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Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is the author of "Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield." The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers. (CNN) News that a US Navy fighter jet on Sunday shot down a Syrian warplane is a dramatic escalation in a war the United States had not intended to fight. It's also a development that's been years in the making. At the same time, Iran fired missiles into Syria over the weekend. On Monday, Russia said it has ceased its military cooperation with the United States in Syria over the downing of the plane, referring to the act as "military aggression." These events illustrate how an uneasy battlefield coexistence in Syria has spiraled into a situation that is impossible to maintain. Now come the tasks of calming an escalating confrontation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad along with his Iranian and Russian backers and working to return the focus to the war in Syria in which the US does want to participate -- the battle against ISIS. "The Coalition's mission is to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria," a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve stated in a release. "The Coalition does not seek to fight the Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend Coalition or partner forces from any threat. The Coalition presence in Syria addresses the imminent threat ISIS in Syria poses globally. The demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces toward Coalition and partner forces in Syria conducting legitimate counter-ISIS operations will not be tolerated." This is a moment that was nearly inevitable, as the US has charged the military with pursuing a series of on-the-ground tactics to defeat ISIS without an overarching US policy for Syria. As US Secretary of Defense James Mattis noted, it is currently a " strategy-free " time. Indeed, since 2011, those who wanted to avoid greater intervention in the battle against Assad feared that it would drag the US, step-by-step, into another war in the Middle East. And until now the overarching US guiding principle has been to avoid such direct conflict with Assad forces on the ground -- at nearly all costs. Yet here we are. At a moment in which the US has been using "de-confliction" lines to avoid a conflict with Russia, the fight against ISIS is taking the US ever-nearer to a head-on collision with the Syrian regime, as forces allied with Assad target forces backed by the US. For years, Washington debated the idea of safe zones inside Syria to avoid further civilian carnage in a war now estimated to have killed nearly half a million people. And for years the idea was discarded, in no small part because the US did not want to find itself in direct conflict with the Syrian regime. "The time has come for President Assad to step aside," might have become official United States policy as of 2011 . But Assad can stay for now had become de facto guidance as the US sought to avoid direct intervention in the Syrian conflict and an endless series of Geneva conferences aimed at a diplomatic solution to the war took place. The ghost of the Iraq war hung over every decision on Syrian intervention, and the risk of taking incremental steps that might lead the US into another ground war in the region guided the Obama administration's decision to stay out of the escalating conflict. So the US supported a program to arm moderate rebels , but would never state just how far it would go to protect them if they were targeted by regime forces. The US hunted for the Goldilocks strategy on the war in Syria and ended up doing enough to help rebels fighting Assad around to the very periphery, but far from enough to be decisive in the war. Even after Russia went all-in on the side of the Syrian President to devastating effect -- most dramatically in the city of Aleppo -- the US sought to stay out of a country-to-country confrontation with either the Syrian regime or its generous backers in Russia and Iran. Indeed, in the last few years ISIS has surpassed Assad and become the threat driving US military intervention in the country. American focus has since been squarely on the fight against ISIS, not the regime. And yet now, as the Trump administration enters its sixth month, the US is being drawn into the very conflict its inaction had been intended to avoid. And as forces the US supports face danger from forces supporting the Syrian regime, the questions will get louder: What is US policy in Syria? And will the fight against ISIS lead the US into a war against Assad? The questions come at a pivotal time in the campaign to retake the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa -- and as questions about what will follow the fall of ISIS remain to be answered. Follow CNN Opinion Join us on Twitter and Facebook Now will come more questions, more uncertainty as the country waits to see how US policy on Syria evolves as the facts on the ground change. |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) - A U.S. district judge ruled on Tuesday that an Arkansas constitutional amendment that defines legal marriage as being only the union of one man and one woman was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker said the Arkansas amendment enacted about a decade ago denied U.S. constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law for same-sex couples. “These laws impose unconstitutional classifications on the basis of gender in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” she wrote in her decision. The suit in Arkansas was filed by two, same-sex couples seeking what they said are the same rights of opposite-sex couples. The decision in Arkansas comes after the U.S. Supreme Court last week cleared the way for South Carolina to become the 35th U.S. state where gay marriage is legal, denying a request to block same-same weddings from proceeding. |
It's likely to cost £300, come in two sizes and a choice of 10 colours Prototype's due to be unveiled and bracelet could hit shop shelves in June From Apple’s forthcoming smartwatch to the Fitbit, there is fierce competition to get consumers hooked on wearable devices. And soon there will be a bracelet that turns your skin into a touchscreen using a tiny built-in projector. Wearers of the of the Cicret bracelet will be able to check an email or watch a film that’s projected onto their forearm, and control the picture by using their skin like a touchscreen. A rival for the Apple Watch? Wearers of the of the Cicret bracelet will be able to check an email or watch a film that’s projected into their forearm, and control the picture by using their skin like a touchscreen (pictured) The makers of the device, who are currently raising money to put it into production on their website, say it can do anything a phone or tablet can, allowing wearers to read emails, surf the web, watch videos, play games and even make phone calls without relying on a conventional screen. A tiny projector in the bracelet will cast an image onto the skin then eight long-range proximity sensors will detect every swipe, tap and pinch. The bracelet will also contain a USB port and accelerometer as well as supporting Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. While it will be made so it can sync with an iPhone, it's designed to be a stand-alone device. The device (pictured) looks a tiny bit like the Jawbone Up but is not focused on fitness, instead aiming to be a replacement for a smartphone - even allowing people to make and receive calls The makers of the device, who are currently raising money to put it into production on their website , say it can so anything a phone or tablet can, allowing wearers to read emails, surf the web, watch videos, play games and even make phone calls without relying on a conventional screen CICRET BRACELET FEATURES Aim: To replace a smartphone. Key feature: A built in projector and eight sensors that will allow a wearer to manipulate an image that's projected on their arm. Uses: 'Screen' will let users read emails, surf the web, watch videos, play games and even make phone calls. Tech inside: An accelerometer, memory card, processor, vibrator, micro USB port, battery, long range sensors, pico projector, Bluetooth unit, Wi-Fi component, LED, Snap Button and technology to store SIM details. Cost: Likely to be around £300 (€379 or $471). Choice: Two models - 16GB and 32GB and 10 colours. A promotional video suggests that the bracelet will spring to life with the flick of a wrist and could be used to answer a phone call. Guillaume Pommier, who founded technology company Cicret with Pascal, his software developer father, told MailOnline: 'We plan to put a 3G card [in the bracelet] to allow calls.' He explained that the device may use a new technology that allows SIM details to be put into the hardware, instead of requiring its own SIM card. It’s still in development, but a working prototype is due to be unveiled in a few weeks' time and Mr Pommier hopes that the bracelet could be on the shelves by June next year. It is likely to cost around £300 on its launch and will come in 16GB and 32GB models as well as a choice of 10 colours. Mr Pommier, who is from Paris but lives in Leeds, said: ‘The Cicret bracelet is a revolutionary device which could completely change how we access information. The bracelet will also contain a USB port and accelerometer as well as supporting Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It will not contain its own SIM card, suggesting the gadget has to be used alongside a smartphone A tiny projector in the bracelet (pictured) will cast an image onto the skin then eight long-range proximity sensors (also shown as the smaller 'dots') will detect every swipe, tap and pinch ‘The applications for the bracelet are vast - it will be able to do anything a phone or tablet can do but without the need for a hard screen. ‘Not only is it more portable but it's also more ecological too because it is the screen part of tablets and phones that is hard to dispose of. ‘The amazing thing is that we haven't invented anything new - we just combined two existing technologies to create something really special. ‘We think the bracelet will revolutionise the technology world.' |
The unemployment rate in the eurozone is now 10.7 percent. That is the highest the unemployment rate has been since the introduction of the euro. The unemployment rate in the eurozone never got any higher than 10.2 percent during the last recession. This is very troubling news. It was just recently announced that the eurozone has entered another recession, and already the unemployment rate is hitting new record highs. So how bad are things going to get in the months to come? The truth is that the problems for Europe are just starting. The European sovereign debt crisis continues to get worse, and another major global financial crisis is going to be here way too soon. The EU as a whole has a larger population, a larger banking system and more Fortune 500 companies than the United States does. When the financial system of Europe crashes, the entire world is going to feel it. Some of the unemployment numbers coming out of Europe are absolutely staggering. Unemployment in Spain is 19.9 percent. Unemployment in Greece is 23.3 percent. And when you look at youth unemployment the numbers are far worse. The unemployment rate for workers under the age of 25 is 48.1 percent in Greece and 49.9 percent in Spain. If you look carefully at the photos of the austerity riots happening in Spain and in Greece you will notice that the vast majority of the protesters are young people. Instead of getting better, the unemployment numbers in Europe just keep getting worse. Many analysts were shocked by these new numbers. The following is from a CNN article…. “This is appalling,” said Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, highlighting that the unemployment rate following the collapse of Lehman Brothers peaked at 10.2%. Appalling indeed. The frightening thing is that we haven’t even had a major financial crisis in Europe yet. So far, the powers that be have been able to keep Greece from defaulting and have been able to keep major banks all over Europe from collapsing. But there are quite a few signs that the “moment of reckoning” for Europe is rapidly approaching…. -The European Central Bank announced on Tuesday that it would no longer take Greek bonds as collateral from European banks. That is a really bad sign. -Major European banks are revealing unexpectedly huge losses on Greek debt. The following is from a Reuters article…. The scars of Greece’s debt crisis were laid bare in heavy losses from a string of European banks on Thursday, and bosses warned the region’s precarious finances would continue to threaten economic growth and earnings. From France to Germany, Britain to Belgium, four of the region’s biggest banks lined up to reveal they lost more than 8 billion euros (6.8 million pounds) last year from their Greek bonds holdings. “We are in the worst economic crisis since 1929,” Credit Agricole chief executive Jean-Paul Chifflet said. -The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has ruled that the Greek debt deal will not trigger payouts on credit default swaps. This is going to make it less likely that private bondholders will voluntarily agree to the debt deal. This ruling is also seriously shaking confidence in credit default swaps. After all, they are supposed to be “insurance” in case something happens. But if they aren’t going to pay out when you need them, what good are they? -Voters in Germany are sick and tired of pouring money into a black hole. One recent opinion poll in Germany showed that Germans are overwhelmingly against more bailouts for Greece. Some German politicians are becoming very open about their feelings for Greece. For example, Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said the following in a recent interview with Der Spiegel…. “Greece’s chances to regenerate itself and become competitive are surely greater outside the monetary union than if it remains in the euro area.” He added that he did not support a forced exit. “I’m not talking about throwing Greece out, but rather about creating incentives for an exit that they can’t pass up.” -In Greece, news publications are openly portraying German Chancellor Angela Merkel as Hitler. Far left political parties that oppose the bailouts are surging in the polls and anger and frustration are reaching unprecedented levels. The following is from a recent article in The Guardian…. There is a growing animosity towards Germany on the streets of Athens. Angela Merkel bears most of the hostility with one of Greece’s newspapers last week mocking the chancellor up as a Nazi on its front page. Niki Fidaki, 40, says Greeks are angry at Germany and the troika’s demands for higher taxes and public services cuts. “People can’t afford to pay the tax. My pay has gone down, but my taxes have gone up. But, I’m a lucky one – half of my friends don’t have jobs. Greeks hate that they are asking us to pay all the time when we don’t have the money. Families have no work, they have kids to look after but no money to pay for anything.” As I have written about before, Greece is already going through a devastating economic depression. The people of Greece are not in the mood to be pushed much further. The eurozone is a powder keg that could explode at any time. So why is the U.S. economy doing so much better than the European economy right now? Well, a big reason is because we haven’t seen any austerity in the United States yet. Barack Obama is funding our false prosperity by borrowing 150 million dollars an hour from our children and our grandchildren. Of course all of this reckless borrowing is going to make the eventual collapse of our financial system far worse, but right now Americans don’t seem to care. The only thing the mainstream media seems to care about is that some of our economic numbers are getting slightly better. The sad thing is that our government is spending a lot of this money on some of the most stupid things that you could possibly imagine. Did you know that the Obama administration just spent $750,000 on a brand new soccer field for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay? I wish I had a $750,000 soccer field to play on. I would love that. Look, when the federal government quits stealing more than a trillion dollars a year from future generations things are going to look a whole lot different in this country. So pay attention to what is going on in Europe. That is where we are headed eventually. |
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NEWARK -- A federal air marshal left his loaded gun in a bathroom stall at Newark Liberty International Airport, then boarded a flight he was assigned to protect without it, NJ Advance Media has learned. The incident occurred late last month, when the marshal left the handgun on top of a toilet paper dispenser in the public men's room near Checkpoint 2 in Terminal C, according to a Transportation Security Administration supervisor and a law enforcement source, who asked their names not be used because they were not authorized to discuss the incident. The gun was discovered by a airport janitor, who alerted a TSA supervisor, the sources said. The janitor and supervisor sealed off the stall and called Port Authority Police. Officers took possession of the weapon, which upon inspection was found to be loaded, and then traced its serial number to the marshal, the sources said. The sources did not know the precise date of the incident, which they said occurred in the last afternoon or early evening. A TSA spokesman for the marshal service, Michael D. Pascarella, declined to comment. "TSA will not discuss the mission activities of Federal Air Marshals," Pascarella said in an email. A Port Authority Police spokesman, Joe Pentangelo, also declined to comment. Federal air marshals are law enforcement officers within the TSA, who pose as airline passengers with a mission, "to detect, deter, and defeat hostile acts targeting U.S. air carriers, airports, passengers, and crews," according to the TSA, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security. Unlike the unarmed TSA screening officers recognizable to fliers at security checkpoints, marshals carry guns and dress in plain clothes. "Federal Air Marshals must operate independently without backup, and rank among those Federal law enforcement officers that hold the highest standard for handgun accuracy," the TSA states, referring to the importance of not shooting holes in a pressurized aircraft cabin. "They blend in with passengers and rely on their training, including investigative techniques, criminal terrorist behavior recognition, firearms proficiency, aircraft specific tactics, and close quarters self-defense measures to protect the flying public." By its stealthy nature, the Air Marshal Service does not attract much attention to itself or its undercover operatives. However, eight New York-based marshals made headlines in 2012 when they were fired for drinking at a restaurant while on duty, six others were suspended for failing to report them. Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow hin on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. |
Baker Motor Vehicle Company was an American manufacturer of Brass Era electric automobiles in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1899 to 1914. History [ edit ] Baker Electrics logo, 1912 The first Baker vehicle was a two seater with a selling price of US$850. One was sold to Thomas Edison as his first car.[2] Edison also designed the nickel-iron batteries used in some Baker electrics. These batteries have extremely long lives. Early production [ edit ] The model range was expanded in 1904 to two vehicles, both two-seaters with armored wood-frames, centrally-located electric motors, and 12-cell batteries. The Runabout had 0.75 horsepower (0.56 kW) and weighed 650 pounds (290 kg). The Stanhope cost US$1,600, weighed 950 pounds (430 kg), had 1.75 horsepower (1.30 kW) and three-speed transmission. It was capable of 14 miles per hour (23 km/h). In 1906 Baker made 800 cars, making them the largest electric vehicle maker in the world at the time.[2] They bragged that their new factory was "the largest in the world" in advertisements. The company also made a switch from producing Baker Electric Carriages to automobiles. According to the company promotionals; "We employ the choicest materials in every detail of their construction and finish, producing vehicles which in every minute particular, cannot be equaled for thorough excellence."[3] 1909 Baker Suburban Runabout The 1906 Baker Landolet was priced at $4,000. The company also manufactured the Imperial, Suburban, Victoria, Surrey, Depot Carriages, and other new models "to be announced later."[3] One of the most unusual 1906 Bakers was the Brougham with the driver on the outside, in the back.[4] The Washington Post, 19 October 1913 Baker Electrics advertisement,, 19 October 1913 By 1907, Baker had seventeen models, the smallest being the Stanhope and the largest the Inside Drive Coupe. There was also the US$4,000 Extension Front Brougham with the driving seat high up behind the passengers mimicking a hansom cab. Baker also introduced a range of trucks with capacity of up to five tons in 1907. In late 1910, the Baker Electric was quite luxurious and priced at $2,800. It had a seating capacity of four passengers and was painted black with choice of blue, green or maroon panels. The latest model also offered a Queen Victoria body as "interchangeable on chassis" priced at an additional $300.[5] The Baker of 1910 was the only electric that had a heavy series-wound motor of 300 percent overload capacity, with a commutator "absolutely proof against sparking and burning under all conditions."[5] Special Baker Electrics [ edit ] A Baker Electric was part of the first White House fleet of cars. [6] A Baker Electric was bought in 1903 by King Chulalongkorn of Siam. It was trimmed with ivory and gold, and upholstered with pigskin seats.[6][1] Commercial vehicles [ edit ] Baker Motor-Vehicle Co. Commercial Car Department, 1912 The Baker Motor-Vehicle Company, located at 63 West 80th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, specialized in vehicles for the commercial market. By October 1912, the company had a Commercial Car Department and had dealers situated in several leading cities around the United States.[7] During late 1912, Baker advertised that the average cost for deliveries over the "steep hills" of Spokane, Washington, by Crescent Department Store were four cents a piece, including all operating charges, maintenance, interest and depreciation.[7] By late 1913, the company advertised their new model as "The magnificent new Baker Coupe" and that the car was "just what the public demanded, a genuine automobile, not an electrically driven coach". That year, the car had "increased roominess, full limousine back, longer wheelbase, graceful, low-hung body lines, with both interior and exterior conveniences and appointments which have set a new mark in motor car refinement". Another new feature were revolving front seats which faced forward or "turn about".[8] Merger [ edit ] Baker Electric - Quality Service in 1913 In 1913, Baker was overtaken in sales by Detroit Electric and, in 1914, merged with fellow Cleveland automaker Rauch and Lang to become Baker, Rauch & Lang.[2] The last Baker cars were made in 1916, but electric industrial trucks continued for a few more years. Baker, Rauch & Lang produced the Owen Magnetic under contract. Founder Walter C. Baker's Torpedo land speed record racer was the first car to have seat belts. The car was capable of over 75 miles per hour (120 km/h). Walter Baker joined the board of Peerless Motor Company in 1919.[2] Advertisements [ edit ] A 1906 Baker Electrics Advertisement - The Draw-Bar Pull of Baker Electrics - The Washington Post, June 17, 1906 Baker Motor Vehicle Company advertisement - Automotive Industries, 1906 Baker Electrics - 1910 Advertisement - Syracuse Journal, December 3, 1910 Baker Electric - 1911 Advertisement - Country Life in America, May 15, 1911 Advertisement 1912 - Baker Motor-Vehicles Co. of Cleveland, Ohio - Commercial Car Department - Power Trucks, 1912 See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] |
BART says it won’t meet Thanksgiving deadline to get new cars into service 23 year train operator Kirk Paulsen peers inside the new train car as it pulls into the Hayward South station, as BART shows off one of their new trains to the media at the South Hayward station as seen on Mon. July 23, 2017. less 23 year train operator Kirk Paulsen peers inside the new train car as it pulls into the Hayward South station, as BART shows off one of their new trains to the media at the South Hayward station as seen on Mon. ... more Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close BART says it won’t meet Thanksgiving deadline to get new cars into service 1 / 19 Back to Gallery BART officials say they’ve found a fix for the problems that caused state regulators to delay approval of the transit system’s new railcars. But it could take weeks, possibly into December, before the cars can start carrying passengers, they acknowledged Thursday. The rail system had hoped to put its first 10 new cars into service by Thanksgiving, but on Nov. 3, a 10-car test train, with California Public Utilities Commission inspectors aboard, ran into trouble. BART’s computer system failed to recognize the length of the train, and some of the train’s doors did not open. The commission ordered BART not to carry paying passengers until the problems were explained and fixed, and the train had passed a new test, which will involve stopping at each of the system’s 46 stations. Now Playing: Paul Oversier, BART’s assistant general manager for operations, said that engineers from railcar manufacturer Bombardier and BART “want to make sure they’re going to pass the certification.” Instead of rushing to get the cars into service, he said, BART will take the time to make sure the problems are resolved. “I’m hopeful that, best case, that could be in November,” he said. “Worst case, next month, by Dec. 15th, at least.” BART riders have been waiting for the new cars, which will feature three doors on each side for quicker loading and unloading, modern signage and automated announcements. The cars, which will operate as two five-car trains or one 10-car train, will also increase BART’s capacity, easing overcrowding. This delay is just the latest setback. The first of the new cars arrived nine months late, and problems with an electrical system delayed the arrival of additional cars by several months. BART officials said in April they expected to have the trains running by June and then pushed the date back to September and then to Thanksgiving, and now even further back. Oversier said it’s common to have to work through problems when putting new railcars on an old system. “I know that for our riders, who could use some relief, it’s frustrating,” he said. “But we want to make sure we have good cars.” BART never expected the cars to be perfect. The first 10 were designed to be subjected to rigorous tests to identify, and fix, problems before BART would give Bombardier permission to crank up its assembly line in Plattsburgh, N.Y. Oversier said BART expects to have about 30 new cars delivered to its Hayward yard by the end of the year. They’ll be inspected and then put into service. BART’s $2.6 billion contract with Bombarder calls for the Canadian railcar maker to deliver about 150 new cars every year until its old fleet of 669 cars is replaced, and expanded to 775, by 2022. BART also hopes to find enough money to add another 306 cars to its fleet. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan |
The Cincinnati Bengals launched their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday minus Andre Smith. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported that the veteran right tackle wasn't on hand for practice, but a source indicated that Smith's absence isn't football- or contract-related. The team plans to address Smith's status after Tuesday's session. The four-year veteran has been in constant contact with Bengals officials, who are fully aware of his personal situation, according to Rapoport. Smith is expected to report later this week or, at latest, by early next week. Smith also missed the entirety of the team's organized team activities and could, in theory, be fined for missing minicamp. After confronting a bone-dry free-agent market, Smith signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Bengals in April. When he's present, Smith -- drafted sixth overall by the Bengals in 2009 -- is a sturdy right-side protector who graded out as football's fifth-best tackle last season by ProFootballFocus. Even with Smith entrenched, quarterback Andy Dalton was sacked 45 times, third most in the NFL, so the Bengals hardly can afford to have their best blocker stay away for long. UPDATE: Bengals coach Marvin Lewis addressed Smith's absence after Tuesday's first minicamp practice. "Andre won't be here for the three days," Lewis said, adding that Smith is subject to being fined for his absence. "He is dealing with something he has to get through. We hoped he'd be here, but he has some personal things he's dealing with." Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL. |
Today, developed countries released a “Roadmap” for how they will mobilize climate finance between now and 2020. This critical funding will help developing countries build low carbon and climate resilient economies and is an integral part of the Paris Agreement since countries reinforced their commitment to mobilize $100 billion annually from 2020 to 2025. As a part of the Paris Agreement, developed countries agreed to develop a “roadmap” to outline how they plan to meet the objective of mobilizing $100 billion per year by 2020. This roadmap and the accompanying analysis from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) provides much needed clarity on the status of current funding amounts and expectations of whether developed countries are likely to meet the 2020 finance commitment. This report builds on the climate finance assessment completed last year by the OECD and CPI. This roadmap is the first look at how the world will reach this goal. The OECD report finds that by 2020, developed countries are expected to have mobilized $91 billion of climate finance (see figure). The OECD estimates that the 2020 total climate finance could range between $90 billion and 92 billion depending on how effective public finance is in mobilizing private finance. As a comparison, the overall total for mobilized public and private finance in 2014 was $62 billion. The OECD analysis predicts that the $100 billion goal will be reachable for 2020, thanks to increased leverage ratios for private finance. Here are a few key points of the Roadmap: From the "Roadmap to US$100 Billion" - http://dfat.gov.au/international-relations/themes/climate-change/Documen... Public finance will increase to $67 billion by 2020, from about $41 billion in 2013-2014—an increase of $26 billion from the current levels. This takes into account the pledges made in 2015 and assumptions about climate finance from countries that have not made pledges—so the OECD considers theirs a conservative estimate. (A list of national and OECD pledges can be found in the Roadmap.) Mobilized private finance is predicted to be $24 billion in 2020. Depending on how effective the public finance is in mobilizing private finance, the OECD estimates that the values could be higher or lower than this amount (with a range of $22.8 – 25.5 billion). Public finance for adaptation is on-track to double by 2020 from current levels. This would mean funding for adaptation in 2020 would be around $14 billion—an increase from $7 billion in 2014. This is important positive momentum towards ensuring that greater resources are provided to help the most vulnerable address the impacts of climate change and become more resilient. The sources of funding going towards the $100 billion target are varied, including direct bilateral funding from country to country, multilateral development finance, export credits and funds from the Green Climate Fund. The significant increase in financing is a result of new pledges by developed countries and multilateral development banks in 2015.* The OECD report estimates that the majority of the funding will flow through bilateral funding from developed countries ($37.3 billion), followed by funding from the multilateral development banks and other multilateral channels ($29.5 billion) and leveraged private finance ($24 billion). Developed countries outlined the kinds of initiatives that will help them reach the $100 billion target. These initiatives will mean increased support for the Least Developed Countries Fund, Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund. Specific adaptation initiatives include open access to satellite data and computer models to plan for future climate impacts, support for development of National Adaptation Plans, programs for resilience, early warning systems for extreme weather events, and access to risk insurance. Mitigation and cross-cutting initiatives will cover an array of projects for clean energy deployment and large-scale investment. The Roadmap released today outlines the path forward to show that climate finance is starting to be scaled-up both in the public and private sectors. It will be critical that developed countries ensure delivery of this finance and continue to scale-up up low-carbon and climate resilient economies. The pathway to low-carbon and climate-resilient growth has never been clearer. Here is the list of countries and MDBs that provided new climate finance pledges in 2015: Countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, European Commission, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States. MDBs: Asian Development Bank (ADB), African Development Bank (AFDB), European Investment Bank (EIB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDBG), and the World Bank Group (WBG). |
The following post comes from Seasoned Citizen Prepper (with my own additions below). In a crisis situation it may become necessary to defend your home and proprieties from marauders who do not have good intentions. For many older folks, especially women, firearms are often strange objects that are feared and looked down upon. For others, especially those with military experience or grew up hunting, firearms are not an item to get stressed about. The subject of the best firearm to have in defense of your home is a tremendously controversial one with so many strong opinions it can lead to a lot of confusion. Here are a few thoughts: Any firearm is better than no firearm. The best firearm to have is the one you are comfortable with, can operate efficiently and safely, and can fire accurately. A firearm does not have to be expensive or “evil” looking to work. Many calibers of bullets can easily pass through a wall or walls within a house. Safety, safety, safety. Here is my Top 5 list of firearms to look at to purchase, train with, practice some more – and then have at the ready stored safely in your home: 1. .357/.38 Revolver with exposed hammer – simple to operate and when loaded with .38 Special ammunition the recoil is very low. Trigger pull can be on the heavy when pulling double action. With exposed hammer the hammer can be pulled back and cocked and then shot by pulling the trigger which will be MUCH lighter. 2. Glock 17 9mm semi-automatic pistol – 17 shots of 9mm in the magazine and simple operations similar to a revolver. Basically this pistol has to have the slide moved back to cock the action and after that each trigger pull results in a shot until the magazine is empty. Those with weaker hands and/or wrists will experience difficulty activating the slide. Weaker grips on the pistol can cause the firing mechanism to malfunction. If these are not problems for yourself, the Glock 17 can be an excellent choice. 3. Ruger 10/22 .22LR carbine – For many this may seem like a strange choice. “A .22LR?”, you may ask. Absolutely I will tell you. One .22 in me is one too many. There are more people killed every year in the United States by the .22LR rimfire than all other calibers put together. It is not an ideal defensive caliber however it provides some benefits such as little too no recoil, low noise, limited penetration capability, and inexpensive. The Ruger 10/22 is cheaper and super reliable. 100 rounds of quality .22LR can be purchased for under $7.00. 4. Ruger SR22 .22LR pistol – As far as the .22LR – see description above. The Ruger SR22 is a new semi-automatic 10-shot .22 pistol that is inexpensive and from all reports I have read very reliable. Again – I must emphasize the .22 is not by far the best defensive round however for those on a budget and/or limited by health issues is a decent choice. A tactical light can be mounted on the front of the SR22 to illuminate things in the dark. 5. 12 gauge pump shotgun – The 12 gauge shotgun is often looked at as the king of home defense due to its incredible power. The 12 gauge is very versatile in that there are many different loads that can be loaded into the shotgun depending upon the intended purpose. Why not at #1? It can be depending upon your firearm experience and health. The 12 gauge can have violent recoil and the pump action required will use a decent level of strength. So – depending on overall health and abilities is can be a great choice or not so much. If you are not experienced with firearms do your best to try out a few guns at a shooting range. Often ranges will have rental guns available. The added expense to actually be able to fire your choice prior to purchasing is well worth it. Once a purchase is made I advice you to sign up for a training session at the range. Having someone walk you through all the safety aspects of using the firearm as well as how to shoot it is critical. It is also good to have the range officer take you through the cleaning and lubrication process as well. Hope this helps. Feel free to leave comments and ask questions. Take care all – Rourke (© 2012, Seasoned Citizen Prepper.) My Take This is a good starting point. Personally, here are some of my favorites: For a pistol, I like the Taurus PT145 (.45 ACP), with the PT140 (.40 S&W) as a close second. For a rifle, I’m partial to .308 (7.62mm NATO), and my pick is the Remington 770. And finally, I recommend for a pump action shotgun the Mossberg Maverick 88. All of my recommendations can be had fairly cheaply (you could buy all 3 for between $800 to $1,000). I’m interested in hearing your recommendations/suggestions. Add your comments below. |
Speaking on "Democracy Now!" The Intercept journalist calls out the former secretary of state on her hypocritical statements regarding Bernie Sanders' comments about Fidel Castro and Nicaragua's Sandinista government when she has supported dictators and taken a war-hawk stance throughout her career. In reference to a recent speech Clinton gave to the Israel lobby AIPAC, Greenwald says her talking points form "part of her moving to the right in order to position herself for the general election by affirming some of the United States' worst and most violent policies." On the other hand, host Amy Goodman and Greenwald point out, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders has defended Palestinians with statements The Intercept journalist calls "almost shocking to the ear" because the terms he used to describe Israeli occupation are not used by mainstream politicians. Read the transcript for this clip here. — Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata |
GOOSE Gee Darren, the NES came out 30 years ago - that's older than me! But it was a special machine, and it had a huge impact on the world of gaming. Don't we have one here in the den of gaming? DARREN Ahhh, affirmative... somewhere. Hold on a minute - hardware scan initiate! Scan complete, it's right under your chair. GOOSE Oh! Thanks Darren... aww look at it! Did you know, when the NES first went on sale in Japan in 1983, it was actually called the Family Computer - or Famicom, for short. Before it launched in America, Europe, and Australia, Nintendo gave it a new outer shell and a new name - and the NES was born. DARREN It wasn't a terribly powerful console, even by the standards of the 1980s. The NES had an 8-bit processor at its core, and less than 5K of RAM. In comparison, the Commodore 64 home computer had 64K of RAM! But the NES was designed to be expandable. Game cartridges, or 'Game Paks' as they were called, could include special chips called MMCs, or Memory Management Controllers. MMC chips boosted the graphical power of the NES, and some even had extra RAM. This tech allowed the NES to keep up with the times, and the console stayed relevant well into the 1990s. GOOSE I think what really made the NES special was its games. Nintendo has a strong tradition of research & development when it comes to new game ideas. Instead of copying what everyone else was doing, they hired the very best engineers to come up with new ideas. Nintendo's most famous game designer is Shigeru Miyamoto. The creator of Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Excite Bike, and The Legend of Zelda, he designed games that let players interact with game worlds in ways they never had before. DARREN Of course, Miyamoto-san's games weren't the only NES classics. Metroid was more than a platformer - it was a game of exploration. It made you feel like you were gingerly probing your way through a scary alien world. River City Ransom was highly customisable, adding RPG properties to the fighting game genre. And who could forget Tetris, the block-stacking puzzle arcade hit from Russia. Tetris won over millions of humans with its compelling 'just one more go' gameplay. GOOSE At their best, NES games weren't just compelling to play. They rose above the limits of graphics and sound, and became portals into the world of the imagination. DARREN Nintendo innovated with hardware as well. NES game 'Paks' supported battery back-up, so players could save their games. This was a big deal in the 80s! GOOSE Oh yes I remember! that was a game changer Darren! Before you could save your game straight to the cartridge, you had to write down these really long passcodes with pen and paper and re-enter it later just to pick up where you left off! DARREN Nintendo also paid close attention to every aspect of the console's physical design, from the optimal number of buttons for the control pad, to the peripherals - like the light gun. GOOSE Ah yes, the Nintendo Zapper! I can't tell you how much fun I had with this thing, back in the day. I found the best way to win at Duck Hunt was to press the gun barrel riiiiiight up against the screen. That way you couldn't miss your targets! DARREN Ahahahaha! Lasers! GOOSE Pew pew pew! DARREN Ahahahaha! GOOSE That dog was so infuriating. DARREN Affirmative! GOOSE The NES is gone now, but its heroes endure - it was where game series like Advance Wars, Kirby, and Mega Man got their start. DARREN Consoles come and go, but the soul of the NES lives on. Happy birthday, NES! GOOSE Yes, happy birthday my old friend! DARREN Alright Goose, it's time to go answer all my fan mail at the Ask Good Game desk! GOOSE Don't you mean answer questions? DARREN Oh, I suppose we can do that too...come along... |
Orban has a point: Merkel and her fellow globalist internationalists are bringing huge numbers of people into Europe who come from a culture that has a model of society and governance that is touted as superior to all others. Many of the “refugees” are coming with the goal, or determination, of replacing existing European legal systems and societal structures with ones based on Sharia. The conflict between such people and those who support the existing systems is inevitable. The globalists have brought Europe to the brink of civil war. Why shouldn’t those who do not wish to live in a repressive socialist multicultural Sharia paradise have a refuge, just as do those putatively fleeing war in Syria? “Orban: Hungary Will Welcome ‘European Refugees’ Fleeing Multicultural West,” by Jack Montgomery, Breitbart, February 11, 2017: |
For the British journalist and author, see Anthony Hayward Anthony Bryan Hayward (born 21 May 1957) is a British businessman and former chief executive of oil and energy company BP. He replaced John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley, on 1 May 2007. His tenure ended on 1 October 2010 when he was replaced by Bob Dudley following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.[1] He has been chairman of Glencore Xstrata since May 2014.[2] Education and early career [ edit ] Tony Hayward was born in Slough, Berkshire, in 1957; the eldest son of Bryan and Mary Hayward. Tony has five sisters and two brothers, the youngest sibling is adopted. Growing up Tony moved frequently but until a teenager lived in or near Slough. At the age of 15 when his sixth sibling was born Tony moved out of the family home and started living with his paternal grandparents in Langley (an area in Slough). Later on, his family moved to Bournemouth, Dorset. Tony however remained in Berkshire living with his grandparents and attended a local grammar school, The Windsor Boys' School until he started university. [3] Tony went on to gain a first class geology degree from Aston University[4] followed by a PhD from the University of Edinburgh School of Geosciences.[5] Joining BP in 1982, with his first job as a rig geologist in Aberdeen,[6] he quickly rose through the ranks in a series of technical and commercial roles in BP Exploration in London, Aberdeen, France, China and Glasgow. Hayward first came to Lord Browne's attention during a 1990 leadership conference in Phoenix, Arizona. As a result, he was made Browne's executive assistant.[7] In 1992, Hayward moved to Colombia as exploration manager and became president of BP's operations in Venezuela in 1995.[citation needed] In August 1997, he returned to London as a director of BP Exploration.[citation needed] He became group vice-president of BP Amoco Exploration and Production as well as a member of the BP group's Upstream executive committee in 1999.[citation needed] Hayward was appointed BP group treasurer in September 2000 where his responsibilities included global treasury operations, foreign exchange dealing, corporate finance, project finance and mergers and acquisitions.[citation needed] Hayward became an executive vice-president in April 2002, and chief executive of exploration and production in January 2003.[citation needed] Replacement of Lord Browne [ edit ] Safety and production issues in Alaska and the explosion at the Texas City refinery, made Peter Sutherland, BP's non-executive chairman, accelerate the process for finding Lord Browne a replacement. His retirement timetable moved forward from end-2008, when Browne would be 60, when BP policy called for mandatory retirement, to July 2007. Hayward, having been described as CEO designate by both internal and media commentators, came to the fore amid the competition,[8] including Robert Dudley, chief executive of TNK-BP, the company's Russian joint venture, and John Manzoni, head of refining and marketing.[9][10] On 18 December 2006, in the run-up to replace Lord Browne as chief executive of BP Group, the Financial Times reported that Hayward had criticised BP's management at an internal management meeting, in the wake of a blast at the firm's Texas City refinery that killed 15 people and injured more than 170 others.[11] Hayward made the comments at a town hall meeting in Houston: "We have a leadership style that is too directive and doesn't listen sufficiently well. The top of the organisation doesn't listen sufficiently to what the bottom is saying."[12] On 12 January 2007 BP announced that Hayward would replace Lord Browne as chief executive.[13] On 2 February Andy Inglis was appointed managing director of the BP Group, and succeeded Hayward as chief executive of BP's Exploration & Production (E&P) business.[14] Hayward was appointed to the chief executive position with immediate effect on 1 May 2007, after Lord Browne resigned following the lifting of a legal injunction preventing Associated Newspapers from publishing details about his private life.[15][16] BP was paying Hayward an annual salary of £1,045,000; his 2008 bonus was £1,496,000 and in 2009 his bonus was £2,090,000.[17] Negotiations with Russia's Igor Sechin [ edit ] In 2008, Tony Hayward had private meetings with Igor Sechin, a close ally of Putin and a top figure of Russian military and security services, currently serving as a CEO of largest Russian oil company Rosneft. The two negotiated on BP's deals with Russia.[18][19][20] Deepwater Horizon oil spill [ edit ] On 20 April 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, operated by BP. Eleven people were killed in the blast and oil began to leak from the ocean floor at a rate variously estimated to be between 5,000 barrels (790 m3) and 100,000 barrels (16,000 m3) per day. Hayward, and BP in general, initially downplayed the spill, stating on 17 May 2010 that the environmental impact of the Gulf spill would likely be "very very modest" and calling the spill "relatively tiny" in comparison with the size of the ocean.[21][22][23] By 27 May, Hayward changed his assessment, calling the spill an "environmental catastrophe" in an interview with CNN.[24] On 12 May 2009, in a postgraduate lecture to Stanford Business School,[25] Hayward analysed the role and organisation of the company for which he acted as chief executive officer. During the lecture he stated to the business students that "...our primary purpose in life is to create value for our shareholders. In order to do that you have to take care of the world".[26] Hayward stated that his job might be at risk as a result of the spill, saying "we made a few little mistakes early on."[21] He received criticism for various statements he had made during the spill, including telling a camera man to "get out of there" during a photo-op on the shores of Louisiana.[27] On 30 May, he told a reporter "we're sorry for the massive disruption it's caused to their lives. There's no one who wants this thing over more than I do, I'd like my life back."[28] He was widely condemned for his comment which was perceived as selfish, and United States Representative Charlie Melancon (D-La.) called on Hayward to resign in the wake of this comment.[29][30] He later apologised for the comment on BP America's Facebook Page.[31][32] On 31 May, Hayward disputed claims of huge underwater plumes of oil suspended in the Gulf, as had been reported by scientists from three universities.[30][33] Hayward said there was "no evidence" that plumes of oil were suspended under the sea, and that because it is lighter than water any plumes seen are just in the process of rising to the surface. A chemist from Louisiana State University agreed with this assessment.[34] Still other scientists have suggested that the manner of expulsion of the oil from the well and the use of dispersants may have led to an emulsion situation in which the oil is suspended in water for some time.[35] On 5 June the Daily Telegraph reported that Hayward sold approximately one third of his shares in BP a month before the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded.[36] The shares subsequently fell in value by 30%, although the Telegraph stated: "There is no suggestion that he acted improperly or had prior knowledge that the company was to face the biggest setback in its history."[36] In an interview on NBC on 8 June, US President Barack Obama said that Hayward "wouldn't be working for me after any of those statements",[37] referring to the remarks Hayward made following the spill.[38] The Obama administration had been public in their criticism of BP for the oil spill.[39] Before a congressional hearing on the oil spill held on 17 June, subcommittee chairman Bart Stupak of Michigan said that he expected Hayward to be "spliced and diced" by both himself and other committee members.[40] Hayward's eleven-page document that he read to the committee included a passage in which he said he would "pledge as leader of BP that we will not stop until we stop this well ... and address economic claims in a responsible manner".[40] He continued, "This is a complex accident, caused by an unprecedented combination of failures. A number of companies are involved, including BP, and it is simply too early to understand the cause."[40] On 18 June, the day after Hayward appeared before the congressional hearing, the chairman of BP said that Hayward would step away from daily involvement in the company's efforts in the Gulf.[41] On 19 June, the day before Father's Day, Hayward was in Cowes – having taken a "day off" – to see Bob,[42] his co-owned boat, participate in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island yacht race off the Isle of Wight.[43] Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's chief of staff, said that Hayward had committed yet another in a "long line of PR gaffes" by attending the race while the Gulf oil spill continued.[44][45] In June, BP put Mississippi native Bob Dudley in charge of handling the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Dudley was appointed president and chief executive of the newly created Gulf Coast Restoration Organization, reporting to Hayward.[46] Departure from BP [ edit ] Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, there were rumours that Hayward would resign, but the company dismissed these. A BBC report said that a BP press release stated that Hayward "has the full confidence of the board of directors of BP."[47][48] BP announced on 27 July 2010 that Hayward would be replaced by Bob Dudley as the company's chief executive effective as of 1 October 2010.[49] CompactGTL [ edit ] In March 2013, Hayward was appointed chairman at UK-based gas-to-liquids company CompactGTL.[50][51] Ongoing protests and controversy [ edit ] Hayward's involvement in Deepwater Horizon left him a highly controversial public figure. In May 2013 he was honoured as a "distinguished leader" by the University of Birmingham, but his award ceremony was interrupted several times by jeers and walk-outs.[52] In July 2013 his award of an honorary degree from Robert Gordon University was described as "a very serious error of judgement" by Friends of the Earth Scotland.[53] Other positions [ edit ] Hayward is chairman of Genel Energy, an oil company with production facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan.[54] Genel Energy was formed in 2011 by the merger of Hayward's venture firm Vallares with the Turkish oil firm Genel Enerji.[55][56] Hayward was a member of the Citibank advisory board, from 2000 to 2003.[57] Hayward is presently senior independent non-executive director of Corus Group, appointed in April 2002, and a non-executive director of Tata Steel. Hayward is a committee member of Audit, Nominations and Health, Safety and Environment.[58] Hayward was appointed a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute in September 2005.[59] Personal life [ edit ] In 2012 Hayward divorced Maureen Fulton; they had been married for 27 years.[60] |
Ohio State's College Football Playoff trophy was at a Columbus Kroger today, so Buckeyes fans could take their pictures with the trophy. However, one notable non-Ohio State fan was there, too: So this is obvious sacrilege, on both sides, really. Ohio State fans don't want Michigan fans anywhere near their trophy and Michigan fans don't want to celebrate Ohio State's win. But here's the thing: look at how long the line was: Trophy crazy in the OH-IO pic.twitter.com/8Ymh0Izhrb — MikeHendrix (@MrMHendrix) January 17, 2015 Waiting in line, outside to get my pic with the national championship trophy! #gobucks #nationalchamps #osu #ohio #kroger A photo posted by (@lraab1) on Jan 17, 2015 at 8:07am PST So, this guy WAITED IN LINE for a substantial period of time to commemorate the time Ohio State was way, way, way better than Michigan. I imagine he lost a bet, because MAN, that is rough. |
When I was little, I had three shelves of meticulously crafted Lego sets in my room. I spent hours tucked away in a little corner, lost in a fictional world of my own creation. As testament to my introverted nature, I used to get annoyed when neighborhood friends would come over to play, since I just wanted to be left to my fantasy. Not much has changed in my adulthood, and upon introduction to Terraria (which is basically my adult equivalent of Legos), I’ve easily sunk hundreds of hours into the PC version of the game. I’ve loved the PC version from the get-go, but there’s been a part of me that has always lusted after the allure of a portable version. How amazing would it be to build those same worlds on a device that I could take anywhere? I threw $20 at the Nintendo eShop to find out. Let me just say that after a horrendous incident with my digital version of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (involving a blizzard, spotty Wifi, and stranding myself at a chicken place next to Game Stop for 3 hours), I technically vowed never to buy a digital copy of a game again. But I wanted to try out the portable version of Terraria so badly that I made an exception. An hour later, I fired my 3DS up to check it out. With the familiar music greeting me, and the charming 2D graphics, it was easy to forget that I was on a smaller platform…until I started playing. The controls aren’t bad, per se, so much as they just don’t mesh well with my own playstyle. Admittedly, my control schemes are usually pretty weird (you should see my hotkey setup for Final Fantasy 14), and your mileage may vary. The game encourages you to control your navigation through the multilayered world of Terraria using a combination of touchscreen and buttons, but I could never quite feel comfortable playing that way. I’ve never been a big proponent of the touchscreen aspect of Nintendo’s handhelds. If a game gives me any kind of option for enjoying the game without using the touch controls, I’ll go out of my way to find and use that option. I’m not sure why I’m this way exactly, but suffice it to say, I’d much rather play a game traditionally. Terraria 3DS makes an effort to allow me to do this, which I appreciated. The circle pad controls a small circle that allows you to fluidly direct your cursor. This feature isn’t perfect, and I found myself chipping away at blocks that I didn’t quite mean to hit. For more precise control, you can use the D-pad to select tiles, or simply tap on the tile on the touchscreen. I found the latter method overly cumbersome, as it forced me to hold my 3DS with one hand while tapping with my right. This might not be such a big issue with a normal sized 3DS, but with an XL it creates a situation that makes it easy to strain your hands. On the flip side, though, I found this method much easier to build things with. The only drawback? The screen size. No, manipulating tiny tiles on an only slightly larger screen is not ideal. But it’s definitely playable, and I could easily see myself enjoying this on a long trip, or an even longer wait in the DMV. My biggest complaint by far is that the game forces you to deposit items into a chest via touchscreen. This is a process that usually involves a lot of quick click spamming on PC. But on the 3DS, I have to force myself to either click with my thumb on the screen itself (not exactly conducive to quick deposits) or go through the entire process of getting the stylus out of the 3DS itself. Touch screen complaints aside, it’s just difficult to immerse myself in the mobile version in the same way that I can on PC. In my Steam Controller review, I said that its main drawback was how I had to think just to perform simple actions. Terraria’s 3DS port suffers from the same flaw. Many controls are counterintuitive, and detract from the gameplay pretty heavily. In some screens, the X button deposits items, and in other screens, it trashes them. I have to click the L or R button multiple times to get to my supposed ‘quick access’ items, which leads to more deaths in game than it should. And I can also never figure out where I am in relation to the rest of the world without clicking through several menus to find my map. Terraria’s 3DS port is awkward, but it isn’t without merit. It’s a solid translation of a very loved franchise, and while the touchscreen use was a huge negative for me, it might be a boon for a lot of players. Everything is in place that makes Terraria well, Terraria, and even though they had to cut some content to fit the game on 3DS, it mostly encapsulates the spirit of the 1.2 patch of the PC port. At $20 the game isn’t exactly a steal, but if you’re looking for that, grab the PC version for a few dollars instead. With multiplayer, updated content, a gigantic screen, and a much lower price point, you won’t be disappointed. Have you played the 3DS port? What did you like? What could be better? Tell us in the comments below! Advertisements |
It had been a long night and I was so close to being on the other side of it. Then halfway through the last verse of the last bedtime song, you lifted your head up. “Wawa?” you asked. I took a cursory glance around the room, knowing I wasn’t going to see a sippy cup. “There’s no water up here. You’re fine.” “Wawa?” “Honey, no.” “Wawa!” More insistent this time. And my anger flashed to the surface, fast and red and hot and fiery. A quick intake of breath. My body stiffened, my teeth clenched. And of course you felt it. Despite my quickly stifling it, you felt it as clearly as I did and you melted into me. Your tiny body shook with sobs because the person you love most in the world, the person who you depend on for everything you need, turned momentarily monstrous because you wanted water. Because you were thirsty before going to bed and you have no autonomy with which to resolve your problems. Imagine living life with that kind of lack of control. We talk a lot about how hard it is to be a mom, and with good reason — this gig is anything but easy. But the second week of April is “The Week of the Young Child,” and in its honor I’d like to acknowledge how hard it is to be a small child. As a therapist, I often try to imagine what life is like for young children. If I want to find a solution to difficult behavior, I first have to try to understand it. And each time I put myself in the shoes of a young child I come to the same conclusion: Not a single one of us adults could cope with the things they have to cope with. For starters, think about being told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it — endlessly. Eat this thing that you’ve never seen before. Don’t make a rude face (what does rude mean?). It’s time to go somewhere you don’t want to go, and hurry, hurry, hurry to meet an arbitrary timeline that means nothing to you. Imagine failing as much as a young child does. Not being able to make your hands move the right way to cut the paper, stumbling as you run across the lawn, spilling the milk you so desperately wanted to pour (and here I am, exasperated with him again). Another bedtime example: “Dad, tell me how the guy got up there.” “He climbed.” “NO, tell me how he got up there?” Over and over again, our son becomes more and more frustrated until I realize he meant to say, “ASK me how he got up there?” One wrong word changing the whole sentence and causing all that frustration. Imagine constantly failing to effectively communicate with the people in your life. Day after day, struggling to find the right word, saying one thing when you mean another, mispronouncing words so much that nobody knows what you’re saying. And then having people get frustrated with YOU, lose patience with YOU. One of my favorite books to read with the kids is “Everywhere Babies.” The last page reads, “Everyday everywhere babies are loved. For trying so hard, for traveling so far, for being so wonderful, just as they are.” I tear up almost every time I read it because it’s so true. In spite of it all, they try and they try and they try again. They greet their days with smiles, enthusiasm, and excitement. They forgive our mistakes, our flashes of fiery, unfair anger. They meet our impatience with patience (at least sometimes), they laugh and live and love with reckless abandon. So when they push us to the edge of our limits, let’s try to remember that we’re doing the same thing to them. Happy “Week of the Young Child”! |
Wheelchair mobility enters the SUV category Traditionally, if you needed a vehicle to accommodate a wheelchair, you had two options: a full-size van or minivan. Thankfully those days are over. Mobility outfitter BraunAbility, along with Ford, have come together to offer this, the BraunAbility MXV. It’s based on the current Ford Explorer and offers all modern accessibility features, along with the go-anywhere capability and popular styling of the Explorer. "We’re thrilled the Explorer name is connected to such a highly respected brand like BraunAbility," said Omar Odeh, Ford marketing manager. "Explorer has always been associated with helping people go places they otherwise could not, and BraunAbility MXV furthers that reputation." BraunAbility modifies the Explorer’s floor, removes the second-row seats, and creates a proprietary swinging rear door. A low floor height allows for a narrow ramp angle for easy entry and exit, while a customizable floor allows for different seating configurations. Wheelchair users are able to either ride or drive the BraunAbility MXV. The Explorer’s controls can be modified, including a sliding feature for the gear selector. What’s more, the key fob controls the swinging rear door and ramp for easy access. The Explorer’s 5,000-pound towing capacity remains, giving further utility beyond the typical minivan. The BraunAbility MXV upfit is available with the Explorer’s Base, XLT, and Limited trim levels, giving customers a wide range of features and pricing. It comes powered by the 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque. Mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and sending power to the front wheels, the Explorer carries an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined. The BraunAbility MXV is produced at BraunAbility’s facility in Winamac, Indiana and is sold at more than 200 dealers across the U.S. Updated 02/12/2016: We added a series of new images of the new BraunAbility MXV taken during its official unveiling at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show. Check them out in the "Pictures" tab. Continue reading to learn more about the Ford BraunAbility MXV. |
Spread the word The Humane Society of the United States is asking a federal court in Texas to uphold much-needed regulations issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act to prevent horse “soring”. Soring involves the application of painful chemicals or other painful training methods to force horses to perform an artificially high-stepping gait for show competitions. The regulations require that USDA-certified horse industry organizations impose uniform mandatory minimum penalties for violations of the act. Horse industry organizations are the industry’s self-policing groups that operate alongside the USDA to conduct inspections at Tennessee walking horse competitions. In 2010, the humane society, along with horse industry and animal protection groups, filed a legal petition with the department seeking regulatory changes to improve enforcement of the act, including the implementation of a mandatory penalty structure. The plaintiffs in SHOW et al. v. USDA – a horse industry organization and two participants in horse shows – sued the department, contending that the regulations are unlawful and violate their constitutional rights. The humane society argues that those arguments have no legal foundation. “By challenging these regulations, the walking horse industry has made it clear that it has no interest in cleaning up its act and getting rid of the brutal practice of soring,” said Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice-president for animal protection litigation and investigations for the humane society. “We know that soring is not limited to a ‘few bad apples’, and we applaud USDA’s decision to develop new regulations to improve Horse Protection Act enforcement.” The Horse Protection Act prohibits the showing and transporting of horses whose legs have been “sored”. There is abundant evidence that soring of Tennessee walking horses and other related breeds remains prevalent throughout the industry despite the decades-old law, the society says. A recent undercover investigation by the society revealed soring by a nationally-known trainer. It says a large part of the problem is benign penalties imposed by horse industry organizations against perpetrators that have no deterrent impact. The Humane Society of the United States is represented in the matter pro bono by attorneys from the law firm of Latham & Watkins, as well as by lawyers from The HSUS. |
Find out the names of the most interesting celestial objects to observe here and here . Find some interesting information on what you can see with a telescope here . Here you can find a list of celestial objects you can see with this telescope. Here you can find a comparative review of this model and Levenhuk Skyline PRO 105 MAK . Levenhuk Skyline PRO series was designed for advanced and demanding astronomers and includes a range of different models. The one thing in common is maximum precision and reliability during observations and astrophotography, high-quality materials and optics. The lenses and mirrors are fully multi-coated, which allows for maximum light gathering and increases their service life. The sturdy and lightweight aluminum tube is set up on an equatorial mount with slow-motion controls. You can also install the equatorial computerized drive system (purchased separately) on your mount. It is equipped with setting circles which - after a quick adjustment - allow for locating objects by their celestial coordinates and tracking them with just a turn of an equatorial control. The adjustable-height tripod has a practical accessory tray where you can store all your tools. The focuser has the standard T-thread, which allows you to attach an SLR camera using an adapter and use your telescope for astrophotography. Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK is an entry-level model in the Skyline PRO series. The Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design of this telescope provides for a compact tube and high-quality views. This is a perfect tool for observations of deep-sky objects, like star clusters, binary stars, nebulae and other galaxies. However, you would be surprised with its capabilities during planetary observations. The telescope is set up on a reliable German equatorial mount. Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK is wonderful for observations in the countryside, as you would have no trouble carrying it there or setting it up for your observations. There are no recent reviews available for this product. Find out the names of the most interesting celestial objects to observe here and here . Find some interesting information on what you can see with a telescope here . Here you can find a list of celestial objects you can see with this telescope. Here you can find a comparative review of this model and Levenhuk Skyline PRO 105 MAK . Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope - Total: 56 0 56 (2018-03-29 06:40): There are 3 screws on the back of the telescope (where the eyepiece is inserted). What are they used for? Levenhuk Customer Service: These screws are used for alignment. (2018-03-29 06:40): (2017-11-30 02:13): Can I install a camera on this telescope? How? Levenhuk Customer Service: Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope has a thread for M42 T-ring. You will need to purchase a T-ring suitable for your camera brand. (2017-11-30 02:13): (2017-11-26 01:11): are the telescopes country specific ? Levenhuk Customer Service: Dear Newton, thank you for interest in Levenhuk! The telescope are not country specific. Moreover, this model can be used both in the city with high light pollution and countryside. Is there any additional information you might need? (2017-11-26 01:11): (2017-11-21 06:05): what about Mars and Saturn? can I see Saturn’s satellites under 160x? Levenhuk Customer Service: Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope allows you to observe polar ice caps on Mars, as well as highlands during oppositions, more atmospheric bands of Jupiter, shadows from its moons on the planetary disk, Cassini Division in the rings of Saturn and five of its moons. (2017-11-21 06:05): (2017-11-20 11:45): tell me please… this telescope has 160x magnification power. Is it enough to observe Uranus and Neptune? Levenhuk Customer Service: Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope allows you to see Uranus and Neptune as tiny disks. For detailed planetary observations, you will need a telescope with aperture starting at 90 mm. For example, Levenhuk Skyline 90o900 EQ https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/telescopes/levenhuk-skyline-90x900-eq/. (2017-11-20 11:45): (2017-11-19 03:43): when I observe stars in this telescope, they appear as hedgehogs:) what causes such an effect? What can I do with that? Levenhuk Customer Service: This is quite a common effect caused by atmospheric turbulence, or you didn’t give enough time for the telescope to thermally stabilize. Stars will have even edges with a calm atmosphere, which happens rarely enough. (2017-11-19 03:43): (2017-11-19 02:30): Will I need to adjust this telescope? Levenhuk Customer Service: Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope has a factory default adjustment and does not require additional adjustment. (2017-11-19 02:30): (2017-11-18 12:33): what eyepiece should I purchase to achieve the telescope’s maximum magnification? Levenhuk Customer Service: To obtain maximum magnification of the Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope you will need a 6.3 mm eyepiece. (2017-11-18 12:33): (2017-07-13 12:20): Do the telescopes with the Schmidt Cassegrain optical scheme need to be adjusted? Levenhuk Customer Service: No, telescopes of the Schmidt Cassegrain optical scheme don’t have to be adjusted. (2017-07-13 12:20): (2016-06-30 08:20): Which one wins the battle? Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK or Levenhuk Strike 90 PLUS and why? Levenhuk Customer Service: Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK is a universal model suitable for viewing both planets and deep-sky objects. This model also has an advanced equatorial mount. But thanks to a larger objective lens diameter (crucial characteristic when choosing a telescope), Levenhuk Strike 90 PLUS provides more powerful magnification. The latter model also has a more rich accessory set. Levenhuk Strike 90 PLUS telescope is great for planetary observations and less suitable for deep-sky viewing. (2016-06-30 08:20): (2016-05-10 10:55): Hello, please recommend the best set of accessories to get the maximum magnification with this telescope. As of now I have 17mm eyepiece and 3x Barlow lens. Levenhuk Customer Service: Unfortunately, the use of Barlow lens affects image quality. To get the Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK telescope to its highest practical power we recommend using 6.3mm eyepiece alone. (2016-05-10 10:55): (2016-03-25 12:27): I've recently bought this model and have a question for you... I've seen in the product image gallery 17mm eyepiece... and I got only 10mm and 25mm eyepieces. Is it a mistake? And I also couldn't find instructions on how to align the red dot finder. Levenhuk Customer Service: Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope comes with two eyepieces: Super 10 mm, Super WA LER 25 mm. The instructions on the red dot finder alignment: The red dot finder is a zero magnification pointing tool that uses a coated glass window to superimpose the image of a small red dot onto the night sky. The red dot finder is equipped with a variable brightness control, azimuth adjustment knob, and altitude adjustment knob. The finder is powered by a 3-volt lithium battery located underneath at the front. To use the red dot finder, simply look through the sight tube and move your telescope until the red dot overlaps the object. Make sure to keep both eyes open when sighting. Like all finderscopes, the red dot finder must be properly aligned with the telescope before use. This is a simple process using the azimuth and altitude adjustment knobs. Open the battery compartment by pulling down the cover and remove the plastic shipping cover over the battery. Turn on the red dot finder by rotating the variable brightness control clockwise until you hear a click. Continue rotating the control knob to increase the brightness level. Insert a low power eyepiece into the focuser. Locate a bright object and aim the telescope so that the object is in the center of the field of view. With both eyes open, look through the sight tube at the object. If the red dot overlaps the object, your red dot finder is perfectly aligned. If not, turn its azimuth and altitude adjustment knob until the red dot overlaps the object. (2016-03-25 12:27): (2016-03-07 12:39): Could you please advise me some good quality eyepiece to obtain the highest practical power of the instrument? Levenhuk Customer Service: We would recommend buying Levenhuk Ra WA 82°, 4 mm Eyepiece - https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/accessories/levenhuk-ra-wa-82-4mm-eyepiece/. Magnification will be 142x. (2016-03-07 12:39): (2015-12-11 04:18): Thanks for your answer. Levenhuk store in my country still has this model in stock. So i would like to ask if it is possible to use this telescope for astrography with DSRL (andromeda etc.)? thanks for your time Levenhuk Customer Service: Dear Ladis, thank you for your inquiry. Yes, you will be able to use the telescope with your DSLR camera. You just need to buy a T-ring in your local camera store. Is there any additional information you might need? (2015-12-11 04:18): (2015-12-11 03:12): Hello, is it possible to use this telescope for astrography with DSRL ? I would like to take pictures of objects like Andromeda galaxy etc. Thank you Levenhuk Customer Service: Hello Ladis, thank you for interest in Levenhuk products! This model is out of stock. Please look at the Levenhuk Strike 950 PRO Telescope. Yes, you can attach your camera to the Levenhuk Strike 950 PRO model using Levenhuk 2x Barlow Lens with Camera Adapter (https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/accessories/levenhuk-2x-barlow-lens-with-camera-adapter/) and a special T-ring for your camera. Is there any additional information you might need? (2015-12-11 03:12): (2015-10-23 09:51): Can I use it as a spotting scope? What's the minimum viewing distance? Levenhuk Customer Service: You can not use Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK as a spotting scope. Consider Levenhuk Blaze 90 PLUS Spotting Scope - https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/spotting-scopes/levenhuk-blaze-90-plus/. (2015-10-23 09:51): (2015-09-03 07:10): will I be able to see small craters on the lunar surface with this telescope? Levenhuk Customer Service: Yes, Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope allows you to observe lunar craters (8 km in diameter). (2015-09-03 07:10): (2015-03-26 02:35): It will be my very first telescope experience... should I choose this model, or maybe smth even simpler? Levenhuk Customer Service: Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope is great for entry-level users. Also pay attention to telescopes with larger objective lens diameter (aperture), such as Levenhuk Skyline PRO 90 MAK Telescope - https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/telescopes/levenhuk-skyline-pro-90-mak/; Levenhuk Skyline PRO 127 MAK Telescope - https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/telescopes/levenhuk-skyline-pro-127-mak/. (2015-03-26 02:35): (2014-12-19 09:08): Hello! I have several questions... First I would like to understand why 80 mm model is considered to be more universal? And can even be used for observing deep-sky objects, while 90 mm is better suited for planetary observations? I don't understand why, these telescopes have the same optical design. Which motor drive will I need for astrophotography? Speaking of versatility - ease of use, compact dimensions, ability to take astro photos - which telescope can compete with this model? Levenhuk Customer Service: Levenhuk Skyline PRO 90 MAK Telescope is better suited for planetary observation as it has larger objective lens diameter. To observe deep-sky objects we recommend using reflecting telescopes. For example, Levenhuk SkyMatic 135 GTA Telescope - a reflector with GoTo function which is perfect for astrophotography: https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/telescopes/levenhuk-skymatic-135-gta/ (2014-12-19 09:08): (2014-08-09 02:31): So when I use 17 mm eyepiece I can read a plate of a car 1 mile away, but when I change it to 6.3 mm it's all blurred and I can't even see the numbers. Why is that so? The same is with real observations: with 6.3 the Moon is fine, with 17 mm I can't focus properly. And I don't even want to start on 3.5 mm, there is no focus with it at all. So am I doing something wrong or is my telescope just not properly adjusted? Levenhuk Customer Service: 3.5mm eyepiece is not supposed to be used with the Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK telescope! 6.3mm eyepiece installed on this telescope gives you the maximum magnification that's why image quality gets worse. The best choice for lunar observations with Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK is 10mm eyepiece. (2014-08-09 02:31): (2014-07-28 09:18): As far as I understand 2x Barlow is included in the kit. Would you recommend using 6.3 eyepiece with this lens installed or without the lens? Levenhuk Customer Service: Barlow lens is not included in the kit of the Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK telescope. 6.3 mm eyepiece should be used without a Barlow lens. (2014-07-28 09:18): (2014-04-05 07:25): I'm hesitating between this model and Levenhuk Strike 90 PLUS. Give me your advise... which one is better suited for observing the Moon, planets, terrestrial objects at home? And which one is better for future upgrade? Thank you very much for you help. Levenhuk Customer Service: The Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK telescope is a more versatile model that is great for observing both planets and deep-sky objects. This model is equipped with more advanced and precise equatorial mount. But, thanks to its larger objective lens diameter (it is the most important thing to consider when choosing a telescope), Levenhuk Strike 90 PLUS provides higher increase. This model is ideal for planetary observations (and suitable for deep-sky observations to a lesser degree ). But It also comes with a lot of useful accessories. (2014-04-05 07:25): (2014-03-17 07:21): Purchased an eyepiece with 6.3 mm focal length. I can't adjust sharpness when navigating to the Moon I see just a yellow blurred spot. Levenhuk Customer Service: In order to solve this problem promptly we suggest you to contact our Customer Service Department by calling this number 800-342-1706. (2014-03-17 07:21): (2014-01-17 07:08): Hello! Which eyepieces do I need (in addition to those included in the kit) to observe surface of the Moon in details with maximum magnification (craters, plains, etc.)? With 17 mm eyepiece installed I can see only outlines with poor details. With 3.6 mm eyepiece everything is blurred. I can getter more detailed images with a regular digital camcoder if it has good magnification range. Levenhuk Customer Service: Please consider using Levenhuk Super Plossl 7.5 mm Eyepiece https://www.levenhuk.com/products/ocular-levenhuk-sp-s8-75/, it's great for detailed observations of the Moon. (2014-01-17 07:08): (2014-01-10 08:37): Frank down there in the comments was asking about Mars. You answered that with this device (highest practical power of which is 160x) during the opposition it's possible to see seas and polar caps. Tell me please, at what magnification channels become visible? Levenhuk Customer Service: You can try to distinguish channels on the surface of Mars starting with an aperture of 120 mm, i.e. required magnification should be not less than 240x. (2014-01-10 08:37): (2013-12-13 03:25): catadioptrics... what are they good for? Levenhuk Customer Service: Catadioptric telescopes https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/telescopes-design-catadioptric-items/ works great for both observing the Moon and Solar System planets and deep-sky observations. (2013-12-13 03:25): (2013-10-13 11:28): I was presented with this telescope - didn't manage to understand anything - tried to adjust it but couldn't see anything. Give a beginner some advise on where to start from. I mean it seems that I follow manual, but no, there is nothing in the eyepiece, only darkness. What's the secret? Levenhuk Customer Service: We recommend you adjust the telescope during daytime orienting on distant terrestrial object (a house or a tree). You should get started with an eyepiece that has longer focal length. (2013-10-13 11:28): (2013-10-04 12:22): Good day. Which side of the Red Dot finderscope is installed on the tube? Levenhuk Customer Service: Remove two locking nuts from protruding bolts on the optical tube (close to the focuser). Attach the finderscope bracket to these bolts on the optical tube and lock it in place with thumbscrews. (2013-10-04 12:22): (2013-10-04 06:00): Good day, I've already asked about the installation of Red Dot finderscope, but in the answer I got installation of optical finderscope is described. I would like to get some info on how to correctly install finderscope included in the kit. Levenhuk Customer Service: You should insert the finderscope bracket into a holder on the telescope tube and lock it in place with a thumbscrew. (2013-10-04 06:00): (2013-09-30 06:29): hello, today we observed jupiter and its four moons. Unfourtunately it's very cold where we currently reside so the optics mist up very soon. maybe you can help us with that. also I would like to know what is Barlow lens needed for, because we can't see a thing when using it. our telescope is levenhuk skyline pro 80. with a 17 eyepiece we managed to see the planet and the moons but only as silhouettes, we thought we could see more with 3.6 - but no such luck, the images are blurry. what should we do? give us an advice))without it we are gonna miss all the wonderful things in the sky)))thanks Levenhuk Customer Service: 1. You should use dew caps, manufactured or hand made. There is also an option of using special electrical heaters for warming up. You can also combine these methods. 2. Barlow lens increases the telescope's focal length and hence increases its magnification. Please specify which Barlow lens you use. 3. Using a 3.6 mm eyepiece, you achieve the magnification of 277x, which is higher than the highest practical power of the telescope. The highest practical power of a telescope is twice the objective lens diameter, i.e. 160x in case of this telescope. The 3.6 mm eyepiece comes with this telescope so users can get higher magnification, but in practice this leads to loss of image quality. To get this telescope to its highest practical power we recommend you use a 6.3 mm eyepiece like this one: https://www.levenhuk.com/products/ocular-levenhuk-p63/ (2013-09-30 06:29): (2013-09-16 10:14): I am sorry but I have one more question! I was trying to discern Jupiter, but all I managed to see was a little glowing ball( I was expecting to see something more. Tell me please is it how it's supposed to be? Or am I doing something wrong? I can see the Moon perfectly! Levenhuk Customer Service: The Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope allows you to see atmospheric flows of Jupiter and even the Great Red Spot in perfect conditions (2013-09-16 10:14): (2013-09-12 10:25): So there is no such telescope that allows observing moving objects? The images are always blurred in this case? Binoculars are the only alternative? Or maybe such telescope exists? Thanks again for helpful answers. Levenhuk Customer Service: We recommend you consider these powerful binoculars suitable for elementary astronomical observations: https://www.levenhuk.com/products/com_levenhuk_energy_10-30x60/ (2013-09-12 10:25): (2013-09-11 05:43): Thank you for recommending me this telescope, I'm actually thinking of buying it. Also tell me is it possible to observe moving objects at night, a plane for example? Levenhuk Customer Service: It's possible in theory, but in practice it's a challenging task due to the high telescope magnification and the high speed of the plane. (2013-09-11 05:43): (2013-09-06 10:11): What would the magnification be if I use a 17 mm eyepiece? What is included in the kit of this telescope? Levenhuk Customer Service: The magnification would be 59x. The kit includes: optical tube, Red Dot finderscope, diagonal mirror, 17 mm (59x) and 3.6 mm (277x) eyepieces, equatorial mount, tripod. (2013-09-06 10:11): (2013-09-05 08:35): How can I capture images of celestial objects with this telescope and what additional accessories are required besides the T-ring? What are they required for? Levenhuk Customer Service: There is an option of attaching an SLR camera to the telescope. For this you need to connect a T-ring to the camera and install the ring on the telescope's focuser. Also, you can use a special digital cameras designed for use with telescopes: https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/digital-cameras-telescope-all-items/ (2013-09-05 08:35): (2013-07-15 05:18): I didn't get a thing about this little black eyepiece! I can see the Moon through it, really close, but blurry! I point the scope to some planet and can't focus the view at all!!!!!!! There are no stars. With big eyepiece it's ok, but it doesn't make a planet closer! When it's obviuos that it's a planet!!!!! What should I do to see it closer? Or did I just pay 270 bucks to stare at the Moon? (I'm feeling rage here) And I don't understand a damn thing in the user manual. Levenhuk Customer Service: Eyepieces included in the kit provide magnifications of 59x and 277x respectively. To get the telescope to its highest practical power (without quality loss) you need an eyepiece with a focal length of 6.3 mm. (2013-07-15 05:18): (2013-07-14 08:29): hello, we've bought this telescope recently, but we can't manage to adjust the view using 3.6 mm eyepiece. It's weird because everything is fine with 17 mm eyepiece. Maybe you could tell us what's the problem might be? Levenhuk Customer Service: Using 3.6 eyepiece you exceed the highest practical power of the telescope; that's why the images you get are blurry. The highest practical power of this telescope is 160x. To achieve this magnification you need to use an eyepiece with the focal length of 6.3 mm. (2013-07-14 08:29): (2013-07-12 11:27): Hello, is it possible to attach a digital photocamera to this telescope and what is required for this? Levenhuk Customer Service: It's possible to attach an SLR camera. (2013-07-12 11:27): (2013-07-06 03:21): Hi!How do you think which one is better to use with this telescope: Levenhuk A2x Barlow lens or Levenhuk Zoom 7-21 mm Eyepiece? Or maybe those two are completely different things? Thanks. Levenhuk Customer Service: To get this telescope to its highest practical power you need an eyepiece with a focal length of 6.3 mm. (2013-07-06 03:21): (2013-06-09 02:41): GOOD DAY. IS IT POSSIBLE TO PURCHASE THE OPTICAL TUBE OF THIS TELESCOPE STAND ALONE WITHOUT THE MOUNT. WHAT'S THE PRICE ??? Levenhuk Customer Service: This model is sold together with the mount. (2013-06-09 02:41): (2013-05-21 07:16): canon g-12 with a T-ring doesn't fit this telescope do your job professionally. Levenhuk Customer Service: Canon g-12 is a digital camera. This telescope allows attaching an SLR camera using a T-ring. (2013-05-21 07:16): (2013-05-21 07:09): Does this telescope require a Levenhuk 1.25" 45-degree Erecting Prism Levenhuk Customer Service: 45-degree Erecting Prism is used for obtaining non-mirrored images during terrestrial observations. (2013-05-21 07:09): (2013-05-20 09:25): What's a T-adapter and what it's needed for? Levenhuk Customer Service: A T-adapter is required for connecting a T-ring to the camera. (2013-05-20 09:25): (2013-05-15 01:38): Is it suitable for astrophotography and which additional accessories are required for canon cameras? Where can I take a look at astrophotos made with this telescope? Levenhuk Customer Service: A T-ring is required for astrophotography. Unfortunately we currently can't provide you with such photos. (2013-05-15 01:38): (2013-05-13 08:09): Good day!My son purchased this telescope. The question is what may be (and should be) purchased for further upgrade of this telescope? Barlow lens? Maybe some optical filters? Which lenses to buy to enchance image quality??maybe I missed something?I want to help my son with his new hobby. Thank you. Levenhuk Customer Service: Consider the following accessories: https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/accessories-filters-all-items/, https://www.levenhuk.com/products/ocular-levenhuk-p63/ (2013-05-13 08:09): (2013-05-06 07:51): Hello! What is the manufacturer of the eyepieces that come in the kit with this telescope (17mm eyepiece and 3.6mm eyepiece)? And what is the eyepiece barrel diameter of this telescope? Thank you. Levenhuk Customer Service: The manufacturer is Levenhuk, barrel diameter is 1.25". (2013-05-06 07:51): (2013-05-05 09:36): Good day! If I use this telescope for terrestrial observations considering its optical design would the images be inverted or not? Levenhuk Customer Service: The images would be mirrored (reversed left to right). To get an erect image you need this accessory: https://www.levenhuk.com/products/45degree_erect_prisma_levenhuk_7517/ (2013-05-05 09:36): (2013-04-30 11:48): Please explain why a 3.6 eyepiece which provides 277x magnification is included in the kit when highest practical power of this telescope is 160x? Levenhuk Customer Service: This eyepiece is useful during nebulae observations. (2013-04-30 11:48): (2013-04-26 09:11): which telescope is better Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK or Levenhuk Skyline 90x900 EQ Levenhuk Customer Service: The price/quality ratio of both of these models is in balance. Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK features more flexible Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design and compact sizes while Levenhuk Skyline 90x900 EQ has a larger objective lens diameter. (2013-04-26 09:11): (2013-04-05 03:37): What else should I buy to make this telescope fully functional so I could observe both celestial and terrestrial objects. Levenhuk Customer Service: Consider using optical filters for planetary and solar observations: https://www.levenhuk.com/catalogue/accessories-filters-all-items/. Telescopes provide mirrored images. To use the telescope for terrestrial observations you need to correct this with the use of an erecting prism: https://www.levenhuk.com/products/45degree_erect_prisma_levenhuk_7517/ (2013-04-05 03:37): (2013-04-03 11:39): Levenhuk Skyline 120x1000 EQ has the same functions but has a lower price, why? Or am I wrong? Levenhuk Customer Service: Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK is a telescope in the more advanced PRO series. The main difference is optical design. Levenhuk Skyline 120x1000 EQ is a reflector, Skyline PRO 80 MAK has Maksutov-Cassegrain optical design. This optical design is more advanced because it features advantages of both refracting and reflecting optical designs. (2013-04-03 11:39): (2013-03-24 09:32): I'm interested in observing Mars, will it be seen properly through this telescope? And what is the maximum magnification of this telescope (with additional lenses)? Levenhuk Customer Service: You will be able to see polar caps and seas on Mars during opposition. The highest practical power is 160x (2013-03-24 09:32): (2013-03-23 06:24): Bought this telescope for capturing lunar images, what do I need to make it a fully functional photosystem. I have accessories that come in the standart kit plus erecting eyepiece. The pictures I got with an SLR and a T-ring appeared to be not sharp, why? Levenhuk Customer Service: 1. You should adjust the telescope's focus first, because the camera uses an autofocus. 2. We recommend you use a remote control with your camera to prevent shaking while shooting photos. (2013-03-23 06:24): (2013-03-23 06:19): SLR camera, t-ring. Levenhuk Customer Service: 1. You should adjust the telescope's focus first, because camera uses an autofocus. 2. We recommend you use a remote control with your camera to prevent shaking while shooting photos. (2013-03-23 06:19): (2013-03-09 05:52): I've seen an info online that erecting eyepiece is required for terrestrial observations. Which one is needed for this model if it's needed at all? Levenhuk Customer Service: For this purpose an erecting prism is usually used, for example https://www.levenhuk.com/products/45degree_erect_prisma_levenhuk_7517/ (2013-03-09 05:52): (2013-02-17 05:00): Provide a link to the 6.3 mm eyepiece please Levenhuk Customer Service: 6.3 mm eyepieces: https://www.levenhuk.com/products/ocular-levenhuk-p63/, https://www.levenhuk.com/products/ocular-levenhuk-kellner-63/ (2013-02-17 05:00): more Submit your question or review on Levenhuk Skyline PRO 80 MAK Telescope : |
On Wednesday April 12th, 1961, the Soviet Union announced that cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first man to journey into outer space. Overnight, the 27-year-old became a national hero and the most famous man in the world, his achievement recognized in front page headlines from Washington to Beijing. For the Soviets, this was a spectacular validation of the communist system. They had beaten the capitalist Americans to yet another crucial space milestone and demonstrated their technological supremacy to the world. Gagarin was the perfect face of the USSR. A committed communist, he was also young and photogenic. For Russian leader Kruschev, this major propaganda coup could hardly have gone better. But not everyone was convinced. Right from the first announcement, there were question marks about the story the Soviet press agencies were putting out. Was Yuri Gagarin really the first man in space? (credit: NASA) Several days previously, Western correspondents in Moscow had been tipped off that a successful flight had already taken place. Soviet state TV cameras had even moved in to film them reporting the news. But the news never came, not until Gagarin’s flight was announced on the 12th. The notoriously secretive Soviets seemed to be spinning the story. Then the Daily Worker, a British communist newspaper with connections in the Kremlin, reported on the 12th that the launch had actually occurred the previous Friday. The newspaper claimed, according to its sources, that the flight was a success, but the return to Earth had gone wrong and the cosmonaut had landed far off course and was badly injured. Was this the reason for the cover-up? Unlike their rivals at NASA, the Soviet space program was run on a military basis and operated under intense secrecy. It also had a history of covering up its mistakes. It seemed unlikely the Soviet leadership would want to invite the eyes of the world on its achievement if it had gone partially wrong. If this earlier flight had succeeded in putting a man into orbit, then who was he? Numerous press reports at the time intimated it was a famous test pilot called Vladimir Ilyushin. Unlike the rookie Gagarin, Ilyushin was the USSR’s most experienced and decorated test pilot. His father was also a famous aircraft designer with close ties to the Kremlin. Ilyushin, rather than Gagarin, was the obvious choice for such a prestigious mission. But what if the mission was not entirely successful? In a climate of propaganda and secrecy, could the Soviet leadership really countenance such a perceived embarrassment been revealed to the world? Gagarin’s historic flight reported in a Russian newspaper (credit: RIA Novosti) It is therefore not far-fetched to suggest that Illyushin’s conjectured and ill-fated flight was therefore airbrushed out of official Soviet space history. But could the truth be far darker than mere cold war paranoia? Just weeks before Gagarin’s supposed first space flight, two Italian brothers based at an experimental listening station in Turin claimed to have picked up something truly chilling. It was the sound of a cosmonaut suffocating to death as his capsule spiraled off into space. If genuine, the first man in space never even made it back to Earth. As for Yuri Gagarin, he never flew into space again. After his initial fame faded, his life begun to spiral out of control. He started to drink and his behavior at official functions was often an embarrassment to the party. Gagarin died in a mysterious jet crash in 1968, itself subject to many conspiracy theories. Was his sad downfall a consequence of living with a terrible lie? Had a lost cosmonaut beaten him to the crown of the first man in space? Evidence for Rule by secrecy Whilst the Soviet Union trumpeted its achievements in space around the world, it was studious in concealing its mistakes. From huge disasters to minor indiscretions, the leadership would airbrush anything regarded as embarrassing, figuratively and often literally, out of the historical record. In October 1960, at least a 150 people were incinerated on a launchpad after an explosion of an R-16 ballistic missile. The disaster, later named the Nedelin catastrophe after the chief marshal of the artillery who was killed in the accident, was quickly shrouded in a veil of official secrecy. Succesful cosmonauts were feted by the Soviets, but mistakes were covered up (credit: RIA Novosti) It wasn’t until 39 years later, in 1989, as communism began to fall, that the truth was finally acknowledged by the Soviet government. The death of young fighter pilot Valentin Bondarenko in a fire during cosmonaut training in 1961 was also concealed by the USSR until 1986. At the other end of the scale, Cosmonaut Grigory Grigoryevich Nelyuboff was expelled from the program for brawling, and his image was subsequently airbrushed out of official photographs. There were also numerous reports of pre-Gagarin cosmonauts perishing in attempted manned space flights. In 1959, renowned German rocket scientists Hermann Oberth, then working for the US, quoted American intelligence reports detailing a number of failed manned space launches. According to the reports, at least 1 cosmonaut died in 1957 or 58, and possibly others in 1959. This coincided with intelligence coming out of Czelovakia which told a similar story. According to the Czech leak, 4 cosmonauts perished in doomed launches — Aleksei Ledovsky, Andrei Mitkov, Sergei Shiborin and Maria Gromova. Russian propaganda trumpeted their space achievements (credit: russiatrek.org) The possibility that these unfortunate men and women may still be floating in the cold of deep space, their capsules having become their tombs, is a deeply disturbing one. But some extraordinary evidence that emerged from Italy appeared to support this unsettling prospect. The Italian connection In the late 1950s, two Italian brothers, Achille and Giovanni Judica-Cordiglia became fascinated by the early space endeavors of the Soviets and Americans. The pair, keen amateur radio buffs, were excited about the prospect of trying to capture and record transmissions from these early missions. Using borrowed and scavenged equipment, they set up a listening station in an old WW2 bunker on the outskirts of Turin that they dubbed Torre Bert. Over the coming years, the station would record thousands of hours of flight telemetry and voice communications from Sputnik, Vostok, Explorer and numerous other Soviet and American programs. The brothers claimed to have tracked Vostok launches (credit: Errabee, wiki commons) In 1960, the brothers made headlines in Italy and around the world with their claim that they had heard communications from secret, clandestine Russian space launches. What made this so sensational was, according to the brothers, the cosmonauts involved had died in space. In May 1960, they first picked up communications from what appeared to be an unpublicised manned Soviet flight. If so, presumably it had failed to return its occupants to Earth alive. Interesting corroboration for this came from writer Robert A. Heinlein, who heard of such a manned attempt from Russian soldiers whilst traveling in Vilnius in May 1960. Later that year, Torre Bert tracked a faint SOS signal from a craft that seemed to be departing Earth’s orbit. Again, if this recording was genuine, we would have to assume the men had not survived. Then, just weeks before Gagarin’s putative flight, the brothers claimed to have captured the forced breathing and rapid heartbeat of a dying cosmonaut as his spacecraft faltered in Earth’s orbit. Were these lost cosmonauts, like those mentioned in the earlier American and Czech intelligence reports? The station in Turin continued to pick up broadcasts of apparently doomed Soviet missions for the next few years, including the desperate last words of a female cosmonaut before she burnt up on re-entry. In 2001, a senior engineer on the Soviet space program came forward to confirm what the brothers had seemingly caught on tape. Mikhail Rudenko told Pravda that spacecraft with pilots named Ledovskikh, Shaborin and Mitkov were launched from the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome in 1957, 1958 and 1959. An original cosmonaut spacesuit on display in Moscow (credit: Petar Milošević) “All three pilots died during the flights, and their names were never officially published,” Rudenko said. But not everything the listening station picked up was so horrific. One transmission seemed to suggest someone else had made it into space and back just days before Gagarin’s official flight. Vladimir Ilyushin Vladimir Sergeyevich Ilyushin was Russia’s greatest test pilot and holder of multiple speed and altitude records. For those skeptical of Yuri Gagarin’s claim to be the first man to travel into space, Ilyushin is the most likely alternative. Or, at least, the most likely alternative that made it back to Earth alive. Ilyushin was named as the ‘true’ first man in space by foreign journalists in Moscow in the days surrounding Gagarin’s purported historical flight. Denis Ogden of the British Daily Worker and French journalist Eduard Bobrovsky were amongst the first to identify Ilyushin and many others soon followed, supposedly on the basis of inside information. A Vostok rocket been prepared for launch (credit: ESA) Ilyushin had the perfect credentials for the part. He was the son of a legendary aircraft designer — Sergei Ilyushin and a decorated test pilot in his own right. The family also had impeccable links to the Soviet establishment. His whereabout around the time of Yuri Gagarin’s flight were shrouded in mystery. In all the fanfare and pomp surrounded the Gagarin triumph, Ilyushin — one of the countries great heroes, was nowhere to be scene. The official story had it that his absence was because he had had a car crash the previous month and was recovering in hospital. However, this was only the first of many stories. Throughout the aftermath of the Gagarin flight, the Soviet state press agencies, so adept at propaganda, seemed unable to give a consistent account about Ilyushin.In reaction to the foreign press stories that he had been the true first man in space, the Soviets simply denied he was even a cosmonaut. However, in the month’s before Gagarin’s flight, news that Ilyushin was in cosmonaut training had already made it to the Soviet press. There was even a photograph of him in a space suit published in the newspapers. The details of Ilyushin’s supposed crash also changed numerous times. Now it was so serious that it had put him in a coma for almost a year, making it impossible for him to have undergone the cosmonaut training at all. This too was undermined by another photograph that appeared showing him looking decidedly conscious and healthy during this time whilst receiving the Hero of the Soviet Union award. Had Ilyushin’s flight landed off course? The reason for his prolonged pubic absence also evolved. The new story had Ilyushin recuperating from his car crash in China, an explanation that raised many eyebrows amongst seasoned foreign correspondents in Moscow. The Soviet healthcare system in 1961 was extensive and of a high standard. It sounded deeply unlikely that it would send such a prestigious figure to a foreign country for treatment. Where these unconvincing and shifting accounts simply a cover for the truth the journalists had been reporting all along? And was the strange story of Ilyushin’s absence designed to hide the embarrassing fact that, whilst he had made it into space and back, he had landed miles off course in mainland China? Evidence against The recordings The famous Judica-Cordiglia recordings represent perhaps the most compelling evidence for the theory that other cosmonauts made it into space before Gagarin. The brothers became extremely famous in the Italian press because of their recordings and were subject to many national and international newspaper reports. However, some science writers and space experts who have examined the Italian brother’s evidence have cast doubt on the veracity of their claims. Several aspects of the brothers recordings did not match known technical and operational details of the Soviet space program, such as the correct communications protocols used by the cosmonauts. Powerful listening stations like Jodrell bank failed to pick up the transmissions (credit: Mike Peel) Their recording of a craft leaving Earth’s orbit was obviously suspect as the Soviets had no ability to leave orbit in 1961. They did not achieve this capability until 1969. The famous tape with an audible heartbeat supposedly from a dying cosmonaut is also unlikely to be genuine, as the Russians did not broadcast such information across audio channels. But perhaps the biggest problem with the brother’s claims is the fact nobody else was able to reproduce them. Whilst the set up at Torre Bert was superb for amateurs, it paled in significance compared to the far more sophisticated radio monitoring arrays set up by the Americans, British, French, and Germans. Yet such powerful installations as Jodrell Bank in the UK and the American’s huge listening station in Turkey had not observed the Russian failures claimed by Torre Bert. Bernard Lovell, director at Jodrell Bank, wrote in 1963 — “We have no reason to believe that there have been any unsuccessful manned space attempts by the USSR”. We could surmise that Lovell was lying, but to what purpose? For the West to forgo the immense propaganda value of exposing Russian lies and failures at the height of the cold war seems improbable. By the early 1960s, the Americans were lagging far behind the USSR in the space race and such an opportunity to exploit the reckless indifference to human life of the Soviets would have surely been taken. The obvious conclusion is the Judica-Cordiglia brothers had, at best, made a mistake. Some have suggested that their recording of a dying cosmonaut was actually one of the many dogs the Soviets sent up into space. A less charitable explanation is the brothers had fabricated the communications and the whole thing was a hoax. Some of the events they claimed to have captured tended to support this. The Americans were lagging behind the Soviet Union in the space race (credit: NASA) In particular, the recording purporting to be a female Cosmonaut’s last words as she burns up on re-entry contains poor Russian, broken grammar and many gibberish phrases. Soviet cosmonauts were renowned for been extremely well educated and the idea that they would send someone into space with such a poor command of their own language is unlikely. In contrast, the Judica-Cordiglia brother’s own sister had begun to learn Russian in order to help them with translations of the tapes. Her level of Russian was much more consistent with the voice on the tapes than a genuine cosmonaut. Whilst there is no doubt the brothers had made genuine recordings, had they fabricated the more sensational tapes in order to keep themselves in the limelight? Misplaced confidence One curious fact seriously undermines the idea that the Soviets had covered up earlier, failed manned space flights. If they were so intensely paranoid about even minor failures becoming public, would they have alerted the world to Gagarin’s flight whilst he was still in orbit? The Soviet space authorities actually announced Gagarin’s feat 30 minutes before the landing, and even prepared press releases in case his flight landed off course and they would require international assistance. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev with Gherman Titov and Yuri Gagarin (credit: wiki commons) Clearly, the Kremlin took a pragmatic view of the prospect that a cosmonaut’s re-entry into Earth may go wrong, especially with the possibility that they may end up in a foreign country. It therefore makes little sense that they would have gone to such lengths to cover up Ilyushin’s supposed off course landing just 5 days before. The Ogden story Some critics have questioned the original source of the story that Vladimir Ilyushin was the real first man in space. Since 1961, almost every version of the theory has been based on the same April 11th newspaper article in the British communist newspaper the Daily Worker. Journalist Dennis Ogden was responsible for the story, and always claimed to have based it on a reliable inside source. But since he refused to name it, it was impossible to verify the information. Many critics think Ogden’s source was really a figleaf to cover the fact he had jumped to a rather embarrassing conclusion. Ogden quickly changed his story and acknowledged Gagarin was the first man in space Ogden was a neighbor of Ilyushin and had noted his public absence. When, a few days before Gagarin’s flight, he had heard rumors of a launch, he simply had a journalistic hunch it was Ilyushin on board. The story was little more than a guess on Ogden’s part. A guess that was reported around the world and is still cited as evidence of a cover-up 50 years later. That Ogden himself had little confidence in his own scoop is obvious. The very next day he wrote a story in the Daily Worker proclaiming Gagarin as the first man in space after all. |
The game of musical chairs has continued for Chris Beal at next week’s UFC Fight Night 50. With Dustin Kimura (11-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) now injured, Beal (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will meet Tateki Matsuda (10-5, 0-0 UFC) in a bantamweight bout on the preliminary card in Connecticut. Beal had been scheduled to face Rob Font before being paired up with Kimura, whose original opponent, Ian Entwistle, was injured as well. But now Kimura is out, paving the way for Matsuda. UFC officials announced the change Friday morning at UFC.com. The nature of Kimura’s injury was not revealed. Featuring a middleweight headliner between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Gegard Mousasi, UFC Fight Night 50 takes place Sept. 5 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Conn. The card airs on FOX Sports 1. Matsuda was a contestant on Season 14 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but lost his elimination-round bout to get into the house, dropping a decision to Dustin Pague. But after that, the Boston-based product of Team Sityodtong’s Mark DellaGrotte has gone 4-2, including a pair of first-round stoppage wins. Beal made his UFC debut in April and instantly became part of the promotion’s highlight reels thanks to a perfectly placed flying-knee knockout of Patrick Williams at UFC 172, which earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus. That kept the Californian, a product of Season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” unbeaten in pro competition. Kimura came to the UFC as an undefeated prospect but has had mixed results since then. In his UFC debut, he defeated Chico Camus, but he’s since alternated results, sandwiching losses to George Roop and Mitch Gagnon around a win over Jon delos Reyes. Now the Hawaiian puts his quest to get back in the win column on hold. With the change, the new UFC Fight Night 50 lineup includes: MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1, 9 p.m. ET) Gegard Mousasi vs. Ronaldo Souza Alistair Overeem vs. Ben Rothwell Derrick Lewis vs. Matt Mitrione Michael Chiesa vs. Joe Lauzon Nik Lentz vs. Charles Oliveira John Moraga vs. Justin Scoggins PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 7 p.m. ET) Rodrigo Damm vs. Al Iaquinta Chris Camozzi vs. Rafael Natal Chris Beal vs. Tateki Matsuda Andre Fili vs. Sean Soriano For more on UFC Fight Night 50, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site. (Pictured: Chris Beal) |
On the heels of the 10-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks, music icon, Tony Bennett, made what some would consider a verbal attack on the U.S government and the victims of the tragedy. In a recent radio interview with Howard Stern, the legendary singer, 85, insinuated that the 9/11 terrorists attacks were a result of the nation’s foreign policy. The Most Powerful Images from 9/11 During his conversation with Stern, the famous crooner stated, “Two wrongs don’t make a right. They flew the plane in, but we caused it,” when referring to the 9/11 attacks. He went on to say, “Because we were bombing them, and they told us to stop … Who are the terrorists? Are we the terrorists, or are they the terrorists?” The singer, who happens to be a World War II veteran, turned to social media to apologize for his headline-making remarks highlighting his patriotism. Tom Brokaw on the Lessons We Must Never Forget On his Facebook page the singer wrote, “As a second world war veteran, I was proud to fight to protect our values, which have made America the greatest country on the planet. There is simply no excuse for terrorism and the murder of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims of the 9/11 attacks on our country.” “My life experiences – ranging from the Battle of the Bulge to marching with Martin Luther King – made me a lifelong humanist and pacifist, and reinforced my belief that violence begets violence and that war is the lowest form of human behavior,” he added. Bennett is a Grammy-winning artist who has recorded over 70 albums, including his most recent, “Duets II,” which was released on Tuesday. |
Guest Blogs are written by third-party developers with real-world expertise creating virtual reality experiences. They are a great way to dive into the thoughts and opinions of folks on the bleeding edge of VR design and software engineering. Today’s blog is about the use of color in virtual reality – a subject we chose because developing and color usage in virtual reality is worlds different than for a traditional PC or console game. There are many well-known techniques for lighting and coloring games that have been mastered over the past few decades, but what happens when game designers begin working in newly immersive environments? What happens when everything you knew about color and design for traditional games doesn’t work they way that it used to? Starting from scratch can be daunting but exploring the unknown and the potential of what these experiences can mean in new VR platforms is too exciting to pass up. In this article we hope to paint a picture of the challenges we’ve encountered developing Anshar Wars 2, as well as the steps we’ve taken to make our visuals pop in VR. Environments We found that bright, colorful environments are very eye-catching and dramatically enhance the VR experience. For Anshar Wars 2, we opted for a high contrast and bright color style that is halfway between realistic and cartoonish. This decision later proved to be handy because it allowed us to add comic style elements to the game without breaking immersion. We use a variety of hot and cold colors with bright and dark intensity variations across the levels. For example, some missions take place in space while others take place on planets. Our team chose to differentiate these radically different environments through colors and intensities. Anshar Wars 2 uses OpenGL ES 2.0 but we compressed the textures in ETC 2 for maximum visual fidelity. While the cost of using ETC 2 increases scene loading times compared to ETC 1, we found that scenes could be instantaneously reloaded for replay (for example when the player has died), which is the most critical scenario. The skyboxes of Anshar Wars 2 are multilayered. The base is painted with bright colors. On it we add a layer of stars that twinkle themselves using the mipmaps of the skybox textures. The darker it is the more the stars twinkle. When rendering a small, distant planet to a skybox it is painted directly to the base layer. However, if the planet is very close and therefore appears much larger, as in Mission 13, an additional step is necessary. We instantiate the planet model in Unity and then, through a system of omnidirectional camera captures, render shots of the skybox with the large planet integrated. Finally the basic skybox is replaced with the one that contains the planet. The 3D models that make up the environment are illuminated by a minimum of two static directional lights: a backlight and a front light. Added to this is a slight rim and a fog effect as shown here in the screenshot. Fog and dynamic lighting of environments Fog is a widely used element in Anshar Wars 2 for multiple reasons. It allows for a smooth transition between the ground and a skybox and it also gives a sense of depth and immensity. Sometimes the fog is treated in complex ways and the light changes direction depending on the orientation of the camera.For example, in Mission 6, the skybox is bicolor so that fog and rim shading on asteroids changes color depending on the player view. The fog and rim effects have an additional benefit: they help to clearly distinguish the shape of obstacles, even in dark environments. In Mission 6 we also used some point lights to highlightimportant features of the mission. The fireball makes a yellow reflection on the models around it and both Nergal Recon ships make a red reflection. Both of these point light additions help to provide a better grasp of the environment and its immediate obstacles to avoid. Planets It’s absolutely thrilling to fly over planets in VR, getting super close to the ground to feel a sense of great speed! We absolutely had to integrate this feeling into Anshar Wars 2. But building ground environments turned out to be more complicated than we had anticipated. Low poly modeling (to meet mobile performance requirements) with textures that are not too flat nor too repetitive, nor too memory intensive required a lot of time and energy from our team. We used several methods to texture the surface of the ground. Here are two of the techniques that were used in Anshar Wars 2: For Mission 3, which takes place in a snowy environment, we have a low poly ground on which we applied a detailed texture which includes pre-baked For Mission 10, which is a pursuit mission in a canyon, we used a technique of layer mask shaders with up to three tiled textures. Anshar & Nergal Identities The geometric shape representing the Anshar faction (the good guys) is the hexagon, which is a shape we think of as quite round and friendly, while the Nergal faction (the bad guys) is represented by an inverted triangle, a more aggressive shape. While enemies can easily be identified with “classic” colors (red, black and purple), allies wear golden yellow, turquoise and white. We try to remind players of those identities as often as possible in the form of the models in the interface so the player can easily identify enemies or allies throughout the game. Anshar Identity Nergal Identity The red and black for enemies is effective, but it wasn’t easily identifiable in an outer space environment. Over a dark star field background, the mostly black Nergal ships were not distinct enough. To overcome this we created outlines on textures that highlight the overall visual characteristics of each ship. These outlines, illuminated by a sun for a natural effect through a custom shader, are displayed when the spacecraft is far away, and then gradually fade out when they are closer to the player. Text display in VR Text in VR is not a simple matter. First, there is the chromatic aberration when the GUI or texts are moved away from the center. The text should also be kept as close to the center of the screen as possible. Moreover, fine and very contrasted lines of text tend to vibrate a lot at current VR display densities. To prevent vibration we used bold fonts and focused on using text boxes with a background (even a light, transparent color) to soften the contrast between the font and the game background. We found that using variable colors and light intensities in these text boxes, while keeping contrast with the background, meant that our players were able to read every piece of text in every situation. VR offers a new opportunity to work with light and color in video games and our studio is thrilled to have found ways to make our vision come to life so beautifully in Anshar Wars 2. It is still the early days of VR, and we look forward to seeing how the next generation of VR game developers will find new ways to make these experiences thrive. |
Tony Robbins net worth: Anthony "Tony" Robbins is an American success coach, professional public speaker, actor, and self-help author who has a net worth of $500 million dollars. Robbins began his career promoting seminars for Jim Rohn. During his years working for Rohn, Robbins modeled the Jimmy Petruzzi NLP Sports Philosophy. Robbins later began teaching neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), learned from NLP co-founder John Grinder. In 1983, Tolly Burkan taught Robbins how to fire-walk and Robbins began incorporating fire-walking into his seminars. Robbins later began developing and teaching Neuro-Associative Conditioning (NAC). Robbins uses infomercials to promote his various seminars, products, and programs. Robbins' self-help products, audio programs, and seminars feature Ericksonian hypnosis and Neuro-linguistic programming. Robbins' seminars include four-day events such as Mastery University, Date With Destiny, Unleash the Power Within (UPW), and Business Mastery. Robbins has been a featured speaker at the 2007 Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference and at several Real Estate Wealth Expos sponsored by the Learning Annex. Robbins' presentation is ranked as one of the Top 10 TED Talks of all time. Robbins' self-help books include Unlimited Power in 1986 and Awaken the Giant Within in 1986. Robbins was listed on the Worth Magazine Power 100 list in both 2015 and 2016. He has also authored the books Giant Steps in 1994, Money: Master the Game in 2014, and Unshakeable: Your Financial Freedom Playbook in 2017 with Peter Mallouk. Robbins is an active philanthropist and founded the Anthony Robbins Foundation in 1991. He donated the profits of his book Money: Master the Game to the charity Feeding American in 2014 and is involved with the charity Spring Health. He helped raise over $1 million for Operation Underground Railroad which fights child trafficking, and is also a donor to the X-Prize Foundation. Robbins has appeared in the movies Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, and Shallow Hal. He was featured in the 2015 documentary Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru. |
On Sept 21, 1823, Moroni appears and points Joseph Smith to the tablets Whoever chose the angel Moroni for the Mormons had a good sense of humor. The Mormons (Latter Day Saints) started around 1850 in New York. The scientific field of astronomy had advanced sufficiently that it became part the Mormons theological beliefs. The early Mormons actually believed that people lived on the moon and on the Sun. Under Mormonism, you might become the God of another world. The galaxy has many billions of possibly habitable worlds and there are billions of galaxies. Is one God more equal to other Gods? Who gets to be on the Celestial Galactical Council? Who sits in the Universal Celestial Council to advise the lesser Gods. The Mormons believe that Lucifer and Jesus are brothers The Mormons believe that American Indians might be one of the lost tribes of Israel and Jesus visited North America. One of the things Mormons don't want you to know about is the Mountain Meadow massacre. Somewhere around 1973, the Mormon church received a divine revelation that allowed black people in their church. Strangely enough, the federal government was about to drag their ass into court for racial discrimination. I'm sure that it was a cruel joke by whomever gave the Mormons their name and assigned the angel Moroni to them. Remove the second m in Mormons and you get Morons. Remove the i in Moroni and you get Moron. God Is Not Great, by Christopher Hitchens In March 1826 a court in Bainbridge, New York, convicted a twenty-one-year-old man of being "a disorderly person and an impostor." That ought to have been all we ever heard of Joseph Smith, who at trial admitted to defrauding citizens by organizing mad gold digging expeditions and also claiming to possess dark or "necromantic" powers. However, within four years he was back in the local newspapers (all of which one may still read) as the discoverer of the "Book of Mormon". He had two huge local advantages which most mountebanks and charlatans do not possess. First, he was operating in he same hectically pious district that gave us the Shakers, the previously mentioned George Miller who repeatedly predicted the end of the world, and several other self-proclaimed American prophets. So notorious did this local tendency become that the region became known as the "Burned Over District" in honor of the way in which it had surrendered to one religious craze after another. Second, he was operating in an area which, unlike large tracts of newly opening North America, did possess signs of ancient history. A vanished and vanguished Indian civilization had bequeathed a considerable number of burial mounds, which when randomly and amateurishly desecrated were found to contain not merely bones but also quite advanced artifacts of stone, copper, and beaten silver. There were eight of these sites within twelve miles of the underperforming farm which the Smith family called home. There were two equally stupid schools or factions who took a fascinated interest in such matters; the first were the gold-diggers and treasure-diviners who brought their magic sticks and crystals and stuffed toads to bear in on the search for lucre, and the second were those who hoped to find the resting place of a lost tribe of Israel. Smith's cleverness was to be a member of both groups, and to unite cupidity with half-baked anthropology. The actual story of the imposture is almost embarrassing to read and almost embarrassingly easy to uncover. (It had been best told by Dr. Fawn Brodie, whose 1945 book "No Man Knows My History" was a good faith attempt by a professional historian to put the kindest possible interpretation on the relevant "events.") In brief, Joseph Smith announced that he had been visited (three times, as is customary) by an angel named Moroni. The said angel informed him of a book, "written upon gold plates" which explained the origins of those living on the North American continent as well as the truths of the gospel. There were, further, two magic stones, set in the twin breast-plates Urim and Thummim of the Old Testament that would enable Smith himself to translate the aforesaid book. After many wrestlings, he brought the buried apparatus home with him in September 21, 1827, about eighteen months after his conviction for fraud. He then set about producing a translation. The resulting "books" turned out to be a record set down by ancient prophets, beginning with Nephi, son of Lephi, who had fled Jerusalem in approximately 600 BC and come to America. Many battles, curses, and afflictions accompanied their subsequent wanderings and those of their numerous progeny. How did the books turn out to be this way? Smith refused to show the golden plates to anybody, claiming that for other eyes to view them would mean death. But he encountered a problem that will be familiar to students of Islam. He was extremely glib and fluent as a debater and story-weaver as many accounts attest. But he was illiterate, at least in the sense that while he could read a little, he could not write. A scribe was therefore necessary to take the inspired dictation. The scribe was at first his wife Emma and then when more hands were necessary, a luckless neighbor named Martin Harris. Hearing Smith cite the words of Isaiah 29, verses 11-12, concerning the repeated injunction to "Read", Harris mortgaged his farm to help in the task and moved in with the Smiths. He sat on one side of a blanket hung across the kitchen, and Smith sat on the other with his translation stones, intoning through the blanket. As if to make this an even happier scene, Harris was warned that if he tried to glimpse the plates, or look at the prophet, he would be struck dead. Mrs. Harris was having none of this, and was already furious with the feckleness of her husband. She stole the first hundred and sixteen pages and challenged Smith to reproduce them, as presumably - given his power of revelation - he could. (Determined women like this appear far too seldom in the history of religion). After a very few weeks, the ingenious Smith countered with another revelation. He could not replicate the original, which might be in the devil's hands by now and open to a "satanic verses" interpretation. But the all-forseeing Lord had meanwhile furnished some smaller plates, indeed the very plates of Nephi, which told of a similar tale. With infinite labor, the translation was resumed, with new scriveners behind the blanket as occasion demanded, and when it was completed all the Christian preachers of all kinds had justified slavery until the American Civil War and even afterwards, on the supposed biblical warrant that of the three sons of Noah (Shem, Ham, and Japhet), Ham had been cursed and cast into servitude. But Joseph Smith took this nasty fable even further, fulminating in his "Book of Abraham" that the swarthy races of Egypt had inherited this very curse. Also, at the made-up battle of "Cumora", a site located near his own birthplace, the "Nephites", described as fair-skinned and "handsome", contended against the "Lamanites", whose descendants were punished with dark pigment for turning away from God. As the crisis over American slavery mounted, Smith and his even more dubious disciples preached against the abolitionists in antebellum Missouri. They solemnly said that there had been a third group in heaven during the ultimate battle between God and Lucifer. This group, as it was explained, had tried to remain neutral. But after Lucifer's defeat they had been forced into the world, compelled to take bodies in the accursed lineage of Canaan; and hence the Negro or African race. Thus, when Dr. Brodie first wrote her book, no black American was allowed to hold even the lowly position of deacon, let alone a priesthood, in the Mormon church. Nor were descendants of Ham admitted to the sacred rites of the temple. If anything proves the human manufacture of religion, it is the way that the Mormon elders resolved this difficulty. Confronted by the plain words of one of their holy books, and the increasing contempt and isolation that it imposed upon them, they did as they had done when their fondness for polygamy would have brought federal retribution upon God's own Utah. They had still another "revelation" and, more or less in time for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, had it divinely disclosed to them that black people were human after all. It must be said for the "Latter Day Saints" (these conceited words were added to Smith's original "Church of Jesus Christ" in 1833) that they have squarely faced one of the great difficulties of revealed religion. This is the problem of what to do about those who were born before the exclusive "revelation", or who died without ever having the opportunity to share in its wonders. |
Back in 1991, a New York Times Magazine writer, Anne Matthews, described Andrew Ross, a doyen of American studies, strolling through the Modern Language Association conference in his "pale mango wool-and-silk Commes des Garcons blazer" on his way to a session on gangsta rap and censorship, as admiring graduate students gawked and murmured, "That’s him!" That was academic stardom then. Today, we are more likely to bestow the aura and perks of stardom on speakers at "ideas" conferences like TED, which held its 30th-anniversary gathering last month, in Vancouver. Among the speakers was Daniel Gilbert, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, who seems to have been born to give a TED talk. He was one of a few dozen "all-stars" that TED’s curators invited to Vancouver, to give hyper-compressed updates on their work. TED talks are normally 18 minutes or so, but the all-stars got about five on the stage, standing before blocky red stage-prop letters spelling out T-E-D, wearing conspicuous headset mikes and peering through the bright stage lights into the crowd of 1,200, each of whom had paid at least $7,500 to attend. Gilbert’s first TED talk, from 2004, on the psychology of happiness, has been viewed nearly 8.8 million times. This year, dressed in a casual olive sweater and black jeans, he explained with exuberance what he called the "end of history illusion" that we have about our personal lives. "All of us," he said, "are walking around with the illusion that our personal history has come to an end." We tend to view our current tastes, and even personality traits, as the ones we will carry with us for the next 10 years—even as we look back and see that over the previous 10 years our tastes and personalities changed substantially. Throughout our lives, we fail to make use of that insight in predicting the future. Afterward, Guy Raz, who hosts NPR’s TED Radio Hour and was serving as emcee for this session, stepped on stage and put a positive gloss on the finding—a TED gloss, you might say. "I guess it means we are always becoming better versions of ourselves," he observed, in a chipper tone. "Could you make that argument?" "You could make that argument," Gilbert began, "but it wouldn’t be supported by the evidence." Gilbert stressed that the finding was simply that we are likely to be markedly different from our present selves in 10 years. Not for the first time, the facts had run up against TED’s relentlessly uplifting frame. Nonetheless, Raz wound things up by stating that he still found the work "very optimistic." A TED talk (the acronym stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design) is one of the routes to academic stardom that didn’t exist a decade ago. (The 30th-anniversary celebration aside, curators only began posting fame-making free online videos in 2006.) Although TED plays an inordinate role in setting the tone for how ideas are conveyed—not only because of the reach of its videos but also through spinoffs like regional "TEDx" events and the TED Radio Hour, one of the few places nonpolicy intellectuals get substantial on-air time—it’s just one of a number of platforms that are changing the ecology of academic celebrity. These include similar ideas-in-nuggets conclaves, such as the Aspen Ideas Festival and PopTech, along with huge online courses and—yes, still—blogs. These new, or at least newish, forms are upending traditional hierarchies of academic visibility and helping to change which ideas gain purchase in the public discourse. In a famous essay, "The Unbearable Ugliness of Volvos," first published in the early 90s, the literary scholar Stanley Fish wrote that "the flourishing of the lecture circuit has brought with it new sources of extra income ... [and] an ever-growing list of stages on which to showcase one’s talents, and geometric increase in the availability of the commodities for which academics yearn, attention, applause, fame, and ultimately, adulation of a kind usually reserved for the icons of popular culture." Fish was Exhibit A among professors taking advantage of such trends, and his trailblazing as a lit-crit celebrity inspired the dapper, globe-trotting lit-theory operator Morris Zapp, a character in David Lodge’s academic satire Small World. But the world Fish was describing, where no one could live-tweet the lectures, let alone post the talks for worldwide distribution, now seems sepia-toned. "If David Lodge’s Morris Zapp were alive and kicking today," observes John Holbo, an associate professor of philosophy at the National University of Singapore, and blogger at Crooked Timber and the Valve, "he’d be giving a TED talk, not an MLA talk. Which is to say: He wouldn’t be doing Theory. He probably wouldn’t be in an English department." Advertisement The newest versions of that lecture circuit hold out the prospect of delivering ideas to a broader range of people, but they also privilege some kinds of ideas over others. This year’s TED, for example, featured research psychologists, analysts of technology, scientists, and a couple of philosophers (David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett) with an interest in neuroscience, the academic field du jour. But there were no literary scholars or academic historians or political scientists. It’s hard to argue against millions of people getting a dose of a Daniel Gilbert lecture—or hearing the MIT cognitive scientist Nancy Kanwisher talk about mapping the brain, or the behavioral ecologist Sara M. Lewis, of Tufts University, discuss firefly evolution (both also spoke in Vancouver this year). But plenty of observers have argued that some of the new channels for distributing information simplify and flatten the world of ideas, that they valorize in particular a quick-hit, name-branded, business-friendly kind of self-helpish insight—or they force truly important ideas into that kind of template. They favor the kind of idea that fits into our "life hacking" culture: providing pointers or data that can be translated into improved productivity or happiness (often assumed to be the same). A TED talk by the Harvard Business School psychologist Amy J.C. Cuddy on "power posing" to increase confidence and succeed in the workplace has been viewed 16.4 million times. Likewise, while there are bloggers in law, economics, and even political science who command large public followings, with few exceptions blogs by literary scholars and philosophers tend to be read by specialists. In subtler ways, this also affects the ideas that make their way to the public. Generalizing about academic stardom is tricky business, partly because stars come in so many forms. There’s always been the scientist wooed to a prestigious campus with a lavish lab, the rare Carl Sagan who breaks through as a charismatic popularizer (or Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of the new Cosmos, who is no longer in academe), the economist who moves from the faculty lounge to the White House. But the model of stardom that set the tone for a generation or more in academe was that enjoyed by people like Fish, the gender theorist Judith Butler, the African-American-studies experts Cornel West and Henry Louis Gates (even before he wrote for The New Yorker or hosted PBS programs)—people who were read across the humanities and seemed to transcend them. In a special issue of the minnesota review, in 2001, literary scholars debated whether people were engaging with the ideas of such "academostars" or simply parroting and citing them unquestioningly. That kind of stardom has faded. In describing the shift of the limelight away from the humanities, many people invoke the decline of theory—specifically the abstruse poststructuralist thought espoused by Jacques Derrida and his acolytes—which once seemed set to take over not just the humanities but all of academe. "There is a particular kind of theory-head who thinks that they can explain everything to everyone," says Stephen Burt, a professor of English at Harvard University. "That’s gone. The people who think they can explain everything are in the sciences—or in one case linguistics, Steven Pinker. But I don’t think there’s an explanation for everything, so I don’t miss it." Burt, the rare English professor who has given a TED talk (on poetry and mortality, among other things), says his experience was "unequivocally positive." People such as John Brockman, literary agent to star scientists and editor of Edge.org, argue that wooly humanists have simply given way to harder-headed thinkers who address intellectual topics, including the humanities, through a scientific lens. But if the old humanist stars had their critics, so do the professors who stalk the TED stage. In December, Benjamin Bratton, an associate professor of visual arts at the University of California at San Diego, delivered one of the most stinging attacks on TED and the intellectual mode it has inspired. (Semi-ironically, he delivered it at TEDx San Diego.) He recounted sitting in on a meeting at which an astrophysicist pitched a donor on supporting his work. Bratton said that the donor declined, suggesting the scientist needed to be "more like Malcolm Gladwell." "The donor didn’t think he was inspirational enough," Bratton recalls. "He didn’t tell a story that [the donor] could feel good about." That an actual scientist would be advised to model himself after a popularizer with a packed corporate-speaking schedule struck Bratton as "frightening." TED and its cousin events create the expectation that problems like inequality and environmental degradation can be solved without rethinking any of our underlying assumptions about society, Bratton argues. History has ended; only the apps and robots will keep getting better. Over 30 years, he says, TED "has distorted the conversation we have about technology and innovation. The uncomfortable, the ambivalent, the real difficulties we have get shunted aside." Harvard’s Gilbert dismisses the criticisms of TED: "Who cares about a backlash against the idea of having a series of brief talks by the most interesting thinkers, researchers, and artists?" He says a TED talk is just one form of expression among many and portends the end of serious discourse no more than Psychology 101 lectures do. "This is the argument against haiku: If we write it, all other poetry will vanish." Advertisement Barry Schwartz, a Swarthmore College psychology professor and another TED all-star, likewise sees no downside. His 2005 talk, on how a surfeit of choice overwhelms ordinary people in a way that seems to conflict with economic theory, has been viewed 5.9 million times. "Anytime you talk about your work, you simplify," he says, but "to simplify is not to oversimplify." He was originally invited to speak after TED’s chief curator, Chris Anderson, saw his talk at the PopTech conference, in Camden, Me. For Schwartz, the effect of TED stardom has been most evident in the shelf life of his 2003 book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less (Ecco), which continues to sell 7,500 to 10,000 copies a year. "New people discover it every day, and they don’t discover it from the book—they discover it from the talk." He doubts, however, that this kind of popular fame carries much currency in the academic world. Hard scientists, for their part, seem utterly unperturbed by the opportunity events like TED afford. "Especially for those of us who do research funded with federal grants, I think we have a responsibility to explain to people what our science has found out," says Tufts’s Sara Lewis, the ecologist and self-styled "firefly junkie." She thinks the wide distribution of such talks might even reduce scientific illiteracy: "My hope is that by the time the National Science Foundation does another survey about how many Americans believe in evolution, it won’t be 48 percent, it’ll be, oh, 60 percent." One cliché of the Internet age is that thinkers and writers should be "platform agnostic": books, videos, online texts are all means to a similar end. Naturally, academic blogs have also had an effect on academic publicity and celebrity, an effect that has varied by discipline. When Tyler Cowen, the George Mason University economist, launched his blog Marginal Revolution, in 2003, he imagined reaching 4,000 people a day. Now the number of visitors is in the hundreds of thousands. Once a month or so he gets stopped on the streets by someone who knows him from his online presence (including the free video courses he offers through Marginal Revolution University), which still takes him aback. Cowen thinks the rough give-and-take of argumentation and comment ("Everything gets savaged") tends to make life online difficult for "people who trade in a certain kind of puffery." By that he seems to mean jargon-wielding humanists who might be more used to deferential nods from their peers at conferences. "Economics has been a huge gainer and philosophy has been a big loser" in the blog world, he says. "Philosophical arguments tend to be very long-winded—whether that’s for reasons relative to merit or for other reasons." Pithy empirical findings tend to do better. That’s evidenced by the success of political-science blogs, too. Though bloggers in that field are only mildly well known—in the "famous for Washington" sense—they have raised the profile of the field as a whole. John Sides, a political scientist at George Washington University and a founder of the Monkey Cage, a group blog now hosted by The Washington Post, notes that some of the field’s central findings have become "part of the bloodstream" of political reportage: For example, reporters can no longer cover campaigns, as they used to until very recently, without acknowledging that underlying economic conditions shape those campaigns significantly. But it has not escaped Sides’s notice that political scientists are seldom asked to do TED talks. James Grossman, executive director of the American Historical Association, is similarly puzzled about why historical ideas don’t count as "ideas worth spreading," as the TED slogan has it. Recently, in the context of discussing with some of his membership’s elected leaders new presentation formats that might enliven the annual AHA conference, he navigated to the TED site to show them some TED presentations by historians. Except for Niall Ferguson, he couldn’t find any. (Chris Anderson, TED’s curator, who would respond only to emailed questions, denied that TED ignored certain scholarly fields, but said he was "actively looking to broaden. ... If the idea is good and the speaker can deliver it in a compelling way, we are game to give it a platform, no matter the discipline.") Historians may have better luck with online courses, a medium in which lightning has struck in some unlikely places. Shelly Kagan, a professor of philosophy at Yale, describes himself as "tolerably well known" in his field, though sub-star-stratum. But his Open Yale Course on death, showing him chatting informally while sitting cross-legged on his desk, became a phenomenon in China, as he learned first from Google alerts and then when he visited Peking University in October 2012. There, philosopher after philosopher told him of the spell the course cast on students. And that wasn’t true just in China: When he visited South Korea last year, to promote a book he wrote based on the course, "I’d show up for a talk an hour and a half early and there would be people stretched around the block." Last he heard, his Korean publisher had sold in the neighborhood of 150,000 copies, though the book, published in the States by Yale University Press, sold quite modestly here. In a gesture jokingly intended to keep his ego in check, one of Kagan’s daughters recently plugged his name and that of the political philosopher Michael Sandel into Google Trends, and Kagan was trounced. Sandel’s exponentially greater fame is partly due to an edX course, "Justice," that enrolled 71,000 people last year and will be offered with subtitles in several foreign languages this year. Sandel had long been one of Harvard’s most-praised pedagogues, and now his renown extends far beyond that university’s Sanders Theatre. And edX’s tech courses produce numbers that dwarf even Sandel’s, with the Harvard senior lecturer David J. Malan’s most recent introductory computer course enrolling 214,000. The reach of scholars like Sandel and his fellow travelers in this new ecosystem gives the lie to complaints about the "demise of the public intellectual"—such as Nicholas Kristof’s notorious column in The New York Times this past February. Still, the public intellectual of today clearly has different stripes. The British magazine Prospect has been collating a list of top public intellectuals since 2004—usually with an online-poll component. Over the years, Prospect editors have noted certain trends: the falling-off (or literal death) of Old Left intellectuals, like Eric Hobsbawm; the decline of British philosophers as participants in public debate; the marginalization of Theory. Last year the evolutionary-theorist-turned-pugnacious-atheist Richard Dawkins topped the readers’ poll. This year’s list of 50 World Thinkers, released in late March, included a few new developments: notably leftists who have gained attention because of concern over the global financial crisis and its aftermath, including David Harvey, a professor of anthropology and geography at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; David Graeber, an anthropologist at Goldsmiths, University of London; and the novelist and activist Arundhati Roy. But they’re far less typical of the zeitgeist than another figure on the Prospect list, Andrew McAfee, co-director of the Initiative on the Digital Economy at MIT. He’s now co-author, with Erik Brynjolfsson, the other director of the MIT initiative, of the new The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies (Norton). McAfee gave a TED talk in 2013: On stage, he comes across as a less goofy Jeff Bezos—confident, shaved head, jacket-over-untucked-dress-shirt, fashionable stubble. He’s aware of the TED stereotype for techno-hype but says it doesn’t apply in his case, though he did make some concessions to the medium. "I did not give a relentlessly upbeat talk about how technology is developing," he says, and indeed, he argued that the same robotic technology that would free the upper-middle class and above from drudgery would make it harder for the middle and working classes to find jobs. However, he went on to float the idea of a guaranteed annual income, and concluding by saying, "I don’t think for a second that we have forgotten how to solve tough challenges or that we’ve become too apathetic or hard-hearted even to try." "I did end on an up note," McAfee acknowledges. "I tried to be inspirational—I tried to give a good TED talk." Christopher Shea is a contributing writer at The Chronicle. Correction (4/16/2014, 11:40 a.m.): This article originally misidentified the conference at which the TED curator Chris Anderson heard Barry Schwartz speak, leading to a TED invitation. It was the PopTech conference, in Camden, Me., not the Gel Conference in New York. The article has been updated to reflect that. |
The last thing any of us probably want to be during New Year’s Eve is to be sad. Isn’t it that we have this saying that your disposition on the start of the year will determine how you will be the rest of the year? Truth or not, we won’t lose anything if we follow such traditions. Are you tired of celebrating the New Year alone? Or perhaps this is your first year where your family is staying in faraway places without you. No matter the reason, you shouldn’t feel blue. This is because you will never be alone again just in case you decided to take part in the annual Last Night Fayette Ville Program. This is an art festival that is scheduled mainly on the New Year’s Eve to give bring happiness and light to those people who’d be spending their New Year alone. There are so many things and events to look forward to during this day so we can guarantee you that there is no downtime while you are here. Among the popular attractions in this event annually are the live performances. Some of them are performed by professional artists that you can only see on the televisions. There are also those that are performed by locals for both group performances and solo. The music that flows all throughout varies. There are jazz and pop. There is also soft rock and country music. This never stops until the countdown to the New Year. There is no reason why one should not go out of their garage door in Denver because of this. The strong, festive mood would definitely pull you out of your homes. If you think music and performances are the only things that would provide you with entertainment during this time of the year, you’ve never been more wrong. This is because there are still other attractions here that would jumpstart your fun and excitement for the following year. There are puppet shows, among others. There are games and contests you can join in. Aside from that, you can expect that food and drinks would be overflowing. Even your stomach can have a great time here as we fill it up to overwhelming. Since this is an art festival, you can also expect here a variety of other performances such as screenplays that highlights the talents of many different people here. Jugglers are never lost in the picture and they are so amazing that you would feel at awe while watching them go through their routine. Of course, another thing you shouldn’t miss is the fireworks show. Hundreds and thousands of fireworks grace the sky as we count down towards the upcoming year. You would never feel alone because thousands of people will be there joining the event. This is a much-expected scenario year after year. It’s like celebrating with your extended family. This event has grown so big that it has already been featured in many different magazines and newspaper around the globe. The TripAdvisor even coined it as “one of the Top Ten New Year’s Eve Celebration in the United States. Be a part of this event and have the experience of your lifetime. This is indeed an event that you should never miss. |
Since Fox News and Bill O’Reilly parted ways last week many have wondered what the 67-year-old would do now. Write more books? Walking into the sunset and entering a full retirement? Even the idea of the host moving his show to Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze was floated on CNN and even by Beck himself (joking with the caveat that O’Reilly would have to take a massive pay cut.) But O’Reilly will make his first public statements following his departure from Fox News on his ‘No Spin News’ podcast, according to his website. The podcast is only available as premium content to paid subscribers of the website. One can be certain that a lot of $4.99 subscriptions will be expensed by news outlets by Monday morning. The O’Reilly Factor, which had been changed to simply ‘The Factor,’ was shuttered after twenty-one years by Greg Gutfeld on Friday night. Closing out the show for the last time, Gutfeld said, “How do I turn out the lights on such a venerable and amazing show? I can’t. It’s not my show and it’s not my place. So on behalf of all of us on ‘The Factor,’ good night and godspeed.” There is no question that Fox News has undergone one of the biggest shake-ups in modern memory, from editorial bent to longtime popular hosts like Megyn Kelly and now O’Reilly leaving by choice or being forced out. Greta Van Susteren left for MSNBC after Roger Ailes was forced out for sexual misconduct last year. Now the only question is whether O’Reilly can make podcasts popular with his Baby Boomer fan base. |
Israel took a steep dive in an international list measuring freedom of the press, ranking 112 out of 179 countries, a decrease of 20 places since last year. Israel now ranks lower than countries such as Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait and Uganda. “Palestine” took the 146th spot on the 2013 list, published annually by Reporters Without Borders, slightly increasing its position compared to the previous year. Despite Israel being listed as one of this year’s “big falls,” its journalists enjoy “real freedom of expression,” the organization acknowledged. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up Israel’s 20-place drop is due to the actions of the Israel Defense Forces in the Palestinian territories, which used to be ranked separately under the label of “Israel extraterritorial,” Reporters Without Borders explained in the 2013 World Press Freedom Index. During Operation Pillar of Defense last November, the Israeli army “deliberately targeted journalists and buildings housing media that are affiliated to Hamas or support it,” the report states. “And the arbitrary arrest and detention of Palestinian journalists is still commonplace.” During the IDF’s offensive in Gaza, which followed months of rocket fire from the Strip on Israel’s south, at least three journalists were killed and at least 10 media personnel were injured, making the army the subject of much criticism from human rights groups. “Israeli airstrikes continue to put journalists in harm’s way,” Committee to Protect Journalists Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said at the time. “This reflects the risks journalists face while reporting on conflict, especially in such a densely populated area.” The IDF responded by saying that it abides by the laws of armed conflict, despite ongoing deliberate violations and abuse of these laws by Gaza terrorists. Despite Israel’s relatively low ranking, the 2013 report attests that the government gives members of the press a free hand to do their jobs. “Israeli journalists meanwhile enjoy real freedom of expression but military censorship continues to be a structural problem,” the report states. “Palestine,” the report notes, is still in the list’s bottom quarter but rose eight places. “An improvement in relations between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas has had a positive impact on freedom of information and the working environment for journalists.” The report considers many criteria in establishing its ranking, such as legislation, and violence against journalists. The list is headed by Finland, Netherlands and Norway. At the very bottom are Iran, Somalia, Syria, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea. |
I read a lot of children’s books. Some are terrible, many are decent, and a few are truly wonderful. Most authors don’t have the staying power to slot multiple entries in all three categories while achieving worldwide fame and fortune; in fact, Dr. Seuss is the only one that comes to mind. His characters are ubiquitous without being stifling. Think of how rare a combination that is! How many times have you daydreamed about stuffing Dora into a sack with a few heavy rocks and tossing the whole bundle into a river? Just how many Minions could you shank, if I handed you a screwdriver and put two minutes on the clock? How delightful would it be to push Eeyore off a building just to listen as his depressive mutterings fade to silence? Whereas in my family, we have a dozen Seuss books in the house and reread them constantly. We watch the Cat in the Hat TV show. We own the board game and the flash cards. And I’m sure there’s a stuffed animal or five hidden under some clutter in the kids’ rooms. My 2-year-old son spots that candy-cane top hat in the wild wherever we go and jabs a finger in the air as he shouts a glorious discovery. We are Seussed up the wazoo, as are all of the Doodles in Greater Blazoo, but a bonfire of Hortons never seems a good thing to do. Last week brought a new entry in his bibliography, nearly 24 years after his death. It’s called What Pet Should I Get, and it’s essentially Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman for the chocolate-milk set. According to the official story, Seuss’s widow was cleaning out his office a couple years back, found a box full of black and white sketches covered in text, and picked up the phone. And that’s how Person Who Makes Cool Shit gets transformed into Person Who Makes Cool Shit Enterprises. Corporations are people too, y’know, but unlike people, corporations don’t die. The first press run for this thing is one million units. So what puts this guy’s work in the same artistic (and commercial!) class as Atticus Finch and Christian Grey? Is every last book worthy of the bedtime pantheon? Here, now, a guide to the good doctor’s highlights and lowlights. Advertisement The Best Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? Mr. Brown is the happiest bloke on the block. Know why? Because he can talk to the animals! Sure, he can moo like any idiot driving past a farm, but he can also make the sounds of a goldfish kiss (pip) and of a hippopotamus chewing gum (grum grum grum). Mr. Brown has soul. He daren’t even open his eyes, the spirit moves him so. Look at him there, eeking like a squeaky shoe, blurping like a horn, throwing his whole body into choo-chooing like a train. Boom, boom, boom! Mr. Brown is a wonder! Boom, boom, boom! Mr. Brown makes thunder! Advertisement If that content doesn’t sell you, consider its applications to your own life. When my daughter was young, thunderstorms weren’t scary—they were just Mr. Brown gettin’ down. When there was a tad too much squealing around the house, we all took turns whispering like butterflies. And knock-knocking like a hand on a door is a nice warning when Mommy and Daddy manage to steal a few minutes of Alone Time. Plus, it’s great fun to moo like an idiot. Try it! The Cat in the Hat The most beloved, most enduring Seussian literary invention. And while this book is ultimately responsible for those grown men who wander around wearing Thing Two T-shirts, its charms far outweigh such asshatery. Advertisement The setup is perfect: a rainy day with nothing to do. When I was a kid, a rainy day felt like prison; now that I’m a parent, I’d rather spend a rainy day in a real prison than be trapped in a house with my kids. The hero, meanwhile, is perfect. It could never be a dog. A dog follows orders. A cat, though, does what it wants, no matter the verbal abuse it suffers from a bossy fish. Cats are also pretty good at wrecking houses. The only thing I don’t like about this book are the handful of pictures of the cat, sans hat: It’s unsettling. It reminds me of Abraham Lincoln without the beard. How the Grinch Stole Christmas I feel for the Grinch. I really do. Stuck up there, alone in his cave, with only a dopey dog for company. Maybe it’s not Eeyore I want to push off a building so much as myself. Anyhow, what a magical premise, to steal Christmas from those who love it the most. Hear that, Bill O’Reilly? The subversion of Santy Claus into an evil-hearted thief is shocking to kids, in a delightful sort of way. It’s all play-acting, but still so bad. Advertisement What makes the book for me are the little details. The way the Grinch tucks his hands into his, uh, pockets as he glowers from his cave. The way the dog looks with one antler tied to the top of his head. The way the Grinch steals everything in Cindy-Lou Who’s house, including the log from the fireplace, as he escapes up the chimbley. The way Jim Carrey is not involved in this version in any way. The Lorax A lot of people can’t stand Dr. Seuss because of books like this: the ones with morals. These are the same people who moan about political correctness and forward Ron Paul’s policy rants to your inbox. To be fair, the environmental moral here is not subtle, but neither is the weather lately. This is basically Mad Max: Fury Road, but instead of pining for water, everyone’s mourning the loss of Truffula trees and Brown Bar-ba-loots. Don’t let your babies grow up to be Once-lers. Oh, and avoid this movie, too. Advertisement The Worst There’s a Wocket in My Pocket Here we reach the inevitable limit of rhyming made-up words. A boy leads us on a Cribs-style tour of his house, noting the packed roster of Seussian creatures living in the sink and the lamp and behind the curtain and on the steps and under the rug and in the cellar, among lots of other places. Some are friendly, some are not. Others are scary, and one in particular seems quite pretentious. Advertisement There’s a Yot in the pot and a Findow in the window and Zower in the shower. Yes, it brings a little pizzazz to the standard exercise of teaching kids the names of various household objects. But you see what I mean. Give this one to the, uh, Frash hanging around outside. I don’t have to tell you where where to find him. Fox in Socks Take a look at this smirking motherfucker on the cover. He knows you hate him. But he knows that when your bright-eyed little munchkin toddles over to you with this one, you have no choice. And he also knows that halfway through this damn thing you won’t just be tongue-tied, won’t just be mixed and muddled, won’t just be gasping for breath, but be entirely verbally wiped, a tabla rasa of language, unable to remember the proper pronunciation of sew—does it rhyme with Sue or Joe? And that’s even before the Goo-Goose begins chewy chewing blue goo, before Bim and Ben bend and break their brooms, before Luke Luck and his duck lick the lakes they like so much, and before the tweetle beetles battle in a puddle with paddles in a bottle. As much as I can’t stand this book, I have to hand it to Dr. Seuss for the most successful read-aloud trolling of all time. I like to imagine his ghostly spirit over my shoulder, cackling with glee every time I sit down with Mr. Fox. Advertisement Happy Birthday to You! If you buy this for new parents, fuck you. In the land of Katroo, the Great Birthday Bird kidnaps you on your day of all days to feast and to gloat, to indulge and to frolic, in a celebration that could never be equalled here on plain ol’ Earth, so don’t even try. By my count, the cake on the front cover bears six candles, and no child younger than that age is going to sit through this sprawling, unfocused mess. But new parents, being unfocused, sprawling messes themselves, will latch onto sentimental cues as signposts for child-rearing, and as soon as they have enough sleep to string together consecutive wakeful moments that aren’t meant for the base level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a little tug of memory will draw their attention to the bookshelf, and they’ll see this present you bought to celebrate the birth of their baby. A warm feeling of love will envelope them as they reach for the book, a feeling that will drain quickly away as they read, and the next time you see them, their face will darken and a curse will pass their lips. Advertisement Oh, the Places You’ll Go! If you buy this for a graduate, fuck you. Here’s a short list of presents a graduate would rather receive: a box of condoms, a bottle of whiskey, a car. This is true for high school, college, or even kindergarten graduates. The lead selling point of What Pet Should I Get is that it replaces this book as Seuss’s last original work. It’s a Horatio Alger tale about the wide world of possibilities available to someone like you, with brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You’ll top all the rest, except when you don’t, and that’s okay, because slumps happen to everyone. Sometimes you’ll be alone and confused and scared, listening to the howls of Hakken-Kraks. But you’ll turn things around if you step with great care, and in the end you’ll succeed, 98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.) Advertisement It’s a nice sentiment. But here’s the reality: You’re not going anyplace special, because the world doesn’t care about you. Where you are going is: into bankruptcy, crushed under mountains of student debt. Into a short stint of cultural-disaster tourism via Teach for America, where your idealism will be beaten out of you by the unsolvable problems of modern society. Into New Associate training at Walmart, because no one wants to hire an English major. Into your parents’ basement, scene of your great, serial rebellions those few short years ago, to write poetry and long for a chance to earn enough wealth to pay rent on a studio apartment with a view of the air shaft. Into the no-attachments, cutthroat world of Tinder hookups, hoping for a brief encounter with someone who cares about or at least remotely shares your own buried emotions. It’s all one long slump until the end. The best you can hope for is a careful hand to sift through your papers after you’re gone, someone to notice the unseen lines of verse that really weren’t all that bad, actually. Someone to publish a posthumous collection, the exhumed corpse of your meager life’s work finally seeing the light of day, the release date in 2025 or whatever, unluckily coinciding with the unveiling of Harper Lee’s recently unearthed Go Set a Watchmen prequel. So it goes. Geoffrey Redick is a freelance writer and radio producer. He lives in Memphis. He’s on Twitter. Advertisement Illustration by Jim Cooke. Adequate Man is Deadspin’s new self-improvement blog, dedicated to making you just good enough at everything. Suggestions for future topics are welcome below. |
Tomorrow, Apple is going to unveil new iPhones, new sales numbers, and a new mobile operating system. Tonight, however, Microsoft put up its hand and said, “Don’t forget about us!” And the company has good reason to. Windows Phone is clearly the up-and-coming mobile platform. It has taken third place in the global smartphone wars away from a certain black fruit. And it is clearly the mobile operating system that is growing the fastest — which arguably is easier to do when you start small. But it’s also the mobile ecosystem that developers have started to pay more and more attention to, as Windows Phone now sports more than 170,000 apps. That’s resulted in a mobile operating system that grew 77.6 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2013, according to the IDC. Microsoft says that among the advantages of Windows Phone is a variety of options at multiple price points (nudge, nudge, Apple) that still all have the same “high-end personal experience” (nudge-nudge, Android). And it points out that the Lumia 520 is the best-selling no-contract phone on Amazon right now, at a very affordable $129, and the new Lumia 1020 is in the top five best-sellers, also on Amazon. There are some data points — Mexico, Italy, and a few other countries — that suggest Windows Phone could grow to challenge not just for BlackBerry’s former position but also second place in the mobile marketplace. To get there, however, Windows Phone will have to overcome significant perception challenges like those from tech insider Robert Scoble, who told me bluntly a few weeks ago that he “hated Windows Phone” while also dropping iPhone in favor of Android. That said, Microsoft has a major opportunity, particularly now that the software giant is acquiring most of Nokia’s business. Nokia still sells tens of millions of feature phones each and every quarter in addition to the 20 million Windows Phone devices the company has sold. If Microsoft can find an affordable way for buyers of those phones — who are mostly in Africa, South America, Asia, and other fairly low-income places — to be able to get a smarter device running Windows Phone, there’s a real opportunity to break through the one-two Android-iPhone logjam and challenge for global smartphone supremacy. That’s a long shot, at best. But it’s a shot — something that Windows watchers of several years ago might not have imagined in their wildest dreams. |
The CW's Supernatural is one of those TV shows that is a bonafide cult hit but not quite on the radar of the mainstream public, particularly those not accustomed to taking in CW shows and/or teen-oriented science fiction or horror (which essentially sums up the vast majority of CW's fare these days, frankly). I never took the time to see what the fuss was about myself, even knowing that coverage of Supernatural on TV Geek Army always seems to be extremely popular – and additionally it is one of the top added shows on TV show discovery and mobile alerts app Alert Me TV as well (get Alert Me TV for free on Apple's app store or the Google Play Store). I never took the time… until now, that is. Do the power and freedom brought to us by the good folk at Netflix, the full catalog of Supernatural Seasons 1-8 are available. I watched the Supernatural pilot over the weekend with the idea of seeing whether or not it's worth the fuss. And the upshot? Yeah, it just might be. Supernatural, for those not yet in the know, mainly concerns the doings of brothers Sam and Dean Winchester. Back in the day, 22 years ago to be precise, the Winchesters suffered something of a horrific tragedy when their mother burst into flames after floating up to the ceiling, thus taking out their entire home in the process. Their father, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who I liked quite a lot over two seasons of Magic City), appears briefly in the flashback but is central to the inciting incident for the series in present day. Sam's a prospective law student for a hot minute, but is waylaid ahead of an all important law school interview by brother Dean, who convinces Sam to hit the road with him as he explains, "Dad's on a hunting trip, and he hasn't been home in a few days." The tone of the series begins to take shape as the brothers Winchester hit the road. I appreciated that the pilot took the time to establish brotherly banter and conflict between the series' main characters. For example, later in the pilot when Sam offers a heartfelt apology to his brother, Dean cuts him off with, "No chick flick moments." Lines such as this deliver a noticeably lighter tone for the show than might exist on a show about supernatural murder and paranormal mayhem. It works, however, and helps build interest in the early going. The mix of good looking actors (even the undead seem to be off-the-charts attractive and, in the case of Woman in White Constance Welch, wielding a libido for their ghostly exploits), fun background music (a refreshingly non-stale by TV standards mix of rocked up guitar-driven tracks), sharp dialog, and well executed action sequences made this a very watchable pilot that makes me want to see more. On that last note, the sequence in which Constance Welch attempts to get Sam to "take her home" is exciting and suspenseful and scary. As Constance transitions from sexy seduction to zombie assault mode, the special effects are terrific and the camera direction expert as Dean comes to the rescue. The plot lays out well for future adventures, with poppa Winchester a few steps ahead of the boys in his supernatural investigations (he uses "marine crap" coordinates to leave clues as to his whereabouts for Sam and Dean, in this case "Dean 35-111"). I'm looking forward to seeing more of Supernatural, and as it turns out I have 200+ additional episodes to spin through in future if I'd like. |
SPURS say they will take the positives from their unbeaten 13 seconds against Manchester City. Players have been studying the video of yesterdays kick off to see which of their half dozen touches of the ball led to the first goal. Manager Andre Villas-Boas said: If we can push on from here we might be able to get a throw-in before it all turns to shit. Villas-Boas has also proposed that matches return to the centre circle every 10 seconds, as well as a cricket-style declaration system to end a match whenever necessary. Meanwhile, fans have questioned the mangers team selection which yesterday included a still-concussed Hugo Lloris playing in slippers and a dressing gown. Villas-Boas added: By breaking down a match into 13-second sections its clear we just need to work on the remaining 414 of them. I suspect that will be a standard quote one day its a game of 415 13-second sections, Brian. |
If an armed intruder enters campus, many universities go into lockdown. Teachers and students lock themselves inside classrooms or offices. But the University of Waterloo is suggesting something different in a new video. The video, in partnership with the University of Alberta, instructs people get out, hide, or fight if an active shooter enters campus. Dave Gerencser, director of the University of Waterloo Police Service, told CBC News the approach is more realistic than the traditional lockdown procedure. "There wasn't the emphasis on running and getting away, it was as soon as you knew something was happening, go to the nearest room and lock yourself down," he said, adding that this would probably be better advice for a single building. "That's not the case, obviously, at many university and college campuses and certainly not the case for the University of Waterloo, in terms of the environment that were dealing with," Gerencser said. "It's intuitive, from my perspective, to want to run away from the threat," he said. "That's a decision the individual has to make, but depending upon the circumstances, that's our advice." The new advice being prompted at the University of Waterloo was created by a coalition of universities and authorities in Alberta. "It has been benchmarked across, not only the country, but the continent with respect to various areas where they've had active shooters and what the experts are saying is the best way to approach it," Gerencser said. |
Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success as a group leader and a solo performer in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music. His improvisations draw from the traditions of jazz and other genres, especially Western classical music, gospel, blues, and ethnic folk music. In 2003, Jarrett received the Polar Music Prize, the first recipient of both the contemporary and classical musician prizes,[1] and in 2004 he received the Léonie Sonning Music Prize. His album The Köln Concert (1975) became the best-selling piano recording in history. In 2008, he was inducted into the Down Beat Hall of Fame in the magazine's 73rd Annual Readers' Poll. Early years [ edit ] Keith Jarrett was born on May 8, 1945, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to a mother of Hungarian descent and a father of either French or Scots-Irish descent.[2] He grew up in suburban Allentown with significant early exposure to music.[3] Jarrett possesses absolute pitch, and he displayed prodigious musical talents as a young child. He began piano lessons before his third birthday, and at age five he appeared on a TV talent program hosted by the swing bandleader Paul Whiteman.[4] He gave his first formal piano recital at the age of seven, playing works by composers such as Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Saint-Saëns, and ending with two of his own compositions.[5] Encouraged by his mother, he took classical piano lessons with a series of teachers, including Eleanor Sokoloff of the Curtis Institute. In his teens, as a student at Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, Jarrett learned jazz and became proficient in it. He developed a strong interest in contemporary jazz; a Dave Brubeck performance was an early inspiration[citation needed]. He had an offer to study classical composition in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, an opportunity that pleased his mother but that Jarrett, already leaning toward jazz, decided to turn down.[6] After his graduation from Emmaus High School in 1963, Jarrett moved from Allentown to Boston where he attended the Berklee College of Music and played cocktail piano in local clubs. After a year he moved to New York City, where he played at the Village Vanguard.[7] In New York, Art Blakey hired Jarrett to play with the Jazz Messengers. During a show he was noticed by Jack DeJohnette who recognized the unknown pianist's talent and unstoppable flow of ideas. DeJohnette talked to Jarrett and recommended him to his band leader, Charles Lloyd. The Charles Lloyd Quartet had formed not long before and were exploring open, improvised forms while building supple grooves, and they were moving into terrain that was also being explored, although from another stylistic background, by some of the psychedelic rock bands of the west coast.[8] Their 1966 album Forest Flower was one of the most successful jazz recordings of the mid-1960s, and when they were invited to play The Fillmore in San Francisco, they won over the local hippie audience. The Quartet's tours across America and Europe, and Moscow made Jarrett a popular musician in rock and jazz. The tour also laid the foundation for a lasting musical bond with DeJohnette. Jarrett began to record his own tracks as a leader of small groups, at first in a trio with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian. Life Between the Exit Signs (1967), his first album as a leader, was released by Vortex, followed by Restoration Ruin (1968), which Thom Jurek of AllMusic called "a curiosity in his catalog".[7] Not only does Jarrett barely touch the piano, but he plays all the other instruments on what is essentially a folk-rock album. Unusually, he also sings.[7] Somewhere Before, another trio album with Haden and Motian, followed in 1968 for Atlantic Records. Miles Davis [ edit ] Jarrett performing as part of Davis' septet in November 1971 The Charles Lloyd Quartet with Jarrett, Ron McClure and DeJohnette came to an end in 1968, after the recording of Soundtrack, because of disputes over money as well as artistic differences.[9] Jarrett was asked to join the Miles Davis group after the trumpeter heard him in a New York City club (according to another version Jarrett tells, Davis had brought his entire band to see a tour date of Jarrett's own trio in Paris; the Davis band being practically the only audience, the attention made Jarrett feel embarrassed). During his tenure with Davis, Jarrett played both Fender Contempo electronic organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano, alternating with Chick Corea; they can be heard side by side on some 1970 recordings: for example, on the August 1970 Isle of Wight Festival performance preserved in the film Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue and on Bitches Brew Live. After Corea left in 1970, Jarrett often played electric piano and organ simultaneously. Despite his growing dislike of amplified music and electric instruments within jazz, Jarrett continued with the group out of respect for Davis and because of his desire to work with DeJohnette. Jarrett has often cited Davis as a vital influence, both musical and personal, on his own thinking about music and improvisation.[citation needed] Jarrett performs on several Davis albums: Miles Davis at Fillmore: Live at the Fillmore East, The Cellar Door Sessions (recorded December 16–19, 1970, at the Cellar Door club in Washington, DC). His keyboard playing features prominently on Live-Evil (which is largely composed of heavily edited Cellar Door recordings). Jarrett also plays electric organ on Get Up with It. Some other tracks from this period were released much later.[10] 1970s quartets [ edit ] From 1971 to 1976, Jarrett added saxophonist Dewey Redman to the existing trio with Haden and Motian (who produced one more album as a trio, called The Mourning of A Star for Atlantic Records in 1971). The so-called "American quartet" was often supplemented by an extra percussionist, such as Danny Johnson, Guilherme Franco, or Airto Moreira, and occasionally by guitarist Sam Brown. The quartet members played various instruments, with Jarrett often being heard on soprano saxophone and percussion as well as piano; Redman on musette, a Chinese double-reed instrument; and Motian and Haden on a variety of percussion. Haden also produced a variety of unusual plucked and percussive sounds with his acoustic bass, even running it through a wah-wah pedal for one track ("Mortgage on My Soul", on the album Birth). The group recorded two albums for Atlantic Records in 1971, El Juicio (The Judgement) and Birth; another on Columbia Records called Expectations (that included guitar by Sam Brown, plus string and brass arrangements and for which Jarrett's contract with the label was terminated within a month of its release[11]); eight albums on Impulse! Records; and two on ECM. Byablue and Bop-Be, albums recorded for Impulse!, mainly feature the compositions of Haden, Motian and Redman, as opposed to Jarrett's own, which dominated the previous albums. Jarrett's compositions and the strong musical identities of the group members gave this ensemble a very distinctive sound. The quartet's music is an amalgam of free jazz, straight-ahead post-bop, gospel music, and exotic, Middle-Eastern-sounding improvisations. In the mid/late 1970s, concurrently with the American quartet, Jarrett led a "European quartet" which was recorded by ECM. This combo consisted of saxophonist Jan Garbarek, bassist Palle Danielsson, and drummer Jon Christensen. They played in a style similar to that of the American quartet, but with many of the avant-garde and Americana elements replaced by the European folk and classical music influences that characterized the work of ECM artists at the time. Jarrett became involved in a legal wrangle following the release of the album Gaucho in 1980 by the U.S. rock band Steely Dan. The album's title track, credited to Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, bore a resemblance to Jarrett's "Long As You Know You're Living Yours", from Jarrett's European quartet 1974 Belonging album. When a Musician magazine interviewer pointed out the similarity, Becker admitted that he loved the Jarrett composition and Fagen said they had been influenced by it. After their comments were published, Jarrett sued, and Becker and Fagen were forced to add his name to the credits and to include him in the royalties.[12] Solo piano [ edit ] Keith Jarrett in Antibes , France, 2003 Jarrett recorded a few solo pieces live under the guidance of Miles Davis at Washington's music club The Cellar Door in December 1970. These were done on electric pianos (Rhodes and Contempo), which Jarrett was loath to perform on.[13] Most parts of these recorded sets were released in 2007 on The Cellar Door Sessions featuring four improvisations by Jarrett. Jarrett's first album for ECM, Facing You (1971), was a solo piano date recorded in the studio. He has continued to record solo piano albums in the studio intermittently throughout his career, including Staircase (1976), Invocations/The Moth and the Flame (1981), and The Melody at Night, with You (1999). Book of Ways (1986) is a studio recording of clavichord solos. The studio albums are modestly successful entries in the Jarrett catalog, but in 1973, Jarrett also began playing totally improvised solo concerts, and it is the popularity of these voluminous concert recordings that made him one of the best-selling jazz artists in history. Albums released from these concerts were Solo Concerts: Bremen/Lausanne (1973), to which Time magazine gave its 'Jazz Album of the Year' award; The Köln Concert (1975), which became the best-selling piano recording in history;[14] and Sun Bear Concerts (1976) – a 10-LP (and later 6-CD) box set. Another of Jarrett's solo concerts, Dark Intervals (1987, Tokyo), had less of a free-form improvisation feel to it because of the brevity of the pieces. Sounding more like a set of short compositions, these pieces are nonetheless entirely improvised. After a hiatus, Jarrett returned to the extended solo improvised concert format with Paris Concert (1990), Vienna Concert (1991), and La Scala (1995). These later concerts tend to be more influenced by classical music than the earlier ones, reflecting his interest in composers such as Bach and Shostakovich, and are mostly less indebted to popular genres such as blues and gospel. In the liner notes to Vienna Concert, Jarrett named the performance his greatest achievement and the fulfillment of everything he was aiming to accomplish: "I have courted the fire for a very long time, and many sparks have flown in the past, but the music on this recording speaks, finally, the language of the flame itself."[15] Jarrett has commented that his best performances have been when he has had only the slightest notion of what he was going to play at the next moment. He also said that most people don't know "what he does", which relates to what Miles Davis said to him expressing bewilderment – as to how Jarrett could "play from nothing". In the liner notes of the Bremen Lausanne album Jarrett states something to the effect that he is a conduit for the 'Creator', something his mother had apparently discussed with him. Jarrett's 100th solo performance in Japan was captured on video at Suntory Hall, Tokyo, in April 1987, and released the same year as Solo Tribute. This is a set of almost all standard songs. Another video recording, Last Solo, was released in 1987 from a solo concert at Kan-i Hoken hall in Tokyo in January 1984. In the late 1990s, Jarrett was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome[7] and was unable to leave his home for long periods of time. It was during this period that he recorded The Melody at Night, with You, a solo piano effort consisting of jazz standards presented with very little of the reinterpretation he usually employs. The album had originally been a Christmas gift to his second wife, Rose Anne.[16] By 2000, Jarrett had returned to touring, both solo and with the Standards Trio. Two 2002 solo concerts in Japan, Jarrett's first solo piano concerts following his illness, were released on the 2005 CD Radiance (a complete concert in Osaka, and excerpts from one in Tokyo), and the 2006 DVD Tokyo Solo (the entire Tokyo performance). In contrast with previous concerts (which were generally a pair of continuous improvisations 30–40 minutes long), the 2002 concerts consist of a linked series of shorter improvisations (some as short as a minute and a half, a few of 15 or 20 minutes). In September 2005, at Carnegie Hall, Jarrett performed his first solo concert in North America in more than ten years, released a year later as a double-CD set, The Carnegie Hall Concert. In late 2008, he performed solo in the Salle Pleyel in Paris and at London's Royal Festival Hall, marking the first time Jarrett had played solo in London in 17 years. Recordings of these concerts were released in October 2009 on the album Paris / London: Testament. Standards trio [ edit ] In 1983, at the suggestion of ECM head Manfred Eicher,[17] Jarrett asked bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette, with whom he had worked on Peacock's 1977 album Tales of Another, to record an album of jazz standards, simply titled Standards, Volume 1. Two more albums, Standards, Volume 2 and Changes, both recorded at the same session, followed soon after. The success of these albums and the group's ensuing tour, which came as traditional acoustic post-bop was enjoying an upswing in the early 1980s, led to this new standards trio becoming one of the premier working groups in jazz, and certainly one of the most enduring, continuing to record and tour for more than 25 years. The trio has recorded numerous live and studio albums consisting primarily of jazz repertory material. The Jarrett-Peacock-DeJohnette trio also produced recordings that consist largely of challenging original material, including 1987's Changeless. Several of the standards albums contain an original track or two, some attributed to Jarrett, but most are group improvisations. The live recordings Inside Out and Always Let Me Go (released in 2001 and 2002 respectively) marked a renewed interest by the trio in wholly improvised free jazz. By this point in their history, the musical communication among these three men had become nothing short of telepathic, and their group improvisations frequently take on a complexity that sounds almost composed.[citation needed] The standards trio undertakes frequent world tours of recital halls (the only venues in which Jarrett, a notorious stickler for acoustics, will play) and is one of the few truly successful jazz groups to play both straight-ahead (as opposed to smooth) and free jazz.[citation needed] A related recording, At the Deer Head Inn (1992), is a live album of standards recorded with Paul Motian replacing DeJohnette, at the venue in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, 40 miles from Jarrett's hometown, where he had his first job as a jazz pianist. It was the first time Jarrett and Motian had played together since the demise of the American quartet sixteen years earlier. The trio disbanded in 2014 after playing together for more than 30 years. [18] Classical music [ edit ] Since the early 1970s, Jarrett's success as a jazz musician has enabled him to maintain a parallel career as a classical composer and pianist, recording almost exclusively for ECM Records. In The Light, an album made in 1973, consists of short pieces for solo piano, strings, and various chamber ensembles, including a string quartet and a brass quintet, and a piece for cellos and trombones. This collection demonstrates a young composer's affinity for a variety of classical styles.[citation needed] Luminessence (1974) and Arbour Zena (1975) both combine composed pieces for strings with improvising jazz musicians, including Jan Garbarek and Charlie Haden. The strings here have a moody, contemplative feel that is characteristic of the "ECM sound" of the 1970s, and is also particularly well suited to Garbarek's keening saxophone improvisations. From an academic standpoint, these compositions are dismissed by many classical music aficionados as lightweight, but Jarrett appeared to be working more towards a synthesis between composed and improvised music at this time, rather than the production of formal classical works.[citation needed] From this point on, however, his classical work would adhere to more conventional disciplines. Ritual (1977) is a composed solo piano piece recorded by Dennis Russell Davies that is somewhat reminiscent of Jarrett's own solo piano recordings. The Celestial Hawk (1980) is a piece for orchestra, percussion, and piano that Jarrett performed and recorded with the Syracuse Symphony under Christopher Keene. This piece is the largest and longest of Jarrett's efforts as a classical composer. Bridge of Light (1993) is the last recording of classical compositions to appear under Jarrett's name. The album contains three pieces written for a soloist with orchestra, and one for violin and piano. The pieces date from 1984 and 1990. In 1988, New World Records released the CD Lou Harrison: Piano Concerto and Suite for Violin, Piano and Small Orchestra, featuring Jarrett on piano, with Naoto Otomo conducting the piano concerto with the New Japan Philharmonic. Robert Hughes conducted the Suite for Violin, Piano, and Small Orchestra. In 1992 came the release of Jarrett's performance of Peggy Glanville-Hicks's Etruscan Concerto, with Dennis Russell Davies conducting the Brooklyn Philharmonic. This was released on Music Masters Classics, with pieces by Lou Harrison and Terry Riley. In 1995 Music Masters Jazz released a CD on which one track featured Jarrett performing the solo piano part in Lousadzak, a 17-minute piano concerto by American composer Alan Hovhaness. The conductor again was Davies. Most of Jarrett's classical recordings are of older repertoire, but he may have been introduced to this modern work by his one-time manager George Avakian, who was a friend of the composer. Jarrett has also recorded classical works for ECM by composers such as Bach, Handel, Shostakovich, and Arvo Pärt. In 2004, Jarrett was awarded the Léonie Sonning Music Prize.[19] The award, usually associated with classical musicians and composers, had previously been given to only one other jazz musician – Miles Davis. Other works [ edit ] Jarrett has also played harpsichord, clavichord, organ, soprano saxophone, and drums. He often played saxophone and various forms of percussion in the American quartet, though his recordings since the breakup of that group have rarely featured these instruments. On the majority of his recordings in the last 20 years, he has played acoustic piano only. He has spoken with some regret of his decision to give up playing the saxophone, in particular.[citation needed] On April 15, 1978, Jarrett was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. His music has also been used on many television shows, including The Sopranos on HBO. The 2001 German film Bella Martha (English title: Mostly Martha), whose music consultant was ECM founder and head Manfred Eicher, features Jarrett's "Country", from the European quartet album My Song and "U Dance" from the album Tribute. Idiosyncrasies [ edit ] One of Jarrett's trademarks is his frequent, loud vocalizations, similar to those of Glenn Gould, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Ralph Sutton, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Paul Asaro, and Cecil Taylor. Jarrett is also physically active while playing. These behaviors occur in his jazz and improvised solo performances, but are for the most part absent whenever he plays classical repertory. Jarrett has noted his vocalizations are based on involvement, not content, and are more of an interaction than a reaction.[20][21] Jarrett is extremely intolerant of audience noise, especially during solo improvised performances. He feels that extraneous noise affects his musical inspiration and distracts from the purity of the sound. As a result, cough drops are routinely supplied to Jarrett's audiences in cold weather, and he has been known to stop playing and lead the crowd in a group cough.[22] He has also complained onstage about audience members taking photographs,[23] and has performed in the dark to prevent this.[24] Jarrett has been known for many years to be strongly opposed to electronic instruments and equipment. His liner notes for the 1973 album Solo Concerts: Bremen/Lausanne states: "I am, and have been, carrying on an anti-electric-music crusade of which this is an exhibit for the prosecution. Electricity goes through all of us and is not to be relegated to wires."[citation needed] He has largely eschewed electric or electronic instruments since his time with Miles Davis. However, in October 1972 he did play electric piano in addition to piano on Freddie Hubbard's Sky Dive. Jarrett was a follower of the teachings of George Gurdjieff (1866–1949) for many years,[25] and in 1980 recorded an album of Gurdjieff's compositions, called Sacred Hymns, for ECM. Jarrett has also visited Princeton University's ESP lab run by Robert Jahn.[26][27] Personal life [ edit ] Jarrett lives in an 18th-century farmhouse in Oxford Township, New Jersey, in rural Warren County. He uses a converted barn on his property as a recording studio and practice facility.[28] In 1964, Jarrett married Margot Erney, a high school girlfriend from Emmaus with whom Jarrett had reconnected in Boston. The couple had two sons, Gabriel and Noah, but divorced in 1979.[29] He and his second wife Rose Anne (née Colavito) divorced in 2010 after a 30-year marriage. Jarrett has four younger brothers, two of whom are involved in music. Chris Jarrett is also a pianist, and Scott Jarrett is a producer and songwriter. Of the two sons from his first marriage, Noah Jarrett is a bassist and composer while Gabriel is a drummer based in Vermont. Jarrett has acknowledged that audiences, and even fellow musicians, have at times been convinced he is black, due to his appearance.[30] He relates an incident when black jazz musician Ornette Coleman approached him backstage, and said something like, "Man, you've got to be black. You just have to be black," to which Jarrett replied, "I know. I know. I'm working on it."[16] Discography [ edit ] References [ edit ] |
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) For in the great budget sellout of December 2014, fully 57 House Democrats voted with the Republicans to narrowly pass this deal. Key Senate Democrats close to Wall Street, such as Chuck Schumer of New York, shown here, were its enablers. This article originally appeared at The Huffington Post. In principle, Saturday's vote to keep the government open should be the perfect curtain-raiser for the political debates between now and the 2016 election. As their price for averting a government shutdown, Republicans demanded and got a gutting of one of the most important provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, preventing banks from speculating with government insured money. Agencies hated by Republicans such as the Environmental Protection Agency took big cuts, and a rider was inserted permitting "mountaintop removal" coal mining once again. Another extraneous provision demanded by conservatives permits massive increase in individual campaign contributions. The IRS enforcement budget lost $345.6 million. This will only increase public deficits, since most IRS enforcement is directed at upper-bracket tax cheats. The IRS collects about seven dollars for every dollar it spends on audits. The bill also cuts Pell grants for lower income college students, diverting money to the for-profit companies that function as collection agencies for student loans. And it allows companies to cut pensions for current retirees, even those that are contractually guaranteed. This deal was cut by the outgoing Congress, in which Democrats still controlled the Senate. Far worse will be directed at ordinary working families when the new Congress meets in January. So a terrific debate is set in motion for the next two years, smoking out which side the Republicans are really on. Right? Well, no. If only. For in the great budget sellout of December 2014, fully 57 House Democrats voted with the Republicans to narrowly pass this deal. Key Senate Democrats close to Wall Street, such as Chuck Schumer of New York, were its enablers. In the end game, President Obama, continuing his signature fighting style, blinked first. He evidently feared that another government shutdown would be blamed more on him than on the Republicans; or that even worse would be in store after January. The Republicans, once again, played chicken and prevailed. So we were treated to a spectacle of the Democrats being split several ways, both on ideology and on tactics. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, a progressive, after sending mixed signals earlier in the week, decided that the bill had to be opposed. But President Obama, his chief of staff Denis McDonough, along with Pelosi's more conservative second-in-command, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, actively lobbied Democrats to back the deal. So, in the end, the 57 House Democrats—about one-third of the caucus—joined 162 Republicans to narrowly pass the budget. Meanwhile, over on the Senate side, the Democrats split as well. Only six Democratic progressives, led by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, voted against cloture. Then, once the bill was assured of passing, several Wall Street-friendly Democrats from relatively liberal states cast a crocodile-tears record vote against, such as Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Cory Booker of New Jersey. So, while the Democratic Party should be carrying the banner of working families, making it clear that the rules are rigged against regular people and that Republicans are the riggers-in-chief, the reality is far more blurred. The Democrats not only lost this vote on issues they allegedly care about; they lost their role as a credible opposition. As George Orwell wrote in the famous ending of Animal Farm,"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." Well, there is this comfort: At least the Democrats' likely nominee in 2016 stands four square with ordinary Americans against Wall Street... Uh, whoops. The greater likelihood, of course, is that the Clinton-Obama-Rubin dynasty will continue with another Clinton, and the blur will continue. Meanwhile, the drumbeat urging Elizabeth Warren to run for president only grows louder. I am often asked if I'd support a third party. I always respond that I'd be thrilled with a second party. |
On Friday, a left-wing student ate a flier promoting Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro’s forthcoming speaking event at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, presumably as some form of political protest. Berkeley College Republican secretary and Daily Wire contributor Bradley Devlin observed the flier-eating student while promoting Shapiro’s scheduled talk: Today @amylutz4 (@yaf) & I were handing out fliers for #benatberkeley. A lib student took a flier & ATE THE FLIER. Not joking. @benshapiro — Bradley Devlin (@bradleydevlin) September 1, 2017 Not sure if he swallowed it. https://t.co/ZexeVRVfC1 — Bradley Devlin (@bradleydevlin) September 1, 2017 In a statement to The Daily Wire, Devlin described the “childish antics” as common across the UC Berkeley campus: "I mean, he ate it," said Devlin. "I’m not sure if he swallowed, though. These types of childish antics are all too common on the Berkeley campus." A left-wing group named "Speak Out Now" is calling for the obstruction of conservative and right-wing speakers. UC Berkeley's administration has thus far refused to release tickets for Shapiro's upcoming event, scheduled for September 14. H/T Eric Shaffer at Lone Conservative. Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter. |
Sometimes, the hand just doesn't cut it. Women have a HUGE market for sex toys, but how many dudes do you know that proudly own a Fleshlight? With the high costs of sex toys for men and the high social stigma-factor of them, sometimes the best way to get something you want is to make it yourself. So, here are the greatest cheap sex toys for men that you can make with little to no cash, in a few minutes, using household items. Sure, most of these look like murder weapons, but sex toys in general (at least for men) don’t generally look all that appealing anyway. Enjoy. So, in case you're not dating a girl that looks like THIS, here are 7 tips on how to make a female companion who will never leave you that you can enjoy for the rest of your life (or until it breaks.)Here are the 7 best sex toys for men and exactly how you can make them (in private) in your very own home. You probably want to know how to make a pocket pussy, right? Of course you do. Though it's not handmade or for men, the sybian is one of the hottest selling toys for girls. Howard Stern loves using it on his show. Check out Ranker's Hottest Girls of Sybian on Howard Stern. |
RUSSIAN marines will conduct live fire drills and ground combat training in a region bordering North Korea. Russian Defense Ministry said its drills in Kamchatka and Primorye, in the far-east of the country, follow exercises conducted last week which saw marines landing on the coastline. It said around 1000 naval infantry from Russia’s Pacific Ocean Fleet will master land warfare vehicles during the drills. Russia shares a 17km border with North Korea, not far from the training area. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said marines will practise driving armoured personnel carriers. Russian marines sent to the two training ranges in Primorye have already begun practising ground combat with handheld arms. One of these ranges, Bamburovo, is around 110kms from the North Korean border. It isn’t the first time Russia has staged military training in the region. Exercises were also conducted by the Russian Pacific Fleet’s naval infantry unit at the Bamburovo firing range last February. The announcement of the most recent drills comes as the US and South Korea began their joint Vigilant Ace exercises involving more than 230 warplanes and 12,000 soldiers. It also comes less than a week after North Korea launched a missile it claimed was capable of reaching the US mainland, raising new fears about the country’s nuclear arsenal. The test, North Korea’s 20th missile, sent tensions soaring across the Korean Peninsula with US President Donald Trump promising to “take care of it”. It followed a 74-day pause in testing which saw tensions spike once again. South Korea and Russia have both appealed for calm while condemning the North’s tests. Russia has also warned escalating tensions could lead to a devastating conflict, with President Vladimir Putin weeks ago warning it must be avoided at all costs. However Moscow’s top security adviser Nikolai Patrushev said Russia was preparing to defend itself in case conflict escalated near its border, Newsweek reported. “We find ourselves practically on the border with them,” Mr Patrushev said last week. “If there are military actions, and you know that some countries have not ruled them out, then there can be many various problems caused, including for us as well.” He added: “This will not be something unanticipated by us.” SHOW OF FORCE Russia’s live fire exercise comes as hundreds of aircraft, including two dozen stealth jets, began training as part of a joint South Korea combined air force exercise. The five-day drill began yesterday and is meant to improve the allies’ wartime capabilities and preparedness, according to South Korea’s defence ministry. The US Seventh Air Force sent major strategic military assets, including an unusually large number of the latest generations of stealth fighter jets, for the annual training in the Korean Peninsula. They include six F-22 and 18 F-35 stealth fighter jets. Around 12,000 US military personnel are participating in the drill along with 230 aircraft. The Seventh Air Force said in a statement the training, which is held each year in the northern hemisphere’s late autumn, is not in response to any incident or provocation. NOT HAPPY KIM North Korea’s state media said the drill pushed the Korean Peninsula “to the brink of nuclear war”. The secretive regime regards such drills as preparation for invasion and a serious provocation. In a statement before the drills began, Pyongyang said it will “seriously consider” countermeasures against the drill, and the US and South Korea will “pay dearly for their provocations”. Some senior American officials have expressed concerns following the ICBM test, North Korea’s third. On Sunday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he believes it’s time for US military families in South Korea to leave the country because conflict with North Korea is getting close. However the US government has not announced a formal decision to evacuate its citizens from South Korea. debra.killalea@news.com.au |
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants have released a new recipe on the internet for pancakes - with the stated intention of “extend[ing] the energy and power of the Mujahideen (fighters).” The instructions were released by al-Zawra, an ISIS wing claims to “prepare sisters for the battlefield for jihadists” and uses social media to guide wives of ISIS militants in domestic work such as sewing and cooking, medical first aid, Islam, Sharia law and weaponry. A photo from the recipe, showing the finished pancakes ready to be served to a hungry militant The recipe - which is accompanied by pictures - includes one egg, a cup of flour, four tablespoons of sugar, one tablespoon of oil, 4 teaspoons of salt and one cup of milk. According to the instructions, the pancakes should be served with honey and are suitable for breakfast and dinner. The new recipe follows the publication of animated video cartoon earlier this month, containing domestic tips for the wives of ISIS militants, including a recipe for ‘quick and simple’ date balls, are made by mixing dates, flour and butter together. Last Update: Sunday, 30 November 2014 KSA 08:55 - GMT 05:55 |
A journey of 800 miles begins with spending millions to relocate a small chunk of highway in the middle of Fresno. Via the Fresno Bee: It's still not determined when shovels will start digging, but some of the first real construction on California's proposed high-speed train project could be done by the state's highway department. The California High-Speed Rail Authority [CHSRA] on Thursday authorized its executives to ink an agreement with the California Department of Transportation to handle the design and execution of a 2.5-mile relocation of Highway 99 through central Fresno. The project could be worth up to $226 million. … The agreement with Caltrans means the highway department will work as a contractor for the rail authority to relocate Highway 99 between Ashlan and Clinton Avenues in central Fresno. That is an area where the highway runs up against a Union Pacific Railroad yard, leaving no room to shoehorn the new high-speed train tracks into their proposed route alongside the freight tracks. Plans call for the highway to be moved west by about 100 feet. Caltrans will be responsible for designing the project, which will displace a string of businesses that sit along the west side of the highway. A frontage road and three off-ramps also will be affected. The chief executive officer of CHSRA, Jeff Morales, appointed in May, is a former Caltrans head. That’s not really the fun part, though. Obviously, any construction where roads were going to be shifted was going to have to involve Caltrans. Here’s the fun part: The authority's board, however, was shorthanded for the vote following the resignation of board member Russ Burns. Burns, business manager for the Operating Engineers Union Local 3, sent his resignation letter to board chairman Dan Richard on Monday. Burns, who also is a vice president of the International Union of Operating Engineers, was appointed to the rail authority's board in late 2009 by then-Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, for a term that was to run through the end of 2013. Now that Burns has brought home the bacon for his unions he doesn’t need the board anymore. He actually makes no bones about it at all in his resignation letter (pdf): I will continue to work tirelessly as an advocate from my position of leadership at Local 3 and within the larger, statewide labor community. I will be working with my partners, many of them contractors who will end up working with the project, to help make sure the high speed rail is built and built right here in California. And at twice the cost of what a French company proposed in 2010, when they suggested running the rail parallel to Interstate 5 and bypassing Fresno entirely to create a shorter, faster route – a route that probably wouldn’t have created nearly as many union jobs. |
Google is looking to add multi-touch input features to future Google Home hardware, according to a job offering posted by the company this week. The job listing details that the company is looking to fill the position of a “Touch Sensor Hardware Engineer, Google Home,” and describes the job the following way: “In this role, you’ll work on the next generation of Google Hardware to enable the best multi-touch user experience. You will lead the touch module development and integration for Google Hardware from concept to mass production.” Google didn’t respond to a request for comment. Google’s original Google Home smart speaker features touch input for volume controls and play/pause commands, but no multi-touch functionality. The Google Home Max speaker, which is due to be released later this month, comes with similar basic touch input features. The recently-released Google Home Mini had some rudimentary tap-to-pause input at launch, but Google decided to permanently disable the feature due to privacy concerns after it was found to trigger non-stop voice recordings in some review units. Adding multi-touch to a smart speaker could allow Google to unlock additional functionality, and perhaps allow users to control other devices in their homes through multi-touch gestures. It could also help Google to differentiate its own hardware from audio devices made by competitors like Amazon and Apple, which currently don’t offer multi-touch. Google has reportedly also been working on a speaker with an integrated multi-touch display, similar to Amazon’s Echo Show. Asked about such a project, Google Home VP Rishi Chandra recently told Variety that the company was still “thinking through” ways to make such an experience unique and compelling. “We want to make sure we get it right” before introducing any such product, he said. |
Helen Glaberson London's Best Quiet Bars Sometimes we need a bit of space from our 8.6 million fellow Londoners -- to head somewhere peaceful that serves something boozy. Here are eight quiet London bars to check out... dad will be pleased. Dukes Bar James Bond's author Ian Fleming was a regular at Dukes, which gives you a pretty good idea of the vibe: old fashioned and classic, with a strong focus on martinis. Think traditional portraiture on the walls, lots of oak and comfy armchairs. Head here to drink like the Bond of yesteryear. Just remember to dress up; this bar has a strict 'smart, casual' rule... but most punters seems to just go with smart. 35 St. James's Place, SW1A Rules This place is so quiet and discreet, it even once played host to a royal affair -- where Edward VII and his mistress Lilli Langtry used to sneak off to dine in private. The place is now reinvented as a classic cocktail bar, with plush red leather seats, taxidermy and home to a dark wood bar serving up beautiful classic cocktails. The perfect sanctuary tucked away from the tourist mayhem happening in the Covent Garden streets below. 35 Maiden Lane, WC2E Bar Américan Picadilly Circus is pure carnage at the best of times, so seek refuge in the calm surroundings of Bar Américan, which you'll find inside Brasserie Zedel. This classic American style bar oozes 1920s glamour, with an authentic art deco theme. As expected, there's a fairly hefty champagne list, along with a range of classic cocktails. 20 Sherwood Street, W1F The Zetter Townhouse Brought to you by Tony Conigliaro, the guy behind other classy London bars 69 Colebrooke Row and Bar Termini. Think English townhouse, without the stuffiness, with a wealth of arm chairs, deep sofas, plus half the contents of, what looks like, a high-end junk shop -- gramophones, china trinkets and oil paintings. Especially cosy in the winter, with heavy curtains and a working fireplace. We are in no rush to head home. 49-50 St John's Square, EC1V Scarfes Bar Traditional drawing room meets intimate library, a bar with the calm English gentleman reserve that makes for a quiet, relaxing drink. Sink into the deep sofas or armchairs, and in winter try to nab a cosy spot by the roaring open fire. The bar takes its name and artistic vision from artist and characterist Gerald Scarfe, and his irreverant sketches are hung up all around the bar, which give a humourous, historical account of the UK's history. See how many politicians you can spot. 252 High Holborn, WC1V The Bar at Athenaeum You know that five-star hotel in Mayfair with the enticing luscious green plant wall? Well this place is not just for visitors and rich tourists, they also have a pretty epic bar inside (although we never said it would be cheap). Step inside The Athenaeum and you'll find a stylish, quiet bar, cut off from the swarms of suits and yapping handbag dogs pacing the Green Park streets. Settle into one of the sofas by the window, with a glorious jungle-like view outside. The cocktails are stunning too, headed up by drink-making legend Giancarlo Mancino. 116 Piccadilly Peg + Patriot Sumac My Bitch Up? The cocktails may be racous, but the bar itself is cool and collected. Set in the spacious Town Hall Hotel, the place has no-fuss decor, with a row of non descript high chairs around the bar and low hanging light bulbs. For more privacy, settle into one of the tables behind. Patriot Square, E2 The Bloomsbury Club Bar If you ever needed a place to pen that novel, sinking into a Chesterfield at this literary-inspired bar might just do the trick. Nestled within the Bloomsbury Hotel, the whole place is a nod to the likes of Virgina Woolf and co, with wood panels, books adorning the walls and an array of Golden Age cocktails, inspired by the literary crew. There's also a twinkling terrace outside, with dangling plants, fairy lights and ivy climbing up the walls. 16-22 Great Russell Street, WC1B |
“I don’t think we should consider signing on to a deal that makes us virtually the sole country in the world that is going to take any action.” (Stephen Harper, Toronto Star, September 5, 2002) “Kyoto does virtually nothing to deal with pollution and to deal with the quality of the air that we breathe. Let’s forget about this unworkable treaty.. Kyoto’s never going to be passed.” (Stephen Harper, Toronto Star, September 5, 2002) “This may be a lot of fun for a few scientific and environmental elites in Ottawa, but ordinary Canadians from coast to coast will not put up with what this will do to their economy and lifestyle.” (Stephen Harper, Toronto Star, September 5, 2002) “No, what I am supportive of is, frankly, not ratifying the Kyoto agreement and not implementing it.” (Stephen Harper, CTV News, September 6, 2002) “[Gobal warming] is a scientific hypothesis and a controversial one.” (Stephen Harper, Toronto Star, September 5, 2002) “Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.” (Stephen Harper, Hansard, October 11, 2002) “We cannot predict the weather tomorrow with absolute accuracy. We certainly cannot predict the climate 100 years from now… Models have been constructed that suggest there could well be a base line increase of about 2.5°C over 100 years. There is no particular knowledge at the moment whether that relationship has to do with natural or man-made carbon dioxide. Frankly, over the last few years we have failed to see the full rise in global temperatures that the models predict.” (Stephen Harper, Hansard, October 24, 2002) “The relationship of carbon dioxide to global warming also involves complicated and complex science that is far from settled. It is a matter of significant debate.” (Stephen Harper, Hansard, October 24, 2002) “[Kyoto] is designed to address the so-called ‘greenhouse gas’ phenomenon, the hypothesis that the increase of certain gases – not necessarily pollutants – contribute to a long-term global warming trend.” (Stephen Harper, Address at the Ottawa Leader’s Dinner, November 20, 2002) “As economic policy the Kyoto Accord is a disaster. As environmental policy it is a fraud.” (Stephen Harper, Address at the Ottawa Leader’s Dinner, November 20, 2002) ..Canada’s implementation will not lead to global reductions of CO2. In fact the transfer of wealth, jobs and emissions to non-target countries virtually ensures that carbon dioxide emissions will increase under the Kyoto Protocol” (Stephen Harper, Address at the Ottawa Leader’s Dinner, November 20, 2002) “My party’s position on the Kyoto Protocol is clear and has been for a long time. We will oppose ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and its targets. We will work with the provinces and others to discourage the implementation of those targets. And we will rescind the targets when we have the opportunity to do so.” (Stephen Harper, Ottawa Citizen, November 22, 2002) “.there is no environmental benefit [to Kyoto] of any kind.” (Transcript of Stephen Harper interview on the Rafe Mair Show, CKNW Radio Vancouver, November 29, 2002) “We think the deal itself [Kyoto] is simply bogus.” (Transcript of Stephen Harper interview on the Rafe Mair Show, CKNW Radio Vancouver, November 29, 2002) “Carbon dioxide which is a naturally occurring gas vital to the life cycles of this planet. Smog is an entirely different issue is not covered by this treaty.” (Transcript of Stephen Harper interview on the Rafe Mair Show, CKNW Radio Vancouver, November 29, 2002) “We can debate whether or not… CO2 does or does not contribute to global warming. I think the jury is out.” (Stephen Harper interview on the Rafe Mair Show, CKNW Radio Vancouver, November 29, 2002) “I will not comment at any length about the science of this other than to say the science remains in flux and is controversial. This is not just about issues of global warming or how these gases contribute to global warming, but the very reality that there has been constant climate change in the earth’s history. We know this and quite frankly science knows very little about why over the epochs and the centuries those temperature changes have taken place in the first place.” (Stephen Harper, Hansard, December 9, 2002) “The Kyoto protocol does not deal with critical environmental issues.” (Stephen Harper, Address on the Kyoto Accord, December 9, 2002) “The accord does negatively impact every region of the country. So rather than talk up separation, it is important to build a coalition across the country to defeat Kyoto.” (Stephen Harper, Report Newsmagazine, December 16, 2002) “We’re gearing up for the biggest struggle our party has faced since you entrusted me with the leadership. I’m talking about the “battle of Kyoto” — our campaign to block the job-killing, economy-destroying Kyoto Accord. It would take more than one letter to explain what’s wrong with Kyoto, but here are a few facts about this so-called “Accord”: It’s based on tentative and contradictory scientific evidence about climate trends. It focuses on carbon dioxide, which is essential to life, rather than upon pollutants. Canada is the only country in the world required to make significant cuts in emissions. Third World countries are exempt, the Europeans get credit for shutting down inefficient Soviet-era industries, and no country in the Western hemisphere except Canada is signing. Implementing Kyoto will cripple the oil and gas industry, which is essential to the economies of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. As the effects trickle through other industries, workers and consumers everywhere in Canada will lose. THERE ARE NO CANADIAN WINNERS UNDER THE KYOTO ACCORD. The only winners will be countries such as Russia, India, and China, from which Canada will have to buy “emissions credits.” Kyoto is essentially a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations. On top of all this, Kyoto will not even reduce greenhouse gases. By encouraging transfer of industrial production to Third World countries where emissions standards are more relaxed, it will almost certainly increase emissions on a global scale Jean Chrétien says he will introduce a resolution to ratify Kyoto into Parliament and get it passed before Christmas. We will do everything we can to stop him there, but he might get it passed with the help of the socialists in the NDP and the separatists in the BQ. But the “battle of Kyoto” is just beginning. Ratification is merely symbolic; Kyoto will not take effect unless and until it is implemented by legislation. We will go to the wall to stop that legislation and at that point we will be on much stronger procedural ground than in trying to block a mere resolution. The Reform Party defeated the Charlottetown Accord in an epic struggle in the fall of 1992. Now the Canadian Alliance is leading the battle against the Kyoto Accord! But we can’t do it alone. It will take an army of Canadians to beat Kyoto, just as it did to beat Charlottetown. We can’t stop Kyoto just in Parliament. We need your help at all levels. We need you to inform yourself about Kyoto, to discuss it with your friends and neighbours, and to write protest letters to newspapers and the government. And, yes, we need your gifts of money. The “battle of Kyoto” is going to lead directly into the next election. We need your contribution of $500, or $250, or $100, or whatever you can afford, to help us drive the Liberals from power. Yours truly, Stephen Harper, MP Leader of the Opposition PS: The “battle of Kyoto” shows why the Canadian Alliance is so important to you and to Canada. All the other federal parties are supporting Kyoto (Liberals, NDP, BQ) or speaking out of both sides of their mouth (Tories). Only the Canadian Alliance is strong and fearless enough to block dangerous and destructive schemes like the Charlottetown Accord and the Kyoto Accord.(Stephen Harper, Letter to Canadian Reform Alliance Party supporters, 2002) “This is just the beginning of the biggest black-hole boondoggle in Canadian history.” (Stephen Harper, National Post, August 13, 2003) “The science is still evolving [with respect to climate change.]” (Stephen Harper, Toronto Star, June 10, 2004) “Carbon dioxide does not cause or contribute to smog, and the Kyoto treaty would do nothing to reduce or prevent smog.” (Stephen Harper, Toronto Star, June 10, 2004). “I think these are subjects where we know a lot less than some claim we know. Climate is always changing. My suspicion is that human activities have some impact upon that but I think the jury is out on a lot of the actual specific trends.” (Stephen Harper, Interview with Frontier Centre for Public Policy, May 18, 2004) “I think these are subjects where we know a lot less than some claim we know. Climate is always changing. My suspicion is that human activities have some impact upon that but I think the jury is out on a lot of the actual specific trends.” (Stephen Harper, Interview with Frontier Centre for Public Policy, May 18, 2004) “Redirect federal spending aimed at fulfilling the terms of the increasingly irrelevant Kyoto Protocol.” (Stephen Harper, Ottawa Citizen, June 8, 2005) “It’ll be a lot harder for the Liberals to run their campaign of fear. In fact, they’ll have troubling explaining why it was that the [Prince Edward] Island didn’t actually sink into the Gulf of St. Lawrence after all.” (Stephen Harper, speech to the PEI PC Party, April 28, 2006) “But Canadians have made it clear they want us to put one task ahead of all others: protecting and improving our environment. Ladies and Gentlemen, the fundamental challenge of our time is to make real progress on environmental protection while preserving jobs and standards of living. Finding that balance will require sound science, rational debate and political will. Our government understands that global warming is a serious threat to the health and well-being of Canadians. The just-released report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has sounded the alarm yet again. Rising levels of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere are projected to exacerbate climate changes that could be devastating for many parts of our planet. My children, your children and all children deserve to grow up in a world where they have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. They deserve well-tended land that will sustain healthy crops and livestock. And they deserve large tracts of unspoiled wilderness, sanctuaries that not only preserve our precious flora and fauna, but also provide opportunities for increasingly urbanized human beings to connect with the natural world. But in order to bequeath this future to our children, we have to have a realistic plan, not just empty rhetoric. Our government supports a concerted global effort to deal with climate change – and such an effort must include the major emitters, including the United States and China. But we cannot ask others to act unless we are prepared to start at home, with real action on greenhouse gases and air pollution. After more than a decade of inaction on air quality and greenhouse gasses, Canada has one of the worst records in the developed world. The previous government committed to ambitious greenhouse gas targets, and then presided over a 27% increase. The result is increased smog in our cities and rising rates of asthma and other ailments. That is why our government is charting a dynamic new path. Our program to regulate air quality represents a radical departure from the missed opportunities of past years. In the weeks ahead, for the first time ever, Canada’s New Government will move to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from major industrial sectors. For the first time ever, we will also move to regulate air pollution from major industry sectors. For the first time ever, we will regulate the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles, beginning with the 2011 model year. And for the first time ever, we will set out enforceable regulatory targets for the short, medium and long term. The era of voluntary compliance is over. In our environmental plan, Canadians will also see our new eco-energy programs that support energy efficiency and stimulate the production of renewable power. They will see regulations mandating greater use of ethanol and other green fuels. They will see measures to make energy efficient vehicles more affordable. They will see better protection from hazardous chemicals through our new Chemicals Management Plan. And they will see support for wilderness preservation initiatives such as B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest conservation project. Budget 2006 allowed the banking of environmentally sensitive land tax free, and we will be following this in the next few weeks with major conservation initiatives that harness the private sector. In a nutshell, Canadians will enjoy a cleaner, greener and healthier country – a better Canada.” (Stephen Harper, 6 February 2007, Ottawa) “In the interests of time, allow me to focus my remarks this afternoon on the fight against climate change, perhaps the biggest threat to confront the future of humanity today. Canada may be a small contributor to global warming – our greenhouse gas emissions represent just 2% of the earth’s total – but we owe it to future generations to do whatever we can to address this world problem. And Canadians, blessed as we are, should make a substantial contribution to confronting this challenge. At this Summit, for the first time ever, Canada will arrive at a G-8 meeting with a real and realistic action plan on climate change. Normally, Canada is a country that prides itself on living up to its international obligations and commitments. But frankly, up to now, our country has been engaged in a lot of “talking the talk” but not “walking the walk” when it has come to greenhouse gases. A decade ago our predecessors in government committed our country to the Kyoto protocol. They said Canada would reduce its emissions to 6% below 1990 levels beginning in 2008. And then they did practically nothing to achieve this goal. Instead, they maintained policies that pushed emissions in the other direction. In fact, when we came to office last year, Canada’s emissions were 33% above the target and rising. Which meant, with only months before the targets kicked in, it had become impossible to meet the Kyoto commitment without crippling our economy. So we vowed to develop a real plan – with real, absolute, mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. A plan that’s practical, affordable and achievable. A plan that’s balanced and market-driven. A plan that deals with our growing economy and population.But also a plan that achieves real, absolute, mandatory reductions in greenhouse gases and positions Canada as a leader in fighting climate change. There are elements of our plan that could work not just for Canada, but for many countries in the world – including some of the large emitters that did not accept targets under the Kyoto protocol. After all, the countries that did accept targets under Kyoto account for less than 30% of global emissions. The outsiders included major, growing emitters like China, India and the United States. Obviously, if we really want to stop climate change, all the big emitters need to step up to the plate and must accept real targets. It is urgent that we start work now – and this week’s Summit is the perfect opportunity – to develop a new universal consensus on how to prevent global warming in the post-2012 period. Our own domestic plan of action has mandatory greenhouse gas reduction targets for large emitters. Every year, large emitters must become more energy efficient and emit less carbon per unit of production – intensity improvements of 18% by 2010, and 2% a year beyond that each and every year. And let me stress that this plan will not allow emissions to continue to grow indefinitely. Improvements in emissions intensity of this magnitude mean that there will be real, absolute reductions in emissions levels by at least 2012 and as early as 2010. It will put us on track to absolute greenhouse gas reductions of 20% by 2020. And, let me be clear, Canada’s long-term target of a 60 to 70% reduction of 2006 emissions by 2050 is consistent with cutting global greenhouse gas emissions by half over 1990 levels – a goal sought by the European Union. The approach we have chosen, basing emissions reduction targets on units of production in the short run, allows growing and developing economies to engage in significant greenhouse gas reductions without putting themselves at immediate risk. And in the long run, I believe Chancellor Merkel and I are on the same page on this point at least: all countries must embrace ambitious absolute reduction targets, so that the International Panel on Climate Change’s goal of cutting emissions in half by 2050 can be met. Of course, it may not be possible for all countries, or all industries and firms within all countries, to reduce their emissions by the same amount on the same time line. That is why other compliance measures such as carbon offsets and carbon trading are also necessary. They are part of Canada’s plan and, provided they are not just an accounting shell game, they must be part of a universal, international regime. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for all countries – especially the large emitters represented this week at the meetings of the G8 and the five major developing countries – to come together and cooperate as we move towards a post-2012 regime. We cannot afford to have the world divided on this issue, to pit right against left, Europe against America, or the developed countries against the developing world. We need a plan that takes into account both different starting points and different national circumstances, but that moves us all towards a common destination. There will be much debate in the weeks and months ahead over the best course of action for the world after the end of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012. In the meantime, there is much else we can do. We’re involved in a number of international partnerships that are working to develop new technologies – from carbon sequestration to renewable fuels to clean coal – that will lead to significant emission reductions. Indeed, the agreement signed today between Canada’s National Research Council and Germany’s Helmholtz Association will bring together some of the world’s best researchers in the fields of alternative energy, bio-fuels and other environmentally friendly energy sources. Technology is the key. Just as the Stone Age did not end because the world ran out of stones, the Carbon Age will not end because the world runs out of fossil fuels. Instead, human ingenuity will develop alternative forms of energy as well as cleaner, greener ways to use carbon. And Canada will be at the forefront, as a green energy superpower.” (Stephen Harper, Berlin, 4 June 2007) “The growing menace of climate change is one of the most important public policy challenges of our time… For at least a decade most Governments, including Canada’s Government, paid lip service to the issue because they were unwilling to tell the public that reducing carbon emissions will have real economic costs. We need to take action. We owe it to future generations, just as we owe them a strong and secure economic future.” (Stephen Harper, 7 September 2007, APEC Business Summit, Australia) “Now of course, I am in your city this week on another matter, excuse me, where Canada intends to lead by example, and that is the challenge of climate change. Yesterday at the U.N. climate change meeting and at last night’s dinner, leaders joined with the secretary-general to discuss solutions to the problems of rising greenhouse gas emissions. Let me be clear. Canada believes we need a new international protocol that contains binding targets for all of the world’s major emitters, including the United States and China. And it is through such targets that the development and deployment of new clean energy technology will be stimulated. That is what we are doing in Canada. We’re implementing a national system of mandatory greenhouse gas emission reduction across major industrial sectors. Our plan will reduce Canada’s total emissions by 20 percent to the year 2020, and 60 to 70 percent by 2050. And make no mistake; this system will impose real cost on the Canadian economy. At the same time, by basing our early targets on emissions intensity, we are balancing effective environmental action with the reality that Canada has a growing population and growing economic output. The message is that we need to take action. We owe it to future generations, just as we owe them the opportunity to have the economic prosperity that we do today. We owe them both — sustainable environment and a prosperous economy. In the global fight against climate change, Canada will do everything in its power to help develop an effective, all-inclusive international environmental framework that recognizes national economic circumstances, just as we did with the successful Montreal Protocol on the protection of the ozone layer, on which I should add that international progress could not have come without the leadership at the table demonstrated by the United States and China. The solution to climate change cannot and will not be one size fits all, but neither can nations treat this issue as simply somebody else’s responsibility. This is the message we’ve delivered at home to Canadians. It’s the message we brought to our G-8 colleagues in June at the summit there in Heiligendamm. It’s the message we gave to APEC countries and business leaders in Sydney, Australia, two weeks ago, and it’s the message I conveyed during discussions here in New York.” (Stephen Harper, Council on Foreign Relations, September 25, 2007) “We had a productive dialogue on climate change. We all recognized the urgency of taking action to minimize the adverse impacts of climate change. In particular, we recognized the threats to small island states, low-lying coastal states and the least-developed countries. Those of us going to Copenhagen share a common understanding that we need to act together. Canada is seeking a long-term international agreement where we all contribute to the solution. Such an agreement would also encourage the development and use of clean technologies while fostering the economic growth needed to pay for global warming mitigation.” (Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada, 29 November 2009 Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) A funny thing happened in 2007… Tags: Canada, Climate change, Kyoto, Stephen Harper |
Sometimes the weeks between adventures are as eventful as the time on an adventure. This installment of Unearthed Arcana explores that in-between time by offering new and revised downtime activities for DMs to playtest in their campaigns. We invite you to read these options, give them a try in play, and let us know what you think in the survey we release in the next installment of Unearthed Arcana. The material here is presented for playtesting and to spark your imagination. These game mechanics are in draft form, usable in your campaign but not refined by design iterations or full game development and editing. They are not officially part of the game. For these reasons, material in this column is not legal in D&D Adventurers League events. The Final Month of the Current UA Series For a while now, we’ve been releasing Unearthed Arcana multiple times a month as part of a special series of articles. That series wraps up at the end of April 2017. After that, we’ll return to releasing Unearthed Arcana once, sometimes twice, a month, and the Sage Advice column will return. In the meantime, Jeremy Crawford will continue to provide official rules answers on Twitter (@JeremyECrawford), as well as in the Sage Advice segment in the Dragon Talk podcast. Starter Spell Survey Now that you’ve had a chance to read and ponder the spells from last week, we’re ready for you to give us your feedback about them in the following survey. This survey will remain open for about three weeks. UNEARTHED ARCANA: Downtime Survey: Starter Spells |
1 of 2 2 of 2 Although India reinstated a controversial colonial-era law against homosexuality in 2013, a local group is supporting and empowering LGBT youth to persevere and inspire social change. South Asian queer organization Sher Vancouver announced the first winner of the January Marie Lapuz Youth Leadership Award on, appropriate for the award's namesake, January 1. The award was created to honour a youth between 16 and 30 years of age who has demonstrated significant involvement and leadership in LGBT communities. Gaylaxy Magazine founder Sukhdeep Singh is the recipient of the $500 award. Singh is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) in Dhanbad, India, where he launched the magazine in 2010 when he was 21 years old. Gaylaxy started a Hindi section in 2014 which remains one of the only online queer resources in Hindi. The magazine, which includes an audience in South Asia as well as among the international South Asian diaspora, publishes news as well as short stories and poetry. Singh has written articles addressing issues of homosexuality and Sikhism which have challenged the viewpoints of Sikh religious authorities, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Akal Takht. According to Sher Vancouver founder (and Georgia Straight contributor) Alex Sangha, the selection committee chose Singh because of the "significant influence and impact he is having on advancing LGBTQ+ rights in India and South Asia and abroad, not to mention his innovative use of technology on various platforms to create more awareness of LGBTQ+ issues". The award was established to create a legacy in memory of January Marie Lapuz. January Marie Lapuz Lapuz, who was born in the Philippines and moved to Canada, was a transgender Filipina who was the social coordinator of Sher Vancouver. Unfortunately, she was attacked in New Westminster and died in 2012. Her killer, Charles Jameson "Jamie" Mungo Neel, was sentenced to eight years in jail in 2014. A documentary entitled My Name Was January is being made about her and will be released in November. |
New dealerships should help boost sales of the McLaren 540C and 570S McLaren’s presence in the U.S. is about to get bigger after the British automaker announced its plan to launch four more dealerships across the Atlantic. The new dealerships will be located in Bergen County, New Jersey; Boston, Massachusetts; Houston, Texas; and Palm Beach, Florida. The opening of these dealerships brings McLaren’s dealership total in North America to 22, while also boosting its tally to 80 dealerships all over the world. The increased dealership network paves the way for McLaren to offer its growing lineup of models to a bigger customer base in the U.S. The wider reach should make it easier for the supercar brand to exceed the 1,654 units it sold in 2015 across the globe, a record number that slightly exceeded the 1,648 units it sold in 2014. As expected, all four new dealerships in the US will benefit from McLaren’s highly-regarded and personable sales team, as well as its state-of-the-art sales, after sales and retail facilities. It’s still unclear if any of the dealers will boast McLaren’s MSO service, but expect that question to be answered sooner than later. The British automaker has made it known that it’s set a target of selling 4,000 units . These new dealerships could go a long way in achieving that, but just as important is the fact that the company can rely on its growing portfolio of models to get the jump done. According to the company, McLaren models that will be available in North American dealerships include the 540C, the 570S, the 650S Coupe and Spyder, the 675LT Coupe, and soon enough, the 675LT Spider. McLaren, in particular, will have high hopes for both the 540C and the 570S, the two cars that make up the company’s newly established Sports Series. When the company decided to build these models, it wanted to target a different kind of customer, specifically those who would have otherwise been priced out of models like the 650S and the 675LT. Both the 540C and the 570S are expected to be the driving forces of the company’s growth mainly because they’re catered to a bigger market, and more importantly, come at much lower prices than any of the other McLarens. Continue after the jump to read the full story. |
RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Thursday approved death sentences of seven “hardcore terrorists” involved in the massacre at Peshawar’s Army Public School and an attack on soldiers of Sindh Rangers at Karachi’s Safoora Chowk, a statement released by the army’s media wing said. This is the first approval of death sentences by the army chief following Supreme Court’s recent judgment giving legal cover to the establishment of military courts in the country. The convicts, however, have the right to appeal, said the statement from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). One terrorist has also been awarded life imprisonment, said the ISPR. Political parties had unanimously agreed over the issue of setting up military courts to tackle terrorism cases in the country following the gruesome attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014, following which the Parliament passed the 21st constitutional amendment to set up the said courts. Take a look: Political leaders reach consensus on military courts. President Mamnoon Hussain had promulgated an ordinance further revising the recently amended Army Act to ostensibly aid the functioning of military courts by allowing for trials in camera, i.e without the presence of the public or the media, and over video link if necessary. But the constitutional amendment giving legal cover to military courts was challenged in the Supreme Court, which upheld the Parliament's sovereignty and allowed military courts to try and sentence hardened terrorists. Read: Military courts get Supreme Court nod. The apex court did however keep the power to review sentences in certain cases, where it feels the condition of fair trial is not met. Recently, following the SC's ruling, the father of a death-row convict Haider Ali, who received the sentence from a military court, challenged the ruling in the Supreme Court. Details of ruling The ISPR statement also issued details of the convicts and the crimes for which they were sentenced. Civilian Hazrat Ali s/o Awal Baz: The convict was an active member of Toheedwal Jihad Group (TWJ). He was found involved in attacking law enforcement agencies, abetting kidnapping and killing of Levies soldiers and collecting funds for attack on Army Public School, Peshawar. He was also involved in killing 23 Levies soldiers. He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on five charges and awarded the death sentence. Civilian Mujeebur Rehman alias Ali alias NajeebUllah s/o Ghulab Jan: The convict was an active member of Toheedwal Jihad Group (TWJ). He was found involved in transporting 10 suicide bombers for the attack on Pakistan Air Force Base Peshawar. He was also involved in attacks on law enforcement agencies and abetment in the attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar, which resulted in the deaths of 151 persons including 125 children, injuries to 147 persons and damage to govt property. He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on three charges and awarded the death sentence. Civilian Sabeel alias Yahya s/o Atta Ullah: The convict was an active member of Toheedwal Jihad Group (TWJ). He was found involved in the attack on Pakistan Air Force Base, Peshawar; a Police check post, transportation of 10 suicide bombers and abetment in the attack on Army Public School, Peshawar, which resulted in the deaths of 151 persons including 125 children and injuries to 147 persons. He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on three charges and awarded the death sentence. Civilian Molvi Abdus Salam s/o Shamshi: The convict was an active member of Toheedwal Jihad Group (TWJ). He was found involved in harbouring suicide bombers, later used in the attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar, which resulted in the deaths of 151 persons including 125 children and injuries to 147 persons and damage to govt property. He was also involved in abetting deaths of two colonels and a civilian, Director of National Development Complex (NDC). He confessed to his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on four charges and awarded the death sentence. Civilian Taj Muhammad alias Rizwan s/o Altaf Khan: The convict was an active member of TTP. He was found involved in attacking armed forces and harbouring suicide bombers, who were later used in the attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar, causing deaths of 151 persons including 125 children, injuries to 147 persons and abetting death of a civilian, Director of National Development Complex (NDC). He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on five charges and awarded the death sentence. Civilian Ateequr Rehman alias Usman s/o Ali Rehman: The convict was an active member of Toheedwal Jihad Group (TWJ). He was found involved in attacking a Crime Investigation Department Police Station, providing funds for illegal activities,abetting deaths of two colonels and a civilian, Director of National Development Complex (NDC). He abetted the attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar, which resulted in the deaths of 151 persons including 125 children and injuries to 147 persons. He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on six charges and awarded the death sentence. Civilian Kifayatullah alias Kaif Qari s/o Ghulam Haider: The convict was an active member of Toheedwal Jihad Group (TWJ). He was found involved in using improvised explosive devices at the residence of two civilians and transporting arms and ammunition. He had also been in league with the accused persons involved in the attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar. He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on four charges and awarded imprisonment for life. Civilian Muhammad Farhan alias Ali alias Abbas alias Aijaz Qadri: The convict was an active member of Jaish-e-Muhammad. He was found involved in the attack on soldiers of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, at Safoora Chowk, Karachi, using an improvised explosive device, which resulted in the deaths of three soldiers and injured four. He admitted his offences before the magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on two charges and awarded the death sentence. |
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