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Norwich City are interested in signing Middlesbrough striker Jordan Rhodes, according to the PinkUn. The report says that Rhodes has fallen out of favour at Middlesbrough, having not featured for Boro in the Premier League so far this season. Norwich are said to be keen on Rhodes, as they desperately look to sign a striker before the transfer deadline in nine days time. Alex Neil has been on the hunt for a striker all summer, having missed out on numerous targets to Championship sides already. Dwight Gayle, Steven Fletcher and Ross McCormack joined Newcastle, Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa respectively after interest from Norwich. Rhodes scored five goals in his last eight games for Boro last season in the Championship, helping them to finish 2nd and gain promotion to the top-flight. He hit over 20 Championship goals for three seasons running for Blackburn, showing his goalscoring pedigree at this level. |
Elite status brings new benefits to players, starting Thursday, October 26. The “Arsenal” update brought a lot of changes to TERA, particularly to the gear progression system. To offer players greater convenience, elite status now confers an always-on 50 percent crafting speed boost. Note: The crafting speed has a minimum crafting time of 1-2 seconds, so for quick items, you may not notice the boost, but it's there. We already swapped out Eclipse for Midnight, one of new flying spirit wolves, as the elite status flying mount. But we’re not finished yet! More changes will appear in the weeks ahead, many of them the result of feedback we received from the community. If you’re not already an elite player, what are you waiting for? Sign up for elite status now! |
With the conference slate beginning to heat up around the SEC, every team will have played at least one league game by the conclusion of Week 4. To help predict the outcomes of each SEC game (with the exception of Missouri) this weekend, Ed Feng – founder of The Power Rank, has released his latest set of analytic predictions Tuesday. Feng has predicted not only the likelihood of winning for each SEC team but the projected margin of victory for each contest, as well. Last season, The Power Rank accurately predicted 76.1% of games (570-179 overall) and did not include FBS vs. FCS matchups to skew its results – thus Missouri vs. Delaware State did not make the list this week. Here’s how The Power Rank sees the Week 4 action going in the SEC: |
What is it about public transportation that lures bigots? Near Portland, Oregon, a famously liberal and socially progressive city, TriMet commuter train service was temporarily disgraced on Saturday by an unidentified white man who used an antiblack racial slur against a black passenger. Other passengers reportedly remained silent, while the man spewed the hateful words. The incident was caught on video by three young brothers of color who, after intervening on the victim's behalf, also became the targets of the man's racist tirade. Huge white man attacks a young Black mother w/ toddler. Calls her a nigger. White folk silent. 3 brothers intervene.https://amp.twimg.com/v/c020c666-44d2-402c-b873-b7ae55dafa39 ... "You f*cking n*gger!" the man is heard yelling in the direction of an African-American woman, her godmother and a toddler. "Keep on saying sh*t," one of the young men says, getting the white man's attention. "What the f*ck are you going to do about it," the white man says, challenging the young men. He then pushes and takes a few swipes at the one who was capturing smartphone video. Mic/YouTube The man allegedly began berating the men filming the video. "Film me, n*gger," he says before exiting the train. The man got back on the train briefly, asking the young men to delete the video. Emilio Herrera, 21, told the Oregonian that it was him and his younger brothers, 18-year-old Romeo and 17-year-old Pablo, who intervened and captured video of the incident, as they rode the MAX light rail train from Beaverton, Oregon, to Portland on Aug. 13. The fact that nobody else on the train tried to assist the women bothered Emilio Herrera. "Everybody just sat there and watched us," he told the Oregonian. Mic/YouTube The man even tries to hit one of the young men filming the incident. TriMet, the public transportation agency, said passengers should feel empowered to help people who are targeted this way. "We are disturbed by the individual's behavior," Mary Fetsch, a spokesperson for TriMet, said in an email to the Oregonian. "In this type of situation it's appropriate for riders to contact the operator and request police to respond or call 9-1-1 directly." Nitasha Sweaney, 27, came forward as one of the two women targeted by the white man's hate. Sweaney, her godmother and her child were riding in the front car of the MAX train, she told the Oregonian via email. Mic/YouTube The man eventually left the train, but came back and asked for the footage to be erased. She said the man had asked her and her godmother for 75 cents. When they said no, he flipped them off and hovered over them. Moments later, the Herrera brothers began recording Sweaney's encounter. "I have never been in an altercation like this, especially not since having my child," Sweaney wrote in the email. "I've never felt uncomfortable on public transportation but since this I have been extremely alert and uncomfortable." She added that, sadly, she'll likely get her driver's license to avoid public transportation altogether. "I would never want my child to have to go through that again," she wrote. |
'I shot at him, he tried to run me over': 911 tape released from chaotic incident Copyright by WAVY - All rights reserved Video NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) -- A dramatic 911 call released only to 10 On Your Side reveals more about a chaotic incident when a Newport News neighbor shot at a possible peeping Tom two weeks ago. "Shots fired, I'm at the corner of Middlesex and Jefferson," said the neighbor. It was the ending to a crazy chain of events at a Newport News apartment complex. It started when neighbors in Hidenwood North say a man was peeping into windows. One neighbor confronted the stranger and minutes later, he took off running. The neighbor who was on the phone with 911 gave chase. "I'm chasing the suspect," the neighbor told the dispatcher. "I cannot hear you sir," the dispatcher said. "I can't hear you." Surveillance video from a nearby business shows the suspect running towards his car with the neighbor right on his heels. "I am chasing a suspect," the neighbor screamed. "He is trying to break into houses." The suspect got into his car. As he pulled away, he hit the neighbor, who ended up on top of the hood before falling to the ground. At that point, the neighbor pulled out a gun and fired at the car. "Shots fired," the neighbor said. "He tried to run me over." "I'm sorry, Middlesex and where?" the dispatcher asked. "Stop yelling. Middlesex and where?" "Middlesex and Warwick," the neighbor said. "Did you shoot somebody or did you just fire at him?" the dispatcher asked. "I shot at him. He tried to run me over." The suspect was able to get away. Police are still looking for him. 10 On Your Side has been told the neighbor who fired the gun is not facing any charges. |
As the Bay of Bengal gets crowded and the catch thins, desperate fishermen from India’s eastern coast make way to the west. On clear nights, when the fish are aplenty in the nets and he can take a break from steering, S Apparao thinks of his little house in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, on the eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Two lamps, one in the cabin and another on the mast of his 15-metre boat, Parshuram, light up a tiny circle of the sea as it rolls under him. The gentle motion that now rocks him to sleep had nearly thrown him off board the first time he had been out to sea as a boy, then 10 years old, fishing near Visakhapatnam in his home state. He remembers setting out with his father before dawn, with the sun rising in the waters ahead of the boat from the east. These days, as a 46-year-old, he looks towards the land for the sunrise. On the small radio in the cabin, the voices of other fishermen in Marathi or Malayalam alert him to where he is on the Arabian Sea—far from the east coast. In the late 1980s, as fishing in the Bay of Bengal, which lies to the east of the Indian peninsula, intensified, the waters were left with too many fishermen and too few fish. Thousands of men from Andhra Pradesh’s coastal districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam then began to travel to the busy fishing harbours of Gujarat, working as tandels (skippers) and khalasis (crewmen) on mechanised fishing boats owned by local kharwa merchants. Only a fraction of Gujaratis eat fish but in the 1960s the state’s enterprising sea-faring castes had spotted opportunity early and shifted from traditional maritime trade—which was losing out to modern shipping—and moved to fishing. Today, Gujarat’s boats account for a quarter of the country’s marine fish catch and over 8,000 registered boats pass through the state’s busiest harbour, Veraval, alone. Nikhil Roshan S Apparao on board the ‘Parashuram’ at the Veraval harbour. Over the years, deep-sea fishermen from Andhra Pradesh have replaced those from Valsad and Kerala as workers on these boats—partly because they are content with lower wages. Though there is no official count, anecdotal estimates put the number of migrants at 25,000 every season. They earn up to three times as much in Gujarat as they do fishing in small traditional canoes back home. A tandel like Apparao, with over 10 years of experience, makes Rs21,000 every month and a khalasi is paid about half that sum. The highlight, they say, is the steady salary, paid in lump sum at the start of the fishing season. “Fishing is a gamble,” said Apparao, standing outside his home in Srikurmam Machilesam village in July 2016. “You don’t know if you will catch anything on a given day.” He was home for four months since fishing in the Arabian Sea comes to a halt in the monsoon. Nearly a decade of work in Gujarat had allowed him to save enough to rebuild his mud house with brick and cement. He wanted to complete another floor for his son by next year. Apparao himself only studied till the fifth grade but he said that most of the migrants over 40 had never gone to school. In Gujarat, the money is steady but the work is punishing: an average fishing trip is nearly 20 days long and the men—nine to a cabin the length of a small car—have no rest hours. The hunt for a big catch takes them as far south as Karnataka and Kerala, which doesn’t win them any friends among local fishermen. Fishing boats are supposed to restrict activity to waters within five nautical miles—nine kilometres—of their state territory, but there is no law to enforce this. “We’re in trouble if we ever run out of fuel in these areas,” said M Sandiyya, a khalasi also from Machilesam. “The local fishermen don’t allow us to dock our boats on shore and sometimes they even confiscate our catch.” Back at the Veraval harbour, the boats dock for just a day or two to restock fuel, ice and rations. During the eight months that they spend in Gujarat, the men wake up every morning on a boat. Nikhil Roshan A boat enters the Veraval harbour, India’s busiest, with over 8,000 registered boats passing through it. Veraval lies three hours south of Porbandar on Gujarat’s 1,600km-long coastline. On streets that smell of fish and damp wood, almost everybody is employed in the fishing industry, but the town is better known on Gujarat’s cultural map for a few shabby hotels that house pilgrims to the Somnath temple 7km away. Once every week, the Dwarka Express travels 52 hours and nearly 3,000km from Puri—mostly ferrying migrant workers from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to industrial centres in Gujarat—stopping at the Veraval railway station to drop off fishermen like Apparao. In earlier times, the port saw visitors from even more distant lands. Merchants from West Asia and the Arabian Peninsula came in ships to trade in horses, textiles, and dates. A few old merchant buildings crumbling in the sea air—one houses the customs department—hint at a history that has been forgotten by the town’s residents, barring a few old Muslim sailors. Besides being the country’s biggest fishing harbour, Veraval has a thriving boat manufacturing industry, a large number of ice factories, and over 100 fish processing units, most of which export to Europe and China. One such unit is managed by Kenny Thomas, whose company Jinny Marine is one of the larger exporters approved by the European Union. Inside its sterilised factory, over 300 local women clean, sort and pack squid and shrimp into neat, impeccably labelled containers headed for supermarkets in Spain and Portugal. “Women are preferred because they can do this sort of work faster and more efficiently,” said Thomas. Nimble hands, he explained with a shrug, for customers that wouldn’t want any grazed calamari on their plates. Nikhil Roshan Inside the fish processing units, the workers are almost all women. In this industrious town, there is little by way of entertainment. The Gujarati business classes have little time for anything but work and the aartis at the famous temple next door. Most conversations begin with the salutation “Jai Somnath”, even among the Andhra fishermen when they are in Veraval. The closest movie theatre is nearly two hours away in Junagadh. For the fishermen who have grown up on a diet of Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna blockbusters—Srikakulam has at least seven theatres, all packed through the day—the tiny 10-inch television-cum-DVD-player in the cabins on the boats is as essential a piece of equipment as the Garmin GPS systems or fish-finders. Srikakulam is a bustling coastal town nearly three hours north-east of Vishakhapatnam. Here, Mylapalli Trinada Rao has tried to draw the government’s attention to a darker side of the migrant’s experience. Last year, Rao, a stocky, affable director of the state Fishermen Cooperatives Federation, wrote to prime minister Narendra Modi with a list of over 60 names of fishermen from the district who had drowned in Gujarat, Goa, and Odisha since 1990. The number may not seem alarming in a country where industrial accidents and farmer suicides are all too common, but Rao pointed out that not one body has been returned to the families; nor have they received the compensation promised by state laws. He did not expect a reply from the prime minister but claimed that there has been no action from the fisheries departments of any state. In the Srikakulam villages from where the fishermen travel to Gujarat, some of the men spoke a little Hindi and Gujarati but the women knew only Telugu. They had never talked to their husbands’ employers in Veraval. Apparao remembered the time when one of his crewmen fell into the sea and was later found tangled in the nets. “It was too late when we brought him up,” he said. “We packed the body with ice in the fish hold and turned back towards Veraval.” But in that instance, the seth sent the body back to the village with another khalasi. Apparao’s seth, Tulsibhai Gohel, is president of Veraval’s boat owners’ association, the Kharwa Sanyukta Machhimar Boat Association. It is the only grouping resembling a union but designed to service capital rather than labour. Gohel is a lean, light-eyed, and respected president who, like other investors in the trade, owns about half-a-dozen boats. Apparao said his seth is a good man, one of the few who gives his crew a bonus every year and does not grudge it when they return with a meagre catch. Nikhil Roshan When the boats return, the fish is packed in crates and sent to the processing units nearby after a price is negotiated with their agents on the docks. One afternoon in July, Gohel was finishing a meeting with local officials in Veraval to launch a Swachh Bharat drive at the boat jetty. Dressed in a formal shirt and derby leather shoes, he was driven in his Toyota Innova to a modest association office, where, seated on a faded cushion on the floor, he oversaw the settlement of a few minor disputes. There was no mention of the workers in the matters that came up for discussion. When asked how he dealt with cases of men drowning at sea, Gohel said, “There are very few because we don’t let the men carry alcohol on the boats. All the accidents happen at the harbour when the boats are back. The men sometimes drink at night and fall into the water between the parked boats.” Apparao agrees. He stopped drinking a few years ago when he realised he was draining his savings while on vacation in Srikakulam. But others in his village denied that the deaths were caused by drinking alone. “How many deaths can you have at the harbour,” said Sandiyya. Marine fishing laws require all boats to be equipped with life-jackets, buoys, and even portable toilets. Few boats in Veraval have life-jackets and, for toilets, the men sit precariously on the narrow bulwark, hold on to the rigging and point their motions outward as the sea pitches the boat from side to side. In Veraval, the sun-bleached marine police station sits on a deserted beach outside the town. Inside, constable CD Rawal thumbed through a large register to find the information on deaths at sea this year. There were two: a Bhagwan-bhai from a village in Valsad and Ramlu Badi of Dagalu in Srikakulam, as they appeared in the careless handwriting of a station officer. There was no other information. In Srikakulam, all attempts to find Dagalu were futile: people said there is no such village. One morning at the start of June, with the sun rising over Veraval bundur, the Parashuram set out on another long trip down the western coast, packed with over seven tonnes of ice and enough ration for Apparao and his crew. This was the last trip of the season. The radio crackled with greetings of “Jai Somnath” between the other boats sailing out. From his cabin window, Apparao could see the giant temple on the edge of the coastline. They would pass Mumbai in a day or two. The sea was a lot rougher because of the strong monsoon winds and the men held on to the ropes. Normally, they could stand on their feet as the sea tossed the boat and still haul in the nets and sort the fish, but the men had not been home in eight months. No accidents on this final trip. When Apparao returned to Machilesam, there would be a feast for their guardian deity, Polamamba Mata. Last year, it had been his village’s turn to host the panchayat. Most of the other tandels did nothing but eat and drink for the four months they were home. Not Apparao. There were debts to settle and work that needed to be done—starting with that first-floor bedroom. The engine roared under him as he turned the boat southward in the direction of the other boats. The screen of his fish-finder glowed with numbers and broad strokes of blue. Somewhere in there was that prize catch. The reporting for this article was conducted as part of a research project for the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers. The article first appeared on Scroll.in. |
New Challenger GT: four wheels a-rockin’ by David Zatz on The Dodge Challenger GT AWD, billed as “the world’s first and only all-wheel drive muscle coupe,” is now official. The 305-horsepower 2017 Dodge Challenger GT is only sold with the V6 engine, with a base price of $34,490. Production starts in January, and the car should be at dealerships nationwide by March. The Pentastar V6 engine is tuned for 305 horsepower at 6,350 rpm in the Challenger, with tuned induction that helps keep over 90% of peak torque on tap from 1,800 to 6,400 rpm. With the standard TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic, Challenger GT is rated at 18 city/27 mpg. Nobody will be surprised that the car uses the Charger’s all wheel drive system, with its efficient disconnecting front axle; it’s fully automatic and fast to react. Stability control has three modes, including full-off. As befits a muscle car, the Dodge Challenger GT AWD has paddle shifters for manual gear control, and a Sport mode with quicker gear changes and higher revs. Power gets to the ground through P235/55R19 BSW all-season performance tires. One surprise is the standard Dodge Performance Pages and Launch Control, accessed from the 8.4” touch-screen. Reaction times, 0-60 times, G-forces, and other performance metrics can be even be monitored from the 7-inch trip computer. Standard gizmos include projector fog lamps, park assist, rear camera, Nappa leather, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, Alpine speakers and 276-watt amplifier, and LED halo headlamps (see the full list). An optional ($995) GT Interior package adds nine Alpine speakers, a 506-watt amplifier, a performance steering wheel, and Nappa-leather-and-Alcantara-suede seats. See the full story at our permanent Dodge Challenger GT AWD page. Or watch the 23-second video and then visit the page: David Zatz founded Allpar in 1998 (based on a site he had begun in 1993-94), after years of writing reviews for retail trades. He has been quoted by the New York Times, Daily Telegraph, Detroit News, and USA Today; and he wrote the book on minivans, literally. Before making Allpar a full-time career, he was a consultant in organizational psychology, leading to his research and change and Mac statistics software sites. You can reach him by using our contact form. |
Union evacuated after fire at Strathclyde University building. © Amy Burns A student union has been evacuated after a fire broke out in an adjoining building. Around 150 students were evacuated from Strathclyde University's Student Union, in the centre of Glasgow, after flames were spotted in the neighbouring James Weir building in Montrose Street. Four fire engines and eight pumps attended the incident, which sent plumes of smoke drifting across George Square. A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said they had been called to the blaze at 7.15pm. No-one is believed to have been injured in the fire, which began in a room on the building's third floor. A message on the university's official Twitter page read: "We're aware of the fire and buildings have been evacuated. "Fire service in attendance. We are monitoring the situation. Updates to follow." Police said the fire could possibly have been caused by chemicals, as the James Weir building houses the university's chemical engineering department. Union president Charandeep Singh called emergency services after spotting flames from his office. He told STV News: "We evacuated the union as a precautionary measure. Around 150 students were evacuated within two minutes. "I'm extremely proud of the staff and the fire brigade who dealt with the situation swiftly and calmly ensuring the safety of students. I will assess the situation as it develops with the appropriate people." A statement posted on the university's Facebook page said: "All classes in the James Weir Building on Wednesday 8 February have been cancelled. This is due to a fire which broke out in the building earlier tonight. "Students will have access to other University facilities as normal and we will keep you up to date with developments throughout the day." Montrose Street was closed to all traffic between Cathedral Street and George Street and motorists were advised to avoid the area. |
It was with a mixture of surprise and disbelief in the fall of 2008 that I read journalists' commentaries on the end of capitalism. Many welcomed the expansion of regulation and government intervention and the weakening of market competition as a regulator. Several journalists asked me to comment on the alleged end of capitalism. Did they not see that capitalism had become the dominant form of economic organization that had spread in the past 50 years from a few countries in North America and Western Europe to Asia, Latin America, and now to Africa? My book, Why Capitalism? offers my explanation of the success of democratic capitalism and the failure of alternatives. Democratic capitalism has three unequaled strengths. It is the only system that achieves both economic growth and individual freedom, and it adapts to the many diverse cultures in the world. Adapting to cultures means that it works well with people as they are, not as someone would like to make them. Democracy works to remove the most common criticism of capitalism-that it generates inequality in income distribution. Voters choose the tax rates and income redistribution that satisfies a majority of voters, never all of them. "Democratic capitalism has three unequaled strengths. It is the only system that achieves both economic growth and individual freedom, and it adapts to the many diverse cultures in the world... Democracy works to remove the most common criticism of capitalism-that it generates inequality in income distribution." Capitalism places the ownership of the means of producing goods and services in the hands of individuals. The allocation of physical and human capital is based on individual decisions. Power is dispersed; abuse of power brings competitors. Mistakes and poor judgments can end in failure. Capitalism without failure is like religion without sin. It doesn't work. Alternatives to capitalism, whether socialism, communism, fascism, or some religious orthodoxies offer some groups utopian vision of mankind that becomes the one "right path." Utopian visions and orthodoxies must be enforced, so they always bring enforcement, often brutal enforcement. The 20th century saw many such outcomes. None achieved both higher living standards and greater individual freedom. National Socialism, Soviet and Chinese Communism instead produced mass murders of millions. This should have extinguished the appeal of utopian visions, but it has not. Many still believe that social justice can only be achieved by ending or severely regulating capitalism. Experience disputes that notion. Alternatives to capitalism concentrate power in few hands, opening the way to tyranny and brutality, not justice. "Capitalism without failure is like religion without sin. It doesn't work... Alternatives to capitalism concentrate power in few hands, opening the way to tyranny and brutality, not justice." Especially during the past four years in the United States, greatly increased regulation and government spending restricted capitalist development. The main reasons economic recovery from a deep recession was slower than in any postwar recovery are that incentives for risk-bearing diminished and uncertainty increased. No one could know what future tax rates, health care and energy costs, and other regulations would do to future profits. The result: businesses held billions of idle cash and banks held more than one trillion of idle reserves. Instead of investing, they waited for a clearer, less uncertain future and heightened incentives for profits and growth. Increased centralization of decisions added to the uncertainty that is ever present. U.S. experience is not unique. Japan has stagnated for 20 years under large government spending programs. Government operated social welfare states, Italy and Greece, suffer deep decline. The heavily regulated social welfare state guided by government officials has failed. Long ago John Locke recognized that collective action is the efficient response to some social problems. Voters in democratic capitalist countries can vote to redistribute and regulate. Modern economics extends that result by recognizing differences between private and social cost. Much regulation restricts competitive solutions, but regulation often fails to achieve efficient or desirable outcomes because it is subject to capture by the regulated and to circumvention by those most affected. Regulation works best to align private and social costs when it changes the incentives of the regulated. Much regulation, instead, creates incentives for circumvention, crony capitalism and corruption. "Regulation works best to align private and social costs when it changes the incentives of the regulated. Much regulation, instead, creates incentives for circumvention, crony capitalism and corruption." Capitalism is not a perfect solution to human problems. Perfect solutions are utopian; capitalism is a human institution that works with humans as they are. I share the view strongly taken by early Christianity that the great German philosopher Immanuel Kant expressed very well. People are not perfect, so their systems reflect their imperfections. Capitalism and markets are not responsible for what has gone wrong in the European Union and the United States. People, most often people in powerful positions, created the current crisis by offering well-intentioned policies such as programs to increase home ownership by low income families. Agencies of the U.S. government offered mortgage bankers huge profits for lending to low income borrowers with no down payment loans that government agencies bought. For a short time it appeared to work. Then the housing market collapsed. Capitalism disperses and limits power while the alternatives concentrate power in a few hands. Capitalism gives owners and managers incentives to serve the public. Failure to service the public often leads to bankruptcy. Governments do not face the same incentives as private owners and managers. When they fail to achieve the promised improvements in welfare, they do not disappear. Instead they get more money. A few years ago, Canada elected a government determined to reduce the role of government and increase the incentives for economic growth. The benefits should be obvious to all. After years of government regulation and direction, India and China increased market incentives. Millions of people rose from poverty. The success of private incentives is again confirmed. In the spring of this year, much of the press hailed the "Occupy" demonstrators and their criticisms of capitalism. Participants never offered a coherent program. They had no program. And they were ignorant of the facts of history and economic development. In the past 60 years, more people in more countries increased living standards by larger amounts than in any time in human history. Millions were lifted from poverty. The reason: market capitalism and rules for freer trade permitted countries to specialize in producing and selling products that captured their comparative advantage. Freer trade and market competition-capitalism-permitted the gains in human welfare. No other system achieved anything similar while maintaining and expanding freedom. "In the spring of this year, much of the press hailed the "Occupy" demonstrators and their criticisms of capitalism. Participants never offered a coherent program. They had no program. And they were ignorant of the facts of history and economic development." Cultural differences require that there is not a single capitalist orthodoxy. European capitalism differs from Canadian or U.S. capitalism and all of them differ from Japan. State capitalism in China gives a large role to the state. That role has increased in recent years, so I expect the spectacular growth rates of the past 20 years to decline. It is not an accident that the major innovations of modern times begin in countries with greater freedom. Capitalism disperses power and encourages innovation. The critics of capitalism are wrong. As long as people value freedom and growth, some form of capitalism will remain the principal way to organize economies. Political choice will force deviations from time to time, but a free public will find its way back. Capitalism will remain our future. And because we are not perfect, our system will have flaws. Freedom will permit critics to voice their criticisms, successfully at times. |
In a world where automakers keep spending more and more money on advertising, Hyundai, like Audi, have aligned themselves with the Marvel Universe in order to reach the people they otherwise couldn’t. In 2015, Hyundai signed a two-year deal with Marvel and Netflix, purchasing product-placement rights in popular hero franchise shows such as ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Jessica Jones’, but also the upcoming ‘Luke Cage’ and ‘Iron Fist’. The deal, as reported by Autonews, is valid through 2017 when the four previously mentioned heroes will join forces in a new Netflix series called ‘The Defenders’. Those of you who’ve seen ‘Daredevil’ may have noticed how the Sonata Hybrid and Genesis sedan kept showing up throughout the series, with the latter also ending up starring in ‘Jessica Jones’. Furthermore, both the Sonata Hybrid as well as the Genesis sedan (now known as the Genesis G80) will make their way to Netflix’ Luke Cage when the series launches in September. “Consumers are much more difficult to find these days with the proliferation of digital,” said Monique Kumpis, Hyundai’s senior manager of advertising. “Not everybody is watching linear television, and even when they are, our competitors there are outspending us, so we always have to be on the lookout for smarter ways to reach these audiences.” PHOTO GALLERY |
Screengrab: oldpiratebay.org Update 12/15/14: Many users are suggesting that the IsoHunt team has merely cloned its own database and added some old torrents from The Pirate Bay. IsoHunt, meanwhile, says it'll have more information sometime later today. Members of The Pirate Bay's management team have also finally spoken out, saying that the team welcomes new clones. An archived version of The Pirate Bay has been brought online by the same people who revived a competing torrent site called IsoHunt last year. Fans of IsoHunt revived that website after it shut down last year, following a $110 million payment to settle a copyright infringement suit with the Motion Picture Association of America. And now, those same people have brought an old version of The Pirate Bay back online, in the wake of a massive raid that took the site and a number of mirrors down. Users won't be able to upload anything new to oldpiratebay.org, but nearly every torrent that was on The Pirate Bay before the raid has been mirrored on the new site. Because all of The Pirate Bay's torrents only took up, at minimum, about 90MB of disc space, many of its users downloaded an entire copy of the site. There were also a number of campaigns to back up the site's directory offline, so there are, in theory, many thousands of copies of the recently functioning versions of the site stored all around the world. And because all the media that these sites point you toward is actually hosted on users' computers, the lightweight .torrent files are all anyone needs to put the site—or a clone of it—back online. That's apparently what IsoHunt has done with its archive. "As you all probably know, the beloved Pirate Bay website is gone for now. It will be missed," the new IsoHunt wrote on its blog. "In its honor we are makingoldpiratebay.org search. We, the Isohunt.to team, copied the base of the PirateBay in order to save it to the generations of users. Nothing will be forgotten." In the blog post, the people currently running IsoHunt (who are anonymous) wrote that if The Pirate Bay manages to get itself back online, the new site will be removed. The team said that any new torrents should be put on IsoHunt, not the archive of The Pirate Bay. The Pirate Bay has now been down for about two full days, which has led a cadre of scammers to set up fake sites to try to make a quick buck. Meanwhile, no one has heard from the team running the original Pirate Bay, and no one is quite sure if or when it'll come back. It's too early to say it's the end of an era for a site that has managed to come back from numerous raids, but some are treating it as such. "It will be always remembered as the pilgrim of freedom and possibilities on the Web," the IsoHunt team wrote. "It's the symbol for a whole generation of the internet users." |
You need not to see the above picture quite painstakingly to find its similarity to a monkey face. This is a type of Orchid (a flower). Orchid is seemingly the most dazing and elegant group of flowering plant known to man. Orchids have adjusted to survive in various type of environments— rainforests, grasslands, bogs and mountains. No less than 35,000 species of orchid are presently populate the planet and the possibility of disclosure of the new unknown species is still anticipated. The orchid shown in the picture is Dracula gigas (botanical name). There is another species of orchid called Dracula simia , that also look like monkey faces. The word “simian” in the name pays homage to the “monkey” likeness, and its resemblance to the long teeth and flowing cape of the Dracula character in prevalent fiction. |
Buy Photo Gov. Jack Markell signed an executive order creating a new task force aimed at reducing suicides committed with guns. (Photo: SUCHAT PEDERSON/THE NEWS JOURNAL)Buy Photo Gov. Jack Markell has signed an executive order creating a new Firearm Suicide Prevention Task Force, his office announced Tuesday. About 40,000 people kill themselves each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. About half of those suicides are committed with guns. An average of two Delawareans a week die from suicides, more than motor vehicle deaths and homicides. LINK: Sussex sex assault lawsuit dismissed LINK: 'Operator error' blamed in Go Ape fatal fall The new task force will research solutions implemented in other states and look at improving training and education of gun owners and sellers and better connecting those at risk of suicide with mental health care. The group will submit a report by January 1. The group's members include legislators, the Commission on Veteran's Affairs, the Delaware Sportsman Association, gun sellers, suicide prevention groups and state officials in the health, kids and natural resources agencies. “Suicide tragically cuts short lives, while devastating families and having long-lasting effects on communities," Markell said in a news release. "I’m particularly concerned by the number of these acts that involve the use of firearms and we have the opportunity to engage a wide range of advocates to find solutions that reduce the number of these tragedies." Last month, Markell signed a bill permanently establishing the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition, which has worked to raise awareness about the deaths and better coordinate mental health services. Senate President Pro Tempore Patricia Blevins, a leader of that coalition, praised Markell's executive order. “Suicide is a preventable symptom of a larger problem, whether that’s substance abuse, depression, PTSD or some other trauma,” Blevins said in the release. “More than half of all gun-related deaths in America are self-inflicted, and each day thousands of people—many of whom are veterans, or even our own kids—continue to suffer in silence. We owe it to them, to those we’ve lost and to ourselves to take a scientific approach to suicide prevention." Contact Matthew Albright at malbright@delawareonline.com, (302) 324-2428 or on Twitter @TNJ_malbright. Read or Share this story: http://delonline.us/2diejLk |
The dates and times are as follows There will be three opportunities this week to purchase tickets for the 2012 Beanpot Tournament at the TD Garden, including this Tuesday (Jan. 24), Wednesday (Jan. 25) and Thursday (Jan. 26) at the Matthews Arena Box Office located in the lobby of Matthews Arena.Students will need to bring a valid Husky Card to be able to purchase tickets. All tickets are $42 each, and that includes both Beanpot contests, including the Huskies' opening round game against Boston College on Monday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m.• Tuesday, Jan. 24 (12 - 2 p.m.)• Wednesday, Jan. 25 (10 - 12 p.m.)• Thursday, Jan. 26 (5 - 8 p.m.)Northeastern's game against #7 Boston College at the TD Garden is at 8:00 p.m. (Feb. 6) on the New England Sports Network (NESN). The championship contest of the 60th annual Beanpot Tournament will be at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13. The consolation game is to be contested at 4:30 p.m. |
Buy Photo Animal Legal Defense Fund, the ACLU of Iowa, PETA and the Center for Food Safety and Public Justice claim a law that made it illegal to get a job at a livestock farm through misrepresentation to conduct an animal cruelty undercover investigation violates their constitutional free speech and equal protection rights. (Photo: Register file photo)Buy Photo Animal rights and free speech organizations have sued the state of Iowa, challenging a 2012 law that made it illegal to get a job at a livestock farm through misrepresentation to conduct an animal cruelty undercover investigation. Filing the lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Des Moines are the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Center for Food Safety and Public Justice. The groups claim Iowa's law violates their constitutional free speech and equal protection rights. The lawsuit names the governor, whose spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a message, and the attorney general, whose spokesman said they haven't seen the lawsuit. Federal courts have struck down similar laws in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. Read or Share this story: http://dmreg.co/2wLltlt |
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersPush to end U.S. support for Saudi war hits Senate setback Sanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' MORE (I) on Wednesday praised Pope Francis for pushing a “progressive agenda” on matters like income inequality and climate change. In an interview on CNN’s “New Day” outside the White House ahead of the pope’s visit, presidential candidate Sanders said it’s a message that many Republicans “do not want to hear.” “He has a very, very progressive agenda,” Sanders said. “He’s looking into the eyes of the wealthiest people in this country and he’s saying, 'You know what? You cannot continue to ignore the needs of the poor. You cannot continue to ignore the needs of the sick.' ADVERTISEMENT “He’s also saying that trickle-down economic theory — he’s very specific about that — doesn’t work," Sanders continued. “That government itself is obliged to protect those who are vulnerable, and that’s a message, I have to oblige, that many of my Republican colleagues do not want to hear.” The pope remains staunchly conservative on social issues important to many Republicans, like abortion and same-sex marriage. However, the pope has frustrated many Republicans for criticizing capitalism, saying it’s led to a culture of greed that leaves economic classes separated by an insurmountable gulf. “He’s reaching out to people all over the world with a strong message of social justice, talking about the grotesque levels of income inequality that exist all over the world,” Sanders continued. “He is saying that as a planet, as a people, we have got to get better. That the accumulation and worship of money is not what life should be about, that we cannot turn our backs on our fellow human beings.” Francis has also been at odds with Republicans for trumpeting the dangers of climate change. “He’s talking about climate change as a religious person,” Sanders said. “This is God’s Earth and you cannot destroy it. We have to be aggressive in transforming our energy system.” |
9.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard For the second time this year MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has defeated Fox News in the coveted age 25-54 demographic, while Chris Matthews also defeated Fox News with younger viewers at 7 PM. Maddow’s win wasn’t much of a surprise. Her coverage of Chris Christie and Bridgegate has led to a resurgence in her ratings with younger viewers. For the week, Madddow’s show averaged 341,000 viewers age 25-34, while Fox News’ The Kelly File averaged 335,000 viewers. Maddow also defeated Fox News for an entire week in January as well. The big surprise came with Chris Matthews beating Fox’s On The Record. For the week Matthews averaged 285,000 younger viewers, and Greta Van Sustern averaged 282,000. Matthews delivered the first win for MSNBC against Fox News since the 2012 Democratic convention in Charlotte. Fox News’ big primetime lineup shakeup that was designed to attract younger viewers is looking like a bigger and bigger flop as the weeks go by. Fox just can’t young people to watch their ideology driven news network. By covering stories that Fox News won’t touch, MSNBC is winning over a demographic that is vital to their long term growth. One week ago, Maddow, Matthews and Lawrence O’Donnell all beat Fox News with younger viewers on Monday night. That one night of victory snowballed into an entire week of wins for Maddow and Matthews. Fox News still doesn’t get it. The problem isn’t the hosts, or their timeslots. The problem is that the Republican talking points that they are pushing are wildly unpopular with the majority of the country. Fox News leads the cable news ratings because they have been able to keep other potential conservative competition off of the airwaves, and because Roger Ailes has convinced the conservative cable news audience that the only channel they can trust is Fox News. It is interesting that Chris Hayes was given the 8 PM slot because it was assumed that he could attract younger viewers, but it is Chris Matthews who is winning his timeslot. The move to 7 PM, and the dropping of the replay of his show have both been a godsend to Matthews. He is no longer doing his show live when most people aren’t at home, and splitting his audience with a 7 PM replay. Fox News will continue to dominate in terms of overall viewers until they get some real competition for their conservative audience, but MSNBC has stumbled on to a formula that works. Just as Fox News made their name with their coverage of the Lewinsky scandal in the 1990s, MSNBC is reaching new heights thanks to Chris Christie’s scandals. As Fox’s audience continues to age, MSNBC is building a core audience of younger viewers. Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews are leading a revival at MSNBC, as younger viewers continue to reject the Republican agenda being pushed by Fox News. If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (RNS) Among the constant flow of people wearing green, toting beers and milling around the bars in Kansas City’s Westport neighborhood on Sunday (March 17), a man in a red plaid kilt held a sign that said, “Kiss me – I’m a Left-handed, Red-headed, Kilt-wearing Irish Atheist Stepchild!” The Kansas City Atheist Coalition was denied participation in Sunday’s Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. An email it received from parade organizers stated: “We are an Irish Catholic parade.” But the parade website specifies that parade events are “open to all, Irish or not, Catholic or not.” In response to the denial, coalition members created an event they called “Ask an Atheist.” The group held homemade signs on a popular corner near the parade route and fielded questions, complaints and even prayers from bystanders. KCAC members said on Sunday that the protest was about more than just exclusion from the parade. “We just want to be treated the same as everyone else,” said Sarah Hargreaves, president of the KCAC. “There have been and are multiple organizations participating in the parade who do not explicitly line up with Catholic beliefs – the International House of Prayer and K-Love Radio being prime examples in the past.” Last year’s participants included the Kansas City Renaissance Festival; Bob Hamilton Plumbing, the Kansas City Sheltie Rescue, an animal-rescue group; and Pepsi Beverages Co., all secular organizations. According to the KCAC’s website, their goal was to keep the signs light and friendly: “We want to engage in respectful and civil discussion about atheism while also bringing attention to the parade organizers’ discriminatory actions.” Sign slogans included “Why am I not in the parade? Ask me,” “Kiss me I’m an Irish Atheist” and “Dear God, do leprechauns go to Heaven?” In addition to the signs, the organization handed out toy dinosaurs, dinosaur temporary tattoos and toy compasses to passing children to promote science. According to Hargreaves, some people gave high-fives or fist bumps in passing, while a few others shouted, “I believe in Jesus Christ!” AMB END MORROW |
In December it was announced Westworld writer Halley Gross would co-write The Last of Us: Part 2, and yesterday it was revealed another name familiar to Westworld fans would play a part in its development. A tweet from Westworld actress Shannon Woodward confirmed she has a role in The Last of Us: Part 2 when she posted an image of her alongside Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann. As you can see in the tweet below, she’s wearing a motion capture suit. I am embarrassingly over-excited here because I’m peaking. @Neil_Druckmann is letting me act in The Last Of Us:Part II . ❤️ pic.twitter.com/XJUXxSlue7 — shannonwoodward (@shannonwoodward) April 7, 2017 Along with her role as programmer Elsie Hughes on Westworld, Woodward is also know for playing Sabrina on Raising Hope and as Di Di Malloy on The Riches. Woodward did not divulge the character she will be portraying in the game. The Last of Us: Part 2 was announced during PSX 2016 via a trailer. It showed Ellie, who will be the main playable character, stating she wants to find and kill “every last one of them.” During a panel at the event featuring Druckmann, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, it was stated the focus on the story will be “hatred.” It will also be complimentary to The Last of Us as the two stories will tell a much larger tale. A release date for The Last of Us: Part 2 has not been announced. |
Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Alain Vigneault will be back in Vancouver tomorrow night, leading his playoff-bound Rangers side against John Tortorella and the Canucks, who will almost certainly miss the postseason for the first time since 2008. A few weeks ago, I listed three things the Canucks have struggled with under Tortorella, starting with this: 1. They can’t move the puck Specifically, from their end of the ice and into the attacking zone. Which is important in hockey, and also something the Canucks used to do really well during their salad days with Alain Vigneault behind the bench. Mike Babcock — a good coach, we can all agree, right? — is always talking about the importance of getting the puck moving out of the defensive end in order to transition quickly through the neutral zone and into the opponent’s end, WITH POSSESSION. So you can imagine I perked up when I read the following passage by Vancouver Province columnist Ed Willes: Talked to a longtime NHL scout on Wednesday in St. Paul who delivered the defining word on the Vancouver Canucks under John Tortorella. “They play so slow,” the scout said. The problem, of course, is they aren’t built to play that way. To be clear, playing “fast” doesn’t mean skating fast. It means making fast plays, pushing the puck and not giving your opponent time to get set defensively. Here’s a great quote from Team Canada assistant coach Ken Hitchcock, during the summer Olympic camp: “I think the sucker play is you have more space, you have more time, so the tendency is to take more time. It’s the big mistake. When we play well as Canadians, we play fast defensively and even faster offensively.” Hitchcock was actually talking about playing on the big ice, but he preaches the same thing with his Blues. “To me, transition … the whole game has to be played behind people,” Hitchcock said back in 2011, per In The Slot blog. “It’s not so much chipping it in, it’s just making people turn. That’s the whole focus of the game. If everybody’s on that page, then you play faster. You don’t slow down to make a play. “The whole attitude is you’re converging pucks, bodies and traffic at the net, so your whole game is towards the net. But in order to do it, you have to make people turn. We’re trying to create an environment where we make them face their goalie as much as we can so that they can’t defend facing up ice.” Watch how quickly the Blues' d-men get rid of the puck. Up to the forwards, right away. I remember a team that used to do that. — Jason Brough (@JasonPHT) March 25, 2014 When Vigneault was coaching the Canucks, there were a lot of fans who thought he treated Keith Ballard unfairly. Despite the veteran defenseman’s healthy contract and good skating ability, he was often made a healthy scratch. Well, here’s what Ballard said after he returned to the lineup in the 2011 playoffs and was pleased with how things went while paired with Chris Tanev: “We were solid. It was probably what they wanted out of us. We got the puck up to the forwards as soon as possible.” What does that tell you? It tells you Ballard was being told to get the puck moving faster. (Pretty much the same thing, by the way, that Ian White was being told last season in Detroit, where he was often a healthy scratch under Mike Babcock.) Under Tortorella, getting the puck up to the forwards as soon as possible doesn’t seem to be a priority. That, or the Canucks’ defensemen aren’t doing a good job of it. That, or the forwards aren’t in good enough position to receive passes. The result is defensemen holding on to the puck for what seems like forever — often being forced to circle back, or pass it back and forth with their partner — and no chance of a dangerous transition. The result is an offense that ranks 28th in the NHL. The result is a style that is boring to watch. The result is empty seats. The result is a coach that may be fired after the first year of a five-year, $10 million contract. Related: Is Tortorella’s system to blame for Canucks’ woes? |
• Rogers: Snowden 'a thief whom we believe had some help' • Feinstein adds voice to criticism of Obama NSA speech Russia may have helped the former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden to reveal details of surveillance programmes and escape US authorities last year, the chairman of the House intelligence committee claimed on Sunday. Mike Rogers, a Republican representative from Michigan, interviewed by NBC’s Meet the Press, said Snowden was “a thief whom we believe had some help”, and added that there was an “ongoing” investigation into whether Russia had aided Snowden. “I believe there's questions to be answered there,” Rogers said. “I don't think it was a gee-whiz luck event that he ended up in Moscow under the handling of the [Russian intelligence service] FSB.” Rogers added: “Let me just say this. I believe there’s a reason he ended up in the hands, the loving arms, of an FSB agent in Moscow. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. “We have questions that we have to answer but as someone who used to do investigations some of [the] things we are finding we would call clues that certainly would indicate to me that he had some help and he stole things that had nothing to do with privacy,” said Rogers. The Democratic chair of the Senate intelligence committee, Dianne Feinstein, a staunch defender of the NSA’s programmes, also spoke to Meet the Press. She said Snowden had joined the NSA “with the intent to take as much material down as he possibly could”. Asked if he was aided by the Russians, Feinstein said: “He may well have. We don’t know at this stage. But I think to glorify this act is to set a new level of dishonour.” Rogers' comments were backed by Michael McCaul, chairman of the House committee on homeland security. Speaking from Moscow, the Texas Republican told ABC’s This Week: “I believe he [Snowden] was cultivated by a foreign power to do what he did.” McCaul said he could not “definitively” say it was Russia that helped Snowden. “Hey, listen, I don't think … Mr Snowden woke up one day and had the wherewithal to do this all by himself. I think he was helped by others. Again, I can't give a definitive statement on that … but I've been given all the evidence, I know Mike Rogers has access to, you know, that I've seen that I don't think he was acting alone.” Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia last August, after travelling to Moscow from Hong Kong. Last year, in an interview with the New York Times, Snowden said he did not take any of the documents he obtained to Russia, “because it wouldn’t serve the public interest”. Snowden said there was “zero-percent chance” that Russia had received any documents and that he had handed all his NSA data to journalists from media outlets including the Guardian, before leaving Hong Kong. “What would be the unique value of personally carrying another copy of the materials onward?” he said. Snowden has consistently denied any involvement with foreign spying agencies and said he leaked the documents because he believed the NSA programmes were against the best interests of the US people. “I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things,” he told the Guardian last year. Rogers did not give any supporting evidence for his claims, but suggested Snowden “used methods beyond his technical capabilities" and had help with his travel arrangements. “He was stealing information that had to do with how we operate overseas to collect information to keep Americans safe … and some of the things he did were beyond his technical capabilities,” Rogers said. Mike Rogers is chair of the House intelligence committee. Photograph: AP Rogers' comments came after President Barack Obama on Friday outlined possible reforms to surveillance practices and a review of the NSA’s programmes. The speech met with a mixed reaction from privacy advocates and tech and telecoms companies, all of whom said there was too little detail and little clarity on how or if the system was being reformed. The NSA revelations have also damaged relations with countries including Brazil and Germany, where the US has been accused of spying on its allies. On Sunday, Brazil gave Obama's speech a cautious welcome. "It's a first step. The Brazilian government will monitor the practical ramifications of the speech very closely," president Dilma Rousseff's spokesman, Thomas Traumann, wrote on the president's official blog. Some Democrats have been critical. Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, told Fox News Sunday further checks and balances were needed. “There’s a concern that we have gone too much into Americans’ privacy,” he said. “There’s still going to be legislation on this.” In his speech, Obama said he wanted bulk phone data to be stored outside the government, to reduce the risk that such records would be abused; that he would require a special judge's advance approval before agencies could examine an individual's data; and that he would force analysts to keep their searches closer to suspected terrorists or organisations. On Sunday, Feinstein said: "I think that's a very difficult thing. Because the whole purpose of this program is to provide instantaneous information to be able to disrupt any plot that may be taking place." Rogers was also critical of Obama. He told CNN’s State of the Union the president's speech had created more uncertainty in the intelligence community and was potentially dangerous. “We really did need a decision on Friday and what we got was lots of uncertainty,” he said. “And just in my conversations over the weekend with intelligence officials, that level of uncertainty is already having a bit of an impact on our ability to protect Americans by finding terrorists trying to reach into the United States.” He added: “I just don’t think we want to go to pre-9/11 just because we haven’t had an attack.” |
by After many years abroad, I recently enjoyed a return visit to Scotland. Happily, despite warnings to the contrary, the sky did not fall on my head. I am of course talking about the waning deference to a most archaic suzerainty. The early 18th Century Acts of Union that put into effect the Treaty of Union that in turn led to the constitutional establishment of Great Britain. Despite increasingly frantic denials, this constitutional construct now stands as an anachronism at odds with the demands and interests of modern day Scotland. Why would I say anachronism? Well, I for one have always been puzzled and frankly amused listening to otherwise educated Scots heap opprobrium on their own country’s right to self-determination just to fit into a concept of United Kingdom. Such stances have always struck me as odd. Pace historical traditions, we should be under no illusion that the Acts of Union originally represented little more than an exercise in pacification and a prelude to empire. This whole process subsumed Scottish interests and later, many more in its wake to the imperatives and service of empire. Granted, this proto-imperial blueprint has adapted along the way and brought substantial benefits over the centuries but we cannot neither should we ignore the fact that the formative basis of ‘consent’ was iniquitous. Questionable foundations and the subsequent capricious functioning of this unusual invention are on their own sufficient grounds to seek an annulment. If we add in the spectacular decline of the British Empire since WWII, it becomes self-evident that Scotland’s settlement vis-à-vis what is a most peculiar form of political rule is no longer acceptable. For outsiders looking in, it is glaringly obvious that the ‘arranged marriage’ has run its course. The world has most definitely moved on and Scotland’s status no longer best serves its interests. It does no one a good turn to pretend otherwise. Mind you, the cultural cringe runs deeper than many would like to admit in Scotland. It is of no real surprise that over the centuries a deep trepidation towards change has manifested itself. A reflexive form of acquiescence is a well-worn experience for Scots. A phalanx of pedagogues has always been on hand to justify the unjustifiable. Acting as ‘voices of prudence’ to silence, discredit and not falsely, but shall we say inaccurately, dismiss anyone critical of Scotland’s subalternism. Bruised status-quo pride has invariably scorned the idea of self-determination as dangerous jingoism. Yet, in the case of Scotland, it is simply wrong-headed to conflate calls for self-determination with parochial nationalism. I am not making a pedantic distinction here. When members of a nation display sufficient collective awareness to call for self-determination, they are making a rational political demand. Despite the caricatures and scaremongering by status-quo forces, the Scottish National Party (SNP) is championing such a demand. The progressive and civic character of Scotland’s aspiration is categorically not a brand of the chauvinistic irredentism peddled in Serbia under Milosevic or Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. Let us be clear, Scotland’s desire for autonomous self-determination is not seditious bluster but a common aspiration shared by countless peoples throughout history. In fact, those who point to opinion polls showing support for independence as consistently low may wish to consider that the majority of the polls reported by the UK media had Scottish Labour and SNP neck and neck right up until election day in 2011 and we all know what happened there. The SNP’s landslide victory in the devolved parliamentary elections of 2011 (something that was supposed to be an institutionally designed impossibility) is not some flash in the pan protest vote but rather a more telling expression of popular intent. Similar to what successive ‘peoples’ around the world have done previously, Scotland’s long and dignified struggle for recognition gives great force to a need for profound change. As Woodrow Wilson well knew, self-determination is one of the supreme political goods. We might live on an increasingly globalised and interdependent planet but nation-states still operate as the primary units of sovereign territorial rule in world affairs. Being one is still essential for both socio-economic and cultural development (1945 – 51 UN Members; 2012 – 193 UN Members). As Benedict Anderson rightly points out, all nation-states are to a large extent ‘imagined communities’. Scotland is currently in the process of re-inventing and re-imagining a different future than its current arrangement affords. A bold political grammar of self-determination has reignited the imagination of many Scots. This has precipitated a shift in entrenched attitudes about Scotland’s place in the order of things. What we are witnessing is a destabilisation of ingrained sensibilities and the once inviolable subordination of Scotland’s national aspirations to the interests of the wider union. There is a real loosening of the psychological grip once exerted by unionist pedagogy. The tired old scaremongering about Scotland’s inability to prosper once separated from the yolk of union simply looks like the paper tiger it always was. Even with the advent of devolution, real change has to come. If we speak truth to this situation, there is no more reason for Scots to identify with moribund constructs than say Catalans, Kosovars, Kurds or Quebecois. Whatever the time-scale the political process in Scotland is transforming popular demands into national realisation. The re-mapping of Scotland’s socio-political landscape by the SNP has locked in new co-ordinates to a different future. One that is now not only possible but currently on her way. All the talk about whether Scots keep the Queen as titular head of state or the pound sterling as national currency are largely distractions from the big game which is of course the end of Westminster rule. Of course, the most legitimate political vehicle for this is an autonomous self-determined state for the country to thrive. Even more encouraging is the fact that there is no necessity to state build a fresh in Scotland. Scotland already possesses its own home-grown parliamentary, judicial, educational and financial institutions. Nor is there any need or desire to sever the social, cultural or economic relations with our nearest and dearest neighbours. The suggestion that a fully independent Scotland would struggle to defend itself or fail to meet its international commitments is condescending in the extreme. How would they afford it? Well, pretty much the same way every other industrially developed country does. Unless you are of the opinion that Scotland is some sort of backward, dependent freeloader. Alarmist doubts over European Union membership are also disingenuous exaggerations. Even if a formal application is called for as a matter of EU process (more than likely), Scotland is not an acceding state seeking to meet and fulfil EU application criteria. On both a practical and political level, Scotland already meets all the Copenhagen criteria and implements in full the acquis communautaire (the accumulated body of EU legislation that countries must adopt to become EU members). There is no need for a new accession treaty as Scots are already EU citizens. They have been for near on 40 years. This will not suddenly change with independence. As things stand today, negotiated amendment to exiting treaties is all that is required. As a successor state constituted by the mutual democratic consensus of all parties concerned, Scotland’s EU membership is little more than a fast-track confirmation formality. Membership negotiations would begin immediately after the referendum vote of 2014 and most likely conclude with the adoption of full independence in 2016. Insinuating talk of blocks, vetoes and border controls is so much cock and bull. Short of malicious resentment, there is simply no valid reason for any current EU member state to reject Scottish membership on the grounds of not meeting the EU’s own membership criteria. It already more than conforms, I dare say better than some current EU member states. In fact, there is a greater risk to EU membership if Scots vote to remain in the UK and a Conservative-led government continues at Westminster. Only the naive would assume or expect things to be all roses but anything worth doing takes hard work. A majority of Scots already intuitively know there is far more to gain than there is to lose. I wager there are few who would deny that Scotland has a long overdue right to pursue its self-determined potential within a wider integrated Europe. Just like the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia have done. The few who do will probably call it unthinking nationalist myopia that has little or no chance; but then they would, would they not? It will take courage, imagination and no small amount of good fortune but Scots should embrace the prospect of a significant release of economic and creative energies. Scotland deserves finally to take its seat amongst the society of states at the United Nations, whatever that may hold. Surely, even the most ardent defenders of the status quo must realize the game is up. It just remains to accept and let go. Dr. Paul J. Carnegie is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science Universiti Brunei Darussalam. |
Mattel just introduced a game developer Barbie with the message, "You can be anything" — and based on recent events, one of the things you can be is a target for aggressive misogyny. Introducing the newest #Barbie career: Game Developer! #YouCanBeAnythingpic.twitter.com/HE2TAH8s1U Game developer Barbie has red hair, glasses, a tablet and a laptop. But some men are not having it. One user edited the photo with some colorful commentary, pointing out developer Barbie's "gamer hair," a jacket strategically covering her butt and a screen likely riddled with harassment. Like this. @Barbie @MrMuselk (((Barbie))) Women, for the most part, lack the logical thought patterns necessary for programming. Or maybe this. @Syraphic @tahujdt @Barbie @MrMuselk You're right. Women are only good for getting laid. You just proofed his point. Someone also just straight up put a man's face where developer Barbie's should be. fixed @Barbiepic.twitter.com/la3299YRVX A few others commented on game developer Barbie's appearance. @Barbie @MrMuselk Now they just have to add 125 pounds and make her less attractive, and it'll be accurate. Unless she's @Dingalinggames @Barbie forgot to make her 200 pounds heavier. @Barbie @_icze4r Not fat or ugly enough. One user compared her to Brianna Wu, a game developer who publicly condemned Gamergate and has had her personal details leaked on 8chan, leading to threats to her safety. @Barbie @MrMuselk To be realistic, it should be a Brianna Wu simulator, where you do nothing but fabricate harassment claims. Game developer Barbie marks another effort from Mattel to create a more diverse range of dolls rather than just princesses and mermaids. It recently released Barbies with new body types and skin tones to offer a more healthy and realistic representation of the girls that play with them. While sending the message to young women that they can do anything is great, maybe we should also spend more time telling men to be better. |
What are they putting in the water in the University of Wisconsin system? On the heels of UW-Madison students trying to get a conservative student organization declared a "hate group," we have the "Check Yourself Educational Campaign" at UW-River Falls. Yes, that's what it's called. And it's here to prevent your children from saying offensive things such as ... "you guys": You Guys Why not: Erases the identities of those who are in the room. Generalizing a group of people to be masculine. Folks: if you feel your identity being "erased" from hearing "you guys," thats a "you" problem. No one else's. Here's another from their list: Illegal Alien Why not: Reduces undocumented immigrants to something less than human. Fixates on legal status instead of people as individuals. Asserts that some people belong here more than others do. Ignores political, social, and economic factors that impact people of color. Yawn. Another: Ugly Why not: Word is used to put down someone for the way they look, can be connected back to white supremacist, ableist, sizeist standards of beauty. Yeah, you read that right. No, seriously, go back and read it again if you don't believe me. Yes, they actually claim that saying someone is ugly is "white supremacist," and not simply a (rude) thing to voice about the attractiveness of the person. Whoever came up with this list is crazy -- oops, that's on the list too. They are outright manufacturing new reasons to be offended. Taking a phrase that's been used for decades -- often by women speaking to a group of other women -- and claiming that it's erasing the identities of people in the room? |
Crowdfunding sites—websites that allow people to donate money to causes, projects, or businesses they deem worthy—lend themselves perfectly to vegan entrepreneurs looking to spread the message of cruelty-free living. In the past few years, these campaigns have allowed an array of vegan projects to come to fruition, including vegan high-fashion label Vaute Couture raising approximately $415,000 on CircleUp, the first solar-powered food truck in Nebraska opening earlier this year (which is vegan), and filmmakers Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn raising more than $112,000 on Indiegogo for their award-winning documentary Cowspiracy. One of the most inspiring crowdfunding success stories of 2015 is Renee King-Sonnen’s $35,000 campaign to buy and feed 29 cows from her rancher husband to prevent their slaughter. After remarrying Tommy Sonnen six years ago, she moved with him and his newly-purchased cattle onto a 96-acre ranch in Angleton, Texas, approximately 50 miles south of Houston. A city girl, King-Sonnen did not adjust to ranch life easily, so Tommy gave her a cow to ease her transition. King-Sonnen grew to love her energetic cow, whom she named Rowdy Girl, and could not tolerate watching the red trailers take the animals to slaughter every six months. After developing a deep bond with her companion cow, in October 2014, King-Sonnen went vegan. By December, she says, she was “hijacking” the cows from her husband to prevent them from being killed. With the ultimatum that her husband either save the cows or get divorced, Tommy obliged after negotiating $30,000 for the herd of cows, which represented his primary financial income. Knowing she had to do something to save her marriage and her husband’s cows, King-Sonnen started an online campaign to crowdfund the money needed to save the animals—a financial necessity for her husband who made his living off the ranch. Now, King-Sonnen is the founder of Rowdy Girl Veganic Farm and Sanctuary. More amazing news? The couple is still happily married, running the sanctuary together … and Tommy is now vegan. VegNews talked to King-Sonnen about how she financed the sanctuary of her dreams using online crowdfunding and other creative financing, providing sage advice for anyone who wants to open their own vegan business. Tip #1: Raise funds creatively Not only did King-Sonnen crowdfund using two services—Indiegogo and Barnraiser—she hosts paid events on her ranch as well as sells Rowdy Girl Sanctuary T-shirts (which are funded by corporate sponsors). In May, she won a $2,000 grant from So-Delicious’ #140Difference Twitter contest for individuals and nonprofits looking for funds for socially-minded projects. King-Sonnen also accepts donations through her website. Thanks to her Barnraiser campaign, Rowdy Girl Veganic Farm is hoping to become self-sufficient, funded by the produce grown and sold on the farm. Tip #2: Reach out to the people in the best position to help you “It can’t hurt to ask!” King-Sonnen says of contacting potential supporters. Whether seeking words of advice or product sponsors, “talk to somebody who’s done it.” For example, she reached out to Howard Lyman (aka the Mad Cowboy), a fourth-generation cattle rancher in Montana who became vegan after 40 years of working in agribusiness. “I reached out to people that had done [what I wanted to do] in a way that made a mark on the movement because I wanted pristine advice.” Tip #3: Use your skills King-Sonnen used her songwriting and performing background to record an original song titled “Red Trailer” to raise awareness for her project, and uploaded it to all of her social media pages. She also drew upon her extensive background in entrepreneurship to confidently contact investors and supporters. If you are not business-minded, surround yourself with people who are, she advises, because when your passions are aligned with financial security, it is easier to turn your dream into a sustainable reality. Tip #4: Share your wisdom King-Sonnen knows she has the power to help ranchers in a unique way. “I’m not your typical animal-rights activist that rescues cats and dogs from a puppy mill or marches to SeaWorld,” she says. “Becoming an activist for farm animals is a totally different breed. A rancher is not going to listen to an animal-rights activist from SeaWorld; they’re going to listen to another rancher that’s gone vegan.” Ranchers’ wives inspired by King-Sonnen’s transition from animal- to plant-based agriculture contact her regularly. She always speaks to them and advises them on how to adopt a vegan lifestyle. “I don’t say I’m too busy because I don’t believe that about my life,” she says. “Time is not a limiting factor. I have all the time in the world for you. That’s my mantra.” |
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the appointment of Andrew Leslie, Member of Parliament for Orléans, to the position of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In this new position, Mr. Leslie will assume special responsibilities for the Canada-U.S. relationship and play a critical role in building ties with the new U.S. administration. Mr. Leslie was first elected in the Orléans riding in 2015. As a retired Lieutenant-General, he has a strong background in public service. His dedicated service has been recognized both domestically and internationally on numerous occasions during his 35-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces. Mr. Leslie, currently the Chief Government Whip, will take up his responsibilities as Parliamentary Secretary on January 30, 2017. His successor as Chief Government Whip will be announced in the coming days. Quote “I thank Andy for his outstanding service as Chief Government Whip, and I am delighted he has agreed to take on the role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs with special responsibilities for the Canada-U.S. relationship. As a retired Lieutenant-General with years of experience working with the U.S., I know he has the necessary relationships and experience to help establish a constructive dialogue with the new U.S. administration.” - Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada Related Product |
The NCAA’s head of enforcement told the Chronicle’s Brad Wolverton that it is investigating 20 schools for academic misconduct. According to the report, the cases being investigated are in various stages, from a preliminary inquiry, to schools waiting to hear back from the Committee on Infractions. Some of the alleged infractions concern athletes receiving impermissible assistance from professors, academic advisers or people not connected with an athletic department. The NCAA declined to name any of the schools they are investigating, but says 18 of them are in Division I, with one each in Division II and Division III. The NCAA plans to hire more staff to an academic-integrity group. "The timing is right to dedicate more resources to this," Katherine Sulentic, the chair of that academic-integrity group, said. "Everyone’s antenna is up about academic fraud on a college campus in general." In recent months at least four schools have come under the NCAA’s ire. North Carolina found that advisers guided athletes to take classes that they did not have to show up for and received grades to help keep them eligible. Last summer, the NCAA reopened its 2011 investigation of "academic irregularities" at the school. Weber State was placed on three years probation and had scholarships reduced in its football program after finding that a math instructor help players cheat on quizzes and tests. The NCAA suspended Georgia swimming coach Jack Bauerle for nine meets and placed him on a one-year recruiting restriction after he arranged for an athlete to enroll a student in a course, defying athletic administrators wishes. The school was also fined $5,000. This week, Southern Mississippi self-imposed a postseason ban for this basketball season because of an ongoing NCAA probe into the program involving ineligible “Prop 48″ players. - Scooby Axson |
J.D. was a very creative and intelligent child. He knew the alphabet when he was 18 months old. He couldn’t talk, but he could point to the right letter. He was reading by age 4. Regular schooling didn’t work too well for him, so I homeschooled him at age 7. We were in IL where it was illegal to homeschool, so we stayed inside until school was over, and then went out. We had enrolled him in a “school” for homeschooled kids just in case anyone questioned us. We did not do school at home. We did unschooling so that he could learn as much as he wanted when he wanted. He went to public school for junior high and most of high school. However, in high school, he loved to learn and did extremely well in class discussions and on tests, but he never wanted to turn in any homework – too boring. He loved reading, especially science fiction and fantasy. He hated exercise of any kind. In PE, they wanted him to at least walk around the track if not run. He wanted to sit and read. He didn’t exactly pass PE. We got him into an apprenticeship program in TV and Video which he loved. He did it all day for a whole semester getting credit for it. After that semester was over, he didn’t want to go back. I enrolled him in The Learning Community Network again for homeschool where they gave him PE credit for walking 1 1/2 miles back and forth to school each way when he had gone to school. Instant PE credit. He graduated from high school a semester early just from getting credit for all of the interesting things he was into and learning about on his own, including the Video internship which he was able to do a 2nd semester through homeschooling. He learned computer stuff during the early stages of computers all on his own, including early computer languages. He traveled a different path than the average kid, but it worked for him. He accomplished a lot in his short life. Love you J.D. Your mom, Lohrainne Janell |
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson Ronald (Ron) Harold JohnsonWhite House, GOP defend Trump emergency declaration GOP senator says Republicans didn't control Senate when they held majority GOP senator voices concern about Trump order, hasn't decided whether he'll back it MORE (R-Wis.) said Sunday that Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE's use of a private email server while secretary of State could have played a role in Russia's invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENT "You have to assume that our enemy and adversaries had to have had access to every email that ever went over her private server," Johnson said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "Did it affect their actions — as it's related to, for example, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin's invasion of Crimea or eastern Ukraine? What about the negotiations with Iran? What about Assad?" Johnson, who has shied away from formally endorsing presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE, has been a vocal critic of Clinton. Republican criticism of Clinton has escalated during the past week after a watchdog report showed she didn't comply with the State Department's record-keeping policies and used a personal server without permission while secretary of State. |
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd now has a lawsuit filed against him by Nexus Services, Inc. after he tweeted a controversial message to fugitives in Hurricane Irma's path. Nexus Caridades Attorneys, Inc. is one of the largest providers of pro bono legal services in the country. Nexus Caridades, Inc. is committed to standing up for victims of abuse by government agencies and officials. According to Nexus, Sheriff Grady Judd and Polk County are engaging in a practice of discouraging people from seeking emergency shelter through fear, and conducting unconstitutional pedestrian warrant checks on Floridians in crisis, who are seeking life sustaining shelter from a major Hurricane. When asked about the lawsuit, Mike Donovan, CEO of Nexus Services, Inc. stated, “Sheriff Grady Judd knew that people would be afraid because of his statements earlier this week. That fear is causing them to not seek shelter, and that as a result people… Men, women, and children, may die. This storm is deadly, and how many people will die or be injured because of Judd’s reckless tweets? The Sheriff has sworn an oath to protect people, not endanger them. His actions are reckless and unconstitutional, and he needs to be held accountable for his actions." Nexus Caridades Attorneys, Inc., Civil Rights Chief Mario Williams has indicated the Sheriff's actions, "constitute unconstitutional pedestrian warrant checks, which violate the fourth amendment rights of Floridians fleeing the path of Hurricane Irma." The Polk County Sheriff drew national attention earlier this week when he issued the following tweet from the department’s official, verified Twitter account (@PolkCoSheriff), “If you go to a shelter for #Irma and you have a warrant, we'll gladly escort you to the safe and secure shelter called the Polk County Jail.” According to the press release, Sheriff Judd's tweets prompted Nexus Services, Inc. to promptly launch efforts to assist individuals and families with transportation or lodging assistance if they must evacuate but are afraid to do so because of the Sheriff’s threats. A 24-hour hotline was established (813-815-4663) for those who are in fear and in need of help to call. The filed complaint can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/Sheriff-Polk-Co-Lawsuit-9-10-2017 |
Bags, books, passport, tickets – check! You might think that these are the things you need but it takes a lot more than this to cross the seven seas. Whether you stay at a university dorm or any other student accommodation London, here are a few things that you should take care of. Carry all the essentials Some basic things go without saying like keeping your health kit handy, carrying your health insurance card and medicine prescription according to what is allowed on a flight as well as in a particular country. The Doctor’s visit A doctor’s visit is advisable, at least before 4-6 weeks of your travel as you can be treated by appropriate and relevant vaccines. Some vaccines require a booster dose and hence an advance visit is a must. Food and water Drinking water from any unknown source is perilous and hence prefer sealed bottled or boiled water for consumption. Grabbing those finger foods requires sterility and hence make sure you wash your hands before eating food and after using the washroom. Ideally, always keep an alcohol-based sanitizer handy. A word of mouth is convenient but not reliable. Be observant and ensure about the hygiene factor yourself. However, feel at ease if you are with University Living. Temptations may lead you to eat street foods and kind but savour only those food items which are cooked and served hot. Students staying in student accommodations London or elsewhere need to know about their food allergies in advance. Prefer beverages in sealed containers only. Cover yourself with proper Insurance Check with your insurance policy whether it covers you in that particular foreign country. However, you still might have to pay the medical costs despite having a health policy. Choose one for you wisely. Some student policies in London regarding healthcare are mandatory no matter you stay at rented apartments, with family friends or in a student accommodation London. Apart from these, eat a balanced healthy diet and keep yourself well hydrated with fluids. Summing up Traveling abroad can be quite risky as there may be foreign germs and bodies that might not be good for you. Hence, here are a few tips that could help your stay in abroad be as comfortable as home. Advertisements |
Show The player passive health regeneration is disabled when bellow 90% health (customizable in MCM). Now you actually need healing potions even out of combat, health regeneration enchantments or make one of the poultices added by Vigor (those can reenable health regeneration for 10min). Also, when your health drops 20% of your total health pool within 2 seconds (customizable in MCM), you have a chance to get a limb, torso or elemental based injury, these have a immediate very harmfull effect and physical based injuries also apply a lasting trauma effect (lenghy can be customized in MCM or disabled) and chance to cause bleeding (also customizable). Torso Injury Immediate Effect (1min): +75% incoming damage and -75% stamina regeneration. Trauma Effect (2h): +25% incoming damage and -25% stamina regeneration. Bleeding (5min): Loose 0.5 health per second. Open Wounds: Receiving a second torso injury damage health by 20 points. Head Injury Immediate Effect (1min): -75% Shout recovery, magicka regeneration and blurry vision. Trauma Effect (2h): -25% shout recovery and magicka regeneration. Bleeding (5min): Loose 1 health per second. Open Wounds: Receiving a second head injury damage health by 30 points. Arm Injury Immediate Effect (1min): -60% damage, block and +60% spell cost. Trauma Effect (2h): -20% damage and block and +20% spell cost. Bleeding (5min): Loose 0.25 health per second. Open Wounds: Receiving a second arm injury damage health by 10 points. Leg Injury Immediate Effect (1min): Move 30% slower and power attacks cost +45% stamina. Trauma Effect (2h): Move 10% slower and power attacks cost +15% stamina. Bleeding (5min): Loose 0.25 health per second. Open Wounds: Receiving a second leg injury damage health by 10 points. Burn Immediate Effect (1min): Reduce maximum health by 50 points. Open Wounds: Been burned a second time will damage health by 30 points. Frozen Immediate Effect (1min): Reduce maximum stamina by 100 points. Open Wounds: Been frozen a second time will damage stamina by 60 points. Electrified Immediate Effect (1min): Reduce maximum magicka by 100 points. Open Wounds: Been Electrified a second time will damage magicka by 60 points. Note: Vampires are immune to bleeding. Trauma effects will be healed at full health (you need to keep your health bar full for 20 secs). Since Vigor also disable passive health regeneration and if you have trouble to fill your health bar, you have a few alternatives: Bandages Bandages for head, arms, feet or torso are used to stop any bleeding as long as they`re equiped. How to craft bandages: First, you need linen wraps, find one in the world or turn vanilla clothings into 4 linen wraps each in a tanning rack. (If you use Campfire it also add this option in the campfire survival crafting menu) now you have a few options: 1. Turn 1 linen wrap into 1 bandage in a tanning rack. 2. Just left click any linen wrap in your inventory and you`ll be asked if you want to make a bandage. 3. After removing a bandage it can become ruined (automatically removed) or turned into a dirty bandage (50% chance). You can clean any dirty bandage with an ALE or NORD MEAD just by left clicking on it and have a fresh bandage again. Poultices Poultices will cure trauma effects when applyed in the injured location or can be used to increase/ enable passive health regeneration for 10min. Note that poultices may be used midde-combat to cure trauma effects but the effect is not instant, as it will take 20 secs to heal given injury. How to make poultices: There are 6 recipes: 1 Ale and 5 Blue Mountain Flowers 1 Nord Mead and 5 Blue Mountain Flowers 2 Blisterwort and 2 Imp Stools 2 Garlics and 4 Wheats 2 Minor Healing Potions 1 Healing Potion Now your options are: 1. Go to any cooking pot and make one. 2. Left click in any vanilla wooden bowl that is in your inventory and make one. 3. Make a Medicinal Bowl in any forge (it works the same as the vanilla wooden bowl). Spoiler: |
This is morning in America in the Internet age. After six to eight hours of network deprivation — also known as sleep — people are increasingly waking up and lunging for cellphones and laptops, sometimes even before swinging their legs to the floor and tending to more biologically urgent activities. “It used to be you woke up, went to the bathroom, maybe brushed your teeth and picked up the newspaper,” said Naomi S. Baron, a professor of linguistics at American University, who has written about technology’s push into everyday life. “But what we do first now has changed dramatically. I’ll be the first to admit: the first thing I do is check my e-mail.” The Gudes’ sons sleep with their phones next to their beds, so they start the day with text messages in place of alarm clocks. Mr. Gude, an instructor at Michigan State University , sends texts to his two sons to wake up. “We use texting as an in-house intercom,” he said. “I could just walk upstairs, but they always answer their texts.” The Gudes recently began shutting their devices down on weekends to account for the decrease in family time. In other households, the impulse to go online before getting out the door adds an extra layer of chaos to the already discombobulating morning scramble. Weekday mornings have long been frenetic, disjointed affairs. Now families that used to fight over the shower or the newspaper tussle over access to the lone household computer — or about whether they should be using gadgets at all, instead of communicating with one another. Photo “They used to have blankies; now they have phones, which even have their own umbilical cord right to the charger,” said Liz Perle, a mother in San Francisco who laments the early-morning technology immersion of her two teenage children. “If their beds were far from the power outlets, they would probably sleep on the floor.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story The surge of early risers is reflected in online and wireless traffic patterns. Internet companies that used to watch traffic levels rise only when people booted up at work now see the uptick much earlier. Arbor Networks, a Boston company that analyzes Internet use, says that Web traffic in the United States gradually declines from midnight to around 6 a.m. on the East Coast and then gets a huge morning caffeine jolt. “It’s a rocket ship that takes off at 7 a.m,” said Craig Labovitz, Arbor’s chief scientist. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Akamai, which helps sites like Facebook and Amazon keep up with visitor demand, says traffic takes off even earlier, at around 6 a.m. on the East Coast. Verizon Wireless reported the number of text messages sent between 7 and 10 a.m. jumped by 50 percent in July, compared with a year earlier. Both adults and children have good reasons to wake up and log on. Mom and Dad might need to catch up on e-mail from colleagues in different time zones. Children check text messages and Facebook posts from friends with different bedtimes — and sometime forget their chores in the process. In May, Gabrielle Glaser of Montclair, N.J., bought her 14-year-old daughter, Moriah, an Apple laptop for her birthday. In the weeks after, Moriah missed the school bus three times and went from walking the family Labradoodle for 20 minutes each morning to only briefly letting the dog outside. Moriah concedes that she neglected the bus and dog, and blames Facebook, where the possibility that crucial updates from friends might be waiting draws her online as soon as she wakes. “I have some friends that are up early and chatting,” she said. “There is definitely a pull to check it.” Some families have tried to set limits on Internet use in the mornings. James Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that deals with children and entertainment, wakes every morning at 6 and spends the next hour on his BlackBerry, managing e-mail from contacts in different parts of the world. But when he meets his wife, Liz, and their four children, ages 5 to 16, at the breakfast table, no laptops or phones are allowed. Mr. Steyer says he and his sons feel the temptation of technology early. Kirk, 14, often runs through much of his daily one-hour allotment of video-game time in the morning. Even Jesse, 5, has started asking each morning if he can play games on his father’s iPhone . And Mr. Steyer said he constantly feels the tug of waiting messages on his BlackBerry, even during morning hours that are reserved for family time. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “You have to resist the impulse. You have to switch from work mode to parenting mode,” Mr. Steyer said. “But meeting my own standard is tough.” |
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The FIA WEC in 2018 will not, after all, be seeing an entry featuring LMP1 L cars designed by Nicolas Perrin. The effort planning to field a pair of Perrinn LMP1 cars in the 2018 FIA WEC announced earlier this year has not progressed beyond the initial contract stage with no other customers for the open-source designed LMP1 car being in immediate prospect. ART Racing Services, the company due to obtain the Perrinn 424 LMP1 cars, DSC understands, begun talks with alternative suppliers. The initial plan was to brand the engines with Renault-owned Romanian based OEM Dacia, the driving force behind the effort being Romanian-based Dutchman Frank van Nunen, previously involved with the Kruse-Schiller LMP2 efforts in LMP2. No deal with Dacia is understood to have been obtained to date. Some funding from the Romanian State and other public agencies was also envisaged together with additional title sponsorship being sought. Nicholas Perrin told DSC that, whilst costs had been incurred, and work started on the programme to build the cars, payment had not been received and the deadline to progress the project had now passed. “We were ready and had started to work on ensuring the cars would be delivered as arranged but sadly that has not come to pass,” he said. “I remain completely confident that our open source model has plenty to offer but for now at least that has to be in the future and I am moving on to other projects.” The first of those appears to be a radically revised version of the 424, now re-envisaged as a Garage 56 effort for 2019, an all electric, and partially autonomously piloted machine, Perrin previously acting as designer and engineer for the RML-built NIO EP9 all EV hypercar (below). The Garage 56 idea seeks to combine full EV and autonomous vehicle guidance technology for competitive pace for, at present 15 minutes of every racing hour. ART Racing Services, incorporated in the UK, is not in any way linked to French single-seater and ex-DTM outfit ART Grand Prix. Attempts to contact Frank van Nunen for comment last week were sadly unsuccessful. |
Deborah Ann Woll. Photo: John P. Johnson/HBO The newly liberated Jessica may not want Newlin to chip one of his baby fangs on Jason’s hard ass, but she’s not against sharing him either. After relegating Jason to hot hookup (and before that, moving too fast with Hoyt), True Blood’s teenage vampire is finally starting to act her age. Deborah Ann Woll spoke with Vulture about what a forever 17-year-old does for fun in Bon Temps, the possibility of reconciling with Hoyt, and why wearing that Red Riding Hood outfit helps. Jessica’s foregoing Jason for keg stands, frat boys, and Rock Band? Well, she’s spent her whole life not really having any friends, not knowing what it’s like to be a teenager. She went from a sheltered home to being a newborn baby vamp living with Bill and then moved right in with her long-term boyfriend. I imagine that she felt this rush of freedom, met some guy and his college friends at Merlotte’s and decided to have a party. And that green streak she’s been sporting — is Jessica chalking her hair? My idea was that Jessica has never been cool. It’s one of my favorite things about her. I thought she’d be thinking, “Oh my gosh, all these college kids are coming over for a party,” and the first thing that occurs to her is to put a green streak in her hair. I just thought it was a great symbol of trying a little too hard, but it’s very endearing. We just did a little extension. For a second, I thought that she was fattening the boys up for dinner. Jessica’s not quite that evil. I think there’s a lot of feeding she wants to do, but I think she’s still a little bit shy. Even sexually shy. Except when it comes to Jason. I’d say she’s experimenting. She was with Hoyt and then she was drawn to his best friend, so I don’t think she’s ready to be promiscuous. What was really sweet in that first episode back was her kiss with the frat boy. It was very sweet and innocent. I don’t imagine they slept together later that night. She’s already chased off Newlin twice. Isn’t she just fighting her feelings for Jason because of Hoyt? They obviously have a very strong attraction to one another and a lot of chemistry, but they did start in a guilty way, betraying Hoyt. It’s going to take a lot of healing before they can move forward as a couple. She doesn’t want to hurt Jason the way she hurt Hoyt. Right now, she’s of the opinion that relationships between humans and vampires on an intimate level don’t work. Jessica seems to be enjoying being an older and more powerful vampire than Newlin. She’s also going cross paths with new baby vamp Tara. Jessica’s single now, so she’ll be hanging out at Fangtasia more, which is where Tara’s maker Pam works. When Jess finds out that there are vamps younger than her, it’s very exciting. Will she be playing big sister? Jessica’s finally dabbling in the benefits of being a vampire herself, so I think she’s going to make Tara feel a little better about it. Speaking of Fangtasia, the teaser trailer featured Hoyt trolling around the bar with a lot guyliner on. A lot of guyliner. He’s all sort of fangbanger’d out. He’s got a very interesting storyline this year in which Jessica weaves in and out. Are Hoyt and Jessica headed for a reconciliation? They ultimately can’t satisfy one another. Jessica’s dark and wild and Hoyt is much more conservative and innocent in a way. If Jess were to stay with Hoyt, she would corrupt that innocence he has. You’ll see a little bit of what I mean by that soon. Obviously their relationship isn’t completely concluded, there’s more fallout, but I can say that we’ll start to see that Hoyt and Jessica are really not made for one another. The show’s explored the bond between makers and their progeny when it comes to Godric and Eric and now Eric and Pam. Are we going to see more of what that relationship means for Jessica and Bill? Yes. Bill has always been very busy and he hasn’t had a lot of time for Jess. Left to her own devices, she gets into a lot of trouble this season. Definitely, they’ll come together, and when they do it will be a test in a way to see where their loyalties lie. How so? It’s a very polarized world on True Blood this season. There are boyfriends, girlfriends, the Authority, Pam, other vampires, humans … What sides are they going to pick? We’ve seen that usually progeny will go along with their makers, but we also know sometimes your kid doesn’t always do what you want. We’ll see how Bill and Jessica navigate those waters. Will they be loyal to the same faction or will they go opposite ways? Your sex scenes with Jason have been pretty racy. I read that you warn your boyfriend beforehand. Yeah, we watch the show together. It can’t be easy for anyone to have to watch that. I think he’d be a poor boyfriend if it didn’t bother him a little. Usually, he’ll turn to me and say, “You looked beautiful. You did a great job sweetie,” and that’s about as much as he wants to get into it. You never get used to shooting those scenes, but I’ll say I find them quite funny. It’s very silly. Thirty people in a room and two naked people bouncing around. The Red Riding Hood outfit probably helped. It did! It helps to be dressed up in something so outrageous and really go for it. |
Today’s Times of India carried an article titled Government mulls lifetime validity of arms licences. On the face of it, it seems like the government is moving towards positive change. This is true – to an extent. Increasing the period of validity of Arms Licenses will reduce harassment as well as corruption and needless load on government machinery. However, there are also some dangerous changes being mooted! I quote from the article: As per the draft rules, acquisition of airguns with muzzle energy under 20 joules or 15 feet or 0.177 mm will not require an arms licence. However, firearm replicas, paintball markers and blank firing firearms will be brought under the definition of arms. What does this mean? 1) This means that any airgun which has a calibre greater than .177 cal or produces energy greater than 20 Joules, will be treated as a firearm. 2) Anything which resembles a firearm in appearance (replica) will be considered a firearm. 3) Blank firers, which are by design incapable of launching a projectile and therefore thus far NOT defined as firearms, will now be considered as firearms. This would include toys like cap guns, popular with children, especially during diwali. What will be the consequences of these changes? For Airguns 1) They will be treated as firearms and anyone possessing any such airgun without an arms license for the same will be treated at par with someone possessing an illegal firearm! Also, each one of them will count towards the legal limit of 3 firearms (max). 2) Since many people who own airguns already own firearms, they will face a tough choice – either declare & deposit (read “have confiscated”) their expensive airguns OR simply hide them from the authorities and break the law! This rule will create a whole new class of criminals, where none existed before. Some of them will get caught and be sent to jail – for possession of airguns!! Needless to say, when they come out of jail in 3-7 years time, they will likely be hardened criminals and/ or emotionally scarred for life. 3) Since it will be next to impossible to train all enforcement personnel as to the meaning of what exactly 20 Joules/ 15 ft.lbs means and how to measure it – anyone who has in their possession an airgun which is NOT .177 cal, is almost certain to face harassment from the authorities. 4) Since none of the small scale airgun manufacturers (in India) has the capability to manufacture .177 cal barrels, they will likely go out of business very soon. Because, once .20, .22 & .25 airgun owners start facing harassment, people will stop buying airguns in these calibres. 5) You can very soon look forward to headlines of some poor kid being arrested for being in possession of a .22 airgun (the most common calibre in India). The poor innocent child will be sent to some reform home for at least a few weeks/ months – the time it will take to forensically test for 20 Joules power. Needless to say, he/ she will come out of this episode emotionally and mentally scarred for life. All airgun owners should prepare themselves for a world of pain and harassment. For Replicas 1) Possession/ sale/ manufacture of anything resembling a firearm, will attract the same penalties as those for a real firearm. 2) Toy guns, wall-hangers, key-chains, lighters, handicrafts – none of which are capable of launching a projectile, will be treated at par with real guns if they look like one! 3) The thriving replica manufacture industry, employing thousands of artisans (largely in Rajasthan), will cease to exist. 4) Shows, movies, etc. which require replicas as props, will either need to change their storyline or if possible shift to overseas locales – at the cost of the domestic economy. 5) You can very soon look forward to headlines of some poor kid being arrested for being in possession of a “diwali” cap gun. The poor innocent child will be sent to some reform home for several months. Needless to say, he/ she will come out of this episode emotionally and mentally scarred for life. For blank firers 1) Possession/ sale/ manufacture of blank firers, will attract the same penalties as those for a real firearm. 2) Blank firers, which are by their very design incapable of launching a projectile and in fact cannot even chamber and fire a “real” cartridge (they have blocked barrels and vent gases below or to the side) – will be treated at par with real guns. 3) Same as point 4 above. For paintball markers 1) Paintball markers (guns), which use compressed CO2 to shoot a polymer pellet filled with paint, which is incapable of even penetrating cardboard, will now be treated like a firearm. 2) The legal implications of this move are as mentioned above. 3) This will effectively kill off the nascent adventure sports industry, which often offers paintball games as part of their services. These games are most often subscribed to by companies, as team building exercises for their executives. Amongst others, Rahul Gandhi is reportedly an avid paintball enthusiast. Is this some devious plan to deny him the pleasure of having fun with his friends? If these changes are being enacted to improve law & order, the public should be told how many OR if there are any recorded instances of airguns, replicas, blank firers, paintball markers being used in the commission of violent crime? If there are no significant numbers of crimes being committed using these objects, what is the need to license them? What public purpose is being sought to be achieved? Should we not concentrate our efforts towards the menace of illegal guns? I’ll conclude by stating the obvious, these are ill thought out changes to the law. They will be next to impossible to enforce and will make criminals out of honest citizens. Let us not take one step forward and two steps back! |
We had a chat with Sander from Immersion RC about the best way to set up your FPV components. The first thing you need to do is to get power for your video equipment. This can be done by simply soldering leads to the battery supply side of your speed controller. If you have never soldered before we have a video giving you some great tips. Soldering your connections is much more reliable than bullet connectors. Next will be your video transmitter. Here we have the Immersion RC 5.8GHz 600mW Transmitter fitted with a SpiroNET Omni Antenna. The Immersion 600mW Transmitter comes with a battery lead that you will also solder in while making the connections in your ESC. You will want to place your transmitter as far away from your receiver as possible. We have them about equidistant from the battery hatch. We marked two little black squared where we would place the transmitter (left) and the receiver (right). Speaking of receivers we used the Immersion RC EzUHF Long-Range RC Rx - 4CH. This is the module that fits into any JR style module bay. This becomes the transmitting module that talks on the same frequency as the EzUHF. If you don't have a JR style module bay, there is a hardback version that can mount to any type of transmitter. Lastly you'll need a camera. This is a special type of FPV camera made by Fat Shark. The 600TVL FPV Tuned CMOS camera is specially developed to provide a great dynamic range, which prevents contrast blowouts when going from light to dark images. It also can be fixed with a optional GoPro style lens to help with composition. If you are planing to mount a GoPro for recording but still want to fly through the board cam, try to get the lenses as close together as possible. This will do wonders for your framing. All of these components together create the basic FPV setup. But if you are looking to upgrade even further, you might want to add some awesome features like an OSD. An OSD (On Screen Display) provides pretty much anything you would want to know about your planes vitals. Speed, altitude, distance, home compass, battery usage, the OSD give it all to you right in your goggles. Just like everything else Immersion, the EzOSD is a simple plug and play component that can provide an immense amount of security in your investment as well as an equal amount of super awesome! You can even set alarms for yourself based on battery usage, distance or altitude. The only difference between the basic setup and the OSD setup is that you have to plug the OSD into the video transmitter, and the current sensor into the OSD. So to recap, let's play a game called Follow the Image! The board camera takes in the image... ...sends it to the OSD which places all your info over the image... ...which simultaneously talks to the current sensor to give you battery info... ...and it sends all that information to the video transmitter which sends it all to your goggles! We hope this helps you setup your FPV platform with more confidence and ease. If you are looking to get a start into FPV, we can't recommend Immersion RC enough! All of there components are plug and play, which makes it easy to setup, but also will be able to grow with you as an FPV pilot. Want to upgrade? All of have to do is unplug and plug in your new component! If you live in the United States you are probably aware of the ban that the FAA is placing on FPV flying. If you are as dumbfounded by this as we are, we strongly encourage you to watch our FAA Ban on FPV video and make your voice heard! It's up to us to help protect our hobby. Thank you for being the best community out there. What is your dream FPV setup? Chat it up in the forums! |
Debbie Wasserman Schultz had a very, very bad month of July. She lost her gig as DNC chair, was booed lustily by Democratic National Convention delegates and was publicly kept off the convention stage. Couldn’t get any worse, right? Wrong. The Florida Democrat now faces a legal challenge from her primary challenger, according to the Free Beacon: Tim Canova, a law professor and supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), said his campaign lawyers found evidence that Schultz violated FEC rules among the recent WikiLeaks disclosures that forced the chairwoman’s resignation from the committee. “It’s very clear that Wasserman Schultz was using the DNC resources to monitor my campaign and to strategize on how to crush the campaign,” Canova said Monday night during an interview with MSNBC. “That’s a violation of federal law.” Canova has the backing of Sanders, and is a strong progressive in the race against Wasserman Schultz, who currently leads by eight percentage points, according to the Free Beacon. It sure looks like it could be a very long August for Wasserman Schultz. |
Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. This story first appeared on the TomDispatch website. It’s a story that should take your breath away: the destabilization of what, in the Bush years, used to be called “the arc of instability.” It involves at least 97 countries, across the bulk of the global south, much of it coinciding with the oil heartlands of the planet. A startling number of these nations are now in turmoil, and in every single one of them—from Afghanistan and Algeria to Yemen and Zambia —Washington is militarily involved, overtly or covertly, in outright war or what passes for peace. Garrisoning the planet is just part of it. The Pentagon and US intelligence services are also running covert special forces and spy operations, launching drone attacks, building bases and secret prisons, training, arming, and funding local security forces, and engaging in a host of other militarized activities right up to full-scale war. But while you consider this, keep one fact in mind: the odds are that there is no longer a single nation in the arc of instability in which the United States is in no way militarily involved. Covenant of the Arc “Freedom is on the march in the broader Middle East,” the president said in his speech. “The hope of liberty now reaches from Kabul to Baghdad to Beirut and beyond. Slowly but surely, we’re helping to transform the broader Middle East from an arc of instability into an arc of freedom.” An arc of freedom. You could be forgiven if you thought that this was an excerpt from President Barack Obama’s Arab Spring speech, where he said “[I]t will be the policy of the United States to… support transitions to democracy.” Those were, however, the words of his predecessor George W. Bush. The giveaway is that phrase “arc of instability,” a core rhetorical concept of the former president’s global vision and that of his neoconservative supporters. The dream of the Bush years was to militarily dominate that arc, which largely coincided with the area from North Africa to the Chinese border, also known as the Greater Middle East, but sometimes was said to stretch from Latin America to Southeast Asia. While the phrase has been dropped in the Obama years, when it comes to projecting military power President Obama is in the process of trumping his predecessor. In addition to waging more wars in “arc” nations, Obama has overseen the deployment of greater numbers of special operations forces to the region, has transferred or brokered the sale of substantial quantities of weapons there, while continuing to build and expand military bases at a torrid rate, as well as training and supplying large numbers of indigenous forces. Pentagon documents and open source information indicate that there is not a single country in that arc in which US military and intelligence agencies are not now active. This raises questions about just how crucial the American role has been in the region’s increasing volatility and destabilization. Flooding the Arc Given the centrality of the arc of instability to Bush administration thinking, it was hardly surprising that it launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and carried out limited strikes in three other arc states—Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia. Nor should anyone have been shocked that it also deployed elite military forces and special operators from the Central Intelligence Agency elsewhere within the arc. In his book The One Percent Doctrine, journalist Ron Suskind reported on CIA plans, unveiled in September 2001 and known as the “Worldwide Attack Matrix,” for “detailed operations against terrorists in 80 countries.” At about the same time, then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld proclaimed that the nation had embarked on “a large multi-headed effort that probably spans 60 countries.” By the end of the Bush years, the Pentagon would indeed have special operations forces deployed in 60 countries around the world. It has been the Obama administration, however, that has embraced the concept far more fully and engaged the region even more broadly. Last year, the Washington Post reported that US had deployed special operations forces in 75 countries, from South America to Central Asia. Recently, however, US Special Operations Command spokesman Colonel Tim Nye told me that on any given day, America’s elite troops are working in about 70 countries, and that its country total by year’s end would be around 120. These forces are engaged in a host of missions, from Army Rangers involved in conventional combat in Afghanistan to the team of Navy SEALs who assassinated Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, to trainers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines within US Special Operations Command working globally from the Dominican Republic to Yemen. The United States is now involved in wars in six arc-of-instability nations: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. It has military personnel deployed in other arc states, including Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates. Of these countries, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all host US military bases, while the CIA is reportedly building a secret base somewhere in the region for use in its expanded drone wars in Yemen and Somalia. It is also using already existing facilities in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates for the same purposes, and operating a clandestine base in Somalia where it runs indigenous agents and carries out counterterrorism training for local partners. In addition to its own military efforts, the Obama administration has also arranged for the sale of weaponry to regimes in arc states across the Middle East, including Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It has been indoctrinating and schooling indigenous military partners through the State Department’s and Pentagon’s International Military Education and Training program. Last year, it provided training to more than 7,000 students from 130 countries. “The emphasis is on the Middle East and Africa because we know that terrorism will grow, and we know that vulnerable countries are the most targeted,” Kay Judkins, the program’s policy manager, recently told the American Forces Press Service. According to Pentagon documents released earlier this year, the US has personnel—some in token numbers, some in more sizeable contingents—deployed in 76 other nations sometimes counted in the arc of instability: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Syria, Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. While arrests of 30 members of an alleged CIA spy ring in Iran earlier this year may be, like earlier incarcerations of supposed American “spies”, pure theater for internal consumption or international bargaining, there is little doubt that the US is conducting covert operations there, too. Last year, reports surfaced that US black ops teams had been authorized to run missions inside that country, and spies and local proxies are almost certainly at work there as well. Just recently, the Wall Street Journal revealed a series of “secret operations on the Iran-Iraq border” by the US military and a coming CIA campaign of covert operations aimed at halting the smuggling of Iranian arms into Iraq. All of this suggests that there may, in fact, not be a single nation within the arc of instability, however defined, in which the United States is without a base or military or intelligence personnel, or where it is not running agents, sending weapons, conducting covert operations—or at war. The Arc of History Just after President Obama came into office in 2009, then-Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair briefed the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Drawing special attention to the arc of instability, he summed up the global situation this way: “The large region from the Middle East to South Asia is the locus for many of the challenges facing the United States in the twenty-first century.” Since then, as with the Bush-identified phrase “global war on terror,” the Obama administration and the US military have largely avoided using “arc of instability,” preferring to refer to it using far vaguer formulations. During a speech at the National Defense Industrial Association’s annual Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Symposium earlier this year, for example, Navy Admiral Eric Olson, then the chief of US Special Operations Command, pointed toward a composite satellite image of the world at night. Before September 11, 2001, said Olson, the lit portion of the planet—the industrialized nations of the global north—were considered the key areas. Since then, he told the audience, 51 countries, almost all of them in the arc of instability, have taken precedence. “Our strategic focus,” he said, “has shifted largely to the south… certainly within the special operations community, as we deal with the emerging threats from the places where the lights aren’t.” More recently, in remarks at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., John O. Brennan, the assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, outlined the president’s new National Strategy for Counterterrorism, which highlighted carrying out missions in the “Pakistan-Afghanistan region” and “a focus on specific regions, including what we might call the periphery—places like Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and the Maghreb [northern Africa].” “This does not,” Brennan insisted, “require a ‘global’ war”—and indeed, despite the Bush-era terminology, it never has. While, for instance, planning for the 9/11 attacks took place in Germany and would-be shoe-bomber Richard Reid hailed from the United Kingdom, advanced, majority-white Western nations have never been American targets. The “arc” has never arced out of the global south, whose countries are assumed to be fundamentally unstable by nature and their problems fixable through military intervention. Building Instability A decade’s evidence has made it clear that US operations in the arc of instability are destabilizing. For years, to take one example, Washington has wielded military aid, military actions, and diplomatic pressure in such a way as to undermine the government of Pakistan, promote factionalism within its military and intelligence services, and stoke anti-American sentiment to remarkable levels among the country’s population. (According to a recent survey, just 12 percent of Pakistanis have a positive view of the United States.) A semi-secret drone war in that nation’s tribal borderlands, involving hundreds of missile strikes and significant, if unknown levels, of civilian casualties, has been only the most polarizing of Washington’s many ham-handed efforts. When it comes to that CIA-run effort, a recent Pew survey of Pakistanis found that 97 percent of respondents viewed it negatively, a figure almost impossible to achieve in any sort of polling. In Yemen, long-time support—in the form of aid, military training, and weapons, as well as periodic air or drone strikes—for dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh led to a special relationship between the US and elite Yemeni forces led by Saleh’s relatives. This year, those units have been instrumental in cracking down on the freedom struggle there, killing protesters and arresting dissenting officers who refused orders to open fire on civilians. It’s hardly surprising that, even before Yemen slid into a leaderless void (after Saleh was wounded in an assassination attempt), a survey of Yemenis found—again a jaw-dropping polling figure—99 percent of respondents viewed the US government’s relations with the Islamic world unfavorably, while just 4 percent “somewhat” or “strongly approved” of Saleh’s cooperation with Washington. Instead of pulling back from operations in Yemen, however, the US has doubled down. The CIA, with support from Saudi Arabia’s intelligence service, has been running local agents as well as a lethal drone campaign aimed at Islamic militants. The US military has been carrying out its own air strikes, as well as sending in more trainers to work with indigenous forces, while American black ops teams launch lethal missions, often alongside Yemeni allies. These efforts have set the stage for further ill-will, political instability, and possible blowback. Just last year, a US drone strike accidentally killed Jabr al-Shabwani, the son of strongman Sheikh Ali al-Shabwani. In an act of revenge, Ali repeatedly attacked of one of Yemen’s largest oil pipelines, resulting in billions of dollars in lost revenue for the Yemeni government, and demanded Saleh stop cooperating with the US strikes. Earlier this year, in Egypt and Tunisia, long-time US efforts to promote what it liked to call “regional stability”—through military alliances, aid, training, and weaponry—collapsed in the face of popular movements against the US-supported dictators ruling those nations. Similarly, in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, popular protests erupted against authoritarian regimes partnered with and armed courtesy of the US military. It’s hardly surprising that, when asked in a recent survey whether President Obama had met the expectations created by his 2009 speech in Cairo, where he called for “a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world,” only 4 percent of Egyptians answered yes. (The same poll found only 6 percent of Jordanians thought so and just 1 percent of Lebanese.) A recent Zogby poll of respondents in six Arab countries—Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—found that, taking over from a president who had propelled anti-Americanism in the Muslim world to an all-time high, Obama managed to drive such attitudes even higher. Substantial majorities of Arabs in every country now view the US as not contributing “to peace and stability in the Arab World.” Increasing Instability Across the Globe US interference in the arc of instability is certainly nothing new. Leaving aside current wars, over the last century, the United States has engaged in military interventions in the global south in Cambodia, Congo, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Egypt, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Panama, the Philippines, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Somalia, Thailand, and Vietnam, among other places. The CIA has waged covert campaigns in many of the same countries, as well as Afghanistan, Algeria, Chile, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, and Syria, to name just a few. Like George W. Bush before him, Barack Obama evidently looks out on the “unlit world” and sees a source of global volatility and danger for the United States. His answer has been to deploy US military might to blunt instability, shore up allies, and protect American lives. Despite the salient lesson of 9/11– interventions abroad beget blowback at home—he has waged wars in response to blowback that have, in turn, generated more of the same. A recent Rasmussen poll indicates that most Americans differ with the president when it comes to his idea of how the US should be involved abroad. Seventy-five percent of voters, for example, agreed with this proposition in a recent poll: “The United States should not commit its forces to military action overseas unless the cause is vital to our national interest.” In addition, clear majorities of Americans are against defending Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and a host of other arc of instability countries, even if they are attacked by outside powers. After decades of overt and covert US interventions in arc states, including the last 10 years of constant warfare, most are still poor, underdeveloped, and seemingly even more unstable. This year, in their annual failed state index—a ranking of the most volatile nations on the planet—Foreign Policy and the Fund for Peace placed the two arc nations that have seen the largest military interventions by the US—Iraq and Afghanistan—in their top ten. Pakistan and Yemen ranked 12th and 13th, respectively, while Somalia—the site of US interventions under President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, during the Bush presidency in the 2000s, and again under Obama—had the dubious honor of being number one. For all the discussions here about (armed) “nation-building efforts” in the region, what we’ve clearly witnessed is a decade of nation unbuilding that ended only when the peoples of various Arab lands took their futures into their own hands and their bodies out into the streets. As recent polling in arc nations indicates, people of the global south see the United States as promoting or sustaining, not preventing, instability, and objective measures bear out their claims. The fact that numerous popular uprisings opposing authoritarian rulers allied with the US have proliferated this year provides the strongest evidence yet of that. With Americans balking at defending arc-of-instability nations, with clear indications that military interventions don’t promote stability, and with a budget crisis of epic proportions at home, it remains to be seen what pretexts the Obama administration will rely on to continue a failed policy—one that seems certain to make the world more volatile and put American citizens at greater risk. Nick Turse is a historian, investigative journalist, the associate editor of TomDispatch.com, and a senior editor at Alternet.org. His latest book is The Case for Withdrawal from Afghanistan (Verso Books). You can follow him on Twitter @NickTurse, on Tumblr, and on Facebook. This article is a collaboration between Alternet.org and TomDispatch.com. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com here. |
So Charles Gaba, whose excellent site ACA Signups has been a huge secret resource for those of us covering health reform, is getting the Bernie Bro treatment. Never mind his long service to the cause of covering the uninsured (and his declaration that he’ll support either candidate in the general): his carefully laid-out explanation of his support for Hillary Clinton’s incremental approach means that he’s a corrupt tool of the oligarchy. Oh well. Meanwhile, the Sanders skepticism of the wonks continues: Paul Starr lays out the case. As far as I can tell, every serious progressive policy expert on either health care or financial reform who has weighed in on the primary seems to lean Hillary. This could be because being in the trenches of the health care fight gives you an acute sense of the possible, and because having paid close attention to the financial crisis makes you a shadow-banking, not too big to fail guy. Or it could be because they are, one and all, corrupt corporate lackeys. I report, you decide. Just to be clear, Sanders himself is not at fault here. And if Hillary is the nominee, I expect him to do what she herself did in 2008, and will surely do if he wins an upset: make it clear that whatever their differences, and whatever the primary loser’s personal frustration, there’s no comparison with the reactionary extremism of all the GOP candidates. But it’s disappointing to see so much intolerance over what are basically differences in strategy, not goals. |
HOUSTON - Two school districts in the Houston area have begun monitoring students whereabouts on campus by issuing them identification badges with radio frequency identification technology - the same technology used to track cattle. The Spring school district in Houston has distributed the ID badges to about 13,500 of its 36,000 students since December 2008. The Santa Fe school district, about 30 miles south of Houston, began using the badges this year. School officials say the devices improve security and increase attendance rates, a figure that's important because some school funding is tied to attendance. The Spring district uses the tracking system to find students counted absent by classroom teachers. Often, the student is somewhere else on campus, allowing the district to recover $194,000 in state funding since December 2008, said Christine Porter, Spring's associate superintendent for financial services. The technology easily pays for itself within about three years at secondary schools, she said. "It's a wonderful asset," said Veronica Vijil, principal of Bailey Middle School in Spring, The American Civil Liberties Union successfully fought the introduction of these ID badges in California in 2005. The ACLU of Texas told the Houston Chronicle the badges present security risks. "There's real questions about the security risks involved with these gadgets," said Dotty Griffith, public education director for the ACLU of Texas. Many students already are used to being electronically monitored. Some campuses have had surveillance cameras for years. "It feels like someone's watching you at all times," said Jacorey Jackson, 11, a sixth-grader at Bailey. |
Copy and paste this link into an e-mail or instant message: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/The-Protector-Trials/00000000-0000-400c-80cf-000554540861?cid=SLink Click to create and send a link using your email application You receive the call: Tenenbaum desperately needs you to steal as much ADAM as possible, to help thwart Sofia Lamb's insane plan. Enter the Protector Trials: frantic combat challenges designed to push your mastery of weapons and Plasmids to the limit. The goal in each Trial is simple: get your Little Sister to an ADAM-rich corpse and keep her safe while she gathers precious ADAM. Opposition mounts as your Little Sister nears her goal -- will you survive the onslaught? Each Trial features three unique weapon and Plasmid load-outs, keeping the challenge fresh, as well as a fourth bonus load-out the player receives when all previous load-outs are completed. |
If you’re trying to encapsulate what makes Justified FX’s coolest drama, a good place to start is the fact that Timothy Olyphant’s character, Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, often seems as entertained by the bad guys as we are. “It’s always fun to bring in new characters that are so wonderfully specific and full of contradictions and humor — scary and yet so funny,” Olyphant says. “I love when you have characters that seem reprehensible, and at the same time you just love spending time with them.” Season 5, which premieres Jan. 7 at 10 p.m. ET, is overflowing with them. Here, Olyphant, Damon Herriman (Dewey Crowe), Walton Goggins (Boyd Crowder), Joelle Carter (Ava Crowder), and executive producer Graham Yost tease what lies ahead. For even more, read our extended interviews with Goggins and Michael Rapaport, who plays the season’s Big Bad, Darryl Crowe Jr. As Olyphant says, “People are going to be blown away by him. I think we have to track him down because he stole the season.” THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF DEWEY CROWE There are a lot of fan favorite characters on Justified, but Dewey Crowe may top the list. “When we come up with an idea for a Dewey scene, we start laughing or we’re never quite crying but we’re going, ‘Oh Jesus, poor Dewey,'” Yost says of the writers’ affection for him. “He’s an imbecile. He’s a violent criminal. He’s just an avowed racist and all that stuff. But there’s something about him, his haplessness.” Last seen in season 3, when he was drugged, abducted from prison, drugged again, and made to believe his kidneys were harvested (“Holy s—, you mean I had four kidneys?”), Dewey wins a large settlement from the federal government at the start of the premiere that he uses to — what else — buy Audrey’s from Boyd. “I thought that was a brilliant idea. It just seemed so appropriate,” Herriman says. “What more could Dewey Crowe want? As is often the case with Dewey, all the things that seem to be going oh so right for him in his world come crumbling down very quickly.” It starts when Raylan interrupts Dewey’s game of naked Marco Polo with two prostitutes to ask him if he knows the whereabouts of his Florida swamp cousins, led by Rapaport’s Darryl Crowe Jr. “Raylan orders him out of the swimming pool, and they essentially have this conversation — just like a regular Raylan-Dewey scene — where Dewey’s standing there naked, covering himself as best he can. No one actually asked [if I’d go nude],” Herriman says, laughing. “It was just in the script like, ‘Dewey gets out of the pool completely naked.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, I guess he does then.’ There are sacrifices you make when you get to play a role this good. I don’t care too much about that stuff anyway, but ultimately, I knew it was gonna be a funnier scene, a more memorable scene, so there’s no way I wanted to mess with that. Sometimes as an actor, you feel like you read dialogue that you have to say and you know that you have to work incredibly hard to make that dialogue work. Whereas this is one of the very rare experiences where you read the dialogue and it’s almost like the good acting is written into the dialogue and all you have to do is say it and not wreck it.” Raylan, who has history with cousin Darryl, heads to Florida in the premiere to help vanquish his family’s latest moneymaker. “It was a little nerve-racking — big nine-foot gators just a few feet from us while we’re shooting the scene. One was named Pete. He was the big one. He had a bunch of girlfriends. It’s true,” Olyphant says about filming on location. “I’m not sure if it was exactly safe, but we were told that we would be fine, and if they ran out of the water, just zigzag serpentine.” The real danger, story-wise at least: Raylan makes mention of Dewey’s good fortune within earshot of one of Darryl’s associates, consigliere/gator farmer Jean Baptiste (Edi Gathegi). “So he kind of goes somewhere he’d rather not go, to see some people he’d rather not see, and then somehow ends up bringing them all back,” Olyphant says. “Then things just gets worse.” That’s because the Crowes — which also include nutjob muscle Danny (CSI: NY‘s AJ Buckley), 14-year-old Kendal (Mud‘s Jacob Lofland), and reformed paralegal Wendy (Alicia Witt) — are interlopers: “It’s that sense that they’re carrion birds,” Yost says. “They come in, they’re invasive, they’re hard to get rid of.” Explains Herriman, “Darryl has various opinions on the price that Dewey was charged for Audrey’s and whether it was a particularly healthy business to be buying…. Dewey is so easily influenced: There’s a great moment where Darryl kind of talks him up in this Anthony Robbins kind of way to go and have it out with Boyd, and he does that. And then Boyd essentially does the same thing to get Dewey to go back and have it out with Darryl. It’s so great.” But Dewey is more than comic relief this season. Look for episode 4 to be a turning point for the character. All Yost will say: “Darryl has told Dewey he’s going to do something, and it’s very hard for Dewey and it doesn’t go well.” Herriman calls the hour a “massive rollercoaster”: “There’s every emotion you could possibly imagine, and just when you think things have gone as wrong as they can go, they get worse,” he says. “You get to see the guy really kind of shattered by the circumstances that he finds himself in.” A DARKER BOYD — AND A NEW AVA Yost dubs the theme of season 5 “Let the Right One In”: “It’s making alliances with people and then coming to regret that,” he says. It goes for everyone, but especially Boyd, who, as we wrote in our Q&A with Goggins, has a lot on his plate as the season begins: We pick up roughly three months after his fiancée Ava (Joelle Carter) was busted moving Delroy’s body and she’s still in jail, impatiently awaiting her case to be assigned a judge so Boyd can get to threatening him. Problems with the heroin pipeline quickly send Boyd and Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns, now a series regular) to Detroit. “Jimmy is the person closest to Boyd, but still, he doesn’t trust Jimmy — not after what Johnny did,” Goggins says. “He doesn’t trust anyone, and that’s what’s so hard for him. Everybody needs to lean on somebody. None of us are islands. Not even someone as buttoned up as Boyd Crowder. We’ll see if that eats him up. That may ultimately kind of bring him down — his inability to trust people and/or maybe who he trusts…” Boyd feels cornered, and that loss of control comes out in ways that “are not well thought out for a man who thinks about everything,” Goggins says. Yost confirms what you’re thinking: “There is a greater body count, no question. There’s a world of violence around Boyd this year.” And as Olyphant jokes: “People are going to go down. We’ve got too many characters on the show. Some people are going to have to go.” The heaviness of what life brings Boyd and Ava starts to weigh on their relationship: “These two are trying to outrun their own lives right now. I guess this is what happens when you choose to live outside the law. It catches up with you,” Carter says. “I like to think she’s never going to give up on them, but there does come a point in the season where she has to reinvent herself, and she’s definitely left to her own devices.” Jail, Ava will discover, has its own set of rules. (It also has a not-so-nice guard played by actor-turned-screenwriter Danny Strong!) “It’s a different game,” Carter says, “and I think she finally realizes she’s in this game, and she’s in it solo, and she has to figure out how to play it. You’ll see a tougher, darker Ava. Anything that she’s potentially learned from her lover will come in handy. It will be nice to see. She was trying to be a businesswoman last season and step up and be a partner. Now she has to be her own boss, I guess. Sometimes I read the scripts, and I’m like, ‘Oh, poor Ava. Poor girl. They’re really beating her up this season.’ But it’s also exciting to see how they’ll come out at the end of the season. I can’t imagine after everything that has happened and that might happen in this season, that [Boyd and Ava] will be the same at the end.” RAYLAN’S END GAME With Yost anticipating wrapping the series after six seasons — it hasn’t formally been renewed past season 5, so, he jokes, “we could still screw it up” — the writers have to start thinking about where they want Raylan to end up. Will it be in Kentucky or in Florida, where Winona is now raising their baby girl? “I don’t think he ever wished to be the same kind of father he grew up with, and yet, he seems to very absent from his child’s life right now,” Olyphant says. “So you’re kind of asking, ‘Will he be present in that child’s life? And if so, how does that affect his life as a marshal? How does he define himself? That’s seems a good question that keeps coming back up.” For the moment at least, Raylan will be parenting long distance. “We’re going to try to keep that [Winona storyline] alive in a meaningful way,” the actor/producer says. “If we do that, I think it will be a win-win. We’ll feel the presence of the child and not have to act with them. That’s the way we like it. We’ve already got a dog [Danny Crowe’s male pit bull, named Chelsea], we don’t need kids around.” Look for Raylan to meet a social worker, played by Amy Smart, in the second episode. Told EW approves of Raylan having more sex, Olyphant deadpans, “It depends who the sex is with, I guess, but you know, we like that — sex and violence, in moderation of course. That’s often, at times, the keys to good drama, and that’s what we’re trying to do here.” There could, however, be another source of drama awaiting Raylan. Teases Yost, “You remember how last season ended: Essentially Raylan conspired with a criminal [Sammy Tonin] to kill another criminal [Nicky Augustine]. He did it to save Winona and their unborn child. He didn’t feel he had any options. But that’s a big, big thing to do. I just pose a question to you: What if Art got some inkling that something wasn’t right? That’s all I’ll say.” To read more about Justified and 67 other new and returning shows, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands now. And come back to EW.com’s Inside TV blog throughout Justified‘s fifth season for our weekly postmortems with showrunner Graham Yost. |
A passenger was injured in the firing A number of senior Indian politicians have protested against the killing of a migrant job seeker by police in the city of Mumbai (Bombay). Police said Rahul Raj, from Bihar, shot and injured a bus passenger as he tried to hijack the vehicle, demanding to meet local politician Raj Thackeray. Mr Thackeray has been accused of inciting violence against migrants. Some senior politicians have demanded an investigation, saying police could easily have disarmed him. Rahul Raj, who was in his early 20s, had come to Mumbai recently to look for a job, according to his father, Kundan Pratap Singh. Mr Singh denied that his son had hijacked the bus, and that there was "something more" to the incident. PM's concern News channels showed footage of the man brandishing a revolver and asking for a mobile phone from passengers in the half-empty bus. At least 15 passengers were travelling in the bus at the time. Mr Thackeray says jobs should be given to locals The police said he fired inside the bus, injuring one passenger. Senior politicians from Bihar state, including the federal railway minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav, expressed shock at the shooting and demanded a judicial probe into the incident. "The boy did not look like a terrorist. So [the police] could have captured the boy. The police could have spoken to him on the phone and negotiated with him," Mr Yadav said. Bihar's chief minister Nitish Kumar has said the boy could have been disarmed and arrested. But Maharashtra's interior minister, RR Patil, defended the police action, saying that no "unstable person can hold hostages with the help of a revolver". Some reports said that Indian PM Manmohan Singh had expressed concern over the incident and spoken to Maharashtra's chief minister "to ensure" the security of migrant workers in Mumbai. Raj Thackeray is the leader of the right-wing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) party and was granted bail last week after being accused of incitement. His party has been accused of several attacks on migrant workers in recent months. Students in Bihar paralysed rail services last week in protest at the ill-treatment they say Biharis have received from the MNS. The unrest in Maharashtra has forced many migrants to leave their neighbourhoods, but Mr Thackeray has consistently denied inciting it. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version |
The Latest: 9 seeded players go out on French Open day 5 Japan's Kei Nishikori returns in the second round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, Wednesday, May 27, 2015. Nishikori won in three sets 7-5, 6-4, 6-4. (AP Photo/David Vincent) PARIS (AP) -- The Latest from the French Open: --- 9:55 p.m. Scroll to continue with content Ad Nine more seeded players have been sent packing on Day 5 at the French Open. Five of them were in the men's draw - No. 16 John Isner, No. 18 Tommy Robredo, No. 22 Philipp Kohlschreiber, No. 27 Bernard Tomic and No. 31 Viktor Troicki. Among the women, fifth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark was the highest of the four seeds to go, losing 6-4, 7-6 (4) to Julia Goerges of Germany. Two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, seeded 18th, lost 6-7 (11), 7-5, 10-8 to Francesca Schiavone of Italy. Serena Williams looked in some danger, too, but the top-ranked American steadied herself to beat 105th-ranked Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. --- 9:20 p.m. Home fans stayed out late in the hope that 20th-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet could beat Carlos Berlocq of Argentina. He couldn't quite finish it Thursday. After losing the first set, Gasquet won the next two to take control. But as the light faded, so did Gasquet's momentum, and Berlocq evened the match at 6-3, 3-6, 1-6, 6-4 after 2 hours, 50 minutes. As the clock reached 9:20 p.m., Berlocq threw his bag over his shoulder and gave a friendly wave to the fans as the weary players finally went off Suzanne Lenglen court, with their match to resume Friday. --- 8:47 p.m. Jack Sock is into the third round at Roland Garros for the second straight year. Another American, 16th-seeded John Isner, failed to join him. The 37th-ranked Sock got past Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4), 6-1, 7-6 (4), while Isner was beaten by Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. ''I could have beaten a lot of people out there today,'' Isner said, ''and he wasn't one of them.'' Story continues Sock, who is 22, next faces 18-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia, who defeated 18th-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain. --- 7:57 p.m. Andy Murray is also weighing in on the FIFA bribery and corruption scandal, as Rafael Nadal did earlier. ''I wouldn't say that many people were surprised by it,'' the No. 3-ranked Murray said. ''It's good for sport in a way when that stuff happens, because people have kind of talked about it for a long time.'' Murray added: ''People have suggested that there was some corruption going on there. So, yeah, now they are going to do a proper investigation into it and see what happens after that.'' --- 7:25 p.m. After going 4-13 in the first round of the French Open, American women went 4-0 in the second round. That top-seeded Serena Williams would advance was not surprising, although she had her share of problems while getting past 105th-ranked Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany in three sets. There were reasons to believe the other three U.S. women in action might not stick around. But they all did. Madison Keys, seeded 16th, had never reached the third round at Roland Garros, yet breezed past Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 6-0, 6-3. Irina Falconi hadn't been to the third round at any Grand Slam tournament since the 2011 U.S. Open until defeating Sesil Karatantcheva of Bulgaria 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. And Sloane Stephens was 0-4 against Heather Watson of Britain before eliminating her 6-2, 6-4. --- 7:07 p.m. Andy Murray was more stumped by the kilt that his post-match interviewer wore than he was by his second-round opponent at the French Open. ''I really don't know what to say,'' the third-seeded Murray said when former player Fabrice Santoro appeared in full Scottish attire - kilt, long black socks, black shoes and sporran - to quiz the Scotsman about his 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory against Joao Sousa. But Murray had plenty to say about his coach Amelie Mauresmo, a former No. 1 who won Wimbledon and the Australian Open but never got beyond the quarterfinals at the French, her home Grand Slam. ''She played with a lot of variety, something that I try to do on the court. I felt like she could help me with that. And she's a very nice person. So it's fun to work with her. That's important,'' he said. They've been together a year. ''So far, so good,'' Murray said. The 2013 Wimbledon and 2012 U.S. Open champion, a two-time semifinalist at the French, plays 29th-seeded Nick Kyrgios in the third round. --- 6:30 p.m. Venturing into soccer politics, Rafael Nadal says the cleaning out of apparent deep-rooted corruption in the sport's governing body, FIFA, is ''great news.'' ''In the world of sport, in the world of football, in the world of tennis, politics, around the world, we need people who are fair and who are ready to work in a good way, being honest,'' Nadal said after his second-round win in the French Open. ''If there (are) some people that are not being honest with the rest of the people, then they don't deserve to be where they are,'' he added. ''So if that's what happened on that case with some people of FIFA, (it) is great news that these people will not be there again.'' Nadal's uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, was a soccer professional. The steely defender played more than 200 games for Barcelona. --- 6:15 p.m. A painful right leg and one embarrassing point did not prevent Novak Djokovic from wrapping up a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 second-round victory over Gilles Muller. Djokovic repeatedly flexed his right leg after shots. He took a medical timeout before the last game of the second set, getting his upper leg and lower back massaged by a trainer. There also was one odd moment unrelated to all of that: Casually waiting for a shot by Muller to land out in the third set, Djokovic accidentally let the ball glance off his racket, giving away the point. Djokovic wound up getting broken in that game, the only time he dropped serve all match. --- 5:40 p.m. Dispatched from the French Open by teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis, 27th-seeded Bernard Tomic will get cortisone injections on his aching lower back to mend himself for the grass court season and Wimbledon, where he's had his best results at a Grand Slam, reaching the quarterfinals in 2011. ''I've never done that before,'' the Australian said of the jabs. ''Hopefully, that will get rid of the area that has been bothering me. But I have no idea about this stuff.'' Losing 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 8-6, Tomic squandered match points against Kokkinakis, not the first time that has happened this year. ''I had a bunch of match points this year. If I had converted them all I probably would have been close to the top 20 or even top 20 now, for sure,'' said the current No. 26. Kokkinakis, 19, is the first teenager to reach the third round at Roland Garros since Ernests Gulbis made the quarters in 2008, the ATP said. --- 4:52 p.m. Serena Williams will face a familiar foe in the French Open third round: former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka. They've played 18 times previously, with Williams winning 15 of those matches, including in the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Open finals. Azarenka, a two-time champion at the Australian Open, moved on in Paris on Thursday by eliminating Lucie Hradecka 6-2, 6-3. Azarenka is playing better than her ranking- 27 - suggests. She was a straight-sets winner, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round, too. --- 4:13 p.m. Shaking off an unsteady first set, Serena Williams won 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 against Anna-Lena Friedsam, winning 15 of the last 16 points on her serve. The top seed in the women's draw is through to the third round for the first time since 2013, the year she went on to win the second of her two French titles. She lost in the second round last year. --- 3:58 p.m. Rafael Nadal had no real trouble against Nicolas Almagro, winning their second-round match 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. And he won brownie points with the center court crowd, eliciting their cheers, by using French to tell them how happy he is. The nine-time champion's shot-making was erratic at times. But he is moving well, suffocating Almagro with his persistent ball-retrieving. Nadal has now won 13 of 14 matches against his fellow Spaniard, ranked 154th. Nadal is seeded lower than ever, sixth, at this French Open following a right-wrist injury, appendix surgery and, this season, disappointing results on clay, the surface where he once was superhuman. On the Court Philippe Chatrier, where he won his nine French titles, Nadal looked solid if not spectacular. ''The forehand has been great, the backhand, too,'' he said. ''The movement has been better.'' --- 3:26 p.m. Serena Williams looks back on track, at least for now, in her second-round match on Court Suzanne Lenglen. Williams won the second set 6-3 against Anna-Lena Friedsam, having lost the first set to the 21-year-old ranked 104 spots below her. The top-ranked Williams hasn't lost a three-set match this year, with a 7-0 record. --- 3:12 p.m. Francesca Schiavone has won an epic second-round match against Svetlana Kuznetsova on Court 1, with 13 breaks of serve in the third set, nine of them consecutive. You may need a calculator to tot up the score: 6-7 (11), 7-5, 10-8. The matchup of the past French Open champions lasted a grueling 3 hours, 50 minutes. That's still not their record. At the 2011 Australian Open, Schiavone beat Kuznetsova in the longest women's match, by time, in Grand Slam history - a 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 marathon that lasted 4 hours, 44 minutes. Schiavone saved six match points, then converted on her third match point. This time, Schiavone needed just one match point. At 15-40 in the final game, Kuznetsova attempted a forehand drop-shot but it sailed limply into the net. Russia's Kuznetsova, seeded 18th this time, won the title at Roland Garros in 2009, a year before Italy's Schiavone did. --- 2:46 p.m. Serena Williams is in trouble in the second round of the French Open. She lost the first set 7-5 to Anna-Lena Friedsam, a 21-year-old ranked 104 spots below the No.1. Williams is having trouble with all her strokes, especially her serve. Last year, the 19-time Grand Slam champion exited the French Open at this stage. --- 1:51 p.m. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is through to the French Open third round. The fourth seed beat Silvia Soler-Espinosa, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2. Kvitova was a semifinalist at the French in 2012. The 17th-seeded woman, Sara Errani, also advanced against Carina Witthoeft, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Errani was a finalist at the French in 2012. --- 1:24 p.m. Thanks to his next opponent's withdrawal, Japan's Kei Nishikori is the first player to advance to the second week of the French Open - and he gets plenty of extra time for rest and preparation. The fifth-seeded Nishikori was supposed to play Benjamin Becker in the third round on Friday, but Becker pulled out of the tournament Thursday because of a muscle tear in his right shoulder. ''Very sorry to hear about Benjamin being injured,'' Nishikori tweeted here: https://twitter.com/keinishikori/status/603873170160943104 . That puts Nishikori in the fourth round at Roland Garros for the second time. In 2013, he became the first man from Japan to make it that far in 75 years. Next for Nishikori will be a match on Sunday against Lukas Rosol or Teymuraz Gabashvili. Becker played in two consecutive five-set matches, beating No. 32 Fernando Verdasco 10-8 in the fifth on Wednesday. --- 1:15 p.m. The French Open loses its fifth-seeded woman, with Caroline Wozniacki losing 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the second round. Her opponent, Julia Goerges, overcame the sniffles, frequently pulling out a tissue to wipe her red nose. ''Today is very special as I haven't beaten a top-10 player for a long time,'' said the German ranked 67 spots lower than the Dane, ranked five. In the tiebreaker, ''I just told myself to be aggressive,'' she said. ''It paid off in the end.'' Wozniacki, a former No. 1 and two-time finalist at the U.S. Open, has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals at the French. She looked distracted against Goerges, picking dust from under her fingernails during a second-set changeover after losing her serve in the 7th game. --- 12:46 p.m. In a matchup of past French Open champions on Court 1, Svetlana Kuznetsova has taken the first set from Francesca Schiavone in an epic tiebreaker than ended 13-11. Kuznetsova finally seized the 82-minute set on her seventh chance, hitting a backhand volley winner to close a 15-stroke exchange. Russia's Kuznetsova won the title at Roland Garros in 2009, a year before Italy's Schiavone did. --- 12:15 p.m. Fifth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki is making life difficult for herself, losing the first set 6-4 against an opponent ranked 67 spots below her, Julia Goerges. The formerly top-ranked Dane broke the German in the fourth game, but then lost her next two service games. She angrily thumped her racket on the clay after netting a backhand that allowed Goerges to pull ahead 4-3. The crowds are being slow to fill their court, Philippe Chatrier, which is barely half-full. The menacing weather doesn't help: Dark clouds are filling the sky and a distinctly chilly breeze is flapping at the players' yellow skirts. |
(Image: Lenovo) The Yoga line of tablets and laptops gets refreshed, as per the announcement by Lenovo at the CES in Las Vegas. The Yoga products consist of the ThinkPad Yoga, two Yoga 3 laptops, and the Yoga Tablet 2. Yoga Tablet 2 with AnyPen The Yoga Tablet 2 is an 8-inch slate running Windows 8.1 with an HD (1920 x 1080) IPS screen. It has an Intel Atom quad-core processor (1.86 GHz), 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. It weighs in at 0.94 pounds and dimensions of 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.1 inches. It features battery life of 15 hours. See related: Review: Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro| Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 and 10: Unique design on a budget (hands on) The new Yoga has a strange feature not seen on any other tablet. The AnyPen Technology, as Lenovo calls it, allows writing on the screen. The strange part is that the technology doesn't work with a typical stylus, you must use a traditional pencil or ballpoint pen for the conductive display to register. If it sounds odd that you must mark on the screen to get digital input, you're not alone. Lenovo claims this is more precise and thus better than using your finger to write on the display. The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 will be available in January 2015 starting at $299. ThinkPad Yoga (Image: Lenovo) The ThinkPad Yoga comes in three sizes and is aimed at the enterprise. All of the display options, 12.5, 14, and 15.6 inches, have a touch option for taking advangate of Windows 8.1. All of the ThinkPad Yoga laptops are configurable with up to 1TB HDD or 512GB SSD for storage. Up to 8GB of memory is available to handle enterprise needs. Processor options include Intel Core i5 and i7 (fifth generation). The two largest ThinkPad Yogas are available with discrete Nvidia graphics. There is a 3D camera option on the 15-inch ThinkPad Yoga that allow making 3D scans of objects for 3D printing. See also CNET at CES 2015 CNET editors bring you complete coverage from the 2015 International CES, and scour the showroom floor for the hottest new tech gadgets around. Read More The ThinkPad Yoga laptops will be available in February 2015 starting at $999, $1,199, and $1,199 for the 12, 14, and 15-inch models. Yoga 3 The Yoga 3 has two different sizes, 11.6 and 14 inches. The displays on both models have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and the screens rotate 360 degrees for use as a laptop and tablet. You can also stand the laptop in an inverted "V" for activities such as watching video. See also: Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro: Very good Ultrabook (review) The Yoga 3 11 has an Intel Core M processor, which the 14-inch model comes with either a Core i5 or i7. Both are configurable with up to 8GB of memory and from 128GB to 500GB SSD storage. The Yoga 3 11 and Yoga 3 14 weigh 2.4 and 3.5 pounds, respectively. The Yoga 3 11 and Yoga 3 14 will be available in March 2015 starting at $799 and $979. |
Home Events Blog Press release Contact February 11th, 2014 was The Day We Fought Back against mass surveillance The Day We Fought Back: by the numbers Thanks to everyone who participated on Tuesday. Together we demonstrated that activists, organizations, and companies can work in unison to fight mass surveillance, and laid a foundation for escalation over months to come. Below are some numbers that quantify how we did* on Tuesday. * The figures below represent a lower bound - at least tens of thousands of people took action independently and using tools on other sites. The statistics below do not account for that activity. 37,000,000 People saw the banner Over 24 million Americans and 13 million non-Americans saw The Day We Fight Back banner on Tuesday. Over 24 million Americans and 13 million non-Americans saw The Day We Fight Back banner on Tuesday. 555,000 Emails sent 185,000 Americans registered to send over 555,000 emails, two each to their two Senators and one to their Representative. 185,000 Americans registered to send over 555,000 emails, two each to their two Senators and one to their Representative. 89,000 Calls completed The total number of completed calls reached 89,000 and another 7,000 calls went uncompleted because some legislators turned off their voicemail inboxes. The total number of completed calls reached 89,000 and another 7,000 calls went uncompleted because some legislators turned off their voicemail inboxes. 301,000 Signatures 245,000 people internationally signed the necessaryandproportionate.org petition to demand privacy as a human right. Another 56,000 joined petitions on causes.com and change.org. 245,000 people internationally signed the necessaryandproportionate.org petition to demand privacy as a human right. Another 56,000 joined petitions on causes.com and change.org. 420,000+ Facebook shares This just the number of times the website itself was shared on Facebook. This just the number of times the website itself was shared on Facebook. 84,000+ Tweets This is just the number of times the thedaywefightback.org was shared on Twitter. #StopSpying and #StopTheNSA were trending on Twitter during the afternoon. This is just the number of times the thedaywefightback.org was shared on Twitter. #StopSpying and #StopTheNSA were trending on Twitter during the afternoon. 1,000,000+ Homepage visitors The banner, social media and at least 6,000 websites drove over 1 million unique visitors to the homepage. Notable tweets Legislators Proud sponsor of #USAFreedomAct 2 protect privacy & civil liberties, reform the #NSA & #FISA court http://t.co/jGjPVTxv00 #TheDayWeFightBack — Tom Udall (@SenatorTomUdall) February 11, 2014 Public, activists rallying today to #StopTheNSA from overreaching. Civil liberties are making a big comeback. Let's keep it going. #p2 — Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) February 11, 2014 Ben Franklin said it best #EndThisDragnet #DayWeFightBack pic.twitter.com/9dxZEcIblZ — Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) February 11, 2014 As a SOPA, PIPA, & PATRIOT Act opponent, I am taking a stand to #StopTheNSA & cosponsor the USA FREEDOM Act #p2 https://t.co/FjgTZP0PX3 — Rep. Mike Honda (@RepMikeHonda) February 11, 2014 The NSA is out of control. #NSA #StopTheNSA pic.twitter.com/PZeVjv2imk — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 11, 2014 Support the USA Freedom Act. #StopTheNSA bulk surveillance. pic.twitter.com/IPjNGeTFXH — Congressman Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) February 11, 2014 The #NSA’s surveillance programs need tighter limitations, more transparency & more accountability. pic.twitter.com/mgZxJZrQXD — Rep. Rick Larsen (@RepRickLarsen) February 11, 2014 I believe we must create a culture that protects the privacy of American citizens: http://t.co/ohZ5ec03hb #stopthensa pic.twitter.com/N9NVn0iUr1 — U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) February 11, 2014 I support 'The Day We Fight Back' protest against NSA domestic surveillance. Mind your own business, NSA! https://t.co/L3ed0EvZvH — Rep. Alan Grayson (@AlanGrayson) February 11, 2014 RT if you want to #StoptheNSA from collecting your metadata. Today is #TheDayWeFightBack in the name of privacy. @DayWeFightBack @EFF — House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudDems) February 11, 2014 I invite you to join me in the fight against the NSA surveillance program. Today is the day we begin to fight back: http://t.co/8BSVf49CIi — Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) February 11, 2014 I'm working to rein in #NSA #Surveillance & mass collection of American's private #data http://t.co/vT2Rtr2Sen pic.twitter.com/lNAzcl4yMO — Rep. Zoe Lofgren (@RepZoeLofgren) February 11, 2014 Companies & Individuals Today I took a stand against mass surveillance. Will you join me? https://t.co/ZrOMRolOKq #stopspying — Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) February 11, 2014 It's time to reform government surveillance. Join us in speaking up to Congress: http://t.co/RKsmb7UuSm #thedaywefightback — A Googler (@google) February 11, 2014 Today we’re proud to support The Day We Fight Back, to end mass surveillance. https://t.co/oDOQnBsED6 + http://t.co/3uYsAVT94t #transparency — Policy (@policy) February 11, 2014 Join us in taking a stand against mass surveillance. Take 5 min and call/email your legislators today. https://t.co/vowufSe5uZ #stopthensa — the reddit alien (@reddit) February 11, 2014 Today is #TheDayWeFightBack—a worldwide day of activism in opposition to the NSA’s mass spying: http://t.co/uDXQtJ1YPq #StopTheNSA — The Nation (@thenation) February 11, 2014 Here's @FreedomofPress on how to participate in Today We Fight Back surveillance protest https://t.co/JHbGGBZ0cy — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 11, 2014 The Day We Fight Back: http://t.co/qv0GNLwQc5 — Tumblr (@tumblr) February 11, 2014 Join the fight against mass surveillance: http://t.co/ukA6HcX4E3. #OnlinePrivacy pic.twitter.com/OuZmXEbOJI — Firefox (@firefox) February 11, 2014 Fighting Back Responsibly | CloudFlare Blog http://t.co/Or49Kh1z2A via @CloudFlare — CloudFlare (@CloudFlare) February 11, 2014 Take a stand against mass surveillance: https://t.co/AR8H5AgxMq #StopTheNSA — DuckDuckGo (@duckduckgo) February 11, 2014 |
Washington Redskins linebacker Perry Riley (56) is “light year ahead of where he was” last season, according to defensive captain London Fletcher. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post) While sitting in film study sessions and playing alongside third-year inside linebacker Perry Riley during these early days of training camp, Washington Redskins veteran London Fletcher has noticed a change. Drafted in the fourth round out of LSU in 2010, Riley took over as the starter next to Fletcher midway through last season. Riley displayed playmaking ability with 68 tackles and a sack (which would have translated into 136 tackles and two sacks over a full season). Riley often still had to feel his way along. Not anymore, though. Things are clicking now, Fletcher said. Now, Riley is playing at full speed because he is thinking at full speed. “Just formation recognition, being able to react quicker as far as knowing, ‘Okay, [this is] what my responsibility is,’ and so when something happens being able to react just half a step faster because he’s more comfortable in what his responsibility is,” said Fletcher, the Redskins’ defensive captain. “He’s light years ahead of where he was just because of that.” Indeed, Riley has appeared more fluid in practices. He quickly tracks down running backs as they move toward holes in the line, shoots gaps and makes stops. On pass plays, he drops back into coverage with ease and has shown an ability to quickly adapt. He has also managed to keep mental errors to a minimum. A lot has changed in a year. Last July, Riley reported for training camp believing he could start as he entered his second NFL season. Because of the NFL lockout, Riley hadn’t been through a practice in seven months, and he had appeared in only eight games the year before. But he still believed he had a good enough grasp to be able to step into the vacant spot and impress coaches. “Coming into camp, I felt like I knew it all at the time,” the 6-foot, 238-pound Riley recalls. “But once practice started going, and offenses started doing audibles and stuff, I quickly realized, ‘I don’t have it like I think I do.’” The Redskins’ decision-makers realized the same thing. They had been hopeful. At that point, they had elected not to re-sign either Rocky McIntosh (the previous year’s starter), or backup H.B. Blades. But with Riley struggling, the decision was made to bring back both McIntosh and Blades. They also added former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Keyaron Fox. McIntosh won the starting job and Riley found himself buried on the depth chart. Eight weeks later, with McIntosh and Fox struggling (Blades was released during the preseason), Riley finally cracked the starting lineup, debuting against the Miami Dolphins. “I had a lot of things going through my head, and I knew I had to make the most of it and not mess it up,” Riley said. He didn’t mess it up, recording nine tackles, and he remained in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season. In the offseason the team re-signed Fletcher, and Riley is entering his second season a starter. Together, they will anchor a Redskins defense that is expected to serve as the strength of the team. “I think Perry is going to be a heck of a football player,” Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said. “He’s got natural instincts. He’s obviously a lot more comfortable with the system going into this year. … Being around a guy like London Fletcher I think really helps him, and you can see that he’s getting better and better.” Riley said being able to go through a full offseason of learning from his coaches and from Fletcher did nearly as much to expand his understanding of the defensive schemes. “From the time we started our offseason program and got working, he has had just this intensity and focus,” linebackers coach Bob Slowick said. “He’s understanding his assignments and how our schemes are supposed to work, and on the field he has that same intensity and he’s just attacking.” Slowick said Riley and Fletcher are virtually attached at the hip. He sees the young linebacker constantly picking his mentor’s brain. Fletcher said it’s getting to the point where the two see and think alike. Fletcher sees that chemistry as extremely important, because at times initial plans get foiled, and the two linebackers have to quickly adjust. “We have to see through the same eyes at that position,” Fletcher said, “because of our responsibilities in the run and the pass. … It starts in the meeting room when we go through film. We see it and talk out that play, and we’re going to play it like this. We’ve done a great job of doing that so far.” Riley said he has more growing to do and that he hopes with each game comes more familiarity, which will result in a greater impact. Fletcher and Slowick both say physically Riley lacks nothing, and they fully expect the mental fine-tuning to continue. Said Fletcher: “Really, I want to get to the point where we have a lot of non-verbal communication between us where we just do things instinctively together. When I was in Buffalo, me and Takeo Spikes would play off each other. Like, ‘Man, it’s drawn up like this in the playbook, but if you see something, then go make a play, and I’ll play off you.’ That’s what I’d like to get to with Perry.” For now, Riley remains an unknown in the NFL. But he aims to change that with a breakout season. “I’m not worried about that. If they don’t know, they will,” he grins. “That’s how I think of it, and that’s how I approach the game.” |
Envision a space suitable for the headquarters of a new Bohemia. Such artists and dreamers would appreciate a gallery space, a bar and café, and perhaps a place to read quietly or discuss the most recent gossip in the art world. Le Comptoir Général, located at 80 Quai de Jemmapes in Paris, has all of the above – and more. The multifunctional venue welcomes visitors with the comfort of grandmother’s attic combined with the whimsicality and novelty of an antique show. Some of the décor, such as colorful fabric hangings and mismatched furniture, is topsy-turvy while old film projectors, yellowing maps and globes, and leather trunks speak of the industrial era. Though the rooms are a time capsule of memories gone by, a hint of modern awareness creeps in by means of the organic Sunday brunch and the rain water system that keeps the place environmentally friendly. Abundant greens and exotic-looking plants make their home in a makeshift greenhouse that boasts moss-covered walls and plants growing on old furnishings. No effort is made to hide the aged walls of the place, and every notch in the wooden frame of the establishment holds a memoir and a story. If ever one needs a break from reality, just enter the dreamscape through the heavy pleated curtains and follow the inspirational air of yesteryear. Via iGNANT images Caroline Kurze and Escapio |
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