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“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their Inspirations and Influences. In this feature, we invite writers to talk about their new books, older titles, and their writing overall. We are delighted to welcome Nina Allan to the blog today to talk about her new novel The Rift (out on July 11) and the inspirations behind it. Truth or Dare? Confessions of a Mystery Addict In his landmark book on the history and analysis of Western storytelling The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker enumerates his seven story archetypes thus: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. While Booker goes into meticulous and fascinating detail on the many variants and footnotes that exist in tandem with these archetypes, I have always been struck by his description of my own favourite story template – the Mystery – as ‘a wholly new type of plot’ that by implication falls outside the remit of the main discussion. The mystery is a distinctively modern archetype, Booker argues, necessitating its own separate set of sub-headings and different rules within them. Might Booker be hinting that there is something disreputable about the mystery, something dishonourable even? I wouldn’t like to speculate, though I am sure we have all heard detective fiction referred to as ‘cheap’, ‘titillating’ or ‘trashy’ at one time or other. ‘The point of detective stories is that they derive from that part of the human psyche, the ordering function of the mind, when this becomes split off from those feminine principles of feeling and intuitive understanding which can connect it to the reality of the living world’ writes Booker. ‘It then operates on the level of a fantasy or daydream. This is why such stories are so beguiling to those who are susceptible to their charms. They create a neat little make-believe world, hermetically sealed from reality, in which the ordering function can set up its riddles’. It’s interesting to note that these assertions, questionable on a number of levels, were printed and published as recently as 2006. All I can say is that Booker might need to think about casting his reading net a little more widely – more widely within crime fiction, certainly. Booker does go on to talk about the story of Oedipus, simultaneously denting his assertion that the mystery story is only two centuries old and providing us with an example of a mystery that he presumably considers sufficiently complex to be deemed worthy of study. Booker does not feel comfortable venturing much beyond the accepted canon, clearly. But even within those narrow precepts, there are dozens of examples to prove that the mystery is no Johnny-come-lately but the mother of all story archetypes, and the most thrilling. Setting aside the weird blathering about ‘feminine principles of feeling and intuitive understanding’, what I object to most in Booker’s analysis is his insistence that in order to function successfully, the mystery plot must operate within an environment that operates at one remove from the real world. Some of the greatest mysteries yet written – not to mention masterpieces of true crime literature such as Gordon Burn’s Happy Like Murderers or Ann Rule’s The Stranger Beside Me – operate exclusively within the real world, and the ever-increasing popularity of true crime dramas and series alongside police procedurals and Sherlock Holmes reboots would seem to suggest that readers and viewers find mystery stories to be most compelling precisely where they most intersect with the world they recognise as their daily reality. Mystery stories have always been about more than puzzle-solving. Recent novels by Jon McGregor (Reservoir 13) and Adam Thorpe (Missing Fay) have made use of the crime mystery template in narratives that are actually about shining a spotlight on communities and the social, familial and emotional pressures at their heart. Indeed the defining characteristics of a successful mystery story involve digging beneath the surface of apparent normality, unearthing secrets, exposing to the light that which has been hidden. During her lifetime, the novelist Patricia Highsmith was usually described as a thriller writer, yet her books are actually mysteries of the most masterful kind. Highsmith specialised in stories that start out looking like conventional murder plots but that soon morph into ambiguous psychodramas with no other close equivalent in the whole of crime fiction. In many cases, Highsmith’s protagonists draw back from the act of murder, only to blunder into situations where they stand accused of the very crime they did not commit. These would-be killers inhabit landscapes tinged with melodrama but built on the sturdiest foundations of banality. It is this very ordinariness that captivates, for it is also ours. Highsmith has been an inspiration to me for many years, as much for her refusal to provide us with answers as her delight in throwing out mysteries for us to solve. My interest in crime and mystery writing stems not from the crime as such, but from that sense of the uncanny that predominates when the world has been knocked out of kilter through an action, or series of actions that throw accepted reality into doubt. In writing The Rift, I did not want to lead readers towards a ‘correct’ solution to the mystery of what happened to Julie, but rather to present them with a conundrum that is in some sense insoluble and then let them decide for themselves where the boundary between reality and fantasy actually lies. Julie’s fascination with unsolved mysteries – the fictional disappearance of Australian schoolgirls in Joan Lindsay’s novel Picnic at Hanging Rock, the real-life impersonation of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov by Anna Anderson – further underscores this point. The most important aspect of The Rift is not Julie’s disappearance, but what happens to those affected in the wake of it. Above all I became preoccupied by the bond between the two sisters: Selena and Julie’s relationship might seem to have survived separation, but can it survive uncertainty? For me, the greatest test of a mystery story lies in its ability to be compelling beyond that first, breakneck read in search of an answer. By contrast with Christopher Booker’s assertion, the most dynamic part of any mystery is not the rigid and logical progress towards a solution, but the texture, tone and depth of the mystery itself. Nina Allan has been the recipient of the British Science Fiction Award, the Liverpool John Moores Novella Award, and the Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire. Her short fiction has appeared in many venues including Best Horror of the Year #6, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Science Fiction 2014 and The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women. Her debut novel The Race was shortlisted for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Kitschies Red Tentacle. She lives and works in North Devon, England. |
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has led to legal warfare at Activision. Jason West and Vince Zampella, the former heads of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare development studio Infinity Ward, who were fired on Monday, have filed a lawsuit against publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. alleging wrongful termination and breach of contract. The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, alleges that Santa Monica-based Activision fired the the duo in order to avoid paying them royalties on military shooter Modern Warfare 2, which was released in November and has generated more than $1 billion in retail sales. "Activision has refused to honor the terms of its agreements with Mssrs. West and Zampella and is intentionally flouting the public policy of this State that employers must pay their employees what they have rightfully earned," the complaint states. "Instead, Activision has adopted the corporate strategy of forcing Mssrs. West and Zampella to sue for their pay -- in the hopes of either getting away with not having to pay them anything or maximizing its leverage to reduce that pay." Spokespeople for Santa Monica-based Activision did not respond to requests for comment. According to the complaint, after Activision acquired Infinity Ward for a total of $5 million in 2003, it signed three-year employment agreements with West and Zampella, co-founders of the Encino-based studio who most recently served as president and chief executive, respectively. In 2008, after the release of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the fourth game in the series and a huge hit that has sold more than 13 million units, West and Zampella signed a contract extension through 2011. The complaint says that the extension includes additional royalties and other payments, as well as the right to operate Infinity Ward independently and to have creative control over any Modern Warfare sequels or other Call of Duty games set after the Vietnam War. (Update, 11:20 a.m.: A previous version of this post incorrectly said the contract extension was signed in 2007.) Previous Call of Duty games without the "Modern Warfare" subtitle have been set in World War II. A sequel set for release this November being released by another Activision-owned studio, Treyarch, is said by people close to the company to be set in the Vietnam War. The complaint states that Activision launched an investigation of West and Zampella on Feb. 3 for alleged "breaches of contract" and "violations of Activision policies." The two were then fired on Monday. The complaint states that the "notice of discharge" contained "charges that were disproved in the investigation; included events that West and Zampella were never even asked about during the investigation; identified conduct that other Activision executives engaged in with impunity; and cited 'insubordination' and alleged conduct from over a year ago." In its annual report filed Monday, Activision said it was "concluding an internal human resources inquiry into breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward." The lawsuit asks the court to rule that West and Zampella have creative control over all Modern Warfare games and that Activision may not release any Call of Duty games set after the Vietnam War without their approval and that the publisher owes them unpaid royalties and damages in excess of $36 million. [Update, 11:57 a.m. Activision has issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit: Activision is disappointed that Mr. Zampella and Mr. West have chosen to file a lawsuit, and believes their claims are meritless. Over eight years, Activision shareholders provided these executives with the capital they needed to start Infinity Ward, as well as the financial support, resources and creative independence that helped them flourish and achieve enormous professional success and personal wealth. In return, Activision legitimately expected them to honor their obligations to Activision, just like any other executives who hold positions of trust in the company. While the company showed enormous patience, it firmly believes that its decision was justified based on their course of conduct and actions. Activision remains committed to the Call of Duty franchise, which it owns, and will continue to produce exciting and innovative games for its millions of fans.] --Ben Fritz Photo: A scene from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Credit: Activision. |
Shortly after Microsoft Bing launched in 2009, researchers at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society found that the search engine was enforcing “safe search” in a number of countries, including across the whole of the Middle East and North Africa (or as Microsoft erroneously called the region at the time, the “Arabian countries”). In a paper entitled Sex, Social Mores and Keyword Filtering: Microsoft Bing in “Arabian Countries” [PDF], the researchers claimed that Microsoft was filtering “Arabic and English keywords that could yield sex- or LGBT-related images and content.” As a result of the paper, Microsoft pulled back the censorship in certain places and corrected their laughable mislabeling of the region. Six years later, it seems the censorship is back. Users in some Arab countries —as well as a handful of other locales—who attempt to search for such a keyword receive a message that reads: “Your country or region requires a strict Bing SafeSearch setting, which filters out results that might return adult content. To learn more about SafeSearch requirements in your country or region, see How Bing Delivers Search Results.” William S. Burroughs' famous book is among the content censored by Bing Clicking on that link leads to a page with a long explanation that, at bottom, states (emphasis is mine): Bing categorizes certain countries as strict markets. In these strict markets, we might restrict the display of adult content (as locally defined), and because of the local customs, norms, and laws, we might limit SafeSearch settings only to "strict." Set to "strict," SafeSearch filters the display of explicit search results in images, videos, and text. Markets that are limited to "strict" include: China India Indonesia Korea Malaysia Middle East Singapore Thailand Turkey In other words, while in some cases Microsoft may limit search due to legal requests, in other cases, it does so because someone at the company has decided what the local norms or customs of a given country are. This is obviously problematic: Microsoft is going above and beyond the legal requirements of at least some of the countries in the region. Neither Egypt nor Lebanon, for example, block most sexual content or require intermediaries to do so. What Microsoft appears to be doing is blocking content based on the requirements of the strictest countries in the region. Or as Cory Doctorow put it in an e-mail: If indeed the House of Saud—for example—demands a high degree of network censorship, then MSFT is acting as a agent of Wahhabism, enforcing the autocratic dictates of a repressive regime against its neighbors simply because they can't be bothered to lift a finger not to. While a Microsoft representative told me that users in those countries can simply change their market location in their user settings, they shouldn’t have to. There is absolutely no excuse for a company—particularly one that has made commitments to free expression by being a founding member of the Global Network Initiative—to regulate speech beyond that which is required. |
I don't know about you, but I've had it up to here with activist judges who think they can overturn decades of legal precedent and ignore well-established norms of legal behavior in the pursuit of vague ideals like "justice" and "morality." The latest example comes from the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, a hotbed of judicial promiscuity, where earlier this week Judge Jed S. Rakoff refused to go along with a perfectly good settlement that had been carefully worked out between Bank of America and the Securities and Exchange Commission -- an agreement no different from thousands of similar deals approved by courts over the years. In a brief order brimming with outrage and common sense and references to Oscar Wilde, he rejected the proposed $33 million settlement as "neither fair, nor reasonable nor adequate" and ordered that the case go to trial. I'll go into the details of the case in a moment, but even without them it should be obvious that this is a flagrant case of judicial overreaching. A trial? Does Rakoff expect the $750-an-hour lawyers at Cleary Gottlieb to actually go into court and try a case on behalf of the bank rather than simply string things along with endless motions and depositions until they wear down the other side? And what does fairness -- or as Rakoff defined it, "elementary notions of justice and morality" -- have to do with securities law? Hasn't he learned that securities law is supposed to be about the triumph of form over substance, about generating endless paperwork for lawyers while giving shareholders the illusion of knowing what management is up to? And can you believe the total lack of judicial decorum in declaring, in simple English, that the largest bank in the America had "lied" to its shareholders? Any first-year law student knows that what he really meant was that there was "a failure to disclose material information in accordance with SEC Rule 10(b)-5." Bank of America, of course, doesn't see it that way at all. Just because it told its shareholders that, in connection with its purchase of the failing brokerage Merrill Lynch, no bonuses would be paid to Merrill directors, officers and employees without its written consent, that didn't really mean there would be no bonuses. After all, the proxy also had a passing reference to the possibility of an exception to this statement, which could be found in Section 5.2 of something called the Company Disclosure Schedule. All a diligent shareholder had to do was read Section 5.2 to learn that, in fact, Bank of America had already approved $5.8 billion worth of Merrill bonuses. Then again, getting hold of the aforementioned Disclosure Schedule would have been quite a challenge, because, according to common corporate practice, the schedule was never actually disclosed. Unfortunately for Bank of America, this is one of those subtleties of securities law that even the securities lawyers at the SEC had trouble grasping, particularly after the Merrill bonuses became public and a political firestorm ensued. An investigation was launched, and the SEC decided to bring civil charges against the bank for knowingly misleading its shareholders. Rather than fight the charges, the bank opted to settle, explaining to the judge that it just wasn't worth the legal expenses and all the attendant bad publicity to establish its innocence at trial. As is customary when entering into such settlements, the company refused to either admit or deny that it had done anything wrong, even while promising never to do it again. It's the sort of logical sleight of hand that judges overlook every day, but this time Rakoff would have none of it. He went so far as to call the injunction against future infractions a "pointless exercise." Rakoff also balked at imposing the agreed-on $33 million fine on Bank of America. As he explained it to incredulous lawyers from both the bank and the SEC, he just couldn't see the logic of imposing a fine that would effectively be paid by the very shareholders who had been lied to, even as those responsible for the lie got off scot-free. Instead, he embarked on a quixotic campaign to find out who exactly was responsible for the lie, only to meet resistance from both the bank and the SEC. Bank officials had told the SEC that it was their lawyers at Wachtell Lipton who were responsible for preparing the proxy documents, but when the SEC asked Bank of America to waive its attorney-client privilege to interview the lawyers and find out if that was true, the bank refused. It was a legal Catch-22. In the end, the SEC told Rakoff that there was simply insufficient evidence to bring charges against any individuals. Most judges, of course, have long since come to accept and even embrace such ambiguities, which to those outside the legal system may seem absurd. They embrace the legal notion of immaculate conception, which holds that there can be corporate wrongdoing without there necessarily being any wrongdoers. They hold sacrosanct the attorney-client privilege, particularly when it protects the reputation and livelihood of other lawyers. They understand that their job is not to get to the bottom of things, only to the bottom of their own docket. But not Jed Rakoff. Despite decades on the bench, he's still naive enough to believe that the laws mean what they say, and that just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right. He refuses to allow his court to be used to burnish the public reputations of the parties, especially when it comes at the expense of the truth. He cares about outcomes more than process. Come to think of it, maybe Rakoff is exactly the kind of activist judge we need more of, not less. Steven Pearlstein will host a Web discussion today at 11 a.m. at http:/ / washingtonpost.com. He can be reached at pearlsteins@washpost.com. |
Andrea James, a Wabash College graduate, is a writer, film producer and transgender activist. (Photo: Russell Carpenter, ASC) For the first time in nearly an hour of answering deeply personal questions without hesitation, Andrea James doesn't know how to respond. She has spent the past 53 minutes on the phone from Los Angeles, passionately talking about her life, her work, her accomplishments in film, advertising, writing and transgender activism. Comedy is first and foremost in James' life. Her social media handles all are variations of the name "jokestress," and she makes it known — more than once — that she's "impossible to offend" and has a "filthy" mind. The 49-year-old grew up in Franklin and earned degrees from Wabash College and the University of Chicago. She worked in marketing at the Chicago Tribune for a few years before heading to prestigious advertising firm DDB Chicago. There she spent a decade writing a number of well-known commercials, including the popular Bud Light pool-playing chicken that aired during Super Bowl XXXII. That also is where, at 30, she transitioned. Five years later James moved to L.A. to start her own transgender movie production company and has acted or appeared in a number of shows and movies. Last year, an episode of USA Network's "Royal Pains" with a transgender storyline that James consulted on won a GLAAD Media Award. James isn't an involuntary activist for transgender equality. She knew that if she wanted to succeed with her work in the mainstream, she would have to put herself squarely at the forefront of the movement to create greater acceptance, "making very pro-trans statements at a time when they’re needed most." She saw Hollywood as the vehicle to get there. But during the interview she couldn't answer possibly the most cliched interview question of all time: "Where do you see yourself in five to 10 years?" James paused, thinking, and let out a small laugh. "Honestly, I didn't think I would live to be 40, so I'm already on borrowed time," she said. "Trans people tend not to live that long." In a 2011 survey from The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, 41 percent of 6,450 transgender and gender non-conforming people polled nationwide reported they had attempted suicide. And according to a report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, transgender women were 72 percent of the victims in hate crime deaths in 2013 in the U.S. "There are a lot of us, and we are out in the world living quiet, productive lives and we just want to be ourselves," James said. "It saddens me to see us turned into the new moral panic, where we're the predators and the dangerous ones." NEWSLETTERS Get the Out To Eat with IndyStar newsletter delivered to your inbox We're sorry, but something went wrong Indianapolis-area restaurant and food news. Please try again soon, or contact Customer Service at 1-888-357-7827. Delivery: Thu Invalid email address Thank you! You're almost signed up for Out To Eat with IndyStar Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters There's a long way to go before transgender people find equality, James says, but being visible in areas such as her home state of Indiana where progression is a greater struggle will help those in the community feel accepted. James will speak during Circle City IN Pride's festival week in a Wednesday event with the Indiana Historical Society called Being Transgender in Indiana: Making History Past and Present. She will talk about growing up in a time when few were able to come out as gay or lesbian — let alone people who didn't identify with their assigned birth sex. "I think it's important for successful trans people to make themselves visible," she said. "My goal is to contextualize where we are in this movement and what it means for people who are in Indiana. There are almost as many trans people living in the United States as there are people living in Indianapolis. If I'm not willing to come back and fight the good fight and show the support for the people who are on the right side of history, then I'm not doing everything I can." The public transition of Caitlin Jenner (shown) was a "watershed moment" for the transgender community, Andrea James says. (Photo: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) James' talk comes after a free health fair starting at 5 p.m. at the Indiana Historical Society and a series of other talks from people in the transgender community beginning at 7 p.m.. The fair will include mental health professionals, Indiana Transgender Network, Indiana Transgender Wellness Alliance, Freedom Indiana and jewelry and skin care vendors. It's a $10 ticket to see the speakers after the fair, which can be bought online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2544151. This event was created by transgender people for transgender people, organizer Korvin Bothwell said, but is open and welcome to members of the public. Bothwell said last year's first transgender-geared event was more popular than organizers expected, so they moved it to a larger venue and upped the scale. "It's a time in our society where trans people are finding the need and the courage to say 'Hey, this is who I am,'" he said. The event is intended to alleviate the isolation many transgender people feel. "It's very normalizing," he said. "It’s very validating to be around people just like you. Last year was the first time I had been around that many trans people at once." Chrissy Garrison, an independently published transgender author, will co-emcee the event. Putting a face, a personality, on any issue to remove the fear is vital, she said. "Trans people have been the T on the end of LGBT for a long time, and it was time for us to be in the spotlight for good or bad," she said. "If you know a transgender person, it’s a lot harder to hate a transgender person. That effort to normalize or to make us seem more accessible or more familiar makes us less scary, less likely to be used as the bogey man." Increased exposure on TV and movies has helped to push stories of transgender people into the mainstream, most notably with Caitlyn Jenner's very public transition in 2015 and the popularity of Laverne Cox on Netflix's "Orange is the New Black," and Amazon's Emmy award-winning "Transparent." Emmy-winning "Transparent" features Jeffrey Tambor in a transgender role. (Photo: Jennifer Clasen/Amazon Studios) "It's had a tremendous effect," James said. "Caitlin Jenner, whatever you feel about her, is a watershed moment." In Hollywood it was typical to have just "one trans movie a year," and main transgender roles were given to people who weren't transgender. In 2005 James coached Felicity Huffman for her role in "Transamerica." Although James was grateful for more exposure and Huffman's activism through promoting the movie, James wanted more for the transgender community in film. "The first 10 years we were out here, it was very difficult," James said of her production company, Deep Stealth Productions, started in 2003 with friend and fellow transgender activist, actor and author Calpernia Addams. "People just weren’t willing to take a chance on a trans person. We just started making our own stuff and trying to pitch our own things. It just felt like for the most part, the best chance trans people had was in unscripted television." Andrea James, 2, in 1969. (Photo: Submitted photo) Now, as James is about to celebrate 20 years after her transition, she is excited that younger generations have options she didn't as a child growing up in Franklin in the late 1970s. “Bookish and nerdy” and struggling with her identity, she would scan through books and literature to discover some way to define how she was feeling. Not so today. "Instead of going to the Franklin Library card catalog, I would’ve jumped onto the nearest glowing screen," she said. "How remarkable it is to see the blossoming of this movement? It feels like this giant chorus of all sorts of different voices from all over the country." Call Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752 and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Being Transgender in Indiana: Making History Past and Present What: A health fair with presentations from local members of the transgender community and Andrea James, each telling their stories. When: Health fair, 5 to 7 p.m.; conversations with community members, 7 to 9 p.m. Where: Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio St. Get tickets: The health fair is free. The presentation with Andrea James following the fair is $10, http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2544151 More information: http://www.circlecityinpride.org/event/trans-pride. Want to go to a Circle City IN Pride event? Here are a few of the many happening this week: For a full list of events, go to http://www.circlecityinpride.org/week. June 9: Loud and Proud with the Indy Pride Bag Ladies, 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Gregs Indy, 231 E 16th St. Suggested cover donation: $5. June 10: Diversity Night with the Indiana Fever, 6 p.m., Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania St. Tickets are discounted for Circle City IN Pride, using the code "PRIDE." Purchase tickets at http://www.circlecityinpride.org/event/fever-diversity-night. June 11: Cadillac Barbie IN Pride Parade, starting at 10 a.m. on Massachusetts Avenue at College Avenue, heading southwest to Vermont Street, north up Pennsylvania Street to Michigan Street. Free. June 11: Circle City IN Pride Festival, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the American Legion Mall, at North and Pennsylvania streets. Free. Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/1X3ltas |
— We caught Los Angeles parking officers writing ticket after ticket, hitting motorists with a $73 fine. “It’s unfair, really unfair, and really bad,” said one woman who’d just been cited. STREET CLEANING PARKING ENFORCEMENT SEARCHABLE CHART CBS2 investigative reporter David Goldstein found her ticket, and potentially thousands of others, should never have been issued. “These are five people that got tickets that shouldn’t have gotten them,” Goldstein said to one of the officers handing out the inappropriate tickets. “Sir, to my knowledge, I had no idea,” the officer responded. All the tickets were issued for street cleaning violations because there is no parking on certain days of the week. CBS2 found that 622,873 tickets had been issued since Dec. 1, 2013, and city officials collected $45,469,729 in fines. But after residents complained they were being ticketed on street cleaning days, even though the sweeper never showed up, Mayor Eric Garcetti promised he would change all that. Last December, the city launched a website, updated everyday, that shows routes with relaxed parking enforcement because the sweeper was canceled. CBS2 shot video of an officer ticketing a BMW even though it was parked in a relaxed enforcement route. The officer cited the driver $73 for “No Parking – Street Cleaning.” It was a ticket that shouldn’t have been issued. On another day, CBS2 found the same thing happening, with windshields filled with tickets. “It’s $73 that can go towards my kid’s education and now I have to pay it to the city,” the motorist said. “It’s ridiculous. It really is.” Most motorists didn’t know about relaxed enforcement and thought they were caught red-handed – until Goldstein told them. He spoke to Katie Donahue, who had just received one of the bogus tickets. “I don’t think it’s fair,” Donahue said. “They’re preying on the citizens’ lack of knowledge about this.” The lack of knowledge evidently extends to those in the department as well. Goldstein caught up with parking officer Destiny Reynolds as she was handing out tickets in a relaxed parking zone. “This is a relaxed parking zone, did you know that,” Goldstein asked. “You have been writing tickets, we saw you writing tickets just now. This is a relaxed parking area. This is inside the zone, did you know that?” “Let me check that out,” Reynolds replied. Reynolds decided to check it out only after she was confronted and after she already had issued a ticket in the relaxed parking zone. “How come you wouldn’t know that? You have been writing tickets…” Goldstein said. “No, I actually just got here, sir,” Reynolds replied. However, minutes earlier, CBS2 saw her issue a $73 ticket. She used her radio to see if what Goldstein had told her was true. Goldstein said, “What do you think officer?” “Yes,” she said. “It is a relaxed parking area?” Goldstein said. “Yes,’ Reynolds replied. “So, you were about to write this person up? This person would never have known that right?” Goldsten said. Reynolds only managed, “Right. Have a good day.” CBS2 caught another traffic officer issuing five tickets one day. This officer also claimed to have no knowledge of the relaxed zones. “We’ve seen you writing bogus tickets,” Goldstein said. “You wrote five tickets and it was a relaxed parking day.” “That’s because they didn’t tell us,” the officer said. When Goldstein reminded the officer that five people had received tickets unjustly, the officer replied, “I didn’t know.” L.A. Department of Transportation Chief Greg Savelli said sometimes they don’t get the word from street services until it’s too late: “You’re making us aware of a flaw in the system and we’re more than willing to look at these flaws and try to fix them.” But he stopped short of committing to refund everyone’s money. “Shouldn’t you have an obligation to go back and look at tickets issued this morning to see if they were issued improperly?” Goldstein said. “We could certainly do that,” the DOT head said. Mayor Garcetti, meanwhile, was much more blunt. “I’ve said, ‘Make this right. Period’,” the mayor said. Mayor Garcetti says that people who received the bogus tickets will be getting a refund. “Well, that is absolutely unacceptable. I can’t tell you how upset I was to hear that and, thanks to your reporting, people who got those tickets are going to get a refund, and it’s going to stop. Period,” the mayor said. The DOT now said they’re trying to determine just how many citations were issued in error from Dec. 1, 2013, when the program began. “Those citations will be dismissed and refunds will be issued to those who have already paid.” And because of CBS2’s investigation, street services said they’ll get the word out earlier, so officers won’t continue issuing tickets to innocent motorists. To see if you received a parking ticket in the city of L.A. for a street-sweeping violation since Nov. 27, 2013, you may be entitled to a refund because of CBS2’s investigation. Click here to see if you’re eligible and for information on contesting your ticket. Click here to find a list of today’s relaxed parking enforcement routes. |
On 9 September 2017 the Montreal graffiti community lost one of its greatest writers, a “king” to use an expression from that world. The news of the death of the artist working under the aliases of Alex Scaner, Scaner or simply Scan, following a long battle with cancer, spread like wildfire. In his mid-thirties, Scaner was one of Montreal’s first great graffiti artists. In the days following his death, hundreds of writers from Montreal and around the world as well as many street artists took to social media to pay homage and to express their respect for their brother, their chief, their king, the one who had been such a great influence on their own artistic development. Scaner, alongside his brothers in the KG, DA and TFB crews (to name just a few), has helped shape the Montreal graffiti scene, give it its style and make it shine outside Montreal. Internationally known, he has worked alongside many of the greatest names of Canadian, American and European graffiti. He has also invited many of the best international writers to Montreal, thus creating networks for himself and his artistic family. In just 20 years, this prolific artist has created hundreds, even thousands of burners, throws and tags. Given the ephemeral nature of the artform many are now gone but, thanks to the internet, they will live on and continue to influence the upcoming generations of graffiti artists. Only time and the elements will gradually chip away at what is left of his art in our streets, alleys, parks, offices, businesses and abandoned buildings, as the artist commands so much respect within the world of graffiti that no one would dare go over his work. History will remember Scaner. When the negative taboos associated with the vandal origins of this artform drop and art historians study the artists who will have defined our era, Scaner will be remembered as the one who was taken too soon, but still left an immeasurable legacy. The local and international artistic communities did not wait for Scaner’s passing to recognize his influence and express their love and respect. After the news broke out in the Spring of 2017 that the artist hadn’t much time left, his closest crewmates and friends got together and organized tribute productions (such as Scan You Rock). As well, hundreds of pieces created in Montreal, Toronto, New York, Barcelona, etc. have since been dedicated to him. Following his departure tributes have been coming in even greater numbers. Scaner may be gone, but his star will go on shining brighter and brighter… For more information on Scaner and for more photos of his work, check out his personal webpage as well as Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr. Related posts: Tributes to Scaner Scan You Rock tribute wall Scan You Rock production Time Is Gold Le 9 septembre 2017 la scène montréalaise du graffiti perdait un géant, un king, pour utiliser un terme du milieu. La nouvelle du décès de l’artiste connu sous les pseudonymes d’Alex Scaner, de Scaner ou Scan, suite à une longue bataille contre le cancer, s’est répandue comme une onde de choc. Dans la mi-trentaine, l’artiste était un des premiers très grands noms du graffiti à Montréal. Les jours suivant son décès, des centaines de graffeurs montréalais et internationaux ainsi que plusieurs artistes du milieu du street art sont sortis dans les médias sociaux pour affirmer leur amour, leur respect et leur désarroi face à la perte de leur frère, de leur chef, de leur king, de celui qui avait été une de leurs plus grandes influences. Scaner, aux côtés de ses frères dans les crews KG, DA ou TFB pour n’en nommer que quelques uns, a contribué à façonner la scène montréalaise du graffiti, à lui donner son style et la faire rayonner hors de Montréal. De notoriété internationale, il a exercé son art aux côtés des plus grands du monde du graff canadien, américain et européen. Il a aussi invité de nombreux graffeurs d’ailleurs à Montréal, établissant de ce fait de nombreux contacts et réseaux pour sa famille artistique. En tout juste 20 ans, l’artiste prolifique a créé des centaines, voire des milliers de burners, de throws, de tags. Étant donnée la nature éphémère de cette forme d’art plusieurs de ces pièces sont maintenant disparues mais, grâce à l’internet, elles continueront d’influencer les générations de graffeurs à venir. Et il ne fait pas de doute que seul le temps et le climat auront raison de ce qui reste de sa main dans nos rues, ruelles, parcs, bureaux, commerces et édifices abandonnés, puisque l’artiste commande un tel respect que personne du milieu n’oserait repasser sur ses oeuvres. L’histoire se rappellera de Scaner. Quand les préjugés négatifs dûs aux origines vandales de cette forme d’expression artistique tomberont et que les historiens d’art s’intéresseront aux artistes qui auront marqué notre époque, on se rappellera de Scaner comme celui qui est parti trop tôt mais qui a tout de même laissé un legs immense. La communauté artistique locale et internationale n’a pas attendu son départ pour reconnaître son influence et lui exprimer son amour et son respect. Depuis que la nouvelle s’est répandue au printemps 2017 qu’il ne lui restait que très peu de temps, elle s’est mobilisée et a mis sur pieds quelques méga-productions (telles que Scan You Rock) en son honneur. De plus, des centaines de pièces créées par ses pairs à Montréal, Toronto, New York, Barcelone, etc., lui ont été dédiées. Et depuis son départ ces hommages se sont multipliés. Scaner n’est plus, mais son étoile continuera de briller de plus en plus… Pour plus d’information sur Scaner et pour voir plus de photos de son oeuvre, visitez sa page personnelle ainsi que ses pages Facebook, Instagram et Tumblr. Articles connexes: Hommages à Scaner mur hommage Scan You Rock production Scan You Rock Time Is Gold graffiti pieces Scaner on letters, filled by Stare and Zek, with Harry Bones on the left. From the Time Is Gold prod This was Scaner’s final piece. He left only an outline, it was filled in by his brothers in KG, Stare and Zek . Bear on the left is by Harry Bones . From Time Is Gold , Scaner’s last production. Scaner in the Plateau In the Plateau. Scaner for a Mile End block party This one was done during a block party in Mile End. Scaner in Rosemont In Rosemont. Scaner in upper Plateau In upper Plateau. Scaner in Hochelaga In Hochelaga. Scaner’s part in the Scan You Rock jam celebrating him Scaner’s part in the Scan You Rock jam celebrating him. Scaner in a central Montreal alley, for Art Gang. In a central Montreal alley. Scaner in the Plateau In upper Plateau. Scaner piece in Hochelaga In Hochelaga. Scaner silver in upper Plateau In upper Plateau. Scaner on de Rouen Next to the legal graffiti tunnel on de Rouen Scaner (left) and Kemr (right) on Cabot graffiti wall Scaner (left) and Kemr (right) at the Cabot x Gilmore walls Scaner near Aird In Hochelaga. Monk.e (left), Scaner (right letter) and Axe (right character) in Hochelaga Scaner chrome in Rosemont In Rosemont. Scan in Rosemont Heating up Rosemont. Scaner in Hochelaga alley In a Hochelaga alley. Scaner piece in Petite Patrie Rooftop burner in Petite-Patrie. Scaner piece in the Plateau Well hidden in the Plateau. Scaner piece in the Plateau Well hidden in the Plateau. Scaner in upper Plateau Well hidden in the Plateau. Scaner piece in upper Plateau In upper Plateau. Scaner at the JDM Silverjam In Rosemont. Scaner piece inside gym of an abandoned school In the gym of an abandoned school. Scaner piece inside gym of an abandoned school In the gym of an abandoned school. Scaner in Wynwood, Miami This piece dated 2014 was found in Wynwood, Miami. Scaner graffiti in Hochelaga In Hochelaga. Scaner piece found in NDG In NDG. Under Pressure Festival 2013 featuring Ether (middle letters), Scaner (bottom letters), Axe (bottom left), Serak (top letters) and Hsix (right) Scaner (bottom centre), Serak (top), Ether (middle letters), Axe (left characters), and Hsix (right character) contributing to the 2013 edition of the Under Pressure Festival Scaner (top) and Hsix (bottom) graffiti in Hochelaga alley Scaner (top 2) and Hsix (bottom) in a Hochelaga alley. Scaner graffiti on abandoned warehouse On an abandoned warehouse. Scaner graffiti in upper Hochelaga back alley In a upper Hochelaga back alley. Scaner in Town of Mount Royal In Town of Mount Royal. Scaner graffiti at Chromatic Festival 2015 At the 2015 Chromatic block party. Scaner piece on Mont-Royal On Mont-Royal. Scaner piece above LNDMRK offices Above the LNDMRK offices. Scaner graffiti on Ontario. The cats may have been done by Scaner or Axe. In Ville-Marie. The cats are by Axe Scaner piece in Pointe St-Charles In Pointe St-Charles. Scaner piece in Pointe St-Charles In Pointe St-Charles. Scaner graffiti by train tracks By train tracks. Scaner inside abandoned building Inside an abandoned building. Scaner graffiti in back of industrial building At the back of an industrial building. Scaner graffiti on wheels Scaner on wheels. Scaner on truck side Another truck side. Scaner on side and Bryan Beyung on back Another Scaner on truck. The back of the truck is by Bryan Beyung Scaner on truck side One more truck side. truck painted by Scaner for the 2016 edition of Mural Festival K-Way promo for the 2016 edition of Mural Festival truck painted by Scaner (doing Dodo Osé’s name) for the 2016 edition of Mural Festival Opposite side of the above truck for K-Way at the 2016 edition of Mural Festival , doing the name of Dodo Osé (who did the back side of the truck). En Masse’s contribution to the 2013 edition of Mural Festival featuring Dan Buller (tennis player), Five Eight (central letters), Scaner (top letters), Waxhead (head on the left), Beeforeo (below Five), Nixon (bottom) Scaner graffiti by train tracks By train tracks. letters by Scaner (bottom) between hissing cats by Axe, Feka and Peur (middle) and wheatpaste by Lovebot (top), by train tracks. Graffiti by Feka, Peur and Scaner, with a Lovebot wheatpaste at the top and hissing beasts by Axe Scaner (letters) and Axe (creatures) in Petite-Patrie Scaner (letters) and Axe (creatures) in Petite-Patrie. Scaner in Petite-Patrie Trackside piece in Petite-Patrie. Scaner graffiti in Hochelaga park In a Hochelaga park. Scaner (text), Earth Crusher (central figure) and Axe (end figures) in abandoned industrial building Scaner (writing), Earth Crusher (central character) and Axe (end figures) in an abandoned industrial building. Scaner graffiti in Griffintown In Griffintown. Scaner graffiti on abandoned warehouse On an abandoned warehouse. Scaner doing Hoacs’ name at the PSC legal graffiti wall Doing Hoacs ‘ name at the PSC legal graffiti wall Scaner in an abandoned building In an abandoned building. Scaner in Mercier In Mercier. Scaner in a NDG / Cote des Neiges alley In a NDG/Côte des Neiges alley. Scaner in a NDG / Cote des Neiges parking lot In a NDG/Côte des Neiges parking space. Scaner in a NDG / Cote des Neiges alley In a NDG/Côte des Neiges alley. Scaner on the Plateau In the Plateau. Scaner graffiti on the Plateau Another one in the Plateau. Shok (below) and Scaner (above) in the Plateau Above Shok in the Plateau. Scaner graffiti piece in Centre-Sud In Centre-Sud. partially covered piece by Scaner in TMR Partially taken over by nature in TMR. Scaner graffiti piece in Centre-Sud In Centre-Sud. Cems (top left), Scan (top right), Sage (bottom left) and Smak (bottom right) on this classic DA wall in Rosemont Cems , before he switched to Ether (top left), Scan (top right), Sage (bottom left) and Smak (bottom right) on this classic DA wall in Rosemont. SCaner in Old Montreal In Old Montreal. Scaner graffiti on Clark This worn out piece off Clark was covered with something new in 2014. Scaner graffiti within Astro mural. Visible in the middle is a wheatpaste by Graffiti Knight. Scaner in the middle of a wall by Astro and Zeus. The wheatpaste in the middle of all this is from Graffiti Knight Scaner graffiti (detail) in NDG Right half of a piece in NDG (sorry, left half is missing). Scaner graffiti in Rosemont-Petite-Patrie This piece in Rosemont-Petite-Patrie is dated 2004! Scaner graffiti On roof edge visible from Papineau. Scaner graffiti on roof Another roof edge, this one on St-Laurent. Rooftop piece by Scaner at the abandoned Transco More rooftop, this one at the abandoned Transco Rooftop pieces by Scaner at the abandoned Transco More rooftop action at the abandoned Transco Scaner graffiti by train tracks Next to train tracks in Mile-End. Also visible at the top is a paste-up by Turtle Caps Scaner graffiti in Petite Patrie In Petite-Patrie. Scaner graffiti (top) and piece by unidentified artist (bottom) beneath expressway Under an expressway. Artist at the bottom is unidentified. Scaner & Sewk graffiti Pieces by Scaner and Sewk visible from train tracks in Rosemont. Scaner graffiti In Hochelaga. Scaner in Parc-Ex In Parc-Ex. Scaner graffiti (top) beneath bridge Under an overpass in Ville-Marie. Scaner graffiti In a Plateau back alley. Scaner on St-Laurent mid-level roof On a St-Laurent mid-level roof. Scaner throw in upper Plateau In upper Plateau. Scaner in abandoned industrial building In an abandoned industrial building. Scaner graffiti By train tracks. Scan throw in Barcelona This throw was found in Barcelona. Scaner graffiti in Hochelaga In Hochelaga. Scaner graffiti In Hochelaga. rooftop throw by Scaner Rooftop throw. In Mile End. Smak and Scaner graffiti Smak and Scan over St-Laurent. graffiti by Stare and Scaner on d’Iberville Stare and Scaner on d’Iberville. throw by Scaner in Mile End In Mile End. throw by Scaner in Mile End Same Mile End spot as above. Some train track work. Scaner throwie In Petite-Patrie. Under an expressway. Scaner in an abandoned building In an abandoned building. Scaner in an abandoned building One for the crew in an abandoned building. On an industrial buiding. Scaner graffiti in alley between St-Laurent and Clark In the alley between St-Laurent and Clark large Scaner throw in Hochelaga In Hochelaga. Scaner graffiti in Rosemont In Rosemont. Scaner throw in Pointe St-Charles In Pointe St-Charles. Scaner graffiti More industrial work. throw by Scan Throw in Rosemont. Scaner graffiti Tag and throwie. Scaner throwie and tag found inside an abandoned school Throwie and tag found inside an abandoned school. Scaner throwie found inside an abandoned school Throwie found inside an abandoned school. Scaner throwie found inside an abandoned school Throwie found inside an abandoned school. Scaner throwie in Mile End Throwie in Mile End. Scaner graffiti On closed restaurant awaiting demolition on Sherbrooke. Scaner graffiti In Hochelaga. Scaner graffiti Two-for-one throws. Industrial Hochelaga. Scaner throwie at the abandoned “Jailspot” At the abandoned “Jailspot” Persue (left) and a throw by Scaner (right) in a Plateau alley Throw in a Plateau alley next to a piece by Persue dedicated to the man. Scan throw in the Plateau In the Plateau. Scaner in alley between St-Laurent and Clark In the alley between St-Laurent and Clark trackside throw by Scaner in Verdun Trackside in Verdun. Scaner graffiti on the Plateau On the Plateau. Scaner graffiti in Petite Patrie In Petite-Patrie. Scaner and Awe graffiti in Graffintown murals and mural pieces Fading away in Griffintown. Also visible below is a throw by Awe Scaner and Axe contribution to the 2014 edition of the Mural Festival KG crew featuring Scaner and Axe contributing to the 2014 edition of Mural Festival KG contribution to the 2014 edition of the Mural Festival Another angle of the above piece for the 2014 edition of Mural Festival graffiti mural by Scaner in lower Mile End Presumably Scaner’s longest commissioned piece, found in a Plateau End alley. graffiti mural by Scaner in lower Mile End Above piece seen from the other end. graffiti mural by Scaner in lower Mile End (detail) Same alley as above, middle detail. Scaner and Stare in Old Montreal With Stare in Old Montreal. mural in Hochelaga Maisonneuve by Scaner, Axe and Stare Scaner, Stare and Axe in Ville-Marie. Commanded piece by Scaner on restaurant side-wall in the village Commissioned work on restaurant sidewall in the Village. Scaner piece on an abandoned garage On the abandoned George General d’Auto Reparation Scaner pieces on the Plateau Plateau back alley. Scaner piece in Griffintown Sleeping dogs should check their backs, in Griffintown. Scaner piece next to the Chromatic 2015 zone In the upper Plateau. Scaner reserving his spot in an alley off St-Laurent In an alley off St-Laurent. Scaner piece above LNDMRK offices, and a diamond by Le Diamantaire Above the LNDMRK offices. Also visible is a diamond by Le Diamantaire Scaner above the LNDMRK offices Another one above the LNDMRK offices. Rooftop twins by Scaner Rooftop twins in upper Plateau. Scaner ‘heads’ with graffiti by unidentified writer, on abandoned warehouse Scaner (in red and black) interspersed with graffiti by an unidentified writer on an abandoned warehouse in Hochelaga. This is actually a detail, the wall goes on and on like this. Scaner piece in alley between St-Laurent and Clark In the alley between St-Laurent and Clark Scaner piece in alley between St-Laurent and Clark In the alley between St-Laurent and Clark Scaner on door in the Fashion District In the fashion district. scaner ‘logo’ and throw in upper Plateau In upper Plateau. Scaner off St-Laurent roof Off a St-Laurent roof. Scaner in Petite-Patrie In a Petite-Patrie alley. Scaner at the abandoned “Jailspot” At the abandoned “Jailspot” Scaner piece inside gym of an abandoned school Inside an abandoned school. Scaner on an abandoned garage On the abandoned George General d’Auto Reparation Worn out piece by Scaner on the Plateau Worn out piece on the Plateau Commissioned piece on garage door by Scaner and/or Axe This unusual work on Aird, like the one below, is by Scaner and/or Axe Commissioned piece on garage door by Scaner and/or Axe tags Tall tag by Scaner Scaner in an abandoned building This unusual work on Aird, like the one above it, is by Scaner and/or Axe Scaner Scaner tag Scaner tag Scaner tag on door Scaner tag Scaner tag Found near the Cabot x Gilmore walls tags by Scaner and Axe Scaner tag Scaner tag found inside abandoned school Scaner (top) and Axe (bottom). Scaner tag on the move Scaner tag on the move. Scaner tag found in Mile End Scaner tag Scaner tag Scaner tag tag by Scaner Applying for a job with Garbage Beauty Scaner tag Don’t adjust your screen focus. Scaner tag Scaner tag Scaner tag on Mont-Royal tag by Scaner Making you dizzy? Scaner tag on fence On fence Scaner tag on fence On fence Scaner bubble flop Bubble flop drips by Scaner Scaner tag tag by Scaner tag by Scaner tag by Scaner tag by Scaner tag by Scaner tag by Scaner tag by Scaner Drips poster altered by Scaner wheatpastes and paste-ups Intervention on someone else’s wheatpaste. Scaner poster Scaner wheatpastes Scaner wheatpaste and tag This one was found on the George General d’Auto Reparation wheatpastes by Ether and Scaner Wheatpastes by Ether and Scaner. wheatpaste by Scaner This one was found on the George General d’Auto Reparation Scaner wheatpaste in alley between St-Laurent and Clark This one was found in the alley between St-Laurent and Clark small Scaner paste-up near Place d’Armes metro Tag paste-up in Chinatown. Scaner paste-up Throwie paste-up in Chinatown. Scaner paste-up found in Chinatown Throwie paste-up in Chinatown. Scaner paste-up found in Chinatown Throwie paste-up in Chinatown. Scaner paste-up in Chinatown stickers Scaner sticker Scaner sticker Scaner sticker Scaner sticker Scaner sticker Scaner sticker Scaner sticker Throwie paste-up in Chinatown. Also visible is a sticker by Ether Scaner sticker tag Sticker tag. Scaner tag on sticker Sticker tag. Scaner tag on sticker Sticker tag. Scaner sticker tags Related Sticker throwies on the George General d’Auto Reparation |
So you’ve watched The Business of Being Born, you are totally up on your Kegels, and your birth ball is already getting a daily workout. What now? If you’re planning for your ideal natural birth, follow the six easy steps below and take charge of your birth. 1. Own your birth In order to accomplish a natural childbirth in a culture where the majority of births are now scheduled, doctor-directed, full of interventions and viewed as a medical emergency, it is important to first begin to view birth as a natural human process. This means that you trust your body and believe in your own ability to birth your baby naturally. 2. Educate yourself t Because only five percent of babies born in the United States today are born naturally, you must take the time to educate yourself and become your own birth advocate. Very few obstetricians are dedicated to helping women birth naturally and despite 75 years of routine hospital birth in this country, there are no studies that prove hospital birth is safer than homebirth with a skilled midwife. 3. Find a care provider and a birthing facility with a like-minded birthing philosophy It is not always easy to find a care provider who shares your view of birth, but this may be the most important step in your journey toward natural birth. If you do not see eye-to-eye with your practitioner, it is very likely that you will receive medical interventions during your labor and delivery. This is important to avoid because the more interventions used during childbirth, the more dangerous birth becomes, and the more likely it is that you will experience complications 4. Write your birth plan Once you’ve found a like-minded care-provider, sit down together and discuss your birth plan. You may want to use one of the excellent birth plan creators available online to help your process. 5. Take a birthing class There are many excellent natural childbirth classes available. Bradley, Birthing From Within and HypnoBirthing are some of the most well-known options. Do not assume that your local hospital’s birth class will prepare you for natural childbirth. Hospital birth classes tend to teach women how to be good patients and to accept inductions and other medical interventions. 6. Make room in your heart to accept your birth for what it is No matter how well you plan for natural birth, there are some factors that are simply out of your control. Placenta previa, uterine rupture, failure to progress, malposition of the baby and cord prolapse are just a few of the true medical complications that can happen during labor. Birth is the first lesson in the School of Motherhood, where we learn that despite our best intentions, things do not always go our way. Be proud of your birth journey — whatever it may be — and own your baby’s unique birth experience. Want to learn more? |
Update: Nintendo responded to our inquiry and reminded us that it does not "comment on rumour and speculation.", so we'll leave you to make your own decision about this one. You may want to have your salt shaker handy for this one. A French fansite is reporting that Nintendo might be working on a cartridge that will allow a 3DS to be used as a secondary controller for the Wii U console. Nintendo Master claims that an unused cartridge patent for the DS (reported by Siliconera back in 2010) could possibly be used in conjuncture with a Circle Pad Pro to turn a 3DS into a secondary Game Pad controller for the Wii U. There are a couple of problems with the rumour as it stands, however, namely that the cartridge pictured in the patent sticks out a fair bit from the DS model and so it could not fit onto a 3DS with a Circle Pad Pro attached to it. ...also, it's shown plugged into a DS Lite and not a 3DS. The minor quibble of logistics aside, there is some credence to the thought that Nintendo might be looking to further integrate the 3DS and Wii U. The upcoming Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (due out in the US and Europe in March) will support a cross play between the two systems, so allowing a 3DS and Wii U to play together isn't so far of a stretch. Nintendo has yet to comment on the rumoured cartridge, so we've reached out to see if it could shed some light on whether this is future functionality or simply wishful thinking. |
A federal class action lawsuit filed last week in California alleges that the Walt Disney Company is violating privacy protection laws by collecting children’s personal information from 42 of its apps and sharing the data with advertisers without parental consent. The lawsuit targets Disney and three software companies — Upsight, Unity, and Kochava — alleging that the companies created mobile apps aimed at children that contained embedded software to track, collect, and then export their personal information along with information about their online behavior. The plaintiff, a San Francisco woman named Amanda Rushing, says she was unaware that information about her child, “L.L.,” was collected while playing mobile game Disney Princess Palace Pets, and that data was then sold to third parties for ad targeting. The class action suit says this violates the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which was enacted by Congress in 1999 and designed to protect the privacy of children online. COPPA requires that companies designing apps for children under the age of 13 obtain consent from parents before collecting personal information. In 2013, the FTC revised COPPA, expanding what counts as personal information to include things like geolocation markers and IP addresses. The update also requires third-party advertisers to comply with the rules. COPPA requires that companies designing apps for children under the age of 13 obtain consent from parents before collecting personal information In total, the lawsuit names 42 Disney apps it says run afoul of COPPA. The plaintiff is seeking an injunction barring the defendants from tracking and sharing data collected without parental consent, as well as “appropriate relief, including actual and statutory damages and punitive damages,” plus all costs related to prosecuting the action. Disney has responded to the lawsuit, saying: “Disney has a robust COPPA compliance program, and we maintain strict data collection and use policies for Disney apps created for children and families. The complaint is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of COPPA principles, and we look forward to defending this action in court.” This is not the first time Disney has faced COPPA violations. In 2011, the FTC levied a $3 million civil penalty against subsidiary Playdom after it illegally collected and disclosed personal information from “hundreds of thousands of children under age 13 without their parents’ prior consent.” The full list of Disney apps named in the lawsuit includes: AvengersNet Beauty and the Beast Perfect Match Cars Lightening League Club Penguin Island Color by Disney Disney Color and Play Disney Crossy Road Disney Dream Treats Disney Emoji Blitz Disney Gif Disney Jigsaw Puzzle! Disney LOL Disney Princess: Story Theater Disney Store Become Disney Story Central Disney Magic Timer Disney Princess: Charmed Adventures Dodo Pop Disney Build It Frozen DuckTales: Remastered Frozen Free Fall Frozen Free Fall: Icy Shot Good Dinosaur Storybook Deluxe Inside Out Thought Bubbles Maleficent Free Fall Miles from Tomorrowland: Missions Moana Island Life Olaf's Adventures Palace Pets in Whisker Haven Sofia the First Color and Play Sofia the First Secret Library Star Wars: Puzzle DroidsTM Star WarsTM: Commander Temple Run: Oz Temple Run: Brave The Lion Guard Toy Story: Story Theater Where's My Mickey? Where’s My Water? (paid, lite, and free) Where's My Water? 2 Zootopia Crime Files: Hidden Object |
After rejecting an $18 million grant to help construct a new central library in Union Square, Somerville officials are now taking plans for a new library out of the square’s ongoing development. Mayoral aide Omar Boukili told aldermen at a June 30 meeting that city officials want to put some kind of library presence in Union Square but don’t want to mix it into the ongoing plans for the first seven blocks of Union Square, which are expected to be released in the fall. Those blocks are being developed by square master developer US2, a conglomeration of real estate giant Magellan and financial firm Mesirow. “Our stance has always been that there is still a need in terms of a library space or services in that entire area, especially since we are going to have a brand new neighborhood,” Boukili said. “We decided to split the Union Square [library] idea or concept away from what we are trying to do right now just because there is a process in place and we didn’t want to run two different community processes in parallel.” Previous plans called for moving the Central Library, currently located on Highland Avenue, to Union Square, and last year the city received an $18 million grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners for a new building. But that grant was contingent on the city matching that figure, and officials ultimately let the deadline for accepting the grant pass earlier this year. Boukili said the mayor’s office and library officials had no specific plans for a library in Union Square, but that determining the size and location of the library will take place in a public process separate from the ongoing Somerville By Design meetings that discuss plans for the seven development blocks in the area. He did not give a timeline for that community process. He said city officials sent a grant application to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners asking for funding for a library concept in the square that involves having community space, study rooms, and play areas for kids, as well as books and digital media content. He also said a library presence in the square would require the city to hire additional library staff. “Obviously if we expand the system we have to look at staffing for sure. That’s definitely something [Library Director Glenn Ferdman] will be looking at very seriously and closely over the next few months,” Boukili said. “When we go for another location than there has to be some kind of staffing recalibration.” Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang said he would have liked the library plans included in the current Union Square planning process. “It’s not ideal. In the best of both worlds you have the big overall vision, setting the citywide context and Union Square would fit into that,” Niedergang said. “We will build around whatever happens in Union Square. Hopefully that won’t be a problem and there will be enough flexibility and a good fit. It is what is and it will be what it will be and hopefully it will all work out well.” Ferdman said he is working on an envisioning process with the city’s Capital Projects and Planning Department that will evaluate the entire library system and figure out what the library needs are throughout the city, including Union Square. Niedergang said based on past meetings, he gets the sense residents want a mix between a civic space, a library and possibly SCATV in Union Square. Ward 7 Alderman Katjana Ballantyne suggested the city look at a small library in Cambridge that is situated on the first floors of a larger building, as a possible concept in Union Square. Follow Danielle McLean on Twitter @DMcLeanWL or email her atdmclean@wickedlocal.com. |
Sue Bailey, The Canadian Press Canada's public safety minister says the federal government is anxious to legalize marijuana by next summer despite police services saying there's zero chance they'll be ready. Ralph Goodale said Wednesday the Liberals just announced $274 million over the next five years to help with police training and fight the involvement of organized crime. On Tuesday, police from Ontario, Saskatoon and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police told the Commons health committee that they need more time. They say they require an extra six months to a year for proper police training and public education -- without which organized crime will flourish. Goodale said Wednesday the government will listen to that feedback but has set out a timetable that he says is reasonable. The Liberals have pledged pot will be legal in Canada by the summer of 2018. "This is a large transformative initiative. When you bring forward that kind of measure obviously it challenges people to meet the objectives but the timeframe is a solid one. The deadline is 10 months away or 11 months away. There's time there to move forward," he said as he headed into the final meeting of a two-day federal cabinet retreat in St. John's, N.L. "Look, we've set the objective in July of next year and we're anxious to achieve that objective." The police officials told the committee they need more time to properly train officers about the new laws and more than double the number of police officers who are certified to conduct roadside drug impaired driving testing. There also needs to be more time for public education, the police said. Rick Barnum, the OPP's deputy commissioner for investigations and organized crime, said the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police officially wrote to the government this week to request a delay. "If legislation is ready to go July 2018, policing will not be ready to go August 1," Barnum told the committee, which is meeting this week to study the federal marijuana legislation. "It's impossible. The time, the damage that can be done between the time of new legislation and police officers ready to enforce the law in six months or a year can make it very, very hard to ever regain that foothold." The police also want Ottawa to reconsider allowing individuals to grow up to four of their own marijuana plants because it will be difficult and expensive to enforce and provide an additional way for young people to get access to pot. "Obviously we will take all of the testimony that will be offered to the parliamentary committee into consideration. That's what the hearings are for," Goodale said Wednesday. "We'll listen very carefully to what all of the expert advice has to say. But the government has put some very substantial resources on the table to make sure the goals can be reached." While legalization of recreational pot will lighten officers' workload - there were 16,000 charges laid for simple possession in 2016 - police said it brings a whole host of other problems, including an expected rise in complaints about neighbours owning pot plants, suspected grow-ops, and robberies and home invasions. The police request for a delay comes after Canada's premiers warned the federal government in June that they may not be ready with provincial laws and regulations to accompany the federal bill by next summer. Goodale said he will be meeting with provincial and territorial ministers of justice and public safety this week to discuss "the further work that will need to get done this fall and through the winter to make sure that the objectives can be reached and done in a safe and effective manner." |
Over My Dead Body 2 Japanese release date set PS Vita sequel sets sail on July 17. Ore no Skikabane wo Koeteyuke 2, or Over My Dead Body 2, will launch for PS Vita in Japan on July 17, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia announced. The game will cost 5,800 yen at retail and 5,184 yen via download. A first-print limited edition including a copy of the game, a PS Vita pouch and design sticker, original strap, and cleaning cloth, will cost 7,800 yen. Pre-orders will include a special comic book featuring interviews with game designer Shoji Masuda and other staff members. First-print buyers will receive a download code for a “Rare God” to use in-game. A trial version demonstrating the game’s various systems will be released on April 24. A demo that lets you play the beginning of the game will be released in early July. That progress will be transferable to the full version when it launches. Watch three new TV Spots below. Thanks, Game Jouhou. |
Updated March 13, 2012 at 10:43PM: I have a list of limitations and known bugs toward the end. Updated March 14, 2012 at 9:30PM: I’ll be on the VMware Community Roundtable podcast at 12:00PM PST today, where I’ll be talking about WSX and jumping into a little more detail. Updated March 20, 2012 at 10:15PM: A lot of people are confused, so I want to point out that WSX is not AppBlast. That’s a separate project with separate goals. WSX is a remote console built using the same underlying technologies as Workstation and Player. It’s also not a front-end for View. I can’t speak for any of those projects’ goals and plans. Virtual Machines have always been a great way to work with different operating systems, carry your desktop around with you, and manage lots of servers or configurations. In the past, you’d run the virtual machine on your computer and then use a product like VMware Workstation or Player to interact with them. In Workstation 8, we introduced the ability to share VMs across a network with other copies of Workstation, and to use VMs running on ESXi/vSphere. You could use any computer in your network to reach any other VM and to manage your servers. I covered this in a previous post, and as I said there, we were very proud of this release. Still, the world is evolving fast, and more people are moving to tablets and smart phones. It doesn’t mean the end of desktops or servers, but it does change how people are accessing their data and applications. And their VMs. Get to it already Alright. I’ve spent the past few months on a prototype, one I’m proud to say we’re shipping as part of the Workstation Tech Preview. It’s currently called WSX (name may change in time), and it brings your VMs to your tablets, smart phones, and any PC or device with a modern browser. WSX is installed as a mini web server in your network and serves up an interface for accessing your Workstation Shared VMs and your VMs on vSphere/ESXi 5. You can power your VMs on, off, suspend them, and interact with them. All from a web browser, and all without plugins, with nothing to install on the client end. This means that you can walk into the Apple store, pick up an iPad right off the shelf, and in less than a minute, start using your desktop back home. (Of course, provided you’ve port forwarded your WSX server so it’s accessible outside your network.) How does it work? WSX makes use of some modern web technologies, such as HTML Canvas and Web Sockets, along with a small but powerful server to turn your browser into a full-on remote console. The WSX server talks to your Workstation, ESXi, and vSphere instances and relays the appropriate data up to the client running in the web browser. With that data, the client can stay updated with the latest changes to the VM and offer a full display of the console. We don’t use any plugins, meaning there’s nothing to install. It’s known to work with the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. It also works with the Internet Explorer 10 preview (though I’m still working on some bugs there). And for tablet users, it works quite well with the iPad running iOS 5+. Android users running Ice Cream Sandwich may get some luck with Google Chrome for Android, but I’m still working on Android compatibility. A lot of work has gone into making this pretty fast. If you stream a 720p YouTube video inside a VM and access it from Chrome or Firefox on a modern PC, you should see near-native quality and framerates. It’s not as fast streaming to an iPad just yet, but you’ll see some impressive changes there before long. On some modern browsers, you can even make your desktop go full-screen, just like you can with Workstation. Note: There’s a bug on the iPad today with the on-screen keyboard where capital letters and punctuation are a bit broken. I’ll fix it! Tell me some use cases Sure thing. You can work on your documents from your iPad from anywhere, knowing your data is safe in your network and not on some desktop streaming service company’s VM somewhere in their datacenter, not worrying about what may happen to your data if their service is down. If your server is acting up while you’re at the store, you can connect to your VM from your phone/tablet and deal with it instead of rushing home. Play Windows Solitaire from your iPhone. Confuse people by running a VM from within a browser from within a VM from within a browser from within a VM from within a browser from …… Have your presentation or demo live within a VM so that when your laptop dies at just the wrong time, you can grab anyone else’s laptop or iPad and quickly resume where you left off. Have your iPad set to sync music over the network with a copy of iTunes running in a VM, and then use the same iPad to interact with that same copy of iTunes without ever involving a PC or Mac. Run Windows 8 in your VM full-screen on your iPad, so you can confuse everybody. As WSX evolves, so too will the use cases. I’m personally very curious to see how people will be using it. Installing WSX Right now, WSX ships with the Workstation Tech Preview for Linux installer. You’ll be asked for a port (defaults to 8888), and then it’ll install once Workstation is installed. Make sure you have the python2.6 binary installed on your system, or it won’t run! (This is a temporary limitation.) Now there is a bug today where the installer won’t start the service for you. You’ll need to do: sudo /etc/init.d/vmware-wsx-server start After that, you should be able to point your browser to http://localhost:8888/. If you want to reach your VM from outside your network, just port forward this one port in your router and you’ll be set. You’ll log in with your system’s username and password. No need to create a new account. Windows is another story. We don’t have a build out just yet, but stay tuned on this. I’ll make an announcement when that’s ready. What’s the plan going forward? I can’t speak to our long-term plans, but as I continue to work on the WSX tech previews, my main goals are to make it faster, improve browser compatibility, and make it easier to interact with your VM. This means gestures (two-finger scrolling in place of a scroll wheel on tablets), gamepad controls (play Portal 2 on your iPad!), multitouch, and whatever else we can figure out. These are my goals, and not necessarily those of VMware’s, so don’t hold the company to anything I say here! Limitations and Bugs There are some known limitations and bugs in this build of WSX. Please remember, this is a new prototype, and is not a finalized product! You must have the python2.6 binary installed on Linux for this to run. On the iPad, the on-screen keyboard is currently a little broken when it comes to capital letters and punctuation (anything involving Shift, basically). We use the on-screen keyboards on mobile devices, which don’t contain things like Control keys, function keys, etc. So for now, those keys aren’t available. Looking into proper solutions here. There’s no sound. Sorry if I confused some of you! There’s some things we’re waiting for in modern browsers before we implement this. No ETA or promises from me. You can run against Workstation 8 Shared VMs (I think?), but you won’t see as good performance. Same with ESXi VMs. Feedback? If you try playing around with WSX, I’d love to hear about it. This has been a pet project of mine for the past few months, and I’m pretty excited about it. Yes, there are rough edges that we know about and will be smoothing out as we go forward, but I think it makes for a great prototype, and certainly one I’m starting to love using. |
For a user, it can be difficult to figure out whether an app is malicious. First off it is always good only to install applications from the Google Play store, since most malware is still mainly spread through alternative stores. This year we have seen many different malware campaigns trying to compromise users with malicious apps distributed via Google Play. Even though these apps are often removed within days after having been reported to Google, they still manage to infect thousands of users. All apps submitted to Google Play are automatically analyzed in an effort to block malicious applications, but the latest campaigns we have seen use techniques such as legitimate applications containing malicious behavior on a timer (in this case two hours) in order to circumvent Google Play’s automated detection solutions. Acknowledgement This article is based on joint research we have conducted with Avast and SfyLabs, who have also published their respective blog articles on the topic. In October and November 2017 we ran into two new campaigns using droppers in the Play Store — the first campaign to drop the banking malware. This second campaign has recently been described on this site; we are adding some additional IoCs at the end of this blog article. The droppers from the previous campaigns were far more sophisticated, using Accessibility Services to perform clicks in the background and enable app installation from unknown sources. This new dropper does not have such trickery and relies on the user having unknown sources already enabled. If this is not the case, the dropper will fail to install the BankBot malware resulting in no threat to the user. If installation from unknown sources is enabled, the user will be prompted to install the BankBot malware. This malware seems to be pretty much the same as the instance Trend Micro blogged about in September. Interestingly enough, even though the Tornado FlashLight dropper (com.andrtorn.app) has been removed from Google Play, it is not detected by Google’s Play Protect. The same goes for the malware that is dropped by the dropper (com.vdn.market.plugin.upd). This means the dropper app and malware can still be installed from third-party locations and run without interference, unless the device is running suitable security software. Detailed analysis When the dropper is first started, it will check the installed applications against a hardcoded list of 160 apps. We’ve only been able to identify 132 of them, since the package names are not included in the dropper, but just their hashes. The list of targeted packages has remained the same since the campaign described by Trend Micro. If one or more of the targeted apps are installed when the dropper app is closed, it will start the service with dropper functionality. The dropper will run the same check on device boot and if it succeeds it will also start the service. The service will first request administrator permissions from the user and after obtaining those it will continue to the download routine. The BankBot APK, which is the same for all dropper samples is downloaded from hxxp://138.201.166.31/kjsdf.tmp. The download is only triggered two hours after device administrator rights have been granted to the dropper. Once the download is completed, the dropper will try to install the APK, using the standard Android mechanism to install applications from outside the Google Play store. Besides requiring unknown sources to be already enabled, this install method requires the user to press a button to continue the installation. Looking at the name and icon of the package to install, we assume the attackers are trying to make the user think it is a Google Play update. Once the install is finished, the new APK will request device administrator rights and then the attack continues. If installation from unknown sources is not enabled, Android will show an error message and the installation will fail. How to prevent a successful attack? For a user, it can be difficult to figure out whether an app is malicious. First off it is always good only to install applications from the Google Play store, since most malware is still mainly spread through alternative stores. Second, unless you know exactly what you are doing, do not enable ‘unknown sources’. If you are asked to do this by an app or someone you do not trust personally, it is most likely malware-related. But what if you want to install an app from the Google Play? For the typical user, we recommend using a security solution to catch the already detected malware that has not yet been blocked by Google. Besides installing a security solution, you can check some things yourself to decrease the risk of infection. First, make sure the app has many users and good reviews. Most malware will not have been in the store for a very long time and will not have lot of users. Then, after you install the app, take note of several things: Most malware will ask to become device administrator (do not give this permission as it can be used to prevent being removed). Other malware may ask for accessibility service permission, which would enable it to simulate user interaction with the device, basically taking over the device. Another indicator is the app icon disappearing from your app drawer after the first time you start the app. The malware does this to hide itself. If this happens to you, it’s probably best to back up your data and do a factory reset to make sure the malware is gone. Campaign #1 IoCs Droppers Package name: SHA-256: Tornado FlashLight com.andrtorn.app 89f537cb4495a50b0827 58b34e54bd1024463176d7d2f4a445cf859f5a33e38f phxuw com.sysdriver.andr d93e03c833bac1a29f49fa5c3060a04298e7811e4fb0994afc05a25c24a3e6dc faczyfut com.sysmonitor.service 3a3c5328347fa52383406b6d 6ca31337442659ae8fafdff0972703cb49d97ac2 Lamp For DarkNess com.wifimodule.sys 138e3199d53dbbaa01db40742153775d54934433e999b9c7fcfa2fea2474ce8d zqmfsx com.seafl.andr c1720011300d8851bc30589063425799e4cce9bb972b3b32b6e30c21ce72b9b6 Discounter com.sarniaps.deew bb932ca35651624fba2820d657bb10556aba66f15c053142a5645aa8fc31bbd0 Dropped ynlfhgq com.vdn.market.plugin.upd 9a2149648d9f56e999bd5af599d041f00c3130fca282ec47430a3aa575a73dcd C2 All apps communicate with 138.201.166.31 Campaign #2 IoCs Droppers Package name: SHA-256: XDC Cleaner com.sdssssd.rambooster cc32d14cea8c9ff13e95d2a83135ae4b7f4b0bd84388c718d324d559180218fd Spider Solitaire com.jkclassic.solitaire12334 b6f5a294d4b0bee029c2840c3354ed814d0d751d00c9c3d48603ce1f22dae8b3 Classic Solitaire com.urbanodevelop.solitaire b98d3f4950d07f62f22b4c933416a007298f9f38bebb897be0e31e4399eb39c3 Solitaire com.jduvendc.solitaire b98d3f4950d07f62f22b4c933416a007298f9f38bebb897be0e31e4399eb39c3 Dropped malware xcuah com.vdn.market.plugin.upd 129e8d59f2e3a6f0ac4c98bfd12f9fb5d38176164ff5cf715e7e082ab33fffb6 Adobe Update com.hqzel.zgnlpufg 3f71c21975d51e920f47f6 ec6d183c1c4c875fac93ce4eacc5921ba4f01e39d3 C2 All droppers communicate with 5.61.32.253. The different hostnames used are: – 88820.pro – 88881.pro – 88884.pro The malware samples communicate with 94.130.0.119 and 31.131.21.162. Targeted apps ar.nbad.emobile.android.mobilebank at.bawag.mbanking at.spardat.bcrmobile at.spardat.bcrmobile at.spardat.netbanking au.com.bankwest.mobile au.com.cua.mb au.com.ingdirect.android au.com.nab.mobile au.com.newcastlepermanent au.com.suncorp.SuncorpBank ch.raiffeisen.android com.EurobankEFG com.adcb.bank com.adib.mbs com.advantage.RaiffeisenBank com.akbank.android.apps.akbank_direkt com.anz.SingaporeDigitalBanking com.bankaustria.android.olb com.bankofqueensland.boq com.barclays.ke.mobile.android.ui com.bbva.bbvacontigo com.bbva.netcash com.bendigobank.mobile com.bmo.mobile com.caisseepargne.android.mobilebanking com.cajamar.Cajamar com.cbd.mobile com.chase.sig.android com.cibc.android.mobi com.citibank.mobile.au com.clairmail.fth com.cm_prod.bad com.comarch.mobile com.comarch.mobile.banking.bnpparibas com.commbank.netbank com.csam.icici.bank.imobile com.csg.cs.dnmb com.db.mm.deutschebank com.db.mm.norisbank com.dib.app com.finansbank.mobile.cepsube com.finanteq.finance.ca com.garanti.cepsubesi com.getingroup.mobilebanking com.htsu.hsbcpersonalbanking com.imb.banking2 com.infonow.bofa com.ing.diba.mbbr2 com.ing.mobile com.isis_papyrus.raiffeisen_pay_eyewdg com.konylabs.capitalone com.mobileloft.alpha.droid com.moneybookers.skrillpayments com.moneybookers.skrillpayments.neteller com.palatine.android.mobilebanking.prod com.pozitron.iscep com.rak com.rsi com.sbi.SBIFreedomPlus com.scb.breezebanking.hk com.snapwork.hdfc com.starfinanz.smob.android.sfinanzstatus com.suntrust.mobilebanking com.targo_prod.bad com.tmobtech.halkbank com.ubs.swidKXJ.android com.unicredit com.unionbank.ecommerce.mobile.android com.usaa.mobile.android.usaa com.usbank.mobilebanking com.vakifbank.mobile com.vipera.ts.starter.FGB com.vipera.ts.starter.MashreqAE com.wf.wellsfargomobile com.ykb.android com.ziraat.ziraatmobil cz.airbank.android cz.csob.smartbanking cz.sberbankcz de.comdirect.android de.commerzbanking.mobil de.direkt1822.banking de.dkb.portalapp de.fiducia.smartphone.android.banking.vr de.postbank.finanzassistent de.sdvrz.ihb.mobile.app enbd.mobilebanking es.bancosantander.apps es.cm.android es.ibercaja.ibercajaapp es.lacaixa.mobile.android.newwapicon es.univia.unicajamovil eu.eleader.mobilebanking.pekao eu.eleader.mobilebanking.pekao.firm eu.inmite.prj.kb.mobilbank eu.unicreditgroup.hvbapptan fr.banquepopulaire.cyberplus fr.creditagricole.androidapp fr.laposte.lapostemobile fr.lcl.android.customerarea gr.winbank.mobile hr.asseco.android.jimba.mUCI.ro in.co.bankofbaroda.mpassbook may.maybank.android mbanking.NBG mobi.societegenerale.mobile.lappli mobile.santander.de net.bnpparibas.mescomptes net.inverline.bancosabadell.officelocator.android nz.co.anz.android.mobilebanking nz.co.asb.asbmobile nz.co.bnz.droidbanking nz.co.kiwibank.mobile nz.co.westpac org.banksa.bank org.bom.bank org.stgeorge.bank org.westpac.bank pl.bzwbk.bzwbk24 pl.bzwbk.ibiznes24 pl.ipko.mobile pl.mbank pt.bancobpi.mobile.fiabilizacao pt.cgd.caixadirecta pt.novobanco.nbapp ro.btrl.mobile src.com.idbi wit.android.bcpBankingApp.activoBank wit.android.bcpBankingApp.millennium wit.android.bcpBankingApp.millenniumPL www.ingdirect.nativeframe |
The heat index (HI) or humiture is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the shade. The result is also known as the "felt air temperature", "apparent temperature", "real feel" or "feels like". For example, when the temperature is 32 °C (90 °F) with 70% relative humidity, the heat index is 41 °C (106 °F). This heat index temperature has an implied (unstated) humidity of 20%. This is the value of relative humidity for which the heat index number equals the actual air temperature. The human body normally cools itself by perspiration, or sweating. Heat is removed from the body by evaporation of that sweat. However, high relative humidity reduces the evaporation rate. This results in a lower rate of heat removal from the body, hence the sensation of being overheated. This effect is subjective, with different individuals perceiving heat differently for various reasons (such as differences in body shape, metabolic differences, differences in hydration, pregnancy, menopause, effects of drugs and/or drug withdrawal); its measurement has been based on subjective descriptions of how hot subjects feel for a given temperature and humidity. This results in a heat index that relates one combination of temperature and humidity to another. Because the humidity index is based on temperatures in the shade, while people often move across sunny areas, then the heat index can give a much lower temperature than actual conditions of typical outdoor activities. Also, for people exercising or active, at the time, then the heat index could give a temperature lower than the felt conditions. For example, with a temperature in the shade of only 28 °C (82 °F) at 60% relative humidity, then the heat index would seem 29 °C (84 °F), but movement across sunny areas of 39 °C (102 °F), would give a heat index of over 58 °C (136 °F), as more indicative of the oppressive and sweltering heat. Plus when actively working, or not wearing a hat in sunny areas, then the feels-like conditions would seem even hotter. Hence, the heat index could seem unrealistically low, unless resting inactive (idle) in heavily shaded areas. History [ edit ] The heat index was developed in 1978 by George Winterling as the "humiture" and was adopted by the US's National Weather Service a year later.[1] It is derived from work carried out by Robert G. Steadman.[2][3] Like the wind chill index, the heat index contains assumptions about the human body mass and height, clothing, amount of physical activity, thickness of blood, sunlight and ultraviolet radiation exposure, and the wind speed. Significant deviations from these will result in heat index values which do not accurately reflect the perceived temperature.[4] In Canada, the similar humidex (a Canadian innovation introduced in 1965)[5] is used in place of the heat index. While both the humidex and the heat index are calculated using dew point, the humidex uses a dew point of 7 °C (45 °F) as a base, whereas the heat index uses a dew point base of 14 °C (57 °F). Further, the heat index uses heat balance equations which account for many variables other than vapor pressure, which is used exclusively in the humidex calculation. A joint committee[who?] formed by the United States and Canada to resolve differences has since been disbanded.[citation needed] The heat index is referenced to any combination of air temperature and humidity where the partial pressure of water vapor is equal to a baseline value of 1.6 kilopascals [kPa] (0.23 psi). For example, this corresponds to an air temperature of 25 °C (77 °F) and relative humidity of 50% in the sea-level psychrometric chart. At standard atmospheric pressure (101.325 kPa), this baseline also corresponds to a dew point of 14 °C (57 °F) and a mixing ratio of 0.01 (10 g of water vapor per kilogram of dry air).[2] A given value of relative humidity causes larger increases in the heat index at higher temperatures. For example, at approximately 27 °C (81 °F), the heat index will agree with the actual temperature if the relative humidity is 45%, but at 43 °C (109 °F), any relative-humidity reading above 18% will make the heat index higher than 43 °C. It has been suggested that the equation described is valid only if the temperature is 27 °C (81 °F) or more, and the relative humidity is 40% or more.[6] However, a recent analysis by iWeatherNet found the assumption to be erroneous given that the heat index/relative humidity relationship and the corresponding equilibrium temperature (the point at which the air temperature and the heat index are equal) are nonlinear. The heat index and humidex figures are based on temperature measurements taken in the shade and not the sun, so extra care must be taken while in the sun. The heat index also does not factor in the effects of wind, which lowers the apparent temperature, unless the air is above body temperature. Sometimes the heat index and the wind chill are denoted collectively by the single term apparent temperature, "relative outdoor temperature", or "feels like". Meteorological considerations [ edit ] Outdoors in open conditions, as the relative humidity increases, first haze and ultimately a thicker cloud cover develops, reducing the amount of direct sunlight reaching the surface. Thus, there is an inverse relationship between maximum potential temperature and maximum potential relative humidity. Because of this factor, it was once believed that the highest heat index reading actually attainable anywhere on Earth was approximately 71 °C (160 °F). However, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on July 8, 2003, the dew point was 35 °C (95 °F) while the temperature was 42 °C (108 °F), resulting in a heat index of 78 °C (172 °F).[7] Table of values [ edit ] The table below is from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The columns begin at 80 °F (27 °C), but there is also a heat index effect at 79 °F (26 °C) and similar temperatures when there is high humidity. NOAA national weather service: heat index Tempera- ture Relative humidity 80 °F (27 °C) 82 °F (28 °C) 84 °F (29 °C) 86 °F (30 °C) 88 °F (31 °C) 90 °F (32 °C) 92 °F (33 °C) 94 °F (34 °C) 96 °F (36 °C) 98 °F (37 °C) 100 °F (38 °C) 102 °F (39 °C) 104 °F (40 °C) 106 °F (41 °C) 108 °F (42 °C) 110 °F (43 °C) 40% 80 °F (27 °C) 81 °F (27 °C) 83 °F (28 °C) 85 °F (29 °C) 88 °F (31 °C) 91 °F (33 °C) 94 °F (34 °C) 97 °F (36 °C) 101 °F (38 °C) 105 °F (41 °C) 109 °F (43 °C) 114 °F (46 °C) 119 °F (48 °C) 124 °F (51 °C) 130 °F (54 °C) 136 °F (58 °C) 45% 80 °F (27 °C) 82 °F (28 °C) 84 °F (29 °C) 87 °F (31 °C) 89 °F (32 °C) 93 °F (34 °C) 96 °F (36 °C) 100 °F (38 °C) 104 °F (40 °C) 109 °F (43 °C) 114 °F (46 °C) 119 °F (48 °C) 124 °F (51 °C) 130 °F (54 °C) 137 °F (58 °C) 50% 81 °F (27 °C) 83 °F (28 °C) 85 °F (29 °C) 88 °F (31 °C) 91 °F (33 °C) 95 °F (35 °C) 99 °F (37 °C) 103 °F (39 °C) 108 °F (42 °C) 113 °F (45 °C) 118 °F (48 °C) 124 °F (51 °C) 131 °F (55 °C) 137 °F (58 °C) 55% 81 °F (27 °C) 84 °F (29 °C) 86 °F (30 °C) 89 °F (32 °C) 93 °F (34 °C) 97 °F (36 °C) 101 °F (38 °C) 106 °F (41 °C) 112 °F (44 °C) 117 °F (47 °C) 124 °F (51 °C) 130 °F (54 °C) 137 °F (58 °C) 60% 82 °F (28 °C) 84 °F (29 °C) 88 °F (31 °C) 91 °F (33 °C) 95 °F (35 °C) 100 °F (38 °C) 105 °F (41 °C) 110 °F (43 °C) 116 °F (47 °C) 123 °F (51 °C) 129 °F (54 °C) 137 °F (58 °C) 65% 82 °F (28 °C) 85 °F (29 °C) 89 °F (32 °C) 93 °F (34 °C) 98 °F (37 °C) 103 °F (39 °C) 108 °F (42 °C) 114 °F (46 °C) 121 °F (49 °C) 128 °F (53 °C) 136 °F (58 °C) 70% 83 °F (28 °C) 86 °F (30 °C) 90 °F (32 °C) 95 °F (35 °C) 100 °F (38 °C) 105 °F (41 °C) 112 °F (44 °C) 119 °F (48 °C) 126 °F (52 °C) 134 °F (57 °C) 75% 84 °F (29 °C) 88 °F (31 °C) 92 °F (33 °C) 97 °F (36 °C) 103 °F (39 °C) 109 °F (43 °C) 116 °F (47 °C) 124 °F (51 °C) 132 °F (56 °C) 80% 84 °F (29 °C) 89 °F (32 °C) 94 °F (34 °C) 100 °F (38 °C) 106 °F (41 °C) 113 °F (45 °C) 121 °F (49 °C) 129 °F (54 °C) 85% 85 °F (29 °C) 90 °F (32 °C) 96 °F (36 °C) 102 °F (39 °C) 110 °F (43 °C) 117 °F (47 °C) 126 °F (52 °C) 135 °F (57 °C) 90% 86 °F (30 °C) 91 °F (33 °C) 98 °F (37 °C) 105 °F (41 °C) 113 °F (45 °C) 122 °F (50 °C) 131 °F (55 °C) 95% 86 °F (30 °C) 93 °F (34 °C) 100 °F (38 °C) 108 °F (42 °C) 117 °F (47 °C) 127 °F (53 °C) 100% 87 °F (31 °C) 95 °F (35 °C) 103 °F (39 °C) 112 °F (44 °C) 121 °F (49 °C) 132 °F (56 °C) Key to colors: Caution Extreme caution Danger Extreme danger For example, if the air temperature is 96 °F (36 °C) and the relative humidity is 65%, the heat index is 121 °F / 49 °C. Effects of the heat index (shade values) [ edit ] Exposure to full sunshine can increase heat index values by up to 8 °C (14 °F).[8] Formula [ edit ] There are many formulae devised to approximate the original tables by Steadman. Anderson et al (2013)[9], NWS (2011), Jonson and Long (2004), and Schoen (2005) have lesser residuals in this order. The former two are a set of polynomials, but the third one is by a single formula with exponential functions. The formula below approximates the heat index in degrees Fahrenheit, to within ±1.3 °F (0.7 °C). It is the result of a multivariate fit (temperature equal to or greater than 80 °F (27 °C) and relative humidity equal to or greater than 40%) to a model of the human body.[2][10] This equation reproduces the above NOAA National Weather Service table (except the values at 90 °F (32 °C) & 45%/70% relative humidity vary unrounded by less than ±1, respectively). H I = c 1 + c 2 T + c 3 R + c 4 T R + c 5 T 2 + c 6 R 2 + c 7 T 2 R + c 8 T R 2 + c 9 T 2 R 2 {\displaystyle \mathrm {HI} =c_{1}+c_{2}T+c_{3}R+c_{4}TR+c_{5}T^{2}+c_{6}R^{2}+c_{7}T^{2}R+c_{8}TR^{2}+c_{9}T^{2}R^{2}} where HI = heat index (in degrees Fahrenheit) T = ambient dry-bulb temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) R = relative humidity (percentage value between 0 and 100) c 1 = − 42.379 , c 2 = 2.049 015 23 , c 3 = 10.143 331 27 , c 4 = − 0.224 755 41 , c 5 = − 6.837 83 × 10 − 3 , c 6 = − 5.481 717 × 10 − 2 , c 7 = 1.228 74 × 10 − 3 , c 8 = 8.5282 × 10 − 4 , c 9 = − 1.99 × 10 − 6 . {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}c_{1}&=-42.379,&c_{2}&=2.049\,015\,23,&c_{3}&=10.143\,331\,27,\\c_{4}&=-0.224\,755\,41,&c_{5}&=-6.837\,83\times 10^{-3},&c_{6}&=-5.481\,717\times 10^{-2},\\c_{7}&=1.228\,74\times 10^{-3},&c_{8}&=8.5282\times 10^{-4},&c_{9}&=-1.99\times 10^{-6}.\end{aligned}}} The following coefficients can be used to determine the heat index when the temperature is given in degrees Celsius, where HI = heat index (in degrees Celsius) T = ambient dry-bulb temperature (in degrees Celsius) R = relative humidity (percentage value between 0 and 100) c 1 = −8.78469475556 = −8.78469475556 c 2 = 1.61139411 = 1.61139411 c 3 = 2.33854883889 = 2.33854883889 c 4 = -0.14611605 = -0.14611605 c 5 = -0.012308094 = -0.012308094 c 6 = -0.0164248277778 = -0.0164248277778 c 7 = 0.002211732 = 0.002211732 c 8 = 0.00072546 = 0.00072546 c 9 = -0.000003582 An alternative set of constants for this equation that is within ±3 °F (1.7 °C) of the NWS master table for all humidities from 0 to 80% and all temperatures between 70 and 115 °F (21–46 °C) and all heat indices below 150 °F (66 °C) is: c 1 = 0.363 445 176 , c 2 = 0.988 622 465 , c 3 = 4.777 114 035 , c 4 = − 0.114 037 667 , c 5 = − 8.502 08 × 10 − 4 , c 6 = − 2.071 6198 × 10 − 2 , c 7 = 6.876 78 × 10 − 4 , c 8 = 2.749 54 × 10 − 4 , c 9 = 0. {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}c_{1}&=0.363\,445\,176,&c_{2}&=0.988\,622\,465,&c_{3}&=4.777\,114\,035,\\c_{4}&=-0.114\,037\,667,&c_{5}&=-8.502\,08\times 10^{-4},&c_{6}&=-2.071\,6198\times 10^{-2},\\c_{7}&=6.876\,78\times 10^{-4},&c_{8}&=2.749\,54\times 10^{-4},&c_{9}&=0.\end{aligned}}} A further alternate is this:[11] H I = c 1 + c 2 T + c 3 R + c 4 T R + c 5 T 2 + c 6 R 2 + c 7 T 2 R + c 8 T R 2 + c 9 T 2 R 2 + + c 10 T 3 + c 11 R 3 + c 12 T 3 R + c 13 T R 3 + c 14 T 3 R 2 + c 15 T 2 R 3 + c 16 T 3 R 3 {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}\mathrm {HI} &=c_{1}+c_{2}T+c_{3}R+c_{4}TR+c_{5}T^{2}+c_{6}R^{2}+c_{7}T^{2}R+c_{8}TR^{2}+c_{9}T^{2}R^{2}+\\&\quad {}+c_{10}T^{3}+c_{11}R^{3}+c_{12}T^{3}R+c_{13}TR^{3}+c_{14}T^{3}R^{2}+c_{15}T^{2}R^{3}+c_{16}T^{3}R^{3}\end{aligned}}} where c 1 = 16.923 , c 2 = 0.185 212 , c 3 = 5.379 41 , c 4 = − 0.100 254 , c 5 = 9.416 95 × 10 − 3 , c 6 = 7.288 98 × 10 − 3 , c 7 = 3.453 72 × 10 − 4 , c 8 = − 8.149 71 × 10 − 4 , c 9 = 1.021 02 × 10 − 5 , c 10 = − 3.8646 × 10 − 5 , c 11 = 2.915 83 × 10 − 5 , c 12 = 1.427 21 × 10 − 6 , c 13 = 1.974 83 × 10 − 7 , c 14 = − 2.184 29 × 10 − 8 , c 15 = 8.432 96 × 10 − 10 , c 16 = − 4.819 75 × 10 − 11 . {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}c_{1}&=16.923,&c_{2}&=0.185\,212,&c_{3}&=5.379\,41,&c_{4}&=-0.100\,254,\\c_{5}&=9.416\,95\times 10^{-3},&c_{6}&=7.288\,98\times 10^{-3},&c_{7}&=3.453\,72\times 10^{-4},&c_{8}&=-8.149\,71\times 10^{-4},\\c_{9}&=1.021\,02\times 10^{-5},&c_{10}&=-3.8646\times 10^{-5},&c_{11}&=2.915\,83\times 10^{-5},&c_{12}&=1.427\,21\times 10^{-6},\\c_{13}&=1.974\,83\times 10^{-7},&c_{14}&=-2.184\,29\times 10^{-8},&c_{15}&=8.432\,96\times 10^{-10},&c_{16}&=-4.819\,75\times 10^{-11}.\end{aligned}}} For example, using this last formula, with temperature 90 °F (32 °C) and relative humidity (RH) of 85%, the result would be: Heat index for 90 °F, RH 85% = 114.9. See also [ edit ] |
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Today, a new paper published in Nature adds another chapter to the story of FOXP2, a gene with important roles in speech and language. The FOXP2 story is a fascinating tale that I covered in New Scientist last year. It's one of the pieces I'm proudest of so I'm reprinting it here with kind permission from Roger Highfield, and with edits incorporating new discoveries since the time of writing. The FOXP2 Story (2009 edition) Imagine an orchestra full of eager musicians which, thanks to an incompetent conductor, produces nothing more than an unrelieved cacophony. You're starting to appreciate the problem faced by a British family known as KE. About half of its members have severe difficulties with language. They have trouble with grammar, writing and comprehension, but above all they find it hard to coordinate the complex sequences of face and mouth movements necessary for fluid speech. Thanks to a single genetic mutation, the conductor cannot conduct, and the result is linguistic chaos. In 2001, geneticists looking for the root of the problem tracked it down to a mutation in a gene they named FOXP2. Normally, FOXP2 coordinates the expression of other genes, but in affected members of the KE family, it was broken. It had long been suspected that language has some basis in genetics, but this was the first time that a specific gene had been implicated in a speech and language disorder. Overeager journalists quickly dubbed FOXP2 "the language gene" or the "grammar gene". Noting that complex language is a characteristically human trait, some even speculated that FOXP2 might account for our unique position in the animal kingdom. Scientists were less gushing but equally excited - the discovery sparked a frenzy of research aiming to uncover the gene's role. Several years on, and it is clear that talk of a "language gene" was premature and simplistic. Nevertheless, FOXP2 tells an intriguing story. "When we were first looking for the gene, people were saying that it would be specific to humans since it was involved in language," recalls Simon Fisher at the University of Oxford, who was part of the team that identified FOXP2 in the KE family. In fact, the gene evolved before the dinosaurs and is still found in many animals today: species from birds to bats to bees have their own versions, many of which are remarkably similar to ours. "It gives us a really important lesson," says Fisher. "Speech and language didn't just pop up out of nowhere. They're built on very highly conserved and evolutionarily ancient pathways." Two amino acids, two hundred thousand years The first team to compare FOXP2 in different species was led by Wolfgang Enard from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. In 2001, they looked at the protein that FOXP2 codes for, called FOXP2, and found that our version differs from those of chimpanzees, gorillas and rhesus macaques by two amino acids out of a total of 715, and from that of mice by three. This means that the human version of FOXP2 evolved recently and rapidly: only one amino acid changed in the 130 million years since the mouse lineage split from that of primates, but we have picked up two further differences since we diverged from chimps, and this seems to have happened only with the evolution of our own species at most 200,000 years ago. The similarity between the human protein FOXP2 and that of other mammals puts it among the top 5 per cent of the most conserved of all our proteins. What's more, different human populations show virtually no variation in their FOXP2 gene sequences. Last year, Enard's colleague Svante Pääbo made the discovery that Neanderthals also had an identical gene, prompting questions over their linguistic abilities (see "Neanderthal echoes below). "People sometimes think that the mutated FOXP2 in the KE family is a throwback to the chimpanzee version, but that's not the case," says Fisher. The KEs have the characteristically human form of the gene. Their mutation affects a part of the FOXP2 protein that interacts with DNA, which explains why it has trouble orchestrating the activity of other genes. There must have been some evolutionary advantage associated with the human form of FOXP2, otherwise the two mutations would not have spread so quickly and comprehensively through the population. What this advantage was, and how it may have related to the rise of language, is more difficult to say. Nevertheless, clues are starting to emerge as we get a better picture of what FOXP2 does - not just in humans but in other animals too. During development, the gene is expressed in the lungs, oesophagus and heart, but what interests language researchers is its role in the brain. Here there is remarkable similarity across species: from humans to finches to crocodiles, FOXP2 is active in the same regions. With no shortage of animal models to work with, several teams have chosen songbirds due to the similarities between their songs and human language: both build complex sequences from basic components such as syllables and riffs, and both forms of vocalisation are learned through imitation and practice during critical windows of development. Babbling birds All bird species have very similar versions of FOXP2. In the zebra finch, its protein is 98 per cent identical to ours, differing by just eight amino acids. It is particularly active in a part of the basal ganglia dubbed "area X", which is involved in song learning. Constance Scharff at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany, reported that finches' levels of FOXP2 expression in area X are highest during early life, which is when most of their song learning takes place. In canaries, which learn songs throughout their lives, levels of the protein shoot up annually and peak during the late summer months, which happens to be when they remodel their songs. So what would happen to a bird's songs if levels of the FOXP2 protein in its area X were to plummet during a crucial learning window? Scharff found out by injecting young finches with a tailored piece of RNA that inhibited the expression of the FOXP2 gene. The birds had difficulties in developing new tunes and their songs became garbled: they contained the same component "syllables" as the tunes of their tutors, but with syllables rearranged, left out, repeated incorrectly or sung at the wrong pitch. The cacophony produced by these finches bears uncanny similarities to the distorted speech of the afflicted KE family members, making it tempting to pigeonhole FOXP2 as a vocal learning gene - influencing the ability to learn new communication sounds by imitating others. But that is no more accurate than calling it a "language gene". For a start, songbird FOXP2 has no characteristic differences to the gene in non-songbirds. What's more, among other species that show vocal learning, such as whales, dolphins and elephants, there are no characteristic patterns of mutation in their FOXP2 that they all share. Instead, consensus is emerging that FOXP2 probably plays a more fundamental role in the brain. Its presence in the basal ganglia and cerebellums of different animals provides a clue as to what that role might be. Both regions help to produce precise sequences of muscle movements. Not only that, they are also able to integrate information coming in from the senses with motor commands sent from other parts of the brain. Such basic sensory-motor coordination would be vital for both birdsong and human speech. So could this be the key to understanding FOXP2? Moving mice New work by Fisher and his colleagues supports this idea. In 2008, his team engineered mice to carry the same FOXP2 mutation that affects the KE family, rendering the protein useless. Mice with two copies of the dysfunctional FOXP2 had shortened lives, characterised by motor disorders, growth problems and small cerebellums. Mice with one normal copy of FOXP2 and one faulty copy (as is the case in the affected members of the KE family) seemed outwardly healthy and capable of vocalisation, but had subtle defects. For example, they found it difficult to acquire new motor skills such as learning to run faster on a tilted running wheel. An examination of their brains revealed the problem. The synapses connecting neurons within the cerebellum, and those in a part of the basal ganglia called the striatum in particular, were severely flawed. The signals that crossed these synapses failed to develop the long-term changes that are crucial for memory and learning. The opposite happened when the team engineered mice to produce a version of FOXP2 with the two characteristically human mutations. Their basal ganglia had neurons with longer outgrowths (dendrites) that were better able to strengthen or weaken the connections between them. A battery of over 300 physical and mental tests showed that the altered mice were generally healthy. While they couldn't speak like their cartoon equals, their central nervous system developed in different ways, and they showed changes in parts of the brain where FOXP2 is usually expressed (switched on) in humans. Their squeaks were also subtly transformed. When mouse babies are moved away from their nest, they make ultrasonic distress calls that are too high for us to hear, but that their mothers pick up loudly and clearly. The altered Foxp2 gene subtly changed the structure of these alarm calls. We won't know what this means until we get a better understanding of the similarities between mouse calls and human speech. For now, the two groups of engineered mice tentatively support the idea that human-specific changes to FOXP2 affect aspects of speech, and strongly support the idea that they affect aspects of learning. "This shows, for the first time, that the [human-specific] amino-acid changes do indeed have functional effects, and that they are particularly relevant to the brain," explains Fisher. "FOXP2 may have some deeply conserved role in neural circuits involved in learning and producing complex patterns of movement." He suspects that mutant versions of FOXP2 disrupt these circuits and cause different problems in different species. Pääbo agrees. "Language defects may be where problems with motor coordination show up most clearly in humans, since articulation is the most complex set of movements we make in our daily life," he says. These circuits could underpin the origins of human speech, creating a biological platform for the evolution of both vocal learning in animals and spoken language in humans. Holy diversity, Batman The link between FOXP2 and sensory-motor coordination is bolstered further by research in bats. Sequencing the gene in 13 species of bats, Shuyi Zhang and colleagues from the East China Normal University in Shanghai discovered that it shows incredible diversity. Why would bats have such variable forms of FOXP2 when it is normally so unwavering in other species? Zhang suspects that the answer lies in echolocation. He notes that the different versions seem to correspond with different systems of sonar navigation used by the various bat species. Although other mammals that use echolocation, such as whales and dolphins, do not have special versions of FOXP2, he points out that since they emit their sonar through their foreheads, these navigation systems have fewer moving parts. Furthermore, they need far less sensory-motor coordination than flying bats, which vocalise their ultrasonic pulses and adjust their flight every few milliseconds, based on their interpretation of the echoes they receive. These bats suggest that FOXP2 is no more specific to basic communication than it is to language, and findings from other species tell a similar tale. Nevertheless, the discovery that this is an ancient gene that has assumed a variety of roles does nothing to diminish the importance of its latest incarnation in humans. Since its discovery, no other gene has been convincingly implicated in overt language disorders. FOXP2 remains our only solid lead into the genetics of language. "It's a molecular window into those kinds of pathways - but just one of a whole range of different genes that might be involved," says Fisher. "It's a starting point for us, but it's not the whole story." He has already used FOXP2 to hunt down other key players in language. The executive's minions FOXP2 is a transcription factor, which activates some genes while suppressing others. Identifying its targets, particularly in the human brain, is the next obvious step. Working with Daniel Geschwind at the University of California, Los Angeles, Fisher has been trying to do just that, and their preliminary results indicate just what a massive job lies ahead. On their first foray alone, the team looked at about 5000 different genes and found that FOXP2 potentially regulates hundreds of these. Some of these target genes control brain development in embryos and its continuing function in adults. Some affect the structural pattern of the developing brain and the growth of neurons. Others are involved in chemical signalling and the long-term changes in neural connections that enable to learning and adaptive behaviour. Some of the targets are of particular interest, including 47 genes that are expressed differently in human and chimpanzee brains, and a slightly overlapping set of 14 targets that have evolved particularly rapidly in humans. Most intriguingly, Fisher says, "we have evidence that some FOXP2 targets are also implicated in language impairment." Last year, Sonja Vernes in his group showed that FOXP2 switches off CNTNAP2, a gene involved in not one but two language disorders - specific language impairment (SLI) and autism. Both affect children, and both involve difficulties in picking up spoken language skills. The protein encoded by CNTNAP2 is deployed by nerve cells in the developing brain. It affects the connections between these cells and is particularly abundant in neural circuits that are involved in language. Verne's discovery is a sign that the true promise of FOXP2's discovery is being fulfilled - the gene itself has been overly hyped, but its true worth lies in opening a door for more research into genes involved in language. It was the valuable clue that threw the case wide open. CNTNAP2 may be the first language disorder culprit revealed through FOXP2 and it's unlikely to be the last. Most recently, Dan Geschwind compared the network of genes that are targeted by FOXP2 in both chimps and humans. He found that the two human-specific amino acids within this executive protein have radically altered the set of genetic minions that it controls. The genes that are directed by human FOXP2 are a varied cast of players that influence the development of the head and face, parts of the brain involved in motor skills, the growth of cartilage and connective tissues, and the development of the nervous system. All those roles fit with the idea that our version of FOXP2 has been a lynchpin in evolving the neural circuits and physical structures that are important for speech and language. The FOXP2 story is far from complete, and every new discovery raises fresh questions just as it answers old ones. Already, this gene has already taught us important lessons about evolution and our place in the natural world. It shows that our much vaunted linguistic skills are more the result of genetic redeployment than out-and-out innovation. It seems that a quest to understand how we stand apart from other animals is instead leading to a deeper appreciation of what unites us. Box - Neanderthal echoes The unique human version of the FOXP2 gives us a surprising link with one extinct species. Last year, Svante Pääbo's group at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, extracted DNA from the bones of two Neanderthals, one of the first instances of geneticists exploring ancient skeletons for specific genes. They found that Neanderthal FOXP2 carries the same two mutations as those carried by us - mutations accrued since our lineage split from chimps between 6 and 5 million years ago. Pääbo admits that he "struggled" to interpret the finding: the Neanderthal DNA suggests that the modern human's version of FOXP2 arose much earlier than previously thought. Comparisons of gene sequences of modern humans with other living species had put the origins of human FOXP2 between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago, which matches archaeological estimates for the emergence of spoken language. However, Neanderthals split with humans around 400,000 years ago, so the discovery that they share our version of FOXP2 pushes the date of its emergence back at least that far. "We believe there were two things that happened in the evolution of human FOXP2," says Pääbo. "The two amino acid changes - which happened before the Neanderthal-human split - and some other change which we don't know about that caused the selective sweep more recently." In other words, the characteristic mutations that we see in human FOXP2 may indeed be more ancient than expected, but the mutated gene only became widespread and uniform later in human history. While many have interpreted Pääbo's findings as evidence that Neanderthals could talk, he is more cautious. "There's no reason to assume that they weren't capable of spoken language, but there must be many other genes involved in speech that we yet don't know about in Neanderthals." |
[digg-reddit-me]The August War for Health Care Reform has begun. The forces for health care reform and those against it (working with those who are against it right now) have both begun to wage the battle for public opinion and to influence Congress. Many on the pro-reform side are not sure if they are happy with the plans being considered – and are frustrated with what they see as the lack of forthrightness in selling the plan. There are currently multiple versions of the legislation in Congress – and the president has yet to state what he will require to be in the bill. This all seems part of a strategy, but it makes organizing more difficult. In the end, there is little choice but to trust that if given the proper space and pressure politically, Obama and the Democratic Congress will do the right thing. But while this may be frustrating what has become very clear is that the opponents of reform are willing to lie outrageously in order to turn the tide in this fight. And those people who favor reform must beat back these complaints vigorously. Here’s a roundup of recent lies told by the opponents of reform: 1. Last week in an opening volley, I received a charming email from Townhall.com stating that “ObamaCare=Gov’t Funded Abortion and Euthanasia.” This is clearly not true. 2. Then, this morning, I opened up the Drudge Report and found as his main link a heavily edited video claiming that it showed Obama “IN HIS OWN WORDS” saying his health care plan will eliminate private insurance. Even in its heavily edited version, it didn’t show this. Instead it showed Obama endorsing the generally accepted idea that we should gradually end our employer-based health insurance. Obama’s views on single-payer health insurance have been gone over repeatedly. His campaign website gave three examples of him using the same formulation – which incidentally he also used in at least one debate that I recall: If you’re starting from scratch, then a single-payer system’-a government-managed system like Canada’s, which disconnects health insurance from employment-‘would probably make sense. But we’ve got all these legacy systems in place, and managing the transition, as well as adjusting the culture to a different system, would be difficult to pull off. So we may need a system that’s not so disruptive that people feel like suddenly what they’ve known for most of their lives is thrown by the wayside. So, what we have is a obviously edited video of Obama at various times in the past ten years saying that he supports a single-payer system (cutting out the second half of the statement) and his admission that he believes we should move away from employer-based health insurance. The video though is being promoted as proving that Obama is admitting that his plan would secretly impose government insurance on everyone. The video very clearly shows no such thing. Yet, even so, the Libertarian sub-reddit was fooled and promoted the video. The White House has helpfully provided the videos with some context in what I think is an excellent effort to combat this smear. 3. The hysteria over Obama’s health care reform even bled over into my walk home through Midtown Manhattan. On the way, I passed a booth run by the LaRouche PAC with a picture of Obama with a Hitler mustache (similar to this one) and an older black woman explaining to passers-by that Obama was seeking to kill older Americans just like Hitler did. Everyone knows the LaRouchites are a bit crazy. But how different is this from what Rush Limbaugh says? Or Fox News? I took a flyer from the women – though not before telling the person she was preaching to that Obama really wasn’t actually trying to kill her. The flyer explained (the PDF linked is slightly different version from what I received): U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a nationally-televised press conference at 8 p.m. on July 22nd, in which on five separate occasions he called for health reform legislation featuring the establishment of “an independent board of doctors and health care experts” to make the life-and-death decisions of what care to provide, and what not, based on cost-effectiveness criteria – exactly the infamous “T-4” policy imposed by Adolf Hitler in 1939, for which the Nazi regime was tried and condemned at Nuremberg. Lyndon LaRouche commented, within minutes of Obama’s remarks: “President Obama is now impeachable, because he has, in effect, proposed legislation which is an exact copy of the legislation for which the Hitler regime was condemned in the post-war trials. This is an impeachable offense: to propose such a thing in this time, is an impeachable offense. The time has come that the President of the United States deserves impeachment. With this statement from him, the President now deserves impeachment.” On how many levels is this ridiculous? The independent board of doctors and health care experts would replace MedPAC – a board that currently provides guidance to Congress in setting Medicare rates. Instead of advising, Obama’s new board – the IMAC – would make recommendations as to levels of pay that would be sent to the president and, if then endorsed by him, would be subject to the approval of Congress. They would also do studies of the comparative effectiveness of different types of treatments. Does this sound like a euthanasia program to you? 4. There is also an email is circulating that makes all sorts of outrageous claims about the bills under consideration on health care reform – including many of the above claims – and pretends to cite the pages and lines of the bill that mandate what it describes. Like many of these viral email lists of lies, it relies on the laziness and gullibility of the American people – trusting that people will pass it on rather than check the truthfulness of the claims themselves. The email was pretty thoroughly debunked by Linda Bergthold, a health care policy consultant and researcher who has been working in the field for 25 years, and Politifact, an arm of the St. Petersburg Times that analyzes the truth of political statements. A lot of this stuff is hard to believe – but as Bill Maher pointed out last week – if you let even stupidest arguments stand unchallenged, they will take root and destroy even one’s best efforts. Which is why I’m going to try to make a point of calling bullshit on these outrageous lies as they come by…and you should too… [Image by criswell; used without permission, but hopefully he’ll respond and give it to me soon.] Like this: Like Loading... |
In my review of academic literature around SAP or ERP implementations I find some thought provoking items. Recently I reviewed a study which helped me to form a more complete picture of important issues in IT delivery. Even though I’ve been writing about it for years I gained a new clarity around evaluating some of the existing delivery models [FN1]. What it comes down to is are you looking for service delivery or business results for your SAP project? SAP Service Delivery or Business Value Delivery – You Determine Your Future Because my career started in business and later was exposed to SAP as part of the client core team, and then finally moved on to consulting, I have always recognized the importance of business value. At the same time much of the System Integrator marketplace has been promoting the same old service delivery model they are familiar with. The biggest reason so many system integrators struggle with business value delivery is because they often focus on hiring a lot of really smart college graduates with little or no business experience. Fresh out of college and heads filled with textbook ideas about how business works. If you just want services delivered then no matter what the sales pitch, all of the system integrators are the same SAP, ERP, or Enterprise Application customers are looking for something more. As a recent article I read noted, CIOs do not command the respect of the other key disciplines within the enterprise. In fact, many of their “C” suite peers question whether or not the technology organization serves much of a useful purpose at all. That my friends is a frightening and shocking perspective to me. Stop and think about that a minute, many organizations question whether IT organizations serve a useful purpose in the enterprise. Is it any wonder outsourcing and off-shoring have become so popular? What Does This Mean for SAP Projects? At the end of your SAP project are you satisfied that a project was delivered? Hopefully on time and on budget, but delivered nonetheless? If you are satisfied that your SAP project was delivered on time and on budget then you are focused almost exclusively on service delivery. Many senior level IT leaders and delivery folks just want something to get in as quickly as possible. This is exclusively a service delivery oriented project. The only thing you are concerned about are the skills needed to address the particular technology / application / solution need right now. This will not however provide you any type of ROI (Return on Investment) or ROE (Return on Equity) because ROI and ROE (along with other measures) are pure business metrics. These are not IT metrics and do not measure things like uptime, response time, # of service tickets closed, etc. The idea of ROI, ROE, or Asset Turns are reflections of business activity and investor / owner value. Although they may be seen as irrelevant by many in IT they are still useful to understand if any value was delivered for the investment that is made. Do you want services delivered or business value delivered? Truth is, if you just want services delivered then no matter what the sales pitch, all of the system integrators are the same. For that matter, why even bother with a system integrator or SAP consultants at all? Why not just go to your nearest college and recruit a bunch of really smart graduates for a temporary project and pay them about half what the system integrators charge for a temporary contract? Seriously, why even bother with experienced consultants at all? If SAP service delivery is your focus and not business results it is just a game of who can best make it through the sales process. Whether it is IBM and their premium rates or Rajakrishna’s Consultant Shack and their all you can eat offshore rates. If they can’t speak the local language it really doesn’t matter. On the other hand if you are looking for business results that is entirely different. If your only focus is on time and on budget then you are only looking for service delivery. You are not looking for results, or business change, or IT transformation, or business strategy. Let me make clear I am not suggesting on time and on budget projects should be ignored. What I am suggesting is that if your only focus is on time and on budget then you are only looking for service delivery. You are not looking for results, or business change, or IT transformation, or business strategy. You are merely looking for resources to deliver services to get you to some date at some budget amount. Any offshore or consulting shack fake will get you to a dollar amount (that is the brutal truth but they will deliver “services”). Where is the SAP Value Proposition Focus on Business Results? While SAP Implementation is an Investment NOT an Event many organizations fail to consider their enterprise application deployments as strategic assets designed to produce business results. The good news is that is changing. So the next question is Where do you Start with SAP Return on Investment or SAP ROI? This goes right back to the basics, you must focus on the WHY of Achieving Business Value from SAP Investment. Is the effort about technology replacement or is there some business reason behind the initiative? A recent IBM study under the heading of “The CIO as change catalyst” noted: As the executive working at the nexus of business and technology, CIOs are uniquely qualified to help their companies leverage available tools to meet current economic challenges and to exploit the opportunities that will arise during this crisis—and opportunity will arise for those businesses bold enough to disrupt competition and restructure their industries. CIOs can help transform their companies by better capitalizing on the value of information assets. They can help manage and mitigate business risk through better, more timely information. They can improve service management. They can lower enterprise-wide operational costs—including IT’s—through automation. [FN2] SAP and IT organization heads are gaining insight and experience but at the same time they are being squeezed to cut costs and find value. Focusing on value entails cutting discretionary spending, deploying resources for the highest return, bolstering core competencies and redefining relationships. Cash flow is central to survival and strategic flexibility, which means businesses and business units need to do more with less. Corporations must conserve capital and cut spending where it produces minimal return. Funds must then be redeployed to activities, products and markets that generate growth, improve margins and truly differentiate one business from another. [FN3] Make Sure You Are Headed Down the Right SAP Path To make the transition your SAP project must begin with Creating a Knowledge Centered Learning Organization for Business Transformation for IT Leadership. Whether you are already live with SAP, in the middle of a project, or just starting out, I would strongly encourage you to get serious about Organizational Change Management Inside the SAP IT Support Organization. What most customers do not know is that SAP has offered the “Value Delivery” methodology as part of the ASAP Methodology for many years If you want to know Why Use the SAP ASAP Methodology? for your SAP project consider the fact that SAP has offered the “Value Delivery” methodology as part of the ASAP Methodology for many years. Over the years it has taken many forms, all the way back to the early versions of the ASAP Methodology with the old “KPI” lists. Today it is integrated into the ASAP Methodology structure. Isn’t it time to pursue the value delivery method regardless of whether your system integrator is capable of this or not? ==================== [FN1] Kieninger, A. and Satzger, G., Risk-Reward Sharing in IT Service Contracts – A Service System View, 2011 Proceedings of the 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. [FN2] From fear to value: CIO strategies for propelling business through the economic crisis, pg. 5. Retrieved 4/24/2012 ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/common/ssi/sa/wh/n/ciw03057usen/CIW03057USEN.PDF [FN3] Ibid. pg. 6. Popular Searches: SAP ROI roi sap sap return on investment sap deployment architecture ROI in sap sap business strategy Related Posts: |
Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please support us! It’s only been about one day since the filmmakers behind “Blackfish” and the team behind “The Cove” (i.e. the Oceanic Preservation Society) challenged SeaWorld to a public debate. And, to really no one’s surprise, SeaWorld has already said “no.” Pretty fast turnaround, eh? Advertisement As the Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS) said in a press release, “We welcome an open and honest discussion with SeaWorld. There are millions of families across the globe who have choices about where to spend their vacation dollars. Parents want clear answers about how all aspects of the captivity industry work, including animal welfare and employee safety.” This is a pretty inviting sentiment, and an open discussion would allow both sides to have their say, so, SeaWorld, why are you really afraid of a public debate? Could it be because many of your claims regarding animal welfare are dead wrong? Let’s just take a look back for a moment, shall we? For one, SeaWorld consistently tells the world that they do not separate orca mothers and calves – except for circumstances that would place a family unit in danger. However, as this timeline clearly shows, there have been 18 orcas at SeaWorld parks that have been separated from their mothers. It’s highly doubtful that all 18 of these orca mother-calf pairs would have placed family units in danger – but it would make it a whole lot more difficult to accommodate certain performances, right? Advertisement Advertisement What’s more, SeaWorld insists that their care of orcas somehow benefits those in the wild, referencing “controlled research” studies of their captive killer whales. But how exactly do controlled research studies like one examining the resting metabolic rate of Tilikum help animals in the wild? Captive animals and wild animals have completely different lifestyles, feeding routines, and even lifespans (though, on this last item, SeaWorld also wants us to believe that captive orcas have similar lifespans even though most captive orca whales don’t live longer than a nine year average, as compared to up to 90 years in the wild.) Advertisement Moreover, in SeaWorld’s recent open letter calling “Blackfish” activist propaganda, they say that Tilikum was not collected by the company, and while he may not have been captured by the marine park first-hand, as the letter later states, SeaWorld still “acquired” Tilikum. So just as long as someone else does the dirty work, it’s okay to bring in a wild orca into you facility? But, oh, it’s for conservation, right? Yet, this argument cannot hold since, last we checked, forcing animals to do tricks for audiences and keeping them cooped up in concrete pools is not conservation nor is it beneficial to wild orcas. Advertisement And even if the whales, Tilikum included, are treated like “royalty” as former SeaWorld trainer Mark Simmons states in a new video created by the company, how does this make their captivity okay? Does this mean that as long as we supposedly treat an animal well, we can then keep it confined for the rest of its life? But, this is all just a bunch of activist mumbo-jumbo, right, SeaWorld? Advertisement Fred, Jacobs, Vice President for Corporate Communications at SeaWorld, said via Chron, that the open debate challenge is “little more than a publicity stunt” and the company has “no interest in helping promote a film this dishonest and manipulative.” Bridgette Pirtle, a trainer at SeaWorld San Antonio, also voiced similar sentiments, stating, “It is a predictable activist move to challenge SeaWorld to a public debate forum, one that undoubtedly allow the anti-captivity speakers to further push their radical agendas.” Wait – let’s get this straight – people who are anti-animal captivity are now radical? People who long to see animals back in the wild and free are radical? But capturing (oh, sorry, “acquiring”) a wild-caught orca, and placing them in a tank is not radical? So, you are pro-captivity, SeaWorld? Is that what you mean? Honestly, we’re not quite sure what you mean at all, SeaWorld, but perhaps if you’d seriously consider sitting down for an open debate maybe we won’t be so confused, or quite so angry. Maybe, just maybe, an intelligent and fact-based discussion could take place and perhaps even some kind of agreement would be reached, because, SeaWorld, no one would be mad if you turned into a real open sea pen sanctuary. In fact, most would probably rejoice, and your orcas would, too. Advertisement Image source: Josh Hallett / Flickr |
People who feel an attraction, platonic but sometimes sexualized, to anthropomorphic animals are known as furries. Disney’s new children’s movie, Zootopia, has been caught trying to use these animal lovers to market the movie. Furries are often known for their unique art and incredibly complex costumes called “fursuits,” which resemble those of mascots. Zootopia seems to be a dream come true for furries. Stylized creatures wear clothing and have ordinary jobs in a world filled purely with anthropomorphic animals. The plot centers on the unlikely duo of a male fugitive fox and a female rookie rabbit. Zootopia was such an instant and expected hit among furries that fursuits resembling the characters began appearing online mere days after the first promotional trailer was released. Sexualized fan art of the female rabbit is already circulating the internet. However, furries aren’t forcing themselves into unwanted territory by joining the Zootopia fandom because they’re being recruited. Allied Integrated Media, a digital marketing company contracted by Disney, is actively searching out furry groups. An email sent by the company to Furlife reads, “The pictures of the members of your group all looking like animals are incredible and align perfectly with the film. All of you could live peacefully in Zootopia.” The message goes on to entice the group by saying members can receive free merchandise upon posting photos of their Zootopia fursuits on social media. Joaquin Baldwin, feature animation layout artist and supervisor, even got in on the action. On his personal Twitter Baldwin all but confirmed a fan’s suspicion regarding the marketing of Zootopia. Upon further inspection, it’s easy to see how much the creators of “Zootopia” are trying to seduce furries. Disney redefined the phrase “teaser trailer” when it released a clip of the fox, Nick, appearing naked. After the narrator points this out, Nick blushes and hides his crotch. Moments later he’s clothed and is seen zipping his fly. The biggest issue is keeping the adult content surrounding furries separate from children. However, Disney isn’t betraying children by trying to recruit fans who identify as furries. Creators of children’s films are always trying to bring in more adult fans. This is why viewers can see the inclusion of complex jokes, which would fly over a child’s head. Often when it comes to this subculture, either you hate them or you’re one of them. Even the phrase, “furries ruin everything” has become an inside joke among members. The stigma associated with the group needs to be reevaluated. After all, there’s no harm. Furries are into anthropomorphized animals, so no one can claim bestiality, and members are trying to keep separate from children by allegedly renting isolated theaters. Regardless of an individual’s personal beliefs, this is a smart business move. Furries are incredibly passionate and loyal fans, and as adults they can spend excessive amounts of money on merchandise. From a fiscal standpoint, they’re technically helping children. More fans of Zootopia means more money will be available for future films. As long as the two worlds can remain vastly segregated, each can live in harmony. Instead of shaming furries for being a fringe culture, we should allow them space to be themselves. |
Taking a firm stand on corruption, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced the scrapping of all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes with immediate effect. Speaking at the special nationwide TV address, Modi said, Currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 will be just paper with no value. From tonight 12 am, Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 will not be legal tender. He further added that, Corruption is deep-rooted in the country. From across the border, our enemies are running a racket in India through fake currency. Black money to the tune of Rs 1.25 lakh crore has been unearthed during the last two-and-a-half years. Corruption, fake currency, and terrorism are festering wounds, holding back the economy, says PM. He also said, Those unable to deposit their notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 by December 30 for some reason, they can change the notes till March 31, 2017 by furnishing ID proof. You have 50 days (from November 10 to December 30) to deposit notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 in any bank or post office. This announcement comes at the end of a day on which he met the three chiefs of the armed forces — Army Chief Dalbir Singh, Navy Chief Sunil Lanba, and Indian Air Force Vice Chief BS Dhanoa — to review India's security following the tension with Pakistan. Also read : Govt commits Rs 500cr for Narendra Modi’s Startup India vision, launches another set of initiatives National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was also present at the meeting. The Prime Minister then chaired a meeting of his senior ministers. He further added that, The various schemes launched by the government are aimed at empowering the poor. It shows the government is dedicated to the poor. The process of cash circulation is directly related to corruption in our country, impacting the lower classes of our society Stating from February 2017, the RBI will start issuing Rs 2,000 notes as well. |
(3rd District Councilmember Jannie Blackwell) Auditor Eugene DePasquale released the results of two audits his office conducted of the Philadelphia Parking Authority this morning, in the wake of the sexual harassment scandal that brought down former Executive Director Vince Fenerty. DePasquale describes Fenerty's tenure as the "reign of an unchecked tyrant," and argues PPA mismanagement and corruption likely cost the School District of Philadelphia about $77.9 million over the last 5 years. The information detailed in the release is pretty damning, and raises some serious "what did they know, and when did they know it" questions about the PPA Board's handling of the harassment findings. And there's a lot more to chew on in the 213-page audit, which we'll be taking a few passes at here on the blog. Today we want to focus on the revenue collections issues raised by DePasquale's office, since they have direct bearing on a really bad City Council bill which, unfortunately, is getting its second reading today of all days, and could get a full Council vote as early as next week. The bill in question (No. 160111), introduced by Councilmember Jannie Blackwell (District 3), originally would have granted amnesty for all parking tickets and penalties issued before 2013, as long as vehicle owners paid all fines and penalties incurred since 2013. The owner could also receive amnesty by entering into payment plans on post-2013 fines/penalties. And the bill would also forgive towing and storage fees incurred before 2015 if vehicle owners pay 30% of the amount owed. Amendments introduced by Blackwell today would allow delinquent ticket-holders who haven't incurred tickets since 2013 to pay just $50 and get their whole debt wiped clean. This is problematic for several reasons. First, nobody is alleging that the PPA wrongfully issued these tickets. People racked up the tickets fair and square, and it's not clear why bailing them out would be a high priority use for taxpayer dollars, over other things we might want to spend the money on. Second, this is going to cost the School District millions—if not tens of millions—of dollars over the next few years. The Kenney administration and the School District are both opposing the bill, believing it would deprive Philly schools of a non-trivial amount of revenue. One estimate we heard put the total at $22 million over 5 years. If any Councilmembers had bothered to request a fiscal impact statement, we'd have a better estimate, but the bottom line is that this could be real money, and Council currently has no idea how much they're voting to spend on their parking scofflaw bailout. This is also a big break with the City's usual policy of never forgiving the principal owed, only the interest, fees, and penalties. And it could also reduce ticket payments going forward, since nobody is going to trust that this is really just a one-time bailout. Once you bail out the scofflaws, people are reasonably going to expect you'll do it again at some point, and hold off on paying their tickets. To bring it back to the Auditor General's report, DePasquale's office found that uncollected parking fees are "the bulk of the funds" that the Parking Authority is failing to transfer to the City and School District: The bulk of funds the school district potentially missed out on comes from the district’s share ($76.8 million) of the $107,929,542 in uncollected parking fines and fees between 2012 and 2017. Auditors noted that since 1990, PPA has failed to collect more than $580 million in outstanding parking tickets and associated fees. “All outstanding revenue PPA does not collect is funding lost to the school district and the city,” DePasquale noted. “Every effort should be made to collect unpaid ticket revenue to increase the amount that can be used to educate students in the district. “I guarantee you this, if PPA staff didn’t get paid until all revenue was collected, they would find a way to get 100 percent of the funds. They should work just as hard for students in the district.” City Council's problem, of course, is that they think the Parking Authority is doing too good of a job at collecting unpaid parking fees, and they want PPA to lighten up on this. Lots of people were outraged recently, for example, when the Parking Authority started getting more aggressive on revenue collection by booting cars for outstanding tickets, some of which were 20 years old. But the flipside of this is that PPA has also been sending a lot more money to the School District since Clarena Tolson was installed as interim Executive Director in the wake of the harassment scandal. People want the PPA to be more of a patsy on parking enforcement, and also more of a cash cow, but these two desires are strongly in tension with each other. As the audit makes clear, patronage and shifty contracting practices cost real money, but the bulk of the revenue leakage problem is about PPA's failure to collect the ticket revenue that residents owe them. Councilmember Blackwell's bill would make this problem worse, not better, and before voting it into law next week, members have a responsibility to at least try to figure out how much worse they're going to make it. To stay in the loop on political news, events, and updates from Philadelphia 3.0, sign up for our email newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. |
“What if climate scientists are wrong?” That’s just one question that our motorcycle-riding heroes, Erik and Albert, put to the researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod. In this, the latest episode of Slow Ride Stories, the boys geek out with the PhDs about climate science, climate change, and a little bit of politics. “Society has been hoodwinked by the fossil fuel industry,” says oceanographer Ray Schmitt. “We’re putting out the facts, but people think we’ve got some sort of agenda. We don’t have any agenda. We’re just saying the climate system is changing — what are we going to do about it?” Erik Fyfe and Albert Thrower are traveling across the Northeast by motorcycle, talking with a wide range of people about their perceptions of climate change and experiences with extreme weather. Their aim is to spark conversations about the changing climate and collect local stories about how it may impact everyday Americans. Find all of the Slow Ride Stories here. |
The Layman’s Guide to the Blockchain Chapter 1: The Basics of Buying Bitcoin (or any other coin) ABL Nick Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 13, 2017 If you’ve landed here, that means you’re finally ready to board the rocket ship. The blockchain is a bull, and you want to ride it, seize the financial revolution by the proverbial horns, and with it the day. Great! But hold on there cowpoke you, don’t go wrangling cattle when you don’t know how to ride first. It’s the wild west out there and if you don’t know what it is you’re getting into you’ll get trampled. I guarantee it. It’s for that reason precisely I’d like to talk about what you should consider before investing, basically the every person’s guide to the blockchain. This article is the first chapter in a series of posts and is intended as a longer read so if you find yourself challenged attention wise go ahead and scroll to the bottom for the TL:DR. This is no way meant to be a technical document, but instead, a plainly written how-to that will equip you with the basics you need to get started in the space. It’s simple and easy to navigate. It’s supposed to be that way. So If you’re a seasoned veteran of the Crypto-sphere, then this isn’t your article. But, if you’re just starting out and are looking for a guide through the herd, then congratulations, you’ve just found your lasso. You don’t have to buy the whole thing I have way too many friends missing the boat on cryptocurrency. Too often this is due to a simple misconception that you have to purchase an entire coin to participate. You don’t. This fact is one of the ways crypto varies from stocks and bonds — you can buy as much or as little of a coin as possible. It’s all about the % from your point of entry. If you buy 100 dollars worth of BTC, and then the price of BTC goes up 50%, then congratulations, you’ve just made $50! It’s not too late to get started, in fact, less than 1% of the global market has invested at this point. If you want to take a more in-depth look at why 2018 is going to be the most significant year yet you can take a look at one of my older articles. Making your first purchase There are plenty of exchanges to buy crypto. Most popular of which is easily Coinbase. While Coinbase only allows you to buy the three big coins (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin) The reason for its popularity is that Coinbase is insured so in the event of a hack your money is safe for up to 200K. Their sign up process is easy, just follow the steps to verify yourself and connect your card of choice (they even take debit visa). Once that is complete, it’s as easy as entering the dollar amount you’d like to buy and congratulations, you’ve just purchased your first cryptocurrency! Your wallet A wallet is exactly what it sounds like — it’s where you keep your sweet, sweet digital gold locked up. Now when you open a wallet on an exchange like Coinbase, it may seem straightforward, but there are a few different kind of wallets and trust me, having at least one of each is the safest way to protect yourself against hacks. Blockchains themselves may be safe but the exchanges and places they exist on are still vulnerable. Since 2011 over 10 billion dollars worth of Bitcoin has been scammed and hacked, which I cannot stress enough this is why you need to purchase a hardware wallet like “trezor,” or “Ledger,” they exist to give your funds that added level of protection. Alright — now that we’ve got that covered let’s dive in: Address: The Address of a wallet is how you can transfer funds from one location to another. In most circumstances, your “Address” will appear as a cryptographic key that appears like a random string of numbers and letters. But whatever you do, do not lose it. Copy it, back it up and make sure it is correct otherwise you stand at risk of LOSING YOUR MONEY, with 0% chance of recovery . I repeat — If you screw up or lose this address — you’re going to have a bad time. The Address of a wallet is how you can transfer funds from one location to another. In most circumstances, your “Address” will appear as a cryptographic key that appears like a random string of numbers and letters. But whatever you do, do not lose it. Copy it, back it up and make sure it is correct otherwise you stand at risk of with . I repeat — If you screw up or lose this address — you’re going to have a bad time. Software Wallet: A software wallet is a purely digital wallet; these can exist in the form of phone or computer apps or, can merely be a destination like an exchange. These are the most vulnerable of all wallets because if it touches the internet, it can be hacked. Beyond that always check and verify that these potential wallets are what they say they are and aren’t just a scam. A software wallet is a purely digital wallet; these can exist in the form of phone or computer apps or, can merely be a destination like an exchange. These are the most vulnerable of all wallets because if it touches the internet, it can be hacked. Beyond that always check and verify that these potential wallets are what they say they are and aren’t just a scam. Hardware Wallets: If your wallet is where you keep your digital assets, then a hardware wallet is the safety deposit box. It is the number 1 way to keep your crypto locked and secure until you’re ready to withdraw. That said, you may want to additionally throw it in an actual safety deposit box because the one significant vulnerability of a hardware wallet is that it can be subject to physical theft. The Ledger or Trezor are considered best in class for the moment so if you’re in this for the long haul I 100% recommend picking one of these up. If your wallet is where you keep your digital assets, then a hardware wallet is the safety deposit box. It is the number 1 way to keep your crypto locked and secure until you’re ready to withdraw. That said, you may want to additionally throw it in an actual safety deposit box because the one significant vulnerability of a hardware wallet is that it can be subject to physical theft. The Ledger or Trezor are considered best in class for the moment so if you’re in this for the long haul I 100% recommend picking one of these up. Paper Wallet: This is the most analog way to store your funds that is humanly posssible. Not recommended that you play with this around water. Operates similarly to a Hardware wallet, has both private and public keys, since it is offline, it cannot be hacked. If you’re extremely paranoid or just want to do things the old-fashioned way then read this tutorial by Coindesk, and whatever you do. Don’t lose it. Altcoins, trading pairs and transferring funds As you go deeper and deeper down the blockchain rabbit hole and become more and more familiar with the space you may find yourself tempted to invest in other cryptocurrencies (dubbed “altcoins,”) not featured on Coinbase. To do this, you’ll need to find an exchange that hosts the coins of your choosing. My recommendation is hands down Bittrex, or Binance which support the most robust inventory of coins available. What’s nice is that with these exchanges, generally as long as you’re not intending to trade fiat in for crypto you should be able to open wallets on these platforms without extensive verification. The process of transferring funds from Coinbase to your chosen exchange is relatively straightforward: Select accounts on Coinbase and click send on whatever currency you’d like to transfer Copy the wallet address from your chosen exchange and paste it into the recipient box Allocate funds to send and click continue Wait. See? Easy. Watch out though; every currency has its own transaction time which can vary substantially from days, to minutes and this transaction time can cause some a great deal of stress while everything hangs in transit. Once you’ve secured your funds on an exchange, you can begin buying and trading altcoins instantaneously. You’ll notice that all the currencies have trading pairs in which to trade against such as BTC/LTC, or ETH/BTC. These trading pairs represent what currency is required to purchase the coin. In most circumstance coins are only available to be traded in BTC. However, there is a growing ETH market and USD market. In chapter 3 I’ll go over some fundamental trading strategies, but there are already a plethora of YouTubers and blogs to learn from in the meantime. GDAX and Transaction Fees Once you’ve been purchasing cryptocurrency for a minute, you’ll probably begin hate transaction fees. They’re a thing, they suck, but they exist. Coinbase especially can end up taking a decent chunk out of your purchase, despite being the best option for beginners. Fortunately, there are ways to skirt this. Coinbase has a sister site known as GDAX that mainly operates as a mildly less user-friendly version of Coinbase and operates on its back end. What’s nice about this is that your GDAX account is linked to your Coinbase account and you can instantly transfer funds between them. If you’re American, you should be able to purchase currencies at a lower rate as well, but for everyone else, it’s still beneficial to be able to send our coins to other wallets without incurring fees Cashing out It’s always smart to take profits, after all, what good is accumulating wealth if you can never use it? One of the most common questions I get asked by newbies is “how do I cash out?!” If you’re American, then it’s all fine and dandy, and Coinbase should allow you to make deposits into your account. However, if you are Canadian (or reside in any other country) you’ll need to find an exchange or wallet that supports your currency. Once you’ve transferred your crypto to the chosen wallet, you’ll need to convert it back into fiat currency, and from there you can deposit it directly back into your bank account. Ultimately there is no real winner to the question “which wallet is best.” A couple of recommendations for Canadians looking to withdraw their investments. The Taxman This one’s easy. A big mistake is to think that because it’s “crypto,” that somehow, you’re tax exempt. I guarantee you. You. Are.Not. Talk to your accountant, find an expert or at the very least treat your crypto as you would any other investment, and down the road, you’ll be spared some significant headaches. TL;DR (Too long didn’t read) Use the links below to start buying crypto. No, you don’t have to buy a whole bitcoin (or any other coin). Safety first, protect yourself from hacks with a hardware wallet. Don’t lose your wallet addresses or screw the address up when you send funds, or you are S.O.L. Investing is hard, be dedicated, be smart. You can dodge transaction fees on Coinbase with Gdax. Keep track of your transactions, wisdom suggests the IRS or CRA or whatever financial institution that governs your taxes, will eventually come for you if you’re not reporting your capital gains. Start buying Crypto: Coinbase No you don’t have to buy the whole bitcoin (or any other coin) Get a hardware wallet to keep your digital assets safe from hacks: Ledger Popular altcoin exchanges: Binance Find a wallet that supports your fiat currency and use that account to withdraw your investments like CoinSquare Now that you’ve gotten your hands on some of that digital gold feel free to check back here weekly as new chapters are released and we cover everything from basic investment strategies, to understanding smart contracts, and learning the mysterious origin behind Bitcoin and more. Remember, having a plan or strategy to investing is always important so make sure you’re being calculated in your navigation of the crypto-world. Good Luck! ~ More Chapters Laymans Guide to the Blockchain: Chapter 3 Laymans Guide to the Blockchain: Chapter 2 If you’d like to any of the BlockABL team we’d love to have you join us in our telegram channel: https://t.me/ABL_Ecosystem |
If the second fermentation had gone wrong, or simply wasn’t finished, we’d know. The uncorking would be accompanied by a wimpy sigh, or worse, silence. We hoped for the best as Mr. Oliver removed the wire cage imprisoning the cork. He pulled it out, and with it came a stately, resounding pop. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have beer,” he said. Methodically, he filled a couple of goblets. The beer poured out a lovely auburn brown with touches of red glinting in the midday sunlight. It was hazy, indicating that dead yeast cells had not completed their journey downward to the bottom of the bottle. A rocky head of foam was textured and held its form nicely. We drank, tentatively at first, then deeply. The verdict: It was good. Very good. The aromas were floral with a touch of orange and a metallic note that I sometimes find in honey. On the palate, it was breezy, fresh, tangy and lightly bitter, not bone dry but not at all sweet. I could sense the honey in the round, rich texture of the beer: thickness without weight, like a chenin blanc wine. The soft carbonation enhanced the texture. It didn’t have the insistent rush of bubbles that you would find in a mass-produced beer, or the snappy twang of a pilsner, but rather the soft fizz of a British hand-cranked cask ale. Photo “It’s not without complexity,” Mr. Oliver said, “and it’s an interesting, broad sort of bitterness, a British type of bitterness, which fits the sort of hops they used.” The White House brewers chose classic British hops, Kent Goldings and Fuggles, which yield a gentle, more generalized sort of bitterness than the sharper grapefruit and pine of American hops familiar in American craft beers. They had taken another British-style step, adding mineral salts to the water, a process intended to mimic the famous waters of Burton-on-Trent, a British town renowned for its brewing heritage. Burtonizing is a long American tradition as well. Mr. Oliver has found advertisements in century-old brewing magazines for the American Burtonizing Company in New York. As the beer was exposed to air in the glass, it seemed to become brighter and juicier. Professional brewers have many sophisticated techniques for shaping complexity, but home brewers have it all over them when it comes to freshness. Drinking a proper home-brewed beer that is alive and leaps from the glass is enough to bear out President Obama’s assessment. 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. For me, the biggest surprise was how powerfully the honey influenced the beer in almost every aspect — texture, aroma, flavor — except sweetness. It was a reminder of how extraordinary honey can be both as an ingredient and as a reflection of its particular origins. Mr. Oliver said a request to the White House for a jar of its own honey went unanswered, so he used local wildflower honey, thinking that White House bees would have little motivation to rove beyond the flowers on the grounds. Advertisement Continue reading the main story In analyzing the beer as it was brewed, Mr. Oliver was surprised by how much sugar went unfermented and feared it might be a tad sweet. He pondered whether, on a second try, he would take steps to make the beer drier. “Now that I’ve tasted it, I don’t think I would,” he said. “It’s perfectly balanced.” The beer is still young. With time, the yeast particles should settle, clarifying the brew, and Mr. Oliver suggested it might carbonate a little more. Six months from now, it might develop some nutty, sherry-like characteristics as the beer begins to oxidize. Aside from curiosity, I’d prefer to drink it fresh. In the end, the White House beer is easy drinking at 4.89 percent alcohol. It is rich, round and not terribly bitter. It’s a people’s beer that ought to please a wide spectrum of drinkers, from novices to aficionados. “It has character, but it’s also crowd-pleasing,” Mr. Oliver said. “It’s a politically friendly beer in that regard, and isn’t that what we’re all looking for?” |
Pilgrims pray during a vigil led by Pope Benedict XV at Hyde Park in London September 18, 2010. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Britain’s Catholics have been urged to make more effort to follow religious custom and abstain from eating meat on Fridays, potentially boosting sales of fish. Church law has required Catholics over the centuries to comply with this abstinence as part of Friday penance, the day set aside for special prayer and fasting to mark the day Jesus died. Traditionally Catholics have opted to eat fish instead, though a combination of new church guidance and changing eating habits has eroded this habit. Now the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales wants to re-establish the practice of Friday penance and its abstinence from eating meat as a symbol of a simple shared act of self-denial. “I think Catholics will welcome this,” the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, told reporters. “What we have sought to do in this decision is to establish a shared practice, a shared habit, because habits that are carried out together are better learned and are stronger — we give each other mutual support. “So that’s why there’s a simple, across-the-board expectation that this will be something that Catholics will do.” In 1984, the church broadened its list of things Catholics could do to mark Friday penance in an attempt to attract more people to take part, but it only seemed to dilute adherence to the non-meat rule. The Church hopes the practice will be resumed from September 16 to mark the first anniversary of Pope Benedict’s visit to England and Scotland. |
Share The Latest News Another hot VR game from a famous publisher will be releasing this week. Rockstar Games has released their new immersive experience called LA Noire: The VR Case Files on HTC Vive. The game is priced at $29.99 and is available on Steam. Rockstar Games is famous for publishing hit AAA titles such as GTA V, Red Dead Redemption, and the original LA Noire game. Original Game Storyline For those unfamiliar with the title, LA Noire takes place in the seedy and violent underbelly of 1940’s Los Angeles as decorated veteran and newly minted detective, Cole Phelps investigates an escalating series of cases inspired by real-world crimes. Each successfully solved case brings Phelps greater success, but also brings him closer to the dark criminal heart of post-war L.A. The game was an Official Selection of the Tribeca Film Festival for its cinematic approach to gameplay and narrative back when it was originally released on the console platform. About LA Noire: The VR Case Files In LA Noire: The VR Case Files, users will be placed directly in the shoes of Detective Cole Phelps as you solve brutal crimes, plots, and conspiracies inspired by real cases from 1947 in Los Angeles. During this time, L.A. was a very corrupt town with a lot of violence so users should gear up for some action. The experience will feature 7 cases specifically rebuilt for VR. The cases will range from Traffic, Arson, Homicide, and more. Features: Search for clues by grabbing, inspecting and manipulating objects Get behind the wheel and drive to your next crime scene Engage in chases, fistfights and shootouts as you track down suspects Build your case by making notes or drawing freehand in your detective’s notebook Interrogate witnesses and use your wits to separate truth from lies in a city where everyone has something to hide You can purchase LA Noire: The VR Case Files today on Steam for $29.99. Again, the game is only available for the HTC Vive currently. Rockstar Games always does a great job with their games and we will be expecting a similar result from the upcoming VR experience. We will be live-streaming the game tonight so make sure to check out our Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch channels. |
Sign-up for the Urban Milwaukee daily email Just six months after Wisconsin’s two-year state budget was passed, state revenues are projected to come in below expectations due to slow economic growth. Less revenue makes it more difficult for the current Legislature to pass bills with any cost. Even worse, the slower economic growth projections forecast significant budget challenges for the future 2017-2019 budget. But don’t take it from me. On February 2, Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said “I think this next state budget is going to be just as rough as this past one. The economy is not going to continue to soar, it’s going to lag”. As a reminder, that ‘past one’ Senator Fitzgerald is referring to is the budget that slashed $250 million from the UW System and failed to even attempt to address the $1.05 billion cut from public schools over the last five years. What is most frustrating is these cuts cannot simply be chalked up to a lack of money, since they were made during a budget that spent over a billion dollars more than the previous one. So why is Wisconsin state government in such bad financial shape? The answer is short-sighted budgeting and poor state economic growth. Two budget decisions continue to stand out. The first is the ongoing decision to refuse the Medicaid expansion that would save Wisconsin taxpayers $320 million in our current budget alone, while providing health insurance for 83,000 more people. Wisconsin is the only upper Midwestern state to reject the federal money. Governor Walker and legislative Republicans have decided that denying health insurance to those earning less than $16,240 a year (to make a political point) is more important than funding K-12 public education and the UW System. The second budget decision has been blindly supporting an expansive tax credit passed in Governor Walker’s first budget in 2011 that eliminates most state income taxes on owners of factories and agriculture producers. Originally estimated to cost $128 million a year by 2016-17, it is now estimated to cost more than twice the amount ($283.9 million). Simply delaying the final phase in of this credit by two years could have saved nearly $78 million in the current budget. These tax cuts are among the more than $4.7 billion in state tax cuts passed over the last 5 years in an effort to drive economic growth. But the reality is that it hasn’t worked: Wisconsin’s economy has continued to lag behind the nation as well as neighboring states. Over the last four years, Wisconsin has been 32nd in private sector job growth, last in the Midwest, and over the last year Wisconsin has had a job growth rate that is nearly half of the national rate. Last week, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank announced that Wisconsin is one of only seven states that likely has a shrinking economy in spite of the growing national economy. This news is made worse by the fact that Wisconsin is one of the only states in that group that cannot attribute its sluggish performance to historically low oil prices. This data mirrors the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary estimates that show Wisconsin lost 8,800 private sector jobs between October and December of 2015. So, while Senator Fitzgerald and I don’t agree often, I must agree wholeheartedly with his assessment that our next state budget is likely to be ‘rough’. And I will go even further and make the not-so-bold prediction that rough budgets will continue as long the Governor and Republican majority continue to sacrifice valued Wisconsin institutions, like education, on the altar of badly-crafted tax cuts that mostly benefit the wealthy and aren’t designed to create jobs. State Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) serves on the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee. |
Amidst the uproar over ARK: Survival of the Fittest going to the PlayStation 4 first, Studio Wildcard promised Xbox One owners of ARK: Survival Evolved would get a special announcement Friday. The developer delivered by revealing support for official mods to the dinosaur survival game. The first two are a gorgeous map and a total conversion that adds even more depth to the game’s crafting. Studio Wildcard announced mod support for ARK: Survival Evolved on the Xbox One during a Twitch livestream from their PAX East booth. The first two official mods include the stunning “The Center” map created by professional designer Ben Burkart (aka evilmrfrank) and the Primitive+ total conversion mod from modder ComplexMinded, whose work led to him joining Studio Wildcard. The developer stated it will be “working hard to introduce more of your favourite mods” in future updates to the game. “The Center” map will arrive as an official mod for the Xbox One and PC in May. It is signified by the giant floating island in the middle of the map surrounded by waterfalls. The map was designed by hand and features some extreme and visually impressive features with an extensive amount of cool places for players to build bases. One section of the custom ARK map features twin active volcano with lava flowing while another stars a snowy mountain. There is, of course, a number of forests, swamps, rocky formations, and more for players to explore. The map also features an extensive cave system meant to create a Journey to the Center of the Earth feel. “The Center” map is currently leading the votes in the map category for the ARK: Survival Evolved worldwide mod contest. It currently has a slight 27 vote lead over the enormous “Valhalla” custom map with a winner planned to be announced on May 15. Primitive+ is already featured as an official mod for the PC with a handful of official servers featuring it. The mod is listed as “coming soon” for the Xbox One with no definitive release date. As previously covered, the total conversion stops the progress of the technology progression in the game at the Stone tier. However, it also expands the number of resources, crafting options, and more to dozens of new options. The number of unlocks available is robust enough to force players to specialize in certain areas and unable to lock the majority of the engrams available in the current game. “How would diplomacy and the economy work when you mix these various specialized backgrounds?” the mod maker asks. “What happens when the person you are about to shoot with a musket is the farmer that happens to have a tea and coffee monopoly on the island? What happens when you actually need your neighbor…..?” Those who try out the Primitive+ mod will notice some changes immediately. For example, Dodos now drop Chicken Meat which, when cooked, lasts much longer than standard Cooked Meat. Additionally, foraging the bushes in Ark also presents the opportunity to harvest various types of bees that can be used to help establish a beehive. The height of firepower in the ARK PrimitivePlus mod. The dozens of changes and addition to vanilla ARK: Survival Evolved only grows from there. New resources are available to harvest or craft including Clay, Brick, Salt, Sugar, Flour, Glass, Steel, Obsidian and more. New crops are available to grow such as Rice, Lettuce, Wheat, Coffee, Tea, Tobacco, and others. Players can build Baking Stations to help bake food or Lumber Stations to make Wooden Plans and various other materials. New weapons are introduced as well. There’s a Hunting Knife, Machete, Metal Hammer, Obsidian Spear, Obsidian Arrow, and even a Flaming Arrow. Arrows aren’t the only projectiles available, however. Flintlock Pistols and Muskets are available, but that is the extent of the firearms available for ARK Survivors playing the Primitive+ mod. ARK: Survival Evolved is currently available in Steam Early Access for the PC and the Game Preview Program for the Xbox One. It is currently targeting a summer release date for both platforms plus the PlayStation 4. [Image via Studio Wildcard] |
A federal court in Maryland has imposed a $163 million opinion and judgment against defendants from Innovative Marketing in a massive scareware operation. The company sold the scareware under the names WinFixer, WinAntiVirus, and WinAntiVirusPro, among other monikers. Kristy Ross and two of the company's founders—Sam Jain and Daniel Sundin—were determined to be jointly liable for that amount. Ross was not present during the two-day bench trial. This case was specifically brought against Ross, but her case is part of a larger one against eight of the company's leaders. In the court filing, the judge explained that of these original eight defendants, "four have settled with the FTC, and three are in default and have had judgments entered against them for failure to appear and participate in this litigation." However, the judge added that as founders, Jain and Sundin were to be made "jointly and severally liable" for the $163 million judgment. In a recent judgment (PDF), Ross was determined to have “misrepresented, expressly or by implication, that they had conducted scans of consumers’ computers and detected security or privacy issues, including viruses, spyware, system errors, and pornography.” The $30 to $100 program would trick users into thinking their computer was infected with malware, and would then sell software to rectify this fictitious problem. More than a million copies of this software were sold. This resulted in approximately 3,000 customers filing complaints with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Innovative Marketing took in around $60 million in revenue between 2000 and 2008, when the first legal action was brought. Ross argued she was just an employee of the company and was not a “control person,” and did not have “requisite knowledge of the misconduct,” and therefore bore no personal liability. The federal judge in the case clearly didn’t buy her argument. In addition to the monetary penalty, the court ruled that Ross “shall be permanently restrained and enjoined from the marketing and sale of computer security software and software that interferes with consumers’ computer use, as well as from engaging in any form of deceptive marketing.” |
The Rev. Anthony Cauvin really needed a vacation. Within a span of just a few years, he had developed a Roman Catholic parish in Hoboken, gathering congregants and opening buildings for worship and the education of youngsters. But he was concerned about his town. It was 1862 and the Civil War was raging in America. Hoboken was the port soldiers shipped out of and wounded men returned to. Left on shore were women and children without shelter, food or means of support . Along with Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine, they’d created a tent city along the waterfront rife with petty crime and disease. So the priest was relieved to leave for a while, hoping as he sailed to Europe to visit family, he’d think of a way to help. Help came via a casual conversation with another traveler. His ship’s captain had grouped priests and sisters together at a single table, so Father Cauvin was seated next to a young nun returning to Germany after visiting a hospital in Ohio. As they dined, Frances Schervier told the priest about growing up in Aachen, Germany, with a calling to begin a religious order to provide health care to the poor. She talked about the hospitals she’d set up in Germany and the one she’d established the year before in an Ohio town. Cauvin described Hoboken and its needs and said he was certain his congregation would support a hospital. For the five days of their journey, they prayed and planned. When Frances reached Aachen, she began recruiting young women who shared her mission and raised funds to pay their one-way passage. When Cauvin returned to Hoboken, he excitedly told his parishioners help was on its way. In January 1863, four Franciscan Sisters of the Poor and a novice arrived in Hoboken. They spoke no English, had no formal training and had not a penny among them. But they had faith God would provide and the parishioners of Our Lady of Grace would welcome them. The parish had rented a small 12-room house at 134 Meadow Street (now 324 Park Ave.), built 28 beds, stocked the pantry and presented the leftover money to the nuns to buy medical supplies. It was Saturday when the Franciscans arrived and unpacked. They spent Sunday morning in church and Sunday afternoon greeting their new neighbors. Monday they welcomed their first patients. The downstairs rooms were reserved for the sick and the nuns slept in the attic, a room too small to stand up in but good enough for the exhausted women to rest after tending patients and begging door to door soliciting goods and funds from whoever could spare them. After only three years, they’d set aside enough money to build a hospital at Fourth and Willow and named it St. Mary. You know the rest of the story. The population of Hoboken kept growing and the health needs grew as well. St. Mary Hospital (now Hoboken University Medical Center) continued to be a leader in community health care till the 1990s when, like so many other hospitals, it fell on hard times. It was rescued by Carepoint Health, which began making investments in its structure and services and partnering with other healthcare providers to ensure Hoboken’s hospital is positioned to provide quality health care today and for years to come. Tomorrow, the hospital -- the oldest in New Jersey -- is celebrating 150 years of service. Happy anniversary, Hospital – and thanks for all you’ve done. Editor's note: Joan Quigley, the former vice president for external affairs at St. Mary Hospital/Hoboken University Medical Center, writes in this space every Tuesday. |
Juan Williams‘ patience expired fairly openly on Hannity tonight after an attack of “elitism” from Michelle Malkin that stemmed from a debate about Attorney General Eric Holder where Williams took offense at Malkin saying Williams and other liberals only blamed Bush for President Obama’s failings, to which he initially replied “I’m a real reporter, not a blogger out in the blogosphere somewhere.” RELATED: O’Reilly, Juan Williams Clash Over Meaning Of Obama’s Private Sector Gaffe “All you can say is Plame, Plame, Plame; blame, blame, blame; Bush, Bush, Bush,” Malkin told Williams as he argued that the current national security White House leaks were not different from what had transpired in other White Houses. Williams took offense to that, telling Malkin that he was a “real reporter, not a blogger out in the blogosphere somewhere,” which in turn visibly offended Malkin, who retorted, “right, because I’m not a real reporter.” Williams completed his point that reporters “did not get any classified information,” over both Hannity and Malkin, before Hannity gave Malkin the last word. She used that last word against Williams. “The American people are sick of the kind of snotty condescension from liberal elite journalists like Juan Williams who tell us that the rest of us are not doing our jobs, when the point is that when Eric Holder was shamefully approved and nominated and approved to be Attorney General–” At this point, after a heavy eyeroll and mouthing “Oh my God,” Williams interrupted to inform her that she was “way off topic” and “not talking about what we’re debating here tonight on Sean’s show.” Hannity interjected when Williams tried to repeat that nothing different had happened in the Bush administration, and Williams and Malkin coolly thanked each other at the end of the segment. The clip via Fox News below: —– Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com |
Of a total of 1,322 Superfund sites as of June 5, 2014, nearly 25 percent of them are in Indian country. Manufacturing, mining and extractive industries are responsible for our list of some of the most environmentally devastated places in Indian country, as specified under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the official name of the Superfund law enacted by Congress on December 11, 1980. Most of these sites are not cleaned up, though not all of the ones listed below are still active. Some sites are capped, sealing up toxics that persist in the environment. In cases like the Navajo, the Akwesasne Mohawk and the Quapaw Tribe, the human health impacts are known because some doctors and scientists took enough interest to do studies in their regions. Some of those impacts may persist through generations given the involvement, as in the case of the Mohawk, of endocrine disrupters. Read on. 1. Salt Chuck Mine, Organized Village of Kasaan, Alaska The Salt Chuck Mine Superfund site in southeast Alaska operated as a copper-palladium-gold-silver mine from 1916 to 1941. Members of the Organized Village of Kasaan, a federally recognized tribe, traditionally harvested fish, clams, cockles, crab and shrimp from the waters in and around Salt Chuck, unaware for decades that areas of impact were saturated with tailings from the former mine. As if that weren’t enough, Pure Nickel Inc. holds rights to mining leases in the area and began active exploration to do even more mining in summer 2012, according to Ground Truth Trekking. 2. Sulfur Bank Mine, Elem Band of Pomo Indians, California The Elem Band of Pomo Indians, whose colony was built on top of the waste of what would become California’s Sulfur Bank Mine Superfund site in 1970, have elevated levels of mercury in their bodies, and now fear for their health. According to an NBC News investigation, nearby Clear Lake is the most mercury-polluted lake in the world, despite the EPA’s spending about $40 million over two decades trying to keep mercury contamination out of the water. Although the EPA cleaned soil from beneath Pomo homes and roads, pollution still seeps beneath the earthen dam built by the former mine operator, Bradley Mining Co. For years, Bradley Mining has fought the government’s efforts to recoup cleanup costs. 3. Leviathan Mine, Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California requested EPA involvement in the cleanup of an abandoned open pit sulfur mine on the eastern slope of California’s Sierra Nevada that became the Leviathan Mine Superfund site. The Washoe Tribe had become concerned that contaminated waters were affecting their lands downstream, causing impacts to culture and health, environmental damage, remediation, monitoring and testing, posting of health advisories, drinking water, effects on pregnancy, and cancer. Aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, iron, manganese, nickel and thallium have been detected in surface water and sediment downstream from the mine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that exposures could result in cancerous and non-cancerous health effects. 4. Eastern Michaud Flats, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, Idaho The abandoned FMC phosphorus facility occupies more than 1,000 acres of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho, and lies within Eastern Michaud Flats Superfund site. The primary contaminants of concern at the site are arsenic, elemental phosphorous and gamma radiation. FMC left a legacy of contamination in the air, groundwater, soil and the nearby Portneuf River, which threatened plants, wildlife and human health on the reservation and in surrounding communities. The Shoshone-Bannock have long asked for a cleanup of contaminated soils, but instead the EPA’s 2012 interim remedy is to cap and fill, including areas containing gamma radiation and radionuclides. 5. Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Idaho The Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund site, located in the Coeur d’Alene River Basin, is one of the largest environmental and human health cleanup efforts in the country. Its contamination, the result of decades of mining, milling and smelting, affected more than 150 miles of the river, lake and its tributaries. The area, listed a Superfund site in 1983, is one of the “largest and most complex” in the country, according to the EPA. Studies revealed that three quarters of children living in the area in the 1970s had unhealthy levels of lead in their bloodstream. The United States, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the state of Idaho settled with the Hecla Mining Co. in June 2011 for $263.4 million to resolve claims stemming from releases of wastes from its mining operations, an agreement that will protect people’s health by ensuring the cleanup of areas heavily polluted with lead, cadmium, arsenic and other contaminants. 6. Rio Tinto Copper Mine, Shoshone Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley, Nevada The Shoshone Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley and the state of Nevada will oversee cleanup of the abandoned Rio Tinto Copper Mine Superfund site with $25 million paid by the Atlantic Richfield Co., DuPont and Co., the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. and Teck American Inc., all corporate successors to companies that operated the copper mine between 1932 and 1976. The agreement was worked out last year by the EPA, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. The cleanup will remove mine tailings from Mill Creek, make the creek habitable for redband trout and improve the water quality of Mill Creek and the East Fork Owyhee River. 7. Alcoa Superfund Site, Akwesasne and Saint Regis Mohawk, New York The Alcoa Superfund aluminum manufacturing facility in Massena, New York, released hazardous substances including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) onto property and into the Grasse River, contaminating sediments in the river system to approximately seven miles downstream, a traditional area of the Akwesasne Mohawk. Analysis of fish in the Grasse River revealed high levels of PCB contamination. PCBs are linked to cancer, low birth weight and thyroid disease, as well as learning, memory and immune system disorders. When in April 2012 the EPA finalized a cleanup plan that requires dredging and capping of contaminated sediment in a 7.2 mile stretch of the river in April 2012, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe were not satisfied with the capping solution. 8. General Motors Massena, Akwesasne Mohawk Some 4,000 Saint Regis Mohawks live adjacent to the General Motors Massena Superfund site in Massena, New York, which while in operation used PCBs, plus generated and disposed of various industrial wastes onsite. PCBs have been found in the groundwater, on- and off-site soils and sediments in the St. Lawrence and Raquette Rivers, Turtle Cove and Turtle Creek. PCBs are probable human carcinogens that can also affect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems, as well as cause other health effects. Groundwater was also found to be contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are potentially harmful substances that easily evaporate in the air. Phenols have been detected in lagoons left behind. Under an August 2010 EPA order, Motors Liquidation Co., formerly GM, and then RACER Trust became responsible for additional sampling, decontamination of the building and contents, demolition of the building, removal of PCB-contaminated soil beneath the building and restoration of the area. A controversial landfill of capped contamination will be moved 150 feet from the tribal border in 2014, EPA regional administrator Judith Enck told the Associated Press in 2012. The bodies of young Akwesasne Mohawk adults contain twice the levels of PCBs as the national average, compared to those studied by the CDC. Researchers have already established that PCBs have altered thyroid gland function in the Akwesasne community. Prior studies found lower testosterone levels and established links to autoimmune disorders. “Endocrine disruption seems to be the effect which is most far reaching, because other effects on the reproductive system may be well tied into that,” said Lawrence Schell, a professor at the State University of New York (SUNY at Albany) and director of its Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities who was involved in an exposure research study at the St. Regis Mohawk Nation. 9. Onondaga Lake, Onondaga Nation, New York Onondaga Lake is a sacred place. The Great Peacemaker formed the Haudenosaunee, known as the Iroquois Confederacy, on its shores. That the 4.5 square mile lake in Syracuse, New York is spoiled is a painful thing. Sewage overflows contaminated the lake over the years, as did industrial pollutants and heavy metals such as PCBs, pesticides, benzene, toluene, xylene, creosotes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), lead, cobalt, and mercury. The Onondaga Lake Superfund site, listed in 1994, consists of the lake itself and seven major and minor tributaries. Completion of the dredging work is being performed by Honeywell International with oversight by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the EPA and the New York State Department of Health, and capping is expected in 2016. The Onondaga Nation states the Honeywell cleanup plan does not effectively contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals that will be left beneath caps in the lake-bottom sediments. “Caps are not a reliable form of containment—they will fail, and whether it is in 10 years or 110 years, it is only a matter of time,” the Onondaga said in a statement. “And when that happens, the chemicals will be re-released into the ecosystem.” Nor does the plan set any goals for making the lake ‘swimmable’ or ‘fishable’ they say—a requirement under the Clean Water Act, the Onondaga added. 10. Tar Creek, Quapaw Tribe Picher, Oklahoma, part of the Quapaw’s tribal jurisdictional area, was home to productive zinc and lead mining until 1967, when mining companies abandoned 14,000 mine shafts, 70 million tons of lead-laced tailings, 36 million tons of mill sand and sludge and contaminated water, leaving residents with high lead levels in blood and tissues. The area was declared the Tar Creek Superfund site in 1983, but Picher was deemed too toxic to clean up after a 1993 study found that 34 percent of the children tested in Picher had blood lead levels exceeding the point at which there is a risk of brain or nervous system damage. Cancers skyrocketed. A federal buyout paid people to leave. The Quapaw Tribe has cleaned up part of the Tar Creek Superfund site known as the Catholic Forty and has signed agreements to clean up two other sections of the contamination. Their goal is to make the land productive again. 11. Midnite Mine, Spokane Indian Reservation, Washington The 350-acre Midnite Mine Superfund site on the Spokane Indian Reservation in eastern Washington is centered around a former open pit uranium mine that poses a threat to human health due to elevated levels of radioactivity and the presence of heavy metals. Years of digging for uranium from 1954 to 1964, and again from 1969 to 1981, have disturbed 350 acres, left two open mine pits and piles of toxic rock on the landscape. Under a September 2011 agreement, Newmont USA Limited and Dawn Mining Company LLC would design, construct and implement the cleanup plan for the site that EPA selected in 2006. They will also reimburse EPA’s costs for overseeing the work. The United States will contribute a share of the cleanup costs. EPA will oversee the cleanup work in coordination with the Spokane Tribe. Cleanup is expected to cost $193 million. 12-532. Uranium Mining, Navajo Nation The legacy of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation is radioactive uranium contamination from 521 abandoned Superfund mine sites spread over 27,000 acres of Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona in the Four Corners area, leaving many homes and drinking water sources on the reservation with elevated levels of radiation. The health effects to Navajo citizens include lung cancer from inhalation of radioactive particles, bone cancer and impaired kidney function from exposure to radionuclides in drinking water. The EPA has completed on-the-ground screening of the mine sites, and with the Navajo EPA is determining the order of site cleanup. Cleanup of some sites has begun while the US EPA continues to research and identify Potentially Responsible Parties under Superfund laws to contribute to cleanup costs. Article originally published at indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com. |
A Frederick family was surprised enough when a strange woman walked into their house in broad daylight and locked herself in a bathroom. Then she emerged from the bathroom naked. A Frederick family was surprised enough when a strange woman walked into their house in broad daylight and locked herself in a bathroom. Then she emerged from the bathroom naked. The woman entered the McNeal family’s house in the 600 block of Huntover Lane on Oct. 28 through an unlocked door where two Chihuahuas were sunbathing. Robin McNeal was at work, but her mother and daughter were inside the house in the Monarch Ridge neighborhood. “My mother saw her walk in,” McNeal said. As if she knew the layout of the house, the woman went straight to the bathroom. “She locked herself in the bathroom, came out butt naked,” McNeal said. McNeal’s daughter, Kristen McNeal, 22, said she asked the woman to come out of the bathroom. When that failed, Kristen McNeal tried to pick the lock. She was ready to break down the door when it opened to reveal the woman was naked except for a short red jacket. It was unzipped. The woman walked through the kitchen to the garage, Robin McNeal said. Kristen McNeal said she locked the woman in the garage to hold her until police arrived. “I wanted to get her away from my grandmother and the dogs,” Kristen McNeal said. “They were really freaking out more than usual.” Before police arrived, the woman escaped from the locked garage. She was seen walking down the street naked, according to charging documents filed in Frederick County District Court. “I think she was under the influence and just messed up,” Robin McNeal said. “From what I could tell, nothing was missing.” Neighbors directed police to a house in the 600 block of Bushytail Drive, where officers found Tiaray Conyett Summers, 31, of Frederick, the charging documents state. Police arrested Summers and charged her with fourth-degree burglary. Summers denied being inside the McNeals’ house and told police she had been sleeping and just woke up to answer the door. Summers lives about a mile away on Riggs Court, according to online court records. Police showed Summers the clothes and a pair of earrings that were left at the McNeals’ house. After repeated questioning, Summers said the earrings were hers. The clothes belonged to a child Summers was supposed to be baby-sitting, according to charging documents. Summers was released on bail. The McNeals say they will be more careful about letting their dogs sunbathe in front of an unlocked door. Copyright 2011 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved. |
Politics In The News: Transition And Recount An effort led by Green Party candidate Jill Stein to recount votes is moving ahead in Wisconsin, as Donald Trump's deliberations over who to pick as secretary of state has turned into a public feud. STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Here are some facts about the presidential election. Donald Trump won thanks to electoral votes. He has a majority. Recounts in a handful of states are considered very, very unlikely to change that. Another fact is that Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report vote tracker puts Trump behind by about 2.2 million votes as of the latest count. In response to that fact, the president-elect last night made a claim, without evidence, that millions of illegal votes were cast against him. NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson is on the line now to talk about that and more. Hi, Mara. MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Hi, Steve. INSKEEP: Why would the president-elect say that with no evidence? LIASSON: Well, we don't know why. He doesn't like losing. He lost the popular vote, and it seems that's really bothering him. But, you know, the saga of the rigged election by Donald Trump has taken a lot of twists and turns. In the summer, he said he could only lose if the election was stolen. He predicted massive voter fraud before any votes were cast. Then, when Jill Stein, this - one of the third-party candidates - started a recount in several states, he issued a statement saying the results of the election should be respected instead of challenged. Now, in a series of tweets, he seems to have reversed himself completely and is claiming without any evidence that he would have won the popular vote except for these millions of undocumented immigrants casting illegal votes. There is no evidence for this. It's being pushed by a right-wing website called Infowars, run by Alex Jones, who's a big supporter of Trump. This website promotes a lot of conspiracy theories, including one that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was faked in order to promote gun control legislation. So it is remarkable to have a president-elect make unfair, unfounded claims that don't even matter. As you said, Donald Trump won the election. INSKEEP: And the few cases of fraud that were caught during the election season included a person who tried to vote twice for Donald Trump. There's just no evidence here whatsoever. LIASSON: Not at all. You know, he did say in some of his tweets that there was massive fraud in Virginia, New Hampshire and California - three states he lost. If that's the case, wouldn't he want a recount in those three states, or even a national recount? You know, there are a lot of theories about why he's doing this. One, maybe he's not secure in his victory. Two, maybe he's trying to distract from stories about his business dealings with foreign governments abroad, which might prove unconstitutional, or that he's falsely sowing this voter fraud story to lay the groundwork for more restrictive voting laws. INSKEEP: Well, now, there is this recount going on. It's been requested by Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate - Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton's campaign is beginning to get involved. Where does all that stand? LIASSON: Well, it's been requested by Jill Stein, as you said. Hillary Clinton's lawyers are participating in Wisconsin and any other states that might grant one. The Clinton campaign said they would never have started this recount. They don't have any evidence of hacking or irregularities, but this is due diligence on their part, as long as this recount has been started. No one expects the recount to change the result. Hillary Clinton has conceded, and that is not changing. INSKEEP: Let me ask about one other thing, Mara Liasson, you mentioned Trump's business dealings abroad. It's become clear that he's discussed business and public policy. He acknowledges he might have done that on the same phone call already as president-elect. How is the White House intending to handle this? LIASSON: We don't know yet. They say that the White House counsel will resolve this issue. They've said in the past that he's going to turn his business over to his children. I don't really know how that separates him from it, but he does have business dealings all over the world. And in some cases - the Philippines - his business partner is a special envoy to the United States. INSKEEP: And federal ethics laws do not apply to the president, as Trump has pointed out. LIASSON: Well, conflicts of interest laws don't, but there is the Emoluments Clause, which said that the president cannot take anything from any foreign government that would be considered a benefit. And, of course, if he's getting revenue from foreign governments or foreign government-owned businesses, that could be a problem. INSKEEP: And that is a clause of the United States Constitution. Mara, thanks very much. LIASSON: Thank you. INSKEEP: That's NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Copyright © 2016 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. |
__ Nebraska is not California. Omaha is not San Francisco. This sounds glaringly obvious but sometimes entrepreneurs in the Midwest get caught up in proving that we’re the same as any other startup scene in the country. But we’re not… and that’s okay! It doesn’t mean we don’t have big ideas here. It doesn’t mean there’s no tech leadership here. And it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t build a disruptive tech company here. The Silicon Prairie may not have the same quantity of startups as Silicon Valley, but we have just as much quality. You just have to know where to look. Nebraska has actually been pretty good at creating a startup and building it into a billion dollar company. Did you know that the Omaha company ACI invented the ATM’s software that you still see each time you use an ATM? Despite its spectacular demise, many people forget that Enron was created when the CEO of Northern Natural Gas (an Omaha company) decided to merge his startup company with Houston Natural Gas. Inacom was a Fortune 500 company (albeit briefly) meaning Omaha has had 6 Fortune 500 companies. West, Kiewit, Mutual of Omaha, Solutionary, TD Ameritrade, Sojern–all got their start in Omaha. We just haven’t started one in while. Well, that is changing. We here at CAN sometimes take for granted all the cool companies and people we work with every day. In our building alone, there is a collaborative incubator filled with fast growing tech startups, multiple small companies, and not one, not two, but three code schools. While we know of this amazing ecosystem, sometimes we forget that a lot of people in Omaha and Nebraska don’t even realize this startup niche even exists. We view that as an issue. Our community needs to know that Nebraska is a place to brag about. While certainly not the hotbed of entrepreneurialism as Boston, New York, and San Francisco, we do have success stories that we can be proud of. And we think we’re about to have a few more. Because we are always looking for great ideas, we decided to compile a list of Nebraska companies we have come across that have a good chance at fundamentally changing their niche and becoming a huge success. Why Startups? First, we need to address “Why Startups?” A startup by definition is a small entrepreneurial business that sort of “pops up” to fit a need in a particular market — often times technologically based. If successful it tends to grow rapidly and is usually founded by forward-thinking and innovative people. Stereotypically, these people are young college grads who are trying to apply their education in a new way, but the truth is that a lot of startups begin by professionals who have worked decades in a field. This means that by definition, a startup is a new idea, built to change the world (or at least their part of it). The Big Four Any list of the top startup companies in Nebraska must include the Big Four. They are successful and well known outside of the startup ecosystem. At this point, they are all established in their respective industries and have begun scaling their products. They are (in no particular order): Flywheel – Flywheel got started back in 2012 by Dusty Davidson – and is now a premier WordPress hosting company for designers and artists. Hudl – The leading software company for coaches and athletes (and doing some amazing data science work), Hudl was founded by David Graff, Brian Kaiser, and John Wirtz in 2006. BuilderTrend – BuilderTrend is a residential construction cloud system founded in 2006 by Dan Houghton, Jeff Dugger, and Steve Dugger and is one of the largest non-VC funded software companies in the US. Bulu Box – Bulu Box provides you weekly box, filled with cool new samples to try, delivered to your doorstep with an easy online setup. It was founded in 2012 by two UNL grads, Paul Jarrett and Stephanie Jarrett. It’s easy to forget but these companies were all much smaller startups a few years back. They show that with the right product and people you can build a successful tech company in Nebraska. But you didn’t read this far to hear about the companies you already know. Without further ado, here are: Eleven Nebraska startups that could be the next big thing Kojuba – Kojuba was the brainchild of James Rolfsen back in 2015. What is Kojuba and what makes it a startup to keep tabs on? We let Rolfsen answer this: “Have you ever worked in a group of some kind and at the end of the project, the wrong people got the credit for doing the work? We all have. This represents what we call an “inefficiency of performance assessment.” The “social contributions” that individuals make to a team are extremely difficult to delineate and almost impossible to quantify. Kojuba solves this problem. We analyze the behaviors and relationships of employees in organizations in order to paint a precise picture of how work gets done. Sound like magic? Fortunately, it is not. (I’m not sure if magic is scalable.) It is a proprietary combination of network science and machine learning that gives us the power to see inside the soul of organizations – and to deliver actionable guidance to our corporate customers.” Ulytic – Ulytic was founded in 2015 by Billy Martin, who has an impressive background in marketing. Ulytic is a video processing platform that “allows traffic engineering and data collection firms to quickly upload footage and receive highly active traffic count reports with lightening fast turn around.” No more trucks taking traffic counts by clicker for three hours, one day a year and extrapolating out that info to be the traffic pattern for that corner every day. Now you can capture real numbers for all times of days, for all days–Including things like concerts, football games, school plays, and carnivals. You now can collect real data on events without extrapolation of anything. The funny thing is, they already have the cameras, we are just providing a way to use them instead of a person. LifeLoop – “Keeping you in the loop of your elderly family member”. The idea for LifeLoop came from a personal situation of Amy Johnson, who founded the startup in 2015. Their mission is as follows “Our number one goal is to improve the care and overall experience of residents living in senior living communities. they believe this involves creating and fostering great relationships between community staff, residents, and the residents’ families, which results in personalized care and attention.” With calendar management, resident tracking, and a family portal, LifeLoop is certainly living out its mission. Bric – Bric is quantifying work. Through capturing data on work, projects, skills, and financials, Bric knows what issues companies are having, the true abilities of their people, and which teams work best together. Today they are using this data to help teams maximize their time and talent; however, in the future, they will use this information to recommend products, services, and provide clients with coaching. They are creating a digital business consultant that knows everything about your business, your industry, and can use this to recommend solutions that work. No longer will you have to rely on a consultant’s personal experience or education — but can learn from your own company and industry. Decision Logic – Ryan Mack is the current CEO of Decision Logic, which began in 1998. Originally designed for Applebee’s, today this restaurant management software serves over 50 brands. The software itself is special because it gives managers a much-needed, one-stop-shop to go see where their money goes, manage the outliers, uncover trends in sales and preparation, and manage staff and ordering. To date, the software has saved its restaurants over $37.5 million in food and labor costs. And that’s just the appetizer (see what I did there?). Over the next few years, they are adding prescriptive analytics and data visualizations that no one currently in the industry has or offers. Quantified Ag – Quantified Ag is a little different than our traditional tech startup, but perfect for our eco-system. They are in a new field called Ag-Tech–something Omaha does very well. We talked directly to the CEO, Vishal Singh. Here’s what he told us about his startup, and the field he works in: “Quantified Ag is a precision livestock analytics company located in Lincoln, NE. Think FitBit for cattle! This makes the beef supply better by providing feedlot workers with the tools to identify sick animals sooner and more accurately. Through early detection, Quantified Ag’s technology helps dramatically reduce costs by lowering re-treatment rate and death loss and getting animals back to peak performance faster. “I feel fortunate that my company is working on a transformative idea in beef livestock production. According to the NE Beef Council, “it’s the state’s largest industry and the engine that powers the state’s economy.” Our state also ranks as one of the top beef cattle producers in our country and exports beef beyond our borders.” Dynamo – At the peak of their careers with a Fortune 500 company, Michelle Wingard and Brody Deren left their careers as regular recruiters to develop something completely different–a new way to recruit and place that focused on quality over quantity. Their mission is to not fill a role with a body that matches a check box, but instead to match openings with people that match each other. Their goal is to get it right the first time. One placement, done. Dynamo is succeeding in discovering news ways of expanding the tech field with a focus on better instead of more. Gazella Wifi – Eric Burns started Gazella Wifi in 2015 as an automated marketing tool for restaurants and businesses–think fishbowl filled with cards, but without the cards, and without the fishbowl. When customers log in to use the store’s wifi, Gazella is able to capture valuable customer information and provide it back to the owner for use in marketing and sales. Easy to use and customize, Gazella has helped countless restaurants grow their social media reach and customer marketing lists. Their next trick is to provide feedback to the business owner as to which customer would react best to which offer–rewarding behavior and driving sales in areas the store owner wants. SOLVE – Stephanie Sands of SOLVE spoke to us about her startup’s unique platform. She says: “SOLVE is changing the way companies develop and implement their “people strategy.” The most successful companies recognize that investing in their employees will boost their bottom line. Handing out gift cards, buying a ping pong table, or changing the dress code won’t suffice anymore and especially with the new generation of workers. (Centennials, not Millennials). The key is understanding your workforce, and SOLVE can help you get there. With a background in Organizational Psychology, our team helps companies understand human behavior in the workplace using theory, research, and data to inform best practices. We partner with companies to increase the accuracy of hiring decisions, develop effective leaders, and create great cultures to engage and retain top performers. We also help ensure that those strategies are aligned, consistent, and connected to their culture. Our team provides results-focused services/tools and ongoing, customized support to ensure people problems are SOLVED.” Median – Median is the newest company on the list, founded only last month (June 2017), but its two founders, Ben Stevinson and Derek Homann are excited about their new venture. Median is a customer service platform specifically designed to make real time support chat as fast as possible. It has built-in custom screen sharing technology that doesn’t require end users to install any special or clunky software. It makes service easy for agents as they can immediately get on the same page as the people they’re helping, instead of wasting time either trying to explain a screen to a customer or a customer downloading a piece of software so they can see their screen. It fundamentally changes the conversation of research and trying to understand what someone is telling you to one of diagnosis and problem-solving. As a beta tester, this one is truly helpful and a much-needed addition to anyone’s toolbox. Retail Aware – Retail Aware is a joint collaboration of three already successful entrepreneurs Preston Badeer and Keith Fix. They are capitalizing on the newly forming IOT space by providing a new way to collect and use data in the retail space. Especially designed for owners of multiple locations (think franchisees), it gives them a way to see and understand previously untrackable data. Using sensors owners can test marketing effectiveness of store layout, product placement, and new store experiences. They can even A/B test in different stores. The results are given by the minute and displayed in well-designed dashboards. As you might have guessed, based on what we do, these companies have a common thread. They are all using data to change their niche. It comes in many forms: BI, IOT, Predictive Analytics, Prescriptive Analytics, Machine Learning, and AI. These are just the tip of the iceberg. There are others, many others. Companies like: ScoutSheet, SkyVu, Kiai, and Rodeo Analytics are all on the brink of this list. (Perhaps we should have another list next year.) All of these are companies that are revolutionizing their niche and are run by bleeding-edge leaders focused on using data and tech to update how we do business. In the future, these will be the companies to watch out for and our eleven will be the big companies everyone will have heard of. But, until then, you heard their names here first. Now go and make sure you brag about these companies to all of your non-Nebraskan friends. __ Bridget Lillethorup is the Technical Writer for CAN, Contemporary Analysis. |
If you suffer from test anxiety, there are a number of coping strategies that you can employ. Below are ten tips to help you cope. Test anxiety is a type of performance anxiety in which fear of failure contributes to symptoms that interfere with your ability to perform well in an exam situation. Finally, learn about the test or exam in advance such as the types of questions and length, so that there will be no last minute surprises. First, make sure that you are adequately prepared. Cramming for a test or exam will only increase anxiety, so give yourself enough time to learn material well. 2 Watch Self-Talk Negative self-talk makes test anxiety worse. Getty / Jamie Grill When performance suffers because of test anxiety, it can be easy to fall into a downward spiral of negative thinking. Watch what you say to yourself and replace any negative thoughts with positive ones. Consider how rational your thoughts are and whether there are better things you could say to yourself. Thoughts such as the following are not helpful: I should have studied more. I must be stupid. I have to do well, everything is on the line. Tell yourself, "STOP" and come up with alternatives: I am prepared for this test. I am smart enough to do well. |
Fulham are to press ahead with a complaint to the Premier League regarding Liverpool's pursuit of their former forward Clint Dempsey. The complaint, made in July, had been expected to be dropped after Dempsey, 29, joined Tottenham on deadline day. But it has emerged the Craven Cottage club intend to pursue the case. It focuses on comments made by Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers about his club's interest in the player during the Reds' tour of Boston. Media playback is not supported on this device Rodgers denies Dempsey comments The row started when a story appeared on the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) website, claiming the United States international had joined Liverpool. "We have received a complaint from Fulham regarding comments made by Liverpool FC officials and are looking into the matter," a Premier League statement read. Liverpool responded to the initial complaint over Dempsey, who joined Spurs on deadline day for a fee believed to be £6m. On the day the story appeared on the FSG website, Rodgers admitted Liverpool had enquired about Dempsey. "Clint is a player we've inquired about, it is as simple as that," he said. "Ian Ayre, our managing director, has spoken with the club to see what the position is. That is where we're at. He's a very talented player but we don't like to talk about other clubs' players." The Fenway Sports Group web report which was taken down after five hours Earlier in the day a post appeared on the website of the company that owns Liverpool suggesting the Reds had "added Clint Dempsey to a team that came within a game of winning the FA Cup". Although the website is the official homepage of FSG, it is hosted by sports network company NESN.com, who posted the original story. It was uploaded at 05:44 BST and was live for just over five hours before it was removed. Liverpool made an enquiry for Dempsey in June but did not follow up on their interest after baulking at Fulham's asking price. Dempsey did not feature for Fulham before his move after telling manager Martin Jol he no longer wanted to play for the club. |
Iran and China Would Consider An Attack On Iran – Or Syria – As An Attack On Their National Security RT notes: The escalating conflict around Iran should be contained by common effort, otherwise the promising Arab Spring will grow into a “scorching Arab Summer,” says Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s deputy prime minister and former envoy to NATO. “Iran is our close neighbor, just south of the Caucasus. Should anything happen to Iran, should Iran get drawn into any political or military hardships, this will be a direct threat to our national security,” stressed Rogozin. Here’s what Rogozin is talking about (notice how close the Southern tip of Russia is to Northern Iran): A Chinese general has also allegedly said that China would launch World War III if Iran is attacked. And see this. While many Americans still believe that our government would not be crazy enough to attack Iran, economic – not national security – considerations may be driving the warmongers. In addition, Iran and Syria have had a mutual defense pact for years. And China and Russia might also defend Syria if it is attacked. So an attack on Syria could draw Iran into the war … followed by China and Russia. |
Let's see what we have here... Tony Abbott announced his ministry today. Of the 42 spots in the executive, only six will be women. And in a Cabinet of 19, there will be only one: Julie Bishop. “I’m obviously disappointed there aren’t more women in Cabinet,” Abbott said. “Nevertheless there are some very good and talented women knocking on the door.” Twitter, as is its wont, went a little crazy. So we thought we’d publish a small list, to give you some perspective. – The Afghan Government Cabinet: Women: Three. In President Hamid Karzai’s current Cabinet, Suraya Dalil is the Minister of Public Health, Amina Afzali is the Minister of Work, Social Affairs, Martyred and Disabled, and Husn Banu Ghazanfar is the Minister of Women’s Affairs. – Zoo Weekly‘s Staff Meeting: Women: Three. – The Augusta Golf Club: Women: Two. Last year, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina businesswomen Darla Moore were admitted to the Augusta National Golf Club — becoming the first women to join the exclusive club in its 80-year history. – The Prostate Cancer Foundation Of Australia’s National Board Meeting: Women: Two. – The Supreme Court of the United States: Women: Three. SCOTUS currently has the highest percentage of women Justices it has ever held, with Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayer, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg sitting with six men. – This World War One Munitions Factory: Women: Lots. – The Saudi Arabia Olympics Team: Women: Two. In last year’s Summer Olympics in London, Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani competed in the +78kg division of women’s judo; Sarah Attar competed in the women’s 800m run. – The AFL Commission: Women: Two. Sam Mostyn was the first woman to be appointed to the nine-member AFL Commission, in 2005; Family Court Judge Linda Dessau was appointed in 2007. – The Lineup For Stereosonic 2013: Women: Two. – Muammar Gaddafi’s Personal Guard: Women: Many. The former Libyan dictator was known to show up on diplomatic missions with a team of female bodyguards in lipstick and heels. Known as The Amazonian Guard, they were reportedly hand-selected, and sworn virgins, and underwent “extensive martial arts and firearms training“. – The Mad Men Writers Room: Women: Seven. There are nine writers who work on Mad Men. Seven of them are women. From left: Marti Noxon, Lisa Albert, Kater Gordon, Dahvi Waller, Robin Veith, Cathryn Humphris, and Maria Jacquemetton. – Facebook’s Board-Of-Directors: Women: Two. – The Iranian Government Cabinet: Women: Two. Earlier this month, Iranian President Hassan Rowhani appointed reformist Masoumeh Ebtekar as Vice President and Head of Environmental Protection Organisation. She joined Elham Aminzadeh, Vice President for Legal Affairs. – Tony Abbott’s Immediate Family: Women: Five. |
For the 1944 Mexican film, see The Lieutenant Nun Catalina de Erauso (in Spanish) or Katalina Erauso (in Basque), also known in Spanish as La Monja Alférez (English, The Nun Lieutenant) (San Sebastián, Spain, 10 February 1592[1] — Cuetlaxtla (near Orizaba), New Spain, 1650),[2] was a personality of the Basque Country, Spain and Spanish America in the first half of the 17th century. For nearly 400 years, Catalina Erauso's story has remained alive through historical studies, biographical stories, novels, movies and comics.[3] Early years [ edit ] Some sources claim Erauso was born in 1585 including her alleged autobiography of 1626.[4] However her baptismal certificate dates her birth in February 10, 1592.[5] Her parents were Captain Miguel de Erauso and Maria Pérez de Arce Gallarraga, both of whom had been born and lived in San Sebastián. Her father was an important military commander of the Basque province under the orders of King Philip III of Spain. From an early age she took part with her father and brothers in the arts of warfare.[4] Life at the Convent [ edit ] Around the year 1589, when she was 4 years old, she entered the Dominican convent of her hometown (San Sebastian), with her sisters Isabel and Maria.[6] Erauso's mother's cousin, Ursula de Uriza and Sarasti, held the position of prioress in the convent. It was normal at that time for girls to be placed in convents at a young age to be educated according to Catholic tradition, promoting the learning of tasks appropriate to their sex to be subsequently to be betrothed "as God intended". Because of her explosive character and the difficulty the nuns faced to control her, she was transferred to the Convent of San Bartolome de San Sebastian until she was 15, where the rules were much stricter. She realized that she had no religious vocation, and as a result she felt imprisoned and refused to take her vows. Catalina de Erauso was detained in her cell because of the constant fights she had with a widowed novice named Catalina de Alirli. For this reason, on the night of March 18, 1600, the eve of San Jose, she found the keys of the convent hanging in a corner and used them to escape. She fabricated men's clothing with the materials at her disposal, cut her hair and hid her habit. Fugitive status in Spain [ edit ] From this moment, she began the life of a fugitive. Later, she narrated this in her autobiography, which gave her great fame. She ate what she found on the way walking through different villages, this is how she reached Vitoria, a city 20 miles from San Sebastian. There she met a doctor and professor Mr. Francisco de Cerralta, who gave her clothes and took her in without recognising her. He was married to her mother's cousin. She stayed with him for 3 months, during which she learnt some Latin. After having forced her to continue studying and attempted sexual abuse, Catalina took money from the doctor and met a mule driver and went to Valladolid with him. In which the court of King Philip III resided, widely influenced by the Duke of Lerma, "Valido del Rey". Catalina, disguised as a man, by the name of Francisco de Loyola, served in the court as a page of the secretary of King Juan de Idiaquez for seven months. She had to flee from Valladolid when she met her father, who came looking for his good friend Mr. Juan de Idiáquez. Her father asked for information to find her, describing her physical appearance and the way she escaped from the convent. Surprisingly, her father did not recognise her despite having spoken with her. However, she decided to run away again. This time, she took the longest route towards Bilbao. When she arrived, she was not as lucky as before, she did not find a place to sleep nor a patron. In addition, she had a fight with some young men who tried to assault her, so she took a stone and wounded one of them. Thus, she was arrested and stayed in prison for a month. Once released from prison she went to Estella de Navarra and managed to settle herself as a page of an important lord of the town called Alonso de Arellano. Catalina was his servant for two years, always well treated and well dressed. Between 1602 and 1603, after her years of service to Arellano, she returned to San Sebastián, her hometown, where she lived as a man, taking care of her relatives, whom she saw frequently. She also attended mass in her old convent with her former colleagues. It's said that she has also served her aunt without ever being recognized. After some time, she came to Puerto de Pasajes, where she met Captain Miguel de Berróiz, who took her to Seville. They were there for only two days. She later returned to Sanlucar de Barrameda, where she found a job as a cabin boy on a ship. Captain Esteban Eguiño, who was a cousin of her mother, owned the galleon. According to her memoirs, she embarked on Holy Monday, 1603 to America.[citation needed] According to the website http://www.euskomedia.org, "Erauso apparently felt the same way as many Basques of her time: the calling of the Indies."[7] She spent all this time disguised as a man, with short hair and using different names such as Pedro de Orive, Francisco de Loyola, Alonso Diaz Ramirez de Guzman and Antonio de Erauso. Apparently her physique was not feminine, which helped her with her deception. Specifically, Catalina once confessed that she "dried her breasts" with a secret ointment.[8] Travels in America [ edit ] The first place in the Americas where she landed was Punta de Araya, now part of Venezuela, where she had a confrontation with a Dutch pirate fleet which she defeated. From there they left for Cartagena and Nombre de Dios, where they stayed for nine days. Several sailors died there because of the weather. They boarded the silver and once ready to return to Spain, Catalina shot and killed her uncle and stole 500 pesos. She told to the sailors that her uncle had sent her on an errand. An hour later, the ship returned to Spain without her. From there she went with an usher to Panama, where she spent three months. In Panama she started working with Juan de Urquiza, merchant of Trujillo with whom she went to the port of Paita (now Peru ), where the trader had a large shipment. In the port of Manta (now Ecuador ), a strong wind destroyed the ship and she had to swim to save herself and her master. The rest of the crew perished. After a brief time in Paita, she went to Zana. A place full of cattle, grains, fruits and tobacco from Peru . There, her master happily accommodated her. He gave her a home, clothing and a large amount of money, as well as three black slaves. In Saña she had a fight with a young man who threatened her in a comedy theater. She ended up cutting off the face of the boy who challenged her. She was taken to jail again and through efforts of her master Juan de Urquiza, and the bishop of that place, she was released on the condition that she married Dona Beatriz de Cardenas, lady of her master and aunt of the man who had his face cut. Not wanting to be discovered, she refused to marry. Then she went to the city of Trujillo, where her master opened a store. However, the man who was wounded in the face, came to challenge her again accompanied by two friends. She went to the fight with another person, and in the fight the man's friend was killed. She was again imprisoned, and after her master saved her again, he gave her money and a letter of recommendation and sent her to Lima, which was the capital of the then Viceroyalty of Peru. She gave the letter of recommendation to Diego de Solarte, a very rich merchant and greater consul of Lima, and after a few days she was given his shop. She was responsible for the business for nine months, but was fired when discovered fondling a woman, the sister of her masters wife. After being dismissed, she found a company recruiting, whose aim was the conquest of Chile and, beset by the need to find a new job, she enlisted under the command of Captain Gonzalo Rodriguez. She was accompanied by 1600 men from Lima to the city of Concepción. Military exploits [ edit ] After marching with her company to Chile in 1619, her army swept through the lands and property of the Mapuches, showing her aggressive side as conqueror, massacring many Indians. In Chile she was welcomed by the secretary of the governor, who was her brother, Don Miguel de Erauso, but did not recognize her.[9] She remained there for three years and because of a dispute with her brother, (possibly because of another woman) was banished to Paicabí, the land of Indians. There she fought in the service of the crown in the War of Arauco against the Mapuches in today's Chile, earning a reputation for being brave and skillful with weapons and without revealing that she was a woman.[citation needed] In the battle of Valdivia she received the rank of second lieutenant. In the next battle of Puren her captain died and she took command, winning the battle. However, due to the many complaints that existed against her for her cruelty against the Indians, she was not promoted to the next military rank. This frustration led to a period devoted to vandalizing, killing as many people as she met on the road, causing extensive damage and burning entire crops. In Conception she assassinated the chief auditor of the city, for which she was locked in a church for six months. After being released, she killed her brother Don Miguel de Erausco in another duel and was again imprisoned eight months. She later fled to Argentina across the Andes, through a difficult transition path. She was saved at the brink of death by a villager and taken to Tucumán, where she promised marriage to two young women, the daughter of an Indian widow (which had hosted Catalina on his farm during her convalescence) and the niece of a canon. She ended up fleeing from there without marrying any of them, but kept the money and clothing from Holland, given by the niece of the canon as a sign of love. Then she went to Potosí, where she became the assistant to a sergeant, and returned again to fight against the Indians, participating in mass killings in Chuncos. In la Plata (Chuquisaca) she was accused of a crime she did not commit, she was tortured and finally set free again (without revealing her identity). Once out of prison, she devoted herself to smuggle wheat and cattle on the orders of Juan Lopez de Arquijo. A new lawsuit forced her to take refuge in a church. In Piscobamba, by quarreling, she killed another individual. This time she was sentenced to death, but was saved at the last minute by the deposition of another prisoner sentenced to death. Then she remained in a holy asylum for five months in a church due to a duel with a jealous husband. When she moved to La Paz, she was sentenced again to death for another offense. To escape, she pretended to confess and, after seizing a consecrated host fled to Cuzco[10] and returned to Peru. Return to Spain and audience with Pope Urban VIII [ edit ] In 1623 she was arrested in Huamanga, Peru, because of a dispute. To prevent her execution she begged for mercy to Bishop Agustin de Carvajal, and confessed that she was actually a woman who had been in a convent. Following a review by a group of matrons, they determined it was true that she was a woman and a virgin, the bishop protected her and she was sent to Spain. In 1625–1626, she petitioned the Spanish Crown for financial reward for her services as a soldier in the New World. She did this in her relación de méritos y servicios (Account of Merits and Services). In addition to seeking reward for her time at war, she also sought compensation for money she lost while spent traveling to Rome. This document includes accounts from "witnesses" or others who knew Erauso. However, many of the accounts are contradictory in nature and some do not know what to make of Erauso's predicament. The reason that their accounts are different is for a few reasons. Firstly, they all knew Erauso by different names and different accomplishments. They may have known Alonso Díaz de Guzmán, the name Erauso used while dressing as a man, but they did not know Catalina.[11] Scholars are conflicted as to whether or not this visit between Erauso and Pope Urban VIII actually occurred, but her Account of Merits and Services can be found in the Archivo General de Indias and the Real Academia de la Historia de Madrid and it was filed between 1625 and 1626, which would match up with the accounts of her being in Rome at that time.[11] Return to America and death [ edit ] In 1630 she settled in the New Spain, probably in the city of Orizaba in the state of Veracruz, where she established a business as a mule skinner between Mexico City and Veracruz. Locals state that she died carrying a load on a boat, although some argue that her death occurred at the top of Orizaba, alone among their asses cargo. The most plausible is that she died in the village of Cotaxtla. According to the historian Joaquin Arroniz, her remains rest in the Church of the Royal Hospital of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of the Juaninos Brothers, which today is popularly known as the Church of San Juan de Dios city of Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico. Although there is no solid evidence to support it, some postulate that Bishop Juan de Palafox tried to move her remains to the city of Puebla, home to the bishopric, but failed. Instead, according to other historians, the remains of Catalina de Erauso rest in the same place where it is believed she died, in the village of Cotaxtla.[12] However, there is no documentation that can demonstrate the exact date and place of death.[13] Autobiography and controversy over its authorship [ edit ] Catalina wrote or dictated an autobiography which was first published in Paris in 1829 at the request of Joaquin Maria Ferrer, a second time in Barcelona in 1838 and for the third time (1894) in Paris, with illustrations by Spanish artist Daniel Vierge . Then they were translated into several languages and versions of the theme, as idealized by Thomas De Quincey, entitled The Ensign Nun in English. In addition to these editions, a series of reprints of her autobiography after 1894, and about her return to Spain, a comedy was released by Juan Pérez de Montalbán, Comedia famosa de la Monja Alferez (1625). Currently, it has generated a new debate among researchers of her life around the authorship of this autobiography, which some researchers have branded as apocryphal and without any basis for engaging in some chronological inaccuracies and contradictions.[14][15] However, given the existence of baptism certificates and testimonies from others about her life and works, it is impossible to deny the historical existence of this woman.[16] Some have wanted to see a relationship between her extraordinary life, and the Baroque taste for portraying marginal and / or deformed or abnormal characters, as the main reason for the fame she gained throughout the Hispanic world on her return from America.[17] Questions of gender and sexual identity [ edit ] New scholarship has questioned Erauso's sexual orientation and gender identity. While Erauso never mentions specifically in her memoir being attracted to a man, there are numerous instances of relationships with other women. There was an encounter with the sister-in-law of a Lima merchant, a quarrel with Erauso's brother over his mistress and other occasions of Erauso being betrothed to women in the New World.[18] Those betrothals, however, usually ended after Erauso exploited the situation and rode off with gifts and dowry money.[19] Catalina also mentions a lesbian encounter when a hostess surprises her by "touching between her legs," and also acknowledges having taken advantage twice of her disguise as a man to get gifts from her future fiancée who didn't know her true identity.[18] Other scholars, such as Sherry Velasco, have also written on the subject of gender and sexual identity.[20] In Velasco's case, she argues for Erauso's lesbianism and transgenderism. She argues that, throughout the years since the first printings of Erauso's memoirs, there have been a lot of different retellings and exaggerations. In those retellings of Erauso's story, she says that there has been an effort to "de-lesbianize" Erauso through the invention of different heterosexual relationships as well as downplaying her relationships and behavior with other women.[19][20] This happened mostly in versions of the story told and published in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, Velasco argues, there was actually a "re-lesbianization" of Erauso. This happened originally in heterosexual, femme-fatale in the 1940s to appeal to younger women as glamorous. Then, later in the 1980s, she appeared as a "melancholy lesbian whose lover dies and a voyeuristic lesbian whose narrative ends with the optimistic image of the protagonist accompanied by the object of her sexual desire."[20] Other scholars, such as Matthew Goldmark, also argue for Erauso's sexual orientation and identity. However, he takes the approach of examining her Accounts of Merits and Services document. In particular, Goldmark examines the "hábitos" or "habits" section of the document. This section gives accounts from witnesses or other people that knew Erauso and could speak to her demeanor in her petition of the King and the Pope. This section also was an intersection of not only gender, but also class and profession. The accounts in Erauso's document support and show how Erauso and others navigated ideas of gender and identity at that time.[11] Regardless of how Erauso identified, researchers are still divided into different camps on the reason for Erauso's grand story of adventures. Some argue that Erauso had to pretend to be attracted to women in order to keep her identity a secret and to blend in with her fellow Spanish soldiers. Others argue that Erauso was actually a lesbian who used dress as a way to not attract attention from church authorities and to continue to be attracted to women. Still others fall into the third camp that Erauso actually did identify as a man. Those in this school of thought therefore conclude that Erauso was merely expressing their sexual identity through transgenderism.[19][21] Legacy [ edit ] Despite the existence of her own memoirs, probably written around 1626, Catalina de Erauso ended up disappearing from most known historical records, specifically in the period running between her return to Spain in 1624 and her return to the Indies, until the eighteenth century. At the end of the century, states Sonia Perez-Villanueva, on a certain Sunday Urbirú she had in her possession a manuscript copy of her memoirs, which was duplicated by a friend, the poet and playwright Candido Maria Trigueros One of the copies made by Trigueros ended up in the hands of the academic Juan Bautista Muñoz, who was writing the History of the New World and included a mention of Catalina in his work. Eventually, the copy was used as a reference by Muñoz finished in the hands of the Royal Academy of History in 1784, and later was rediscovered in the early nineteenth century by the political Felipe Bauza, who persuaded his friend, the astronomer and merchant Joaquin Maria Ferrer for publish it. Finally, the manuscript was published in 1829 in Paris by Julio Didot with the title story of The Nun Lieutenant, written by herself, and a few decades later was republished by Heredia in 1894, marking this version of her autobiography the revival of interest and research into her life.[22][23] The character of The Nun Lieutenant was, and remains today, a source of inspiration for writers, playwrights, filmmakers and artists (most notably her 1630 portrait, attributed to Juan van der Hamen). In the nineteenth century highlights the work of Thomas De Quincey, who turns Erausco into a typically romantic character, victim of fate and immersed in a series of adventures.[24] Also in the nineteenth century is the novel by Eduardo Blasco Del claustro al campamento o la Monja Alferez. And similarly it has been a source of inspiration for many analysis and academic papers trying to explain her complex personality. In the twentieth century the Monja Alferez hit the screens and became more popular through several film versions, as in La Monja Alferez, directed by Mexican Emilio Gómez Muriel (1947). At present, this character is attractive to the poststructuralist critique because she is a clear example of instability and relativity of the notion of gender in the construction of the identity of an individual. Further reading [ edit ] Catalina de Erauso, Lieutenant Nun: Memoir of a Basque Transvestite in the New World. Boston: Beacon Press 1996. Bibliography [ edit ] (in Spanish) Historia de la monja alférez escrita por ella misma. Presentación y epílogo de Jesús Munárriz. Madrid, Ediciones Hiperión,2000. ISBN 978-84-7517-652-9 Presentación y epílogo de Jesús Munárriz. Madrid, Ediciones Hiperión,2000. ISBN 978-84-7517-652-9 (in Spanish) Historia de la monja alférez. Amigos del Libro Vasco, Echevarri,1986. Amigos del Libro Vasco, Echevarri,1986. (in Spanish) Historia de la monja alférez D.ª Catalina de Erauso . Catalina de Erauso. Barcelona : Imp. de José Tauló, 1838 . Catalina de Erauso. Barcelona : Imp. de José Tauló, 1838 (in Spanish) Miguel de Erauso (senior), el abuelo de la Monja Alférez: una inmersión en la vida donostiarra (1592) . José Ignacio Tellechea Idigoras. En: Boletín de estudios históricos sobre San Sebastián. n. 39 (2005), p. 81-154 . José Ignacio Tellechea Idigoras. En: Boletín de estudios históricos sobre San Sebastián. n. 39 (2005), p. 81-154 (in Spanish) Doña Catalina de Erauso: la monja alférez: IV centenario de su nacimiento. José Ignacio Tellechea Idígoras. ISBN 84-7173-205-X José Ignacio Tellechea Idígoras. ISBN 84-7173-205-X (in Spanish) Historia del Nuevo Mundo. Juan Bautista Muñoz. Madrid, 1794 Juan Bautista Muñoz. Madrid, 1794 (in Spanish) La historia de la Monja Alférez, escrita por ella misma. Catalina de Erauso. Comentada y editada por Joaquín María Ferrer. París: Imp. de Julio Didot, 1829 Catalina de Erauso. Comentada y editada por Joaquín María Ferrer. París: Imp. de Julio Didot, 1829 (in Spanish) La historia de la monja Alférez, escrita por ella misma. Catalina de Erauso. Traducción de José María de Heredia. París, 1894 |
Earlier this month, Ken Ham, the founder of the Creation Museum, in Petersburg, Kentucky, held a debate with Bill Nye at the museum. Within the creationist crowd, Ham represents the young-Earth wing, which believes that the planet is around six thousand years old. He also has other extreme interpretations of biblical claims: for example, he believes that the Tyrannosaurus rex and other dinosaurs were actually vegetarians that lived in the Garden of Eden before the fall of Adam and Eve. Ham often stresses a line of argument made within the broader creationist community, which resonates, at least somewhat, with the public at large. “There’s experimental or observational science, as we call it. That’s using the scientific method, observation, measurement, experiment, testing,” he said during the debate. “When we’re talking about origins, we’re talking about the past. We’re talking about our origins. You weren’t there, you can’t observe that…. When you’re talking about the past, we like to call that origins or historical science.” In other words, Ham was saying that there is a fundamental difference between what creationists call the “historical sciences”—areas of study, like astronomy, geology, and evolutionary biology, that give us information about the early Earth and the evolution of life—and other sciences, like physics and chemistry, which appear to be based on experiments done in the laboratory today. On the surface, this does not seem completely unreasonable. There is, after all, a difference between an observation and an experiment. In the laboratory, one can have much better control when attempting to establish cause-and-effect relationships. However, to suggest that somehow this qualitative difference between observation and experiment translates into any sort of deep qualitative difference between the different sciences mentioned above is to demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of science itself. In the first place, science doesn’t involve merely telling stories about history. If it did, scientific explanations might not have any claim to a higher level of veracity than religious stories. The stories that science does tell have empirical consequences, and make physical predictions that can be tested. In this sense, all science is historical science. We make observations about past events, based on everything from data gathered in the laboratory yesterday to remnants of phenomena, like meteor impacts or stellar explosions, which may have happened billions of years ago. We then use them to make predictions about the future, about experiments or observations that have not yet taken place. To quibble about how long ago the original data was generated is to miss the point. Predictions about the future, rather than a focus on the past, is what gives science its ultimate explanatory and technological power. Let’s consider some examples. In the field of evolutionary biology, scientists can postulate an evolutionary relationship between species, which suggests the development of some biological characteristic—legs, say, as animals moved from the sea to the land, or eyes, as organisms developed photoreceptors that helped to guide their search for food. One can then search for fossil evidence of such developments, looking for transitional fossils that demonstrate gradual evolution. It is a prediction that such transitional species existed. Given the sparseness of the fossil record, there is no guarantee of unearthing evidence of such species, but, in the cases of legs and eyes, the predictions have been validated by discoveries made over the past decades. Or, take my favorite example: the prediction of a genetic relationship between the great apes and humans via a common ancestor, as taught in many (I wish it were all) introductory biology courses. Humans have twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, where all the great apes have twenty-four pairs. If they have a common ancestor, this difference must be explained. One possibility is that two of the chromosomes in the great apes fused together at some point in the human lineage. But this makes two testable predictions. Each chromosome has a characteristic end, called a telomere, and a distinctive central part, called a centromere. If fusion had occurred, then one of the human chromosomes should, in its central region, include the remnants of the two fused telomeres, lined up end to end. It also should have, at between roughly a quarter and three-quarters of the way along the chromosome, a structure identical to that of the centromeres of the great-ape chromosomes. This prediction, tested in the laboratory today, and not in the distant past, has been beautifully verified. Now, think about geology, another bugaboo of the young-Earth creationists. The phenomenon of plate tectonics and continental drift has transformed the field of geology in the past fifty years. When I was young, it was a new theory. But continental drift is measurable today. Moreover, given the measurements and the current shape of continents, one can speculate that, in the distant past, at periods determined by measurements made using modern physics and chemistry, which allow us to model the dynamics of the crust and the mantle of Earth, the currently existing continents were fused together, apparently several times, in a supercontinent. This theory makes predictions, most notably that—like the chromosomes—one will find identical geological structures at the edges of the current continents that were once fused. Guess what has been observed? Finally, let’s consider the particles, called neutrinos, coming from the Sun—one of the great astrophysical observations of the past century. It established directly a fact that is at the basis of stellar astronomy, that the Sun’s power arises from nuclear-fusion reactions at its center. The neutrinos interact so weakly that they make it out of the Sun unimpeded after they are produced. If our ideas about the Sun’s power source are correct, each second of each day, six hundred billion neutrinos are going through each square centimetre of your body, originating from the Sun. The Nobel Prize-winning observation of solar neutrinos—made by Ray Davis and his colleagues over a twenty-year period, starting in the nineteen-sixties—was performed using a mammoth tank of cleaning fluid located deep in a mine in South Dakota. A deep mine was required to shield the detector from all the other cosmic rays that bombard Earth’s surface. Cleaning fluid was a cheap source of chlorine, and calculations suggested that, of the billions and billions of neutrinos going through the detector each day, one, on average, would interact with an atom of chlorine and change it into an atom of argon. So the task was to detect a few atoms of argon in a hundred thousand gallons of cleaning fluid. The experimenters succeeded, and their results have been validated by many other experiments since then. This has established that our detailed model of the Sun—which determines other aspects of its structure measured in independent ways, such as by techniques like seismological observations of the solar surface—is, essentially, correct. But there’s the rub. The model uses the very same physics that we test with the neutrino data, which probes the nature of the very dense core of the Sun where the neutrinos are produced. It also implies, however, that it takes almost a million years for light to get from the center of the Sun, where the energy is generated in the nuclear reactions, to the outside, as it is continually scattered to and fro by the dense material in between, and before it escapes for us to see. Thus, when we feel the warmth of the light from the Sun on a warm day in the summer, we are doing historical science. And, if the Sun were only six thousand years old, it wouldn’t be shining as it is while I sit here and write this in Phoenix. Nor would it be shining in Petersburg Kentucky, on the Creation Museum and Ken Ham. Lawrence M. Krauss is the director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University. His most recent book is “A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing.” Above: Ken Ham poses with one an animatronic dinosaur during a tour of the Creation Museum; May 24, 2007. Photograph by Ed Reinke/AP |
Prospecting for Ores Prospecting is one of the things that takes some time to get results.Right click on some open terrain and in Metallurgy click on Prospect for Copper.It should open the range scanner:The following is speculation. Follow at your own risk and feel free to prove it wrong as this is purely off experimentation.The way this works to the best of what I can tell is that each tick adds a search radial ring to the scan. For example, the lowest setting is 2x2, the next is 4x4, 6x6, etc. The max range following this hypothesis is 72x72.To get started, use the highest setting, and scan. If it finds something, scan the same spot again, but reduce the range by one. Continue this until you don't find a result. That should give you a ballpark figure. Depending on how high the slider is without a result, I'd suggest moving 3-7 squares away either X, Y, or diagonally. The lower the scan range, the smaller the movement spacing.The mineral we need is iron ore. The best place to find this is in a mountain. You might have even been close to it when gathering your stones previously.Head back to the mountain, and scan. Keep scanning using that method until you think you've found something. Once you've gotten the scanner as low as it goes with a positive result, dig.As you can see my method found Copper/Iron in a mixed ore seam in about 10 minutes.This is what copper and iron look like:The copper is the copper colour, while the iron is a reddish-brown colour.After you've loaded your pants with iron ore, teleport home and dump it in your basket.At this point,l you may want to invest in making another basket as the basket can only hold 900 grams of material and ingots and ore are heavy.The ores will be smelted in the smelter into ingots. The conversion rate is 5 ore / 1 ingot for bronze and iron. You're going to need 8 ingots for what we need, and 40 ore pieces total for the first. |
On April Fools' Day the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is holding a hearing on the Paycheck Fairness Act, sponsored by Senator Barbara Mikulski, who will reportedly chair the hearing. The Paycheck Fairness Act, which mistakenly assumes that American women do not have paycheck fairness, lists 54 senators as cosponsors. Although it appears that the Democrats have consensus within their own caucus, they do not, because the list of cosponsors includes some who are no longer in Congress, and omits Angus King (ME), John Walsh (MT), and Bill Nelson (FL). Senator Max Baucus is included, even though he is now Ambassador to China. Senator Frank Lautenberg is on the list, even though he is deceased. Senator William Cowan, who served for a short time as senator from Massachusetts, supports the measure. Residents of Massachusetts and New Jersey have the most bang for the buck because they each have three cosponsors, even though each state is only allowed two senators at one time. The phony arithmetic in counting cosponsors, suitable for April Fools' Day, parallels the phony assumption of the bill, that women are systematically underpaid. The bill's introduction states, "Despite the enactment of the Equal Pay Act in 1963, many women continue to earn significantly lower pay than men for equal work." This is a myth. Although average wages for women are lower than average wages for men, this is for many reasons. Women choose different occupations, sometimes less risky but more pleasant. Loggers' work may be of equal value to that of social workers, but companies have to pay people more to do logging because the work is dangerous and dirty. About a quarter of employed women work part-time, and others take time off when they have children. When choice of job and time in the workforce are taken into account, studies show that women earn practically the same as men. Women are better-educated than men. According to the Education Department, in 2010 women earned 62 percent of associate's degrees, 57 percent of bachelor's degrees, 63 percent of master's degrees, and 53 percent of doctoral degrees. Under current law, employers cannot pay equally-situated men and women different salaries. First year computer programmers, men and women, are paid the same. So are first year medical residents. Even male and female senators on the Senate HELP committee are paid the same. President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act in January 2009, and described it as "a simple fix to ensure fundamental fairness to American workers." The law amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to allow workers to argue that their current pay flows from discriminatory decisions made years back, even if the firm no longer exists, or a former boss has quit or is no longer alive. The Paycheck Fairness Act, which did not pass even in 2009 and 2010 when Democrats controlled the House, Senate, and the White House, seeks equal pay for different jobs, which is manifestly unfair. Legislators did not pass it because by adding red tape and interfering in employers' hiring processes, the bill would slow hiring for both men and women. What would the Act do? The Paycheck Fairness Act would require the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to collect data from employers on workers' pay, by race, sex, and national origin, in order to equalize wages of men and women in different job classifications. It would only allow employers to justify differences in pay between men and women on the grounds of education, training and experience only if these factors were defensible on the grounds of "business necessity." To take one example, a supermarket manager could not be paid more for her college degree if the government ruled that a college degree was not instrumental in managing the supermarket. The bill is a gift to trial lawyers, because it changes the law to make workers opt out rather than opt in to class action suits. Currently, if workers want to join class-action suits, they have to agree to take part. Under the bill, women would be included unless they opted out. This would enable the number of class-action suits to mushroom, a cost to employers and their employees but a boon to lawyers. Penalties that the courts could levy on employers would be heavier. Currently, employers found guilty of discrimination owe workers back pay. Under the pending bill, they would have to pay punitive damages, of which a quarter or a third typically goes to plaintiffs' lawyers. The bill would require the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to analyze pay data and promulgate regulations to collect more, including information about the sex, race and national origin of employees, further burdening employers. These provisions would encourage multinationals to expand overseas rather than in America. They would weigh down employers with bureaucracy and discourage hiring. All this at a time when jobs, or lack of them, top Americans' concerns. Women are already protected against discrimination by the Equal Pay Act, but without the punitive damages so attractive to trial lawyers. They can sue within two or three years of receiving allegedly discriminatory pay, if they can show they are paid less for the same work, because the act does not require "discriminatory intent" for redress, just discrimination. University of Maryland law professor Deborah Thompson Eisenberg, a witness at the April Fool's Day hearing, has written in a 2010 Southern Methodist University Law Review article that "the gender wage gap increases for women as they achieve higher levels of professional status." One reason for this is that women tend to trade off career for family time, even before they have had children, as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has written in her book Lean In. For instance, the Yale Law Women's Top Ten Family Friendly Firms Initiative ranks firms on the basis of "important family friendliness indicators such as the billable hour requirement, part-time and flex-time options, parental leave policies, and childcare availability..." Family friendly is warm and fuzzy, but it pays less than 60 to 80 hour weeks. The focus on family is one reason that some women choose less-demanding and lower-paying jobs, resulting in the widening gender gap observed by Professor Eisenberg. But there is nothing wrong with a choice of more time at home and less at the office. If enacted, the Paycheck Fairness Act would lead to fewer paychecks and less fairness. Americans should not be fooled on April Fools' Day. |
I’m being flown westwards in a Galaxy dropship transport along with the 11 other players in bravo squad. A couple of dozen friendly fighter planes pass below us, heading north east, moving to support another battle elsewhere. Red tracers begin to fill my screen as we take fire from enemy flak positions supporting a battle in the north. Veering left, our pilot moves to approach our destination from the south. I ask for a sitrep: delta squad have arrived in advance, and are watching enemy positions for activity. Alpha and charlie squad leaders report that they now have ground support vehicles en route. Seconds later I arrive with bravo and we drop onto our objective; a small building in the east of this base. Alpha and charlie squad begin finding placements for Sunderers (mobile infantry spawn vehicles) and I see another platoon drive up with support vehicles, take up positions and begin assaulting the western side of the same base. Over half an hour ago we broke the world record for the largest number of players in an FPS battle, but there’s still an hour of laser war left in Planetside 2. The match started in a sedate manner. In order to avoid large concentrations of players causing problems, each of the three factions was given three starting locations and players were asked to be waiting within transport vehicles. The start of the match is announced and we take off. This will be the quietest 30 seconds of the next two hours. Our first target is Genesis Terraforming, a medium sized base at the centre of the eastern front. Our faction (the purple spandex-clad Vanu Sovereignty) already owns this base at the start but losing it would open up multiple paths to smaller, easier to capture bases behind our lines. I send one squad to each of the three objective locations at the base and ask delta to hold a building in the middle of the base. 30 seconds into the match, and half way to our first fight, we are told that there are 1,098 players online. We arrive at exactly the same time as our Terran opponents. My squad members fall from their Galaxy dropships right next to the enemy. Just before I drop myself I see a couple of friendly pilots simply plough their aircraft into the Terran dropships after delivering their troops. The first engagements are frantic and short lived as players land on the roofs of buildings, immediately facing the enemy. As we are killed and respawn, for the first of what will be dozens of times, I ask alpha and bravo squads to begin deploying Sunderers at the centre of the base so we can gain a foothold, but enemy vehicles that have just started to arrive make this difficult. Charlie squad manage to hold after their initial drop slightly longer than most of us, but are soon pushed out by a force twice their number. I send an order to all platoon members to re-group in the spawn room of the base. We then begin to sweep the base, moving as a large mass with our sister platoon from one objective location to the next, clearing each building of enemies in turn. Our first objective is secured, and the Terran forces here have gone elsewhere. We move to an adjacent base, which is under attack by entrenched Terran forces. It’s not safe to move out, so we gather together, waiting to move as a group. Those of us in platoon two are joined by platoon one and I find myself crammed into a tiny room with just shy of a hundred other players. Looking through the shimmering force fields that protect us, I can see our opponents; they are spread out, they have the high ground and they control the choke points. On a count of ten I relay the command to go and we spew forth from this little room and charge towards our objective on the other side of the bridges that span the road below. Overlooked and with little cover many of us fall almost immediately, revived by medics and then charging again, maybe making it a few more meters this time. We have no time to pause and return fire; it’s simply a matter of providing more targets than the enemy can deal with and closing the distance. This is trench warfare with lasers, and I’m ordering the players over the top. I’m in command of platoon number two, consisting of 42 players from Miller (one of Planetside 2’s European servers). Each of the four squads under my command is headed up by its own squad leader, including one squad comprised of the men and women of the RPS community. I’m working alongside the leader of platoon one and together we constitute the forces of ‘Area 1’; the eastern front. Our area commander sits alongside other area commanders, the leader of ‘quick response’ forces and the commander of our air squadrons. They, in turn, take orders from the overall of the force command team. There are few games of a scale where one player can be in charge of fifty other players working together, and there are even fewer where that player is just a cog in an even larger machine. After another successful defence I take my platoon one base to the west to prise it from the hands of the Terrans who have set themselves up there. Given that this base is connected to where we are, this is simply a matter of waiting for a ten-second ‘redeploy’ timer and then selecting this base as the next spawn option. The fight turns out easier than expected, and we quickly rout the enemy. I get my platoon loaded into Sunderer transports and begin a push into enemy territory, but we are soon asked to reinforce the western front. Much like Genesis Terraforming acts as a gateway in the east, Fort Drexla does the same on our western front against the New Conglomerate faction, and those at the top want to make sure we take it. I ask each squad to get themselves into a Galaxy drop ship. Acting as mobile spawn locations for your squad, it’s a simple matter to have a pilot head towards a destination whilst their squad mates load themselves into the back of your aircraft mid flight. Redeploy, Sunderer and Galaxy movement abilities tend to make large, coordinated fights in Planetside 2 a matter of juggling the movement of infantry players en masse, sadly foregoing any sweeping vehicle battles. We spend the next 20 minutes jumping between Fort Drexla and nearby bases. The format for the world record attempt is simple: Three factions vie for control of bases across a continent. Where the previous world record set by ‘Man vs Machine’ took place in a game designed specifically for the purposes of setting the record, there are, in practice, few differences between this world record attempt and what happens everyday on the Planetside 2 servers. Though the endless war has been shortened to a two hour match. Of the four available continents, the chosen site for this battle is the swampy continent of Hossin as it offers the closest to a three-way symmetry for a competitive scenario. We’re almost an hour into the match and though the Vanu have managed to hold onto key strategic bases, we’ve lost five smaller ones and made few gains and so we’re lagging behind on the score. This is actually all as planned; our force commanders wanted to avoid taking an early lead and attracting the ire of the other two factions. A switch to a heavy offensive push is announced. We are dug in at Takon Storage, near to Fort Drexla, and take it from the New Conglomerate with relative ease. Takon Storage is one of five bases captured in rapid succession, putting us back in the running (as can be seen on this recording of the match). Fort Drexla is the final of these five bases, and we are one of four platoons sent there to secure its capture. Tasked with being a heavy infantry push I get the platoon kitted out in armoured ‘MAX suits’ or wielding Lashers; the Vanu special weapon which excels at suppression. The base itself is accessible only from the north, with sheer cliffs on all other sides. The northern approach is bordered by towers, and walls, making vehicular assault difficult and pushing infantry assaults through chokepoints. I gather the platoon outside the walls, at the base of a tower. Pushing through the gates we climb a tower on the edge of the base and hold it as we group up. We then move along the walls towards the western edge of the base, all the while firing streams of plasma through the windows of overlooking buildings. With four Vanu platoons assaulting this base and a commensurate response from the New Conglomerate, it’s at this point that latency starts to become a real problem as extra players put an exponential strain on the servers (explained by the Planetside creative director here). With easily over 200 players in the space no bigger than your average deathmatch map, the limits of SOE’s technology becomes apparent and we are having to deal with latencies of 1,500ms and above. As it turns out, the Lasher – with its continuous stream of area-of-effect damage – is very forgiving in this high-latency environment and we eventually hold the base. After securing Fort Drexla we can finally return to our initial battle front in the east, where the Terrans have been making headway. We are tasked with taking Gourney Damn; a base near the centre of Hossin built around an objective point in a confined underground space surrounded by open areas and – appearing for the first time for Planetside 2 on Hossin – the FPS staple of insta-death goo. We quickly set up multiple Sunderer spawn locations around the base and move to take position inside the objective building. Terran forces circle our position from outside, lobbing grenades down the stairs. But with our medics keeping us alive and our Lashers suppressing the stair entrances, we simply wait for the Terrans to run out of grenades. For a couple of minutes this seems like a comfortable position, only having a minute left on the countdown before we capture the base. But we are finally dislodged as the Terrans go all out with their own version of the MAX suits. Foregoing infantry support, three squads of these armoured players charge into our position, the chatter of their chainguns drowning out the wub-wub of our Lashers. We manage to take down a third of them before we are over-run. I report in; “PL to Area Command, that’s a wipe.” This re-secure by the Terrans works momentarily, but it is a close last-minute save and this is apparent as they have not had time to remove our vehicle support beforehand. It’s a simple matter to re-group at our nearby Sunderers and counter with our own infantry push. Gourney Dam becomes the first base for which RPS’ own outfit gets the credit for capture, and it puts the Vanu Sovereignty into the lead for the first time in the match. The last half hour of the match is spent on the back foot. We’re being pushed hard by both the Terran Republic and the New Conglomerate, and are unable to hold onto our short lived lead. Our final stand is a capture of the Ziggurat. Far to the east of the map, it’s the only base that we can capture in the time left. Realising this, hundreds of Vanu descend upon the base to ensure that last small victory. The New Conglomerate win, with 36% territorial ownership, the Terrans and 32% and the Vanu at 30%. Over 4,000 players signed up to take part, and the final count for the world record, officiated by Guiness, was set at 1,158 players. Although according to Matt Higby, SOE’s creative director of Planetside, this record had been broken over 70,000 times since the game’s launch in 2012. Planetside 2 is free to play, the RPS Planetside community organises itself on the RPS forums. If you want to play with either the Vanu ‘giraffes’ or the New Conglomerate ‘traitors’, simply find us on the RPS Mumble and join in. |
It's been less than a year since the iPhone 3GS launched, and the rumor mill is already churning out speculation about an upcoming iPhone 4G, expected as early as May. New rumors have been circulating over the past couple of days, saying a new Apple iPhone 4G will be available by June, or even as early as May. Besides the earlier-than-expected launch date (new iPhone models traditionally come out in June or July), potential new features are in discussion as well, such as a better camera, an OLED screen, a removable battery, and different casing. A Bloomberg/BusinessWeek report quotes an analyst from the Goldman Sachs Group saying the iPhone 4G would have a better camera than the 3-megapixel shooter found on the iPhone 3GS. The iPhone 4G's camera could offer up to 5 megapixels, which would put it on the par with the camera in Google's Nexus One. The story also speculates that Apple is working on an updated version of the iPhone OS with an overhauled App Store. The analyst in the Bloomberg story did not identify who gave him the information, but speculates the iPhone 4G will go into production as early as April, with availability expected sometime in June or July. Derailing from the usual July/July launch timeframe though, is a report originating from a French Web site, which claims we are likely to see the next generation iPhone in May. The report says Apple targeted May because it thought that's when Google would release their Nexus One Android smartphone. Actually, the Nexus One was unveiled earlier this month. Is it like that Apple would move up the release of a new iPhone to compete with Google? Maybe. But it doesn't seem likely that Apple would misjudge Google's launch date by several months. Also this week, a report from Korea Times quoted unnamed mobile executives claiming the iPhone 4G will have an OLED screen and support for video chat. Most surprisingly, it claimed that the upcoming iPhone would feature a removable battery -- though the chances of this happening are slight (Apple refused to use removable batteries in all three generations of iPhones and its latest laptops also sport non-removable batteries). All in all, some of these rumors are plausible, such as the OLED screen and a better camera, though earlier launch dates as soon as May might seem a bit far-fetched, as Apple usually refreshes products in a yearly cycle. |
Rizin FC have announced a big fight for the Women’s Flyweight Division which will take place December 31st 2016 at the event ‘Rizin World Grand-Prix 2016: 2nd Round’. The Number 2 Flyweight in the world Rin Nakai (18-2-1) is set to face Kanako Murata (4-0-0). The event will be held at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Japan’s Nakai has formerly competed for the UFC in the Bantamweight division, a division in which she was severely undersized. Nakai’s only 2 losses come to Bantamweight’s Miesha Tate and Leslie Smith. She has 18 career victories, including a unanimous decision win over Bellator Star and Number 3 Flyweight in the world Sarah D’Alelio. Kanako Murata who is also from Japan has been fighting since April 2016, and now has an undefeated record of (4-0-0). She is currently unranked and will face of against the Number 2 Flyweight in the world. A win over Nakai would be a very big victory for her and put her right in the running for a top position in the Flyweight rankings. You can view the World Flyweight Rankings by clicking HERE. Follow on Twitter and Facebook to be kept up to date with everything Women’s MMA. twitter.com/WMMARankings facebook.com/WMMARankings Who do you think will win the fight? Let us know below. |
Celebrating the upcoming November 22 Blu-ray release of LAIKA Animation Studios’ Kubo and the Two Strings, AWN has a free copy to give away to one lucky winner, courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Inspired by Japanese folklore and mythology, Kubo and the Two Strings is based on a story by Google Spotlight Stories animator Shannon Tindle, with the screenplay written by Marc Haimes and ParaNorman writer and co-director Chris Butler. The film marks the directorial debut of LAIKA head Travis Knight, who also served as the lead animator for the studio’s previous three films: Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls. The stop-motion/CG-animated hybrid film follows young Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of Game of Thrones), who mesmerizes the people in his village with his magical gift for spinning fantastical tales. When he accidentally summons an evil spirit seeking vengeance, Kubo journeys on an action-packed quest alongside newly-found friends Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) to solve the mystery of his fallen samurai father, discover his own magical powers, and reunite his family. George Takei (Star Trek), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (The Man in the High Castle), and Academy Award nominees Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter), Brenda Vaccaro (Johnny Bravo), and Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) round out the supporting voice cast. The Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD editions are packed with exciting behind-the-scenes bonus content featuring the filmmakers and incredible voice cast, allowing viewers to dive even deeper into the magical story. Blu-ray Combo Pack and Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack extras include: Introduction by Director/Producer Travis Knight : Director/Producer Travis Knight introduces “Kubo’s Journey.” Director/Producer Travis Knight introduces “Kubo’s Journey.” Mythological Monsters : The filmmakers and crew discuss the new techniques they used to create the terrifying antagonists. Learn how each monster differed in scale, design, and execution. The filmmakers and crew discuss the new techniques they used to create the terrifying antagonists. Learn how each monster differed in scale, design, and execution. Braving the Elements : A particularly challenging aspect of filming was animating water and rain effects. Discover how LAIKA was able to animate water in the context of a stop-motion film. A particularly challenging aspect of filming was animating water and rain effects. Discover how LAIKA was able to animate water in the context of a stop-motion film. The Redemptive and Healing Power of Music : Learn how traditional and contemporary musical styles were combined by Academy Award-winning composer Dario Marianelli (Atonement) to infuse the film with such a heartfelt sound. Learn how traditional and contemporary musical styles were combined by Academy Award-winning composer Dario Marianelli (Atonement) to infuse the film with such a heartfelt sound. Epilogue by Director/Producer Travis Knight: Director/Producer Travis Knight discusses what attracted LAIKA to Kubo and the Two Strings. To enter your chance to win a free copy of the Kubo and the Two Strings Blu-ray Combo Pack, email info@awn.com (link sends e-mail) with the subject heading “Kubo and the Two Strings Giveaway” with your full name and mailing address. One lucky winner (sorry folks, U.S. residents only) will be chosen at random, and will be notified via email. The deadline for entries is The deadline for entries is 5:00PM Pacific on Tuesday, November 22, 2016. |
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