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DIGG THIS The federal government claims (as usual) that inflation was mild in October. Just 0.3% for the month and 3.5% year-over-year. Yet again we will hear so-called financial experts on television and other media parrot the government’s inflation figures, as if they had any semblance to reality. Shadow Government Statistics, a far more believable source, shows a 7% year-over-year increase in CPI, and this correlates quite well with (at least my) real-world experience. The feds’ BLS website shows these price increases for the 12 months ended October 2007 (unadjusted): Food and beverages: +4.4% (ludicrous) Housing: +3.1% (I thought prices were coming down….) Apparel: -1.2% (perhaps) Transportation: +5.8% (possibly) Medical care: +4.8% (are they kidding?) Recreation: +0.5% (unlikely) Education & communication: +2.6% (this combo makes no sense) Other goods & services: +3.5% (really?) Energy: +14.5% (up from a mere 5.3% at 9/30/07) Overall, 12 mos. ended 10/31/07: +3.5% (ha ha ha!) These ridiculously low government inflation figures are easily swallowed by the craven financial media, a gullible public, and deluded Keynesian economists on cable TV. As pointed out by others more knowledgeable than I, the government’s numbers are distorted via various means, such as substitution and hedonic pricing. What really matters, in my opinion, is the absolute price increase of the average item of its type over the period of time in question. For example, say last year’s average PC cost $600. This year it costs $660, an increase of 10%. The government may believe that this year’s average PC includes double the RAM and a faster hard drive, and this may, in fact, be true. It will thus contend that these enhancements make the new PC 10% better, and exactly offset the $60 price increase and therefore the average PC (on the market today) had no year-over-year increase, and thus an annual inflation rate of zero. However, I contend that this is a disingenuous sleight of hand, since in today’s world you must pay $60 more for a computer that functions according to today’s standards of what is average. This perception of “average” is fueled by millions of consumers with individual demands. For the PC, what is of average value today may be vastly different from what it was last year. The same principle applies to cars, cellphones and everything else. If the price of an “average item” of its type has increased, then that becomes the new standard. If the cost of that average item has increased by 10%, then it doesn’t matter how much better the new version of “average” has become — its price has inflated by 10%, and should be recorded as such in government calculations. Manufactured products always increase in quality, and older versions eventually become obsolete or wear out, e.g., older vacuum cleaners, flashlights, televisions, cars, coffee makers and computers. A consumer can “make do” with some items, such as stereo speakers, for decades, but since new and improved models appear all the time, the quality of the average speaker is always increasing. My half-decent thirty-year-old speakers still work, although they now have a market value of zero. Assuming I paid $50 thirty years ago, and half-decent speakers (by today’s standards) cost $200 now, in my view the price of speakers has quadrupled. However, the government could claim, with a figurative straight face, that since the new speakers are four times better than the old ones, there has really been a zero increase in price. This is because new products almost always have more value than previous models. They are supposed to have more value. This is the very nature of the free marketplace: more, better, cheaper. Only if a 2008 Toyota Corolla (assuming it is the “average” car) costs less than the 2007 model and is exactly the same can it be suggested that price deflation has taken place. If the 2008 model costs more and is the same as the 2007 model, or has a few new bells and whistles, then price inflation has occurred, assuming it is the average car both years. An observer might say “you’re paying more, but you’re getting more,” but I say no — you’re paying more for this year’s average car. Getting back to real-world inflation, just walk into any supermarket. I don’t know about you, but almost everything I buy goes up in price — sometimes dramatically — at least twice a year. This applies especially to anything packaged. Frozen pies are now $6 each, just a few years ago they were $3. Prepared cakes such as Entenmann’s jump in price by 10 percent every time I look, while their quality goes down. Cereal goes up 5% every couple of months. Soap and deodorant cost almost double what they did a couple of years ago. Apples are $2.50 a pound and climbing. A decent-sized onion, yam or tomato costs a dollar — and they’re just seeds that have been stuck in the dirt and doused with rainwater! A decent loaf of bread is $3.00; I remember it being 14 cents when I was a kid. Chicken breasts are inching up in price regularly. Beef is almost a luxury item now. Veal? Forget it. The claim that food prices are “volatile” and hence excluded from “core inflation” is asinine. They may fluctuate, but only within the framework of the “ratchet effect” — two notches higher and one back. The trend is always up. None of the above considers the omnipresent decreases in quality and downsizing in almost every product at the store. The pies have less filling, the cakes have less (or no) chocolate, and that loaf of bread is 14.5 ounces instead of a pound. Factor in these negative quality adjustments and the price increases of the items are a lot higher than the government reports. Consumers are smart enough to realize that their half-gallons of ice cream are now 1.75 quarts, but they are generally not attuned to the incremental nature of price inflation. They can’t make the connection between government spending and the decrease in their purchasing power, of the decrease in the value of their dollars (let alone understand M3 expansion). They just attribute the increase in prices to “greedy corporations” or shrug and say “prices always go up.” This is why the government and its banking cartel, the Federal Reserve, love to print money. It keeps the game alive, creates the illusion of prosperity, and more than likely the public will not catch on. November 17, 2007 Andrew S. Fischer has worked in various fields. Andrew S. Fischer The Best of Andrew S. Fischer |
Amid Deteriorating U.S.-Russia Relations, Questions Grow About Cyberwar Enlarge this image toggle caption Alexei Nikolsky/AP Alexei Nikolsky/AP Enlarge this image toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Just when you thought U.S.-Russia relations couldn't get worse, diplomatic deals on both Syria and nuclear security fell apart this week. Moscow went first, announcing that it was pulling out of a landmark agreement on plutonium. Russia's President Vladimir Putin blamed "unfriendly actions" by the United States. Hours later, Washington said it was breaking off talks on a ceasefire in Syria. "This is not a decision that was taken lightly," State Department spokesman John Kirby wrote in a statement. "Unfortunately, Russia failed to live up to its own commitments." Moscow and Washington aren't cooperating on much of anything these days. And that prompts a question: What might come next, in the way of cyberattacks? Russia is suspect-in-chief for recent attacks on targets ranging from the Democratic National Committee to a former U.S. NATO commander to former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Rob Knake, who until last year served as director of cybersecurity policy for the National Security Council, says the toxic atmosphere might open the door to the U.S. retaliating. Until recently, Knake says, "We would say we want Russia's help on Syria. We want Russia's help on nukes. We want Russia's help on North Korea. Now, we've taken at least two of those issues off the table." His point: if Russia and the U.S. aren't cooperating anyway, there may be less of a downside to hitting back on the cyber front. On the flip side, Knake argues, Russia may also feel less constrained. "If they don't have an interest in cooperating with the U.S. in Syria, they may feel free to unleash the kind of attacks that they have yet kept on hold," he says. He sees a real risk of tit-for-tat retaliation spiraling out of control. Angela Stent, who's watched Russia for many years from perches at the National Intelligence Council and now at Georgetown University, takes a different view, though she agrees this marks an exceptionally dangerous period in U.S.-Russia relations. "This is the lowest point — it's the worst relationship — since, I would say, before Gorbachev came to power," she says, meaning all the way back to the 1980s, before Mikhail Gorbachev took over as the Soviet Union's head of state. But Stent is not persuaded this low point will translate to gloves-off, bare-knuckle fighting in the cyber arena. That's because Moscow and Washington still share common interests — including Syria, where Russia and the U.S. are still working together to coordinate counterterrorism operations. Still, Stent says, Russia will not stop trying to provoke the U.S. with cyber intrusions. "I think the Kremlin concluded some time ago that this was a lame-duck administration," she says. "And that this was the time to get whatever advantages they can. Because they don't know what the next president's going to do." Meanwhile, President Obama and his advisers continue to avoid publicly naming and blaming Russia. They cite the ongoing FBI-led investigation into recent hacks. CIA director John Brennan went about as far as any administration official has, in front of a crowd last week at the Washington Ideas Forum. Asked whether Russia is trying to hack the U.S. election, Brennan replied: "What we do at [the] CIA is to look at a country's capabilities, look at their intent, look at things that they have done in the past, and determine whether something that certainly looks like a duck, smells like a duck and flies like a duck, whether it's a duck or not." The question now is whether — and how — Washington decides to hunt. |
The Palestinian Authority expressed their outrage on Wednesday at Israel's Channel 10 report of a video found depicting one of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' senior advisors in compromising positions with a woman candidate applying to work in his office. According to a PA official, the report was merely an Israeli smear campaign meant to embarrass Abbas. The report also aired claims made by former General Intelligence chief Fahmi Shabana that officials close to Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat were entangled in corruption scandals amounting to millions of shekels stolen from public coffers. Shabana, who was in charge of the PA's anti-corruption campaign, claimed in interviews with the media that he placed before Abbas evidence of widespread economic corruption around him, but that the president declined doing anything about it. According to him, senior Fatah officials during Arafat's rule stole millions of shekels from PA coffers, a large amount of which originated from Arab states, Europe, and the US as donations. The Fatah officials allegedly requested inflated sums for purchasing land, which was valued far lower than the numbers they presented, and the proceeded to pocket the difference. Shabana hinted that even Abbas' family members were involved in the corruption, but has yet to prove so. 'Tarnishing Abbas' credibility' Shabana also revealed an embarrassing video from 2008 depicting the head of Abbas' office, Rafik al-Husseini, rubbing his body against his secretary and apparently trying to convince a woman seeking employment in the office to have sexual relations with him. Shabana was suspended from his position. When Abbas sought to reinstate him, he was arrested by Israel for holding membership in a foreign security body in light of the fact that he is a resident of east Jerusalem and holds an Israeli identity card. Shabana claims, however, that he was arrested at the behest of the Palestinian Authority. A high-ranking PA official said Wednesday to Ynet that the video revealed by Shabana is a personal issue known for quite some time and that his staff are not rattled by the corruption claims. According to the official, the PA maintains transparency with donor countries and operates a strict oversight mechanism on their payments. The PA claimed further that Shabana was arrested for three months for corruption scandals that he himself was involved in and alleged that he recently tried to blackmail senior PA officials in order to receive the post of deputy governor of Jerusalem. To backup their claims, the PA noted that Shabana first negotiated with them to exchange monetary compensation in exchange for not publishing the claims reported Tuesday. "If we had any concern, we would have closed that file by paying Shabana," said the PA official. |
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Wednesday accused Mr Dutton of statements that would make "Pauline Hanson proud" and seeking to divide Australians, while the Greens accused him of xenophobia. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton. Credit:Andrew Meares "I don't think you can argue against the facts here," Mr Dutton said. "I'm not going to stand back from what I said "Many [refugees] come here with no English. "Almost one in two will never have been in paid work and it costs a lot of money to support them "The fact is people come here without formal education, without skills and we provide significant funding for those people." Asked about demands by independent MP Andrew Wilkie for him to resign, Mr Dutton replied: "Well that's a body blow. "Sarah Hanson-Young calls for me to be sacked twice a week." Mr Dutton said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who hailed him as an "outstanding" minister on Wednesday, had shown strong leadership on asylum seekers. "He was rock solid yesterday," Mr Dutton said. "He agrees because you can't argue with the facts here." Asked about the Greens proposal to increase Australia's refugee intake from around 13,700 to 50,000, Mr Dutton said on Tuesday: "They won't be numerate or literate in their own language, let alone English. "These people would be taking Australian jobs, there's no question about that. "For many of them that would be unemployed, they would languish in unemployment queues and on Medicare and the rest of it so there would be huge cost and there's no sense in sugar-coating that, that's the scenario." He later released statistics showing 23 per cent of female arrivals and 17 per cent of male arrivals under Australia's Refugee and Humanitarian Program are illiterate in their own language. Fifteen per cent have never attended school and 46 per cent have never undertaken paid work. "Those people who come through refugee program come from war torn countries facing persecution we do the right thing, we offer significant support, we should be proud of that, the question for Bill Shorten is how would he stop the boats if his party is divided?" he said. "He's a person who can't control his own party, how would he control the borders?" Hadley strongly backed Mr Dutton's comments, saying Australia has enough "home-grown bludgers" without importing more from overseas and that he had spoken to family friends the night before who says "Australia needs more Peter Duttons". Mr Dutton said Mr Shorten needed to explain how he would lift the refugee intake to 27,000, as is Labor's policy, when recent arrivals had caused problems in some communities. He named recent Somali arrivals in Melbourne as one example. On Thursday Mr Turnbull again backed his Immigration Minister. "Bill Shorten is only interested in the politics of this issue," the Prime Minister said as he visited a tanker manufacturer south west of Sydney. "And you can see the way he leapt on it yesterday to demonise Peter Dutton as a means of distracting attention from [David] Feeney's rather careless accounting for his real estate interests." Mr Turnbull was referring to revelations the Labor frontbencher "forgot" to declare a $2.3 million investment property, and that he initially did not know whether or not it was negatively geared. This week's focus on refugees and border protection has led some commentators to surmise the government is playing up asylum seeker fears for electoral advantage. Asked if that was true, Mr Turnbull said he was focused on his "jobs and growth" agenda but that "when people raise this issue, obviously I respond to it". Loading with Michael Koziol Follow us on Twitter |
Share. Now that Bond 24 will be a stand-alone movie, the Skyfall director is considering taking charge. Now that Bond 24 will be a stand-alone movie, the Skyfall director is considering taking charge. Exit Theatre Mode Skyfall director Sam Mendes is considering returning to the franchise for the forthcoming Bond 24. According to the MailOnline, Mendes is “75 per cent” of the way to saying yes, with the helmer waiting to see John Logan’s finished script before committing. Mendes had previously been reluctant to take the job because Bonds 24 and 25 were going to be shot back-to-back as a two-part story, meaning that he’d be working on them for four years. But that plan has now been dropped, with the two pictures now stand-alone movies. If a deal can be hammered out, the plan is to start pre-production late this year or early in 2014, once he has finished work on stage productions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and King Lear. So would you like to see Mendes return to the director’s chair? Exit Theatre Mode |
The Manitoba Liberal Party's election campaign, which has been plagued by policy gaffes and candidates being dropped in recent weeks, is disappointing to Bob Axworthy, who once sought the party's leadership. Axworthy, the brother of former Winnipeg Liberal MP and cabinet minister Lloyd Axworthy, lost to Rana Bokhari in the provincial party's leadership contest in 2013. Two weeks ago, Axworthy told CBC he was considering running as a candidate for the Manitoba Party, but in the end, did not. Axworthy said he's been watching the party deal with policy gaffes and controversies surrounding some of its candidates in recent weeks. Axworthy said while he does not entirely blame Bokhari for the poor campaign, he said she and the party have had three years to organize themselves in advance of the election campaign. "It's very disheartening to see … to be frank, the disorganization and the policy gaffes and the rest that have appeared to plague the party in the last week," he said in an interview Tuesday. "I'm very disheartened by it because I feel that certain policies of the Liberal Party that have been presented have merit, but others haven't." Email warns Liberals not to criticize leader Mike Brown, communications director with the Manitoba Liberal Party, sent an email to local media Tuesday that appears to have been intended to warn others in the party against contributing to negative coverage of Rana Bokhari. (CBC) The Liberals' communications director, Mike Brown, sent an email to local media on Tuesday afternoon that appears to have been meant to warn other Liberals against contributing to negative coverage of Bokhari. "CBC is actively seeking out negative comments about Rana. Please be aware of this and respond accordingly. It seems they have found someone to share their frustrations," Brown wrote. "Please do not be part of that story. If we learned anything from 2011 it's that abandoning the leader leads to poor showings on election day for everyone." Brown said in subsequent email that the first email was not sent out in error. The Liberals have faced criticism over elements in their platform, including their fiscal plan, which calls for a $141-million surplus by 2021-22 but does not include the cost of their election promises. Meanwhile, a Liberal promise to create a not-for-profit fresh food market in downtown Winnipeg raised the ire of Neechi Foods Co-op, an indigenous-run supermarket that already exists on Main Street. Not a full slate Axworthy said he and other local Liberals are also disappointed to see the party not running a full slate of 57 candidates leading up to the April 19 provincial election. The Liberals currently have 51 candidates running across the province. Last week, Elections Manitoba rejected four rural candidates because their paperwork had not been completed properly. A fifth, Joanne Levy, was disqualified because she had worked as an election enumerator earlier this year. In early March, the Liberals severed ties with Jamie Hall — who had been approved and nominated as the party's candidate in Southdale days earlier — after misogynistic posts from his social media accounts were uncovered. Most recently, Kurt Berger was forced to resign as the Liberal candidate in Elmwood on Monday after his ex-spouse came forward with allegations about an assault from 2002. "Clearly the candidates ... weren't vetted beforehand and certainly [were not] given the support to make sure that any organizational gaffes or the rest of it could have been prevented," Axworthy said. Axworthy added that while he thinks Bokhari is expressing "a sincere desire to offer a change to Manitoba," he also believes the party has not been able to articulate its vision to voters. "I think that she's doing the best job possible, but that perhaps the organizational structure of the party and the finances of the party have made it a bit, a very un-formidable job," he said. "With more foundation to the party, perhaps her job would have been easier." 'Disaster after disaster,' says U of M professor Paul Thomas, professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba, said there isn't much chance for momentum to change in a campaign and "it really requires your opponents to make a mistake." "And the big thing is the implosion of the Liberal party. Like just disaster after disaster. and a leader who needs much more time to grow and develop her skills as a leader," Thomas said. "It's been a really, really rough campaign for them." Thomas said usually if the Liberal vote sinks, that benefits the NDP, but he isn't so sure this time. "When there's anger and frustration towards the NDP and some people can't bring themselves to vote Liberal they may either stay home or they may vote Liberal and say 'I want to send a message as a kind of protest vote to the government'. Some will go to the PC's," he said. "You know they (the Liberals) could be back where they started. They could be back with one constituency, the one we're sitting in, River Heights and Dr. (Jon) Gerrard is still MLA." Manitobans will go to the polls on April 19. |
Chinese state news agency Xinhua on Friday announced that said April Fools’ Day did not "comply with our traditional culture and socialist core values". It said that it hoped Chinese citizens will not use the "Western concept" to spread rumours. China has the world’s largest Internet population. Xinhua’s post on its Weibo account has sparked a long list of comments from users, including many that poke fun at the news agency. The move adds to China’s long-running campaign to control information about the country on the Internet and social media. According to The Washington Post, China launched a campaign to criminalise the spreading of rumours three years ago. The ruling Communist Party also introduced a rule where if anyone who tweeted something offensive or seditious was retweeted more than 500 times, they could face prosecution. The government is also reportedly drafting rules to effectively ban web domains not approved by local authorities. |
Fishing is central to the livelihood and food security of approximately 200 million people worldwide, while one in five people depends on fish as their primary source of protein. But according to an estimate by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 80 percent of the world’s fish species are either fully or over exploited, or depleted. The alternative to overfishing has been the development of “fish farms” – enclosed areas, usually set up near water sources and coasts, where fish are raised in a controlled environment. They have been around for years, enabling growers to set up controlled conditions that can ensure a specific yield of fish. Get our weekly newsletter directly in your inbox! Sign up But these farms also have limitations. While they enhance the conservation of fish in the sea, fish farms are often considered environmental hazards because of the waste generated by the fish, such as nitrogen, which is then dumped into the sea. Israeli company GFA says it offers a solution to the geographical and environmental constraints of fish farms: They created a way to run fish farms anywhere, even in extreme conditions like the desert, with minimal damage to the environment. Related Stories: Scientists Use Seaweed To Produce Biofuel Cleantech Co Produces Low-Cost Electricity From Waves Special biological filters Based on the work of Israeli scientist Dr. Yossi Tal and Hebrew University professor Jaap van Rijn – inventor of the system – GFA has developed an on-land environment where fish can be raised, without having to exchange water or treat it chemically. “We call this a zero-discharge system,” GFA Advanced Systems CEO Dotan Bar-Noy has said. “We use biological filters and specially developed bacteria to treat the water the fish are growing in, without wasting anything. The system can be set up to raise salt-water fish anywhere in the world – even in the desert, thousands of miles from the ocean,” he said. Prior to the GFA solution, purification systems were based on electrical treatment systems, which are expensive to install and run, and not all that effective, says Bar-Noy. “Even when they work, the electrical purification systems are too expensive, and fish produced with those systems will cost far more than fish from the sea.” Tanks using the GFA system are filled with water and fish and then the GFA microbes are added. These microbes treat the nitrogen and organic waste byproducts of fish production right in the tank. No water is discharged at all; in fact the only fluid exchange is the addition of water to replenish that which is lost through evaporation. The company even alleges that fish grown in tanks purified with their product taste better because of the clean water they grow in. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS9WF_vrkLQ[/youtube] High-capacity aquaculture GFA’s system has already been set up in several locations in Israel and the company runs an additional purification facility in New York, which has been operating since 2009. The New York facility produces about 100 tons of fish last yearmostly salt-water fish like sea bream, bass and tilapia. The resulting system allows for high-capacity aquaculture, with as much as 100 kg of fish per cubic meter of water. In addition, due to the ability to grow fish in any environment, including in large cities, fish can be brought to markets the same day they’re harvested. This enables farmers to reduce transportation time and costs. The company was formed in 2008, but the technology behind it has been under development for the past 20 years. “While the ideas were there for awhile, the only viable purification techniques were based on electrical devices. It was only with the rise of biotechnology techniques that we were able to develop the bacteria that enable us to do the purification cheaply,” Bar-Noy explains. Photo by Bytemarks The bacteria used by GFA’s system are cheap and easy to produce, so any initial costs for purchasing a system are more than offset by the savings realized in not having to clean tanks. |
Anything you set your mind to do, you just do it. Read More Stories of professional women crafting successful careers and personal lives A fractured life, put back together: She gave up the jet-set ways, integrated her life and found more success than ever Forget balance, it’s all life: How one woman integrates her passion into 12-hour days Priti Kohal’s love of flying began when she was a 16-year-old living in Mumbai. But her passion for planes started sitting in the driving seat on the open road, not wide-open skies. As a teenager, Kohal, now age 45, would take her parents’ car, unbeknownst to them, for joy rides around town. She loved being in control of the vehicle and the freedom that came with it. “I just loved the thought of getting away,” she said. When Kohal turned 18 and officially received her driver’s license, her passion for driving intensified. “It was great to be able to do things on my own without having anyone ferry me around,” she said. “After the car I moved on to faster modes of transportation.” Kohal earned her pilot’s license in 1994 and since 1996 has been a pilot with India’s Jet Airways — she’s one of 600 female pilots in India — and she’s been a captain since 2009. There are only 4,000 female pilots worldwide, versus 130,000 male pilots, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots. Kohal’s doctor mother and engineer father taught her and her sister that they weren’t any different from men and could do anything they wanted as long as they had fun doing it. This family support has helped her excel, but many women entering traditionally male-dominated professions in India encounter more obstacles. Kohal says she hasn’t run into sexism, but other females in the airline industry have and continue to face hurdles simply because of their gender. In 2009, Air India fired ten female flight attendants for being overweight. GoAir, a budget airline in India, said in 2013 that it only wanted to hire small, young females to be flight attendants in order to save money on fuel by keeping the weight of the plane down. And there are stories in the media and social media of notes being left on flights, or complaints being made, by passengers upset that they’ve flown with a female pilot. However, Kohal never thought twice about being in the airline business. “I never considered being a pilot different from being an engineer or a teacher,” she said. “There were no limits for what we could do.” Short flights, long days When her children were younger, Kohal only flew one- or two-hour flights. She woke at 03:30, fed her baby, put him back to sleep and then headed off to the airport by 04:00. She’d work her flight and usually be home by 10:30, having the remainder of the day to spend with her children. By sticking with this system and meticulous planning, Kohal said she has never missed an important milestone or a school meeting for her children, now ages 14 and 11. Contrary to how it might appear, being a pilot is a “very good career” for managing home and work life, Kohal believes, but it takes strategic planning. She decided to choose her flights so that she could spend time at home with her children. As long as someone doesn’t mind getting up in the wee hours of the morning, they can be home for long stretches of the day, she said. As Kohal’s children have gotten older, her schedule has changed a bit, too. She’ll now captain long-haul flights, but tries to be away from home no more than four nights each month. The sacrifice: Kohal doesn’t get to see her husband, who is also a pilot and captains Boeing 777 planes for Air India, as often as she used to. He’s typically away for four days at a time, and then he’s off for six days. When he’s home, she spends her evenings with him — “all six nights are booked for my husband,” she said — but when he’s away, she can do as she pleases. “It’s freedom for me,” when he’s in the air, she said, with a laugh. “I can do what I want for those 16 hours and he can’t reach me.” When both are away, Kohal’s parents, who are retired, look after the children. Indian families tend to have strong support systems, she said. When grandkids are young, grandparents are happy to help, but when they are older there’s an expectation that children, in turn, will help their ageing parents. “Having that (wider family) support is important because it eases up an entire part of your life that you would have to constantly monitor,” she said. A disciplined approach These days, Kohal’s typical routine goes something like this: She wakes up at 05:30 and gets ready for work, arriving at 09:00 where she receives her flying assignment. She typically flies for a few hours a day — unless she’s taking an overnight flight. That means she can be home by 14:30. After an hour nap, Kohal is wide-awake to greet her kids when they get home from school. The family has dinner by 20:30 and bedtime for the children is at 21:30, without exception. “One aspect of being a pilot is that rules can’t be broken,” Kohal said. “You can’t mess up when you have to be stabilised at 1,000 feet. So I have some hard rules at home. They have it tougher than I did when I was younger.” She’s usually in bed by midnight, but when her husband is away and she doesn’t have to fly the next day, Kohal will stay up reading until 02:30. “That’s my time,” she said. Hard work pays off Kohal attributes her success to one thing: hard work. For instance, only 0.1% of people pass the pilot’s entrance exam — and it’s given only twice a year. She was the only one to pass in her class. Kohal has accomplished nearly everything she’s set out to do, but looking at her situation, she doesn’t think that she’s done anything extraordinary. Many educated women in India have successful careers, she added. “Anything you set your mind to do, you just do it,” she said. “Tomorrow it will be something else.” To comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Capital, please head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. |
Cinderella story. Wonderful Cinderella story. While working as an Asst. Pro in Trump National New Jersey, Jim Herman met course owner, now presidential candidate, Donald J Trump. “Got into a nice conversation with Donald, Mr. Trump, one day,” Herman said. “He’s like, `Why are you folding shirts and giving lessons? Why aren’t you on the Tour? I’ve played with Tour players, you’re good enough. Go chase your dream.’” So he did. He’s 38-years-old, and today Jim Herman caught that dream and became a PGA winner. "Sorry for the tears, but I'm pretty happy." Jim Herman never thought he'd make it to The Masters. https://t.co/G1OBantNUI — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 3, 2016 Golf Digest […] “Got into a nice conversation with Donald, Mr. Trump, one day,” Herman said. “He’s like, `Why are you folding shirts and giving lessons? Why aren’t you on the Tour? I’ve played with Tour players, you’re good enough. Go chase your dream.’ “I don’t know, maybe something like that gives you more confidence. It’s nice playing out here. I definitely enjoy it better than the golf shop.” Herman wears the Trump logo on his shirt and carries it on his bag. “He’s been influential in getting me to the Tour,” Herman said. Advertisements |
SINGAPORE - Singapore-based tech company Garena has been rebranded as Sea after securing US$550 million (S$772.4 million) in a new round of funding. Sea is now believed to be valued at more than US$3 billion, making it South-east Asia's largest unicorn - a start-up that has grown to be privately valued above US$1 billion. The bulk of the new funds raised will be invested in its e-commerce platform Shopee, with a focus on key markets such as Indonesia. Investors in its latest funding round include GDP Venture, led by Martin Hartono, the son of Indonesia's richest man, and JG Summit Holdings, founded by Philippine billionaire John Gokongwei. Other investors include Cathay Financial Holding Co, Hillhouse Capital, Farallon Capital Management and President International Development Corporation, an investment arm of Taiwanese food conglomerate Uni-President Enterprises Corp. Earlier investors include SeaTown Holdings, a subsidiary of Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings, and Malaysian state investor Khazanah Nasional Bhd. The company is also planning a US$1 billion initial public offering, IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication, reported in January. The company, founded by Chinese-born entrepreneur Forrest Li in 2009, started out in online gaming but now also generates revenue from digital content, e-payments and e-commerce. Its e-commerce platform Shopee has more than doubled in size in the past nine months, the company said. "Our new name draws inspiration from the acronym for our region, symbolizing our strong 'home court advantage'," said Mr Li. "In addition, the sea connects every one of our markets, symbolizing our corporate motto of 'connecting the dots'. Finally, Sea is a humble, authentic word that evokes the pioneering spirit of exploration - a wonderful symbol of our corporate values," added Mr Li, who is chairman and group chief executive. Sea also announced the appointment of three senior advisors, including former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo. Mr Yeo joined Sea as a senior non-business advisor in 2016. The other two are former Indonesia Minister of Trade Mari Pangestu and Mr Pandu Sjahrir, the founder of Indonesian mining company Toba Bara Sejahtra, who joined Sea as chairman of its Indonesia operations this year. |
After nine months of steadily getting bigger and growing your baby, it’s now time to get that post-baby body back into shape. Amongst the riot of hormones going through your body as it begins to regulate itself, you might be feeling less than your best. You might even feel unattractive and ungainly now that you’ve had a baby. Arm yourself with the motivation you need and with these 4 tips for efficient and healthy weight loss after pregnancy, you’ll soon be able to trim down and feel more yourself. Read on for the best way to go about losing weight after giving birth. An Important Note First of all, note that you shouldn’t expect to lose all the baby weight instantly. If you gained the pregnancy weight (25-35 pounds) the doctor recommended, it might take at least two months, but probably more than that, especially if you plan to breast-feed your newborn. If you managed to gain more than that, pencil in your goal for weight loss after pregnancy for at least a year in the future. In short, don’t be discouraged if it takes you a little longer in either case. The important thing is keeping up your health, particularly if you’ve got a newborn baby around! Tips For Weight Loss After Pregnancy 1. Avoid fad dieting! It’s not healthy to just drink cranberry juice or green tea or whatever the cleanse of the month is. Instead, focus on moderation or you’ll be obsessed with whatever you’re depriving yourself of. Balance your postpartum diet with fruits, vegetables, and whole wheat bread but leave a little room for a naughty dessert now and again. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water as well. 2. Increase your physical activity! Start by planning a varied regimen of strength training and aerobic exercise that will keep up your strength and burn calories. You can also just walk briskly around the neighborhood with stroller in tow to start burning those extra calories. Not finding the time to exercise at least 30 minutes a day? Try breaking it up into three 10-minute segments throughout the day and become the next weight loss after pregnancy success story. 3. Try to sleep as much as possible! Now that might seem impossible with a newborn baby in the house, but it will help you in your goal of losing postpartum weight. If you’re tired, the hormone cortisol builds up in your body, which encourages weight gain. Whenever possible, try taking a nap when the baby does it as well – it will make you feel less tired. 4. Ask for help! Don’t be afraid to seek out help when you find yourself having trouble. Many community centers offer Mommy and Me classes that incorporate exercise with your baby. Team up with new mothers to encourage each other and if you’re truly having trouble, seek the help of your doctor or a physical trainer. Although the role of breast-feeding in weight loss after pregnancy isn’t absolutely proven, many people believe that it can only help. Just keep an eye on the calorie intake, as you’ll need more if you’re feeding your baby. The most important thing you need to remember is that you just spent nine months gaining the baby weight. Losing it can take longer than that, but if you work constantly and patiently at it, you will lose the pregnancy weight. You’ll be feeling yourself in no time! |
Feature If you're looking to mitigate the cost of upgrading to Apple's 'iPhone 6' by getting the most cash possible for your current iPhone, buyback service Gazelle has just launched its most aggressive price-lock promotion yet: up to $350 for your old iPhone if you lock in a price quote today (and you don't need to send it in until Oct. 10 —long after the iPhone 6 is expected on the market). Current iPhone Trade-In Cash Payouts Excellent Average Poor iPhone X Apple iPhone X 256GB Unlocked $575** $560** $260** Apple iPhone X 256GB Verizon $570** $545** $260** Apple iPhone X 256GB AT&T $545** $520** $245** Apple iPhone X 256GB T-Mobile $550** $535** $235** Apple iPhone X 256GB Sprint $550** $535** $235* Apple iPhone X 64GB Unlocked $540** $505** $235** Apple iPhone X 64GB Verizon $530** $505** $235** Apple iPhone X 64GB AT&T $490** $465** $220** Apple iPhone X 64GB T-Mobile $490** $475** $200* Apple iPhone X 64GB Sprint $480** $465** $200* iPhone 8 Plus Apple iPhone 8 Plus 256GB Unlocked $485** $470** $190* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 256GB Verizon $480** $465* $190* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 256GB AT&T $475** $445** $185* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 256GB T-Mobile $475** $445** $180* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 256GB Sprint $475** $445** $180* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB Unlocked $430** $410** $185* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB Verizon $430* $410* $185* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB AT&T $410** $390** $175* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB T-Mobile $410** $390** $175* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB Sprint $410** $390** $175* iPhone 8 Apple iPhone 8 256GB Unlocked $435** $410** $180* Apple iPhone 8 256GB Verizon $430** $405* $180* Apple iPhone 8 256GB AT&T $420** $395** $170* Apple iPhone 8 256GB T-Mobile $430** $395** $170* Apple iPhone 8 256GB Sprint $420** $395** $170* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB Unlocked $375** $360** $165* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB Verizon $370* $355* $165* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB AT&T $360** $345** $140* Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB T-Mobile $360** $340** $145* Apple iPhone 8 64GB Sprint $350** $330** $145* iPhone 7 Plus Apple iPhone 7 Plus 256GB Unlocked $355** $340** $140* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 256GB Verizon $355** $340* $140* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 256GB AT&T $325** $310** $130* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 256GB T-Mobile $330** $310** $130* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 256GB Sprint $320** $305** $130* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 128GB Unlocked $325** $310** $140* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 128GB Verizon $360* $325* $140* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 128GB AT&T $325** $310** $140* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 128GB T-Mobile $305** $285** $125* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 128GB Sprint $305** $285** $125* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 32GB Unlocked $300** $285** $130* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 32GB Verizon $300** $285** $130* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 32GB AT&T $285** $270** $115* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 32GB T-Mobile $280** $255** $115* Apple iPhone 7 Plus 32GB Sprint $260** $245** $110* iPhone 7 Apple iPhone 7 256GB Unlocked $285** $280** $130* Apple iPhone 7 256GB Verizon $290** $275** $130* Apple iPhone 7 256GB AT&T $265** $250** $115* Apple iPhone 7 256GB T-Mobile $255** $240** $110* Apple iPhone 7 256GB Sprint $245** $230** $110* Apple iPhone 7 128GB Unlocked $265** $250** $120* Apple iPhone 7 128GB Verizon $262** $250** $120* Apple iPhone 7 128GB AT&T $220** $215** $110* Apple iPhone 7 128GB T-Mobile $245** $225** $105* Apple iPhone 7 128GB Sprint $240** $225** $95* Apple iPhone 7 32GB Unlocked $245** $225** $110* Apple iPhone 7 32GB Verizon $235** $220** $110* Apple iPhone 7 32GB AT&T $195** $185** $95* Apple iPhone 7 32GB T-Mobile $195** $185** $95* Apple iPhone 7 32GB Sprint $220* $200* $95* iPhone SE Apple iPhone SE 128GB Unlocked $115* $105* $40 Apple iPhone SE 128GB Verizon $115* $105* $40 Apple iPhone SE 128GB AT&T $100* $90* $35 Apple iPhone SE 128GB T-Mobile $95* $87* $35 Apple iPhone SE 128GB Sprint $95* $87* $35 Apple iPhone SE 64GB Unlocked $105* $85* $35 Apple iPhone SE 64GB Verizon $95* $85* $35 Apple iPhone SE 64GB AT&T $85* $77* $32 Apple iPhone SE 64GB T-Mobile $80* $72* $30 Apple iPhone SE 64GB Sprint $80* $72* $30 Apple iPhone SE 32GB Unlocked $85* $80* $32 Apple iPhone SE 32GB Verizon $75* $70* $32 Apple iPhone SE 32GB AT&T $65* $60* $30 Apple iPhone SE 32GB T-Mobile $65* $60* $27 Apple iPhone SE 32GB Sprint $65* $60* $27 Apple iPhone SE 16GB Unlocked $65* $60* $30 Apple iPhone SE 16GB Verizon $65* $60* $30 Apple iPhone SE 16GB AT&T $60* $45 $30 Apple iPhone SE 16GB T-Mobile $60* $55 $30 Apple iPhone SE 16GB Sprint $60* $45 $25 iPhone 6s Plus Apple iPhone 6s Plus 128GB Unlocked $205* $192* $86* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 128GB Verizon $205* $192* $86* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 128GB AT&T $170* $160* $80* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 128GB T-Mobile $160* $150* $66* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 128GB Sprint $160* $150* $66* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 64GB Unlocked $195* $182* $85* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 64GB Verizon $195* $182* $85* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 64GB AT&T $160* $150* $75* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 64GB T-Mobile $150* $140* $65* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 64GB Sprint $150* $140* $65* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 32GB Unlocked $187* $172* $76* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 32GB Verizon $187* $172* $76* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 32GB AT&T $145* $135* $65* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 32GB T-Mobile $135* $125* $47 Apple iPhone 6s Plus 32GB Sprint $135* $125* $47 Apple iPhone 6s Plus 16GB Unlocked $177* $165* $75* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 16GB Verizon $177* $165* $75* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 16GB AT&T $135* $125* $65* Apple iPhone 6s Plus 16GB T-Mobile $125* $115* $45 Apple iPhone 6s Plus 16GB Sprint $125* $115* $45 iPhone 6s Apple iPhone 6s 128GB Unlocked $152* $142* $70* Apple iPhone 6s 128GB Verizon $152* $142* $70* Apple iPhone 6s 128GB AT&T $135* $125* $65* Apple iPhone 6s 128GB T-Mobile $130* $120* $42 Apple iPhone 6s 128GB Sprint $130* $120* $42 Apple iPhone 6s 64GB Unlocked $142* $132* $65* Apple iPhone 6s 64GB Verizon $142* $132* $65* Apple iPhone 6s 64GB AT&T $125* $115* $62* Apple iPhone 6s 64GB T-Mobile $120* $110* $42 Apple iPhone 6s 64GB Sprint $120* $110* $42 Apple iPhone 6s 32GB Unlocked $130* $120* $62* Apple iPhone 6s 32GB Verizon $130* $120* $62* Apple iPhone 6s 32GB AT&T $115* $105* $45 Apple iPhone 6s 32GB T-Mobile $110* $100* $40 Apple iPhone 6s 32GB Sprint $110* $100* $40 Apple iPhone 6s 16GB Unlocked $120* $110* $56 Apple iPhone 6s 16GB Verizon $120* $110* $46 Apple iPhone 6s 16GB AT&T $100* $90* $42 Apple iPhone 6s 16GB T-Mobile $95* $85* $35 Apple iPhone 6s 16GB Sprint $95* $85* $35 iPhone 6 Plus Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB Unlocked $162* $152* $72* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB Verizon $162* $152* $72* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB AT&T $142* $132* $67* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB T-Mobile $135* $125* $60* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB Sprint $135* $125* $60* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 64GB Unlocked $155* $145* $67* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 64GB Verizon $155* $145* $67* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 64GB AT&T $130* $120* $61* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 64GB T-Mobile $125* $115* $44 Apple iPhone 6 Plus 64GB Sprint $125* $115* $44 Apple iPhone 6 Plus 16GB Unlocked $140* $130* $60* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 16GB Verizon $140* $130* $60* Apple iPhone 6 Plus 16GB AT&T $120* $110* $45 Apple iPhone 6 Plus 16GB T-Mobile $115* $105* $40 Apple iPhone 6 Plus 16GB Sprint $115* $105* $40 iPhone 6 Apple iPhone 6 128GB Unlocked $120* $110* $45 Apple iPhone 6 128GB Verizon $120* $110* $45 Apple iPhone 6 128GB AT&T $110* $102* $40 Apple iPhone 6 128GB T-Mobile $105* $97* $37 Apple iPhone 6 128GB Sprint $105* $97* $37 Apple iPhone 6 64GB Unlocked $102* $92* $40 Apple iPhone 6 64GB Verizon $102* $92* $40 Apple iPhone 6 64GB AT&T $95* $87* $37 Apple iPhone 6 64GB T-Mobile $92* $85* $35 Apple iPhone 6 64GB Sprint $92* $85* $35 Apple iPhone 6 16GB Unlocked $90* $82* $35 Apple iPhone 6 16GB Verizon $90* $82* $35 Apple iPhone 6 16GB AT&T $82* $75* $32 Apple iPhone 6 16GB T-Mobile $80* $72* $31 Apple iPhone 6 16GB Sprint $80* $72* $30 *Price with coupon code APPLEINSIDER10 ($10 bonus on $50+ trades) **Price with coupon code APPLEINSIDER20 ($20 bonus on $200+ trades) Between now and Sept. 9, existing iPhone owners can lock in a top-tier price quote over at Gazelle.com. And this year the company is upping its price-lock window from the historical 30 days to over 50 days in order to make sure consumers can purchase and set up their new 'iPhone 6' long before having to drop their old iPhone into the mail. Gazelle says anyone who locks in a quote before the Sept. 9 will have until Oct. 10 to send theirs in.Trade-in values typically drop 20 percent in the 60 days around the introduction of a new model, with much of that dip transpiring from 20 days before the unveiling to 20 days afterwards, as can be seen in graphic provided by Gazelle (above). Therefore consumers who plan to purchase an 'iPhone 6' right after it's announced and then sell their old iPhone should consider locking in a rate now, when buyback offers are at their peak. There's no downside to locking in an offer now, given that you are not bound to send your device in if you later choose not to, and can always lock in a higher rate later with the same —or alternative service —if a better offer presents itself.As can be seen in our Trade-In Price Guide that tracks the prices buyback services are willing to pay for used Apple devices, Gazelle this week is offering up to $120 for an iPhone 4S, up to $205 for an iPhone 5, up to $195 for an iPhone 5c, and up to $350 for an iPhone 5s. It's also the buyback service that has thus far proven to be the quickest, most reliable and hassle free for consumers over the past few years, which has helped make it the nation's leading consumer electronics trade-in service with more than 2 million trade-ins processed —and $175 million paid out —to date.To begin the process, identify your current iPhone from Gazelle's website (by selecting your model, carrier and capacity) and then quickly assess its condition —broken, good, or flawless.(If you have an AT&T iPhone, Gazelle will also present the extra step of asking if you're submitting your phone locked or unlocked. An unlocked phone means more cash, and most AT&T customers will be eligible to unlock their old phone after upgrading to 'iPhone 6.' It's easy, here's how .)If you don't already have a Gazelle account to log into, you'll be asked to quickly register by providing an email and password. You can then select you prefer to be paid: by PayPal, check, or in the form of an Amazon Gift Card. Alternatively, you can donate the proceeds from the sale of your iPhone to a charity of choice.Gazelle will then ask for your address so that it can send you a pre-paid shipping box that you can use to submit your iPhone when you're ready. Alternatively, you can choose to have Gazelle email you a pre-paid shipping label and you can affix it to your own box.Within days, the pre-paid shipping box will show up on your doorstep. Sometime before Oct 10th, simply place your old device in the box and send it off to Gazelle. (You don't need to send in any chords or power plugs, just the device itself.)Once your device is received, Gazelle will completely wipe the personal data off your phone by returning it to its original factory settings. It will then pay you via Paypal, email (for an Amazon Gift Card), or issue a check for the cash value of the device you locked in today. The offer in recent years has become an increasingly popular way consumers to afford upgrading each year to Apple's latest handset by offsetting the cost of those new devices with the cash they make from selling their old iPhones during peak buyback season.Still, a study published as recently as this February found that iPhone upgraders as a whole are still leaving nearly $13.5 billion worth of devices in dresser drawers to collect dust.Like iPhones, Gazelle also pays out hundreds for your old iPads and MacBooks |
Things have gone from bad to much worse very quickly for the Miami Heat in recent days. With its best rim protector hobbled by a high-ankle sprain and best on-ball defender handicapped by an injured finger, the Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra were already struggling to come up with a viable defensive game plan. Then Luol Deng, the team’s best wing defender, went out with a bruised hand. In seasons past, one player would have made up for all of those defensive deficiencies until the injured players returned to health. LeBron James was the Heat’s defensive insurance policy — “One Through Five,” Spoelstra called him — and on top of all that defensive versatility, James would still lead the Heat in scoring and assists on most nights. Spoelstra, team president Pat Riley and the Heat’s other executives knew their team would be operating without a net this season. Well, the net just broke. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald “I think if you go back to the preseason transcripts, I said that this is the type of season that we’re going to have,” Dwyane Wade said. “This is the team that we have. We don’t have that team that can win 27 in a row right now. I’m not the kind of guy to dream that big. “I understand where we’re at right now with the team that we have. Can we get better? Yeah, we can get better. But we’re not at that point yet. This is the kind of team we have, and we got to figure out how to be as good as we can with this unit. We’re all trying to figure it out, players and coaches.” The Heat’s blowout loss to a young Milwaukee team Friday night at Bradley Center gave the four-time defending Eastern Conference champion a losing record for the first time this season, and, perhaps more than any other loss, highlighted the difficulties this team could have this season without James to bail everyone out. LOSSES PILING UP The Heat (9-10) hasn’t had a losing record this late into December since 2009, and Miami now is just a half game in front of the Brooklyn Nets for eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. Chris Andersen remains sidelined with his ankle sprain and Cole, who has missed games recently do to an illness, has been playing with a splint on his left middle finger. Cole and Deng both practiced Saturday in Memphis. Take away that game against the ghastly Knicks and the Heat hasn’t looked competitive since back-to-back victories against the Hornets and Magic. The Bucks, who are 2-0 against the Heat this season, outscored Miami 55-35 in the second half. “For the past two weeks, we’ve been playing pretty bad basketball, and we had trouble with this team at home, obviously,” Chris Bosh said. “I didn’t shoot the ball well that night or this night, but I don’t know if we made that jump. We do have guys out and everything and we had different looks, but I’m not sure if we knew what we needed to do to win this game.” Now the bad news. The Heat was out-rebounded 45-20 by the young Bucks, but that frightening discrepancy could just be a preamble to Sunday’s game here in Memphis, and the remainder of this five-game trip. The burly Grizzlies are led by center Marc Gasol, who might be the best big man in the league, and Zach Randolph, the tough power forward who has always played the Heat well. CHALLENGE AWAITS The Grizzlies (15-4), who just lost two in a row to the Rockets and Spurs, are tied with Milwaukee for 18th in the league in total rebounding. The Heat is last, and has allowed four of its past five opponents to shoot better than 54 percent from the field. The Grizzlies are sixth in the league in field-goal percentage (46.6). In other words, the Heat is going to have a tough time keeping Gasol and Randolph away from the rim. “It’s a lot to overcome,” Wade said. “It’s the same thing that has been going on the last few games. We’re either going to change it or we’re not. We’re going to change it to give ourselves a chance to win or we’re not going to change and we’re not going to give ourselves a chance to win.” |
Three Morgan State football players were stabbed in a fight outside a dining hall Tuesday afternoon, leaving one player in serious condition, according to Baltimore police. University spokesman Clint Coleman said the players were stabbed when someone began swinging a knife wildly. Coleman said one of the players was slashed across the chest, another was cut in the cheek and the third was cut in the arm. They were taken to a hospital, and Coleman said that he believed all three would survive and that at least one suspect, a student, was taken into custody. The police also said the injuries were not considered life-threatening. It is believed that Tuesday's incident might be connected to fights over the weekend at a campus dance. School officials held a campus meeting Tuesday night to talk about what happened. "We expect you as students to take responsibility for your own behavior and actions," university president David Wilson told those in attendance. Police spokesman Ruganzu Howard says officers, who were called to the university for reports of a stabbing, discovered one person suffering from a stab wound to the chest. Howard says that person is alive, but the wound is serious. Police commissioner Anthony W. Batts confirmed that the victims were football players, although their identities have not been released. "The police are confident that there is no remaining threat to the University," Wilson said in a statement. "I want to assure the University community that we here at Morgan take the safety of the entire University quite seriously, and as such, the behaviors that we have seen from a few of our students over the past several days will simply not be tolerated. ... This is not Morgan!" Kevin Banks, vice president for student affairs, repeated that assertion. "The stuff you've seen on TV the past few days is not Morgan State University,'' Banks said. Wilson's statement noted that because the incident was between "known parties" and not considered a random act of violence, "no text alerts went out because the general public was not in imminent danger." School officials held a campus meeting Tuesday night to talk about what happened. "We expect you as students to take responsibility for your own behavior and actions,'' Wilson told those in attendance. The stabbing marks the third instance of violence on Morgan State's campus in less than a week. A male student was stabbed Friday with scissors by his roommate after an argument over the cleanliness of their dorm room. Early Saturday, an on-campus party was broken up after fights broke out. Freshman Shakia Marine, 20, who did not attend the campus meeting, said she is a little worried about the latest spate of violence. "My godfather has concerns about me coming here," Marine said. "There needs to be more security guards walking around. After today, it made me feel scared. My roommate said we should get some Mace to protect ourselves. I think the school needs to take more action. It's not the first time something like this has happened." Morgan State is the largest historically black university in Maryland and has about 6,000 students, according to its website. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
Remote Prompt: Anna reached under the couch trying to find the remote. Anna grunted and stretched farther under the couch, trying to find the remote. She bit her lip and groaned, "Fuck, why does this always happen?" It was too dark for her to see anything so she was left blindly floundering around for the elusive object that for some reason always seemed to slip out of her grasp. It was as if the damn remote was lathered in butter or something because it always ended up flying from her hands, even when she wasn't flailing her arms around. And how it always managed to end up under the couch was beyond her. Her fingers caressed dust bunnies and- Ew… was that an old, smelly sock?- numerous other foreign materials she was unable to identify as she felt around for the remote that was seemingly lost in the abyss. Determined to find it, Anna tried to squeeze herself under the available space the couch left between the floor, emitting more grunts and groans and adding a string of colorful curses, her butt swaying this way and that way as she squirmed like a worm trying to burrow into mud. "Anna? Are you still up?" Oops. Footsteps slowly walked down the stairs, but Anna paid no mind to it. Her arm was stretched to the limit, trying to grab the stupid thing, but failing to. "S-Sorry, sis, just… trying to… ugh, can't grab…" Elsa yawned, covering her mouth like a real lady. Her eyes, unfortunately, were glued to the wiggling bottom of Anna, her shirt slowly drifting up from her waist to her stomach. Ah, how awkward for Elsa. She always had these feelings, fluttering—it was scary and especially, disgusting—in her heart to the bottom pit of her stomach. It was awful, really. It may seem cute, but for Elsa to have such feelings toward her little sister? Oh, it was disgusting! However, Elsa was always able to cover up any blushes and stuttering she had when she was with the redhead. With practice, Elsa was able to become a normal older sister to Anna. And now it seemed she was being tested... The blonde stared at the girl's bottom, her shorts clinging onto her tightly. "Um… Need help?" She blushed. "N-No, I think I got it. Ooh, I feel it! Oh, Elsie, can you like, if you can, lift the couch, or push it or something?" "Oh um… yeah." She walked over to the couch, grabbing one of the armrests and with all her strength, pushed it back just a little. "Aha! I got it!" Anna quickly got up from the floor, hugging the remote. "Yessss, movie time!" "Anna," Elsa sighed, looking up to the clock. "It's four in the morning! Go to bed." The redhead, gasped, a hand against her chest as if she was pretending to be hurt. "M-M-My sister is telling me to go to bed… Y-You never do that…" "That's because you're usually not that loud, and you woke me up. God, silly, I have work tomorrow." Anna pouted, shoulders slouched down. There was a pondering silence for a few moments, the clock ticking away and Elsa was beginning to get upset for making her little sister upset… as if she ever was. Elsa's heart skipped a beat, quickly finding the puppy eyes of Anna watching her. It was just impossible for Elsa to refuse to let her watch one, JUST one, movie before she went to bed. "Anna-" "Elsa, netflix and chill?" "!" Did she hear that right? Netflix and chi- No, there's no way that's what Anna meant. Her baby sister was simply requesting to watch a movie together. God, twisting innocent words into innuendo, how much lower can she sink? "I can't, Anna, I'm no longer a student like you, remember? I work in the early morning. Now go to sleep! I don't care what time you have class tomorrow; I won't allow you to stay up this late." Anna huffed, "Fine, stinker." The redhead threw the remote haphazardly in the direction of the couch and walked past Elsa to go to her room, refusing to meet eyes. Elsa sighed and rubbed her temples before she, too, also returned to her room. Elsa didn't meet Anna for the whole next day until she returned from work. She wondered if the younger girl was still angry at her for refusing her request last night. 'If that's the case, I might be getting the silent treatment for the next few days,' Elsa thought as she unlocked the door and stepped inside her house. Only to be greeted once again with the sight of a cute wriggling bottom near the couch. The rebellious remote might simply be Anna's karma for constantly throwing it around carelessly, but what exactly did Elsa do to deserve this fate? To be presented with such a cruel temptation despite her trying her very best to be a good sister for Anna? Swallowing, Elsa put down her purse on the kitchen table before walking over to the adjacent living area, where her little sister was trying to find the remote under the couch. Much like yesterday, Anna was wearing pajama shorts. So short that from where Elsa was standing behind her, the blonde could see the teasing end of the girl's ass cheeks. Today though, instead of the loose shirt that could drift down to reveal the skin of her lower back, Anna had a spaghetti strap fitting top on. One that clung to her girly curves so tightly like a second skin, showing the perfect slim waist and the cute flare of her hips. Together with the perfectly round, adorable behind that the white shorts showed off, Elsa was acutely aware of how attractive her little sister had become when she wasn't—didn't dare—looking. The blonde cleared her throat, an apologetic wince forming immediately after when she heard a loud thump and a yelp from the girl currently underneath the couch. With some difficulty—but not without getting her pants snagged on the way out, revealing even more of her underwear Jesus Christ was her little sister trying to tempt her—Anna managed to extract herself, her skin flushed from the impromptu exercise. With considerably more difficulty, Elsa managed to tear her eyes away from the tantalizing expanse of freckled skin, only to realize the redhead was scowling at her, one hand rubbing the sore area behind her head. "What do you want?" Ah. So she really was still a little angry. Or that could've been from hitting her head hard enough to shake the couch. In any case, Elsa did miss spending time with her, and yes, she realized that it sounded cheesy if not a little creepy but she couldn't help it. So she said the first thing that came to mind, "Netflix, then chill?" In a non-romantic way of course, like when Anna said it. Anna frowned, looking at Elsa in suspicion. "Really?" "Yes, really," Elsa paused, sighing quickly in slight apprehension before looking at her again. "You're still trying to find that remote?" The redhead grumbled, "Found it long ago." "You're really mad at me, aren't you?" She shrugged, quickly sitting back on the couch, turning on the television to whatever stupid channel caught her sight. Anna didn't say anything to ease up Elsa's worry. But still, Elsa couldn't be bothered by Anna's tantrum, she was a grown up. A woman with responsibilities, a woman that needed to work to feed her family. To feed her little sister. The grownup sighed again, trying to start a conversation. "So how is school? Is everything going well?" Nothing but a quiet hum came from Anna's lips. And just like that, their one-sided conversation lasted throughout the TV program, whatever it was that they were supposed to watch. It was strange for Anna to be angry at her over such a small conflict, but Elsa didn't have enough energy to think about it. Standing up from the couch to get ready for bed, Elsa hesitated for a moment before bending down to gather her little sister in a hug. For a moment, Anna couldn't think, couldn't breathe as she felt her older sister's arms, oh so warm, wrapping around her, her perfume overwhelming her senses, her light hair tickling her cheeks. "I love you," she whispered. "I'm sorry for last night, please don't be mad at me anymore, alright? I'd do anything for you, Anna." Anything. Elsa was having an internal debate whether she should install a wire for the remote so that it wouldn't get lost anymore, or whether she should burn all of Anna's shorts. After the heartfelt declaration and sisterly hug that night five days ago, she thought for sure Anna would have forgiven her. Little did she know the redhead would continue to be inexplicably irritated at her no matter how much she'd tried to spend more time with Anna. And the remote kept disappearing under the couch and Anna kept wearing those damn shorts while getting on all fours trying to reach for it. These days, it's almost as if Elsa couldn't look into the living room anymore without catching sight of the dangerously tempting view. Be a responsible adult. Be a responsible adult. Conceal, don't feel. "Anna?" Elsa called, coming downstairs. "Anna? It's late, you should go to bed." Anna grumbled, under the couch again trying to find the remote. Elsa swallowed hard, seeing the redhead's bottom again. Conceal, don't feel. She's your sister, dammit. "D-Did you really lose the remote again?" Anna came up, holding the remote, a wide smile spread across her face, "Nope, I have it right here. Seriously, we need to get at least ten of these so I stop losing them." Anna sat back on the couch, turning on a movie. "So, Netflix and chill?" She asked, emphasis on 'chill'. Elsa sighed but decided against protesting, walking over to the couch. She plopped down on the other end of the couch from Anna. "What movie are we watching tonight?" Anna shrugged, "How about a rom com? Those are pretty funny. And corny, but who doesn't love a good corny movie?" Elsa nodded and turned to the television, "So, any you had in mind?" As Anna got the movie—a romantic comedy—ready, Elsa took the chance to muse. It didn't escape her that Anna's mood tonight seemed to be significantly improved compared to the whole week. Maybe Elsa's effort of trying to spend more time with her sister had finally paid off. She felt so proud of herself! After twenty minutes into the movie, Elsa began to drift off. She had had a long day at work after all, and the fluffy blanket on the couch didn't help. In her drowsy state, she didn't notice the rustling beside her, until her arm came into contact with something. Apparently, the redhead had moved from the other end of the couch to snuggle with her sister. Too bad, Anna's warm breath on the sleepy girl's collarbone jolted her awake, knocking off the remote in Anna's hand in the process. "Jesus, what's with you, Elsa?!" "I'm sorry, okay? You just startled me is all." Anna rolled her eyes before standing up to retrieve the flying remote. Did I see a smirk? Nah… Elsa shook her head to make herself more sober. She should really stop hallucinating her little sister trying to seduce her, that's just so wrong, that's just delusiona- All coherent thoughts came to a screeching halt when she looked at what Anna was doing. The redhead was trying to reach the remote that had been sent flying under the TV shelf. Her wriggling butt seemed to be even rounder and cuter today, and Elsa wasn't sure if it's due to the pink shorts, or due to Elsa's lower viewing angle because she was sitting down. She couldn't stop staring at the hypnotizing movement before her. And the accompanied moans as Anna struggled to reach into the narrow space between the shelf and the floor definitely weren't helping. No Elsa. Stop this. Stop this right now. She's your sister. Just your sister. But really who was she kidding? When was the last time her desires listened to her inner pleas? This was the one thing that seemed to always slip out of Elsa's iron-like control. And why is she still not done?! "A-Anna…" Elsa began, but immediately stopped once she realized that she had matched Anna's moans and oh god- Anna's head popped back into view as she held the newly-retrieved remote in her hand. Her teal eyes were dilated, if Elsa wasn't mistaken, and her breathing was heavier. Whether from the effort of reaching the remote, or if it was her darkest fantasy coming true, the blonde wasn't entirely sure. "It's...kinda chilly here, don't you think?" her sister said, voice...odd, for some reason. Elsa frowned, unable to quite place the tone. But at least Anna hadn't brought up her slip just now…she could work with this shift in topic. "You can, uh...use some of the blanket," she offered, already pushing away her less-than-sisterly thoughts to the back of her mind. So long as Anna didn't try to cuddle or anything, she could- Spoke too soon. "Mm… Elsa, you're such a good cuddler," Anna nuzzled against Elsa, leaning her head on Elsa's shoulder. Shit, shit. Conceal, don't feel. She's your sister! In Elsa's state of panic, she didn't realize Anna was staring straight at her. "Why are you so tense?" "O-Oh… no reason," Elsa laughed awkwardly. "Just work… nothing else." Elsa gulped audibly, keeping her attention on the television. Anna refused to backdown and kept watching her sister, "Are you coming down with a fever? I could go make you some soup." Elsa shook her head, not trusting herself to talk. Not listening to Elsa's obvious denial, Anna went to the kitchen, took a stool, and racked the cupboards in search of a can of chicken soup. Frankly working was Elsa's thing, and getting groceries was her thing, but she was always too lazy to do so. And even if she wasn't, most of the time she would find herself hunching over at the sweets/candy corner anyway. Her hand rummaged around in the dusty interiors of the cupboard, trying to feel some sort of metallic cylindrical object. Her fingers weaved through packages of the unknown and untouched, that for some reason seemed to go on forever. But then just as she was about to give up, her fingernails hit something with a slight clang. She felt the object. Hmm… metallic, cold, cylindrical…. this could be it! Hoping it was not a can of tuna or whatever way overdue stuff that managed to house itself in there Anna grabbed hold of the can, twisted, and slowly, with as much skill as she could manage, pulled it out of the cupboard. And for once luck was finally on her side, because nothing fell out. (A few bags of spaghetti almost did, though she caught them in time) And it was actually a can of chicken soup! Preparing it was easy enough, and soon with a cheerful ding, the steamy liquid was ready to be consumed. Using two wet cloths (she learnt her lesson before) she brought the hot bowl out to the couch, where Elsa was. Her sister looked visibly exhausted, and she knew that a bowl of chicken soup could brighten anyone's day, so she was proud in a sense that she was the one bringing the relief to her big sister. Her big sister. Elsa heard footsteps and looked in Anna's direction, and she could smell the soup from here it smells so heavenly… And even if she didn't want to admit it, she was technically getting headaches lately. Either from work or- Stop it. Anna put the soup down on the low table, making sure to make her movement as slow and as deliberate as possible. Elsa couldn't help herself. She took a little whiff at the smell. Unfortunately Anna heard her. She smirked. "Like what you see?" "I'm sorry, what did you just say?" asked Elsa in disbelief. Because if she had heard correctly, there was no denying it this time, her sister was flirting with her and jesus christ what was she going- "I said, like what you smell?" replied Anna with that infuriating smirk still on her face. If anything, it seemed to be growing bigger. And it was doing all sorts of ungodly things to Elsa. She couldn't keep going like this. The blonde stood up abruptly, and stalked over to her imp of a younger sister. Anna never stopped smirking, crossing her arms and standing her ground inches away from her sister's thunderous expression. The redhead licked her lips, the movement readily followed by heated eyes. Elsa opened her mouth- Her cell phone interrupted with an obnoxious bzzzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzzzt. Both heads snapped over to the table, and if looks could burn, the poor phone would have vaporized in seconds. After staring at the offending piece of technology until it rang for the fifth time, Elsa held in a sigh and walked over to grab it from the table. Without even looking at who was calling, she snarled, "What?" "Babeeee, I'm so cold tonight. Won't you come over to warm me up?" Elsa blanched at the unfamiliar voice and removed the phone from her ear so she could take a look at the calling number. Strange number. Are you fucking kidding me? "Wrong number! Make sure to look at what you're dialing next time!" With a huff, Elsa clicked her phone shut and rubbed her forehead, before looking at where Anna was still standing. Well, I do have to thank that interruption for not letting me commit a mistake. "Thank you for the soup, Anna." Elsa smiled before taking her seat on the couch again and quickly finished the food, then taking the empty bowl to the sink, all the while being careful not to have any further eye contact with her little sister. "I guess that's it for me tonight," the blonde said while preparing to go upstairs. "You can finish the movie, but after that please go to bed too, Anna." She made a quick escape, all too painfully aware of the glare Anna was burning into her back this whole time. Sunday. What a glorious day of the week—or at least it was supposed to be unless you have an angry little sister on your menu. Elsa dreaded walking down the stairs that morning. All of her effort over the last week had been destroyed in a single night, and now she might very well have to repeat it again until Anna decided to have mercy and cease her tantrum. Yet what greeted her in the dining room was a spectacle she had never expected to see while alive. "Ah Elsa, you're up! Are you hungry? I'm making pancakes, they should be ready in a few minutes." Anna. Her Anna. Up and shining at SEVEN A.M. ON A SUNDAY. Chirping about. Making pancakes. Smiling at her. What alternate dimension was this? Trying to collect her dropped jaw on the kitchen's floor, Elsa managed to find her voice again, "...Y- You're up early, Anna." "I went to bed at the same time you did last night. There's no point in finishing that movie by myself," the redhead said with a shrug while turning off the stove and placing the pancakes on two plates. "Right..." Elsa went to take the orange juice out of the fridge and prepared the utensils as well. Anna's mood was good and she should be grateful and play along graciously, instead of being suspicious about it. That train of thought improved Elsa's own mood, too. "After breakfast, do you want to take a walk together? There's a new gift shop open near the third block that looks pretty cute. I can buy you something." "Sure." And just like that, their morning passed by pleasantly. After checking out the gift shop in their neighborhood and Elsa buying Anna a snowman plushie-one with a monstrous-looking face and spikes on its back, which helped Anna to solidify her opinion that Elsa has questionable taste in snowmen, if this and the Olaf plushie at home was any indication-the two sisters went grocery shopping and then had lunch at a local restaurant. Elsa was happy. No angry Anna equals a happy Elsa. This day couldn't be any more perfect! Spoke too soon, again. Of course after coming back from lunch, Anna just had to insist they finish last night's movie. Of course Anna just had to change from her jeans to the cotton shorts because it's more comfortable. And of course, the remote just had to get lost again. This time, it was stuck between the armrest and the cushion. Elsa wasn't sure why Anna didn't let her rescue the remote. After all, it was stuck on her end of the couch. As soon as Elsa noticed the remote they were looking for was stuck in there, the redhead—from her seat on the other end of the couch—had quickly leaned over, swatting Elsa's hand away, and tried to retrieve the object on her own. Meaning, Anna was currently on all fours, draping herself over Elsa's lap. Elsa sat still as a statue. The proximity of Anna's lithe body in this intimate position and her faintly sweet scent were too much for her to handle. "Damn it! It dropped down even lower. Geez," Anna huffed and lowered her chest to the couch, shoving her whole arm into the space between the armrest and the cushion in chase of the escaping remote, lightly swaying her bottom in the process. And Elsa was having the closest view of said bottom than ever before. It's literally dancing right in front of her chest. She didn't dare to breathe. Any movement now would make her chest come into contact with that gorgeously adorable region of her little sister. Conceal, don't feel! As if reading her mind, Anna began to squirm, now rubbing the right side of her hips on Elsa's body. The contact petrified the poor blonde. Yet, she couldn't stop staring at the perfection dancing right before her eyes. Subconsciously, Elsa brought her left hand up to lightly touched the back of Anna's thighs. That seemed to startle the redhead, because she jumped a little and snapped her head back to look at Elsa, who still couldn't take her eyes off of the tight shorts that clung to Anna's behind. "Y- You still can't get it out yet?" Elsa hoarsely voiced her question. "...Not yet." Elsa was now painfully aware of what her hand was doing. The soft skin on the back of Anna's thighs made her never want to stop feeling them. Her touch became a little more firm, sliding a bit up and down the expanse of smooth skin, and each time coming dangerously closer to the end of Anna's shorts. "You should have let me do it." "S-Shush, just let me..." Anna's hips restarted its slight swaying, but this time it's an involuntary action. Elsa's touch was making the redhead weak in the knees. It took all of Elsa to hold back the groan rumbling in her stomach and her hands from shoving her sister back onto the couch and doing whatever could land her in jail. With a frustrated sigh, Anna climbed back up to her seat and crossed her arms, "Fine, you do it." She said with a roll of her eyes. And before Elsa could wash herself with relief of all sinful thoughts she never acted on, Anna said, "On second thought, can we play something? I want to play Last of Us." With the lopsided grin plastered on Anna's face, Elsa felt like she was treading on thin ice. Anna knew she never held interest in a zombie apocalypse game, and… "But… there's only one controller." Anna picked up the controller from the coffee table in front of them and narrowed her eyes at her sister. Widening her grin, she dropped it. "I know." The remote made a clanking sound as it hit the ground and Elsa's jaws fell. She just stared. And then Anna spoke again, "Pick it up, Elsa." Her voice sent a rush down Elsa's spine. When Elsa stood up and took the few steps over to the other side of the couch, she caught a glimpse of Anna's frown before deciding wrong move when Anna raised her legs, resting them on the coffee table. If it weren't for the fact the room was awkwardly silent, and she couldn't shake off the way Anna was looking at her, Elsa would've frowned at her sister's disrespectful behavior. But while dealing with so many conflicting emotions, she found herself having trouble navigating around a simple room she had been living years in. A part of her wished a cricket would just chirp so she could go something like "Oh would you look at that!" but another part of her shivered in a mix of fear and anticipation of what was happening, or about to happen. Perhaps she was just thinking too much, it was impossible… for her feelings, whatever they were, to be mutual with her sister. HER SISTER. When Anna started whistling and playing with her braids instead, the gut feeling Elsa had seemed to intensify. Could Anna really..? With much difficulty, she swallowed everything bubbling in her throat and turned to walk around the table instead. Fortunately, the remote did not fall under the couch this time so Elsa wasn't struck with the same curse Anna seemed to have for the past few days. Elsa picked up the controller and gave it to Anna, then returned to her seat on the couch. For a few moments, Elsa thought she had escaped her fate… Until Anna threw the damn thing again. Elsa's heart dropped at the same time the controller landed on the carpet with a soft thud. This time though, Anna was looking at her with an extremely scary look. One that told her she better not repeat her earlier mistake—whatever that was. "Pick it up." "...!" Elsa made a silent whiny noise at the back of her throat. Scared, she didn't dare to stand up and go around the coffee table like she did just moments ago. Her fingers twitched, unsure what to do. "Elsa, I said pick. It. Up." Jolted from her stupor, Elsa began to lift her lead-like body up and slowly moved closer to where Anna was sitting, eyes never leaving her sister's. The closer she was getting there, the faster her heart beat. And when she was within an arm's reach, Anna shifted slightly so that the redhead now had her back against the armrest, her legs stretched across the couch, fully facing Elsa. With one hand on the armrest behind Anna, Elsa began to lower her body so that she could reach for the game controller on the floor, behind Anna's back. And of course in doing so, her face became only a few inches from the redhead's. The redhead's cheeks were slightly red now, yet her face remained stern, as if daring Elsa to fail picking up the damn controller. There's no way for Elsa to reach the floor without letting her body fully rest on Anna's. And so she did. Anna let out a deep sigh and Elsa felt her stomach shift. Anna's warm breath brushed against her face and Elsa shivered. Her skin stood and she froze for a moment, slightly cringing at the slowly warming sensation below. Anna then started to slowly slide down from her sitting position so she was lying on the couch, head on the armrest, with Elsa almost fully lying on top of her. The blonde tried to rewire her brain to resume picking the god damned controller up, but the feeling of her sister's entire body against hers made it an almost impossible task. From this intimate position, Elsa could feel Anna's breath on her lips. Her eyes roamed all over the redhead's face, marveling at the half-lidded pretty eyes, the cute freckles smattering across the blushing cheeks, the button nose that was exhaling heavy puffs of air, the adorable pink lips that were just asking to be kissed... "Here." Anna wasn't able to register what Elsa meant for a good several seconds, until she tore her gaze from her big sister's and looked at the game controller that the blonde had picked up and was now presenting to her. She snapped back and looked at Elsa in disbelief, eyes cleared of arousal and replaced with anger and a hint of frustrated tears. She couldn't believe that at this point, Elsa still couldn't take a hint! The redhead scowled, ripping the controller off from Elsa's offering hand and made a move to get up. ...Only to be pushed back down harshly. The back of Anna's head hit the cushioned armrest in a dull thud, leaving her disoriented for a moment, but not hurt. "But no games now," Elsa whispered. The sudden predatory look in Elsa's eye paralyzed the redhead. She'd never seen her big sister like this before. Anna watched as Elsa licked her lips and before she knew it, the words slipped from her lips, "About time," and then she closed her eyes and let Elsa take her lips in a kiss. It was chaste at first, cautious. Their lips barely touched but their breaths lingered. Anna could feel Elsa trembling, as if… she was afraid… There was a soft sound of Elsa clenching her fists on her sides. "Let it go," she whispered, and her lips were taken again. This time there was no sign of hesitancy as Elsa heeded her sister's encouraging words and their lips crashed together with a fiery passion. Heated moans were exchanged from one mouth to the other as enthusiastic tongues explored and caressed fervently. Antsy hands quickly followed suit to touch and feel the incredible warmth radiating from between their entwined bodies. Elsa couldn't believe it was happening; she couldn't believe what she was doing with her own little sister! She was actually kissing her and experiencing the heavenly bliss that only Anna's lovely mouth could provide her! And oh, did Anna taste exquisite! Elsa wanted to just eat her up, and she was finally, FINALLY going to be able to get the chance to do so. The anticipation was enough to almost make her burst and she was certain there would be no more holding back now. As Elsa sat up, she pulled Anna along, unwilling to separate themselves. Hands went everywhere, to Anna's back, pulling her sister closer, and Anna's around her neck. One toothy grin into the kiss lead to a giggle by another. Elsa had been with many girls, but oh god, there was no sound like Anna's. Melodious, adorable, and precious. And her touches through the clothes—they weren't enough. As if her eagerness was understood through the kiss, Anna laughed even more. "Easy there, tiger," she said, breaking the kiss. Elsa nearly growled but the sight of Anna taking off her shirt took her breath away. She winked at her sister and stuck out her tongue, "Like what you see?" "No, I just always dreamed I was the one to take it off, not you," she murmured softly before tackling her sister down again for another kiss. The couch creaked a little and Elsa felt a leg under her slip off. The two of them fell into the tiny space on the floor with a soft thud and Anna laughed. But Elsa didn't care, busy pressing wet kisses along her sister's jawline, all she wanted was to get more of Anna's clothes off. "Oh god," and that was all she could think of, chanting it like a mantra in her head because running her palm down Anna's sides, her smooth skin just felt so damn good. It was like nothing she had ever imagined. A tug on her shirt and a pout against the lips paused her in her advances, "Elsa, your... shirt." "I want your bra off first." Anna started to comply, but when her fingers reached for the clasp behind her they clashed with another pair of hands that were already in the process of doing just that. Apparently Elsa was determined not to let Anna steal her job this time. Except Elsa's hands were shaking so tremendously because of her blazing excitement that she couldn't quite undo the clasp, her fingers tripping and fumbling over each other clumsily, so with a snarl she snapped the strap with her super sexually frustrated strength and the broken bra fell free. "Elsa!" Anna exclaimed with a pout, eyes flicking briefly to the now useless bra on the floor beside them. "That was my favorite bra!" Elsa didn't respond right away, mesmerized and rendered speechless by her sister's boobs staring up at her, pleading for her to touch them. It was clear to her those perky breasts were meant to be suckled and loved by Elsa's mouth only—no one else's—and she licked her lips, preparing herself for her scrumptious feast. "You don't need it. Beautiful breasts such as these should not be restrained," she cooed, cupping them fondly. The smirk Anna gave her in response had Elsa trembling with impatience. And then, very slowly, the redhead lifted her hands… Only to tug Elsa's shirt all the way up to expose her own bra instead. "A-Anna!" the blonde squeaked, but Anna was already laughing, tugging it the rest of the way until Elsa was forced to take it off. It was only fair to make the blonde keep her promise after Anna had finished her end of the bargain. No sooner had she tossed her shirt off to the side did Anna's lips hungrily crash into hers once again. Pushing the girl back down, Elsa desperately massaged Anna's soft mounds that felt like heaven in her hands, while feeling hands sliding up her back to strip her out of her own bra. As soon as the clasp was freed, she threw the offending article off to the side, slightly pulling away from Anna to appreciate the sight before her. Elsa grinned, delicate fingers wrapped around the tiny waist of Anna's. "You're so beautiful…" she murmured, lips brushing against the softness of Anna's skin. Their hearts were pounding, and they stared into each other's eyes, wanting, longing, lusting, for their touches. Oh, yes, they were lusting and from the darkness of their eyes, the blankness, and even scrambling of their mind, they'd been wanting each other and no way were they letting go of each other- Anna giggled lowly, lowering her eyes to the delicious lips of her sister. "I want you…" she whispered, faintly. And Elsa, she was getting. As soft as a delicate feather, Elsa pressed her lips against Anna's, lifting her hand to her cheek. God, was her skin soft, hot, so… inviting for her lips and tongue. Her moans filled the room as well as filling the blonde with goosebumps all over her paleness. Elsa wanted more, and slowly, carefully, she made a bold move to lick the redhead's bottom lip. Anna giggled, fingers quickly going through the thickness of Elsa's hair, as if telling her to go on. As if her tongue just couldn't wait any longer to get the sweet, sweet taste of Anna, she shoved her tongue into her opened mouth. They danced in circles, exploring each other. Both girls held onto each other close and immediately, Anna gasped, feeling Elsa's knee pressed between her legs. "E-Elsa… ah…" she sighed, tilting her head up and closing her eyes in ecstasy. The blonde slowly pulled away, cheeks flushed. "Anna…" The way Anna looked at her, Elsa couldn't get enough. As if she was an animal in heat, she nuzzled into Anna's neck and bit. "F-Fuck…" Anna moaned, quickly thrusting her hip against Elsa's knee. She spread her legs more, inviting Elsa to pleasure, to have her there. Because to Anna, right now, she was hers to have, hers to keep. Elsa slowly lowered her fingertips, teasing her skin, to her breasts. Touching the perked, pink tips, the blonde sighed against the soft sensation and kissed her way down to the middle of her chest. Looking up to her little sister, she mouthed warmly against the heated skin between her two freckled mounds, "I love you…" "E-Elsa… please… I-I want…" "And you'll have me. All of me," Elsa whispered against her heated skin, "I promise. But for now…" Her hand trailed down Anna's stomach, tracing idle patterns until they reached the hem of her shorts. Elsa could already feel the wetness seeping through the fabric against her knee, and smiled. Anna mewled, her hips thrusting, trying to find friction as Elsa languidly dipped her hand beneath her sister's shorts, beneath the waistband of her underwear, and down to the glistening treasure below. Her fingers brushed against soft curls, and Anna inhaled sharply. "E-Elsa…" Elsa kissed at one of her nipples, murmuring sweet nothings as her fingers glided over wet folds, finally dipping between them- Anna gave a loud cry, her hips jerking as her breathing grew heavier. Elsa smiled once more against her sun-kissed skin as her fingers began pistoning in and out of her sister's warmth. Anna's walls clamped around the intruding digits, wet squelches filling the air between them, broken only by their pants as Elsa slowed down. "No, no, no…!" Anna whined, thrusting her hips desperately, "Elsa, don't...don't tease!" Her thumb brushed over her clit, and Anna shrieked, clamping her legs around Elsa as the blonde began lightly circling the throbbing, pink button nestled among her folds. Her fingers picked up their pace once more, brushing against a rough patch somewhere inside, and Anna gave another cry of pleasure. "It's okay… I've got you, Anna," Elsa whispered, lips pressed to the skin of her breast. Anna's lusting eyes, tears slowly streaming down her cheeks, looked up at her. And Elsa groaned, biting against the side of her breast when Anna tugged against her hair. She could hear her heart beating loudly, feeling it pound against her body-and they matched with each other. "P-Please… Elsa… Elsa, I love you… I've been loving you since I was a child… Elsa…" the younger one cried and immediately let out a pleasurable gasp of ecstasy and pain. Two fingers slowly plunged into her tight core and she arched her back, tilting her head back. "God, Elsa!" she screamed, legs wrapped around the older girl's body. "I've got you… I love you… I fucking love you," she breathed, curling her fingers and without any knowledge, she pressed against the girl's sweet spot. Gasping out loud, silent screams leaving Anna's lips, Elsa left her trembling and jerking through the white hot waves of pleasure. Spurts of clear fluid dripped out of her swollen sex in a hurry and onto Elsa's fingers. Scratches were left on Elsa's shoulder blades and Anna was drooling. Ah, the older girl had left her body feeling like it was made of jelly—maybe even making her feel like a toy that Elsa was playing… forever… and ever. Anna breathed heavily, unable to collect her thoughts of what just happened. Elsa beamed down at Anna proudly, her own breaths coming out in quick, breathless pants as her eyes admiringly drank in the aftermath of her work. She had brought her baby sister to a glorious climax and it was by far her greatest accomplishment in life, no contest. If she died right then and there, she would at least die a happy woman. A sinful, incestuous lesbian woman… but a happy one, nonetheless. Retracting her fingers from Anna's moist, hot depths, Elsa brought the coated digits to her mouth and, Oh god, the bliss that graced her taste buds was phenomenal. She imagined tasting Anna countless times before, but nothing she dreamed up remotely compared to the real deal. Anna's unique flavor was better than the finest, most expensive wine in the whole entire world, and the fact that Elsa never actually tasted such wine didn't matter. She knew it was true, regardless. But this wasn't enough. Looking down at her blissful and exhausted little sister, Elsa wanted to mess her up even more. Years of repressed feelings and especially Anna's incessant teasing this week had built up a monster within Elsa. She wanted to consume her, to ingrain herself in Anna's every cell, to make it absolutely sure Anna was hers and that this was not a dream. Her hands trailed from Anna's neck down to her breasts, her flat stomach, her slim waist, and finally arriving at the shorts that had been the bane of her existence for the past week. Elsa hooked her thumbs inside the waistband and in a swift movement, removed the thin garment off of Anna's hips and off of her legs. Even Anna was a bit startled at Elsa's proficiency in stripping her, considering Anna's legs were still on either side of Elsa just moments ago. The only clothes that was left on the redhead was a pair of silky black panties. Earlier due to the rush to satisfy her lust, Elsa had not had a chance to fully appreciate what her sister was wearing. But now she would. Elsa brought her left hand to caress the smooth silk of the garment's front, making Anna moan cutely. It was so cute that the blonde had to lean down to kiss the girl, tongue thrusting inside Anna's mouth and caressing everywhere she could reach. Her right hand joined with the left to get inside the panties from behind, massaging the soft round ass cheeks that had haunted her ever since Anna started the cruel remote-searching antic. Anna's moans seemed to intensify even more at the feel of her older sister's hands on her butt, but no sound could escape since Elsa made sure to drink it all with her own mouth. Finally, when Elsa couldn't wait any longer, she broke off the kiss and sat up again, making Anna whine at the sudden loss of contact. But within a second, Elsa began to remove Anna's panties in the same fashion as she did with the shorts. However, instead of taking if off all the way, Elsa left it hanging around the redhead's right ankle. "Leave it there," Elsa instructed in a low voice. And oh god did that do wonders to Anna's arousal. The feeling of lying naked on the floor in the middle of the living room, with only a panties wrapped around an ankle, was so wrong that it made her even wetter if that was possible. When Elsa licked her lips, Anna felt the hair on her skin stand at attention and suddenly it felt extremely cold. She shivered in anticipation as Elsa crawled closer to her. She spread her legs to give her sister even more access and judging by the look on Elsa's face, Anna knew she wasn't disappointed. Warm hands pressed gently against her inner thighs, and when Elsa opened her mouth, Anna could feel her warm breath tickling her center, causing her to buck her hips. Elsa pressed her tongue flat against Anna's entrance. Without entering, she lapped at Anna's wet folds as if cleaning her sister's core, savoring every drip of ecstasy from earlier. When Anna thrust her hips, whimpering, Elsa didn't give in. But instead, with more strength in her palms, she pushed Anna's legs further apart, and stroked her sister's clit with her tongue. "Elsa-!" Anna screamed, panting with every attempt to get more of her sister. "Elsa, Elsa, Elsa… please, please stop-" "Stop?" Anna could practically feel her sister smirk. "N-no, please, let- let me cum, please!" The redhead started thrusting harder against her mouth. She licked her sister's entrance again, gently, dipping in, teasing her entrance, drowning herself in Anna's whining. Watching Anna's abs ripple drove Elsa crazy. Unable to resist it anymore, she thrust her tongue in. Anna felt so warm inside, so wet. She kept lapping her insides, tasting her sister's juice, earning herself screams that encouraged her to quicken her pacing. Elsa felt her the heat between her own legs flare and couldn't resist it anymore. Abruptly stopping her administrations on Anna's pussy, Elsa stood up to strip off her jeans and panties in a single movement. Kicking off the clothes-being painfully aware of how wet the area between her legs had become-Elsa kneeled back down on the floor between the wide-spread legs of her sister. Elsa lifted Anna's left leg up and moved closer, straddling the redhead's other legs and lowered herself until their centers kissed. The feeling of their wet pussy lips coming together was so exquisite that the blonde was unable to suppress a satisfied growl, whereas Anna let out a long, lustful moan. Finally, finally she was one with Anna! Elsa started to grind. She buckled her hips wildly, trying to get as much friction as possible in hard jerks. The delicious feeling of Anna's sopping cunt was something she could never imagine letting go. She raised Anna's left leg even higher, putting it over her shoulder and holding on as if her life depended on it. Anna was incoherent at this point. All the sounds coming from her mouth was a series of keening and mewling. She tried to chant Elsa's name but the pleasure was too intense for her to do even that simple task. She wanted this feeling to never end. "Anna, Anna- I'm c-coming!" Elsa cried out. And with a last thrust, Anna felt her core tightening and she couldn't take it anymore. The orgasm hit both of them hard. Anna swore she could see stars exploding behind her eyelids. Meanwhile, Elsa never stopped moving her hips, trying to prolong their pleasure for as long as possible. And that made Anna hit her third climax of the day. After a while, Elsa's movement began to cease. Anna forced herself to open her eyes and looked at the woman who had brought her so much happiness. "Elsa, kiss me," she whispered. Her legs were still spread wide and their lower lips still hadn't left each other, but she needed Elsa now. And when Elsa leaned down to comply her request, Anna let out a content sigh into their kiss. She couldn't be any happier. She felt her leg slide off Elsa's shoulder and heard the lewd squelching sound when Elsa removed herself before the blonde came back down to lay on top of her. Elsa held onto Anna's hands, pushing herself up a bit and pressed a kiss on Anna's nose. Butterflies fluttered in Anna's stomach and a flush of pink covered her cheeks. And as if it wasn't enough, Elsa whispered, "Thank you," before resting on her again, nuzzling the crook of her neck, peppering light kisses on the drips of perspiration on her skin. Before Anna could say anything or even think, she looked down at her sister and watched as Elsa's eyes fluttered closed. The light breathing against her chest made her shiver but she couldn't help but giggle at the sight. While she was naked to the core, all wet and sticky down there, Elsa had fallen asleep on her. Slowly, she wrapped her hands around Elsa's waist, smiling unabashedly at the warm sensation of her sister's porcelain skin. She pulled her up slightly as she turned to her side, allowing Elsa to rest on her arm instead, and with a free hand, she pulled her sister closer to her chest and held on tightly. "I love you, too," she whispered in a kiss on the platinum blonde bangs before closing her eyes as well. FIN. A/N: Participants this time are Iamrottingbitch, CanITellUSmThin, Mad-Frozen, Liamgrbd, Squaresrcool, Pegacorn1210, the-wandering-quill, Nojamhere. Thank you all. |
For First Lady Melania Trump, summertime means bright, sophisticated ensembles fit for visits to a presidential retreat or for meetings with foreign leaders. In her and President Donald Trump’s first trip to Camp David over the weekend, Melania opted for casual attire, pairing her famous tousled locks with a Gabriela Hearst herringbone-stitched poplin dress. In her now-famous statement piece, Melania wrapped a brown leather belt around the dress and added dark shades and pointed brown leather flats. Returning back from their Camp David weekend, Melania showed off her fashion muscles, as she clutched a $3,400 Celine bag paired with $795 Manolo Blahnik Lauratopri stilettos. Melania paired down the luxury items with a white blouse, tucked into a pair of $188 J Brand jeans. Dark brown, reflectant aviator sunglasses topped off the First Lady’s look. Melania kept her cool-tones attire going into official White House business, donning a rich button-detailed wool-blend crepe midi dress by Michael Kors to meet the President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela. The Michael Kors dress retails for $1,695 and was last seen on supermodel Cindy Crawford just days ago. Melania paired the dress with Christian Louboutin heels. |
After the owner of a Florida gun store came under scrutiny for declaring his shop a “Muslim-free zone,” George Zimmerman decided to help the store with a fundraiser selling Confederate flag prints. Andrew Hallinan, the owner of Florida Gun Supply, announced the fundraiser in a Monday video. He said that both the Confederate flag and George Zimmerman were “mistreated” by the media, though he acknowledged that the Confederate battle flag has been used by racists. “The history of the Confederate flag is not one about racism, but I fully agree that there have been groups that use the flag for racial profiling and inciting hatred. I fully condemn the use of the Confederate flag for anything other than heritage and Southern pride,” Hallinan said. He added that a “cultural cleansing” has begun in the U.S., and that he feels he needs to protect the Confederate flag. According to the Florida Gun Supply website, Zimmerman painted a Confederate flag with a caption about the First and Second Amendments in an attempt to help defend Hallinan. “The caption, ‘the second protects the first’ is a double entendre,” Zimmerman told Florida Gun Supply. “The 2nd flag I painted was the Battle Flag — which we need in America in order to protect the first.” The prints will be sold to fundraise for Zimmerman and Hallinan, who has been sued by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Anyone who buys one of the prints will be entered into a raffle to win the original painting by Zimmerman, according to the gun shop’s website. Watch the Florida Gun Supply video: |
For the first time in three years, offseason work hasn't been a pain in the back for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Romo's past two offseasons have been spent recovering from back procedures, and, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the further he gets from a December 2013 surgery to repair a herniated disk the stronger he gets in his back and legs. PREDICTIONS: Packers Super Bowl 50 pick | NFC division winners | Latest odds The strongest indicator of that progress: He hasn't missed a day of OTA work this year. It’s definitely the best offseason I’ve had,” Romo said. “It’s the first one I’ve had in three years. I like to work, I like to grind, I like to push the envelope in a lot of ways. I haven’t been able to do that in years past." The irony is that Romo is coming off the best season of his career — completing 304 of 435 passes for 3,705 yards, with 34 touchdown and nine interceptions for a 113.2 QB rating — and yet he didn't work more than two days straight during camp and took Wednesdays off during the season. “I have [gone all three days of OTAs] both weeks,” Romo said. “It’s a very fluid situation as it was last year in that you have to do a good job making sure that you’re not leaving the day where you’ve hurt yourself for the next day or days. The further I get away from the surgery, the stronger I get in a lot of areas. “Now I need to continue. I’m working as hard as I can to ensure that I’m strengthening the areas that I need to be at my best, and right now it’s just been a good start in the offseason. I’ve been able to continue to build and grow. “I’ll give credit to the training staff and the weight room staff in that we’ve had a great process of figuring out how to continue to get stronger in the offseason, which I haven’t been able to do in the last few years. That’s been as exciting as anything just to be able to get back into building that and the football stuff is just showing that on the other end. So that’s been really good.” His workload might change, he acknowledged, when the Cowboys get to training camp and into the season, when things are more physically demanding. “We’ll see,” Romo said. “Once again, it’s a fluid thing that you really take it week by week. … You know, I’m trying to figure out the baseline for this. We’ll figure that out along the way and we’ll figure out what the best course of action is as we get into camp and it gets a little more ramped up with pads and things.” This much is clear, though, according to the Star-Telegram: Romo feels better this offseason than in any in the last three years. “I’m having some of the power in areas I hadn’t previously had or only had for short periods of time. They’re lasting, extended periods of time," he said. "I’m excited about that. Now I’ve got to continue to grow and get that, but the weight staff, the training staff has done a tremendous job.” |
This article is about SERE in the United States. For a similar course in the United Kingdom, see Defence Survive, Evade, Resist, Extract Training Organisation Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) is a program, best known by its military acronym, that provides U.S. military personnel, U.S. Department of Defense civilians, and private military contractors with training in evading capture, survival skills, and the military code of conduct. Established by the U.S. Air Force at the end of World War II, it was extended and consolidated during the Vietnam War (1959–1975) to the U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy and in the late 1980s to the U.S. Army. Most higher level SERE students are military aircrew and special operations personnel considered to be at high risk of capture. Based on the experiences of the British and American pilots who managed to escape from and evade the Germans during World War II, and return to friendly lines, several private "clubs" were created during World War II. One such club was the "Late Arrivals' Club". This club, which had a "Flying Boot" as its identifying symbol, was strictly non-military. However, under the left collar of his uniform, the individual who had successfully escaped and/or evaded the enemy pinned the "Flying Boot" and although everyone knew it was not official, they did not question it being worn. However the origins of what we now call SERE are firmly rooted in the leadership of Britain’s MI9 Evasion and Escape organisation, formed in February 1939 at the onset of WW2. Led by WW1 veteran Colonel (later Brigadier) Norman Crockatt, MI9 were formed to train air crew and Special Forces in evading enemy troops following bale out, forced landings or becoming cut off behind enemy lines. A training school was established in London, and Officers and instructors from MI9 also began visiting operational air bases, providing local training to air crews unable to be detached from their duties to attend formal courses. MI9 went on to devise a multitude of evasion and escape tools. Overt items to aid immediate evasion after baling out, followed by Covert items (concealed compasses, silk and tissue maps etc.) hidden in uniforms and personal items for use to aid escape following capture. Once the United States entered the war in 1941, MI9 travelled to Washington to discuss their now mature E&E training, devices and proven results with USAAF. As a result, the United States stood up their own Evasion and Escape organisation, known as MIS-X, based at Fort Hunt, Virginia. Under the direction of Air Force General Curtis LeMay it was realized that it was much cheaper and more effective to train aircrews in Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape techniques, than to have them languishing in enemy hands. He was responsible for SERE training at several bases/locations. In 1943, LeMay directed the establishment of a small program for Cold Weather Survival at RCAF Station Namao (formerly called Blatchford Field) in Alberta, Canada (There was a USAAF B29 unit assigned there and they attended Survival Training there with the British and Canadian Forces). In 1945 it was moved to Camp Carson, Colorado, and in 1948 at Marks Air Base, Nome, Alaska. The first instructors of the consolidated school were composed of experienced wilderness "civilian" volunteers and USAF military personnel with prior instructor experience. This initial cadre also included "USAF Rescuemen" from around Alaska, Colorado, Greenland, etc. General LeMay attended the first class of instruction as a student. As time wore on, the expense and wisdom of having multiple locations for training was questioned and consolidation was begun. The hardest decision of that consolidation was where to locate the training base that offered the best environmental and logistical support for such a small but convoluted training program. Ultimately, the USAF consolidated at Stead AFB, Nevada. In the mid 1960s, the school was moved to Fairchild AFB, WA. The U.S. Air Force SERE School is located at Fairchild AFB, Washington, while SERE Training for the U.S. Army is located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The Navy and Marine Corps SERE School has known locations at: the U.S. Navy Remote Training Site at Warner Springs, California, the remote Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (Bridgeport, California), and an annex of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Navy SERE (West) Uniform patch [ edit ] The depicted SERE patch is said[citation needed] to have the following symbolic significance: the color green represents freedom; the patch is halved with a yellow strip to signify that survival, evasion, resistance and escape all require caution, with the knife the basic survival tool; the severed barbed wire represents captivity but freedom regained; the word tiger in Chinese (虎) alludes to the Here be dragons/tigers legend found on early maps; finally, the black surround honors symbolically those who have died on active duty. Curriculum [ edit ] The curriculum has three key parts: survival and evasion; resistance and escape; and water survival. Some parts are classified. Survival and evasion [ edit ] Most SERE training focuses on survival and evasion. Skills taught include Woodcraft and Wilderness Survival including Firecraft, Sheltercraft, Traps and Snares, Food & Water Procurement, Preservation and Purifying, Improvised Equipment, and also specific equipment and techniques of Rescue Sciences such as Distress signal, Navigation with and without an Escape and evasion map, Route Selection, Wilderness First Aid (a variant of the battlefield variety), techniques, methods of Evasion, and Communication Protocols, in all types of climate and terrain. Resistance and escape [ edit ] Training on how to survive and resist the enemy in the event of capture is largely based on the experiences of past U.S. prisoners of war. Water survival [ edit ] How to survive in water is taught at a separate Professional Military Education (PME) course; it takes three days and is typically attended after the main SERE course. In addition to training in the use of aquatic survival gear, more academic skills include first aid tailored to an aquatic environment, communication protocols, ocean ecology,[citation needed] and equipment maintenance. Code of conduct [ edit ] SERE training is intended, above all, to provide students with the skills needed to live up to the U.S. military code of conduct when in uncertain or hostile environments. It is: I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense. I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist. If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy. If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information nor take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way. When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability, I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause. I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.[1][2] Levels [ edit ] SERE training takes place at three levels: Level A : Entry level training. These are the Code of Conduct mandatory classes taken by all at induction (recruit training and OCS). : Entry level training. These are the Code of Conduct mandatory classes taken by all at induction (recruit training and OCS). Level B : For those operating or expected to operate forward of the division rear boundary and up to the forward line of own troops (FLOT). Normally limited to aircrew of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. Level B focuses on survival and evasion, with resistance in terms of initial capture. : For those operating or expected to operate forward of the division rear boundary and up to the forward line of own troops (FLOT). Normally limited to aircrew of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. Level B focuses on survival and evasion, with resistance in terms of initial capture. Level C: For troops at a high risk of capture and whose position, rank or seniority make them vulnerable to greater than average exploitation efforts by any captor. Level C focuses on resistance in terms of prison camps. Service schools [ edit ] Army [ edit ] US Army aviation SERE students create a Dakota hole to conceal a fire in order to better protect their position from enemy observation. The US Army operates two SERE Level-C courses, one for Army aviators and one for Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF). SERE training for Army aviators is included in the Army Aviation School curriculum at Fort Rucker totaling 21 days of instruction encompassing full-spectrum training including academics and resistance labs.[3] For ARSOF personnel, there's a 19-day SERE course, conducted by the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (SWCS), at Camp Mackall. The SWCS's SERE course focuses its training on:[4] Code of conduct applications in wartime, peacetime, governmental and/or hostage detention environments General survival skills Evasion planning Resistance to exploitation & political indoctrination Escape planning Navy/Marine Corps [ edit ] Level A is taught to recruits and candidates in Officer Candidate School and the Recruit Depots, or under professional military education. Level B at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California, and at the North Training Area, Camp Gonsalves, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Level C is held at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine at the Navy Remote Training Site, Rangeley, and at Naval Air Station North Island, California at the Navy Remote Training Site, Warner Springs. This installation provides "Code of Conduct" that is necessary for Recon Marines, Marine Corps Scout Snipers, MARSOC Marines, Navy SEALs, enlisted Navy and Marine aircrewmen, Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers, Naval Flight Surgeons, Navy EOD, and Navy SWCC. As the "eyes" and "ears" of the commander, they carry knowledge of sensitive battlefield information. The training encompasses those basic skills necessary for worldwide survival, facilitating search and rescue efforts, evading capture by hostile forces. It is based on and reinforces the values expressed in the Code of Conduct while maintaining an appropriate balance of sound educational methodology and realistic/stressful training scenarios. Additional survival training in Level C Code of Conduct may include the five-day Peacetime Detention and Hostage Survival (PDAHS) course. This training provides the skills to survive captivity by a hostile government or terrorist cell during peacetime. Air Force [ edit ] USAF SERE Instructor explaining how to jump safely with a parachute The largest SERE Course and only career-long SERE Instructor (now called Specialists) cadre are located at the primary Air Force SERE training center which is at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington; each USAF "SERE Specialist" goes to a selection course and if selected, then attends the famed USAF SERE Specialist Training Branch six-month course. Those that graduate (less than 10%) are awarded the Sage Beret, SERE Arch and SERE Flash. Following ITB, the Specialists are tasked with 45 weeks of intensive on-the-job training to complete their skill levels. Each graduate must attend Airborne School at the US Army Training Center located at Ft. Benning, GA. After completion of four years as an Instructor (Field Training) the Specialist may be tasked to train students worldwide. USAF SERE Specialists are required to complete a Bachelors in Survival and Rescue Sciences through the USAF Community College, in order to continue to advance in their career field. SERE Specialists will complete additional qualification training at specialized schools as required when tasked. Examples are Scuba Courses, Halo (High Altitude Low Opening) Parachuting, Altitude chamber, etc. Assignment to each of the outlying schools requires additional training by the SERE Specialist. Upon reporting to the new assignment, each SERE Specialist must first complete that school's course (the same as an Aircrew member), and then be trained by the school's cadre in the specialized subject matter (and carry crews under supervision) before the newly assigned Specialist is "qualified" to teach without supervision. At Edwards AFB, USAF SERE Specialists are tasked as "Test Parachutists" and required to perform multiple jumps on newly introduced / modified rescue systems, aircraft, and parachuting and / or ejection systems. This includes test parachuting newly designed canopies, harnesses, etc. Currently, they are the only Test Parachutists in the Department of Defense. Student training for Level "B" medical aircrew was conducted at Brooks City-Base, Texas until the planned course closure on 30 September 2009. The Air Force conducts Arctic Survival Training – Cool School at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and Parachuting and Non-Parachuting Water Survival Training at Fairchild AFB, Washington. The parachute water survival training which was once located in Florida ceased operations there in August 2015. SERE training was also conducted at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs from the late 1960s until 1995, enabling those USAF officers commissioned through USAFA to exempt from USAF SERE training at Fairchild AFB following undergraduate pilot or navigator training. In contrast, those USAF officers commissioned through AFROTC or OTS still had to complete SERE at Fairchild following flight training. In 1995, the resistance/escape element of the course at USAFA was abolished (see Controversies below), leaving the survival and evasion classes in a program called Combat Survival Training (CST). The academy discontinued CST entirely in 2005. However, in summer 2008, some portions of the program, including resistance training, were reinstated. Following the summer of 2011, the scope of the CST program was reduced drastically and incorporated into the mandatory expeditionary skills training for budgetary reasons.[5] Now, all USAFA graduates selected for pilot, air battle manager, or navigator training must complete SERE training at Fairchild after receiving their wings, along with their AFROTC and OTS graduate counterparts. USAF SERE Specialists are considered DOD-wide subject matter experts in their field. USAF SERE Specialists are assigned to base level and to command staff as advisers. Origin of SERE techniques [ edit ] The SERE techniques are commonly,[6] but erroneously,[citation needed] believed to be modeled on abusive Chinese "brainwashing" practiced on U.S. POWs during the Korean War, to extract false confessions.[7][8][9] Instead, most SERE techniques were modeled after 1950s and early 1960s CIA interrogation and psychological warfare practices.[10] The CIA physical and psychological methods were originally codified in the Kubark Counterintelligence Interrogation Manual published in 1963, and in CIA torture training handbooks for Latin American regimes published in the 1970s and 1980s, and were employed during the Cold War, the CIA's Phoenix Program in Vietnam, and the Chilean intelligence organization DINA's Operation Condor in South America.[11] The other primary source for SERE techniques was 1960s CIA "mind control experiments", using sleep deprivation, drugs, electric shock, and isolation and extended sensory deprivation.[12] Certain of the less physically damaging CIA methods, derived from what was at the time called "defensive behavioral research", were reduced and refined as training techniques for the SERE program.[13] Controversies [ edit ] 1995 U.S. Air Force Academy scandal [ edit ] One of the U.S. Air Force's SERE training programs was conducted at the United States Air Force Academy from the late 1960s until 1995. Because a large number of pilots and other aircrew members graduated from the academy, it was more efficient for the Air Force to send all cadets through SERE training while they were still at the academy. Cadets would normally complete the training during the summer between their fourth-class (freshman) and third-class (sophomore) years. A number of selected second-class (junior) and first-class (senior) cadets would serve each year as SERE training cadre under the supervision of enlisted Air Force SERE instructors. As a result of POWs' experiences during Operation Desert Storm (1990–1991), sexual assault resistance was added to the SERE curriculum. However, some of the training scenarios allegedly were taken too far by SERE cadet members at the academy during practical portions of the program. In 1995, the ABC television news program 20/20 reported that as many as 24 male and female cadets in 1993 had allegedly been sexually assaulted at the Academy during SERE training. One of the cadets sued the U.S. federal government, which eventually settled for a reported $3 million in damages.[14] As a result of the scandal, the SERE program at the Academy was reduced to the survival and evasion portions only, and the curriculum was revamped to be in line with the main course at Fairchild AFB titled: "Combat Survival Training (CST)". All graduates going on to aircrew positions were then required to attend the resistance portion of the training at Fairchild Air Force Base before reporting to an operational flying unit. The CST program was discontinued entirely in 2004. The Air Force Academy SERE program is running as of summer of 2008 . The curriculum of the revived program will contain some resistance elements, but will not contain sexual assault resistance.[5] Use of techniques in interrogation [ edit ] Heavily redacted US Department of Defense memo discussing SERE techniques used at Guantánamo In July 2005, an article[15] in The New Yorker magazine alleged that psychologists who help direct the SERE curriculum have been advising the military at Guantanamo Bay detainment camp and other sites on interrogation techniques. The SERE program's chief psychologist, Colonel Morgan Banks, issued guidance in early 2003 for the "behavioral science consultants" who helped to devise Guantánamo's interrogation strategy although he has emphatically denied that he had advocated the use of counter-resistance techniques used by SERE instructors to break down detainees. The New Yorker notes that in November 2001, Banks was detailed to Afghanistan, where he spent four months at Bagram Air Base, "supporting combat operations against Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters". In June 2006, an article on Salon, an online magazine, confirmed finding a document obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union through the Freedom of Information Act. A March 22, 2005, sworn statement by the former chief of the Interrogation Control Element at Guantánamo said SERE instructors taught their methods to interrogators of the prisoners in Cuba.[16] The article also claims that physical and mental techniques used against some detainees at Abu Ghraib are similar to the ones SERE students are taught to resist. According to Human Rights First, the interrogation that led to the death of Iraqi Major General Abed Hamed Mowhoush involved the use of techniques used in SERE training. According to the organization "Internal FBI memos and press reports have pointed to SERE training as the basis for some of the harshest techniques authorized for use on detainees by the Pentagon in 2002 and 2003."[17] On June 17, 2008, Mark Mazzetti of The New York Times reported that the senior Pentagon lawyer Mark Schiffrin requested information in 2002 from the leaders of the Air Force's captivity-resistance program, referring to one based in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The information was later used on prisoners in military custody.[18] In written testimony to the Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing, Col. Steven Kleinman of the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency said that a team of trainers that he was leading in Iraq were asked to demonstrate SERE techniques on uncooperative prisoners. He refused, but his decision was overruled. He was quoted as saying "When presented with the choice of getting smarter or getting tougher, we chose the latter."[19] Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has acknowledged that the use of the SERE program techniques to conduct interrogations in Iraq was discussed by senior White House officials in 2002 and 2003.[20] Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture [ edit ] On December 9, 2014, the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released a report further confirming the use of SERE tactics in interrogations.[21] The contractors that developed the "enhanced interrogation techniques" received US$81 million for their services, out of an original contract worth more than US$180 million. NBC News identified the contractors, who were referred to in the report via pseudonyms, as Mitchell, Jessen & Associates from Spokane, Washington, which was run by two psychologists, John "Bruce" Jessen and James Mitchell. Jessen was a senior psychologist at the Defense Department who taught special forces on how to resist and endure torture. The report states that the contractor "developed the list of enhanced interrogation techniques and personally conducted interrogations of some of the CIA's most significant detainees using those techniques. The contractors also evaluated whether the detainees' psychological state allowed for continued use of the techniques, even for some detainees they themselves were interrogating or had interrogated." Mitchell, Jessen & Associates developed a "menu" of 20 enhanced techniques including waterboarding, sleep deprivation and stress positions. The CIA acting general counsel, described in his book Company Man, that the enhanced techniques were "sadistic and terrifying."[22] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Notes |
“Now we’re festive! To Christmas,” Jon Hamm says, pouring wine and spreading gravy from a Santa-faced ramekin. He’s a nightmarish future-Hitch, atoning for past sins in a No Exit-like cabin at the end of the world, talking to a meek man (Rafe Spall) mourning a life of self-deception and mistakes that set off seismic disasters. Though much of the episode’s plot revolves around events on different Christmases, this scene is as actually festive as the extended Charlie Brooker “Christmas special” for his Channel 4 series Black Mirror gets. It soon descends into a meditation on breakup and loss in the age of “blocking,” a system in which a person’s ability to see, interface with, or remember another person is corrupted using a psychovisual application. There is also speculation about merciless law enforcement techniques in the era of mind monitoring and control, and the lengths to which humans will stoop to try to insure a perfect life. What is torture in a world when people can clone themselves as digital devices? ““It wasn’t really real, so it wasn’t really barbaric,” Hamm argues, after putting a “cookie” through literal hell. As with the average Black Mirror installment, White Christmas is a slow build to the wool being pulled from its characters’ eyes — in this case, Hamm and Shaun of the Dead/Prometheus actor Spall — or rather the digital mind control being lifted to expose the sordid reality of their respective situations. On the side, there are other casualties, including Game of Thrones stars Oona Chaplin and Natalia Tena. Spall gets blocked The special is also Brooker’s darkest and most complex episode to date — and perhaps, on rewatch, the show’s finest. Its ideas and concepts are its most outlandish and thought-provoking, and it manages to be engrossing and constantly surprising without packing too many ideas in. INVERSE LOOT DEALS Meet the Pod The first bed that learns the perfect temperature for your sleep, and dynamically warms or cools according to your needs. Buy Now It has been woefully absent from any stateside digital streaming outlet for the past year, but now Black Mirror: White Christmas is coming to Netflix… on Christmas Day. If you want to get a truly demoralizing taste of Christmas Yet to Come with the fam, make sure to check “Recently Added” after imbibing those hot toddies and rocking the ham. |
Adobe's New Subscription Service Goes Live And Is Cracked In Less Than 24 Hours from the DRM-less-effective-than-leading-deodorant-brands dept Adobe latest product, the subscription based suite Creative Cloud is cracked and available on torrent sites one day after its release. The torrent is posted on torrent sites such as the Piratebay and is nearly 1.4 GB big. It was posted by an apparently Chinese user. Comments on the torrent report that the software can be installed and works. Adobe's products are widely acknowledged to be some of the most pirated software in the world. Not that Adobe has done much to prevent this sort of behavior. True, it has (with the BSA's aid and blessing) "raided" infringing companies and extracted license fees. But it's done nothing at all to make its software more appealing to prospective purchasers. The prices are still astronomical (even more so in many foreign countries) and its steadfast adherence to planned obsolescence means those paying the exorbitant asking price may find themselves with incompatible software a few years down the road.In an effort to combat piracy and lower the admission fee, Adobe has launched a subscription-only platform called Creative Cloud which gives subscribers access to Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Dreamweaver and Fireworks for $30-50/month.In what will come as a surprise to roughly no one, Creative Cloud has already been cracked Adobe claims the software will work for 99 days without an internet verification (although the Cloud phones home once a month) before becoming inoperable. It also requires an internet connection during install, but blocking Adobe's access post-install and applying the crack seems to do the trick.You have to wonder how much was invested in building a DRM scheme that managed to hold out for almost 24 hours. You also have to wonder if this result, combined with any issues the phone-home system may cause forusers down the road, have had any effect on Adobe's future DRM plans. If this crack works, it's like having no DRM at all, which would definitely be a cheaper route to take during development. Any hopes that a dip in piracy would result in a corresponding sales bump have effectively been scuttled.At this point, pushingwith DRM would take the company toward SimCity-esque levels of customer antipathy. Server side-only saves, anyone? Grayed-out menu selections and tools that only work when the software is in touch with headquarters? Accepting the inevitable would save Adobe money, time and aggravation. Or maybe, deep down, Adobe doesn't care. This cracked software is building them a future customer base that will be addicted to its software because they got their first hit for free Filed Under: cracks, drm Companies: adobe |
CHINESE takeaway Hotcha has gone into administration following an investigation into a £35 million money laundering operation. Its Bournemouth branch is now closed and was one of those searched in a major customs operation. A note on the door says the landlord has changed the locks and terminated the lease due to non-payment of rent. The takeaway and delivery chain opened its Bournemouth branch in April this year and employed 15 staff. At the time, co-founder and CEO James Liang said: “Our ambition is to become the first national Chinese takeaway chain in the UK and opening our latest store in Bournemouth is a natural step as we continue our rapid growth.” But since then the chain has come under the spotlight and is at the centre of an HMRC money laundering investigation. In a statement, the fast food chain confirmed that Moorfields have been appointed as adminstrators. Last month, more than 80 customs officials searched three private properties and 12 business addresses including Bournemouth, Bristol, Yate, Exeter, Stroud, and Swindon. Those arrested were interviewed by HMRC and released under investigation. A spokesman for Moorfields said that more than 140 members of staff had been made redundant as a result of the firm’s decision to stop trading. “The business had ceased trading prior to our appointment” the spokesman said. “The staff have been made redundant and we are trying to see if there is anyone who is interested in buying the assets. “We are looking for people to hopefully make an offer. We are looking for interest as we speak.” The chain has a head office in Bristol, which acts as a warehouse, central kitchen and group administration function and is capable of supporting up to 75 outlets. Moorfields is seeking a purchaser for all or some of the company’s assets, which consist of a portfolio of leasehold properties, commercial catering and office equipment and intellectual property, including website domain names and the Hotcha registered trademark. |
The UK's first ever diabetes and eating disorder service has begun working with young women dealing with "diabulimia". It's thought one in three young women with type 1 diabetes struggle with their weight or have eating concerns. Diabulimia is not yet medically recognised but the term means diabetic people who deliberately take too little insulin in order to lose weight. It can have harmful lasting effects such as blindness, kidney problems, hair loss and early death. You can also explore this story in a different way. Newsbeat Explains is a new way of experiencing news piece by piece - click here to try it with this story. Stacey Williams, 25, has been dealing with some of those problems. "I did lose a lot of hair. I now have to wear a hair weave to hide the bald patches. I've had laser eye surgery to correct my eyes but my vision will never be the same again Stacey Williams "I've had physiotherapy to gain strength in my muscles. I've had to have a lot of laser eye surgery to correct my eyes but my vision will never be the same again." Stacey was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1997 when she was just six. "It was difficult to come to terms with. To be told you can't have sweets and chocolates like other children have is very difficult." Type 1 diabetes is when the body doesn't make its own insulin and is unable to control how much sugar there is in the blood. According to JDRF, the charity dedicated to type 1 diabetes research, about 400,000 people in the UK live with condition. Stacey has to regularly check her blood glucose, inject insulin four times a day, keep track of her diet and exercise. She monitors her blood sugar levels with a finger prick test which goes into a machine and gives out readings. "Things changed when I was about 15 years old. I was at school and being bullied because of my weight. "I started to skip my injections to become ill, to be taken away from school so [that] I didn't have to face those bullies every day. "When I started to lose the weight and get the compliments it fuelled the diabulimia even more. The more compliments I got the more weight I wanted to lose. "I started to wear clothes that I didn't think I'd be able to - going from a size 16 to a size eight felt fantastic for me. "I wasn't thinking about the long-term damage that it could actually cause." You do need to seek the help but I was so embarrassed and ashamed over what I was doing to myself it was easier to hide away Stacey Williams Diabulimia sufferer "I missed a lot of school going into hospital. I'd go in once a fortnight every couple of days. "It was very difficult to change my thought process and behaviours. "The skipping [of] injections and weight loss was mixed in with depression and once you're stuck in a rut it's very hard to overcome. You do need to seek the help but I was so embarrassed and ashamed over what I was doing to myself it was easier to hide away." Until now people in the UK with diabetes and an eating disorder have been able to seek help for one or the other, but never together. Professor Khalida Ismail, who leads the largest diabetes and mental health clinic in the UK at King's College in London, wants that to change. With the new unit at King's she wants to unite psychiatrists and diabetes experts. "They never meet patients together and it's an inefficient use of current resources," she explains. "I would argue we'd actually be saving money by joining up services," she adds. 'This is probably bigger than we think' The charity, DWED (Diabetics With Eating Disorders) has been campaigning to have the omission of insulin for weight loss officially recognised as a mental illness. "There is an awareness that this is probably bigger than we think, no-one really knows how big it is or how to detect it," says Prof Ismail. A new set of guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders, which includes how best to treat those who also have diabetes, is expected to be released by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) in early 2017. Stacey is 18 months into her recovery. "It took a while to actually seek help - I tried to do it on my own - do my injections by myself but it wasn't until I realised that 70% of my vision went temporarily in my left eye and I realised I couldn't do it alone. "My team didn't use the term diabulimia but advised me there were a lot of patients going through the same thing. "It wasn't known among diabetics... we were all doing it." "A lot of support from friends and family, diabetic team, counselling played a big part in my recovery. "There's always going be a temptation to carrying on skipping because I was so used to doing for so many years. "But the effect it's had on my health and my family and my eyesight, I would never go back to doing that again." There's a forum specifically for people with diabulimia. For more information on diabetes you can look at these BBC Advice pages. Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat |
Tomgram: Elizabeth de la Vega, Indicting Bush Think of it as a Tomdispatch.com milestone. This is now the first website to "indict" the President, the Vice President, and their colleagues for defrauding us into war in Iraq. I put that "indict" in quotes because what follows, as former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega makes clear in her new book United States v. George W. Bush et al., is "not an actual indictment." It can't be, of course; but consider it the second best thing. De la Vega has, in her career as a prosecutor, prepared numerous fraud indictments and, as she argued in the first excerpt from her book posted at Tomdispatch earlier this week, "A Fraud Worse than Enron," what George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and their senior officials committed was a crime, not just in the colloquial sense of the word, but in the legal sense too (and not a victimless crime either). While their crime was of a magnitude that puts even Enron, no less run-of-the-mill fraud cases, to shame, it also has all the elements of a typical, small-time scam. De la Vega's "hypothetical indictment" of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, and Colin Powell that you are about to read remains, unfortunately, in the realm of fantasy. But only for now. Until our world comes more fully to grips with the criminal nature of the Bush administration's acts, you can at least turn to the full de la Vega book. A Tomdispatch.com special project, produced in conjunction with Seven Stories Press, a wonderful independent publisher, it's officially published on December 1st (but available now). You won't want to miss it. It's superbly done and -- though I hesitate to say it, given the nature of the subject matter -- genuinely enjoyable to read because De la Vega turns out to be as skilled a writer as she is a prosecutor, and applies both her talents to the book. So check out the indictment, read the first day of grand jury testimony (which will be posted at this site on Thursday), and in the meantime get the investigative ball rolling by purchasing the book at Amazon.com or, if you want to give all involved a few extra cents, directly at the Seven Stories website. After all, the excerpts at Tomdispatch can only give you a taste of the full case De la Vega makes. This book should be the political stocking-stuffer of the Holiday season. Tom The Indictment United States v. George W. Bush et al. By Elizabeth de la Vega Assistant United States Attorney: Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. We're here today in the case of United States v. George W. Bush et al. In addition to President Bush, the defendants are Vice President Richard B. Cheney, former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice -- who's now the Secretary of State, of course -- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. It's a one-count proposed indictment: Conspiracy to Defraud the United States in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. I'll explain the law that applies to the case this afternoon, but I'm going to hand out the indictment now, so you'll have some context for that explanation. Take as long as you need to read it, and then feel free to take your lunch break, but please leave your copy of the indictment with the foreperson. We'll meet back at one o'clock. *** UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) Criminal No. Plaintiff, ) ) Conspiracy to Defraud v. ) the United States ) GEORGE W. BUSH, ) 18 U.S.C. Section 371 RICHARD B. CHENEY, ) CONDOLEEZZA RICE, ) DONALD M. RUMSFELD, and ) COLIN POWELL, ) Defendants ) INDICTMENT THE GRAND JURY CHARGES: Introductory Allegations At times relevant to this Indictment: 1. The primary law of the United States Federal Government was set forth in the U.S. Constitution ("Constitution"), which provides that the first branch of government is the Legislative Branch ("Congress"). Pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Congress has certain powers and obligations regarding oversight of foreign affairs, including the powers to: (1) declare war; (2) raise and support the armed forces; and (3) tax and spend for the common good. 2. Article II of the Constitution establishes the Executive Branch. The Executive Power of the United States is vested in the President, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Services. 3. Defendant GEORGE W. BUSH ("BUSH") has been employed as President of the United States since January 20, 2001. On that day, BUSH took a constitutionally mandated oath to faithfully execute the Office of President and to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. BUSH is also constitutionally obligated to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. 4. As Chief Executive, BUSH exercised authority, direction, and control over the entire Executive Branch, which includes the White House, the Office of the Vice President, the Departments of State, Defense, and others, and the National Security Council. 5. Defendant RICHARD B. CHENEY ("CHENEY") has been employed as Vice President of the United States since January 20, 2001. 6. Defendant CONDOLEEZZA RICE ("RICE") was employed as the National Security Adviser from January 2001 to January 2005, when she became Secretary of State, a position she holds as of the date of this indictment. As National Security Adviser, RICE exercised direction, control, and authority over the National Security Council, which coordinates various national security and foreign policy agencies, including the Departments of Defense and State. 7. Defendant DONALD M. RUMSFELD ("RUMSFELD") has been employed as Secretary of Defense since January 2001. 8. Defendant COLIN M. POWELL ("POWELL") was employed as Secretary of State from January 2001 through January of 2005. 9. Before assuming their offices, CHENEY, RICE, RUMSFELD and POWELL took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. 10. As employees of the Executive Branch, BUSH, CHENEY, RICE, RUMSFELD, and POWELL were governed by Executive Orders 12674 and 12731. These Orders provide that Executive Branch employees hold their positions as a public trust and that the American people have a right to expect that they will fulfill that trust in accordance with certain ethical standards and principles. These include abiding by the Constitution and laws of the United States, as well as not using their offices to further private goals and interests. 11. Pursuant to the Constitution, their oaths of office, their status as Executive Branch employees, and their presence in the United States, BUSH, CHENEY, RICE, RUMSFELD, and POWELL, and their subordinates and employees, are required to obey Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, which prohibits conspiracies to defraud the United States. 12. As used in Section 371, the term "to defraud the United States" means "to interfere with or obstruct one of its lawful government functions by deceit, craft, trickery, or at least by means that are dishonest." The term also means to "impair, obstruct, or defeat the lawful function of any department of government" by the use of "false or fraudulent pretenses or representations." 13. A "false" or "fraudulent" representation is one that is: (a) made with knowledge that it is untrue; (b) a half-truth; (c) made without a reasonable basis or with reckless indifference as to whether it is, in fact, true or false; or (d) literally true, but intentionally presented in a manner reasonably calculated to deceive a person of ordinary prudence and intelligence. The knowing concealment or omission of information that a reasonable person would consider important in deciding an issue also constitutes fraud. 14. Congress is a "department of the United States" within the meaning of Section 371. In addition, hearings regarding funding for military action and authorization to use military force are "lawful functions" of Congress. 15. Accordingly, the presentation of information to Congress and the general public through deceit, craft, trickery, dishonest means, and fraudulent representations, including lies, half-truths, material omissions, and statements made with reckless indifference to their truth or falsity, while knowing and intending that such fraudulent representations would influence Congress' decisions regarding authorization to use military force and funding for military action, constitutes interfering with, obstructing, impairing, and defeating a lawful government function of a department of the United States within the meaning of Section 371. The Conspiracy to Defraud the United States 16. Beginning on or about a date unknown, but no later than August of 2002, and continuing to the present, in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, the defendants, GEORGE W. BUSH, RICHARD B. CHENEY, CONDOLEEZZA RICE, DONALD M. RUMSFELD, and COLIN M. POWELL, and others known and unknown, did knowingly and intentionally conspire to defraud the United States by using deceit, craft, trickery, dishonest means, false and fraudulent representations, including ones made without a reasonable basis and with reckless indifference to their truth or falsity, and omitting to state material facts necessary to make their representations truthful, fair and accurate, while knowing and intending that their false and fraudulent representations would influence the public and the deliberations of Congress with regard to authorization of a preventive war against Iraq, thereby defeating, obstructing, impairing, and interfering with Congress' lawful functions of overseeing foreign affairs and making appropriations. 17. The Early Months of the Bush-Cheney Administration: Prior to January of 2001, BUSH, CHENEY, and RUMSFELD each demonstrated a predisposition to employ U.S. military force to invade the Middle East, including, specifically, to forcibly remove Saddam Hussein. 18. Since 1992, CHENEY has endorsed a "bold foreign policy" that includes using military force to "punish" or "threaten to punish" possible aggressors in order to protect the United States's access to Persian Gulf oil and to halt proliferation of weapons of mass destruction ("WMD"), a term that is customarily used to describe chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. 19. On or about January 26, 1998, RUMSFELD and seven other future BUSH-CHENEY administration appointees signed a letter sent by a conservative policy institute named "Project for a New American Century" ("PNAC") to then President William Clinton, which called for U.S. military action to forcibly remove Saddam Hussein from power. 20. In January 1999, BUSH named RICE and her future Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley ("Hadley"), as his presidential-campaign foreign-policy advisers, along with future Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz ("Wolfowitz") and four others who had publicly advocated forcibly removing Saddam Hussein. 21. On or before September 2000, 12 future BUSH-CHENEY administration appointees, including Wolfowitz, former Assistant to Vice President CHENEY, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, and Rumsfeld's long-term aide Stephen Cambone, participated in drafting "Rebuilding America's Defenses," a PNAC policy statement which asserted that the "need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein." PNAC acknowledged that its goals would take a long time to achieve "absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event--like a new Pearl Harbor." 22. Once BUSH became the Republican candidate in the 2000 presidential election campaign, he and CHENEY informed the general public that they would be reluctant to use military force and did not believe that the United States should engage in "nation-building." 23. On and after January 20, 2001, BUSH and CHENEY caused to be appointed as senior foreign policy advisors and consultants, at least thirty-four persons who had publicly endorsed the PNAC principles of United States global preeminence and use of force to "punish" or "threaten to punish" emerging threats from weapons of mass destruction ("WMD") or impediments to United States access to oil in the Middle East. Of those appointees, eighteen had also publicly advocated forcibly removing Saddam Hussein. 24. In late December 2000, BUSH and CHENEY advised outgoing President William J. Clinton and others that, among potential foreign policy issues, BUSH's primary concern was Iraq. 25. On February 11, 2001, BUSH ordered the first airstrikes since 1998 to be conducted outside of the United Nations ("UN") agreed-upon No-Fly zones, to get Saddam Hussein's "attention." 26. The Attacks of September 11, 2001. On September 11, 2001, nineteen men hijacked four commercial airplanes. They crashed two planes into the World Trade Towers in New York City and another into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania. In total, nearly 3,000 people died as a result of the September 11, 2001, attacks ("9/11"). 27. Shortly afterward, United States intelligence agencies determined that 9/11 was the work of the terrorist organization al Qaeda, spearheaded by Osama Bin Laden. Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, two from Yemen, and two from Lebanon. This information, along with the conclusion that no evidence linked Saddam Hussein to the attacks or al Qaeda, was immediately communicated to BUSH, CHENEY, RICE, RUMSFELD, POWELL, and others. 28. BUSH-CHENEY administration members began discussing an invasion of Iraq immediately after 9/11. BUSH, RUMSFELD and others also assigned various subordinates, including former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke, CIA Director George Tenet, and General Richard Meyers to look for intelligence that could justify attacking Saddam Hussein's regime. 29. On September 17, 2001, BUSH secretly ordered the formulation of preliminary plans for an invasion of Iraq, while admitting to his aides that no evidence existed to justify an attack. 30. On or about September 18, 2001, in response to BUSH's request, Clarke sent RICE a memo that stated: (a) the case for linking Hussein to 9/11 was weak; (b) only anecdotal evidence linked Hussein to al Qaeda; (c) Osama Bin Laden resented the secularism of Saddam Hussein; and (d) there was no confirmed reporting of Saddam cooperating with Bin Laden on unconventional weapons. 31. On September 20, 2001, BUSH informed British Prime Minister Tony Blair that after Afghanistan, the United States and Britain should return to the issue of invading Iraq. 32. U.S. Intelligence Community Assessments of Risk from Iraq in Effect on November 2001. On occasion, Executive Branch officials request assessments of current intelligence on risks posed by WMD in a given country. Although such assessments are coordinated by the Central Intelligence Agency ("CIA"), the final product incorporates the analyses, including dissenting opinions, of the intelligence branches of the Departments of State, Energy, Defense, the National Security Agency, and others, which are collectively called the Intelligence Community ("IC"). 33. As of November 2001, the most recent assessment on Iraq was a December 2000 classified Intelligence Community Assessment ("ICA") called "Iraq: Steadily Pursuing WMD Capabilities." This ICA was a comprehensive update on possible Iraqi efforts to rebuild WMD and weapons delivery systems after the 1998 departure of International Atomic Energy Agency ("IAEA") representatives and UN weapons inspectors, who are collectively referred to as the United Nations Special Commission ("UNSCOM"). 34. Regarding Iraq's possible nuclear program, the December 2000 NIE unanimously concluded that: (a) The IAEA and UNSCOM had destroyed or neutralized Iraq's nuclear infrastructure, but Iraq still had a foundation for future nuclear reconstitution; (b) Iraq was continuing low-level theoretical research and training, and attempting to obtain dual-use items that cold be used to reconstitute its nuclear program; (c) if Iraq acquired a significant quantity of fissile material through foreign assistance, it could have a crude nuclear weapon within a year; if Iraq received foreign assistance, it would take five to seven years to produce enough weapons-grade fissile material for a nuclear weapon; and (d) Iraq did not appear to have reconstituted its nuclear weapons program. 35. Escalation of Military Activity and Planning for Invasion of Iraq. On November 21, 2001, BUSH secretly ordered preparation of a formal war plan for invading Iraq. Thereafter, for sixteen months, the BUSH-CHENEY administration expended substantial U.S. government funds in military activity and planning for invasion of Iraq, all without notice to, or approval by, the U.S. Congress. 36. BUSH did not receive an extensive briefing about possible WMD in Iraq before ordering a war plan, nor did he discuss the legitimacy of grounds for war with anyone. BUSH received no such briefing until December 21, 2002. 37. On or about November 27, 2001, RUMSFELD asked General "Tommy" Franks, head of Central Command, which supervises Middle East operations, to immediately prepare an Iraq war plan in response to BUSH's order. 38. Thereafter, Franks discussed numerous revised Iraq war plans with RUMSFELD. Between December 2001 and August 2002, BUSH, CHENEY, RICE, RUMSFELD, POWELL, and others held at least five lengthy meetings about Franks' plans. In August, BUSH ordered Franks to prepare to invade Iraq using the "Hybrid Plan," a combination of the "Running Start" and "Generated Start" plans developed previously. 39. During 2002, the United States and Great Britain increased air strikes in order to degrade Iraqi air defenses and began deploying troops to areas around Iraq. 40. On or about July 30, 2002, without approval by, or notice to, Congress, BUSH caused the diversion of $700 million from Afghanistan war funds into Iraq invasion preparations. 41. On September 5, 2002, without approval by, or notice to, Congress, BUSH caused approximately 100 United States and British aircraft to launch ballistic missiles at Iraq's major western air-defense facility. 42. By September 12, 2002, without approval by, or notice to, Congress, BUSH had caused the movement of 40,000 military personnel and over 350,000 tons of equipment to areas around Iraq. Franks also ordered Central Command to be moved to Al Udeid Air Base near Doha, Qatar. 43. Behind-the-Scenes Strategizing with British Officials: On or before March 2002, BUSH, RICE, Wolfowitz, and others secretly began discussing ways to persuade the public and foreign allies to accept Bush's goal of invading Iraq, with British Prime Minister Tony Blair ("Blair") and his advisers. 44. On March 12, 2002, in Washington, DC, RICE met with Blair's Foreign Policy Adviser Sir David Manning and informed him of BUSH's problems with persuading "international opinion that military action against Iraq was necessary and justified." 45. On March 17, 2002, in Washington, DC, British Ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer advised Wolfowitz that the two countries should "wrongfoot" Saddam Hussein by seeking a UN resolution that would require the readmission of weapons inspectors with the expectation that Saddam would create a justification for war by obstructing the inspections. 46. On April 6, 2002, in Crawford, Texas, BUSH and Blair discussed strategies to sway public opinion regarding military action in Iraq. Blair agreed to support a United States invasion if the two countries obtained a UN resolution first. 47. In mid-July, 2002, in Washington, DC, White House officials discussed Iraq with visiting British officials. Upon their return to London, these officials reported the talks to Blair in a meeting at 10 Downing St. on July 23, 2002. Among other things, Blair's advisers suggested that he urge BUSH to devise a more realistic political strategy for attacking Iraq, because a desire for "regime change" would not justify military action under international law. 48. In mid-July, 2002, in Washington, DC, CIA Director Tenet and others talked about the Bush administration's intentions regarding Iraq with Sir Richard Dearlove, the head of British Intelligence. 49. On July 23, 2002, during the Downing St. meeting described above, Dearlove informed Blair that in the United States "Military action was now seen as inevitable. BUSH wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." 50. On July 23, 2002, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw also noted that BUSH had "made up his mind to take military action." Straw said he would urge POWELL to persuade BUSH to seek a UN resolution requiring Saddam Hussein to readmit weapons inspectors, in effect, suggesting the "wrongfooting" strategy that Meyer had described to Wolfowitz. 51. Behind-the-Scenes Efforts to Fix Intelligence Around the Policy. Within weeks after learning from Clarke, Tenet, and others that Iraq and Saddam Hussein had no involvement with either 9/11 or al Qaeda, RUMSFELD caused Deputy Undersecretary for Defense Douglas Feith ("Feith") to secretly create the Counter Terrorism Group ("CTEG"), a small unit of political appointees whose mission was to find links between Iraq and al Qaeda by reviewing raw intelligence that previously had been discarded as unreliable. CTEG reported weekly to RUMSFELD's long-term associate Stephen Cambone, and occasionally presented information directly to Wolfowitz, thereby circumventing standard IC procedures. 52. At some time in 2002, Feith also designated political appointees to work under his supervision in the newly-created Office of Special Plans, whose purpose was to develop and package information for use in marketing the President's plan for an invasion of Iraq. In the fall of 2002, this group presented information directly to RUMSFELD, to RICE's office, and to CHENEY's office, thereby circumventing standard IC procedures. 53. In the spring of 2002, CHENEY and his former aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, began visiting CIA headquarters to question CIA agents' assessments about Iraq. RUMSFELD and Deputy National Security Adviser Hadley also repeatedly pressed CIA Director Tenet and his subordinates to present a stronger case against Iraq. 54. Bush's Creation of the White House Iraq Group. By the summer of 2002, domestic and international support for BUSH's plan to invade Iraq was lukewarm. At the same time, Bush's chief political strategist and Senior Adviser Karl Rove and Kenneth Mehlman, head of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, were beginning to coordinate the President's involvement in the November 7, 2002, congressional election. Their overall goal was to gain Republican majorities in both houses of Congress so that the President would have the greatest possible support for his policies. Rove had specifically recommended that Republicans "focus on war" as a way to win elections. Consequently, in the summer of 2002, BUSH's efforts to win support for an invasion of Iraq and his efforts to assist Republican congressional candidates became inextricably intertwined. 55. In the summer of 2002, BUSH caused the creation of the White House Iraq Group, which was cochaired by BUSH's long-term political operatives Karl Rove and Karen Hughes, who remained BUSH's close associate even though she had resigned her position as Counselor to the President. This team, also called WHIG, was largely a political and public-relations entity that included RICE, Hadley, President's Chief of Staff Andrew Card, President's legislative liaison Nicholas Calio, CHENEY's key aide and veteran Republican political strategist Mary Matalin, CHENEY's senior adviser Libby, and James Wilkinson, another Republican campaign consultant. 56. On or about September 6, 2002, Rove and Card publicly announced that: (a) the BUSH-CHENEY administration was beginning to "roll out" its case for an invasion of Iraq; (b) its public-relations campaign was specifically directed at forcing Congress to pass a resolution authorizing the President to use military force in Iraq; (c) BUSH wanted the resolution passed in about five weeks, before the 2002 election; and (d) in the end, it would be difficult for any legislator to vote against it. 57. The Defendants' Massive Fraud to "Market" an invasion of Iraq. On or about September 4, 2002, BUSH staged a photo opportunity with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders, after which he falsely and fraudulently announced that Iraq posed a serious threat to the safety of the United States and the world, while concealing from Congress and the American people the material facts that: (a) he had no reasonable basis whatsoever for his assertion; (b) he had never discussed the legitimacy of the grounds for an attack against Iraq with anyone; (c) he had never extensively reviewed existing intelligence regarding any possible threat from Iraq; (d) he had not requested an updated intelligence assessment on Iraq; (e) the United States intelligence assessment then in effect stated that Iraq had neither nuclear weapons nor a nuclear weapons program; and (f) the IC had consistently reported that Iraq had no involvement in 9/11 and no relationship with al Qaeda. 58. On September 4, 2002, BUSH also falsely and fraudulently claimed he was beginning an "open dialogue" with the American public, with Congress, and with United States allies to decide how to respond to Iraq, while concealing the material facts that he: (a) had requested a formal plan to invade Iraq nearly a year before; (b) had been conducting significant military and nonmilitary planning and attacks against Iraq for a year; (c) had directed significant military deployment to areas around Iraq; (d) was planning a massive air assault against Iraq's air defense facility for the next day; and (e) intended to work with the UN only to create a justification to use military force against Iraq. 59. Thereafter, the defendants and WHIG executed a calculated and wide-ranging strategy to deceive Congress and the American people by making hundreds of false and fraudulent representations that were only half-true, or literally true but misleading; by concealing material facts; and by making statements without a reasonable basis and with reckless indifference to their truth, regarding, among other things: (a) their true intent to invade Iraq; (b) the extent of military buildup and force used against Iraq without notice to or approval by Congress; (c) their true purpose in seeking a Congressional resolution authorizing the use of military force against Iraq; (d) their true intent to use their involvement in seeking a UN resolution requiring Iraq to cooperate with weapons inspectors as a sham; and (e) their claimed justifications for invading Iraq, including but not limited to: * The alleged connection between Saddam Hussein and the attacks of September 11, 2001; * The alleged connection between Iraq and al Qaeda; * The alleged connection between Saddam Hussein and any terrorists whose primary animus was directed towards the United States; * Saddam Hussein's alleged intent to attack the United States in any way; • Saddam Hussein's possession of nuclear weapons and the status of any alleged ongoing nuclear weapons programs; * The lack of any reasonable basis for asserting with certainty that Saddam Hussein was actively manufacturing chemical and biological weapons; and *The alleged urgency of any threat posed to the United States by Saddam Hussein. 60. Congressional Joint Resolution to Authorize Use of Force Against Iraq. As a result of the defendants' false and fraudulent "marketing" of the President's plan to invade Iraq, on October 11, 2002, the U.S Congress, acting pursuant to its Article I constitutional authority to oversee and authorize use of military force, passed a Congressional Joint Resolution to Authorize Use of Force Against Iraq ["the Resolution"] which stated: The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to-- (a) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and (b) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq. 61. The Resolution required the President to, either before or within 48 hours after exercising the authority to use force, make available to the Senate and the House of Representatives his determination that: (a) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic or other peaceful means alone either (1) will not adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq or (2) is not likely to lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and (b) acting pursuant to this resolution is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations or persons who planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorists attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. 62. The Resolution also required the President to, at least every 60 days, present Congress a report on "matters relevant to this joint resolution." 63. In furtherance of the above-described conspiracy, the defendants and their coconspirators committed and caused to be committed the following overt acts: Overt Acts A. On December 9, 2001, CHENEY announced on NBC's Meet the Press that "it was pretty well confirmed" that lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta had met the head of Iraqi intelligence in Prague in April 2001, which statement was, as CHENEY well knew, made without reasonable basis and with reckless disregard for the truth, because it was based on a single witness's uncorroborated allegation that had not been fully investigated by U.S. intelligence agencies. B. On July 15, 2002, POWELL stated on Ted Koppel's Nightline: "What we have consistently said is that the President has no plan on his desk to invade Iraq at the moment, nor has one been presented to him, nor have his advisors come together to put a plan to him," which statement was deliberately false and misleading in that it deceitfully implied the President was not planning an invasion of Iraq when, as POWELL well knew, the President was close to finalizing detailed military plans for such an invasion that he had ordered months previously. C. On August 26, 2002, CHENEY made numerous false and fraudulent statements including: "Simply stated there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us," when, as CHENEY well knew, this statement was made without reasonable basis and with reckless indifference to the truth in that the IC's then prevailing assessment was that Iraq had neither nuclear weapons nor a reconstituted nuclear weapons program. D. On September 7, 2002, appearing publicly with Blair, BUSH claimed a recent IAEA report stated that Iraq was "six months away from developing a [nuclear] weapon" and "I don't know what more evidence we need," which statements were made without basis and with reckless indifference to the truth in that: (1) the IAEA had not even been present in Iraq since 1998; and (2) the report the IAEA did write in 1998 had concluded there was no indication that Iraq had the physical capacity to produce weapons-usable nuclear material or that it had attempted to obtain such material. E. On September 8, 2002, on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, RICE asserted that Saddam Hussein was acquiring aluminum tubes that were "only suited" for nuclear centrifuge use, which statement was deliberately false and fraudulent, and made with reckless indifference to the truth in that it omitted to state the following material facts: (1) the U.S. intelligence community was deeply divided about the likely use of the tubes; (2) there were at least fifteen intelligence reports written since April 2001 that cast doubt on the tubes' possible nuclear-related use; and (3) the U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons experts had concluded, after analyzing the tubes's specifications and the circumstances of the Iraqis' attempts to procure them, that the aluminum tubes were not well suited for nuclear centrifuge use and were more likely intended for artillery rocket production. F. On September 8, 2002, RUMSFELD stated on Face the Nation: "Imagine a September 11th, with weapons of mass destruction. It's not three thousand, it's tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children," which statement was deliberately fraudulent and misleading in that it implied without reasonable basis and in direct contradiction to then prevailing intelligence that Saddam Hussein had no operational relationship with al Qaeda and was unlikely to provide weapons to terrorists. G. On September 19, 2002, RUMSFELD told the Senate Armed Services Committee that "no terrorist state poses a greater or more immediate threat to the security of our people than the regime of Saddam Hussein," which statement was, as Rumsfeld well knew, made without reasonable basis and with reckless indifference to the truth in that: (1) Hussein had not acted aggressively toward the United States since his alleged attempt to assassinate President George H. W. Bush in 1993; (2) Iraq's military forces and equipment were severely debilitated because of UN sanctions imposed after the 1991 Gulf War; (3) the IC's opinion was that Iraq's sponsorship of terrorists was limited to ones whose hostility was directed toward Israel; and (4) Iran, not Iraq, was the most active state sponsor of terrorism. H. On October 1, 2002, the defendants caused the IC's updated classified National Intelligence Estimate to be delivered to Congress just hours before the beginning of debate on the Authorization to Use Military Force. At the same time, the defendants caused an unclassified "White Paper" to be published which was false and misleading in many respects in that it failed to include qualifying language and dissents that substantially weakened their argument that Iraq posed a serious threat to the United States. I. On October 7, 2002, in Cincinnati, Ohio, BUSH made numerous deliberately misleading statements to the nation, including stating that in comparison to Iran and North Korea, Iraq posed a uniquely serious threat, which statement BUSH well knew was false and fraudulent in that it omitted to state the material fact that a State Department representative had been informed just three days previously that North Korea had actually already produced nuclear weapons. The defendants continued to conceal this information until after Congress passed the Authorization to Use Military Force against Iraq. J. Between September 1, 2002, and November 2, 2002, BUSH traveled the country making in excess of thirty congressional-campaign speeches in which he falsely and fraudulently asserted that Iraq was a "serious threat" which required immediate action, when as he well knew, this assertion was made without reasonable basis and with reckless indifference to the truth. K. In his January 28, 2003 State of the Union address, BUSH announced that the "British have recently learned that Iraq was seeking significant quantities of uranium from Africa" which statement was fraudulent and misleading and made with reckless disregard for the truth, in that it falsely implied that the information was true, when the CIA had advised the administration more than once that the allegation was unsupported by available intelligence. L. In a February 5, 2003, speech to the UN, POWELL falsely implied, without reasonable basis and with reckless disregard for the truth, that, among other things: (1) those who maintained that Iraq was purchasing aluminum tubes for rockets were allied with Saddam Hussein, even though POWELL well knew that both Department of Energy nuclear weapons experts and State Department intelligence analysts had concluded that the tubes were not suited for nuclear centrifuge use; and (2) Iraq had an ongoing cooperative relationship with al Qaeda, when he well knew that no intelligence agency had reached that conclusion. M. On March 18, 2003, BUSH sent a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate which asserted that further reliance on diplomatic and peaceful means alone would not either: (1) adequately protect United States national security against the "continuing threat posed by Iraq" or (2) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant UN Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq, which statement was made without reasonable basis and with reckless indifference to the truth in that, as BUSH well knew, the U.S. intelligence community had never reported that Iraq posed an urgent threat to the United States and there was no evidence whatsoever to prove that Iraq had either the means or intent to attack the U.S. directly or indirectly. The statement was also false because, as BUSH well knew, the UN weapons inspectors had not found any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and wanted to continue the inspection process because it was working well. N. In the same March 18, 2003 letter, BUSH also represented that taking action pursuant to the Resolution was "consistent with continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorists attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001," which statement was entirely false and without reasonable basis in that, as BUSH well knew, Iraq had no involvement with al Qaeda or the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. All in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. A TRUE BILL [Note: This is not an actual indictment] Assistant United States Attorney: Ladies and Gentlemen, we're going to spend the afternoon discussing the law that applies to your consideration of the indictment... The full discussion is omitted in this excerpt, but, in brief, this is the legal question you will be deciding: Is there probable cause to believe that the defendants used deceit, craft, trickery, dishonest means -- including lies, false pretenses, misrepresentations, deliberate omissions, half-truths, false promises, and statements made with reckless indifference to their truth -- to obstruct, impede, or interfere with Congress' lawful government function of overseeing foreign affairs, relating to the invasion of Iraq? We'll see you all tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Our witness tomorrow will be an FBI agent. She's from Boston, but we should be able to get by without a translator. Have a good evening. END OF DAY ONE [Coming Thursday: Part 3 of United States v. George W. Bush at Tomdispatch.com -- The Grand Jury Testimony] Elizabeth de la Vega is a former federal prosecutor with more than 20 years of experience. During her tenure, she was a member of the Organized Crime Strike Force and Chief of the San Jose Branch of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California. Her pieces have appeared in the Nation Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and Salon. She writes regularly for Tomdispatch.com. This hypothetical indictment is part of her new book, United States v. George W. Bush et al. She may be contacted at [email protected] Excerpted from United States v. George W. Bush et al. by Elizabeth de la Vega, published December 1, 2006 by Seven Stories Press and Tomdispatch.com. Copyright 2006 Elizabeth de la Vega |
No Comments Gran Turismo 6 FT-1 Concept Available for Download Tomorrow Amped up about the all-new FT-1 Concept that was unveiled today at NAIAS and can’t wait to drive it? You don’t have to. That’s right, you’ll be able to drive it tomorrow, January 14th, (virtually) when the Gran Turismo 6 FT-1 Concept becomes available for download. GT6 gamers will be able experience firsthand just how the FT-1 drives, as it was designed to be as realistic and truthful to the actual concept model as humanly (and computerly?) possible. “Thanks to the amazing capability of the Gran Turismo game engine, gamers can enjoy a very real simulation piloting the ultra-high performance FT-1 on the tracks it was designed to master,” said Kevin Hunter, President of Calty Design Research, the group responsible for the FT-1design. Calty Design is celebrating its 40th year of sports car heritage with the all-new concept car. Our guess? It’s going to be a wild ride. It’s so wild, in fact, that Toyota CEO, Akio Toyoda, already got his hands on the virtual Gran Turismo 6 FT-1 Concept and took it out for a test spin on Fuji Speedway. “It’s always been a dream of ours to have our automotive partners use Gran Turismo in exciting new ways,” explained Kazunori Yamauchi, the creator of Gran Turismo and President of Polyphony Digital Inc. “The design team at Calty developed a stunning concept car and we were honored to work with them to render the car digitally for the concept presentation. The FT-1 is a forward-looking, technically advanced and beautiful concept car. We can’t wait to see fans’ reactions as they drive the vehicle and get to know it the way I was able to.” After downloading the FT-1 Concept, virtual drivers will be able to enter a “unique seasonal event” that features the concept car. If drivers score a bronze or better in this FT-1 Concept challenge, which will be held at Laguna Seca, they’ll get to keep the virtual car. If the drivers aren’t successful, however, they’ll be able to purchase the Gran Turismo 6 FT-1 Concept vehicle at a Toyota dealership in a simulator. Good luck, gamers! Go get that bronze (or better), and let us know how it drives! |
Flavoring additive puts professional cooks at risk At LabCor, a Seattle analytical laboratory, analyst Eryn Knaack heats cooking oils and butter substitutes to see how much diacetyl is released. At LabCor, a Seattle analytical laboratory, analyst Eryn Knaack heats cooking oils and butter substitutes to see how much diacetyl is released. Photo: ANDREW SCHNEIDER Photo: ANDREW SCHNEIDER Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Flavoring additive puts professional cooks at risk 1 / 1 Back to Gallery America's favorite breakfast is bacon and eggs -- and often it is cooked in a product that contains the same chemical that has damaged and destroyed the lungs of hundreds of popcorn and food-flavoring plant workers. A study commissioned by the Seattle P-I shows that top-selling butter substitutes, when heated, release vapor from a chemical additive called diacetyl. When inhaled, this vapor has been linked to a rare, sometimes fatal respiratory disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. The diacetyl vapors from some of the products are released in such volume that they could pose a significant risk to professional cooks who stand over hot grills or skillets for hours and use large amounts of these butter substitutes, according to the analysis. About 21 million eggs are cracked open every morning and become the stars of the high-speed breakfast ballet performed in diners, greasy spoons, classy restaurants and quick food purveyors in about every community in the country. Some cook in pure butter. Many spoon out a soft or liquid margarine. Others slather their grills and skillets with a buttery soy, corn, vegetable or canola oil. Most of them likely aren't aware of the potential risks from diacetyl in these products. The P-I's study may be the first to examine how much diacetyl could be rising from those skillets and grills. The newspaper commissioned a lab to test the amount of professional cooking oil needed to fry or scramble a dozen eggs or grill two hefty orders of hash browns -- a bit less than 4 ounces. Now, consider the diacetyl in 30 times that amount, the oil that the average short-order cook would use to prepare the 720 eggs that some Seattle eateries serve during a four-hour breakfast shift. "Without a comprehensive evaluation it's impossible to assess the actual risk, but there is no doubt that this group of workers should be studied," Dr. Richard Kanwal said. He's a medical officer with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the research arm for worker health and safety for the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It is possible that the amount of diacetyl being released in commercial kitchens where these butter-flavored products are being used could equal or perhaps exceed what was found in the popcorn plants," Kanwal said. The newspaper's tests did find the potential for exposures that could match hazardous workplace levels. In one test, for example, the amount of diacetyl in what's known as "pan and grill" oil was measured at 234 parts per million as it left the test skillet. It is estimated that diacetyl levels of 2 or 6 ppm entered the worker's "breathing zone" above the skillet. As low as these "breathing zone" estimates appeared to be, the amount of artificial butter flavoring released could result in exposures for professional cooks at levels that are as high or higher than some severely ill workers at a Jasper, Mo., popcorn plant were exposed to in their eight-hour shift. Where are the sick cooks? There are about 3.7 million cooks of all types and another 2.5 million other kitchen workers in food preparation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So, if the inhalation of large amounts of diacetyl is dangerous and products containing it are so prevalent, where are all the sick cooks? Physicians are familiar with only two cases of cooks being injured by inhaling vapor from cooking products. One goes back to 1985. The more recent surfaced in the mid-1990s and was presented in a conference at Denver's National Jewish Medical Center. Dr. Talmadge King briefly discussed a young short-order cook with severe lung disease who used PAM cooking spray on the job. "It was an enigma," said Dr. Kathleen Kreiss, chief of the Respiratory Disease Field Studies Branch of NIOSH, who attended the talk. "That's why it was presented. Nobody knew why this woman had terrible lung disease. It was known that she used PAM in her cooking but then no one thought to link it to diacetyl." (Butter-flavored PAM, which is used by many cooks, was one of the 22 products analyzed for the P-I. A two-second spray into a heated test pan released a high level of diacetyl in laboratory tests. During interviews this week, Jim Astwood, ConAgra's vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, said that the corporation "plans to have all PAM products containing diacetyl off store shelves by next month.") Kreiss said she and her colleagues have been concerned about a possible hazard from diacetyl to kitchen workers since three peer-reviewed studies reported that workers in food production professions have an unexplained high prevalence of obstructive lung disease. That is what breathing diacetyl vapors can cause. The studies were done in Europe, New Zealand and the United States. "I have been suggesting for several years now that this (use of flavorings and food production and service workers) needs to be examined," Kreiss said. One problem in determining the extent of the problem, according to union health officers, is that kitchen workers often are underinsured or uninsured and frequently conceal health problems because they don't want to anger their employers. The pressures on the line cook or the line chef are significant and the turnover rate is high, making occupational disease hard to identify. Dr. Allen Parmet, a Kansas City occupational medicine physician who first identified the disease among popcorn plant workers, calls it "the healthy worker effect." "People work until they're too sick to continue work, and they come in with their cough, because they can't breathe, and they think it's because they were smoking while they were cooking," Parmet said. "They have no reason to suspect they're being made sick because of the products they're using." Dr. Phil Harber, chief of UCLA's division of occupational and environmental medicine, said, "The obvious answer may be that nobody is looking.We cannot conclude that the absence of cases means the absence of disease." Harber has diagnosed several cases of bronchiolitis obliterans among workers in flavoring plants in Southern California. The testing Hundreds of brands of cooking oils, butter substitutes and sprays use diacetyl to provide or enhance the flavor of butter. Oils marketed by Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland and Ventura were among the most frequent brands spotted in commercial kitchens and mentioned by cooks and food managers questioned in the Pacific Northwest. The laboratory hired by the P-I examined 22 of the more popular cooking products. LabCor, a Seattle-based certified analytical laboratory frequently used by the Environmental Protection Agency, found diacetyl in air samples captured from a heated skillet in which the products were tested. In this type of testing, the concentration of the chemical present is measured in parts per million. The analysis found: Two real butters were analyzed and diacetyl was found in a range of 7 ppm to almost 16 ppm. In all the margarine and shortening products, levels of 7 ppm to almost 180 ppm were present. A butter-flavored cooking spray released more than 164 ppm of diacetyl. Butter-flavored cooking oils used by professional cooks ranged from 23 ppm to 234 ppm. |
The Sûreté de Québec say they have detained seven men who allegedly imported and trafficked cocaine. The men are between the ages of 24 and 52 and were arrested Wednesday in Montreal and suburbs to the north. Among those arrested was Andrea (Andrew) Scoppa, a convicted drug trafficker known to have ties to the Mafia in Montreal for several years. Scoppa, 52, was arraigned on four charges at the Montreal courthouse on Wednesday, along with three other co-accused. The charges allege that between August and October of last year, the men conspired to traffic and trafficked cocaine in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec. They were also found in possession of more than $5,000 believed to have been the proceeds of crime. According to police, three search warrants were executed throughout the investigation, leading to more than $900,000 cash, 113.5 kilograms of cocaine, 127 kilograms of cannabis and 50,000 methamphetamine pills being seized. Three prohibited weapons were also seized. Authorities are still looking for one other person. Police say the arrests are part of a plan mapped out by authorities following the last major police takedown of organized crime 15 months ago. That operation, dubbed Magot-Mastiff, led to the arrests of those allegedly involved in an alliance of the Italian Mafia, criminal biker gangs and street gangs that were set up to maintain control of drug trafficking and money laundering in Montreal. |
A Kansas sperm donor who was ordered to pay child support for the baby he helped a lesbian couple conceive plans to fight back in court, and suggested he might be a victim of bias against same-sex parenting. William Marotta told FoxNews.com he might never have agreed to provide sperm to Angela Bauer and her former partner, Jennifer Schreiner, had he known the legal morass that awaited him after responding to the women’s Craigslist ad for a donor in March 2009. The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) recently filed a child support claim against Marotta after the couple filed for state assistance this year, leading the department to demand they provide the donor’s name so it could collect. “I have a hunch part of the reason this is going this way is because of people’s feelings toward same-sex couples,” Marotta said in an exclusive interview with FoxNews.com. “I can’t help but feel this is somewhat of a political issue.” The 46-year-old machinist said he received notice in late October that he was being targeted by state officials to pay child support after the couple — who parted ways in 2010 but still co-parent their eight children ranging in age from 3 months to 25 years — were ordered by DCF officials to provide the sperm donor’s name. State officials argued that if the women did not identify the donor, the agency would deny health benefits due to withheld information. [pullquote] Bauer, who could not be reached for comment Monday, told The Topeka Capital-Journal on Saturday that she and Schreiner were “kind of at a loss” about the development. “We are going to support him in whatever action he wants to go forward with,” Bauer told the newspaper. Bauer, 40, and Schreiner, 34, had been together for eight years and previously adopted other children when Marotta responded to their ad and later provided sperm used to artificially inseminate Schreiner, who could not be reached for comment Monday. “This was a wonderful opportunity with a guy with an admirable, giving character who wanted nothing more than to help us have a child,” Bauer said. “I feel like the state of Kansas has made a mess out of the situation.” Angela de Rocha, a spokeswoman for the Department for Children and Families, declined to speak on the matter on Friday, saying Kansas law prevented her from commenting. Bauer can no longer provide health benefits for the now 3-year-old girl because a “significant illness” has prevented her from working since March. The girl’s birth certificate lists no father, she told the newspaper, and only identifies Schreiner as the mother — as does the birth certificate for each of the couple’s remaining children. Since Kansas does not recognize same-sex marriage, the women had to file each adoption as a single parent. That law also prevents the state from collecting child support from same-sex partners, despite Bauer’s assumption of financial responsibility for her daughter. Bauer characterized the latest development in the case as a “step backward” in the fight for marriage equality. “More and more gays and lesbians are adopting and reproducing, and this, to me, is a step backward,” Bauer told the Topeka Capital-Journal. “I think a lot of progressive movement is happening currently in the world as far as gays and lesbians go. Maybe this is Kansas’ stand against some of that.” Marotta — who has relinquished all parental rights, including financial responsibility, under the 2009 agreement — said he’s preparing for a lengthy legal fight that has already cost him several thousand dollars. He expects it will likely “put a damper on things” for other people considering the same move. “As the legal bills mount, I’m sure it’s going to leave more of a distaste,” he said. “In the long run, I think this will be a good thing, but I’m the one getting squashed. I can’t even believe it’s gone this far at this point and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.” Marotta said a hearing on the matter will be held on Jan. 8, at which point he expects to have a hearing date set to appear before a judge. “The only good thing I can see about this is it’s going to open a lot of eyes,” Marotta told FoxNews.com. “But I’m like, ‘Why me?’” The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
Protests have resumed at the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project, with protesters gathered at the North Spur site Saturday. Posts to social media showed a handful of protesters gathered to prevent a number of transport trucks from entering the site. SUCCESSFUL Morning! Labrador Land Protectors have shut down the North Spur! Come join us! 💚💙<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MuskratFalls?src=hash">#MuskratFalls</a> <a href="https://t.co/HX7k4AsD1V">pic.twitter.com/HX7k4AsD1V</a> —@JacindaBeals Happening now: land protectors block transport trucks from entering <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MuskratFalls?src=hash">#MuskratFalls</a> work site. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopMuskratFalls?src=hash">#StopMuskratFalls</a> <a href="https://t.co/3XmwKw15yh">pic.twitter.com/3XmwKw15yh</a> —@amybeatrice The protest comes after Nalcor Energy discovered "increased water seepage" from a temporary cofferdam Friday. Nalcor CEO Stan Marshall said the rock-filled cofferdam is "not designed to be completely impervious," and will undergo further inspection. Labradorians united to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopMuskratFalls?src=hash">#StopMuskratFalls</a> <a href="https://t.co/WdaKOC9KTH">pic.twitter.com/WdaKOC9KTH</a> —@amybeatrice Significant protests in October were in opposition to the flooding of the Muskrat Falls reservoir due to environmental concerns. According to a study conducted by researchers from Harvard University, the flooding could increase the potential for methylmercury contamination in traditional food sources like fish and seal downstream in Lake Melville. |
As mentioned above, we have a huge number of races with third party candidates this year, and they don't seem to be fading away as election day approaches. In the past, this has led to large errors in the polling averages—two-thirds of the time, more than four points in the margin. Here is what that looks like for the closest races: The green circles show races where third party candidates ended up with more than 5 percent of the vote, combined. (This is roughly equivalent to 6 percent in polls.) It's clear that most of them are quite far from the diagonal line where an ideal polling average should lie; indeed, among the farthest. The gray points show all the rest of the data. Another source of error in polling averages is too few polls. This isn't much of an issue in close races, which are usually polled frequently, unless the race is changing faster than the pollsters are polling. Below, the yellow circles have 10 or more polls in the average, while the green circles have fewer than five. There's not many green circles; however, half of them are a fair distance away from the perfection of the diagonal line. When you look at all races, not just close ones, it's quite clear that errors are related to the number of polls in the polling average. Once we narrow down the data set to just those polling averages with five or more polls, and no races with third party candidates getting more than 5 percent, we can find a familiar pattern based on the partisan lean of the state showing up. Below, the blue circles show only the elections in states where President Obama won more than 55 percent of the vote in 2008: In every case but two, polls underestimated the Democratic candidate. The dashed line shows a regression through the blue data points, including points beyond the range of the graph. The polling average underestimated the Democratic margin by about three points on average for these data points. Below, the mirror image: elections in states where Obama won less than 45 percent of the vote in 2008: The most striking difference is how few data points there are. We've essentially been playing the political game on our home turf for the past ten years.with close Senate races in Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Kansas and, ever so briefly, South Dakota. We also have had close races for governor in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas and Kansas. As you can see from the graph, these races are more likely than not to have polls that are too friendly toward the Democratic candidates. On average, however, it is only a one-point error. Ancestrally Democratic states such as Arkansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana might not consistently show this effect, however. A practical guide: Here's a summary of what the last ten years of polling errors can tell us. 1. Look at the number of polls you have. If you have only a handful of polls, your polling average will likely have much greater error. 2. Look for third party candidates. If you have a third party candidate polling around 6 percent or so, the polling average is likely to be off by five or more points on the margin. This is true for many races this year. 3. If you have plenty of polls and no or low-polling third party candidates, look at the state. Deep blue states will, on average, have polls that are too Republican by a few points, while deep red states, on average, will have polls that are too Democratic by a point. 4. Finally, remember that past performance is no guarantee of future results. Note: The polling averages used in this post are the averages of the margins of all polls from October 1 to Election Day, unless a trend was observed, in which case only polls from the final 10 days of the election were used. Update: The title was changed to make it clear that the polls can be wrong either way. |
Image caption The dig has uncovered the kinds of food being eaten 8,000 years ago A major archaeological dig in Wiltshire has unearthed evidence of frogs legs being eaten in Britain, 8,000 years before France, it has been claimed. The team, which consists of Mesolithic period experts, also found other types of food including salmon and nuts. David Jacques, from the University of Buckingham, said people living there thousands of years ago were eating a "Heston Blumenthal-style menu". The team hopes to confirm Amesbury as the UK's oldest continuous settlement. The dig will run until 25 October. It is being filmed and made into a documentary by the BBC, Smithsonian, CBC and others to be screened at a later date. The project is being led by the University of Buckingham. 'Most significant' Mr Jacques added: "This is significant for our understanding of the way people were living around 5,000 years before the building of Stonehenge and it begs the question - where are the frogs now?" The latest information is based on a report by fossil mammal specialist Simon Parfitt, of the Natural History Museum. He examined the discoveries from the dig which has resulted in 12,000 finds, including 650 animal bones, all from the Mesolithic era. By the end of this latest dig, I am sure the records will need to be altered Andy Rhind-Tutt, Amesbury Museum and Heritage Trust Andy Rhind-Tutt, chairman of Amesbury Museum and Heritage Trust and co-ordinator of the community involvement on the dig, said the studies at Amesbury could help explain why Stonehenge was created. "No one would have built Stonehenge without there being something unique and really special about the area," he said. "There must have been something significant here beforehand and Blick Mead, with its constant temperature spring sitting alongside the River Avon, may well be it. "I believe that as we uncover more about the site over the coming days and weeks, we will discover it to be the greatest, oldest and most significant Mesolithic home base ever found in Britain." He added: "Currently Thatcham - 40 miles from Amesbury - is proving to be the oldest continuous settlement in the UK with Amesbury 104 years younger. "By the end of this latest dig, I am sure the records will need to be altered." The site already boasts the biggest collection of flints and cooked animal bones in north west Europe. The term Mesolithic refers to specific groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Palaeolithic and the Neolithic periods. |
We've seen the next generation of 1997's Hart Foundation in the form of Davey Boy Smith Jr, Natalya and even Tyson Kidd to an extent, but another is heading up to Canada to launch his pro wrestling training -- Brian Pillman Jr. Pillman, obviously the son of "The Loose Cannon" Brian Pillman of WCW, ECW and WWF fame has relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to train under Lance Storm. "I start training with Lance on Monday, September 11 and will be working with him Monday through Friday until December 1st," he tells Fightful. Pillman has met great support locally in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area, and actually traveled to Louisville to do a little training with Rip Rogers at Ohio Valley Wrestling earlier this year. He's often seen wearing a Bengal tiger shirt, and ode to his late father who wore striped trunks as a callback to his Cincinnati Bengals NFL days. Turning 24 years old this weekend, Pillman was also in attendance at WWE's NXT live event in Highland Heights in June, where he spoke to William Regal and was welcomed by the company. Storm has trained several WWE Superstars, including Emma, Tyler Breeze, Peyton Royce, Oney Lorcan, in addition to Sylvester LeFort, Laurel Van Ness, and Taya. |
A photo of the author My unusual libertarian journey: How a former outlaw broke the political mold For me, a progressive outlook and libertarianism are not incompatible. It didn’t radicalize me -- it moderated me Editor's note: Salon has posted numerous critiques of libertarianism. This response was one of several we received offering a different view. (For more of our coverage on the topic, please see here .) The Koch brothers have marvelous taste in art. That was the first thought that raced across my mind as I strode down the bustling hallway of one of the most secretive and influential buildings in American politics. Slipped against a wall of churning rural winds and rolling wheat fields, Koch Industries — the media-christened Death Star of contemporary libertarian insurrection — was the last place I ever intended to visit. Six years earlier I was serving time in a West Coast county jail, not defending public choice theory. But trial and error will do strange things to a politically inclined and introspective desperado. I don’t just break the libertarian mold, I napalm it. I’m Hispanic. I live below the poverty line. I joined a gang by 15, dropped out of high school by 17, and spent the first half of my 20s playing guitar in a raucous punk band. Yet despite how unconventional my background might seem, it unmistakably epitomizes just how diverse the broader libertarian movement has become over a relatively short burst of time, even as archaic perceptions in the media and public continue to stubbornly linger. Advertisement: Following my release from jail I enrolled in community college and worked hard to account for misplaced time. Eventually I earned a speech communication scholarship and admittance into a number of highly regarded universities, including my dream school the University of California-Berkeley. It was the moment I had been waiting for. But by the time I procured housing in Oakland, old inclinations began to take hold. I knew that if I remained in California I would either gravitate back toward the violent gang world, or the drug-laden music world, I knew so well. So I made a drastic decision. At the last minute I instead took up an offer from the most conservative school in the most conservative state in the country — Brigham Young University in Utah. The education was superb, but the social setting was difficult. I stood out on campus with all my tattoos. I was irritable because I had agreed to abstain from alcohol and sex. And though students and faculty always treated me with dignity and respect, I sometimes had trouble relating to people. Eventually I stumbled across a libertarian student group at a separate university across town. From there I attended a number of events, made a few new friends and began perusing literature from prominent free-market philosophers such as Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman and Ludwig von Mises — all of whom contested everything I thought I knew about Republicans, Democrats and government. The “limited government" message appealed to me. I recalled playing in a band and struggling to comply with overbearing tax laws. I remembered serving time with low-level drug offenders convicted under mandatory minimum sentencing laws. I thought back to the Mexican communities I had grown up in and the undocumented immigrants I knew who had been forced into a life of obscurity because of convoluted immigration policies. The assortment of unique experiences I had taken in over time suddenly swiveled full circle. Within a year I was organizing full time and attending dinners with governors, prominent activists and presidential candidates such as Ron Paul. Eventually I returned to the West Coast to finish school. From there I was introduced to a number of Koch-funded organizations. The opportunities these organizations presented would prove invaluable. As a student, I interned through various summer programs. As a writer, I wrote for various websites and journals. And as a speaker, I spoke to various groups. The libertarian movement never judged me because of my background. Though I was still rough around the edges, I was embraced and provided with more tools and opportunities to improve myself than I knew what to do with. These organizations not only helped hone my innate abilities, but taught me the value of tolerance and restraint (I’m still working on the latter). Advertisement: Ultimately, libertarianism didn’t radicalize me, it moderated me. As a wayward teen I once adored revolutionaries like Che Guevara and took part in violent and destructive protests. I smashed windows of private businesses and helped overturn police cars in my misplaced animosity toward legal constructs and trade. Later I abandoned my progressive leanings and explored conservatism. I supported the war in Iraq and brandished an American flag in a cliché spectacle of nationalism and machismo. Like most libertarians, I paddled both ends of the whirling political waters in search of something, anything, that put the puzzle pieces together. But the more I came to fully comprehend the greater moral and ethical tenets behind libertarianism (non-aggression, voluntary exchange, respect, equality, liberality, etc.), the more I realized that neither the extreme left nor extreme right offered an adequate one-size-fits-all solution. The truth resided somewhere in the middle. Moreover, I found all the same social and economic issues that mattered to me as both a progressive and conservative could be mitigated via unsophisticated libertarian solutions — by simply reducing bureaucratic and administrative meddling. It is true that fringe elements exist within the libertarian movement. All too often, when I mention I’m a libertarian, I feel the abrupt need to follow it up with, “But I’m not one of those crazy, bigoted, homophobic, tri-cornered hat-wearing, pitchfork-carrying, conspiracy theorists that call themselves a libertarian — I’m like totally different.” But it is also true that the term “libertarian” is an extremely broad and encompassing term. There are dozens of schools and factions that differ on a variety of small, but critical things. Readers might be surprised to learn that I support a basic income guarantee, open borders and marriage equality. Libertarians don’t agree on all these things, but do these positions resemble someone careening the margins of “right-wing fundamentalism”? Advertisement: A progressive outlook and the libertarian principles of limited government, voluntary exchange and personal liberty needn’t be mutually exclusive. Comprehensive immigration reform, for example, would not only encourage economic exchange, generate additional tax revenue, and incentivize the formation of new jobs and businesses, but produce safer neighborhoods by allowing previously undocumented immigrants to report crimes without fear of reprisal. In many ways, I represent a less publicized, but swiftly blooming strain of libertarianism. A strain that unapologetically distinguishes itself from conservatism and the self-appointed “omnipotent moral busybodies” — as the late C.S. Lewis once elucidated — that bolster its sidelines. A strain that rejects blind patriotism. A strain that embraces cultural modernity. A strain that seeks to remedy liberal concerns and causes such as systemic privilege, poverty and discrimination via voluntary market solutions. That is, while I value and champion each person’s individual right to pursue their own subjective interests and comforts, I’m equally passionate about rectifying unresolved socioeconomic maladies that blemish the nation’s historic and contemporary fabric. The primary conviction that separates me from my progressive colleagues is that I don’t believe viable long-term solutions will emanate from a new government department or program. Indeed, I believe a large part of the problem is the government department and program. But that doesn’t mean I’m unwilling to compromise or take incremental roads. Advertisement: Ultimately, there will be ideologues that criticize me regardless of what I write. They will label me a junkie and criminal, categorize me as left or right, and characterize my willingness to take chances and explore different philosophies as a limitation or weakness. But while I may not have legitimized libertarianism in the eyes of those who subscribe to these assumptions, my hope is that I at least humanized it. Are there a few socially awkward libertarians? Of course. But in defense of the wonky and awkward — all whom I consider friends — I didn’t embrace a philosophical movement because I longed for barroom chums to converse about Monday night football with. And to be honest, I’m not entirely orthodox myself. Who am I to judge? Likewise, it has been my experience that most libertarians are not callous, lifeless, mechanical dogmatists. Many are quite pleasant and more than willing to labor alongside progressives and conservatives in order to realize a stated mutual goal. But more important, most libertarians — despite the rhetoric, and no differently from anyone else — aren’t always perfect. I’m the first to admit it. |
Jury: Samsung Owes Apple Another $290 Million A federal jury on Thursday ruled that Samsung owes Apple a further $290 million for infringing on the iPhone maker’s patented technology, according to multiple reports from inside the courtroom. The award concludes a partial retrial of last year’s landmark case between the electronics giants. A jury in that case ruled in Apple’s favor and awarded $1 billion in damages. However, Judge Lucy Koh ruled that more than $400 million of that award was improperly calculated, necessitating the current retrial. Apple had argued it was due a further $379 million, while Samsung maintained it should only owe $52 million for the portion of damages being reconsidered. Barring a successful appeal, Samsung also owes roughly $600 million in damages from the original verdict as well. The six-woman, two-man jury deliberated for part of three days before returning its verdict. During that time, the jury requested additional paper and pens and better lunch, as well as a copy of the sketches of them done by a courtroom artist. This decision, though widely watched, does little to settle the litigation between the two companies, which spans multiple courtrooms and continents. Another case is set for trial next year before Judge Koh involving a newer generation of Samsung’s products; meanwhile, both sides are appealing various parts of this current case. Before dismissing the jury, Judge Koh is giving lawyers for both sides half an hour to review how the jury made its calculations in case any adjustments are needed. Update: The jury has now been dismissed, with the total due Apple from the two cases adding up to $929.83 million. No word on how much both sides have racked up in legal bills. Apple versus Samsung Full Coverage |
El Nino: Crumbling cliff threatens Pacifica homes Copyright by KRON - All rights reserved Video PACIFICA (KRON) -- A crumbling cliff in Pacifica is threatening a number of homes Friday afternoon. Crews have been furiously working all day to shore up the bluff along the 800 block of Palmetto Avenue. Boulders are being placed at the bottom of the cliff to stop the sea water from reaching the eroding soil. Part of one backyard deck has fallen into ocean. In the video, you can see other backyards very close to sliding into the water. KRON4's reporters say the waves in Pacifica are very big and dangerous. As a result of El Nino-fueled storms, the City of Pacifica Friday has declared a state of local emergency. "El Nino is hitting the City's coastline very hard and creating almost daily reports of impacts to both public and private property," City Manager Lorie Tinfow said. "We need State and Federal assistance to respond to the growing list of failing public infrastructure including the Beach Blvd. sea wall failure." Tinfow said the city has seen damage to the Pacifica Pier since mid-December. Private property on Palmetto and Esplanade avenues have also been impacted by the storms. The areas along cliffs are experiencing significant loss to the top of bluffs, Tinfow said. "Our investment in City streets and public utilities is also at risk as the erosion undermines the existing structures." Tinfow said. "We hope all property owners along the City's coastline are aware of how fluid the weather situation is and take appropriate precautions." Pacifica was also hit hard in the El Nino winter of 1997 to 1998. A number of homes on Esplanade Drive were declared uninhabitable due to heavy erosion and landslides that caused the bluffs under them to crumble into the sea. |
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is pictured. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Trumka quits White House manufacturing initiative AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka resigned from President Donald Trump's manufacturing council Tuesday, citing as the "last straw" the president's backpedaling from Monday's blanket condemnation of Saturday's white supremacist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia. "President Trump's remarks today repudiate his forced remarks yesterday on the KKK and neo-Nazis," Trumka said in a statement on Twitter. "We must resign on behalf of America's working people, who reject all notions of legitimacy of these bigoted groups. It's clear that President Trump's Manufacturing Council was never a means for delivering real policy that lifts working families and his remarks today were the last straw." Story Continued Below In his remarks Tuesday about Saturday's march and counter demonstration, Trump said "there’s blame on both sides" and that there were "fine people" who attended the rally who were there only to protest the removal of a statu e of Gen. Robert E. Lee. The demonstration was preceded the night before by a well-publicized torchlight march in which participants chanted, among other things, "Jews will not replace us." At Saturday's rally, a car allegedly driven by a white supremacist rammed into a crowd and killed a counter protester. Trumka's resignation follows those of chief executives for the pharmaceutical giant Merck, the men's sportswear manufacturer Under Armour and Intel, as well as the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. Trumka signaled Monday that he might leave the council, noting that it "has yet to hold any real meeting" and saying there were "real questions" about its effectiveness. |
Raytheon has successfully completed effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) testing for its next-generation jammer (NGJ) array prototypes at the Benefield Anechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Conducted over a six-week period, in collaboration with the US Navy, the testing demonstrated that the NGJ will be able to meet the navy’s stringent requirements for EIRP. Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems business Electronic Warfare Systems vice-president Travis Slocumb said: "Raytheon and the navy developed a realistic testing programme designed to ensure that the NGJ electronic warfare system meets its 2021 initial operating capability commitment. "Completion of EIRP testing, while an early milestone, confirms our progress to date and that the programme is successfully executing to both schedule and plan." EIRP indicates the system’s range and capacity for reaching and affecting multiple targets simultaneously. The NGJ is built with open architecture technology using Raytheon’s airborne radio frequency systems, jamming techniques, combat-proven antenna array technology, and sophisticated, solid-state electronics. "Completion of EIRP testing confirms our progress to date and that the programme is successfully executing to both schedule and plan." It aims to meet the navy’s electronic warfare mission requirements and offer a cost-effective open systems architecture for future upgrades. In addition, NGJ is designed to replace legacy ALQ-99 tactical jamming pods in order to offer new capabilities for the navy’s EA-18G Growler. Recently, Raytheon collaborated with the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) – Division Newport, in a bid to improve the features of its AN / AQS-20A minehunting sonar. This partnership aims to analyse the system’s synthetic aperture sonar in order to fully optimise its ability to capture and process high and low-resolution images of mine threats undersea. Image: Raytheon’s next generation jammer will offer new capabilities for the US Navy’s EA-18G Growler. Photo: courtesy of Boeing photo. |
CONTROVERSIAL politician Nick Griffin has said he didn't mean to cause offence after rowing with a Bournemouth University student on Twitter. The leader of the British National Party called Bournemouth University a “disappointment” on the social networking site. Nick Griffin became embroiled in a spat with radio student Lucy Bennett, who tweeted him first to say: “I hope your day has been crappy so far.” He replied that his day had been fantastic, adding: “Sorry to disappoint you”, and the student said: “That's alright, life is full of disappointment”. Griffin then said: “Um, Bournemouth Uni has been your biggest to date I fear.” However, the MEP, who has more than 19,000 followers on the social networking site, said he hadn't meant to cause any offence with his tweet. @thisislucyb Um , Bournemouth Uni been your biggest to dateI fear . — Nick Griffin MEP (@nickgriffinmep) January 28, 2013 When asked if he had any comment, he replied: “Only that no one should take Twitter too seriously. “I have got a very large Twitter reach - I'm easily the third most popular British MEP out of 72, 73 [people]. I have got a large number of followers because I've got a bit of cheek and cause some fun and controversy. "I find it attracts people and gets them to retweet. I certainly have nothing against Bournemouth or Bournemouth University. "This incident was caused by a particularly foul-mouthed, aggressive and unnecessary tweet to me, and I poked her back. !With respect, possibly Bournemouth University was not at the top of her list [of universities]. But it was only a bit of fun, and as I say, I have nothing against the university.” The student told friends on the site that she hadn't expected Griffin to reply, and tweeted: “I seem to have ignited some kind of Twitter war with Nick Griffin. “I am confused.” Griffin said he often doesn't have time to look at comments on the website. “I don't look at comments all the time,” he said. “If I'm travelling, or in a particularly boring meeting in Parliament, which happens quite frequently, I'll have a look. It's a luxury for me. It's all a bit of banter. A lot of the time, people will tweet comments and I don't ever see them.” A Bournemouth University spokesperson said: “We are aware of the tweet and have nothing to add.” |
(5th UPDATE) The High Court rules the Sandiganbayan has no jurisdiction over De Lima. This means her case will not be handled by the Office of the Ombudsman, but by DOJ prosecutors who will defend their case against her before the Muntinlupa RTC. Published 12:11 PM, October 10, 2017 MANILA, Philippines (5th UPDATE) – Voting 9-6, the Supreme Court (SC) en banc on Tuesday, October 10, junked the petition of Senator Leila de Lima, saying it is the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC), rather than the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, that has jurisdiction over the drug trade cases filed against her. De Lima will remain in jail at the custodial center in Camp Crame. SC Spokesman Theodore Te confirmed the ruling in a press conference on Tuesday. De Lima petitioned the High Court to nullify the warrant of arrest issued against her by RTC Judge Juanita Guerrero, citing lack of jurisdiction. Included in her petition was a plea to the SC to stop Guerrero from conducting further proceedings on her drug case. De Lima’s petition, in essence, wanted the SC to rule that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and RTC don’t have jurisdiction over her cases so that they can be dismissed and she can be set free. In dismissing the senator's petition, the SC gave the 3 RTC branches of Muntinlupa handling her cases the go-signal to continue with their proceedings. (READ: EXPLAINER: Issues on jurisdiction in De Lima cases) The 6 justices who voted for De Lima are Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Associate Justices Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Francis Jardeleza, Marvic Leonen, and Benjamin Caguioa. The 9 justices who voted against De Lima are Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr, Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Mariano Del Castillo, Samuel Martires, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes, and Alexander Gesmundo. De Castro, Peralta, Martires and Gesmundo were all justices of the Sandiganbayan before their appointments to the SC. They ruled that the Sandiganbayan has no jurisdiction over De Lima. The SC decision means that De Lima's case will not be handled by the Office of the Ombudsman, but by the DOJ state prosecutors who will prove their case against De Lima before the Muntinlupa RTC. So far, Branches 204 and 205 have issued arrest warrants. The one issued in February by Branch 204 Judge Guerrero was the subject of De Lima's petition, saying the judge committed grave abuse of discretion. The SC decision marks another episode in the battle of De Lima, staunchest critic of President Rodrigo Duterte. (READ: De Lima in jail: 'I never imagined Duterte would be this vindictive') One of De Lima's counsels, former solicitor general Florin Hilbay, said that the ruling affects DOJ prosecutors who are the “most worried” and who will “now have to establish a case without evidence.” Hilbay said on Twitter: “The path to justice for Leila De Lima is a steep incline, but her strong heart & unconquerable spirit will persist till justice is done.” Solicitor General Jose Calida said the ruling only proves that Duterte’s war on drugs is not a war against the poor. “The decision further negates the erroneous perception that the government’s war on drugs is waged only against the unlettered and the underprivileged,” Calida said in a statement. Ruling The SC sided with Calida’s argument that under the Dangerous Drugs Act, it is the RTC which has sole jurisdiction to try the charges under that law. “The Court did not agree with petitioner’s characterization of the offense as Direct Bribery under the Revised Penal Code but maintained that the Information are sufficient to characterize the offense as a violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act,” the SC said in a summary sent by Te. De Lima’s camp had insisted that she falls under the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan because she falls under the classification of a public official with Salary Grade 27 and higher, and that the alleged offense was committed in relation to her office. The SC did not agree, saying, “The Sandiganbayan’s jurisdiction is limited to violations of the anti-graft laws and [does] not extend to violations of the drugs law.” The Sandiganbayan, however, handles other cases of public officials apart from graft. In the case of the "Morong 43", for example, police and soldiers are accused of violating the rights of arrested or detained persons. The SC also ruled that Judge Guerrero did not commit grave abuse of discretion in ordering De Lima’s arrest before resolving the Senator’s motion to quash. Judge Guerrero was just complying with the Rules of Court, which impose a 10-day period to evaluate evidence upon filing of charges, the High Court said. The SC also said De Lima “violated the rule on hierarchy of courts and the prohibition against forum shopping.” The SC also gave merit to Calida's argument that De Lima falsified the jurat or notarization of her pleading. "The Court also found that the petition was not properly executed under oath and that the jurat (certification) was defective for not having subscribed to the same in the presence of the notary public," the SC said. Criticized by the De Lima camp then as "legal nitpicking and hairsplitting," they admitted that the notarization was not done face to face. They said De Lima met with the notary public on the day of her arrest, but due to the circumstances, could not be in the presence of the lawyer when it was officially signed, also on the same day. The ponente of the case is Justice Velasco, whose inhibition from the case De Lima sought, citing conflict of interest. It is unclear whether the en banc also resolved De Lima’s motion for inhibition, but Velasco had already voted against the senator. Arrest De Lima was arrested late February for allegedly receiving money from drug convicts inside Bilibid in exchange for their protection. The money, the convicts said, was intended to fund De Lima's senatorial bid in 2016. (READ: EXPLAINER: What is Leila de Lima being accused of?) It was the conclusion of a series of sensational congressional inquiries where Bilibid convicts pointed to De Lima, as having been complicit in the proliferation of the drug trade inside the jails. A panel of prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) handled the complaints, despite De Lima's contention that it is the Ombudsman who has jurisdiction over her. De Lima first sought relief from the Court of Appeals but the CA refused to give her a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). A week after, the DOJ proceeded to file the charges before the Muntinlupa RTC. The DOJ also cleared 5 high-profile convicts in the De Lima cases, in order to use them as witnesses against the senator. De Lima immediately filed a motion to quash. In her petition, De Lima said Judge Guerrero committed grave abuse of discretion because she issued a warrant of arrest without ruling on the motion to quash first. The SC heard the De Lima petitions in 3 days of oral arguments in March. Hilbay argued for De Lima, while Calida argued for the government. – Rappler.com |
Former WWE wrestling and current Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Brock Lesnar has admitted to a hunting infraction in southern Alberta. A lawyer for Brock Lesnar appeared in the town of Medicine Hat court and pleaded guilty on his client’s behalf to improper tagging of an animal during a hunting trip last year. He was fined $1,725 and given a six-month hunting suspension. Two other charges of leaving meat to rot and illegal possession of wildlife were dropped. Lesnar, who is 34, was accused by fish and wildlife officials of shooting a mule deer buck but only packing the trophy head out. He was charged along with a hunting guide. The director of the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society said it is considered unethical to leave edible meat in the field. Read entire article… In a statement released earlier today, Lesnar said he was on a filmed hunt sponsored by Fusion Ammunition and guided by Trophy Hunters Alberta, and explained the circumstances behind the charges. “In Alberta, Americans can’t hunt without a licensed outfitter. The outfitter is there to make sure you follow the rules. I had two deer tags for the trip, which meant I could legally shoot two deer. On the first day of the trip, I shot a mule deer. On the second day, I shot a white tail. Video from the hunt has been on the Internet for over a year. After I shot the mule deer, I failed to immediately tag it. As far as I was involved, that’s all there is to it. “Now it’s resolved. I paid my fine today. It’s the kind of thing that happens to hunters all the time. I want to thank the Canadian authorities for their cooperation in resolving this misunderstanding. I love Canada and I can’t wait to go back to Alberta for a hunt.” As far as the spoilage chargeh the abandonment charge, which was ultimately withdrawn, Lesnar explained that he couldn’t bring deer meat back across the border. “I trusted the outfitter to properly handle it. They are professionals and I understand it was handled appropriately.” “I’m glad to put this behind me, so I can focus on my fight…December 30.” |
Councilor Bob Fenwick of Charlottesville, Virginia has lost his re-election bid in the Democratic primary after being criticized for his efforts at removing a statue of General Robert E. Lee. NBC 29 reports that Fenwick acknowledges the role his vote may have played in his defeat but remains defiantly anti-Southern: A Charlottesville city councilor lost his re-election bid in the 2017 primary elections. He believes Tuesday’s primary was a referendum on the city’s confederate monument debate. The free speech wall the following Wednesday morning boosted that belief. It had a message that said “Fenwick gone, RE Lee still here.” …He also says he wouldn’t change his mind about voting to remove the statue of confederate General Robert E. Lee from a city park. Fenwick is from St. Louis, Missouri and is 72 years old. He was endorsed by EPiC (Equality and Progress in Charlottesville), a far-Left activist group. |
Image caption Greece's largest landfill site is almost 90% full A putrid mix of stale waste and methane engulfing the air - that is the stench that hits you as you approach the Fyli landfill just outside Athens. Six thousand tonnes of rubbish arrive here every day from the capital and neighbouring regions. As trucks unload what they have collected that day, thousands of seagulls swirl above, ready to dart down on to the stinking pile. But there are other scavengers too - local Roma, who wade through the mountain of waste to pick out what they need. Most is covered by gravel and then buried into a growing mound. But it is a ticking time bomb - Greece's largest landfill site is almost 90% full and has a year left until it is totally saturated. The country's economy may be rotten but other problems are piling up too - and waste management is among the most serious. People must change their philosophy about the issue - waste can't just be dumped anywhere Olga Skiadi, Director of waste treatment at Fyli Greece buries 80% of its rubbish - over twice the EU average. At Fyli, there is a recycling plant but it only deals with a sixth of the waste that arrives here. Metal is removed for reuse, food is made into compost and some other items are converted into alternative fuel, mainly for the cement industry. But recycling is still in its infancy here. "Greece has been slow in dealing with waste," says Olga Skiadi, the director of waste treatment at Fyli. "We must move forward quickly to build new plants to recycle and generate energy recovery. People must change their philosophy about the issue - waste can't just be dumped anywhere. It must be dealt with in an environmentally friendly way." 'Environmental crime' The problem of random dumping is indeed severe. In 2005, the European Commission took Greece to court to force the closure of 1,100 illegal landfills. Eight years on, 70 still remain. Brussels has now launched a second case against Athens, threatening a daily fine of 71,000 euros (£60,000; $98,000) until they are eradicated. And so, as Greece takes over the rotating presidency of the EU on 1 January, it is in dispute with the very body it is supposed to run. Image caption Waste is blighting Greece's countryside The ministry of the environment told me huge progress had been made on the issue but the failure to get rid of all illegal dumps was down to three reasons - problems in the local administration, the "island character" of the country, with around half the sites on cut-off islands, and local opposition to building proper waste plants. We don't know what toxic waste is dumped here and it affects our breathing, our eating and drinking Penelope Galanopoulou, Ilia environmental action group A site earmarked for an official landfill in Keratea, east of Athens, saw huge protests, halting its construction. But now the demonstrations have moved elsewhere, to Ilia in the Peloponnese, three hours' drive from the capital. There, within a rich pine near from Olympia, the holy site of the ancient Olympic Games, an illegal dump has emerged. Piles of decaying waste now infect the nearby river and surrounding area. The municipality used it until a month ago, when locals began to protest, blockading the site to demand that a proper plant be built elsewhere. As Penelope Galanopoulou from the Ilia environmental action group shows me around, we use scarves to protect us from the stench. "This is an environmental crime that we can't accept," she says. "It's killing the crops nearby, the river and the soil. And it's a threat to human health. We don't know what toxic waste is dumped here and it affects our breathing, our eating and drinking. This pine forest is a living lung. Soon it will die." 'Monster of bureaucracy' The tragedy is that amidst their dire economic crisis, Greeks always tell you that at least they have the natural beauty of their country but even that is being destroyed by waste. In a field nearby, huge piles of rubbish lie wrapped in white sheeting - a process known as "baling" - to prepare them for burial. It is supposed to be short-term but they have been stuck here for almost four years because of the failure to build a proper plant. The white film is splitting and bits of waste seep into the stream below. Image caption Bales of waste have been left so long they are bursting open Image caption Rubbish has been piling up on the streets of Pyrgos The neighbouring town of Pyrgos is overflowing with rubbish, with a month's worth of waste on street corners. We will find a solution because what's happened here is shameful Gerasimos Paraskevopoulos, Mayor of Pyrgos And there is deadlock. While locals blame the administration for mismanaging the issue, the mayor says it is their fault for blocking the forest dump, which he says was temporary, and for refusing more rubbish to be baled in preparation for a new official landfill. It is a blame game that blights any progress. "Every time we've tried to do something, the residents stop us," says the mayor, Gerasimos Paraskevopoulos. "Nobody wants waste in their backyard but we have to work together on this. We've also had to deal with a monster of bureaucracy. Municipalities passed the buck and there's been corruption over the years." "But we will find a solution," he assures me, "because what's happened here is shameful." The government says it is building three new landfills in the Athens area and is determined to rid the country of illegal dumps in the next 12 months. But Greeks have seen countless promises broken on the issue over the years and Brussels remains unimpressed - a target for EU member states to reach zero landfill by 2020 is far from realistic here. Today's Greece has so many problems to solve but there is now an urgent need to create a clean, sustainable environment here for the next generation to rebuild this country from its financial mess. |
Laci Green is one of the most notable voices in online feminism. Known almost exclusively as an outspoken advocate for the social justice movement, Laci’s popular YouTube videos even landed her a gig with MTV to produce a series called Braless, in which she took on subjects like pop culture and politics through the lens of intersectional feminism. Laci Green It’s no surprise that Laci has even been memefied for saying things like “Everything is problematic.” With over 1.4 million YouTube subscribers and her reputation as a feminist, she’s the last person anyone would expect to disavow the party line by reaching out to the other side of the culture war, but she’s done exactly that with a new video titled “TAKING THE RED PILL?” Returning to YouTube from an almost year-long break, Laci revealed that her adherence to social justice orthodoxy and feminism is perhaps not as unshakeable as one might expect from a “social justice warrior”—much less a leading figurehead in the movement. Advertisement In the recent weeks, she was spotted hanging out with several notable conservative and anti-SJW YouTubers like Blaire White, whom she had an In the recent weeks, she was spotted hanging out with several notable conservative and anti-SJW YouTubers like Blaire White, whom she had an open conversation with on YouTube , and Chris Ray Gun —to the disbelief of feminists and everyone else who follows the culture war. In her new video, Laci offers context for her feminism, which she describes as intersectional, sex positive, and skeptical. It’s the last part—the skepticism—that led her to questioning the orthodoxy. She says that engaging with criticism online can be difficult, especially due to hostility and the lack of open dialogue on either side of the equation. “So I went down the rabbit hole of anti-SJW videos and found that some are pretty disrespectful,” said Laci. “But that’s not all the channels, I’ve recently found anti-SJW channels that are well-cited and reasoned.” The videos, she said, “make some interesting points, and sometimes I’m like ‘yeah, I agree with that’ or ‘huh, I didn’t really think of that.’ And sometimes I disagree, but I still feel it’s beneficial for me to listen and consider another perspective—it helps me learn. So I decided to reach out to some and I was pleasantly surprised.” “People have been pretty kind to me,” she added. “And, you know, I’ll be honest, I didn’t really expect that. No judgment, no vitriol, I even feel like I have a really good connection to a couple of new friends.” Laci says that not everyone has been accepting of her willingness to engage with the opposite side, and that good friends of hers have not been taking it well. “They express the opinion that talking to ‘antis’ or problematic people is not going to be worth the time, that it wouldn’t be fruitful, that I’m engaging with bigots and validating their perspectives, that I’m offering a platform to bullies,” she said. “While I can appreciate this perspective, I fundamentally disagree with it.” Laci Green picked apart the concept of “harmful speech,” which she says the progressive left uses to shut down and suppress their opponents under the reasoning that doing so prevents “bigotry” from spreading. They’ve managed to do so through widespread protests that led to the Dangerous . Laci Green picked apart the concept of “harmful speech,” which she says the progressive left uses to shut down and suppress their opponents under the reasoning that doing so prevents “bigotry” from spreading. They’ve managed to do so through widespread protests that led to the disruption of speeches by conservative speakers and anyone critical of social justice, and the cancellation of book deals —like Milo Yiannopoulos’Dangerous Laci Green on MTV’s Braless Citing the protests against Milo Yiannopoulos, the suppression of free speech only makes certain arguments all the more attractive due to the backfire effect, which makes censored voices more sympathetic to a moderate audience. “Through open dialogue, we can parse out ideas and really see what they’re made of. In response, everyone else has free speech too. They can dissent, they can protest, they can ask political questions, they can counter the questions, they can highlight fallacies and the moral failings of the argument,” she said. Laci Green says it’s important to continue the conversation about these ideas and plans to do so with a new series of video debates—which many critics of feminism have openly expressed interest in despite their skepticism of her motives. Social justice warriors are unhappy with Laci taking the “red pill” of opening her eyes to arguments counter to her beliefs, and have taken to lambasting her on social media. YouTube male feminist ally Steve Shives Social justice warriors are unhappy with Laci taking the “red pill” of opening her eyes to arguments counter to her beliefs, and have taken to lambasting her on social media. YouTube male feminist ally Steve Shives wrote : “I don’t want to make friends with anti-feminists. Far more productive to befriend someone at YouTube who could delete all their channels.” “I just want to publicly re-affirm you’re not going to see me cuddling up with reactionaries,” “I just want to publicly re-affirm you’re not going to see me cuddling up with reactionaries,” echoed fellow social justice YouTuber Peter Coffin, who made Laci’s embrace of free speech about himself. “I’ve honestly been having a bad day and honestly the Laci thing has taken me off guard on top of all the other shit I’ve dealt with. I make the mistake of tying how I feel to the quality of work I put out so that puts me a live radio show away from feeling pretty bad.” While many anti-feminists are skeptical of Laci’s seemingly newfound rehabilitation from social justice ideology, it’s easy to see how she fell into the role that made her popular in the first place. After all, the causes they fight for and the terminology they use (“social justice”) seem sound. After all, few people would willingly embrace bigotry. But once you go down that rabbit hole, it is easy to see how the ideology and its proponents stifle heretical dissent and use it to promote different kinds of bigotry—if you open your eyes to it. Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook |
Another trillion dollar deficit for Barack Obama. And just think, back in February 2009 Barack Obama promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. The US deficit will top a trillion dollars again and the nation faced a double-dip recession. The Washington Times reported: President Obama and Congress are flirting with both a recession and a bigger jump in unemployment next year unless they head off looming tax increases and spending cuts — but doing so could mean a fifth straight year of trillion-dollar deficits, the government’s chief scorekeeper said Wednesday. The latest update by the Congressional Budget Office shows the time for hard choices that lawmakers have feared for years is now here: Leaders must choose between economic pain and budget-tightening now, or continuing to bolster the U.S. economy with the risk of a bigger fiscal collapse later. Already baked into the numbers is the deficit for fiscal year 2012, which will top $1.1 trillion — the fourth-straight year of trillion-dollar deficits, dating back to the end of President George W. Bush’s term and covering all of President Obama’s three and a half years in office. “The key issue facing policy makers is not whether to reduce budget deficits,” said Douglas W. Elmendorf, director of CBO. “The question is when. The question is how.” He said even if the economy picked up, the government will still run major deficits over the decade, meaning the fiscal imbalance is caused by the spending promises the government has made outstripping the amount of money it’s likely to raise in taxes. |
Staff of Florida Social Security office not informed of drill, Homeland Security officials refused to talk to media Paul Joseph Watson Infowars.com Thursday, January 5, 2012 Residents of Leesburg, Florida were shocked to see their local Social Security office turned into a random Homeland Security checkpoint Tuesday morning, as DHS officers armed with semiautomatic rifles and accompanied by sniffer dogs checked identifications of locals. “With their blue and white SUVs circled around the Main Street office, at least one official was posted on the door with a semiautomatic rifle, randomly checking identifications. And other officers, some with K-9s, sifted through the building,” reports the Daily Commercial. The activity was part of Operation Shield, an unannounced drill conducted by the DHS’ Federal Protective Service centered around “detecting the presence of unauthorized persons and potentially disruptive or dangerous activities.” Thomas Milligan, district manager for the Social Security Administration office, said staff were not informed their offices were about to be stormed by armed FPS officers. DHS officials refused to answer questions asked by local media and left with no explanation at noon. “Part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FPS is the federal law enforcement agency that provides integrated security and law enforcement services to over 9,000 federally-owned and leased buildings, facilities, properties and other assets,” states the report. Indeed, the FPS is used for a variety of roles, not just limited to setting up unannounced ID checkpoints. As part of the reinvention of the Department of Homeland Security to serve as a tool of political repression, the Federal Protective Service is used by the DHS to track the political activities of peaceful advocacy groups. The FPS was seen arresting photographers in Portland last November during an OWS rally. A d v e r t i s e m e n t {openx:74} In 2004, the FPS arrested a veteran for the crime of complaining to his local VA office in Des Moines. A separate component of Homeland Security, VIPR (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response), recently received an expansion in funding from Congress that will see 2011’s figure of around 9,300 checkpoints increased with the addition of 12 new VIPR teams, who will be used to carry out security checks at bus depots, train stations, ferry ports and highways. The extra money is being demanded despite the fact that there is “no proof that the roving viper teams have foiled any terrorist plots or thwarted any major threat to public safety,” according to an L.A. Times report. ********************* Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show. |
As I sat at a meeting with over 40 recruiters and listened around the room as they shared their pet peeves about the application and interview process with job seekers, two things occurred to me; one, in 2005 these same recruiters would have probably had lower standards because employees were harder to find and two, you never want a recruiter to be sitting in an interview thinking "is this real life?" Story after story was shared about how parents came to interviews, followed up on interviews and sometimes even did the phone interviews for their children. Handshakes and body language were high on the pet peeve list, as was not reading the website or being prepared. It seems like many of the steps to getting a job should be common sense. If a job is open, you send a resume, chat about your history and start on Monday. That might have been true in 2005 when jobs were abundant, credit was given to just about anyone and requirements were waived if the person seemed to have at least the basics. In 2008, everything changed. Online applications, unreturned phone calls and no responses seemed to be the norm. Candidates were deemed overqualified or under-qualified, and there were 300 applicants for every available job. Recruiters were overwhelmed, to say the least. So what does it take to get a job these days? From my experience speaking with the Central Florida Employment Council Members (CFEC), a group of 800+ recruiters and HR professionals, and our employment counselors at Christian HELP, here is what we have found to be solid advice. 1. Only apply for jobs you are qualified for. Sending resumes out to every job you see, not reading job descriptions or not having the experience required is a waste of your time and the recruiter's. Take the job description, circle all of the skills and qualifications you have that are listed and make sure they appear in your resume. Use the same language as the job description whenever possible. It is very important that you complete the application process from start to finish or it could keep you from getting a call. Resumes should be error-free and in an easy-to-ready format. 2. Prepare for the interview. Spend time before the interview reading the website of the company. Look for articles and news about the company and be able to talk about it. If you are interviewing in person, take a trial run to the company and make sure to arrive about 15 minutes early the day of the interview. Dress to impress in a conservative way. 3. Body language is just as important as what you say. We are now doing a class on impressions. People do judge a book by its cover. It is unfortunate, but it is true. Handshakes should be firm, not limp or the vise grip. They should never be a fist bump! Eye contact is important, as well. If you don't look people in the eye, they think they can't trust you. Practicing the interview questions in advance can help stave off the nerves. Cell phones and sunglasses should never be interview accessories. 4. Don't self-sabotage in the interview process. Interviews are an opportunity for the company to meet you in person and determine if your skills are a fit for the company. Interviewing goes beyond skills to making sure you are a cultural fit for the company, as well. If the company is customer-service focused and you don't like people, you may not be a fit. It is important to be able to answer the standard questions such as "tell me about yourself," "what are your weaknesses" and "where do you see yourself in 5 years." Keep in mind the answers should be work related, not personal. Be prepared to answer behavioral questions which are usually posed as a situation or task, action and result. We call them STAR questions. An example would be "Tell me about a time you had a difficult customer, how did you handle him/her, what was the result?" Answer the question in the same fashion it was asked. It should go without saying, but listening is an important interview skill. Finally, the recruiter is not your counselor; keep the interview professional and work related. 5. Say thank you. Thank the interviewer for their time, ask questions and find out what the next steps are. When you leave, recap the interview and then send a thank you letter by email or letter. Take the opportunity to thank the recruiter again and to highlight your good points and clarify any answers you may not have been clear on. Lastly, if you do not get the job, take the high road and do not burn bridges. You never know if you were the second choice and something else could come open. As I work with people who are in the job-searching process, the first question I ask is "Are you getting interviews?" If you are not, the problem is generally your resume, lack of networking or the application process. If you are getting interviews, but not getting hired, you may be falling short in the interview process. Recruiters will never tell you, so I suggest finding a coach or someone to give you feedback. |
Mitochondria are cellular power plants that supply ATP to power various biological activities essential for neuronal growth, survival, and function. Due to unique morphological features, neurons face exceptional challenges to maintain ATP and Ca2+ homeostasis. Neurons require specialized mechanisms distributing mitochondria to distal areas where energy and Ca2+ buffering are in high demand, such as synapses and axonal branches. These distal compartments also undergo development- and activity-dependent remodeling, thereby altering mitochondrial trafficking and distribution. Mitochondria move bi-directionally, pause briefly, and move again, frequently changing direction. In mature neurons, only one-third of axonal mitochondria are motile. Stationary mitochondria serve as local energy sources and buffer intracellular Ca2+. The balance between motile and stationary mitochondria responds quickly to changes in axonal and synaptic physiology. Furthermore, neurons are postmitotic cells surviving for the lifetime of the organism; thus, mitochondria need to be removed when they become aged or dysfunction. Mitochondria also alter their motility under stress conditions or when their integrity is impaired. Therefore, regulation of mitochondrial transport is essential to meet altered metabolic requirements and to remove aged and damaged mitochondria or replenish healthy ones to distal terminals. Defects in mitochondrial transport and altered distribution are implicated in the pathogenesis of several major neurological disorders. Thus, research into the mechanisms regulating mitochondrial motility is an important emerging frontier in neurobiology. This short review provides an updated overview on motor-adaptor machineries that drive and regulate mitochondrial transport and docking receptors that anchor axonal mitochondria in response to the changes in synaptic activity, metabolic requirement, and altered mitochondrial integrity. The review focuses on microtubule (MT)-based mitochondrial trafficking and anchoring. Additional insight from different perspectives can be found in other in-depth reviews. |
It's easy to be confused over Greece's economic situation. On the day that Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem warned Europe was "running out of patience" with Greece for its failure to implement reforms, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Athens' progress had been "remarkable". Greece predicts the economy will return to growth in 2014 after six years of recession, but economists believe it will continue until 2015. Reality has invariably turned out to be worse than the forecast. When I visited Athens last week, I found most Greeks felt they were still sinking downwards, with unemployment relentlessly high and many people worried about loosing their jobs. About 30 cleaners staging a noisy protest outside the finance ministry said they expected to be fired because government spending cuts. "They think they can just throw us out," Evangelika said. "But if we lose our jobs now, who will hire us? We are all 50 or 60 years old. Even our children can't find work, so what chance do we have?" Evangelika said her husband's pension had halved in value. Her wages are holding her family together. Technology firm thrives But the nearby Taxibeat IT company, which has developed an application for hailing taxis, like several other Greek technology companies, is doing well. The Taxibeat App is popular in Athens, and is being introduced in Brazil, Mexico and France. Spyros Dovas, who helped set up the company in 2011, believes the crisis has brought opportunities to start new businesses. "We have too much human capital, people are out of jobs …. or probably fear they’re going to loose their jobs," he said. "Rents are down, you have all the ingredients available, and it’s easier than ever for someone to make this step." Meanwhile, talks between the Troika - the IMF, the European Union and the European Central Bank - and the Greek government are at a standstill. The Troika is worried about a shortfall of some $2bn in the 2014 budget, and frustrated by the government’s resistance to more job cuts in the public sector. The government says the shortfall is more like $1bn and can be made good with more efficient tax collection and increased revenues that it believes will accrue from eventual economic growth. Ministers have warned that democracy is in danger as social cohesion frays. This is true, although given how much the Greek people have put up with in recent years, I’m not sure how anyone can be confident of what the breaking point is. The cynic inside me says it is a self-serving argument that enables the Greek government to avoid tackling the vested interests that have come through the recession relatively unscathed. In effect, the government is trying to scare its European partners - and creditors - by raising the spectre of a left-wing SYRIZA government, or further gains for the extreme-right Golden Dawn. The Greek newspapers are full of details about the generous pay and expense packages of MPs. Perhaps the only smiles I saw in Athens were when Greece qualified for the World Cup. The team is not going to win in Brazil, but like the rest of us they are at least entitled to dream. And as another dark winter sets in, who can begrudge them that? Follow Barnaby Phillips on Twitter: @barnabyphillips |
A new investigation from the Center for Investigative Reporting shows that Jehovah's Witness leaders explicitly discourage church elders from reporting child sexual abuse allegations to the police, or even to their own congregations. Candace Conti, who was repeatedly abused as a child, is now suing the church leadership, saying they failed to protect her from her abuser. Trey Bundy is a reporter with Reveal, the CIR's new magazine and website. His investigation found that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the Jehovah's Witness parent company, has sent out detailed memos for 25 years directing congregations to deal with child sexual abuse allegations internally. That means not calling the police unless required to by state law, and not warning parents in the congregation about people convicted of child sexual abuse. At the same time, the church gathers detailed records on child abusers in their congregations. That was the case with Jonathan Kendrick, a Fremont, California man who confessed in 1993 to his church to molesting his 3-year-old stepdaughter as she slept. Instead of calling the police, Bundy writes: The elders, Michael Clarke and Gary Abrahamson, wrote to the Watchtower for guidance. Two weeks later, a letter from the Watchtower advised the elders that Kendrick's conduct constituted a "minor uncleanness" and that he could remain a member of the congregation. "However," the letter said, "it would be appropriate for two elders to meet with him and provide him with strong Scriptural counsel." The Watchtower determined that Kendrick's crime didn't warrant police involvement, disfellowshipping or a warning to the congregation. Because the incident was known outside of the immediate family, it said Kendrick should lose his title of ministerial servant, which meant that he could no longer pass out Watchtower literature at the kingdom hall – the equivalent of a church for Jehovah's Witnesses – or turn on the microphone at the start of meetings. The elders have testified that they watched Kendrick closely and told him not to be alone with children, but he was allowed to continue preaching the Bible door to door. Advertisement Kendrick was forced to plead guilty to misdemeanor sexual battery after his stepdaughter disclosed the abuse during a hospital visit. Bundy reports that he was sentenced to probation, but no jail time. After he separated from the girl's mother, he moved to the city of Oakley and joined the JW congregation there. Bundy reports that the Fremont elders not only didn't warn the Oakley congregation about his past, they wrote a letter that actually seemed to suggest he'd be a good fit to lead "young ones" in the congregation: "You will find him to be a fine individual, kind, loving, and appreciates the peace and refreshment of the Christian Brotherhood," the letter read. "He is a very interesting individual who has taken the lead with some young ones in the congregation and helped them from vearying (sic) off course." Kendrick married a woman in Oakley with adult children; one of them later testified that he found child pornography on Kendrick's computer, and learned that Kendrick had molested his eight-year-old daughter. Kendrick testified in a deposition that he "slit his wrists" after the molestation was discovered and spent three days in the hospital. He eventually pleaded guilty to "committing a lewd act" on a minor child and spent eight months in jail. Advertisement And then, years later, yet another victim came to light: Candace Conti, who grew up in the Fremont congregation, says that Kendrick abused her too, when she was nine and 10 years old. She was frequently left alone with him during witnessing trips to knock on doors; she says that during that time, he would take her to his house and abuse her. Conti sued the Jehovah's Witnesses in 2012 for failing to protect her from Kendrick, alleging that the church leadership's policy of concealing child abuse allegations made it possible for him to abuse her. The jury agreed, awarding her $28 million in damages. Kendrick was ordered to pay 60 percent, but Conti's attorneys said they wouldn't attempt to collect it from him, knowing that he was broke. Jim McCabe, a Jehovah's Witness attorney, told the New York Times at the time that they would appeal the decision. "The Jehovah's Witnesses hate child abuse and believe it's a plague on humanity," McCabe told the paper. "Jonathan Kendrick was not a leader or a pastor. He was just a rank-and-file member. This is a tragic case where a member of a religious group has brought liability on the group for actions he alone may have taken." Advertisement Kendrick remains an active member of the Oakley congregation. The Watchtower Society has argued in several lawsuits that the way they choose to deal with child abuse is protected under the First Amendment. |
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