in a sea of blood. One ran from themselves and then there were five. You guys knocked this one out of the park. Out of the people who entered a submission, 40% of you picked the right victim, and an overwhelming 66% of you picked the right murder weapon. Color me fucking impressed! On top of that, a third of you picked both the correct victim and weapon! However, we know that there can only be one winner, and that person is... my very own editor himself, Maxaro! Congratulations! I promised something special this week, so not only do you get a free prompt from me to write as your heart desires - you also get an art commission! Be on the lookout for the PM. As if I'm not generous enough, I have decided the final prize for getting the most correct answers. If by the end of the series you are the one with the most correct guesses, you will get a free prompt... and also a steam copy of the whole season of Life is Strange. I've played it a little bit and I am thoroughly enjoying it, so I'd like to give someone the opportunity to experience that game as well! This next victim and weapon are probably the hardest in the entire contest, in my opinion, so be ready for that! To refresh on the rules, check the Notice 2 in the chapters. To refresh on the riddle, participants, and weapons, check the Riddle in the chapters. To take up the next survey, click the link on my profile! Good luck and hopefully I'll have the next chapter out on time! |
Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Before starting this post (which won’t interest most people) let me just reiterate that the big question going forward is whether Trump will govern as a populist or a GOP supply-sider. The markets clearly expect the latter–they think he conned the blue-collar workers to get their votes. Since I’ve been wrong about Trump before, I won’t offer an opinion—just wait and see. Perhaps the funniest and most clueless headline I saw today is that markets are rising because they expect “infrastructure”. Will Keynesians ever give up? Like infrastructure is going to drive biotech 10% higher in 2 days. And that’s not even accounting for monetary offset. The “Wisconsin Idea” is a progressive strand of politics that is usually attributed to immigrants from Germany and Scandinavia. Wisconsin was deeply involved in the progressive movement of the early 20th century (La Follette, etc.), and pioneered legislation like unemployment insurance. We abolished the death penalty 100 years before less civilized places like Britain and France. But in recent years the Wisconsin idea has been fading, and now I think it’s effectively gone. This election was the final nail in the coffin. The story can be told in maps. Four years ago I did a post on the “Driftless Area”, where Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota all meet up. It was the one white, rural agricultural area of the country that stayed blue, as other rural regions went for Romney: Brian Donohue sent me a map showing counties that switched from blue to red in this election: You can see that the Driftless Area stands out as moving to the GOP, delivering states like Iowa and Wisconsin to Trump. BTW, don’t be fooled by the other blue rural areas on the first map, they are generally special cases, reflecting Indian reservations in the southwest, Hispanic areas on the Texas/Mexico border, the black belt along the ancient SE coastline of America, and the mining belt of northern Minnesota, etc. The transformation of the GOP into the rural party and the Dems into the urban party is now almost complete. The suburbs are split, with suburbs in the more highly educated areas trending blue, and working class suburbs moving red. Thomas Frank should write a book “What’s the Matter with White America”, as both the rich and poor (white) regions seem to be voting against their interests. (I’m not convinced by that hypothesis, I’m just saying that if you believe it, it applies to far more than Kansas.) FYI, here is a map of the Driftless Area: Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Tags: This entry was posted on November 10th, 2016 and is filed under Social trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or Trackback from your own site. |
While updating the Monster Boss Modifiers article in the wiki this morning, chiefly with the new info from the BradyGuide preview (the page is still a WiP), I was reviewing the screenshots and Beta videos of various bosses and enjoying the show. All of them were seen in our forums during the beta, but I’m pretty sure I never posted any videos of Wallers or Jailers on the main page. This means that those of you who weren’t in the beta, or never got “Beyond the Cemetery Gate,” or didn’t endlessly run the Den of the Fallen, the second level of which was the only place to find such monsters during the last couple of months of the beta — probably never saw them. To remedy that shotcoming, here are a couple of very cool videos showing off how Wallers play. It’s one of the more interesting properties, since it varies between Champions and Bosses. Champs can only create short and straight walls (at least on Normal), while Bosses can corral you in three-sided rectangles that force you to run back to them if you wish to escape. Imagine that with Vortex, Nightmarish, and Frozen on Inferno? Your only real choice would be to restart at the last checkpoint, or leave the game entirely. Besides locking you in, Walls will also block projectiles, and ranged attackers who aren’t blocked in can be frustrated by their inability to shoot the Boss or Champion that’s casting the walls in the first place. One of them drove my Demon Hunter crazy in the Fields of Misery during the beta, and they’ll no doubt repeat that trick many times in the final game. Here’s the video of a Boss with Waller, building house foundations to lock players in. (The titles on the videos themselves are reversed.) Click through for a video of Champions with this modifier, making short, straight walls. Both vides are courtesy of z00t. |
Five up, five down! Congrats are in order to BackWordz as their "Statism" video featuring Escape the Fate 's Craig Mabbitt just completed a five-week run at No. 1, which makes it eligible to be retired to the Battle Royale Hall of Fame. Determined not to be denied, "Statism" fought off strong weeks from James Durbin 's "Smackdown," Mudface 's "Hellfoot" and DevilDriver 's "Daybreak" which placed a close second, third and fourth. Mudface, after spending 15 weeks on the countdown, will also be retiring from the Battle Royale. Elsewhere on the countdown, The Virginmarys had the big debut this week, as "Motherless Land" arrived at No. 5, while Stitched Up Heart 's "Monster" just missed the Top 10 by a few votes. It should also be noted that as the longest tenured video remaining, Vajra 's "3.14 (Water Mix)," which took the No. 9 spot, will also get one final week of voting before being retired. See the full Battle Royale Top 10 below. What will next week's Battle Royale look like? With two retiring videos, it's time for a shakeup. New clips from A Day to Remember ("Bad Vibrations"), Blessthefall ("Oathbreaker"), Cane Hill ("True Love"), I See Stars ("Break") and Unlocking the Truth ("Monster") enter the voting. You can see those videos, along with every eligible clip, by clicking on the links in the poll at the bottom of this post. You can vote once per hour through the deadline of Friday, June 10 at 11AM ET, so make sure to rally to ensure your favorite clip makes the Top 10 or even better lands the new No. 1 spot. |
Gawker’s recently exposed “mole” inside Fox News on Sunday explained why he dished about the company he “couldn’t stand” to work for anymore.In an interview with Howard Kurtz on CNN’s Reliable Sources, Joe Muto — who, until he was discovered as the Fox News “mole,” was an associate producer at Fox — said his blog posts were a “primal scream from a longtime Fox employee who just couldn’t take it anymore. I could not take it one more day in that place.” Well, he got his wish. Late last week, Fox News fired Muto and threatened legal action against him and Gawker, accusing both of “civil and criminal wrongdoing.” Muto’s digital trail ultimately did him in. “I think their legal accusations are completely baseless and they’re trying to intimidate me into silence because I’m revealing unflattering information about the inner workings of the company,” Muto said. Gawker reportedly paid Muto $5,000 for his inside information. Muto declined to comment on the money involved. After eight mostly unhappy years at the network, why not just quit and avoid the potential legal tangle? “I tried to leave many, many times,” Muto said. “I sent out dozens and dozens of resumes. CNN must have gotten 20 resumes from me. The truth of the matter was I was blackballed within the industry. Hiring managers see Fox News on your resume, and they say, ‘This guy’s a conservative, this guy’s a nut.’ I was completely blackballed in the cable news industry.” All that being said, Muto still has colleagues at the network he respects. “I’m not a disgruntled employee. I enjoyed a lot of my time at Fox News.” Muto said he doesn’t know what’s next for him. The media chatter has speculated a book deal, but Muto said that wasn’t part of the plan going into it. But he probably won’t be showing up on CNN or MSNBC anytime soon. “I think it’s pretty safe to say my career in cable news is over,” Muto said. Watch the interview: |
Michelle McNamara, the writer and founder of website True Crime Diary who was married to actor Patton Oswalt, has died at the age of 46. PHOTOS: Celebrity Deaths in 2016: Stars We’ve Lost The actor’s rep told the Associated Press that McNamara died in her sleep on Thursday, April 21. No cause of death was given. The Veep actor married McNamara in 2005, and together they have a 7-year-old daughter named Alice. PHOTOS: Stars Gone Too Soon McNamara, who always had an interest in true crime, told Suicide Girls in 2007 that she started her website — which explores cold murder cases — after Oswalt gave her the idea. “I wanted to get more involved in the cases than fueling my own curiosity.” And the crimes that caught the University of Notre Dame grad’s attention weren’t the ones making national headlines. "It's the ones that really don't get that much attention that interest me because I think what's interesting about them is there's more stuff to be unearthed that hasn't been in the public yet and you can do it,” McNamara explained in the interview. Celebrity Health Scares Oswalt has yet to publicly address her death. The comedian last tweeted about Prince’s death, which also happened on April 21. Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics, and more delivered straight to your inbox! |
In the late ’90s, Sparks started out with his own dreams of being a solo rap star. But, as a white man from Boston in a time when New York “was the quintessential hip-hop mecca,” he hit a wall: “The automatic response was: ‘If you’re white, we don’t fuck with you. If you’re from Boston, we don’t fuck with you.’ You were automatically Vanilla Ice.” So he moved into radio, where he observed the patterns of glad-handing and favor-trading firsthand. He studied the promo-run patterns of labels sending artists on interview circuits and got gigs hosting radio shows as a DJ in Boston, Connecticut, New York, and Baltimore. Then he did one of the most crucial things a wannabe industry heavyweight can do: He lied about his importance. “I knew how far behind the industry was on the internet, so I fooled everyone by saying I have a super-cracking radio show online, because I knew they would never look,” he says, laughing. “That’s how I got Eminem, Common, Kweli, Wu-Tang: Whenever artists did promo runs in Boston, I would have them come to my mom’s house, which was basically where I did my shows in Boston.” Those radio shows offered him plenty of chances to collect material—freestyles from rappers, exclusives, performances—that he put into tapes. In 2004, Sparks cofounded the site MixUnit, an online hub for mixtapes that took a formula established by early sites like Tape Kingz and refined it, selling shirts, hats, and DVDs along with the cheaply burned CD-R mixtapes. “We weren’t the first to do it, but we did it bigger than everyone else,” says Sparks. He claims that MixUnit forced an early competitor to close down their own mixtape shop—and launch the now-booming video site WorldStarHipHop instead. He also had some ambitious ideas about what a mixtape could be. “From the beginning, my mixtapes were always way different than everyone else’s,” he says. He would take verses recorded at his house and pair them with new beats, or remix songs altogether. “Me, DJ Green Lantern, and G-Unit simultaneously invented [the idea of] one artist rapping over a bunch of different beats. Prior to that it was just compilations,” says Sparks. “We would go to artists that were coming up and say, ‘Yo, why don’t we just do a whole mixtape?’ They’d be like, ‘I don't understand. What does that mean?’ So I'd say, ‘We’ll just fuckin’ jack all your favorite beats and only you will rap on them.’” At that point, Malice and Pusha T of the Clipse were deep into a now-fabled label purgatory. They found themselves cogs in a machine with no awareness of their existence, and flailed helplessly trying to procure a release date for the follow-up to their hit 2002 debut album, Lord Willin’. “I never did a mixtape before, nor was I welcomed in the mixtape world at that time,” Pusha tells me. “I was from Virginia, and the mixtape scene was all New York. I couldn’t get on a mixtape for the life of me.” So he called up Clinton Sparks, the upstart kid with a famous show in his mom’s basement and the co-owner of the world’s biggest mixtape site, and pitched him a series directly. The two had a connection through the Philly rapper Ab-Liva of the group Major Figgaz, who had met Clinton in his basement days and was currently working with the Clipse on new material. Sparks and Pusha talked over the shape of the project: It was meant to be an echo of classic New York mixtapes, the kind of all-killer mix that DJ Clue and Doo Wop were known for in the ’90s. Except instead of featuring verses from dozens of rappers, it would be the four of them: Pusha, Mal, Ab-Liva, and another Philly local named Sandman. They would call themselves the Re-Up Gang, a reference to the drug deals that inspired their material as well as a hopeful nod to what the tapes might do for their stymied contract. We Got It 4 Cheap Vol. 1 came out in January 2005, with the crew freestyling over cuts by the LOX, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, and more, addressing their industry woes along the way. The crew’s chemistry was palpable, but the release sounded wobbly, suffering from some dead air and questionable beat choices. Still, the energy was there. “Pusha was totally in charge of the first one,” Sparks says. He remembers the tape’s cover—a neck-down shot of a woman cutting coke on a table—being a point of contention. “When they gave me that cover I was like, ‘This is not it, bro. You shouldn’t use this.’ He was like, ‘Nah, why?’ I was like, ‘Trust me, bro. Let me do the marketing and all that stuff.’ He was like, ‘No, we wanna go with this.’ That first cover was pretty cheesy.” Vol. 1 arrived to muted acclaim. Pusha, unsatisfied, immediately wanted to do it again. “I was like, ‘Dude, you have to let me be in charge this time,’” says Sparks. The DJ came up with the concept—a cover literally coated in white powder, an object so dusted in sin and avarice that you would check your fingers for residue when you held the slim jewel case. The project was sequenced more tightly as well. “We were taking Wu-Tang beats and shit, because who the fuck is not gonna be down with that?” says Sparks. “All that’s played out now, but at that time it was like, ‘Oh shit! They took that!’” The We Got It 4 Cheap mixtapes were recorded in a place of unimaginable luxury—Pharrell’s mansion in Virginia. In an ironic echo of their label situation, Clipse and company found themselves there alone, surrounded by the dynastic wealth of their benefactor and sole lifeline to the major-label machine. “That was basically the compound,” says Ab-Liva. “We’re all staying in a super dope mansion on the water, all the cars there, the Ferraris, Rolls Royces.” Sleeping in the guest rooms, the four strategized every day over the tape’s sequencing, picking beats and writing together in the same room. Liva came from Philly, a scene with a much richer mixtape tradition than Virginia’s. “I was used to mixtapes,” he says. “I’ve been freestyling my whole life. But that was the first time I ever tried to make a mixtape sound like an album.” The results blew up in a way none of them could have predicted. We Got It 4 Cheap Vol. 2, released in May 2005, lit up rap blogs, which were running at full capacity at the time, connecting hardcore fans from every market instantly. It scored them coverage from traditionally non-rap publications (like this one), bringing in a whole new audience. The Clipse hadn’t performed live in front of a crowd for three years, but the buzz from the tapes landed them gigs in New York—a market that hadn’t shown much interest in them since their hit single “Grindin’” put them on the map four years earlier. A 2006 show at the indie club Knitting Factory (capacity: 400) showed the rappers that they’d used the internet to step through a demographic keyhole, as they watched white, downtown twentysomethings chant every single one of their coke-kingpin punchlines back to them. It unnerved Pusha at the time. “Vol. 2 was picked up in the blog world, and I remember having issues,” he explains. “I’d be saying, ‘Damn, this isn’t the avenue that I necessarily want it to be heard in—I can’t go buy it from the mixtape guy in the hood.’ ‘Grindin’’ was such a drug dealer hood anthem, and that's where I was seeing all the energy from. With Clinton’s tapes, we would have an energy, but it was one that I couldn’t feel out in the street. That was weird to me; I couldn’t feel it.” With Clipse and the Re-Up Gang, Sparks found the ideal vehicles for his mixtape-as-album vision: These were deep-craft scholars, the sorts of rappers whose abstract love of the form—its tone, its feel, its particulars—rivaled that of any devoted online fan. They were quotable-collectors, bar counters, competitors—writers. “I’m so literary with it, you can tell how I write/The boy’s such an author, I should smoke a pipe,” deadpanned Malice on a Vol. 2 rampage over Juelz Santana’s “Mic Check” beat. With Sparks mixing and sequencing, they made the kind of long-player that could be fussed over lovingly. For the type of mixtape it represented—one DJ, one artist or group, beats pulled from everywhere—it was a high-water mark. “I love the We Got It 4 Cheap projects,” Pusha says now. “You can hear the passion in those raps. We were fighting for our lives, and I feel like that set us apart.” |
Inspired by Kitchenette’s delightful bacon snickerdoodles, I solicited the help of the Joy of Cooking for a basic snickerdoodle recipe and tweaked it a bit to accommodate the addition of tasty, salty bacon. Bacon Snickerdoodles Recipe Recipe adapted from Irma Rombauer’s the Joy of Cooking For the dough, makes eighteen 3-inch cookies 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp cream of tartar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg For the cinnamon-sugar coating 1/8 cup sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon And of course, don’t forget the bacon. A few strips will do. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix thoroughly the dry ingredients: flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a small bowl until well blended. Using a wooden spoon, mix thoroughly the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until it becomes a well blended paste. Add the egg and mix until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture. Stir it in incrementally so you won’t have flour all over the place. Mix thoroughly and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the coating. Slice the bacon strips widthwise into 1/2-inch wide slices. Shape the dough into 1-1/4-inch balls. It’s a bit sticky so I ended up scooping the dough with a spoon instead of shaping it by hand. Roll them in the cinnamon-sugar coating, and arrange about 2-3/4 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Place the bacon slices on top of each ball, right in the middle. Gently press down the bacon. This will flatten the dough a bit, but just a tiny bit. Doing this makes sure that the bacon stays in the middle of the cookie as it bakes. The first time I tried baking these cookies, I just laid the bacon strips on top of the dough without pressing it down gently. The bacon did not stay in the center and it flowed toward the edge of the cookie as it baked. Bake one sheet at a time, until the cookies are light golden brown at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies stand briefly then place them on racks to cool. |
A 58-year-old man has been charged with impaired driving after police found him going the wrong way on the Red Hill Valley Parkway. The man was driving around 3:30 a.m. Saturday and a police officer noticed him going onto an entrance ramp in the wrong direction. That officer followed him, also going the wrong way, and another officer drove over the median to help corral him off to the side of the road, said Staff Sgt. John Canaris. As the vehicles were stopping there was "minor contact" between the driver's car and a police cruiser. It was a challenging maneuver because he was "really drunk" and not able to navigate his vehicle, Canaris alleged. He said the man was driving that way for about 2 km. Police said the man was found to have more than the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream. |
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck at the 2014 Kingdom Day parade in Los Angeles. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Image) This story was published in partnership with The Crime Report. Now in his seventh year in office, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Charlie Beck has both built and expanded on the reforms initiated by his predecessor and mentor William J. Bratton, who was LAPD chief from 2002–2009. In the process, Beck has become something of a rising star in the reformist wing of American policing—in large part due to his innovative community policing work. Last October, he went to the White House with 130 other top law enforcement leaders to meet with President Barack Obama. The topic was the future of criminal justice reform, and Beck was chosen to speak with the president on the group's behalf. But Beck has also come under attack in Los Angeles for, among other things, his handling of controversial officer-involved shootings—which almost doubled in the city in 2015—prompting the local branch of Black Lives Matter to call for his resignation. In dealing with the media, Beck has been deliberate in not making the LAPD about himself—a rare occurrence in a department ruled for more than 40 years by thin-skinned chiefs. As a result, there have been few in-depth interviews with him. In late January 2016, Joe Domanick interviewed Beck for over two hours. Their free-wheeling discussion covered a host of issues facing him and police executives nationwide, post-Ferguson. Below is an abridged and edited version of the interview. Joe Domanick: You use the term "community efficacy" when talking about community policing. What do you mean by that? LAPD Chief Charlie Beck: We have to recognize what a strong factor the police [can be] in building communities. It's a huge responsibility to go into a community that has extreme issues with crime, lack of connection and cohesiveness, to [help solve those problems] and then give the people back their neighborhoods. I can flood any neighborhood with police officers and make it safe overnight. But what I want—and what I believe police can do—is build community [residents'] belief that they are in charge of their own destiny, and can make a difference in how and where they live. I believe that is the next revolution of policing. How do you do that? Our bureau chiefs, area captains, and senior lead officers are all involved – that's about 300 people. They are responsible for [everything from] crime to issues like abandoned couches—for everything in one piece of turf 24/7. And our area captains, through community policing, have total authority to affect quality of life and the way people feel about safety in their commands. I'm proudest of our community safety partnerships in our housing developments, where officers are assigned not to make arrests but to build community. We pioneered that, and it's spreading throughout the city. Officers make a five-year commitment to stay there to make a difference in quality of life. And they are not judged on arrest numbers. They are judged on public safety overall, and on community cohesiveness. We are going to start doing community surveys—not only city-wide, but community surveys in the various divisions, so we can compare and contrast and measure progress. So [evaluation won't just be based] on crime numbers, but on how people feel about us and public safety. Are there any changes, or any training you've been doing, to try to keep to the bare minimum officer-involved shootings and other police abuses? The organization has changed its philosophy dramatically—its internal philosophy, not just its external stated philosophy. This past summer, we put our entire operations force [about 86 percent of the LAPD] through 10 hours of preservation-of-life training. The focus was to reinforce the necessity to preserve human life as our primary objective. We are following that up now with many hours of scenario-based training, about 32 for the entire force. We did the philosophy, and we are now doing the application. We now select people for success within the structure that we have created. I've been the chief almost seven years now, and Bratton was the chief for seven years before me. Literally, we have got two generations of cops. The vast majority of patrol cops were hired by me, [most of the rest by] Bratton. And [this structure is] all they have ever known. How has the police academy training changed in terms of your desires for community policing. As you know, Bratton gave a lot of officers, including yourself, kind of carte blanche to start to think about these things. We have changed the training in the last couple of years to be more all-inclusive. We don't silo our topics. We include de-escalation of force training and communications skills and everything that they do. I have a civilian employee with a doctorate in education that runs my academy. She is absolutely focused on making sure that we do as inclusive a job as we can with our recruits. We've also begun to bring the academy classes later in their careers—at their one, two-and-a-half and five-year points [of service] for more in-service training on the exact topics we've been talking about. We believe that is the most effective way for them to learn, because they already are in the same learning group, with shared interests and experiences. They already have a pecking order, and their social group is already done. In any kind of training, all those things have to get resolved before any learning occurs. So we are bringing them back and their academy cohorts for training on this exact topic. That is called the LAPD University. We are totally redoing the way that we look at in-service training, in order to apply the right kinds of lessons at the right time in their careers. One of raps against you from some within the LAPD is that your discipline is inconsistent. Do they have a point? Sometimes folks forget discipline is not solely based on the act. There are termination offenses no matter what kind of record you have. But discipline is certainly influenced by an officer's history. A person who makes a mistake over and over is going to receive much harsher discipline than somebody who makes it for the first time. What do you mean when you talk about a "mistake of the heart" and a "mistake of the head"? A mistake of the heart is malignant. Doing something with evil intent is very different than doing something because you made a poor decision with good intentions. A mistake of the heart is planting dope on somebody. A mistake of the head is miscounting narcotics when you book it and [us] finding out that [that the total is wrong.] Mistakes of the heart, I can't tolerate. Through training and reinforcement, a lot of the mistakes of the head can be rectified so they won't reoccur. Aren't there are some "mistakes of the head" that need to be strongly disciplined as an example to other officers? I do fire people for mistakes of the head. Drinking and driving is a mistake of the head. It is not because you have a malignant heart. I fire people for that to set an example. Not the first time but certainly the second time. In 2015, there were a number of LAPD shootings of the kind where you sit up on your TV couch and say, "Wow! I can't believe they just shot that guy." Recently, you've sent to the DA the case of the fatal LAPD shooting of Brandon Glenn [a young, unarmed black man who was shot in the back in Venice, Ca.] with a recommendation to prosecute the officer. How does that differ from some of the other controversial LAPD officer-involved shootings? Is it a rare occurrence in this or any city for an officer to get referred for an indictment in a shooting incident? First of all, I have done this many times in other instances. I have [recommended] prosecuting police officers for murder and everything below that, as [an Internal Affairs] detective, and as chief, I've aggressively prosecuted police officers. Usually, that's not for actions conducted while on duty, (but) sometimes it is. Recently, we had a case prosecuted where an officer kicked somebody unnecessarily. That was captured on video. It didn't result in a death. I don't shy from that. I don't like prosecuting cops but that doesn't stop me from doing it. Nevertheless, the LAPD has a high rate of officer-involved shootings, compared to other police agencies. We make many, many contacts, and have maybe the most gang violence. There are consequences to that. When you have the most interactions and the most radio calls and the most arrests, you are going to have the most opportunities for [officer-involved] shootings. You can't compare us to an agency half our size and say, "Why do you have more shootings?" Of course we have more shootings. We have more of everything. Then the other piece is we have a geographic or demographic that is more violent than others. Police are going to come in contact with that violence. And you are going to have an increase in police use of force. Why do officer-involved shootings take so long to adjudicate? One just took 13 months. Your critics say you're just taking your time until public outrage has settled and the incident is off everybody's mind. Should we adjudicate it before the autopsy is done? Autopsies take three to four months. Should we adjudicate them before all the witnesses' statements and everything else is done? We do homicide level investigations on every one of these [officer involved shootings]. Then after the investigations, the [LAPD] inspector general looks at them, [the department's] use-of-force board and the chief of police look at them, and then the police commission has to rule on them. And all of that takes time. They have to review 48 shootings [in 2015] and multiple other uses of force. Which part of this scenario do I skip? It was designed by the [1991 Warren] Christopher Commission and the [US Justice Department's] consent decree, in response to what people saw as a department that was [out of] control. And we follow it scrupulously. Does the Los Angeles DA ever investigate LAPD officers without the recommendation of the department first? We present every officer-involved shooting to the DA for review. Every one of them. Others don't do that. No matter how good they are. They all go to the DA for review. And the DA responds as a roll out tape that goes to every officer involved shooting scene at the time it occurs and has for years. Before, if the LAPD didn't send it over to the DA's office, there wasn't any investigation. It's not that way anymore? No. We send every one of them over there, and they are invited—we have DAs assigned to each one of the investigations. So if the DA wanted to, she could initiate—after you send it over—her own investigation and indict, even though the department is not asking for the indictment? Absolutely. If I were a police chief, I would talk about violence among poor African-American young men every day, and why nothing is being done except more repression and mass incarceration, in terms of long-term investment to remedy the situation. You're absolutely correct. A small minority of the population commit—and are victims of—the vast majority of crime. Much of that is tied to circumstances of birth and race and many other things. [We're] about changing that dynamic. It's the hardest thing to do in policing. But if you create a sense of social efficacy and a belief that a community is in charge of its own destiny, you can reduce violence and crime. I always struggle with how hard I am going to lean on the fact that 42 percent of our homicide victims are African Americans, [whose population is less than 9 percent of Los Angeles]; and 40 percent of the suspects arrested for homicide were African American. [But] just railing on why nobody will fix the problems in [our] poor communities—I don't know how much that will get me. I think everybody understands [the causes]. But people don't understand that. It's been hard for many, many white people to grasp. Well, it's very true [about the circumstances]. We have to have the conversation about what is killing our youth—because that is what this is—our youth. We all have to recognize that some of our communities are much more prone to violence than others. And we've got to find a way to fix that. But everybody [in a department] has to pull together. And [even then] everything we do can be unwound by one Neanderthal [cop] that treats people badly in the wrong situation. Well, I have come to understand that you've had to bring the troops along. And police unions are a powerfully resistant political force. Of course. That's why I get frustrated with my union when it goes hard right on some of these issues. I need the members to believe in [what we're trying to do], because that's how we'll get better, and maybe we'll become an example for America. Maybe. Is your department still doing roughly the same [high] number of stop and frisks? Well, I hate that term, of course. Our detentions are reduced, and our overall arrests have been part of a continuing decline. A lot of that is due to a de-emphasis through the courts and through law and even internally toward narcotics arrests and some other lower-level types of arrests that have caused those numbers to go down. Our stops have declined on a similar level, but we still make a lot of stops. There are still multiple hundreds of thousands of year. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck—who is wearing a body camera—at a press conference about the rollout of the agency's body camera program in September 2015.(Photo by Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) In our previous discussion for this interview, you were talking about how "explanation" in policing-stops goes a long way toward easing the tension during a stop. Your ability to articulate why you stopped somebody has a lot to do with how people feel about it. One of the great things about the body cameras and the in-car video is that supervisors are able to review that [interaction] period, and see how effective their officers are at it, and make adjustments. One of the reasons that we look at biased policing complaints so exhaustively is because I think that many of them are an exact symptom of this—of a lack of explanation. What do you want to get done during the remaining three years of your term? I want to get back on track with crime, be the model in building community trust, and get people to have faith in this police department to the extent that the national conversation [about how police abuse] may have damaged it. In terms of building community trust, how far along do you think the department currently is? I believe our police officers generally make excellent decisions on stopping the right people in the right circumstance. Do I put inexperienced people out there? Do I fish with a net? No. We try to be as targeted as possible. Fishing with a net is a very bad way to police. You may catch a lot of fish, but you certainly don't get the right kind. How difficult was it for you to pull all the interested parties together and come up with your plan? It was difficult. Nobody is completely is satisfied with this. Nobody. The ACLU, the Police Protective League [the LAPD union], the city council, and I are all not completely satisfied. But it's a workable compromise that allows police accountability and officer's confidence in a tool that is being used to not only monitor them but also support their work. You've got a balance—I can make a system that's pure monitoring of officers, or a system that's pure prosecution, but we want something that [the officers] will use; that allows for accountability; and will improve behavior on both sides of the camera and change the way cops perceive their jobs. All of us are guilty of not being our best at all times. Cameras increase the likelihood that everybody will perform to their optimum capability. Two issues with the plan: The public doesn't get to see the videos of these controversial shootings, and the officers are allowed to view the video before they make their statement. These seem very problematic. Representatives of the public are allowed to see the videos. The police commission, the district attorney, the city attorney, and the [LAPD] inspector general all have full access to these videos. A video is a form of evidence, like a written statement, an oral recording, a photograph, or an autopsy. To release it out of context doesn't do justice to the investigation. These are raw videos, capturing a knot hole of an incident and not the totality of the circumstances. What we are looking for is not absolute transparency. It's accountability. As for an officer being allowed to view the video before making a statement, shouldn't an officer when transcribing his report be able to review it, so that [he or she] can make the most accurate statement based on a report he created? Or critics might suggest officers can make a statement that's most favorable to them when based on the video. The evidence [the video] is what the evidence is. You can't change it by your statement. If you have acted inappropriately or improperly, the evidence in the video will generally show that. We're trying to create a tool that officers will use and embrace and adds a level of accountability. So there are compromises made. The addition of video is no different than the many other pieces of evidence that officers are allowed to view before making their statements. We do a walk-through so they can see the scene [of the incident]. Being involved in a shooting is very traumatic. We are trying to get their best recollection. If the investigators decide that is not the best way to do it than we don't. In the Venice shooting (of Brandon Glenn), the officer involved hasn't seen that tape, because I thought it was a criminal act [when I viewed it.] Let's talk about the huge homeless problem in the city of Los Angeles, and how it's essentially been left to the LAPD to deal with for decades. The best thing about this year is that finally other people are [also] taking responsibility for it. [Mayor] Eric Garcetti has done a phenomenal job of bringing people together. [LA's] government is so decentralized and power is so dispersed that it's very difficult to get things done without building a consensus. But he's brought [Los Angeles] County [toward reform] along, and the county [controls] all the mental health services and the majority of the money for housing and other services. We've been locked in a spiral going the wrong way on this. We had to claim a 14 percent increase in the [number] of homeless living on the street last year. Visually, it looks like double that, and that's a huge crime issue for us. I mean, our number one division in crime increase this year was Central [Division, in Downtown LA, including Skid Row]. And damn near all of that is homeless on homeless crime. So what's the new plan? Creating more homeless housing and incentives for people to want to live in that housing. We have vacant beds every night [in Skid-Row facilities]. So people need to be willing to go to [homeless housing]. And the department [has been developing] mental health teams—"smart teams" of a mental health provider and a police officer that respond to not only calls about the mentally ill but also do case work on the homeless and mentally ill. How many officers are working on that? I am adding 32, and I had 40. That's a big commitment. And the Department of Mental Health has agreed to add 30 more [of its personnel]. We are going to be handling almost 70 percent of our mental health calls with those teams. We can fix this problem with enough energy, commitment, and funding. It's not fixed now, but things are lining up and maybe we can make some progress. LA has a long history of combative LAPD chiefs like Ed Davis, Daryl Gates, and Bernard Parks who warred with the media and other critics, and made the LAPD all about themselves. Even Bill Bratton, who courted the press and public, made the department about "Bill Bratton the Reformer." You, on the other hand, have kept a remarkably low profile. Why? The chief of police should not be everybody's focus of interest. My ideal scenario is having a police department that [the public] believes in more than it believes in the chief. I have got a finite time [in office], a goodbye date. I have to create an organization that will continue [to get better]. We made huge progress in Bratton's administration and hopefully in mine; I want that to [pass that on] to the next chief. A version of this story was originally published in the The Crime Report. Joe Domanick is West Coast bureau chief of the Crime Report, and associate director of the Center on Media, Crime, and Justice at John Jay College in NYC. He is the author of Blue: The Los Angeles Police Department and the Battle to Redeem American Policing. |
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It could be another weekend traffic nightmare on the Parkway West. According to PennDOT, there will be an outbound closure this weekend between the Fort Pitt Bridge and the Interstate 79 interchange. The outbound side of the Fort Pitt Tunnel will be closed this time, as well. The closure begins tonight at 9 p.m. and continues through 2 p.m. Sunday, that’s weather-permitting. Crews will be continuing paving and reconstruction projects on the Parkway West; and in the Fort Pitt Tunnel, crews will be doing repair work. In addition, single-lane restrictions will occur nightly on the inbound side of the Parkway West through the weekend. PennDOT has posted this westbound detour (between the Fort Pitt Bridge and I-79): Outbound (westbound) • From the Fort Pitt Bridge, take Exit 69C to East Carson Street (Route 837) • Continue straight towards the Route 60/Crafton Exit • Follow signs towards northbound Route 19/60 to East I-376 Crafton/Downtown • Take left ramp towards Downtown/Crafton • Continue right towards the Route 60/Crafton Exit • Turn left onto Wabash Street • Wabash Street becomes Greentree Road • From Greentree Road, turn right onto Mansfield Avenue (Route 3062) • Turn left onto Noblestown Road (Route 50) • Noblestown Road becomes East Main Street • Turn right onto Jane Street • Jane Street becomes Mansfield Boulevard • Mansfield Boulevard becomes West Main Street • Follow West Main Street to I-79 • Take the ramp to northbound I-79 • Follow northbound I-79 to I-376 • End detour PennDOT says drivers traveling in that area should expect significant delays and find another way around it if they can. Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter |
About this mod One man's trash is another man's trash. Requirements DLC requirements DLC name Far Harbor Permissions and credits Author's instructions File credits This author has not credited anyone else in this file Donation Points system This mod is not opted-in to receive Donation Points I have had super little free time, so I'm gonna be quick with this. This mod adds a custom weapon based off the Pipe Rifle from Fallout 2. It is supposed to be a good early game weapon but its limited by its lack of mods and single shot. It can be found on raiders or on some poor idiot on the billboard by vault 111. I dont make patches so dont ask. Check out my mods or i'm gonna appear in your house in 2 years. |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Horizontal axis shows months. Vertical axis shows the ratio of that month’s nonfarm payrolls to the nonfarm payrolls at the start of recession. Note: Because employment is a lagging indicator, the dates for these employment trends are not exactly synchronized with National Bureau of Economic Research’s official business cycle dates The economy lost 36,000 jobs in February, not quite as bad as most forecasters had expected. The consensus forecast on Thursday had been for a net loss of 68,000 jobs, largely because of the snowstorms that battered the East Coast in February. The chart above shows job losses in this recession compared to other recent ones; the blue line represents the current downturn. Since the recession began in December 2007, the economy has had a net loss of about 6.1 percent of its nonfarm payroll jobs. Many economists have concluded that the recession technically ended last summer even though the job market has not picked up since then. The unemployment rate (measured by a different government survey, and based on the number of people without jobs but looking for work) held steady at 9.7 percent. |
Walt Disney Co. has received a lot of negative reaction to its plan to overhaul the popular Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction at California Adventure Park, remaking it to feature Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” heroes. Disney on Monday released new images of the proposed attraction, hoping pictures of a scale model of the new ride, dubbed Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout, will win over fans. Tower of Terror, an elevator-drop ride that has drawn a strong following, is scheduled to close in January and reopen as a Marvel superhero attraction in the summer. Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment and its characters for $4 billion in 2009. A first look at the "Guardians of the Galaxy" attraction at Disney California Adventure. A first look at the "Guardians of the Galaxy" attraction at Disney California Adventure. SEE MORE VIDEOS The new attraction will resemble a futuristic power plant, said Joe Rohde, portfolio creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering. The building, the back story goes, is the fortress of a Marvel character named the Collector, who stockpiles living beings from around the universe. “It really has a lot different design elements that all come together and create what’s really a very striking building,” John Mauro, executive director of Walt Disney Imagineering, said in a video released Monday. “It’s going to look like a brand new attraction.” But even Disney’s new images of the overhaul were not enough to sway hardcore Tower of Terror fans. Comments posted on the YouTube page were mostly negative. “This really does look like a pile of trash from the dump,” said one critic. Said another critic: “I'll give Disney a mission: to breakout of the trend of reskinning classic rides into flavor of the week IPs,” referring to the intellectual property for Marvel characters. A petition on the website Change.org has been signed by more than 35,000 people urging Disney not to overhaul the ride. CAPTION From Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper singing to a 'Wayne's World' reunion, these are the highlights from the 2019 Academy Awards. From Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper singing to a 'Wayne's World' reunion, these are the highlights from the 2019 Academy Awards. CAPTION From Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper singing to a 'Wayne's World' reunion, these are the highlights from the 2019 Academy Awards. From Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper singing to a 'Wayne's World' reunion, these are the highlights from the 2019 Academy Awards. CAPTION Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, commissioner Rob Manfred, and San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller comment on the reports that Manny Machado signed with the Padres. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, commissioner Rob Manfred, and San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller comment on the reports that Manny Machado signed with the Padres. CAPTION Jay Cohen, Santa Anita's bugler, was recently diagnosed with Bell's Palsy and has had to take a leave of absence from his job at the track. Jay Cohen, Santa Anita's bugler, was recently diagnosed with Bell's Palsy and has had to take a leave of absence from his job at the track. CAPTION Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts comments on the passing of Don Newcombe. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts comments on the passing of Don Newcombe. CAPTION If you love Joshua Tree National Park, then you should thank Minerva Hamilton Hoyt. If you love Joshua Tree National Park, then you should thank Minerva Hamilton Hoyt. hugo.martin@latimes.com To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter. ALSO Universal Studios Hollywood introduces new California pass Why tech's future could bring Spotify speakers, Instacart fridges and Uber-hailing keychains 'Discover, buy and sell': Facebook takes on EBay and Craigslist with its new Marketplace feature |
Written by Tom Williams on April 4, 2017 UPDATE: The ‘Sing It Loud!’ tour featuring Alien Ant Farm, Wheatus and Hoobastank has now been cancelled. ORIGINAL STORY: Brace for a huge hit of nostalgia, Australia, because a bunch of your fave early noughties alt-rockers are heading down under to play some huge shows for all you Teenage Dirtbags… Alien Ant Farm, Wheatus, Hoobastank, CKY and Lit will tour Australia together between September and October as part of the ‘Sing It Loud Tour’, which is set to hit venues in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. The five shows will feature a different running order every night, and there’ll be anthems a’plenty, from Alien Ant Farm’s ‘Smooth Criminal’ cover to Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ and Hoobastank’s ‘The Reason’. So go get a mohawk, pack your chain wallet and peep all the tour dates and ticket details, below. Sing It Loud Tour 2017 Featuring Alien Ant Farm, Wheatus, Hoobastank, CKY and Lit. Pre-sale begins 9am Wednesday, 5th April Tickets on sale to general public Friday, 2nd April Tuesday, 26th September Metro City, Perth Tickets: MJR Presents Wednesday, 27th September Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide Tickets: MJR Presents Thursday, 28th September Big Top, Sydney Tickets: MJR Presents Saturday, 30th September Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane Tickets: MJR Presents Sunday, 1st October Festival Hall, Melbourne Tickets: MJR Presents |
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force has released a set of copyright reform proposals. The Government recommends Congress to implement various changes to avoid excessive damages awards and stresses that copyright trolling should not be tolerated. Three years ago the Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force started to explore various ways that current copyright law could be improved. Following extensive discussions and a public consultation process it finalized its recommendations this week, releasing a whitepaper (pdf) with several concrete proposals. One of the main topics covers the ‘penalties’ for online piracy, which can currently reach $150,000 per copied work. These statutory damages can lead to excessive awards, as shown in two RIAA cases. The Task Force notes that the award amount doesn’t have to be lowered, as it may be appropriate as a deterrent for online piracy in extreme cases. However, steps should be taken against disproportionate punishments and copyright trolling. “It is important to avoid excessive and inconsistent awards that risk encouraging disrespect for copyright law or chilling investment in innovation. And the abusive enforcement campaigns reported by commenters should not be tolerated,” the paper reads. Instead of changing the maximum statutory damages the Task Force recommends an update to current legislation with a list of factors for courts and juries to consider when determining the amount of a damages award. Possible factors include the financial situation of the defendant. Someone who’s unemployed should not pay the same amount in damages as a billion dollar company for the same offense. “The Task Force recognizes the concern that some awards of statutory damages can be far beyond the capacity of the defendant to pay – whether an individual or a start-up business. Requiring juries and judges to consider the defendant’s financial situation when assessing the level of the award will help address that concern,” the recommendation reads. The value of the infringed work and the harm it causes the copyright holder should also be taken into account. This means that leaking a pre-release copy of a blockbuster movie should receive a higher punishment than sharing a B-film usually offered at a discount. “An award that takes into account the likely heightened magnitude of harm to the market for a pre-release work may enable the copyright owner to receive a more appropriate level of compensation than an award of actual damages.” Taking the value of the work into account may also help to deter copyright trolls, who generally sue people over adult content and other niche material. “On the other hand, when the infringed work is of minimal commercial value, a lower award may be appropriate. This can help address concerns about holders of low-value copyrights … using the threat of statutory damages to turn litigation threats into a profit center,” the Task Force adds. The paper further recognizes that the “abusive enforcement actions” of copyright trolls are harmful to the copyright system as well as the judicial system. Some stakeholders suggested to tackle this problem by lowering the maximum of $150,000 in statutory damages, so copyright trolls can’t use it as a threat. However, the Task Force believes that the courts have other means to address these excesses, as they’ve done with Righthaven and Prenda Law. “The unfair tactics used by certain litigants should be curbed without cutting back a remedy that serves legitimate purposes of compensation and deterrence. The courts are well positioned to evaluate such tactics and have sanctioned counsel and parties who pursue baseless, reckless, or vexatious claims,” the paper reads. The Government’s proposed changes don’t leave statutory damages completely untouched though. In cases of non-willful secondary liability of online services, the paper proposes to move away from the strict “per work” rule. This means that a court may issue a lower damages award against a site or service if the number of infringed works is very high, which now automatically results in hundreds of millions in potential damages. Overall the proposals are well-balanced. The whitepaper strikes a careful balance between proponents and opponents of decreased statutory damages, reflected in positive comments from both sides. |
Sadiq Khan put his name to a report on radicalisation which promoted a string of Islamic extremists and hardline Islamist groups. Back in 2006, Labour’s mayoral candidate wrote the foreword for a dossier published by the Free Babar Ahmad campaign, which sought the release of the cyber-jihadi Taliban fan. The paper favourably quotes a number of known wrong-uns, including: Jihadi John’s mates at CAGE Moazzam Begg, who according to the US has “strong, long-term ties to terrorism — as a sympathizer, as a recruiter, as a financier and as a combatant” Hizb ut-Tahrir – the radical, anti-Semitic Islamist group Islamic Human Rights Commission – extreme group which organises the pro-Iran Al-Quds Day rallies Sadiq doesn’t need Guido to tell him this looks bad, as he already has sussed that himself. He’s deleted a page on his website in which he proudly stated his involvement in the report. Handily Guido has an archived copy here. “I have recently written a Foreword to a Report entitled A Counter-Productive Extradition Policy- The Effect of the Babar Ahmad Case in Radicalising Muslims in Britain by Khalida Yusuf. I forwarded a copy of this report to all Parliamentarians in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.” Why was Sadiq sharing a report promoting Islamic extremists around parliament? |
usavalet + FÖLJ SD uppmanar till bojkott mot Grand Hotel 1 av 6 avKenan Habul NYHETER 6 november 2016 15:35 Sverigedemokraterna rasar över Grand Hotels uttalande. Partiet uppmanar alla sina sympatisörer i Sverige och utomlands att bojkotta hotellet. – Om Grand Hotel tror att de kommer vinna ekonomiskt, har de gjort en felaktig kalkyl, säger gruppledaren Mattias Karlsson till Aftonbladet. Mattias Karlsson, SD. ”Bisarrt" och ”hycklande” är några av omdömen Mattias Karlsson slungar iväg mot Grand Hotels vd Pia Djupmark. I sitt pressmeddelande skriver hon bland annat att "hotellets renommé och förtroendekapital har tagit skada” efter SD-galan. – De tyckte inte att så var fallet när de lät Saudiarabien fira sin nationaldag där. Men nu ångrar man att demokratiskt valda politiker delar ut ett demokratipris till en frihetshjälte som varit med om att störta en av världshistoriens värsta diktaturer. Det är hyckleri på en nivå som vi aldrig har sett tidigare, säger Mattias Karlsson. "Sjukt samhällsklimat" Anställda på hotellet har tidigare i veckan kritiserat ledningen. Tidningen ETC har intervjuat flera som tyckte att det var ”obehagligt” att servera ”högerextremister”. – Jag förstår inte den kritiken. De har serverat representanter för en rad diktaturer, men aldrig klagat tidigare. Alla har full rätt att tycka illa om våra politiska åsikter men när det går så långt att man ser människor som ondskefulla och oberörbara då är man inne på en farlig väg. Att hotellet nu för första gången i sin 142-åriga historia går offentligt ut och tar avstånd från sina gäster beror på ”det sjuka samhällsklimatet”, enligt Mattias Karlsson. – De starka vänsterliberala krafterna som finns i Stockholm och på twitter har enorm makt över företag och institutioner på ett sätt som är obehagligt. Hotar med bojkott Enligt Karlsson ”belyser uttalandet en oroväckande tendens i samhället”. – Mötesfrihet och yttrandefrihet är grundbulten i demokratin. Även om man tycker illa någons åsikter är vi inne på en farlig väg om man börjar engagera sig att någon inte ska få hålla möten och uttala sig. Bättre att prata med varandra än att behandla varandra som pestsmittade. Reaktionerna bland SD:s sympatisörer blir skarpa, tror Karlsson. – Om Grand Hotel tror att de kommer vinna ekonomiskt, har de gjort en felaktig kalkyl. De organisationer som har varit representerade på galan representerar tiotals miljoner människor, vi hade även gäster från USA och Israel. Det kommer så klart att få konsekvenser ekonomiskt. SD:s partiledning kräver en ursäkt eller att Grand tar tillbaka uttalandet. – Annars kommer vi att uppmana våra sympatisörer att inte stötta Grand Hotel på något sätt framöver, säger Karlsson. Vi vet att det här kommer för sent men vi hoppas att ni läser: https://t.co/EHCHleN9EM Vi vet att det här kommer för sent men vi hoppas att ni läser: https://t.co/EHCHleN9EM 6 november 2016 15:35 |
A Conversation with Wil Wheaton A splendid time with the actor-writer-blogger-geek-champion turned host of TableTop Like many celebrities who have managed to create lasting careers, Wil Wheaton has learned to diversify. The actor was thrust into the spotlight at age 14, when he co-starred in Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age film Stand By Me. His installation into the geek firmament came after being cast as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wheaton went on to become an author, blogger, podcaster, voice actor, Twitter addict, and overall nerd culture champion. Wheaton’s most recent incarnation is as “game show host.” No, not that kind of game show. For the uninitiated, Wheaton is the creator, producer, and host TableTop, a webseries in which Wheaton plays board games and talks trash with stars from pop culture, entertainment, Internet fame, and sports. Guests have included NFL player Chris Kluwe; actors J. August Richards (Angel and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) and Erin Gray (the TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century), fantasy writer Patrick Rothfuss, and Dork Tower comic book artist John Kovalic. A frequent guest is nerd goddess Felicia Day, co-creator of Geek & Sundry, a multimedia production company, and the YouTube Channel on which TableTop is “broadcast.” People are watching Wheaton’s show: Season 2 of TableTop pulled in about 8 million views on YouTube, with an average of about half a million views per episode. Funded by a crazy-successful $1.4 million Indiegogo campaign, Season 3 launched this November. Between now and August 13, 2015, episodes will feature guests such as actor Jason Ritter, video game developer and entrepreneur Richard Garriott, and video game voice artist Jennifer Hale. I recently had the chance to interview Wheaton in Los Angeles, during a break during the editing of Season 3 of his hit program. We discussed the effect of TableTop on the board game industry, why board gaming is safe from trolls, and his plans for a future “TableTop RPG show.” Ethan Gilsdorf: It’s great to finally connect with you. Our paths in the nerd universe have come close to meeting. I’m the author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks. A copy of my book got handed to you at Pax in Seattle, I think back in 2009. Wil Wheaton: Oh my gosh. Yes! Of course. I know that book. Gilsdorf: I’m that guy. Wheaton: You’re on my bookshelf. You’re right next to Of Dice and Men . Gilsdorf: That’s cool. Thank you. In my book, I talk about my Dungeons & Dragons background. I started playing in the 1970s and the 1980s. After a long, 25 year break, I’m back to playing D&D again. Now the new edition is out, and the 40th anniversary this year is obviously a milestone. Wheaton: Have you played 5th edition yet? Gilsdorf: I have a little. I have friend with a 12 year old son and he was eager to introduce D&D to him. So I played a little. I think they did a great job. I like the packaging and the production especially, but I haven’t had a change to dive deep into the rules yet. I tend to play rules light with my regular group, you know? What do you think of 5th edition? Wheaton: I absolutely love it. I think that they’ve taken the best of every edition that they’ve ever released and put it into this one, and they’ve managed to get rid of all the stuff that I’ve not liked from the previous editions. It’s really fantastic. I really like it a lot. Gilsdorf: When did you first get into gaming, whether RPGs or board gaming? How far back in your life does gaming go? Wheaton: I cannot recall a time in my life when I didn’t play board games. It is very much a tradition in my family. As long as I can remember, we would spend New Year’s Eve playing The Mad Magazine game as sort of a tradition in my family. And one of my babysitters when I was very young always brought Payday. Gilsdorf: Oh yeah! I remember that one. That was great! Wheaton: Yeah, and a game called The Ungame. The Game of Life. But [my introduction to RPGs came] when I was about 10 or so, when my great aunt gave me the red box set of Dungeons & Dragons, which is how a lot of my generation was introduced to role playing games. That sort of alerted me to the existence of these non-traditional games that existed. I fell in love with Dungeons & Dragons, and the storytelling of it, and the weird dice, and the fact that it didn’t use a traditional board. It felt like I was a part of something special and almost kind of like a secret club because a lot of people didn’t know what it was, and didn’t understand it. Then as I got older, when I was around 14, I discovered what we considered to be sort of modern tabletop games. It predates the Euro game wave that sort of hit in the early nineties, but around 1987, my friends introduced me to games like Car Wars and Awful Green Things from Outer Space, and role playing systems like GURPS, and games like Warhammer 40,000. And that was when I really became a capital G Gamer. Gilsdorf: For many people, when you say “board game,” they think of Monopoly, Battleship, Scrabble. There are those who use the more current term “tabletop games” and those people know about Settlers of Catan, Cards Against Humanity, and Munchkin. There are some people who play both kinds of game. When you tell people, “Hey, I play board games,” are they confused which kind you’re talking about? Wheaton: I think that that probably would have been true as recently as four years ago. But since we started TableTop, and we have put the existence of these games into the mainstream. And as we used to call them, we didn’t know what they were. We didn’t know what to call them. We called them “nerdy board games” or hobby games for a really, really long time. And I have noticed since TableTop has become what it has become, and not to mistake correlation for causation, but I have noticed that people refer to these games that we play as “tabletop games.” Gilsdorf: Is there a divide there? Do these two groups not talk to each other? Wheaton: I don’t think that that divide is as wide as it once was. There’s certainly still I would say a very thin line between what are considered maybe twentieth century and twenty-first century tabletop games. But if you walk into a Barnes & Noble, they now have a section of tabletop games that is as big as the section of tabletop games at any of the big box retailers. And if you walk into Toys ‘R Us, you will see, on the shelves with Cootie, and Monopoly, and Ants in the Pants, you’ll see Settlers of Catan and Munchkin and Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride. I think that divide isn’t really there anymore, because people are just playing games. There’s a massive group of gamers who are coming to tabletop games. They’re not being introduced with Risk or Sorry or Aggravation. They’re being introduced to tabletop gaming with Ticket to Ride, or Settlers of Catan or Magic the Gathering or Pandemic. They’re coming into it now because just everybody’s playing. Gilsdorf: Five or ten years ago, hardly anyone would say, “Hey me and my buddies are going to play a game tonight,” as an adult, not as a 12 year old or a 10 year old, but as an adult. Now it does seem like it’s a legitimate way to spend a night, not just playing cards or poker or Texas Hold ‘Em, but Settlers of Catan. There’s really been a shift. Wheaton: I would have to agree with that, but I will add that my friends and I, we self-identify as tabletop gamers predating the current tabletop game movement. We’ve been doing that forever. That’s been very normal for me, going all the way back to 10 years old and on, getting together for an evening of Dungeons & Dragons, or a day spent playing a big box game. Back in the old days it would have been Axis & Allies, and today it’s going to be something maybe like Quips or something like that. But that’s a thing that’s existed for us for a very long time. And I would agree that it’s becoming more normalized and more mainstream, but there are a lot of us who have been doing that for a really long time. I personally think that it’s really wonderful that it is becoming kind of a mainstream hobby, to get together and spend a day or evening playing games – and not just with friends and family, but also by going to a game shop, or one of the gaming cafes that seem to be popping up all over the place, and playing with strangers. My friend and producer, Boyan [Radakovich], he coined the phrase “Tabletop games are powered by friendship.” And I think that that is something that you see everywhere you go where people are playing games. Gilsdorf: Do you think that the Internet is helping to mainstream board games? Some might think, “Oh, the Internet is the downfall of board games,” in the same way that “video games are the downfall of tabletop role-playing games.” But it does strike me that that because of the Internet, people are communicating with each other. They connect with each other. Gaming doesn’t have to be a niche hobby. What are some of your thoughts on how board gaming culture got to be so big? That’s a big question, sorry. Wheaton: It’s a big question that. I’m trying to think of the most efficient way to answer that. You’re kind of mentioning a lot of things that overlap and support each other. To the best of my knowledge, a lot of people who play video games also play tabletop games, and vice versa. I know, just speaking for myself, I prefer tabletop games because I like to be with the people who I’m playing with. I enjoy that. At this moment in time, the world of video games has become so toxic and miserable—and I’m confident that’s a temporary phenomenon, because we video gamers have endured worse than what we’re enduring right now. Well, maybe that’s not true. We’ve endured things that are as much of a threat to our identity as gamers as we are right now. But with video gaming being so toxic at the moment, that atmosphere seems to come around over and over again in video gaming. It just doesn’t exist in tabletop gaming. And I think a lot of that has to do with the reality that when we play tabletop games, we’re sitting down with people, and we’re making an effort to play with people, whether they’re friends or strangers. And there’s real-life consequences for your behavior at a table that I think don’t exist when you’re playing online. I think people tend to forget there’s a human being on the other side of that screen. You can’t forget that there’s a human being on the other side of the game board. Gilsdorf: Certainly with Gamergate and other kinds of harassment that happens online, you can’t imagine that happening in a public place or even in a board café. Wheaton: It wouldn’t exist in a public place. That stuff is enabled by technological conditions that allow cowards and bullies to take actions that are essentially consequence-free. And in tabletop gaming, we just don’t see that. Within the tabletop gaming community, there’s games for everyone, from the person who wants to play the extremely technical strategy game where you spend an entire weekend seeing what would happen if a Roman legion led by Napoleon were to encounter the 1946 post-World War Two Russian army, in North Africa. You know? There’s a game like that. Or there’s games like Warhammer Fantasy Battle where someone can spread out a hundred square feet of armies and play like that. And that goes all the way to the other end of someone sitting down to play a couple hours of Stone Age, or two people, like my wife and I, sitting down to play Blokus or Splendor. Because there’s something for everyone, I think people can self-select. One of the things that I’ve never seen in tabletop gaming is this juvenile notion that the existence of a game that I don’t like, or the existence of a gamer who’s different than me, threatens my very existence and the very existence of my hobby. That’s pretty prevalent in video games at the moment, and it’s really not prevalent in tabletop gaming. And I don’t want this to turn into the battle of tabletop games versus video games, but just because at this moment in time it’s something we’re all really thinking about. I think it’s culturally relevant. Gilsdorf: Do you get a sense of how big the audience is for TableTop, who watches it, and how influential the show has become? Wheaton: If you just look at the number of views on YouTube, our audience is global and in the millions. And one of the things that is most surprising to me is that we are viewed extensively by families. I’ve heard from people who have reached out to me. It’s gotta be in the thousands now. The new episode of TableTop comes out, they watch it with their family, and then parents and kids get together after watching TableTop and play a tabletop game. And we see that there’s people who watch TableTop the day it is released, and then there is a huge spike the Saturday after it’s been released. And this lines up with stories that I’ve heard from people, that their friends come over and they sit down and they watch the episode, and then they spend the rest of the day playing board games. Gilsdorf: Do you think it’s impacting sales? Your show goes on, and the next day, does Amazon get huge orders for whatever game you happen to showcase that week? Wheaton: I actually know that that is the case because I have talked with distributors who send these games out to retailers, and I’ve talked with publishers. One publisher told me that, when we played their game on TableTop, that it added $1.4 million to their sales for the year. I think that’s what she told me. Virtually every game we play sells out, almost within the month that the show has been released. And this is actually something that we didn’t expect that to happen when we started the show. So for the second and third seasons, we actually coordinate. Once a game is chosen, we contact the publishers and ask them, “Will you keep this game in print? Are you able to meet the demand that TableTop drives for games?” And almost always they say “Yes.” But if a publisher’s going to not be able to keep the game in stock, we’re less likely to play it. Because people really want to play the games that we play. And I want people to get so excited that there’s just more and more gamers in the world. Gilsdorf: Nothing more frustrating than getting excited about a game, then finding out the thing’s on backorder for six months. Wheaton: It’s one of the reasons that for this season, and just because we’re crowd-funded this year I was able to do this, I published the list of games and the people who played them during production. People who really want to be early adopters, or people who have been thinking about a game but maybe haven’t gotten it, will have an opportunity months in advance to get a game before the TableTop effect hits that game. Gilsdorf: You must be pretty pleased by the response to the Indiegogo campaign. Was that surprising to you? Wheaton: I was really confident that we would be able to fund at least the $500,000 that we needed to do a partial season. I was very surprised at how fast that happened. And then I really wanted to hit our $1 million goal so we could do this RPG show next season, because I want to do for role playing games what we did for tabletop gaming. I really wanted that to happen. I was not confident that it would. I was just delighted. The only hint was, “Okay, stop giving us money. We have what we need.” Then people just. Kept. Supporting us. And what that meant was, we were able to invest so much more into the show, and make the show more than we expected to. I was able to give my crew a raise. Everybody who works on the production, I was able to give everybody raises, which really made me happy because we’re not doing this to get rich. It’s a passion project, and we try to squeeze a buck and half out of every dollar that we spend in the budget. It was really kind of exciting and wonderful for me to be able to do that because of the generosity and the support and the enthusiasm of people who like our show. Gilsdorf: This show on RPGs, will that be another season ofTableTop, or will be a totally differently branded show? Wheaton: It’s a completely different spin-off show where we’re going to play a role-playing campaign that’s going to last for a full season. It’s going to be the same players, same characters, going on an epic journey to tell a pretty epic story that will unfold over the course of an entire season. What I’m hoping for, if we do this right, is we will produce a show that has characters and story arcs that an audience can get invested in. Instead of those characters and story arcs being powered by a writers room, like you would see in a show like True Detective or something, it’s going to be powered by the players and the game master and the adventure that we’re writing. So I’m really, really excited for that, and if it works, that show has the potential to go on indefinitely. Gilsdorf: Does that show have a name yet? Or is it still unnamed? Wheaton: At the moment, we call it “the TableTop RPG show.” I don’t know what it will end up being called. Gilsdorf: I know you’ve done those celebrity games at PAX, with you and the same group coming back every year to play. It sounds like, at least within the gamer community, that there’s definitely an audience for that. Wheaton: Yeah. I think it’s going to be really fun. Well, I know it’s going to be really fun. I believe that the audience is going to like it because they’re going to get something very different from this than they get from what I used to do at PAX. Those were effectively one-shots with persisting characters. And what we’re doing with the RPG show is a full campaign with persisting characters. So what we’re going to be doing is more of a season of a television series than, sort of like movies with sequels. Gilsdorf: Will you be using the new D&D system for your RPG show, or is it going to be something of your own design? Wheaton: We haven’t announced anything about what system we’ll be using. So that’s still under wraps. Gilsdorf: I know you need to get back to editing TableTop. It’s been a pleasure and honor speaking with you. Thanks for your time. Wheaton: Thanks a lot. Take care. [This interview has been edited and condensed.] |
Be still, our anglophilic hearts. According to the British TV publication the Radio Times, the Downton Abbey lot will leave Hampshire’s Highclere Castle—the Jacobethan country manor that doubles as the Crawley’s fictional estate—for Alnwick Castle. For those of you who aren’t Harry Potter trivia buffs, Alnwick Castle, the stately seat of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, is better known as friggin’ Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the film adaptions of J.K. Rowling’s books. The Radio Times notes that Downton Abbey is filming at Alnwick through August 8—a report that seems to be substantiated on Alnwick’s official Web site, which alerts potential visitors that “various areas of Alnwick Castle will be closed or have limited access on 28th July – 8th August (inclusive), due to the filming of a major ITV period drama.” The Duke of Northumberland also seems to confirm the speculation in a statement issued to his local newspaper: “As we know from experience, filming somewhere like Alnwick Castle can be very disruptive, but when we received ITV’s enquiry, my wife and I felt that we could not miss the opportunity for the castle and town to be associated with such a hugely popular drama series, and we consider it a great honour to be asked to participate.” Meanwhile, the blabbermouths over at Sovereign Taxis seem to have outed the whole covert operation on July 29, with the blunt tweet: “Start of another busy day with the Downton abbey crew. — at Alnwick Castle.” There are no current reports of what exactly might be filmed on Alnwick’s expansive property—the exteriors of which (witch!) have been used for many a Quidditch match. But Broadway World speculates that since much of the series’ fifth season has already been filmed, the castle could be the setting for the drama’s fifth annual Christmas special. If we’re lucky, maybe Hogwarts’ residue witchcraft will rub off on Lady Edith. We’d love to see the ill-fated Crawley sister use sorcery to even the score with Mary. Previously in Downton news: Lady Edith Will Face Even More Devastation Next Season |
by John P. Thomas Health Impact News How are autism and cancer related? Two internationally known doctors may have lost their lives, because they knew about the connection between these two diseases. Dr. Jeffrey Bradstreet, MD, an alternative autism specialist, and Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, MD, an alternative cancer specialist, saw the truth and were willing to step outside of the standard allopathic medical model for treating cancer and autism. They were pioneers in their respective fields and both recently died or perhaps were killed because of their successful treatments of sick, suffering and dying patients. Death of Dr. Bradstreet On June 19, 2015, Dr. Bradstreet reportedly shot himself in the chest after his offices were raided by U.S. FDA agents and State of Georgia law enforcement agents. Three days before his death, agents exercised a search warrant to gather information about the use of GcMAF with autistic patients in his clinic. [1] Human GcMAF holds great promise in the treatment of various illnesses including cancer, autism, chronic fatigue and possibly Parkinson’s. Since 1990, 59 research papers have been published on GcMAF, 20 of these pertaining to the treatment of cancer. [2] 46 of these papers can be accessed through the GcMAF website. [3] When agents from the USFDA and local state of Georgia law enforcement raided Dr. Bradstreet’s clinic, they had a very specific agenda – they were after everything they could find pertaining to GcMAF. The search warrant stated in part that agents were to gather all Globulin component Macrophage Activating Factor (GcMAF), GCGlobulin, and/or any other products or component substances thereof that constitute misbranded drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. They were to collect all records, in whatever form, associated with the use of GcMAF. This included patient records. Here is a link to the complete search warrant. GcMAF is a Substance Produced in the Human Body GcMAF is not a drug, but a natural substance produced in the human body. GcMAF was being produced in Europe and Dr. Bradstreet was using it with his patients. He was conducting clinical experiments the results of which were published in scientific medical journals. [4] Scientific medical research is also being done on GcMAF for the treatment of terminal cancer. The results are very promising. [5] Death of Dr. Gonzalez On July 21, 2015 Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez died. The cause of death was indicated as a heart attack. At the time of this writing, results from an autopsy have yet to be published. He was reported to be in good health. [6, 7] Would a healthy man who understood how diet could be used to prevent, reverse and cure disease be someone who was likely to have a heart attack? Was his heart attack just a natural occurrence, or could it have been caused by an external intervention? In 1975, testimony before the U.S. Congress indicated that a weapon had been developed to shoot a projectile into a victim without the victim’s knowledge, which would introduce a nearly undetectable substance into the body that would cause a heart attack. The victim would be killed without the telltale evidence of normal bloody assignation. [8] How much more sophisticated weaponry has been developed in the last 40 years since that testimony? Are there new ways to permanently silence doctors who stand alone on the outside of conventional medicine and who will not be quiet about the truth they see? Are the causes of death for these two very well-known alternative medicine doctors coincidental? Are we being told the truth? Is there a connection between their research and their deaths? Was there research about to cut a large hole in the cancer treatment business and the vaccine business? Let’s take a closer look at GcMAF. The Power of GcMAF to Cure Modern Diseases What if there was a simple treatment that could reverse all forms of cancer without radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery? What if it was an unpatentable natural substance produced by the human body and could be given to boost the human immune system to such a degree that it could eradicate cancer from the body without side effects? What if that same substance could be given to autistic children and 85% of them would experience improvement in their autism and many would be completely cured? Wouldn’t that be wonderful! Most people would think so, but there are many major corporations who would see such a substance as a major threat to their financial prosperity. It would be a major threat to the cancer treatment industry, the cancer drug manufacturing industry, and the vaccine manufacturing industry. Many believe that substance exists and is called GcMAF. Its technical names are “group specific component macrophage activating factor” or “Vitamin D binding protein macrophage activating factor.” It is not a miracle drug – it is simply part of the human immune system. GcMAF reportedly activates special cells called macrophages in the human body that have the ability to destroy cancer cells and viruses. GcMAF reportedly also has the ability to treat and often completely cure autism. The connection between cancer and autism is GcMAF. Nagalase Inhibits the Power of GcMAF to fight Cancer and Autism The ability of GcMAF to do its normal job can be inhibited by the presence of a protein called alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase or nagalase for short. Nagalase is made by all cancer cells and viruses (HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, influenza, herpes, Epstein-Barr virus, and others). [9] When a person has cancer or a viral infection, the levels of nagalase increase and can be measured to assess the level of cancer or viral activity in the body. [10] Nagalase blocks production of GcMAF, thus preventing the immune system from doing its job. The macrophages are still present in the body, but the nagalase prevents them from waking up and becoming active. This means that cancer and viral infections can grow unchecked while macrophages sleep. [11] Nagalase and Autism We also know that the levels of nagalase are elevated in children with autism. What is interesting here is that these children do not have cancer or life-threatening viral infections. In their case, the level of nagalase is elevated and is directly linked to symptoms of the autism spectrum. The result of the immune suppression caused by nagalase is seen in digestive disorders, sensory overload, and numerous types of processing dysfunction in the brain. Higher levels of nagalase are associated with higher levels of autistic symptoms. Some autistic children do have high viral loads in their digestive system, which would explain the elevated nagalase. However, this is not always the case. If autistic children don’t have cancer or viral infections, then what is the source of their elevated nagalase levels? If nagalase wasn’t made in their bodies by cancer cells or viruses, then how did it get into the bodies of infants and young children? Is Nagalase an Ingredient in Vaccines? According to an informant who wishes to remain anonymous for reasons of personal safety, Dr. Bradstreet and other alternative medical researchers came to understand that nagalase is being introduced into the bodies of people who receive vaccinations. Dr. Bradstreet understood that people have different reactions to nagalase, and a small percentage of people do not experience suppression of their immune systems. However, for the majority, there is dangerous immune system suppression, which opens the door to cancer and autism. [12] Were These Doctors about to Reveal the Truth about GcMAF and Nagalase? Were Dr. Bradstreet and Dr Gonzalez about to explain to the public that one of the key causes of cancer and autism is nagalase, which is being injected into the body as a part of vaccines? [13] Is it possible that those who claim that they are preventing communicable diseases are actually creating cancer and autism? We will likely never know about their plans for disclosure – we can only wonder! Was Dr. Bradstreet simply so upset over what the United States government did to his clinic that he just got depressed and took his own life? Was he just a quack who was out to fleece the parents of autistic children as the mainstream media suggest? Did he really kill children as some allege? [14] Dr. Bradstreet was Planning to Make an Announcement about GcMAF Dr. Bradstreet spoke at the 2015 AutismOne Conference in May of this year. He spoke about GcMAF toward the end of his hour long presentation. He made note of the fact that he had certain important announcements about this therapy that would be released in the near future. Whatever they were, he apparently didn’t live long enough to make them. During his presentation, Dr. Bradstreet provided an introduction to the therapies that were provided by his clinic, and provided an explanation of how they help restore normal health to autistic children. He specifically stated: GcMAF products influence the endocannabinoid pathway. GcMAF has been one of the most powerful tools that I have ever used for autism. How many of you were GcMAF responders and thought it was amazing? How many of you are really pissed off that it is no longer available? I have a little announcement about that coming too. [15] You may wish to listen to Dr. Bradstreet describe his clinical activities. This lecture was recorded a month before his death. Does this sound like a man who would crumble under pressure from the FDA? What about the Other Suspicious Deaths of Doctors? Various reports from Florida and other U.S. locations reveal that a number of alternative health doctors have been found dead or have gone missing without a trace. These events have occurred during the month that separated the deaths of Dr. Bradstreet and Dr. Gonzalez — June 19th through July 21st. [16] Disinformation websites have already popped up and have begun to paint pictures in the mind of readers that all this is coincidence and the deaths of these nine doctors had nothing to do with their work. They insist that these events are all unrelated. The available information about the other deaths is limited. It is hard to judge those situations, because the information about the work of these doctors and their deaths or disappearances is sketchy. One thing, however, is true – these events create an image in the minds of alternative healthcare providers and their patients that we are entering into a new era of concern, where death may be a real consequence for those who dare to speak out in opposition to big pharma, the dominant conventional healthcare system, and the U.S. regulatory system that is controlled by international mega corporations. Conventional Media Sources Specialize in Cursing Dead Doctors They Brand as “Quacks” Conventional media reports of Dr. Bradstreet’s death paint a picture of quackery. They quickly apply the label “paranoid” to anyone who raises questions about the possibility of murder and conspiracy concerning his death and the growing list of dead doctors. There is clear reason to be concerned. We are now living in an time when the pharmaceutical industry has just about taken total control over the healthcare system, just as the chemical industry has just about seized control over the food supply. How long will it be until the most vocal opponents to corporate domination of healthcare are simply driven out of the United States, or simply silenced under mysterious circumstances? It is a time for alternative minded doctors to become more vocal, and not to be silenced out of fear. It is a time for patients and their doctors to speak the truth about how our conventional healthcare system is killing far more people than it is helping. A New Day for Health and Healing There are some people who may not be affected by the nagalase in vaccines. However, for the majority, this substance is suppressing their immune system each time they receive a vaccine. [17] Some infants and children develop autism spectrum disorders as a result, and other children and adults develop cancer. What would it mean for the call for mandatory universal vaccination of all children if it was understood that vaccinations cause autism spectrum disorder and cancer, and the prevention and treatment of these problems is to stop vaccinating damaged children and to administer weekly doses of GcMAF until they become healthy again? [18] See Also: References [1] “Controversial autism researcher, Jeff Bradstreet, commits suicide after FDA raid in Buford, authorities say,” Joshua Sharpe, Gwinnett Daily Post, 7/26/2015. http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2015/jun/25/controversial-autism-researcher-jeff-bradstreet/ [2] “GcMAF for the treatment of cancer, autism, inflammation, viral and bacterial disease,” David Noakes, Foundation for Alternative and Integrative Medicine, Retrieved 7/27/2015. http://www.faim.org/autism/gcmaf-treatment-cancer-autism-inflammation-viral-bacterial-disease.html [3] GcMAF. https://gcmaf.se/ [4] Siniscalco D1, Bradstreet JJ, Cirillo A, Antonucci N.; “The in vitro GcMAF effects on endocannabinoid system transcriptionomics, receptor formation, and cell activity of autism-derived macrophages,” J Neuroinflammation. 2014 April, PMID: 24739187. [5] Thyer L1, Ward E, Smith R, Branca JJ, Morucci G, Gulisano M, Noakes D, Eslinger R, Pacini S.; “GC protein-derived macrophage-activating factor decreases α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase levels in advanced cancer patients,” Oncoimmunology. 2013 August 1, PMID: 24179708. [6] “Dr. Gonzalez – Individualized Nutritional Protocols – Enzyme Therapy,” Death Announcement on the website for his clinic. Retrieved 7/23/2015. http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/index.htm [7] Suzanne Somers testimony regarding the Death of Dr. Gonzalez, Retrieved 7/27/2015. https://www.facebook.com/suzannesomers/photos/a.10153072450038191.1073741829.55720163190/10153148183048191/?type=1 [8] “The CIA’s Secret Heart Attack Gun,” Military.com, Retrieved 7/27/2015. http://www.military.com/video/guns/pistols/cias-secret-heart-attack-gun/2555371072001/ [9] “Chapter 9: Nagalase: Friend and Foe?” The GcMAF Book, Timothy J. Smith, MD. http://gcmaf.timsmithmd.com/book/chapter/52/ [10] IBID. [11] IBID. [12] Explosive: The real reason Holistic Doctors are being killed and vanishing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cALgIHETMDU [13] IBID. [14] “Anti-vaccine doctor behind ‘dangerous’ autism therapy found dead. Family cries foul,” Michael E. Miller, The Washington Post, June 29 2015, Retrieved 7/28/2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/29/anti-vaccine-doctor-behind-dangerous-autism-therapy-found-dead-family-cries-foul/ [15] “The Bradstreet Essence Protocal,” Dr. James Bradstreet, MD, Presentation from AutismOne Conference, Dated 5/22/2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I2Wr9ihvV0 [16] “2 more MD’s (1 prominent holistic, & one of missing docs) found dead, bringing the total to 8,” Erin Elizabeth, Health Nut News, 7/23/2015. http://www.healthnutnews.com/2-more-mds-1-prominent-holistic-one-of-missing-docs-have-been-found-dead-bringing-the-total-to-8/ [17] “Explosive: The real reason Holistic Doctors are being killed and vanishing!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cALgIHETMDU [18] “Introduction: Routine Nagalase testing finds cancer early and GcMAF cures it” The GcMAF Book, Timothy J. Smith, MD. http://gcmaf.timsmithmd.com/book/chapter/43/ We Lost the War on Cancer – Review of Alternative Cancer Therapies We have lost the war on cancer. At the beginning of the last century, one person in twenty would get cancer. In the 1940s it was one out of every sixteen people. In the 1970s it was one person out of ten. Today one person out of three gets cancer in the course of their life. The cancer industry is probably the most prosperous business in the United States. In 2014, there will be an estimated 1,665,540 new cancer cases diagnosed and 585,720 cancer deaths in the US. $6 billion of tax-payer funds are cycled through various federal agencies for cancer research, such as the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The NCI states that the medical costs of cancer care are $125 billion, with a projected 39 percent increase to $173 billion by 2020. The simple fact is that the cancer industry employs too many people and produces too much income to allow a cure to be found. All of the current research on cancer drugs is based on the premise that the cancer market will grow, not shrink. John Thomas explains to us why the current cancer industry prospers while treating cancer, but cannot afford to cure it in Part I. In Part II, he surveys the various alternative cancer therapies that have been proven effective, but that are not approved by the FDA. Read We Lost the War on Cancer – Review of Alternative Cancer Therapies on your mobile device! FREE! – $0.99 Medical Doctors Opposed to Forced Vaccinations – Should Their Views be Silenced? One of the biggest myths being propagated in the compliant mainstream media today is that doctors are either pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, and that the anti-vaccine doctors are all “quacks.” However, nothing could be further from the truth in the vaccine debate. Doctors are not unified at all on their positions regarding “the science” of vaccines, nor are they unified in the position of removing informed consent to a medical procedure like vaccines. The two most extreme positions are those doctors who are 100% against vaccines and do not administer them at all, and those doctors that believe that ALL vaccines are safe and effective for ALL people, ALL the time, by force if necessary. Very few doctors fall into either of these two extremist positions, and yet it is the extreme pro-vaccine position that is presented by the U.S. Government and mainstream media as being the dominant position of the medical field. In between these two extreme views, however, is where the vast majority of doctors practicing today would probably categorize their position. Many doctors who consider themselves “pro-vaccine,” for example, do not believe that every single vaccine is appropriate for every single individual. Many doctors recommend a “delayed” vaccine schedule for some patients, and not always the recommended one-size-fits-all CDC childhood schedule. Other doctors choose to recommend vaccines based on the actual science and merit of each vaccine, recommending some, while determining that others are not worth the risk for children, such as the suspect seasonal flu shot. These doctors who do not hold extreme positions would be opposed to government-mandated vaccinations and the removal of all parental exemptions. In this eBook, I am going to summarize the many doctors today who do not take the most extremist pro-vaccine position, which is probably not held by very many doctors at all, in spite of what the pharmaceutical industry, the federal government, and the mainstream media would like the public to believe. |
European Union data protection watchdogs, Article 29 Working Party, have said they still have concerns about the privacy settings of Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system, despite the US company announcing changes to the installation process. The watchdog, which enforces data protection law, wrote to Microsoft last year expressing concerns about the default installation settings of Windows 10 and users’ apparent lack of control over the company’s processing of their data. Despite a new installation screen presenting users with five options to limit or switch off Microsoft’s processing of their data, the Working Party was not clear to what extent users would be informed about the specific data being collected. Windows 10 had come under fire in 2015 thanks to its data collection processes, to which Microsoft executive vice president Terry Myerson responded by posting a clarifying statement on the company blog, and emphasised that the information the company collects is encrypted and doesn’t include personal identifiers, content or files. Microsoft views data that it does and doesn’t collect at three levels, “safety and reliability data”, “personalisation data” and “advertising data we don’t collect,” Myerson said in the blog. The “safety and reliability data” has already been used to fix a bug that caused some PCs to crash and reboot, according to the post. Myerson said personalisation data is used for recommending apps, text completion suggestions, and other things the user may like. What is not done, Myerson said, is scan emails or personal messages to deliver targeting advertising. The group asked for more explanation of Microsoft’s processing of personal data for various purposes, including advertising, “the Working Party remains concerned about the level of protection of users’ personal data,” the group said in a statement. The comment from the Working Party follows a request by the French minister who in July 2016 ordered Microsoft to stop collecting “excessive” user data. Microsoft uses data collected through Windows 10 for different purposes, including advertising, the group said in its statement said, “Microsoft should clearly explain what kinds of personal data are processed for what purposes. Without such information, consent cannot be informed, and therefore, not valid.” This article originally appeared on SC Media UK |
The city’s planning committee has asked staff to revisit proposed amendments to zoning bylaws to permit some medical marijuana facilities to operate in areas of the city where regular drugstores are located. “If we can distribute methadone and Oxycontin that way, why can’t we distribute medical marijuana that way as long as they adhere to the federal guidelines,” Councillor Adam Vaughan said Monday during the committee’s meeting. “We’re unnecessarily stigmatizing this drug which is extraordinarily useful for certain types of illnesses and disabilities.” Medical marijuana is being grown at Peace Naturals Project, a federally licensed and regulated commercial medical cannabis grower to produce and distribute medical pot in Canada. Starting April 1, legal medical marijuana will only be available through producers approved by Health Canada. ( Keith Beaty / Toronto Star ) Councillor Karen Stintz agreed and said the bylaw should be written in a way that is consumer oriented. “If this product is legally available for certain types of clients then it’s our obligation to make the most accessible process that it can be,” she said. Starting April 1, legal medical marijuana will only be available through producers approved by Health Canada. Previously, licensed medical marijuana users were able to grow their own cannabis, purchase from special licence holders or from the government’s sole supplier. Article Continued Below Toronto city staff is proposing zoning bylaw changes to conform with the new federal regulations. Their recommendations call for all medical marijuana facilities not to be located within 70 metres of residentially zoned areas. The committee suggested staff, instead, accommodate medical marijuana facilities that serve only as “storefronts” where no product is present. Under Ottawa’s new regime, a medical marijuana users must present their prescription in person but the product then has to be delivered from the supplier. The planning committee will consider the revised report at its next meeting Feb. 27. |
IRAQI authorities executed 11 more people on Sunday - 10 Iraqis and one Algerian - despite widespread international calls for a moratorium on Baghdad's use of the death penalty. The latest executions bring to at least 113 the number of times Iraq has followed through on death sentences so far this year, according to an AFP tally, already far outpacing 2011 when 68 people were put to death. "Eleven persons - 10 Iraqis and one Algerian - were executed this morning because they were convicted of terrorist activities," a justice ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Sunday also marks the latest of several occasions that Baghdad has carried out multiple executions on a single day. On August 27, Iraq put 21 people to death in a single day. The executions have sparked calls for a moratorium from the UN assistance mission in Iraq, from Britain, the European Union and human rights group Amnesty International. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expressed shock earlier this year at the number of executions, criticising the lack of transparency in court proceedings and calling for an immediate suspension of the death penalty. |
Josh P. Hamilton and Bob Ivry Bloomberg May 31, 2008 Newly delinquent mortgage borrowers outnumbered people who caught up on their overdue payments by two to one last month, a sign that nationwide efforts to help homeowners avoid default may be failing. In April, 73,880 homeowners with privately insured mortgages fell more than 60 days late on payments, compared with 39,584 who got back on track, a report today from the Washington-based Mortgage Insurance Companies of America said. Mortgage insurers pay lenders when homeowners default and foreclosures fail to cover costs. Foreclosure filings surged 65 percent and bank seizures more than doubled in April compared with a year earlier as rates on adjustable mortgages increased, according to RealtyTrac Inc. Lawmakers and Federal Reserve officials are trying to ease the worst U.S. housing slump since the Great Depression through tax rebates, expanded federal mortgage insurance and other programs. Read article |
(CNN) President Donald Trump's former national security adviser did not properly disclose payments from Russia and may have broken the law, House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings said Tuesday after reviewing Michael Flynn's application for a security clearance. "As a former military officer, you simply cannot take money from Russia, Turkey or anybody else. And it appears as if he did take that money. It was inappropriate. And there are repercussions for the violation of law," Chaffetz said. Trump and the first lady welcome guests to the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 17. The egg-rolling tradition began in the 1870s. Trump talks to a caddie during a round of golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, April 8. Trump frequently criticized President Obama for playing golf, but he has been a frequent golfer during his first few months in office. Trump walks away from the lectern after announcing the missile strike in Syria on April 6. "It is in this vital national security of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons," Trump said. In this image provided by the White House, Trump is briefed by his national security team about the missile strike in Syria on April 6. They were at a secured location on Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are accompanied by first ladies Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan as they talk at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on April 6. During Xi's visit, the trade relationship between China and the United States was at the top of the agenda, as was the rising threat of North Korea's nuclear program. Trump speaks to the press aboard Air Force One on April 6. The Internet had some fun with the juxtaposition of Trump and "Star Wars" villain Darth Vader, who appeared in the scene on the right from the film "Rogue One." In pouring rain, the President boards Air Force One for a trip to Florida, where he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, April 6. In pouring rain, the President boards Air Force One for a trip to Florida, where he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, April 6. Trump pauses during a White House news conference on Wednesday, April 5. Trump spoke about the suspected chemical attack in Syria, blaming Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and saying it had "crossed a lot of lines for me." The United States later launched a missile strike against a Syrian government air base. Vice President Mike Pence, third from left, tries to stop Trump as Trump walks out of an executive order signing ceremony on Friday, March 31. During the signing ceremony, White House pool reporters asked Trump questions about former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has offered to testify on Russian involvement in the US election. The President ignored the questions and moved to another room to sign the two executive orders, which regarded trade policy. The President participates in a White House roundtable with women who are small business owners on Monday, March 27. The President participates in a White House roundtable with women who are small business owners on Monday, March 27. The President arrives at the US Capitol to meet with House Republicans about a health care bill on Tuesday, March 21. Trump urged GOP lawmakers to vote in favor of the legislation, which would repeal Obamacare. But later in the week, House Speaker Paul Ryan pulled the bill from the floor after it became clear it did not have the votes to pass. The President pretends to drive a tractor-trailer during a White House event with truckers and truck industry executives on Thursday, March 23. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, speaks with Ivanka Trump during a roundtable discussion at the White House on Friday, March 17. In Merkel's first US visit during the Trump administration, she and the President discussed issues that included NATO, ISIS and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Donald Trump repeatedly bashed Merkel on the campaign trail and accused her of "ruining Germany," citing the nation's policies of allowing refugees in. But he said his meeting with the Chancellor was "very good." Trump, the first lady and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One before leaving the White House on Friday, March 17. Melania and Barron Trump are living in New York until Barron finishes out the school year. Trump, the first lady and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One before leaving the White House on Friday, March 17. Melania and Barron Trump are living in New York until Barron finishes out the school year. Trump speaks Monday, March 13, during the first meeting with his Cabinet. Who's who on Trump's Cabinet? See the full list here Trump moves a drink across the table before a White House discussion about health care on Friday, March 10. The President's habit of moving things caught the eye of CNN's Jeanne Moos, who reported on the unusual quirk. Trump surprises visitors who were touring the White House on Tuesday, March 7. The tour group, including many young children, cheered and screamed after the President popped out from behind a room divider. Trump, left, and chief strategist Steve Bannon board Air Force One before returning to Washington on Sunday, March 5. Bannon, one of Trump's earliest cheerleaders in his role leading the ultra-conservative website Breitbart News, joined the Trump campaign in August 2016. According to CNN's Chris Cillizza, he was widely credited with putting skin and muscle on the bare bones of Trump's "America First" worldview. A strong wind blows Trump's tie as he arrives at Orlando International Airport on March 3. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on Trump's presidential neckwear: Long ties with Scotch tape on the back The President and his grandchildren Arabella and Joseph walk across the South Lawn of the White House on Friday, March 3. They were about to board Marine One for a short flight to Andrews Air Force Base. The President and his grandchildren Arabella and Joseph walk across the South Lawn of the White House on Friday, March 3. They were about to board Marine One for a short flight to Andrews Air Force Base. Trump applauds Carryn Owens during his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, February 28. Owens' husband, Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens, was killed during a recent mission in Yemen. "Ryan died as he lived: a warrior and a hero, battling against terrorism and securing our nation," Trump said. The applause in the chamber lasted over a minute, which Trump said must be a record. White House Adviser Kellyanne Conway takes an Oval Office photo of Trump and leaders of historically black colleges and universities on Monday, February 27. The image of her kneeling on the couch sparked memes on social media. Trump delivers remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, February 24. Speaking to a right-wing crowd of activists that once viewed him skeptically, Trump vowed to uphold his campaign promises. He also escalated his attacks on the press and vowed an economic revival spurred by new jobs and scaled-back regulation. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, left, listens to Trump as Marine One lands on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday, February 20. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Priebus was chairman of the Republican National Committee. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, left, listens to Trump as Marine One lands on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday, February 20. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Priebus was chairman of the Republican National Committee. Trump hugs supporter Gene Huber after he invited Huber to speak on stage during a rally in Melbourne, Florida, on Saturday, February 18. Huber, wearing a black Donald Trump T-shirt, thanked the President and spoke for a few moments. Trump speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, February 16. The President lashed out against the media and what he called fake news as he displayed a sense of anger and grievance rarely vented by a president in public. He said he resented reports that his White House was in chaos. "This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine," he said. Trump and Abe were dining at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, February 11, when they got the call that North Korea had launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile. They gathered their teams for an impromptu strategy session that could be seen by other diners at the resort. This photo was posted by a Mar-a-Lago member on Facebook and quickly spread on the Internet. Trump welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe outside the West Wing of the White House on Friday, February 10. The two leaders held Oval Office talks and had lunch together in the State Dining Room. The next day, they traveled to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and played golf together. Trump offers his hand to Jeff Sessions, who had just been sworn in as the new attorney general on February 9. Sessions, one of Trump's closest advisers and his earliest supporter in the US Senate, was confirmed by a 52-47 vote that was mostly along party lines. He was accompanied to the swearing-in by his wife, Mary. Trump meets with members of the US airline industry on Thursday, February 9. Trump said he knows US airlines are "under pressure from a lot of foreign elements and foreign carriers." But he added that "we want to make life good for them also." Foreign carriers buy lots of planes and jet engines from US manufacturers, and that supports thousands of well-paying factory jobs at home. During the meeting, Trump also promised that the United States would invest in transportation infrastructure, improving the nation's airports and air traffic control system. Trump waves as he boards Air Force One in Tampa, Florida, on Monday, February 6. He met generals and troops during a trip to MacDill Air Force Base, the headquarters of Central Command and Special Operations Command. Trump listens to a high school marching band as he arrives at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, February 5. The President and first lady attended a Super Bowl party there. Trump listens to a high school marching band as he arrives at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, February 5. The President and first lady attended a Super Bowl party there. Trump tosses a Sharpie pen back to a group of supporters after signing autographs in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, February 3. Trump was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which has become a popular trip so far during his presidency. Trump puts his hand on the shoulder of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after Tillerson was sworn in on February 1. They are joined by Vice President Pence and Tillerson's wife, Renda St. Clair. Tillerson, a former CEO of ExxonMobil, was confirmed in the Senate by a vote of 56 to 43. Trump met with several African-American leaders for a listening session to kick off Black History Month on Wednesday, February 1. Trump was seated between Ben Carson, his nominee to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Omarosa Manigault, a former "Apprentice" contestant who is now part of the administration. Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House as he announces Neil Gorsuch as his Supreme Court nominee on Tuesday, January 31. Gorsuch -- at right with his wife, Louise -- would replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who died last year. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan shake hands in front of Vice President Pence during a luncheon with GOP lawmakers on January 26. Trump previewed an ambitious governing agenda during his speech. "This Congress is going to be the busiest Congress we've had in decades, maybe ever," he said. "This is our chance to achieve great and lasting change for our beloved nation." Trump sits in front of a jacket that was given to him by the crew of Air Force One on Thursday, January 26. It was his first trip aboard the plane and Marine One. Trump sits in front of a jacket that was given to him by the crew of Air Force One on Thursday, January 26. It was his first trip aboard the plane and Marine One. Trump, left, watches Vice President Mike Pence swear in senior White House staff members on January 22. Trump said he and his aides will "face many challenges, but with the faith in each other and the faith in God we will get the job done." Trump, left, watches Vice President Mike Pence swear in senior White House staff members on January 22. Trump said he and his aides will "face many challenges, but with the faith in each other and the faith in God we will get the job done." Trump holds up a letter Sunday, January 22, that was left for him by former President Barack Obama. "I just went to the Oval Office and found this beautiful letter from President Obama. It was really very nice of him to do that. And I will cherish that," said Trump, who frequently criticized Obama on the campaign trail. Trump wouldn't tell the press what was in the letter. Trump kisses the first lady as they dance at one of three inaugural balls on January 20. The former real estate mogul, known for his affinity of over-the-top gold fixtures, went for classic Americana with a touch of retro glitz. Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States during his inauguration ceremony on Friday, January 20. Trump's wife, Melania, is holding a family Bible and a Bible that belonged to former President Abraham Lincoln. Next to Melania, from left, are Trump's children: Barron, Donald Jr., Ivanka, Tiffany and Eric. Chaffetz and Cummings announced their findings to reporters on the Hill following a classified gathering of the committee in which they reviewed documents that Cummings described as "extremely troubling." "I see no data to support the notion that Gen. Flynn complied with the law," Chaffetz said, referring to whether Flynn received permission from the Pentagon or the State Department or that he disclosed the more than $45,000 he was paid for a speech he gave to RT-TV in Russia. Chaffetz said that the committee will send a letter now requesting information from the inspector general at the Department of Defense and the comptroller of the US Army to determine how they will handle news of Flynn's security clearance. One action, he said, may be seeking repayment of money from Flynn -- possibly in the tens of thousands of dollars. JUST WATCHED Chaffetz: No evidence Flynn followed the law Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Chaffetz: No evidence Flynn followed the law 00:56 Cummings noted that the security clearance states that knowingly leaving off payments from foreign governments is a felony punishable with up to five years in prison. But he and Chaffetz both said that it was not for them to decide whether Flynn committed a crime. "We're not here to make the final determination," Chaffetz said Tuesday. Flynn's lawyer, Robert Kelner, said Tuesday that Flynn was not hiding anything, noting that he briefed the Defense Intelligence Agency on his trip to Russia. "As has previously been reported, General Flynn briefed the Defense Intelligence Agency, a component agency of DoD, extensively regarding the RT speaking event trip both before and after the trip, and he answered any questions that were posed by DIA concerning the trip during those briefings," Kelner said in a statement to CNN Tuesday. When asked by a reporter if the White House believed that Flynn broke the law in his SF-86 letter, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he didn't know. "That would be a question for him," Spicer said. "I don't know what he filled out or what he did or did not do. That all happened. He filled that form out prior to coming here. It would be up to the committee and other authorities to look at that. I don't know." The news comes after the White House declined to provide documents related to Flynn that the panel investigating him had requested, according to a letter obtained by CNN. White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short outlined in a letter to the House oversight committee how it would not complete the request from the panel, referring some requests to the Department of Defense, saying the office doesn't have custody of some of the other documents or simply stating "we are unable to accommodate" others. A White House aide disputed that the White House was withholding anything from the committee, saying they could not provide documents they do not have access to. The aide said that they directed oversight investigators to the appropriate agencies. The announcement about Flynn comes a week after CNN reported that Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior adviser to the President, has yet to detail to the federal government all of his foreign contacts, a condition of receiving his top secret security clearance, CNN has learned. When Kushner first submitted his forms to the FBI, he left the section about foreign contacts blank -- despite the fact that he had met with a large number of foreign emissaries and leaders once Donald Trump became the president-elect and he became the point man for international contacts for the incoming Trump administration. Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democratic member of the House oversight committee, said on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" that there is "no question" Flynn had committed a crime. Additionally, Connolly said he considers Kushner's failure to detail his foreign contacts as in the same category as Flynn's potential crime. "We've got an outbreak here of violations of the law and nondisclosure," Connolly said. "We need to get to the bottom of it by getting our hands on the documents we've requested from the White House." Whether Flynn properly disclosed payments from foreign governments on his security clearance application was the subject of the House oversight committee meeting Tuesday, as members reviewed the first batch of documents related to the investigation coming from the Pentagon. The committee gathered Tuesday morning at the Capitol to review classified material provided by the Department of Defense in response to its March 22 request for more information on Flynn, according to MJ Henshaw, a spokeswoman for House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz. JUST WATCHED Spicer: We don't know if Flynn broke law Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Spicer: We don't know if Flynn broke law 01:20 The committee has sent additional requests for information about Flynn to the White House, the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. However, Tuesday's meeting will only include responses from the Pentagon. Oversight investigators also revealed last month that Flynn had received $530,000 for work his lobbying firm did that, according to the committee , likely benefited the Republic of Turkey. The House and Senate intelligence committees have been leading the primary investigations into Russia's interference in the US elections and possible coordination with top aides to the Trump campaign. However, the House oversight panel has taken a particular focus on Flynn's work -- drilling down in a series of requests. Flynn was forced to resign from his role as Trump's national security adviser after it was discovered he withheld information about discussions he had with Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn is one of four former Trump aides at the center of the FBI's probe and is a top target for House and Senate investigators as well. |
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