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A CAFE owner is sick of coffee addicts forgetting their manners when ordering a cafe latte or cappuccino. Marisel Valencia Madrid, 41, has become so incensed that she has imposed a ‘rude tax’ on her coffees, reported The Times UK. If you don’t say please or thank you in your order, then the coffee will cost a whopping $7.35. If you are polite and order a coffee at beachside Restaurant Blau Grifeu in Llançà on the Spanish Costa Brava, by saying ‘buenos días. Un café, por favor (hello, one coffee please)’ it will cost €1.30 ($1.90). Slightly less courteous, and if you only say please, that same coffee will cost €3 ($4.40). Now if you are downright rude and demand your coffee, without a please or thank you, then add another €2 to your coffee, bringing the price to a whopping $7.35. The charges are explained in a poster outside the restaurant. “People seem to be in a rush these days and forgetting to say ‘please’ when they ask for something,” Marisa told The Times. ”I put a sign in the window with the price system and it has made all the difference. People are now super polite in all matters and it has really improved daily life.” The idea was inspired by a bar in Paris, France, that offers discounts depending on the politeness of its clientele, according to Verne. TOP 100 PLACES FOR COFFEE IN AUSTRALIA |
Image caption Young men, caught in a changing jobs market, show few signs of optimism A study of youth attitudes has raised concerns about young men in the "squeezed middle" who are deeply pessimistic about their future chances. Among these young men - from families of skilled or semi-skilled workers - more than two-thirds never expect to own their own home, says a survey. These disgruntled young men were more negative than their counterparts from poorer backgrounds. "These people feel trapped," says Durham University's Tony Chapman. This identification of a distinctive group of aggrieved young men emerged from the Youth Matters survey, carried out for the O2 telecommunications company, and analysed by Prof Chapman, who has researched young people and social mobility. 'Fatalistic' These are young men, aged between 16 and 24, who appear to be particularly frustrated and unhopeful about their chances of good jobs or any upward mobility. "These are neither the most deprived, who get quite a lot of attention, nor are they affluent enough to be on a conveyor belt to university," says Prof Chapman, who has examined the views of 1,500 young people. "These are a group of young people who are caught between these positions," he says. These youngsters are aware of the advantages of their better-off middle class counterparts, he suggests, but have diminishing expectations of gaining them for themselves. And it is particularly the young men rather than young women who have the bleakest expectations. "They have skills and ambitions - but they have a fatalistic sense that there are barriers that make it pointless to try in the first place," says Prof Chapman. Only 30% of these young men ever expect to own their own home in their lifetime - compared with 39% among their counterparts in poorer families. Even at this early stage in their working lives, almost a quarter of these young men expect never to have a fulfilling job - a much more negative outlook than their female counterparts. Almost a third of these young men say they "feel unhappy" when they think about their future - much more than women. Prof Chapman describes these youngsters as coming from "respectable" families with "strong aspirations" - but now facing increasingly insecure job prospects. 'Vulnerable' These youngsters face the loss of jobs for skilled and semi-skilled industrial workers and an increase in temporary, service-sector jobs. If these youngsters also have poor qualifications, it makes it even more difficult for them - facing the downward pressure from expanding numbers of graduates, who will occupy more sought-after jobs. Prof Chapman says that these disaffected youngsters are from the type of families of skilled workers who might have had more optimistic expectations in the 1970s and 1980s. But he says that many such families, outside the fringes of the middle classes, now face a more fragile economic future. "They're not on the bread line, but they're vulnerable to misfortune. If the car goes or interest rates go up, they have little to protect them." The Youth Matters survey tracks young people's opinions and attitudes. While it revealed this group of disgruntled young men, the bigger picture showed a more optimistic view of social mobility. More than half expected to earn more than their parents. Among those who were optimistic, a significant factor was the perceived opportunity created by digital start-ups. Almost three-quarters identified the internet as helping to create more chances for their careers. |
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ showstopping victory against the Golden State Warriors helped ABC score a ratings record, with early Nielsen estimates putting the game at 18.9 in overnight metered market ratings, which makes the match-up the highest-rated sports telecast on ABC or ESPN in a decade, and the top score ABC has ever seen from an NBA broadcast. The second-highest rated NBA game ever on ABC was Game 7 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics in 2010, which drew an 18.2 overnight rating. Sunday’s game was TV’s most watched telecast overall since ABC’s 2016 Academy Awards, and the top rated among Adults 18-49 since CBS’ Super Bowl 50. The clash between the Cavs and the Warriors was up 7% from the most recent time the NBA Finals went to Game 7, when Miami Heat took on the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 and drew a 17.7 overnight rating. In live plus same day ratings, the NBA Finals nabbed a 11.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 30.8 million viewers. |
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Rajasthan said on Friday BR Ambedkar was not the architect of the Indian Constitution and that vote bank politics made him so, the day when political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, paid glowing tributes to the Dalit icon on his 126th birth anniversary. Bharatpur MLA Vijay Bansal said Ambedkar was just a member of a committee of which Rajendra Prasad was the chairperson. Ambedkar was appointed the chairperson of the Constituent Assembly of India’s drafting committee and Prasad, who later became India’s first president, was the president of the assembly. Ambedkar was also India’s first law minister. After making the controversial and factually incorrect statement, the MLA added that Ambedkar was an intelligent person and there was no doubt about it. Bansal, who is the third time MLA, was the chief guest at the inauguration of a school in Bharatpur’s Krishna Nagar Colony. His comments come at a time when the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the 126th anniversary of the Dalit icon and principal architect of the Constitution, who fought against caste-based discrimination, in a grand manner. Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot reacted to this statement through a tweet. “BJP MLA’s statement is not just his opinion but he has revealed his party’s thinking,” he tweeted. First Published: Apr 14, 2017 17:15 IST |
Maybe it was a last round of Christmas parties, maybe it was people watching the LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors game’s jersey retirement ceremony for Kobe Bryant but whatever it was, a lot less eyeballs were on last night. Clearly with their eyes on getting that playoff berth, defending NFC champs the Atlanta Falcons ripped into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 24-21 victory in a stadium scattered with empty seats. Now well positioned to keep that crown and move towards even bigger games if they can win at least one of their up-coming two regular season match-ups, the Week 15 win for the Peach State team were in a lucky spot against the injury plagued Florida boys. Not so much the lucky spot for the NFL and ESPN on MNF last night. Snaring a 6.5 result in metered market ratings, Monday’s match-up is the third lowest MNF this ratings challenged and controversy entangled season. Taking a hard drop of 24% in the early metrics from last week’s Miami Dolphins win over the New England Patriots, the result was still ahead of the all-time low this season of the grinding November 27 battle between the eventually victorious Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans. Like last night, that MNF low saw two regionally popular teams on the cable field so to speak, often not a winning combo for the league or the Disney run outlet. Week 15 to Week 15, last night’s MNF took a tumble of 19% in MM results from the comparable Carolina Panthers 26-15 victory over the Washington Redskin on December 19, 2016. Topping the night as usual and as last night’s game will surely too, the December 11, 2017 MNF went on to deliver a 3.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 11.7 million viewers. That December 19, 2016 gridiron face-off between the now for sale Panthers and the DC team pulled in a 3.6 rating in the key demo and 11.2 million sets of eyeballs. As for the highlight of last night’s MNF …well, that’s debatable isn’t it? What is for sure though is that last night’s game peaked with a 7.6 metered market rating in the 9:30 – 9:45 PM ET slot. |
A 35-year-old man died aboard a TriMet bus in North Portland Monday night, authorities said. The victim had been traveling on an eastbound No. 75 bus along North Lombard Street around 7:45 p.m. when he suddenly stopped breathing near Interstate Avenue, said Lt. Rich Chatman, a Portland Fire and Rescue spokesman. Several passengers tried to revive the man while another called 911, Chatman said. Authorities rushed to the scene, but could not save the victim, police said. The victim’s name was not immediately released. Based on a preliminary investigation, the man's death does not appear suspicious, said Sgt. Pete Simpson, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman. The Oregon State Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy tomorrow to determine the cause of death, Simpson. The investigation is ongoing. -- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh |
The good news for Trump fans is the Republican nominee is likely to win the next two debates — the town hall at Washington University in St. Louis on Oct. 9, and “Fight Night” at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Oct. 19. The only question is whether those later debates will affect early voting. There are five basic reasons Trump will win the second and third debates. 1. Expectations. The candidate that beats expectations by the widest margin wins the debate. As I explained in previewing the first debate, Trump originally had far lower expectations. But Clinton’s health problems, which theoretically should have made the debate more difficult for her to endure, helped her by lowering expectations to her benefit: all she had to do was to stand up straight for 90 minutes and she would win. Now that she has won Round 1, Trump is the underdog for the next two. 2. Moderators. Lester Holt was terrible — more biased against Trump than CNN’s Candy Crowley was against Romney in 2012. (Crowley intervened to save the Democrat once; Holt did so at least five times.) Holt will face well-deserved criticism from the right, which will serve as a warning to the remaining moderators. Moreover, no one else is as inexperienced as Holt. The second debate will feature Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper — both on the left, but with experience asking Hillary Clinton about issues Holt ignored, like Clinton’s e-mail scandal. The final debate will feature Fox News’ Chris Wallace, who is typically fair. CBS News’ Elaine Quijano, who will moderate the vice-presidential debate on Oct. 4 in FarmVille, VA , is new to debates, but is a straight shooter who will leave the candidates alone. (Full disclosure: she went to my high school.) 3. Town hall format. Trump is simply better than Clinton at facing real, live voters. While Clinton’s campaign has carefully curated her interactions with the public, Trump has been mixing it up with rough crowds for more than a year. Moreover, it is clear from the first debate that Clinton is focused on attacking Trump, while he focuses on the bigger picture (when he is not defending himself). The town hall format will allow him to “go high when they go low,” to paraphrase Michelle Obama. 4. Las Vegas. Trump has home field advantage in the final debate. Arguably, his best debate of the Republican primary was in Las Vegas, a city that is a second home to the Trump family. No one knows a Fight Night like the Donald: he will come out aggressively, regardless of where he stands in the polls by then. This will not be a repeat of Mitt Romney’s wilt-to-the-finish. 5. Bonus for improvement. He may not have won the first debate, but Trump removed the risk that he would implode. And as he sharpens his performance over the next two debates, Trump will enjoy an additional benefit: voters will see him improve in real time, providing a demonstration of how quickly he would learn to do his job in the White House. |
Share. Additional SKUs may be available at launch. Additional SKUs may be available at launch. Sony dropped a megaton announcement tonight when it revealed that the PlayStation 4 would cost $399 — $100 less than Microsoft's Xbox One — but what exactly does MSRP net you? In addition to the specs detailed in February, Sony has confirmed that the PS4 will ship with a 500GB hard drive, putting it toe-to-toe with Microsoft. What's more, Sony isn't ruling out the possibility of producing additional models. In a post-event interview, SCEA president Andrew House told IGN that the company hasn't finalized its plans for the range of SKUs it will offer. House noted the success the company has found with game and accessory bundles, though it's unclear if the company is also considering larger storage capacities. To catch up on all of the PlayStation news, head over to IGN's E3 hub. Scott Lowe is IGN's resident tech expert and Executive Editor of IGN Tech. You can follow him on Twitter at @ScottLowe and on MyIGN at Scott-IGN. |
What Rotting Fish Reveal About The Fossil Record toggle caption Mark Purnell, Rob Sansom and Sarah Gabbott Anyone with a functioning nose probably wants to stay away from rotting fish, but a team of British researchers braved the stench — and turned something gross into scientific gold. According to a study just published in the journal Nature, fish — and other living creatures — don't decompose in a random order. It's the newly evolved parts that go first. That could have a major impact on the way we read the fossil record. Dr. Rob Sansom is a researcher at the University of Leicester and the leader of the study. He tells NPR's Guy Raz that decomposition plays an important part in the formation of fossils. Sansom and his team were hoping to find out more about the oldest branches of our family tree. He says fossils from that era — about 500 million years ago — often don't give researchers much information to work with. "At this part of the fossil record, we don't have any bones or teeth, so the fossil record can be very difficult to interpret," he says. Complex soft structures like tentacles and sensory organs decay too fast to become fossilized, and that means it's hard to tell how evolved an animal really was. toggle caption Mark Purnell, Rob Sansom and Sarah Gabbott "You can end up with an organism, or a fossil, that may look more primitive than it may have been in life," Sansom say. Sansom says the new research means scientists will begin to get a better picture of our earliest ancestors. "We now have a framework of data with which to interpret these fossils, and place them more correctly in the tree of life," he says. But that new knowledge came with a price. Sansom says he and his colleagues caught fish in the wild and put them in boxes to watch them decay as part of their research. That made his laboratory one of the least popular places on the University of Leicester campus. "I've grown used to the smell for now," he says, "but colleagues and visitors are less keen." |
In his first time back inside the Phoenix Suns' building since joining the Los Angeles Lakers in July, Steve Nash could only watch from the right wing. In the most critical possession of Wednesday's game, Kobe Bryant tried to go 1-on-4 after a drawn-out isolation with 35 seconds left in the game and the Lakers down 88-86. Nash, along with Pau Gasol and Earl Clark, were left alone on the perimeter as Bryant put his head down, muscled toward the rack and missed a layup that was contested by a trio of Phoenix defenders. The Suns secured the rebound and converted the ensuing pair of free throws to put them up by four. Ballgame. It must've startled Phoenix fans to watch Nash, their former two-time MVP, mostly reduced to a catch-and-shoot statue. When asked about the lack of offensive involvement down the stretch, Nash told our own Marc Stein: "Those are things we've still got to work out." |
Economists are licking their chops thanks to bitcoin’s public ledger and the fact that the currency is completely digital. Perhaps, for the first time, they can see exactly how supply and demand affect prices. And they can correlate those price movements with various factors like supply and demand, fiat exchange rates, the price of gold and even the number of search engine queries that take place in a given time. Ladislav Kristoufek of the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, recently released a bitcoin study (arxiv.org/abs/1406.0268) that demonstrates how search activity can help predict short-term price movements in bitcoin. Bitcoin-related Google and Wikipedia queries “are positively correlated with the Bitcoin price in the long run,” Kristoufek writes. “For both, we observe that the relationship somewhat changes in time. In the first third of the analyzed period, the relationship is lead by the prices whereas in the last third of the period, the search queries lead the prices.” My interpretation? He’s saying that prices hikes outpaced search queries at the start of a bull run in bitcoin prices. When search queries outpace price movements, bitcoin could be due for a correction. That could be a clue for bitcoin daytraders to monitor. There is a caveat though: “Unfortunately, the most interesting dynamics remains hidden in the cone of influence and it is thus not too reliable,” Kristoufek continues. “Apart from the long run, there are several significant episodes at the lower scales with varying phase direction hinting that the relationship between search queries and prices depends on the price behavior. Moving to the safe haven region, we find no strong and lasting relationship between the Bitcoin price and either the Financial stress index or gold price.” I’m surprised he found little correlation between the Financial stress index and gold price, but that makes me optimistic about the future price of bitcoin because I believe the currency will ultimately win over a decent chunk of the gold bug crowd. Check out my bitcoin price prediction page for more news. Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1406.0268 : What Are the Main Drivers of the Bitcoin Price? Evidence from Wavelet Coherence Analysis. Can't miss cryptocurrency news! Get our email newsletter! Email * Stay on top of the most interesting and unusual crypto news on the web! |
Washington: The Supreme Court, which asks for God’s protection before every public session, will settle a dispute over prayer in the halls of government. The case being argued at the court on Wednesday involves prayers said at the start of town council meetings in Greece, NY, a Rochester suburb. It is the court’s first legislative prayer case since 1983, when the justices said that an opening prayer is part of the nation’s fabric and not a violation of the First Amendment. But the federal appeals court in New York held that the town crossed a line and violated the US Constitution by opening nearly every meeting over an 11-year span with prayers that stressed Christianity. Under Chief Justice John Rowberts, and with the replacement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor with Justice Samuel Alito in 2006, the court has been more open to religion in public life. The case may serve as a test of the on going viability of the decision in the 1983 case, Marsh v. Chambers. But it also could have an even broader impact, giving conservative justices the opportunity to jettison legal rules that have tended to rein in religious expression in the public square. This is what some conservative Christian groups, Republican lawmakers and state officials are hoping for, and it’s what liberal interest groups fear. The issue extends well beyond prayer and could affect holiday displays, aid to religious schools, Ten Commandments markers and memorial crosses. “The Supreme Court has issued a series of narrowly divided and splintered decisions that have confused the lower courts, baffled the public and incentivised government officials to suppress legitimate religious expression in order to avoid the costs and hazards of litigation,” said 85 members of Congress, almost all Republicans, in a court filing. Among the examples of confusion cited are the court’s twin rulings on a single day in 2005 that upheld a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Texas state capital in Austin, yet declared unconstitutional a display in the McCreary County courthouse in Kentucky. The lawmakers are among those calling on the justices to adopt a clear rule – requiring government to refrain from coercing participation in any religion or religious exercise, or from creating a state religion – to determine whether a practice runs afoul of the First Amendment’s clause barring laws “respecting an establishment of religion,” known as the Establishment Clause. “But doing so would drastically cut back on protections against instances in which governments abandon religious neutrality, including the dispute in the New York town of Greece,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, a liberal legal scholar and dean of the University of California at Irvine law school. If the court adopts the test that the lawmakers and others are urging, “very little will be left of the Establishment Clause,” he remarked. He said the prayers in Greece should be held illegal under any standard. The Obama administration is taking a middle ground, siding with the town because it said the appeals court made a mistake in departing from the Supreme Court’s 30-year-old precedent. “Courts should not parse or evaluate the content of prayer,” Solicitor General Donald Verrilli wrote in his brief, relying on the 1983 case. He said the administration has an interest in protecting the tradition of opening each day of Congress with a prayer that stretches back to the nation’s founding. At the Supreme Court, the justices stand at their seats while Marshal Pam Talkin asks God to “save the United States and this honourable court”. The facts of the situation in Greece, a town of roughly 100,000 people, are not in dispute. From 1999 through 2007, and again from January 2009 through June 2010, every meeting was opened with a Christian-oriented invocation. In 2008, after residents Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens complained, four of 12 meetings were opened by non-Christians, including a Jewish layman, a Wiccan priestess and the chairman of the local Baha’i congregation. A town employee each month selected clerics or lay people by using a local published guide of churches. The guide did not include non-Christian denominations, however. The appeals court found that religious institutions in the town of just under 100,000 people are primarily Christian, and even Galloway and Stephens testified they knew of no non-Christian places of worship there. The two residents filed suit and a trial court ruled in the Greece’s favour, finding that the town did not intentionally exclude non-Christians. It also said that the content of the prayer was not an issue because there was no desire to proselytise or demean other faiths. But a three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals said that even with the high court’s 1983 ruling, the practice of having one Christian prayer after another amounted to the town’s endorsement of Christianity. Richard Garnett, a University of Notre Dame law professor and former Supreme Court clerk, said it is likely that the court will reverse the appeals court and that a narrow ruling of the sort sought by the administration could cause some liberal justices to join their conservative colleagues. But because the case can be resolved narrowly, Garnett said it probably is not one the justices will use to order judges to take a more hands-off approach to instances in which religion and government mix. The case is Greece v. Galloway, 12-696. |
Spiders are horrifying. Especially Lego steampunk spiders. This Lego creation by Imagine Rigney is based on Arliss Loveless's tarantula contraption from Will Smith's unfortunate steampunk flick, The Wild Wild West. The spider was the best part of that terrible film. Now rendered in Lego form, it's even cooler. This mechanical Lego spider was built for an upcoming display, and it's able to stand on its own, and "the front and back pairs of legs can move and flex to allow for stomping on town/train displays." This is such a cool build. It's pretty complex and loaded with awesome details. Check out Imagine Rigney's Flickr page for more big creature-themed builds. Advertisement Advertisement You're reading Leg Godt, the blog with the latest Lego news and the most awesome Lego models in the web. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook. |
In a lab in Japan, researchers have grown complex skin tissue, complete with hair follicles and sweat glands, according to a new study. The researchers implanted the tissue into living mice, and found that the tissue formed connections with the animals' nerves and muscle fibers. The findings may one day help researchers create better skin transplants for human patients with severe burns or skin diseases. Prior to the new study, researchers had already developed a more basic type of skin substitute that had been used successfully in human patients, said Takashi Tsuji, a team leader at RIKEN Center forDevelopmental Biology in Japan. But that skin had only one or two layers of tissue, and lacked features such as hair follicles and the glands that secrete sweat and oil called sebum, he said. In the new research, the scientists generated skin that had not only those features but also all three layers of tissue that normal skin has. [5 Ways Skin Can Signal Health Problems] Bioengineered 3-D integumentary organ system. Scale bar, 500 μm. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the April 1, 2016, issue of Science Advances, published by AAAS. The paper, by R. Takagi at Tokyo University of Science in Chiba, Japan, and colleagues was titled, “Bioengineering a 3-D integumentary organ system from iPS cells using an in vivo transplantation model.” © Takashi Tsuji, RIKEN The work began with cells collected from mouse gums. The researchers used chemicals to transform these cells into cells that were similar to stem cells. Then, the researchers used these cells to generate three-layered, fully functioning skin tissue in lab dishes. Then, they transplanted this tissue, complete with hair follicles and glands that produce sebum, into mice. The researchers found that the tissue made normal connections with surrounding nerves and muscle tissues in the mice, and those connections allowed the tissue to function normally. The mice's immune systems did not reject the transplanted tissues. Moreover, 14 days after the tissue had been transplanted, the researchers noticed that hair had sprouted from the bioengineered hair follicles and started to grow. [Top 3 Techniques for Creating Organs in the Lab] "Our present outcomes indicate a proof of concept of regenerative therapy of [a] fully functional and integrated skin organ system that will have a potential for the application of the future clinical treatment," Tsuji told Live Science. However, the researchers noted that, to generate human tissue for use in people, they would have to start with human cells, and would still have to figure out how to grow skin tissue from those cells, the researchers said. Besides its potential application in human patients, the newly developed skin tissue also could be used as an alternative to testing cosmetics on animals, the researchers said. The researchers are currently trying to generate other organs that are associated with skin tissue, such as teeth and salivary glands, Tsuji said. The new study was published today (April 1) in the journal Science Advances. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
Submitted by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog, There is absolutely no upside to any conflict with Russia when it comes to 99.9% of us. The fact so many pundits, anonymous intelligence officials and Hillary Clinton cultists are encouraging such an outcome based on zero publicly available evidence that Russia hacked the DNC/John Podesta and provided it to Wikileaks for the purpose of electing Trump, should be seen as the gigantic red flag that it is. So what’s actually going on? As is so often the case, it is all about money and power. The best and most concise article I have read thus far explaining the driving influences behind all the anti-Russia/Putin hysteria was written a couple of weeks ago by Robert Parry of Consortium News. The post is titled, Making Russia ‘The Enemy’, and here are some key excerpts: The rising hysteria about Russia is best understood as fulfilling two needs for Official Washington: the Military Industrial Complex’s transitioning from the “war on terror” to a more lucrative “new cold war” – and blunting the threat that a President Trump poses to the neoconservative/liberal-interventionist foreign-policy establishment. Indeed, this is primarily about a failed establishment trying to maintain power in the face of repeated public catastrophes and pervasive corruption. By hyping the Russian “threat,” the neocons and their liberal-hawk sidekicks, who include much of the mainstream U.S. news media, can guarantee bigger military budgets from Congress. The hype also sets in motion a blocking maneuver to impinge on any significant change in direction for U.S. foreign policy under Trump… All of this maneuvering also is delaying the Democratic Party’s self-examination into why it lost so many white working-class voters in normally Democratic strongholds, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Rather than national party leaders taking the blame for pre-selecting a very flawed candidate and ignoring all the warning signs about the public’s resistance to this establishment choice, Democrats have pointed fingers at almost everyone else – from FBI Director James Comey for briefly reviving Clinton’s email investigation, to third-party candidates who siphoned off votes, to the archaic Electoral College which negates the fact that Clinton did win the national popular vote – and now to the Russians. Democrats now are excitedly joining the bash-Russia movement, making it harder to envision how the party can transition back into its more recent role as the “peace party” (at least relative to the extremely hawkish Republicans). The potential trading places of the two parties in that regard – with Trump favoring geopolitical détente and the Democrats beating the drums for more military confrontations – augurs poorly for the Democrats regaining their political footing anytime soon. If Democratic leaders press ahead, in alliance with neoconservative Republicans, on demands for escalating the New Cold War with Russia, they could precipitate a party split between Democratic hawks and doves, a schism that likely would have occurred if Clinton had been elected but now may happen anyway, albeit without the benefit of the party holding the White House. The first test of this emerging Democratic-neocon alliance may come over Trump’s choice for Secretary of State, Exxon-Mobil’s chief executive Rex Tillerson, who doesn’t exhibit the visceral hatred of Russian President Vladimir Putin that Democrats are encouraging. As an international business executive, Tillerson appears to share Trump’s real-politik take on the world, the idea that doing business with rivals makes more sense than conspiring to force “regime change” after “regime change.” Over the past several decades, the “regime change” approach has been embraced by both neocons and liberal interventionists and has been implemented by both Republican and Democratic administrations. Sometimes, it’s done through war and other times through “color revolutions” – always under the idealistic guise of “democracy promotion” or “protecting human rights.” But the problem with this neo-imperialist strategy has been that it has failed miserably to improve the lives of the people living in the “regime-changed” countries. Instead, it has spread chaos across wide swaths of the globe and has now even destabilized Europe. Yet, the solution, as envisioned by the neocons and their liberal-hawk understudies, is simply to force more “regime change” medicine down the throats of the world’s population. The new “great” idea is to destabilize nuclear-armed Russia by making its economy scream and by funding as many anti-Putin elements as possible to create the nucleus for a “color revolution” in Moscow. To justify that risky scheme, there has been a broad expansion of anti-Russian propaganda now being funded with tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money as well as being pushed by government officials giving off-the-record briefings to mainstream media outlets. However, as with earlier “regime change” plans, the neocons and liberal hawks never think through the scenario to the end. They always assume that everything is going to work out fine and some well-dressed “opposition leader” who has been to their think-tank conferences will simply ascend to the top job. Remember, in Iraq, it was going to be Ahmed Chalabi who was beloved in Official Washington but broadly rejected by the Iraqi people. In Libya, there has been a parade of U.S.-approved “unity” leaders who have failed to pull that country together. In Ukraine, Nuland’s choice – Arseniy “Yats is the guy” Yatsenyuk – resigned amid broad public disapproval earlier this year after pushing through harsh cuts in social programs, even as the U.S.-backed regime officials in Kiev continued to plunder Ukraine’s treasury and misappropriate Western economic aid. Robert goes on to describe his observations from a recent trip to Moscow, providing readers with an important lesson in “perception management,” which is just a fancy name for propaganda. I also undertook a limited personal test regarding whether Russia is the police state that U.S. propaganda depicts, a country yearning to break free from the harsh grip of Vladimir Putin (although he registers 80 or so percent approval in polls). During my trip last week to Europe, which included stops in Brussels and Copenhagen, I decided to take a side trip to Moscow, which I had never visited before. What I encountered was an impressive, surprisingly (to me at least) Westernized city with plenty of American and European franchises, including the ubiquitous McDonald’s and Starbucks. (Russians serve the Starbucks gingerbread latte with a small ginger cookie.) Though senior Russian officials proved unwilling to meet with me, an American reporter, at this time of tensions, Russia had little appearance of a harshly repressive society. In my years covering U.S. policies in El Salvador in the 1980s and Haiti in the 1990s, I have experienced what police states look and feel like, where death squads dump bodies in the streets. That was not what I sensed in Moscow, just a modern city with people bustling about their business under early December snowfalls. The police presence in Red Square near the Kremlin was not even as heavy-handed as it is near the government buildings of Washington. Instead, there was a pre-Christmas festive air to the brightly lit Red Square, featuring a large skating rink surrounded by small stands selling hot chocolate, toys, warm clothing and other goods. Granted, my time and contact with Russians were limited – since I don’t speak Russian and most of them don’t speak English – but I was struck by the contrast between the grim images created by Western media and the Russia that I saw. It reminded me of how President Ronald Reagan depicted Sandinista-ruled Nicaragua as a “totalitarian dungeon” with a militarized state ready to march on Texas, but what I found when I traveled to Managua was a third-world country still recovering from an earthquake and with a weak security structure despite the Contra war that Reagan had unleashed against Nicaragua. In other words, “perception management” remains the guiding principle of how the U.S. government deals with the American people, scaring us with exaggerated tales of foreign threats and then manipulating our fears and our misperceptions. As dangerous as that can be when we’re talking about Nicaragua or Iraq or Libya, the risks are exponentially higher regarding Russia. If the American people are stampeded into a New Cold War based more on myths than reality, the minimal cost could be the trillions of dollars diverted from domestic needs into the Military Industrial Complex. The far-greater cost could be some miscalculation by either side that could end life on the planet. So, as the Democrats chart their future, they need to decide if they want to leapfrog the Republicans as America’s “war party” or whether they want to pull back from the escalation of tensions with Russia and start addressing the pressing needs of the American people. Meanwhile, cybersecurity experts continue to throw cold water all over the Russia hacking story that is being swallowed whole by the billionaire-owned mainstream media with little to no skepticism. In that regard, here are some excerpts from Robert Carr’s must read, FBI/DHS Joint Analysis Report: A Fatally Flawed Effort: The FBI/DHS Joint Analysis Report (JAR) “Grizzly Steppe” was released yesterday as part of the White House’s response to alleged Russian government interference in the 2016 election process. It adds nothing to the call for evidence that the Russian government was responsible for hacking the DNC, the DCCC, the email accounts of Democratic party officials, or for delivering the content of those hacks to Wikileaks. It merely listed every threat group ever reported on by a commercial cybersecurity company that is suspected of being Russian-made and lumped them under the heading of Russian Intelligence Services (RIS) without providing any supporting evidence that such a connection exists. Unlike Crowdstrike, ESET doesn’t assign APT28/Fancy Bear/Sednit to a Russian Intelligence Service or anyone else for a very simple reason. Once malware is deployed, it is no longer under the control of the hacker who deployed it or the developer who created it. It can be reverse-engineered, copied, modified, shared and redeployed again and again by anyone. In other words?—?malware deployed is malware enjoyed! If ESET could do it, so can others. It is both foolish and baseless to claim, as Crowdstrike does, that X-Agent is used solely by the Russian government when the source code is there for anyone to find and use at will. If the White House had unclassified evidence that tied officials in the Russian government to the DNC attack, they would have presented it by now. The fact that they didn’t means either that the evidence doesn’t exist or that it is classified. If it’s classified, an independent commission should review it because this entire assignment of blame against the Russian government is looking more and more like a domestic political operation run by the White House that relied heavily on questionable intelligence generated by a for-profit cybersecurity firm with a vested interest in selling “attribution-as-a-service”. While we’re at it, Sharyl Attkisson provided some much needed additional perspective on the entire saga in her piece, Eight Facts on the “Russian Hacks,” where she notes: 4. It seems a difficult task to prove the hacks somehow “affected the election” or “helped Donald Trump win.” For example: One would have to show that tens of thousands of Trump voters were planning to vote for Clinton but changed their mind based solely on the WikiLeaks emails. One would have to believe the emails somehow managed to only affect the electoral vote but not the popular vote (which Clinton won). One would have to believe the emails somehow selectively swayed voters in key swing states, but not voters in states where Clinton won. 7. There have been many serious cyberattacks reported against U.S. government institutions, but no comparable news coverage or announced U.S. retaliatory measures. For example: In 2015, Russian hackers attacked the State Department email system in what was called the “worst ever” cyberattack against a federal agency. Also in 2015, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management reported 5.6 million Americans’ fingerprints were stolen in a malicious cyberattack. The GAO reports that between 2006 and 2015, the number of cyberattacks climbed 1,300 percent — from 5,500 to over 77,000 a year at 24 federal agencies. Last March, China government hackers continued a malicious pattern of cyber attacks on U.S. government and private networks, according to U.S. Cyber Command chief Mike Rogers. China has been linked by U.S. intelligence agencies to wide-ranging cyber attacks aimed at stealing information and mapping critical computer networks for future attacks in a crisis or conflict. Despite the Chinese hacking activity, the Obama administration has taken no action against China for years of large-scale cyber attacks that officials say have cost the nation billions of dollars in stolen intellectual property and compromised networks. To conclude, I suppose my thoughts on the matter can be best summarized with the following tweet: |
I’ve heard this re-framed again and again by many different programmers from @wycats at Ruby conf to @dhh in his parlay letter: I consider this [the ease of getting started], like maintainability, to be a side effect of good, simple design. I think this is a great way of looking at the “beginner” problem, but it doesn’t give much guidance. What exactly is good design for advanced developers? Why is it also good for beginners? Who counts as a beginner? Is a .NET dev with 5 years of industry experience learning rails lumped into the same category as a someone who had never previously viewed-source on a webpage? In the Beginning Let’s take it back a bit, to the era before one click purchases, and github signup buttons. The realm was ruled by the textbox and it’s mighty accomplices radio buttons, text areas, and submit buttons. Signing up for a new web app was a lesson in finger cramps. Eventually some people were clever enough to figure out that fewer fields meant fewer interactions, and less fatigue. This of course lead to fewer people dropping off and higher sign-up numbers. Good for the business, who now has more users. Good for you, who now has to type. In the end all they needed was a password and an email, the rest was just details. What do web forms have to do with advanced programming? Everything. It doesn’t matter if you were browsing the BBS on a 28.8k or you just got your first taste of the Internet over AOL, you had to go through the same interaction. Experience was irrelevant. There was no “click here if you understand the internet” signup option. So when the pain of signing up for many many services by the elite trickled down to help the newbs signing up for their first service: every won. Anectdotes aside, this is how coding for interaction should be. Build for the pros, don’t forget the nos. What can we as developers take away from the signup form? Treat each user interaction as a barrier to entry and productivity, slash cut and simplify until you can’t be simpler, and treat the interface as a tool to reduce activation energy. PROTIP: Look for heavy process and cut it down to size Sometimes the simplicity can come from an internal structure, let’s take a look at how re-thinking how routes are groked led us to a more productive programmer and eventually a smarter “beginner”. Simplicity in Action: Sextant A Sextant is an ancient tool for finding your route via the stars. My program Sextant is a tool for finding your rails routes via your browser. I started the project to save me from the pain of rake routes to slash my waiting time (counted in agonies per command, of course) from 20 to 0. What started as a simple tool for saving time has since ballooned into a new way to visualize and think about a core part of our Rails coding experience, with over 39 thousand downloads. The key to it’s success was identifying that extra step that wasn’t needed, the boot time of the rails app. Now that sextant is shipping with Rails 4 we can start the process over again. What else isn’t needed, or what is missing? The Evolution of an Interface Once we got the routes into the browser we’ve now got a powerful set of interaction tools to work with, namely html and javascript. I was able to clean up the visuals of the routes a bit, but it always bothers me when the computer knows the answer to something and yet makes me do the work. Named routes which are a commonly used element in the views, are listed not as they are intended to be used, but instead only have their prefixes in the output. So instead of new_users_path I’ll often type new_users into a view by accident when I’m tired or distracted. When I hit refresh the page I see my problem, I forgot to do my mental math and add the _path suffix. When you’re already tired, already frustrated, just trying to ship a feature these seemingly small hoops to jump through grow ever larger with each mistake made. Why not remove them entirely? The solution is to add this info into the view by displaying the full named route helper: I think this is great. But why, what makes this a good idea? 'Don't make me think' Rails is famously convention over configuration. This saves you, the developer, countless hours debating where to put your files or and what to name your folders. While this eliminating these extra steps is a great thing, something can get lost in the translation: The first thing this current class of students asked me is “Where can I find the document that describes all of the Rails conventions.” - @steveklabnik As you’re removing steps, if you miss some, then you’re secretly adding a hidden step to Google for for awhile. This Google tax only comes to: the new, the uninformed, the tired, and the overworked programmer trying to ship at the last minute. It’s easy to forget once you know the missing step by heart. This is why being explicit with route helpers in Sextant makes an impact. We took the hidden step “add _path to the end of these” and made it explicit without losing any information (you can still see that _url is an option): PROTIP: Mental math leads to errors, where can we be more specific? While you’re refining and iterating and slashing steps, don’t forget to keep context front and center. If you’re looking for places where you might need better docs, or more accessible information. I recommend you keep a … Cheat Sheet I use Evernote to keep track of the text snippets and docs links I end up finding useful. Not only does it help to organize my thoughts while I’m having issues, I can search it later if I run into the same problem, and even better when I’m bored or looking for something to productively procrastinate with, these notes are great places to see if we could add more docs, take away steps, or remove some mental math. Design for All If I can make my interface so simple it only needs one step, maybe one day we can eliminate the need entirely. This is exactly how automation is born and thrives. While it’s obvious saving developer time is a good thing, why had no one done this before, and how can you build better software for all levels? Keep a cheat sheet Look for duplicate or un-needed steps Look for long complicated processes Look for missing docs or implied information Get up and make a difference, work with more beginners, contribute to open source and help close the gaps. Richard “@schneems" (pronounced like Schnapps) Schneeman writes Ruby code for @heroku and teaches Rails at the University of Texas. |
Shortly after the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, and nearly a year before terrorists killed 130 in coordinated strikes that rocked the City of Light, French security officials rejected an Israeli company's offer of terrorist-tracking software that could have helped them flag the deadly terror cell, a security expert said. The offer of data-mining technology that would allow French authorities to “connect all the dots” in the Islamist extremist community was made to the Directorate-General for Internal Security, France’s main intelligence agency. It is used to analyze and match up fragmented intelligence reports from several national and international databases, giving counter-terrorism agents the most up-to-date information on potential terrorists available. The overture was rejected. “The goods are boycotted in European supermarkets. But when they are in trouble they run to Israel for help.” — Daniel Sharon, Israeli security expert “French authorities liked it, but the official came back and said there was a higher-level instruction not to buy Israeli technology,” a well-placed Israeli counter-terror specialist familiar with the technology and the company behind it told FoxNews.com. “The discussion just stopped.” The Israeli source declined to name the company or detail the technology, which has been shared with the U.S. and other nations on good terms with Israel, other than to say it scans databases from multiple agencies and Interpol and pinpoints “high-risk” people. But he believes it could have given French authorities a chance at stopping the Nov. 13, 2015, attacks in Paris, and possibly the coordinated bombings in Brussels that killed 32 on March 22. “Government agencies struggling to foil terror attacks need access to technologies that allow them to connect their data fragments, making it possible to handle daily data challenges,” the source said. “With this system, all data can then be easily navigated, processed and represented by employing a set of powerful analytic tools and unique algorithms.” The offer followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pledge to work closely with Europe on enhancing security in the wake of the Brussels attacks, taken in Israel as a call for intelligence and technology sharing. “In Paris or Brussels or San Bernardino or Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, terror must be condemned equally and it must be fought equally," Netanyahu said. "Israel stands ready to cooperate with all the nations in this great struggle." No official reason was given for France’s rejection of the offer, and the source acknowledged it could have been triggered by legitimate concerns about hacking vulnerability. Yet many suspect politics was to blame. “The European Union has blamed Israel for everything that is happening in the Middle East and stopped cooperation in regards to military, law enforcement and intelligence training and banning university cooperation which [generates] much of the technology to fight terrorism,” said Itamar Gelbman, a former IDF Special Forces and who is now a counter-terrorism consultant. DGSI did not respond to requests for comment and a European Union official told FoxNews.com that there is no formal French, or wider EU ban, on purchasing technology products made in Israel. However, tensions between the European Union and Israel have heightened in recent years, primarily over claims the Jewish State illegally occupies Palestinian territories. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long divided the international community. Human rights groups routinely condemn Israel for repressing and harshly retaliating against Palestinian aggression, while Israel remains staunch that it acts in self-defense and to protect its people. Kamal Nawash, an American attorney and president of the Free Muslims Coalition, noted that Europe’s tough stance against Israel and hesitation in making technology purchases is an “example of the global community sending a message to Israel that its treatment of the Palestinians is unacceptable.” “Israel would be wise to change its treatment of Palestinians by providing them with civil and human rights and pursuing a desegregation policy in general,” Nawash said. “Otherwise, Israel may experience the same fate as South Africa during the apartheid era with all the countries of the world boycotting Israel.” The recent spate of terror attacks on European soil could bring about a resurgence in investment with Israeli tech and intelligence companies, given its undisputed status as a global leader in the field. “Israel has been facing terror threats since its inception in 1948,” said Gilles Perez, manager of HLS & Aerospace Unit at the Israel Export Institute. “In the 1970s, it was Israel’s national airline that pioneered the concept of an undercover security officer on every commercial flight long before it was adopted by other countries after September 11, almost 40 years later.” Security at airports, such as Zaventem Airport in Brussels, where last month's bombing occurred, has long been an area of Israeli expertise. But intelligence, such as the system offered to French officials, could be even more crucial, said Col. Eran Lerman, former deputy chief of Israel’s National Security Council and senior IDF Military Intelligence division director. “However, the key to successful security has to be intelligence, in the broader sense of the word,” Lerman told Homeland Security Today. "For too many years, for very good reasons, Europeans have neglected the need for effective intelligence measures.” Israel-based security training expert Daniel Sharon said that since the Brussels attacks last month there has been particular interest in airport and aviation security prevention concepts, interest that transcends popular protest. “The goods are boycotted in European supermarkets,” Sharon said. “But when they are in trouble they run to Israel for help.” Less than a week after the attacks in Brussels, Belgian law enforcement bought advanced surveillance and rapid view technology from Israeli company BriefCam. The technology is already in use at the Statue of Liberty and various U.S. airports, said President and CEO Dror Irani. Israel’s tech and security sector has long been an incubator for anti-terror solutions, say experts. The more France and Europe in general are threatened, the more willing they may be to work with companies based in the Jewish state. “Israel is leading the field in counter-terrorism technology, but it’s not a popular country,” said Ari Zoldan, CEO of technology and e-commerce firm Quantum Network. “It is unlikely that Israel will suddenly become popular, but the need for better national security will force people to work with Israeli solutions.” |
President Donald Trump has been ridiculed after he appeared to be using today's incident at the Louvre in Paris as a justification for his travel ban - despite the fact that it would not have prevented the attack by a machete-wielding man. A few hours after the attack Trump tweeted: 'A new radical Islamic terrorist has just attacked in Louvre Museum in Paris. Tourists were locked down. France on edge again. GET SMART U.S.' It has emerged the assailant was Egyptian and may have arrived from Dubai last month. Neither Egypt or the United Arab Emirates are on the list of seven countries whose citizens President Trump has banned from entering the US. American keyboard player Benmont Tench tweeted: 'Thank god the terrorist attacker at the Louvre was stopped. An Egyptian national, entered France from Dubai. Neither country banned by Trump.' Scroll down for video President Trump appeared to be seeking to make political capital out of the Louvre attack This picture showed the aftermath of the attack, with four French soldiers with their weapons out standing around the injured assailant and a small machete lying on the floor R A Baker added: 'I don't usually comment on "unfolding events" where the full facts aren't available, but if the Louvre attacker is Egyptian...oops Trump!' Jason, from Wales, tweeted: 'Hey with the louvre attacker being Egyptian, when is the ban on Egyptians coming in? It's America first not Trump first right?' John Yazek added: 'The attacker was Egyptian. Does that mean Trump needs to add Egypt to the ban? Probably not - Trump makes $ there.' French psychologist tweeted: 'Trump quickly condemns Louvre attack, still quiet on Quebec and he's Egyptian, so can be cleared into Trumpistan!' Several Twitter users ridiculed Trump for suggesting the Louvre attack justified his travel ban Chinese tourists mill around outside the Louvre after it was locked down after the attack Star Trek actor George Takei tweeted: 'Trump was quick to condemn the Louvre attack. But he stayed pretty quiet over the mosque shooting in Montreal. That speaks volumes.' Another Twitter user, Chris Martin, tweeted: 'Trump logic: Louvre attack- "told you we should ban Muslims." Quebec shooting - "We need more guns for the mentally ill".' Today's Louvre attacker was shot and critically wounded by four soldiers and is under armed guard in a Paris hospital. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has described the attack as 'terrorist in nature' The chief of police in Paris said the suspect was shouting 'Allahu Akbar' - Arabic for 'God is the greatest' - but, apart from the machete, he was reportedly armed with nothing more than paint bombs. The man has not been identified officially but is known to be Egyptian. An unconfirmed report by French TV network LCI named the suspect as 29-year-old Abdallah EH, who arrived in France on a flight from Dubai on January 26. He was not known to security services, said the network. After being refused entry to the Louvre, he pulled out the weapon and was shot by a soldier, officials have confirmed. A paratrooper is believed to have suffered a minor head injury. French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has described the attack as 'terrorist in nature'. |
A pun-free and GIF-filled guide to what the Gonski reforms are, where they went, and why they’re back. In 2010, the Gillard government decided that education quality and funding models in this country were a mess. David Gonski and a crack team of people with letters after their names took 20 months to read 7000 submissions and make 41 recommendations about how to deliver better schools for Australia. What Is A Gonski And Does It Pair Well With Riesling? In Australia, the Federal Government has primary responsibility for funding private, independent and Catholic schools, while state governments play sugardaddy to the public schools. The report said different things about each system, and you can read the whole thing if you like — but here’s a basic run-down. Gonski on Public Schools: The Gonski report found coast-to-coast discrepancies about how state governments were funding their public schools; some states like iron ore, some states like bananas, some states like doing well in tests. Part of the mess was that there were two ways to fund schools: you could give a big whack of cash to a school and let them work it out (Victoria and South Australia), or you could hand out teachers and books (Northern Territory and ACT). Different states also disagreed about what was meant by “need” — as in the sentence, “who needs this roll of cash the most?”. To solve these problems, Gonski recommended an injection of more money — like Jay-Z’s-drunk-in-the-club levels of money — and said that the Federal Government should take a bigger role in funding public schools. In order to work out how much money each school should get, they recommended that the Government create a benchmark of what it cost to educate a child, multiply that figure by the number of students, and calibrate for socio-economic status. That amount would then be funded entirely by a combination of federal and state money. Here’s a tool that lets you see what your local public school stood to get from Gonski. Stay with it. We’re just getting started. Gonski on Non-Government Schools: First thing’s first: non-government school doesn’t mean non-government money. From 2009 to 2012, Gonski found that non-government schools got $36 billion from the federal government. A real sentence contained in the report is this: “The Australian Government is currently the primary public funder of non-government schools.” Hear that? The government funds non-government schools. That’s like if Messina funded non-Messina ice cream, only not at all like that because education is a public service and ice cream is not. The Gonski report found a bunch of things wrong with how we fund non-government schools. Until now, how much each non-government school gets has been determined by a socio-economic status (SES) check of the postcodes in which its students live. This system was introduced in 2001 by the Howard government. But since everybody knows a rare form of karmic scoliosis instantly cripples any politician who suggests a school might lose a dollar, Howard introduced a caveat called “funding maintained”, which meant that even if the SES test suggested a school received too much government funding, they wouldn’t actually lose any of it. So somehow we have all been living in a country where the The King’s School in Paramatta gets a whopping $4000 per student from the Government, while charging $27000 per year of day-boy education. Remember how, in order to fund public schools, we needed to work out how much it costs to educate a child, and then tweak it a bit for the number of students and their socio-economic status? The report recommended that we do the same thing for non-government schools, only instead of writing a cheque for the resultant amount, we means test parents to work out how much of it they could pay for, and then fund a reasonable proportion (but, because politics is politics, guarantee a base-level funding rate of 20%). Tim Hawkes, the principal of the King’s School, described this as a “fiscal raid on well-resourced schools“. What Did Gillard Do? In 2013, the then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard brought in legislation that would realise most of the Gonski report’s recommendations. Her Federal Government promised $14.5 billion in funding for both government and non-government schools, and created the educate-a-kid funding benchmark we’ve been talking about: $9 271 for primary and $12 193 for secondary. (Fencing, oboe lessons and side salads cost extra.) But Gonski contained recommendations that the required federal and state action, so the Commonwealth had to work with the states to get the whole package through. They did this by offering to chip in as long as the state would contribute as well. June 30 this year was set as the deadline for the states to sign up. Kevin Rudd resumed the leadership of the Labor Party on June 26 and continued negotiations, until in the end everyone except Queensland, WA and the NT had signed up. Did Abbott Promise To Honour The Deals? It depends how you define “promise”. A week before polling day, would-be Education Minister Christopher Pyne said, “you can vote Liberal or Labor and you’ll get exactly the same amount of funding for your school.” In August, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that he would “end uncertainty by guaranteeing that no school will be worse off over the forward estimates period”. Tony Abbott has also been quoted saying “as far as school funding is concerned, Kevin Rudd and I are on a unity ticket”. And an August press release from Christopher Pyne’s office said, “Every single school in Australia will receive, dollar for dollar, the same federal funding over the next four years whether there is a Liberal or Labor Government after September 7.” So yep, that’s pretty clear then. So Why Did The Coalition Reject Gonski? Last Tuesday, Pyne announced that the Gonski reforms would only be adhered to for 2014, after which the Government would renegotiate funding to a level he described as “flatter, simpler and fairer”. Flatter, like our understanding of the world before the Copernican model. Pyne called the existing arrangement a “shambles”, and concluded that “common sense tells me that we have to have a new funding model beginning in 2015”. One of his main reasons, aside from this “common sense”, was the “revelation that the previous government … cut $1.2 billion from the school funding envelope for the next four years”. $1.2 Billion Does Sound Like A Lot Of Money… It is exactly 1.2 billion $1 cheeseburgers, yes. If Pyne is right, and Labor documents reveal a $1.2 billion “cut” to Australian schools, that would both suck and seem contrary to the spirit of the Gonski reforms. But let’s go back to the figures. The Labor Government’s 2013 Economic Statement marks payments for states who weren’t yet signed up to Gonski as “not for publication” or “nfp”. Fortunately for us, the Government had to release more costings just before the election. Here’s what the pre-election economic and fiscal outlook says about the Gonski legislation, referred to in Laborese as the “Better Schools Plan”. What this means is that the Gillard/Rudd hybrid had put aside some money assuming that the three remaining states would eventually come on board. And if you add up all the amounts between now and 2017, you get $1.2 billion. So what Pyne called a $1.2 billion “cut” wasn’t actually a cut: it was an amount earmarked for the three remaining states, that hadn’t been implemented yet. – … And Now We’re Back To Gonski. People turned out to be unhappy with Abbott’s decision to scrap the Better Schools Plan after one year; even fellow Liberal, NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, said that the Government had to “stop behaving like an opposition”, and Gonski Panel member Kathryn Greiner described the decision as “a tragedy”. So yesterday, Abbott’s Government announced that they had secured in-principle agreements with the remaining three states, and would be returning to a system of funding that is broadly in keeping with the Gonski recommendations. The Government also announced it would be injecting funds into education to finance the deals with the last three states. How much money? $1.2 billion. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten had come to Question Time yesterday prepared for a session on dishonesty and promise-keeping. What he got instead was “Billion-Dollar Bill” added to his ever-growing list of monikers – which Pyne had already expanded on Wednesday to include “Short Change Shorten”. All because of this $1.2 billion cut which wasn’t even a cut. In keeping with the primary-education theme of the days’ events, Shorten later called Mr Pyne a “Well known education reformer – NOT!” – Eleanor Gordon-Smith studies at the University of Sydney, debates internationally for Australia, and ate a scorpion one time; she edited the student magazine BULL in 2013. |
It took the suffering of two brothers from Washington state to garner the courage to take on the Boy Scouts of America in a landmark case exposing sexual abuse within the organization. But more than that, it took God's grace to move past that suffering and embrace forgiveness, Tom Stewart, a former Boy Scout who was sexually abused by his Scout leader for a decade, details in a new memoir. Stewart, along with his brother Matt, sued the Boy Scouts and their former Scoutmaster in 2003, winning an out-of-court settlement without a gag order. The case also required the Boy Scouts to release to the Stewarts' attorney its archive on sexually abusive leaders within the organization, the Seattle Times reported in 2007. Those records relayed that the Boy Scouts released at least 5,100 adults nationwide because of sexual abuse allegations since 1946. And for 15 years, leaders were kicked out at a rate of one every other day for sexual abuse allegations, the records showed. For Tom Stewart, the lawsuit was not an opportunity to make money from the Boy Scouts. Instead, he said the lawsuit was able to be a catalyst for him to publicly tell his own story in order to help other victims of sexual abuse, Stewart told TheBlaze in a wide-ranging interview. The Abuse Tom Stewart's memoir, "The Broken Scout," is an honest, raw depiction of his upbringing and challenges he's faced in his life — including two divorces, cancer and the death of his son due to a drug overdose. But throughout the book, Stewart reminds his readers of his reliance on his faith and church in order to overcome each trial, including that of the sexual abuse by his Scoutmaster and neighbor, Bruce Phelps. In innocent and graphic details, Stewart details the beginning of the abuse as his Scout leader offered to drive him to his first meeting — which also happened to be Stewart's 8th birthday. Stewart describes how elated he was to be seen by his fellow scouts getting into Phelps’ car — but instead of going straight home, Stewart describes the harsh back roads Phelps traversed before eventually stopping his truck to give Stewart a “massage,” a “routine for a Scout leader to do this to a Scout,” Stewart said Phelps told him. Stewart, now 54, wrote: This continued at least once a week for the next 520 weeks. He spent two years grooming me — then spent the next ten years manipulating me, and sexually abusing me. My life all seems like a hazy blur — except for what he did to me. I have all the proof that I participated in Scouts — stashed away behind my closet door. All the proof I went through the ranks, but have little memory of it. The pictures of what I have in my mind reveal the expensive price I paid for entering all those skill awards and merit badges, but I am the only one who can see what I see. The abuse surfaces in many ways. They catch me off guard, over and over again — visions, nightmares, and flashbacks. It’s as if the devil was constantly hovering, waiting to dive in and devour; using Bruce as his demon pawn to have his way. This is my constant reality. Stewart said he still, to this day, has nightmares of the abuse he suffered, including his Scoutmaster's use of a firearm to force Stewart into submission as he became older and more wary of what was happening. In his raw memoir, Tom Stewart details the sexual abuse he endured at the hands of his Boy Scout leader — and how that abuse shaped the rest of his life. (Image provided to TheBlaze) But despite that, Stewart said he feels as though it's his "calling" to help other victims of sexual abuse by telling his own story. "I still have nightmares to this day, which is probably common with extreme PTSD with a decade of sexual abuse," Stewart told TheBlaze. "I guess I’m the type that this is my calling on this earth, and if I can help other people because of what I went through and if I could show them how God brought me through it." Stewart said he views it as a "cycle" "We go through trials for a reason," he said, "and there's a purpose for our pain, and it's to help someone else get through a similar circumstance so they can heal, and they can help someone else, and it just continues on. "Hopefully there are a lot of people who are set free," Stewart said. And for Stewart, freedom comes through forgiveness. Process of Forgiveness "I think forgiveness is absolutely mandatory for me. I had to get to the point where I could forgive my scout leader, and I did by God’s grace alone," Stewart told TheBlaze. Stewart wrote in his book that Phelps did admit to his relations with the Stewart brothers — both in a court deposition and to Matt — but would often place the blame on the brothers as well as a "demon" he said lived inside of him at the time before became a Christian, Stewart wrote. But even with admittance, Phelps was immune from prosecution thanks to a short statute of limitations in Washington: By the time finally went to the police to file the report, the three-year statute of limitations had lapsed, resulting in no arrest. There were no charges. No prosecution. No jail time. No consequences. No nothing for what Bruce did! A measley three-year deadline had shut the case down. It no longer had any legal significance, and was concluded with a status of ‘Cleared Exceptional.’ The only thing the police could do was retain the information. Like that was supposed to make us feel better. And that is exactly why some don’t come forward to report sexual abuse. When a victim bares all, just to be turned away because of some stupid time restraints, it leaves them feeling like they are treading on a tidal wave. I believe when a victim is stuck serving a life sentence of pain, why shouldn’t the perpetrator? A police report, obtained by the Seattle Times, corroborates Stewart's recount of his brother's meeting that elicited a confession from Phelps. But on Dec. 31, 2015 — years after the lawsuit was finished — Stewart said he knew what he was supposed to do with his day. He got in his car and traveled the 50 minutes to stand in front of Phelps face-to-face and say the words he needed to hear maybe more than Phelps did: "I forgive you for what happened." Phelps didn't particularly give Stewart a warm welcome, Stewart wrote. In fact, Phelps wore a "hostile look on his face," Stewart said. Even still, Stewart said he felt "calmer" as he drove away from Phelps' house. "It was necessary to be completely released from all the bitterness and anger," Stewart said. "Otherwise, that would kill me emotionally. For me, to be released from that for the most part would help me be able to reach out and help others." Changes The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the U.S., estimates that one in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault by adult perpetrators. It also estimates that people between the ages of 12 and 34 are at the highest risk for rape and sexual assault. Stewart told TheBlaze that young boys aren't always believed when they come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct — especially if they are reporting on an authority figure. There is also the stigma that male sexual assault victims are gay, he said. RAINN estimates that about 3 percent of American males have experienced an attempted or completed rape. Tom Stewart (left) said his mother didn't support or believe him when he finally told her of the sexual abuse he endured. His brother, Matt, was also sexually abused by the same Scout leader. (Image provided to TheBlaze) Since Stewart's lawsuit, the Boy Scouts of America began conducting background checks on potential Scout leaders, only checking new volunteers, according to the Seattle Times. The organization also initiated a "two-deep" rule in an attempt to bar adult leaders from interacting alone with youths. Still, Stewart remained cautious when asked if he would view the organization safe for young boys today as opposed to his time as a Boy Scout. "That’s a complicated question. I do believe they have improved, but I don’t think they’ve improved to where they need to be. My recommendation would be for, in this case, a dad or male role model to go on every camp out with his son that way they’d ensure his son’s safety," Stewart said, adding that he understood how unrealistic his recommendation could be to some families, including single mothers. "The parents really need to know the leaders extremely well. But the safest thing would be to go on the outings with the boys," Stewart said. "Other than that, the potential is very real for the boys to be abused." Stewart himself remained a Scout leader until 2003 — the time of the lawsuit — which he said was slightly traumatizing for him given his past. "I think that’s the irony. I believe in the Boy Scout program wholeheartedly except that they’re not protecting the boys. So I realized if I was the leader, my boys would be safe," Stewart said. "That was the most important thing for me to be able to do." But in 2003, Stewart said he could no longer be a part of the organization as he felt "it was highly doubtful the Boy Scouts of America would appreciate [he] continuing as Scoutmaster if [he] was taking them to court." So Stewart told his story to the troop. "I cannot be a leader in an organization that does not protect boys," Stewart said as he quit in front of his Scouts. Stewart's book, "The Broken Scout," is available through Redemption Press, an independent Christian publishing company based in Washington. It sells for $16.99 on Redemption Press' website. |
“The addition of the G-DRIVE USB-C external drive provides tech enthusiasts a single-cable high capacity, high quality storage solution that meets their individual creative needs,” said Mike Williams, vice president of Advanced Technologies, Western Digital. “The G-DRIVE USB-C ensures pros can work seamlessly with the latest computers, and with a USB-C port and support for USB Power Delivery, it allows a user’s charging capability to be more efficient without having to worry about connecting yet another cable to their computer for charging.” Western Digital today announced the newest addition to its G-Technology brand "G-Drive," called the G-Drive USB-C . The company said that the new device was designed with power users and creative enthusiasts in mind, allowing them access to high-capacity storage and charging on the MacBook Pro through the USB-C port.The G-Drive USB-C is available in 4TB, 8TB, and 10TB capacities so users can store HD videos, photos, music, backups, and more on the device, which is also Time Machine compatible. The drive also supports traditional USB 3.0 connections, and ships with a USB-C to USB-A cable to make it backwards compatible with systems that include USB-A connectors. A USB-C to USB-C cable is also included.Western Digital's new drive has a transfer rate of up to 195 MB/s, and in terms of charging the company said that the G-Drive USB-C provides up to 45 watts of USB Power Delivery. The drive is compatible with Thunderbolt 3 as well.Users can pre-order the G-Drive USB-C for $199.95 at 4TB, $349.95 at 8TB, and $499.95 at 10TB beginning today. Western Digital said that the drive will be available this quarter through G-Technology resellers around the world. |
Georgina Callander has been named as the first victim At least 22 people have died and more than 59 injured after what Theresa May described as an “appalling terror attack” at the Manchester Arena during an Ariana Grande pop concert. Here are the latest updates: Here is how the events of the night unfolded: Monday, 6pm: Doors open at Manchester Arena in the north of the city centre. US pop singer Ariana Grande is on the bill for a sell-out concert at the 21,000-capacity venue. Fans, many of them teenage girls, excitedly share selfies as they wait for the show to begin. 7.30pm: Show’s scheduled start time. After a performance from support act BIA, an American rapper, Grande takes the stage. 10.30pm Show’s scheduled finish. Thousands of fans begin to file out of the arena’s four exits. A “huge bomb-like bang” is heard at the arena. Witnesses describe being knocked from their feet by an explosion and seeing dozens of injured, possibly dead, people including children lying on the floor. Others describe panic as concert-goers run for exits. 10.35pm: Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are called to reports of an explosion at Manchester Arena. Dozens of emergency services vehicles stream into the area. 10.55pm: Police urge people to stay away from the area as responders deal with a “serious incident”. 11.46pm: Police say there have been a number of confirmed fatalities. Tuesday, 1.10am: Nineteen people are confirmed dead and around 50 others injured following the suspected explosion police say is being treated as a terrorist incident. 1.35am: A controlled explosion is carried out on a suspicious item in the Cathedral Gardens area near Manchester Arena. It is later confirmed to be abandoned clothing. 2.15am Prime Minister Theresa May says her thoughts are with the victims and families of those affected in “what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack”. 3.04am Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, Greater Manchester Police, says: “My thoughts are very much with those who have been injured and lost their lives. We are currently treating this as a terrorist incident until we have further information. This is clearly a very concerning time for everyone. I want to thank people for their support and ask them to remain vigilant.” 4am Campaigning has been suspended in Britain’s national election after a deadly explosion at Manchester Arena. 7am Greater Manchester Police confirm death toll has risen to 22, and that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. 9am An emergency meeting of Cobra is convened. |
“I have a job for you. I want you to write a press release about my company and place it in the Wall Street Journal.” – Every naïve entrepreneur ever, approaching PR I’ve had some interesting conversations lately with collaborator and expert online marketer Barbara Ling. She gets this very question from her audience and client base about twice a day. So being an inquisitive sort she ran some internal research to solve the age-old question: What does it take to get a press release picked up by the WSJ? Her results are below. (Disclosure—our agency’s own current wire posting relationship is with PR Newswire, effective through July 2015.) But before we share the results, here’s the punchline: It is attainable, through multiple posting avenues, and potentially not as hard as you think. Also, the caveat: “picked up by the WSJ” is in actuality the worst way to think about the value of a press release, and one of the least imperative reasons for writing and posting at all. So for every company with a need for visibility and marketing (all of us), here’s a bit of a primer. Even if you think you know it all about press releases and posting, there are sure to be a few surprises. Particularly in the days of journalism’s new model and post Penguin 2.0 rules for SEO, the arena you may have considered “old hat” may present at least a few new ideas for you. Today’s New Press Release Rules 1. Press releases are not (repeat NOT) effective as SEO tools. Prior to current Google Penguin 2.0 requirements “social media” posting services were making heavy use of press release posting as SEO vehicles, making heavy use of backlinks and keyword linking to make press releases visible through search. This is not the case anymore. Press releases are press releases—news announcements meant to disseminate news to (and through) the press and to be discoverable by people looking for information about a topic or a company. They are not earned media. This is a good move by Google and a highly positive trend in that the new rules more clearly distinguish press releases as a type of “paid advertorial”, and discourages the issuing of massive amounts of “news”, willy nilly, in an attempt to secure SEO ranking and hits. 2. Yes, press releases can include linkage. An important point stressed by Sarah Skerik, VP Content Marketing for PRNewswire/MultiVu, is that because a press release is already inherently recognized and categorized by Google as a “paid advertorial,” not earned media, PR professionals needn’t worry that they are penalizing the release’s potential by including anchor link text to company names or even by including pertinent linkage from the key words within the release. It is fine to do so. The key, though, is to link where it makes sense contextually for the benefit of the reader—not to link (or avoid linking) in any way that you believe is affecting the release’s potential to aid or to hinder its effectiveness for SEO. Sarah has said before (and I have quoted her saying before), the name of the game is to “think of your audience first. Tell a compelling story. Put SEO concerns second, after the interesting aspects of the story are told.” Futhermore, says Sarah, “I do think that there are some new opportunities for press release issuers in the wake of Google's changes to the webmaster guidelines vis a vis links in releases, and those center around adding utility to the reader - all readers in fact - by linking strategically within the release. I'd emphasize the word 'strategically' there, as I see a lot of releases with either no links for lots of links which don't seem to be terribly thoughtful, or focused on deliberately informing the reader and moving them down a specific path, whether that path terminates in earned media coverage or customer conversion.” Here are Sarah’s latest thoughts on the topic, some of which I’ve covered before. 3. Wire posting of press releases is vital—mandatory, even--for disseminating financial news. So here is an interesting aspect of how to get a press release picked up by WSJ, by CNN, or by Yahoo Finance as news. Include the ticker symbol of a publicly traded company, post it on a wire service that syndicates to WSJ, CNN and Yahoo, and the news will inherently and automatically appear on those sites. In that respect, insuring appearance on the sites that report financial results is straightforward and easy. Other news pertaining to these companies, and to the market areas that are watched by the financial community, are generally picked up by the major publications with fair regularity as well. It is important to note, however, that the reputable wire services such as PR Newswire and Business Wire will not allow you to include the ticker symbol of a company other than your own without written authorization from the company whose symbol you’re including, and a justifiable reason that the company’s name and symbol is germane to the announcement at hand. But if your release is written at least decently and you post it on one of the services that syndicates to the financial publications, there’s a near 100 percent certainty you’ll be in. 4. Do not crow “my news was carried in WSJ” if what you have is in truth a simple press release pickup. It’s in extremely bad form to claim or imply earned media coverage for an appearance that is simply successfully executed press release news. Your audience will see through your inauthentic behavior. And worst case, the link you publish and share may not even work correctly. In a site such as WSJ, the press release news is certainly discoverable through search, but the link you send your audience to “go see the story” will require a paid subscription to Wall Street Journal to work. 5. However, you may want to post your most impressive non-subscription press release pickup as the version of the press release you show on your site. This is a new tactic I learned just recently that companies and PR leads are sometimes adopting post Penguin 2.0. Rather than post a PDF or upload a Word file of your release to your own website, many companies are posting the most significant press release appearance on a non-paid site they’ve received, such as CNN.com or Yahoo Finance, and will include linkage from the portion of the release they show back to the original pickup on the CNN or Yahoo.com site. Why? Because the Google search result will show the highest ranking appearance of the press release. Many companies use this tactic to highlight the fact that their release has appeared on the highly strategic site, and would also like to eliminate the risk that the highest ranking or only appearance of their release that shows up in search would be their company’s own site as opposed to the credible third party source of their press release news. There is much more. This may be a topic that I cover in multiple columns. Also from Sarah Skerik, I have just received this new PDF eBook that espouses her full thinking on the latest and greatest developments in meaningful press release news. It’s a great resource, and it’s free. Here as well are some helpful tips from Neil Hershberg, SVP Global Media for Business Wire, about the value of effective press release posting from Business Wire’s point of view: “While WSJ.com is certainly a prestigious site, it represents only a small part of Business Wire's larger value proposition. Business Wire releases are posted on hundreds of major portals and web sites worldwide, including all of the most popular sites (i.e. CNBC.com, Yahoo! Finance, MarketWatch, etc.). Additionally, Business Wire releases are distributed in full-text over all the major financial platforms; e.g. 315,000 Bloomberg terminals, 500,000 Thomson Reuters platforms, Dow Jones, etc. Furthermore, Business Wire is transmitted directly into the editorial systems of virtually every Associated Press subscriber in the United States (and worldwide, for that matter). This means every newspaper, radio station and television broadcast outlet. Business Wire's distribution footprint is enormous, from a geographical and industry-specific perspective. In terms of a historical record, Business Wire's content is archived permanently in leading databases, including Lexis/Nexis and Factiva. Business Wire also takes advantage of social media channels, with releases being distributed via its 66 industry-specific Twitter feeds. Tens of thousands of journalists worldwide have also registered for their own customized news feeds (BW Press Pass), as well as RSS feeds.While WSJ.com is certainly a prominent site for illustration purposes, the real value of Business Wire is its abilities to reach multiple audiences -- business-to-business, business-to-consumer, investors, and the media -- simultaneously, and in real-time.” Finally, for completeness in our comparison testing we also evaluated a social media posting service, PR Underground. (Disclosure: This is a service my agency has actually investigated buying or creating a wholesale relationship with for use in our PR toolkit offering MyPRToolbox.com. We’re highly intrigued by this company but there is no deal pending at the time of this writing.) Barbara Ling posted this release on PR Underground last week as a test. The results—true to the company’s promise, the release appeared within five minutes on the first page of Google News. It also appeared on CNN.com through an upload to CNN iReport. (It's important to note that an iReport is something anyone can upload--Barbara's own collection is here.) In all, it received approximately 3,000 views—highly impressive. However, it’s important to note that this service, while highly cost efficient and impressive in the amount of traction it got, is not syndicated with the thousands of news services PR Newswire and Business Wire address. It is not a vehicle for a company’s material financial news, and as it pertains to this article, is not a vehicle for pickup of a press release on a site such as WSJ.com. Hopefully I’ve shown you fully the reasons why getting a press release picked up by the Wall Street Journal online is helpful, but far from the most important reason to generate and post a release. While financial news is the main thrust to the press releases we found on sites like WSJ.com, Marketwatch.com and others, authority-based press releases, "tips" press releases and "development/opportunity" press releases present other types of posting opportunities as well. For example, on the WSJ's Marketwatch.com, Barbara was able to post this: Facebook Marketing Coach, Ben Adkins of BenAdkins.com, says New Features and Design Will Increase Effectiveness of Facebook Marketing Campaigns. This is an "Authority" press release that highlights an individual Facebook marketing expert in response to Facebook's new features and design that was rolled out. In another of her cases, she posted this: Authority Marketing Expert Barbara Ling of Lingstar Shows Businesses 3 Easy Steps To Prepare For Facebook's 5 Billion More Mobile Phone Users, an example of a "Development/Opportunity" press release. The development was Facebook's goals of adding 5 billion smartphone users; the opportunity focused on how businesses can take advantage of that outcome today. Press releases can also focus on providing solutions to the challenges that holidays and current events cause. This WSJ-picked up release Back-to-School Means Back-to-Sleep: Mattress Firm Provides Tips for Creating a Comfortable Sleep Environment; Getting Kids Back to a Healthy Sleep Routine offered children/mattress sleeping tips from the company Mattress Firm. Now for our overall results for the wire services who successfully achieve WSJ postings. A drumroll, please: First Place : For number of pickups, PR Newswire - at the time of this writing, they had 37,000 WSJ results. (Note: These results are for WSJ pickups only. Other sources have noted that on the whole, PR Newswire and Business Wire are roughly equal for overall press posting results.) : For number of pickups, PR Newswire - at the time of this writing, they had 37,000 WSJ results. (Note: These results are for WSJ pickups only. Other sources have noted that on the whole, PR Newswire and Business Wire are roughly equal for overall press posting results.) Second Place : Business Wire, with 27,400 results. : Business Wire, with 27,400 results. Third Place: Marketwired, with 14,100 results. Marketwired, with 14,100 results. Fourth Place: Globe Newswire, with 7,400 results. Globe Newswire, with 7,400 results. Fifth Place: Thomson Reuters, with 2090 results. Interesting Note: PRWeb. One of the most interesting release posting services is the small business friendly PRWeb service, currently owned and operated by the media firm Vocus. While less prevalent on top media sites than the top three providers above, PRWeb suffered a horrific PR setback when it unwittingly posted a press release hoax in November 2012 that falsely announced Google was acquiring WiFi provider ICOA for $400 million. The news was picked up and carried by not only WSJ, but by AP, BusinessInsider, TechCrunch, CNN and even Forbes before it was unveiled as a hoax by AllThingsD. The denouement: Since that occurrence, PRWeb has done the right things and put much stronger checks and balances in place since the unfortunate (mis)posting. It is important to note that press releases posted on PRWeb are highly cost effective and offer a user-friendly interface for posting. For financial postings, the service now collaborates with Globe Newswire, which means that for the purpose of our testing, their WSJ results releases are included within the Globe Newswire results for releases that have appeared on WSJ. The morals of the story: Press releases are a vital form of authentic content. Wire post service providers are also becoming the innovative developers of many additional news services (for example, we are currently in the process of helping one of our agency clients to create a multimedia release that will include a full video embed. Very cool.) To be effective, press releases should be clearly identified and labeled as exactly what they are: company generated news. They are not SEO vehicles. They are, however, an increasingly viable option for getting company news to be carried and discoverable within the regional and national press. However, misuse of press releases, particularly through reputable posting services, is a one-strike ball game. The Internet has a lengthy memory. If you abuse the medium—you are out. Additional research and reporting for this article was provided by online marketing expert Barbara Ling, www.barbaraling.com. |
The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement says its military operations against foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants along the eastern border with war-ravaged Syria is “nearing its end” after its fighters regained control over the last stronghold of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham extremists there. Hezbollah’s media bureau announced in a statement on Monday that resistance fighters had seized Wadi al-Khayl area, one of the most important strongholds of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – previously known as the Nusra Front – militants on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, located about 124 kilometers northeast of the capital Beirut. The Lebanese resistance fighters also took control over Jabhat Fatah al-Sham’s positions in Wadi Maarouf, Wadi al-Khayl, Wadi Zaarour, Wadi al-Dam and Wadi al-Daqayeq. The Hezbollah statement further called on the remaining militants to disarm and save their lives. “The battle with the Nusra Front is almost over and so we call on all gunmen who remain in the outskirts of Arsal to spare their blood by laying down their weapons and surrendering themselves with guarantees for their safety,” it pointed out. A picture released by the media office of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement on July 23, 2017 shows an artillery gun firing towards the position of Takfiri militants in Jurud Arsal, a mountainous region bordering Syria. Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that army soldiers and the Lebanese Red Cross staff had helped 79 women and children refugees fleeing Jurud Arsal camps around Arsal into the town. Meanwhile, the Arabic-language al-Joumhouria (The Republic) daily newspaper, quoting an unnamed security source, reported that the Lebanese army has adopted precautionary measures along Arsal in the wake of suggestions that militants may attempt to kidnap military personnel. Hezbollah launched a major push last Friday to clear both sides of Lebanon's border with Syria from “armed terrorists.” In August 2014, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and Daesh terrorist groups overran the eastern Lebanese town of Arsal, killing a number of Lebanese forces. They took 30 soldiers hostage, most of whom have been released. Since then, Hezbollah and the Lebanese military have been defending Lebanon on the country’s northeastern frontier against foreign-backed terrorist groups from neighboring Syria. Hezbollah fighters have fended off several Daesh attacks inside Lebanon. They have also been providing assistance to Syrian army forces to counter the ongoing foreign-sponsored militancy. The movement has accused Israel of supporting Takfiri terrorists operating in the Middle East. Israel, which continues to occupy Lebanon’s Shebaa Farms and Syria’s Golan Heights, is widely reported to be offering medical help to Takfiri terrorists injured in Syria. In December 2015, British newspaper the Daily Mail said Israel had saved the lives of more than 2,000 Takfiri militants since 2013. |
For this list, I’ve come up with not 20, not 30, not 40, but 52 weekend projects! That’s one project per weekend all year; no reason to complain about Saturday afternoon boredom anymore. All can help you identify a small problem or an unaccomplished goal and help you fix it or reach it. (See also: How to Have a Perfect No-Spend Weekend!) Let’s get started. 1. Create a Monthly Budget Get your finances back on track by creating a monthly budget that details all your expenses. In listing your expenses, especially if they exceed the amount of money you make per month, identify items you can reduce or cut out altogether. Do you really need those premium cable channels (or cable TV at all)? Can you live without Internet? Can you cut back on heating and cooling somehow? Think of every possibility of whittling down your expenses so you can start saving more than you spend. 2. Do a Deep Clean of Your Home You can do a deep clean of your home any time of year — it doesn’t have to be springtime — which will improve your life in many ways, from freeing up space that clutter used to occupy to providing a general feeling of happiness when you come home to a fresh, clean space. 3. Learn How to Change Your Oil Learn how to change your own oil by finding a how-to video online or ask an in-the-know friend or family member. This valuable skill that can be accomplished in one weekend day will save you tons of money over your lifetime. 4. Take a Basic Cooking Class If you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook, now’s the time. Find a local class for beginners and enroll. To become a decent cook, all you really need are the basics. After you’ve got those down, the rest comes naturally. 5. Organize Your Inbox You’ll be able to breathe a sigh of relief with a clutter-free inbox because you’ll no longer feel guilty for putting off replies and and avoiding projects that need to be completed. Delete expired messages, file away messages that need saving, and respond to outstanding queries. You can almost feel the weight being lifted, can’t you? 6. Try a No-Waste Weekend This won’t be easy to do — and it’s something you’ll really have to think about — but it can be done. From paper and plastic to the food you eat, try to make it the entire weekend without wasting anything. 7. Purge Unwanted Clothes From Your Closet Go through your closet this weekend and get rid of anything that doesn’t fit or that you don’t (or know you probably won’t) wear anymore. When you have a pile, go through the items and decide what you can sell (brand-name accessories can do well on eBay) and what you will give away to a donation center. 8. Update Your Resume and Cover Letter Even if you’re not actively seeking a new job, it’s never a bad idea to have your resume and cover letter up to date — just in case. Standards have changed a bit over the years, so it may be wise to research what’s acceptable and what’s not before you get started. 9. Start an Exercise Program Get your bum off the couch and start sweating. Whether it’s indoors to an aerobics video or outdoors on your own accord, get back on the track to fitness. 10. Make a Monthly Meal Schedule I started doing this in the middle of last year and it’s improved my life in two ways: I save a bundle at the grocery store because I only put on my list the ingredients I need to make the recipes I’ve chosen for the month. With my meals on paper, I don’t have to wonder what’s for dinner (a problem that leads many of us to eat out or order in unhealthy and expensive food). I use a combination of recipes from Pinterest and photos from digital magazines to come up with interesting meals on a regular basis. 11. Attack Your Desk Clutter Recycle unneeded papers, organize your rubber bands and paper clips, and hit your monitor and keyboard with liquid cleaner. The better your work area looks, the better you’ll feel working in it. 12. Learn How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Recycling is just the first step. Detail other ways you can reduce your carbon footprint — from the laundry detergent you use to the transportation you take to how many appliances and electronic devices you keep plugged in. There are likely lots of ways to cut back on waste that you’re overlooking. 13. Embark on a Mini Road Trip Sometimes all you need to have a better outlook on life is a quick getaway. Plan a mini road trip with a friend or two and drive off into the sunset for a weekend away from your regular lives. 14. Host a Potluck Invite a few friends over for good conversation and even better food. Suggest that everyone brings a dish for the party to share. Come up with a theme or theme ingredient to keep everyone on their potluck toes. 15. Find Ways to Maximize Storage at Home Most of us are already maximizing our space, but there may be areas that you’ve missed — like space under the couch, an area at the top of your closet, or a corner of your pantry. A lot of times, just a new shelf or two can provide many square feet of extra storage. 16. Declutter Your Wallet or Purse If your wallet looks anything like mine, it could use a good cleaning. Toss out expired cards, reduce the number of savings and loyalty cards (you probably don’t use them all), and file receipts. 17. Plan to Go Paperless Going paperless is more than refraining from using your computer’s printer. Cancel catalog subscriptions, sign up for online bill pay, and find other ways to reduce the amount of paper products that come your way on a daily basis. 18. Join a Public Speaking Group Afraid of public speaking? Master the art by joining a public-speaking group, like Toastmasters International, or enrolling in a course nearby. 19. Learn How to Play an Instrument It’ll take more than a weekend to become proficient with the instrument of your choice, but it’s not a bad idea to make this a weekend project so you can devote a few hours to it in the beginning. 20. Give Yourself a Makeover Do something different to your appearance that will make you feel better. Perhaps it’s shaving off your beard if you have one, buying a new outfit, getting a spray tan, or cutting your long hair short. If you’ve been thinking of making a change to your physical appearance, take the plunge. 21. Host a Yard Sale Gather all that junk that you don’t want anymore and pawn it off on someone else. Set up a yard sale one weekend to help you make money instead of spend it. 22. Pick Up a Few Motivational Books Having a hard time staying motivated lately? Find out why and how you can address it by picking up a few motivational books at your local library. 23. Learn How to Make a Daily To-Do List I have a to-do list of projects that I need to complete every weekday. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t get anything done. It’s hard to remember so much. If you’re experiencing a similar problem, start listing out your tasks so you have a guideline to follow moving forward. 24. Optimize Your Home for Productivity Are there things in your home that are distracting? A noisy ceiling fan? A TV that’s constantly calling your name? Whatever it is, try to get these distractions under control so you can be more productive in your own home. 25. Volunteer to Help Clean Up Your Neighborhood How does your neighborhood stay so clean? It’s not just the fine folks at the sanitation department doing all the work. Your neighbors are pitching in to do their part, which is why you might also want to lend a helping hand by joining local volunteer efforts. No local volunteer efforts? Start one! 26. Plant a Vegetable Garden Planting a vegetable garden is not only a lot of fun, but it will give you a constant source of fresh, healthy, free food. There are few weekend projects that continue to improve your life and provide a source of satisfaction on a consistent basis as a vegetable garden. 27. Cut Down Your Devices We’re all incredibly connected these days, but do we need so many devices? If you’re feeling overwhelmed, try to cut out one to two devices — like your iPad, for instance — and be content with only your computer and your phone. Make some extra cash along the way by selling your unwanted devices on Craigslist or eBay. 28. Finish Projects You’ve Neglected If you’ve started a project (or two or three) over the past few weeks and months, revisit them and complete them for peace of mind. 29. Replace Batteries in Smoke Detectors Been a while since you’ve changed the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? Change the batteries this weekend so you can be sure that they’re working properly. 30. Make Thank You Gifts People always appreciate being appreciated. If there are friends, family members, or coworkers who have done something nice for you lately, thank them with a homemade gift to show your gratitude. 31. Learn a New Language Like learning to play an instrument, learning a new language won’t be accomplished in one sitting. But it makes for a good weekend project so you can give it your undivided attention in the beginning. 32. Set New Short- and Long-Term Goals Everybody should have both short- and long-term goals to work toward. If you already have a few in place, reevaluate those goals to make sure you’re on track. If you’re not, get back on track or create new goals to achieve. 33. Abstain From Alcohol There’s nothing wrong with a 72 hour self-imposed ban on drinking. Just think of all the things you can get done when you’re not hungover. 34. Eliminate Negativity From Your Life Start with unfriending negative people from Facebook and take it from there. Surrounding yourself with negativity will only put you in a bad mood — and ain’t nobody got time for that. 35. Join a Meetup Group or Other Social Gathering Increase your social circle by joining a weekend social group — like a brunch club from Meetup. You never know who you’ll meet and what kind of opportunities might come your way. 36. Interpret Your Dreams Visit your local library and pick up a book or two on dream interpretation. Having insight into your dreams might help you feel less anxiety about your life and help you think of ways to eliminate that anxiety altogether. 37. Create a Disaster Preparedness Kit Some people think I’m crazy for my disaster preparedness efforts. I’m not as serious as the people on TV, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. To make sure you’re prepared for a catastrophe, start stockpiling necessary supplies like food, water, and first-aid materials so you can ride out a disaster safely should one strike. 38. Consider Adopting a Pet A pet is expensive to keep, so if your budget doesn’t allow this addition it’s not a good idea. On the other hand, if you can afford it, a pet can bring lots of joy to your life, especially if you’re a single person living alone. 39. Start a Blog Like detailing your vacations or musing on the weird things that happen to you from day to day? Start a blog and entertain the world with your quirky take on life. If you stick to it and gain a following, a blog could possibly turn into an additional source of income. 40. Practice Yoga at Home If you don’t have the extra cash for a yoga class, practice the art in the comfort of your own home by queuing up a video online or finding one on TV. 41. Let Yourself Nap Some people might not think of this as a project, but I do. I have a very hard time napping in the middle of the day — even when I don’t have anything else to do — because I tend to feel guilty. Don’t feel guilty. We all deserve a nap now and then. So take one. 42. Wean Yourself Off Processed Foods If you’d like to eat healthier, start by cutting out processed foods. It’ll be hard — everywhere you look there’s junk food — but it can be done. Toss out what you have now so you’re not tempted to eat it, and stick to a list of healthy, raw foods the next time you go to the market. 43. Bike to Your Errands Instead of starting your engine to run your weekend errands, map them out so they’re easy to achieve by bike. Not only will you reduce your carbon footprint, but you’ll also save money on gas and get a workout in at the same time. 44. Try a Detox Regimen If too much junk food and alcohol are making you irritable and lazy, it may be time for a detox. Choose a weekend to cleanse so you can start Monday with a fresh slate and a clean system. 45. Spend a Few Hours Networking Whether it's online via LinkedIn or Facebook or in person at a networking event, put in the time to get your professional skills and accomplishments noticed. If you're networking in person, be sure to have professional business cards — even if you don't have a job — so your new contacts will take you seriously right from the start. 46. Reduce Your Social Networks There is such a thing as too much. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the social networks in which you take part — Facebook, Foursquare, Reddit, MySpace, Digg, LinkedIn — consider exiting a few of them. If you have friends on one but not the others, be sure to inform them that you’re leaving the network if you’d like to stay in touch. 47. Think of Ways to Be Kind to Others One way to do this is to create a list — like many of the ones you find on Wise Bread — on ways you can show someone else kindness. After the first few, the ideas will start flowing. 48. Hydrate More Throughout the Day Drink more water, and you’ll feel and look better. The old eight glasses a day advice is not exactly scientific, but it's only half a gallon, which is totally doable. 49. Register to Be a Mentor Look into local organizations — like Big Brothers Big Sisters — and start making the necessary strides to become part of the program. There are few things more rewarding than being a positive role model for a young person. 50. Get Back to Nature Take a day to enjoy the outdoors. Listen to the sounds. Smell the scents. Become whole again. You’ll probably sleep better that night, too. 51. Brainstorm Ways to Make More Money Wish you had more cash? Make your dreams a reality by thinking of real ways you can make more money by picking up a part-time job, accepting one-off gigs, promoting your special skills, or selling unwanted-but-still-valuable items in your possession. 52. Do Something — Anything! — Besides What You Normally Do Break out of your cycle. This weekend do something that you haven’t done before. There’s absolutely no better way to improve your life than to try something new. The world awaits. What are you doing this weekend? Like this article? Pin it! |
Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world San Francisco band, Train, are “upset” that their song “Marry Me” was used on a New Zealand website set up in opposition to gay marriage. The website Protect Marriage was set up by Family First New Zealand, as a site specifically opposed to equal marriage, and had featured the song when they launched. Train have released a statement saying: “We take the idea of marriage very seriously, and believe it is the right of all consenting adults, regardless of sexual orientation. “‘Marry Me’ is about just that, finding that special love and making it last forever. Everyone should be allowed to have that,” Train were originally alerted by a fan on Twitter, @Mikey_J_S6: “Why does your music video appear on a homophobic lobby group’s website?” The band responded: “Didn’t know. Getting it off ASAP. Tnx 4 tip.” The website was launched in response to an equal marriage bill of MP Louisa Wall, pulled out of a ballot in July, and which is expected to pass when it is initially voted on this year. On Protect Marriage, users can sign a petition against gay marriage, and read articles such as “First, Same Sex Marriage. Next, Polygamy?” |
*Please Note!! Many of our pictures are stock photos provided to us by the manufacturer and do not necessarily represent the actual item being purchased. Please verify this picture accurately reflects the product described by the title and description on this page before you place your order. 92FS: The World’s Most Trusted Military and Police Pistol The Beretta 92FS has been setting the standards for best military, police and tactical pistol for over a quarter century. The reason is that it was designed--and has kept evolving--to be and remain the most accurate, durable and reliable semiauto handgun on the market. Easy to use, absolutely safe and delivering impressive firepower, it remains the sidearm of the US military and of allied forces the world over, as well as of countless police and law-enforcement agencies. Superior Reliability The 92FS is a double/single-action semiauto pistol that employs an open-slide, short-recoil delayed locking-block system, which yields a faster cycle time and delivers exceptional accuracy and reliability. In particular, the open-slide design practically eliminates “stove-piping” and helps flawless cycling and feeding even after thousands and thousands of rounds. The recently-renewed contract with the US military speaks clear: when it comes to dependability even in some of the world’s most extreme conditions, the Beretta 92FS still has no match. Period. Match-Grade Accuracy out of the Box Regardless of the wonderful reputation it may have, the true test for a tactical pistol’s worth is at the shooting range. The 92FS consistently bests the US military requirement of a 10-shot group of 3” or less at 50 meters (just short of 55 yards). While this type of match-grade accuracy is impressive, it is no magic. At Beretta, we know that absolutely precise tolerances keep performance consistent shot after shot—which not only gives the 92FS its extraordinary accuracy, but it makes all factory parts interchangeable within the same model. Couple this to the ability to reliably feed every variety of commercial ammunition, and it is easy to understand why the 92FS remains the best pistol in its class. Packed with Useful Tactical Features This pistol offers a variety of tactical features that make it equally safe, easy to use and dependable in the holster of military personnel as well as for home or personal defense. Its reversible magazine release lets you use either hand for tactical magazine changes, while its ambidextrous safety-decocker makes it flexible for right- or left-handed persons or for shooters trying out different gripping or shooting styles. Its Bruniton finish is highly resistant to sweat and corrosion, and after shooting, a tool-free disassembly latch makes it a snap to take the pistol apart for cleaning. These and countless other useful features make the 92FS the choice of military and police professionals all over the world, as well as individuals wanting the absolute best for sport or self-protection. This pistol offers a variety of tactical features that make it equally safe, easy to use and dependable in the holster of military personnel as well as for home or personal defense. Its reversible magazine release lets you use either hand for tactical magazine changes, while its ambidextrous safety-decocker makes it flexible for right- or left-handed persons or for shooters trying out different gripping or shooting styles. Its Bruniton finish is highly resistant to sweat and corrosion, and after shooting, a tool-free disassembly latch makes it a snap to take the pistol apart for cleaning. These and countless other useful features make the 92FS the choice of military and police professionals all over the world, as well as individuals wanting the absolute best for sport or self-protection. SPECIFICATIONS Metal Finish Black Slide/Grey Frame Type AR Pistol Action Semi-Auto Caliber 38 Super Barrel Length 11.5" Capacity 21 1 Safety Internal Sear Block and Integrated Trigger Safety Grips Black Polymer Sights Low Profile Combat, 3 - Dot Tritium SPECIFICATIONS Metal Finish Black Type Semi-Automatic Action Single/Double Caliber 9mm Barrel Length 4.9" Capacity 15 + 1 Safety Ambidextrous Grips Black Sights 3-Dot Write Review $ 598.00 Cash Discount Price $615.94 Retail Price Add to Cart Price Match Request As low as $33.18 per month Click to Learn More Add to Wish List Ask the Community Free Shipping New and used firearms SHIP FREE compliments of ShipMyGun.com Layaway Available Layaway is Available on this Item. Retail Store Availability Lexington In store Uncle Lees In store Tennessee Not in store |
Earlier this week I attended the national parliamentary prayer breakfast, which takes place each June in the magnificent surrounds of Westminster Hall. As usual, there were hundreds of guests, including church leaders, community activists, diplomats and politicians. All for a 7.30am start. It was my third time, but my first as a speaker at one of the post-breakfast seminars – perhaps notable above all because I am not a Christian or otherwise religious. I wasn't the only non-religious person there, although it is definitely a Christian occasion. On the event's website, Stephen Timms MP is quoted in a promotional video as saying the breakfast captures "a very important movement, across Britain today, of people whose starting point is faith in Jesus". Nicky Morgan MP says she's in parliament not only for her constituents, but "to remember the Word of God and serve the Lord". At the breakfast we recited the Lord's prayer. We sang a hymn and we listened to a gospel reading. There were other prayers too: one for the government (delivered by a Labour MP, who joked about the irony), one for parliament and one for the nation. Many secularists go apoplectic about this kind of public religion, but I'm struck by how little attention these events garner at large. I'm sure most Britons don't even know the breakfast takes place, and I suspect most wouldn't care one way or the other. It's not funded by taxpayers, which removes one bone of contention. It's public religion with very limited publicity, but God is being done like this day in and day out in the public square, even if it often takes a form very different from, say, my native land of America. Faith or no faith, and whether you're enthusiastic, indifferent or apoplectic, the breakfast is a brilliant example of why public ritual matters. Those of us with no faith have a lot to learn about the value of halting the normal rhythms of life and stopping to reflect. We could all benefit from prayer breakfasts, or at least something akin to such a metaphysical break. Jesus was, without doubt, the frame. And yet staunch secularists, humanists, and atheists might have taken comfort from the fact that they were not forgotten, either in the prayers or the programme. In fact, it's arguable that while Jesus was the message, new atheism was the medium. The core of the hour-long programme belonged not to God but to Richard Dawkins, as did one of the post-breakfast seminars. In his 25-minute keynote address, Dawkins' fellow Oxonian, the mathematician John Lennox, set out to rebut new atheism, arguing that science and religion are complementary rather than antithetical, and that faith and knowledge are both central to who and what we are as humans. Lennox's position is part of a longstanding tradition, and he brought it to life with a passion not always associated with mathematicians. As an anthropologist, though, what struck me was a social dynamic that often defines the clash of world views: how they come to be mutually constitutive, and how they become meaningful in relation to each other. Christianity and atheism are two sides of the same coin. At the moment, their relationship to one another is often antagonistic, but for unbelievers the sentiment – if not the sacral nature – of the prayer breakfast should be taken seriously. In some quarters it is. In 2008, the British Humanist Association started something of a tradition like this. You can guess what it's called, right? The no prayer breakfast. |
While writing the previous item, I played around with the Kickstarter stat page, to see how comics are doing—and they are doing very well! While comics crowdfunding projects have the second lowest number of projects—3,944. one tenth that of the top category, film and video with 34,985—they have the fourth highest success rate! Here’s the top four: Dance — 1,856 projects 70.35% funded Theater — 5,933 projects 64.37% funded Music — 28,939 projects 55.24% funded Comics — 3,944 projects 49.64% funded Other states: Comics have raised $27.40 million in total dollars, $24.31 million going towards successful projects, $2.06 million to unsuccessful ones. These stats are about the same as the last time we looked at this, so I think you could say this is a pretty stable pattern by now. You can play around with all the other stats on the page (Todd? Torsten?) involving money levels and more. For instance here’s a tough one: there are 18 comics projects that made it to the last percentile — 80-99% funded— but still missed out. Close but no vape pen! Heidi MacDonald is the founder and editor in chief of The Beat. In the past, she worked for Disney, DC Comics, Fox and Publishers Weekly. She can be heard regularly on the More To Come Podcast. She likes coffee, cats and noble struggle. Like this: Like Loading... |
All rights reserved | A picture of LafargeHolcim's Jalabiya cement plant in Syria, taken by factory workers. France has launched a judicial inquiry into the Syrian activities of construction group LafargeHolcim, whose murky deals with armed groups in the war-torn country were exposed by FRANCE 24 and French daily Le Monde. ADVERTISING Read more The probe will look into the "financing of terrorist enterprises" and the endangering of lives, a judicial source said Tuesday. The source said one anti-terror judge and two financial judges will be in charge of the case. A spokesperson for the company, which is based in France and Switzerland, said LafargeHolcim had not been contacted by prosecutors but would cooperate fully with any inquiry. In April, its chief executive Eric Olsen said he would be stepping down after the company admitted it had paid armed groups to keep a factory operating in war-ravaged Syria. An independent internal inquiry by the firm found payments made to intermediaries for the Jalabiya plant in northern Syria were not in line with its policies. The inquiry followed reports by French journalist Dorothée Myriam Kellou, published by Le Monde and FRANCE 24, which uncovered the shady deals Lafarge made with an array of armed groups, including the Islamic State (IS) group, in order to keep the cement plant operating. FRANCE 24's Dorothée Kellou 'proud' to receive TRACE award On Monday, Kellou’s work was rewarded with the TRACE International Prize for Investigative Reporting, which recognises reporting that uncovers bribery and transparency in the business world. The jury said the project “captured, with nuance and intelligence, the moral crisis that faces businesses caught in the desperate situation in Syria, and by extension, every war-torn region.” It added: “This story, gathered with care and courage, was told with a smart mixture of tools -- video and print, social networking and graphics -- and ignited calls for reform. Outstanding work!” Accepting the award in Washington, Kellou told FRANCE 24 she was delighted her work had been taken up by transparency NGO Sherpa, which filed a lawsuit in France against LafargeHolcim. “[The report] had many consequences I had not expected,” she said, referring to the Sherpa lawsuit. “It helps holding multinationals accountable in a context of weak anti-bribery laws and corruption.” |
Hong Kong “I’d rather be single and die alone than date Kong men.” I nearly spit my coffee as Hanna Lung slammed her smartphone on the table after making the bold statement. She was furious after reading a recent column telling Hong Kong women to stop dreaming of finding their perfect Prince Charming and “get real.” “How dare this guy write that ‘the only reason why an average woman over the age of 30 is still not married is because nobody wants to marry her’?” bellowed my friend. I glared at the beautiful 31-year-old media executive who is a rising star in her company—and, obviously, single. “It’s not about whether someone wants to marry me. It’s about whether I want that man in my life. It is my choice,” she continued. “It’s Kong men who should get real and stop blaming us women.” Women have long been the victims in an ongoing battle of the sexes in Hong Kong over the past three decades. Government statistics show that the number of men per 1,000 women dropped significantly from 1,087 in 1981 to 858 in 2014. A recent report revealed that last year there were over 1 million women aged 15 or above who had never been married, versus 962,700 men who hadn’t tied the knot—so technically, at least, 37,300 women are destined to remain single, and this doesn’t even factor in whether any of the 962,700 men are gay. In recent years, the fearful message has spread: Hong Kong is running out of men! So ladies, if you don’t want to end up as an old maid and die alone, you must hurry and “get real.” Don’t be picky and only go after men who have a “good package.” Cure your “princess syndrome” and stop being a spoiled brat. Don’t become one of those gold-digging, delusional Kong nui (a derogatory term for Hong Kong women) or a successful career woman. This stigma toward single women has become the central narrative of Hong Kong’s dating culture. The message to women is clear: Lower your expectations, even though you might deserve better. A column entitled “Hey sisters, get real or you will die alone” published on April 11 in EJ Insight is the latest, most offensive iteration of this message. (Yes, this is the one that offended my friend so much. While it appears to have been removed by the publisher, perhaps because of the number of complaints, a cached version is here.) The truth is, neither men nor women want to settle for less than what they want—and Hong Kong men and Hong Kong women seem to want different things. Hong Kong women have long been accused of being materialistic and eyeing money, but there is a reason for it. According to Fan Lai, a professional counselor who deals with relationship problems and family issues, few Hong Kong women are looking to marry a scion of a property tycoon. But, she added, many do aim for a man with a monthly income somewhere between HK$80,000 and HK$100,000 (roughly US$10,300 to US$12,900). That’s because they want a man who is financially independent and won’t turn around asking them for money or take advantage of them. “They are women who have a great education, a successful career, and a pretty face and just don’t want to settle for less,” Lai said. Men who have a “good package” (this means, by the way, that they are physically attractive, with a sizable bank account and a promising career), she added, have complained to her that they are having greater difficulties in finding their Ms. Right. “They mind women who are too career-driven,” said Lai. “They don’t mind women who have a job, but when it comes to looking for a marriage partner, they want someone who is willing to stay at home and raise the family.” And that is simply unrealistic. “How is it possible for women who are smart, ambitious, and independent to surrender their freedom and become a stay-at-home mum?” Lai questioned. A quick survey of my single female friends confirmed that they are unwilling to settle for less—and sadly Kong men are the worst to date, a conclusion that has nothing to do with their finances or physique. “Kong men are not gentlemen at all,” said Lung. “If you go on a date, you pick up the girl, open the door for her, pick up the bill, and send her home. That’s very basic. And yet I’ve never seen a Kong man who has done it. But Western men do. I’m an international man eater, so I aim at a global market.” Twenty-year-old university student Diana Lam described Kong men at her age as “toxic.” “They seem to be like ‘kidults.’ They are obsessed with video games and figurines. If a Kong man does not have a promising career or the ability to take care of a woman, Hong Kong women will not date him,” she said. Irene Fung, a 40-something businesswoman, said men who are still active in the dating market that she had encountered are usually incapable of genuine communication, have low standards for themselves, fear commitment, and lack self-confidence. “Once I dated a man who boasted how many properties he owned. It was such a turn-off,” she said. Kong men may also have little to offer in the bedroom. According to a 2014 survey released by the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong, nearly 60% of the 2,100 women aged between 21 and 40 reported at least one sexual problem that lasted over three months to one year—which could be attributed to a partners’ lack of expertise. Nearly 32% said they had no desire. A similar percentage said they had problems getting aroused. Some 40% said they fail to attain orgasm. “Before accusing women of being unrealistic Kong nui and gold-diggers, Kong men should reflect on their shortcomings first,” Lung pointed out. And when they do “settle down,” some Hong Kong men actually don’t. Fung said she has also encountered many married men who are wealthy and successful, looking for girlfriends behind the back of their wife. “They act as if they were single,” she said. “It is men who should get real and stop wasting our time. Being with a man is not a must. We’ve got better things to do.” I continued to sip my coffee in silence as Lung began munching on her green tea cheesecake, and I thought: As Hong Kong Film Awards chairman Derek Yee put it when he presented the best film award to dystopian film Ten Years, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Being single is not the end of the world. Image by Pierre-Selim on Flickr, licensed under CC-BY-SA-2.0. |
| Months and months after the continuous Internet Explorer’s market share decline, Microsoft’s web browser has finally breached the 50% mark and now sits at the 49.58%, down from 50.97% (1.39 point decrease). As far as other web browsers go, it looks like Firefox is going to the opposite direction, as its market share has increase by 0.14 point, up from 21.06% to 21.20%. Google Chrome continues its uptrend and is now up by another 1.42 point, increasing its share from 15.17% 16.59%. If growth continues, we should see it approaching 20% mark in the second quarter of 2012. Thanks to Apple’s handheld device sales, Safari is on the roll with a 0.51 point increase in the market share, up from 8.03% to 8.54%. Just like Internet Explorer, Opera’s market share continues to suffer as it now reached January, 2010 levels, down from 1.58%, 1.49%, (0.09 point decrease). So here you have it folks, with the exception of Firefox, there aren’t really any changes in the overall trend. |
Sep 5, 2016 | By Alec Back in April, Dutch food 3D printing pioneers byFlow reached a very important milestone: they served a delicious five course 3D printed meal at a pop-up restaurant during the 3D Food Printing Conference. While some critics simply called it a gimmick, byFlow already pointed out that 3D printed food pastes have numerous nutritional benefits. Not only does it make food easier to swallow, it also retains more vitamins and minerals than overcooked mushy foods and can even be packed with nutritional extras. It sounds like a perfect solution for the elderly and for patients in hospitals, who often have trouble chewing or who are not getting enough of the fibers, vitamins or minerals that contribute to their recovery. Officials from the Isala Hospital in Zwolle, the Netherlands, have therefore set up an initiative to bring that 3D printed food to their patients together with food provider Huuskes. A wide variety of foods, including cabbages, carrots, peas, fish and even classic Dutch dishes such as kale stamppot, are already on the agenda. While this initiative is under development, the hospital believes that 3D printing can have a huge impact on patient health and recovery. Up to 20 percent of patients in Dutch hospitals are malnourished in some way – not starving, but lacking certain vitamins that will support their recovery. After treatment, many patients can’t even stand the smell of cooked vegetables while especially cancer patients often have no appetite at all. Meanwhile, food as a medication is still everything but conventional in the medical industry. Isala Hospital is seeking to change that, with a new policy being implemented on November 1. They will start to serve meals to patients before or after being admitted to hospitals, preferably in communal settings. Patients are more likely to eat their food while seated at a table with other patients than when propped up in a hospital bed, while the nutrients will strengthen them for any procedure that will follow. “When admitted to hospitals, especially cancer patients turn out to be malnourished. But if they eat as much as possible (and like the healthy food) well in advance, their recovery process will be much quicker,” a spokesman explained. 3D printing can play a huge role in that process, and supplier Huuskes is building on TNO studies revolving around food 3D printing. “We are still in the developmental phase with 2D printing, and were looking at options for coating foods with layers of extra nutrients. It would also be great if we can add some medication to the food itself,” the spokesman added. “Of course we will be working with fresh and natural foods, which are the healthiest. Good food in a hospital will aid recovery, and pureed and 3D printed foods shaped like mini-bonbons will certainly help.” Isala is even planning to deliver these meals to patients at home, both before and after their stay in hospital – making them one of the first to deliver that level of care. Once that involves meals packed with additional nutrients, this will ensure that patients won’t be malnourished upon their arrival at the hospital. But it’s only the first step on a new medical path, argues food professor Jaap Seidell from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. “There’s so much you can do with good nutrition,” he says, arguing that medical faculties need to shift their paradigms and educate the next generation of doctors about the advantages of foods. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: J Frank wrote at 10/22/2016 4:50:26 AM:Most of you do not understand the concept! There are many patients in hospitals on pureed food. A plate of scoops of pureed food is unappealing. Food molds are commonly used to give pureed foods shape. Printing these foods into shapes with natural colors is amazing for these people!Steve wrote at 9/20/2016 3:04:02 PM:I think they should be looking at micro greens, dense nutrient based food.RC wrote at 9/10/2016 12:30:18 AM:Hello, can you give a source for this post? Thanks!Blruble Krumpkins wrote at 9/9/2016 9:13:23 PM:they 3D printed a pearrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!mick wrote at 9/7/2016 5:42:47 PM:This is not food, This only benefits the bottom line.Seth B wrote at 9/6/2016 4:34:56 PM:This is such a game changer for hospital food. Good for them to get the ball rolling.John Dee wrote at 9/5/2016 7:26:25 PM:Surely the best food is nice & fresh...processed BAD, you dont see 3D printed food in the MED Diet, just pure healthy goodness. |
Once there was a beautiful princess named MOCA. She had a great collection but she wasn’t very good at managing her money. Soon, she was flat broke. Across town there was a guy named LACMA: He was a good guy, and a hard worker, but his collections weren’t as sexy as a girl like MOCA might have wanted. He offered to save MOCA from certain doom, but she was like… …and he was like… …and she was like… So, instead she hooked up with a big rich guy named… …ELI BROAD. Her parents (aka the Board of Trustees) weren’t totally wild about Eli, but they’re like… …mainly because it saved them the responsibility of having to lay out any of their own cash to help out their daughter. Pretty quickly, Eli begins to make some changes around the museum… …hiring a new director, laying off staff, and pretty much reorganizing things to his liking. Things seemed ok for a couple of years… …but MOCA could never seem to replenish her endowment. No matter what, she always needed money: Even though her parents (aka the Board of Trustees) had practically encouraged her profligate spending, they weren’t gonna give her any dough of their own. Whenever she brought up the subject, they were like… Eli, in the meantime, got distracted… …building a museum of his own. So, once again, hearing about her plight, LACMA came back… …and this time he offered to raise $100 million for her endowment and she’d be able to keep her two downtown homes. But she was all like… …and he was all like… …and Eli was all like.. And before anyone knows what happened, MOCA goes all crazy like… … and reveals to the press that she’s thinking about having a geographically undesirable affair with some rilly old guy from D.C. named… NATIONAL GALLERY. And all the bloggers in the kingdom of Los Angeles are like… THE END. |
Following discussions aimed at ensuring Texans are fully informed on Operation Jade Helm 15, Governor Greg Abbott today met with Major General Gerald “Jake” Betty, Commander of the Texas State Guard, and directed him to monitor the Operation. Governor Abbott directed General Betty to provide regular updates to the Governor’s Office to ensure that Texans’ “safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed” during the eight-week training period from July 2015 – September 2015. Read Governor Abbott’s full directive to General Betty here. According to the U.S. Military: Operation Jade Helm 15 is a planned military exercise that will be led by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and will include personnel from the U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Green Berets), U.S. Navy SEALS, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, USMC Marine Special Operations Command, USMC Marine Expeditionary Units, the 82nd Airborne Division and civilian interagency partners. This Operation will take place over an eight-week period beginning in July of 2015 in locations across the State of Texas and neighboring states New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. |
Cassette collection. © Jim Golden Camping collection. © Jim Golden. Styling by Kristin Lane. Camera collection. © Jim Golden. Styling by Kristen Lane. Instruments collection. © Jim Golden. Styling by Kristin Lane. HOUSEHousewares collection (personal collection of Kristin Lane). © Jim Golden. Styling by Kristin Lane.WARES-COLLECTIONS-JIM-GOLDEN Scissors collection (collection from Golden’s friend Rob Roy). © Jim Golden FIREARM-CFirearms collection. © Jim Golden. Styling by Kristin Lane.OLLECTIONS-JIM-GOLDEN 8-Tracks collection. © Jim Golden Beachcombers collection (collection of Kristin Lane). © Jim Golden. Styling by Kristin Lane. Locks collection (collection of James Rees). © Jim Golden Portland-based photographer Jim Golden’s series of photographs of collections are artfully-arranged labors of love. The only commissioned image from the series is the cameras. Golden’s client Nike commissioned that photograph, which is made up of nearly 200 cameras and required a 14-hour day to shoot. The 10′ x 8′ print hangs in the entrance to Nike’s photo studio. Some articles within the collections are Golden’s or stylist Kristin Lane’s personal effects, but Golden told PDN via email, “for the cameras I emailed about 40 local people to participate and we got a slew of stuff…. Now I’m being contacted all the time with weird stuff – thimbles, pencil sharpeners, car parts, bikes, every Star-Wars figurine ever made, etc. I want to keep it rolling, [continue it as] a long term project, and would LOVE to make a book.” Golden runs a tight ship, working only with Lane, and sometimes an assistant or two. All of the images are composed in camera, and as Golden says, “it’s very gratifying to take the time to craft a beautiful image.” |
Rights and Realities in Latin America Roberto Gargarella A statue of Benito Juárez, a political reformer who became the first president of Mexico under its 1857 constitution. / Roberto Arias Alegria This article is part of our special package on democracy in Latin America. The Mexican revolution that began in 1910 produced one remarkable outcome: the 1917 constitution. A result of working-class mobilization against growing inequality and authoritarianism, the constitution declared a long and robust list of rights. Unlike other constitutions at the time, it was strongly committed to social rights, including rights to food and education. In fact, the Mexican Constitution pioneered the development of a more social constitutionalism. The idea was that a constitution should not simply define the organization of the government and describe its limits. It should also insist on the entitlement of all citizens to basic goods and services. According to Article 27 of the 1917 Constitution, for example, ownership of the lands and waters within the boundaries of the national territory was “vested originally in the Nation.” This meant that the nation had ultimate authority over all resources within its borders, which were to be used for the people. Article 123 incorporated broad protections for workers, recognized the role of trade unions, protected rights to strike and association, and provided detailed regulation of labor relations, anticipating later developments in labor law. This clause made reference, for example, to the maximum duration of work; child labor; the rights of pregnant women; minimum wages; and rights to vacation, equal wages, and comfortable and hygienic working conditions. Most countries in the region followed the Mexican example, building similar lists of social rights into their constitutions: Brazil in 1937; Bolivia in 1938; Cuba in 1940; Uruguay in 1942; Ecuador and Guatemala in 1945; Argentina and Costa Rica in 1949. Latin American constitutions thus reflected and reinforced the emergence of the working class as a key political and economic actor in the first half of the twentieth century. In spite of these new basic laws enacted on behalf of average citizens, Latin America experienced a terrible period of authoritarian rule in the 1970s and ’80s. This period was a sharp setback for the earlier expansion of constitutional rights. But with the end of authoritarianism in the late 1980s came a new wave of constitutional reforms, which once more made central the rights of all citizens. In an effort to create universal political and economic inclusion, reformers pushed through a range of positive constitutional rights—to food, decent education, health care. While Latin American nations have been at the forefront, again and again, of the model of social constitutionalism, the impact on people’s lives has always been mixed. One important reason is that, for all their extraordinary innovation when it comes to social rights, reformers have consistently preserved old-fashioned notions of politics. They have accepted a Latin American constitutional tradition that emphasizes centralized authority and presidential power. Unlike more liberal constitutions, such as the U.S. Constitution, Latin American constitutions empower the president to declare a state of siege, to appoint or remove ministers at will, and to legislate. The concentration of power in the executive ensures that constitutional promises remain more aspirational than real. Early Constitutions Most Latin American countries entered the twentieth century with constitutions based on political compacts between liberals and conservatives, the region’s dominant political forces. These groups were fierce political enemies during the first half of the nineteenth century. Chilean conservatives treated their opponents brutally at the beginning of the Conservative Republic in 1833. In Argentina, there were bloody conflicts between conservative unitarios and liberal federales. The Federal War in Venezuela (1859–1863) also divided liberals and conservatives. And their confrontation in Colombia at times erupted in civil war. In Mexico, the liberals puros fought against the forces of the conservative santanistas. But between 1850 and 1870, these battles yielded to an alliance that lasted for decades. The constitutions created in those years were an imperfect synthesis of liberal and conservative goals. Liberals got checks and balances and state neutrality among different religious groups, and conservatives got concentrated authority and morality regulations. In effect, the new constitutions blended elements of the U.S. Constitution, influential among liberals at the time, and the 1833 Chilean Constitution, Latin America’s most prominent conservative constitution. Latin American nations have been at the forefront of social-rights constitutionalism. Thus, while the new constitutions established religious tolerance, they sometimes—as in Argentina—reserved a special place for Catholicism. While they provided for checks and balances, they also favored the executive. And while they were concerned to distribute power, they mixed federalism with strong centralization. But whatever their precise balance of liberalism and conservatism, these constitutions were exclusively about the organization and limits of power. They did not include social clauses in favor of the disadvantaged, nor did they provide broad rights of suffrage or association that would foster mass participation in politics and the public sphere. When these constitutions were being drafted and debated, radicals—Sociedad de la Igualdad in Chile and other groups in Mexico and Colombia, most operating in the 1850s—advanced democratizing proposals for annual elections, the right to recall representatives, term limits, and the right to instruct elected officials on legislative decisions. These radicals also promoted reforms to address social questions. However, the liberal-conservative pact rebuffed all those initiatives. The Emerging Social Constitution The liberal-conservative constitutional compact succeeded in establishing regimes of “order and progress”: that is how Latin American followers of Auguste Comte described authoritarian and statist governments that fostered economic growth. In the 1880s Latin America enjoyed export booms focused on primary goods, leading to an exceptional period of income growth and political stability. Then came the transformative political incorporation of the working class and eventually the global economic crash of 1929–30. A series of fundamental changes followed. The most visible were economic; it became increasingly difficult to export primary goods and import basic finished ones. Where state involvement in the economic realm was once highly constrained, now government openly intervened to gain control of resource production and distribution. States took on new functions, creating central banks and regulatory agencies and fixing prices. The Second World War also precipitated change. Latin America began once more to export food and other primary goods to the countries most directly involved in the conflict. Most nations in the region also had to replace the manufactured goods that they used to import from more industrialized countries now fighting in the war. The resulting gradual process of “import substitution industrialization” strengthened the urban industrial working class, which in turned demanded a more active role in public life. In the face of all this novelty, the old exclusionary arrangement of society would be impossible to maintain. But the most favored sectors didn’t want to simply give up their profits. Nor did they want to fight civil wars over them. What to do? The example of Mexico, 1917—not the crisis and armed violence of the Revolution, but the legal response that followed—appeared to be an attractive solution. Mexico’s constitution managed to integrate social demands into the traditional liberal-conservative agreement. Inspired by the Mexican example, the leaders of the liberal-conservative compact elsewhere in Latin America recognized that it was necessary to reconsider the radical model that had been marginalized from previous constitutional discussions. This would be one of their more fundamental concessions aimed at damping social unrest. Latin American constitutions began, one after the other, to add new social concerns to their existing legal matrix. But still that existing matrix was little altered. Social commitments were added to constitutions that remained conservative and restrictive concerning the organization of power. The new constitutions retained strong executives, limited suffrage, infrequent elections, indirect elections of officials, and powerful judiciaries prepared to restrict popular initiatives. A boy selling flowers in Tijuana. Mexicos constitution, which has inspired basic law throughout Latin America, includes many social welfare provisions, such as a minimum legal working age. / Photo by Enrique Bosquet Multiculturalism and Human Rights Since the end of the 1980s, Latin America has been undergoing a second wave of constitutional reform. Brazil adopted a new constitution in 1988, Colombia in 1991, Venezuela in 1999, Ecuador in 2008, and Bolivia in 2009. Argentina revised its constitution in 1994, and Mexico followed in 2011. Most of these changes are products, in one way or another, of two grim trends. The first is political: the emergence of military dictatorships following the military coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende in 1973. The second is economic: the adoption of neoliberal reforms beginning in the late 1980s. Military rule had profound effects. In Chile, for example, General Pinochet’s 1980 Constitution established numerous authoritarian enclaves: life-tenured senators, which allowed Pinochet to be part of the Senate during the democratic period; “designated senators,” which also allowed members of the military and police to be part of the Senate; and the requirement of super-majorities in order to change basic aspects of the institutional system (for example, education, the military, and the organization of Congress). Similarly, the 1967 Brazilian Constitution, enacted under the military rule of General Humberto Castelo Branco, sharply limited federalism and political and civil liberties. Large meetings were subject to government authorization, political parties were restricted to the ruling party and one opposition party, and direct suffrage—that is, voting for officials rather than for electors who would choose officials—was suppressed in the main cities for “security reasons.” When democracy returned, countries needed to reconstruct their constitutions. And in addition to restoring a democratic design to the political process, constitutional reforms once more expanded basic rights. These changes gave special, sometimes constitutional, status to international human rights treaties that the countries had signed during the previous four or five decades. Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, and El Salvador used the treaties to protect the rights that had been systematically abused by authoritarian governments. The special legal status afforded human rights treaties has had important political consequences. In part, these initiatives fostered a reconciliation of certain parts of the political left with ideas about rights and constitutionalism. Some elements of the left had earlier disparaged these ideas as elements of a “merely formal” legality and democracy that created illusions about power and carried no real benefits for workers and the poor. The new legal status many of these constitutions granted to human rights also had an important impact on conservatives. Many conservative judges, genuinely committed to rule-of-law ideals, began to consider more seriously legal arguments based on the value of human rights. The new democracies, along with governance reforms, implemented programs of “structural adjustment”: drastic reduction of public expenditures and the elimination of social programs. Austerity required statutory and sometimes even constitutional changes. For example, Brazil’s President Fernando Henrique Cardoso pushed through 35 constitutional amendments to facilitate privatization. The reform of Article 58 in the Colombian Constitution of 1991 provided more guarantees to foreign investors. Similar changes were made in Mexico, Peru, and Argentina. The economic adjustment programs created an economic and social crisis, which ratcheted up pressure for a new wave of reform. The neoliberal programs increased social distress and levels of unemployment in countries where there were no solid safety nets. Millions of people suddenly found themselves in abject poverty, without means to ensure subsistence for themselves and their families. That period produced the 2001 crisis in Argentina, the “Caracazo”—violent protests in Venuzuela—and the presidential crisis in Ecuador. The state, which for the previous 40 years had guaranteed work and social protections for vast sectors of the population, was shrinking. Valuable state assets were hastily sold off with little public knowledge or scrutiny. Protests exploded throughout the region, with demonstrators demanding that their constitutions deliver on promised social protections. The most famous of these insurrections, led by the Mexican Zapatistas in 1994, was provoked in part by Mexico’s acceptance of the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Canada. Similar resistance developed in Bolivia’s water and gas wars in 2000 and 2003, respectively, as people rose up against the privatization of basic sectors of the national economy. The occupation of private land by the Landless Workers’ Movement in Brazil; efforts by squatters to occupy land in Santiago, Chile, and in Lima, Peru; the emergence of the piqueteros movement in Argentina; and violent actions protesting the exploitation of mineral resources across the region all were responses to the crisis created by austerity. Old-fashioned, hypercentralized politics continues to undercut popular empowerment. These and other disturbances inspired significant socio-legal reforms in Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Mexico. Today’s Latin American constitutions guarantee the protection of the environment, as well as access to health care, education, food, housing, work, and clothing. Some include guarantees of gender equality and mechanisms, beyond voting, for participatory democracy. The constitutions create institutions of referendum and popular consultation and introduce the right to recall legislators. Some constitutions recognize affirmative action rights. Strikingly, many of the new constitutions affirm the existence of a pluri- or multi-cultural state or national identity and provide special protection to indigenous groups. The “Engine Room” of the Constitution Constitutional reformers at the end of the authoritarian period achieved a great deal in advancing the interests of the most disadvantaged. However, the reforms, though grand in scope, have had little impact on real lives. Decades after the approval of the social constitutions, economic inequality in the region has gotten worse or stayed at levels that rival those in Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, prevailing legal doctrine throughout Latin America regards social rights as non-enforceable, mere affirmations of objectives to be pursued by the political branches. This does not mean that social rights are never enforced—for instance, in recent years, the Colombian judiciary has been playing a large role in vindicating the constitutional right to health care, established in the 1992 Constitution—but in general politicians and judges generally have not implemented and enforced the social rights incorporated in their constitutions. One of the main reasons for the failures of constitutional reform is that the reformers concentrated their energies on delineating rights, without taking into account the impact that the organization of power tends to have upon those rights. The core of the democratic machinery remained unchanged, which left political controls largely in the hands of traditionally powerful groups. The engineers of the liberal-conservative compact pursued a very different path. To guarantee protections of the right to property, for example, they knew they had to ensure those protections in the core design of political power, not simply announce a constitutional provision. So they typically proposed restrictions, legal and not, of political liberties when doing so promoted basic economic rights. The strategy of recent reformers also contrasts with the approach of earlier generations of radicals who concentrated on politics: on producing political and economic change through mass political mobilization. Unlike today’s reformers, their forebears never subscribed to the (conservative) model of concentrated authority; they never spoke the liberal language of rights; and they were skeptical about the value of constitutional protections. The problem with the new constitutions is not simply that they do not go far enough to reach the political “engine room,” where laws are created and implemented. That problem could be addressed in the next round of reform. The problem is that by preserving an organization of powers that reflects the nineteenth-century model of concentrated authority, reformers present a contradictory design that undercuts their initiatives. The new constitutions embrace democratic and socially committed ideas about rights, while at the same time embracing a traditionally vertical political organization. But it is precisely the old hyper-presidentialist political organization that has thwarted the popular empowerment promised by the new constitutions. For example, Argentina’s political authorities refused to implement the participatory clauses incorporated in the 1994 constitution; Ecuador’s president systematically vetoed all initiatives directed at enforcing the newly created mechanisms for popular participation; and in Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Ecuador, indigenous leaders often suffered prison or repression when they tried to put in practice their newly acquired rights. The challenges to securing basic rights and a stronger democracy in Latin America are great, but it is time for the working class and disadvantaged groups to break into that engine room. A strong presidency tends to create stability, but at what cost? Concentrated power also produces abuse. The right reform strategy aims at empowering citizens at large. These kinds of changes may seem ambitious, but they are within reach; indeed, some have been achieved already. For instance, nearly all of Latin America has signed the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, which ensures that indigenous groups are consulted before governments carry out reforms that may significantly impair their rights. Although few constitutions have recognized this right to consultation, and even fewer countries have implemented it, many courts have taken it seriously and have helped begin to make it a reality. Lesser reforms are also possible, and some of them have already been designed and put into practice. For example, in parts of Latin America, it has become easier for plaintiffs to gain legal standing, which broadens access to the courts. Small formal changes have led to significant shifts in the attitudes of courts regarding disadvantaged groups. Courts have become more sensitive to the demands of the poor. The courts are becoming a means for the poor to express demands that they normally cannot channel through the political system. An extraordinary piece of self-criticism by Arturo Sampay explains why promoting social reforms through the constitutions, but without changing the basic organization of power, doesn’t work. Sampay was the drafter of the 1949 Argentine Constitution, during the government of General Juan Perón. That constitution incorporated a long and innovative list of social rights but also embraced Peron’s centralized, personalized, executive-centered model of power. In an article that Sampay published some years later, the jurist questioned his previous initiatives: The Constitutional reform of 1949 was not properly conducive to the predominance of the people, [through] the exercise of political power by the popular sectors. This was due, first, to the faith that the triumphant popular sectors had in the charismatic leadership of Perón. Secondly, this was due to the same vigilant attitude of Perón, who did everything possible to prevent the popular sectors achieving actual power that could impair the power of the legal government. These facts helped the government to stay in power until the oligarchic sectors, in partnership with the armed forces, decided to put an end to the government. That was, then, the Achilles heal of the reform. And this explains why the Constitution died, like Achilles, at an early stage, by its enemy: it was most vulnerable precisely to those whom it most relied on for support. Sampay recognized the fatal mistake that he and other members of his generation had made by not paying sufficient attention to the dynamics of power embedded in the constitution. Where presidential power is the sole guardian of the people’s power, the people are unlikely to be respected and heard. Today’s social reformers should learn his lesson. The new constitutions need to unite principle and power. They need to make the organization of political power consistent with the social impulses that they have incorporated as rights. Otherwise, an inclusively democratic vision of social justice will continue to remain captive to an elitist, nineteenth-century model of politics. |
Astronomers at the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum in Germany have created the largest image of space ever compiled. Comprising 268 individual images taken over five years, the photo shows the entire ribbon of the Milky Way in a mind-boggling 46 billion pixels. The complete image measures 855,000 by 54,000 pixels -- about 2,000 times the size of a picture taken with a 20-megapixel digital camera. "If you would want to display this in full resolution on full HD TV screens, you would need more than 22,000 screens," Moritz Hackstein, a PhD candidate who conducted the space survey, told CBS News. At a whopping 194 gigabytes, the image file is about four orders of magitude larger than a high-res picture on your computer, or about the size of a 20,000-song mp3 library. The full Milky Way image Lehrstuhl für Astrophysik, RUB Hackstein worked with professors at the university to create an online visualization tool that lets you see the full galactic image and zoom in for a closer look. (It takes a while to load, naturally. Be patient.) You can type the name of a star to in the search box to go to that part of picture. A search for the term "M8" leads to the lagoon nebula: |
WASHINGTON — Oklahoma’s U.S. senators opposed an amendment that was approved overwhelmingly Tuesday to bar the U.S. government from using "enhanced interrogation" to get information from suspects. WASHINGTON — Oklahoma’s U.S. senators opposed an amendment that was approved overwhelmingly Tuesday to bar the U.S. government from using "enhanced interrogation" to get information from suspects. The amendment was approved 78 to 21 and added to the Senate’s defense policy bill. A majority of senators from both parties voted for the language, sponsored by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Feinstein said the amendment would restrict interrogation techniques to those authorized in the U.S. Army Field Manual and require access for the International Committee of the Red Cross to detainees in U.S. government custody. Mandatory access for the Red Cross is current law. Feinstein said the vote "puts the Senate on record that there can be no return to the era of so-called enhanced interrogation techniques and that President Obama’s Executive Order should be enacted into law. No legal opinion will be able to authorize these types of brutal techniques again and say they comply with the law." Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, said the vote Tuesday wasn’t about taking a stance on torture. He said the Army manual is available on the Internet for all to see and that he doesn’t support "telegraphing to the enemy our intelligence-gathering playbook, which the enemy can use to train their recruits on counter-interrogation techniques." "What would have been better policy is to require the other agencies to adopt anti-torture policies contained within the Army manual but that are kept classified, which would still be accessible by members of Congress to provide oversight," Inhofe said. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, who serves with Feinstein on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, "I adamantly oppose torture, but this amendment has some potential unintended consequences that could harm America’s safety. "From an Intelligence perspective, I’m concerned about publicly releasing our legitimate interrogation techniques, which would allow them to be used by our enemies to prepare for questioning. We should not torture, but we also should not tell every interrogation method to our enemies." McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner during the Vietnam War, said interrogation methods used by the U.S. military and intelligence agencies on suspected terrorists "stained our national honor and did little practical good." He said, "This amendment provides greater assurances that never again will the United States follow that dark path of sacrificing our values for our short-term security needs." Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. |
A NEW ANDROID RANSOMWARE THREAT dubbed 'LeakerLocker' is threatening to publish private information about victims unless they meet its, er, measly demands. McAfee uncovered the LeakerLocker threat, which it has found lurking in two apps in the Google Play Store, 'Wallpapers Blur HD' and 'Booster & Cleaner Pro', both of which have been well-rated and appear to have been downloaded thousands of times. It ain't your average Android malware threat, though, as McAfee notes in its research that instead of encrypting a user's files and making them inaccessible, LeakerLocker instead threatens to send the user's private data to friends from his contact list. According to the lock screen message displayed by LeakerLocker, the malware gathers a users' photos, text messages, call history, Facebook messages, Google Chrome browser data, emails and GPS location history. "LeakerLocker locks the home screen and accesses private information in the background thanks to its victims granting permissions at installation time. It does not use an exploit or low-level tricks but it can remotely load .dex code from its control server so the functionality can be unpredictable, extended, or deactivated to avoid detection in certain environments," explained McAfee's threat advisory. Related: SLocker Android malware threat is back, and now it's targeting businesses "Not all the private data that the malware claims to access is read or leaked. The ransomware can read a victim's email address, random contacts, Chrome history, some text messages and calls, pick a picture from the camera, and read some device information." The ransomware, or 'Doxware' asks for a $50 payment via a credit card transaction and demands that users cough up within 72 hours. "We advise users of infected devices to not pay the ransom: Doing so contributes to the proliferation of this malicious business, which will lead to more attacks," McAfee advises. "Also, there is no guarantee that the information will be released or used to blackmail victims again." Google has been alerted to the threat by McAfee and says is currently investigating it. µ |
PewDiePie And JackSepticEye Just Had The Darkest Conversation On Twitter By Charleyy Hodson His unverification seems to have gone to his head. PewDiePie has just finished taking Twitter on an absolute rollercoaster ride of ridiculousness. After his account became unverified, which we can't decide happened thanks to Twitter or Felix himself, Pewds went crazy with his new (lack of) power and tweeted to millions of people that him and JackSepticEye were both joining ISIS. As you can imagine the backlash has been divided between fans saying that it's just Felix's idea of humour and other viewers who believe that joke was one step too far - ISIS is, after all, not a laughing matter. Soon after Felix tweeted the fact that they had "joined ISIS", Jack quickly replied to point out that the joke was meant to be about Nazi's (you know, the OTHER racially aggressive group of extremists), and he wished PDP "good luck" in "explaining that one". It's believed that Felix decided to tweet about his involvement with the terrorist group after being sent a parody article by the funny folks over at @SkyNeiws. With a headline that explains that Felix is now "unverified due to suspected relations with ISIS", it's no wonder that he continued with the joke. Since the original tweet, the Bro Army have got numerous hashtags trending including #TwitterVerifyPewDiePieAgain and #SavePewDiePie to try and help Felix get his little blue tick back - but if you ask us, we think he's having too much fun without all that responsibility. Plus, now he's working with that stylish globe emoji. What a trend setter. https://twitter.com/SkyNeiws/status/770573778036326400 If you want to know what else has been happening in the weird world of YouTube this week, make sure you subscribe to our official YouTube channel and check out the most informative web series on the whole darn Internet - SLAY or NAY! |
News_release After 12 weeks of taking an anti-asthma drug, a subset of patients with type 2 diabetes showed a clinically significant reduction in blood glucose during a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, report University of California San Diego School of Medicine and University of Michigan researchers. In a paper publishing July 5 in Cell Metabolism, a team led by Alan Saltiel, PhD, director of the UC San Diego Institute for Diabetes and Metabolic Health, and Elif Oral, MD, director of the MEND Obesity and Metabolic Disorder Program at the University of Michigan, along with scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, identified a molecular signature in patients who responded to amlexanox, an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic drug used to treat asthma that was developed in the 1980s in Japan. The discovery is not ready for the clinic, but it does reveal a potential new therapeutic approach for treating type 2 diabetes. “When we looked at the drug-treated group we saw a bimodal distribution, that is, there were some responders and some non-responders. We didn’t understand why, so we did a molecular analysis from biopsies of fat cells we took from patients at the beginning and end of the study,” said Saltiel. “In the responder group, the level of inflammation in fat was higher than in the non-responder group at the beginning of the study, indicating that there is something about inflammation that predisposes a person to respond. And, what was really amazing was that there were more than 1,100 gene changes that occurred exclusively in the responders.” Amlexanox is an inhibitor of two enzymes, IKKε and TBK1. In previous studies, Saltiel and team had discovered that these two enzymes are induced in obese mice, causing a drop in energy expenditure or reduction in calories burned. This prompted them to look for inhibitors of these enzymes by screening a library of 150,000 chemicals. They found amlexanox. Giving obese mice the inhibitor caused them to lose weight, while their sensitivity to insulin increased, improving their diabetes and fatty liver disease. The human trial revealed that gene changes that occurred in the mouse model also happened in the human responder group. Blood sugar in the clinical trial patients went down as genes involved in the expenditure of energy changed. The proof of concept trial began with an un-blinded safety trial of six patients. It was followed by a controlled trial of 42 obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Half of the patients were randomized to a placebo group while the other half received amlexanox for three months. Blood sugar, insulin sensitivity, weight and liver fat were measured. A biopsy of fat cells from each patient’s midsection was taken before and after the trial to measure changes in gene expression. “The most exciting part of this is that we have a new drug that has never been studied before,” said Saltiel. “It’s a new mechanism for a diabetes and fatty liver drug. It’s promising, but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered still.” Among them: Which gene changes are the most important to target? What’s the right drug dosage? What time of day should it be administered? How often should patients take the drug? What other drug combinations can be used with amlexanox? Can the percentage of responders be increased? Will the beneficial effects of the drug be sustained for a longer time? One-third of the participants in the blinded study responded. Among responders with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, an improvement was also seen. Saltiel said his lab at UC San Diego School of Medicine plans to dive deeper into the gene changes to better understand which are most important, which affect liver fat, which translate into changes in blood sugar levels and more. He is planning a new human clinical trial with colleagues at Michigan. “We’re planning a new study to look at whether we can stratify patients who are likely to respond based on the degree of underlying inflammation,” said Saltiel. “A second study will look at a combination with another drug that we think will be particularly effective.” Saltiel started this work while serving as director of the Life Sciences Institute (LSI) at the University of Michigan; the chemical screen was conducted at the LSI’s Center for Chemical Genomics; the clinical trial was conducted at the University of Michigan. Analysis of the data and biopsy samples occurred at UC San Diego and the Salk Institute. Co-authors include: Andrew V. Gomez, Kim Lehmann, Mohit Jan, UC San Diego; Shannon M. Reilly, Peng Zhao, UC San Diego and University of Michigan; Elif A. Oral, Rasimcan Meral, Laura Butz, Nevin Ajluni, Thomas L. Chenevert, Evgenia Korytnaya, Adam Neidert, Rita Hench, Diana Rus, Jeff Horowitz, BreAnne Poirier, University of Michigan; Ruth Yu, Maryam Ahmadian, Michael Downes, Ronald M. Evans, Salk Institute; and Christopher Liddle, Salk Institute and University of Sydney. This research was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health (R21DK098776, DK060591, DK100319). |
Handheld game console developed by Nintendo The Game Boy Micro[a] (stylized as GAME BOY micro) is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in September 2005 as a compact redesign of the Game Boy Advance. The system is the last console in the Game Boy line. Unlike its predecessor, the Game Boy Micro lacks backward compatibility for Game Boy or Game Boy Color games. History [ edit ] The Game Boy Micro was announced by Nintendo of America's vice president of sales and marketing, Reggie Fils-Aimé, at the company's Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference on May 17, 2005. The system was released in Japan on September 13, 2005 and in North America on September 19, 2005. It was released in Europe on November 4, 2005 and Australia on November 3, 2005. It was released in China as the iQue Game Boy Micro on October 1, 2005, and later released in South Korea on November 9, 2005. Design and specifications [ edit ] The control pad has a similar design to the later Nintendo DS Lite system. The Game Boy Micro retains some of the functionality of the Game Boy Advance SP, but with a more compact form factor. It is unable to play original Game Boy and Game Boy Color games due to design changes. Although it still has the required Z80 processor and graphics hardware necessary to run games from older Game Boy systems, it lacks other internal hardware necessary for backward compatibility. It is incompatible with the Nintendo e-Reader and other peripherals due to similar design issues. Additionally, it has a backlit screen with the ability to adjust the brightness. The shape itself is oblong, similar to the style of the Nintendo Entertainment System controller. The Game Boy Micro features a removable face plate, and designs with special faceplates were sold as a customization feature. Dimensions: 50×101×17.2 mm (2×4×0.7 in) 50×101×17.2 mm (2×4×0.7 in) Weight: 80 g (2.8 oz) 80 g (2.8 oz) Processor: 32-bit 16.8 MHz ARM processor (ARM7TDMI) 32-bit 16.8 MHz ARM processor (ARM7TDMI) Case Colors: various various Screen: 51 mm / 2 inches, backlight with adjustable brightness. 51 mm / 2 inches, backlight with adjustable brightness. Resolution: 240×160 pixels 240×160 pixels Colors: 512 (character cell mode) or 32,768 (bitmap mode) 512 (character cell mode) or 32,768 (bitmap mode) Battery: built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, up to 5 hours of battery life with top brightness and sound or 8 hours with both features on default built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, up to 5 hours of battery life with top brightness and sound or 8 hours with both features on default Headphones: standard 3.5mm headphone jack[3] The Game Boy Micro has a two-way switch on its right side for adjusting volume. By holding down the L shoulder button, the switch can also be used to adjust the backlight between five levels of brightness. Software and hardware [ edit ] The Game Boy Micro is compatible with Game Boy Advance games, including Game Boy Advance Video Game Paks. The following games/accessories are not compatible with the Game Boy Micro system:[4] Original Game Boy Game Paks Game Boy Color Game Paks Game Boy or Game Boy Advance Game Link cables Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter Game Boy Advance e-Reader Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance cable Game Boy Printer Game Boy Camera While Game Boy or Game Boy Advance Game Link cables and the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter are not compatible with the Game Boy Micro system, adapters and a Game Boy Micro-compatible Wireless adapter have been released[5] Nintendo has also redesigned their Play-Yan music/video adapter to better fit the Game Boy Micro. This device can play MP3 and digital video files from SD cards. As with the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP systems, there are no regional lockouts on software, so North American games can be played on Japanese or European hardware and vice versa. Packaging [ edit ] Comparing the size of Game Boy Micro and Game Boy Advance SP. In Japan, the handheld has been released in four colors and styles each. The four colors are black, blue, purple, and silver. The Game Boy Micro also has four limited edition styles: one based on the original Famicom video game console's controller, a blue bodied model with a faceplate based on Final Fantasy IV, a red bodied and red faced edition for the release of the game Mother 3,[6] and a red bodied model with a black faceplate containing the silhouette of the iconic Pikachu from the Pokémon franchise. In the United States and Canada, the Game Boy Micro is available in two regular colors, each sold with three interchangeable faceplates included: silver with black, "Ammonite" and "Ladybug" faceplates, and black with silver, "Flame" and "Camouflage" faceplates.[7] The "20th Anniversary" edition was released in December 2005, which resembles the Famicom controller. In Europe the Game Boy Micro is available in four different colors, with one matching faceplate: silver, green, blue and pink. Game Boy Micro sold in Australia have the same colors (except Green which replaced by red color) as Europe.[8] There are reportedly no plans to sell additional faceplates in the US retail locations (as indicated in the letter page in issue 200 of Nintendo Power) or the UK.[9] Nintendo of Europe cannot supply replacement faceplates of any kind, and the feature is omitted from the product's marketing, packaging, and manual in Europe. However, some third parties are manufacturing such faceplates for sale in the US and Europe, and some importers stock faceplates acquired from Japan. Nintendo of America sells some of the faceplates individually online.[10] Release and sales [ edit ] Life-to-date Number of units shipped Date Japan Americas Other Total 2005-09-30[11] 0.41 million 0.29 million 0 0.70 million 2005-12-31[12] 0.57 million 0.47 million 0.78 million 1.82 million 2006-03-31[13] 0.58 million 0.47 million 0.79 million 1.83 million 2006-06-30[14] 0.59 million 0.47 million 0.80 million 1.86 million 2006-09-30[15] 0.59 million 0.47 million 0.80 million 1.87 million 2006-12-31[16] 0.60 million 0.96 million 0.85 million 2.40 million 2007-03-31[17][18] 0.61 million 0.95 million 0.87 million 2.42 million The Game Boy Micro sold over 170,000 units during its first days in Japan. [19] The North American release drew some criticism; with a formal release of September 19, 2005, many stores simply ignored it, some delaying it until September 26, 2005 or as late as September 30, 2005. [ citation needed ] According to a Q1 2007 Nintendo earnings release, 2.42 million Game Boy Micro units had been sold worldwide as of March 31, 2007, including 610,000 units in Japan, 950,000 units in the Americas, and 870,000 in other territories such as Europe and Oceania. [17] As of July 30, 2007, the Game Boy Micro has sold 2.5 million units, according to GamePro. It was ranked #8 in their "The 10 Worst-Selling Handhelds of All Time". [20] Generally, the Game Boy Micro did not sell well, and failed to reach the company's aim of units sold. Satoru Iwata stated that the marketing of the Nintendo DS may have hurt the Micro in the marketplace and admitted that Game Boy Micro sales did not meet Nintendo's expectations.[21] Price history [ edit ] The system retailed for US$99,[22] compared to US$79 for the Game Boy Advance SP. The system was originally available in black and silver, and a red 20th Anniversary Edition was later released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Reception [ edit ] A blue Game Boy Micro next to a Game Boy Advance cartridge. The Game Boy Micro's backlit screen, which is superior to the original Game Boy Advance SP's (a later remodel added a similar high quality screen to SP systems), has been praised for its visibility.[23] Due to a finer dot pitch, the screen is more evenly lit, and the brightness is adjustable. The smaller dot pitch has also improved the apparent sharpness of the display. The removable faceplates have also been praised because they allow for personalization and protect the high-resolution backlit screen.[23] Notes [ edit ] ^ Japanese: Gēmu Bōi mikuro ) ゲームボーイミクロ |
The collapse of the Delaware-size Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica has begun. Caused by warming and similar to the demise of the Larsen B and Larsen A in 2003 and 1995, the Larsen ice shelves hold back upland ice on the Antarctic Peninsula. The Larsen B disintegrated in 40 days. Next in line to collapse are the Ross and Ronne Ice Shelves. These California-sized ice shelves hold back the entire West Antarctic Ice Sheet. (NASA photograph by John Sonntag) Independent media will be an essential lifeline next year. Make sure we’re there to bring you the truth about 2017: Make a tax-deductible donation to Truthout today! Our planet’s systems have a tremendous capacity to absorb punishment before they begin to show signs of degradation. Earth’s ecology self-heals like a cut on a finger. It assimilates pollution by chemical, physical and biological means — it changes pollutants into non-hazardous materials and proceeds upon its merry way as if there had been no pollution at all. Up to a point. Acid rain is an excellent example of how our planet can self-heal. By the late 1960s, the United States was emitting so many sulfate and nitrate pollutants (smog) from burning fossil fuels, that sulfuric acid washed from the sky was killing forests and lakes. President Richard Nixon’s Clean Air Act stopped about half of the sulfur from going into our atmosphere. This was enough to allow nature to take over again and our forests and lakes began to heal. Global warming didn’t really get started in a big way until the 1950s. Today, the warming rate is seven times greater than it was in the 1950s and the carbon emission rate is four times greater than in the ’50s. That same sulfur pollution that caused all the acid rain in the ’60s and ’70s is a global cooling pollutant that hides warming. With grossly increasing smog in Asia since about the turn of the century, the results have been that 30 percent of warming that should have occurred has been masked or covered up by global cooling sulfate smog. It’s also a very common misconception that some of the warming is natural. However, until about 100 years ago, our climate was cooling. The planet cooled about 5 degrees F in polar regions near Greenland (half or less globally) over the last 6,000 years. This research comes from mini-icecaps on Baffin Island where easily dateable rooted plants were revealed from melt. In the last 100 years, the temperature on Baffin has warmed about 7 degrees Fahrenheit; 2 degrees warmer than at any time in the last 120,000 years. Most of this warming has occurred since the 1950s. The extremes we are experiencing now (temperature, rainfall, drought, etc.) will not increase at the same rate as the average temperature. The physics of thermodynamics say extremes will increase nonlinearly. Earth has lost its ability to buffer the warming. As we replace coal with non-fossil fuel alternatives, masking of warming by global cooling pollutants will also disappear, compounding the nonlinear rate of increasing extremes. We live on a very complicated and dangerous planet that is worthy of great respect and awe. The past year’s advances in climate science should urge us to put that respect and awe into practice, taking definitive action against global warming. Extremes The American Meteorological Society’s latest report on weather extremes tells us: “Without exception, all the heat-related events studied in this year’s report were found to have been made more intense or likely due to human-induced climate change, and this was discernible even for those events strongly influenced by the 2015 El Niño.” Human-caused “anthropogenic” influence was documented in 23 of 28 major global geographic regions. The events included increasing average temperature, warming of winter extremes, decreasing humidity due to warming, increasing dryness, increasing heavy precipitation, increased sunshine, more extreme drought, more extreme tropical cyclones, increased wildfire burn area and intensity, decreased arctic sea ice, more high tide flooding and decreased snowpack. Attempts at Climate Reform President Obama’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), which is the first policy to set a national limit on power plant-generated CO2 pollution, was one of the major developments of 2015. The CPP is almost identical to the US Kyoto Protocol commitment (created in the mid-1990s) of reducing CO2 emissions but the CPP is 18 years behind Kyoto. In other words, the new regulations are no different than they were a generation ago, and we have emitted almost as much additional carbon dioxide during the delay. Implementation of the CPP began in June 2015, six years after carbon dioxide was successfully declared a pollutant by the EPA. In February 2016 however, the US Supreme Court ordered the CCP back to Federal Appeals Court to determine if it is legal or not. This is the first time that the US Supreme Court has ever blocked an EPA rule. The US climate commitment at Paris, 80 percent CO2 emissions reductions by 2050, is 30 percent less than and 30 years behind Kyoto Phase 2, which was supposed to be implemented by 2020. President-elect Trump has threatened to back out of the Paris Agreement and he will also have final say over the CPP when it returns from court. After over 20 years of trying, we remain without meaningful climate pollution regulations, even though the US is the single country that has unarguably emitted a third of all CO2 ever emitted — three times more than China. It is also very important to note that the US is the only country in the world that did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Increasing Wildfires Across Western North America Work from the Sierra Nevada Research Institute by Anthony Westerling reveals the western US wildfire season has increased by over 60 percent since the 1970s, from 138 days to 222 days, because of earlier onset of spring. The average burn time has increased nearly 800 percent, from six days to 52 days, because of deeper drying from early snowmelt. Burned area increased an astonishing 12 times (1,271 percent). Human-caused ignition has played a very small role in increasing wildfire trends. Westerling also notes: “Given projections for further drying within the region due to human-induced warming, this study underlines the potential for further increases in wildfire activity.” Work from the University of Idaho and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory led by John Abatzoglou revealed that most of the increase in wildfire across the American West has happened since about 2000, and beetle killed trees are not factored into the trends (40 million acres across the US West has been killed by native beetles since 2000). Abatzoglou says that in 20 to 30 years, so much of the forest will have burned that the annual burn rate will begin to fall even with continued warming, because there will be too little forest left to burn. The Amazon Continues to Emit More Carbon Than it Absorbs It began in 2005 with a 100-year drought. Then in 2010, there was another, more extreme drought. Billions of trees were killed. As a result, the Amazon is no longer absorbing CO2. Instead, it is emitting it to the tune of 257 megatons annually — more than half of Brazil’s annual emissions. The most recent and extensive study of this topic, from 56 researchers at the University of Exeter in the UK, led by Ted Feldpausch, showed the decreasing sequestration was not from drought kill alone, but drought stress induced by higher temperatures was also responsible. In 2010, I spoke with Leeds University researcher Simon Lewis who performed some of the first work on Amazonia after the 2010 drought. He said billions of trees were killed in the two droughts, and that for all of the trees to decay will take a relatively short 29 years in the rain forest. Lewis continued, “Two droughts like this in one decade will not completely offset the sink within that decade, but three in a decade may.” Considering the newer work by Feldpausch shows the flip has already occurred, it’s clear that — as so often happens with climate science — the deeper we look, the more extensive the damage really is. A Large Increase in Methane Emissions Methane is over 100 times more powerful of a greenhouse gas than CO2 in the 20-year short term time frame where abrupt changes pose the most risk. Research from Harvard and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs reports that US methane emissions have increased by more than 30 percent over the 2002–2014 period. The increase is greatest in the central part of the country, but no individual source was as yet discernable and was not readily attributable to any specific source type. These researchers say the emissions could account for 30-60 percent of the global growth of atmospheric methane during this period. While fracked gas is obviously the source, attribution in these atmospheric studies is more complicated. Global Warming Psychology Work from Yale, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, continues a trend of defining the culpability of the so-called Climate Change Counter Movement (CCCM) in obfuscating climate science. This work looked at 164 organizations identified in other academic literature as being involved in the CCCM between 1993-2013 and included 40,785 pieces of textual content and more than 39 million words. Two main findings emerged: organizations with corporate funding were more likely to have distributed content meant to polarize the climate change issue; and corporate funding influences the actual thematic content of these polarization efforts, confirming previous work showing the CCCM to be at the root of climate change politics and discourse. NOAA Ice-Sheet Collapse Warning NOAA says it takes 10 years or more for new science to go from conception to acceptance by the consensus. This “warning” implies the Antarctic, and particularly the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), is likely the most important part of climate change as sea level rise greater than three feet per century is beyond the rate at which our civilization can adapt. NOAA’s ostensible warning suggests that in the very near future, we will see new modeling that shows 10 feet of abrupt sea level rise by 2050 to 2060 from collapse of the WAIS. This means coastal infrastructure that represents a disproportionate piece of the global economy will be submerged or degenerated to the point of dysfunction, with plausible global economic breakdown. Extremely salient to this ostensible “warning”: prehistoric evidence of such ice-sheet collapse, not represented by modeling, is common, and at its most extreme is represented by 6.5 to 10 feet of sea level rise in 12 to 24 years at Xcaret Reef on the Yucatan Peninsula 121,000 years ago, from research out of the Autonomous University of Mexico and the German Science Institute in 2009 by Paul Blanchon, et al. Antarctic Ice Shelves Deteriorating Rapidly Early this year, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego showed Antarctic ice shelf volume decline from zero to 300 cubic kilometers in about the last 20 years. The loss is caused by thinning, mostly from melt below the surface. Ice loss was led by the WAIS, which increased by 70 percent in the last 10 years of the study. At its greatest, the under-ice melt rate is up to 100 meters per year (328 feet). Ocean Heat Content Doubles in Recent Decades The above research from Scripps Institute is proven through data collection that dates back as far as the extraordinary 18th century (1872-76) circumpolar ocean science expedition of the HMS Challenger led by Captain George Nares. Work from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Princeton, NOAA and Penn State shows that nearly half of the industrial-era increase in global ocean heat content has occurred in recent decades, with over a third of the accumulated heat occurring below 700 meters. First Tipping Point Timeline for Collapse of the WAIS Research out of the German National Science Institute first described a very distinct tipping point with the WAIS where collapse becomes irreversible in about 2050 to 2060. The very important take-away from this work is that to prevent ice-sheet collapse, we must return ocean temperature to its preindustrial stable temperature by 2050. The challenge here is that it is much more difficult to cool the oceans than it is the atmosphere. See here for an in-depth article in Truthout about the WAIS and the ability of current policy to prevent what would be the largest and most impactful climate change reality of our time. Dynamical Ice-Sheet Collapse Modeling Arrives Consensus climate projections have not, up to now, included abrupt sea level rise, because it has not yet been modeled. But this is changing. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Penn State (DeConto and Pollard) have for the first time modeled marine ice sheet collapse physics with results that begin to show what ice-sheet collapse might have looked like in the distant past. These physics include hydrofracturing of buttressing ice shelves (melt water heavier than ice that forces crevasses open) and structural collapse of marine-terminating ice cliffs where 200 to 300 feet is as tall as an ice cliff can get before it collapses under its own weight. This has very important implications for the WAIS — which rises 6,000 feet above sea level and whose bed rests on the ocean floor 3,000 feet below sea level — where crushed ice debris from collapse can be rapidly washed away from the collapsing ice face by ocean waters. Larsen C Ice Shelf Collapsing The Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica is collapsing. Preceding the Larsen C, the Larsen B went in 2002; preceding that, the Larsen A went in 1995. Both A and B were about the size of Rhode Island. B went in 40 days. It disintegrated into a pile of crushed ice three times the size of Rhode Island and washed out to sea. In early 2016, a crack across the back of the Larsen C Ice Shelf was discovered. By December, it was 70 miles long and 300 feet wide, and extended 1,000 feet — all the way through the 1,000 feet-thick ice shelf. It is only a matter of time before a Delaware-size iceberg breaks off, or the ice shelf disintegrates into crushed ice like the Larsen B. The important thing here is that each of these three ice shelves was closer to the South Pole than the one that melted before it, meaning that warming is progressing. Moving even closer to the pole, the next ice shelves are the Ross and Ronne, on either side of the WAIS, both bigger than California. The great difference between the Larsen Ice Shelves and the Ross and Ronne is that the Larsen’s buttressing only held back a small amount of mountain ice along the Antarctic Peninsula. The Ross and Ronne will release the 9,000 feet-thick WAIS with enough ice to raise the sea level 16 to 20 feet. Alternatives and Renewable Energy For the first time, green energy implementation was greater than increasing energy demand — meaning, more green energy was made available than the total energy that was needed in the world. China leads the world with clean energy installation, triple that of the US and Europe. China has also announced that it would not be building new coal-fired power generation, and 200 coal facilities already permitted or in the planning stages will not be built. India said it had enough generation already built to last three to five years. In 2016, the cost of solar dropped to 2.7 cents per kWh, less than the 3 cents per kWh for fracked gas. Solar costs have fallen more than 80 percent since 2008, onshore wind is down 40 percent, and grid-scale batteries cost 70 percent less. Total world solar and wind generation is now over 3 percent of the total. Stratospheric Geoengineering With Limestone, Not Sulfates Geoengineering to cool the Earth with global cooling sulfates has a bad reputation and is widely believed to make acid rain and ocean acidity much worse. This is a good guess as lower atmospheric sulfate emissions have historically created serious problems with acid rain and ocean acidity. The geoengineering technology, however, uses 100 times less sulfate than we are emitting today, and injects it into the stratosphere above 50,000 feet where it works literally 100 times better than in the lower atmosphere. However, sulfate eats ozone and so far, we are pretty sure that this relationship would not be a good thing. Earlier this month, a team from Harvard led by David Keith published a study about using calcite (calcium carbonate or limestone) to cool the Earth. This class of alkaline metal salts results in similar cooling to sulfates — with a big difference. The minute amount of stratospheric injection of calcite not only cooled our atmosphere markedly, it increased stratospheric ozone (instead of depleting it). Costs for an operation that uses calcite for cooling are fantastically low compared to direct atmospheric removal of carbon dioxide, which itself is dramatically less expensive than the cost of emissions reductions. Calcite dust in our atmosphere is deposited naturally across the globe at a rate that is 10 to 1,000 times greater than the amount of calcite that would be needed to cool the Earth. It’s also very important to note that geoengineering is not a substitute for evolving global energy generation to alternatives other than fossil fuels. The fossil fuel era was an extraordinary time that allowed our civilization to mature. Now that we have discovered much cleaner, cheaper and less impactful ways to generate our energy, the sooner we ditch fossil fuels the better. Sequestration Through Mineralization: Faster Than Previously Understood A field demonstration, published by a cast of 18 scientists in Iceland, the US, Denmark, Australia and the Netherlands, has shown rapid CO2 storage (sequestration) through permanent mineralization at the CarbFix site in Iceland. The project injected CO2 into basaltic rocks at a depth of 1800 feet and observed mineralization — the chemical conversion of CO2 into stable metal salts like calcium carbonate. This process has been known for quite some time but now a field evaluation has shown it to happen in less than two years, instead of the hundreds of thousands of years previously projected. This short duration mineralization vastly reduces the risk to atmospheric leakage and compromise of aquifers. Carbon Capture Using Fuel Cells Generates More Net Energy This one is particularly astonishing: carbon dioxide removal from coal generation flue gas can be accomplished with the addition of existing fuel cell technology to the coal electricity generation process. This private technology, partnering with Exxon Mobile (white paper) showed removal of 90 percent of CO2 and 70 percent of smog-producing pollutants. Most surprisingly, the process generates excess energy and water as byproducts instead of requiring additional energy. The total generation with the combined processes is 180 percent of the generation that would come from the coal alone. Direct Air Capture Work Continues Throughout the year, many climate scientists continued to advocate for both dramatic reductions in emissions and an engagement with CO2 capture technologies. Work in advancing our climate culture towards negative emissions continued with private organizations completing field scale production units (Global Thermostat and Carbon Engineering) with costs far less than some theorists have suggested. Most of the new technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere reduce energy requirements and increase efficiency. It just goes to show that some theoretical scientists, like is so often the case with climate research, are arguing against science that proves otherwise. Of great interest in 2016 was the advancement of the “moisture swing” CO2 capture process being developed by Dr. Klaus Lackner, director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at Arizona State University. In 2009, Lackner’s work had proceeded to where costs were $16 per ton with $0.05 kWh energy costs. Now that solar is at $0.03 per kWh and continuing to fall rapidly, costs are obviously falling for direct air capture with all technologies. This technology is particularly effective because it does not use high temperature to restore the absorbing materials. Instead, room temperature water is used to “wash” the CO2 out of the process. Emissions Reductions, Trump and the Future Emissions reductions can no longer prevent dangerous climate change. Even with the best case scenario of 80 percent reductions by 2050 (as outlined in the Paris commitment), we will see additional warming of double to triple what we have already seen — well above the 2 degree C limit. We have simply delayed too long. To prevent Earth’s temperature from exceeding the dangerous limit we have to remove the excess long-lived CO2 already in our sky. The new technologies of directly removing already emitted CO2 have the capacity to prevent dangerous climate change in time frames that matter. In addition to emissions reductions, it’s clear that direct treatment of climate pollution must be part of our future as we head into 2017. |
Clinton garners 37 percent support in the Democratic field, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) behind her at 27 percent and Vice President Biden — who has not declared a White House bid — at 20 percent. ADVERTISEMENT Clinton’s total is 10 percentage points down from the same poll in August, while Sanders’s is static and Biden’s is up 6 points. In head-to-head polls, Clinton ties with Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump at 48 percent each. Faced with other top GOP contenders, Clinton trails retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson 51 percent to 46 percent and trails former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush 49 percent to 47 percent. The poll of 1,012 adults overall — 395 Democrats or Democratic-leaning voters — was conducted Sept. 4-8. It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, and a margin of error among Democratic voters of plus or minus 5 percentage points. |
A Russian spy who worked to steal American secrets while undercover as a bank employee was sent back to Russia on Wednesday—months ahead of schedule. As a non-official cover spy, Evgeny Buryakov worked an ordinary job—in his case, at the state-run development bank Vnesheconombank—while conducting his covert duties on the side. He tried to gather financial information, including details about U.S. sanctions, for Russia, while his handlers sought to recruit Americans as intelligence assets. Buryakov was asked to get information about the “effects of economic sanctions on our country,” according to his criminal complaint. He later searched the internet for “sanctions Russia consiquences” [sic]. He was busted in January 2015 in part because his handlers were sloppy and bragged about their exploits while bugged by the FBI. But they were able to flee the country without getting arrested, under diplomatic cover. Buryakov pleaded guilty in May 2016 and sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to act in the United States as an unregistered agent of the Russian Federation. The spy’s release comes amid increasing concerns about Russian intelligence operations against the United States. Just last week, Reuters reported that President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Vnesheconombank executives in December. The bank that Buryakov worked for while conducting espionage for Russia paid for his legal bills after his arrest and was also sanctioned after Russia’s invasion of Crimea. As The Daily Beast reported last week, Sergei Gorkov, the chairman of VEB, has a spy’s pedigree. Senate investigators intend to question Kushner about those meetings last year. Concerns over the Trump team’s Russia ties have swirled for months. Notably, former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page was scrutinized over his tight Russia ties early in the presidential race. This week, it emerged that Page was the man Buryakov’s handlers tried to recruit as an intelligence asset. And former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned after lying about meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. After Flynn’s resignation, it emerged that, among other things, he failed to disclose hefty payments received from Russian propaganda network RT. Buryakov shed nearly four months from his sentence for good behavior and was released from prison and into ICE custody on March 31. He was expected to be released in July. Yet while his early exit from prison may be unexpected, it is not altogether uncommon, experts said. Kara Gotsch, the director of strategic initiatives at The Sentencing Project, told The Daily Beast that those serving more than a year in federal prison are eligible for a 47-day reduction for good behavior on their sentence for every year they serve. There are other mechanisms for early release, too—like compassionate release—though they are not commonly used. “The [Bureau of Prisons] does have discretion for up to six months prior to someone’s release,” Gotsch said. “They could go into a halfway house or home confinement or something like that.” That option was not given to Buryakov. He remained at an Ohio prison before being handed over to ICE and deported. In a statement, the agency defended his deportation. “Removing individuals like Mr. Buryakov represents ICE’s highest enforcement priority, which is protecting the national security of the United States,” said Rebecca Adducci, field office director for ICE’s enforcement and removal operations in Michigan and Ohio. |
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the single greatest South Park episode of all time: "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery." That's a bold statement on your correspondent's part but he means every word of it. The episode, from the show's third season, featured a guest appearance from nu-metal act Korn at the peak of its controversy, a match made in heaven for the show that has generated more controversy than any before or since. Matt Parker and Trey Stone decided to portray the band as the exact opposite, a play off of the PG-rated crime solving Scooby Doo gang, complete with Hanna Barbera style-animations for the band members. The band must help the boys solve the case of the pirate ghosts that are terrifying the town's residents and preventing the annual Halloween Bash at the town's docks. Shenanigans ensue. Korn would go on to premiere its track "Falling Away From Me" at the end of the episode (that's the musical news to take from this article, if any). Your correspondent is ready to defend his claims that this is the best episode in the show's history by presenting the best five moments/quotes, by his estimation. Feel free to weigh in on your favorite parts in the comment section...there are no wrong answers here. 05) "Oh I don't want to dig up my dead grandma because I'm such a goodie two-shoes!" Cartman has always been an excellent character but we miss the days when he was less of a conspiracy theorist and just a fat a--hole. He taunts Kyle for not wanting to exhume his recently deceased grandmother for the purpose of scaring the fifth graders, an action that sets most of the episode's more disturbing plot points in motion. Cartman's childish nature continues throughout the episode, as he sings Christmas carols in anticipation of getting presents, mistaking his mother's Antonio Banderas blow-up doll as an early gift. 04) "What the hell is that thing?" Officer Barbrady is the character we miss the most from South Park's early days, specifically for his talent at delivering simple sentences with hilarious intonation. The aforementioned line happens when Korn's bumblebee/bird hybrid friend Nibblet appears to help the gang capture the pirate ghosts. The bizarre organism fills the role of a Scooby Doo character and also steps up to ruin Cartman's day by popping "his" Banderas doll. 03) "I spy with my little eye something that begins with the letter 'p'!" Parker and Stone wanted to make sure viewers knew right away that they wouldn't get the Korn they expected (unlike Cure frontman Robert Smith, who appeared in Season 1's "Mecha-Streisand." He can turn into a giant moth in real life, just like the show). The band is crammed into a Volkswagon van curiously similar to the Scooby Doo gang's Mystery Machine. Like any good-natured nu-metal band, Korn is seen playing "I Spy" to pass the time in my van. Vocalist Jonathan Davis spies something with his little eye that begins with the letter "p" during his turn...our introduction to the episodes titular...PIRATE GHOSTS! 02) Grammar and Psychology with Korn There are two moments in the episode where Korn comes across as way more intellectual than parents might assume from the band's lyrics. First, the group debates whether the spooks are "pirate ghosts" or "ghost pirates," based on the implications of each phrase. Are they pirates that became ghosts, or are they ghosts who decided to become pirates? Although no final answer is declared, David Silveria correctly points out that historical pirates existing in Colorado doesn't make sense, technically making the villains "ghost pirates." Later, when the group decides to split up, Davis probes the psyche of the characters by offering two alternatives: "Let's have everyone who enjoys having obstacles in their life which they can overcome go this way, and everyone whose insecurities sabotage their potential to overcome those obstacles go that way." The quote is both a humorous jab at the band's own emotive lyrics while referencing the vocalist's aforementioned "pirate ghosts" grammatical problems (he should have said "that they can overcome"...not "which"). 01) The Cemetery Crew. Anything they say or do. We tried awfully hard to find any quote from the Mt. Peaceful cemetery staff that was kosher for this article but none applied. The pair, which makes its only appearance in this episode, comes to Mrs. Brovlovski to inform her that her mother had been dug-up (by the kids of course) and that they suspect necrophilia is probable. That's as far as we can go in describing their role without getting put on probation at the office. Just understand that every line they deliver and every mayonnaise jar they carry is employed in "informing" the town about the morbid phenomenon through a series of horrifying anecdotes. Watch the full episode at South Park Studios if you want an example. |
In what is likely to provide a huge boost to the Melbourne Aces’ playoff chances, the organization today announced that Tommy Thompson will be Manager of the team for the 2014/15 ABL season. Thompson, who has managerial experience in the Minor Leagues dating back to 1990, has spent his time within both the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox organizations and comes highly regarded within the baseball world. He is currently managing the Class A+ Winston-Salem Dash who have a record of 41-48 this season playing in the Carolina League. It was reported earlier today that Windsor Knox, General Manager of the Aces, was thrilled that the Aces have been able to secure the services of an international coach to lead the team this summer. Thompson’s managerial career has seen him hold various roles with the Chicago White Sox, Frederick Keys, Kannapolis Intimidators and Winston-Salem Dash. Prior to his managerial career, he was also a very talented baseballer who reached as high as Class AAA in the Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox organizations. |
York University plans to equip its security staff with handcuffs and batons in response to perceptions that its campus is unsafe. The university has had a longstanding policy of non-intervention by security staff, simply calling police when they saw suspicious or violent activity. But university sources familiar with the issue revealed Tuesday that senior management hopes to implement significant policy changes during the fall semester to improve student safety and combat campus crime. The use of collapsible batons and handcuffs will allow security staff to intervene and also apprehend and detain suspects. York spokesman Wallace Pidgeon said the university would not confirm any changes until it discusses them with employees. One internal memo indicated York will disclose some details to staff on Thursday. Article Continued Below York, the country’s third largest university with 54,000 students, has had the non-intervention policy because staff have inadequate protection. The policy took root about a decade ago when the Ontario labour ministry supported union arguments that the school would need to equip security staff better for interventions. But York told them to not risk their safety by intervening. Security staff wear bulletproof vests but carry no other protective gear. At many other universities and colleges, security staff have proper protective equipment and the discretionary power to restrain suspects, arrest them and then call police. The policy change comes in the aftermath of high-profile sexual assaults and robberies, as well as concerns from students and their associations about inadequate security at the sprawling campus in northwest Toronto for several years. An independent safety audit last year recommended York review its non-intervention policy and implement an effective “force response model . . . in consultation with students, faculty and staff.” One source said York is clearly responding to widespread concerns and the potential impact on the university’s reputation and future enrolment. Article Continued Below “I know enrolment has been affected,” said the source who requested anonymity. “Safety and security are among the main reasons for that.” In addition to batons and handcuffs, the sources said, York considered equipping security with pepper spray but quickly shelved the idea because only sworn peace officers, special constables and police can legally use it. Despite its size, York employs only about 50 people in its security department. However, the university is hiring another 12 staff in response to the safety audit’s recommendations, Pidgeon said. The university is also “exploring” another recommendation for the development of a new security model that balances community and enforcement needs, said Pidgeon, York’s associate director of communications. Rob Kilfoyle, director of security services, could not be reached for comment but he indicated pending changes without identifying them in a recent email to staff. “There are some exciting changes coming down the pipe for Security Services,” he said in inviting staff to a Thursday morning meeting. “We will roll out some of the changes that are set to take place over the coming months.” |
The Swiss government announced Friday (4 December) it would limit immigration from EU countries with a unilateral quota by March 2016 if it is unable to strike a deal with the EU. Switzerland is not an EU member, but belongs to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) with Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. Like all four EFTA countries, Switzerland has signed the Schengen agreement, which allows EU citizens to enter the Alpine country freely – and vice versa. But in a February 2014 referendum, the Swiss voted "against mass immigration". The country's Federal Council – its federal executive branch – has been trying to transform the referendum result into legislative action. It said Friday that while it “decided to continue the ongoing consultations with the EU”, the government also instructed the federal department of justice and police to come up with unilateral rules on immigration in the form of a “safeguard clause”, for in case the talks fail. “The aim of the clause would be to allow the independent control of immigration by imposing temporary and targeted restrictions on permits for persons from EU/EFTA states,” it said. The government will set “a specific threshold … for the immigration of citizens of EU and EFTA states, which, if exceeded, would lead to quantitative limits and quotas being introduced the following year”. “The Federal Council will specify the types of permits and purposes of residence to which the limits and quotas will apply. When making these decisions, it will give special consideration to Switzerland's general economic interests and the recommendations of a new immigration commission, as proposed in the consultation draft”, it added. The EU is Switzerland's main trading partner, and any restrictions are expected to cause economic damage. EU-Swiss relations have been strained since the referendum, and continue to be bumpy. In October, the eurosceptic and anti-immigration Swiss People's Party (SVP) won 29.5 percent in lower house elections. It was the SVP that was behind the referendum. This article had mistakenly said the EU was a member of the European Free Trade Association. It has been corrected on Monday 7 December |
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