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It could lay dormant for days or even months, waiting for the right prey. Small insects were able to crawl on it without so much as a flinch. There was nothing visibly remarkable about it, and as long as it was still, the astronaut had no way to possibly ever see it. The astronaut only knew it was hot outside right now because his systems notified him. Inside his pressurized suit, it was a constant temperature in which his body had been fully acclimated to his entire life. This moon had an oxygen rich atmosphere that would most likely support him but he couldn’t risk contamination this early in the analysis of life in this environment. He would lose himself in thoughts of contamination. Was his suit touched before he put it on? Inevitably skin cells would make their way onto his suit as he was getting into it. The decontamination chamber said it destroyed all of the bacteria, but what if an area was missed? What if something went undetected? Would he unknowingly contaminate the atmosphere? The astronaut could barely see it orbiting above him now but the vehicle was there. Orbiting the moon, the astronaut was tethered to the craft by the constant stream of information he was sending. The astronaut took samples of what looked like familiar flowers, carefully clipping them with mechanized shears and depositing them into spherical tubes. The process was meticulous and monotonous, with plenty of time to reflect on the unique position he was in. All alone on this moon, in perfect silence, with only the sound of his breath keeping him company. Of course, he wasn’t as alone as he felt; he was mounted with a camera that was recording a live feed to the docking robot, that was sending that information back to his employers. As the astronaut approached it, it continued to hear him in that same way that it had gazed upon his ship days earlier. As he stepped closer, it could sense his warmth getting closer and closer, it could hear his footsteps on the ground. The astronaut felt the bite in his knee. Immediately his suit became depressurized. He began to panic, his heart rate elevated as he realized that his death was mere moments away. The astronaut looked down at his hand, it was shaking and he thought about shouting; he thought about yelling anything, and he wondered if doing that would help him in any way. The poison that was invading his body began to paralyze him, working its way up his legs to his hands to his neck. It felt like an enormous surge of electricity through his body. The plant below had a bouquet of flowers on top and several sharp mouths facing in each direction. The mouths looked like they were protecting the flowers, though they had no face to speak of. This was what had done him in. The astronaut was now down on the ground, collapsed and lying right next to the predator plant. He was so close he could see the fangs that had lashed out at him. Only one of the five mouths had responded to his sound. He had walked past so many plants in the two days since his landing. He had taken samples, and he had seen no signs of intelligent life. For a single second, he thought about how he wished he could somehow get a sample of this plant, and add it to the others he had taken. He hadn’t even seen the plant as it lashed out. In that split-second as he realized what was happening, the plant had recoiled fully and it appeared to be dormant once more. No more than a few seconds had passed. Was the plant going to consume him somehow? How had it evolved over millions of years to reach this point? Was the plant acting in defense? Had he been about to step on the plant? Or was it something else entirely? Did this plant paralyze prey so that it could draw larger prey? Was he only seeing a small part of a much larger plant? Was this truly a plant at all? Most carnivorous plants drew specific prey; what did the astronaut resemble that was out there? His mind wandered in that last second, imagining a much larger animal that had gone undetected, drawn from its home by the prey this plant had offered to it. He would be dead when he was to be eaten, a fact that bothered the mind of this explorer. He would never know. He then thought of the video feed connected to him. There would be a record of this after all. Somewhere, at some point, someone would review the footage. Someone would see what had happened to him, and what had happened to his body. Finite was the word that that stuck with him, in that split-second before death. It didn’t matter now. As the astronaut took his last breath, he turned toward the sky to see the stars above him. All of those points of light above, staring back at him. The astronaut thought of all of the circumstances that had to line up so that in this one precise moment, in this vast cosmos, this one plant ended his life. |
AN elementary school teacher has been jailed for 40 years for having sex with a 14-year-old student. Shannon Alicia Schmieder, 39, will have to serve 20 years in the toughest sentence ever handed out by a US court to a teacher accused of underage sex, the Daily Mail reported. The jail term compares with one for manslaughter and other serious crimes, legal experts said. It has been reported the teacher's aide knew the child since he was born and was like a mother-figure to him before the relationship developed. His distraught mother made an impact statement to the court, saying: 'She was a close family friend. We had gone to the same church together for 10 years. Our children were friends. Our families were friends. We did everything together. It's impossible to describe how we felt to find out this was going on.' The newspaper reports the boy's parents became concerned when they noticed a change in the relationship between their son and Ms Schmieder. When they viewed their son's Facebook page it became clear something was wrong. The mother said: 'Never in a million years did I think I would find what I thought was evidence of inappropriate behavior between them. But there it was.' The sentence was handed out after the mother of the young victim spoke of her 'heartache and betrayal' at the loss of innocence of her son and that she struggles daily with what went on. "We were told by investigators that our 14-year-old was a victim of child molestation. This was horrifying and unbelievable. I prayed that this was not true," she said. "The more evidence that came out the truth became real, and I began to deal with grief, denial, guilt and so many other emotions. "During this time I still was trying to maintain being a wife and mother. How could I have missed this... what mother can't protect her child? I trusted so much and believed that this friend was a gift from God. "Words can't begin to explain the heartache we've experienced this past year and the betrayal we've endured. Messages that were recovered showed me more and more evidence and it became a living nightmare. I couldn't bear the thought of my boy trusting someone that had clearly manipulated him." |
The cop who can't be fired from his $60,000 job despite beating suspects, carrying drugs in patrol car and being jailed three times Sgt German Bosque has been investigated by police 40 times He has been arrested and jailed three times and fired at least six times Currently suspended on full pay pending investigation into misconduct Bosque claims he is the subject of witch hunt Says he is an 'excellent police officer' and 'against police brutality' Opa-Locka Police Department subject to 41 internal investigations last year He has been investigated by police 40 times; has been accused of battery, car theft, boarding a plane with a loaded gun, and carrying drugs. German Bosque is likely one of the worst repeat offenders in Opa-Locka, Florida - and he's a police officer. Sgt Bosque, 48, who joined the force in 1993, has been arrested and jailed three times. He has been disciplined, suspended, fined and sent home on full pay more than any other officer operating in the state. Sgt German Bosque has been arrested and jailed three times and has been disciplined, suspended, fined and sent home on full pay more than any other officer operating in the state. He has now been sacked by Opa-locka police department in Florida He has been accused of beating and stealing from suspects, ignoring direct orders and writing out false police reports, including one in which he hit himself to make an alleged fight appear genuine. Bosque has been found driving with a suspended licence, with counterfeit money, and in possession of cocaine and crack pipes in his car. Girlfriends allege he has been violent. Yet Bosque, who lives with his fiancée in North Miami , still manages to keep his job in one of the most notorious police departments in the state. He has been sacked at least six times but each time he is reinstated. He is currently suspended pending an investigation into misconduct and is still reportedly picking up his $60,000-a-year pay cheque. The Opa-Locka department has been the subject of multiple state and federal public corruption probes and a host of civil suits. Last year there were 41 internal investigations - the force only has 68 officers. Sqt Bosque believes the campaign to get him permanently fired is a 'witch- hunt' and that the excessive force he used in some cases was necessary for his own and others safety. Notorious: The Opa-locka police department has been the subject of multiple state and federal public corruption probes and a host of civil suits SGT GERMAN BOSQUE: A RECORD GOING BACK 20 YEARS 1990 Kicked out of Miami-Dade police academy just two weeks before graduating for impersonating a police officer with shop-bought badge. 1992 Bosque hired in Florida City, after department is desperate for police in wake of Hurricane Andrew. 1994 Hired by Opa-Locka police department after being asked to leave Florida City due to tainted record. 1998 Suspended twice this year for unauthorised police pursuits. May - Bosque calls in sick but is fact on holiday in Cancún. 2000 March - Bosque is fired after a high-speed police pursuit but is reinstated in June. December - Bosque fired in connection with an incident in which he assaulted a 16-year-old boy. 2001 February - Bosque is rehired. May - Bosque’s girlfriend reports he hit her in the face and then slapped his own face and told police she had battered him. After finding he had lied investigators recommended he be fired but he was disciplined. 2004 January - Bosque suspended for 45 days after beating up a handcuffed suspect. March - Suspended for 15 days without pay for excessive force, spitting on a suspect and using racial slurs. His police certificate is put on probation. July - Bosque is accused of sexually assaulting a corrections officer inside his locked police car. Not disciplined after investigators said the woman admitted she had failed to say 'no'. October - Carries an undeclared, handgun onto a plane but case was dropped after he claimed girlfriend had packed bag. 2008 February - Several crack pipes and cocaine found in Bosque's car. He is not prosecuted. June - Bosque fired by Opa-locka’s city manager but is reinstated in July with back pay after the FOP files a grievance. August - Bosque is sacked again in connection with the drugs incident but is reinstated in November. 2011 January - Promoted to sergeant 2012 May - Suspended with pay for allowing a newspaper reporter to shadow him without permission. He admits that as a rookie officer he made some mistakes, but insists he is good and hardworking. He told the Miami Herald : 'Back then I was a big hot dog. I was catching bad guys, getting commendations while all the other guys were lazy.' He added: 'I love being a policeman. I love looking in the mirror and the person I see,' before adding: 'I’m against police brutality.' On his Facebook profile Bosque concedes: 'I'm conceited about only one thing in life, and that is that I'm an excellent Police Officer.' Before he set foot in Opa-Locka, Bosque was kicked out of two police academies and two police departments. Accused: Bosque has been found driving with a suspended licence, with counterfeit money, and in possession of drugs in his car (file picture) Yet he is somehow always reinstated and is said to brag about his ability to play the system and exploit loop holes. Even his police chief Cheryl Cason says Bosque 'is a time bomb that has now exploded'. The Florida Department of Law, which reviews police misconduct, has repeatedly declined to kick Bosque out of the force for good. The department is not allowed to consider an officer's misconduct history when ruling on a specific case. Retired North Miami Police Major, Bob Lynch, told the Herald: 'If a police chief doesn’t have the power to fire them he or she is helpless. 'It comes down to whoever has the final say, whether it’s the human resources director or the mayor. Plenty of police chiefs try to fire nasty cops and get stuck right back with them.' Bad record: Last year there were 41 internal investigations at Opa-Locka in Miami-Dade County - the force only has 68 officers One of the cases Bosque was disciplined for was for punching a 16-year-old in the face three times after police were called by the boy's mother after the pair had a row. A fellow officer said he witnessed Bosque takte the teenager into another room and assault him, saying: 'I am the law, if I feel like right not I can f*** you up and no one will say nothing to me.' Bosque admitted hitting the boy but the state attorney did not prosecute Bosque. The police officer said the boy was 'trash, he had gold grills in his teeth. The kid is like a thug.' Bosque was initially sacked after the incident but then re-hired. The boy's mother said Bosque did the right thing and even testified on his behalf. |
Are there really Pyramids at Antarctica? It’s been quite a while since the discovery of “Pyramids” on Antarctica. News about these mysterious structures has caused major interest among researchers and ufologists; countless theories have emerged proposed different explanation what these “structures” are. The proposed theories range from alien constructions, secret military bases to ancient civilizations with advanced technology, while others believe that these pyramids are just natural formations and nothing more. Regrettably this information has yet to be confirmed or denied as no official sources have bothered to look into the matter, apparently. There have been several images circulating the internet showing pyramidal structures in the cold environment of Antarctica, some of the images have been obtained through the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, an international project of underwater exploration. The discovery of these pyramids has caused speculation regarding what Antarctica was like in the distant past, some suggest, it wasn’t always as cold as it is today. Scientific research seems to prove that theory. In 2009 scientist doing research and collecting samples, came across pollen particles in Antarctica suggesting that the ecosystem of Antarctica was very different in the past, suggesting that the summer temperature reached around 20 degrees Celsius at one point. In 2012, another team of researchers identified 32 species of bacteria and a 2,800-year-old halophile microbes in water samples from Lake Vida in East Antarctica. The permanent surface ice on the lake is the thickest non-glacial ice on earth. The possibilities are endless if you take in count that Antarctica wasn’t always as cold as it is today. The question to ask here is the following: is it possible that Antarctica was once warm enough in the past to make it possible for an ancient civilization to live there? And if an ancient culture did in fact develop and inhabit Antarctica in the distant past, wouldn’t we find evidence of their life there today? Well according to many researchers, there are structures at Antarctica, there are pyramids there and enough evidence to support the theory of ancient civilization inhabiting Antarctica in the past. If the archaeological community would acknowledge this finding is an entirely different question. If we go back to Africa, we know that Scholars and Egyptologists have long suspected that the Sphinx is much older than believed, possibly even over 10,000 years old. These theories are supported by the discovery of water erosion on the gigantic Sphinx, which according to scholars tells the story of extreme climate change in the distant past. So if the climate in Africa and other parts of the world changed drastically? Is it possible that the same thing happened in Antarctica? And if researchers manage to prove that the pyramids of Antarctica are man-made structures, the discovery could cause a major revision of the history of humanity. Would modern-day researchers and archaeologists accept and acknowledge these findings? Well, probably not, as they would go against everything they know and believe, but then again, this isn’t a debate about beliefs, it’s a question of finding out the truth about countless ancient civilizations scattered across the globe, many of which remain hidden. What do you believe? Is there a possibility that there are actual structures beneath the thick layers of Ice at Antarctica? Is there a possibility that ancient civilization might have developed there thousands of years ago, when Antarctica had an entirely different climate? Let us know what you think. |
Deus Ex: Human Revolution movie gets 'Sinister' director The Deus Ex movie is really happening. Based on the recently-released Human Revolution, the upcoming film adaptation has just signed a writer and director. The Deus Ex movie is really happening. Based on the recently-released Human Revolution, the upcoming film adaptation has just signed a writer and director. Scott Derrickson will write and direct the film. Best known for his work on the recently-released Sinister, the director's resume includes The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. It appears the movie will follow the story of the game quite closely. Deadline reports that Deus Ex follows Adam Jensen who must "embrace mechanical augments in order to unravel a global conspiracy." That sounds about right. "Deus Ex is a phenomenal cyberpunk game with soul and intelligence," the newly-attached director said. "By combining amazing action and tension with big, philosophical ideas, Deus Ex is smart, ballsy, and will make one hell of a movie." |
The stated objective of the Trump immigration pause that has stirred so much controversy is to review the nation’s system of vetting to prevent terrorist attacks. Now, one of the leading critics of Trump’s executive order is effectively weakening the system already in place, calling on Muslim American citizens re-entering the United States to refuse to answer the questions of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers if they are taken aside for secondary screening. The Florida chapter of the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations – a terrorist organization, according to the United Arab Emirates – said Tuesday it is responding “to overwhelming evidence that CBP continues to disproportionately target American Muslim citizens for enhanced scrutiny at ports of entry and ask intrusive questions about religious and political beliefs and practices.” Earlier this month, CAIR Florida joined CAIR’s national office and two other branches in filing 10 complaints with CBP, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department “reporting the systematic targeting of American-Muslim citizens for enhanced screening by CBP.” CAIR Florida complains that while only 1 percent of travelers to the U.S. are selected for secondary inspection, and American Muslims are 1 percent of the population, some 50 to 75 percent of travelers detained in secondary inspection “have often been documented to be Muslim.” Counter-terrorism analysts argue, however, that individuals and groups that cite Islam as their motivation are by far the biggest terror threats, having carried out more than 30,000 attacks worldwide since 9/11. CAIR’s true objective are unveiled in “See Something, Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Government’s Submission to Jihad,” by former DHS officer Philip Haney and WND Editor Art Moore. Get it now at the WND Superstore! CAIR Florida further complains that CBP has asked American Muslims “inappropriate and intrusive questions” at secondary inspection and has “passed that information on to the FBI to maintain a registry of information on American Muslims.” Among the questions the group finds objectionable are: Are you a devout Muslim? How many times a day do you pray? What school of thought do you follow? What Muslim scholars do you listen to? What do they preach in your mosque?” What should they be asked? The purpose of questions of this kind, however, CBP officers explain, is to discern whether or not the traveler might be linked to movements, organizations or belief systems that have a track record of carrying out violent attacks. Philip Haney, a former CBP officer who conducted secondary inspections at the nation’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson, told WND that loyal citizens don’t have anything to worry about. “If you say that you’re an American citizen and you want to help protect America from the threat of terrorism, then these kinds of questions would be the perfect opportunity for you to show your fellow citizens that Islam is a religion of peace by simply answering them,” Haney said. He pointed out that CAIR and others who raise such concerns never offer alternative questions that would meet their approval. Included in CAIR-Florida’s complaints to the CBP were questions asked of a Canadian Muslim citizen who was denied entry to the U.S. Among them was, “Why did you shave your beard?” Haney has said that if he had been given the opportunity to question San Bernardino killer Syed Farook upon his return to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia in 2014, he would have asked Farook about the fact that he had grown a Shariah-compliant beard and was wearing an Islamic headdress while his passport photo showed him bareheaded and clean-shaven. Haney explained that while a person’s appearance certainly isn’t itself a sign of a threat, when combined with other information, a profile could emerge of a young man who recently had undergone a conversion to a dangerous movement. Haney believes the current effort to curb the ability of CBP officers to inspect travelers to the U.S. is related to an ongoing lawsuit against CBP brought by CAIR’s Michigan chapter filed in April 2012. The suit was filed on behalf of American citizens who claimed their First Amendment rights were violated when CBP and FBI agents “detained and handcuffed them without evidence of wrongdoing and questioned them about their religious beliefs and worship habits.” Last week, CAIR accused the Trump administration of racism and religious bigotry for its plan to temporarily stop receiving immigrants and travelers from countries known to produce Islamic jihadists. CAIR was named by the Justice Department an unindicted terror-funding co-conspirator in the largest terror-funding case in U.S. history, and more than a dozen of its leaders charged or convicted of terrorism-related crimes. If you support WND’s fight to expose CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, please consider a donation to the WND Legal Defense Fund for court fights like this one – which must be one if America is to remain free – and safe. The Muslim Arab Gulf state United Arab Emirates has designated CAIR as a terrorist organization along with groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida. In 2008, the FBI cut off official contact with CAIR, citing evidence from the Holy Land Foundation terror-funding trial that documented the connections between CAIR and its founders to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Muslim Brotherhood front CAIR’s parent organization, according to FBI wiretap evidence from the terror-funding Holy Land Foundation case in Texas, was founded at an October 1993 meeting of Hamas leaders and activists in Philadelphia that included CAIR Executive Director Awad. The organization, according to the evidence, was born out of a need to give a “media twinkle” to the Muslim leaders’ agenda of supporting violent jihad abroad while slowly institutionalizing Islamic law in the U.S. While CAIR has complained of the unindicted co-conspirator designation, as WND reported in 2010, a federal judge later determined that the Justice Department provided “ample evidence” to designate CAIR as an unindicted terrorist co-conspirator, affirming the Muslim group has been involved in “a conspiracy to support Hamas.” In a lawsuit CAIR filed in 2009 against an undercover investigative team that published evidence of CAIR’s ties to Islamic jihad, the group alleged its reputation was harmed, and it sought damages in court. But a federal court in Washington determined CAIR failed to present a single fact showing it had been harmed, and the organization gave up that specific claim against former federal investigator Dave Gaubatz and his son, Chris Gaubatz, whose findings were published in the WND Books expose, “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America.” Get the new paperback edition of “Muslim Mafia.” In a May 27, 2014, ruling, the U.S. District Court in Washington observed that CAIR had been “frustratingly unclear as to the injuries at issue for each of the claims.” The court found CAIR speaks “in broad generalizations, asserting injuries and damages and proximate cause across multiple counts and multiple Plaintiffs.” CAIR leaders have made statements affirming the aim of establishing Islamic rule in the United States. The Islamic organization long had accused WND and others of “smearing” the Muslim group by citing a newspaper account of CAIR founder Omar Ahmad telling Muslims in Northern California in 1998 that they were in America not to assimilate but to help assert Islam’s rule over the country. But WND caught CAIR falsely claiming that it had contacted the paper and had “sought a retraction,” insisting Ahmad never made the statement. In a telephone conversation with WND in 2003, CAIR’s communications director, Ibrahim Hooper, insisted someone from CAIR’s California affiliate made the contact with the paper. When confronted with the fact that the newspaper’s editors had told WND that CAIR had not contacted them and that the reporter stood by the story, Hooper abruptly ended the call, saying: “If you are going to use distortions, I can’t stop you; it’s a free country. Have a nice day.” Minutes later, however, Hooper called back and said he wanted to change his statement to say, “We will seek a retraction, and we have spoken to the reporter about it in the past.” But three years later, the issue arose again, and WND found CAIR still had not contacted the paper. Hooper, himself, also has expressed a desire to overturn the U.S. system of government in favor of an Islamic state. “I wouldn’t want to create the impression that I wouldn’t like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future,” Hooper said in a 1993 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “But I’m not going to do anything violent to promote that. I’m going to do it through education.” CAIR’s true objective are unveiled in “See Something, Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Government’s Submission to Jihad,” by former DHS officer Philip Haney and WND Editor Art Moore. Get it now at the WND Superstore! |
Groups representing state and local governments said that they are "extremely concerned" about an aspect of President Trump's tax plan. The president's plan, an outline of which was released Wednesday, would eliminate the deduction for state and local taxes. Repealing the deduction is also a part of the House Republicans' tax plan. Opponents of the deduction argue that it largely benefits the wealthy and subsidizes municipal spending that may be excessive. Also, repealing the deduction could raise revenue to help pay for lowering federal tax rates. ADVERTISEMENT But the state and local groups said in a statement that the deduction should be preserved because it gives municipalities the flexibility to provide services to their residents. "Any alterations to the deduction would upset the carefully balanced fiscal federalism that has existed since the permanent creation of the federal income tax over 100 years ago," they said. |
Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny hold signs saying “Navalny” at a rally in Moscow last December protesting a court verdict against the anti-corruption blogger. Navalny received a suspended sentence for embezzling money, but his brother was jailed in a case seen as part of a campaign to stifle dissent. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters) Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan are authors of “The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries.” In late November, the number of websites being blocked in Russia reached 1 million, according to Roskomsvoboda, the country’s independent Internet censorship watchdog. This did not surprise the Russian online community, which is used to bad news. The Kremlin’s offensive against Internet freedom has intensified dramatically over the past three years, including the creation of website blacklists, the updating of an advanced national system of online surveillance and increased pressure on international Internet companies to share data with Russian security services. The failure of the 2011-13 Moscow protests, Russia’s version of a “Twitter Revolution,” to ease Vladimir Putin’s grip on the country, along with all the depressing news from the Middle East, has led many to question the idea that online technology can be used to facilitate political change. But is it correct that the protests achieved nothing in Russia? Some argue that those who maintain their faith in the power of technology overlook long historical experience. Well, Russia’s historical experience tells the story of a country that for centuries was defined by hierarchy and vertical power. During the Soviet period, the people were kept at maximum distance from decision-makers — it was for mysterious party bosses to decide their fates, while the population was left to wait until the party line was disseminated over government-controlled media and through local party cells. During the Cold War, the state also clearly understood the threat posed by communications technology, which could allow citizens to spread information on their own. In 1954, the first Russian photocopy machine was smashed to pieces when the secret police realized its potential. The automatic system of international telephone communications that was launched in Moscow for the 1980 Olympics was cut off mere months after the games to stop ordinary people from making calls abroad without first going through KGB-monitored operators. The result was a Soviet people politically passive and ignorant of how government operated — though, to be sure, KGB-inspired fear helped to keep them that way. After the brief thaw of the 1990s, Putin sought to refashion this system for a new era. Employing a combination of old and new tactics based on coercion and intimidation, he accomplished many of his goals by the mid-2000s. But Putin’s regime relied on the population’s passivity; few wished to protest, but even fewer wished to actively support Putin. This all changed when the Moscow protests erupted in 2011. The ideas circulating among the protesters may have been strikingly naive — they wanted to form a party of honest politicians, to ensure fair elections without destabilizing the system, and so on. Simply wielding the white-blue flag of Facebook does not automatically make protesters harbingers of democratic practices and principles. But one thing was clear: Thousands of outraged Muscovites shed their passivity, and platforms such as Facebook and Twitter facilitated widespread debate about issues that had not been publicly discussed in years. Social media are difficult to control. Because these new networks are horizontal in nature and content is generated by real users, the Russian government cannot impose its agenda on them as it did so successfully with traditional media organizations in the early 2000s. True, so far the Kremlin has outsmarted the protest movements by manipulating the newly mobilized public. While the opposition mumbled about fighting corruption, Putin offered a resurgence of national pride, first with the Sochi Olympics and annexation of Crimea, now with Syria. His message appeals to many Russians who resent the West, which they blame for failing to bring prosperity in the 1990s. Putin’s success in this respect is hardly surprising, given 15 years of decline in Russian political debate. Nonetheless, the centuries-old model of rulers governing a politically passive population has come to an end in Russia. Russian society may be divided, but it is no longer apathetic. Increasingly, people discuss topics such as Ukraine, Syria, terrorism and the hypocrisy of the West. Many of them may have been brainwashed by propaganda, but the fact that they are now talking about political news — not just their cars or apartments — is important. For the first time in a long while, there is political engagement. And much of it is occurring online. The Kremlin is trying its best to intervene in this conversation, but Russia’s Internet community is pushing back. Outraged by the arbitrary blocking of thousands of websites, more and more Internet service providers are defiantly placing messages on the blank pages of blocked sites saying, “We are not supporters of the Internet censorship but should comply with the requirements. To bypass the censorship, click here.” The link then takes users to a site providing circumvention tools. Russia ranks second in the number users of the Tor network, which allows people to communicate anonymously. Last month Russian Internet users, worried about Kremlin pressure on global Internet companies to move their servers into the country, launched a petition on Change.org pleading with the tech giants: “Don’t move personal data to Russia.” The petition has amassed more than 40,000 signatures. This is a direct result of the digital revolution, which is something entirely new in our history. While the Russian authorities, so comfortable in dealing with hierarchies, have never hesitated to intimidate editors or the bosses of the Internet companies, the Kremlin has been hesitant to outlaw the Tor network and other circumvention tools. Doing so would mean dealing directly with ordinary users, who are a potentially unstoppable force. |
The German parliament on Wednesday decided to approve 11 billion euros for arms procurement which will include the construction of additional five K130 corvettes. The German Navy is expected to receive the five ships by 2023. Prior to this decision, German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen’s aim to procure the additional K130 corvettes was faced with hold ups by the parliament’s budget committee over the price of the ships and by the German cartel office regarding the selection of shipbuilders. Vice Admiral Andreas Krause, Inspector of the Navy, said he was pleased with the decision adding that it would now allow the navy to build the much-needed ships as fast as possible. The K130 corvettes, also referred to as Braunschweig-class, are being ordered because of the navy’s increased scope and tempo of operations. They will be built by the Lürssen – TKMS shipbuilding duo joined by German Naval Yards. |
By Express News Service KOCHI: Fans of Kerala Blasters who are all set to ring in 2018 in Kochi can heave a sigh of relief as the city's top cop assured that the match would go ahead on December 31.There were reports that the city police were reluctant to provide security for the Indian Super League (ISL) match at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium because it coincided with New Year's eve celebrations at Fort Kochi and could stretch the police force's resources. However, city police commissioner M P Dinesh told 'Express' on Wednesday that the ISL match will go ahead as scheduled. "There is no doubt that more cops will be needed in the city for ensuring safety. But we have decided to conduct the match as decided earlier," he said. As per official records, around 1,000 policemen are deployed in the city on ISL matchdays. Even though a private agency takes care of the security arrangements inside the stadium, the police are responsible for controlling the 50,000 fans and the heavy traffic. "More cops from other districts will be deployed to meet the demand. Tight security will be arranged in all parts of the city and Fort Kochi," the police commissioner said.A source with the Kerala Blasters said no discussion was held regarding the change. |
Eric Boullier: Says McLaren-Honda could test in Abu Dhabi Eric Boullier has said that McLaren could run a Honda-powered car at the post-Abu Dhabi GP test in November. Honda’s motorsport boss Yasuhisa Arai had already predicted that their new power unit would get its first run out when pre-season testing starts at Jerez early next year, just weeks before the start of the new season. However, Boullier said at the Italian GP that a Honda-powered McLaren - a modified version of this year's MP4-29 - might yet take to the track at the end of the current campaign. “Yes,” McLaren’s Racing Director replied. “This is not defined. The safe side is that we’ll obviously be in Jerez with a McLaren-Honda car. But it keeps open to maybe the possibility that if everything is matching in our schedules to run it earlier.” He added: “We won’t give a definite answer now because we actually don’t know yet exactly. It’s very likely to be before Jerez. We’ll see.” Speaking earlier this month, Arai said that Honda’s new 1.6-litre turbo hybrid is about to commence dyno testing. His prediction, however, was that it wouldn’t be on track in a McLaren chassis until next year. “We are absolutely within our development plan. Our engine - or more precisely our power unit - is ready for a whole system check, but without the chassis. It will still need more time to bring the power unit and chassis together and then be able to run checks with the complete car,” Arai told the official Formula 1 website. Anthony Davidson reviews the battle between Sergio Perez and Jenson Button and is joined by the McLaren driver. Anthony Davidson reviews the battle between Sergio Perez and Jenson Button and is joined by the McLaren driver. “In the next couple of weeks we will run simulations and at the beginning of next year we will start to run on the track - very likely at Jerez. That will very likely be the first time to show the whole car, the Honda engine and the McLaren chassis - the Honda McLaren. “Right now there are no plans to collect data during the rest of 2014. Jerez will be the first time.” The Abu Dhabi test is scheduled for November 25-26, two days after the current season finishes. |
A second "Calexit" initiative is aiming for the 2018 ballot. The group Yes California has recharged its secession effort and is planning to file proposed circulation language soon, organization president Marcus Ruiz Evans says. The proposal seeks to ask voters via the November 2018 ballot to say yes or no to a referendum in 2019 that would, if approved, trigger legislative and gubernatorial steps toward independence from the United States, according to the political action committee. "Our initiative says that we're having a vote up and down and if we vote to leave we're going to move immediately to change things," Evans says. Continue Reading If successful, the initiative would share ballot space with a similar effort by the California Freedom Coalition, which asks voters to approve a road to greater autonomy from the United States. The suggested deadline to file "circulation" language to the California attorney general is Aug. 22. The Yes California filing seeks approval of the state's top cop for a description of the initiative that would be presented to registered voters for their signatures. Organizers said in a statement that they need 365,880 valid voter signatures to make the ballot. That's an uphill battle for a political action committee that's asking supporters to help with the $2,000 filing fee. Professional signature-gathering firms usually charge about $2 million to $3 million for a successful statewide effort. Only one grassroots initiative has made the statewide ballot, sans professional help, since 1988. Yes California had a rough spring after it was revealed that co-founder Louis Marinelli was a frequent flier to Russia. The travel was funded by a Kremlin-linked nationalist group. The group rented office space known as the Calexit embassy. Following those revelations, Evans and Marinelli withdrew Yes California's last independence proposal from consideration. Marinelli said he hoped to live in Russia full-time. Evans jumped ship to join the California Freedom Coalition. That didn't last, however, and Evans returned to the helm of Yes California. This week the organization announced that the Moscow office has been shuttered. "Among the first actions Evans took in his new role was to close the doors of the organization’s embattled representational embassy and culture center opened last year in Moscow, Russia," according to a statement. Evans says, "Louis is still around but he is a board member and is not allowed to be an officer or claim that he is a leader of Yes California." The turmoil was compounded by a lack of financial support. Although Evans says Yes California is wildly popular on social media, the nonprofit is still waiting for an angel donor. "Everyone thinks it's a joke because we filed and pulled it," he says. "We're just going to keep filing. Somebody with money is going to say, 'I'd like to get my name in the paper — here's $2 million.' That's the strategy and it's a workable idea." Meanwhile, California Freedom Coalition board member Steve Gonzalez says the group is gathering signatures in the Bay Area. We asked what he thought about a possibly competing initiative on the November ballot. "They keep going back and forth in a very inconsistent manner," he says of Yes California. "I'm not really sure what to make of it. I think that their actions really speak for themselves." |
Please enable Javascript to watch this video A Florida woman, Jeanette Morris, her brother and another accomplice allegedly shot her ex-husband with a stun gun, held him at gun point, beat him and used a pickup truck to drag him a half-mile down a dirt road, FOX 35 in Orlando is reporting. The victim, Robert Hall, went to a nearby home and called police. He told officers the three people tried to kill him. Hall suffered a broken pelvis, broken facial bones and bleeding on his brain. "There was an older guy with a rope around his neck and his underwear ripped from where he was drug," Tyler Shevelan, the neighbor, told FOX 35. "He was bleeding from the backside, face, mouth, everywhere you can think of." Jeanette Morris, 61, and her brother, Harold Anderson, 63, face attempted murder and aggravated assault charges for a "brutal attack" on Hall, Volusia County investigators said. Source:FOX 35 |
Getty Images When the Manatee County Sheriff’s office got the call that a woman was standing on a street in broad daylight kicking strangers in the genitals, reports the Miami Herald, they sent an undoubtedly unlucky deputy to investigate. When the deputy found a woman who matched the description of wearing red pants and braids, he called for her to come towards him. Instead the woman, now identified as Katina Jane Collins, ran for it. As the deputy gave chase, Collins allegedly stopped in her tracks and punched the officer in the face, knocking his sunglasses off. The deputy was able to get Collins on the ground and in handcuffs, despite her alleged attempts to scratch the deputy while he handcuffed her, the report said. (MORE: Wedgie Spree Lands YouTube Prankster In Jail) What led Collins to be standing in the “street kicking people in genitals and running around kicking a man,” according to an arrest affidavit from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, is unclear. Collins, a 38- year old resident of Sarasota, Florida, was fresh off of another charge for battery of a police officer. It’s unclear if the incidents are related. According to the Florida Sun-Sentinel, Collins has been charged with battery of an officer and is being held at the Manatee County jail on a $1,500 bond. There is no word on the number of individuals who fell victim to genital kicking spree before police intervened. MORE: Forget Gotham: Batman Comes to the Rescue in Brazil MORE: The 2013 Python Challenge: Florida Wants You to Hunt its Snakes |
Please enable Javascript to watch this video FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – Campus police have arrested a juvenile suspect in an armed robbery they say happened Thursday night at a University of Arkansas dorm in Fayetteville. Captain Matt Mills with UA Police said the suspect, who was arrested Friday (Nov. 7) afternoon, was not a student at the university. According to police, a black male with scruffy facial hair followed closely behind students to gain entry into Pomfret Hall, where he then robbed several students at gunpoint using a small pistol around 6 p.m. Police released a picture of the suspect wearing black sweat pants and a maroon long-sleeved hooded sweatshirt. He also had a pink backpack on his back, police said. Captain Mills said police got a tip about the suspect's identity from the the picture and arrested the teen after an interview with officers. The suspect has been taken to the Washington County Juvenile Detention Center and is facing a charge of aggravated robbery, according to police. Captain Mills said investigators are looking into why it took the victims more than two hours to report the robbery. Police have not released what the suspect stole from the victims. "It is pretty terrifying," said UA freshman Madelyn Gale. "I do not really like walking by myself as it is, so then to know that there was someone on campus with a gun is pretty terrifying, especially in the dorm." Captain Mills recommends students report anyone who enters a UA residence hall without authorization. "The best advice is: if you do not know the person behind you, close the door and make them use their fob to get in," Mills said. "The buildings are locked down by a fob. Each student who lives in that residence hall has a fob for that building." Gale said up until this incident, she would always hold the door open for the next person. "We are in the South and it is just a common thing to be courteous and open the door," Gale said. "But [the robbery] is definitely going to make me think twice about letting the next person in behind me." UA Police brought in extra patrols in the area near Pomfret Hall after the robbery was reported. |
A Metropolitan Police (Met) officer has been dismissed for raping a woman in a police locker room. The attack happened in March 2009 after the off-duty Pc took the drunk woman to St Pancras station in north London. The victim complained but the Crown Prosecution Service ruled there was not enough evidence to press charges. But a police misconduct hearing found the sex was "non-consensual". The Women Against Rape group said the decision not to press charges was "outrageous". The woman, in her early 20s, had drunk several glasses of wine at a party at a hotel in central London and went outside when she began to feel unwell. No memory CCTV showed the police officer, who had been drinking in a nearby pub, starting to talk to the woman. He then led her away from her party to nearby St Pancras train station where he was due to sleep in a locker room before starting work early the next day. In interview he said during the night they had consensual sex. The actions of this officer will rightly appal the public as they have appalled me Rachel Cerfontyne, IPCC Commissioner When the woman returned home she told her friend she had little memory of the evening after leaving the party. She said she recalled waking up to find a man having sex with her. The matter was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which managed the investigation and the evidence given to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). A CPS spokesman said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute as it had to prove the offence had happened beyond all reasonable doubt. But the Met's disciplinary hearing findings, based on the information gathered by the IPCC inquiry, are based on the balance of all probabilities, and found the police officer had non-consensual sex with the woman. The IPCC refused to name the officer as he had not been charged with an offence. IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said: "The actions of this officer will rightly appal the public as they have appalled me. 'Intolerable behaviour' "His behaviour was in my view predatory and he exploited the vulnerability of a young woman. "His conduct would be contemptible from anyone - from a police officer it is nothing short of despicable." A Women Against Rape spokeswoman said: "This woman was very courageous. It is very difficult to report a police officer to the force that the rapist belongs to and we know of a lot of women who are too scared to do that. "She has been determined and done a great deal of good." Commander Mark Simmons said: "This officer acted in an intolerable way and it is only right that once such dreadful behaviour was found proven the man was dismissed." |
A Seattle garbage truck driver sprang into action when he saw a baby in a runaway stroller heading toward a busy intersection. While on his route on May 31, Blackburn saw a mother running with her child, KOMO reports. He said the woman turned the stroller sideways at the top of a hill before talking to some friends, but soon, the carrier began rolling down the street. Jeff Blackburn took off in his truck, blocked traffic and ran toward the small boy who was smiling, blissfully unaware of the dangerous situation he barely escaped. "I pulled my airbrake and jumped out of my truck as fast as I could to stop the stroller 'cause the stroller was either going to go down the hill or cut into the curb,” he told KING 5 News. “Luckily it cut into the curb.” Blackburn is being declared a hero, but he's not the first garbage truck driver to make headlines for a noble feat. Just a few months ago, Phil Gaston was driving toward a garbage container when he saw a man bleeding in a garage in Edmonds, Wash. Todd Nelson had sliced an artery in his leg while cutting boxes, KIRO 7 reports. Gaston brought out a roll of paper towels, created a tourniquet and stayed by Nelson's side until help arrived. |
SINGAPORE - Two Singaporean youths have been arrested under the Internal Security Act for terrorism-related activities, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement on Wednesday. The first, post-secondary student M Arifil Azim Putra Norja'i, 19, had made plans to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and if he was unable to join the terrorist group there, planned to strike here. Arifil is the first known self-radicalised Singaporean to harbour the intention to carry out violent attacks in Singapore, the ministry said. He was detained in April 2015. The second radicalised Singaporean, a post-secondary youth, 17, was arrested earlier this month for further investigations into the extent of his radicalisation. He was not named. The arrests come amid growing concern in the region and beyond that youths are being radicalised by ISIS, with security agencies in South-east Asia and elsewhere stepping up their guard and arresting individuals trying to leave for Syria to join a growing pool of over 20,000 foreign fighters. Many of them were radicalised on the Internet. In its statement, MHA said its investigations showed that Arifil's radicalisation began around 2013 when he started viewing terrorist propaganda online. Arifil grew to support the radical ideology and violent tactics of ISIS, and befriended individuals online who he thought could help him join the terrorist group. It was also revealed that Arifil had actively looked up travel routes to Syria on the Internet and researched ways of making improvised explosive devices. "More importantly, Arifil also revealed that if he was unable to join ISIS in Syria, he intended to carry out violent attacks in Singapore. He gave considerable thought to how he would attack key facilities and assassinate government leaders," MHA said. If he was unable to execute those plans, Arifil had planned to carry out attacks in public places, with weapons such as knives, in order to strike fear within society, it added. MHA said Arifil had tried to recruit several people to help carry out the attacks, and while they were not swayed by Arifil, they did not alert the authorities about the plans either. Related Story Self-radicalised Singaporeans who were previously detained "Fortunately, another person who knew Arifil noticed the changes in him, and had brought him to the attention of the authorities, who were then able to investigate the matter and take action before he could carry out his violent attack plans in Singapore," it added. As for the second youth arrested, MHA said his family had been informed of his arrest and would be kept informed of the outcome of the investigations. In its statement, the ministry emphasised that the family, friends and members of the public as well as religious institutions play an important role in protecting fellow Singaporeans from radicalisation and engaging in terrorist activities. It noted that recent reports showed how young people in other countries had become so deeply radicalised by extremist propaganda that they are prepared to undertake acts of violence at home and abroad. "These two young Singaporeans who have been radicalised demonstrate that young persons in Singapore can also become radicalised in particular through the Internet," MHA said. Mr Edwin Tong, deputy chairman of the government parliamentary committee for Home Affairs and Law, said the arrests were "a stark reminder that we are not insulated from what happens around the world". "Youths today are very impressionable, not yet mature enough to differentiate what are ideals and what is practical and reality. They are highly connected to the Internet, they are tech-savvy. This story brings home the fact that we cannot take it for granted," he added. To protect the young from the danger of radicalisation, Mr Tong said the "best defence is our society and people around us". "It's about being close to them, know what they are reading online, and observing any change of behaviour," he said. Commenting on the arrests, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said they showed how Singapore youths are also vulnerable to radicalisation. "Terrorism remains a serious global threat. But it is not just a problem that is 'over there' in some other countries. It is also a problem that is 'over here', in our region, and here in Singapore as well. "We have seen examples of self-radicalised youths in other countries. The two self-radicalised young Singaporeans show that our youths are also vulnerable. Singapore too, faces real threats from radicalisation. "Our community leaders have worked hard to counter radical ideology. We should all, from all communities in Singapore, support each other in this effort. The Government will also provide more support to community groups to do more. All of us have to work together to overcome this issue together," he said. "All of us must play our part. If you know or suspect anyone who is becoming radicalised, please notify the authorities early. You would be helping to save that person from harming himself and others. "Our security agencies will do their utmost to detect and prevent any terrorist attack. However, as we have seen in other countries, an attack can still happen even in countries that are already on high security alert. "We must strengthen our community resilience so that if an incident were to occur here, we can recover and emerge even stronger and more united." Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim said the arrests serve as a reminder for "parents, religious teachers, friends and community at large" to remain vigilant. He wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday: "We must do our utmost to reach out to young people who are in search of answers to problems confronting their generation." |
Kevin Michael Costner was born on January 18, 1955 in Lynwood, California, the third child of Bill Costner, a ditch digger and ultimately an electric line servicer for Southern California Edison, and Sharon Costner (née Tedrick), a welfare worker. His older brother, Dan, was born in 1950. A middle brother died at birth in 1953. His father's job required him to move regularly, which caused Kevin to feel like an Army kid, always the new kid at school, which led to him being a daydreamer. As a teen, he sang in the Baptist church choir, wrote poetry, and took writing classes. At 18, he built his own canoe and paddled his way down the rivers that Lewis & Clark followed to the Pacific. Despite his present height, he was only 5'2" when he graduated high school. Nonetheless, he still managed to be a basketball, football and baseball star. In 1973, he enrolled at California State University at Fullerton, where he majored in business. During that period, Kevin decided to take acting lessons five nights a week. He graduated with a business degree in 1978 and married his college sweetheart, Cindy Costner. He initially took a marketing job in Orange County. Everything changed when he accidentally met Richard Burton on a flight from Mexico. Burton advised him to go completely after acting if that is what he wanted. He quit his job and moved to Hollywood soon after. He drove a truck, worked on a deep sea fishing boat, and gave bus tours to stars' homes before finally making his own way into the films. After making one soft core sex film, he vowed to not work again if that was the only work he could do. He didn't work for nearly six years, while he waited for a proper break. That break came with The Big Chill (1983), even though his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor -- he was remembered by director Lawrence Kasdan when he decided to make Silverado (1985). Costner's career took off after that. |
Hi, VisualGST 0.8.0 is out: - a new UI - kill a lot of bugs :D - internal design changes - icons for the UI - Menu, toolbar and popup menu builder - Sidebar for sender/implementer - correctly file out a namespace (will be used for packages) - ... This release should be more stable, I've removed the last know bug that crash VisualGST. What are the plan for the next release: 0.8.(1/2) – PackageSource it will generate a package source and its dep file. – Bug fixing (yep again :-P) 0.8.5: – write unit test – Include preferences framework – migrate to the new state refactoring – package management within VisualGST with a tool like we have in linux distro (list of repositories/list of installed packages/… So if someone want to help me here are some possible tasks: – PackageSource, – Preferences framework: add a model support for the framework, so it can generate automatically the UI, and add a support for VisualGST, – bug hunting :D How to install it: grab the last version of GNU Smalltalk ./configure make sudo make install sudo rm /usr/local/share/smalltalk/VisualGST.star grab VisualGST: git clone git://github.com/MrGwen/gst-visualgst.git cd gst-visualgst ./make_packages.sh ./install_desktop.sh (for linux users if you want an icon and desktop entry) gst-browser and enjoy imagik.fr wiki: https://github.com/MrGwen/gst-visualgst/wiki/Presentation installation: https://github.com/MrGwen/gst-visualgst/wiki/Installation screenshots: https://github.com/MrGwen/gst-visualgst/wiki/Screenshots github: https://github.com/MrGwen/gst-visualgst I would like to thanks Paolo Bonzini, Nicolas Petton and Mathieu Suen for their help and support Cheers, Gwen |
The FIA's Formula E has successfully implemented virtual reality footage into its live feed for the Paris ePrix and will allow fans to revisit races using VR for free. Its collaboration with Virtually Live lets fans spectate computer-generated replays of races from any point on the track, including views from inside the car, perched on a safety barrier or from the paddock. “We are delighted to bring fans updated content alongside new features to our Virtually Live-Formula E App including the ability to not just be able to stand anywhere on a race track,” said Virtually Live’s Director of Motorsport Oliver Weingarten. “[Fans are] also able to drive around it, and get a good perspective and understanding of the chicanes and straights in a unique city-centre race track. “We have also provided fans without VR headsets the ability to enjoy a second screen experience on PC, giving fans new angles to watch the race that are beyond the limits of the TV cameras.” VR experiences in Formula E allow fans to revisit races at Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Monaco using kit like the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift or a PC. The Virtually Live app is available on gaming platform Steam. The championship also broadcasted a Paris practice session for the first time via Facebook Live and Twitter's live-streaming app Periscope for free and without any geographical restrictions. “At Formula E we always want to be at the forefront of broadcasting technology, pushing the boundaries of how our sport is delivered to our fans,” said Ali Russell, Formula E’s Director of Media. “Virtually Live offers an amazing new way of viewing the races and this is just the beginning of our aims in this area. “Live streaming through Facebook Live and Periscope also helps us to get the passion and excitement of the series to a new generation of potential electric racing fans.” Virtually Live is a company which provides live sports broadcasting solutions in virtual reality, headquartered in San Francisco. |
Services again led the job creation, according to a report from ADP and Macroeconomic Advisors. The service sector increased 164,000 in March, though the rate of job creation slowed a big from the upwardly revised 183,000 in February. "It's got to go this way," Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisors, told CNBC. "Early in the recovery you normally see a pop in manufacturing employment, but that sector no longer counts for enough of the total employment in the United States to be the eventual long-run driver of the recovery. You've got to have the recovery in service-sector jobs." Job creation in goods-producing businesses rose 45,000 for the month, while manufacturing rose 23,000 and construction grew 13,000. The financial sector added 8,000 positions for the month. Small businesses —defined has having fewer than 50 employees — led the way in job creation, adding 100,000 positions. Medium-sized firms added 87,000, while large businesses with 500 or more employees lagged with 22,000 new positions added. Financial markets reacted modestly to the report, with stock market futures edging up a bit from their lows of the morning, while Treasurys cut a bit of their price gains. The ADP release traditionally sets the stage for the government's nonfarm payrolls report to be released Friday. Economists expect the payrolls number to grow by about 207,000 and the unemployment rate to hold steady at 8.3 percent. ADP's numbers were a shade below consensus though unlikely to generate any substantial revisions to the nonfarm number. |
Disgraced studio mogul Harvey Weinstein turned himself in to New York authorities on Friday, more than seven months after stories of his alleged sexual misconduct torpedoed his lucrative career. Once scores of women came forward to accuse the once-mighty producer of assault and harassment, starting in October 2017, the Oscar winner’s downfall was steep. Police departments in London, New York and Los Angeles opened investigations to shed light on numerous women’s allegations that Weinstein sexually assaulted or harassed them. On Friday, the producer was charged with rape in the first degree, rape in the third degree and committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree for alleged forcible sexual acts against two women in 2013 and 2004. Those women’s names were not revealed to the public. Weinstein continued to “vehemently deny” any criminal acts after his arrest, even as Hollywood celebrated his surrender to police. Though his alleged impropriety was widely described as an “open secret” in Hollywood circles, the outcry that followed investigations by the New York Times and the New Yorker last fall became his undoing. Here’s a complete look at Weinstein’s accusers and their allegations. There have been multiple other allegations that are not included here because those accusers have remained anonymous. This list will be updated as more step forward. Amber Anderson Actress The “Black Mirror” and “C.B. Strike” actress alleged that Weinstein “coerced” her into a private meeting in 2013. “Once we were alone the mood immediately changed,” she wrote on Instagram on Oct. 16. “He behaved inappropriately and propositioned a ‘personal’ relationship to further my career whilst bragging about other actresses he had ‘helped’ in a similar way. He told me not to tell anyone I was alone with him, told me if I did it might affect my ‘opportunites.’ He tried to take my hand and put it in his lap which is when I managed to leave to leave the room.” Lysette Anthony. Mike Marsland / WireImage Lysette Anthony Actress The British soap opera actress filed a formal crime report in London on Oct. 11, alleging that she was raped by the movie mogul at her London home in the late 1980s. Anthony tweeted about reporting the incident to police, provided a photo with the case number and included a link to the British Sunday Times in which she detailed the incident. She said she answered the door of her London home, and Weinstein attacked her. “He pushed me inside and rammed me up against the coat rack in my tiny hall and started fumbling at my gown,” she told the newspaper. “Finally, I just gave up,” Anthony said. “At least I was able to stop him kissing me.” Read more » Asia Argento. Valery Hache / AFP/Getty Images Asia Argento Actress/director Argento alleged that Weinstein invited her to what was supposed to be a party at a hotel on the French Riviera in 1997. When she arrived, only Weinstein was there. According to Argento, he changed into a bathrobe and forcibly performed oral sex on her. Argento entered into what she describes as a years-long coercive sexual relationship with him. "After the rape, he won," she told the New Yorker. Weeks after the Weinstein story broke, Argento posted a series of tweets listing the names and accusations of 82 women who alleged they were abused by Weinstein. Read more » Rosanna Arquette. Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images Rosanna Arquette Actress The “Pulp Fiction” actress told the New Yorker that she went to the Beverly Hills Hotel in the early 1990s to get a script from Weinstein. According to her, he showed up at the door in a bathrobe and asked for a massage, then placed her hand on his erect penis. She said her career suffered after she rejected him. Read more » Jessica Barth. Evan Agostini / Invision/AP Jessica Barth Actress The “Ted” star told the New Yorker that the producer propositioned her at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards, inviting her to his hotel room to talk about her career. She obliged and found that he had ordered Champagne and sushi. Weinstein allegedly then asked for a naked massage in bed. She left bawling after he told her to lose weight “to compete with Mila Kunis.” Read more » Kate Beckinsale. Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times Kate Beckinsale Actress The “Underworld” and “The Aviator” star said that, during a meeting at a hotel when she was 17, she was directed to Weinstein’s room, which she thought would be a conference room. “He opened the door in his bathrobe,” she wrote on Instagram on Oct. 13. “I was incredibly naive and young and it did not cross my mind that this older, unattractive man would expect me to have any sexual interest in him. After declining alcohol and announcing that I had school in the morning I left, uneasy but unscathed.” Years later, she said, he asked her if he “tried anything” during their meeting. She alleged that she also said no to him professionally many times, which resulted in him screaming at her, calling her the C-word and making threats. Saying no in her business, she explained, allowed her to feel “uncompromised” but “undoubtedly harmed” her career. “Let’s stop allowing our young women to be sexual cannon fodder, and let’s remember that Harvey is an emblem of a system that is sick, and that we have work to do.” Read more » Juls Bindi Massage therapist During a “20/20” interview that aired Oct. 13, Bindi alleged that Weinstein attacked her in 2010. She was 29 at the time and was working in Hollywood as a massage therapist and had spoken to Weinstein about a possible book deal. During an appointment with him at the Montage Hotel, she said he disrobed in front of her, then later asked her about his penis size. She claimed she ran into the bathroom and alleged that he followed and started masturbating in front of her. When she tried to get by him, she said that he grabbed her and started groping her chest. Read more » Zoë Brock Model Posting her story on Medium on Oct. 8, the New Zealand model said she was 23 when she was “Harveyed” at the Hotel du Cap during the Cannes Film Festival. Though she said she had felt safe with Weinstein at a party beforehand, she detailed an alleged ruse to get her alone in his hotel room. There he emerged naked and kept asking if she wanted a massage, then chased her until she locked herself in the bathroom, according to Brock. She scolded the producer, whom she claims cried and said, “You don’t like me because I’m fat.” Brock wrote that when she left, Weinstein’s assistant apologized, saying that “of all the girls he does this to, you are the one I really felt bad about. You deserve better.” “This comment made me nauseous. It was an admission of his sycophantic enabling,” she wrote. Read more » Cynthia Burr Actress Burr’s account in a New York Times story published Oct. 30 expanded the time frame of Weinstein’s alleged abuses to the 1970s. The “Scarface” and “Lethal Weapon” actress said that when she was in her 20s, the producer tried to kiss her in an elevator then forced her to perform oral sex on him in a hallway. Read more » Liza Campbell Artist/writer In an Oct. 8 story in the Sunday Times, Campbell, who critiqued scripts for some of Weinstein’s best-known films and whose late father was an English earl, claimed that in the ’90s, Weinstein invited her to his hotel room to chat about work and then invited her to “jump in the bath” with him. Read more » Marisa Coughlan. Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images Marisa Coughlan Actress In an Oct. 17 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Coughlan claimed that Weinstein tried to proposition her into giving him a massage during a meeting in the Penthouse suite of The Peninsula Hotel. At the time, Coughlan had just starred in the Miramax film “Teaching Mrs. Tingle” and had been cast to star in the company’s upcoming ABC drama “Wasteland.” “He told me that he has a lot of 'special friends' and they give each other massages," Coughlan said. "It was a full-court press. He wanted me to be one of his 'special friends' and go into the bedroom.” Coughlan was able to leave before anything happened, but she says Weinstein reached out several other times, including when he offered to fly her out to New York so he could take her ice skating and on other “romantic” outings. According to Coughlan, their last encounter was a meeting at a Los Angeles restaurant that ended with Weinstein “pushing” for Coughlan to come to his hotel before he got out of the car, told her he respected her, and walked away. Emma de Caunes. Luca Bruno / Associated Press Emma de Caunes Actress The French actress alleged that in 2010, Weinstein invited her to his hotel room in Paris to discuss a book he wanted to adapt. According to her, he emerged from the bathroom naked and with an erection. She fled the room. Read more » Florence Darel. Bertraind Langlois / AFP/Getty Images Florence Darel Actress The French star told People that Weinstein propositioned her when she was 26. Eve Chilton, his wife at the time, was in the hotel room next door. He also asked her to be his part-time mistress. “I was astonished,” she told People on Thursday. “When you have someone so physically disgusting in front of you, continuing and continuing as though this was all perfectly normal… What happened to me may not be illegal, but it was inappropriate. Very inappropriate.” Read more » Paz de la Huerta. Gustavo Caballero / Getty Images for Architectural Digest Paz de la Huerta Actress The “Boardwalk Empire” actress, who first met Weinstein when she was 14 on the set of 1999’s “Cider House Rules,” accused the producer of raping her twice in 2010, which prompted a probe by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. De la Huerta told Vanity Fair and CBS News that in October 2010, Weinstein gave her a ride home from a party and insisted on having a drink in her apartment. She alleged he then forced himself on her. She also said that in December that same year, Weinstein allegedly came to her apartment and, since she had been drinking, she was unable to give consent when he allegedly he forced himself on her. “I was very traumatized,” she said. “I felt so disgusted by it, with myself ... I became a little self-destructive. It was really hard for me to deal, to cope.” A New York City police official said on Nov. 3 that the allegation made against Weinstein is "credible" and they are gathering evidence to seek an arrest warrant. Read more » Cara Delevingne. Anthony Harvey / Getty Images Cara Delevingne Actress/model Delevingne, who has appeared in the Weinstein Co. films "Paper Towns" and "Tulip Fever," wrote on Oct. 11 on Instagram that when she first began acting, Weinstein called her up to ask whether she had slept with any women. She claims he also gave her unsolicited advice about her sexuality and the effects it might have on her career in Hollywood. A year or two later, she alleges, she took a meeting with him that started in a hotel lobby and ended up with her and another woman with the producer in a hotel room where he asked the two of them to kiss and then tried to kiss her on the lips as he walked her out of the room. “I still got the part for the film and always thought that he gave it to me because of what happened,” Delevingne wrote. “Since then, I felt awful that I did the movie. I felt like I didn’t deserve the part. I was so hesitant about speaking out....I didn’t want to hurt his family. I felt guilty as if I did something wrong.” Read more » Juliana De Paula Former model In an Oct. 21 story, De Paula told The Times that Weinstein groped her and forced her to kiss other models he had taken to his loft in New York a decade ago. When she tried to leave, she said, he chased her through the apartment, naked. She fended him off with a broken glass. “He looked at me and he started to laugh,” she recalled. “I was shocked. I was completely in disbelief.” Read more » Sophie Dix Screenwriter The former actress alleged that in the 1990s Weinstein pushed her onto a hotel-room bed. She was 22 at the time. “Before I knew it, he started trying to pull my clothes off and pin me down and I just kept saying, ‘No, no, no.’ But he was really forceful,” she told the Guardian. “I remember him pulling at my trousers and stuff and looming over me and I just sort of – I am a big, strong girl and I bolted … ran for the bathroom and locked the door.” But when she finally opened the door, she claimed to see him “facing the door, masturbating.” The incident left her traumatized and depressed, so she “decided if this is what being an actress is like, I don’t want it.” Read more » Lacey Dorn Actress/filmmaker The Stanford University graduate told the New York Times in an Oct. 30 story that as she was saying goodbye to Weinstein at a 2011 Halloween party, the producer grabbed between her legs and touched her buttocks and crotch through her clothes. She was 22 at the time. Read more » Dawn Dunning Actress In 2003, Dunning met the producer at a nightclub where she was waiting tables. Promised a screen test for Miramax, she said she was invited to his Manhattan hotel suite for a meeting. She was 24. When she got to his room, she told the New York Times, he was waiting in his bathrobe behind a coffee table filled with contracts for his next three films. She could sign them if she would have a threesome with him, she said. She laughed it off but he got angry, she said, and told her she’ll “never make it in this business.” Read more » Lisa Esco Actress On Oct. 14, Esco told the Washington Post about how Weinstein tried to proposition her during what she believed to be a dinner meeting back in 2014. According to her, he said, “I think we should see a movie in the theater, like back in the day, and we should kiss.” Although she says she brushed him off repeatedly, he said “it’s just a kiss” and continued pressuring her. “He tried to insinuate that everything would be easier if I went along,” she recalled. Alice Evans in "The Vampire Diaries." Quantrell D.Colbert / The CW Alice Evans Actress In a piece written for the Telegraph on Oct. 14, the 46-year-old “Vampire Diaries” actress said she encountered Weinstein at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. She said he insisted she to go into the hotel bathroom with him to touch her breasts and kiss her. She declined and he vaguely threatened her husband Ioan Gruffudd’s professional career. “I was never again considered for a Weinstein film, and neither was Ioan,” she said. “I’ll never know if my refusal to be sexually available for Mr. Weinstein at the moment he fancied his little fix had me blacklisted, or whether I’m inflating my own importance in a much bigger picture.” Read more » Angie Everhart. John Sciulli / Getty Images for CBS Films Angie Everhart Actress In a TMZ Live interview on Oct. 13, the “Last Action Hero” star said that she was allegedly trapped by Weinstein in the cabin of a yacht at the Venice Film Festival more than a decade ago. She had been sleeping in the cabin, and when she woke up, she claimed the producer was standing over her blocking the door and masturbating. She said she shared her story with numerous people and people dismissed it, saying, “Oh, that’s just Harvey.” “When I talked about it before, nobody listened,” she said. “And now people are listening. And not just for me. I’m glad people are listening, so it doesn’t happen anymore because it’s not OK.” Read more » Hope Exiner d’Amore Former employee Exiner d’Amore alleged that Weinstein raped her in a hotel room in the 1970s when she was in her 20s and working for his concert promotion company, Harvey and Corky Productions. In an Oct. 30 New York Times story, Exiner d’Amore said that she had to share a hotel room with Weinstein during a business trip and that he slipped into bed with her naked and forcibly performed oral sex and had intercourse with her. Read more » Claire Forlani. Kevin Winter / Getty Images Claire Forlani Actress On Oct. 12, the “Mallrats” star shared a lengthy account on Twitter in which she claimed that she escaped Weinstein’s advances five times. Two took place at the Peninsula Hotel and the others were dinner meetings. Nothing happened because she “ducked, dived and ultimately got out of there without getting slobbered all over.” She said she was 25 at the time. Read more » Romola Garai. Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Romola Garai Actress “So I had to go to his hotel room in the Savoy, and he answered the door in his bathrobe,” the “Atonement” and “Suffragette” actress told the Guardian on Oct. 10. “I was only 18. I felt violated by it, it has stayed very clearly in my memory. “The point was that he could get a young woman to do that, that I didn’t have a choice, that it was humiliating for me and that he had the power. It was an abuse of power,” she added. Read more » Louisette Geiss, right, with attorney Gloria Allred. Emma McIntyre / Getty Images Louisette Geiss Former actress/screenwriter Geiss alleged that her encounter with Weinstein took place at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, where she was shopping a screenplay. Geiss said that she met with Weinstein at a restaurant near closing time to discuss her pitch and that he invited her to his office — adjacent to his hotel room — to continue their meeting. Geiss claimed that, 30 minutes into the meeting, Weinstein excused himself and returned naked, wearing only a bathrobe, and instructed Geiss to continue talking as he got into the hot tub, before later asking that she watch him masturbate. Read more » Louise Godbold Nonprofit director In an Oct. 9 blog post, the co-executive director of the nonprofit Echo Parenting & Education in Los Angeles said that she, too, was one of the young women Weinstein “preyed upon” in the early 1990s. “The details of what I have learned was not unique to me are out there now — the office tour that became an occasion to trap me in an empty meeting room, the begging for a massage, his hands on my shoulders as I attempted to beat a retreat… all while not wanting to alienate the most powerful man in Hollywood.” Read more » Judith Godrèche. Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times Judith Godrèche Actress The leading French actress said she was 24 when she took a breakfast meeting with Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996. Unaware of his reputation, she went to his room at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, where she claims he asked her to give him a massage, arguing that it was an American custom. “The next thing I know, he’s pressing against me and pulling off my sweater,” she told the New York Times. “I tried to negotiate the situation over the years, and negotiate with myself and pretend it kind of never happened,” she said. Read more » Trish Goff Model After meeting Weinstein at a cocktail party at Vogue editor Anna Wintour’s house in 2003 when she was 25, Weinstein invited the single mother to lunch in a private room at the Tribeca Grill, she told the New York Times on Oct. 13. “He started asking me if I had a boyfriend, and if we had an open relationship. I said I wasn’t interested in an open relationship, but he was relentless, and I kept trying to shut that down and move on,” she said. “Then he started putting his hands on my legs, and I said, ‘Can you stop doing that?’ When we finally stood up to go, he really started groping me, grabbing my breasts, grabbing my face and trying to kiss me,” Goff added. “I kept saying, ‘Please stop, please stop,’ but he didn’t until I managed to get back into the public space.” Larissa Gomes. Lilly Lawrence / Getty Images Larissa Gomes Actress While she was working on the Toronto set of the Miramax-produced teen flick “Get Over It” about 17 years ago, the actress said the producer asked her to bare her chest and tried to kiss her on the lips while name-dropping famous actresses and dangling career opportunities. She was 21 at the time. “He would not stop. He just kept pushing his hands close to my chest forcefully until I finally was able to get up and away from him,” she wrote in an email to the Los Angeles Times weeks after the Weinstein scandal broke. She alleged that Weinstein told her, “You know, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd were exactly where you are at one point. Look at them now.” Read more » Heather Graham. Warner Bros. Pictures Heather Graham Actress The “Boogie Nights” star’s alleged encounter took place in the early 2000s, when Weinstein summoned her to his office and said he wanted to put her in one of his films, she told Variety. “Later in the conversation, he mentioned that he had an agreement with his wife. He could sleep with whomever he wanted when he was out of town. I walked out of the meeting feeling uneasy. There was no explicit mention that to star in one of those films I had to sleep with him, but the subtext was there,” she said. Graham said she later declined a follow-up meeting at his hotel because she didn’t want to be alone in a hotel room with him. Read more » Eva Green Tristan Fewings / Getty Images Eva Green Actress The “Casino Royale” actress, who appeared in the Weinstein Co.’s “Sin City,” opened up about her experience after her mother discussed it in a radio interview. She said that she had to push Weinstein off of her during a business meeting in Paris. “He behaved inappropriately and I had to push him off. I got away without it going further, but the experience left me shocked and disgusted,” she said to Variety in a statement. Read more » Ambra Battilana Gutierrez Model The Italian model and beauty pageant contestant claims that Weinstein groped her during a meeting in 2015. She reported the alleged assault to the New York Police Department, and the next day, wearing a wire, she says she met with Weinstein at the Tribeca Grand Hotel. In audio footage obtained by the New Yorker, Gutierrez objects to Weinstein's behavior the day before, and an agitated Weinstein can be heard telling Gutierrez, "I'm a famous guy ... I'm used to that," and repeatedly urges her not to "embarrass" him. Despite the recording, the Manhattan district attorney declined to pursue criminal charges, possibly because Gutierrez had once attended a party thrown by Silvio Berlusconi and was not considered "credible." Read more » Mimi Haleyi Jefferson Siegel / New York Daily News Mimi Haleyi Production assistant Haleyi said Oct. 24 that she frequently interacted with Weinstein after first meeting him in 2004 at the London premiere of “The Aviator.” Two years later, she said, she was invited to his hotel room at the Cannes Film Festival to help him with some of his New York productions. He then asked her to give him a massage, she said. She declined and left the room crying, “having felt completely humiliated for being excited to meet him.” During another encounter while she was in her 20s, she said, she agreed to meet Weinstein at his SoHo loft because she wanted “to maintain a good relationship.” “It was not long, though, before he was all over me making sexual advances,” she said. “I told him ‘no, no, no,’ but he insisted.” She said that she told him she had her period and again asked him to stop but that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “He then orally forced himself on me while I was on my period. … I was in disbelief and disgusted. I would not have wanted anyone to do that to me even if that person had been a romantic partner,” she said. After that, she said, he rolled over and said: “Don't you feel we're so much closer to each other now.” Read more » Daryl Hannah . Tiziana Fabi / AFP/Getty Images Daryl Hannah Actress The “Kill Bill” star alleged that Weinstein tried to get into her hotel room on two separate occasions, which once prompted her to escape from a back entrance, she said in an Oct. 27 New Yorker story. She once barricaded herself in the room using furniture and, on a separate occasion, she alleged Weinstein asked her if he could touch her breasts. She refused and believes that Weinstein retaliated against her professionally. Read more » Salma Hayek Pinault. Stefania M. D'Alessandro / Getty Images Salma Hayek Actress Roughly two months after the accusations about Weinstein first came to light, Hayek penned a first-person account for the New York Times titled “Harvey Weinstein is my monster too.” In the piece, she detailed how Weinstein asked her to take showers with him, watch him take a shower, let him give her a massage, let a naked friend of his give her a massage, let him give her oral sex, and get naked with another woman, among other propositions. According to Hayek, Weinstein’s inappropriate behavior went far beyond a sexual nature. She claimed that Weinstein verbally assaulted her on set, physically assaulted her at the Venice Film Festival the year their film “Frida” premiered and threatened her life, saying, “I will kill you, don’t think I can’t.” Lena Headey. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times Lena Headey Actress The “Game of Thrones” star shared on Twitter on Oct. 17 that she had two separate encounters with Weinstein. According to Headey, the producer made a suggestive comment to her at the Venice Film Festival in 2005, which she dismissed as a joke. Years later, Headey said that she and Weinstein met for breakfast at a hotel after which he tried to get the actress to join him in his room. After clarifying that she was interested only in the work, Headey said that Weinstein angrily escorted her to the valet, warning her never to tell anyone about their encounter. Read more » Natasha Henstridge. Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Natasha Henstridge Actress The “Whole Nine Yards” actress spoke with Megyn Kelly to detail her sexual assault accusation against director Brett Ratner, but she also discussed a past incident with Weinstein when she met with him at a hotel in Sundance. She said he “came on to me repeatedly” before he “pleasured himself in front of me.” In an emotional interview on Megyn Kelly TODAY, actress Natasha Henstridge describes being with friends at director Brett Ratner’s home at age 19 when she fell asleep. When she wok ... Lauren Holly. Anthony Behar / Sipa USA/TNS Lauren Holly Actress The Canadian actress said she had been used to interacting with Weinstein socially after working on 1996’s “Beautiful Girls.” So when he asked her to meet at his hotel in the 1990s for a business meeting, everything seemed normal, she said on Canadian talk show "The Social" on Oct. 16. She was in her 30s and had been working in the industry for a while. But it all changed when Weinstein came back to the room dressed in a bathrobe, she said. According to her, he kept up the professional banter, then asked her to follow him to the bathroom, where he dropped his robe, began using the toilet and showered — all the while talking to her “like we’re having a normal encounter.” When he got out of the shower, she alleged, he dried off and came toward her naked and asked if she wanted a massage. She pushed him and ran away. Read more » Dominique Huett Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times Dominique Huett Actress The actress said Oct. 24 that Weinstein sexually abused her in 2010 in Beverly Hills, and she sued his company for negligence, marking the first civil suit over the former co-chairman’s alleged abuses since the scandal came to light in early October. Her civil complaint said that Weinstein lured her into his hotel room under the guise of a business meeting about her career. Then he demanded that she give him a massage and let him perform oral sex on her, according to a seven-page complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Weinstein Co. “executives, officers and employees had actual knowledge of Weinstein’s repeated acts of sexual misconduct with women,” the complaint said. Read more » Angelina Jolie. Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images Angelina Jolie Actress/director The Oscar winner said the producer made advances in a hotel room during the release of her film “Playing by Heart” in the ’90s. “I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did,” Jolie told the New York Times. “This behavior towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable.” Read more » Ashley Judd. Charles Sykes / Invision/Associated Press Ashley Judd Actress Judd, whose personal account was a key part of the New York Times investigation, told the newspaper that while she was working on the 1997 thriller “Kiss the Girls,” Weinstein invited her to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for what she thought would be a breakfast meeting. Instead, he had her sent up to his room, where he appeared in a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage or she could watch him shower, the newspaper said. “I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask,” Judd said. “It was all this bargaining, this coercive bargaining.” The outspoken actress was applauded by her colleagues for coming forward and also said that “women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly.” Read more » Minka Kelly . Frazer Harrison / Getty Images Minka Kelly Actress In an Instagram post written Oct. 13, Kelly recalls meeting with Weinstein alone at a hotel restaurant. “He said, ‘I know you were feeling what I was feeling when we met the other night’ and then regaled me with offers of a lavish life filled with trips around the world on private planes etc. IF I would be his girlfriend.” However, Kelly politely declined him. His alleged response? “I trust you won't tell anyone about this.” Katherine Kendall. Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press Katherine Kendall Actress The “Swingers” actress recounted a 1993 story of the producer disappearing into a bathroom and reemerging wearing a bathrobe to ask her for a massage. She alleged that he then bargained with her, asking her to at least show him her breasts, she told the New York Times. Read more » Heather Kerr, right, with attorney Gloria Allred. Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times Heather Kerr Actress Kerr said she was sexually assaulted during a business meeting in 1989. Speaking during a news conference alongside her attorney, Allred, on Oct. 20, Kerr alleged that Weinstein forced her to touch his genitals and told her that she had to be good in bed, as well as sleep with him, directors and other producers if she wanted a career in Hollywood. “He told me this was how things work in Hollywood and that all the actresses that had made it had made it this way. He said, ‘name anyone,’” the 56-year-old recalled. “He told me that first I would have sex with him and then he would take me to parties and show me who I had to sleep with after that. But first he needed to know how good I was.” Read more » Mia Kirshner. Alberto Pizzoli / AFP/Getty Images Mia Kirshner Actress In an Oct. 13 op-ed for Canada’s Globe and Mail, the “Vampire Diaries” and “The L Word” actress wrote that she refused to recount her own “ordeal in a hotel room” where he attempted to treat her “like chattel that could be purchased with the promise of work in exchange for being his disposable orifice.” Instead, the actress called out the “disease” of “turning a blind eye to sexual harassment and abuse carried out by those who wield power in the film industry.” She said she was not protected from Weinstein and called for institutional change to fix that. Read more » Liz Kouri Actress After meeting at a party for an off-Broadway show in 1999, the “Bold and the Beautiful” actress told USA Today that Weinstein put his fingers inside her and moved her hand to help him masturbate. “He was very clear. He had helped other actresses get major roles, and he would like to help me. He continued to press up on me and fumbled for his zipper. Then he put his hand up my skirt and pulled my panties over.” Kouri says she froze. "I couldn't react,” she said. “I didn’t want to make him mad. I didn’t want to cause a scene. I didn’t want to rock the boat. I didn’t want to ruin any chances that I might have had at all to audition for him. Or my career." Ivanna Lowell Former employee In addition to working for Miramax, Lowell dated Bob Weinstein, Harvey’s brother and longtime business partner. She first recounted how her experiences with Harvey — including how he asked if she liked to give oral sex and would come over to her apartment and lie on her bed in the middle of the night — in her 2010 memoir “Why Not Say What Happened?” She repeated those claims to the Daily Mail in October, recalling one time in particular when he came to her apartment, “plopped down and lay naked on my bed,” before asking her and her friend, “‘Which one of you ladies is going to be nice and give Uncle Harvey a massage?’” Laura Madden Former employee Madden came forward with her allegations in one of the first pieces published by the New York Times. In it, she claimed that Weinstein asked her for massages at hotels in London and Dublin in 1991. At one point, she locked herself in one of the hotel bathrooms and cried, according to another colleague. Natassia Malthe Anne-Christine Poujoulat / AFP / Getty Images Natassia Malthe Actress The Norwegian-born actress alleged that Weinstein raped her in February 2008 at the Sanderson hotel in London. “I laid still and closed my eyes and just wanted it to end,” she said during an Oct. 25 news conference. “I was like a dead person. Afterwards I lay there in complete disgust. After he was done he put his pants back on and hurriedly left the room.” Malthe said that at a later meeting at the Peninsula hotel — where, she said, Weinstein had promised there would be “no hanky panky” — a woman in the room performed oral sex on Weinstein and asked her to join them in a threesome. Malthe declined and abandoned her efforts to get a role in the film “Nine,” which Weinstein was producing. Read more » Brit Marling Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times Brit Marling Actress/writer The Goldman Sachs summer analyst-turned-actress met Weinstein at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, she wrote in an Oct. 23 op-ed for the Atlantic. “The OA” writer and star recounted similar circumstances for meeting the producer, going to a bar and then being redirected to his room where she alleged that he suggested they shower together. She said she was offered champagne and a massage and that she let Weinstein touch her shoulders. “What could I do? How not to offend this man, this gatekeeper, who could anoint or destroy me?” she wrote. “It was clear that there was only one direction he wanted this encounter to go in, and that was sex or some version of an erotic exchange. I was able to gather myself together — a bundle of firing nerves, hands trembling, voice lost in my throat — and leave the room.” She then wept in her hotel room “because at other times in my life, under other circumstances, I had not been able to leave.” Read more » Sarah Ann Masse Actress/nanny The comedian and writer interviewed with Weinstein to be his children’s potential nanny, she said in an Oct. 11 Variety story. The aspiring actress said that when she arrived at the producer’s Connecticut home in 2008, he opened the door and conducted the interview in his boxer shorts and undershirt. He asked her if she would ever flirt with his friends to get ahead and she said “absolutely not.” When the interview ended, he reportedly grabbed her and “gave me this really tight, close hug that lasted for quite a long period of time. He was still in his underwear. Then he told me he loved me. I left right after that.” She later found out she didn’t get the job. Read more » Ashley Matthau Dancer Matthau, who appeared in the Weinstein Co.’s “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” accused the producer in an Oct. 30 New York Times story of pushing her onto a hotel-room bed and fondling her breasts before stripping, straddling and masturbating on top of her in Puerto Rico in 2004. The dancer, who went by the name Ashley Anderson at the time, hired an attorney and ultimately agreed to a six-figure settlement with Weinstein in exchange for her silence. Matthau told the newspaper that she was willing to break the confidentiality clause despite possible legal retribution. Read more » Rose McGowan. Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times Rose McGowan Actress The “Charmed” alum, who appeared in the Weinstein Co.’s “Scream” franchise, reportedly reached a six-figure settlement with the producer in 1997 for an alleged incident in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival. The settlement, however, was “not to be construed as an admission” by Weinstein, but intended to “avoid litigation and buy peace,” according to legal documents obtained by the New York Times. McGowan has been a vocal on Twitter about Weinstein and has publicly condemned him, his brother and the Weinstein Co. board, along with actors such as Ben Affleck who claim they were unaware of Weinstein’s behavior. Read more » Katya Mtsitouridze TV host Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, the Russian TV personality said Weinstein sexually harassed her when they were both at the 2004 Venice Film Festival. She claims Weinstein arranged a private lunch meeting in his hotel room and greeted her in a bathrobe. "I waited for the masseuse, but she's late. We can have fun without her. Let's relax,” he allegeldy told her. She eventually escaped his room when a waiter came into drop off an ice bucket. Emily Nestor Former employee After working for just one day as a temporary employee at the Weinstein Co. in 2014, Nestor provided an account to company execs that said Weinstein invited her to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel where he said if she accepted his sexual advances, he would boost her career, according to the New York Times. Read more » Connie Nielsen. Evan Agostini / Getty Images Connie Nielsen Actress/producer The “Wonder Woman” star penned a guest column for Variety in which she claimed Weinstein touched her inappropriately at a dinner for her 2005 film “The Great Raid,” which he produced. “Harvey proceeded to put his hand on my thigh at dinner during the opening night of ‘Great Raid,’ at which both my boyfriend and my brother were present. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it violently to hurt him and proceeded to hold it in place on his own thigh. I steered clear of him as soon as I could,” she wrote. Kadian Noble Actress The British native filed a civil suit Nov. 27 alleging that Weinstein and his company engaged in sex trafficking. In her suit, she claimed he groped her, pulled her into a bathroom and forced her to fondle him when they met in his hotel room at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival to supposedly discuss a role. Lupita Nyong'o. Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times Lupita Nyong’o Actress/director The “12 Years a Slave” Oscar winner said she encountered Weinstein when she was still a student at Yale. She alleged that he blurred lines with her over a period of years, with a number of work-related invitations turning into uncomfortable situations where he pushed her to drink alcohol she didn’t want, asked to massage her and later “cut to the chase” about how she could help her career through a sexual relationship. He took no for an answer, finally, she said, but vaguely threatened her career. She vowed never to work in a Weinstein Co. project; he later offered her a star-vehicle film if she'd agree to a role in a Weinstein film she had previously rejected. “I had shelved my experience with Harvey far in the recesses of my mind, joining in the conspiracy of silence that has allowed this predator to prowl for so many years,” Nyong'o wrote in an Oct. 20 op-ed for the New York Times. Read more » Lauren O’Connor Former assistant The former Weinstein Co. assistant sent a searing memo to the company asserting sexual harassment and other misconduct by Weinstein, she told the New York Times. “There is a toxic environment for women at this company,” she wrote in a letter addressed to several executives. Another unnamed female assistant claimed that in 2015, the mogul badgered her into giving him a massage while he was naked, leaving her “crying and very distraught,” the New York Times reported. Read more » Gwyneth Paltrow with Harvey Weinstein in 2002. Getty Images Gwyneth Paltrow Actress Weinstein was credited with launching Paltrow’s career, aiding in her Oscar win for 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love” and turning her into the “first lady of Miramax.” Before that, though, Paltrow claimed that the film producer assaulted her when she was 22 after he summoned her to his hotel suite at the Peninsula Beverly Hills for a work meeting about 1996’s “Emma.” There, according to Paltrow, he placed his hands on her and suggested they go to the bedroom for massages. “I was a kid. I was signed up; I was petrified,” she told the New York Times. Paltrow said she confided in her boyfriend at the time, actor Brad Pitt, who later confronted the producer. But she said Weinstein threatened to fire her if she talked about it again. The two managed to carry on with a professional relationship. Read more » Samantha Panagrosso Model Panagrosso said in an Oct. 21 Times story that Weinstein made unwanted sexual advances toward her during the Cannes Film Festival in 2003. When Weinstein began touching her legs under the water at a hotel pool and she rebuffed him, he pointed at another model. “Look at her, I’m going to have her come to my room for a screen test,” she said Weinstein told her. When Panagrosso told friends about his continuing advances, she said, they laughed it off: “Sam, don’t be so naïve. You know Harvey can make you a star.” Read more » Zelda Perkins Former assistant Perkins, who came forward on Oct. 23, was one of at least eight alleged victims to reach settlements and sign non-disclosure agreements with Weinstein. She broke the NDA by telling the Financial Times that, while working for him at Miramax’s London office, Weinstein allegedly accosted her in his underwear and propositioned her with massages. She said that she was subjected to years of sexual harassment by her boss, often seeing him walk around naked and sticking around while he bathed. Perkins alleged that she and a colleague split a roughly $330,000 settlement in October 1998. “Unless somebody does this [breaks the NDA] there won’t be a debate about how egregious these agreements are and the amount of duress that victims are put under,” she said. Read more » Vu Thu Puong Actress The Vietnamese actress claimed in a Facebook post that Weinstein made unwanted sexual advances toward her, including attempting to teach her how to perform in a sex scene, when they met in 2008 in a hotel room. Tomi-Ann Roberts Actress Roberts met Weinstein while waiting tables as a 20-year-old college junior. In summer 1984, he urged her to audition for a movie, sent scripts and asked her to meet him where he was staying so they could discuss the film, she told the New York Times. When she arrived, she said, he was nude in the bathtub and told her that she would give a much better audition if she were comfortable “getting naked in front of him.” Read more » Lisa Rose Former employee Rose was 22 and working in Miramax’s London office when she says Weinstein asked her for a massage at the Savoy hotel in 1988. “I was really frightened, my heart was beating, and I was thinking, ‘this is what it's like having so much power - he's a man who's got a lot of power,’” she told BBC News. When she refused, she said, “He didn’t touch me. He said nasty things but he didn't touch me.” She later left the company. Erika Rosenbaum Actress The Canadian actress alleged that Weinstein persuaded her to talk to him while he showered in his hotel bathroom and there he allegedly grabbed her neck and masturbated in front of her, she said in an Oct. 19 New York Times interview. Read more » Melissa Sagemiller. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for Monique Lhuillier Melissa Sagemiller Actress The “Get Over It” actress alleged three advances on the part of the producer during an interview with the Huffington Post published on Oct. 13. The first of which took place in 2000 when she was filming that teen comedy, which was distributed by Weinstein’s Miramax. She said he tried to woo her at a lunch meeting, then coax her into his hotel room at another meeting. On another occasion, she said he ordered airport personnel to deliver her to his private plane. “I was definitely talking about it when we would go out with the cast because I was trying to warn the other girls, and I was trying to be tough about it and make a joke about it,” she said. Read more » Annabella Sciorra. Charles Sykes / Associated Press Annabella Sciorra Actress “The Sopranos” actress alleged she was raped by Weinstein after he barged into her apartment in the 1990s, according to the Associated Press. Speaking in the New Yorker on Oct. 27, Sciorra told the magazine that Weinstein “shoved” her onto her bed and they had nonconsensual sexual intercourse. Read more » Léa Seydoux. Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images Léa Seydoux Actress The “Inglourious Basterds” and “Spectre” actress said that after meeting the producer at a fashion show, he insisted that they make an appointment for drinks that very night. “We met in the lobby of his hotel. His assistant, a young woman, was there. All throughout the evening, he flirted and stared at me as if I was a piece of meat. He acted as if he were considering me for a role. But I knew that was … . I knew it, because I could see it in his eyes. He had a lecherous look. He was using his power to get sex,” she wrote in the Guardian. She alleged that he invited her to his hotel room for a drink and after his assistant left, “he started losing control.” “We were talking on the sofa when he suddenly jumped on me and tried to kiss me. I had to defend myself. He’s big and fat, so I had to be forceful to resist him. I left his room, thoroughly disgusted. I wasn’t afraid of him, though. Because I knew what kind of man he was all along,” she wrote. Read more » Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times Jennifer Siebel Newsom Documentary filmmaker In an article for the Huffington Post, the wife of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote that the reports written about Weinstein are “not all that shocking because very similar things happened to me.” The “Miss Representation” and “The Mask You Live In” filmmaker did not disclose the exact details of her interactions with Weinstein but did describe similar circumstances as other Weinstein accusers. “I was naive, new to the industry, and didn’t know how to deal with his aggressive advances ― work invitations with a friend late-night at The Toronto Film Festival, and later an invitation to meet with him about a role in The Peninsula Hotel, where staff were present and then all of a sudden disappeared like clockwork, leaving me alone with this extremely powerful and intimidating Hollywood legend,” she wrote. Read more » Lauren Sivan TV reporter The journalist claimed she was once trapped by Weinstein in the hallway of a restaurant that was closed to the public. According to her, he masturbated in front of her until he ejaculated into a potted plant, she said on “Megyn Kelly Today.” “I could not believe what I was witnessing,” Sivan said. “It was disgusting and kind of pathetic.… More than the disgusting act itself, which of course was gross, the demeaning part of it all, that just 20 minutes earlier he was having this great conversation with me and I felt so great and flattered by it. And then [he said], ‘Stand there and be quiet,’ just a few minutes later, just negated any warm feelings I had, and I realized, ‘Oh, that is what this is all about.’” Read more » Chelsea Skidmore Actress The comedian told the Washington Post that Weinstein requested a massage after they had tea at the Peninsula Hotel in 2013. When she turned him down, he masturbated in front of her. During later meetings, he exposed himself to her and pushed her into getting physical with other women. Read more » Mira Sorvino. Randy Shropshire / Getty Images Mira Sorvino Actress The actress told the New Yorker that Weinstein tried to give her a massage and "chas[ed] her around" a hotel room at the Toronto Film Festival in 1995, and later showed up at her New York apartment in the middle of the night. She believes her rebuff of his advances damaged her career. Read more » Lucia Stoller Actress The actress, who now goes by Lucia Evans, told the New Yorker that while she was a college student, Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him during what was billed as a casting meeting at the Miramax offices in 2004. The New York Police Department has since opened an investigation. Read more » Tara Subkoff. Mark Mainz / Getty Images Tara Subkoff Actress The actress alleged that the producer sexually harassed her in the 1990s during a premiere after-party after she was offered a role in one of his films. Subkoff recalled that Weinstein motioned for her to come over to him and sit on his lap. “I was so surprised and shocked I couldn’t stop laughing because it was so awkward,” she said in an Oct. 12 Variety story. “But then I could feel that he had an erection. I got quiet, but got off his lap quickly. He then asked me to come outside with him and other things I don’t want to share, but it was implied that if I did not comply with doing what he asked me to do that I would not get the role that I had already been informally offered. I laughed in his face as I was in shock and so uncomfortable. I left the party right after that.” She says she was later blacklisted in Hollywood. Read more » Uma Thurman . Noam Galai / Getty Images Uma Thurman Actress Thurman was one of Weinstein’s most frequent leading ladies. However, she was one of the last actresses to speak out about her experience with the longtime movie mogul. In a February 2018 interview with the New York Times, she recounted two incidents with Weinstein. The first was when she met him at a Paris hotel room for a meeting and he greeted her in his bathrobe. The second occured at the Savoy Hotel in London when things turned physical. “It was such a bat to the head. He pushed me down. He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things. But he didn’t actually put his back into it and force me,” she said. “You’re like an animal wriggling away, like a lizard. I was doing anything I could to get the train back on the track. My track. Not his track.” Paula Wachowiak Former production assistant While interning on Weinstein's first movie “The Burning,” in 1980, Wachowiak said she was sent to the producer’s hotel room to have him sign checks. Wachowiak told the Buffalo News on Oct. 15 that when she arrived he greeted her with a towel around his waist that he later dropped before asking her for a massage. Wachowiak said when she saw him on set later, he asked her if seeing him naked was the highlight of her internship. Read more » Paula Williams Model The model and aspiring actress said in a “20/20” interview that Weinstein invited her to dinner party after meeting at a 1990 Oscar party. The night of the dinner party, Williams, who was 20 at the time, said Weinstein sent a car to bring her to a Hollywood Hills home. When she arrived, he was the only one there. “He immediately starts massaging my neck as I walk in, so I know right away that this … is going to be uncomfortable,” she said. She said he later exposed himself to her and she ran out of the home, zigzagging her way through neighboring yards to get away. Read more » Sean Young. Toby Canham / Getty Images Sean Young Actress The “Blade Runner” star, who worked on Miramax’s “Love Crimes,” said she got a bad rap in Hollywood “for saying no,” accused Weinstein of exposing himself to her. “I personally experienced him pulling his you-know-what out of his pants in order to shock me,” she said on the Austin-based “Dudley and Bob With Matt Show” podcast on Oct. 19. “My basic response was, ‘You know, Harvey, I really don’t think you should be pulling that thing out, it’s not very pretty.” The actress, who has previously accused Oscar winner Warren Beatty of sexual harassment (which he denied), maintains she had her career railroaded for turning down industry men’s advances. “The minute you actually stand up for yourself in Hollywood, you’re the crazy one… that’s why a lot of women don’t come out with their experiences with that kind of lewdness and ridiculousness.” Read more » Staff writers Stephen Battaglio, Meredith Blake, Christie D’Zurilla, Libby Hill, Victoria Kim and Kate Stanhope contributed to this report. FULL COVERAGE: The Harvey Weinstein scandal Support our journalism Please consider subscribing today to support stories like this one. Already a subscriber? Your support makes our work possible. Thank you. Get full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks. UPDATES: 2:30 p.m. May 25, 2018: This article was updated with additional accounts of accusations against Harvey Weinstein, along with news that the mogul was arrested on May 25. This article was originally published on Oct. 31, 2017, at 10:15 a.m. |
The list was reeled off like a starting lineup. The amount of injured players – or players that were in need of a few well-deserved days off – could almost dress two full lines. Ducks Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob Murray gave an update on nine players who are recovering from injuries or needed time to rest bumps and bruises, and though the list is long in number, the outlook is promising. Perhaps the best news of the day centered around David Perron and Rickard Rakell, who, in Murray’s words, are “very” and “definitely” probable in Anaheim’s First Round series against the Nashville Predators, which is set to begin on Friday at Honda Center. Perron separated his right shoulder on March 20, but has been skating and shooting. Murray says there’s a chance the 27-year-old left wing could be available from the beginning of the series on. Rakell, he says, still has “a couple of hurdles” before he returns to the lineup. Murray says Rakell ruptured his appendix, but is expected to get his last IV today. Rakell missed the final seven games of the regular season to recover from his appendectomy, but has been skating. Sami Vatanen was sick twice in the past three weeks, but is available for the series. Fellow blueliner Kevin Bieksa’s status is “probable” for the series, but the rugged blueliner is skating and Murray says “you’ll see him” at some point against the Preds. Though Brandon Pirri has not yet resumed skating, he rode the bike yesterday and is “definitely available at some point in this series,” Murray says. Pirri suffered an upper-body injury after getting checked by Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Tryamkin on April 1. Clayton Stoner is still being evaluated for an injury that required one doctor yesterday, and another today. Korbinian Holzer, meanwhile, is battling a chronic lower-body issue, but Murray says the depth defenseman is probable for the series. “You’re always worried, but that’s part of what this is,” Murray says, on the injury front, “but this is playoff hockey. That’s why you try to make your team as deep as possible.” Goaltender John Gibson and Ryan Kesler were sent home following the game in Colorado on April 9, but both are ready to play. Ducks fan can breathe a sigh of relief regarding the team’s Selke-worthy shutdown center, who was simply sent home following the game in Colorado for rest. “He didn’t like it,” Murray said, when he informed Kesler he was going home. “He just needs some time. We felt, with the schedule, we might get some time, and luckily we did. It’s nothing major there. You watch how he plays. He’s just banged up. I just sent him home. No issues. He’ll be ready to go. He’s a warrior.” That’s great news for the Ducks, who will have two full days of rest before resuming practice tomorrow. The Ducks and Predators met in the 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals in a seesaw battle that eventually saw Nashville upend Anaheim in six games. Holdovers from that series still remain on both sides. Then-rookie defenseman Cam Fowler is now a veteran of over 400 NHL regular season games, while vets Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have also evolved over those six years. Mike Fisher, Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber and Colin Wilson remain for the Preds. Remember, it was Weber who tied the game late in Game 5, which forced overtime, and Jerred Smithson’s game-winner forced a Game 6 that the Predators won, 4-2. Under head coach Peter Laviolette, the Predators qualified for the playoffs by claiming the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They finished the season with a 41-27-14 record and 96 points, but only earned them fourth place in a heavyweight Central Division this season. Nashville is blessed with skill on all four forward lines, a tremendous d-core, and a proven veteran netminder who has the ability to steal games (and series). “It’s a big challenge because they have a lot of moving parts,” said Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau. “Their defense, even after getting rid of [Seth] Jones, is still one of the most formidable offensive defenses in the league. They have some really good skill up front. They play hard. They weren’t far behind third place in a tough Central Division where they played all year. We have our hands full.” Youngsters Filip Forsberg and blockbuster acquisition Ryan Johansen fill out Nashville's offensive firepower up front. Forsberg, 21, led the Preds in scoring and set career highs in goals (33) and points (64) this season, while Johansen tallied eight goals, 26 assists and 34 points in 42 games with the Predators after being dealt from the Columbus Blue Jackets (for the aforementioned Jones) on Jan. 6. There is also James Neal, whose 31 goals this season were his most since potting 40 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011-12. The numbers may seem intimidating, but Getzlaf emphasizes the need for his team to focus on themselves. “You don’t want to focus too much on the opposition when it comes to the playoffs,” said Getzlaf. “You want to know little knacks and things like that. For the most part, we’re going to prepare our group to play our game, and take it as it comes. We’re looking for a good battle.” |
Twice in two days, President Donald Trump falsely tweeted that acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe’s wife received $700,000 in campaign donations from Hillary Clinton. The nearly $675,000 — not $700,000 — donated to Dr. Jill McCabe, who unsuccessfully ran for a Virginia state Senate seat in 2015, came from the Virginia Democratic Party and Common Good VA. The latter is the political action committee of Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime friend and supporter of Hillary and Bill Clinton. We previously wrote about the donations in October, when Trump mentioned them during a campaign rally. This time, he brought them up in a series of tweets in which he criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not removing the current head of the FBI. Problem is that the acting head of the FBI & the person in charge of the Hillary investigation, Andrew McCabe, got $700,000 from H for wife! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017 Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation but got…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017 …big dollars ($700,000) for his wife's political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Drain the Swamp! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017 But the contributions didn’t come from Clinton or her campaign, and Andrew McCabe wasn’t “in charge” of the FBI’s investigation of Clinton’s emails at the time of the donations, either. Jill McCabe’s campaign received $467,500 from McAuliffe’s PAC and another $207,788 from the Virginia Democratic Party for the November 2015 election. McCabe wasn’t the only candidate to receive “big dollars” from McAuliffe’s PAC that year. Common Good VA gave $803,500 to state Senate candidate Jeremy McPike, who won his race, and $781,500 to Daniel Gecker, who lost his. These donations were all part of a failed effort by the Democratic governor to help the Democrats take control of the state Senate that year. There’s no evidence that Clinton had any say in the contributions to McCabe’s campaign or even knew about them. Also, McCabe had lost the election by the time her husband became deputy director of the FBI in February 2016. It was in that role that he “assumed for the first time, an oversight role in the investigation into Secretary Clinton’s emails,” according to an FBI spokesman quoted by the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story about the donations. The Journal wrote that while McCabe “was part of the executive leadership team overseeing the Clinton email investigation … FBI officials say any final decisions on that probe were made by Mr. [James] Comey, who served as a high-ranking Justice Department official in the administration of George W. Bush.” Comey was FBI director at the time. For more, read our original article, “Clinton’s Connection to FBI Official.” |
Frank Seravalli TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Follow|Archive MONTREAL — Auston Matthews was not surprised when he saw his name posted as the extra forward ahead of Team North America’s first training camp practice at the Bell Centre this week. He didn’t arrive expecting to be handed a starring role — even as the much-hyped No. 1 pick. That’s not really a big deal on this team. Matthews was the third No. 1 overall pick on his line alone when he rotated through with Nathan McKinnon and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Team North America is home to five of the last six top picks (sorry, Nail Yakupov). “Right now, I’m the youngest guy here, the 13th forward,” Matthews said Tuesday. “Everybody here has experience in the NHL and I haven’t, so I definitely need to earn my way up the lineup. I’m happy to be here. I want to earn as much ice time as I can and I want to get better as the tournament goes on.” Cutting away from the hyperbole, there is no way to set a realistic expectation for Matthews in the upcoming World Cup of Hockey — even though the Maple Leafs and Leafs Nation will be salivating during the two-week preview. No one, not even Matthews, can offer even the faintest guess at his impact. Custance: Matthews would have easily made U.S. national team Craig Custance of ESPN.com, covering the World Cup of Hockey in Montreal, joins Naylor & Landsberg in the Morning to discuss the upcoming tournament and what Auston Matthews' chances would have been of making the squad. The truth is that Matthews’ introduction to the big time will be just as unique as his path to the NHL. No top pick since Eric Lindros played for Canada at the 1991 Canada Cup has dipped their toe into the deep end like this to start their career. Team North America head coach Todd McLellan called the rise in competition level awaiting Matthews “immense.” “He’s going to experience the world’s best right off the bat,” McLellan said. “He’s played against some really good players at the world junior, [pro] and world championship level, but never as concentrated per country as it is right now. “It’s baptism by fire. But just being around him for two days, he’s very capable of handling that.” Despite his initial slot as the 13th forward, Matthews will be a big part of North America’s plans moving forward if McLellan’s praise after just two days is any indication. Matthews skated on a regular line with those same players on Tuesday and took shifts on the power play. “He’s done a really good job,” McLellan said. “The Leafs will have a really good player for many, many, many years.” McLellan had one word to describe Matthews: wow. The Oilers’ coach said the Leafs prospect shares a lot of characteristics with Edmonton star Connor McDavid. “They are different players, but the wow factor, the maturity, the size, the strength, the poise with the puck, the ability to pick up concepts really quick,” McLellan said, pointing out some similarities. “And for me, he’s not intimidated at all by any of the players that are out there.” There will be hiccups and mistakes for Matthews. The coaching staff is expecting that - even for the most skilled and experienced Under-24 players. McLellan said the key for Matthews will be to stop “asking for permission.” There was a moment in McDavid’s third game last year, McLellan recalled, where he stopped tip-toeing around and let loose. McDavid’s first two games, in St. Louis and Nashville, showed flashes of brilliance, but no sustained control of the play. That changed during a stop in Dallas, which, not coincidentally, was the site of his first NHL goal. “He was less respectful to the league and to his teammates — in a good way — and I think he just went and played,” McLellan explained. “From there on, he realized that he could do it and be himself. I think young players need to give themselves permission at some point to excel.” Buffalo Sabres centre Jack Eichel said that’s easier said than done, even if he scored in his first NHL game. “That helps,” Eichel said, laughing. But Eichel said there was a certain “feeling out process” that came along with last season, aided by a full training camp and preseason. Matthews will have just three World Cup exhibitions before playing for keeps on Sept. 17. “It’s like ‘Wow, I’m in the NHL,’” Eichel said. “You’re stepping up against guys you’ve watched your whole life. It’s a little weird at first, but you get used to it. After you get used to it and you realize you can play and make an impact and be the player that you are, that’s when you succeed. It’s what makes you successful. You’re your own player for a reason. You got yourself here playing your game. “I think it’s important to stay true to who you are as a player.” Matthews has deference to his teammates who have already accomplished more, but it sounds like he may need less coaching than McDavid to stop asking for permission to fly. “I want to go out there and play and not take a backseat to anybody,” Matthews said. “You know, I want to just do what I do, and I’m pretty comfortable doing it … It’s the top of the top. I’ve never played at this level. There’s going to be a little adversity, but I think it’s going to help in the long run.” Contact Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @frank_seravalli |
As if being better than us at football, making cars and brewing beer were not enough, it now appears that the Germans also have the edge when it comes to holidays. According to a new survey, they have more money to spend when abroad, they go away for longer – and are more adventurous in their choices of destination. What’s more, rather than seeing time away as a good excuse for an extended drinking binge, the average German is more likely to eat and drink more healthily when away – and to engage in active pursuits (and not just volleyball). But there are clear signs the Brits don’t intend to take this lying down. According to the survey – commissioned by the price comparison website TravelSupermarket – the British have learned a few tricks from the masters when it comes to bagging a good spot on the beach or by the pool and are now much more likely to reserve a sunlounger with a towel. The TravelSupermarket survey, based on interviews conducted in December 2014 with just over 2,000 German holidaymakers and an equivalent number of British ones, revealed the following: * British holidaymakers plan to spend 23 per cent less than Germans on their holidays in 2015 (£1,219 compared with £1,582) * German holidaymakers are more active, healthier and travel further afield * Germans will go away for longer and are twice as likely to experience and engage with exotic cultures * Despite popular belief, Britons are twice as likely to reserve a sun bed with a towel * Britons are still three times as likely to use their holiday as an excuse to drink more The TravelSupermarket team observed that in the past, German tour operators had run holiday programmes to destinations including the Cape Verde Islands, Zanzibar and Costa Rica, before they were on British radars. And they predicted that destinations such as Rhode Island and Portland in the USA, The Azores, the beaches in Northern Brazil and the Costa de la Luz in Spain would soon be more prominent on the British holiday agenda as they’ve recently seen an influx of German holidaymakers. Britons are less adventurous when choosing a destination, the poll suggests For all that, there appears to be one area in which the Brits are showing no desire to copy their Teutonic cousins – in the practice of wearing sandals with socks on holiday. According to the survey, Germans themselves seem to be realising that this was something of a fashion faux pas with just 10 per cent admitting they still favoured this form of footwear. Comparisons between British and German holidaymakers were plentiful last summer when the Berlin newspaper Bild described UK sun seekers as drunk, fat and sunburnt, with "ailments" ranging from “underwear amnesia”, “vodka cough”, and “Welsh wandering hands”. Telegraph Travel examined our German counterparts in response, and concluded that they are widely considered "boring", "arrogant" and prone to nudity. Book your next beach holiday with the Telegraph Travel Collection. Prices start from £503 for a 7 night, 5 star holiday in Rhodes. |
I’m sure there are many questions as to why this occurs and there is no text in the GC that says that it deals bonus damage to the BM. I was quite sure people would have figured it out, but I guess not many have. If you know fighting games, you should be able to see why BM takes massive damage from the GC. The key here is to see the interaction of the cannon ball when it hits the troops. Every single troop that gets hit by a GC’s cannon ball does one thing that the BM does not do, which is knocking back the troop. What I think happens is, when a troop is knocked back, it is given an invincibility frame which prevents further damage from the cannon ball. An invincibility frame is something usually found in fighting games, where a hit will knock a target back and prevents it from getting combo-ed without a chance of retaliation. The main use of invincibility frames in fighting games are dodge moves where you can voluntarily do an action/roll/attack that allows a timeframe (usually 0.5-1sec) which you cannot be hit. These moves are used strategically to dodge enemy attacks and allow for a combo-starter. When a witch/barb/giant is hit by the giant cannon, it gets knocked back a little which prevents further damage from the moving cannon ball. These troops have a hit box (Wiki) and a harmed when the cannon ball touches them and causes them to be knocked back. But when the cannon ball travels through the BM, he is not knocked back and is hit every frame the cannon ball goes through him. This is what is causing the apparent 10x damage multiplier towards the BM. You can see this by the BM losing health over a period of time instead of an instance. If it were a flat 10x multiplier, the BM would lose that health when the cannon ball touches him, not slowly (relatively) when the cannon ball passes through him. Another thing is that the angle of the cannon ball can vary the multiplier. Sometimes with the GC aiming while the BM is moving, it will “miss” and only deal 2-4x extra damage instead of the normal 10x because it passes through less of the BM’s hit box. All this evidence points towards the problem of BM not getting knocked back when the cannon ball is hitting him In another game I used to play (something like a fighting game), the Warrior had a skill called “Iron skin” so when it is used, the Warrior will never be knocked back or his skill interrupted. The Sorceress had another skill called “Fire Wall” which hits around her and launches the enemy upwards. A normal person would be hit once, launched upwards and continue taking 3-4 more hits. A Warrior with iron skin on would take 30-40 hits losing most of their health in one attack. This is akin to what is happening to the BM. The fix would be simple, allow the BM to be knocked back by the GC’s cannon ball. Otherwise the BM is in a really sad state right now and I’m more confident now in letting him sleep to lvl20 while I raid daily Advertisements |
CARSON, Calif. (Tuesday, January 4, 2011) – The LA Galaxy announced today that the club has re-signed defender Gregg Berhalter to a one-year contract that will see the veteran center back become the first player-coach in club history. The 37-year-old joined the Galaxy in April 2009 after a 15-year European career, instantly providing a stabilizing force in the heart of the LA defense, which allowed the fewest goals in club history last season. “We are very excited to have re-signed Gregg Berhalter and look forward to having his experience and leadership for the upcoming season,” Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena said. “In addition to his role on the field, he will also be joining the club’s technical staff and will be working with our defenders and the reserve team.” A native of Tenafly, N.J., Berhalter has made 42 regular season appearances for the Galaxy since making his debut in a U.S. Open Cup Play-In Game against Colorado on April 7, 2009. His addition to the squad that season helped the Galaxy allow just 31 regular season goals, exactly half the number that they had surrendered the previous season. A near-constant fixture in the LA defense that season, Berhalter’s first-ever goal for the club was a memorable one, as he scored the game-winning goal in extra time of the Galaxy’s 2-0 win over Houston in the 2009 Western Conference Championship, sending the club to MLS Cup for a record sixth time. Various injuries limited Berhalter to just 16 regular season games in 2010, with the Galaxy compiling a 9-4-3 record with a plus-11 goal difference and eight clean sheets in those matches. He came off the bench in the first leg of the Galaxy’s Western Conference Semifinal Series win over Seattle while also making one appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League. “I’m excited about the year we have ahead of us,” Berhalter said. “Looking at the nucleus of the team, a lot of it is still together and that helps when you are trying to continue on the path we’ve been on. Obviously, we fell a little short of our goals last year, but now we have another crack at it this year.” In addition to his playing responsibilities, Berhalter will also join Bruce Arena’s coaching staff for the 2011 season, serving as an assistant coach. Berhalter, who recently completed his USSF “B” coaching license, joins associate head coach Dave Sarachan, assistant coach Cobi Jones and goalkeeper coach Ian Feuer on Arena’s staff. “I want to thank Bruce for giving me that opportunity,” Berhalter said of the opportunity to become a player-coach. “It’s not that often that a player has both of those responsibilities so I’m excited. It shouldn’t be much different from my role on the field. It’s using my experience and my leadership to help in another capacity, I think that will be good.” Berhalter and the Galaxy will open the 2011 MLS season on Tuesday, March 15 when they head to Seattle to take on the Seattle Sounders FC at Qwest Field in MLS First Kick 2011, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. That game, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m., will be shown live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, as well as online at ESPN3.com. The Galaxy will then host the New England Revolution in their home opener at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 at The Home Depot Center. Tickets are now available for that match through the Kickoff Pack which includes four tickets and two Galaxy blankets, starting at $96. BUY NOW Related |
by Trent Murray In Rivals of Aether, most of the competitive conversation revolves around the United States. This is where all the major tournaments take place and where, most believe, all the best players in the world currently reside. However, thanks to the generosity of the Rivals community, two players will be traveling across the world to challenge that claim. Shine 2017 offered a compendium with ambitious goals to fly out the best player in Europe, and the best in Australia. Surpassing all expectations, the Rivals community stepped up in a big way, funding every compendium goal, including our two world warriors. In the first of our Shine 2017 interview series, we talked to the Australian legend himself, Gabe. Coming from so far away, Gabe’s compendium goal was significantly higher than his fellow competitors. Being fully funded, it’s clear that the community has high expectations for Australia’s best player. Currently ranked #1 in AU, Gabe shares his competitive history, some insight on the Australian community, and why he’s excited to make his way to the United States. Trent: Tell us a little about your competitive history before Rivals. Gabe: Unsurprisingly, the first game I ever tried to get good at was Smash Bros (On the N64). I used to play the hell out of that game and I even thought I was pretty good, beating my older brother and his friends 3v1, winning all the little tournaments they hosted for their friends. “Thought” was the key word there, though. Sometime in high school (year 11) one of my mates mentioned he knew a dude named Yitzi who lives nearby that’s pretty good, and in my hubris I went to Yitzi’s house to trash him in some smash. Needless to say I got consistently 5-stocked and figured out just how bad I was. A little later I moved on to melee and then found out there was a competitive scene [from the documentary] where I started to go to tournaments and get better (I even invited Yitzi to a tournament just so I could knock him out). Eventually I became one of the better players in my region playing [Game and Watch] in melee and made it to the national PR for Project: M and started running/helping run tournaments for my local scene. This is pretty much where RoA came in. Trent: What made you want to be a serious competitor in Rivals? Gabe: When I first saw alpha footage of RoA I got pretty hyped, since I’ve always liked pixel art stuff and SNES games. My excitement was justified once I finally got my hands on the game in early access and I immediately started to foster a local scene for it. My goal was never really (and still isn’t) to be a serious competitor in RoA, I was more interested in having an outlet to play via growing a scene for the game. I just played a lot, since the game is fun. And since I played so much I eventually got good. Since I’m also the main TO for my state, I also attended every tournament, so I got more tournament experience than most other players. Me also being a beta tester got me to analyse frame data and how different characters interact a lot deeper than most players. So while I never really had a drive to be the best in Aus it just sorta happened with how involved I was with the competitive scene and the making of the game. But hey, I guess making some bus money from winning tournaments is nice as well. Trent: What other hobbies do you have outside the game? Gabe: Most of my time nowadays is taken up by doing my PhD (In population genetics). Sitting in my office at uni writing (As I’m doing right now) is my main activity outside of video games. Apart from Uni and RoA/Smash I also enjoy ceramic art, messing around with electronics, going to independent art galleries, heading to the pub with some mates or just watching some dank movies. Trent: Tell us a little bit about your local scene. Are there any other players that you think would compete with the top of the U.S. if they got to travel? Gabe: The Australian scene is pretty special compared to the rest of the world. I think we’re the only big scene that mainly focuses on offline play, as opposed to the U.S. and E.U. which are all online. We have consistent offline events, which is pretty great. The game is just so different offline and once you try it you never want to touch netplay again. As a consequence of an offline scene, we’re all pretty close and friendly. It’s not rare for the best players in the country to invite newer and intermediate players over for some games which has led to even our newest players having a pretty solid understanding of the game, which is great. As for players that would compete with the best over in the states, I’d say Dave and SNC would probably do better than I if they went over. For one, both of those guys would take it a lot more seriously than I am but they’re also extremely good players. From what I can tell, SNC is the best Kragg player in the world and he’s been on a big grind recently. Dave also played the game like nobody I’ve seen in the states (thankfully), he’s more than happy to just sit there doing nothing while you screw up an input, with [really passive play].I’d also love to see Jet play over there, because he’s my boy. Trent: Is there anything aside from the tournament you’re excited about during your visit to the US? Gabe: While I’m excited to get to compete in these tournaments, I’m even more excited to meet the community. My main goal in heading to the US is to finally meet all the people I’ve interacted with online via RoA. I’m most keen to meet MSB, Handbutt, Etalus, Youngblood, Kaos, the food server guys, Dan the man himself and Etalus again. One place I’ve always wanted to visit in the USA is New York City (which has been described to me as The Sydney expansion pack) and thankfully my man Toko (an EC RoA player and certified top bloke) offered to house me in Queens for the entire month, so that worked out perfectly. I think MSB is going to stay with us for a while so we should be able to get in some good practice in between tournaments. Since I’ve got housing, I’ll also be able to go to Super Smash Con, and hopefully meet even more cool people there. The other thing I plan to do is a little networking at a New Jersey university, attempt to find some not-trash coffee in New York, and meet Qerb (The best melee GnW player in the world). So I’ve got plenty to keep me busy. Trent: Which players are you most excited to face in bracket? Gabe: It’d be nice to play Fullstream, just because he’s considered the best at the moment. Being able to knock him out would lend some pretty solid legitimacy to the AU RoA scene and I just love the Wrastor vs Zetterburn match up. if I manage to knock [him] out, I’d just laugh. It would be the greatest kek the RoA community has ever seen. Trent: Which players are you hoping to avoid in bracket? Gabe: The only players I don’t want to play in bracket are MSB and Toko. Not because I think they’ll be able to beat me, but because I’m going to be spending so much time with them over my stay that I’d prefer to play some other people once I’m at the events. Apart from that, I’m fine with whoever I get to play. I’ve never been to a US RoA tournament, so everyone is a new and fun match up. Trent: What does it mean to you that your compendium goal got funded? Gabe: It’s nice to know that people care about the Australian scene enough to fly me out, so it does lend a lot of legitimacy to our scene. More than that though, I see this as some sort of affirmation that I’ve made a significant and positive impact on the global RoA scene and it’s really encouraged me to keep on doing whatever I can to help the scene grow (both in Australia and internationally). Trent: What are your expectations for your performance at the tournament at Shine 2017? Gabe: I honestly have no idea. I’ve heard predictions from top players saying I’ll place anywhere from 15th to 2nd, so it’s a pretty wide range to go off. Since I’ll be in the states for the whole month I’ll have time to learn some new stuff, practise with MSB and figure out a realistic goal for Shine. No matter how I do though, I’ll be pretty happy, since I’m there for the people not the prize money. Trent: Is there anything else you’d like to say to the community? Gabe: I’m sure I’ll get the chance to say plenty to them all IRL , so for now I’d just like to say: Thanks for flying me out and I’ll see you soon. Thanks again to Gabe for his time and wonderful insight! Follow him at @GubbaFlubba and watch him compete at Super Smash Con next weekend, as well as at Shine 2017 on August 25th-27th. Be sure to keep your eyes right here on rivalsofaether.com for more interviews leading up to Shine 2017. Editor’s note: Shine registration closes on 8/6 so there’s still time to sign up! If you want to come play Rivals with Gabe, the devs, and everyone else coming out for this gaming experience make sure you sign up on smash.gg. |
Addicted to pain pills and pregnant, Jen McCormack landed in jail. 21 days later, she was dead. by Jordan Green High spirited, loud and full of caustic wit, Jen McCormack commanded the room at a party. She was the person most likely to be dancing or singing along with Of Montreal at one of LaToya Winslow’s frequent gatherings on South Mendenhall Street near the campus of UNCG in Greensboro. Jen was the ringleader, the one who made introductions in a circle of open-minded, artistically inclined friends that remains intact to this day, even as its members have graduated and spread afield to Raleigh, Fayetteville and San Francisco. An agnostic who majored in religious and classical studies at UNCG, she was considered among her friends to be the smartest, and the most likely to live an illustrious life. But at some point, Jen began to go off track. There was an unsuccessful marriage that contrasted painfully with the contented pairings of some of her friends. Jen kept her ex-husband’s last name because she couldn’t afford the legal costs of changing it back. And while she found a new circle of loyal friends among coworkers at the Apple Store in Charlotte, Jen was plagued with health problems, including knees that required surgery. She started abusing prescription pain pills, a habit that began with a legitimate effort at pain management. Through all her ordeals, she still managed to earn a master’s degree in digital libraries from the University of South Carolina. Jen had found a boyfriend, a guy her friends considered to be kind and supportive, but he left her after he discovered that she lied to him about her opiate habit. In early 2014, she became pregnant through a liaison with different man. Unable to continue at the Apple Store because of her health problems, she moved back to Winston-Salem to live with her mother in the summer of 2014. With her mother’s support, Jen made the decision to keep her baby. By then, Jen had largely cut off her friends in the old Mendenhall crew. Over the course of several weeks in the late summer Jen resorted calling in fraudulent prescriptions for hydrocodone by impersonating nurses and physician assistants in Winston-Salem and High Point. She was arrested by a Winston-Salem police officer at the Walgreens across from Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem on Aug. 20. The police report indicates that Jen attempted to hang herself in the bathroom at the pharmacy. As a result, she was taken to Forsyth Medical Center for a mental health evaluation. She also received treatment for her addiction — Suboxone, a relatively new opiate-substitute drug on the US market — during her eight-day stay. Medication-assisted treatment, whether with Suboxone or Methadone, is considering the standard of care for pregnant women struggling with opiate dependence. The day she was released from Forsyth Medical Center, a Winston-Salem police detective charged Jen with 10 counts of drug fraud and a magistrate signed off on a $25,000 bond — an amount far beyond her family’s means that ensured she wouldn’t make bail. In 21 days Jen would be dead. ΦΦΦ Here’s where I make a personal admission. I knew Jen well enough to call her a friend. But looking back, I didn’t come through as a friend when she most needed one. And to be honest, we were never especially close. I came into the Mendenhall circle in early 2008, shortly after meeting my future wife, which was also around the same time Jen was moving to Charlotte. We saw each other at parties and weddings, but I don’t particularly remember any personal conversations that would have allowed us to really get to know one another. Over the past seven years, my wife and I have grown increasingly close with LaToya, and Sarah, along with her husband Adam. We named LaToya the godmother of our daughter, who was born in 2013. All that is to say that, not knowing Jen very well, her death registered with me primarily as sadness for LaToya and Sarah, along with my wife. Jen’s arrest “made the news,” to use an unsentimental phrase common among those who don’t necessarily appreciate media attention. The hideous booking photograph and story ripped straight from the police press release in the Winston-Salem Journal rattled me, although I too have recycled plenty of press releases about low-level offenders, often adding a dose of mockery and belittlement. Now I know how it feels to be on the other side. When my wife told me that Jen had died, I felt shock and sadness, but I was preoccupied with family and professional matters. And if I thought Jen’s death was newsworthy at all, I’m sure I concluded that my personal connection to her ruled me out as the reporter for the assignment. I wanted to move on as quickly as possible. It took writing about addiction four months later for me to realize that I had a personal connection to a story as harrowing, sad and unjust as any I had covered as a reporter. After all, here was a woman with an unborn child who had suffered an apparent heart attack in jail, and later died as a result of it. Considering my personal entanglements, I felt that I needed permission from Jen’s closest friends to write the story. They agreed that it was important to hold the jail accountable, but wanted to make sure it was alright with Janis McCormack, Jen’s mother. Janis eventually gave her blessing. Was Jen’s death avoidable? What might have been done to protect her? Where exactly did the system fail her? Have we as a society abandoned the most vulnerable of our citizens and failed to allocate adequate resources to ensure their protection? These are questions that need to be asked on behalf of any friend — or, for that matter, any stranger. If we don’t care what happened to Jen, maybe that means we don’t care that much about our own health and safety. Do we want a healthcare system in our jail that truly protects people, or should we just hope for the best and accept that the worst is in the realm of possibility if we or someone we love ends up there? ΦΦΦ Like this: Like Loading... Comments comments |
In what has become a sad annual feature, the Yamuna is once again in a terrible state as a result of the immersion after the Durga puja festivities. There more than 200 puja pandals in Delhi and in spite of the guidelines issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), most continue to flout them with impunity. It is the same case with other festivals and immersions such as Ganesh pujas as well. The NGT guidelines for idol immersion state that only clay should be used for idol making, and not baked clay or plaster of paris, etc. It also discourages the painting of idols, and goes on to say that the “use of toxic and nonbiodegradable chemical dyes for painting idols should b e strictly prohibited.” All cloth, flowers, decorations made of paper, plastic and other non biodegradable materials should be removed before immersion. The 22-page document lists in detail the rules to be followed, the responsibilities of the state pollution control boards (SPCBs) and the pollution control committees (PCCs). Since there is no testing of materials that are used in the manufacture of idols and puja committees are not under pressure to conform to the guidelines, every year the problem recurs, causing even more damage to a river that is already in its death throes. There are easily implementable solutions to the problem of festival debris in the river. Since it is impossible to police every last inch of the river to ensure that immersion of idols is taking place with adequate ecological sensitivity, it would be prudent for implementation agencies to take with them as partners the Durga puja committees and the idol manufacturers. Ensuring that harmful chemical dyes and non-biodegradable materials are not used in the manufacture of idols will be an excellent step in ensuring that they don’t end up in the river. It is also important for citizens to remember that they have a stake in ensuring that these guidelines are followed. The river is a lifeline of the city, and their contribution to preserving it will only help them in the long run. It is the responsibility of the citizens and committees to ensure that the pandals they visit and endorse take into account these vital considerations before they fulfil their religious obligations. It appears as though law enforcement officials may be somewhat reluctant to stop or punish those performing religious rites. It is our duty to ensure that our religious rites do not end up clashing with our ecological responsibilities. If our religious rites are to be sustainable, they must be ecologically responsible. First Published: Oct 03, 2017 15:24 IST |
Illustration from the Montgomery County website. Silver Spring and Takoma Park residents now can get discounts on a variety of dental and health services through the county’s participation in the National Association of Counties’ Live Healthy program. The program expands on a free prescription discount program the county has offered in conjunction with NACo since 2004. Live Healthy is open to anyone regardless of whether they have insurance for a monthly fee of $6.95 a month for either the dental or the health program, or $13.90 per month to enroll in both programs. Live Healthy can supplement an insurance policy that might not cover certain services, said Mary Anderson, public information officer for the county’s Health and Human Services Department. “Most health insurance plans don’t cover hearing aids,” she said, offering an example. “You join this health discount program for that $6.95 a month and with that discount program, you can go to one of the participating [hearing] specialists . . . and they in turn give members a discount off services.” Typical savings in the health discount program range from 15-35 percent, she said, while the dental program offers 15-50 percent discounts off most procedures. The health discount program also provides 35 percent off the retail price of eyeglass frames with the purchase of a complete pair of glasses, as well as discounts on other products and services, including exams, lenses, accessories, contact lenses and more. Participating providers include LensCrafters®, Pearle Vision®, Target Optical®, and independent optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians. “It’s not the same as insurance because you’re not putting in claims and that sort of thing,” Anderson said. “You’re going to pay that discount rate at the time that you get the service. “If there’s something that your health insurance covers, this program is not likely to give you a better deal than your insurance coverage,” she added. “But there are a variety of plans where you might have good coverage for some things and other things not covered.” “When NACo started this program, it was something the county wanted to look into,” Anderson continued. “The county has a reputation and a history of making sure that residents have access to needed health care services. While it may not solve everyone’s problems, [this program] can be a help. For us, it was a fairly easy decision once we found out the details of the program.” There are no annual cost limits on the program, no forms to fill out, no waiting periods, no age or income requirements and no medical condition restrictions. Participants must enroll through NACo by calling toll-free 877-321-2651 for the free prescription discounts, and 877-573-2395 for the health program. NACo also maintains a list of participating providers for reference. Follow Source of the Spring on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sign up for our free Weekly Newsletter here. Submit events to our Community Events Calendar here. Please send tips and questions through our News Tips form, or email [email protected] Learn how to support Source of the Spring here. See something around town? Tag your photos on Twitter & Instagram with #SourceShots. |
Umm, this might be hard to take for a certain strain of Toronto Raptors fans, so grab a seat if you need to, or at least hold on to something steady. Here it goes: Your new-look Toronto Raptors are shaping up to look a lot like your old Toronto Raptors. Yup, the crummy ones. Yes, you heard that right. Change is not coming, at least for now. Masai Ujiri is over a month into his new job running the woebegone Raptors and his solution to fixing a team that has missed the playoffs for five straight seasons is to do not much. So far his biggest move has been to trade away the franchise’s symbolic stain, Andrea Bargnani. In return Toronto got Steve Novak — a one-dimensional shooter and helluva nice guy introduced Wednesday afternoon; some distant draft picks and two veterans — Marcus Camby and Quentin Richardson — who don’t want to play here and probably wouldn’t help all that much if they did. Expect Richardson to be bought out and Camby to be shopped for a second-round pick and an expiring contract. Oh, and Ujiri is in the final stages of signing free agent Tyler Hansbrough, an undersized power forward last with the Indiana Pacers who comes heavy on sandpaper and light on talent who will likely come off the bench. He averaged 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds a game in just 16.7 minutes for the Pacers, but saw his minutes drop in the playoffs this past spring. Hansbrough has been known to take a hard foul and plays hard enough to irritate his more talented peers and this is at least part of his appeal — that plus he works cheap, his deal worth $3 million this season with a team option for 2014-15. Ujiri has been a bit vague about how he’s going to reconstruct the roster he inherited, but he was clear about the Raptors being a harder team to play against in the short-term. “I’m tired all the people coming here and calling the team soft or pushovers or all the stupid names they have mentioned,” said Ujiri. “You come to Canada and you come to play. That’s the identity we’re trying to build here. This is our team, this is Canada and we’re going to be tough out there.” But as for changes, that’s pretty much it. Ujiri may eventually prove to be a fantastic general manager, but he’s not exactly the type to oversell when it comes to hype. “If something reasonable comes our way, we’ll do it,” he said with regard to his plans for the rest of the off-season. “But other than this we’ll keep plugging away.” Soooo this is the club he’s ready to go to training camp with? “That would be fine; that would be completely fine,” he said Wednesday before heading to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League that begins next week. Can you really build a season ticket campaign around not having Andrea Bargnani? We’re about to find out apparently. Staying the course may not be sexy and it may not be what fans enthusiastic about trolling the dregs of the league this season in hopes for salvation in the form of Andrew Wiggins, or another franchise-altering talent in what is viewed as a very deep 2014 draft class. In fact staying the course sounds an awful lot like the route Bryan Colangelo was advocating before the Raptors previous architect was pushed aside to make way for Ujiri, his former protégé. But upon further study it’s the sensible path for the moment and one that Ujiri is probably wise to head along, even though he has the license to turn the team upside down. Just because he can doesn’t mean he should. Having had time to survey the market he’s probably come to realize that there’s no point conducting a fire sale in the name of a hurried tank and rebuild if there is no one who wants what you’re selling, other than at rock-bottom prices. When the best offer for Rudy Gay is a pair of expiring contracts in Charlie Villanueva and Rodney Stuckey from the Detroit Pistons, what’s the point? The Raptors don’t need cap space; they need assets in the form of draft picks or good young players. For now Ujiri is dealing from a weak hand. There may be interest in DeMar DeRozan, but the young swingman is entering the first-year of a four-year contract extension that pays him $9.5 million a year. He may grow into the deal, but why take back a contract or a player that’s not to Ujiri’s liking? Why try to solve a perceived problem simply by creating another one? “I’m looking at this situation and we’re going to take it as it comes,” said Ujiri. “We’re going to be aggressive out there but we’re also going to wait and see what we have on our team instead of doing something stupid and quickly … what are we going to do? Throw players away? We’re not going to do that.” It’s a no lose situation, really. The simplest path to middling success in the NBA is continuity and chemistry. If a good coach can get a consistent group of players to play harder and smarter than other teams it’s not that difficult to go .500 in a league where the schedule will always hand you a chunk of wins and high effort, error-free basketball will earn you a good chunk more. Bringing back Dwane Casey as head coach and most of the same roster, minus Bargnani, will give the Raptors a chance at that. If that comes to pass, the value of the Raptors’ assets should increase, giving Ujiri more cards to play as he goes along. And if it doesn’t the Raptors are no worse off than they are now. They can sink into the lottery by way of natural causes. Staying the course will be win-win. Or lose-win. In either scenario there will be plenty of time for a fire sale then. |
Fran Escriba: Elche have replaced Escriba with Ruben Baraja Spanish club Elche have lost their appeal against the decision to relegate them from La Liga to the second division over their failure to pay taxes and wages to players. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the club's appeal, which means they will be replaced in the top flight with Eibar. It upheld the previous decision by the league to relegate Elche due to its debts with Spain's tax office and its own staff. The Spanish league had in June ruled that Elche should be demoted because it was the second consecutive year that the club had failed to pay its taxes. The club, based near Alicante, can still take its case through the Spanish courts. It comes as the team appointed former Valencia and Spain midfielder Ruben Baraja as its new coach. Elche finished in 13th place in the Primera Division last season, six points off the drop zone, while Eibar had been relegated after finishing in 18th. |
Mr. Daulerio, who was named in the suit along with Mr. Denton, decided to joke about child pornography in his deposition, which shocked the court. And the jurors had to try and make sense of it all. Mr. Bollea’s lawyers said that the publication of the video was a gratuitous invasion of privacy, and had no news value. One of them, Kenneth G. Turkel, took particular aim at the contention that Gawker’s posting of the video was an act of journalism and was therefore protected under the First Amendment. He described the publication as “morbid and sensational prying.” He maintained that had the site’s editors been operating under the rules of professional journalism, they would have contacted Mr. Bollea to ask his permission to publish the video, or at least to warn him that they were going to do so. In any case, Mr. Turkel said, it served only as fodder for readers’ clicks and a source for advertising revenue, Mr. Turkel said. Gawker had argued that its posting of a brief excerpt of the tape was protected by the Constitution, and that Mr. Bollea had given up his right to privacy by talking often in public about his sex life. “He has chosen to seek the spotlight,” a lawyer for Gawker, Michael Sullivan, said. “He has consistently chosen to put his private life out there.” In his closing statement for the defense, Mr. Sullivan insisted that uncovering the sometimes less-than-laudatory activities of public figures “is what journalists do, and at the end of the day it’s what we want journalists to do.” After accounts of the video and images from it surfaced online — but several months before Mr. Daulerio’s 2012 post — Mr. Bollea addressed it in an appearance on a television show run by the website TMZ and in other interviews. “The public discussion was already going on,” Mr. Sullivan said. |
At least 13 civilians and likely dozens more have been killed by continuing artillery barrages, as government troops close in on militia positions around the city of Gorlovka in eastern Ukraine. A 1-year old - killed next to her parents - and a 5-year old are among the dead, according to information published by the Donetsk regional administration. Several local journalists on the ground have reported that as many as 30 have been killed, as fighting continues. Government troops reached the outskirts of the city of 250,000 people late on Thursday, and have pushed militia back into positions inside residential areas. From about 5am Sunday morning, heavy artillery shells began to explode alongside several of the main highways. "They were aiming for our headquarters, but missed and hit residential areas instead," a local militia source told RIA Novosti news agency. “One of the mortars hit the top floor of a popular supermarket that had customers inside. Another hit exploded in a courtyard outside an apartment block, and another next to a maternity hospital. We still don’t know how many are dead – there are ambulances everywhere,” local resident Sergey, who did not want to give his surname for fear of reprisals, told RT. 18+ Горловка. Центр. Результат хаотичного обстрела терроров. pic.twitter.com/ai9Y4vhYAV — Хуёвый Київ (@tombreadley) July 27, 2014 “My house has been reduced to rubble, and one of my in-laws has a piece of shrapnel lodged in his leg, while another has eye damage,” said Vera, another local resident, by phone. Hundreds of houses have been left without electricity and water, after infrastructure lines were hit, but the streets of the city have become deserted as civilians cower in their flats. “Food supplies are increasingly scarce in the city. In the past few days, black market traders seem to have appeared out of nowhere,” wrote local blogger Egor Voronov. A church located near a hospital in Gorlovka was damaged during the shelling, Gorlovka and Slavyansk’s Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine reported. The explosions damaged windows, doors, and bell towers. Officials from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic say the government is using powerful but imprecise BM-21 Grad (Hail) missiles in densely populated areas. The Ukrainian army is also using even more powerful MRLS - BM-27 Uragan (Hurricane) against the cities under control of self-defense forces. The major difference between Grad and Uragan complexes is their caliber - 122 mm for Grad and 220 mm for Uragan - which has a truly devastating effect of the affected target area. Kiev’s Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters have made a counter-accusation, claiming anti-government forces are responsible for the “bloody acts of terrorism.” “The criminals are firing indiscriminately upon civilians to recruit more fighters to their cause, and to discredit the Ukrainian government,” officials said on the ATO Facebook page. ATO officials continued the message by saying that clashes are ongoing in the rural areas around Gorlovka, and claimed that all escape routes from the city have now been cut off. Nonetheless, DPR field commanders Igor Girkin and Igor Bezler appear to have slipped out of the city, according to sources in the Ukrainian army. The report comes despite an earlier claim by the government that a targeted airstrike succeeded in destroying their temporary headquarters in a government building. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko promised that the Ukrainian army – which had been under-equipped and under-trained at the start of the conflict – has now reached battle capacity, and promised that “new tactics” have been adopted that will allow “large-scale civilian losses” to be avoided. While comprehensive data on casualties during the conflict has been hard to obtain, the Russia-based IGCP monitoring group has concluded on the basis of collated OSCE and ATO data that over 1,100 Ukrainians have died in the conflict since the toppling of Viktor Yanukovich in February. |
“If You go With 4GB of GDDR5” RAM on PS4, “You Are Done,” Randy Pitchford Told Sony Our very own Anthony Severino was able to be a part of a roundtable with Adam Boyes, VP of Publisher Relations at SCEA today, with a whole bunch of different topics being discussed, and one of them was all about the PS4 and its RAM. For Adam personally, his “favorite moment was getting to announce to the whole developer community that we had double the RAM to 8GB of GDDR5,” because they did originally have 4GB of GDDR5 on the system. Recounting the story of how they went from 4GB to 8GB, Adam was actually at Gearbox (Borderlands), with Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox, telling him, “If you go with 4GB of GDDR5, you are done.” Following that statement, Boyes says that the entire room of about 30 people added in that “you guys, you never listen, you’ve never been good at this stuff.” After hearing this, Adam says he had a mini-breakdown, and it wasn’t until he reflected on this and asked himself the question, “Are we going to be the best console in every single category?” before things started moving, because “the answer used to be no.” So, Adam went back to the developers about the possibility of doing 8GB of RAM, getting responses like “that would be incredible.” He then took all the feedback to Tokyo, got the thumbs up, and the rest is history. Stay tuned to PSLS for more from Adam Boyes and all things E3 2013. Update: Randy Pitchford has confirmed the story, tweeting the PSLS link and saying “You know it was only because I love you guys @amboyes. Can we call them “Gearbytes”?” Essential Reading: |
The NYT has an editorial rightly condemning ascending Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee Peter King’s upcoming hearing to attack Muslims. It is disturbing to listen to Representative Peter King, the incoming chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. He has announced plans to hold a hearing next month into what he calls the “radicalization of the American Muslim community.” Mr. King, a New York Republican, is no stranger to bluster, but his sweeping slur on Muslim citizens is unacceptable. But the interesting bit of the editorial is the last paragraph. He had better recall his role as a gifted intermediary in helping to settle Ireland’s sectarian troubles. He would have bristled at any simplistic talk about the “radicalization” of the Irish Catholic or Protestant communities. Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security is a very serious job. Mr. King needs to get serious. While the NYT points to what I believe to be the appropriate response to King’s fear-mongering, it misses the mark by about a decade or so. They point to King’s involvement in brokering peace in Northern Ireland. But of course the relevant bit is how King, for years, openly supported Irish terrorists. He forged links with leaders of the IRA and Sinn Fein in Ireland, and in America he hooked up with Irish Northern Aid, known as Noraid, a New York based group that the American, British, and Irish governments often accused of funneling guns and money to the IRA. At a time when the IRA’s murder of Lord Mountbatten and its fierce bombing campaign in Britain and Ireland persuaded most American politicians to shun IRA-support groups, Mr. King displayed no such inhibitions. He spoke regularly at Noraid protests and became close to the group’s publicity director, the Bronx lawyer Martin Galvin, a figure reviled by the British. Mr. King’s support for the IRA was unequivocal. In 1982, for instance, he told a pro-IRA rally in Nassau County: “We must pledge ourselves to support those brave men and women who this very moment are carrying forth the struggle against British imperialism in the streets of Belfast and Derry.” By the mid-1980s, the authorities on both sides of the Atlantic were openly hostile to Mr. King. On one occasion, a judge threw him out of a Belfast courtroom during the murder trial of IRA men because, in the judge’s view, “he was an obvious collaborator with the IRA.” When he attended other trials, the police singled him out for thorough body searches. Even the CIA acknowledges (though it bizarrely considers this secret) that NORAID existed to channel material support to terrorists. In the twentieth century, Irish-Americans provided most of the financial support sent to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The US-based Irish Northern Aid Committee (NORAID), founded in the late 1960s, provided the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) with money that was frequently used for arms purchases. Only after repeated high-level British requests and then London’s support for our bombing of Libya in the 1980s did the US Government crack down on Irish-American support for the IRA. (S//NF) Peter King would still be in prison if the US had treated his material support for terrorism as it now does, with sentences that can amount to a life sentence. Instead, the raging hypocrite is using the Congressional seat he owes, in part, to his earlier embrace of terrorism to sow bigotry and hatred–and to make the cooperation of the Islamic community, which plays a key role in identifying real extremists, more difficult. The correct response to King’s actions is undoubtedly to point to this rank hypocrisy. Perhaps the NYT is suggesting it will do just that if King doesn’t back off his fear-mongering. But I believe it is already far too late for polite society to continue to soft-pedal this issue. It is inappropriate for a former terrorist sympathizer to head the Homeland Security Committee. And particularly when King uses that position to pull stunts like this, polite society needs to call out his hypocrisy in clear terms. |
Arizona's Sen. Jeff Flake announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election for 2018 after reports broke regarding his decision. “I’m announcing today that my service in the Senate will conclude at the end of my term, in early January 2019,” Flake said. Arizona's junior senator made the announcement during a speech on the floor of the Senate Tuesday afternoon. READ: Jeff Flake's full remarks from the floor of the Senate "I decided I would be better able to represent the people of Arizona and to better serve my country and my conscience by freeing myself from the political consideration that consumed far too much bandwidth and would cause me to compromise far too many principles," Flake said. In his nearly 20-minute speech Flake addressed issues, others, including Sen. John McCain have mentioned, in Congress and American politics saying we must not stray from our founding values. “The anger and resentment people feel…is justified," Flake said. "But anger and resentment is not a governing philosophy.” Sign up for the daily Snapshot newsletter Sign up for the daily Snapshot Newsletter Something went wrong. The most interesting and talked-about stories from Arizona and beyond delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons! Thank you for signing up for the Snapshot Newsletter. Please try again later. Submit Flake continued saying Congress "must have healthy and functioning parties." "We must respect each other again in an atmosphere of shared facts and shared value," he said. "We must argue our positions fervidly and never be afraid to compromise. We must assume the best of our fellow man. And always look for the good." 12 News talked to candidate Kelli Ward about the announcement: In a tweet McCain thanked his "dear friend" for his service. Thank you to my dear friend @JeffFlake for your honorable service to the state of #Arizona & the nation. — John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) October 24, 2017 Democratic Congresswoman Krysten Sinema, who announced a run for Flake's seat, released a statement: It’s been an honor to know and serve with Jeff. He is a man of integrity and a statesman who is true to his convictions – an Arizonan through and through. I wish he and Cheryl and their family the very best. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey also released a statement: I want to thank Jeff Flake for representing Arizona in the House and Senate for nearly two decades. Jeff was a voice for fiscal responsibility at the federal level before it was popular, and effectively ended the practice of earmarks. I’ve appreciated his friendship, professionalism and intellect on policy issues impacting Arizona. I wish all the best for Jeff, Cheryl and their whole family. As did the Arizona GOP: Sen. Jeff Flake’s love of Arizona is obvious whether you’ve known him for decades or for five minutes," AZGOP Chairman Jonathan Lines said. "He is a tried and true Arizonan who has served our state honorably for more than 18 years. He has worked his hardest to make this state a better place for all Arizonans. The Arizona Republican Party thanks him for his service and looks forward to working with him through the end of his term. While Kelli Ward, who previously announced she was running for Flake's Senate seat, released a statement saying Arizona voters are "big winners." Arizona voters are the big winner in Jeff Flake's decision to not seek re-election. They deserve a strong conservative in the U.S. Senate who supports President Trump and the 'America First' agenda. Our campaign proudly offers an optimistic path forward for Arizona and America." Flake concluded his speech by thanking his colleagues and borrowing the words of President Abraham Lincoln. "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies." Following his remarks, Flake released the following statement on his decision: "I have decided that I will be better able to represent the people of Arizona and to better serve my country and my conscience by freeing myself from the political considerations that consume far too much bandwidth and would cause me to compromise far too many principles. To that end, I am announcing today that my service in the Senate will conclude at the end of my term in early January 2019." Copyright 2017 KPNX |
Royal Bank of Canada will pay clients more than $21 million in compensation after reaching a no-contest settlement with the Ontario Securities Commission over allegations “excess” investment fees were charged due to insufficient controls or supervision. RBC is the latest in a string of large financial institutions to enter a no-contest settlement with regulators after self-reporting the issue of excess fees on funds, along with a plan to reimburse clients. In a no-contest settlement, which in RBC’s case will include a further $925,000 “voluntary payment” to the OSC, a company does not admit or deny any of the regulator’s allegations. “It is difficult to secure the Commission’s approval of a settlement in which the respondents do not admit the truth of Staff’s allegations,” a three-member panel of OSC commissioners said in their ruling on RBC. “However, taking into account the RBC Registrants’ self-identification, prompt self-reporting, measures to adopt new policies and controls, payment of compensation to affected clients, significant additional payments, and prompt, detailed and candid co-operation with Staff … in our view it is appropriate to approve a no-contest settlement in this case.” The regulator’s allegations involved RBC’s wholly-owned indirect subsidiaries RBC Dominion Securities Inc., Royal Mutual Funds Inc., and RBC Phillips, Hager & North Investment Counsel Inc. The OSC panel noted that there was no allegation or evidence of dishonest conduct on the part of RBC. The bank, which reported the issue at its fund-dealing subsidiaries to regulators in 2015, will pay $50,000 in costs as part of Tuesday’s settlement. “Based on the facts alleged and on the parties’ submissions, in our view the compensation called for in the settlement agreement is appropriate,” the panel said in Tuesdays’ ruling, adding that the settlement saves the “substantial costs and delay” of mounting a full, contested hearing. “The affected clients and others benefit by a resolution of this nature at this stage,” the ruling said. Since adopting the U.S.-style no-contest settlement a few years ago, the OSC has approved eight such settlements with companies, resulting in approximately $342 million in compensation to investors. “Our no-contest settlement program continues to deliver results,” said Jeff Kehoe, director of enforcement at the OSC. “We will continue to use this strong enforcement tool in appropriate cases that meet our strict criteria.” Among the no-contest settlements to date are agreements with Canada’s major banks, some of which had been charging excess fees for years. Late last year, Bank of Montreal agreed to pay nearly $50 million in compensation to clients. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce agreed to pay clients of its dealers more than $73 million as reimbursement for charging them excess fees, in some cases for more than a decade. Bank of Nova Scotia agreed to pay $20 million to clients of three wealth management companies it owns, while Toronto-Dominion Bank settled similar issues in 2014, agreeing to pay $13.5 million in compensation to clients. |
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Bernard Gersten, the executive producer of Lincoln Center Theater, announced on Monday that he would step down next June after 28 years in the position. According to a news release the theater will continue to operate under the leadership of its artistic director, André Bishop, and Mr. Gersten, 89, will not be replaced. “We’ve had a terrific run for 27 years at Lincoln Center Theater,” Mr. Gersten said in the release, “and with a devoted Board and a crackerjack staff, the theater can look forward to the next 27.” Since Lincoln Center Theater was established in 1985, Mr. Gersten has overseen more than 147 productions in its houses, which include the Vivian Beaumont, a Broadway theater, the Off Broadway Mitzi E. Newhouse and the newly-opened Claire Tow Theater, also an Off Broadway venue. Before his tenure at Lincoln Center, Mr. Gersten helped to run the Public Theater from 1954 until 1978, when he had a falling out with Joseph Papp. |
LOS ANGELES — A recent federal court ruling ordering the release of personal data on more than 10 million California students highlights the growing amount of information schools now collect — and the loopholes that allow it to be released. The order involves a lawsuit filed in 2011 in which plaintiffs are requesting data kept by the California Department of Education to determine whether the state is fulfilling its federal obligations for disabled students. The Los Angeles Unified School District has been using its “robo call” system to alert parents to the data release and tell them how to opt out via the California Department of Education web site. Judge Kimberly Mueller issued the order in late January directing state officials to release student information stored in Department of Education databases. The data includes everything from grades, test scores and specialized education plans for disabled students to more personal information such as names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and health records. The data can only be viewed by the plaintiffs and must be destroyed or returned at the end of the lawsuit. Nonetheless, parents across the state are expressing concern and filing objections to stop their child’s information from being released. “Some of the things they are asking for are very personal and can be very detrimental in the wrong hands,” said Justine Fischer, president of the California State Parent Teacher Association. The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act was created in 1974 to protect the privacy of student records, but it was written at a time when test scores and addresses were kept on paper and locked in a filing cabinet. The law also includes specific exemptions allowing student data to be released, including when mandated by court order. Schools now collect significantly more information on students — a result of recent pushes to track and improve individual student performance using data, new federal reporting requirements, and apps and devices in classrooms. More than 35 states have passed bills in the past three years to protect student privacy, but updates to federal law have lagged. “The ability to collect information and store information and analyze it has greatly improved,” said Matt Johnson, an associate with the Cooley firm in Washington, D.C. “There’s a lot of good that can be done with that. But it can get to a point where you get past that and people can get uncomfortable. “ As a result of the court order in California, three state Assembly members are drafting a bill that would prohibit school districts from gathering Social Security numbers and other sensitive information unless required by federal law. California already has one of the nation’s more conservative student data privacy laws, which prohibits online services and apps from selling student information. “As a mom, I’ve seen my kids’ schools over the years request Social Security numbers, medical information and other private information they don’t need or have a right to,” Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, said in a statement. Keric Ashley, a deputy superintendent with the California Department of Education, said 90 percent of the data the agency collects is to meet federal reporting requirements. Much of that data is required for statewide data systems created by the U.S. Department of Education a decade ago to capture student performance. Ashley said the number of people with access to student-level data is extremely limited. “I don’t have access to it,” he said. Parents who don’t want their children’s information shared as part of the court order can file an objection by April 1, though it remains unclear if that means their information will automatically be withheld. Both sides will appear before the judge again on Friday. Christine English, vice president of the California Concerned Parents Association, which is supporting the Morgan Hill parent group that filed the lawsuit, said plaintiffs have tried to get student data in an anonymous form but the state Department of Education has refused. She said the groups are not interested in personal information such as Social Security numbers. English said getting the datasets will help determine patterns such as whether African-American students are disproportionately placed in special education classes. The Department of Education denies systemic non-compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Jose Zambrano, 37, a father of two in Los Angeles, said he was surprised by the order and has filed an objection in hope of preventing the court from releasing information on his daughter and son, ages 10 and 6. “We have our rights,” he said. “And our kids have a right to their own privacy.” ___ Daily News staff writer Steven Rosenberg contributed to this report. |
Tennessee tips off their 2017-18 basketball season tonight at 7 PM Eastern when they host Presbyterian in Thompson Boling Arena. And hopes are high for this particular Vol squad. The Vols are looking to get back into the NCAA Tournament after missing out the last three seasons, and this is undoubtedly Rick Barnes’ best team since he took the head coach position at Tennessee prior to the 2015-16 season. Tennessee welcomes back a bevy of talented young players and several solid upperclassmen as well. Not only that, but the Vols have brought in several strong new additions to their roster, including grad transfer James Daniel III, transfer guard Chris Darrington, and star freshman forward Yves Pons. The SEC media doesn’t expect much from the Vols, picking them to finish 13th out of 14 SEC teams this year. But ESPN and Ken Pomeroy have higher hopes, ranking the Vols in the mid-40s in the country and picking them to finish in the top half of the SEC. Zone not found or deactivated.Zone id : 5 This Vols basketball team has a talented young roster with the potential to score a lot of points. The defense should be able to upgrade as well. And this Tennessee team could be in for a good season if injuries don’t hold them back. With all that in mind, here are three bold (yet realistic) predictions for the Vols’ upcoming 2017-18 season. |
Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace told Yahoo Sports he expects the NBA will validate his franchise's protested victory over the Sacramento Kings, "regardless of the media campaign being waged." In the aftermath of the Grizzlies' 111-110 victory on Thursday night, Sacramento filed a protest with the league office insisting Courtney Lee's buzzer-beating shot should've been disallowed. The Kings maintain an inbounds pass to Lee had been tipped and the game clock should've run out before Lee could've caught and scored the basket. Memphis officials have been bothered over what they believe has been an unsavory public and media campaign to pressure the commissioner's office into changing the call, league officials told Yahoo Sports. Scroll to continue with content Ad "The officials made the correct call on the play that ended the game on Thursday," Wallace told Yahoo Sports on Monday. "Then the officials followed league procedure and reviewed the conclusive footage provided by the state-of-the-art NBA replay center. "After a thorough review, the play was correctly upheld. The inbounds pass was not tipped and Courtney Lee did get his shot off in time. The league even posted conclusive video footage supporting the call on its replay website. "We are confident that the NBA will uphold the game result regardless of the media campaign being waged." The Kings had blown a 26-point lead in the loss. The Grizzlies entered Monday night tied with the Houston Rockets for the best record in the NBA at 9-1. More NBA coverage: |
Email Share +1 294 Shares Two out Missouri high school students say their school removed their senior yearbook quotes because they referenced being gay. Kearney High students Joey Slivinski and Thomas Swartz told KCTV5 when they checked to see their yearbook quotes under their senior portraits, they were nowhere to be found. “It was a blank picture under my name,” Swartz says. Slivinski’s submitted quote was, “Of course I dress well, I didn’t spend all that time in the closet for nothing.” While Swartz’ read, “If Harry Potter taught us anything, it’s that no one should have to live in the closet.” “I’m comfortable in my own skin and with who I am,” Slivinski says. “It felt like the district took that from me.” Slivinski and Swartz say they plan to make stickers with their quotes to put in their own yearbooks and in their friends’. In a Facebook post, Slivinski further expressed his disappointment with the Kearney School District. “Our schools are supposed to be a place that you can express being who you are. Today I realized Kearney isn’t ready for me being me,” Slivinski writes. “Thank you to the Kearney School District for making me feel like you’re ashamed of having a gay student.” In a statement, the Kearney School District says the quote removal was “to err on the side of caution” and apologized for offending the students. “In an effort to protect our students, quotes that could potentially offend another student or groups of students are not published. It is the school’s practice to err on the side of caution. Doing so, in this case, had the unintentional consequence of offending the very students the practice was designed to protect. We sincerely apologize to those students,” the statement reads. KCTV5 |
As if one head wasn't already enough. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Hermanus Backpackers Scientists have reported an unexplained rise in the number of sharks being found with two heads. The peculiar mutation, which has been occurring across a multitude of shark species, has been reported increasingly frequently lately and experts are struggling to explain exactly why this is.One recent example was discovered by Professor Valentin Sans Coma from the University of Malaga who had been studying catfish shark embryos when he found one with two heads.The specimen, which was one of 800 embryos grown in a lab for study, had never been exposed to any chemicals, radiation or other pollutants that could explain its perplexing mutation.Out at sea, marine scientist Nicolas Ehemann, who had studied a two headed smalleye smooth-hound shark and a two-headed blue shark, believes that the rise in mutant sharks is due to overfishing which has massively reduced the fish gene pool in recent years.Finding more of these abnormal specimens to study however is proving very difficult as they are challenging to locate and even when they are caught they don't tend to live very long."I would like to study these things, but it's not like you throw out a net and you catch two-headed sharks every so often," said Ehemann. "It's random." |
Mayor Coleman, local hipsters react to Lowertown’s new designation as top hipster zip code in United States SAINT PAUL – Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and local hipsters today reacted to Saint Paul’s Lowertown neighborhood’s new designation as America’s top hipster zip code. The designation was established by RealtyTrac , which analyzed hipster markets. “While the precise definition of hipsters is elusive —which is likely just how they want it — there’s no doubt the culture surrounding the hipster lifestyle has a major impact on local real estate markets, and mostly in a positive way,” the study said. “I couldn’t be more proud that our efforts to create a cool, but not too outwardly cool, vibrant but not too showy, and modern but also retro-feeling culture in our Lowertown area has really worked,” Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said. “I might even buy some oversized chunky eye glasses and a fixed-gear bike.” “That’s old news, my friends and I knew that way back in like 2011,” said Jamie Hipster while perusing a rack of sized 28 x 29 jeans at the Black/Blue shop in neighboring Cathedral Hill neighborhood. “I don’t think there’s anything I can really say,” said Saint Paul’s Director of Hipster Recruitment, Joe Spencer, who promptly cracked open a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon to celebrate the distinction. However, with light rail soon to open, the growing popularity of restaurants like the Bulldog, Barrio, and Buttered Tin, and the new Lowertown ballpark and refurbished Union Depot, Lowertown business owners and residents expect to attract normal, everyday people, too. |
Roger Ver, Charlie Lee Bet on Big Block Bitcoin ‘2X’ Value Two cryptocurrency heavyweights have wagered 250 BTC on the value of bitcoin versions — should another hard fork happen in November. Litecoin creator and “2x” opponent Charlie Lee offered the bet over Twitter, and “Bitcoin Jesus” Roger Ver accepted it. Also read: What’s Your Crypto Tropical Island Dream Destination? Join the Bitsonline Telegram channel to get the latest Bitcoin, cryptocurrency and tech news updates: https://t.me/bitsonline Would 2X SegWit Bitcoin Be Worth More Than SegWit-Only Bitcoin? At issue is (a) whether Bitcoin should hard-fork in November to double the block size, and (b) the outcome of such a fork. “2X” refers to the second half of the “SegWit2x” roadmap, planned under the “New York Agreement” (NYA) that led major bitcoin businesses to finally support SegWit. Since the 2X part of the agreement involves larger blocks and a hard fork, many oppose it. Opponents include Bitcoin Core developers, who were not part of the NYA. Lee first aimed his bet offer at Eric Voorhees, Jeff Garzik and Barry Silbert: Lets do a public 1:1 trade. My Segwit2x 250 BTC for your non-2x 250 BTC after Nov HF. No HF, no trade. @jgarzik @ErikVoorhees @barrysilbert — Charlie Lee [LTC] (@SatoshiLite) September 29, 2017 But a few hours later it was Roger Ver who took up the offer, with his trademark comment on Bitcoin economic theories: Why wasn't invited? I'll gladly accept! You are economically illiterate if you think restricting the supply of block space is a good thing. https://t.co/oEneGQeCql — Roger Ver (@rogerkver) September 29, 2017 Deal! — Charlie Lee [LTC] (@SatoshiLite) September 29, 2017 Bet About 2X Blocks, Not Bitcoin Cash Note this bet is not about Bitcoin Cash. There’s a chance there will be another “bigger block” version of Bitcoin later this year to challenge the “original” or “smaller block” version. There are still plenty of people who want an on-chain scaling solution but don’t necessarily want to support Bitcoin Cash if it only has minority miner support. They say keeping blocks smaller pushes users to second-layer services like lightning network, which are still untested on a mass scale and (for now) less-trusted. Therefore, the 1st August hard fork didn’t settle the issue. Roger, I didn't include you initially b/c I thought you were focused on Bitcoin Cash now. Speaking of which, no BCH blocks in 6 hours. ?♂️ — Charlie Lee [LTC] (@SatoshiLite) September 29, 2017 It should also be noted that Bitcoin blocks are calculated differently post-SegWit, and are not necessarily limited to 1MB. They are now determined by “block weight” which sometimes results in sizes slightly over 1MB. On the other hand, many Bitcoiners are growing weary of the debate in general — or at least, the way it’s being conducted: Wish there weren't so many personal attacks and team sports in this debate. Poisons the well and crowds out reasonable discussion. — Buck Perley (@BuckPerley) September 29, 2017 In the meantime, though, both “sides” accuse the other of hindering Bitcoin development, stunting its value and ceding market share to other cryptocurrencies. Who will win the bet? Would you put money on it? Let us know. Images via Pixabay, YouTube |
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in San Francisco (Photo: Jeff Chiu, AP) SAN FRANCISCO -- Jeb Bush said Friday that his visit to Salt Lake City to meet with Mitt Romney was a nice chance to talk a little about politics, a lot about foreign policy and even exchange a few words about the New England Patriots -- but both men ducked talking about facing off against each other for the Republican presidential nomination. "The awkward side...of running, we put aside," Bush told the National Automobile Dealers Association meeting here. Former Florida Gov. Bush said he had the conversation with Romney on Thursday, a meeting arranged three months ago before Romney started making moves that raise the possibility that he's going to try to repeat as the Republican nominee. "I had a nice conversation with him," Bush says. Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, has formed a political action committee and told about 4,000 car dealers, typically one of the nation's better sources of campaign donations, that "I'm seriously considering the possibility of running." Bush showed no hesitation to hold up a "Bush 2016" bumper sticker when it was handed to him by Forrest McConnell, the Montgomery, Ala., car dealer who is chairman of the association. Under questioning by McConnell, Bush says that next GOP nominee needs to run on a message of "hope," a theme familiar to Democrats from both the Barack Obama campaign of 2008 and Bill Clinton run from 1992. "The potential of the country to be great," Bush said. Hewing to the Republican center, Bush cautioned any nominee against being viewed as reactionary. He said "a positive agenda wins out over anger and reaction," even though dissatisfaction with current administration's policies makes for "a lot of reason to be angry or grumpy or negative." Asked what people might find surprising about him, Bush declared himself to be an introvert. "I'd rather read a book than go out and get in a conga line." Bush took only a few swipes at Obama. In one of the times that he did, he says the president doesn't see being a world power as a good thing. "He's wrong on that," Bush said. Bush declared Obamacare to be a "job killer," called for entitlement reform and endorsed a "stem to stern" reform of education. Allowing construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline is a "no brainer," he says, and he endorsed helping Mexico develop its oil industry to help strength North America's overall energy production. He also backed oil conservation measures, a point of controversy within the auto industry since tougher government gas-mileage regulations could lead to higher car prices. He backed requiring illegal immigrants to pay a fine, learn English and get "in the back of the line" to achieve legal status. Bush also told the auto dealers he just bought a new car, a Ford Fusion sedan. And while he's happy with it, he says he still has to go to the dealer for a two-hour lesson on how to work the technology. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1BTtPHh |
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