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A Toronto woman has been deported to Chile for associating with a gang, even though she has lived virtually all of her life in Canada and has no criminal record. Carla Campagna, 23, was placed on a flight to Santiago late Tuesday night, hours after losing a deportation appeal in Toronto. Carla Campagna was placed on a flight to Santiago on Sept. 21, 2010, hours after losing a deportation appeal in Toronto. ( SUPPLIED PHOTO ) She was originally ordered deported last spring because of her association with a little-known Hispanic group grandly called the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation. The Latin Kings and Queens are considered public benefactors in some nations and an organized crime group in others. Her lawyer, Jeffry House, spoke with her shortly before she stepped on a flight for Santiago on Tuesday night. Article Continued Below “I asked her how she was feeling,” House said. “She said, ‘Just what you’d expect. My heart is broken.’ ” House said she also told him that Toronto is the only home she has ever known, and that she doesn’t understand why she has been deported. Earlier Tuesday, Justice Russel Zinn ruled in Federal Court that she failed to show irreparable harm would be caused through her deportation. Over the past year, Campagna kept house for her mother, who has been having radiation treatments for uterine cancer. She also voluntarily scrubbed floors at a west Toronto church. Campagna has no stable family or friends in Chile to help her restart her life, House said. Campagna never took out Canadian citizenship after arriving in Canada with her parents as a newborn. Court heard she was never a member of the Latin Queens, and immediately broke off all association with the group after a top member ordered her to give him oral sex. Article Continued Below Campagna told her Immigration and Refugee Board hearing in April that she briefly associated with the group because they talked about respect, not crime. “There was an oath,” Campagna told the hearing. “... Basically, it talks about treating your body like a temple... That your respect yourself as a queen, your head up high.” The board ruled that it didn’t matter that she never actually joined the Latin Queens. Its decision stated that membership in criminal and terrorist organizations has been interpreted broadly by the courts, “so much so that it ensnares even those who did not partake, nor intend to partake, in criminal or terrorist behaviour.” House was upset on Tuesday that Campagna was being deported, before her appeal could be make to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. House noted that the minister could allow a member of a criminal group to remain in Canada, if he determines he or she isn’t a danger to Canada. House said that he was told that the application to the minister “will go into the processing queue and will be dealt with accordingly. Furthermore, the application will be processed whether or not Ms. Campana is in Canada...” A dozen people associated with the group have been deported since a police sweep last year. The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation have been linked in the U.S. to drug running and murder. However, its members are government-funded community workers in Spain. In Ecuador, where the group was founded in the 1960s, members work alongside police officers. |
If you speak to one of the younger waitresses at Phillipe’s downtown, or perhaps ride the Metro Gold Line on weekday afternoons, you’re likely to hear something pretty strange: teenagers speaking a variety of English that is decidedly non-rhotic. This has been the case for at least five years, but when I did my linguistics survey of Southern California in the spring of 2012, it had been so long since I heard it that I started to think I’d imagined it. Not so. Because this accent is most prevalent in northeastern neighbourhoods like Highland Park and Eagle Rock, it is sometimes called a “hipster accent.” Others have referred to it as “Cockney.” But where does it come from? The first possibility is that this is the result of British media, which has more exposure in the United States than ever before. But if this were the case, other features of British English would be part of the dialect, which they aren’t. However, just the dropping of r’s has a profound effect on how Angeleno speeech is perceived. Compare “gnarrrly” to “gnahly,” and you begin to understand why some locals accord this new accent a certain level of otherness. The second possibility is something called reactionary broadness, wherein local inhabitants of an area subconsciously exaggerate their native accents to distinguish themselves from recent transplants. However, this would require non-rhoticity to be an old feature of Los Angeles English, which it never has been. The third is that this is a hypercorrection of the long retroflex r’s evinced by stereotypical “valley girls” and “surfer dudes,” stereotypes that have morphed from the mere spoiled brats of Amy Heckerling’s films to the uncultured and ignorant. Below is a clip of Irish comedian Dylan Moran explaining why “stupid Americans sound more stupid than other stupid people.” He then imitates what sounds to me like a Los Angeles accent. Granted, Few accents of American English have changed as rapidly and dramatically as Angeleno. If the demographics of the early American settlers are anything to go by, this area originally sounded quite southern. By the time of movies and radio, Los Angeles speech was very close to General American, which can still be heard in some older, rural, or Jewish speakers. The arrival of the cot-caught merger appears to have occurred sometime in the 1940s. When I told my professor about this accent, she suggested a link with African American Vernacular English, unaware that local AAVE is rhotic and the East Side is only 2% black. And despite the new accent’s association with the East Side, the only non-rhotic samples I collected were from Altadena and Sherman Oaks. All of the speakers I’ve found are middle-class white people (including hispanics and Jews), from middle-class white areas, with rhotic parents. All are under the age of 30. This may soon be the new sound of Los Angeles, but how long it will take for our media’s image to adjust to that is a mystery. Advertisements |
Please enable Javascript to watch this video A man who was jumping rooftops in La Puente, evading police for nearly five hours, was finally stopped when a man who lives in the home he was on top of actually climbed up and threw him off the roof on Tuesday. The moment was captured in a cellphone video that shows 83-year-old Wilford Burgess climbing up a ladder onto the roof of his home, first approaching the man and then pushing him off. It all started when Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies received a call from someone who said they were being followed around 6:30 a.m. in the 14100 block of Beckner Street, officials said. From that call, authorities eventually discovered a man jumping from one rooftop to another as he fled from police. The roof-jumping went on for several hours as the Sheriff's Department even brought in a crisis negotiator to try convincing him to come down, officials said. "He wasn’t staying in one place," Burgess said. "He’d be on one edge and then around on the other parts." After the man was on Burgess' roof for about an hour or so, Burgess said he felt it was time to try taking matters into his own hands. He decided to bring out a ladder and climb up there himself. "He’d been up there too long," Burgess said. "I figured ... if they can’t get him off, I can." Burgess' grandaughter, Ashley Wrenn, captured the whole scene on video. She said she isn't surprised her grandfather did what he did. "He's like the strongest person in our family. I mean, he keeps us all together. ... It wasn't a surprise to us. That's papa," she said, laughing. |
“The Blair Witch Project” is a found footage horror film written and directed by Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick. Released in 1999, The Blair Witch Project is considered by many as the pivotal film that started the modern found footage revolution. The story follows three student filmmakers who venture out to the Maryland wilderness to create a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch. According to legend, a resident of the small town of Blair, Maryland was executed in 1785 for practicing witchcraft. The accused man kidnapped eight children, bringing them into his basement in twos. He successively forced one child of the pair stand in the corner facing the wall while killing the other, after which he killed the second child. During his trial, the accused said he could not face his victim’s eyes, so he made them face the corner. In 1824, the town was renamed from Blair to Burkittsville, and it is here that three student filmmakers visit in 1994 to film a documentary on the infamous Blair Witch. The film crew is lead by Heather (Heather Donahue) and includes cameraman Josh (Joshua Leonard), and crew Mike (Michael C. Williams). The documentary starts out innocently enough. Heather interviews Burkittsville locals who offer stories about the Blair Witch that were passed down through the generations. Having gathered enough background information from the interviews, Heather, Josh, and Mike head out into the woods on foot in search of additional historic remnants related to the Blair Witch legend. With only a paper map and compass to guide their way, the film crew enters the unforgiving forest. Despite their careful navigation, the group soon becomes lost, walking for days in relentless circles. During their travels, the film crew happens upon small stacks of stones on the ground and strange figures fashioned with sticks and twine hanging from the treetops. Each night the group sets up camp for the evening, they are awoken by strange voices and sounds outside their tent. The three filmmakers soon realize that they are not alone and are being watched. Sleep deprived, short of food, and emotionally drained, the film crew are desperate to find a way out of their menagerie. What will be the fate of Heather, Josh, and Mike? Every step the group takes brings them deeper into the woods and closer to their worst nightmares. Given the historical significance of The Blair Witch Project to the modern found footage genre, this review opens with a detailed introspective of the film’s roots. History Behind the Legend The Blair Witch Project is the brainchild of directors Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick. In preparation for their feature film, the filmmaking duo manufactured the complete backstory and mythos defining the genesis of the Blair Witch, including the fictitiously named town of Blair. The production culminated in close to 19 hours of usable footage that was ultimately edited down to 90 minutes. In total, editing took over 8 months to complete. The first cut of the film that was screened had a run time of 150 minutes. Multiple screenings and viewer feedback ultimately brought the run time to the 90-minute theatrical version known today. The Blair Witch Project had a $35,000 budget. Artison purchased the film for $1.1 million and spent $25 million in marketing. Further, the actors are said to have received a small percentage of the profits. In total, the film grossed over $248 million, making The Blair Witch Project one of the most successful indie films of all times. Lights, Camera, Improv! Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick opted to shoot The Blair Witch Project as a film crew creating a documentary. This filming decision was based on their realization that documentary style paranormal movies were far more frightening than their traditional narrative shot horror equivalents. To further enhance the perceived authenticity of The Blair Witch Project, Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick managed the entire production using an improvisational approach. The actors, script, shooting schedule, and the cast’s relationship with the crew were all centered around capturing an organic unscripted experience that aligned with the story and looked unwaveringly real. The production crew enlisted actors with strong improvisational skills who were able to adapt to the unconventional filming strategy. Heather Donahue (as character Heather) was selected for her “Captain Ahab quality” that none of the other applicants possessed. As the leader of the student film crew, Heather’s character needed a personality that would enable her to plausibly take her film crew wherever she needed to in order to accomplish her goals. This motivation was also essential to maintaining a strong found footage filming reason, particularly in the latter part of the film when the characters were in danger. In furtherance of the improvisational strategy for the film, The Blair Witch Project did not have an explicit line-by-line shooting script. The actors were provided with individual instructions outlining their day’s tasks and objectives. Using these instructions, the actors were called upon to use their improvisational skills to have their characters react appropriately in various situations. In fact, other than having a basic understanding of the Blair Witch mythology, the actors knew nothing beyond each day’s assigned tasks. The cast’s uncertainty as to where the story was heading and unawareness of what would happen next fed into the realistic feel of the final film. Further enhancing the actors’ reactions, the production crew set out to make the cast feel completely isolated once they set out into the woods. Once they embarked on their journey, the cast had very little contact with the production crew for much of the shoot. The production crew gently guided the cast through the woods by providing them with the GPS location of daily drops that included clues indicating where to go next along with each day’s activities. Other than these loose directions, the cast had to find their own way. In the event that communication was absolutely necessary, the cast and production crew were equipped with walkie-talkies. Adding to the reality of their situation, the actors were responsible for packing and carrying all the provisions needed to survive and film. The only exception being their tent, which the production crew moved to the next location once the actors left the campsite for the day. To increase the cast’s stress level, the production crew deprived them of food and sleep. The actors were given the minimal amount of food needed to survive the day. During the late evenings, the production crew woke up the actors with the voices and noises heard in the film. Despite this hands-off approach, there were some circumstances where the production crew had to interact with the cast. Some of these circumstances included the filming of pivotal scenes, resolving technical issues, and dealing with inclement weather. Cemetery Monolog and Local Interviews Principal filming took place in October 1997 over an eight-day period. Most of The Blair Witch Project was shot in Montgomery, Maryland and only the opening scene in the cemetery was filmed in the actual town of Burkittsville where the story takes place. In alignment with the improvisational filming approach, the production crew tasked actress Heather Donahue with writing the dialog for the introductory scene at the cemetery. The interviews conducted in Burkittsville also employed improvisational filmmaking. The interviewees were a mix of actual Burkittsville locals and a few planted actors. The locals invented their own stories on the fly during the interviews, while the few planted actors were provided with some background information and improvised the rest. Hotel Scene – Cheers! The scene in the hotel the night before Heather, Josh, and Mike set out into the woods was surprisingly real. To the production crew’s chagrin, the cast used all of their food and gas stipends to buy alcohol. The cast filmed themselves throughout the evening as they became intoxicated. The total hotel scene contained 90 minutes of footage which was edited down to the few minutes used in the final edit. Campsite Terror Each evening of the eight-day shoot, the cast slept in actual makeshift campsites during their journey through the woods. As part of the story, the production crew created scenarios to awaken the cast in the middle of the night. Not only did these tactics result in usable footage, but also ensured the cast were sleep deprived, further making their plight more realistic. Each successive evening, the cast were victims to unearthly noises and screams heard through the canvass walls of their tent. The voices and noises were mostly pre-recorded sounds of children playing outside that were pumped through a boombox directed towards the tent. During one unscripted scene, the production crew shook the tent from outside which further rattled the cast. In yet another scene, the production crew (with backpacks full of rocks) attempted to sneak up to the tent between 3 AM and 4 AM while the cast slept to set up small rock piles around their campsite. Since The Blair Witch Project was filmed during the fall, the dead leaves on the ground made loud crunching sounds from the production crew’s footsteps which quickly woke everyone up. The production crew had to tell the cast to stay in their tent and not to come out till morning while they set up the small rock piles. For the scene where a panicked Heather and Mike ran out of their tent into the woods in the middle of the night, the production crew set up markers in advance so the cast knew which direction to run. Their escape path had to be clearly labeled to avoid potential eye injuries from running into low hanging branches in the dark. Rock Piles and Twig Figures The woods where The Blair Witch Project was shot did not have the appropriately sized rocks needed to build the small rock piles used in the film. The production crew had to carry backpacks full of rocks throughout the shoot to build the rock pile props. Since the cast’s exact hiking path was not precisely known due to the vague directions provided to the cast, the production crew had to stay slightly ahead of where the cast was heading and set up the rock piles in a place where they were sure to be seen. As for the stick figures, the production crew had a team of ten or so people who fashioned the now famous stick figures using twigs and twine, hanging them from the branches during the shoot. Josh’s Disappearance The morning after Josh disappeared, the production crew placed the iconic stick bundle (with Josh’s teeth and hair) at the campsite for Heather to find. When heather originally found the stick bundle she tossed it away without opening it. The production crew had to tell actress Heather Donahue to retrieve the bundle and open it before leaving the campsite for the day. The teeth used in the bundle were actual teeth provided by Eduardo Sánchez’s dentist. The hair in the bundle was actor Joshua Leonard’s actual hair. During the night following Josh’s tragic disappearance, the production crew instructed Josh to yell and make noises that Heather and Mike would hear from their tent. For the final scene in the abandoned house, the actor playing Josh had a personal obligation, so his pre-recorded voice was played back for that pivotal scene. Abandoned House Actors Heather Donahue and Michael C. Williams had no idea that they were going to find the abandoned house during the climax of the film, adding to their surprise. When Mike entered the basement during the final scene of the film, one production crew took the camera from Mike and placed it on the floor while another production crew led Mike to the corner. Heather entered the basement and happened to film Mike in the corner, which turned out to be another memorable shot in the film. Marketing The Blair Witch Project is credited as being the first film to use many of the marketing strategies still used in found footage horror to this day. Further, The Blair Witch Project is considered to the be first film to be completely marketed on the Internet. The film website contained faux police reports of the missing film crew, complete with photos. The cast’s IMDB profile had the actors labeled as missing and presumed dead for a full year. During film festivals, flyers were circulated prompting people to report the whereabouts of the missing film crew and missing person posters were used to advertise the film. More Interesting Facts The CP-16 film camera held by Josh for most of the eight-day shoot broke during filming and had to be repaired. After the film was completed, the camera sold on eBay for $10,000 The Hi-8 camera used by Heather was returned to Circuit City for a refund after the production ended to save on budget The scene mentioning “Gilligan’s Island” was the most expensive shot in the film due to the cost of acquiring the rights The cast used the safety word “taco” whenever they needed to break character The over 19 hours of raw footage contained much more arguing between the characters than appeared on-screen. The arguing was toned down in the final edit by selecting moments of levity so the viewers would sympathize with the cast The cast didn’t know they were intentionally being led in circles. When Heather came to the realization that they had walked for a full day and ended up by the same log they had previously crossed that morning, her reaction was real. Heather was genuinely upset because she thought they wasted an entire day of walking Josh was originally cast as the main antagonist within the group. During filming the antagonist role was shifted to Mike based on his performance and the group dynamics Mike was the only actor that knew the map was kicked into the creek. The other actors did not find out what happened to the map until Mike revealed this fact during filming The cast first learned that the Blair Witch legend was contrived by the filmmakers after the film was released At one point the actors hiked in the wrong direction and got lost for over an hour The production crew re-enforced the floors of the abandoned building and added the fingerprints to the walls (indicative of the children that were murdered) Shooting in the abandoned house ended up taking two days because the camera light battery died on the film camera The cast had to use the woods for all their nature calls during the shoot as there were no bathrooms Eduardo Sánchez’s sister is one of the people interviewed at the beginning of the film The credits were intentionally made to look like a student film Found Footage Cinematography The cinematography throughout The Blair Witch Project is nothing short of perfect. To the credit of directors Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick, the final edit has the look and feel of an actual student film. This effect was achieved by placing the cameras in the hands of the actors, who are untrained at professional cinematography. To fulfill her role as a cinematographer, Heather Donahue had to take a crash course to learn the basics of filming before production started. The Blair Witch Project contains several novice filmmaker mistakes made by Josh Leonard and Heather Donahue that were left in the final edit to add to the film’s authenticity. One of these missteps takes place in the interview of Mary Brown (played by Patricia DeCou) which was consequently filmed in front of the actress’s real home. The scene is blurry due to actor Joshua Leonard confusing the conversion from meters to feet on the camera lens. This very real incident prompts the dialog in the car where Josh talks about his confusion between meters and feet on the camera lens. In another misstep, actress Heather Donahue accidentally enables the digital zoom on the camera for part of the shoot. The production crew had to step in and correct her camera settings. These small nuances add to the overall gritty realism of The Blair Witch Project. The Blair Witch Project also contains many brilliantly edited scenes. One noteworthy scene takes place in the abandoned house towards the end of the film, where Heather and Mike enter the house and are concurrently filming on different floors in real time. This scene contains a shot where the video is coming from Heather’s camera, but the audio feed is coming from the onboard microphone on Mike’s camera filming on another floor. The distant audio lends an eerie atmosphere to an already frightening moment in the film. The directors also admit that there were a number of serendipitously captured shots during the course of the eight-day production, several of which are now considered iconic moments of The Blair Witch Project. One such moment is the signature close-up scene of Heather’s face during her self-testimonial in the woods. Heather’s face appears half in-frame, which was unintentional but is now a hallmark scene in the film. Consequently, Heather’s tears and runny nose are real. Filming Reason The filming reasons used in The Blair Witch Project are nothing short of perfect. The filming reason gauges the justification as to why a feature length’s worth of footage exists. All too often, a flawed filming reason is responsible for destroying the plausibility of many found footage films. In the case of The Blair Witch Project, the primary reason for filming is the creation of a student film documenting the legendary Blair Witch. This filming reason is perfectly sound, but calls into question why the characters continue filming after being lost in the woods, sleep deprived, short on food, and in physical perile. Directors Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick successfully justify the continued filming through their casting of Heather Donahue as character Heather. Heather is portrayed as an alpha personality who will stop at nothing to complete her film. She also proves worthy at getting the film crew to follow her lead and continue filming despite the dangerous circumstances. An additional filming reason is using the cameras as a light source when filming at night, which is also when most of the stressful events take place. The culmination of all of the filming reasons employed throughout The Blair Witch Project results in a technically pristine filming reason spanning the entire feature film. Found Footage Purity The found footage purity is a measure of all of the technical components that make up The Blair Witch Project. The exceptional cinematography and filming reason in concert with the great acting and improvisational dialog work perfectly together, resulting in a film that for all intents and purposes looks real. The inclusion of subtle novice filmmaking missteps and ending credits that look like a student film further bolster the found footage purity. Acting The acting throughout The Blair Witch Project is exceptional. The decision of directors Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick to use an improvisational approach to making the film lends itself to more natural character reactions and organic dialog. As mentioned earlier, all of the actors were screened based on their improvisational skills. Actress Heather Donahue, in particular, was selected to play the character Heather based on her ability to successfully portray the alpha personality necessary to drive the film crew to shoot everything during their thankless journey through the woods. Joshua Leonard plays a convincing filmmaker who tries to be diplomatic throughout the story, but ultimately reaches his wits ends towards the end, coming close to cracking. Michael C. Williams as Mike does a great job as the main antagonist within the group. As the tension slowly escalates throughout the film, all three actors do a wonderful job playing off each other’s emotions. The adversarial relationships that develop between the three characters come across as absolutely real. The supporting cast of Burkittsville, Maryland locals are also exceptional in their respective roles. The success of the interviews harkens back to the improvisational nature of the film. Many of the interviewees are real locals who are making up their own stories on the fly while being filmed. Scattered within those interviews are a few planted real actors who were provided specific information that needed to be communicated to further the plot. The “planted” actors made up their dialog based on rough guidelines provided by the directors. Plot The underlying plot of The Blair Witch Project in concert with the improvisational filming approach makes this film revolutionary for its time. The simplicity of the plot is what makes the film successful and timeless – a student film crew set out to create a documentary about a local legend through interviews and filming at historical landmarks. What happens next leaves much to the imagination, which makes The Blair Witch Project extraordinarily scary and eerie. The plot does not rely on special or practical effects. Everything that happens occurs in the shadows. Character reactions are enough to drive and effectively sell the story, making The Blair Witch Project among the best found footage films ever created. Blair Witch (2016) Sequel Fans of The Blair Witch Project (1999) were privy to an exciting announcement, the upcoming release of a third film in the franchise title Blair Witch (2016). To maintain secrecy, the film had a working title called The Woods and was only recently revealed to be a sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Blair Witch (2016) is directed by Adam Wingard and written by Simon Barrett and is produced by Lionsgate. Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick are also tied to the film as executive producers. The new film has generated a great deal of buzz in the horror community, who eagerly await the film’s worldwide release on September 14, 2016. Additional Resources |
“What is it with Abbotsford?” Stockwell Day asked the more than 400 Conservative supporters in suburban Vancouver who showed up at the Dynamic Windows factory the other night to hear Stephen Harper speak. “You folks always know how to light it up. Give yourselves a hand! There’s a fantastic turnout here.” The Conservative leader’s campaign stops are almost unfailingly cheerful and upbeat, at least until the moment when, in morning events, travelling and local reporters are permitted to ask Harper five questions. But this was an evening rally; there would be no intrusions from the pesky press corps, and the mood among the Conservative faithful on this particular night was unusually buoyant. The turnout was one of the largest yet for Harper in this campaign. The style of the meeting was more folksy and soulful, like an old Reform party rally, than most of Harper’s stops. Ed Fast, the local MP, whom Ottawa knows as the minister for international trade, introduced his ministerial predecessor, Day, who introduced Harper. Mark Strahl, the MP for Chilliwack–Fraser Canyon up the road, led the singing of the national anthem. Day told everyone he and Valerie are up to 14 grandchildren now. Fast acknowledged the presence of Chuck Strahl, the now-retired, long-time MP who’s Mark Strahl’s dad. There were so many bonds of kinship and politics in the room, it was hard for an outsider to keep track of them all. “Now, isn’t it wonderful to be in a region of Canada with so many Conservative friends?” Fast asked the crowd. “This is, in fact, our Conservative family. And let me tell you, we’ve got a fantastic story to tell.” One thing with Abbotsford is that it’s in British Columbia’s Bible belt, home to dozens of Lutheran and Anabaptist congregations and a growing Sikh population. Fast, Day and the Strahls are all churchgoing men. And while Harper’s exuberant half-hour speech was a variation on the discourse he has delivered at every stop of this long campaign, with a heavy emphasis on the economy and no religious content until he called at the end for God to bless Canada, his staff did make a few additions that would be particularly pleasing to this gathering of Conservative friends. “Let the other guys explain—and I can hardly believe, when I read this list, I’m not making this stuff up—let the other guys explain their plans for drug-injection sites in your neighbourhoods,” Harper said, “for legalized marijuana and legalized prostitution, for ending mandatory prison sentences for even the most violent criminals, and for bringing back the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry.” As he listed these social ills, some in the audience audibly moaned. When he finished, the applause was tumultuous, as it was when Harper pledged to “continue to support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.” When it was over, Harper called it an evening and resumed the measured pace he has pursued throughout the campaign’s first month. It is the classic pace of the modern national leader’s campaign, not far different from what Thomas Mulcair and Justin Trudeau are doing, predicated on the very strong belief among political professionals that there is nothing to be gained from running a leader into the ground. INTRODUCING THE BULLDOG* On most days, there is a morning “message event,” designed to announce a platform plank or emphasize some element of the Harper government’s record. There is a quick event mid-afternoon, a photo opportunity or a short rally for a small crowd. And there is a larger rally in the evening designed to fire up campaign workers, generate local coverage, and get some positive word-of-mouth going throughout a region. And that’s it. After the morning message event, the reporters bring everyone down with their pesky questions. On Harper’s tour, which I joined for three days last week, this scrum always happens in front of a partisan audience, invited by the local party organization, identified ahead of time through a record of donating to the party or working on campaigns. Now that the fraud trial of suspended Sen. Mike Duffy is on hold until November, Harper’s morning exchanges with the scribes are a little less Arctic in tone. But Harper plainly enjoys his pep talks to Conservative troops more than these daily confrontations with the scribes. His speeches on the road would come as a surprise to anyone who has seen only the nightly news clips of Harper dodging questions about Duffy, Nigel Wright, Ray Novak and Syrian refugees. The Prime Minister is at least 15 lb. lighter than when he campaigned in 2011. He stands straighter, delivers his lines with more élan, and seems in a genuinely far better mood than four years ago, when he slouched and grumbled his way to a third consecutive election victory. Sometimes he even permits himself to be funny, in a way he has hardly risked in years. “Now friends, I want you to remember this statistic,” he said as he bragged about the Conservative record on trade in Abbotsford, “because, every so often, the Liberals jump up and say, ‘Oh, we support trade, too.’ ” He delivered the supposed Liberal talking point in a whiny, cartoon falsetto that sounded heavily influenced by David Letterman. It made me laugh out loud in the middle of the Dynamic Windows factory. And again, days later, when I was transcribing my recording of Harper’s remarks. Stephen Harper is having a ball out there on the road, loose and cheerful, and it’s all a bit jarring, because there is no poll so far that suggests he can hang onto a Conservative majority in the House of Commons after Oct. 19. Most polls suggest he is not on track to win this thing in any way. Some show the Conservatives in third place, behind Mulcair’s NDP and even Trudeau’s hated Liberals, whose collective voice rings in Harper’s head like a voice from a cancelled late-night talk show. Maybe Harper knows something we don’t. Maybe he can’t see the gathering clouds. Or maybe the Conservative leader knows what we know—that this may be his last hurrah—and he’s okay with that. Every day, he tells invited audiences who have demonstrated their loyalty to Canadian conservatism the things they most want to hear. In Whitehorse, at the morning event, he was introduced by Ryan Leef, the incumbent MP who had leapt from the bushes a few nights earlier to inflict a citizen’s arrest on a neighbour who had been defacing his campaign signs. A campaign staffer told me this riding had the highest per-capita rate of gun ownership in Canada. Bingo. Harper promised he would “not ever reinstate the long-gun registry.” He vowed to promote angling, hunting and snowmobiling. He managed to promise both to introduce “a specific wildlife conservation and enhancement program” and to “remove a bunch of the barriers and irritants that bird hunters have been telling us about.” At every stop, he tells people who want him to keep being Prime Minister that he will soon be even more of the Prime Minister they want. Safe neighbourhoods for the fantastic Conservative family in Abbotsford. Wildlife protected until the precise moment of its sporting demise in the Yukon. Odes to business acumen, delivered in front of a wall-sized Quebec flag, for the entrepreneurial nationalists of the Quebec City region. Paeans to the new Canadian mosaic in the bustling suburbs around Toronto. It’s not all that different from what Mulcair and Trudeau are doing. The crowd at an NDP rally is composed, for the most part, of faithful New Democrats who have been cajoled into showing up by the local and national NDP campaigns. The difference is the exquisite degree to which Harper’s staff have refined the technique. Nobody gets into a Harper event without an invitation. No message escapes his lips that did not get there from a teleprompter. The campaign is a feedback loop, supporters to leader and back. It took something big to rock Harper out of that loop last week. What it took was the worldwide release of news photos showing little three-year-old Alan Kurdi lying dead on a beach in Turkey. Alan, his brother, Galib, and his mother, Rehanna, died along with 10 other Syrian refugees when their boat capsized. Harper was in Surrey, B.C., when the news hit his tour. His press spokesman, Kory Teneycke, paced up and down a sidewalk for almost an hour in front of the hotel where the Conservative campaign tour had spent the night, his phone to his ear as Conservatives decided how to respond. At last, word came out that Harper would hold his scheduled morning event in front of an invited partisan crowd in a food warehouse, but that he would deliver no campaign promise, only a statement on the tragedy. At the moment Harper eventually spoke, there were conflicting reports about which members of the Kurdi family had applied to come to Canada. The bitter debate over Immigration Minister Chris Alexander’s role in handling their request still lay ahead. But what soon became clear was that Harper intended to draw a sharp distinction on Syrian refugees between the Liberals and New Democrats, on one hand, and his own party, on the other. Those other parties want Canada to admit more Syrian refugees. Harper suggested Canada need be no more welcoming than it had already planned to be. “Our country has the most generous immigration and refugee system in the world. We admit, per capita, more people than any other.” To be polite, this was a stretcher. On the issue of the day, refugee resettlement, there is no independent international source that ranks Canada ahead of all other countries. But Harper’s point was that merely accepting refugees wouldn’t be enough. To him, Syria and Iraq have been transformed into a massive machine for generating waves of refugees, and it is long past time to break the machine. “We are also doing what we have to do to try and fight the root cause of this problem. And that is the violent campaign being fought against millions of people by Islamic State. That is why we are part of the international military coalition.” The invited crowd applauded at this, and there is reason to believe Harper’s message of refugee resettlement plus air strikes against Islamic State will find support among some Canadian voters. Various polls since last autumn have suggested that, while opinion on Canada’s participation in the anti-Islamic State coalition is sharply divisive, Harper’s policy has had more supporters than detractors. In the days after Harper spoke, both British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President François Hollande suggested they will step up their military action against Islamic State in Syria. They appear to have reached conclusions similar to Harper’s. Taken at the average, a month’s worth of public opinion polls suggest Canadian voters are moving toward different conclusions. The poll aggregator ThreeHundredEight.com said on Tuesday that the Conservatives had fallen four points in six weeks, in the average of all publicly available national polls. The NDP has held steady for a month, and the Liberals have pulled ahead of the Conservatives into second place. After the millions of dollars Harper has allocated to advertising barrages against Trudeau over two years, that’s gotta hurt. But if Harper is feeling any pain, he does not let it show on the road. Neither do the Conservatives who travel with him, including Kory Teneycke and the campaign director, Jenni Byrne. On Friday, as campaigning Conservatives and a tiny contingent of journalists boarded the Conservatives’ chartered Air Canada jet to fly back to Ottawa, another reporter called a question to the Prime Minister. “How does this thing end?” Harper smiled and spread his arms wide. “We’re gonna win this! Come on!” I have three competing theories to explain this chipper mood. Maybe he’s going to win. Maybe he has a plan to turn this campaign around, and he’ll punch the secret button any day now. This possibility should never be discounted, as it is how the elections of 2006, 2008 and 2011 ended. In both 2008 and 2011, the final vote the Conservatives obtained was a few points higher than the average of the polls at the end of the campaign. But every poll in 2011 showed the Conservatives in first place. This year, almost none has. And the trend is heading in the wrong direction. So maybe Harper is losing and doesn’t know it, or refuses to believe it. I have a lot of time for this theory. In previous campaigns, he took care to surround himself with a few people whose vision of conservatism was a few degrees different from his own, people who weren’t afraid to speak truth to power. He asked Bruce Carson, a veteran Progressive Conservative, to take over the drafting of his 2006 campaign because Carson was, he said, “a little to my left.” (Carson’s reply: “You’ve got that right.” Carson was unavailable to work on the campaign this year, as he is about to go on trial for influence-peddling.) In the same year, Harper appeared at a campaign rally with Bill Davis, whose tenure as Ontario’s centre-left Progressive Conservative premier Harper had publicly criticized in another life. This is the sort of thing you do when you want to show you can build a big tent—when, indeed, you actually want to build a big tent and live in it. Harper is doing the opposite this year. He is hunkering down. Byrne and Teneycke tend to pull him to the right, not moderate him. His audiences are, by design, not going to disagree with much he says. Waves of party leaders going back to Pierre Trudeau have worked to perfect the bubble campaign; Harper’s tour stops have traced an archipelago of bubbles across the country. In Moby-Dick, Herman Melville describes a former whaler turned Massachussetts preacher, Father Mapple, who climbs a rope ladder to his pulpit, then pulls up the ladder behind him, “leaving him impregnable in his little Quebec.” The reference is not to the province or the city; it’s to the Citadelle, the fortress built on a promontory outside the old city. With mixed results, and despite occasional incursions from the real world, Harper has tried to take his little Quebec with him on this tour. Maybe no news gets in. But, for the most part, I can’t really bring myself to believe this, which leaves one more possibility. Maybe Harper knows he is probably going to lose this election. Maybe he has made his peace. As early as 2009, Conservatives close to Harper were describing his political aims in terms that lasted beyond Harper’s own career as leader of the Conservative party. Earlier Conservative leaders—John Diefenbaker, Brian Mulroney—had left their parties so worn out that their opponents rolled over them, leaving them without influence for many years. If the Liberals have been Canada’s natural governing party, in this analysis, it’s because Conservatives have failed to build something that could last and compete long after the first flush of a new leader’s novelty. For at least half a decade, then, Harper has conceived his Conservative party as a vehicle that must remain attractive to voters after he’s gone. Of course, wishing doesn’t make it so. Who would replace Harper as leader is an open question, and whether any of the likely successors would prove formidable in a general election campaign is another. But, unlike most leaders, Harper has grown used to thinking of his party’s future after his own leadership ends. I believe this habit of mind provides the best explanation for why he’s even bothered to lead the party into this campaign. As all kinds of observers were saying a year ago, most leaders facing polls as lousy as the ones he was looking at would have resigned and handed the leadership over to some poor chump who could take the fall, a John Turner, a Kim Campbell. The fate of such replacement leaders is well-known. It takes a different kind of leader to engineer a soft landing for a party that can’t win. Jean Charest managed that feat in Quebec in 2012. Louis St. Laurent did it in 1957, losing to Diefenbaker by seven seats. Both men left behind Liberal parties that would not stay out of the game for long. At every stop, Harper tells his hand-picked audiences he is the man who must win. But there is no keener student of Canadian political history than Harper, and he must know that, should it come to this, for Canadian conservatism, he is also the best man to lose. |
For many brands and businesses photo albums and photos on Facebook can get up to 180% more engagement and social networking sites like Tumblr and Pinterest drive incredible amounts of traffic back to blogs and websites via images. To put it bluntly, images are more important than ever when it comes to online marketing. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time (or skills) to regularly produce images. Luckily for them, however, there are some free and easy tools that help with image creation in a pinch. Here’s a list of a few of my favorites. Have Smartphone, Will Travel If you have time to take your own pictures (or already have a few you’d like to use) and you want to edit them quickly, use some of these tools: Instagram – No surprises here, right? Google+ – Did you know you can edit images using Google+? Yep! Google provides some great filters, plus you can add text. Twitter – Twitter has photo filters now. Here’s how to get started. Facebook – Use Aviary Editor to edit photos for your Facebook profile (please note: This isn’t compatible with Pages just yet). Photovisi – An easy way to create photo collages. Pixlr – Pixlr has smartphone and web apps. Free Photo Archives Stock Xchng – One of the best free photo sites out there. Flickr – Per Flickr, “Many Flickr users have chosen to offer their work under a Creative Commons license”, and you can browse or search through content by clicking Advanced Search > Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content. Wikipedia – Wikimedia Commons is a media file repository making available public domain and freely-licensed educational media content. Morguefile – They say the provide, “high resolution stock photos for your illustration, comp or design needs.” No Camera Needed No time to break out the camera? That’s fine too! Quozio – Have an excellent quote burning a hole in your pocket? Quozio will make it a pretty image – fast! Recite – Creates fun quotes and text-based images. Their branding appears on the image. Roflbot – Creates meme-worthy pictures quickly. You can use your own pic, a pic from the web, or let Roflbot randomly select an image. Their branding appears very small on the bottom right hand corner of saved images. Memegenerator – Another meme creator. Use already established memes and images and add your own unique slant SomeECards – Might be funny for another few months. Maybe. Polyvore – This is a fashion-realted photo site that allows you to create and edit outfits and shopping related imagery. Which tools do you use to create images? Did I miss any good ones? |
Fact check: Are feral cats killing over 20 billion native animals a year? Updated Environment Minister Greg Hunt has pledged new money to help community groups trap and eradicate feral cats. "There are up to 20 million feral cats taking up to four native Australian animals a night. That is over 20 billion Australian native species being destroyed a year," Mr Hunt said on ABC's Landline on November 2. It's well recognised that feral cats are a major threat to native wildlife, but are there really almost as many cats as people in Australia? ABC Fact Check takes a look at the numbers. The claim: Greg Hunt says up to 20 million feral cats are each killing four native Australian animals a night, destroying over 20 billion animals a year. Greg Hunt says up to 20 million feral cats are each killing four native Australian animals a night, destroying over 20 billion animals a year. The verdict: The number of feral cats in Australia is impossible to calculate because of density variation, and the way the population fluctuates with prey availability and climate. The number of native Australian animals killed by feral cats each night is also difficult to calculate, due to differences in the size of prey. Mr Hunt's claim is unverifiable. Greg Hunt's claim Fact Check asked Mr Hunt for the basis of his claim and his office said the figures were sourced from The Action Plan for Australian Mammals published in June 2014. However, Fact Check contacted the authors, Professor John Woinarski from Charles Darwin University and consultant biologist Andrew Burbidge, who both say the plan provides no such statistic. "The Action Plan for Australian Mammals does not give any estimate or data on the number of feral cats in Australia or on the number of individual animals killed by those cats," Professor Woinarski said. Dr Burbidge, who chairs the West Australian Government's Threatened Species Scientific Committee, agrees. "The action plan highlights that feral cats are the current greatest threat to Australia's mammals. But... it does not attempt to provide an estimate of the number out there," he said. "As far as I am aware, there has been no systematic study that would allow an estimate of the number of feral cats in Australia." The number of feral cats in Australia Cats have been in Australia since European settlement, and may have arrived as early as the 17th century with Dutch shipwrecks. Feral cats were established in the wild by the 1850s. Tim Doherty is completing a PhD on feral cats at Edith Cowan University. He recently wrote that "calculating an absolute number of feral cats in Australia is a very difficult exercise". He notes that recent media reports have used 15 million, 15 to 23 million, and 20 million. He also points out that a figure of 18 million has become entrenched in scientific and official sources. However, there does not appear to be any identified basis for the number. The federal Environment Department's 2008 Threat Abatement Plan used the figure of "about 18 million", citing a 2004 report from the Pest Animal Control Cooperative Research Centre. The 2004 report cited a 2001 study from researchers at Cornell University. The Cornell study cited an editorial from Christchurch's The Press newspaper. The newspaper article cited a 1996 speech in federal parliament by MP Richard Evans. Mr Evans cited a 1993 speech in the NSW Parliament by MP Bob Martin. Unlike the rest of these sources, Mr Martin did not say the number was 18 million. He cited a range of 5.6 to 18.4 million, which appeared in a pamphlet published by the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service. The pamphlet is far from definitive. "It is difficult to estimate the numbers of cats in Australia due to lack of research," it said. "One estimate suggested that the feral population could be between 5.6 million and 18.4 million with an average of 12 million." Numbers fluctuate with prey availability, climate The Australian Wildlife Conservancy is a registered charity that owns land dedicated to conservation in remote areas. Atticus Fleming, the AWC's chief executive and a member of Mr Hunt's Ministerial Council on the Environment, tells Fact Check the AWC is running "the largest feral cat project in Australia with the most up-to-date information". Mr Fleming says Mr Hunt's figures are "in the very reasonable range" and "conservative". Andrew Bengsen, a research scientist at NSW Department of Primary Industries, says feral cat density and abundance varies greatly across Australia. "Cats are across Australia in sub-alpine mountains, deserts and so many other different conditions. You might be able to get a good estimate from one area but there's just so much variation you just can't extrapolate from any one area," he told Fact Check. Christopher Johnson, a professor of wildlife conservation from University of Tasmania, echoes Mr Bengsen's view. "The big problem is how to do the extrapolation properly, considering variation between environments and different spatial extent of those environments," he said. Dr John Read has a PhD in ecosystem management and has been dissecting and controlling feral cats for over 25 years. "No-one can accurately estimate the number of feral cats in Australia because the numbers fluctuate considerably with availability of prey," he said. "[For example] cat numbers can quadruple within a few months during or after a rat, rabbit or mouse plague." Ecology Professor Christopher Dickman from Sydney University agrees there is no reliable estimation. "People are saying there are now more feral cats in Tasmania and in the Northern Territory. But it may not be there are more cats, they may have just become more visible. In other areas they may not want to or have learned to not reveal themselves." Dr Tony Buckmaster, the education leader at the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, says climate has an impact. "In drought times, the number drops considerably as there is little food available for them. When there is good rainfall, the numbers increase as there is an increase in the prey abundance." The number of animals they kill I've personally been in the field and had a cat cut open and had over 40 to 50 frogs in its stomach. Atticus Fleming The Environment Department says feral cats are thought to threaten 81 vulnerable and endangered native animals - 35 bird species; 36 mammal species; 7 reptile species; and 3 amphibian species. In a 2012 report, the AWC estimates that each feral cat kills between five and 30 animals a day. It says taking the lower figure in that range and multiplying it by a "conservative population estimate" of 15 million feral cats gives a minimum estimate of 75 million native animals killed daily by feral cats. "We think our five [animals killed a day] is extremely conservative. I've personally been in the field and had a cat cut open [that] had over 40 to 50 frogs in its stomach," Mr Fleming said. Professor Dickman says: "If it's difficult to put a number on the population, then it's difficult to put a number on animals they kill." Mr Bengsen says feral cats are "compulsive killers" and so studying stomach contents will not provide the complete number of animals killed by that cat. "You never get 100 per cent recovery from a stomach from an animal, you're probably only going to find a fraction of the animals they've killed and a lot of them would've passed through the animal or [it had] just eaten a small part of it," he said. Dr Buckmaster says the figure is also greatly dependant on the size of the prey. "An average feral cat requires about 300 grams of prey per day. If they eat an antechinus [small marsupial carnivore] with an average weight of 40 grams, then they need to eat about eight of them per day," he said. "If they are eating bush rats with an average weight of 140 grams, then they only need two." Dr Read agrees. "I have pulled over 30 freshly killed lizards from a single cat and on many occasions have found 10 or more animals," he said. The verdict There is no consistent figure on the number of feral cats in Australia, but estimates range from 5 to 23 million. Experts say the number is impossible to calculate because of density variation, and the way the population fluctuates with prey availability and climate. The number of native Australian animals killed by feral cats each night is also difficult to calculate, due to differences in the size of prey. The stomachs of dissected feral cats can contain one rabbit, or up to 50 frogs. Mr Hunt's claim that feral cats are destroying over 20 billion native Australian animals each year is unverifiable. Sources Editor's note (13/11/2014): This article has been amended to remove a quote from Australian Wildlife Conservancy chief executive Atticus Fleming about the population of feral cats in Astrebla Downs National Park at his request. Editor's note (20/11/2014): The Environment Department's Threatened Species Commissioner responded to this fact check . You can read it here. It does not change our verdict. Topics: animals, human-interest, federal-government, liberals, government-and-politics, australia First posted |
Going back to school is about more than shiny shoes and trendy notebooks. It’s also about kids making new friends and adding those friends on social network sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. More than 60% of teens in the United States have at least one social media account, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. And while being online is a good way to keep in touch with friends, it’s important for parents to be proactive about Internet safety. Unfortunately, there are people who can use your child’s personal information to steal identities, bully them or begin an inappropriate relationship. Help protect students from online dangers by following these safety tips from USA.gov: Keep your child’s profile private so that only family and people you know see photos, important dates and other information. Make sure they’re not posting personal details, like phone numbers, home addresses, the name of their school or Social Security number. Only allow them to publish photos and videos that don’t jeopardize their safety or integrity. Make sure they choose a strong password that can’t be guessed, and that it gets changed every three months. Never allow them to accept friend requests from people they don’t know. Keep an open dialogue with your children. Ask them to let you know if they’ve received private messages from a stranger, or from someone at school who is teasing, harassing or threatening them. Those could be signs of cyber-bullying or even a sexual predator. Subscribe and download “Dads Who Diaper” podcasts on iTunes here. Follow us on Twitter: @DadsWhoDiaper “Like” us on Facebook: Facebook.com/dadswhodiaper |
Corporations, 1 percenters and Republicans want to take America back. And by that, they mean all the way to the 1780s when wealthy white men controlled the nation. Because only they could vote. In the intervening 230 or so years, America became increasingly democratic, eventually awarding the vote to white landless males; Quakers, Jews and Catholics; black men; women; Native Americans, and 18-year-olds. The wealthy are nostalgic for the power they enjoyed when most states limited voting to landed gentry. Republicans are helping them return America to those plutocratic days by passing voter identification laws constraining suffrage by the 99 percent. Country club conservatives are converting voting from a universal right of citizenship to a privilege exclusive to select society members. Voter identification laws require citizens to provide specific documents before exercising their franchise. Depending on the state, these include a photo driver's license, a passport or a permit to carry a concealed handgun. The Brennan Center for Justice and others have calculated that 11 percent of eligible voters do not have government-issued photo identification. That"s 21 million citizens. A survey by the Brennan Center showed that many Americans, primarily women, do not have proof of citizenship under their current name and certain groups, primarily the poor, elderly and minorities are less likely to possess the documents the new voter ID laws require. The U.S. Department of Justice barred implementation of voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina after determining that the restrictions would disproportionately limit minority citizens' access to the polls. Texas and South Carolina are among 16 states with records of discrimination, including voter intimidation and poll taxes. As a result, they are required by the 1965 Voting Rights Act to secure federal approval before changing voting laws. In March, a court in Wisconsin declared the Badger State's voter ID law unconstitutional. And the American Civil Liberties Union plans to ask a Pennsylvania court this week to do the same in the Keystone State. But not all such suits are successful. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Indiana's restrictive voter ID law in 2008. And last year a nearly unanimous Georgia Supreme Court endorsed its voter limitations. Every judge except the first African-American to sit on the Georgia Supreme Court bench approved restricting access to the polls. Thirty states will require voters to show identification in November, unless their laws are overturned. Limiting voter access to the polls is a Republican cause. In 2011 and so far in 2012, nine states passed new or stiffened old voter ID laws. Republican governors preside over all nine states. And in all but one, Republicans completely control the legislatures. Five other states with Republican-controlled legislatures passed voter ID bills last year. These will not take effect, however, because five Democratic governors vetoed them. Behind every voter-restricting Republican is corporate-sponsored ALEC. ALEC is the American Legislative Exchange Council, a right-wing group that sends conservative lawmakers on all-expenses-paid junkets where they are wined and dined on ALEC corporate sponsors' dime while they develop "model" legislation, like the kill-at-will laws that the slaying of Trayvon Martin made infamous. ALEC gives corporations veto power over proposed "model" legislation, a fact that clearly illustrates who is in charge -- the corporations that provide 98 percent of ALEC's $7 million annual budget. Corporations embrace voter ID because democracy is downright annoying to them. The Supreme Court has deemed corporations to be people, which allows them to secretly spend unlimited money on political campaigns. But that doesn't assure victory for candidates that corporations choose because corporations don't have the right to actually make the choice -- to vote. The best corporations can do is limit balloting by those likely to vote against corporate-sponsored candidates. That would be voters who historically have favored Democrats. Voter ID laws disproportionately disenfranchise those voters -- the poor, minorities and those who actually recall the progressive, popular and successful administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Republican backers of voter ID are completely unconcerned that the laws subjugate these citizens. Too bad, they say, for grandma, who has voted in every election for the past 65 years but doesn't have a driver's license anymore and because she was born at home does not have a birth certificate necessary to get a government-issued photo ID. Too bad, Republicans say, for the student whose driver's license address differs from his university address and whose college photo ID does not have an expiration date. Too bad, the GOP says, for the urban single mother who does not have a driver's license or the time or money to apply for a birth certificate with a raised seal required to apply at another office for a state identification card. Voter ID restrictions work for the rich. They've got birth certificates and photo driver's licenses and passports. Or they can send a servant or secretary to apply for the documents. And the more rabble removed from the polls, the more weighty the votes of the wealthy. In the Halcyon Days of democracy, the unwashed masses were actually urged to vote with slogans like: "If you don't vote, you don't count." Now corporations, 1 percenters and Republicans are working to ensure you don't vote because they honestly believe you don't count. |
Alewife in Lake Michigan (Photo: Dan Egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) SHEBOYGAN - Scientists last year found a record low biomass of alewives in Lake Michigan, heightening concerns about the balance of predator and prey fish in the lake as well as Wisconsin's chinook salmon stocking strategy for 2017. Chuck Madenjian of the U.S. Geological Survey on Saturday presented a report titled "2016 Status and Trends of Prey Fish in Lake Michigan" at a meeting of the Wisconsin Federation of Great Lakes Sport Fishing Clubs. The bottom trawling data showed a total lakewide prey fish biomass of 11.4 kilotonnes, the third-lowest on record. The three lowest totals have come in the last three years. And significant to chinook fishing, the biomass of alewives was estimated at 0.35 kt, lowest ever. "It's not necessarily a surprise, because we've been seeing a downward trend," Madenjian said. "But it is concerning to have such historically low levels of prey fish." The USGS has conducted Lake Michigan forage fish surveys annually since 1973. The bottom trawls are done at the same locations and using the same protocol each year. One of the index sites is Port Washington. It also performs hydroacoustic surveys designed to detect young-of-the-year fish. Lake Michigan has become less productive in recent decades, principally due to the invasion of quagga and zebra mussels and a reduction in phosphorous levels. As a result, less plankton is available and recruitment of forage fish has been curtailed. A decline in alewife numbers prompted the Lake Michigan Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission last June to recommend a 62% cut in chinook stocking lakewide. Of the five primary trout and salmon species in the lake, chinook is the most dependent on alewives for food. After receiving opposition from angling and business groups, the committee consented to a 27% cut in chinook and a 12% reduction in lake trout stocking for 2017. Michigan, Illinois and Indiana all agreed to cut chinook plants to help balance the fishery the quickest way possible. But Wisconsin officials were persuaded by a lobbying group to hold the state's chinook stocking level and instead cut brown trout by 50% and lake trout by 58%. The Wisconsin Lakeshore Business Association, whose members include charter captains, marinas, boat repair shops and other businesses, lobbied the Department of Natural Resources to keep chinook stocking at 2016 levels but reduce other species. NEWSLETTERS Get the Packers Update newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Daily updates on the Packers during the season Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-844-900-7103. Delivery: Daily Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Packers Update Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters The states’ shares of chinook stocking in 2017 are 810,000 for Wisconsin, 300,000 for Michigan, 150,000 for Illinois and 60,000 for Indiana. Wisconsin's "go it alone" decision will likely be closely scrutinized in the coming weeks and months as additional data become available. "The committee's goal was to avoid a crash of the forage base and preserve the chinook fishery," said Jay Wesley, chairman of the Lake Michigan Committee. "It remains to be seen how individual state actions will play out." According to the 2016 USGS bottom trawl data, bloater chubs had the highest biomass of any forage species, at 5.8 kt, followed by deepwater sculpin (3 kt) and round goby (1.1 kt). As has been seen in recent years, the lake's alewife population is "truncated," or comprised mostly of young age classes. The older fish are likely being eaten, Madenjian said. In addition to stocked fish, "wild" chinook are hatched each year in Michigan tributaries to Lake Michigan. In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated 69% of chinook salmon in the lake were naturally reproduced. The hydroacoustic survey showed alewives did reproduce last year, but the year class was 44% of average, according to the USGS. Overall, the hydroacoustic survey found the third-lowest biomass of young fish on record. Anglers on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan experienced good trout and salmon fishing in 2016, but conditions were relatively poor in Michigan waters, Wesley said. "It points out how patchy the bait distribution has been," Wesley said. "The big fish are congregating in the areas with the food." One of the key metrics of the fishery — the predator-prey ratio — has yet to be calculated for 2016. The ratio assesses the condition of adult chinook salmon compared to the forage base. In 2015, the ratio was 0.108, highest on record for Lake Michigan. Fisheries managers would prefer to see the ratio at about 0.05. A high number is indicative of poor chinook condition and low alewife numbers. Values over 0.1 are considered a "red flag" by fisheries managers. In the five years preceding a collapse of the chinook fishery in Lake Huron, the predator-prey ratio averaged 0.11. The Wisconsin DNR expects to finish its predator-prey ratio work in the coming weeks. For now, the agency is set on its 2017 stocking decisions. Beyond this year, though, it's uncertain. "This could be a year-to-year thing," said Brad Eggold, DNR Great Lakes district fisheries supervisor. "We'll be watching it as closely as we can. I'd advise people to keep their calendars clear because we might need more meetings." |
“I just want something fun and odd.” Silvio is a feature film about a puppet-wielding gorilla, named Sylvio, wearing sunglasses and struggling to express himself. Even the film’s Co-Director, indie-film favorite Kentucker Audley, sometimes forgets how strange that premise is. He stopped by the Atlanta Film Festival after the Sylvio screening for a Q&A. Co-Director Kentucker Audley on stage at ATLFF. “Sometimes I see it from an outside perspective. I’ve been making this movie for three years. I just pop in my head [to a screening] and say, ‘Oh yeah, it’s a guy in a gorilla suit. I hope that’s okay with people.’” Audley’s career didn’t start this way. He made his name writing, directing, and acting in “mumblecore” with a Southern flare. As his name in the Indie film world has expanded, so has his experimentation. In 2014, he launched a Change.org petition to “Stop Making Indie Films” as satirical backlash to media claims that too many Indie films are getting distribution. In 2015, he launched a Kickstarter to raise $308 for a hat that says “movies” on it in a tongue-in-cheek attempt to revive the film industry. With that in mind, the fact that “Sylvio” emerged from a series of Vine videos suddenly doesn’t seem so surprising. Audley and Co-Director Albert Birney made videos Silvio and, on a separate account, his puppet Herbert Herples. Silvio’s account, Simply Silvio, gained over 500,000 followers on its own. Unfortunately, Vine’s fairly sudden demise didn’t do the filmmakers any favors. “We had built quite a following for this character, Sylvio, who would do all of these little exploits, he would text or walk in the woods or pump gas, just ordinary things… It kind of gained popularity because of its novelty and weirdness. We have a background in movies so we decided to make a movie based on this… We made the movie, Vine just disappeared two months ago out of nowhere, decimating our audience… We had many many followers and all that so we’re still in the bitter stage of like, ‘You took away our audience, but we’re gonna move on.’” The team took to Kickstarter and ended up raising just over $50,000 for the film. Their campaign hinted at the film’s knick-knack joy and offbeat, pastel-colored, humor. It’s hard to imagine backers being anything but delighted by the end result. This is not typical festival fare, and that’s the point. “We think that movies have gotten a little too serious, and we’re really influenced by 80’s and 90’s movies. That’s where we grew up, that’s where we first started loving movies like Teen Wolf. These movies that aren’t serious, that not smart, they’re not about relationships. They’re not about people talking about profound and emotional, back-and-forth. They’re really simple. We love those movies. Albert has more background in weird, surreal, visual stuff. I actually have a background in naturalistic, micro-budget, talkie movies, so this was a departure for me. I got back to that initial spark of loving movies with synth soundtracks and weird, surreal, plots, and characters that don’t make sense and acting that’s all over the place… Basically just trying to return to a more simple, less intellectual, approach especially in the film festival circuit… I don’t want another smart movie. I just want something fun and odd.” Audley, Birney, and company had their title character and money for the film, but they still had to turn a series of six-second videos, with a very strange subject matter, into one cohesive movie. To make it work, they gave Sylvio a very human struggle that wasn’t a driving subject of the Vines. Sylvio’s puppet show is his great passion, but it isn’t what brings him success. “We tried to keep it a simple struggle, being misjudged, being seen in one way and pigeonholed into that one thing that people expect out of you. I think that can be incredibly damaging to a psyche, to a soul, to be put in this place that people expect you to be. What you feel inside is not always reflective of what people expect you to do. We wanted to keep it simple, universal. Going from a six-second Vine account that had no story, we felt like we needed to have a message, have an overarching trajectory that the character went through. I felt that being judged from the outside is fertile ground in the cinematic way to show the rise and fall of the expectations versus self-realization and back and forth.” Sylvio premiered at SXSW to some pretty good reviews and is currently seeking distribution. Expect to hear more about the film while it’s on the festival circuit, but if you catch a screening, don’t ask Kentucker Audley about what camera they used to shoot the film. “Don’t ask me what camera we used. I’m not a technical guy.” We forgive him. ATLFF Photos courtesy of B. Eng. |
TOKYO (Reuters) - Having invested heavily in hydrogen, a technology derided by Tesla chief Elon Musk as “incredibly dumb”, Toyota Motor Corp is making a renewed push for fuel cell cars to fill a role in a future dominated by electric battery vehicles. FILE PHOTO - The Toyota Mirai, an hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, is displayed on media day at the Paris auto show, in Paris, France, September 29, 2016. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Japan’s biggest automaker believes both technologies – all-electric battery cars like the Tesla Model X on one hand and Toyota’s hydrogen Mirai on the other - will be needed to fully usurp gasoline cars. “We don’t really see an adversary ‘zero-sum’ relationship between the EV (electric vehicle) and the hydrogen car,” Toyota chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada told Reuters ahead of the Tokyo auto show. “We’re not about to give up on hydrogen electric fuel-cell technology at all.” Toyota began pitching its fuel-cell car as a mainstream gasoline car alternative in 2014 when it launched the Mirai with a price tag of 7.24 million yen - almost $70,000 at the time. The car has since been launched in the United States and other countries around the world. But initial excitement has faded as major markets including China and Europe have tilted heavily toward electric vehicles. Just 4,300 Mirais have been sold, compared to around 4 million units of the Prius, Toyota’s blockbuster hybrid that ushered in the age of the EV. Uchiyamada, who is known as the “father of the Prius”, says Toyota isn’t anti-EV and is investing heavily in technologies such all solid-state lithium-ion batteries to make them more desirable. But it also sees some advantages for hydrogen cars, which are propelled by electricity generated by fuel cells. One major issue facing EVs is the length of time they take to charge - up to 18 hours in some cases - and a problem being amplified as automakers pack in more batteries to extend range. Rapid charging technology is helping to solve this issue. But a 30- to 40-minute wait is still too long for many ordinary drivers with busy lives, says Yoshikazu Tanaka, the chief engineer in charge of Toyota’s Mirai. What’s worse, rapid charging when used too often compromises battery life significantly, he and other engineers say. While a hydrogen car can refuel in under five minutes, the high cost of the technology and a lack of refuelling stations is a problem, something Toyota has been focused on addressing. The company has joined forces in Japan with rivals Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co, and with energy companies such as JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy to build a network of refuelling stations that now totals 91. Tanaka also wants to significantly extend the car’s driving range to compensate for the lack of fuelling stations. While still at the concept stage, Tanaka wants to raise the “practical driving range” of the Mirai to about 500 km (310 miles) from the current 350-400 km (190-250 miles). A fuel cell car’s practical range usually dips to 65-70 percent of its “sticker” range - 650 km for the Mirai - because drivers often use air-conditioning and accelerate with abandon. Making the fuel cell system more efficient and trying to gain more propulsion power from a given amount of hydrogen will be key, Tanaka said. He also wants to package the vehicle more efficiently to gain more storage space for larger fuel tanks. CHINA HOPES Toyota says one of the most promising markets for hydrogen cars is China – a key advocate of electric cars but one which is beginning to embrace fuel-cell technology as well. Last month, Shanghai announced plans to promote development of fuel-cell vehicles by adding hydrogen refueling stations, subsidizing companies developing fuel-cell technologies and setting up R&D facilities. The city’s goal is to put 20,000 hydrogen fuel-cell passenger vehicles and 10,000 commercial vehicles on the road by 2025. “Chinese policymakers visit us and we visit them frequently” to discuss Toyota’s hydrogen fuel-cell technology, says Katsuhiko Hirose, a green tech engineer at Toyota. Toyota was set to test hydrogen fuel-cell cars in China this month as part of an effort to determine the feasibility of selling the Mirai there. But it’s not all just about cars. In an effort to encourage other industries to use hydrogen, Toyota and Air Liquide S.A. helped set up the Hydrogen Council, a global lobby launched in January on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. With 27 members including automakers Audi, BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, and energy companies such as Shell and Total, the Hydrogen Council has lobbying policymakers and investors on hydrogen. FILE PHOTO - The Toyota Mirai, Toyota Motor Corporation's first commercially available, mid-sized hydrogen fuel cell sedan, is seen at a press preview in Newport Beach, California, November 17, 2014. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo The council’s main argument is that electricity supplies can be limited and unstable in high demand. That’s because power grids have small buffers as electricity cannot be stored easily and transported. Large-scale adoption of hydrogen can solve that issue, said Toyota’s Uchiyamada, who is also co-chair of the Hydrogen Council. Electricity generated during the night, which usually goes to waste when unused, and electricity generated by solar and windmills can be stored and easily transported as liquid hydrogen, much like gasoline. “Elon Musk is right - it’s better to charge the electric car directly by plugging in,” said Tanaka. But hydrogen has a place as a viable alternative to gasoline, he added. |
8 years ago (CNN) - Sen. Joe Lieberman, the independent from Connecticut, is planning to announce Wednesday that he will not seek re-election, according to two knowledgeable Democratic sources. The move by the former Democratic vice presidential candidate could add even more murkiness to the party's hopes of hanging on to its slim majority in the Senate in the 2012 election, especially coming on the heels of Sen. Kent Conrad's, D-North Dakota, that he will not seek re-election at the end of this term. North Dakota's other Senate seat fell into Republican hands in the midterm election after Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan announced his retirement. Rep. Earl Pomeroy, Democrat-North Dakota, meanwhile, lost the state's only at-large House seat in November, so Conrad's seat will be in major jeopardy. While Lieberman is an independent he has aligned himself with the Democratic leadership for organizational purposes, helping to boost the Democratic majority on issues like health reform. But he has also frustrated party leaders on other big issues, leading one Democratic source to say privately that it's a "sigh of relief" for Democrats if Lieberman does step aside because the party would have a chance to elect someone who sides with them more often. The race for his seat is wide open. Earlier on Tuesday former Connecticut secretary of state Susan Bysiewicz announced that she is planning to get into the 2012 Democratic primary for Lieberman's seat regardless of what the incumbent does. Reps. Chris Murphy and Joe Courtney are also considering Senate bids, while various Republicans are mulling their options. A Lieberman aide stressed that the Senator made his own decision some time ago and it was not influenced by Bysiewicz's announcement Tuesday or any other maneuvering. Lieberman, whose poll numbers have dipped mightily in Connecticut, is scheduled to officially announce his decision on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET at the Marriott Hotel in Stamford, Conn. "After many thoughtful conversations with family and friends over the last several months, Sen. Lieberman made a decision about his future over the holidays which he plans to announce on Wednesday," said Lieberman spokeswoman Erika Masonhall. Lieberman won a fourth term in 2006 as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont. After his re-election he still caucused with Democrats in the Senate, helping to boost their majority. –CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash contributed to this report. |
Chad Batka How do you adapt one of the greatest — and longest — works of nineteenth-century Russian literature into a two-and-a-half-hour sung-through musical? If you’re composer-lyricist Dave Malloy, you don’t. Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 is not a straight adaptation of Tolstoy’s War and Peace but rather a rock-opera, meta-theatrical retelling of a seventy-page portion in the novel’s midsection. Comet first opened in 2012 at Ars Nova, followed by a 2013 run at Kazino, a purpose-built tent in the Meatpacking District. In anticipation of its Broadway arrival, the Voice caught up with Malloy to learn how he refashioned a famous (and infamously long) novel for his biggest stage yet. Dave Malloy Henry McGee How did you decide which part of the source text to adapt? It was never, “Oh, I wanna make a musical of War and Peace, what section should I do?” It was actually quite the opposite. When I first read the book, this section immediately screamed out to me. There’s something so beautiful about watching both Natasha and Pierre have these parallel [but] very different crises. She’s a young woman having a romantic crisis and he’s a middle-aged man having an existential crisis. [The parallel] spoke to me as a [structurally] perfect musical. I almost couldn’t believe that no one had done it yet. Tolstoy had kind of done [it] for me. Because the idea of two lovers in a romantic story is more familiar to a contemporary audience, was telling Pierre’s philosophical tale a challenge? The music does do a lot of that work for you. You can get away with doing more internal soul-searching and soliloquy that I think would be harder in a straight play. It was very juicy and exciting for me — like, why shouldn’t we be addressing these existential and spiritual issues in a Broadway show? Alongside the, you know, trashy romantic parts of War and Peace [laughs]. That’s part of what I love about War and Peace. Simultaneously, there is a trashy romance, a philosophical treatise, a military history essay — there’s all these elements. Some of the lyrics include verbatim chunks of Tolstoy’s text. How did that model for the libretto come about? I come from an experimental theater background, so for me the great experiment of putting War and Peace onstage wasn’t just telling the story but [putting] Tolstoy’s voice onstage, because what makes Tolstoy such an incredible writer isn’t just the action or the dialogue but the psychology, the way he micro-analyzes the smallest gestures. It [puts] a level of distance between the performer and the character that I think is really juicy, allowing us to inhabit both nineteenth-century Russia and twenty-first-century New York at the same time. Comet started as a small-scale dinner-theater production. What changes did you make to the structure of the show because of the scale of a Broadway transfer? There’s way less change than you’d think. We’ve been diligent in keeping the immersive and intimate feel intact. That was our main priority: everything we can do to make sure audience members are having this intimate, communal experience. Tolstoy is telling a story that includes all of humanity. He talks about the czar and the lowliest troika driver. So we always wanted the audience [to be] part of the story, too. We’re not just telling the story through the actors. We really wanted the audience to be a part of life. |
Welcome to the 2015 edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. As we go through the Summer of 2015 I will be featuring a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. I will go team by team through the NHL bringing you a look at each Teams Top Prospects. I will be following the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks) and you can find all the articles here. Since we had an extensive NHL Draft preview, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2015 draft, as there have been no games since then, and my reports on them will not have changed. What I will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year’s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2015-16 roster of the NHL team in question. I will also bring you one sleeper pick – a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as my darkhorse to make the NHL. For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played or being 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances. Things didn’t go as exactly as planned for the San Jose Sharks last season. Considered a perennial playoff team going into the year, they finished with just 89 points and found themselves on the outside looking in come April. That meant that head coach Todd McLellan is now in Edmonton, with Peter DeBoer taking over in San Jose. Goalie Antti Niemi is off to Dallas, with the starting job being handed to former Los Angeles backup Martin Jones who arrives via Boston. Paul Martin was brought in from Pittsburgh to add some more stability to the defence, while Joel Ward arrives from Washington to provide some extra depth up front. It seems the Sharks are going to take at least one more shot with long-time core pieces like Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau before the rebuild really begins in earnest. Players Drafted: Timo Meier, Jeremy Roy, Mike Robinson, Adam Helewka, Karlis Cukste, Rudolfs Balcers, Adam Parsells, Marcus Vela, John Kupsky. Graduates: Tomas Hertl, Barclay Goodrow, Melker Karlsson, Matt Tennyson (age) San Jose Sharks Prospects Top Prospect: Mirco Mueller Born Mar 21 1995 — Winterthur, Switzerland Height 6.04 — Weight 201 — Shoots Left Drafted by the Sharks in the 1st round, 18th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. Mirco Mueller made the Sharks out of training camp last year, despite being just 19 years old. This was a bit surprising, but the talented youngster did not look out of place in his 39 NHL games, even scoring his first NHL goal. Sure there were some growing pains along the way, and that is only natural with any young defender, but overall his play was worthy of a spot on the Sharks blueline for a good portion of the year. Mueller is a smooth skating, mobile defenceman, whose game is based on this ability. His lateral agility is very good, especially given his size. His crossovers, pivots, and edgework are also very solid, giving him the ability to cover a lot of ice defensively, or to walk the line and open up passing and shooting lanes offensively. His first step quickness and acceleration are also very good but he could use some work on his top end speed, as it is merely average. Mueller has shown good offensive ability this season. He keeps his head up and makes a good first pass most of the time. He also shows solid vision and playmaking skill from the point on the powerplay. Mueller has a hard shot which he keeps low and on net. He has good stickhandling ability and combined with his good skating he is able to both lead the rush and join it as a trailer. He did this a lot in junior, but seemed to play a simpler game with the Sharks last year. As he grows in confidence, expect the offensive parts of his game to improve, as he will feel more comfortable jumping into the play. At 6’03″ Mueller has great size. He went from 185 lbs in his draft year, to coming in at 201 lbs last year, to 205 lbs on his latest measurement and has started to add some meat to his frame. There is still even more room to add muscle though, especially at his height. This is a common problem for many teenagers though, and hes slowly adding muscle which will help going forward. Defensively Mueller shows good positioning and high hockey IQ. He diagnoses the play well, maintains good gap control, and keeps his man to the outside. He is not afraid to block shots, and he cuts down passing lanes well. He gets involved in board battles and works hard to clear the crease. However he could stand to use his size more effectively and this can come with the added muscle mass I talked about above. The game sometimes seemed a little quick for him last year, but that was to be expected as he adjusted to the NHL. Mueller will again head to training camp looking for a spot on the Sharks blueline. There is a good chance he will make the team, and be a stallwart on the backend for years to come. Nikolay Goldobin, Right Wing Born Oct 7 1995 — Mockobckar, Russia Height 6.0 — Weight 185 [186 cm/84 kg] – Shoots Left Drafted by the Sharks in the 1st round, 27th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. Goldobin, drafted out of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, opted to spend last season playing pro hockey in Finland’s SM-Liiga for HIFK. The 19-year-old played against men, and put up a very respectable 21 points in 38 games. He added a further six points in eight playoff games. Once the year was done, he joined the Sharks AHL affiliate in Worcester, scoring a further three goals and five points in nine games. He also helped Russia to a silver at the World Junior Championships. Nikolay Goldobin has outstanding offensive skill. There is no doubt about that, the guy knows how to put up points, and has all the tools to do so. He is blessed with the ability to stickhandle in a phone booth. His wide array of moves can leave defenders spinning. He also has a killer wrist shot, and an outstanding release. Goldobin also has a very effective one-timer. Add to all of this great hockey sense and the ability to find holes in the defense. Top it all of with some incredible vision and passing skils, and there is no doubt about Goldobin’s abilities in the offensive end of the ice. When he is on his game, he is quite simply a dynamic offensive catalyst. Goldobin can play a high speed game off the rush, or he can show poise with the puck and be patient and wait for an opening in the offensive zone. He doesn’t seem to get flustered often with the puck on his stick, and if he has the time and space out there, chances are that he will take advantage of it. Goldobin is a very good skater. His top end speed and his acceleration are both well above average. He also has outstanding agility and edge work which makes him extremely elusive both off the rush and in the cycle game. His balance could be improved, as he will need to add strength. He can sometimes be knocked off the puck by bigger and stronger defenders, and this also hurts him in his ability to win board battles. Goldobin will also need to improve his defensive game. He sometimes can get puck watching out there, and he likes to cheat to create offensive chances. He needs a lot of coaching in this aspect, and it is something that is very much a work in progress at this point in his career. He also needs to bring the same intensity at the defensive end of the ice that he brings at the offensive end. This improved during his time in Finland, but is still not completely there. Expect Goldobin to make a push for a spot in camp, but the Sharks feature such a deep forward group, and he has some areas of his game that can be a lot more well-rounded so I expect him to start in the AHL. It would not be a surprise if he finishes the year in San Jose though. Rourke Chartier, Centre/Left Wing Born Apr 3 1996 — Saskatoon, SASK Height 5.11 — Weight 190 [180 cm/86 kg] – Shoots Left Drafted by the Sharks in the 5th round, 149th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. Rourke Chartier had a monster season with Kelowna, scoring 48 goals in 58 games in the regular season (good enough for third in the league) and added another 13 goals in 16 playoff games. He helped the Rockets to the WHL Championship and added two more goals at the Memorial Cup where they fell in the final game, in overtime, to the Oshawa Generals. Overall he really put himself on the map as an offensive force this season. Chartier is a very quick skater who never seems to stop moving his feet. He has very good top end speed and excellent acceleration. He is always first in on the forecheck and creating turnovers in the offensive zone. A quick first step helps him to win races to loose pucks all over the ice. Chartier also has good agility and edgework. He might be a little undersized, but he is very strong on his skates and has excellent balance. Chartier is a pure goal scorer. When his teammates get the puck he seems to find the soft spots in the defence and is always open to bury a feed in the back of the net with a strong, hard shot and good release. He has the soft hands to finish in tight and the coordination and quickness to get tip-ins and pounce on rebounds. Through sheer hard work down low he is also able to create chances for teammates and picks up assists that way. Uses that effort level on the backcheck as well. He is willing to do whatever it takes to win, blocking shots, cutting down passing lanes, and taking a hit to make sure the puck gets out at the defensive blue line. Questions about size and consistency plagued Chartier in his draft year and he fell to the fifth round as a result. However, he answered those questions and then some last season and is looking like a gem of a draft pick. He will likely be back in Kelowna to start the year, and has a real chance to make Canada’s World Junior team. Danny O’Regan, Centre/Right Wing Born Jan 30 1994 — Needham, MA Height 5.10 — Weight 175 — Shoots Right Drafted by San Jose Sharks in the 5th round, 138th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. O’Regan had 50 points in 41 games, giving the Boston University Terriers a real secondary scoring threat behind the Jack Eichel line. The Terriers went all the way to the National Championship game, before falling to Providence. Another pint-sized scorer, this 5’10″ centre has very good speed and skating ability, and the ability to make plays with the puck while skating at top speed. He’s got outstanding edge work and agility, which combines with his great stick handling to make him extremely dangerous off the rush. O’Regan has great vision, and has excellent passing ability. He is able to thread passes tape-to-tape through the smallest of openings. He can score goals, as O’Regan has good hands, and a good release on his shot, but will need to improve its power to become a big-time goal scoring threat. He also must improve his strength in order to be a better player on the boards and in front of the net, as well as in the defensive end of the ice. O’Regan will be back at Boston University this fall. There is talent here but some weaknesses that must be overcome going forward. O’Regan has made good progress since being a low risk, high reward pick in 2012; and he could be looking at making the NHL down the road. Rebuilding the Sharks prospect pool has been a process, but it is one that is starting to show some dividends. Timo Meier and Jeremy Roy were huge additions to the pool this year. Chris Tierney also qualifies as a prospect under our 50 game criteria and has played some quality minutes at the NHL level already. Noah Rod has also looked good. While the system is starting to rebound, and some players like Barclay Goodrow, Tomas Hertl, and Melker Karlsson have all made the jump in recent years, Doug Wilson and company must continue to show vigilance in continuing to add to the pool now, in order to minimize the length of the Sharks rebuild when player like Thornton, Marleau and others begin to walk away. |
[email protected] Atraídos por los presuntos poderes curativos del agua que se extraía de un manantial, entre 1990 y 1993, miles de visitantes de todo el mundo llegaron diariamente a este pueblo, hoy olvidado, con la esperanza de curarse de diabetes, epilepsia, cáncer y hasta Sida. Luego de que Jesús Chahín Simón, dueño del rancho donde se encontraba el manantial, divulgó por el pueblo la versión de que sus animales enfermos habían sido curados por el agua, los habitantes de Tlacote comenzaron a acudir al lugar para beberla y a dar fe de supuestas enfermedades “curadas”. Medios nacionales e internacionales no tardaron en llegar y más tarde arribaron las multitudes. Hubo días en que hasta 4 mil personas hacían fila diariamente a las afueras del rancho en espera de que el dueño de éste les regalara un poco de agua. No sólo llegaba gente de escasos recursos, también ricos y famosos. José José y Magic Johnson fueron algunos de los visitantes distinguidos en busca de salud. Hoy, a 25 años de distancia, este poblado rural ubicado a cinco kilómetros de la cabecera municipal de Querétaro, y asentado sobre la ladera de un cerro (se divide en dos zonas: Tlacote el Bajo y El Alto) vive sólo de sus recuerdos y está olvidado. Incluso por las noches, cuando sus poco más de cuatro mil habitantes se recogen en sus casas, parece un pueblo fantasma. A excepción de la avenida Hidalgo, una vía principal, en el resto del pueblo se observan calles sin pavimento y sin banquetas. La mayoría de las casas son construcciones de concreto con fachadas sin pintar. Pero no sólo el abandono es una característica del pueblo; también una doble paradoja: uno, padece graves problemas de agua; dos, hace años Chahín Limón murió aquejado por un cáncer que nunca pudo ser curado por el milagroso manantial. En un recorrido realizado por el interior del rancho, EL UNIVERSAL constató el abandono en el que se encuentran las instalaciones cuya infraestructura creada para extraer el agua sigue activa para la agricultura. En las habitaciones que algún día fueron oficinas y bodegas se observan paredes y techos con cuarteaduras, cubiertas por una extensa capa de salitre, además, la humedad, el sol y el tiempo se han ido comiendo la pintura. Los tanques y llaves desde donde se suministraba el agua, al igual que las puertas de las habitaciones, lucen oxidadas y llenas de polvo; los pisos se ven carcomidos, ante la mirada celosa de dos perros que vigilan el rancho, que ya casi nadie visita. Las paredes de las bardas se encuentran rodeadas de matorrales y árboles que han crecido sin control. También el letrero que daba la bienvenida a los visitantes está hecho pedazos y queda únicamente un trozo, con las letras incompletas ya descoloridas y sostenido por una base totalmente oxidada. Nostálgicos y sin agua. Durante una visita reciente al pueblo, el presidente municipal de Querétaro, Marcos Aguilar Vega, admitió la gran paradoja: los habitantes de Tlacote no tienen agua desde hace siete meses. Al respecto, doña Luisa, una señora de 80 años de edad, confirmó que en el Tlacote hay problemas de suministro de agua, a pesar de que hace años era lo que menos faltaba, y de que el pueblo adquirió fama precisamente por la abundancia de este recurso. “El municipio nos apoya con pipas y de esa forma llenamos nuestros tinacos, pero esa es la única forma en que puede llegar agua a nuestras casas”, comentó en entrevista. En tono nostálgico, dijo que atrás quedaron los años en los que sobraba agua y se regalaba en gran cantidad. Ramiro Sánchez Aguilar, dueño de una miscelánea asentada en el centro de la comunidad, recordó que en la década de los 90 llegaban todos los días hasta cuatro mil personas. “Las calles se encontraban llenas de gente, de coches, de autobuses de pasajeros”. “Muchos de ellos se quedaban a dormir en el interior de los coches o acampaban sobre todo cuando se agotaba el agua”, recordó Sánchez Aguilar, quien agregó que otros visitantes llegaban en helicópteros, “pues se trataba de actores, cantantes, políticos, y deportistas muy importantes. Ellos recibían trato preferencial y no se formaban para que les dieran el agua”, relató. Destacó que fue muy conocido el caso del Magic Johnson, el famoso basquetbolista de los Lakers de Los Ángeles, portador del virus de inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH) o de cantantes de la talla de José José, Julio Iglesias y Juan Gabriel. Agrega que muchos de los lugareños se aprovechaban de la situación para hacer negocio, debido a que vendían líquido que sacaban de las tomas de sus casas, “asegurando que tenían las mismas propiedades que el agua que se extraía del manantial”. Otros, vendían garrafones, comida, además de que compraron coches y bicicletas para acarrear el líquido, la gente se autoempleaba; “hubo mucho progreso” en aquel entonces, pues la gente del pueblo comenzó a tener dinero, lo que les permitió mejorar sus casas y algunos más construyeron sus viviendas, la calle principal se pavimentó. “Había quienes acarreando garrafones llegaban a ganar hasta 2 mil pesos diarios”, añade. El declive. Sánchez Aguilar rememora que así como comenzó el furor por el agua de Tlacote, también empezó a disminuir. Quizá tuvo que ver que el hecho de que pese a los testimonios, en concreto nunca se conoció de algún caso en específico de alguien que se haya curado de alguna enfermedad crónica. También al hecho de que químicos de la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (UAQ) analizaron el agua de Tlacote y concluyeron que no tenía propiedades especiales. “Después, en la Semana Santa de 1993, Jesús Chahín cerró durante dos semanas su rancho al público y eso también influyó para que la gente, poco a poco, dejara de venir”, agrega. Años más tarde, en 2004, a pesar de lo milagrosa que se consideraba el agua del manantial de Tlacote, Jesús Chahín Limón murió de cáncer “y la propiedad se le quedó a su esposa, quien años después la vendió a la familia Cosío”, actual propietaria. Al terminarse el boom de visitantes en el Tlacote, la mayoría de los habitantes del poblado se fueron a trabajar de obreros a las diferentes fábricas de la ciudad de Querétaro, por lo que ahora hay muy pocos agricultores. Por su parte, Arturo Cosío, quien forma parte de la familia que actualmente es propietaria del rancho, sostuvo que el fenómeno del agua milagrosa “no le dejó nada positivo al pueblo de Tlacote. Por lo que sentenció: “La gente de aquí sigue igual de pobre, el agua no mejoró en nada su situación”. |
Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, collectively referred to as the Farrelly brothers, are American screenwriters and directors.[1] They have made eleven films,[2] including Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, Hall Pass, Me, Myself & Irene, Shallow Hal, Stuck on You, Osmosis Jones, There's Something About Mary, Fever Pitch (also known as The Perfect Catch outside America), the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid, The Three Stooges,[3] and Dumb and Dumber To.[4] Early life [ edit ] The brothers were raised in Cumberland, Rhode Island and are of Irish descent. Following college they pursued careers as television writers, notably for Seinfeld. Themes [ edit ] Each of the brothers' first four films (Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, There's Something About Mary, and Me, Myself & Irene) has a plot centering around a road trip. These trips all originate in Rhode Island, except for Kingpin which begins in Pennsylvania. Their films make frequent use of slapstick and toilet humor, and are often populated with blunt, profane working-class characters in small roles. Many of their films contain flashback scenes that show how a character was affected by a traumatic event. The brothers are also noted for their soundtracks, which typically feature distinctive selections of classic and contemporary power pop and folk rock songs. Sports are a common feature of their films and they have often cast sports stars (particularly from New England teams) for bit parts and cameo appearances including Cam Neely, Roger Clemens, Brett Favre, Anna Kournikova and Tom Brady. The brothers have been praised and critiqued for the way they use the subject of disability in their films. Peter Farrelly has commented: "The problem is not that we look down on these people, but rather that we look up at them and feel that they are better than us.... we revere them." Peter Farrelly[5] They frequently depict able-bodied people as stupid (Dumb and Dumber), while disabled people are either more aspirational (Shallow Hal, Stuck on You) or gifted (Me, Myself & Irene). Peter Farrelly has published books including Outside Providence and The Comedy Writer. Filmography [ edit ] Film [ edit ] Television [ edit ] |
Ram switching to SAE tow ratings (with video) by David Zatz on Ram will become the first pickup truck maker to adopt the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) J2807 tow-rating system in all of its pickup trucks — Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500. Ram’s current conservative rating practices mean that its towing capacities will remain unchanged, or will actually increase, under J2807, which was meant to be an industry standard. Ford and GM both committed to move to J2807 some time ago; Ford reneged on prior commitments, and GM quickly followed suit. Ram still has the two most fuel-efficient large pickups on the market. Using stringent SAE methods, the company certified the 28-mpg (highway) diesel Ram 1500 as having 9,200 lb of towing capacity, while the gasoline-V6 Ram 1500 (25 mpg highway) is rated at 7,600 lb. The maximum Ram 1500 towing is with the Hemi V8 and eight-speed automatic: 10,650 lb. Ram 2500 retains its best in class SAE towing of 17,970 lb, with a 3,970 maximum payload. Ram 3500 Heavy Duty has a best-in-class SAE 30,000 lb of towing capacity, backed by the Cummins diesel, producing 385 horsepower and 850 lb.-ft. of torque. With the 6.4 liter Hemi, Ram 2500 can tow up to 16,300 lb, and Ram 3500 can tow up to 16,420 lb. Ram CEO Reid Bigland said, “Because our customers asked for it, every single 2015 model year pickup truck Ram sells will come with a trailer-tow rating achieved using SAE’s J2807 testing protocols. No other automaker can make that claim.” Finalized SAE towing specifications now include trucks up to 14,000 GVWR. Mike Cairns, director of Ram Truck Engineering, said, “For too long, an uneven playing field existed and towing capacities went unchecked. We’re happy to be the only pickup truck manufacturer to align with the SAE J2807 towing standard across our pickup truck line up.” The SAE J2807 standard includes dynamic and performance criteria, with requirements for 0-60 mph times, tackling the Davis Dam Grade while maintaining at least 40 mph for single-rear-wheel trucks and 35 mph for dual-rear-wheel trucks, a constant radius understeer test while increasing speed, and a sway maneuver using aggressive steering input. All Ram trucks have a five year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. David Zatz founded Allpar in 1998 (based on a site he had begun in 1993-94), after years of writing reviews for retail trades. He has been quoted by the New York Times, Daily Telegraph, Detroit News, and USA Today; and he wrote the book on minivans, literally. Before making Allpar a full-time career, he was a consultant in organizational psychology, leading to his research and change and Mac statistics software sites. You can reach him by using our contact form. |
In an informal experiment aimed at improving memory and attention, I stimulated various regions of my brain using tDCS therapy for 130 sessions over 135 days while simultaneously completing the working memory task dual n back. Each session lasted about 30 minutes. I found that my scores significantly improved both during “live” tDCS treatment and also during intermittent “off” stimulation memory task sessions. I had previously done the dual n back task thousands of trials over the course of two years so the improvement in performance cannot be attributed to practice effects alone. Just as some of the literature suggests, I found that tDCS can improve a very specific skill (in this case “brain game” performance), but the jury is still out as to what benefits, if any does tDCS have in improving other skills outside of training. When most people think about stimulating the brain with electricity, the reactions are knee-jerkingly negative. Electroconvulsive therapy or ETC comes to mind which is seen as a last resort treatment for the severely mentally ill. However, ETC is only the most primitive and barbaric way of stimulating the brain and is reserved for only the most serious of cases. There are better, gentler, and less invasive ways of brain stimulation. tDCS or transcranial direct current stimulation is one of those gentler options. Both ECT and tDCS both use electricity to directly change how the brain functions, but that is really where the similarities end. For one, ECT involves inducing a seizure that results in an entire body convulsion and the patient usually goes under general anesthesia; the jolt of energy in ECT is very large and negative symptoms such as memory loss are widely reported. tDCS, on the other hand, sends a tiny current to a small targeted region of the brain while the subject is fully aware and conscious. tDCS hit the mainstream spotlight when Scientific American reported that the United States army uses tDCS to help train soldiers fifty percent faster. Once I heard that tDCS can speed up learning and that the device can easily be set up at home, I decided that I have to try it. Experiment From April through August 2013, I took part in an extensive tDCS stimulation journey. I wanted to do it for many reasons such as improving attention and memory as well as to see if I would notice a global improvement processing speed. While researchers are uncertain exactly how tDCS may increase learning speed, some speculate that it may be due to a thickening of white matter in the brain. My original intention was to complete 90 days or more of continuous tDCS sessions. I ended up doing 130 sessions over 135 days and only missed 5 days of tDCS during that time. This schedule would not be possible had I not been able to do it at home. I wanted a way to measure my progress in an objective or quasi-objective way, and I chose dual back for multiple reasons including that the task has been published in peer-reviewed journals as potentially improving memory and non-verbal intelligence. I also had extensive experience with the game which well established my baseline and plateaued progress. Setup & procedure There are many tDCS devices already available, including the option of creating your own device. I decided to use the tDCS device from trans-crainial.com. (To me, building a cheapo device from scratch and then connecting it to my brain seemed like a DIY disaster waiting to happen. Parts are inexpensive, but unfortunately brains are not that easy to repair or replace.) The device I was using included some smart functions that the homemade devices I’ve seen didn’t have such slowly ramping the electricity up when the session starts and ramping down when the session ends so that treatments are as comfortable as possible. It alerts me if the resistance is too high (or low) or if the pads are too dry, and it also provides a message when the batteries are low. (One quirk I did notice was that when I used rechargeable 9V batteries, the device was unable to detect when the batteries were low and just suddenly shut down without notice. That could cause the user to experience a “flash” or other uncomfortable side effects.) The dual n back software program I used for the tDCS sessions was Brain Fitness Pro (Windows edition). As an alternative option, many people use the ever popular Brain Workshop. While Brain Workshop offers more exercises and customization at a better price (free), I found that Brain Workshop had a better user interface. For example in Brain Fitness Pro, the trial number starts at number 20 and counts down to 0 while Brain Workshop starts at trial 1 and increments endlessly. I believe this was one of the reasons why I was more likely to complete a full 20 to 30 minute session with BFP. It’s true that seemingly small or trivial changes in user interface can make a big difference. Just ask Google when they decided to test out over 40 shades of blue to see which button color got the most clicks. The 10-20 EEG system guided me where to place the electrodes. It is a well-established and internationally recognized way of describing electrode locations. That way a location like FP1 is universally known as the left forehead region. Especially in the beginning, when the first regions I stimulated where the hard to reach parietal lobes (P4 & P3), I used a tape measure to locate where the electrode should go. Later on, when I stimulated the frontal regions, I became more comfortable to just “eyeball” where the electrode should go. Unlike traditional electrodes which require more precision, the standard tDCS sponge electrodes are quite large so it’s easier to place them. Before each stimulation session, I soaked the electrodes in saline, and cleaned areas of my skin and hair that were to be in direct contact with an electrode. I created a saline solution by dissolving 9 grams of table salt in 1000ml of water. As soon as I placed the electrodes, I turned on the device, set the time and intensity, and immediately started playing dual n back. The tDCS device was on for about 30 minutes and I would normally finish the dual n back session a few minutes before those 30 minutes were up. During the remaining “on” time, I would read the online news or simply stare into space and observe the shift in consciousness while I wait for the device to ramp down. Rather than just randomly zap my brain in different places and then hope for the best each day, I took a structured approach. I wanted to spend enough time on each brain region so that positive, long term changes would occur – if they were to occur. In general, I decided that I should spend at least 15 days on each region. I also wanted to stimulate anterior and posterior regions using the anode. I started with the parietal regions and worked my way to the frontal poles and then finished off with the temporal lobes. The major exception from my general pattern of stimulation is that I decided to spend 30 days on F3 and skip F4 altogether. The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3) has been associated with everything from memory to language to mood so I had additional interests of spending extra time in that area. On the flip side, F4 on the right is potentially more associated with negative behaviors such as anxiety and OCD so I figured it would be reasonable to skip it. Of course, this is all very simplistic as different things affect different people in different ways, but I needed some sort of educated guesses to guide my setup. 130 day stimulation schedule EEG Position Description Duration P4 Right Parietal 15 days P3 Left Parietal 15 days F3 Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex 30 days FP2 Right Frontal Pole 15 days FP1 Left Frontal Pole 15 days F3/FP1 (revisiting regions) Left DLPFC/Left Poles 10 days T4 Right Temporal Lobe 15 days T3 Left Temporal Lobe 15 days For the entire experiment, the reference electrode (cathode) always went on my contralateral arm. I never tried a montage that involved placing the cathode on a brain region. One of the reasons is that researchers are not entirely sure where the best position is to place the reference electrode. Considering the inattentive ADD symptoms I was trying to treat, I wanted to increase, not decrease, neuron excitability, and therefore would not want to place the cathode on any brain regions unless future research suggests otherwise. The cathode size was constant at 70 x 100 mm and I experimented with the anode stating at 50 x 70mm and then used the smaller 50 x 50 mm to achieve a higher current density. Of course, the current density depends on the current strength as well as the electrode size. Once the sponge coverings that came with the tDCS kit wore out, I found that the best DIY sponge replacement is not kitchen sponges, but rather 4 x 4 inch sterile pads that are available at any drugstore. I experienced unusual burning using kitchen sponges, and tDCS sessions often ended prematurely because my device automatically shuts down when the pads are too dry. Results During and after tDCS, I experienced more alertness as well as what I could consider a definite perceptual shift. My field of view had greater depth and it seemed like my brain could create a better internal map of three dimensional space. My mind felt more “open” and brain fog was reduced if not eliminated altogether. One of the reasons why I was so curious about tDCS was because I wanted to see if I could identify specific results with specific brain regions. I had always known about the “left brain” verses “right brain” processing differences in a more theoretical way, but with tDCS I was able to truly “feel” the differences. Most notable, stimulating the left regions (odd EEG numbers) resulted in better objective scores, but stimulating the right regions had perceptual benefits that just could not be captured in the exercise. (If I had started with the left side first and then moved to the right, it would be interesting to see if the results would still be higher for the left.) Stimulating the right and left temporal lobes provided for a unique experience and the other regions did not, but I also experienced mild nausea that I never had during any other region. In general, the side effects were mild. I sometimes experienced a tingling or burning sensation during simulation that went away when the stimulation was turned off. Occasionally, I experienced sleepiness along with alertness (sometimes both at the same time.) The strangest side effect I experienced was a mild metallic taste in my mouth, but it was not too bothersome. (At first I thought I was imagining such a sensation, but I later read some reports from others reporting the same issue.) The impression I left with is that directly stimulating certain brain regions allows one to peak at brain functioning in a way that cannot be done with drugs alone. The graph starts at dual n back sessions 1 through 5 with an average session score of 3.9 pre tDCS treatment. I want to make it clear that this graph does NOT document the first time I have ever played dual n back or any time before September 2012. I have been playing the game since September 2010 on a multitude of software platforms including iPhone applications, online versions, and the Brain Workshop desktop version so it would be impossible to truly track my progress over time. I did manage to screen capture the first 20 sessions I have ever played dual n back which was on the Brain Fitness Pro iPhone app: averages ranging from 2.1 to 2.8 so I have come a long way since then. The graph first show 86 sessions from August 2012 to April 13 2013 pre-TDCS. These sessions are shaded in purple at the beginning. (When I did the sessions, I had no idea that I would later be experimenting with tDCS and comparing my scores. Also I should have finished 4 more sessions to round it off to a nice number of 90 baseline scores, but I wasn’t thinking of such things then.) The green parts of the graph are the live tDCS stimulation scores. Roughly speaking, I stimulated the brain region indicated by a 10-20 EEG electrode placement code 15 times over 15 days before I would do a single session without live tDCS. There were some exceptions; I stimulated region F3 30 times over 30 days. The single session is at least 12 hours after the last stimulation period. This single session is indicated by a purple stripe. Using the T test calculator at GraphPad.com, I compared the 86 pre-tDCS average scores with the 140 scores that were competed either during or after tDCS. The resulting P value is less than .001 which is “extremely statistically significant.” Of course, statistics do not tell the whole story if practice effects were at play, but considering that I have done the dual n back task (on and off) over two years before starting the tDCS experiment, my baseline was well-established. During the trials, I kept an excel sheet (viewable here) that contains the raw scores and some notes, but it was really meant for my own personal records and thus a bit sloppy. Caveats As I noted on the Excel data sheet, I did add some general health supplements during the tDCS trial. Theoretically, correcting nutritional deficiencies can improve scores. However, do not think that they really effected the results or if any of the supplements did skew the results it would not have been until towards the end of the trial period. It was not until day 141 of the tDCS experiment that I started to experiment with supplements such as magnesium l threonate, zinc, and coQ10. When I include only the first 140 days of tDCS into the t test calculator and I compare it to the pre-tDCS data, the resulting P value remains unchanged at less than .0001. In fact, after only two weeks of tDCS, I reached statistical significance at P = .0026. Ideally, if I were to change the way I did the experiment, I would have gone longer periods of post-tDCC dual n back sessions to see if I can maintain the results. The way I did it was that after about two weeks of constant stimulation, I would do a single session 12 to 24 hours after the last time I did tDCS. The reason why there were so little scores without live tDCS was that I wanted to potentially take as much advantage of tDCS stimulation as possible since I was already aware of the effects of just doing computerized brain training by itself. It would also be beneficial if I had done additional pre and post-tests to see if the increase in dual n back scores will benefit other tasks. It also goes without saying that this was an informal, non-controlled, n=1 experiment done at my home and the imperfections associated with this setup are many. Final thoughts Given some of the positive effects reported from tDCS, the million dollar question is, “Should people start zapping their brains at home for cognitive enhancement?” My answer would be “not so fast.” While tDCS is a curious tool for researchers and self-proclaimed biohackers, I don’t think that tDCS is the panacea that will cure ailments or turn you into a genius. While I was more alert and experienced some mood brightening effects, results were generally temporary and tDCS alone was not enough to treat my ADD and dysthymia symptoms. tDCS may be more effective when combined with pharmaceutical therapies rather than as monotherapy. While dual back scores significantly improved using tDCS, unfortunately, getting better at a computerized brain game is not too exciting if that is the only thing you are getting good at. There have been studies that have shown that tDCS may increase a specific skill such as number processing but that such improvements are evident only for the task learned at hand. tDCS is worth looking into for possibly increasing skill acquisition outside a lab setting. The place where tDCS really shines is if it can facilitate useful skills such as playing the piano or learning to speak Spanish. Originally, I had considered using tDCS to see whether it can increase learning of a practical skill such as learning to play an instrument, but then it would be more difficult to measure progress. Dual n back scores are much easier to measure. Additionally, as The Mental Cost of Cognitive Enhancement suggests, if you are getting better at a task by using tDCS, you must also question the subtle negative effects on other tasks. At the same time, these “mental costs” are normal population fluctuations. For example, one who has exceptional verbal skills may also be physically clumsy or one who is exceptional at math may conversely have trouble with writing essays. tDCS or any method of cognitive enhancement is a calculated decision with risks and benefits. |
As big funders of the Tea Party, billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch have underwritten a populist movement against oversized government and 'excessive' regulation. Now a new report suggests that in their own corporation, they've taken a different approach to government regulation: They've simply ignored it. An extensive investigation in Bloomberg Markets magazine finds that Koch Industries has made multiple 'improper payments' (read: bribes) to win business in Africa, India and the Middle East; rigged prices with competitors; and used foreign subsidiaries to sell equipment to Iran. (Read the full story here.) According to the Bloomberg report, the company had a widespread culture of cheating and deception. Sally Barnes-Soliz, who's now an investigator for the State Department of Labor and Industries in Washington, says that when she worked for Koch, her bosses and a company lawyer at the Koch refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, asked her to falsify data for a report to the state on uncontrolled emissions of benzene, a known cause of cancer. Barnes-Soliz, who testified to a federal grand jury, says she refused to alter the numbers. "They didn't know what to do with me," she says. "They were really kind of baffled that I had ethics." The company is a massive conglomerate with operations in oil, chemicals, textiles, trading and consumer goods -- including Dixie cups, Brawny paper towels and Quilted Northern bath tissue, which are all made by Koch subsidiary Georgia- Pacific. Charles and David Koch tied for fourth place on this year's Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans, with an estimated net worth of $25 billion each. Over the last 5 years, Bloomberg found, Koch Industries has spent more than $50 million on lobbying Washington to fight derivatives regulation and greenhouse gas limits. Bloomberg Markets says neither brother agreed to be interviewed for the article. More on MoneyWatch: |
Fox News Channel has suffered multiple recent setbacks, most notably losing the ratings race to its competitors. But the network created this situation for itself, and it deserves to reap what it has sown. Fox News Channel is a failed state. Fox News should be in a great place right now: Republicans control the House and Senate, and the vulgarian that Fox incubated for years and transformed into a political figure now inhabits the White House. Yet, Fox has never been in such a horrible spot in its entire history. Roger Ailes, its recently deceased founder, was unmasked as a serial sexual predator and forced out. And Bill O’Reilly, the keystone in their prime-time network, was chased off the air under similar circumstances, not even allowed a farewell episode on his own show. At the same time, its remaining most visible host, Sean Hannity, has somehow taken his already error-riddled and dishonest program deeper into the gutter by promoting conspiracy theories about the Democratic Party having people killed while ranting about said conspiracies on Twitter, late into the night. And Hannity, making his already vile show even worse, continued hyping that despicable story even after Fox itself had retracted the report (which rarely happens, as they have practically no journalistic standards). In addition to other women suing Fox for enabling a culture of sexual harassment, Fox is also being sued by a former anchor and others for systematically promoting and enabling racial discrimination, in a behind-the-scenes case of Fox again mimicking the venom and bile they put on air. And most distressingly for Fox, their ratings stink. For the first time in 17 years, Fox came in third behind MSNBC and CNN in the key 25-54 demographic all three networks lust after. In addition to the above mentioned black marks against Fox’s brand that are hurting the ratings, their role as a pro-Trump propaganda outlet is becoming even more glaring as his presidency is engulfed in scandal. Fox came into its own between 9/11 and George W. Bush’s re-election, when it also operated as Republican propaganda. But for at least some of that time, Bush was actually popular (though largely through the halo of people rallying around the flag after the terrorist attack and as we went to war). Trump, on the other hand, lost the popular vote and has never had the support of a majority of voters. That is a tough package to sell, even to an audience base of mostly conservatives, but doubly so when it has become plainly obvious that he is incapable of handling even the basic minutia of the day-to-day job of being president. Yet on Fox, they have to create an artificial reality, prioritizing issues that don’t matter while de-emphasizing the ones that do, in an attempt to ensure that Trump is seen in the best light. But this isn’t the media environment of the past. The Fox bubble cannot keep out alternative media and social media, where friends and family are exposed to and sharing the reality of the Trump presidency and the backlash it entails. Confronted with these discordant images, Fox’s credibility has to take something of a hit. The disconnection from reality is even more noticeable as MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow draws in larger audiences, largely based on her reportorial deconstruction of the Trump administration’s duplicity and mendacity, and on her reputation for honesty and trustworthiness — something to which Fox as a whole could never lay claim. And without Roger Ailes, Fox has no singular ego running things at the top, though even Ailes’ judgment during his last few years was out of step with his audience. He preferred candidates like New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie, because even though Fox had built up Trump, Ailes did not appear to realize until it was too late that his living embodiment of every Fox News crackpot conspiracy and ethnic slur was truly what Republican voters wanted in a standard-bearer. Network founder Rupert Murdoch has his sons James and Lachlan running Fox, but besides plugging in one right-wing host when they’ve lost another, they don’t appear to have the same sort of driving passion that took Fox News to the commanding position it once held. The network could find a way back to life, but for now is marching on like a zombified echo of its glory days. It is a failed state, ripe for a hostile takeover or a complete collapse. Considering the damage the network has done to American culture and the effect it has had on the lives of billions around the world for the worse, thanks to Republicans emulating and appeasing it, the best bet would be to root for collapse. |
SAN JOSE — The woman who reported seeing child-sex texts on another airplane passenger’s smartphone, leading to the freeing Exclusive interview with woman who saw airplane passenger’s child-sex texts, helped rescue kidsof two children in alleged sexual servitude, says she’s no hero. She was just trusting her instincts and her training as an educator. In her first interview about that July 31 Southwest Airlines flight from Seattle to San Jose, the woman described how she saw the text messages: As the plane descended, she leaned forward to look out the window in the row ahead of her, only to have her view suddenly obstructed by another passenger’s smartphone. On the screen she saw a text conversation that alarmed her. It was upsetting enough that she discreetly snapped photos of the messages that the man was reading, which were in an unusually large font. “I don’t know how I saw it, I just saw in big text, ‘child in their underwear,’ ” she said. “I thought, ‘What did I just see?’ My heart started racing. Then I could see more texts coming in.” The rest happened swiftly: She alerted a flight attendant, who in turn alerted San Jose police airport officers and their specialized sex-crimes unit. The man was detained, and the passenger continued on her vacation in the Bay Area and Northern California. She would find out days later that her quiet act had freed two Washington kids from an alleged sexual-servitude scheme, and garnered worldwide attention as the kind of vigilance needed in an increasingly connected world. Get top headlines in your inbox every afternoon. Sign up for the free PM Report newsletter. “I’m being labeled as a hero. I don’t need a bunch of attention. I’m just so thankful the kids are safe,” she said, asking that her identity not be disclosed out of safety and privacy concerns. “I really just did what I did out of my heart. And being an early-childhood educator, I’m trained to look out for that.” But San Jose police Detective Nick Jourdenais, a member of the SJPD Internet Crimes Against Children task force who led the ensuing investigation, said the Seattle-area woman’s actions are proof that heroism “comes in all shapes and sizes.” “Heroic acts aren’t always obvious. She was just a normal person getting on a plane,” Jourdenais said. “She didn’t think she was going to have to intervene in these children’s lives but she saw something, she responded with alertness and quickness, and came up with a plan.” The man linked to the illicit texts, 56-year-old Tacoma resident Michael Kellar, remains in the Santa Clara County Main Jail. The state Superior Court case against him was dismissed Monday and replaced by federal charges. He is scheduled for arraignment in federal court Tuesday and, barring unusual circumstances, should be transported to Washington within two weeks. A woman allegedly on the receiving end of those texts, 50-year-old Tacoma resident Gail Burnworth, is in Pierce County Jail on a U.S. Marshals hold. She had been freed Thursday due to a filing lapse and was re-arrested Friday by FBI agents. Both were charged in federal court in Washington on suspicion of attempted enticement of a minor and conspiring to produce child pornography, according to a filing posted Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. Burnworth met Kellar through the online dating site Match.com. Burnworth is accused of offering to carry out sex acts, at Kellar’s request, involving two children ages 5 and 7 with whom she lived, according to the federal complaint. The complaint lists in sordid detail the texts exchanged between the two defendants leading up to the Southwest flight. Burnworth purportedly told Kellar she had to wait until other adults who lived at the home were not present before they would proceed. Other texts detail the planned sex acts with the children, including rape, and mention the use of Benadryl to sedate the alleged victims. Special Agent Kyle McNeal states in the complaint that Burnworth told investigators that she had a sexual interest in children, had sexually assaulted or illicitly recorded the children, and “was arranging a time for Kellar to have a sexual encounter” with the victims. The passenger who reported Kellar was traveling to the Bay Area to visit family and friends. She said she was trying to look out the window of the row in front of her because the window-side traveler in her row had put the shade down. Kellar was sitting next to the window and had reclined his seat, giving her a full view of what was on his smartphone. “I don’t typically snoop, but I was alerted to that,” she said, initially thinking she was witnessing a child pornography exchange. “Before I knew it, I was reading messages from the the other person saying, ‘I’m going to do these things.’ ” Then her training as a “guardian of children” — as she and police described it — kicked in. “My instinct just told me to discreetly take some pictures,” she said. “As he kept obsessively looking at the texts, I just decided to snap pictures of texts he was re-reading.” But then a wave of nerves washed over her, plus a question: What now? “I really didn’t know what to do at the moment,” she said. “The flight was ending soon, and a flight attendant was collecting trash.” The flight attendant saw visible anguish on her face, she said, and checked on her. “She asked if I was OK, and I told her what I saw, very quietly,” the passenger said. “She said, ‘Hold on,’ and told me I was going to talk with somebody.” In a statement, Southwest Airlines said the flight attendant’s actions were in line with the company’s practices. “Southwest is working with local authorities as part of the investigation,” the statement reads. “We always encourage our customers to report suspicious activity to employees or law enforcement.” San Jose police officers stationed at Mineta San Jose International Airport met her near the gate. They were soon joined by Jourdenais, other ICAC detectives and San Francisco-based FBI agents. Sources told this news organization that the flight staff slightly delayed Kellar’s de-boarding to give the investigators a chance to view the passenger’s snapshots of his texts. Kellar was detained soon after, and during a police interview apparently freely consented to a search of his phone, asserting that the texts were nothing more than fantasy and role play. Detectives arrested him, and contacted their ICAC counterparts in Seattle police, who traced the texts to Burnworth and her home in Tacoma. Detectives served search warrants for both that location and Kellar’s home. The passenger wouldn’t become aware of all this until days later. She left the airport and carried on with her vacation, some of which was out of cell-phone range. A stream of messages from family and friends bombarded her smartphone when she got reception again. Someone sent her a Mercury News story on the case, and her parents recorded some TV news segments. She says she is not interested in the spotlight, and returned to the theme of the alleged victims finally being safe. But she would be glad for people to follow in her footsteps. “I’m ultimately thankful (police) were able to act so quickly, and that those children are safe and suffered no more harm. That’s all I can think about,” she said. “It means the world to me and I hope that by my example, somebody who sees something wrong and might not want to say anything will now speak up. One small bit of information may lead to somebody’s freedom and end their suffering.” Jourdenais, the detective, had no qualms about elevating her given what she helped accomplish. “This speaks about who she is as a person. She saw something disturbing and was overcome by emotion, but was heads-up and decided to document this. She made sure she talked to officers when she landed, and made sure he was detained,” he said. “This is not an everyday person.” |
This has been an odd off season, in so many ways. We've dealt with a lockout, court hearings, a draft, a lifting of the lockout followed by reinstatement 24 hours later, a settlement, and then a hectic free agency and a somewhat abbreviated training camp. In years past, and by that I mean a typical off season, the Vikings would usually conduct business as normal. As in, they'd look at the players they wanted to keep, and they kept them, by and large. Going back to the then record contracts for Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss, the Vikings front office has had a pretty good track record in re-signing players they identified as their core group, or guys they wanted to build around. Adrian Peterson and Chad Greenway most definitely can be described as that, so what gives? Word just hit the street a little bit ago that the Tians re-signed the second best running back in the league, Chris Johnson, to a6 year, $53.5 million, with $35 million guaranteed. Were the Vikings waiting for the Titans to make the first move and set the bar? No, I don't think they were. The Vikings have never really been a team to let somebody else set the market, at least since Zygi Wilf has owned the team. Wilf has opened up the wallet, and I would expect that if things were normal the same would be true. But they're not normal. And I don't mean in terms of the off-season. I personally think the Vikings are waiting until they find out about a new stadium. If the Arden Hills bill passes, I would expect to hear within a week that Greenway and Peterson have both signed long term deals to stay in Minnesota, with money that is at the top of what their positions pay out. If the Arden Hills bill is not passed, I don't think Adrian Peterson and Chad Greenway will be back. 'But Ted,' you're saying, 'that's just frickin' stupid. There's no way Wilf would allow such a PR disaster on the heels of losing the stadium fight. He'll need those guys as the face of the franchise for the 2012 stadium bill." My friends, there won't be a 2012 stadium bill. I feel that if Wilf loses this Arden Hills battle, he will start preparing the team to sell. In positioning a team, or any asset, for that matter, to sell, one of the things you need to do is streamline and cost cut to the gretest extent possible, so there is as little overhead debt for the proposed buyer. Expensive extensions for Peterson and Greenway would qualify as overhead debt. Everything about the Vikings, from here on out, is peripherally tied to the stadium bill. If the bill gets passed, life will be golden. If it doesn't, I expect Wilf to start shedding as much debt as he can, like those contract extensions. A lot of the buildings he owns in New Jersey, around 25 or so, have been damaged by the flooding due to Hurricane Irene, and that's going to cost him some money as well. That has to be taken into consideration as well. I know I'm beating a dead horse here, and I know we just want to talk football, but at this point, I don't think one (football) is mutually exclusive to the other (stadium bill) anymore. The good thing about the Special Session of the Legislature getting called in September (hopefully) is that it if the bill gets passed, they can get Greenway and Peterson signed early enough into the season so that it won't matter, and if a bill fails, we know there probably won't be contract extensions, and the determination to keep those two will be made by the new ownership group. That's why, in my opinion, Greenway and Peterson don't have contract extensions yet. |
“The truth definitely hurts.” This was how Senator Antonio Trillanes IV shot back on Friday at those criticizing a television advertisement against Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte aired over ABS-CBN and is now circulating in social media. ADVERTISEMENT ABS-CBN said the ad, which uses children questioning Duterte’s use of foul language, was paid for by Trillanes. READ: ABS-CBN on ‘anti-Duterte’ TVC: We are duty-bound to air legitimate ad Trillanes said the children were “purposely used to hammer the message that they should always be part of the consideration in our choice of leaders of the country not only because it is for their future but also because they will emulate these leaders.” “Besides, the children were shown in a positive light and all pertinent laws were strictly followed,” he said in a statement. “But wait, Dutertards are suddenly concerned about children? Yet they laugh every time Duterte cusses and jokes about his penis and rape not realizing that children are listening too?” “Such hypocrisy, right? Now, that’s what the ad is all about too,” Trillanes added. The senator earlier accused Duterte of owning at least P2.4 billion bank deposits aside from several properties which were not reflected in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. Trillanes also filed a plunder case at the Office of the Ombudsman Thursday against the mayor over alleged ghost employees in Davao. CDG/rga READ: Duterte used bank accounts to launder funds from ‘ghost workers’–Trillanes ADVERTISEMENT Read Next LATEST STORIES MOST READ |
A new series of treescrapers designed for Nanjing, China, aim to combat air pollution with plant-covered towers, but this bold vision may represent hubris more than hope. Architect Stefano Boeri’s Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) project in Milan was an impressive but small-scale version of this vision to turn Chinese cities into greenery-covered cityscapes. “Two towers in a huge urban environment [such as Nanjing] is so, so small a contribution – but it is an example. We hope that this model of green architecture can be repeated and copied and replicated.” And the figures put out to the press are impressive: these new buildings could, according to estimates, remove 25 tons of carbon from the air annually and produces a lot of oxygen in the process. Still, embedded carbon in plants has to go somewhere eventually — leaves and branches that break off of these vertical treescapes will eventually fall to the ground, adding to street-level pollution. Projects like this face downsides and challenges, too. A lot of embedded energy (and thus: carbon) comes with retrofitting buildings to support plants. There are intensive structural requirements (for soil and trees) but also active system demands, too, that add to inputs and costs. As plants grow, they also have to be maintained — a lot more challenging than just sending window washers up and down the sides of a skyscraper. Ultimately, it makes sense to think about how cities can go green, but adding thick and lush greenery to the sides of buildings risks being an act of greenwashing more than one of sustainable design. The ground is a much easier place to plant greenery, plus an easier space for everyone to access and enjoy. Even the above rendering of one of these planned communities makes this point indirectly: there are a lot more trees on the ground than there are on the buildings in the image. |
Now playing: Watch this: The world of pro wrestling: explained Never say never. The WWE got flipped upside down on Sunday night: Hundreds of thousands tuned in to the World Wrestling Entertainment Network to watch Jinder Mahal beat (now former title holder) Randy Orton to become the WWE Champion. That's a sentence I never thought I would write and one that probably no wrestling fan ever expected to read. Sure, professional wrestling is scripted and so anyone can become WWE Champion. But imagine how shocked you'd be if Jar Jar Binks turned out to be the last Jedi. Yeah, it could happen, but you'd freak out, wouldn't you? Enlarge Image WWE Outta nowhere To become the No.1 contender to Orton's WWE Championship, Mahal shockingly won a six-man match earlier this month. Why was that a shock? Mahal debuted in 2011, then after a year of doing little, he was put in the 3 Man Band faction, a comedic trio of three wrestlers who couldn't play instruments or sing (but insisted they were great musicians) and were beaten on TV each week. He was essentially used as enhancement talent, wrestlers whose job it is to lose to the more popular stars, in order to make them look good. He was let go in 2014, rehired in 2016 and until earlier this month you could count on one hand the matches he'd won. In other words, he's been positioned as anything other than a star. On WWE's programming, he's been closer to an extra than a leading man. And yet, with no foreshadowing he became a top contender for what's arguably the company's most prestigious title. Since then, he's found devious ways to beat everyone he's encountered (his character is written as a bad guy) and on Sunday he won the WWE Championship. People. Freaked. Out. The Indian goldmine So what's this really all about? India. Apple, Google and Facebook have all tried to tap deeper into the Indian market and the WWE is no different. The country will soon have over 450 million internet users and that number is expected to grow exponentially in coming years. Meanwhile, the WWE hopes to eventually get around 3 million fans to subscribe to the WWE Network, with the number currently sitting at just over 1.6 million. You do the math. India is fertile ground for the network. It's the WWE's third biggest TV market and contributes to WWE's social media following more than any other country. Despite this, a relatively small amount of the Indian population buy WWE merchandise or subscribe to the network, according to The Wrestling Observer. So, after being treated like a nobody on WWE TV for most of his career, Mahal could be a huge cash cow for the company. And the fact that he's gotten into suspiciously good shape in the last year doesn't hurt either. Enlarge Image WWE Given this framework, Mahal's win on Sunday night makes perfect sense. Between 2006 and 2014, the WWE had The Great Khali to lean on. Standing at over 7 feet tall and starring in Hollywood films "The Longest Yard" and "Get Smart," the India-born Khali was a megastar in his home country. Back in 2006, the WWE went to great lengths to make that happen -- Khali scored a dominating victory over The Undertaker, one of the most protected stars in the WWE, after he made his debut. But with Khali leaving the company in 2014, India has been without a star to cheer on. Mahal, despite being born in Canada, fits the bill. Listen to the WWE's Indian commentators reaction to the victory to see what the company's going for in the country. Many western fans may be confused, even bemused, at the decision to put the strap on Mahal. But there are over a billion people over in India who may feel differently. Tech Enabled: CNET chronicles tech's role in providing new kinds of accessibility. Technically Literate: Original works of short fiction with unique perspectives on tech, exclusively on CNET. |
Called the quarterback of the offensive line, Texas Longhorns senior center Dominic Espinosa was more than just the guy who made all the line calls for the Horns over the last several seasons -- he was also the most experienced lineman on the team. But Texas lost Espinosa to a fractured ankle on Saturday when he was rolled up on and he'll be out for an undetermined amount of time, leaving offensive line coach Joe Wickline without his senior leader. The Cedar Park product will undergo surgery on Wednesday. The game against North Texas was the 40th career start for Espinosa, who has held down the middle of the Texas line since his redshirt freshman season in 2011. And though he was inconsistent at times, his role in 2014 was supposed to be a significant one. Without Espinosa, the Horns will field a starting lineup along the offensive line that features five new players from the group that took the field last fall for the second game against BYU. And it will also be one of the most inexperienced groups in the country. When Phil Steele released his annual list of the most experienced offensive lines around the nation this summer, the Horns were tied for No. 87 in the country with only 49 starts, most of them belonging to Espinosa. Now, Texas will enter Saturday's game with a group that has started 13 total games at Texas. Junior tackle Kennedy Estelle has now started nine games since the shoulder injury to Josh Cochran that cost him his final season of eligibility, while sophomore right guard Kent Perkins and junior left guard Sedrick Flowers have both started two games now. Redshirt freshman center Jake Raulerson and senior tackle Desmond Harrison will both be making their first starts. Combined, the group would now rank No. 127 in the country in experience, in front of only Tennessee, which boasted six starts heading into the season. The eyes of Texas will be on Raulerson in particular. Listed at 280 pounds, Raulerson is still lacking the ideal mass that has hurt him in the past holding up against bigger players, an issue that has also plagued Espinosa throughout his career. Alex Dunlap of Orangebloods took a look at the 21 snaps that Raulerson played against North Texas and graded them out. In the attached post, Dunlap noted that Raulerson's performance overall was mostly adequate and mostly in line with what Espinosa has done in the past -- recall that the start of the season last year for Espinosa was rough as he and Mason Walters combined for a number of miscues in the running game and the passing game. At the least, Raulerson has to clean up his exchanges with sophomore Tyrone Swoopes, which should be easier since Swoopes will likely spend more time in the shotgun or the Pistol than Ash did in the opener. And he'll also have to avoid the major mistakes like allowing hits on the quarterback and a stuffed running play. Fortunately for Raulerson, he won't have to go against BYU nose tackle Eathyn Manumaleuna, who destroyed Espinosa at times last year in Provo. With Manumaleuna lost to graduation, the starter will likely be Travis Tuiloma, a 6'2, 320-pounder who has 40 pounds on Raulerson and made two tackles in the opener against UConn. Senior Marques Johnson, who goes 6'2 and 308 pounds, is back from suspension and will also likely see some playing time. Outside at tackle, it's unclear whether Harrison will on the left side, where he played during the spring, or at right tackle, where he transitioned in the fall. After a number of issues in pass protection that included a lack of awareness of blitzes during the Orange-White game, it seems that a spot on the right side would best suit Harrison. At linebacker, there's no more Kyle Van Noy for BYU, which should make both Harrison and Estelle happy, but monster junior Bronson Kaufusi has transitioned from defensive end to Van Noy's old outside linebacker position this season and could give either or both some trouble. At 6'7 and 263 pounds, Kaufusi is a jumbo player even for a 4-3 defensive end, much less a 3-4 linebacker, but he's also a freakish athlete who can cover a remarkable amount of ground and he proved that he's well suited to the position after recording two sacks and two quarterback hurries against the Cavaliers. The good news for Texas is that if Harrison can't get the job done, junior Marcus Hutchins had a solid game in his first significant action as a Longhorn playing left tackle last week, so he actually appears to be a legitimate option moving forward and could challenge Harrison for playing time. Both Estelle and Perkins also turned in strong performances against North Texas and neither made significant mistakes, but Flowers and junior back-up guard Taylor Doyle will have to clean up some issues in pass protection to avoid giving BYU defensive ends Remington Peck and Logan Taele. North Texas featured an inexperienced and undersized defensive line, so adequate efforts against the Mean Green may not translate especially well to the type of performances that would allow the Horns to beat the Cougars on Saturday, but it wasn't the worst-case scenario with the exception of losing Epinosa. Wickline has his work cut out for him building this offensive line basically from scratch, but he had to do the same thing at Oklahoma State in 2010 and eventually had success in replacing four starters. So it might not all come together by the BYU game this weekend, but rest assured that the inexperienced group will get better every week. |
NEW DELHI: The UPA-2 government may have faced criticism of policy paralysis but files moved at breakneck speed for the appointment of former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit as Kerala governor. In a bid to beat the election code of conduct, sitting Kerala governor Nikhil Kumar resigned, Karnataka governor HR Bharadwaj was handed interim charge and finally Dikshit appointed as Kumar’s successor all in the space of a few hours on March 4.The code of conduct was to come into effect a day later.The information disclosed by the home ministry was in response to an RTI plea filed by activist SC Agrawal. According to the documents made public, home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde recommended appointment of Dikshit as Kerala governor following a one-line resignation from Kumar. In his letter dated March 4 to President Pranab Mukherjee, Kumar said, "I resign as governor of Kerala with immediate effect." He did not ascribe any reason for his resignation.Not only was Kumar’s resignation accepted the same day but in the next few hours, President’s secretary Omita Paul shot off a letter and a warrant to Bharadwaj asking him to take additional charge. A few hours later, Paul issued a warrant under the hand and seal of the President and a letter appointing Dikshit as Kerala governor.The President is empowered to appoint governors in accordance with Article 155 of the Constitution. Accordingly, home ministry joint secretary S Suresh Kumar in his note said Kumar was appointed by the President as governor of Nagaland and assumed office on October 15, 2009. He was transferred to Kerala where he assumed office on March 23, 2013 with his five-year term expiring on October 14, 2014.The note, approved by home secretary Anil Goswami and minister Shinde, said that as "indicated by the home minister", the government had decided to recommend Dikshit for the job. Delhi CM for three terms, Dikshit led the party to a rout in the assembly elections in December 2013. She lost her seat to AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal.Though governors are seen to have a largely ceremonial role, they are the Centre’s representative in the state and have increasingly been used by political parties to "reward" loyalists. |
Republicans are lying when they say their health care bill protects people with pre-existing conditions, and it only took NBC reporter Kasie Hunt about 30 seconds to prove it. Republicans are absolutely lying when they say the proposed Graham-Cassidy health care repeal bill doesn’t undo Obamacare’s protections for those with pre-existing conditions. The lie is so obvious that it only took about 30 seconds for a reporter to prove it. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel has been exposing this cruel provision in the legislation that Republicans are trying to ram through Congress (even offering bribes), and for his efforts he has become one of the right’s top enemies. Fox News has gone after him, as have Republican Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the men behind the legislation. Donald Trump lamely tried to come to the defense of Graham and Cassidy, pushing propaganda about pre-existing conditions to his Twitter feed. But a report from NBC’s Kasie Hunt easily proved that Kimmel is right and that the Republicans are being deceptive to the millions who would be affected when they claim the bill passes the “Jimmy Kimmel test.” Hunt noted that while Obamacare bans insurance companies from charging sick people “dramatically higher” insurance premiums, under Graham-Cassidy, “individual states could decide to change that.” And she spoke to Sabrina Corlette, from Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms, who explained, “The state just has to say that it intends to maintain affordable, adequate coverage, but it doesn’t have to say how it’s going to do it, it doesn’t have to provide any evidence at all that it will do it.” WATCH: Latest GOP health care bill faces the “Jimmy Kimmel test” – again. @kasie reports. https://t.co/hSFYPQr0fQ — NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) September 22, 2017 HUNT: The Affordable Care Act made it illegal for insurance companies to deny sick people coverage. That ban would stay in place. But Obamacare also outlawed charging sick people dramatically higher premiums and under this bill, individual states could decide to change that. CORLETTE: The state just has to say that it intends to maintain affordable, adequate coverage, but it doesn’t have to say how it’s going to do it, it doesn’t have to provide any evidence at all that it will do it. HUNT: That could devastate the Bohannon family. They’re already collecting donations to pay for their son’s coverage, just in case. Hunt also spoke to the Bohannon family, who has a toddler suffering from a rare heart condition — the type of ailment that the Republican plan would allow insurers to gouge patients on, which they are prevented from doing under current law. The Bohannons told NBC that they are already fundraising to have money set aside if the Graham-Cassidy bill passes and is signed into law by Trump. The lie at the heart of the Republican bill was shockingly simple for Hunt to dismantle. She stated the current law, and cited what the bill changes, then spoke to an expert on health care, who explained how deceptive the language in the legislation is. For an issue as traditionally complex as health care, the simple way in which this has collapsed is an indictment of the conservative push to force this devastating plan onto the nation. Millions of people will be hurt if this becomes the law, and even more of them will have suffering families who must contend with the fallout. This is why Jimmy Kimmel’s message is having such a strong impact, and why Republicans and their media allies are so angry at him for telling the truth. SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave |
Last week I was talking about intuition. I think of intuition as — among other things — unconscious and automatic reasoning. The opposite of that would be conscious and deliberative reasoning. We might call that reflective reasoning.† In this post, I want to talk about reflective reasoning. How does it work? And why does it work? And — spoiler alert — why does it sometimes not work? 1. An Example Do some math for me, will you? Multiply 13 x 16. And try doing it in your head. Don’t use scrap paper or a calculator or anything like that. Take all the time you need. I’ll be here. Got it? Check your work with Google. Question: what were you doing when you reasoned your way to the answer? You were — among other things — reasoning reflectively. That is, you consciosuly and deliberately thought about some stuff — like ’16’, ’13’, and ‘How might I multiply 16 by 13?’.And that is a classic case of reflective reasoning: consciously and deliberately thinking about thought(s). 2. Reflective Reasoning Works We can do great stuff with reflective reasoning. Thanks to reflective reasoning, we can retrace our mental steps, spot errors, and fix those errors. We can even construct a narrative of each step in this process. And these tasks are pretty important — and not just for doing spontaneous multiplication tasks. These tasks help us plan for the future, learn from our past, and explain our reasoning (to ourselves and to others). So if reflective reasoning is responsible for carrying out these tasks, then it is a good thing …when it works, that is. What about when it doesn’t work? How does that happen? And why does that happen? Why does reflective reasoning sometimes result in patently false judgments (Bortolotti 2011, section 3)? And why does it sometimes increase our bias (Kahan et al 2017; Schkade et al 2010)? 3. But How? And Why? So while it’s obvious that reflective reasoning can work, it’s not obvious why it does.†† And it’s certainly not obvious why it sometimes doesn’t work. A good account of reflective reasoning will make this more obvious. A good account will explain not only what reflective reasoning is, but how and why it works. And, importantly, a good account of reflective reasoning will explain how and why it sometimes doesn’t work. In my dissertation, I hope to provide a good account of reflective reasoning: an account that explains the why and the how. I’ll be blogging about my progress as I work on the dissertation. So subscribe to the blog or follow me on social media if you’re interested in learning more about the project. Or if you just want to see the final product, then follow me on Google Scholar where the finished dissertation will be posted. Until Next Time You can also find my MA thesis, “Intuitive and Reflective Responses in Philosophy” on Google Scholar (for free). Here are the main findings: Philosophers were more reflective than others. Less reflective philosophers were more likely to be theists, physicalists (as opposed to psychologists) about personal identity, Fregeans about language, and scientific anti-realists (although that last one turned out to be a spurious correlation, as I mention in the thesis). Less reflective philosophers were also less likely to save five people by killing one. Related Posts † This is more or less how the terms ‘intuitive’ and ‘reflective’ are used among many cognitive scientists and philosophers. For a discussion of that, see Byrd 2014, 7-13. †† Thanks to my advisor, John Schwenkler, for drawing my attention to this. |
Coulter Drops Out of Berkeley Speech, Citing Cowardice Amongst Conservative Groups; Based Stickman and Others Promise to Beat Down ANTIFA Regardless The great civil war of 2017 was supposed to commence on April 27th, at Berkeley. The lightening rod was going to be Ann Coulter, vehemently hated conservative firebrand by the left, who would’ve induced sheer and utter panic amongst the ANTIFA thugs who are, seemingly, unable to deal with freedom of speech. Unfortunately, Coulter canceled the speech, blaming conservative sponsors are the reason for her change of heart. “There will be no speech,” she wrote in an email to Reuters on Wednesday, saying two conservative groups sponsoring her speech were no longer supporting her. “I looked over my shoulder and my allies had joined the other team,” she wrote. The group accused of acquiescing to ANTIFA demands are the YAF (Young America’s Foundation), who said in a statement issued today that they were afraid of violence purported by the left. “As of 4:00 p.m. today, Young America’s Foundation will not be moving forward with an event at Berkeley on April 27 due to the lack of assurances for protections from foreseeable violence from unrestrained leftist agitators,” they continued. “Berkeley should be ashamed for creating this hostile atmosphere.” “Ms. Coulter may still choose to speak in some form on campus, but Young America’s Foundation will not jeopardize the safety of its staff or students,” they concluded. “For information on Ms. Coulter’s plans, please contact her directly.” I’m so sorry Berkeley canceled my speech. I’m so sorry YAF acquiesced in the cancelation. And I’m so sorry for free speech crushed by thugs. This prompted a series of tweets, designed to both shame YAF and Berkeley. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 26, 2017 If we had continued to fight we would have won. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 26, 2017 I’m very sad about Berkeley’s cancelation, but my sadness is greater than that. It is a dark day for free speech in America. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 26, 2017 It’s sickening when a radical thuggish institution like Berkeley can so easily snuff out the cherished American right to free speech. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 26, 2017 And here is the final kick in YAF’s small balls, Coulter thanking liberals for advocating for the first amendment. I am so grateful to people like Bill Maher, Chris Matthews and Margaret Carlson for opposing Berkeley’s censorship. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 26, 2017 Other conservatards have pledged to show up at Berkeley without Coulter, citing other firebrands who will be attending the rally in the hopes of striking death blows to ANTIFA. The Based Stickman, aka An American Hero, will be in attendance, so maybe, just maybe, the civil war will commence, as previously scheduled. We will still be having a rally in Berkeley regardless of @AnnCoulter showing. We patriots do not know the word surrender. JOIN US WARRIORS! — Based Stick Man (@BasedStickMan_) April 26, 2017 If you enjoy the content at iBankCoin, please follow us on Twitter |
To stay aloft, insects have to beat their wings very fast — up to 500 times a second in the case of mosquitoes. Exactly how they do this has long been debated. By capturing the molecular details of wing beats in live bumblebees, a study now argues that insect flight muscles do not work through a specialized mechanism but exploit properties shared with vertebrate muscles1. “It has long been known that many insects don’t move their flight muscles in the way vertebrates do,” says Hiroyuki Iwamoto, a biophysicist who conducted the work with his colleague Naoto Yagi at the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (or SPring-8) in Hyogo. “The big question is whether the difference is unique to insect flight muscles or exploits a property common to all muscle proteins.” Human muscles contract when they receive a signal from the motor nerves. This signal causes calcium ions to be released from membranes in the muscle. The calcium ions are captured by proteins called troponins on fibrous proteins called actin, causing the actin filaments to rotate and expose sites where the ‘head’ of myosin, a motor protein, can bind. After the head binds to actin, the myosin molecule kinks, pulling on the actin filament to cause muscle to contract and burning energy in the process. But the mechanism is too costly in energy and requires too rapid a pumping of calcium to be repeated hundreds of times a second for insect flight. Instead, “once insect flight muscles are activated by nerves, they oscillate spontaneously,” says Yale Goldman, a muscle physiologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. These self-sustained oscillations are induced by "stretch activation", in which the force generated by each of two out-of-phase, antagonistic flight muscles gets stronger as they are extended, pulling the wing back. Special adaptation? Stretch activation “appears to occur in most muscles that beat rhythmically, which includes human cardiac muscle”, says Kenneth Taylor, a molecular biophysicist at Florida State University in Tallahassee. But whereas heartbeats are governed by calcium signals, wing beats are not. “Because repeated calcium release and uptake is not necessary, there is no upper limit to the wing-beat frequency,” says Iwamoto. But, says Goldman, “what triggers it isn’t known. This has been a puzzle in the field.” One possible answer, proposed in 1979, is that stretch activation arises because, as the muscle becomes more extended, more myosin heads are able to bind to actin2. But more recently it has been suggested that insect flight muscle might have a special adaptation that vertebrate muscle does not: a form of troponin that doesn’t need activation by calcium ions3. In the new study, Iwamoto and Yagi measured changes in the arrangement of the molecular motor components of muscle while insects were in flight — or trying to fly, having been glued in place at the end of a narrow aluminium tube (see ‘On the wing’). The researchers positioned the insects in the path of an X-ray beam. The pattern of bright spots formed when X-rays are scattered by the muscles contains information about the reorganization of their protein molecules. Iwamoto and Yagi followed these changes by collecting the X-ray data at high speed, synchronized to video footage of the bees at 5,000 frames per second. The researchers concluded that in insect flight muscle, myosin heads rotate when muscle stretches, and this enables them to bind more strongly. In other words, stretch activation is a fundamental consequence of the interaction between actin and myosin in this kind of muscle, just as it is in some vertebrate muscle. The rotation of the myosin heads shows up in the X-ray data as an increase in the strength of one of the X-ray spots. While X-ray scattering from live insects has been reported before4, the researchers have been able to monitor it much faster than previously — at 40 frames per wing beat. “The paper is very impressive from the technical standpoint,” Goldman says. The findings “really help clarify the process of force generation in insect flight muscle,” says Taylor. “If you believe that myosin and actin function virtually the same way in all muscles, then it’s a big step in explaining muscle contraction in general,” he adds. But Goldman warns, “this will be somewhat controversial, given the evidence that a special troponin might be the trigger.” |
ETA, which is considered a terrorist group by the State Department and the European Union, marks its 50th anniversary on Friday. It has killed more than 825 people in its violent campaign for an independent Basque homeland. Majorca, an island of picturesque coves and surrounded by sparkling sea, is the largest of the four Balearic Islands and one of Spain’s most popular holiday destinations, drawing more than 9 million tourists a year. The bombing could be another blow to an economy already suffering from the slow-down in tourism due to the economic crisis. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were scheduled to arrive Saturday for their annual visit, and several other members of the royal family were already there. A spokesman said there were no plans to cancel the visit. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. The authorities also blame ETA for another bomb attack on the civil guard only 36 hours earlier. That explosion, outside a police barracks in the northern Spanish city of Burgos, lightly injured nearly 60 people, including six children. The group often calls in a warning to emergency services before detonating bombs, but did not do so in either of the attacks this week. ETA has come under pressure over the past year from Spanish and French police, who have arrested several of its political and military leaders. Analysts say the so-called nationalist left, which includes members of ETA and hard line political supporters, is also divided between those who want to continue the armed struggle and those who want to join mainstream politics. Some analysts suggested that the attacks were meant to send a message that ETA remained capable of deadly operations. Teo Santos, who for decades worked in the Basque police and is now a security analyst, said the Majorca attack may have been intended to emphasize ETA’s logistical capacity. “There have been many media reports saying that ETA is doing badly,” he said by telephone. “There are divisions within ETA and the nationalist left.” “Whenever that kind of debate occurs, ETA raises the level of violence,” he said by telephone. Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero told journalists in a televised news conference late Thursday the attackers would be caught. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “They have no possibility of hiding,” he said. “They cannot escape, they cannot elude the hands of justice.” |
Juan Monaco emerged victorious at the German Open Tennis Championships after beating local hero Tommy Haas in 2 really tight sets. What a season Juan Monaco of Argentina is having! The 28 year old lifted his third trophy of the year at the German Open Tennis Championships, after overpowering German favorite Tommy Haas in straight sets 7-5, 6-4 in 2 hours. He displayed tremendous will power and fighting back abilities in this match, coming back from a break down in both sets to eventually come out on top. This victory would be a very special one for Monaco, who lifted his first ever ATP 500 event Trophy today and also entered into the coveted Top-10 for the first time in his career. This clay court specialist has been performing really well and consistently to deserve such a great honor. In an hour's play, Monaco wrapped the first set 7-5, after trailing 1-4. Monaco kept digging and was rewarded with 2 breaks, one coming in the decisive eleventh game. Haas raced away in the earlier part of the set but when Monaco got into the groove, it was really hard for Haas to stop him. With plenty of errors coming form the Haas racquet, it was like he gifted the set to Monaco. The second set started in almost similar fashion, Haas breaking Monaco early in the set. But Monaco proved why he is an upcoming star as he sneaked his way through the games and slowly got hold of the situation. Haas, though tried coming into the match with the crowd's support, ran out of luck in the end and ended up losing the match, leaving the home crowd disappointed. |
The summer of 1813 was a tense time in Baltimore. The United States was at war with Britain and the city was poised for an invasion from land and sea. Fort McHenry, the star-shaped fort defending Baltimore Harbor, needed one last thing to be fully prepared for the British attack: a proper flag. Major George Armistead sought to remedy this oversight as soon as he took over as commander of the Fort McHenry militia detachment in June of 1813. He wrote to General Samuel Smith, commander of Baltimore: “We, sir, are ready at Fort McHenry to defend Baltimore against invading by the enemy. That is to say, we are ready except that we have no suitable ensign to display over the Star Fort and it is my desire to have a flag so large that the British will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance.” He was not kidding. Armistead commissioned Mary Pickersgill, a local flag maker with a well-established business making flags and signals for military and merchant ships (she also happened to be the sister-in-law of Commodore Joshua Barney, commander of the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla) to make two flags. One was a 17 x 25-foot storm flag that could tolerate inclement weather, and the other a whopping 30 x 42-foot garrison flag to be made of top quality woolen bunting. This was a huge job and Pickersgill had a very short deadline since Armistead wanted the flags ready to go as soon as possible. She enlisted the aid of her 13-year-old daughter Caroline, her nieces Eliza and Margaret Young, then just 13 and 15 respectively, Grace Wisher, an African-American apprentice, and possibly Pickersgill’s mother, Rebecca Young, herself an accomplished flagmaker who was one of the first on record to make flags for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and who had taught her daughter the craft. Pickersgill’s team worked relentlessly for six weeks making the flags. During preparations for the 1876 Centennial, Caroline wrote a letter to Georgiana Armistead Appleton, daughter of Major George Armistead and owner of the flag, describing their efforts: “The flag being so very large, mother was obliged to obtain permission from the proprietors of Claggetts brewery which was in our neighborhood, to spread it out in their malt house; and I remember seeing my mother down on the floor, placing the stars: after the completion of the flag, she superintended the topping of it, having it fastened in the most secure manner to prevent its being torn away by (cannon) balls: the wisdom of her precaution was shown during the engagement: many shots piercing it, but it still remained firm to the staff. Your father (Col. Armistead) declared that no one but the maker of the flag should mend it, and requested that the rents should merely be bound around. The flag contained, I think, four hundred yards of bunting, and my mother worked many nights until 12 o’clock to complete it in the given time.” It was an exceptional piece of work, hand-sewing such a massive flag by stitching together strips of wool (for the blue canton and white and red stripes; the stars are cotton) no more than 18 inches wide. It was at that time, and I believe still is, the largest battle flag ever made. It weighed 50 pounds and required 11 men to hoist. The finished product was delivered to Fort McHenry on August 19, 1813. The urgency of construction turned out to be unnecessary. Britain had its hands full at the time with a certain upstart French fellow, so the expected battle only happened more than a year later after Napoleon’s abdication on April 6th, 1814. When the British finally did shell Fort McHenry in the Battle of Baltimore the night of September 13-14th, 1814, they most certainly could see the garrison flag withstand the punishing assault, just as Armistead had wanted. Lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key was negotiating prisoner exchanges aboard the British ship HMS Tonnant in Baltimore Harbor during the British attack. They wouldn’t let him leave the ship lest he reveal their position until the shelling was done, so he spent the night and awoke to find Pickersgill’s giant flag was still there. He immortalized that sight in a poem called Defence of Fort McHenry (pdf) which would be set to a British drinking song and become the national anthem as The Star Spangled Banner. This summer marks the 200th anniversary of the creation of the Fort McHenry garrison flag and the Maryland Historical Society has a plan to celebrate it in grand style. Starting the Fourth of July, more than 150 volunteers are coming together to hand-stitch an exact replica of the Star Spangled Banner in the same six-week time frame as the original. (It’s a testament to the skill and speed of Mary Pickersgill’s team that it takes 150 adults to accomplish today what she did with three teenagers and a couple of assistants.) The first stitch will be stitched in a ceremony at Fort McHenry after which visitors will be able to see the team hard at work in the Fort McHenry Education Center until 4:00 PM. The original is in the Smithsonian in an extremely delicate state of conservation. It will be great to have a hardy replica so the massive beastflag can yet wave. This is not a cheap project — the 275 yards of wool bunting alone cost $9,625 — and the Maryland Historical Society could use some help defraying costs. They’ve created a Kickstarter project with a goal of raising $10,000 by the end of the month. They’ve raised just over a thousand dollars over the past few days so donate and spread the word. The Kickstarter has a lot of nerdy perks for donors, but the best of all perks is free. If you’re in Maryland on August 3rd or August 11th, go to the Maryland Historical Society’s workroom in France Hall between noon and 3:00 PM to put your own stitch in the flag. This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013 at 11:43 PM and is filed under Modern(ish). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. |
Yesterday saw the debut of Essential, the latest brainchild of the creator of Android—Andy Rubin. While everyone is talking about the Essential Phone, the Essential Home looks like a real contender to knock the Amazon Echo off its smart speaker throne. On the surface, it doesn't seem like the Essential Home will do much more than what we've seen in other smart speakers like the Echo and Google Home. It can play music, set timers, ask the internet for information (like what a baby kangaroo is called), and control your smart home. But it's not what the Essential Home can do that makes it unique, but rather how. That starts with your privacy. The processing is all taken care of locally on the device whenever possible (including the AI engine that would help manage your life). The amount of data being sent to the cloud will be limited, which will hopefully keep it safe from any malicious threat. According to Wired , the Home will be the one smart home hub to rule them all. It'll be able to coordinate and work with SmartThings, HomeKit, Nest, and more, and will even extend into Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. Whether or not Essential will be able to deliver on those promises remains to be seen, though. They're certainly lofty goals, but the danger of writing a check they can't cash is very real. While no pricing details for the Essential Home have been released yet, Wired notes it'll be available "later this summer." |
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in the Pacific Northwest resulted in 84 arrests. The operation targeted "at-large criminal aliens, illegal re-entrants and immigration fugitives" over a three-day period in Oregon, Washington and Alaska, according to ICE. Seven women and 77 men from 12 countries were arrested, including 64 from Mexico. The most arrests were made in King County, where 19 suspects were arrested. In Oregon, 13 were arrested in Washington County, seven in Multnomah County and four in Lane County, among others. ICE arrested three people in Clark County. Of those arrested, 19 had criminal convictions for driving under the influence, according to ICE. Seven were convicted of assault, four of larceny, three of domestic violence and two of sexual assault, among other offenses. "The operation, conducted by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), targeted criminal aliens who pose a public safety threat and individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who re-entered the country after being deported and immigration fugitives ordered deported by federal immigration judges," according to an ICE statement. Two Portland-area cases have generated significant attention and led to rallies and the involvement of the ACLU of Oregon. Francisco Rodriguez Dominguez was taken into custody at his home Saturday, transferred to a holding facility in Tacoma and released on bond Monday. He had pleaded guilty to DUII in December and was going through diversion. He was part of the Portland Deferred Actions for Children Arrivals program. “Since I’ve been on DACA, I was told I was safe from this. I really never expected to be in this situation," Rodriguez told FOX 12. Read more from FOX 12 Oregon. |
Picture the scene. You are at home, snuggled in your pyjamas in front of a toasty roaring fire. You have a glass of your favourite tipple at your side. Candles are lit, and are the only noise is the wind blowing outside. Your evening is spent reading a good book, with good company, under a furry warm throw. This feeling of contentment, of happiness and everything being more meaningful. That’s Hygge (pronounced hue-gah). Put simply, it is a word to define that warm cosy feeling we all get when everything is just right. Since living minimally, I have spent the last few years trying to live with purpose. To ensure everything I do is aligned to my priorities. All that I invest in materially and through time is done to enrich my life. This is why I think that the Hygge trend that is currently sweeping across Britain is something we should all embrace. I have written countless times about how we are neglecting our happiness by subscribing to a busy lifestyle. We are so consumed by goals, driven by plans. Never satisfied with our achievements as someone else has that bigger car, better holiday or expensive phone. Slow down, prioritise your happiness and spend your time doing the things you will enjoy. Experience the moments, stop ticking off the boxes of to do lists, relish life. Hygge and minimalism go hand in hand. They both value a meaningful live above all else. They put value in experiences. They are about removing routine and restrictions in order to achieve more. It is about enjoying the happiness you have, and living in the now, rather than continually pursuing the next best thing. How else do they pair up? Well, you can certainly invest in items to create a more hyggeligt atmosphere, but you can’t buy Hygge. You can’t purchase that feeling you get from being happy and content. If your atmosphere isn’t right, priorities are not right, and time is not spent right, an expensive candle and luxury fur throw isn’t going to fix that. So, I guess you are wondering, how do I make my life more Hygge? Embrace A Hygge Home Fill your home with candles, as creating a snug and cosy atmosphere is a great place to start. Candlelit rooms instantly feel warm, romantic and inviting. Invest in one’s with scents you love. Personally, my home is filled with Vanilla candles I have made or sourced locally because this scent alone reminds me of home and happiness. Keep your spaces minimal but with purpose. If you reduce the clutter, and keep what is necessary you can ensure that your spaces will remain comforting and relaxing. If you have too much going on in one room, it will be hard to relax. Plus, we all feel most content in a clean environment, and a minimal home is much easier to keep dust free. Furnish for comfort. Texture your rooms with practical but cosy blankets and duvets for the ultimate Hygge home. Don’t invest in lots of unnecessary extras. Instead, invest wisely in your furnishing choices to make your home a happy environment. Ensure your rooms encourage socialisation. Have comfy seating, open plan living and doors left wide open to embrace that welcoming atmosphere. How To Dress Hygge When at home, if you are anything like me, you will instantly change into your loungewear after walking through the front door. Being at home is a time for relaxation, unwinding and comfort. Invest in clothing and outfits which encourage you to enjoy this time. Think loose fitting cotton lounge wear, cosy slippers and knitted layers. Whatever makes you feel completely at ease. How To Live Hygge Think cosy, think simple and think happy. To hygge is to do whatever makes you feel warm and content. Forget elaborate nights out, this winter is all about the evenings in with close friends and family. Cook stews, use the slow cooker and enjoy warm chocolate cake in front of the fire. Whatever makes you feel good. Embrace the colder nights by finding any excuse to layer up and spent time on the things which matter most to you. Be it writing, reading, blogging or baking. As I love to spend my time doing things that enrich my day to day, I am totally welcoming this concept. More reading, less cleaning. And as I live minimally, this is totally achievable as there’s less to fuss about around the house. So tonight I am making a huge pot of turkey chilli, lighting all the candles, and spraying the room with vanilla and lavender scents. I will sit in my cosy Cos layers under my big throw and I will be totally content as I blog, read and write. How are you planning to embrace Hygge? |
A year ago, the US Supreme Court announced guidance to lower courts in determining whether the prevailing party in a copyright lawsuit should be awarded attorney fees. Under US law, the losing side of a copyright suit can be ordered to pay the legal costs to the winners—no matter which side originally brought the case. The Supreme Court said that the imposition of a fee award against a copyright holder should be denied if the rights holder held an "objectively reasonable" belief that there was infringement—even if the copyright holder loses the lawsuit. Today, we're seeing another example in practice on how that ruling is playing out. A New York federal judge on Wednesday ruled that no "reasonable attorney" would have sued news organizations for broadcasting or publishing seconds-long clips from the 45-minute live Facebook video of a childbirth. Hence, the media outlets that were on the receiving end of the lawsuit are entitled to recover what may amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal costs. "No reasonable lawyer with any familiarity with the law of copyright could have thought that the fleeting and minimal uses, in the context of news reporting and social commentary, that these defendants made of tiny portions of the 45-minute video was anything but fair," US District Judge Lewis Kaplan of New York wrote. Kaplan was ruling in a fees motion as part of a failed copyright case brought by the father who live-streamed the birth of his son by mother Sarah Dome. The suit targeted ABC, NBC, Yahoo, and COED Media. Kaplan, calling the lawsuit "frivolous," concluded that awarding fees to the defendants "would much better serve the purposes of the Copyright Act than the denial of such awards." Kali Kanongataa started broadcasting his partner giving birth on Facebook in May 2016. He intended to share it with just family and friends. He realized the birth was actually streaming publicly after about half an hour, but he decided to leave it that way. That led to about 120,000 people worldwide watching the delivery. In response to his suit, (PDF) ABC prevailed by claiming that using 22 seconds of the 45-minute video was a "textbook example of fair use." Fair Use Fair use is a defense to copyright infringement if certain elements are met. The US Copyright Office says fair use is decided on a case-by-case basis. "The distinction between what is fair use and what is infringement in a particular case will not always be clear or easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission," the US Copyright Office says. That said, there are at least four factors that judges must consider when deciding fair use: the purpose of use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount and substantiality of the portion taken, and the effect of the use upon the potential market. Kanongataa's lawyers from New York—Yekaterina Tsyvkin and Richard Liebowitz—did not immediately respond for comment. The judge gave the media companies three weeks to say how much they think they should be awarded in costs associated with defending the lawsuit. |
Former pitcher Anthony Young, who holds the major league record with 27 consecutive losses, died in Houston on Tuesday, the New York Mets announced. He was 51. His death comes on the anniversary of his 24th consecutive loss, which broke the record, on June 27, 1993, against the St. Louis Cardinals. Former Mets pitcher Turk Wendell said in a statement that Young revealed earlier this year at the Mets' fantasy camp that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. "Anthony was a true gentleman," Wendell said. "At this year's fantasy camp, he told us he had a brain tumor. That was Anthony. He never ran away from anything." Anthony Young lost 27 consecutive games for the Mets from 1992 to 1993 but "never let his losing records ... rob him of his sense of humor or his grace," the team said in announcing his death at age 51. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images Former major leaguer Lenny Harris tweeted earlier Tuesday that his friend Young had fallen into a coma. Young's streak of losses began in 1992 with the Mets and stretched into the next season. In all, the drought spanned 74 appearances; he had a 4.39 ERA during that stretch. The right-hander posted 15 saves in 1992. But he was 2-14 that season, then went 1-16 in 1993 for a miserable Mets team that led the majors with 103 losses. The highlight of that awful season might've come on July 28 at Shea Stadium. That night, Young was summoned in the ninth inning against the Florida Marlins and gave up the go-ahead run on a bunt single, putting him in position for a 28th straight loss. Instead, the Mets rallied for two runs in the ninth for a 5-4 victory. Young got the win and was mobbed by his teammates. "That wasn't even a big monkey that was on my back,'' Young said. "It was a zoo. The guys treated it like I had won a World Series game for them.'' Soon after ending the streak, Young was a guest on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.'' Young broke the mark of 23 losses in a row by Cliff Curtis of the Boston Braves from 1910 to 1911. At one point, Young met members of Curtis' family. Young also received all sorts of encouragement and advice during his slump, with psychics often offering ideas on how he could reverse his fortunes. Young was traded to the Chicago Cubs before the 1994 season and finished with the Houston Astros in 1996. He was 15-48 with a 3.89 ERA in his six-year career. The Mets said in the statement that Young "never let his losing records with the Mets rob him of his sense of humor or his grace." "A.Y. took a lot of kidding about his losing records," Doug Flynn, a former Mets infielder who participated in the fantasy camps with Young, said in the statement. "But he was the victim of some bad luck during the streak. He knew inside that he was a better pitcher than his numbers." After his playing days, Young worked with a youth baseball group near his hometown of Houston. Said the Astros in a statement: We join many others in the baseball world in mourning today's passing of former pitcher Anthony Young: pic.twitter.com/GtFHGs9V3D — #VoteAstros (@astros) June 28, 2017 ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
First there was the grapefruit diet—promising that the tart monotony of grapefruit after grapefruit would finally reveal your abs. There were more: Atkins, Blood Type, Dukan, Whole30, each with its own claim that a one-size-fits-all regimen is the answer to longevity and better-fitting pants. But what if we could determine, away from the citrus fruit mongers and peppy SoulCycle fanatics, the best way to live a healthy life? What if the answer is personal, buried in your genes? Sign up to get Backchannel's weekly newsletter. A decade ago, companies such as 23andMe entered the empty, unregulated field of personal genetics with a limited purpose: to satisfy their customers’ curiosity. Their tests provided answers to the few, narrow questions that could be answered by genes—some fun (How much Neanderthal DNA do I have? Are my ancestors really from Spain?), and some serious (Is my child at risk for Tay-Sachs?). Like the questions, the tests were finite. You read your report and curiosity satiated (actually, we’re Greek!), put the results away, letting them gather dust in a drawer. No longer. A new breed of startups has arisen, based on the premise that there are innumerable ways to spin our genes into concrete answers. The organizing body behind a cluster of these companies is Helix, a genomics startup that plans to launch a veritable app store of genetic data this summer. Where other companies have used DNA analysis for a one-off test, Helix will house results so that they can be shared with any number of partners, which will in turn use those results to offer answers to any number of questions—from personal preferences (companies such as Exploragen will offer DNA-tailored dining experiences) to family planing (Jump provides cute predictions of what your future offspring might look like). “The next great discovery is you,” Helix’s website reads. As the field has grown more sophisticated, so have the questions. A slew of genetic tests has created a cottage industry of self help, promising to spin results into action plans. Imagine if, instead of blindly hopping from Atkins to Whole30 in the hopes that one will be the secret to weight loss and glowing skin, you could feed your DNA and an app would sort out the answers ahead of time. If you were at risk for iron deficiency it might tell you to eat spinach; if your Achilles tendon were at risk for a tear it would tell you to stretch your calves before running. It’s a tantalizing promise for the Goop generation: personally optimized wellness with a regimen catered to your DNA. These companies claim to be able to tell you the secret to getting in shape—which is exactly what fitness fads have failed to do for years. And that secret, the people behind these startups say, has been hiding in your genes all along. A quest to live an optimally healthy life might begin with some experts. A personal trainer or a nutritionist can advise you on the best ways to exercise and eat. But Avi Lasarow, the CEO and founder of DNAfit, argues that these experts can only go so far, given that their regimens are based on what has worked for other clients in the past. “When you have a genetic test, it guides you much better into what would work for you and what wouldn’t,” says Lasarow, whose startup offers tests for diet, fitness, and wellbeing, priced between $159 and $399. Making what Lasarow calls “the right choices” requires information—which companies like his make it easy to get. For a few hundred dollars you can purchase a spit test. With a quick swab of your inner cheek, lab technicians have what they need to make copies of your DNA and then fracture those copies into manageable segments. A company sorts through your genetic variants (called single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) that correlate to specific traits. After a few weeks you get the results through an online portal or in a PDF, showing the traits in your DNA that have health implications. Though DNA analysis is a standardized process, each company picks the variants that it thinks provide answers. One company might decide that one variant signifies caffeine sensitivity or the likelihood that you might feel hungry after eating a full meal; both translate easily into advice. (Lay off the caffeine! Stop eating even if you’re still hungry!) Other results might help tailor a workout. Someone with an SNP that correlates to difficulty building muscle might add strength training or additional supplements. Of course, geneticists have argued ad nauseam that it’s impossible to trace a trait to a gene in a direct linear process. Though some genetic variants are solidly associated with particular traits, for more of them the evidence is mixed. And even if you assume that all the loose associations scientists have found between variants and traits are correct, they don’t fully explain why humans vary so much. Alun Williams, a reader in sport and exercise genomics at Manchester Metropolitan University, told me that tying traits to DNA is like absorbing a book by reading only one word per page—you have information, but at the end you have no idea what the book was actually about. Throughout a person’s life, environmental forces, such as how frequently you exercise or what you eat are constantly changing your genome. In short, fitness, like other complex traits including height and alcoholism, doesn’t come down to just a handful of genes—there could be hundreds or thousands that play a part. The gamble becomes even bigger when it comes to interpreting the data, linking a variant to a trait and an actionable item. Medical news site Stat News conducted an investigation of five leading genetic tests for fitness; the results were contradictory. And yet humans have drawn sharper conclusions from less. We trek to palm readers for advice on how to regroup after a breakup and frequent Astrologyzone.com to decide the luckiest day for a business meeting. We continue to mine ourselves for answers, as if the right process will offer some secret self knowledge—information in the universe that, once revealed, will lead us to our destined partner or help us overcome a traumatic loss. Startups are banking on the idea that information—of any sort—equals power. “One of the most significant things we realized is how much more empowered people are when you deliver them this level of personalization,” says Daniel Reardon, the CEO and cofounder of Fitness Genes, which offers genetic-based diet and workout suggestions for between $199 and $449. “There are cohorts in the population who are looking or more scientific approaches to getting in shape and losing weight.” When I told Jim Evans, a professor of genetics and medicine at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, that I had found a list of personal genomics companies, he replied: “Take a screenshot of that and come back in a year or two. I would predict strongly that there would be little overlap.” Indeed, given the number of new fitness-app companies popping up, a surprising number are unsuccessful. Since 2009, a number of big-name companies, including Existence Genetics and industry darling deCODE, have gone bankrupt. You don’t have to dig deep in an online search to find skeptics in the fitness community. A number of companies, including DNAfit and Fitness Genes, have sent their kits to well-known fitness bloggers for them to review. On her blog The Blonde Ethos, Natalie Goodchild tried three genetic tests. She found the results interesting but not particularly helpful. She wrote that she worried that people would consider the results prescriptive when they aren’t. Other bloggers such as Tim of Shrinkinguy Fitness and Andrew Shanahan of Man v Fat have reached similar conclusions: Genetic information is interesting but far from transformative. Yet the more data companies collect, the more likely they are to spin interesting conclusions about the link between genes and fitness. Earlier this year DNAfit published a peer-reviewed clinical trial showing that resistance training is more useful for athletes with certain genetic variants; Lasarow says DNAfit has more, bigger studies in the works. The company has fostered partnerships with several English Premiere League teams to conduct studies on mental toughness as well as universities in the United Kingdom for broader-reaching studies. (To move the field of personalization forward, counters Susan Hahn, a neurogenetic outreach specialist at clinical lab company Quest Diagnostics, these studies will have to include many thousands of people and almost an unfathomable amount of data about participants’ genes, habits, and behaviors.) Moreover, the advice doled out by the tests seems harmless—it's hard to find fault with “eat more greens” or “drink lots of water”—but anything taken to an extreme can have side effects. Athletes who put too much credence in the results could overcompensate, making them more susceptible to injury. “There is the chance that people could put themselves in harm’s way, or put more trust in the info, than is deserved under the circumstances,” Hahn says. There’s also the risk that what started out as a fun piece of information could uncover something serious. For example, several companies test for a gene known as APOE, which some studies have associated with obesity. It has also been associated with a greater likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s. “That’s probably one of the most stigmatizing genetic results a person could get,” Hahn says. It’ll take time to get to a point where we can tailor a person’s wellness regimen to their DNA. The success of these companies, however, isn’t really tied to that. What matters most is if they become indispensable to our lives, giving us satisfying responses to questions about ourselves that would otherwise be left unanswered. If we find them useful, illuminating, and profound, we’ll continue to feed them our DNA and follow their offerings. At best, it’s an insightful way to live a better optimized life. At worst, it’s easier than eating grapefruits. Creative Art Direction by Redindhi Studio Illustrations by Andrew Joyce |
Jammu: Schools along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri remained shut for the third consecutive day as authorities ordered their closure for an "indefinite period" as a precautionary measure after the killing of two persons in shelling by Pakistani troops. The army has also shut schools along the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakote sector in Poonch and asked people not to move out in border areas. All the schools situated along the LoC in Rajouri district were closed on 11 May after a woman was killed and two others including her husband were injured in Pakistani shelling on the intervening night of 10-11 May. "We have closed the schools along the LoC in Rajouri district for an indefinite period," Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said. Two persons were killed and three injured when Pakistani army fired mortar bombs and automatic weapons along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera sector of Rajouri district. The shelling has badly affected five-six hamlets along the LoC including Sheri Makeri, Namakdali, Jangarh, Laam, Bhawani and Khamba belts. It is the third ceasefire violation by Pakistan in as many days. A woman had died while three persons were injured in firing and shelling by Pakistani troops earlier. A 35-year-old woman was killed while her husband was injured as Pakistani army violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Nowshera sector on 11 May. As many as 27 families have been affected due to the shelling in which many houses, including a school have been damaged partially or severely, he said. More than 40 farm animals were also reportedly killed in the firing, he added. Two relief camps have been established in Nowshera where 150 people have been settled. The district administration has also earmarked additional camps which may be required in case of further ceasefire violation. Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button. |
. Chapter 6: Elsa's Little Mermaid (Ariel) With every beat of her tail, Ariel ascended to the surface, the sky in all of its vastness seeming within reach. She yearned for the day that she would be able to see her mother again, to join in the great, deep ocean of stars and hold her and hug her and hear that soft, melodic voice speak to her once again. Of course, to meet her mother again would mean to die and that was the worst part of being able to have the chance to be with the late Queen Athena again. Ariel had no intention of dying today for she had only one objective right now: getting back to Elsa. After the long swim away from Mantis Forest, Ariel had returned safely to Elsa's boat. As the young mermaid resurfaced, she noticed tiny, white flakes falling around the boat, glimmering in the sunlight. She had recognized them as snowflakes from when she had been a human living on land. Ariel marveled at their beauty. As one floated down toward the water, Ariel moved a little and let it land on her nose. It was cold, like her home at the bottom of the ocean, but then it melted away. Elsa had her back turned to where Ariel had surfaced. Those same white snowflakes fell all around the blonde, making Elsa's blonde hair glimmer like the stars in the night's sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight and for snow to be falling on such a warm day made no sense at all, but Ariel paid that bit of knowledge little attention. She, instead, just marveled at the snow's beauty, at Elsa's beauty. "They're beautiful," Ariel said softly. Elsa turned to see Ariel with her head poking out of the water, her red hair clinging to the sides of her face, her clamshell hair band doing its job at keeping the hair out of the mermaid's eyes. Elsa quickly flailed her arms in the air, batting away the snowflakes. She stammered, "Uh, yeah... Weird, summer snow... I heard it happens every once and a great while." Elsa seemed edgy and frightened, Ariel noticed. "I've only ever seen snow a couple of times," Ariel said. "Living in the ocean, we don't get snow and my father disapproves of my sisters and me coming to the surface. Though, there was this place two summers ago that had been covered in snow and ice over a single night. It was magical," Ariel awed at the memory. Elsa's eyes widened with horror. "It was as if something had cursed the land and the surrounding fjord with a bizarre summertime winter. It's somewhere up north. I don't know what humans call it, but merfolk call it the Summersnow Kingdom. Father took us all to see it. It was the one time he allowed us to go to the surface since"—Ariel paused. She thought of the last time her father had allowed his kingdom to the surface. They had all come to save the princess from her imprisonment by her ex-husband, Prince Eric of Glowerhaven. "Well, it doesn't matter," Ariel finished, shaking the memory from her mind. Elsa shifted her eyes. "So, you're not scared?" she stammered. "Scared?" asked Ariel. "What would I be scared of? It's just snow." She opened her mouth, letting a snowflake melt on her tongue. "Though, on a day like today I would assume it to be rain, now that I think about it." Ariel looked up to the cloudless sky. "Actually, there aren't any clou—" "Yeah, I guess you're right," Elsa said quickly, interrupting the mermaid. "There's nothing magical about it. It's just snow." Elsa sat back, her shoulders slumped as if she was upset about something. She, then, quickly perked up. "What do you think of it?" "It's very pretty," Ariel said. Seeing the snow fall around Elsa and glimmer against the sunlight, Ariel felt an odd sense of calmness about her, not that she had been feeling stressed before. She once again noticed the beauty that was Elsa. Her eyes glistened with their beautiful icy blue glow. Her disheveled hair sparkled in the sunlight as snowflakes littered her platinum blonde locks. Her smile was bright and warm. Forgetting about the lack of clouds in the sky as she had been too mesmerized by Elsa, Ariel asked, "Can I join you?" Elsa nodded. "Come on in." "Oh, but first,"—Ariel lifted her arm out of the water and handed Elsa the conch shell—"I got this for you. I thought it was pretty and since you're pretty, too, I figured you may like it?" Elsa blushed and took the conch. Its surface was rich with pinks and oranges like the painted twilight sky with shades of green algae staining several of the shell's spires. The shell was smooth and a bit fuzzy to the touch, which Elsa grimaced at, but upon realizing Ariel was watching her, she smiled again. "Thank you. It is very pretty." She sat the conch in the boat beside her. Ariel smiled back at the blonde. "I'm glad you like it. If you hold it up to your ear, you can sometimes hear the sea whisper its secrets to you." Elsa looked back at the conch, tilting her head slightly. She picked it up again and held it to her ear. She could hear the hum of the sea, but nothing more. "It's not saying anything," Elsa said, frowning. "It'll speak to you when the sea has something worth saying." Ariel thought back to when she first acquired the conch. It had said, Beware of the Queen. But who was the Queen? Ariel brushed the thought away. Ariel lifted her other arm from the water and threw the mantis shrimp into the boat. The boat shifted in the water as Ariel climbed in. "I found us a delicious mid-afternoon lunch!" Ariel twisted and turned until she was relaxing with her back against the side of the boat and her tail hanging over the edge, her fin resting atop the water. She added with a smirk, "Well, I assume it's delicious, anyways. I've heard great things about mantis shrimp! I've personally never had the luxury of being asked out on an expensive date." Ariel turned and observed Elsa, her eyes wide, her upper lip curled, her jaw hanging agape. She looked mortified. "What's wrong?" asked Ariel. "Do I have something on me?" Ariel began searching her body. "It's not the bra, is it?" Her new bra was beige and matched the sand that she had often sat in when she would go down to the beach to see her old friends from the sea during her two years while living in Glowerhaven. It was certainly a stark contrast from her lavender seashell bra that she had owned and wore when she was younger. At least that bra had been pretty, Ariel noted. This new one was just bland in appearance, but then again it fit comfortably and that's all she could really ask for. Elsa pointed at the dead shrimp lying in the boat. "What... is that?" she exclaimed, her voice quavering with disgust. Ariel leaned forward, picking up the shrimp. Her hand wrapped around its rough, scaly abdomen, her fingers resting in its many legs. As she held it up she noticed in the sunlight that the mantis shrimp had been quite colorful, beautiful even. It ranged from colors of aqua blue to green like her tail to orange and red like the sky during sunset. Its body fell limp as its large, orange claws dangled away from its body. It was easily well over a fin long. "It's a mantis shrimp. You see, down where I live in Atlantica the mantis shrimp is considered something of a rare treat. It's for those extra special occasions." She wriggled her eyebrows at the word 'special'. "They're also supposed to be really dangerous to catch what with these claws that they have, but I"—Ariel smirked, feeling proud of herself—"caught and killed one all by myself. Actually, I nearly killed an entire nest of them," she added to herself, that last part. She tossed the shrimp toward Elsa. "You can have the first bite." "Ew! Ew! Ew!" Elsa scrambled toward the bow of the small boat again, just as she had done upon first meeting the mermaid. "Get it out of here!" "What? Why?" Elsa stared in horror at the dead arthropod. Ariel noticed the blonde shudder and then she leaned forward and hastily threw the shrimp from the boat. Ariel watched it fly through the air and land in the water with a splash. "No!" Ariel screamed. Before she could dive in the water after their meal, the water rippled and then the rare delicacy was gone. Ariel's mouth hung agape as she watched all of her hard work taken from her by presumably a hungry fish. She turned and scowled at Elsa. "I would have eaten that if you weren't going to!" Elsa cowered in her corner not saying a word as the mermaid shouted at her. Ariel crossed her arms over her breasts and sat back in the boat, muttering incoherently to herself. Her fin flapped erratically at the thought of her dinner being thrown away. They sat in silence for a long time. # # # A blurred glare sitting on the surface, the sun was furthering its descent into the underworld. As the sun's orange glow warmed her drying red hair and her bare back, Ariel sat in the boat, brooding, with her eyebrows knitted together, her eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared. She contemplated just leaving. If my hard work for a decent meal isn't going to be appreciated, then maybe I should just go! Elsa is gorgeous and wonderful, or so I thought, but if she can't appreciate me getting us dinner, then— Ariel's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of sniffling. She recognized it as human crying. She turned her attention to Elsa and her hardened expression softened. Elsa was sitting as closely to the bow as she could with her knees tucked up against her chest, her face hidden behind her hands. Her body trembled and immediately Ariel felt awful for shouting at the young woman. Ariel's eyes drifted to the bed of the boat as her shoulders slumped. "Hey," Ariel said softly, "I didn't mean to yell at you." Elsa kept sniffling and crying softly to herself. "I'm sorry." Ariel twisted and laid on her belly, her arms extended as she kept her back arched, showing off her new bra. "Look, I found a bra. You don't have to be embarrassed when looking at me anymore." Elsa didn't look up, though. She kept to herself and continued to cry. Ariel tried to think of something she could say or do to show Elsa that she wasn't upset about the shrimp, even though she really had wanted to eat it. Ariel noticed her leather pouch that Elsa had tucked between her thighs and her belly. "My mother gave me that pouch, you know? She said she had found it when she was younger, but I think someone had given it to her. It used to have a name embroidered across it, but it's since worn out being in the sea for so long. That's how I came up with the name James for you when I thought you were a man." Elsa sniffled. She lifted her head slightly. Ariel's story seemed to be working. Elsa looked at the mermaid, her eyes red and puffy, her cheeks wet with tears. She pulled the leather pouch from between her legs and her belly. She looked at the pouch that the mermaid had turned into a satchel and tried to pronounce the name, or what was left of the name, anyways. "James... ...mewhoo...?" Ariel giggled, hoping Elsa would giggle with her. She didn't. "It used to read James Bartholomew Hook. I don't know who he was. My mother would never speak of him. She just happened to have his leather pouch and when I was younger she gave it to me and told me to keep it. She entrusted me with it. I miss my mother dearly." As Ariel thought about her beloved mother, she sighed knowing that if she was human she would surely be shedding a few tears to her memories. "She was a wonderful sea maiden," Ariel added, softly, endearingly. Elsa wiped her eyes and rubbed her finger across her nose. "What was she like?" "She was compassionate, loving, and a wonderful mother to me and my six sisters; she loved my father, and she loved all us—her children—with all of her heart and then some. My mother always put everyone first and foremost in her life, especially when it came to her family. She loved to sing—oh!—she had the most amazing voice I had and have ever heard." Ariel's face lit up at being able to expel such wonderful praise for her beloved and dearly departed mother. "She had a voice that could make Poseidon swoon." Ariel chuckled. "I loved my mother." Her gleeful expression faded to that of loss and sorrow. "I love my mother," she added, dolefully, making sure to put an emphasis on 'love'. Elsa reached out, handing the leather pouch to the mermaid across from her. Ariel took it and held it close to her cheek, the leather reminding the mermaid of when she was younger and would cuddle up next to her mother—her head resting peacefully atop her mother's soft bosom. "She sounds wonderful," said Elsa, still sniffling. "What was her name?" "Athena," Ariel said gently. "That's a really beautiful name. I bet she was a really beautiful mermaid." "More beautiful than any mermaid or human I've ever laid eyes on," Ariel said. Though, you're a very close second, Ariel added to herself. Ariel's response elicited a chuckle from Elsa. Ariel perked up, curious at what was so funny. "What?" Elsa shook her head. "It's nothing. Just the words 'more beautiful'... my sister would have said beautifuller. It reminded me of her. She was pregnant when I left. I just"—Elsa paused, casting her eyes to the calm water—"I just hope I get to see her again." "You will," Ariel promised. "I'll make sure of it. I'll get you home." Still looking out at the water, Elsa said, "I don't even know where I am. How am I supposed to get home? I'm lost." Ariel thought about their location for a moment. How far had she come from Atlantica? She had swum at least half a day from her home before coming across Elsa's ship. She, then, had followed the ship until later that night when the storm had hit. She had rescued Elsa and swum a significant distance while pushing the boat to escape the sharks, and then she had slept. Upon waking up she had discovered the boat missing and she had to swim another few hours to find it which brought them to where they were now, about an hour north of the Mantis Forest. How far they had traveled Ariel really didn't know, but for the sake of giving Elsa hope she was willing to guess. "Well, I'd say we're about a day's swim north of the Floating Stars." "The Floating Stars," said Elsa. "What are the Floating Stars?" "Something else my mother had told me when I was younger was that when all merfolk pass away, they float up to the stars to be in the Great Sea in the sky. Every star in the night's sky is a merfolk looking down on their friends or family and the Floating Stars are the ones ascending to the Great Sea. It happens once every year during the summer near Corona. The spirits of all of the deceased merfolk from the past year gather at Corona and ascend together so no one has to be alone when making the travel. It's actually quite beautiful, and although I don't look forward to death, I do look forward to the travel someday. It'll be nice to see my mother again." Ariel smiled, memories of her mother warming her heart, causing her jaw to slightly tremble. "Corona," said Elsa. "You mean, as in the Kingdom of Corona?" Ariel nodded. "Yeah, that's it. We actually call it the Island of Stars, but because of being at the surface so often, I've heard people call it Corona. I just assumed that was the land's human name." "Oh, so the Floating Stars... you think that they're"—Elsa paused as if she was thinking about something. Her red, puffy eyes met Ariel's. A smile lifted across her lips. "That's a beautiful story. It's really wonderful that all of your departed would get together to travel to the Great Sea above all at once." Ariel smiled as she looked to the sky. "Yeah, I just hope my mother is looking down on me and smiling at the mermaid I've become. She wouldn't put up with the dumb rule that my father instated about all of us never coming to the surface. She loved being at the surface. She would encourage us to go out and explore. We'd still be shy around humans and would need to keep our distance, but she would at least let us see the sky, taste the air, and feel the sunlight on our cold skin and slick tails." Ariel brought her gaze back to Elsa's tantalizing eyes. "I just hope I make her proud." Elsa moved closer to Ariel. The boat rocked back and forth on the surface. She sat down and gently put her hand on Ariel's forearm. With Elsa's touch, Ariel felt her heart skip a beat. A warm rush of tingles went through her body and settled in her tail. Ariel could feel a hot blush settling in her cheeks. "She is," Elsa said, confidently and without doubt. Elsa's stomach growled. Both girls looked at the blonde's mid-section. Together, they both began giggling. "I guess I'm still hungry," chuckled Elsa. "Well, I brought you lunch and you tossed it away," Ariel said, feigning anger. Elsa blushed and turned her head. "Yeah, I'm still deeply sorry about that. It's just that bugs creep me out and that looked like the ocean's equivalent to a gigantic bug." Ariel laughed. "Oh, but a tasty bug I would imagine!" Elsa sat back, placing her hands on her stomach. "I wish I had something to eat. I wish there was an island around here or something where I could stretch my legs and find some fruit or something. I'm really getting annoyed by all of this water." Realizing she was sitting next to a mermaid, Elsa suddenly added, "Not that you're annoying me! You're not!" Ariel grinned. "It's just that humans aren't made for the sea. We're land mammals." "Makes so much sense why you're constantly crossing our seas," Ariel jested. "Eh, travel," Elsa said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'll find us some lunch if you promise not to throw it overboard again," Ariel said. "What are you going to find out here?" asked Elsa. "There's nothing but water out here." "That's all I need. There's plenty to eat under the sea." Elsa's eyes widened. Before she could tell Ariel not to go, the mermaid was gone, disappearing into the sea once more. # # # As Ariel swam in search of something quick and easy to feast upon, she thought more about Elsa. It's more than just beauty with her. She's a truly sweet and wonderful person. Sure, Eric was the same way at first as well, but something about Elsa is different. She has a heart that beats with love. She's compassionate and endearing. She loves her sister. She makes me feel all warm and tingly inside. She makes me feel like I'm in the right place when I'm with her. Swimming further away from the boat, Ariel came across a school of mackerel lounging in the warm seawater. Being out in the open, she knew she would have to rely on speed to catch one of the fish. As soon as the fish would spot her, they would undoubtedly swim away in a rush to get to safety. Mermaids were well known as not only being protectors of the sea, but for being fierce predators to those fish not considered their friends. Ariel lurked in the water like the predator she was, keeping extremely still. Her hair floated above her like red tentacles from a sea anemone. With quick precision, Ariel darted off into the school of mackerel and captured one in her hand. The others swam away from the mermaid in all directions screaming, "Mermaid! Swim away!" The mackerel squirmed in Ariel's hand, attempting to get free. Ariel tightened her grip around the fish ensuring that it was hers. She gloated to herself at catching the silver-scaled mackerel. Fish were actually never that hard to catch for mermaids, but the fact that she didn't have to go chasing after one made this moment all the better. She would be able to return to Elsa quickly which brought more warm tingles to her tail. Gods, what is it about her? # # # (Elsa) Elsa sat patiently in the boat waiting for Ariel, her friend, her savior, to return. Though, honestly she felt a bit worried. Sure, she had eaten fish before, but she had never eaten raw fish. How would she tell Ariel that she wasn't in the mood to eat? She already knew that Elsa was hungry, that's why she had disappeared under the sea for the second time to get food. Elsa had upset the mermaid by throwing out their first meal, how could she possibly get out of this without upsetting the mermaid yet again? Elsa's eyes were wide and she wringed her hands. Sweat lined her brow. The sun was nearing the western horizon, taking much of the harsh heat with it. At least that's one problem out of the way, Elsa thought. Then again, that leaves me stranded out at sea in the dark for another night. At least I have Ariel. I know she'll keep me safe. The thought of the mermaid warmed Elsa's heart. I can't believe we were both at Corona the same night watching the floating lanterns. It's amazing that mermaids and humans can perceive the same thing as two totally different things. To us, the floating lanterns are a symbol of Rapunzel's birth and her return to her rightful home in the kingdom; but, to mermaids the floating lanterns are the souls of their brethren swimming to the Great Sea high in the sky. It's truly beautiful. Elsa felt the corner of her lips lift. If only we could have met at Corona two nights ago, perhaps we could have watched the Floating Stars together. Elsa caught herself referring to the lanterns as stars. She liked it. She could have been my other half, the Eugene to my Rapunzel. Just then the water rippled and Ariel's head broke through the surface. Elsa noticed the red head, and worry had returned to her face. Ariel must have noticed, because she immediately asked, "What is it? What's wrong?" Elsa shook her head. She forced a smile. "Oh, it's nothing. I wasn't expecting you to get dinner so quickly." "Well, I hope you're starving, because"—Ariel lifted her hand from the water, the mackerel flailing around in her grasp—"I brought food! It may not be a mantis shrimp, but it'll do." Ariel tossed the fish into the boat and then climbed in. The mackerel flopped around, gasping. Elsa lurched away just as she had done with the mantis shrimp, except this time she didn't shriek or throw the food back into the water. "It's alive!" Elsa stammered. "Of course it's alive. You weren't expecting me to find a dead, half-consumed fish were you?" "But, it's—it's flopping around! It's alive!" Ariel stared at Elsa and then sighed. She grabbed the fish with both hands and snapped its spine, showing no remorse. The crunch of its bones elicited a half-gasp/half-shriek from Elsa. Her hands were covering her mouth in horror as she watched the fish fall from Ariel's hands into the boat, limp and lifeless. Though sweet, beautiful, and her own personal savior, Elsa recognized that Ariel still had a savage side to her at heart. But, to what extent is she really different from any one of us, Elsa thought. Wouldn't we all do the same thing in her situation? She grew up in the sea. Killing and eating fish is as natural to her as killing and eating fish is to us, or deer even. Elsa shifted her eyes. Well, except for Kristoff, but he's just strange anyways. Ariel picked up the fish. "Don't be frightened. It won't bite... anymore," she smirked. She wriggled the fish at Elsa. Elsa shrieked and cowered away causing Ariel to laugh. "Oh, come on, it's dead. Let's eat!" Elsa watched as Ariel stuck the fish's head in her mouth. Wondering if Ariel had planned on eating the fish whole as is, she gasped when Ariel bit down on the mackerel, hard. The bones broke with a sickening crunch and Ariel yanked the fish's body from her teeth, the fish now headless. Ariel turned and spit the head into the water, traces of blood dripping down the mermaid's chin. Ariel used her sharp nails like a knife to slice the fish open. She opened the fish up slightly and proceeded to gut it using her nails, tossing a few of the innards into the sea and a few into her mouth. She spread the fish's body completely open like a book and picked out several of its bones. She then ripped the fish into two halves and handed one of the halves to Elsa. Elsa's face was green with disgust. "You don't look so well," Ariel noted. Elsa felt her stomach churn. She leaned over the side of the boat and proceeded to vomit into the water. Unfortunately, her stomach was empty so she only heaved and spit saliva. She needed to eat, but she wasn't sure she could bring herself to eat the fish that had literally been slaughtered right in front of her. When Elsa sat back in the boat, she looked at the mermaid. Ariel was raking her nails along the fish's body. When she flicked her fingers at the water, scales from the fish floated on the surface, glimmering in the dying sunlight. "I'm not a huge fan of the scales," said Ariel, turning to Elsa. "They get in my teeth." Elsa felt the urge to vomit once again, but she did her best to keep the feeling at bay. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, the smell of the salty sea filling her lungs. She was lucky she had her ice magic to use as a way of keeping herself hydrated when Ariel wasn't looking, because she was afraid of what Ariel would have done had she needed freshwater to drink. Elsa picked up the fish half that Ariel had given her and stared at it. Blood dripped from its severed body. Her heart thudded in her chest and every inch of her body was screaming at her to not eat the fish. She hadn't come up with an excuse to deny Ariel's treat seeing as how she knew that, 'Ew! Ew! Ew! I'm not eating this!' was an unacceptable excuse. Plus, she didn't want to insult the mermaid again. Besides, she needed to eat something and there was nothing else for her to eat out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe raw fish is a delicacy somewhere in the world? Elsa thought. Hesitantly, Elsa brought the ripped mackerel to her lips. Her hands trembled. The fish wasn't flattering to look at being raw and bloody. She imagined it cooked and seasoned, like she was used to having her fish back home in Arendelle. She inhaled a deep breath, the coppery smell of blood replacing the salty sea fragrance in her lungs. She felt the urge to vomit yet again, but she was able to stifle the feeling. Opening her mouth, Elsa bit down on the fish and pulled away, a small chunk of flesh sitting idly on her tongue. The fish was in her mouth, but now what? She couldn't bring herself to chew. I made it this far, just chew the damn thing! Thoughts were stronger than action. Her jaw locked. Saliva was building in her mouth, mixing with the fish and the blood. There was a metallic twang to what was sitting on her tongue, but all-in-all Elsa noted that the taste was... not bad, she thought. It was far from being delicious, but it wasn't as horrid as she thought it would have been. Elsa forced herself to chew. The texture was a bit rubbery and the scales were actually the worst part. She swallowed. "So, what do you think?" asked Ariel, her half of the fish completely consumed. Elsa felt saliva running down her chin. As she wiped it away, she noticed it was actually blood. Her queasiness settled, surprisingly. Elsa cleared her throat, noticing the strong taste of blood still lingering in her mouth. "The aftertaste isn't too pleasant what with the blood, and the scales I really don't care for, but it's okay. It's not something I want to eat everyday and I would still prefer to have it cooked, but for being stranded out at sea it's a meal." Elsa surprised herself by taking another bite. Ariel held out her hand. "Give me the fish." Confused, Elsa cocked her head since her mouth was presently occupied with raw mackerel. Ariel smiled, a soft giggle escaping her lips. "I'll remove the scales for you." Elsa nodded, still chewing the fish. She handed it to Ariel and the mermaid began raking her nails along the fish. Elsa swallowed, staring at the mermaid scale her dinner. There was something endearing about Ariel that made Elsa smile and feel safe when she was in Ariel's presence, yet there was also the savagery of the young mermaid that Elsa wasn't used to. Ariel had not only saved the Queen and vowed to protect her, but she was willing to feed her and stay with her just so she wouldn't have to be alone. She's not even supposed to be up here with me, Elsa thought. Yet, here she is. Elsa stared longingly at the red haired, green tailed mermaid until she noticed her heart flutter in her chest. "Why are you doing this?" asked Elsa. As Ariel flicked her fingers at the water, the peeled scales floating on the surface, she cocked her head. "What do you mean?" "Well," Elsa began, repositioning herself to not only find a more comfortable position, but to find a way to be closer to Ariel without making it obvious, "why did you rescue me? Why are you staying with me?" Ariel flicked her fingers at the water again. The piece of fish had been completely scaled. Its flesh was pink and more closely resembled a fish that Elsa was used to eating, pre-cooked of course. Ariel handed it back to the blonde. "I just...thought it was the right thing to do. Mermaids aren't evil sea creatures like some people think we are." She spoke as if she had knowledge of people referring to mermaids as vile and wretched sea demons. "We're actually quite kind and peaceful. I wanted to save all of those men on your ship, but I couldn't. There were just too many. And the sharks..." Ariel's voice lingered. Noticing the hurt in Ariel's voice, Elsa reached out and gently placed a hand on the mermaid's forearm. Ariel smiled and blushed as she brought her beautiful eyes to meet Elsa's. She continued, "Then, I noticed you trapped under the sail and I made it my mission to save at least one person. And I did." Elsa felt a smile form on her lips. The pain of losing her men would always be on her conscience, but there was nothing more she could do for them now. She could only hope that they were in a better place. She took a bite of the fish, this time it tasting slightly better without the scales. "Do you not want me here?" asked the young mermaid, coyly. Elsa quickly swallowed. "No, I do!" Realizing the suddenness of her reply, Elsa took another bite so as not to show her embarrassment. You do things to me... You make me feel things I've never felt before. Ariel smiled. "Well, I'm glad, because honestly I'm happy to have met you." There it was. Elsa's cheeks turned blazing red. Even with her body being unnaturally cold, she could feel the heat in her cheeks. She turned her head away from Ariel trying to hide her embarrassment. I'm happy to have met— There was a splash as the boat rocked back and forth. Elsa turned back toward the mermaid and she was gone. Elsa desperately began searching for her, finding the beautiful red head floating behind the boat. "We've been here for most of the day," Ariel said. "What do you say we get out of here? The faster we move the faster we can get you home." Home, Elsa thought. Home... Elsa nodded. "Okay, but why are you in the water?" "I'm going to push you, silly." "Push me? I don't need you to push me. Get back in this boat!" Elsa demanded, her hierarchy as Queen coming through. "I'm going to push you from underneath," explained Ariel. "It's how I got you away from the shark last night." "But, I can row," said Elsa, pointing at the oars on either side of the boat. "Using these are how I managed to get away from you this morning." "You did get fairly far," Ariel said, pondering for a moment. "Yes, now get back in this boat!" "I think I'll just swim for a while. I was starting to dry out anyways." Elsa smirked. "You silly salmon." Ariel feigned a gasp. "Salmon?!" She flicked her hand, splashing water at Elsa. "You dull peasant!" Elsa's mouth dropped. The only person to have ever joked about her hierarchy was Anna and that was because they are sisters. Not even Kristoff would joke to Elsa about being anything other than the Queen. Then again, Ariel didn't know about Elsa's true identity. She had no idea Elsa was a queen. It actually felt good to be just another somebody to someone instead of having to be queen to everyone. Elsa giggled. "The peasant and the salmon... they'll make stories about us!" Elsa began rowing, the small boat inching its way through the calm water. "I dare anyone but you to call me a salmon! I'll show them just how vicious a mermaid can truly be!" Elsa blushed and giggled again. "You can be my little salmon." "Or, I can be your little mermaid..." A blush quickly consumed Ariel's cheeks. Elsa smiled warmly at her new friend. "I think I like that more. Ariel, the little mermaid." "Your little mermaid," Ariel corrected. Elsa just smiled as she continued rowing and watching Ariel swim beside her, her long red locks flowing on the water's surface. # # # After about two hours of rowing and being pushed by Ariel, Elsa was exhausted. She had spent the last hour sitting by herself in the boat, her eyelids heavy. The sun had set nearly an hour prior and the night's sky was alive with stars and the glow of the full moon. A gentle breeze blew across the calm sea and Elsa inhaled the salty air, a smell she was slowly growing to like. The boat shifted and Ariel climbed in holding something green in her hands. She pulled what appeared to be a blanket from the water and sat it in the boat. Elsa furrowed her brow, giving the mermaid a confused look. "It's a blanket. I made it from seaweed. That's what I've been doing since the sun disappeared into the underworld." The underworld, thought Elsa. I'm learning so much about mermaid culture and it's quite fascinating. She picked up the wet seaweed blanket and nearly grimaced at its slimy touch. "I know it's wet," said Ariel, "but I was thinking you may still be able to cover up with it. I know it can sometimes get cold on the surface and I thought it would be nice if you could cover up and keep warm. It may be a bit cold tonight since the seaweed is wet, but maybe tomorrow it'll dry in the sun and then you can use it for warmth?" She's so sweet, Elsa thought. She felt the urge to hug Ariel. Her compassion for Elsa sent warm tingles throughout the Queen's body. Elsa picked up the blanket despite its slimy texture. "You made this for me so I would stay warm?" Ariel nodded. "I know how humans can often get cold at night. I'm sorry if it doesn't keep you warm tonight since it's wet, but I at least wanted to try and do something to help you through the night." She thought of me enough to try and make a blanket to keep me warm despite the cold not bothering me. She truly is a sweetheart, Elsa thought. "Thank you," Elsa said, smiling. "I'm sure it'll be fine." Ariel smiled, her shoulders going to her ears. "Hey, you want me to tell you more about the stars?" Ariel asked excitedly. Elsa chuckled. "I'd like that very much," she replied softly. Ariel and Elsa looked to the sky. Ariel pointed to various stars and told Elsa all about what she had learned as a child from her mother. As they sat in that boat together, Elsa listened to the mermaid, her gaze slowly going from the stars to Ariel. Ariel's face lit up as she kept explaining more of the lore behind the stars and the Great Sea above. Elsa smiled serenely and looked back to the sky, listening to her new friend. My little mermaid... |
Notes: Delivery available to Oakmont and Verona; catering available TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. Oakmont Deli and Specialty Soups along Allegheny River Boulevard in Oakmont takes lunch meat up a notch. Featuring Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, the breakfast and lunch eatery prides itself on sandwiches made fresh to order. “Every sandwich is made sliced to order,” says owner Dan McCurdy. Boars Head deli products are gluten free — with no added trans fats, artificial flavors or colors and are lower in sodium than other meats. McCurdy and his wife Linda, both Oakmonters, opened Oakmont Deli eight years ago. They previously owned a restaurant in Hilton Head, S.C., during the 1990s. The couple added breakfast about a year ago and although lunch still remains the busiest time for the deli, McCurdy says it is catching on. McCurdy notes a third of his business is sandwiches, a third is salads and the remainder is deli sales. They also sell homemade soups. “Time at lunch is so precious anymore. It is the goal of the deli to have a great sandwich to you within 60 seconds so you can enjoy your lunch break even more,” he says. The bistro-style space offers seating for about 10 in an historic space with a high tin ceiling. Many customers order their fare to-go. Grocery items such as olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pasta line the shelves and nostalgic photos on display harken back to Oakmont’s past. Stop in to see which daily soups are simmering — Chili, Tomato Basil, French Onion, Stuffed Pepper, Asiago Bisque and Clam Chowder are just some of the homemade soups offered. Customers can build their own sandwich ($6.54), selecting from more than 25 meats such as capicollo, cracked pepper turkey, prosciutto, pastrami, Virginia ham, BBQ chicken and mortadella. Next, pick a “cover” (bread from Pittsburgh Breakworks delivered daily), then pick from more than 10 toppings and select a dressing such as chipotle gourmaise. Homemade sides include Ellie’s potato salad, vinaigrette cole slaw, broccoli salad and pasta salad. Fresh batches of chicken, egg, ham and tuna salad are prepared daily. “The chicken salad is our number-one seller,” McCurdy says. The Mamma Meatball Sub ($7.48) is an in-demand special, McCurdy says. It’s offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, featuring Fontannini’s all beef meatballs on a hoagie roll with provolone and marinara sauce. A recent lunch visit for a first-timer to Oakmont Deli made a sandwich choice tough — they all were so tempting. Settling on the Big Dan ($7.48), this hearty sandwich piled roast beef, Muenster cheese, Genoa salami, red onion, pepper rings, roasted red peppers, vinaigrette slaw on whole wheat bread with 1000 island dressing. Yes, you can get healthy salads at his deli too, McCurdy says. The Chef Salad offered spring mix greens, cucumbers, green peppers, tomatoes, onion, ham, turkey and Swiss cheese. Customers may choose from two sizes of salads and the large we ordered was delicious, the quality of the deli meat was apparent and the staff happily made modifications to our salad order. Dessert is an easy choice here — artisan gelato in 12 flavors from Mercurio’s Mulberry St. in Kittanning beckons from a glass case as you enter the deli. “Right now we have pumpkin spice (only available for two months) and our most popular flavor is death by chocolate,” McCurdy says. Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review contributing writer. |
Angel she is! Is she Angel? She is ANGEL!! The other day I was talking to my single friend about how great my wife is. She takes cares so much about me and really looks after me. Getting interested, he asked me how is she an Angel, if she is doing what every wife does.I could see how suddenly his eyes sparkled – he was curious to know more. It was for the first time, I guess somebody had said such nice words about their wife to him. I was so taken away by his innocent curiosity that I had to tell him how really great my wife is.I kept my hand on his shoulder, gave him a simple smile and took him on a ride in to my marriage life. And explained how was is my Wife an Angel. I told –My wife really does care about me. She takes care about what food should I eat, the clothes that I should wear, how should I comb my hair and all that. Even if I like to eat non-vegetarian food, she will just not let me eat. I HAVE TO eat vegetarian! After all she loves me!!Just imagine – she helped me quit smoking, I don’t drink now; late-night parties, hanging out till late, she helped me quit all these ‘bad habits’.She also ‘knows’ what TV serials I like and she ensures that I can see only these TV programs. Saas-bahu serials, cooking programs, etc. I just can’t miss watching these channels!!And somewhere in the dark corner of a bar – two men were discussing the same: |
SEATTLE -- A Seattle woman is suing a community clinic, claiming they made a big mistake when they gave her a flu shot instead of a birth control injection. Yesenia Pacheco said she loves her 3-year-old daughter, Sandra, but she still believes the federal government needs to pay for her unwanted pregnancy, reports CBS affiliate KIRO-TV. A civil lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court against the government, given that the clinic is federally funded. Pacheco had been receiving the Depo-Provera birth control injection every three months at the clinic. According to the suit, Depo-Provera claims the clinic got things mixed up in September, 2011 and she ended up pregnant a short time later. The mother of three said abortion was never an option due to her personal beliefs. After a difficult pregnancy, Sandra was born in 2012 with a brain malformation affecting motor and speech called unilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria. Pacheco's attorneys said Sandra was born into a "wrongful life"..."as a direct and proximate result of Defendant's negligent acts and/or omissions to perform the medical care with due care." The amount of compensation the lawyers are seeking has not been disclosed, but they said it is for medical bills and suffering. "It's hard. I already have two girls. I didn't want anymore," Pacheco told KIRO. |
Ryan's budget doesn't add up And it obscures the real problems our country's been facing I keep hearing that Mitt Romney’s pick of Paul Ryan “enables the country to have the debate it needs to have,” or “permits us to have a grown-up discussion,” or “finally presents America with a real choice.” The New York Times Op-Ed page proclaims: “Let the Real Debate Begin!” Debate? What debate? Advertisement: Romney isn’t even standing by Ryan’s budget plan. He’s been distancing himself from it from the moment he tabbed Ryan for the ticket. “I’m the one running for president,” he keeps saying in response to reporters’ questions about whether he agrees with Ryan. Not even Ryan will say publicly what the Romney economic plan entails. “We haven’t run the numbers yet,” he repeats – as if there were numbers in the Romney plan to run. But the numbers in Romney’s plan are like the numbers in Romney’s tax returns — they’re invisible to anyone who might have an interest in knowing. But even if Romney were to adopt Ryan’s budget plan intact we still wouldn’t have a real debate because Ryan’s own plan lacks specifics that add up. None of the budgets Ryan has come up with as chairman of the House Budget Committee indicate which tax loopholes he’d close and exactly which programs for lower-income Americans he’d eliminate in order to balance the budget. Ryan claims that his revenue targets can be met by “broadening the tax base,” but he hasn’t said how he’d do it. He’s insisted on keeping two of the biggest loopholes that overwhelmingly favor the wealthy —the preferential tax rates on capital gains and dividends. In fact, Ryan’s budget is larded with so much defense spending and so many tax cuts for the wealthy that it doesn’t even lower the debt — when exposed to realistic assumptions. Advertisement: It baldly assumes that tax cuts for the rich will generate revenues totaling 18.4 percent of the economy over the next decade. That’s supply-side nonsense. When the non-partisan Tax Policy Center looked at Ryan’s budget plan, it calculated that revenues would average only 16.3 percent over the decade — $4 trillion less. Under that revenue estimate, Ryan’s budget would increase debt as a share of the economy for more than four decades – pushing the public debt to over 175 percent of GDP by 2050. We can’t even have a clear debate about programs like Medicare, because Romney and Ryan seem determined to sow as much confusion as possible about their proposed voucher system. (At least Romney says his own approach to Medicare is “almost identical” to Ryan’s.) They’ve been charging all week that President Obama’s Affordable Care Act “robs” Medicare of more than $700 billion over the next decade. In reality, the Romney-Ryan plan saves exactly the same amount. But it does so by shifting costs to seniors whose vouchers won’t keep up with the projected cost of healthcare. Obama’s savings come from reduced payments to medical providers. Advertisement: What’s really driving Medicare costs – as well as future federal budget deficits – is the increasing costs of healthcare overall, combined with aging boomers. But don’t expect a debate over how to rein in healthcare costs because Romney and Ryan haven’t put forward a healthcare plan. All they want to do is repeal the Affordable Care Act, leaving 50 million Americans without health insurance coverage. We won’t have a clear debate over whether to raise tax rates on the wealthy because Romney and Ryan are sticking to the conservative bromide that the wealthy and big corporations need more tax cuts in order to create jobs – even though America’s top earners are now taking home more of the nation’s income than they have in 80 years, and corporations are sitting on more than a trillion dollars of cash they don’t know what to do with. We won’t even have a debate over how to prevent another meltdown of Wall Street or a taxpayer bailout of “too-big-to-fail” banks because Romney and Ryan don’t have a plan for preventing another Wall Street crisis. All they want to do is repeal the Dodd-Frank act. Advertisement: Romney’s choice of Ryan won’t usher in a “real debate” about much of anything except, perhaps, the danger to our democracy of billionaires like casino-magnate Sheldon Adelson (whose blessing Ryan immediately sought this week) who are pouring tens of millions of dollars into negative advertising. (Adelson alone has committed $100 million of his fortune.) Those negative ads, by the way, are making it all the harder for average Americans to sort out the truth from well-financed big lies – and understand, let alone debate, the big issues this election year. |
WIKIMEDIA, SURAJ RAJANA growing body of evidence points to an intimate relationship between the gut and the brain—both in health and disease. In presentations at the Society for Neuroscience meeting this week in Washington, D.C., researchers discussed recent findings that support a link between gastrointestinal tract health—and the microbiome, in particular—and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Comparing the gut microbes of mice with Alzheimer’s-like pathology and healthy controls, Harpreet Kaur of the University of North Dakota and colleagues found noticeable differences in microbiome composition. Treating the diseased mice with probiotics decreased gut leakiness and inflammation, which had been elevated in these animals, and boosted memory performance. In a separate study, Ishita Parikh of the University of Kentucky and colleagues took a similar approach, but instead of comparing the microbiomes of diseased and healthy animals, they compared mice with different variants of the APOE gene, which is strongly linked to Alzheimer’s risk in people. Once again, the researchers found distinct differences in the microbial profiles of the mouse strains, suggesting that “gut microbiome is associated with APOE genotype,” at least in this particular mouse model, Parikh said at a press conference today (November 13). Another neurodegenerative disorder with links to gut health is Parkinson’s disease, with recent research revealing the presence of Lewy bodies within cells of the gastrointestinal tracts of animal models. At the conference, Doris Doudet of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and colleagues report that exposing rats to β-sitosterol glycoside (BSSG), a neurotoxin known to cause Parkinson’s-like symptoms in lab animals, leads to elevated levels of CD68, a marker of inflammation, in the gut. “Inflammation in the lining of the gut may be indicative of Parkinson’s disease development as much as brain inflammation,” Doudet says in a press release. A big question now is which comes first—the symptoms in the gut or the brain—says Erwan Bezard of the University of Bordeaux’s Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Injecting Lewy bodies purified from deceased Parkinson’s patients into the brains or guts of monkeys, he and his colleagues found that either treatment can cause Parkinsonian pathology in both tissues—namely, inflammation in the gut and neuronal death and α-synuclein aggregates in the brain—after two years, Bezard described at the conference. “So you have the pathology capable of coming from the gut to the brain and going from the brain to the gut,” Bezard says. “Today, we are left with the question of the chicken and the egg—we don’t know where it starts.” Another open question is how the microbiome is involved in this link between the gut and the degenerating brain. One possibility is diet. For example, Lap Ho of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai presented in vitro data showing that valeric acid, a metabolite of fiber, interferes with the aggregation of α-synuclein and the formation of fibrils, suggesting that “diet-gut microbiome interactions may contribute to susceptibility and/or resilience to Parkinson’s,” he says. |
“Sake is surprisingly versatile,” he added. “I’ve discovered it goes well with many Western recipes, perhaps even better than wine or beer.” Fresh oysters, for example, usually go well with Champagne or Chablis, which have a crisp acidity. But Mr. Shichida, who runs the 140-year-old Tenzan brewery, says sake works better. The drink is mellower and less acidic, and its cleansing properties help remove the oysters’ briny taste, he said. And sake’s umami — a savory sensation considered to be the “fifth taste” — helps improve their fleshiness. At a recent dinner at Hixter, a restaurant here, the head chef, Ronnie Murray, paired a plate of Launceston lamb and meaty girolle mushrooms with Mr. Shichida’s 75 Junmai, a full-bodied sake that uses unpolished rice, a rarity even in Japan. The Japanese generally prize sake that contains highly polished rice, which produces a flowery and smooth taste. By contrast, Mr. Shichida’s sake had a round, woody flavor with a tempered acidity that complemented the earthy lamb. “Wine tends to be more acidic and cuts through the taste of meat,” said Gareth Groves, the head of marketing at Bibendum Wine, a retailer that recently announced that it was stocking sake from Japan. “Sake is less about cutting through the food than sitting alongside it.” Most Westerners generally view sake as a clear-colored liquor to be savored with sushi and sashimi, with an alcohol content of 15 to 20 percent. It is thought to have originated in the seventh century and is considered the drink of the gods in the Shinto religion. |
A steady drizzle did not deter a large turnout for the Monday PEGIDA Walk. The Livestream video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3IhMgUrAQY&app=desktop Timeline translated from The Epoch Times 6:30 It's raining in Dresden, a constant drizzle. Speakers: Tatjana Festerling, Sigfried Däbritz and “Ed the Dutchman” who was arrested yesterday in Holland for wearing a pink plush hat with pig's snout and face. He was still wearing it in Dresden! Another guest speaker is Lothar Hoffman, former head of the police union in Saxony-Anhalt. One banner seen: “People, wake up already!” 6:45 Siegfried Däbritz opens the rally “If you see the news flow, it is only a cold horror. Germany is isolated, Merkel is moving like a ghost rider and is a threat to peace across the continent. Time has run out. We can not wait until the election in 2017, that will be too late." Everything Pegida predicted a year ago would happen, has occurred. For the sake of retaining power, the critical voices were ignored, were defamed and criminalized, says Däbritz. He quotes from Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan: Democracy is just the train, on which we ascend until we have arrived. The mosques are our barracks, the minarets our bayonets, the domes our helmets and the faithful our soldiers. Däbritz reports that Finance Minister Schaeuble said today: "We must do everything so that no more people come to Europe." Schäuble became a xenophobe with this statement. He is now looking at options of what surrounding countries have done: Switzerland, Norway and Britain. 7:05 The next speaker is Ed the Dutchman. He congratulated Geert Wilders for the 10th anniversary of the existence of his Freedom Party. "We Dutch have a big problem. There is a so-called emergency decree that the police can arbitrarily blow off events and arrest demonstrators.” Therefore, he was arrested this weekend for wearing a pig hat (pictured right), which he also wore during his short speech. He suggests that Pegidans wear it as a sign of resistance to Islamization. 7:07 The next speaker is Lothar Hoffmann, former head of the police union in Saxony-Anhalt. He is part of the organizing team "Democratic Awakening" in Sebnitz in Saxon Switzerland. The promise of the Federal Government to stricter border controls and limiting illegal entries was a farce. There is not a single case where an apprehended asylum seeker was sent back again, said Hoffmann. Addressing Merkel he explains: "Recognize finally and take note:. Your European policy has failed" The Eastern European Alliance shows quite clearly that they are no longer willing collaborators in Merkel's "disastrous" policy. "We want a new, free Europe [...] "We do not want abolition of national self-determination. We say no to TTIP and CETA, no to negotiations with Turkey." "We want no flooding and no increase in crime by criminal asylum seekers. Women and children are also not fair game. It is bad enough that there are criminal Germans. Do we need additional criminal foreigners? I say no," said the ex-cop. "We do not want mosques in Germany, Islam does not belong to Germany, let alone an Islamic party". The mulitkult mania must come to an end. The recently adopted "asylum package II" was "ridiculous and only opium for the people". He asks how deportation of offenders would be done if their countries of origin and identities can not even be clarified. And what is it with the hundreds of thousands in hiding, of which no one knows either their location or the source of their livelihood? On all these questions citizens receive no answer. "We do not want our police overstretched, which is allowed by the policy in the lurch," said Hoffman. He believes that the police could no longer protect citizens. The security of citizens is disappearing daily. He thanked the police who were protecting the demonstration. "We want to preserve our culture and tradition. I am proud to be a German, I say it openly, honestly and consciously". He is also proud to live in Saxony. He hopes that one day "our grandchildren" will thank the Pegida, and other demonstrators who went week after week on the road for freedom and democracy and against foreign domination. Addressing the government, he says: "The intellectual arsonist for excesses in Germany are not in Pegida, but they sit in Berlin." (Applause) "Your failed refugee policy is to blame for the current situation." 7:18 Siegfried Däbritz opened the walk after some words about Dresden Mayor Hilbert. 8:10 Tatjana Festerling is greeted with a chorus of "Festerling, Chancellor!" She mentions Clausnitz and what caused the demonstrators to block the refugees' bus. The phrase "We are the people" is nothing other than a finding of fact. "I stand fully behind the Clausnitzer and I will justify it in this speech,” said Festerling. She warns, "it is self-evident" when an alleged 15-year-old asylum seeker in Clausnitz uses an "IS [ISIS] Cutthroat gesture" towards his hosts. She quotes the philosopher Peter Sloterdijk on the refugee crisis. "The Europeans have to find new thoughts about their own attractiveness for refugees". There are different models but "an overly attractive nation must erect a defense system, just as a well-tempered cruelty is necessary." That was the main problem, because: "The Europeans define themselves as benign and not cruel." About the media outcry over Clausnitz, she says: "For Heaven's sake, the citizens now go to the barricades. And yes: It's bad that it had to come so far. But what other choice remains?" asks Festerling. How should citizens who "were relegated to being forced hosts" defend themselves? The protest of Clausnitz was nonviolent. Neither firecrackers or incendiary bottles were thrown, and there were no metal rods in use, as come from the left fascist perpetrators of violence at demonstrations against Pegida. "There is no moral obligation to self-destruction,” she quoted the philosopher Sloterdijk. If now we take to the street, this is "our gasp" against the post-democratic Europe. For umvolkung, which is currently taking place, there is no legitimacy. [Great! Umvolkung generally means for a German to become less German, to assimilate more with non-Germans, including loss of language and origin. The term was used in N-S Germany.] 8:16 "I am not ashamed for the Clausnitzer. On the contrary, I understand and respect the courage of citizens because there are citizens who take responsibility for their immediate environment", said Festerling. People who knew beforehand that "the bloodhounds of the press" would fall on them. [She continues in this vein about Clausnitz; it is idiomatic and hard for me to make sense of.] Festerling states: "Muslim criminals are protected. For non-violent, patriotic German, there is no mercy. " 8:25 To the tearful television appearance of the 15-year-old immigrant from the Clausnitzer bus, Festerling says: "The strategy with the kid's tears is known, for example, as a strategy of Hamas - For years exploited in Israel, where Islamic guerrillas deliberately bomb hospitals, kindergartens and schools to lead the world to condemn the brutality of the Israeli army. [Not sure this is correct.] [...] "Do we seriously believe that resistance to the asylum disaster and the associated turbo-Islamization of our country is a walk [easy]?" asks Festerling. 8:26 The National Anthem is sung, led by Ramona. Flashlight ritual. Däbritz declares the event ended after he has asked to please still bring relatives, friends and family next Monday. Demonstrators shouting "We'll be back!" flow off. It is still raining. |
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