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The hope that the end of apartheid would herald a better life for the oppressed in South Africa has evaporated. Their conditions today are materially as bad as under apartheid - and even worse in some cases. But the upper classes are having the time of their lives. Working class struggles should be intensified and linked, based on self-organising and direct democracy to bring about real change. Wave after wave of community protests have been taking place in South Africa from Orange Farm in the Vaal, to Eldorado Park outside Johannesburg, to Khayelitsha in Cape Town. People are angry that after more than 20 years of so-called freedom they are still confined to living in shacks, having to shit in communal plastic toilets, sharing a standpipe for water with thousands of neighbours, and having essential services terminated when they can’t afford to pay. What fuels this anger further is that on the other side of the cities and towns of South Africa, in the old white-only suburbs, the elite and middle classes flaunt their wealth. In such suburbs people live in the lap of luxury – well-manicured gardens, swimming pools, maid’s quarters and luxury cars are the order of the day. Under such circumstances, it is not hard to see why South Africa is ranked as one of the most unequal societies in the world; it is literally in your face. Yet the ruling class – white and now black capitalists, top state officials and politicians – have waged an incessant war against the working class, and the black section in particular, to deepen this inequality. The reason they have done this is to increase their wealth – this class war lies at the root of the protests we have seen. Many of the people that have been involved in the recent waves of protests – or their parents – had hoped for a better life with the fall of apartheid. Under that vile and horrific system, the black working class (workers and the unemployed) was subjected to a harsh racial oppression and exploitation. It was cheap labour, in the form of the black working class, which generated huge profits for corporations – owned by foreign and local white capitalists. To ensure the lowest costs of the reproduction of this exploited class, the apartheid state forced people to live in homelands and townships in which the most threadbare services were provided. The consequences were that the black working class was deliberately mired in poverty and when they rose up they faced the gun barrels of the apartheid state. Fast forward to today. One can scarcely believe the reality in which the black working class finds itself in today, which materially is as at least as bad as under apartheid and in some cases even worse. As part of this, since 1994, the portion of Gross Domestic Product which goes towards wages has declined. The implications of this are that in real terms the wages of the black working class have been in decline since the fall of apartheid. With this too, unemployment has exploded as capitalists in South Africa have reduced their labour force, mechanised, and implemented flexible labour to boost profit rates. The post-apartheid state has been central to the war on the black working class. It has actively redirected wealth upwards towards the ruling class. It has done this through various means, which have included massive spending on infrastructure for corporations, the introduction of laws that allow labour flexibility and tax breaks for corporations. In fact, since 1994 the tax rate for corporations has been driven down from 49% to 28%. This is money that could have been used to improve the lives of the poor through providing, amongst other things, decent services and housing. At the same time, however, Value Added Tax, a tax that targets the working class, has contributed a larger and larger part of the state’s revenue. Far from being an under resourced and poor state, the South African state has actively been shifting wealth from the working class to the ruling class at an increasing rate. At the same time as assisting the rich, the state has also been very active in attacking the poor. In real terms (inflation adjusted) spending on services for the working class, and the black working class in particular, has remained largely stagnant and in some cases even declined since 1994. As a matter of fact, on average the state under the ANC has allocated less than 2% of the budget to housing for the working class. As such, services like water, electricity, housing, sanitation, healthcare and education for black working class areas, including places such as Eldorado Park, Ennerdale, and Orange Farm, are a shambles. The national state under the stewardship of the ANC has also dramatically reduced the amount of money that it transfers to local governments to deliver services such as sanitation and refuse removal. This has been done to please international capitalists in the form of speculators. Speculators tend to target buying the bonds of states with low debt levels. To keep debt levels as low as possible at a national level, the South African state slashed transfers to local governments. This means local municipalities have less in real terms for service delivery. To try and generate income, local governments across South Africa have aggressively adopted cost recovery for services to the working class, such as electricity, water, sanitation and refuse removal. The consequences are, if you can’t afford to pay you don’t get the services. Linked to this, more cruelly, pre-paid metres have been installed in working class areas across the country and cut people off from the basics of life, such as water, if they can’t pay. This is a form a systemic violence that degrades the everyday lives of people. While doing this, however, most municipalities spend funds derived from their cost recovery schemes to build and maintain infrastructure for corporations. In cities like Cape Town, central business districts are kept plush, while the townships remain in a state of degradation. Local governments too continue to allocate far more resources per household to formerly white suburbs than townships. This means, insanely, the Johannesburg Municipality per household spends more on Sandton than it does on Soweto. Making matters worse is that at the level of local government, municipalities have followed rabid outsourcing of basic services. For a connected local elite, usually linked to the African National Congress or in some areas the Democratic Alliance, this has been a godsend. This has seen contracts for housing and service delivery at a local level being handed out to those who have connections to politicians. Nepotism, corruption and patronage have become rife; and so too has graft. The consequences of these neoliberal policies at a local level is that service delivery is abysmal. The reality is that the state does this, at a local and national level, because it is an instrument of the ruling class. States only exist to enforce the rule of a minority elite over a majority. Even in a parliamentary democracy, it is the elite that indirectly and directly control the state and they use it to increase their wealth and bolster and solidify their power. In the case of South Africa, politicians also use the state directly for self-enrichment. Of course states do provide some services to the poor. These are and were, however, concessions that have been forced on the ruling class by the working class through the history of struggle. Indeed, the black working class only receives some support from the state – although meagre – because of the history of struggle in the country. Under neoliberalism though, these concessions are being rolled back, and it is this that is once again fuelling protests. The role that the state plays in protecting the ruling class can be seen in how the police have reacted to the protests. Most people involved in protests usually try to follow the state’s prescribed procedures to air their grievances, for example engaging in Integrated Development Plans and petitioning local councillors – and only embark on protest once these proved to be dead-ends; which they inevitably do as the state and politicians could not give a crap about the plight of people except at election time. But once people protest, as we have seen, the police react violently, firing rubber bullets, tear gas, stun-grenades and even live bullets at protestors – protestors, who it must be remembered, are merely asking to receive the basics of life. The working class, however, has proved that it won’t lie down under the fire from the ruling class. This is where hope lies. What is needed now is for these struggles that we have been seeing across the country to link, based on self-organisation and direct democracy. There are many challenges to this, including toxic party politics, but if society is too change it will have to be done. Indeed, the fire of resistance needs to burn; and to do so struggles need to link and become a force capable of blunting the attacks of the ruling class in South Africa. Through this, hopefully, a basis can be set for a broader struggle against exploitation and all forms of oppression; and for human liberation in which no-one lacks the basics of life such as housing, water, and sanitation. Article first published on the Pambazuka website: https://www.pambazuka.org/human-security/fuelling-fires-south-africa-class-war |
WASHINGTON D.C. Feb. 16, 2014 -- Tularemia, aka "rabbit fever," is endemic in the northeastern United States, and is considered to be a significant risk to biosecurity -- much like anthrax or smallpox -- because it has already been weaponized in various regions of the world. At the 58th Annual Biophysical Society Meeting, which takes place Feb. 15-19, 2014, in San Francisco, Calif., Geoffrey K. Feld, a Postdoctoral researcher in the Physical & Life Sciences Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), will describe his work to uncover the secrets of the bacterium Francisella tularensis, which causes tularemia. "Despite its importance for both public health and biodefense, F. tularensis pathogenesis isn't entirely understood, nor do we fully understand how the organism persists in the environment," explained Feld. Previous efforts, funded by both the National Institutes of Health and LLNL, demonstrated that amoebae may serve as a potential reservoir for the bacteria in nature. "Specifically, we demonstrated that amoebae exposed to fully virulent F. tularensis rapidly form cysts -- dormant, metabolically inactive cells -- that allow the amoebae to survive unfavorable conditions," said Amy Rasley, the research team leader. This encystment phenotype was rapidly induced by F. tularensis in the laboratory and was required for the long-term survival of the bacteria. Further exploration led to the identification of secreted F. tularensis proteins, which are responsible for induction of the rapid encystment phenotype (REP) observed in amoebae. The functions of novel proteins putatively involved in F. tularensis virulence are revealed by X-ray crystallography. (Photo Credit: LLNL/G. K. Feld/CDC) In the new work, Feld and colleagues characterized two of these REP proteins -- called REP24 and REP34 -- and began to describe their functions based on their three-dimensional crystal structures. A big surprise finding was that these proteins resembled "proteases," which are proteins that cut other proteins in a specific manner. "Our preliminary data indicate that F. tularensis bacteria lacking these proteins are diminished in their ability to infect or survive in human immune cells, which indicates that these proteins may also contribute to F. tularensis virulence," Feld said. Rasley and colleagues believe that careful characterization of these two novel F. tularensis proteins may shed light on how this organism persists in the environment and causes disease. "Ultimately, this type of research could inform efforts to combat the disease, although there is much work to do. Currently, we don't know the protein targets in the host -- amoeba, human, etc. -- that the REP proteins act on, nor do we know the mechanism by which the proteins could help F. tularensis survive in the environment or cause disease," Feld said. "Once these questions are elucidated, a broader understanding of environmental persistence and pathogenesis might lead to better diagnostics and/or novel countermeasures to combat tularemia," he added. Source: American Institute of Physics |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of women, many with husbands, boyfriends and children in tow, filled the streets of several major U.S. cities on Saturday in an unprecedented wave of mass protests against President Donald Trump the day after his inauguration. Women activists, galvanized by Trump campaign rhetoric and behavior they found to be especially misogynistic, spearheaded scores of U.S. marches and sympathy rallies around the world that organizers said drew nearly 5 million protesters in all. The demonstrations, far surpassing crowd expectations, highlighted strong discontent over Trump’s comments and policy positions toward a wide range of groups, including Mexican immigrants, Muslims, the disabled and environmentalists. The planned centerpiece of the protests, a Women’s March on Washington, appeared to draw larger crowds than turned out a day earlier to witness Trump’s swearing-in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. No official estimates of the turnout were available, but it clearly exceeded the 200,000 marchers projected in advance by organizers, filling long stretches of downtown Washington around the White House and the National Mall. Many wore knitted pink cat-eared “pussy hats,” an appropriated reference to Trump’s boast in a 2005 video made public weeks before the election about grabbing womens’ genitals. Hundreds of thousands more women thronged New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver and Boston, adding to a public outpouring of mass dissent against Trump unmatched in modern U.S. politics for a new president’s first full day in office. So-called Sister March organizers estimated 750,000 demonstrators swarmed the streets of Los Angeles, one of the largest of Saturday’s gatherings. Police said the turnout there was as big or bigger than a 2006 pro-immigration march that drew 500,000. Some 400,000 marchers assembled in New York City, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio, though organizers put the number there at 600,000. The Chicago event grew so large that organizers staged a rally rather than trying to parade through the city. Police said more than 125,000 people attended there; sponsors estimated the crowd at 200,000. The protests, mostly peaceful, illustrated the depth of division in the country, still reeling from the bitterly fought 2016 election campaign. Trump stunned the world by defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state and first lady who made history as the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party. Related Coverage Factbox: Women stage marches in cities across North America Pam Foyster, a resident of Ridgway, Colorado, said the atmosphere in Washington reminded her of mass protests during the 1960s and ‘70s against the Vietnam War and in favor of civil rights and women’s rights. “I’m 58 years old, and I can’t believe we are having to do this again,” Foyster said. Although Republicans now control the White House and both houses of Congress, Trump faces entrenched opposition from wide segments of the public, in contrast with the honeymoon period new presidents typically experience when first taking office. A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found Trump had the lowest favorability rating of any incoming U.S. president since the 1970s. AROUND THE WORLD Women-led protests against Trump, who has vowed that U.S. policy would be based on the principle of “America first,” also were staged in Sydney, London, Tokyo and other cities across Europe and Asia. Sister March sponsors boasted some 670 gatherings around the world in solidarity with the Washington event, estimating a global turnout of more than 4.6 million participants, although those numbers could not be independently verified. Trump, in a Twitter post on Saturday, wrote, “I am honored to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States!” Attending an interfaith service at Washington National Cathedral before visiting the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters, Trump made no mention of the protests. But he angrily attacked media reports, including photos, showing that crowds at Friday’s inaugural were smaller than those seen in 2009 and 2013, when Barack Obama took the oath of office for his first and second terms as president. “I made a speech, I looked out, the field was, it looked like a million, million and a half people,” Trump said at his visit to the CIA. “They showed a field where there were practically nobody standing there.” Madonna performs at the Women's March in Washington U.S., January 21, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton Saturday’s march in Washington overwhelmed the city’s Metro subway system, with enormous crowds reported and some stations temporarily forced to turn away riders. The Metro reported 275,000 rides as of 11 a.m. (1600 GMT) Saturday, 82,000 more than the 193,000 reported at the same time on Friday, Inauguration Day, and eight times normal Saturday volume. The peaceful atmosphere of Saturday’s march contrasted sharply with unrest the day before, when groups of black-clad anti-establishment activists, among hundreds of anti-Trump protesters, smashed windows, set vehicles on fire and fought with riot police, who responded with stun grenades. Washington prosecutors on Saturday said about $100,000 in damage had been done and 230 adults and five minors had been arrested. Saturday’s march featured speakers, celebrity appearances and a protest walk along the National Mall. Among the well-known figures who attended were pop star Madonna, singer-actress Cher and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. WOMEN’S VOTES Clinton won the popular vote in the Nov. 8 presidential election by around 2.9 million votes and exceeded Trump’s support among women voters by more than 10 percentage points. Trump, however, easily prevailed in the state-by-state Electoral College vote that actually determines the outcome of the race. Trump offered few if any olive branches to his opponents in his Friday inauguration speech. “He has never seemed particularly concerned about people who oppose him, he almost fights against them instinctively,” said Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. But the lawmakers whom Trump will rely on to achieve his policy goals, including building a wall on the Mexican border and replacing the 2010 healthcare reform law known as Obamacare, may be more susceptible to negative public opinion the anti-Trump rallies illustrates, Levesque said. “Members of Congress are very sensitive to the public mood, and many of them are down here this week to see him,” Levesque said. Slideshow (34 Images) At the New York march, 42-year-old Megan Schulz, who works in communications, said she worried that Trump was changing the standards of public discourse. “The scary thing about Donald Trump is that now all the Republicans are acquiescing to him and things are starting to become normalized,” Schulz said. “We can’t have our president talking about women the way he does.” |
The murder conviction of Amanda Knox is about to be overturned based on important new evidence: the convicted killer is an attractive young woman, and was not adequately advised of her right to a Pussy Pass. At least, so goes the newest pampered princess narrative on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/05/06/amanda.knox.profile/index.html?hpt=C2 The heart wrenching story begins with a series of baby pictures showing the killer as an adorable little girl: 1. Playing a guitar in a nighty at age 3 2. Wearing pink heart-shaped glasses at age 4 3. Dancing with her sister in matching red blazers at age 5 4. In a pink dress on her 7th birthday 5. As an 8 year old soccer girl called “foxy Knoxy”, with pony tails 6. Holding a puppy with her sister at age 9 7. Showing her “love of other cultures” in Japan at age 16 8. Surrounded by pink flowers, on her way to Italy at age 18 CNN could not be bothered to include a single picture of the evidence against Knox, or even of the victim. The CNN article is called “Amanda Knox case resurfaces as key hearing nears”, but then makes only passing references to the upcoming hearing or the evidence involved. Instead, the majority of the article is a sympathetic description of Knox’s early life, her love of animals and culture, and her innocence. The article is so sympathetic to Knox that it can find only one sentence to discuss the evidence against her: “Doubts over the forensic evidence used to convict Knox, 23, and Sollecito continue to linger. Knox has appealed her conviction and is awaiting the results of retesting of two controversial pieces of forensic evidence presented at her trial.” The CNN article talks about the media portrayal of Knox, saying “the sordid saga has played out in worldwide media long enough to have broken into dual narratives.” The article then makes a passing reference to journalists who “paint her as a licentious, manipulative young American still trying to get away with murder, despite an alleged confession, which she quickly recanted, and a conviction.” This single sentence is “balanced” with fifty-eight sentences describing an innocent, endearing, beautiful, and quirky young woman who is “the kind of person who would pick up a spider and take it outside rather than kill it.” So who is the real Amanda Knox? According to Italian police, Knox was so spoiled and over-pampered by her doting parents that she was driven to murder when, for the first time in her life, she did not get exactly what she wanted. Her best friend Amanda Kercher said “no” to Knox, and Knox threw a tantrum. Knox slashed Kercher’s throat, and watched as Kercher died a slow and agonizing death. Unlike Knox, Kercher was not an over-pampered princess of privilege who spent her life jetting around the world on daddy’s dime. When Knox decided she wanted a 4-way sex party with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and her love interest Rudy Guede, Meredith said “no.” That word cost her her life. Maybe. Unlike the CNN article, I prefer not to worry too much about hear-say. Is there a reporter at CNN who can still spell the word “evidence”? Is there a prosecutor who is willing to examine evidence after a woman, or the feminist media, demands a Pussy Pass? Thankfully, at least one Italian prosecutor thinks so. So, let’s look at evidence. If you don’t care, skip to “PUSSY PASS”. KNOX’S CONFESSION: Confession evidence is notoriously unreliable, except with regards to credibility. So, let’s look at Knox’s credibility. Knox confessed to the murder under interrogation. However, under Italian law, confession evidence is only admissible under strict conditions. The confession was judged inadmissible and is not available. HOWEVER, on November 6, Knox voluntarily wrote a hand-written explanation for her confession, and voluntarily handed this to the police. This voluntary, hand written note contains veiled confessions to participating in part of the crime. You can read the entire rambling statement here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1570225/Transcript-of-Amanda-Knoxs-note.html You may not be able to get through it. Ninety percent of it is self-serving drivel and snot-filled demands for pussy pity. Here are the parts that matter: Knox was trying to deny her original confession: “In regards to this “confession” that I made last night, I want to make clear that I’m very doubtful of the veracity of my statements because they were made under the pressures of stress, shock and extreme exhaustion.” Knox found her front door open and blood in her house and did not call the police, claiming to be in shock: “I know the police are confused as to why it took me so long to call someone after I found the door to my house open and blood in the bathroom. The truth is, I wasn’t sure what to think, but I definitely didn’t think the worst, that someone was murdered. I thought a lot of things, mainly that perhaps someone got hurt and left quickly to take care of it. I also thought that maybe one of my room-mates was having menstrual problems and hadn’t cleaned up. Perhaps I was in shock, but at the time I didn’t know what to think and that’s the truth.” Knox was high on drugs and drunk: “I admit that this period of time is rather strange because I am not quite sure. I smoked marijuana with him and I might even have fallen asleep. These things I am not sure about and I know they are important to the case …” Knox admits to visions of the murder, but not to the murder itself: “However, it was under this pressure and after many hours of confusion that my mind came up with these answers. In my mind I saw Patrick in flashes of blurred images. I saw him near the basketball court. I saw him at my front door. I saw myself cowering in the kitchen with my hands over my ears because in my head I could hear Meredith screaming. But I’ve said this many times so as to make myself clear: these things seem unreal to me, like a dream …” How could Knox be in shock about the blood if she thought it was nothing? PHYSICAL EVIDENCE: Rudy Guede’s DNA was not found on the victim or on the murder weapon. His DNA was found elsewhere in the house, which matches his statement that he was at the home and attempting to convince the victim to have sex with him. He was convicted, probably because he was male, black, and “a drifter.” No pussy pass for him. Sollecito’s DNA was found on Kercher’s bra clasp, which was cut from her bra. He was convicted. Hard to see how he could be innocent, given the evidence. Knox was the sole contributor to DNA found on the handle of the murder weapon, and Kercher’s DNA was found in skin taken from the blade. The blade was carefully washed, but microscopic pieces of skin and flesh were embedded between serrations. Knox was convicted, but is now seeking a pussy pass re-trial. REASONABLE DOUBT? Confession under interrogation is unreliable, and I agree with the Italian court’s decision to throw out Knox’s confession. Hundreds of thousands of innocent men sit in American prisons because of false confessions obtained under interrogation. A good police interrogation team will convince anyone to confess to anything in 12 to 18 hours. Coerced confessions are basically meaningless. A voluntary confession delivered in a hand written note to the police is VERY DIFFERENT. Why does Knox claim to have visions of the murder? Why does her hand written, voluntary confession neatly offer two versions of events, (1) Knox was not there, and (2) if she was there, she was covering her ears and not a participant in the murder? The DNA evidence is extremely damning. Sollecito is certainly guilty, there is no plausible explanation for why his DNA would be found on a clasp that was forcefully cut from the victim at the time of the assault. Knox could claim that her DNA was on the murder weapon because it was her knife. If so, why did the killer take pains to thoroughly wash the blade, but not the handle? Sollecito and Guede both implicated Knox in various confessions. Again, jail-bird confessions are pretty much worthless, so who cares. Guilt can never be established beyond all possible doubt. Personally, I think that the evidence warrants a finding of “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” (prova “al di là di ogni ragionevole dubbio”), which is the standard in Italy. This is a higher standard than “guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” which prevails in the US. If two people descend alive in a small submarine, and when the submarine surfaces one of them is dead, there is no evidence of guilt, but clearly there is guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This is why Italy is so strict concerning confession evidence. Physical evidence is the gold standard in Italy. In the Knox case, there is strong, but possibly not irrefutable, physical evidence. If I was on a jury, I would be convinced. But I can understand how a reasonable person can disagree. PUSSY PASS There is one thing we know for sure. Baby pictures and cute puppies have nothing to do with the facts of this case. If the evidence is weak, Knox should be found not guilty. If the evidence is strong, she should be found guilty. The evidence of cuteness and huggability that is so important to CNN is irrelevant. The fact that new trials are demanded based on such Pussy Pass Privilege, and furthered in the out-of-court arena of the feminist media, is a testament to just how sexist and bigoted the system has become. Pussy pass articles are mainstream and completely accepted as a normal part of our process for determining guilt and innocence in the court of public opinion. So much so, that CNN no longer bothers to discuss evidence in articles about attractive young female killers. Instead, the “news organization” jumps directly to baby pictures and pink parasols. Vomit. |
Britain’s main political parties are heading for a pre-election clash over the introduction of English votes for English laws after the Labour party announced that it would boycott a “Westminster stitch-up” on the issue. As a Commons debate opened on the consequences of the no vote in the Scottish referendum, the Labour party announced that it would refuse an invitation from William Hague to contribute to the work of a cabinet committee. A Labour spokesperson said: “We will not be participating in a Westminster stitch-up. We think we need a constitutional convention so we can hear from all voices in England.” The move by Labour came as Alex Salmond predicted that Scotland could “exact revenge” on the Westminster parties at the ballot box, because a “huge gap” had opened up between their proposals for greater devolution for Scotland and what they promised on the eve of the independence referendum. The outgoing Scottish first minister said that devolution plans, set out in a new command paper on Monday by the Scotland Office, were “weak”. Alistair Carmichael, the Scotland secretary, said that the paper was designed to explain the proposals of the three main UK parties and would be considered by the independent devolution commission chaired by the crossbench peer Lord Smith of Kelvin. The SNP and the Scottish Green party have seats on the commission. The criticism from Salmond came as Labour and the Liberal Democrats appeared to be lining up to oppose Tory tactics over plans to answer the West Lothian question, which asks why Scottish MPs at Westminster should be able to vote on health and education in England while English MPs have no say over these policy areas in Scotland. William Hague, the leader of the Commons, is chairing a cabinet committee that will examine proposals to introduce English votes for English laws, known by its acronym of Evel, at Westminster. Hague has said that if the main UK parties fail to reach agreement by the end of next month a vote should be held in the Commons to ask MPs which proposals to adopt. The Lib Dems, who have seats on the cabinet committee, agree that it is right to limit the ability of Scottish MPs to vote on English-only matters. But they say that a committee of English MPs, which would have a veto over such legislation, should be appointed on the basis of the parties’ overall vote share rather than the number of MPs they have at Westminster. Nick Clegg told the Commons before the devolution debate that he agrees with Labour’s proposal for a constitutional convention to discuss the highly contentious issue. Under Labour’s plans this would be appointed in the autumn of next year, allowing Ed Miliband to form a UK government after the general election, with the support of Scottish Labour MPs, if he emerges as leader of the largest party. The differences between the main UK parties emerged after Salmond warned that plans for greater devolution did not go far enough. The Scottish first minister told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme: “There is a huge gap that is emerging between the vow – the last-minute, desperate promise made under the guarantee of Gordon Brown by the three Westminster leaders – and what was suggested in the command paper, which was just a regurgitation of what has been indicated last spring, promises which were so weak they hardly featured in the no campaign. “Right now, the initial judgment that’s coming from Scotland is that people have no confidence in Tory guarantees and are absolutely fizzing about what looks like a preparation for a betrayal of a strong commitment made.” |
Here's a fascinating, just-out artcile in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (sub req'd) about the collapse of Singapore-listed, mainland China-based firms that have collapsed amidst an inability to repay debt and fraud. Since late 2007, a spate of so-called S-chips - mainland companies listed on the Singapore exchange - have borrowed money then failed to repay the debts, with some becoming mired in fraud scandals. Of the 11 S-chips that issued convertible bonds between 2005 and 2008, six have declared themselves unable to repay. Two of those six - steel group Delong Holdings and property developer Sunshine Holdings - have successfully restructured their finances while the rest remain locked in talks with creditors. Convertible bonds are debt instruments that investors can convert into shares at a later date. Another five S-chips failed to repay bank loans during 2008-9. The effects on their share prices have been, predictably, crushing. Not surprisingly, global investment banks have been involved in pushing the S-chips' debt onto investors In June 2008, blue-chip investment bank Morgan Stanley sold US$109 million worth of convertible bonds issued by waste recovery group Sino Environment Technologies, based in Fujian , to a group of lenders including US investment firm Stark Investments. Sino-Environment's share price has since crashed from S$1.30 (HK$7.18) on the day it sold the convertible bonds to S$0.135 when the stock was suspended from trading in September. During that period, Sino not only defaulted on its bonds - the Singapore-listed firm is also being investigated by the city state's Monetary Authority, a person involved in the case confirmed, after its auditors Pricewaterhouse Coopers said they could not verify the whereabouts of US$85 million of Sino-Environment's cash. The most interesting is probably this one, which is involved in an industry where you don't typically get a lot of publicly-traded action: The most recent S-chip bond default came from China Milk Products Group, based in Heilongjiang, that produces bull semen and cow embryos for cattle breeders, The vast majority of the investors who bought US$150 million worth of convertible bonds China Milk sold through Deutsche Bank in December 2006 have exercised an option to get their money back, a person close to the agricultural company confirmed. China Milk's net profit tumbled 73 per cent in the three months to last June compared to a year previously. The business was hit by last year's tainted milk scandal on the mainland, which cut demand among dairy farmers for new livestock. |
More details have emerged about the Blu-ray release of the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise. This next-to-last season of the show is due out on January 7. New features on the blu-ray release include new commentary tracks on select episodes, and a multi-part documentary, In a Time of War, which “offers fans an inside look at the making of the series groundbreaking third season.” Writers and the Enterprise production staff discuss “the complexities of plotting the Xindi story arc along with the development of the key themes seen in the show’s pivotal third. In another new featurette, Temporal Cold War: Declassified, the “creators, cast and production team reveal details about the original story arc that was never fully explored; in addition, the group discusses how the temporal cold war would have ended if the series had continued.” Star Trek: Enterprise: Season Three on Blu-ray will “be available in 1080p with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, German 5.1 Dolby Digital, French Stereo Surround and Japanese Stereo Surround. The discs also include English SDH, French, German, Japanese and Dutch subtitles. The Blu-ray is Not Rated in the U.S. and rated PG in Canada. It will be available for the suggested retail price of $130.00 U.S. and $150.00 Canada. The disc breakdown is as follows:” Disc One: The Xindi Anomaly Extinction Rajiin Text Commentary by Mike & Denise Okuda on The Xindi (2005) on The Xindi (2005) Archival Mission Logs: The Xindi Saga Begins (SD), Enterprise Moments: Season Three (SD) Disc Two: Impulse Exile The Shipment Twilight New – Episode Commentary by David Livingston and David A. Goodman on Impulse and on Impulse Text Commentary by Mike & Denise Okuda on Impulse (2005) on Impulse (2005) Episode Commentary by Mike Sussman and Tim Gaskill on Twilight (2008) Disc Three North Star Similitude Carpenter Street Chosen Realm New – Episode Commentary by David A. Goodman and Chris Black on North Star on North Star Episode Commentary by Mike DeMeritt on North Star (2005) on North Star (2005) New – Episode Commentary by Manny Coto and Connor Trinneer on Similitude and on Similitude Episode Commentary by Manny Coto on Similitude (2005) on Similitude (2005) Deleted Scenes from Similitude (SD) Deleted Scene from Chosen Realm (SD) Disc Four: Proving Ground Stratagem Harbinger Doctor’s Orders Disc Five: Hatchery Azati Prime Damage The Forgotten E2 New – Episode Commentary by David A. Goodman, Chris Black and Connor Trinneer on The Forgotten and on The Forgotten Deleted Scenes from E2 (SD) Disc Six: The Council Countdown Zero Hour New – Episode Commentary by Chris Black and André Bormanis on Countdown and on Countdown Text Commentary by Mike & Denise Okuda on Countdown (2005) on Countdown (2005) New – In a Time of War (HD): Call to Arms, Front Lines, Final Conflict New – Temporal Cold War: Declassified Archival Mission Logs: Enterprise Profile: Connor Trinneer (SD), A Day in the Life of a Director: Roxanne Dawson (SD), Behind the Camera: Marvin Rush (SD), Enterprise Secrets (SD), Outtakes (SD), Photo Gallery (SD), NX-01 File 07 (SD), NX-01 File 08 (SD), NX-01 File 09 (SD) Star Trek: Enterprise – The Third Season Blu-Ray will sell for a suggested retail price of $129.99, and can be pre-ordered on Amazon here for $76.49. Source: Press Release |
When we think of invasive species, things like kudzu and zebra mussels come to mind, but Colombia may be facing a threat from a much larger species. Thanks to the fanciful whims of one of the most ruthless criminals in history, African hippos are running amok in the South American country. Before Pablo "The King of Cocaine" Escobar was killed by police in 1993, he had the grand idea of starting a zoo on his luxury estate, Hacienda Nápoles. Escobar – whose cocaine cartel brought in $60 million a day during its peak – built a colonial mansion on nearly 8 square miles of land north of Bogota, complete with a private cart-racing track, an airport and a collection of exotic animals that mingled with giant concrete dinosaurs. Giraffes, ostriches, elephants, ponies, zebras, hippopotamuses and other assorted living novelties cavorted about the man-made lakes and fields of the complex. Following Escobar’s death, the government turned the property into a theme park, but the cost of keeping the exotic animals was too high; most of them were placed in other zoos. But the hippos … oh, the hippos. Initially, Escobar illegally imported one bull and three females. Today, there are by some estimates up to 60 of them; by 2011, there were at least 30 feral hippos roaming the countryside. They are living in at least four lakes in the area and are moving into nearby rivers; they have been sighted up to 155 miles away from Hacienda Nápoles. Yikes. In Africa, the dry environment keeps the population in check, but the warm, wet Colombian clime is like hippo heaven. There they can mate year-round, and they have started breeding at the young age of 3, while in Africa they don’t start until 7 at the earliest. The fertile females are thought to be giving birth to one calf every year. Meanwhile the fisherman who frequent the lakes and rivers where the hippos roam are terrified, and damage reports about crops and even cows are increasing. No human fatalities have been reported, but with hippos responsible for an estimated 500 deaths per year, it seems only a matter of time. In fact, when experts from the World Wildlife Fund and the Disney Foundation visited the region in 2010, they described the situation as a "time bomb." So what to do? The hippos can’t be sent to Africa because they run the risk of bringing non-native diseases with them; hippo castration is dangerous and difficult, and hippo-proof fencing appears to be prohibitively expensive. Colombians could follow the lead of Jamaica and begin eating them, but popular opinion seems poised to prevail against that solution. Much of the public doesn’t understand the potential threat these gorgeous – but possibly dangerous and definitely out-of-place – creatures pose. When one rambunctious feral bull was shot in 2009 by authorities, the backlash was palpable, as it was when another was castrated. Aside from those who have had run-ins with the hippos, most people think they are cute. Carlos Valderrama, a vet from the charity Webconserva who has been monitoring the situation, told BBC that the reason nothing has been done about the hippos is that whatever decision the government makes, it will be controversial. "They already castrated one," he said, "and there are people saying, 'Oh why do you have to castrate them? Just let them be. Castrate the politicians.'" Confirming the sentiment, one young girl told a local paper, "My father brought a little one home once, I called him Luna (Moon) because he was very sweet.” With families bringing home baby wild hippos as pets, how the saga will end is anybody’s guess. But if the lumbering mammals become as problematic as other invasive species have elsewhere, Escobar's legacy may become even more complicated than it already is. Drug lord's rogue hippos taking over Colombia Pablo Escobar’s legacy of mayhem continues by way of a thriving population of giant African mammals. |
Ex-Manchester United man Gary Neville could be a contender to join David Moyes' backroom team at Sunderland. Moyes jetted off to France with the rest of the Sunderland squad today, ahead of a week-long stay in the Lake Geneva area where the Black Cats will face three pre-season friendlies - starting with tomorrow's encounter against FC Stade Nyonnais. Assistant manager Paul Bracewell and first-team coach Robbie Stockdale headed out with the squad after the pair took charge of yesterday's win at Rotherham, while Moyes watched from the stands. But there has been no indication yet over whether Moyes will keep the backroom team in place, or bring in his own staff. Moyes took Everton pair Steve Round and Jimmy Lumsden with him to Manchester United when he took charge three years ago, along with former England international Phil Neville. And reports today have indicated that Phil's brother Gary could be in contention for a place on Moyes' backroom team at the Stadium of Light, with the Sky Sports pundit indeed thought to be a name under consideration. Neville had an ill-feted spell in charge at Valencia last season, while he left his role assistant to departed England boss Roy Hodgson after the European Championships. |
Details surrounding the 27 December incident, in which the 10 civilians were killed in northeast Afghanistan, are still unclear, but according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), there is strong evidence pointing to insurgents having been in the area at the time. “I appeal again to all of the armed actors to make every effort to minimise harm to civilians and want to underline the importance of taking all precautionary measures to distinguish between civilians and combatants,” Kai Eide, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, said in a statement. “Greater efforts must be made to reverse current trends so that civilians are spared the worst effects of armed conflict in the coming year.” Mr. Eide, who also heads UNAMA, said that the world body remains concerned about night-time raids since they are often deadly and local authorities are frustrated when operations are not coordinated with them. For safety and cultural reasons, evening raids are distressful to families directly affected by them, as well as to communities throughout Afghanistan, he added. “UNAMA is equally concerned about the risks posed to civilians by insurgents living or operating in residential areas,” the envoy said. “They account for the majority and an increasing proportion of civilian deaths.” |
The Hawk A flap of The Hawk while visiting stands during a halftime in 2018 University Saint Joseph's University Conference A-10 Description Full-Body Costume First seen January 4, 1956 The Hawk is the mascot of Saint Joseph's University. The Hawk represents the University's motto, "The Hawk Will Never Die" by flapping its wings non-stop (even during halftime) throughout every basketball game. The Hawk, who has been flapping his wings since 1956, is one of the most decorated mascots in college sports, having been called the best college mascot by ESPN College Basketball Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and The Sporting News. History of The Hawk [ edit ] One of the most famous mascots in college sports, the Saint Joseph's Hawk has been flapping its wings since 1956. The Hawk is required to stay in constant motion by flapping its wings throughout every basketball game.[1] In 2014, the Hawk Mascot was named as the "Best College Basketball Tradition" by NCAA.com.[1] Jim Brennan originated the idea for a hawk as mascot during the 1954-55 season. Brennan, an ex-Marine and SJU cheerleader, at first wanted to secure an actual hawk, but later switched to the costume idea. The student government raised the 120 dollars needed to buy the initial costume, which Brennan donned for three years. He made his debut as the Hawk on January 4, 1956, a 69-56 win over La Salle at the Palestra. Since then, and including this season, a total of 34 SJU students, have donned the costume. The Hawk has not missed a men's basketball game since that first season.[1] Three women have served as the mascot - Sara Brennan in 2000-01, Brienne Ryan in 2009-10, and Mikaela Bakey in 2017–18.[1] In addition to the constant flapping, the Hawk is also recognized by its "flying" in figure eights around the court during timeouts. The constant motion, coupled with the scrappy play of the University's athletic teams, helped to spawn the school's familiar slogan "The Hawk Will Never Die!" A few years ago, ESPN used a "flap-o-meter" on the national telecast of a Saint Joseph's game to estimate that the Hawk flaps its wings 3,500 times during a regulation game.[1] The Hawk is unusual in traveling to away games. Here can be seen in Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium, in mid-flap to the left of the large 'P' sign in the background The Hawk is unique because it is one of the few mascots in the nation that travels to every game, and the student who holds the position gains a full scholarship. The student, who is selected through an interview process during the previous spring semester, also serves as a team manager for the men's basketball team and travels with the squad.[1] The most decorated mascot in the country, The Hawk has garnered numerous accolades in its 50-year history. The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Street & Smith's Basketball Yearbook and ESPN College Basketball magazine have selected it as the nation's top mascot. Eastern Basketball tabbed The Hawk as the Atlantic 10 Conference's best mascot, while The Hawk won a "Best of Philly" award from Philadelphia Magazine in 2003-04. More recently, The Hawk was named as a nominee for induction into the 2008 Mascot Hall of Fame.[1] Saint Joseph's athletic teams have been recognized with the nickname "Hawks" since 1929. At that time, the school's yearbook editor, Charlie Dunn, initiated a contest among the student body for a symbol. More than 100 submissions were narrowed to two, with "Hawks" winning out over "Grenadiers" (World War I soldiers who specialized in tossing grenades) by a slim margin in the final vote. John Gallagher '31, a catcher on the Saint Joseph's baseball team, submitted the winning suggestion. He won a sweater with a special Saint Joseph's monogram for selecting the winning name. According to the student annual, the name was appropriate because it typified "the fighting spirit of our crimson and gray athletes and it is suggestive of the aerial attack which has made our football team famous." Football was discontinued at Saint Joseph's following the 1939 season.[1] The role of mascot is annually awarded to a student, who is given a full scholarship for serving as the Hawk. He or she travels with the basketball team to all of its away games.[1] Hawk Selection [ edit ] Hawk selection has become an annual application and interview process in which a current student is selected to represent the school. Since 1992, the student awarded the role of mascot has been recipient of an endowed scholarship and is considered a full member of the basketball team.[1] List of Students who have served as the Hawk Season Student 1955 to 1958 Jim Brennan 1958 to 1961 Pierce Markley 1961 to 1964 Al Pastino 1964 to 1966 Charlie Wieners 1966 to 1968 Chuck Elsesser 1968 to 1970 Bill Berner 1970 to 1972 John Donnelly 1972 to 1974 Joe Cassidy 1974 to 1977 Joe Boyle 1977 to 1978 Joe Boyle & Ron Manion 1978 to 1980 Kevin Quirk 1980 to 1981 Kevin Quirk & Randy Kiernan 1981 to 1982 Randy Kiernan 1982 to 1985 Dennis Sheehan 1985 to 1986 Jim Boyle, Jr. 1986 to 1988 Frank Simone 1988 to 1990 Jim Scarano 1990 to 1991 Tony Duldulao 1991 to 1993 Chuck Sack 1993 to 1994 Dan Gallagher 1994 to 1996 Brian Kearns 1996 to 1997 Glenn "Trip" Whitaker 1997 to 1998 Bobby Gallagher 1998 to 1999 Pat McGrory 1999 to 2000 Joey "G" Gawarzewski 2000 to 2001 Sarah Brennan 2001 to 2003 Steve Klarich 2003 to 2004 Chris Bertolino 2004 to 2005 Mike Tecce 2005 to 2006 Andrew Moral 2006 to 2007 Jim Miller 2007 to 2008 Jim Miller 2008 to 2009 Tim Klarich 2009 to 2010 Brienne Ryan 2010 to 2011 Tim Higgins 2011 to 2012 Joey Mreczko 2012 to 2014 Ian Klinger 2014 to 2015 Brian Lafferty 2015 to 2017 Timmy Parks 2017 to 2018 Mikaela Bakey 2018 to 2019 Domenic Godshall Awards [ edit ] Sports Illustrated Mascot of the 20th Century [2] Sporting News Mascot of the Year 2001 [3] Street & Smith's Best Mascot ESPN College Basketball Magazine Best Mascot "Best of Philly" award from Philadelphia Magazine in 2003-04 Eastern Basketball Atlantic 10 Conference's best mascot The Hawk was nominated for induction into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2008. See also [ edit ] |
During a key battle in the rugged mountains of a northern province earlier this month, U.S.-backed Syrian rebels collapsed before an assault by al-Qaida fighters, the Associated Press reports. More from the Associated Press article: Some surrendered their weapons. Others outright defected to the militants. A detailed account of the battle in Idlib, from a series of interviews with opposition activists by The Associated Press, underscores how the moderate rebels that Washington is trying to boost to fight the Islamic State group are instead hemorrhaging on multiple fronts. They face an escalated assault by Islamic extremists, which activists say are increasingly working together to eliminate them. At the same time, a string of assassinations has targeted some of their most powerful commanders. “This is the end of the Free Syrian Army,” said Alaa al-Deen, an opposition activist in Idlib, referring to Western-backed rebel groups. “It’s the beginning of an Islamic emirate.” Thousands of rebels have died fighting the Islamic State group this year, a war that has overshadowed and undermined the struggle to topple President Bashar Assad. Now the Nusra Front – al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, which previously was also fighting against the Islamic State group – has turned on more moderate factions. Two opposition figures told AP this week that Nusra Front and the Islamic State group have gone so far as to agree to work together against their opponents, though so far their forces have not been seen together on the ground. Nusra’s pivot in part is in response to U.S. airstrikes, which have targeted the al-Qaida branch in addition to Islamic State militants, several activists said. Nusra has been hit three times in strikes the U.S. has said were aimed at a secret cell of high-ranking al-Qaida militants plotting attacks against the West. The strikes have ignited tensions between Western-backed groups and more extreme factions, who feel that that the Americans are hitting everyone except Assad’s forces. In the fighting earlier this month, the Nusra Front drove U.S.-backed factions almost completely out of the northwestern province of Idlib, where they had been the predominant force. During the battles, two of the strongest Western-backed forces – the Hazm Movement and the Syrian Revolutionaries Front -were defeated and several other allied groups simply vanished. The Syrian Revolutionary Front, headed by commander Jamal Maarouf, oversaw groups ranging from village-based militias to factions with hundreds of men. Around 10,000 to 20,000 fighters are estimated by activists to have been under his command. The fighting began when a group of men in the Idlib village of Bara defected from a faction loyal to Maarouf and joined Ahrar al-Sham, an ultraconservative Islamist force. Maarouf first sent his nephew to Bara to retrieve the men’s weapons but that mission failed. Then Maarouf ordered his fighters to surround and shell Bara, according to local journalist Muayad Zurayk, activists Mohammed al-Sayid and Alaa al-Deen, and another two activists from nearby Aleppo province. Ahrar al-Sham asked the Nusra Front for help, and the conflict quickly spread. Other Islamist factions, Jund al-Aqsa and Suqour al-Sham, took Nusra’s side. The Hazm Movement got involved when its fighters at a checkpoint halted Nusra militants trying to reach the battle. The Nusra fighters chased the Hazm men back to their stronghold, the nearby town of Khan Sunbul, which the extremists then overran. At least 65 Hazm fighters defected to the al-Qaida branch, the activists and a high-level Syrian opposition official based in Istanbul told AP. Within days, Maarouf’s men and Hazm fighters were routed from most of the province, most fleeing into neighboring Aleppo. Around seven other allied factions melted away, according to three activists. The activists identified the groups as Western-backed because they possess TOW anti-tank missiles, which they said only U.S.-supported groups have. Washington announced this summer that it intends to arm Syrian moderates to fight the Islamic State group, but it is awaiting congressional approval. The U.S. has only acknowledged giving non-lethal aid to rebels, but the CIA has said it is running a training program in Jordan, and officials have said third parties have provided U.S.-made weapons to factions vetted by Washington. “There was hope that they might prove to be an effective force in the crackdown on the al-Qaida presence in Syria – but that has been dashed,” said Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert on rebel groups. “They are not strong enough.” Western-backed groups are also being eroded in other ways. There has been a series of mysterious slayings targeting powerful rebel leaders fighting the Islamic State group. The extremist group – and to a lesser extent the Nusra Front – are likely behind most of the killings, but Assad’s government has also increased pressure on moderate rebels since the start of the U.S.-led air campaign, said Torbjorn Soltvedt, Mideast analyst at risk advisory firm Maplecroft. Among the recent apparent targeted killings: A suicide attack killed more than two dozen officials from the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham group, including its leader Hassan Aboud, while they were holding a meeting in Idlib province. A government airstrike on the northern town of Deir Sunbul, believed to be targeting Maarouf, killed his daughter. A car bombing in a Damascus suburb wounded Ahmad Taha, the leader of the Umma Army, and killed his son and nephew. A shooting in another Damascus suburb killed the commander of Fatah al-Sham, Fahd Mahmoud al-Kurdi. A bombing in Aleppo killed Omar Moussa, a Hazm Movement commander. On Oct. 23, a gunman shot dead Ayman Abdul-Rahman, commander of the Liwa Tawheed group, inside an Internet cafe in the northern town of Hreitan, then walked out to a waiting getaway car, said Ibrahim Saeed, an Aleppo activist. Abdul-Rahman was one of the first commanders in the rebel Free Syrian Army to fight against the Islamic State group. Now many rebel commanders are laying low, Saeed said. “We don’t know where they live or where they go or where they sleep.” |
by Helen Reilly, public relations coordinator, The Healing Cycle Foundation Wendy’s forty-second birthday fell on a bright, warm Monday. That afternoon, Wendy Almeida took her last breath, succumbing to her two year battle with cancer. She felt secure and loved. Friends and family gathered to celebrate with her only a day earlier. Later that week, friends and family gathered once again in Wendy’s honour – this time, for a very different reason. There is little we can be grateful for when a loved one succumbs to disease. Still, when he or she finds relief from pain in a comfortable environment so that precious time can be spent with family and friends, there are blessings to be counted. That is, essentially, what hospice palliative care provides. Palliative care ensures patients with life-limiting illnesses, receive the care that considers a range of needs including physical, spiritual, psycho-social and practical. Palliative care is dedicated to valuing quality of life while supporting families as well. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough palliative care beds available to support the number of families requiring the specialized level of care. In fact, only three in 10 patients in Ontario will get access to a palliative care bed when they need one. The Healing Cycle Foundation, through an annual bike ride and year-round information campaign, strives to increase awareness and raise the much needed funds to support palliative care initiatives in Ontario. The foundation recently surpassed its goal to raise $1 million for palliative care at The Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga and has now broadened its scope to also support hospices throughout Ontario. Through a grant process, hospices are invited to apply for funding from The HealingCycle Foundation to support expenses related to practical needs as well as programs. The Carpenter Hospice, affectionately referred to as ‘the most special home in Burlington’ receives government funding for nurses and personal care workers only. All other operational costs rely on the $1.3 million raised by the hospice annually to support programs, food, and maintenance of the hospice itself. Wendy chose to spend the final months of her life at the Carpenter Hospice. The 10 bed hospice is a 7,500 square foot bungalow nestled into a residential neighbourhood, located on the back portion of St. Steven’s Church property. The residential care area is in a spacious, beautifully-decorated corridor, backing onto a forest and surrounded by gardens lovingly maintained by volunteers. It is a special place that embraces the needs of patients and their families by tending to medical necessities while supporting the spiritual, social and practical needs of patients and families. Lesley Hirst, RN, Advanced Practical Nurse and Executive Director at the Carpenter Hospice, describes a peaceful and collaborative atmosphere where specialists, caregivers and volunteers collaborate to encourage patients and families to be partners in their care. “Our role is to give some sense of control and comfort back to the family, while managing symptoms and needs” she says. The hospice offers patients comfort and support including bereavement groups to support families before and after a loved one passes. As well, the Carpenter Hospice is proud to offer other valuable programs such as music therapy. Adrienne Pringle, Music Therapist helps patients and families access the emotions and words they may not otherwise find. “We value music therapy as a part of the support system at the Carpenter Hospice and we hope to expand the program if we can secure the funds to do so,” says Lesley. “Wendy really had a connection with Adrienne through music – her music gave Wendy a sense of peace,” Betty adds. The Carpenter Hospice also hosts treatments such as massage, offered through a partnership with Trillium College. These programs made a significant difference for Wendy. Betty, who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer, says. “The Carpenter Hospice gave us peace of mind,offering wonderful care for Wendy. When we left each night, we knew she was surrounded by wonderful, compassionate caregivers,” she adds. The essence of palliative care is to embrace the entire family. “They went out of their way to make things as close to home as possible for Wendy and especially for her two children,” says Betty. The whole family enjoyed BBQ parties and other special events in the home-like, comfortable setting making the days as normal as they could be under the circumstances. The day before she passed away, Wendy’s family celebrated in her room since she wasn’t well enough to partake of festivities in the formal dining room. “The staff and volunteers made it possible for our family to celebrate each special occasion as we would have done at home.” says Betty. When her son Grant was turning 10, the staff and volunteers at the Carpenter Hospice helped Wendy’s family host a family party with cake and ice cream, balloons and snow cones (made from a staff member’s personal snow cone machine brought in from home). “Being able to interact with her children in day to day family activities at the hospice was very reassuring to Wendy. Since the hospice setting is essentially a home,the children were comfortable and able to carry on with activities with Wendy as they would have done at home. The Carpenter Hospice in Burlington is invited, along with hospices throughout Ontario to participate in The Healing Cycle Foundation’s annual bike ride in June 2012 to raise funds for their own individual hospice. As well, hospices are invited to apply for financial grants through the foundation. For more information about palliative care, the annual bike ride and to learn how your hospice can benefit from a grant, please contact Heather Campbell, executive director, The Healing Cycle Foundation at 905-820-6081 or visit www.thehealingcycle.ca. Live. Love. Ride. Advertisements |
Demonstration of reconnaissance and fire system featuring Orlan-10 UAV used in Donbas. On September 2, 2016, the blogger nicknamed colonelcassad published on his LiveJournal page the presentation of the Special Technological Center of the Mikhailovskaya Artillery Academy “On setting up reconnaissance and fire system subunits featuring Orlan-10 UAV for mission-critical tasks”. For the original presentation of 44 slides, please follow this link: http://ppt-online.org/52115. As per the author’s comment, it is the demonstration of the reconnaissance and fire system (RFS) subunits featuring Orlan-10 UAV in Donbas. This presentation discusses benefits of the RFS subunit incorporated in an artillery battalion of 2S1 Gvozdika 122mm self-propelled howitzers, consisting of three batteries. The RFS is supposed to consist of four artillery pieces and an aerial reconnaissance system (ARS) equipped with Orlan-10 drones. The presentation contains live examples of pairing the drones and cannon artillery in combat. Some of the photos came from Donbas. This matter has already received some profile in forums and on social networks. For example, according to the bloggers, some slides subtitled “the results of hitting the target” are identical to the photos on the group titled Russian Industry with the comment “April 2016. Maryinka. Destroyed armored vehicles of Ukrainian Army’s 79th Airmobile Brigade, 6 MT-LB and BTR-70”, that have been posted on VK social network on May 2, 2016. The informative part of the RFS presentation with location screenshots, plotted targeted areas and detailed description of the shelling results is of the greatest interest. This information shall be subject to further in-depth analysis by the competent authorities of Ukraine and eventually foreign experts. The concluding part of this review is also of some relevance, providing discussion of the “actual combat performance” and the “results of the live experiment”. The conclusions stress the benefits of setting up of the RFS’s, equipped with Orlan-10 drones, and of variable-composition artillery units as part of Russian Rocket Troops and Artillery (RTA) formations, directly subordinated to the artillery commanders of combined arms formations and military units. There are also a few details about the original file (the primary source) that are worth noting. The file was created by somebody called Aleksandr. The presentation had 21 iterations, its creation date is May 31, 2016, last saved date is June 7, 2016. The OSINT-group of InformNapalm community has decided to publish the information related to this presentation on forthwith, as in all likelihood it will soon disappear from public domain. We hope that Ukrainian competent authorities will have a keen interest in this issue, will carry out a thorough professional analysis of the presentation content and publish their findings. Note: Following the consultations with Serg Marco who conducted an additional express analysis of the presentation, we came up with several relevant reservations. There is a number of discrepancies, for example – there is no evidence provided of the destruction of the OTR-21 Tochka-U missile system and its radar, which could not have been present at the forefront. The casualty count of 90 persons as a result of 27 artillery strikes during that period looks blown out of proportion. Apparently, they also exaggerated the information about the destruction of MT-LB’s belonging to the 79th Brigade mortar unit in Mariinka, where losses were caused by the explosion of unloaded ammunition. Interestingly, the publicity of the “Orlan UCAV” appeared right after the demonstration of the Ukrainian combat drones. It’s worth reminding that nformNapalm has repeatedly documented Russian UAV’s as well as artillery units in Donbas. One of the most vivid examples is the publication dated May 8, 2015 Drone Company’ of Russian 19th Motorized Rifle Brigade. A story of their Ukrainian ‘trip with the identification of the Russian servicemen, as well as with a series of photos of the personnel and assets of this unit, both from Russia and the occupied Donbas territory. Other publications of a series detecting the Orlan-10 drones in Donbas are available under this tag. This publication was compiled based on the OSINT-investigation of the InformNapalm international community. Translated by MC Joy Edited by Artem Velichko (CC BY) Information specially prepared for InformNapalm.org site, an active link to the authors and our project is obligatory for any reprint or further use of the material. We urge readers to actively share our publications on social networks. Submission of materials investigations into the public domain is able to turn the tide of battle information and confrontation. |
Gov. Nathan Deal said allegations that the head of Georgia’s ethics commission improperly intervened into an investigation involving an ethics complaint against him were “totally unsubstantiated and primarily false.” He lashed out at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for reporting complaints by current and former commission employees who said Holly LaBerge ordered documents removed from the official state investigative file on Deal and met with top Deal aides while the probe was ongoing. “I am so regretful of the decline that I have seen in the reporting by the AJC,” he said. “If they continue that downward spiral as it relates to every issue of major importance they pretty well are going to descend to the level where they can’t even claim to be a fish wrapper.” AJC Managing Editor Bert Roughton pushed back on that assertion. “We stand by our story,” Roughton said. “And we are disappointed that the governor failed to use this as an opportunity to address the very important issues raised by our reporting.” LaBerge declined comment but Deal’s attorney, Randy Evans, said the five-member ethics commission and not LaBerge had the final say over the ethics complaints against Deal. He didn’t dispute claims that Deal’s staff had recruited her and added that meetings with Deal’s camp involved trying to hash out a settlement on the ethics charges. Senate Minority Leader Steve Henson on Thursday called for a GBI and FBI investigation into the report, saying that “ethics enforcement in Georgia should not be biased and controlled by the very people it’s investigating.” Read the full story on MyAJC.com |
Warthunder for newbs 5 PHClostermann Dec 7th, 2012 35,599 Never 35,599Never Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up , it unlocks many cool features! rawdownloadcloneembedreportprintdiff text 23.83 KB BASIC RULES AND GUIDES FOR NEW PlAYERS IN WAR THUNDER. http://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/forum/161-flight-academy/ Visit this if you have not already. 1. Go through the basic tutorials, these will each you the basics. You will receive some Golden eagles, Save these for latter. 2. Pick a nation/country to use. The different nations have different starting planes. It took me about a day of playing to hit rank 3 which unlocked a few good planes I could use, so hang in there for a few hours at least until you unlock some real planes, Try to reach at least level 3 in each nation to find the one to your liking. 3. Unlock additional crews, you won't have any use for lions so unlock the extra crews and use all the lions you get. This means you will have more choice in game for arcade, can last longer if you get killed often and is always a good idea. 10,000 for your first extra crew slot, 50,000 for the second. The 6,7,8 and 9th crew slots cost gold. 4. To battle! Arcade battle (AB) - This is the basic starting off point for non flight-sim nerds. Your mouse will basically fly the plane, left click to fire. Each map has different objectives, but you can kill some ground troops with your starting shitty bi planes and maybe an enemy plane. NOTE: ARCADE MODE IS ONE OF MANY, AND THE MOUSE IS AMAZING IN IT, but there are other modes and plans for more flight-sim type modes. Other Game modes include Historical battles (HB) (realistic flight properties) and Full real battles (FRB) these are literally cockpit only, spot everything by yourself, engine controls, pitch controls, trim you name it, War game simulator. 5. Ground enemies are great ways to get experience to rank up for better planes, just strafe or bomb them. Also landing on a friendly airfield gives EXP. So in addition to dogfighting in your shitty starting planes, make sure to shoot ground Targets, land when damaged, and earn as much XP as possible. Remember, XP gain is based on performance mainly. Switch to RU or 'any server available" it up the top when you press battle (ping doesn't matter in magic game) Please note that all descriptions are 'guidelines' as a whole; Each nation has exceptions to the rule; And each plane may be used how-ever you so desire. You might have started with 40 golden eagles; Just these for EXP Conversion.(not sure when the time bracket was for this, or if it still going) If you completed all the tutorials as of patch; 1.25 completing the first 3 tutorials that pop-up net 70 gold each, for a total of 210 gold. DO these tutorials as this gold can be used for exp conversion of crew training or buying another crew slot. Basic guide to aircraft types and nations here *note WIP and very messy and old. best just to ask in the thread for more detailed info at the moment* http://pastebin.com/cN3Gf2gc Gun Convergence: http://s10.postimage.org/uu5vhnq49/1358791416796.png if you set your convergence to 400m, your guns fire on that point. Refer to image. Vertical targeting sets the 'angle' the guns air up to lob the shells to match your convergence. So if you have convergence at 400m, your bullets lob to hit that location perfectly, no need to aim above a target if you are behind them. useless as you learn the angles to fire by playing. AMMUNITION TYPES: B = Ball I = Incendiary T = Tracer IT = Incendiary Tracer AP = Armour Piercing HE = High Explosive API = Armour Piercing Incendiary APT = Armour Piercing Tracer HEI = High Explosive Incendiary HET = High Explosive Tracer APIT = Armour Piercing Incendiary Tracer APRC = Armor Piercing Reduced Caliber APCR = Armor Piercing Composite Rigid HEIT = High Explosive Incendiary Tracer SAPI = Semi Armour Piercing Incendiary APIHC = Armour Piercing Incendiary Hollow Core P = Practice PT = Practice Tracer General rule: A tracer takes up some room in a standard round, meaning it will be ever so slightly less effective then the non tracer version. Ap rounds deal damage best when hitting The 'skeleton' of the plane, HE when hitting the skin or controls surfaces- Pilots and fuel, Incendiary does best hitting fuel, Practice/Ball does best hitting sensitive things like hydraulic controls or control surfaces. France: 7.5mm MAC 1934(1450RPM) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-AP-HEI * IT Bullets: IT-IT-IT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-I Italy: 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT(700RPM Slowed by prop sync) * Omni-purpose: AP-APIT-HE-HE-I * Air Targets: APIT-HE-I * Tracer Shells: APIT-IT-APIT-IT * Stealth Attack: API-API-HEI-HEI Germany: 7.92mm MG17(1200RPM) * Omni-purpose: APT-AP-HE-API * APT Bullets: APT-APT-APT-APT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-AP-HE 13mm MG131(900RPM) * Omni-purpose: APT-APT-IT-IT-HEIT * APT Bullets: APT-APT-APT * HEIT Bullets: HEIT-HEIT-HEIT 20mm MGFF(520RPM) * Omni-purpose: IT-HEIT-HEIT-API * Air Targets: HEIT-HEIT-API-API-IT * Tracer Shells: IT-HEIT-IT-HEIT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-API 20mm MG131(750RPM) * Omni-purpose: IT-HE-HE-API * Air Targets: IT-HE-HE-HE-API * Armoured Targets: AP-AP-AP-IT * Tracer Shells: IT-HEIT-IT-HEIT * Stealth Attack: HE-HE-HE-AP-API 30mm MK108(660RPM) * Night Fighters: HET-HET-HET-I * Stealth Attack: HE-HE-HE-I 30mm MK103(440RPM) * Anti-Tank: APCR-APRC-APRC * Air Targets: HE-HE-HE-API * Stealth Attack: API-API-API 37mm BK37(780RPM) * Anti Tank: APCR-APCR-APCR 50mm BK5(45RPM) * Anti Tank: APCR-APCR-APCR * Air Targets: HET-HET-HET Britain: 7.7mm Vickers K(800-1200RPM) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-AP-HEI * IT Bullets: IT-IT-IT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-I 20mm Hispano Mk II/V(600-750RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEI-SAPI-AP-T * Ground Targets: AP-AP-AP-HEI-T * Stealth Attack: HEI-HEI-SAPI-AP Soviet: 7.62mm PV-1(600RPM)/ShKAS(1800) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-HE-APIT * APIT Bullets: APIT-APIT-APIT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-AP-HE 12.7mm Berezin UB(800-1050RPM) * Omni-purpose: API-APIT-HEI-HEI * Air Targets: T-APIT-APIT-HEI * Ground Targets: T-APIT-APIT-HEI-APIHC * APIT Bullets: APIT-APIT-APIT * Stealth Attack: API-API-HEI 20mm ShVAK (700-800RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEIT-HE-HE-APIT * Ground Targets: HEI-HE-HE-APIT * Armoured Targets: APIT-API-API-HEIT * Stealth Attack: API-HE-HE-HEI 23mm VYa-23(550-650RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEI-HEIT-API * Armoured Targets: API-API-API-HEIT 23mm NS-23 (550-650RPM) * Armoured Targets: HEIT-API-API-API * Air Targets: HEIT-HEIT-HEIT-API * Stealth Attack: API-API-API 37mm N37(400RPM)/NS-37(240-260RPM) Air Targets: HEIT-HEIT-HEIT Armoured Targets: APT-APT-APT America: 7.62mm .30 AN/M2(1350RPM) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-I * APT Bullets: AP-T-T-T * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-AP-I 12.7mm .50 AN/M2(750-850RPM) * Omni-purpose: API-AP-T-HEI-HEI * Air Targets: T-AP-AP-AP-AP-HEI * Tracer Shells: T-T-T-T * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-API-HEI-HEI 20mm Hispano M2(600-750RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEIT-HE-HE-APIT * Ground Targets: HEI-HE-HE-APIT * Stealth Attack: API-HE-HE-HEI 37mm M4(140RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEIT-HEIT-APT * Ground Targets: HEIT-APT-HEIT-APT Japan: 7.7mm Type97(500RPM) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-HE-I * Tracer Shells: AP-T-T-T 12.7mm Ho-103(900RPM Slowed by prop sync) * Omni-purpose: AP-APIT-HE-HE-I * Air Targets: APIT-HE-I * Tracer Shells: APIT-IT-APIT-IT * Stealth Attack: API-API-HEI-HEI 20mm Type99Mk1(520RPM) * Omni-purpose: HET-HE-AP * Ground Targets: AP-AP-HE-API-HET * Tracer Shells: HET-HET-HET * Stealth Attack: HEI-HEI-HE-AP-AP 20mm Type99Mk2(480RPM) * Omni-purpose: HET-HE-API * Ground Targets: AP-API-HE-API-HET * Tracer Shells: HET-HET-HET * Stealth Attack: HEI-HEI-HE-API-API 30mm Type5(500RPM) * Omni-purpose: HE-HEI-HET * Ground Targets: PT-HET * Tracer Shells: HET-HET-HET * Stealth Attack: HE-HE-HE-P Nations; British Tend Fighters focus on dogfighting in general, with some planes be capable hybrid fighters. THe british bombers are large, rather moderatorly defended can take a few hits every now and then but carry large payloads to compensate. Their aircraft are moderately fast; averagely sized and have lots of firepower later one, early British fighters often start out with multiple MG's then transition to MG+cannon then stick with the cannons. overview; Hurricane line are good fighters and competent fighter bombers as msot can get rockets/bombs. Spits are good dog-fighters and the later models can get some bombs. The bombers are all good at bombing, but can be shot down quickly; Either get high or play sneaky like If you enter a combat keep moving or man the guns; 7.7's can kill stuff easy if you hit the engines or cockpit. Mosquito and Beaufighters are great bomber hunters and very good at the ground attack role. Meteors are one of the few jets that can dogfight very well, but are large targets in the sky. Highlights: Spitfire Mk.I Spitfire Mk.IX Hurricane Mk.II Beaufighter Mk.Vc Typhoon Mk.Ib Speed; 4/5 Armour; 2/5 Damage; 3.5/5 Turn; 3/5 Americans Fighters tend tofocus on fast hit and run style "Energy fighters" they don't turn all that well on average but have a lot of firepower and normally have under-slung bombs for killing ground targets, a few exceptions can turn fight rather well however. Their bombers are solid, hard to kill and are very well defended. overview; Land based fighters are fast, Well armed but are not the best turn-fighters, The land bassed bombers are all big, well defended and carry good payloads, the Navy fighters are not so fast, tough and can turn quite well, Navy based bombers are slow, Moderately defended and carry average payloads but have the advantage of being able to land on carriers/water. Highlights: P-47D B-17G P-40 F2F F4U-1c Speed; 4/5 Armour; 2.5/5 damage 4/5 Turn 2/5 Germans focus on energy fighting, They have a large variety of play-styles and are good for an learner to fiddle around with but are very frustrating to get through the early levels as first few planes up to level 6 are not very newbie friendly. German bombers carry a good variety of payloads but are slow (exception are the S.79's they go faster then some fighters) and are rather week and are not all the well defended. overview; Italian fighters are not so fast, poorly armed but can fill a myriad of roles, The Bf-109 line is large and has many great aircraft all bar the bi-plane and he 112 are energy fighters, The Fw-190 are just 'heavier' 109's, People often find they prefer one or the other. The heavy fighter line is fairly large, a few can carry good bombs and they hit rather hard, Problem is a large target is easy to hit- just keep your speed up and you should be fine. The Ground attack stuka line is more for fun then anything, they are slow, but carry good bombs- they can be good aircraft in the right hands though. German bombers are a bit painful to grind out the pylons, but are moderate afterwards, the Ju-88 is pretty good. Highlights; Bf.109F-4 Fw 190 D-12 Bf-109G-6 Mc.202 S.79 Speed; 3/5 Armour; 4.5/5 damage 3.5/5 Turn 2.5/5 Russians are Good dogfighters and they can all dive very well, have great firepower but suffer from very low ammunition reserves. The bombers carry great payloads, are fast and are moderately defended. The ground attack planes Russia gets are varied and many, some are past some are slow- but all have sub standard defenses but great payloads and often many rockets. Overview; yaks are all good dogfighters and are cheap to run, but can chew through bullets so quick it's not funny. The early fighters in the 'MiG' line are fast, very agile and have fast firing guns- only problem is you need to hit something a lot of times to see any 'real' damage, the Lagg-3 is rather 'heavy' in the air but a good dog fighter and can carry some nice rockets. The La-5/7 are great dogfighters, they can climb well, Dive well and hold speed moderately, You 'can' energy fight if you like, but your wings tear off at fairly low speeds compared to German energy fighters. Su-2/IL-2's are all great attack planes, but are slow and don't climb all that well- but turn rather quickly despite this. The early bombers are fast and carry good payloads, the Late bombers are slower but carry huge amounts of bombs, but suffer from constant elevator damage- Just be wary of pylon upgrades. Pe-3 are heavy fighters and can carry some bombs/rockets, quite agile and fast but very from low ammo, pe-2 are good, fast bombers but carry small payloads. Highlights: Yak-9t SB 2M IL-2M Yer-2 la-5 Speed; 3/5 Armour; 2.5/5 damage 4/5 Turn 3/5 Japanese Fighters are extremely good dogfighters, They turn very well, climb fast and hit moderately, Just be careful being hit back as you are soft as paper. Japanese fighters are split into land and sea based, Land based can energy fight if need be, but sea based are better dogfighters. Japanese bombers are Fast, well defended but suffer from small payloads, Be careful with the H6K4, it is tough- but large so anything with cannons will make short work of you. Japanese planes are very expensive to use however. overview; zeros are quite often called the best dogfighters in the game for their tier, just be careful with cannon ammo, and being hit. The N1K fighters are rather well gunned, but do not perform as well as zeros but cna carry bombs/rockets. Ki-43 is an amazingly nimble aircraft but has 'small' firepower- great for it's tier however. Ki-61's are very efficient planes, fast, can dive well and have good guns but are costly planes to run, and don't turn as well at very slow speeds. Jap bombers are fast, and should be kept high to avoid prying eyes as you are easy to shoot down, D3A1 is a good dive bomber however. Again- japs are expensive for what they are so be careful with running costs. Highlights: Ki-43-II H6K4 A6M3 A6M5 Ki-61-Ic Speed; 4.5/5 Armour; 1/5 damage 2.5/5 Turn 4.5/5 *please note that all "scores" are self rated and are based on personal opinion. CREWS CREW EXP POINTS ARE GENERATED AT AROUND 2.5 POINTS PER 1000 EXP GAINED IN AN AIRCRAFT; DO WELL, GET MORE POINTS. 2.5;1000 REMEMBER THAT Say you earn 10,000 exp in one match- that right their is 25 crew points. When applying Crew points there are two ways of 'spending' them, #1 is to simply press the [+] button to the right of the level progress bar, #2 is to click a location along said level progress bar- the progress indicator will 'jump' as close as possible to the location you clicked, So rather then click the [+] button 100 times to bring G-force training from 0 to 100 you can click near the end of the progress bar and if you have enough crew points it will jump to 100. Quick overview of the skills Pilots skills. Keen vision: the chance of you seeing stuff. Visibility: The range you can see stuff. G-force training: This affects your ability to withstand G-force, this makes black-outs and red outs less common and in historical this is VERY important; that black edged screen is crippling in a dogfight. It also affects accuracy in Mouse control. Stamina: Take a guess. Vitality: This is a given. Gunners: THESE SKILLS ARE ONLY USEFUL FOR THINGS WITH TURRETS; NOTHING ELSE! Number of gunners: if this number does not match the number of turrets on the plane you will suffer penalties to the gunner skills. (It will tell you at the top how many you need for the plane.) Fire accuracy: The chance of those vodka drinking fools manning your hitting anything with that twin 50.cal Fire precision: the chance that the guys manning the guns actually hurt the enemy plane. G-force: This keeps your little gunner buddies shooting in high-g turns and accurate in those turns. Stamina: Take a guess- again. Vitality: This is a given. GROUND CREW; EVERYONE USES THESE! Repair speed; the time it take to repair your plane in the hanger and on the airfield in-game gets reduced the higher this number is. This reduces the overall time of the repair of the aircraft in the hanger by 1% per level; you can disable automatic repair by clicking on an aircraft in the hanger; and down the bottom left their is a wrench to click: turning of auto-repair. Repair rank: You need this number to match the level of the aircraft to have it get repaired faster in the hanger. Reload spee:; Reload them bombs/Rockets/mg's/cannons/torpedoes- everything, faster; In arcade this helps greatly has you reload in the air. In historical this helps you get back into the air after you land. Healing speed: the time it takes to fix and injures to the gunner or pilot when you land. CREW EXPERTISE: this represents your crews level advancement: get the number you need for that plane: ie. 150 crew level for a LAgg-3 and then pay the lion the cost for expert ( this could be 20,000 lions) and 6 skill: Keen Vision, Visibility, Fire accuracy, Fire precision, Repair speed and reload speed will all receive +30 (this means if the current level of the reload speed is 10, it will receive +30 to the current amount- 10+30= 40 effective.) THIS MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE; IF YOU LOVE A PLANE- BUY THE EXPERT LEVELS! If you love it lots Shell out some cash and use some Golden eagles to bring the level to ACE, adding +50 to those 6 skills. For pilot training it goes as such. *note these are my recommendations and not a strict guide-line. Level as you feel what helps you most for your play-style in that aircraft. You may either dedicate a crew slot to a fighter, bomber or just play mix and match as crews remember how to fly a plane they were trained to previously. FIGHTERS! Train in the order they appear to about 15, then fill out as desired. G-FORCE TRAINING RELOAD KEEN VISION VISIBILITY VITALITY now bring everything else up to the point where it costs 3 points to level, now go back to those first 5. BOMBERS! Train in the order they appear to about 15, then fill out as desired. NUMBER OF GUNNERS SHOULD MATCH AIRCRAFT! RELOAD! GUNNER ACCURACY GUNNER PRECISION GUNNER VITALITY GUNNER G-FORCE REPAIR SPEED G-FORCE- PILOT now bring everything else to the point where it costs 3 points to level, now go back to those first 8. GROUND ATTACK AIRCRAFT Train in the order they appear to about 15, then fill out as desired. G-FORCE RELOAD GUNNER ACCURACY GUNNER G-FORCE REPAIR SPEED PILOT VITALITY now bring everything else to the point where it costs 3 points to level, now go back to those first 6. Remember- Chasing a bomber in your bi-plane is not always the best idea. Pick your targets well, use terrain intelligently. Capture airfields, This gives are large amount of EXP and lions. Never go into a fight alone, always try to be with friends or engage solo targets if you feel like being a bad-ass (Disclaimer- I am note responsible for all deaths caused by bad-assery.) Keep an eye on the Mini-map as it gives you a good idea what what is going on, where you should be, and what you can do to win. Choose what plane you like the best. Be warned! Planes have an 'exp bar' When that fills up the Exp bonus on that aircraft is gone (meaning you will earn 20% exp, if a tank gave you 100 before the bar was full it will now give 20 exp) but the money bonus stays. So you can play all the aircraft and level fast, or play a select few, have fun and advance slowly. Note that this effects premium aircraft currently as-well. TYPES OF COMBAT/ BOMBING! DOGFIGHTING! This is the most basic form of A2A combat; I recommend a Spitfire, ki-43 or F2A for thi,; they are nice and cheap planes to learn this. Dog-fighting is essentially; getting behind the enemy- blasting his ass and staying behind him no matter what he does. Learn to watch his movements and match them, And keep and eye on that lead indicator, Eventually you will be going 9-0 no time. Basic combat maneuvers listed here; http://en.wikipedia....bat_manoeuvring ENERGY/HIT AND RUN/ BOOM'N'ZOOM! This is a little harder, Good planes to use for this are Bf 109's Fw 190s or beaufighters Get higher then the enemy, about 1-2km above him, match his flight path and dive. Get all the speed you can and attempt to predict his movements, when you are in firing range let of a few shots then climb away to safety and repeat. Guide here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhYaRX8plzU BOMBING! High alt Bombing, set your plane in a stead climb and get fairly high up. Take a safe path to the ground targets and either use the bomb sight (F7) or the free camera to drop you bombs near the target. Remember to lead the targets as bombs take time to fall. Just make sure to watch your altitude and that no-one has come up to get you. DIVE BOMBING! Climb to a relatively safe altitude and locate a target, take a safe aproach towards it, when you are very close to it (about 1.4km away) get into a steep dive (60 degrees or higher) and in arcade a bomb sight will appear, In Historical you have to do this by 'eye' (it takes practice to learn when to drop- the cross-hair is generally accurate in HB at 350m) , drop your bombs around 300m away from the target and pull up, fly away and get to a safe height again. SKIP BOMBING! The hardest bombing their is- This is setting a detonation delay on your bomb and literally skipping the bomb along the surface of the water to hit a ship. It is very hard to do in this game and I recommend dive bombing as it is far easier. WHAT BOMBS FOR WHAT! Generally it is better to have 4 250kg/500lb bombs then 12 50 kg bombs, Depending on map; you'll have to find what works best for you. Note; 100 lb = 45kg(50), 250 lb= 113kg(100), 500 lb= 226kg(250), 1000lb= 453kg(500), 4000lb = 1,814kg TARGETS! All these can be killed with the following; --> pillbox A 100okg or 500kg bomb, Direct hit is needed. 3-7 Direct hits with 250KG bombs, other wise at least 2500kg of near hits. 8-20 rockets can kill a pillbox. --> Light Pillbox 250kg Bomb, Direct hit will take these out. 2-3 hits with 100kg, 5-6 with 50kg. Rockets work on these as well. 2-7 rockets will take out a light pillbox. --> carrier at least a 1500kg to the center deck, near the bridge. otherwise 2,000kg of hits anywhere else on the boat (if you set the bomb delay to 2 seconds you are more likely to kill it as the bomb penetrates the ship and explodes inside) Or 3 torpedoes. --> battleship at least a 1000kg to the center deck, near the bridge. otherwise 1,500kg of hits anywhere else on the boat (if you set the bomb delay to 1-2 seconds you are more likely to kill it as the bomb penetrates the ship and explodes inside) Or 2-3 torpedoes. 12-18 50mm cannon rounds from the Me.410 also works. --> destroyer at least a 250kg to the bridge, one 500kg, or two 250kgs will kill as well, One torpedo will also do the job. 4-10 rockets will take out a destroyer. --> light / medium tanks a 100kg will deal with these, you CAN kill these tanks with a 50kg bomb, But it must DIRECTLY hit the top of the tank. Rockets can kill this as well. 30mm+ cannons can kill tanks, about 2-5 hits on the rear, side or top Armour. --> heavy tanks at least a 100kg direct hit (you can kill them with two 50kg direct hits), 250kg recommended. Rockets require direct hits or very close near misses, --> AAA 10kg+ bombs, you can use guns to take these out. Rockets of any sort work on these. --> armored car 50kg bomb plus, again guns work too. Rockets of any sort work on these. --> AA truck 10kg bomb plus, again guns work too. Rockets of any sort work on these. --> Patrol Boat 50kg bomb plus, again guns work too. Rockets of any sort work on these. --> Cargo ship 3 100kg bombs, or at least 4 rockets. 30mm+ cannons work too. --> airfield REQUIRES EXACTLY 16,500 KG OF HIGH-EXPLOSIVES! They must at least be 250 LB/100kg. JAPANESE BOMB TYPES type 97 mod 6, 50kg bomb: HE for use on land targets type 98 mod 25, 250kg bomb: AP for use on land targets type 99 mod 25, 250kg bomb: AP for use on Naval targets Mod 25 mark 2, 250kg bomb, HE for use on land targets Mod 50 mark 2, 500kg bomb, HE for use on land targets Mod 80 Mark 1, 1000kg bomb, HE for use on land targets Type 99 mod 80, 1000kg bomb, AP for use on naval targets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_World_War_II_navy_bombs This is all I can think Of for now; anything else Will be tacked on as I go. RAW Paste Data BASIC RULES AND GUIDES FOR NEW PlAYERS IN WAR THUNDER. http://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/forum/161-flight-academy/ Visit this if you have not already. 1. Go through the basic tutorials, these will each you the basics. You will receive some Golden eagles, Save these for latter. 2. Pick a nation/country to use. The different nations have different starting planes. It took me about a day of playing to hit rank 3 which unlocked a few good planes I could use, so hang in there for a few hours at least until you unlock some real planes, Try to reach at least level 3 in each nation to find the one to your liking. 3. Unlock additional crews, you won't have any use for lions so unlock the extra crews and use all the lions you get. This means you will have more choice in game for arcade, can last longer if you get killed often and is always a good idea. 10,000 for your first extra crew slot, 50,000 for the second. The 6,7,8 and 9th crew slots cost gold. 4. To battle! Arcade battle (AB) - This is the basic starting off point for non flight-sim nerds. Your mouse will basically fly the plane, left click to fire. Each map has different objectives, but you can kill some ground troops with your starting shitty bi planes and maybe an enemy plane. NOTE: ARCADE MODE IS ONE OF MANY, AND THE MOUSE IS AMAZING IN IT, but there are other modes and plans for more flight-sim type modes. Other Game modes include Historical battles (HB) (realistic flight properties) and Full real battles (FRB) these are literally cockpit only, spot everything by yourself, engine controls, pitch controls, trim you name it, War game simulator. 5. Ground enemies are great ways to get experience to rank up for better planes, just strafe or bomb them. Also landing on a friendly airfield gives EXP. So in addition to dogfighting in your shitty starting planes, make sure to shoot ground Targets, land when damaged, and earn as much XP as possible. Remember, XP gain is based on performance mainly. Switch to RU or 'any server available" it up the top when you press battle (ping doesn't matter in magic game) Please note that all descriptions are 'guidelines' as a whole; Each nation has exceptions to the rule; And each plane may be used how-ever you so desire. You might have started with 40 golden eagles; Just these for EXP Conversion.(not sure when the time bracket was for this, or if it still going) If you completed all the tutorials as of patch; 1.25 completing the first 3 tutorials that pop-up net 70 gold each, for a total of 210 gold. DO these tutorials as this gold can be used for exp conversion of crew training or buying another crew slot. Basic guide to aircraft types and nations here *note WIP and very messy and old. best just to ask in the thread for more detailed info at the moment* http://pastebin.com/cN3Gf2gc Gun Convergence: http://s10.postimage.org/uu5vhnq49/1358791416796.png if you set your convergence to 400m, your guns fire on that point. Refer to image. Vertical targeting sets the 'angle' the guns air up to lob the shells to match your convergence. So if you have convergence at 400m, your bullets lob to hit that location perfectly, no need to aim above a target if you are behind them. useless as you learn the angles to fire by playing. AMMUNITION TYPES: B = Ball I = Incendiary T = Tracer IT = Incendiary Tracer AP = Armour Piercing HE = High Explosive API = Armour Piercing Incendiary APT = Armour Piercing Tracer HEI = High Explosive Incendiary HET = High Explosive Tracer APIT = Armour Piercing Incendiary Tracer APRC = Armor Piercing Reduced Caliber APCR = Armor Piercing Composite Rigid HEIT = High Explosive Incendiary Tracer SAPI = Semi Armour Piercing Incendiary APIHC = Armour Piercing Incendiary Hollow Core P = Practice PT = Practice Tracer General rule: A tracer takes up some room in a standard round, meaning it will be ever so slightly less effective then the non tracer version. Ap rounds deal damage best when hitting The 'skeleton' of the plane, HE when hitting the skin or controls surfaces- Pilots and fuel, Incendiary does best hitting fuel, Practice/Ball does best hitting sensitive things like hydraulic controls or control surfaces. France: 7.5mm MAC 1934(1450RPM) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-AP-HEI * IT Bullets: IT-IT-IT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-I Italy: 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT(700RPM Slowed by prop sync) * Omni-purpose: AP-APIT-HE-HE-I * Air Targets: APIT-HE-I * Tracer Shells: APIT-IT-APIT-IT * Stealth Attack: API-API-HEI-HEI Germany: 7.92mm MG17(1200RPM) * Omni-purpose: APT-AP-HE-API * APT Bullets: APT-APT-APT-APT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-AP-HE 13mm MG131(900RPM) * Omni-purpose: APT-APT-IT-IT-HEIT * APT Bullets: APT-APT-APT * HEIT Bullets: HEIT-HEIT-HEIT 20mm MGFF(520RPM) * Omni-purpose: IT-HEIT-HEIT-API * Air Targets: HEIT-HEIT-API-API-IT * Tracer Shells: IT-HEIT-IT-HEIT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-API 20mm MG131(750RPM) * Omni-purpose: IT-HE-HE-API * Air Targets: IT-HE-HE-HE-API * Armoured Targets: AP-AP-AP-IT * Tracer Shells: IT-HEIT-IT-HEIT * Stealth Attack: HE-HE-HE-AP-API 30mm MK108(660RPM) * Night Fighters: HET-HET-HET-I * Stealth Attack: HE-HE-HE-I 30mm MK103(440RPM) * Anti-Tank: APCR-APRC-APRC * Air Targets: HE-HE-HE-API * Stealth Attack: API-API-API 37mm BK37(780RPM) * Anti Tank: APCR-APCR-APCR 50mm BK5(45RPM) * Anti Tank: APCR-APCR-APCR * Air Targets: HET-HET-HET Britain: 7.7mm Vickers K(800-1200RPM) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-AP-HEI * IT Bullets: IT-IT-IT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-I 20mm Hispano Mk II/V(600-750RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEI-SAPI-AP-T * Ground Targets: AP-AP-AP-HEI-T * Stealth Attack: HEI-HEI-SAPI-AP Soviet: 7.62mm PV-1(600RPM)/ShKAS(1800) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-HE-APIT * APIT Bullets: APIT-APIT-APIT * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-AP-HE 12.7mm Berezin UB(800-1050RPM) * Omni-purpose: API-APIT-HEI-HEI * Air Targets: T-APIT-APIT-HEI * Ground Targets: T-APIT-APIT-HEI-APIHC * APIT Bullets: APIT-APIT-APIT * Stealth Attack: API-API-HEI 20mm ShVAK (700-800RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEIT-HE-HE-APIT * Ground Targets: HEI-HE-HE-APIT * Armoured Targets: APIT-API-API-HEIT * Stealth Attack: API-HE-HE-HEI 23mm VYa-23(550-650RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEI-HEIT-API * Armoured Targets: API-API-API-HEIT 23mm NS-23 (550-650RPM) * Armoured Targets: HEIT-API-API-API * Air Targets: HEIT-HEIT-HEIT-API * Stealth Attack: API-API-API 37mm N37(400RPM)/NS-37(240-260RPM) Air Targets: HEIT-HEIT-HEIT Armoured Targets: APT-APT-APT America: 7.62mm .30 AN/M2(1350RPM) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-I * APT Bullets: AP-T-T-T * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-AP-I 12.7mm .50 AN/M2(750-850RPM) * Omni-purpose: API-AP-T-HEI-HEI * Air Targets: T-AP-AP-AP-AP-HEI * Tracer Shells: T-T-T-T * Stealth Attack: AP-AP-API-HEI-HEI 20mm Hispano M2(600-750RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEIT-HE-HE-APIT * Ground Targets: HEI-HE-HE-APIT * Stealth Attack: API-HE-HE-HEI 37mm M4(140RPM) * Omni-purpose: HEIT-HEIT-APT * Ground Targets: HEIT-APT-HEIT-APT Japan: 7.7mm Type97(500RPM) * Omni-purpose: T-AP-HE-I * Tracer Shells: AP-T-T-T 12.7mm Ho-103(900RPM Slowed by prop sync) * Omni-purpose: AP-APIT-HE-HE-I * Air Targets: APIT-HE-I * Tracer Shells: APIT-IT-APIT-IT * Stealth Attack: API-API-HEI-HEI 20mm Type99Mk1(520RPM) * Omni-purpose: HET-HE-AP * Ground Targets: AP-AP-HE-API-HET * Tracer Shells: HET-HET-HET * Stealth Attack: HEI-HEI-HE-AP-AP 20mm Type99Mk2(480RPM) * Omni-purpose: HET-HE-API * Ground Targets: AP-API-HE-API-HET * Tracer Shells: HET-HET-HET * Stealth Attack: HEI-HEI-HE-API-API 30mm Type5(500RPM) * Omni-purpose: HE-HEI-HET * Ground Targets: PT-HET * Tracer Shells: HET-HET-HET * Stealth Attack: HE-HE-HE-P Nations; British Tend Fighters focus on dogfighting in general, with some planes be capable hybrid fighters. THe british bombers are large, rather moderatorly defended can take a few hits every now and then but carry large payloads to compensate. Their aircraft are moderately fast; averagely sized and have lots of firepower later one, early British fighters often start out with multiple MG's then transition to MG+cannon then stick with the cannons. overview; Hurricane line are good fighters and competent fighter bombers as msot can get rockets/bombs. Spits are good dog-fighters and the later models can get some bombs. The bombers are all good at bombing, but can be shot down quickly; Either get high or play sneaky like If you enter a combat keep moving or man the guns; 7.7's can kill stuff easy if you hit the engines or cockpit. Mosquito and Beaufighters are great bomber hunters and very good at the ground attack role. Meteors are one of the few jets that can dogfight very well, but are large targets in the sky. Highlights: Spitfire Mk.I Spitfire Mk.IX Hurricane Mk.II Beaufighter Mk.Vc Typhoon Mk.Ib Speed; 4/5 Armour; 2/5 Damage; 3.5/5 Turn; 3/5 Americans Fighters tend tofocus on fast hit and run style "Energy fighters" they don't turn all that well on average but have a lot of firepower and normally have under-slung bombs for killing ground targets, a few exceptions can turn fight rather well however. Their bombers are solid, hard to kill and are very well defended. overview; Land based fighters are fast, Well armed but are not the best turn-fighters, The land bassed bombers are all big, well defended and carry good payloads, the Navy fighters are not so fast, tough and can turn quite well, Navy based bombers are slow, Moderately defended and carry average payloads but have the advantage of being able to land on carriers/water. Highlights: P-47D B-17G P-40 F2F F4U-1c Speed; 4/5 Armour; 2.5/5 damage 4/5 Turn 2/5 Germans focus on energy fighting, They have a large variety of play-styles and are good for an learner to fiddle around with but are very frustrating to get through the early levels as first few planes up to level 6 are not very newbie friendly. German bombers carry a good variety of payloads but are slow (exception are the S.79's they go faster then some fighters) and are rather week and are not all the well defended. overview; Italian fighters are not so fast, poorly armed but can fill a myriad of roles, The Bf-109 line is large and has many great aircraft all bar the bi-plane and he 112 are energy fighters, The Fw-190 are just 'heavier' 109's, People often find they prefer one or the other. The heavy fighter line is fairly large, a few can carry good bombs and they hit rather hard, Problem is a large target is easy to hit- just keep your speed up and you should be fine. The Ground attack stuka line is more for fun then anything, they are slow, but carry good bombs- they can be good aircraft in the right hands though. German bombers are a bit painful to grind out the pylons, but are moderate afterwards, the Ju-88 is pretty good. Highlights; Bf.109F-4 Fw 190 D-12 Bf-109G-6 Mc.202 S.79 Speed; 3/5 Armour; 4.5/5 damage 3.5/5 Turn 2.5/5 Russians are Good dogfighters and they can all dive very well, have great firepower but suffer from very low ammunition reserves. The bombers carry great payloads, are fast and are moderately defended. The ground attack planes Russia gets are varied and many, some are past some are slow- but all have sub standard defenses but great payloads and often many rockets. Overview; yaks are all good dogfighters and are cheap to run, but can chew through bullets so quick it's not funny. The early fighters in the 'MiG' line are fast, very agile and have fast firing guns- only problem is you need to hit something a lot of times to see any 'real' damage, the Lagg-3 is rather 'heavy' in the air but a good dog fighter and can carry some nice rockets. The La-5/7 are great dogfighters, they can climb well, Dive well and hold speed moderately, You 'can' energy fight if you like, but your wings tear off at fairly low speeds compared to German energy fighters. Su-2/IL-2's are all great attack planes, but are slow and don't climb all that well- but turn rather quickly despite this. The early bombers are fast and carry good payloads, the Late bombers are slower but carry huge amounts of bombs, but suffer from constant elevator damage- Just be wary of pylon upgrades. Pe-3 are heavy fighters and can carry some bombs/rockets, quite agile and fast but very from low ammo, pe-2 are good, fast bombers but carry small payloads. Highlights: Yak-9t SB 2M IL-2M Yer-2 la-5 Speed; 3/5 Armour; 2.5/5 damage 4/5 Turn 3/5 Japanese Fighters are extremely good dogfighters, They turn very well, climb fast and hit moderately, Just be careful being hit back as you are soft as paper. Japanese fighters are split into land and sea based, Land based can energy fight if need be, but sea based are better dogfighters. Japanese bombers are Fast, well defended but suffer from small payloads, Be careful with the H6K4, it is tough- but large so anything with cannons will make short work of you. Japanese planes are very expensive to use however. overview; zeros are quite often called the best dogfighters in the game for their tier, just be careful with cannon ammo, and being hit. The N1K fighters are rather well gunned, but do not perform as well as zeros but cna carry bombs/rockets. Ki-43 is an amazingly nimble aircraft but has 'small' firepower- great for it's tier however. Ki-61's are very efficient planes, fast, can dive well and have good guns but are costly planes to run, and don't turn as well at very slow speeds. Jap bombers are fast, and should be kept high to avoid prying eyes as you are easy to shoot down, D3A1 is a good dive bomber however. Again- japs are expensive for what they are so be careful with running costs. Highlights: Ki-43-II H6K4 A6M3 A6M5 Ki-61-Ic Speed; 4.5/5 Armour; 1/5 damage 2.5/5 Turn 4.5/5 *please note that all "scores" are self rated and are based on personal opinion. CREWS CREW EXP POINTS ARE GENERATED AT AROUND 2.5 POINTS PER 1000 EXP GAINED IN AN AIRCRAFT; DO WELL, GET MORE POINTS. 2.5;1000 REMEMBER THAT Say you earn 10,000 exp in one match- that right their is 25 crew points. When applying Crew points there are two ways of 'spending' them, #1 is to simply press the [+] button to the right of the level progress bar, #2 is to click a location along said level progress bar- the progress indicator will 'jump' as close as possible to the location you clicked, So rather then click the [+] button 100 times to bring G-force training from 0 to 100 you can click near the end of the progress bar and if you have enough crew points it will jump to 100. Quick overview of the skills Pilots skills. Keen vision: the chance of you seeing stuff. Visibility: The range you can see stuff. G-force training: This affects your ability to withstand G-force, this makes black-outs and red outs less common and in historical this is VERY important; that black edged screen is crippling in a dogfight. It also affects accuracy in Mouse control. Stamina: Take a guess. Vitality: This is a given. Gunners: THESE SKILLS ARE ONLY USEFUL FOR THINGS WITH TURRETS; NOTHING ELSE! Number of gunners: if this number does not match the number of turrets on the plane you will suffer penalties to the gunner skills. (It will tell you at the top how many you need for the plane.) Fire accuracy: The chance of those vodka drinking fools manning your hitting anything with that twin 50.cal Fire precision: the chance that the guys manning the guns actually hurt the enemy plane. G-force: This keeps your little gunner buddies shooting in high-g turns and accurate in those turns. Stamina: Take a guess- again. Vitality: This is a given. GROUND CREW; EVERYONE USES THESE! Repair speed; the time it take to repair your plane in the hanger and on the airfield in-game gets reduced the higher this number is. This reduces the overall time of the repair of the aircraft in the hanger by 1% per level; you can disable automatic repair by clicking on an aircraft in the hanger; and down the bottom left their is a wrench to click: turning of auto-repair. Repair rank: You need this number to match the level of the aircraft to have it get repaired faster in the hanger. Reload spee:; Reload them bombs/Rockets/mg's/cannons/torpedoes- everything, faster; In arcade this helps greatly has you reload in the air. In historical this helps you get back into the air after you land. Healing speed: the time it takes to fix and injures to the gunner or pilot when you land. CREW EXPERTISE: this represents your crews level advancement: get the number you need for that plane: ie. 150 crew level for a LAgg-3 and then pay the lion the cost for expert ( this could be 20,000 lions) and 6 skill: Keen Vision, Visibility, Fire accuracy, Fire precision, Repair speed and reload speed will all receive +30 (this means if the current level of the reload speed is 10, it will receive +30 to the current amount- 10+30= 40 effective.) THIS MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE; IF YOU LOVE A PLANE- BUY THE EXPERT LEVELS! If you love it lots Shell out some cash and use some Golden eagles to bring the level to ACE, adding +50 to those 6 skills. For pilot training it goes as such. *note these are my recommendations and not a strict guide-line. Level as you feel what helps you most for your play-style in that aircraft. You may either dedicate a crew slot to a fighter, bomber or just play mix and match as crews remember how to fly a plane they were trained to previously. FIGHTERS! Train in the order they appear to about 15, then fill out as desired. G-FORCE TRAINING RELOAD KEEN VISION VISIBILITY VITALITY now bring everything else up to the point where it costs 3 points to level, now go back to those first 5. BOMBERS! Train in the order they appear to about 15, then fill out as desired. NUMBER OF GUNNERS SHOULD MATCH AIRCRAFT! RELOAD! GUNNER ACCURACY GUNNER PRECISION GUNNER VITALITY GUNNER G-FORCE REPAIR SPEED G-FORCE- PILOT now bring everything else to the point where it costs 3 points to level, now go back to those first 8. GROUND ATTACK AIRCRAFT Train in the order they appear to about 15, then fill out as desired. G-FORCE RELOAD GUNNER ACCURACY GUNNER G-FORCE REPAIR SPEED PILOT VITALITY now bring everything else to the point where it costs 3 points to level, now go back to those first 6. Remember- Chasing a bomber in your bi-plane is not always the best idea. Pick your targets well, use terrain intelligently. Capture airfields, This gives are large amount of EXP and lions. Never go into a fight alone, always try to be with friends or engage solo targets if you feel like being a bad-ass (Disclaimer- I am note responsible for all deaths caused by bad-assery.) Keep an eye on the Mini-map as it gives you a good idea what what is going on, where you should be, and what you can do to win. Choose what plane you like the best. Be warned! Planes have an 'exp bar' When that fills up the Exp bonus on that aircraft is gone (meaning you will earn 20% exp, if a tank gave you 100 before the bar was full it will now give 20 exp) but the money bonus stays. So you can play all the aircraft and level fast, or play a select few, have fun and advance slowly. Note that this effects premium aircraft currently as-well. TYPES OF COMBAT/ BOMBING! DOGFIGHTING! This is the most basic form of A2A combat; I recommend a Spitfire, ki-43 or F2A for thi,; they are nice and cheap planes to learn this. Dog-fighting is essentially; getting behind the enemy- blasting his ass and staying behind him no matter what he does. Learn to watch his movements and match them, And keep and eye on that lead indicator, Eventually you will be going 9-0 no time. Basic combat maneuvers listed here; http://en.wikipedia....bat_manoeuvring ENERGY/HIT AND RUN/ BOOM'N'ZOOM! This is a little harder, Good planes to use for this are Bf 109's Fw 190s or beaufighters Get higher then the enemy, about 1-2km above him, match his flight path and dive. Get all the speed you can and attempt to predict his movements, when you are in firing range let of a few shots then climb away to safety and repeat. Guide here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhYaRX8plzU BOMBING! High alt Bombing, set your plane in a stead climb and get fairly high up. Take a safe path to the ground targets and either use the bomb sight (F7) or the free camera to drop you bombs near the target. Remember to lead the targets as bombs take time to fall. Just make sure to watch your altitude and that no-one has come up to get you. DIVE BOMBING! Climb to a relatively safe altitude and locate a target, take a safe aproach towards it, when you are very close to it (about 1.4km away) get into a steep dive (60 degrees or higher) and in arcade a bomb sight will appear, In Historical you have to do this by 'eye' (it takes practice to learn when to drop- the cross-hair is generally accurate in HB at 350m) , drop your bombs around 300m away from the target and pull up, fly away and get to a safe height again. SKIP BOMBING! The hardest bombing their is- This is setting a detonation delay on your bomb and literally skipping the bomb along the surface of the water to hit a ship. It is very hard to do in this game and I recommend dive bombing as it is far easier. WHAT BOMBS FOR WHAT! Generally it is better to have 4 250kg/500lb bombs then 12 50 kg bombs, Depending on map; you'll have to find what works best for you. Note; 100 lb = 45kg(50), 250 lb= 113kg(100), 500 lb= 226kg(250), 1000lb= 453kg(500), 4000lb = 1,814kg TARGETS! All these can be killed with the following; --> pillbox A 100okg or 500kg bomb, Direct hit is needed. 3-7 Direct hits with 250KG bombs, other wise at least 2500kg of near hits. 8-20 rockets can kill a pillbox. --> Light Pillbox 250kg Bomb, Direct hit will take these out. 2-3 hits with 100kg, 5-6 with 50kg. Rockets work on these as well. 2-7 rockets will take out a light pillbox. --> carrier at least a 1500kg to the center deck, near the bridge. otherwise 2,000kg of hits anywhere else on the boat (if you set the bomb delay to 2 seconds you are more likely to kill it as the bomb penetrates the ship and explodes inside) Or 3 torpedoes. --> battleship at least a 1000kg to the center deck, near the bridge. otherwise 1,500kg of hits anywhere else on the boat (if you set the bomb delay to 1-2 seconds you are more likely to kill it as the bomb penetrates the ship and explodes inside) Or 2-3 torpedoes. 12-18 50mm cannon rounds from the Me.410 also works. --> destroyer at least a 250kg to the bridge, one 500kg, or two 250kgs will kill as well, One torpedo will also do the job. 4-10 rockets will take out a destroyer. --> light / medium tanks a 100kg will deal with these, you CAN kill these tanks with a 50kg bomb, But it must DIRECTLY hit the top of the tank. Rockets can kill this as well. 30mm+ cannons can kill tanks, about 2-5 hits on the rear, side or top Armour. --> heavy tanks at least a 100kg direct hit (you can kill them with two 50kg direct hits), 250kg recommended. Rockets require direct hits or very close near misses, --> AAA 10kg+ bombs, you can use guns to take these out. Rockets of any sort work on these. --> armored car 50kg bomb plus, again guns work too. Rockets of any sort work on these. --> AA truck 10kg bomb plus, again guns work too. Rockets of any sort work on these. --> Patrol Boat 50kg bomb plus, again guns work too. Rockets of any sort work on these. --> Cargo ship 3 100kg bombs, or at least 4 rockets. 30mm+ cannons work too. --> airfield REQUIRES EXACTLY 16,500 KG OF HIGH-EXPLOSIVES! They must at least be 250 LB/100kg. JAPANESE BOMB TYPES type 97 mod 6, 50kg bomb: HE for use on land targets type 98 mod 25, 250kg bomb: AP for use on land targets type 99 mod 25, 250kg bomb: AP for use on Naval targets Mod 25 mark 2, 250kg bomb, HE for use on land targets Mod 50 mark 2, 500kg bomb, HE for use on land targets Mod 80 Mark 1, 1000kg bomb, HE for use on land targets Type 99 mod 80, 1000kg bomb, AP for use on naval targets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_World_War_II_navy_bombs This is all I can think Of for now; anything else Will be tacked on as I go. |
The first new Linux kernel of 2008 is now out, showcasing improvements that run the gambit of bug fixes to new performance and feature enhancements. One addition found in the new 2.6.24 Linux kernel is the new ability for write-throttling code. "This prevents one heavily-used block device from starving the other devices. so it's great for throughput enhancement," Joel Berman, director of marketing at Red Hat, told InternetNews.com. Berman also said the new kernel's inclusion of what are known as kernel markers would prove very useful for developers. Kernel markers are used for deep tuning and debugging. "This gets us closer to Dtrace, and makes SystemTap easier to use," Berman said. Dtrace is the Sun Solaris technology that uses dynamic probes to monitor system performance. SystemTap is a similar approach for Linux. The Linux 2.6.24 kernel also improves kernel utilization by way of new group scheduling technology. Berman explained that new approach fairly allocates groups' CPU usage. For example, if there are four active groups, each group gets 25 percent of the CPU. If one group is made up of 10 users, another group has 100 and the other two have one each, the 100 in one group share their 25 percent of the machine. Berman also noted that i386 and x86-64 sources for the kernel have been merged into one pool. That effort will help in quality assurance and removing duplication in patching. Linux 2.6.24 also makes improvements for embedded developers. Jim Ready, CTO of MontaVista Linux, told InternetNews.com that that the inclusion of high-resolution and tickless timers for processors such as ARM MIPS should bode well. Both features are key components of a real-time Linux kernel. "This is important for consumer and mobile devices that cannot run on Intel architecture," Ready said. While the 2.6.24 Linux kernel has some specific areas of interest for Red Hat and MontaVista, a number of other other interested parties also made contributions. According to the Linux Foundation's Linux Weather Forecast, more than 10,000 individual changesets were included during the 2.6.24 development cycle. Those changesets resulted in almost 300,000 lines of code being added to the kernel. While Linus Torvalds is officially responsible for releasing the 2.6.24 kernel, the Linux Foundation Forecast noted that the new version's contributions came from 950 developers representing over 130 companies. |
INDORE: Author Chetan Bhagat on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under attack from historians, scientists and artists because he does not belong to the ‘privileged class’.The privileged class of this country is rattled because the political power has slipped into the hands of people from the Hindi medium. Bhagat said, addressing a curtain raiser function for a literature festival here. If Modi and Amit Shah had attended Doon school, spoke impeccable English and were spotted with their English girlfriends, they would not have been attacked so much ,” said the author.The controversy surrounding returning of awards can be attributed to the power shift that is taking place in the country, he said.Attacking a section of intelligentsia for returning their awards alleging growing climate of intolerance, Bhagat said national awards are not given by the government. Rather a jury or a panel selects the qualifying people and thus, it’s inappropriate to blame the government for it.“These are not mere awards, but honours that are given to an individual for his or her individual achievement. How can you later return an honour that you had already accepted?” he said adding now foreign media has come into play and they are painting a sorry picture of India. They are portraying India as a country which is intolerant.Earlier in the day, the bestselling author was attacked for making an indirect jibe at historians who have returned their awards through his Twitter handle. “What do historians do? I am genuinely curious. This happened. Then this happened. Then this. Ok work done for the day,” Chetan Bhagat had tweeted.Bhagat said he doesn't care about personal criticism targeted at him, but foreign media should not be allowed to portray a negative image of India. |
Does God exist is a troubling question that has been around for centenaries. While for most of the world the answers is yes he does exist. There are an outstanding number of people who are starting to say no or that they don’t know. I do not believe in God, yet I cannot say there isn’t one since I was brought up in a Christian environment. I am an Agnostic Atheist, a person who holds the view that the existence of a deity cannot be proven or disproved. I tend to lean toward the idea of there not being a God. I grew up in a Christian environment with my mother and father being religious. My mother and father had been divorced but still kept me in church. During the weekends when my father had me or during the time I was with my mother you could possible find me in church. As a child I didn’t enjoy church because I was a child who wanted to play and have fun not just sit down and not do anything. But still I was there and had to listen. While listening to our Pastor preach I had some questions about God. Why would God event sin if he hates it or why does he allow children to starve? The best answer they could give me were “never question god” or “he does things for a reason.” While as a child that was acceptable to me until I grew up and actually started paying attention. I remember it like it was yesterday my friend Josh and I were in our 9th grade class playing a game. He said something about God and I looked at him and said “I don’t believe in God.” Those words stayed with me throughout that school year and on to the next as I did countless research to back up what I said. Once I hit 11th grade I was sure of my belief that God did not exist. As I said though I grew up in an Christian environment so the idea that a God could exist was still there. From then on my ideas were set and I have kept with them. As I was growing up the idea of a God could have been with me but there was little to no proof for me to hang on. A big problem that non-believers have is that there is no proof or believers aren’t able to explain it. Like I have said the usual answers for my questions about God were “never question God” or “he does everything for a reason.” As I grew up those answers for no longer acceptable for me. I have talked to Pastors and other Christians and whenever I asked a question or for proof they always refereed me to the Bible. Saying that was all the proof I need. I see that as a sign of a lack of knowledge for the question or pure laziness by telling me a book has all the answers I need. Another thing that bothers me about religion is how if you don’t believe in what they believe in then you are wrong. Saying “oh your going to hell if you don’t believe.” Well who is to say that your religion is the correct one. If all you have for proof is a book that has stories in it then you have no argument. To me right now the belief of a God or Gods is just a reason for people who can’t explain the unknown. Now don’t get me wrong believing in a God can be a good thing at time. It gives people hope for a better life and morals. So as I have said I do not believe in a God but I cannot say there is not one. Without the proper proof then I will stay this way, but the path or religion and belief is one that I must travel. And bombarding me with Bible verses or church or whatever the case it wont change me. This is something that I must experience for myself. IF YOU ENJOYED THIS PLEASE CHECK OUT THESE 2 YOUTUBE VIDEOS IN WHICH I RANT AND REACT TO RACISM AND THE MEDIA AND THIS ONE Let me know what you think in the comments. Also like and share!! Advertisements |
Arrest of Carrillo Fuentes, better known as ‘The Viceroy’ or ‘The General’, was the second recent capture of major drug lord The alleged leader of the Juarez drug cartel, Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, has been arrested in the northern city of Torreon, two Mexican officials said Thursday. Carrillo Fuentes, 51, heads the cartel founded by his late brother, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, and Mexico had offered a reward of 30m pesos ($2.2m) for his arrest. It was the second capture of a major drug lord in as many weeks. Mexican authorities nabbed Hector Beltran Leyva as he ate fish tacos in a seafood restaurant in central Mexico on 1 October. The two officials who revealed the information about Carrillo Fuentes’ arrest insisted on speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Carrillo Fuentes, better known as “The Viceroy” or “The General,” took over control of the Juarez drug cartel after his brother Amado, nicknamed “The Lord of the Skies,” died in 1997 in a botched cosmetic surgery. Amado got his nickname by flying planeloads of drugs into the United States. Vicente carried on trafficking on a more modest scale, but in a much more violent era for the cartel. Based in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, Carrillo Fuentes led the gang in a battle for control of the area’s trafficking routes with interlopers from the Sinaloa cartel, engaging in a multi-year war that cost at least 8,000 lives. The area is estimated to be the route of passage for as much as 70% of the cocaine entering the United States. Carrillo Fuentes, who like many top drug lords was from Sinaloa state, had a $5m reward on his head from US authorities, and a similar bounty of about $2m was offered by Mexican prosecutors for information leading to his capture. Immediately after his brother’s death, there were doubts among cartel members about Carrillo Fuentes’ ability to lead, according to a profile provided to The Associated Press by the Mexican Attorney General’s Office. “He was not believed to possess the leadership and decision-making skills,” according to the document, noting this created internal tensions in the group. In the end, he was able to consolidate what the profile called “an iron grip” on the cartel, while leading it in new directions. As demand for cocaine declined in the United States, the gang took to selling more of it in Mexico. “He overcame the initial perceptions about his personality,” the document said. Carrillo Fuentes was also known for establishing a series of shifting alliances that seldom worked out for long. He initially allied his cartel with the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful drug gang. But that alliance fell apart following the 2004 killing of another brother, Rodolfo Carrillo Fuentes, in Sinaloa. That killing was reportedly ordered by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the top Sinaloa drug lord. In revenge, Carrillo Fuentes allegedly ordered the killing of Guzman’s brother in a prison a few months later. From that point on, the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels became locked in Mexico’s bloodiest turf battle. That in turn led Carrillo Fuentes to establish another alliance of convenience with Sinaloa’s rivals, the Beltran Leyva cartel, and the Zetas, the most ruthless Mexican gang. Carrillo Fuentes was allegedly protected by an “extremely violent” group of former soldiers, and the Juarez cartel pioneered the use of targeted car-bomb attacks on police. |
I haven't professionally worked with camera sensors much (I have messed with them for fun though), so you might be right. But generally speaking in regards to other sensors, when trying to run classification algorithms, the edge cases are a pain. And I'm aware of one of two approaches to fix it -- stitch the sensor data together, or create an ignore section at the edges, which requires an overlap from the next sensor. Though we were stitching, in part, for visualization to the operator. So you're right, you don't have to do it. But you will need non-trivial overlap, even in a moving car scenario. In the above example, the objects it detects are stationary [parked cars]. Imagine a moving car at the edge of two cameras driving towards you. With no overlap, you may not be able to classify it as a car. If you keep all the edge data, you significantly increase your false alarm rates too. So while I do agree with you, I somewhat stand by my original assessment. Click to expand... |
Scammers are trying to trick Windows users into paying to fix bogus hard drive errors that have apparently erased important files, a researcher said Monday. The con is a variant of "scareware," also called "rogueware," software that pretends to be legitimate but actually is just a sales pitch based on spooking users into panicking. Most scareware masquerades as antivirus software. But Symantec researcher Eoin Ward has found a new kind of scareware that impersonates a hard drive cleanup suite that repairs disk errors and speeds up data access. Dubbed "Trojan.Fakefrag" by Symantec, the fake utility ends up on a Windows PC after its user surfs to a poisoned site -- often because the scammers have manipulated search engines to get links near the top of a results list -- and falls for a download pitch, typically because it's presented as something quite different, like video of a hot news topic. Fake system or disk cleanup programs aren't new -- Symantec has highlighted the scareware subcategory before -- but this malware goes above and beyond the call of counterfeit duty. "[Trojan.Fakefrag's] aim is to increases the likelihood of you purchasing a copy of Windows Recovery by craftily convincing you that your hard drive is failing," said Ward in a company blog Monday, referring to the name of the fake suite that the Trojan shills. The malware kicks off the scam by moving all the files in some folders to a temporary location, by hiding others and by making desktop icons disappear. All of that is followed by a message that looks like a valid Windows warning of impending hard drive doom. "An error occurred while reading system files," the on-screen message reads. "Run a system diagnostic utility to check your hard disk drive for errors." If the user clicks "OK," the fraudulent "Windows Recovery" application launches, runs a series of sham scans that sound technical and legit, then reports multiple problems, including disk read-write errors. With the hook set, the scammers try to reel in the victim by trying to get them to pay $79.50 for Windows Recovery, which will supposedly fix the make-believe issues. Since the user has just seen his files and icons vanish, he or she is much more likely to fall for the scheme. "It does a really convincing job of making it appear as though something is wrong," said Ward. "When it 'deletes' files from your desktop, it does so in a very prominent way." No surprise, but the files aren't deleted; they can be found with a quick local search, said Ward. Windows isn't the only operating system targeted by scammers. Last week, for example, Intego Security reported finding the first-ever Mac OS X rogueware . Scammers have upped their "scareware" game by convincing Windows users that their hard drive is ready to croak. Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@computerworld.com . Read more about security in Computerworld's Security Topic Center. This story, "Windows Scareware Fakes Impending Drive Disaster" was originally published by Computerworld . |
Photos by Inga María Brynjarsdóttir For Icelandic children, the twelfth of December holds special significance as it marks the first visit of the thirteen Yule Lads. One by one they make their visit, with the final one making his appearance on Christmas Eve. Formerly known as sinister tricksters who made their way from monstrous homes to plague children by slamming doors, stealing food and candles, and peeking through windows, they have grown nicer and more gift-oriented over the years. As a nation unaccustomed to chimneys and unwilling to hang up perfectly good apparel, Icelanders instead leave shoes in their bedroom windows for the Yule Lads. Those deemed nice are rewarded with a small treat, but those judged naughty get a raw potato. Yes, that’s right, a potato. Not coal, but a nutritious and perfectly edible potato. At the munchkin age of five, I sought to test exactly how judgmental the Yule Lads were. I didn’t listen to what my mother asked me to do, refused to go to bed on time, and was by all accounts a misbehaving brat. To my mother’s surprise, the following morning I wasn’t upset at finding a potato in my shoe, but asked her joyfully if I could cook and eat it for breakfast. — See Also: The Encyclopaedia of Icelandic Holidays |
President Trump is said to be preparing to privatize key public services, including the Veterans Administration (VA), public schools, and public broadcasting, expanding private prisons and launching a privatized infrastructure program. Republicans in Congress want to go even further, to privatize Medicare, the Postal Service, National Parks, air traffic control and other functions of our government. This is on top of previous privatizations of military contracts, and even the Senate cafeteria. What exactly is privatization, and why is it such a priority for the Trump administration? Public Investment, Common Ownership, Public Gain Back when our government was run by ‘We the People’, the people would make a public investment and share gains from that investment. If we built a road or a bridge, we could all use it, and our economy as a whole would benefit from this increase in transportation capacity. Over time, as a nation we built up a wealth of “public structures,” both physical, such as roads, and institutional, such as courts and schools. These were the envy of the world. And We the People, theoretically, shared the benefits of this public wealth, and access to it. Our public schools were open to all children. Our parks were enjoyed by millions. Everyone could drive on the highways and bridges. Public water systems brought good, safe drinking water to our homes. The list goes on. Our businesses also benefitted from these public structures. Our transportation infrastructure let companies move raw materials and goods. Our courts protected their interests. Our financial regulations protected their investment. Our public wealth was the fertile ground of American prosperity. You could say that prosperity was the fruit of democracy. Privatization = Public Loss For All, Private Gain For A Few In the 1970s, corporations and conservatives launched a campaign to grab public wealth for the already-wealthy few. Drawing on the works of ideologically-driven economists like Friedrich von Hayek and Milton Friedman, they began to propagandize about the evils of government, with slogans like “government is inefficient,” “businesses do everything better than government,” “taxes are theft” and “government spending is bad.” Of course, their real target was democracy, where We the People make decisions about how to use government. In a democracy, government spends money to try and make all of our lives better. “Privatization” means taking public wealth and assets that benefit us all, and turning them over to the private sector, where only a few reap the reward. When you “privatize” a road or a bridge, people have to pay a toll to use it, so the new “owners” of the road can make a profit. There is another problem with privatization. Democratic governments aim to serve as a model of what the public wants, so they try to provide jobs with good pay and benefits. When governments are talked into “saving money” by privatizing, what often happens is employees are laid off, then the private company hires new workers, or rehires the old ones, at lower wages with fewer benefits. The result is that laid-off employees are impoverished, while new hires are also impoverished, because they are no longer paid a living wage. A local, state or national government might have “saved money” in the short term by lowering wages and externalizing costs, but the communities where these people live ultimately suffer the consequences. Homes are foreclosed and neighborhoods lose value. Property and income taxes are reduced, there are fewer customers for local businesses, schools are stressed as children move into poverty, and the need for emergency government assistance like Food Stamps rises. So while privatization shifts benefits to a few, all taxpayers inevitably bear the costs. Privatizers promote this kind of transfer of public wealth to private hands with claims it “saves money.” But privatization impoverishes and harms communities, which costs taxpayers more than it saves. More importantly, it hurts people, which really ought to be our primary concern. Trump Privatization The Trump administration has given every indication it intends to privatize as much of our government as it can, as fast as it can. It is filling the administration with people who advocate privatization. David Dayen warned about this after the election at The Nation, in Trump’s Transition Team Is Stacked With Privatization Enthusiasts. Others are sounding similar alarms. Trump’s “hiring freeze,” for example, is really a strategy toward privatization. Lauren McCauley explains at Common Dreams, in In Step Towards Privatization, Trump Enacts Federal Hiring Freeze, …[A]s AFGE national president J. David Cox Sr. pointed out, the freeze will “actually increase taxpayer costs by forcing agencies to hire more expensive contractors to do work that civilian government employees are already doing for far less.” In effect, it’s a step towards privatizing the federal government. “Numerous studies have shown that contractors are two to three times more costly than each federal employee they replace,” Cox said. “President Trump’s federal hiring freeze will result in more government waste as agencies are forced to hire high-priced contractors to do the work that federal employees can and should be doing.” The Veterans Administration An early privatization target of Trump administration privatization is the Veterans Administration (VA). The VA is the embodiment of “government health care.” Millions of veterans go to the VA and get care, and that’s it. The VA is a big operation, providing care for approximately 5.8 million veterans annually, at over 160 VA medical centers and 1000 affiliated health care sites. Every year the VA handles 92 million outpatient visits, admits 707,000 inpatients and fills 271 million prescriptions. Privatizers have been pushing “government doesn’t work” propaganda about the VA for some time. A large agency that serves millions of people will have problems, just as a large private business will. This was especially true when a surge of veterans returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. But corporate/conservative PR firms pushed out a drumbeat of bad “news” about the “government-run” VA, in ways that turned every problem into a “scandal.” For example, when vets faced wait times for non-essential medical care, some died of unrelated causes. PR firms pushed the story that “Vets died waiting for VA care” as if the wait times were the cause. When a sufficient blanket of anti-government propaganda has been laid down the privatizers introduce proposals for “reform” and providing “choice.” Of course the proposals are to hand over government functions for private profit. The Trump administration is coming for the VA. The Military Times explains, in Trump considering plans for privatizing VA medical options, President-elect Donald Trump is evaluating a radical overhaul of veterans health care options even before he finalizes his pick for the next secretary of veterans affairs. In comments to reporters late Wednesday, a transition official said Trump is considering a “public-private option” that would allow some veterans to get all of their medical care from private-sector physicians, with the government paying the bill. The Trump administration’s privatization strategy begins with propaganda about providing “choice” and “vouchers.” This might sound familiar to those following the school privatization fights. What To Do Call your Representative and Senators and let them know how you feel about privatizing the VA, and Trump’s other efforts to privatize our democratic government. Ask them for a firm, public statement on privatization generally and on the VA in particular. More good reading: The Privatization Scam: Five Government Outsourcing Horror Stories How Government “Contracting Out” Drives Up Costs, Pushes Down Workers “Horror Stories” Show How Privatization Loots Taxpayers |
During an interview on Fox Business on Wednesday, host Neil Cavuto quizzed Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) on why he opposes consideration of President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee when he has supported Merrick Garland in the past. Throughout the interview, Cavuto called out Hatch for contributing to the politicization of the nomination process. The Fox Business host began the interview by playing a 1997 clip of Hatch praising Garland when he was nominated to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Cavuto asked, “What changed?” Hatch said that “nothing” changed, but explained that 19 years had passed and that the Supreme Court is different from a lower court. Cavuto then mentioned 2010 comments in which Hatch said he would be willing to help Garland get confirmed to the Supreme Court. “Well, I cleared the way for Merrick Garland, and I still think very highly of him,” Hatch responded. “But I do think we should not bring up a Supreme Court justice and get in this big mess again, wrecking the court, during this really toxic presidential year. And that really bothers me.” Cavuto then asked Hatch if Republicans would regret blocking Garland if a Democrat wins the White House and nominates a more liberal judge. Hatch told Cavuto that Americans should vote for a Republican. “I understand what you’re saying, sir, and I appreciate that, you know, it’s a crazy election year, and all. But by that reasoning, nothing would ever get done in an election year because it’s a toxic environment,” Cavuto said in response, suggesting that Republicans vote Garland down if they don’t like him, rather than refusing to hold hearings. “Well it isn’t quite that simple,” Hatch replied, arguing that nominees should not be put up during election years. When Cavuto asked why, Hatch said, “Because it’s a toxic environment, it demeans the court. People then make the court into a politicized institution.” “It’s always politicized, senator,” Cavuto hit back. “It’s always politicized. And by that math you would just rule out the last year of any Congress, of any senator, of any president for getting stuff done.” After more back and forth, Hatch again discussed politicization of the Supreme Court. “I’m tired of the court being politicized. And this is politicizing the court during this particular year,” he said. “Well no, no offense, senator, you’ve played a part in politicizing it. Now, maybe that wasn’t your goal, but both parties do this,” Cavuto replied. Watch the interview via Media Matters: |
We do not use our space particularly well here at Al Dente HQ. With a little organization, our basement could easily be used to hold our non-perishables instead of being the hodgepodge of boxes and stuff that it is currently. As a result, most of my canned goods (as well as small appliances, baking supplies and cleaning supplies) are stored in an uninsulated, unheated porch off the kitchen. When you consider that the winter of 2015 has been among the harshest and coldest in the history of Syracuse, N.Y., it should not surprise anyone that my canned beans have frozen. So, my chickpea sauce did not go off hitchless. I had to defrost my canned chickpeas overnight before cooking. Kind of annoying, but really my own fault for not storing them very well. WHAT WORKED: The immersion blender. There’s no reason why any kitchen should be without one and it’s absolutely integral for creating the thick base of the sauce. Sure, a potato masher does the same trick, but you need an immersion blender. WHAT DIDN’T: Frozen chickpeas. EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy to medium, simply because there is a lot of stirring and pan watching that is involved. BEST FOR: A perfect meatless dinner. SERVE WITH: Crusty bread. Pasta With Chickpea Sauce Adapted from the original at Serious Eats 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped 4-15 oz. cans chickpeas Crushed red pepper flakes Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 lb. farfalle Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated (optional) 1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional) Set a strainer over a large mixing bowl and pour the chickpeas into it, reserving the canning liquid and letting the chickpeas stand in a separate bowl. Bring oil to a shimmer in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until the garlic begins to turn golden (but not brown). In the meantime, bring a pot of water to boil. Add kosher salt and cook the farfalle to the directions on the box. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water. Add all but one cup of chickpeas to the pan, followed by the reserved can liquid. Bring to a boil, sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, reduce heat and simmer 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and, using an immersion blender, puree the chickpeas into a smooth sauce. Stir in the remaining cup of chickpeas and adjust flavor with salt and pepper. Return pasta to its cooking pan over medium heat. Transfer the chickpea sauce to the pasta, stirring until the pasta is well coated. Add reserved pasta water to the pot 1/4 cup at a time to thin the sauce per your preference. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with parsley and serve with grated cheese. |
ELECTION ANALYSIS: Wikileaks Honest Reports on Crooked Hillary More Viral than Lapdog Media Agitprop The liberal media’s best efforts to influence the election in favor of Hillary Clinton could not match the honest analysis of Wikileaks. A new report on the 2016 election by Qatar Computing Research Institute found that Wikileaks had more of an impact in the 2016 election on social media than the liberal media agitprop defending Crooked Hillary Clinton. Study: WikiLeaks published more popular stories on Hillary Clinton than CNN+NYTimes+WaPo+Newsweek+Politico combined https://t.co/1g7RATIdF9 — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 13, 2017 Hillary Clinton had about twice as many attacking tweets than supportive tweets. President Trump had more than twice as many supportive tweets than attacking tweets. Attacks against Clinton focused on her character and on the WikiLeaks leaks. The researchers concluded that although Trump received more negative coverage than Clinton in the mainstream media, Trump benefited from many more tweets that are either supporting him or attacking Crooked Hillary. The study found 63% of the volume of viral content on US election were in Trump’s favor compared to only 37% in favor of the loser, Hillary Clinton. In conclusion: The media and elites loved Crooked Hillary, the people loved Trump. |
[Haskell-cafe] A backhanded compliment and a dilemma TL;DR - Haskell mistaken for pseudo-code, a case study on machine- checked specification for use in standards can't or won't be read by the people who need it (who aren't the people in this mailing list). A couple of years ago, while trying to implement a programming language with >30 years of use and an actual ANSI standard, I encountered a gap in the standard where an aspect of arithmetic was referred to the Language Independent Arithmetic standard, which had in fact nothing whatsoever to say on the topic. In consequence of this gap, existing implementations of this language implement that feature with different semantics. Poking around, I found a smaller but similar hole in SQL, and similar issues in other languages. There was no existing specification that any of these could refer to. So I set out to write one. Having seen other problems in standards caused by definitions that had not been adequately proof-read, I decided that I wanted a specification that had - been type-checked - had been tested reasonably thoroughly Since I'm writing in this mailing list, you can guess what I thought was a good way to do this: I wrote the specification in quite direct Haskell, putting effort into clarity at the expense of efficiency, and I used QuickCheck to test the specification. I still don't know whether to be pleased that QuickCheck found mistakes -- demonstrating my point that specifications need to be checked thoroughly -- or ashamed that I'm still making such mistakes. My problem: I can't get this published. The backhanded compliment: the last reviewer excoriated me for having too much pseudocode in my paper. (Despite the paper stating explicitly that ALL code in the paper was real code that had been executed.) You got it: Haskell doesn't look like a "real" programming language, but like something written for human comprehension during design. The dilemma: what I want to do is to tell people working on standards that we NEED to have machine-checked specifications and that we HAVE the technology to write such specifications and test them (oh and by the way here's this specification I wrote to fill that gap). But people who read Haskell well enough to read my specification don't need to be persuaded of this, and in all honesty, could write the specification for themselves if it occurred to them. Yet the people who do need to be told that there is a much better way to write standards than say the ECMAScript way don't read Haskell, and won't be interested in learning to do so until they've been persuaded... So where would _you_ send a case study on machine-checked specification? |
Middleweight contenders Chris Weidman and Gegard Mousasi will battle it out at UFC 210 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on Saturday (8 April). Where to watch live The main card event starts at 3am BST (Sunday in the UK). Live coverage is on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD with live streaming available on BTSport.com. Overview Weidman and Mousasi will lock horns in what could be the most important non-title fight of their careers, especially with the current state of the middleweight division. Weidman (13-2 record in MMA) is the former UFC middleweight champion who rose to stardom with his KO win over then champion Anderson Silva in 2013. "The All American" went on to go 13-0 before he lost his title via brutal ground and pound to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194. Looking to bounce back from his first defeat, Weidman then lost to current number one contender Yoel Romero at UFC 205, also in a brutal fashion via a knee to the face. With two losses in a row, the 32-year-old cannot afford to lose a third if he has any hopes of regaining his title. Meanwhile, Mousasi is as close as he has ever been to getting a title shot. The Dutchman who has an impressive record of 41-6-2 in MMA, has always seemed to miss out on a title opportunity whenever he faces a top contender. However, since his loss to Uriah Hall in September 2015, the former Strikeforce champion has gone on a four-fight winning streak and a win over a former champion in Weidman would not only get Mousasi closer to a title shot, but also get him paid better. While there is no ill feeling between the two, there is a competitive rivalry especially as Mousasi called Weidman out on Twitter, with the latter wanting to put him in his place for that. Prediction Chris Weidman to win via knockout. What they say: Chris Weidman: "I feel so good in this camp. I haven't felt this good in a while and I'm just hoping that translates to a dominant win. I know it will. He's a dangerous guy, he's experienced but I don't think he has anything for me. I think I'm going to be too much for him," via Fox Sports. Gegard Mousasi: "He's going to make it difficult, but I'm way too technical for him. The longer the fight goes in the standup, the worse he's going to do. He's going to do good in the first couple minutes, but even an amateur can box for a couple rounds with a pro. I'm confident in my game plan for what I'm going to do," via MMAJunkie. Betting odds (Betfair) Chris Weidman to win: 9/10 Draw: 40/1 Gegard Mousasi to win: 9/10 Main Card Event |
Norsk Telegrambyra AS / Reuters Nobel Peace Prize laureate Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos reacts to the torchlight parade from the balcony of the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway December 10, 2016. Santos called for the world to rethink the drug war while accepting the prize. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos used his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech to urge a rethinking of the war on drugs, calling it more dangerous than all world armed conflicts combined. Santos’ pointed rejection of the drug war echoed a chorus of criticism from Latin American leaders in recent years rejecting the strategy of ordering militaries to fight an endless and seemingly unwinnable battle against drug trafficking. But Santos’ comments, delivered in Oslo on Saturday, went further than most other sitting Latin American heads of state ― particularly for a U.S. ally. His criticisms carry the weight of a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a former defense minister who has helped aggressively fight the drug war using billions in U.S. foreign aid in the world’s leading coca-producing country. “The way in which the war against drugs is being waged is equally or even more harmful than all of the wars being fought in the entire world today, combined,” Santos said, drawing applause from the crowd. “And it’s time to change our strategy.” Santos spent most of his speech discussing his administration’s four-year negotiation to end its war with the left-wing FARC rebels, his signature achievement as president. Watch Santos’ speech in Spanish below. He recognized victims of the half-century internal war in the crowd, asking them to stand up “and receive the homage they deserve.” He heaped praise on the Colombian military and foreign governments from Norway to Cuba, which helped facilitate the peace process that brought the guerrilla insurgency to an end. And he urged the audience to imagine a world without war, saying the peace deal with the FARC ― which nearly collapsed after a surprise referendum rejecting the original deal in October ― shows that the “impossible can be possible.” But Santos also said he felt compelled to criticize a global drug war that has increasingly drawn his skepticism. As he has in the past, the Colombian president asked why his country should be expected to jail peasants who grow marijuana, when Americans can freely buy and sell the drug in some U.S. states. He cited his country’s own long experience of internal conflict and organized crime as evidence that punitive policies do little to stop drug trafficking. “We have the moral authority to affirm that after decades of struggle against drug trafficking, the world hasn’t controlled this scourge that feeds violence and corruption in our global community,” Santos said. Several prominent Latin American leaders have banded together in recent years to press world governments to abandon the drug war in favor of policies centered on decriminalization that leave drug abuse to public health authorities rather than police and prosecutors. They’ve questioned why foreign governments should bear the brunt of the violence that kills tens of thousands of people annually from Mexico to Brazil in a futile attempt to keep drugs off the streets in the United States, the world’s largest illegal drug market. Most other well known critics of the U.S.-led drug war in recent years ― including former Mexican Presidents Ernesto Zedillo and Vicente Fox, and former Brazilian President Henrique Cardoso ― waited until they left office to level their most clear-throated challenges to drug war policies. A few prominent critics of the U.S. drug war policy have carried out major reforms in recent years, despite hostile or dismissive reaction from the U.S. government. Uruguay’s former president, José “Pepe” Mujica, signed a law creating the region’s first legalized marijuana market for recreational use, contending that criminalization was a failed policy. The State Department responded with muted criticism, even as several U.S. states expanded legalized weed. |
Why The Haves Have So Much Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Wilson/Getty Images Sheets of $100 bills wait to be cut into singles at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. In recent decades, the gap between rich and poor has widened in the United States. Mark Wilson/Getty Images The Congressional Budget Office released a report this week showing that the gap between wealthy and poor Americans has become much wider than it once was. What's behind that expanding income gap? Federal tax policy is part of the story. Those at the top of the income ladder have been the biggest beneficiaries of tax cuts over the last three decades. Heard On 'Weekend Edition Saturday' The Income Gap, Explained With Candy Corn The Income Gap, Explained With Candy Corn Listen · 3:18 3:18 But the biggest change has come in the shape of the economy itself. The United States is becoming more and more of a winner-take-all society. Cornell University economist Robert Frank co-wrote a book with that name. It describes how technological change allows top performers to claim an ever-larger slice of the economic pie. "The most vivid example we had for a long time was the tax advice industry," he says. People who once might have gone to a local accountant to have their taxes done can now use mass-produced software instead. That puts a crimp on the income of local accountants. But the CEO behind TurboTax made more than $4 million last year. Superstars in sports and entertainment have long enjoyed that kind of outsized gain. But Frank says the winner-take-all pattern of concentrated rewards is spreading to one field after another. "All that's to the good in one sense. I mean, we get to buy from the best now in a way that we didn't," he says. "But it's created an enormous increase in income inequality." 'Class Warfare'? None of this is exactly news to people who've been paying attention for the last three decades. Ten days after he took office, President Obama set up a task force on the issue, to be chaired by Vice President Biden. "The measure of our success will be whether the middle class once again shares in the economic success and prosperity of the nation," Biden said. Republicans generally don't like to talk about the widening income gap. Instead, they stress that with hard work anyone can make it into the top 1 percent. In a speech this week at the Heritage Foundation, Republican Rep. Paul Ryan argued that focusing on the distribution of income amounts to misguided class warfare. "This just won't work in America," Ryan said. "Class is not a fixed designation in this country. We are an upwardly mobile society with a lot of income movement between income groups." In fact, studies show there's less upward mobility now than there used to be, and less movement between income groups in the United States than in Germany, France, Canada or the Scandinavian countries. Economist Jared Bernstein, who used to staff the Middle Class Task Force at the White House, argues the Republican budget drafted by Ryan would worsen inequality, because it would cut government programs that benefit the poor and middle class, while cutting taxes for the wealthy. "I think it was Warren Buffett who said, 'If there's class warfare out there, my class is winning,'" Bernstein says. "It's not that you want your tax system to totally offset the inequality in market outcomes. I don't. But you certainly don't want them to make it worse. And plans like those of Paul Ryan do. And that to me sounds a lot like class warfare." What Could Narrow The Gap? But even liberal economists like Bernstein don't believe tax policy alone can correct for the nation's mounting inequality. "That's where we have to look for policy solutions to increase the earnings power, the bargaining power, the basic ability of middle-class families to claim their fair share of the productivity growth that they themselves are helping to create," he says. We're probably not going to outlaw TurboTax. And the administration's efforts to strengthen unions' bargaining power have so far borne little fruit. The White House is trying to encourage manufacturing — where rewards tend to be more evenly distributed. And economist Frank says it wouldn't hurt to make the financial industry, with its conspicuous winner-take-all bonuses, a little less attractive. "In 2007, I think it was 44 percent of the graduating class from Princeton took jobs in the financial services industry. Really talented kids who could be doing useful things — instead they're competing to see who can forecast what the asset price will be 10 seconds sooner than the next quickest forecast," Frank says. "We don't need that many people seeking those positions." Finally, any steps that improve the job market could help. The 1990s, when employers had to compete for workers, produced some of the biggest gains for people in the middle of the income ladder. Bernstein says the best recipe for giving working people a bigger slice of the economic pie is full employment. |
On his first visit since becoming Secretary of State, Michael Fallon paid tribute to those working to support defence activities in Gibraltar and emphasised the strategic importance of the permanent joint operating base there. The Defence Secretary said: During a period of immense global instability, let there be no doubt that the UK remains absolutely dedicated to ensuring the defence and protection of Gibraltar, its people and British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. He discussed unlawful incursions into territorial waters by Spanish state vessels, and stressed the UK’s commitment to upholding Gibraltar’s sovereignty with a range of naval, police and diplomatic responses. Mr Fallon said: My visit proves once more that the UK takes Spanish incursions very seriously, and will continue to deal robustly with them. Mr Fallon met with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, and signed an agreement under which the UK and Gibraltar will equally share the cost of the first resurfacing work at Gibraltar Airport in 20 years. The improvement will support both commercial and military use of Gibraltar Airport. The Defence Secretary welcomed the Chief Minister’s commitment to introduce legislation to place the Royal Gibraltar Regiment on the same footing as its British Army counterparts, highlighting its valuable contribution both in Gibraltar and deployed on operations. |
You know the only thing that detracts from an Olympic medal even more than a publicity-magnet teammate? Infighting with her. Americans Dawn Harper, who won silver in the 100-meter hurdles, and Kellie Wells, who took the bronze, were again robbed of the spotlight when they took the bait afterward on questions about fourth-place finisher and teammate Lolo Jones. Both showed just a bit of glee about finishing ahead of Jones. But by revealing the cracks in team unity, guess who that put the focus back on? Not Harper and Wells. Don't hate on Lolo Jones: Given her age and health problems, she actually overachieved by finishing fourth in the 100-meter hurdles. Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images Harper and Wells deserved their moment. It had come after Jones got the lion's share of endorsements and attention leading up to the final. But almost as much as sex, controversy sells. It's much easier to turn Harper, Wells and Jones into the Real Housewives of Mount Olympus than to recognize a complicated compensation dynamic that puts athletes at odds with one another. This all came to the forefront when the New York Times published a critique that quoted Janice Forsyth, the director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies at the University of Western Ontario, dismissing Jones as another Anna Kournikova. Kournikova was the beautiful Russian tennis player who reaped millions in endorsements despite never winning a tournament as a singles player. On Wednesday morning, Jones cried in frustration on the "Today" show as she awoke to a full-fledged backlash. "They didn't even do their research, calling me the Anna Kournikova of track," Jones said. "I have the American record. I am the American-record holder indoors, I have two world indoor titles. Just because I don't boast about these things, I don't think I should be ripped apart by media. I laid it out there, fought hard for my country and it's just a shame that I have to deal with so much backlash when I'm already so brokenhearted as it is." Jones is a competitor and a champion -- and even Kournikova won majors in doubles and was ranked as high as No. 8 in the world in singles. Her name is used as an insult these days, but Kournikova the player was much better than you'd know from "Kournikova" the invective. Just as Jones was built up, it was that easy to dismiss her. Jones got a lot of publicity because of her looks, her authentic blend of humor and candor, and her use of the word "virgin" with a straight face. We loved her for her openness -- the Olympics are all about personal stories, and Jones has a compelling one. And everything she said can and will be unfairly used against her during the Olympic backlash. No doubt Jones has received endorsements -- and an invitation to pose nude in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue -- because of her athletic good looks. But she doesn't deserve to be smeared for her decision to pose, or to have anyone imply that it doesn't comport with her religious sensibility. Corporate magnet and backup quarterback Tim Tebow can run shirtless in the rain without having to deal with that nonsense. And that's in part because Americans have different standards for women and men. Danica Patrick, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova -- the pettiness has different ways of cropping up. Even Gabby Douglas and the silly distraction of her hair. We love building up our heroes only to tear them down. Billie Jean King said that when she's watching junior tennis players, she looks for talent, but also for players who love the spotlight, because ultimately that's how you thrive in professional sports. Jones has that quality, and it draws people to her. Jones deserved to be on an international stage and, considering her hamstring and back issues and her age (30), she dramatically overachieved during these Olympics. Yet the story of two jealous medalists and their beautiful teammate has completely overshadowed the fact that an excellent U.S. team captured three of the top four places in the 100-meter hurdles. And that is a shame for all three women. |
0 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is urging millions of Americans to stand together in protest of the agenda of President-elect Donald Trump. Sanders discussed the need for united protest against Trump in a statement: Citing several recent victories, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) thanked striking workers Wednesday for proving the power of protest to make progress under President-elect Donald Trump. Five years ago, if anybody in America said that folks would be talking and cities would be passing a $15 an hour minimum wage, people would have said you’re crazy, it can’t be done. But you did it. Millions of workers have received significant pay increases because of your efforts. Thank you for what you’ve done. Today we tell the United States Congress that we have got to go further. We want every worker in this country to earn at least $15 an hour and have a union. …. We’re telling Mr. Trump and anybody else that when millions of us stand together, we are going to win. Nobody is going to stop us. Sen Sanders was correct. There is only one effective way to stand up against the Trump agenda. Democrats won’t have any majority power in Congress or the occupant of the White House on their side. Effectiveness will require the grassroots mobilization of millions of Americans. The battle will be long, and progress will only come through committed struggle, but it is going to take a popular rebellion to make Republicans and Trump pay dearly for the agenda that they are flirting with enacting. It is going to take an army of regular Americans to resist the Koch and corporatist agenda that will dominate the Trump administration. Sen. Sanders isn’t just saying words. The Senator from Vermont is issuing a call to action. If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: |
Mayweather vs. McGregor Mexican Viewers Save Mucho Dinero Mayweather vs. McGregor: Mexican Viewers Save Mucho Dinero!! EXCLUSIVE Don't wanna pay for the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight? Get outta the country. Seriously!! A rep for the World Boxing Council tells TMZ Sports the entire country of Mexico will be able to watch Conor and Floyd duke it out fo' free Saturday ... 'cause 2 major TV networks have shelled out a ton of cash to show the fight on open TV. We're told Televisa and Azteca will both air the fight so viewers won't have to cough up the $100 for Pay-Per-View -- but there's a bit of a catch. The fight won't air live, so fans will have to wait a couple hours to see it. But nothing beats free, right? |
ISIS killer Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel sent his family £84,000 just days before his Bastille Day atrocity, his brother told MailOnline. The Islamic fanatic persuaded friends to smuggle the bundles of cash back to his family in their hometown of Msaken, Tunisia. Although Bouhlel had been sending small sums of money to his family, his brother admitted that they were stunned by the size of the 'fortune'. Smuggled cash: ISIS killer Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel sent £84,000 to his family in Tunisia in the days leading up to his nightmarish attack in Nice Family: His brother Jaber Bouhlel said the 31-year-old terrorist used to send small sums of money home to family Msaken, Tunisia, since he left his hometown and married in France. But last week he smuggled 'a fortune' back to relatives with friends who were visiting the country Stunned: His father Mohamed Mondher today described Bouhlel, 31, as 'an angry and violent man'. He said he stopped talking to relatives and he took him to the doctor who prescribed medication for his depression 'Mohamed sent the family 240,000 Tunisian Dinars (£84,000) in the last few days,' Jaber Bouhlel told MailOnline. 'He used to send us small sums of money regularly like most Tunisians working abroad. But then he sent us all that money, it was fortune. 'He sent the money illegally. He gave cash to people he knew who were returning to our village and asked them to give it to the family.' He'd get angry and shout and broke everything in front of him. He was violent and very ill. Jaber Bouhlel He added: 'My brother is not a terrorist.' His father also insisted that Bouhlel was mentally ill and not a radicalised soldier as claimed today by ISIS. Mohamed Mondher Lahouaiej Bouhlel, whose son killed at least 84 people on Bastille Day, told how he suffered from severe depression in an interview with French TV BMF. 'From 2002 to 2004 he had problems that led to a nervous breakdown. 'He'd get angry and shout and broke everything in front of him. He was violent and very ill. We took him to the doctor and he was put on drugs. Worry: Mr Mondher said Bouhlel (pictured) suffered a nervous breakdown between 2002 and 2004. He added: 'He'd get angry and shout and broke everything in front of him. He was violent and very ill.' Home: Bouhlel's family home (pictured) is in a poor neighbourhood in Msaken, around 90 miles south of the capital city of Tunis Scene: Crowds gather near the family home of truck terrorist Bouhlel, whose family told MailOnline today that he was mentally ill and violent but was 'not a terrorist' Upset: Bouhlel's father said the family are 'in a state of shock' after hearing details of his attack. An aunt called to tell them Bouhlel had been killed by French police. Pictured, neighbours in Msaken Killer: Bouhlel's father added: 'Whenever there was a crisis we took him back again. 'He was always alone. Always silent, refusing to talk. Even in the street he wouldn't greet people.' Attackers: Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who killed 84 people in Nice on Thursday, grew up in Msaken - a Tunisian city just 12 miles from Sousse, where ISIS gunman Seifeddine Rezgui killed 38 tourists in June 2015 'Whenever there was a crisis we took him back again. 'He was always alone. Always silent, refusing to talk. Even in the street he wouldn't greet people.' Mr Mondher said he had no contact with his son after he moved to France from their home in Msaken, eastern Tunisia. 'He didn't come back even when his brothers and sisters called,' he said. He appeared bewildered as he insisted his son had 'no connection with religion. He didn't fast and keep Ramadan. He drank. He even took drugs. 'We're all in a state of shock at what's happened' He confirmed that his son and his estranged wife, a French-Tunisian from Nice, were 'not on good terms'. His brother Jaber also said he had not seen his brother for several years and the money had come as a complete surprise. The family live in an impoverished neighbourhood in Msaken, some 90 miles south of the capital Tunis. Msaken is also just 12 miles from the once-popular coastal resort of Sousse, where Tunisian ISIS gunman Seifeddine Rezgui massacred 38 holidaymakers in June 2015. Defence: Of the fortune he sent home, the ISIS 'soldier's' brother admitted: 'He sent the money illegally. He gave cash to people he knew who were returning to our village and asked them to give it to the family.' Distant: 'The last time he visited the family was in 2012. He came home to attend the wedding of our sister,' Jaber went on Home: Jaber added: 'But really we had heard very little from him. 'My aunt called my father to tell her that his son had been killed by French police after his terror attack.' 'The last time he visited the family was in 2012. He came home to attend the wedding of our sister,' continued Jaber. 'But really we had heard very little from him. 'My aunt called my father to tell her that his son had been killed by French police after his terror attack.' Jaber Bouhlel refuses to accept that his brother is a terrorist – despite his single-handed murder of 84 and the injury of over 200, many seriously, with some 18 people on life-support. He said he hasn't questioned how his brother accumulated the cash fortune that he sent to his family. 'Mohamed sent us all of his savings, all of his worth in France. He had worked for eight years and this was the money he saved in France,' he said. Childhood: Bouhlel left his family in Msaken, Tunisia, some years ago and moved to France where he married Hajer Khalfallah with whom he had three children and lived in Abattoirs, a northern suburb of Nice History: Bouhlel was already known to police for a string of petty crimes including theft and domestic violence, but was not considered to be a terrorist threat. He was involved in a bar brawl in January Target: Msaken is just 12 miles from the once-popular coastal resort of Sousse, where Tunisian ISIS gunman Seifeddine Rezgui (pictured) massacred 38 holidaymakers in June 2015 Bad apple: Bouhlel never prayed or attended a mosque, and hit his wife - with whom he had three children - and was in the process of getting a divorce, his cousin told MailOnline He told how Mohamed became depressed following his separation from his wife and three children, now aged five, three and 18-months. Bouhlel was already known to police for a history of petty crime, including theft and domestic violence, but he was not under surveillance as a terrorist threat. His court-appointed lawyer, Corentin Delobel, said he observed 'no radicalisation' whatsoever. Bouhlel had never been place on a radical watch list, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said |
Brown has guided St Helens to their first Super League Grand Final since 2011 this season St Helens head coach Nathan Brown will leave the club at the end of the season and return to his native Australia. Saints made the announcement less than 24 hours after Brown guided the team to their first Grand Final since 2011. The 41-year-old, who joined Saints at the start of 2013 after leaving Huddersfield, led the club to the League Leaders' Shield this year. "Nathan has done a great job in rebuilding the squad over the last two seasons," said chairman Eamonn McManus. "We are very strongly positioned indeed for the future." Brown previously coached St George Illawarra Dragons and had been keen to return to the NRL - he recently applied for the Wests Tigers' job, which went instead to Jason Taylor. St Helens ran in five tries in their 30-12 win against Catalan Dragons to book a place at Old Trafford In his first full season in charge at Langtree Park, Brown's side finished fifth and were beaten in the second week of the play-offs, losing by a single point to Leeds Rhinos. St Helens won 19 of their games this term to finish top of the Super League table and end a six-year wait for silverware. And victory over Catalan Dragons on Thursday ensured a spot in the Grand Final at Old Trafford on 11 October. "Nathan received our blessing to apply for the Wests Tigers head coaching position and, although not successful, the same family reasons for a return home still pertained," added McManus. "We therefore willingly agreed to grant him an early release regardless. "The club's focus is now entirely on winning the Grand Final at Old Trafford next week. "As it is Nathan's last game in charge, there is even more to play for and the motivation levels are even higher." |
These days, it’s hard to open a newspaper or watch the news without hearing the latest spin about how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is failing veterans. You see politicians and pundits racing to condemn every minor imperfection without a word of the great work this one-of-a-kind system does for America’s heroes. The truth is, if you ask the veterans themselves, a much different picture of the VA begins to emerge. ADVERTISEMENT The VA is the largest integrated healthcare system in the country, offering services to veterans unmatched in the private sector. It is a network of 160-plus medical centers and 1,000-plus affiliated healthcare sites across the country that serve 5.8 million veterans each year at 707,000 inpatient and 92 million outpatient appointments. Since reports of drastic understaffing and waitlists emerged in 2014, the VA has hired an additional 14,000 healthcare workers, opened up 3.9 million more square feet of clinical space and added 20 million provider hours of care, as well as slashed the disability compensation and claims backlog by 87 percent. By overhauling its scheduling system, the VA has made gains in providing timely appointments. In the last two years, 97 percent of appointments in the VA were completed within 30 days, with an average wait time of 6.5 days to see a primary care doctor. That’s compared to 19.5 days on average for non-VA patients in the private sector. The VA has a large and vital footprint in American medicine, and it’s steadily growing. Sixty-five percent of all doctors practicing in the U.S. received all or part of their residency training in VA facilities. VA employees have won three Nobel prizes and seven Lasker awards. They pioneered the first liver transplant, invented the cardiac pacemaker, developed the nicotine patch, and engineered bionic ankle-foot prostheses, among countless other innovations. It’s also the only nationwide healthcare provider with fully integrated electronic health records, meaning veterans can walk into any VA facility and have seamless access to quality care designed for their unique needs — a capability that has saved lives during natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Using an innovative patient-team approach, the VA treats the veteran as a whole patient, with all caregivers sharing information and developing custom-tailored treatment plans. Both body and mind are given equal priority. This design is even more important for veterans returning home suffering from combat-specific ailments, including spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. The VA is the unrivaled national leader in treating these conditions, earning widespread praise and adoption of its methods. But the VA’s expertise is not just limited to veteran-centric conditions — it extends to the full range of primary and specialty health practices. To take one example, a 2014 study comparing VA mental healthcare to the private sector found that “in every case, VA performance was superior to that of the private sector by more than 30 percent.” This is substantial, considering that rates of suicide between 2000–2010 increased by 40 percent among veterans who didn’t use the VA but declined 20 percent among those who did. To veterans, the VA is more than a just another healthcare system — it’s a community of service members from all wars, conditions and walks of life. The healing they get from this community is something that can never be replicated in the for-profit sector. According to a November 2015 Vet Voice Foundation survey, a two-thirds majority of veterans opposed privatizing the VA, and 80 percent said they did not want it replaced with a voucher system. Last month, eight of the largest veteran service organizations in the country spoke out against a proposal by the VA Commission on Care — the group created to develop recommendations for improving access to quality VA healthcare — that would dismantle the VA and sell it off to private for-profit hospitals. As the only system that offers veterans integrated, universal access to highly tailored care, it’s no wonder they prefer to get treatment at the VA. We all know that no human endeavor is perfect, and the VA is no exception. But no amount of rhetoric can change the fact that the VA offers the best healthcare available for our veterans. It is the only system equipped to offer them the type of treatment and healing they have earned through their sacrifice. If we continue to ignore the facts and let the fleeting headlines and political hot air drive the conversation, we could see the VA stripped for parts and auctioned off to the lowest bidder. We cannot let that happen. We must not break our promise to our nation’s veterans. Cox is national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 670,000 federal and D.C. government employees nationwide, and served as a VA nurse for 20 years. |
on • THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — Following the death of singer Lou Reed — widely known in the transgender community for his 1972 trans-themed song “Walk on the Wild Side” — trans singer Laura Jane Grace was asked about her thoughts on Reed for the UK’s Channel 4 News: “His song about Candy Darling was one of the first times I’d heard someone sing about a trans person, and romanticize it too. Any time a trans person is mentioned culturally, and isn’t the butt of a joke, it’s a good thing. Just having it there in the public consciousness is a good thing.” Lou Reed was close friends with trans actress Candy Darling and other trans people during a period when sexual ambiguity and being androgynous was cool in popular culture, especially music. But the actual lives of transgender people during that time was nearly horrific. For those out at the time, artists like Reed and David Bowie served as inspiration and role models, during a time when next to none existed. ——- If you lived in the ’70s, this was one of the few things you could hang on to. My previous article on Laura Jane Grace: https://lexiecannes.wordpress.com/2013/10/11/trans-musician-laura-jane-grace-collaborates-with-joan-jett/ Positively wild: Lou Reed and transgender visibility – Channel 4 News. ——– Here’s a transgender feature film that you’d be honored to watch, “Lexie Cannes”: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963781332 Or via PayPal: http://www.lexiecannes.com/id13.html THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT is associated with Wipe Out Transphobia: http://www.wipeouttransphobia.com/ Read Lexie Cannes in The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-odonnell/ Share this: Twitter Facebook Reddit LinkedIn Tumblr Google Print Pocket Email Pinterest Like this: Like Loading... Categories: Transgender, Transsexual, Trans |
EDITOR'S NOTE: An update to this story with comments from Dr. Kanu Virani is available here. SAGINAW, MI — The Gift of Life Michigan, formerly known as the Organ Procurement Agency, has filed a lawsuit against Saginaw County and its medical examiner over the handling of the autopsy and organs of 6-year-old Elijah Dillard. In a complaint filed March 18 in Saginaw County Circuit Court, Ann Arbor attorney Thomas Bourque claims Medical Examiner Kanu Virani violated state law that required him to perform an autopsy on Elijah "in a timely manner" that permitted his organs, tissues and eyes to remain viable for transplant. Virani has testified Elijah died March 1 of blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen. Prosecutors allege the boy's father, Aki C. Dillard, inflicted the injuries on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 at the family's home at 1812 Ames in Saginaw. He faces a murder charge. Attorneys for Virani and the county deny any wrongdoing in the handling of Elijah's remains. “In Elijah Dillard's case it was perfectly appropriate to prevent the destruction of evidence of physical abuse and murder,” writes Virani's attorney, Brian Zubel. “Had it not been for the prompt action of Detective (Ryan) Oberle in securing the evidence via the search warrant, the suspects ... would have escaped prosecution.” Bourque, representing Gift of Life Michigan, declined comment on Monday, April 21. Gift of Life Michigan Chief Executive Officer Richard Pietroski was on vacation, his office said. He could not be reached for comment. After police responded to a report of an unresponsive child, Elijah was taken for treatment in Saginaw then transferred to Hurley Medical Center in Genesee County due to hot water burns on his body. According to the lawsuit, Hurley personnel on Feb. 28 alerted Gift of Life that Elijah was a potential organ donor, as required under the medical conditions of participation for donor. A Gift of Life official went to the hospital to discuss possible organ donation with Mio Campbell, Elijah’s mother, Bourque writes. Elijah was pronounced dead about 8:30 a.m. March 1, but remained on ventilator support pending organ donation, Bourque writes. About 5 p.m. that day, Campbell, after consulting with family members, gave Gift of Life authorization to take her son's organs, Bourque writes. Gift of Life immediately began working with Hurley staff to complete donation, Bourque writes. The actions the parties took was dictated by a state law known as "Kyle Ray Horning's Law" that outlines examinations of bodies determined suitable for organ donation. Saginaw County Medical Examiner Dr. Kanu Virani testifies about Elijah Dillard's injuries during the April 9, 2014, preliminary hearing for Aki C. Dillard in front of Saginaw County District Judge Terry L. Clark. “Dr. Virani did not have the opportunity to view the body or make any such determination,” county attorney Amy Lusk writes in the county's response. Lusk writes that the law is inapplicable to the circumstances of Elijah's death. Specifically, Lusk refers to the “timely manner” portion of the statute. Zubel writes that Hurley personnel did not inform Virani of Elijah's death as they “were under a legal obligation” to do. “Instead, (Hurley personnel) began work with Gift of Life personnel towards harvesting Elijah Dillard's organs,” Zubel writes, even though, according to Bourque, a detective from the Saginaw Police Department notified Gift of Life that he was seeking a court order to stop donation and seize the child’s body. When Oberle informed Virani of Elijah's death, the doctor told him “there would be nothing remaining from which (Virani) could make a medicolegal determination as to the cause and manner of death,” Zubel writes. Oberle then worked with the county prosecutor's office to draft a search warrant, swore to the search warrant before county District Judge M. Randall Jurrens, and then took Jurrens' order with him to Hurley about 6 p.m., according to the court documents. Jurrens ordered seizure of Elijah’s body and prohibited organ removal from his body until a complete autopsy was performed by the medical examiner, according to court documents. The order also voided any donation forms signed by Campbell, who already was charged with first-degree child abuse, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. By the time Virani observed Elijah's body, he determined “these injuries rendered Elijah Dillard's body unfit for donation,” Zubel writes. Bourque said, quoting the law, that if the medical examiner is unable to conduct the autopsy within the period of time to permit a transplant, a healthcare professional or technician who is authorized to remove an anatomical gift under state law may remove the donated tissues and organs to preserve the viability of the donated organs, or tissues for transplant upon notifying the county medical examiner. The statute reads that if the medical examiner “determines that an organ may be related to the cause of death,” he or she may either request to be present during the removal of the donated organs or request a biopsy of the donated organs. “In fact,” Bourque writes,"(Virani) did not conduct any examination of Elijah Dillard, prior to seeking the search warrant, to determine if organ donation would hinder the criminal investigation in any fashion.” Zubel writes the two options would have been insufficient to determine a cause and manner of death. Lusk adds, “the whole body — not bits and pieces — must be available to the medical examiner conducting the autopsy in relation to the criminal investigation.” From left, Mio Campbell, her attorney George C. Bush, attorney William White, and his client Aki C. Dillard stand as Saginaw County District Judge Terry L. Clark enters the courtroom for a the couple's April 9, 2014, preliminary hearing. As a result of Virani's actions, Bourque writes, “people awaiting organ transplants will die when organs and tissues are not donated.” Zubel responded harshly. “Quite contrary to plaintiff's suggestion,” Zubel writes, “people will die if violent crimes are not properly investigated, necessary autopsies are not performed, and child abusers and murderers are (allowed) to go unprosecuted.” While Aki Dillard was jailed on three felony charges, Oberle allowed Campbell to remain free at the hospital until doctors took Elijah off life support, the court documents show. After Oberle returned with the court order, Michigan State Police took Campbell into custody. Two days later, prosecutors charged Aki Dillard, already jailed on three felonies, with first-degree premeditated murder. After an April 9 preliminary hearing, county District Judge Terry L. Clark, after hearing testimony from Campbell about her husband "whooping" her son, determined probable cause exists for Dillard to stand trial in Circuit Court. Campbell waived her preliminary hearing. Though it is not clear what organs Campbell gave authorization for, she told The Saginaw News it was her wish to help others through her son. Campbell said she would have been happy to know that “his heart was pumping for someone else” and “his lungs were breathing for someone else.” “That’s what I wanted for him,” Campbell said during a phone interview. “I lost my son but could’ve helped someone else.” While it is too late to harvest Elijah's organs, Gift of Life's complaint asks Jackson to order Virani and the county to comply with the statute. Specifically, the complaint asks Jackson to order the defendants to “conduct any medical examination of the donor's body within such time period as permits organs, tissues, and eyes to remain viable for transplant;” “permit removal of anatomical gifts from donors by authorized health professionals or authorized technicians so as to preserve the viability of the donated tissues or organs for transplant;” “obtain information sufficient for the Saginaw County Medical Examiner to determine whether any donated organs may be related to the cause and manner of death prior to making any such determination; prohibit defendants from seeking court orders or search warrants or taking other actions that would prevent recovery of organs and tissues;” and grant plaintiff “all other relief, including costs and attorney fees, that the court deems just and appropriate.” In the county's response, Lusk writes it was not proper to include the county as a defendant because the county and Virani have no employer-employee relationship. The two have a “professional service agreement,” Lusk writes, that makes Virani an independent contractor. Lusk's response was not an “answer” to the complaint and instead was a motion for summary disposition that asks the judge to dismiss the case on legal grounds. Jackson is scheduled to hear arguments on the motion on May 12. Bob Johnson is a public safety reporter for MLive/The Saginaw News. Contact him at 989-395-3295, by email at or follow him on , or . Saginaw News reporter Andy Hoag contributed to this article. |
SAN FRANCISCO — An Uber executive accused of stealing driverless car technology from his former employers at Google is exercising his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination, according to his lawyers. The lawyers for Anthony Levandowski, the former head of Google’s self-driving car project who is now leading a similar effort at Uber, said he was broadly asserting his Fifth Amendment rights because there was “potential for criminal action” in the case, according to court transcripts obtained on Thursday. The legal maneuver adds even more intrigue to the high-profile fight between two of the technology industry’s largest companies, which are squaring off in the race to put driverless cars on the road. Mr. Levandowski is at the center of a lawsuit between Uber and Waymo, which was spun out from Google to become its own Alphabet subsidiary. Waymo has accused Mr. Levandowski of stealing documents and poaching employees before quitting Google and then colluding with Uber to use that technology to advance driverless car efforts at the ride-hailing service. |
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Get the latest news and videos for this game daily, no spam, no fuss. 2K Games has released a new "Let's Play" video for its upcoming BioShock: The Collection. This video shows off the first 14 minutes of the BioShock remaster featured in the package--and it looks great. As you can see, the 2007 game is looking better than ever, with the water effects looking especially nice in the opening sequence. We can also see in this video that there are now jellyfish. It's not clear what platform this footage was captured on, but whatever the case, 2K has said all games in The Collection run at 1080p and "up to" 60 FPS. The video is narrated by YouTuber GhostRobo. This video follows another one from earlier this month that showed off the major graphical improvements that the remaster delivers compared to the original. You can also watch this GameSpot graphics comparison video to see how much better the game looks today than it did in 2007. The Collection includes remastered versions of BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite, so it's possible other videos will focus on the latter two games. All single-player DLC is included for the three games, while The Collection also comes with a video series featuring commentary from director Ken Levine and lead artist Shawn Robertson. As announced previously, BioShock and BioShock 2 are being remastered for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, while Infinite is only getting a remastered version for consoles. The Collection for PC does include Infinite, but this will be the regular, non-remastered version that is likely on par with the PC version that is already available. PC players may also be able to get The Collection free. Read this post to find out if you're eligible. The Collection launches on September 13 for all platforms. The compilation is being developed by Blind Squirrel Games, which collaborated with Irrational Games in the past for Infinite. For more, check out GameSpot's video preview, "A Remaster Done Right." |
A best selling Algerian author warns that the “refugee welcome” culture is “naive,” and that Islam will fracture European society. Algerian writer and best selling author Boualem Sansal paints a bleak vision of Europe’s future in his new work 2084: The End of the World, the title evoking George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Mr. Sansal sees a Europe —not governed by a totalitarian Big Brother as Mr. Orwell did, but rather — subjugated by radical Islam. Promoting the book, the author warns that the “refugees welcome” attitude that Germans have shown is “completely naive,” and warns of the perils of radical Islam on European society in a new interview, reports Kronen Zeitung. Mr. Sansal blames what he calls an overly tolerant society as the reason for his vision of the future of Europe. He says that in Germany in particular that the experiences of the Second World War have made the nation an easy prey for Islamists. He told media that many of the radical Islamists in his native Algeria were forced out for their agitations against the government and many of them have found asylum in Germany. Europe is experiencing a “return of religion” according to Mr. Sansal, who says that the problem is not just a German issue but pan-European. He claims that Islam is gaining more traction among the population in European countries and especially among youths. Young people in Germany and elsewhere have even begun attempting to join Islamic State over the past year — some even committing attacks on its behalf. The author warns that the trend among young people will contaminate the entirety of European society. The consequences for women in an Islamised Europe are dire, Mr. Sansal says. Women’s equality will be a thing of the past he claims, explaining: “In the Islamic universe, there is only a mother’s love, the love of God. In love, the women hide. The woman herself does not matter.” Blaming the weakness of Europe to come to its own defence, he says that groups like Islamic State are using the tolerance of Europe against itself. According to him, the attacks in Paris and Brussels are directed at the Western way of life and shared common values. “You can not even defeat the weak Arab states, so they have brought in fifth columns to bring the West to destroy itself. If they succeed society will fall,” he said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not escape criticism from Mr. Sansal. The author sees the Turkish leader as trying to behave like an Islamic Caliph by centralising his own power in Turkey and trying to force conditions on the European Union to stem the migrant crisis. Mr. Erdoğan has repeatedly threatened to unleash millions of migrants into the European Union if he does not get visa-free travel for Turkish citizens. The EU has maintained that Erdogan must reform terror laws used to prosecute critics of the government, but the Turks have stood firm against any efforts to scrap them. |
(Warning: PBE Content is tentative and iterative - what you see may not reflect what eventually gets pushed to live servers! Manage your expectations accordingly. ) Lunar Goddess Diana Update Lunar Goddess Diana has had her head piece updated, her bracers altered, and a few other minor adjustments. New Flash VFX Flash got new particles in this PBE update! Updated and New Icons Updated Summoner Spell Icons A few of the new summoner icons have had minor adjustments: Barrier, Clairvoyance, Smite, Teleport New Recall Icon New Summoner Spell Icons Cleanse, Garrison New items Icons Entropy, Mana Potion, Health Potion New Ward Skin - Gong While it's not done yet, here's the model without any textures on it. A new "Gong" ward skin was added in this patch but is not currently available in the store. Very likely another Lunar Revel ward skin.While it's not done yet, here's the model without any textures on it. 2014 Season Start PBE Test - Non ranked Queues disabled until ~12/13 Here's Riot Socrates with more info on the upcoming "2014 Season Start" PBE test! "Hey everybody, we’re going to be performing the test run for the 2014 season start in the near future on PBE. In order to ensure that everything is working properly we’re turning off all non-ranked queues so we have a healthy number of users playing ranked. If you could give us a hand by playing a few games to get seeded for the current season it will help us to ensure everything is working correctly once we perform the switch. We expect that we will reopen all queues Monday 12-23. Thanks, Riot Socrates" Riot Feithe n added: "When we make the switch to the new season, a ton of things happen under the hood to player data. We are going to make that switch on PBE in the near future but some players here don't actually play ranked. We want as much data as possible to ensure things will go smoothly when we switch on the new season on Live. For now, you shouldn't see any changes. Play a few games for us, get placed, and we'll post again when we've actually started the new season." Balance Changes A few of the new summoner icons have had minor adjustments: Champions Annie* Pyromania ( Passive ) is now 1.25/1.5/1.75s (increasing at levels 1/6/11) instead of 1.75 sec stun duration. Summon Tibbers ( R ) cool down lowered to 120/100/80 from 120 at all ranks Evelynn Ravage ( E ) damage increased to 70/110/150/190/230 total from 50/95/140/185/230 total. [ this is a change to the changes from two pbe patches ago ] Nasus Wither ( W ) range returned to 600 from 500 [ this is a buff from the nerf last pbe patch ] Rengar Battle Roar ( W ) Ferocity bonus healing numbers look a bit different - Seems to now be [ 20 + 10 per level base heal ]but up to 2x base heal based on health missing. Riven Base damage decreased to 51 from 54 Damage per level increased to 3 from 2.75 Items Lord Vann Damm's Pillager Crit chance increased to 30 from 25 Wicked Hatched Attack damage increased to 20 from 15. Other The OUTER TURRETS now have a new item that reduces damage taken from champion attacks by 20 but they have also had their armor reduced by 60 ( ~5% mitigation ) Context on Annie changes in Today's Update As seen above, Annie's passive's stun duration was changed to 1.25/1.5/1.75 sec from 1.75 sec and Annie's R cooldown was lowered to 120/100/80 from 120 at all ranks in today's update. Meddler with aAnnie Changes, Here'swith a few comments on these tentativeChanges, "We're currently testing 1.25/1.5/1.75s (increasing at levels 1/6/11). That's a nerf to Annie's early game and one that affects duo lane Annie a bit more than solo lane Annie, since she'll be leveling slower. The ult CD reduction is intended to add power to the later part of her power curve, in recognition that the early part's getting reduced." Verified Bug Reports Updated 12/18 The verified bug reports listed has been updated as of today's update. Thenow have a new item that reduces damage taken from champion attacks by 20 but they have also had their armor reduced by 60 ( ~5% mitigation )The verified bug reports listed has been updated as of today's update. More info available here ] Added in a post about the 2014 Season Start PBE Test - Non Ranked queues down until ~Monday.The PBE has been updated! New changes include an update to, new visual effects for the summoner spell Flash, oodles of new and updated icons, and mention of a new "Gong" ward skin! You'll also find several tentative balance changes for champions, including, and others.Continue reading to check out the latest PBE content!* Remember *: The PBE is a testing grounds for new, tentative, and sometimes radical changes. The changes you see below may be lacking context or other accompanying changes that didn't make it in - don't freak out! |
Rarely seen outside of Japan, Ocean Waves is a subtle, poignant and wonderfully detailed story of adolescence and teenage isolation. Taku and his best friend Yutaka are headed back to school for what looks like another uneventful year. But they soon find their friendship tested by the arrival of Rikako, a beautiful new transfer student from Tokyo whose attitude vacillates wildly from flirty and flippant to melancholic. When Taku joins Rikako on a trip to Tokyo, the school erupts with rumors, and the three friends are forced to come to terms with their changing relationships. Ocean Waves was the first Studio Ghibli film directed by someone other than studio founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, as director Tomomi Mochizuki led a talented staff of younger employees in an adaptation of Saeko Himuro’s best-selling novel. Full of shots bathed in a palette of pleasingly soft pastel colors and rich in the unexpected visual details typical of Studio Ghibli’s most revered works, Ocean Waves is an accomplished teenage drama and a true discovery. |
Investing.com Oil markets have been startingly calm in recent months despite unrest in some of the world's largest oil producing regions. The price of London-traded Brent crude oil is actually down $5 since mid-May. The reason is that the world doesn't need as much of the stuff right now — and global production continues to ramp up. Tuesday, the International Energy Agency announced global oil demand growth in Q2 had fallen to 0.7 million barrels a day, the slowest place since Q1 2012. The agency also revised its total 2014 demand growth forecast down to 1 million barrels, down from 1.1 million in 2013. In the OECD Americas and Europe last quarter, demand is estimated to have plunged by a combined 440,000 a day. You'll recall Europe is basically in a Depression. But demand in the U.S. remains nowhere near its pre-recession high. EIA Meanwhile, global supply was up 230,000 barrels a day in July to 93 million barrels a day, thanks to higher OPEC output from Saudi Arabia and, for now, Libya, along with American shale. In the U.S., May crude oil production was 1.1 million barrels a day year-on-year, roughly equivalent to adding the total crude oil supply of Colombia to the world in just 12 months. Pick a country seeing problems. Iraq? There's not as much oil in the north to worry about compared with the south, the IEA says: The situation on the ground is highly fluid and infrastructure bottlenecks in the South, rather than the humanitarian disaster in the North, may remain the biggest hurdle to Iraq's ability to deliver the supply growth expected from it in the medium term. Russia? Europe's sanctions were constructed to avoid oil. The consensus in the industry seems to be that neither set of sanctions will have any tangible near‐term impact on supplies. Even for the medium term, their impact appears questionable. EU sanctions are highly selective, exclude agreed contracts, and can only be extended past one year by consensus. The IEA says demand will likely rise in the second half of the year, but that the market is convinced OPEC can meet it. The past two years prices have seen an unprecedented dampening in price swings: FRED |
Imagine that you’re surfing the web, and someone sends you a link to a clever tweet – so you click on it, only to see a message from your ISP: “We’re sorry, you don’t have the Social Browsing Package. Would you like to add Social Browsing for $10 a month? It offers access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, …” And later, your ISP prompts you to subscribe to the video service they own instead of Netflix to save money on data. This hasn’t happened in the US, but it could if ISPs don’t have clear rules of the road that protect net neutrality and the open web. Last week, the FCC made the disappointing – but unsurprising – decision to schedule a vote in December to overturn net neutrality protections. We are on the heels of Cyber Monday: the most trafficked day for online commerce, a day clearly demonstrating the value of an open, neutral internet (just imagine having to pay your ISP a separate fee to use Jet instead of Amazon – that’s bad for everyone!). But this FCC doesn’t seem to care about the public interest, instead hellbent on rolling back our established net neutrality protections. As we said last week, “internet traffic must be treated equally, without discrimination against content or type of traffic.” We urge the FCC to take its vote to kill net neutrality off the agenda, but our hopes aren’t high. And without these rules, everyday users and small businesses will pay the price, free speech will suffer, and competition and innovation will be eroded. That’s why we’re releasing our net neutrality framework today, outlining what it really takes to have net neutrality. In our framework, we offer some guidance on what is needed to protect the future of the internet and the economic and social benefits it offers. And we look forward to working with legislators and litigators alike. We encourage everyone to read proposed solutions and get involved. Tell the FCC and Congress to protect your access to the internet with net neutrality. We need to remember that the stakes are high, and think about how to respond to the chaos the FCC is creating by rolling back net neutrality protections. We simply cannot let Internet Service Providers win by creating fast lanes, slowing down, or even blocking traffic for innovators and businesses that want a fair shot – and their users deserve better too. |
Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. JPost Holy Land is a new column that will bring you the latest archaeology news and stories from Israel in collaboration with The Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Tucked away at the northernmost end of the country lies one of Israel's largest and most prominent archaeological sites: a large tel (the elevated area created when generations repeatedly live and rebuild on the same spot) south of the Tanur Waterfall and the lovely border town, Metulla. This mound, Tell Abil al-Qamh, has been identified with the town of Abel Beth-Maacah, which appears in several biblical narratives. In one of these dramatic tales, a local Wise Woman (an oracle of sorts) had Sheba Ben Bichri beheaded, as he took refuge in the town after fleeing from Jerusalem in the wake of a rebellion he initiated against an infuriated and vengeful King David. The town was saved by her actions, only to be destroyed twice more – once by the Arameans in the 9th century BCE, and then again by the Neo-Assyrians in the 8th century BCE.The site commands the narrow passageway from the Lebanese Beq’a to the north towards the Huleh Valley to the south, as well as the road to the east towards Damascus – via nearby Tel Dan – and Mesopotamia. This strategic border location has determined much of its occupation history until modern times.Curiously, despite its biblical and topographic prominence, the site has never been excavated before. Perhaps this is because of its border location, where Lebanese farmers, UN personnel and local kibbutzniks are all in pretty close eye contact. Short surveys were conducted and plans were made; Yigael Yadin was going to dig there, but turned his sights to nearby Hazor; but excavations never materialized.In 2012, a team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem – in partnership with Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles (who provided the critical funding and support for the project) and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York – took up the initiative. A preliminary survey took place in 2012, and a full-blown month-long season was conducted in 2013. The second season is set to begin in July and will also last a month.Four weeks of digging with a team of volunteers, mostly from America and Canada, have already yielded exciting and promising results. Two excavation areas were opened, revealing well-built structures dating mostly to the Iron Age I, the 12th and 11th centuries BCE, the time of Joshua and the Judges.In one area, a rather uncommon ring flask was found, indicating possible commercial connections with the Phoenician (modern Lebanon) coast. The area on the southern end of the mound, dramatically overlooking the expanse of the Huleh Valley, has an imposing structure that might have been a tower.A special find in that area was a small jug that contained a silver hoard, possibly stashed away by a woman or family who viewed it as a “nest egg” for a rainy day. This is one of the earliest Iron Age hoards found in the entire country and indicates that hacksilver, which was used for exchange in pre-coinage days, existed at that time and in that region, which has been traditionally understood as one of the centers of the settlement of the Israelite tribes.The potential of this border site to shed light on relations between Israelites, Canaanites, Arameans and Phoenicians during the second and first millennia BCE is great, and the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is committed to continue uncovering the long-awaited secrets of this important tell, the last remaining major biblical tell in the country that has yet to be excavated. Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>> |
If a majority Liberal government in British Columbia would have been mildly good news for Rachel Notley's Alberta NDP, and a majority NDP government would have only been mildly bad, a Liberal minority propped up by the B.C. Green Party may be the worst of all possible likely options. As of this morning, Premier Christy Clark's Liberals had been elected in 43 of the province's 87 ridings -- one short of a majority -- the NDP led by John Horgan had 41 seats, and the Green Party led by Andrew Weaver held the balance of power with three seats. While it will probably take a few days of recounts to figure out what actually happened in yesterday's election out here on Canada's western edge -- something we Canadians aren't used to -- it looks very much as if what could be the worst-case scenario from the Alberta NDP's perspective is what, in fact, is unfolding. It's potentially bad news for the Alberta NDP because, in their heads if not their hearts, officials in Premier Notley's government already knew they could work with Premier Clark on the pipelines-to-tidewater file, success on which is apparently politically essential in Alberta whether or not world market conditions actually justify development of such infrastructure. So while Albertans who bleed orange may have hoped atavistically for an NDP government in Victoria, a Liberal government likely meant smoother sailing when it came to making the argument that seeking "social license" for oil sands exports via pipeline was working, thereby creating a chance to persuade Alberta voters that only the NDP can ensure a healthy export environment for Alberta. An NDP government in Victoria, by contrast, would have been more problematic, with Horgan sounding decidedly unsympathetic to Alberta's pipeline aspirations during the campaign. Still, at least in such circumstances Alberta Dippers shared a language and tradition with their B.C. brethren, as well as many friendships and common goals that might have made compromise on oil exports possible. On other files, two such governments could have worked together effectively, and having a second NDP provincial government in Canada would also have relieved the Notley government of the pressure of being the lightning rod for opposition to social democratic government in Canada. But a Liberal government propped up by support from three Green members? Clark -- or whoever leads the Liberals as soon as she's stepped aside as leader -- will not compromise on some things, but, let's face it, the Alberta premier's priorities, or Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's for that matter, are not likely to be at the top of Clark's post-election to-do list. So it does not bode well at all for the Alberta NDP if nothing changes in the numerous recounts that are bound to follow yesterday's narrow election decision in B.C. -- as most likely will happen. Indeed, it's unlikely but not impossible, given the enmity up to now between the two parties, that an NDP-Green coalition could emerge in the event Clark flatly rejects Green Leader Weaver's core demand for getting corporate and union donations out of election financing laws. Weaver has already hinted in his first post-election remarks -- by omission, at least -- that the Greens' demand for meaningful electoral reform, viz., some form of proportional representation, is now not as high a priority as he made it sound before the election. But if the recounts result in no changes, the B.C. Greens will have to answer some immediate and serious strategic questions. Minority governments are inherently unstable and if the B.C. government falls, the Greens' success last night and likely lack of success implementing a green program in partnership with a development-oriented right-wing government will probably have two impacts. First, many Green supporters may be disillusioned by the compromises inherent to coalition situations in which one partner is much smaller than the other. Second, the NDP will have a powerful argument to make to soft Green supporters that all voting Green accomplished for them was to re-elect a government hostile to green principles. A glance at the vote splits in many ridings shows this to be so. Weaver, of course, can comfort himself with the thought that not very long ago, Notley too was a member of a caucus small enough (to risk a legacy metaphor) to meet in a telephone booth. Someone else who may soon face an unusual challenge is B.C. Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon, who could have some vice-regal work to do for once if the several recounts expected result in changes. Note that this is unlikely, as recounts usually reinforce the initial result. Unless the numbers align more favourably after the recounting and the B.C. NDP can work out a coalition deal with the Greens -- which is not likely more because of sentiment than policy differences -- Guichon is almost certain to ask the Liberals to form a government first, even if the seat count edges a little closer in the next few days. The Liberals, after all, led slightly in the popular vote, formed the previous government and are likely to have marginally more seats once the dust has settled. Meanwhile, back in Alberta, whether or not Rachel Notley faces an optimal situation to the west, we can assume she will continue to conduct business in her usual sunny and coolly competent manner. As for Alberta's conservative Opposition parties, they will continue to have no ideas at all of how to overcome hostility in B.C. to Alberta's infrastructure demands other than blunt force, or about low world petroleum prices beyond fatuous claims about the superiority of Alberta oil. Whether or not that will be good enough for Alberta voters in 2019 remains to be seen. This post also appears on David Climenhaga's blog, AlbertPolitics.ca. Image: Flickr/premierofalberta Like this article? Please chip in to keep stories like these coming. |
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