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Marquette University head men's basketball coach Steve Wojciechowski 's contract has been extended through the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign, Vice President & Director of Athletics Bill Scholl announced Tuesday afternoon. "We are thrilled with the direction the program is heading under Steve's leadership," Scholl said. "This extension not only illustrates our commitment to what Steve and his staff are building at Marquette, but also his commitment to the University." Wojciechowski was named the program's 17th head coach on April 1, 2014 and originally signed a six-year deal with the University. The Golden Eagles are currently in possession of a nine-game winning streak and an overall record of 10-2. The squad opens BIG EAST Conference play on Wednesday night against Seton Hall at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. "I am extremely grateful for the support the University provides our program on a daily basis," Wojciechowski said. "It's a team effort, on and off the court, and the belief in what we are building is tremendous and will play a key role in keeping Marquette among the elite programs in the country." The financial details of the contract extension won't be disclosed by the University. |
This post is an Opinion piece by @redwood, a long-time Snow Day player and doesn’t necessarily represent the views and opinions of Rocket Hockey League. Every so often, someone will publish a thread on the Rocket League subreddit asking Psyonix to fix an exploit in Snow Day that allows players to pinch the puck so it travels at fast speeds across the arena. Here’s a recent example. For those who don’t know what pinching means, here’s a visual example. Notice how @redwood front-flips into the puck creating a pinch hit that travels 203 KPH past three defenders for a goal. Because the puck has a flat surface, hitting the top of it can create a pinch it. This technique comes in handy for making quick passes on the wall or scoring from long distance. According to BeBenNova, who published the Reddit thread, too many people are learning how to pinch hit and are abusing the technique. “This is probably gonna be downvoted or flat out ignored because of the low player base of the mode and I don’t even know what can be done to fix it but I hope it will end up being fixed somehow, it really cheapens the mode,” BeBenNova said. First and foremost, pinch-hitting is not an exploit, it’s a skill. It’s one of the things that sets mediocre skilled players apart from the more advanced. Pinching has existed in Rocket League since its release. Here’s an example of a player pinching the ball on the side wall centering the ball for a team-mate who scores a goal. Because the puck has a flat surface and the ceiling, walls, and floor are flat surfaces, there are more opportunities for these types of hits to occur in Snow Day. Here’s an example that shows one way to pinch hit the puck. I have more than 2,000 hours invested in Snow Day and pinch hits are not guaranteed. I usually get them with a bit of luck and good timing. However, I have played against people who try to pinch the puck with every chance they get and are highly successful at doing so. While these players are annoying to play against, it doesn’t distract from the game. It reinforces having better positioning and trying to maintain closer defense, not allowing the opponent to have an open lane to pinch the puck. Pinch hits are momentum changers and a well placed pinch can turn a game around in a hurry. They’re fun, unpredictable, and help to make Snow Day a unique game mode. Over time, more players will learn how to pinch hit the puck. The best way to defend them is to play close defense on your opponents. If open lanes disappear, the effectiveness of pinches is drastically reduced. Snow Day isn’t broken and Psyonix shouldn’t alter the game mode’s physics in any way. To all Snow Day players, I encourage you to learn how to pinch and defend against them because they’re not going away. Pinch hits in Rocket League are not an exploit so please stop calling it one. |
European Central Bank extends credit on fears of Greek bank collapse By Robert Stevens 20 June 2015 The European Central Bank (ECB) intervened again Friday to prop up Greece’s banks, as savers, fearing their imminent collapse, withdrew record amounts of deposits. Following the collapse of talks between Greece and its creditors—the European Union (EU), the ECB and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)—over the terms of a further spending cuts programme, billions of euros in deposits were withdrawn from Greek banks. This week alone €4.2 billion were withdrawn, including €1.2 billion on Friday. To stave off financial collapse and a default on its overall debt of over €300 billion, Greece’s Syriza-led government requested that the ECB loan Greece’s Central Bank an additional €3.5 billion. The ECB, which loaned the Greek banks another €1.1 billion of “Emergency Liquidity Assistance” on Wednesday to reach a total of €84.1 billion, released additional money Friday, though it is unclear how much. According to some reports, it was just enough to tide Greece over until Monday. Speculation mounted that Greece could even be forced to impose capital controls and limit deposit withdrawals as early as this weekend. The Financial Times commented that fear of Greek default on its €1.6 billion debt repayment to the International Monetary Fund at the end of June “is rapidly being overtaken by a separate—and possibly more dangerous—ticking time bomb: the solvency of Greece’s banks.” The ECB’s strategy is to keep Greece faced with imminent collapse with the aim of ensuring that a deal is signed after Monday evening’s emergency summit of EU leaders, convened by President of the European Council Donald Tusk. It is an extraordinary and reckless example of brinksmanship—threatening not only the decimation of the Greek economy but a potential domino effect that could impact on the entire European economy. It is a strategy that the dominant sections of the European bourgeoisie have all endorsed. The institutions will not tolerate any impediments to their strategy of continent-wide attacks on the working class, with Athens to be made an example of. The Wall Street Journal reported that Syriza has already offered austerity measures in the order of €2.5 billion to be implemented over two years. The European Union is insisting on €3 billion in fiscal savings in this year alone, including savage pension cuts. Syriza’s latest proposal, presented at Thursday’s meeting, was for the introduction of a “deficit brake”. This would automatically cut spending across the board if the Greek government’s budget went into deficit. This was bluntly dismissed by euro zone officials, however; IMF head Christine Lagarde declared that there was an urgent need for dialogue “with adults in the room.” This is the severest indictment of Syriza’s claims that it could safeguard the livelihoods of Greek working people through an “honourable compromise” with the financial oligarchy. The representatives of the world’s billionaires are demanding ever more brutal cuts in order to ensure that the entire gigantic cost of the 2008 global financial crash is paid for by the working class for decades to come. In his latest blog, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis summed up some of the indices of the social catastrophe this has already produced in Greece. Since 2010, “Wages fell by 37 percent, pensions were reduced by up to 48 percent, state employment diminished by 30 percent,” and “Consumer spending was curtailed by 33 percent,” he wrote. “Around 1 million families survive today on the meagre pension of a grandfather or a grandmother as the rest of the family members are unemployed in a country where only 9% of the unemployed receive any unemployment benefit. Cutting that one, solitary pension is tantamount to turning a family into the streets.” The Financial Times, which has repeatedly solidarised with Syriza’s call for a slower imposition of austerity, editorialised Friday that “The time has come for Tsipras to accept the deal from Europe.” It warned that the alternative was far worse. “Given Greek banks’ dependence on funding from the European Central Bank, default could then push Greece out of the Eurozone,” it wrote. “The destruction of Greece’s financial system would rip the life out of its economy and do unknowable damage to its political system.” Syriza is not rejecting austerity, but seeking the most favourable political terms for it to be implemented. Tsipras and Varoufakis argue that if Greece is allowed to carry out less austerity now, it will be able to pay back more of its debts later based on an assumed recovery of the economy. However, even were a last-minute accord reached on its terms, this would not fundamentally alter the attacks raining down on the working class. The Daily Telegraph recently pointed out that it would take Greece more than 40 years, to 2057, to pay back its astronomical debts. A central plank of Tsipras’s pose of offering an alternative to years of austerity was that his government would function as more efficient tax collectors. But with fear of a Greek default ever more pronounced, the level of unpaid tax is rising with the resulting decline in state revenues fuelling Athens’ crisis. New figures revealed that unpaid taxes rose to €1 billion in May, bringing the total this year to more than €5 billion. Total outstanding unpaid tax stands at more than €77 billion. In an attempt to strike a better deal with the EU, ECB and IMF, Tsipras attempted to secure the support of Washington against the hard-line demands of the EU, to no avail. The failure of this strategy means that Tsipras is now relying on an attempt to play the “Russia card”. Even as the ECB was in session, Tsipras was speaking before Russian President Vladimir Putin, as a guest of honour in Moscow. His speech followed the signing of an agreement to build an extension of a pipeline that would carry Russian gas to Europe via Greece. The possibility of Syriza receiving financing from Russia was also broached. Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told Russia Today, “If financial support is needed, we will consider this question.” Syriza’s orientation to Moscow and China has major implications, as Greece is a longstanding member of NATO. Tsipras even visiting Moscow at such a time was viewed as an implicit threat. US magazine Foreign Policy wrote with concern, “So far, Russia has largely stayed out of the European financial crisis. But the Greek conundrum provides a tasty incentive to dive in. If Moscow does, it would transform a five-year economic crisis into a geopolitical one.” Tsipras’s speech, speaking alongside Putin only days after the EU extended sanctions against Russia for six months, contained an implicit threat. “The economic centre of the planet has shifted. There are new economic forces that are playing a role,” he said. “Russia is one of the most important partners for us.” Greece was strategically important and “still preserves the status of centre of stability in the region,” he added. Tsipras seeks only to establish the best terms for the Greek bourgeoisie, and he remains committed to securing a deal with the EU. To this end, Tsipras is shoring up alliances domestically. On Tuesday, he met with Stavros Theodorakis, the leader of To Potami (The River) and Fofi Gennimata, the new leader of the social democratic PASOK. Together the latter control 30 deputies. Tsipras is seeking a hedge against possible rebellion within his own party, if he reaches a deal on the institutions’ brutal terms. Theodorakis is on record that he will back any deal that is struck with the EU. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. |
Crossing the Bridge Rachel: - takes 1 minute to cross Ben: - takes 2 minutes to cross George: - takes 7 minutes to cross Yvonne: - takes 10 minutes to cross The second fastest solution gets the friends across in 21 minutes. The fastest takes 17 minutes. Can you work out how it is done? If you can see this message Flash may not be working in your browser Please see http://nrich.maths.org/techhelp/#flash to enable it. The interactivity below allows you to alter the speeds of the walkers. Experiment with different speeds and find the fastest crossing times. There are two optimal strategies for solving this type of problem: Strategy 1 solves the original problem in 17 minutes Strategy 2 solves the original problem in 21 minutes Experiment with different speeds and work out when to use Strategy 1 and when to use Strategy 2. Is there a way of determining in advance which strategy will be best? Can you find sets of speeds for which both strategies give the same crossing time? If you can see this message Flash may not be working in your browser Please see http://nrich.maths.org/techhelp/#flash to enable it. Four friends need to cross a bridge.They start on the same side of the bridge.A maximum of two people can cross at any time.It is night and they have just one lamp.People that cross the bridge must carry the lamp to see the way.A pair must walk together at the rate of the slower person:Printable NRICH Roadshow resource |
In just four years, Bethe Correia has gone from an MMA-novice to a title-contender. Jeff Chiu/AP Four years ago, Bethe Correia was a newly-married accounting student who had never trained in MMA. Now, she's set to take on one of the most feared fighters in the world when she Ronda Rousey square off to headline UFC 190 this Friday. It's a dramatic leap, one that few — including Correia — could have predicted. Yahoo Sports Kevin Iole calls Correia, "one of the most unlikely UFC title challengers ever." It would be very hard to dispute that claim. The 5' 5" Brazilian may be one of the top UFC fighters now, with an undefeated 9-0 record, but, in 2011 Correia had no real MMA and fighting experience. In fact, Correia told Ozy's Shannon Sims she initially had no plans to try to compete professionally when she first started training. She joked she only picked up the sport because she "started getting fat, like all women do after they marry." It wasn't until a random chance encounter with current Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio Freire, at a gym in Natal, Brazil, that she started to take her training seriously. Freire told Sims he remembers being on the opposite end of the gym and hearing someone laying a beating on a punching bag, so he went out to see who it was. He was shocked to find out it was a young woman delivering the powerful blows. "I came in to see who was hitting it so hard," Freire said. "And when I saw it was this out-of-shape, regular-looking woman, I just stopped in my tracks." Freire convinced Correia to try out MMA at his personal gym nearby. Four years later she's still training at the same gym, except now for a title fight. Despite the feel-good story, Correia remains a heavy underdog in her upcoming fight. Rousey opened as a 15:1 favorite, and nearly all experts expect another win — with many predicted it to come as early as the opening minutes of the first round. Correia, however, told Iole she remains confident she'll give Rousey, who owns an undefeated 11-0 record, her first loss. "Ronda is a very good athlete and she has accomplished a lot," Correia said. "But she's not the only one. I feel I have the style, the total game, to be the one to beat her. And so it doesn't matter if it is one, two or 10 times. I'll fight her and beat her as much as I have to to show who is the best." |
Atieva is one of those shadowy new automobile start-ups that has been hiding behind a wall of mystery and intrigue. Earlier this month, another enigma — Faraday Future — pulled back the curtain a bit to say it will show off its car at the CES show that begins January 5. Faraday is backed by Chinese billionaire Jia Yeuting, owner of LeTV, a fabulously successful enterprise known as “the Chinese Netflix.” Now China’s state owned auto company BAIC says its Beijing Electric Car Company division has bought a majority interest in Atieva, the San Francisco based operation that says “We’re redefining what a car can be by building an iconic new vehicle from the ground up. We’re a car company, not a design house. And we’re definitely not a traditional automaker.” According to Autocar, Atieva was founded in 2007 by former Tesla vice president Bernard Tse and Astoria Networks founder Sam Weng. Originally, it focused on software for the monitoring of individual battery cells and battery management systems. In addition to BAIC, Atieva has also partnered with German electronics giant Siemens and Korea’s SK Group, a battery cell producer. BAIC sells a five door electric car in China known as the E150 EV which has a 23.4 kWh lithium ion battery technology and a range of 87 miles. (Both numbers are very similar to those for the Nissan Leaf.) Industry observers think the Atieva will have a much bigger battery and a lot more range — possibly as much as 300 miles. We will know more in April, when BAIC says the first Atieva will be revealed. Atieva plans to offer a full range of automobiles in markets around the world but has not said where its cars will be built. It has also kept quiet about why its cars will be different from everybody else’s cars. It’s one thing to make bold claims on your website. Is quite a different matter to back them up. Even a perennial optimist like Elon Musk has found out that building a real car is a far more daunting task than even he ever imagined. Lurking just outside the picture is yet another Chinese start-up car company called NextEV, which says it has already raised a half billion dollars in initial funding. Add Apple, Google, and Uber into the mix of new companies that all think they are going to shake up the auto business and you have a ferment of change unseen since the days of Engine Charlie Wilson and the beginnings of General Motors. There will surely be winners and losers in the group. We just don’t know who they will be yet. |
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“Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one??” In a hilariously bad move, advertising giant Clear Channel accidentally placed a billboard for AMC‘s The Walking Dead on the side of a funeral parlor. Not in the vicinity, not across the street … on it. The series recently began airing on the UK’s Channel 5, so naturally, there would be advertising for it. But apparently, someone neglected to ask The Co-operative Funeralcare in Consett, County Durham if they’d mind featuring a big poster for a series featuring zombies (to say nothing of the phrase “The Walking Dead”) on the side of their establishment. Their funereal establishment. Oops. The ad has been replaced and Clear Channel has issued an apology. (Top pic via North News, story via Digital Spy and Daily Mail) |
By Steven Brill Backstage at Johnson & Johnson On May 20, about 100 stock analysts gathered in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to hear good news from top executives at Johnson & Johnson: The company had 10 new drugs in the pipeline that might achieve more than a billion dollars in annual sales. For 129 years, New Brunswick has served as the headquarters of J&J, America’s seventh most valuable public company. With consumer products from Band-Aids to baby powder, Neutrogena to Rogaine, Listerine to Visine, Aveeno to Tylenol and Sudafed to Splenda, Johnson & Johnson is the biggest and, according to multiple surveys, most admired corporation in the world’s most prosperous industry—healthcare. But the real money—about 80 percent of its revenue and 91 percent of its profit—comes not from those consumer favorites, but from Johnson & Johnson’s high-margin medical devices: artificial hips and knees, heart stents, surgical tools and monitoring devices; and from still higher-margin prescription drugs targeting Crohn’s disease (Remicade), cancer (Zytiga, Velcade), schizophrenia (Risperdal), diabetes (Invokana), psoriasis (Stelara), migraines (Topamax), heart disease (Xarelto) and attention deficit disorder (Concerta). How J&J Makes Its Money Ads for many of these products dominate our television screens and magazine pages. Each drug relies on its own elaborate marketing plan and carefully pitched promotional materials, used by hundreds of salespeople whose incomes turn on how much product they can push to the thousands of doctors who write prescriptions. All command increasing portions of our health insurance premiums and our own wallets, as well as our hopes and anxiety when we or our loved ones fall ill. What follows is the backstage story of how an iconic company marketed a blockbuster drug that raised those hopes and fed on that anxiety. It is a story that in its depiction of strategies, tactics and mindset should make us wonder about the prescription drugs that are so much a part of our lives. The show that Johnson & Johnson put on that morning for the analysts at the hotel, which the company owns, would produce positive headlines in the news that afternoon. But the upbeat talk in the lavishly appointed ballroom was a world apart from the drab setting where a Johnson & Johnson whistleblower says she sat in a sales meeting being drilled on promotional materials she was told should not be left behind for fear that federal regulators might see them. In the ballroom, the Wall Street people watched J&J executives talk about the miracle drugs they were moving through clinical tests—not about how their colleagues might, as investigators later charged, massage data to conceal potentially damaging test results. Whether it was the head of central nervous system research or the woman in charge of the drive to intercept diabetes before it strikes, everyone on the podium easily answered questions from the analysts on issues ranging from cell structures to potential market sizes to development timelines. They exuded passion and confidence—which was nothing like how Johnson & Johnson executives, however well-rehearsed by batteries of lawyers, would comport themselves under oath when asked to answer for how they marketed Risperdal, the company’s billion-dollar antipsychotic drug. To sit in the back of the room watching the impeccably dressed, articulate men and women who are orchestrating Johnson & Johnson’s trailblazing cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, AIDS and mental illness, and to watch the Wall Street crowd digesting it and calculating the potential cash flows and returns on investment, was to watch the free market dream come true. The best and the brightest on that stage were doing well and doing good. Creating wealth by fighting pain, disease, death. One could imagine Robert Wood Johnson, who founded the company with two of his brothers in New Brunswick in 1886 looking down proudly on the Hyatt ballroom—and in dismay at the grand jury hearings, depositions and trials that told the Risperdal story. Putting Patients First R.W. Johnson had worked at various jobs in and around America’s fledgling patent medicine industry before launching Johnson & Johnson as the world’s first supplier of surgical dressings and bandages. His enterprise was propelled by a single, big idea—that English scientist and surgeon Joseph Lister’s pioneering adaptation of Louis Pasteur’s work in microbiology could be turned into a worldwide market for antiseptic supplies that would ward off infections in wounds and surgery. With sales offices and factories spread across the globe and with annual revenues of $74.3 billion in 2014, his company had come a long way since creating a first aid kit for railroad workers in 1888 or the first prescription contraception product for women in 1931. Even before Johnson & Johnson had grown little beyond a single factory with 14 workers in a small New Jersey town, its founder had donated supplies to soldiers in the Spanish-American War and to victims of a series of earthquakes and other natural disasters through the early 20th century. That public service ethic was memorialized in writing by Johnson’s son Robert Wood Johnson II, who built the company mightily over a 31-year reign that ended in 1963. The founder’s heir wrote what became the company’s ubiquitous, even cult-like, “Credo”—a 308-word statement that declares, up front, “We believe our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses, and patients, to mothers and fathers, and all others who use our products and services.” Robert Wood Johnson II Associated Press Employees and “the world community” come next. After them, the credo holds, the company’s “final responsibility” is to shareholders. Patients first. Profits last. The credo is mentioned seven times in the current chairman and chief executive’s latest annual letter to shareholders. As is tradition, it is reprinted in full at the beginning of the annual report. It is also carved in stone in the lobby of J&J headquarters and posted at all significant company events—including that morning’s stock analysts’ conference. But the world in which Johnson & Johnson thrives today seems to have corroded the credo. The Boy with 46DD Breasts The morning of the conference, thousands of claims involving Risperdal were sitting on dockets across the country. Company lawyers had just filed motions appealing a $2.5 million verdict handed down by a jury in a Philadelphia courtroom 60 miles south of the Hyatt. Jury Trial Verdict - Pledger v. Janssen Feb. 24, 2015 (p. 6-7) The jury found that Risperdal had deformed an Alabama boy after Johnson & Johnson had encouraged his doctor to prescribe it without warning of its risks. Austin Pledger, who suffers from severe autism and is now 21 years old, started growing breasts when he was 12 that eventually measured 46DD. The Food and Drug Administration had prohibited Johnson & Johnson salespeople from trying to promote Risperdal to doctors to treat children because of its feared side effects, including hormonal disorders. The company was also not allowed to promote it to treat the elderly except for the most serious psychotic disorders; it was thought to cause strokes, diabetes and other ailments in that population. But by the time young Austin started growing breasts, Johnson & Johnson was reaping more than half of its Risperdal sales from prescriptions written for children to alleviate all kinds of behavior disorders, and for the elderly, who were given the drug for simple symptoms of dementia or restlessness. Austin Pledger, at 2 years old Benita Pledger Johnson & Johnson emails, sales training manuals and business plans produced as evidence in the case revealed that the company organized special sales units illegally targeting doctors who treated the elderly and children. State mental institutions treating children, whose drugs would be paid for by Medicaid, were targeted, too. When it came time to explain their conduct at trials and to federal investigators, Johnson & Johnson executives and salespeople have unwaveringly, even indignantly, defended themselves. One salesman, who otherwise fit the salt-of-the-earth mold that R.W. Johnson had envisioned for his company’s employees, gave thousands of Risperdal samples in child-sized doses to Austin Pledger’s doctor in Birmingham, Alabama. Yet he insisted under oath in February he didn’t recall stepping around kiddie furniture and toys as he walked into an office with a sign that said “pediatric neurologist,” and that he had no way of knowing that the doctor wasn’t treating adults. Pledger v. Janssen Feb. 3, 2015 (p. 19-20, 51-52, 55-56) Pledger v. Janssen Feb. 4, 2015 (p. 31-32, 35-36, 38, 66-67) More generally, Johnson & Johnson’s defense—as expressed to me over three hours of conversations with lead in-house litigator Joseph Braunreuther, who asked not to be quoted, as well as by others working for the company—is that the drug benefits many people, which is true, and that the law governing promotion to prohibited populations, called off-label sales, is vague, unworkable and punishes companies for providing information about the drug to doctors who treat patients who could be helped by it. Johnson & Johnson declined to allow anyone to speak on the record about any of the Risperdal litigation or investigations, but as company Vice President for Media Relations Ernie Knewitz put it, "In our opinion, significant ambiguity exists about what is or is not permissible regarding the communication of truthful and non-misleading scientific information about FDA-approved pharmaceutical products. Like doctors, patients, and others in the industry, we share an interest in greater regulatory clarity on the rules for appropriate promotion and scientific exchange, and we are working through industry groups to bring clarity and consistency to the rules that apply to those communications.” The Boy With 46-DD Breasts 'The Cost of Doing Business' Johnson & Johnson has already settled thousands of cases involving illicit promotion of Risperdal, including Department of Justice civil and criminal complaints, for a total fast approaching $3 billion. But on the morning of the analysts’ meeting, the company was still manning the battle stations with squadrons of lawyers fighting off another 4,200 cases, apparently willing to risk a few more bad verdicts while hoping to weed out the weakest cases and wear the opposition down in order to save on final settlement costs of the strongest claims. Yet all of that meant little to the stock analysts. “Oh, they’ve already reserved for that stuff,” one of them told me during a coffee break. He meant that in Johnson & Johnson’s financials, there had been money taken from earnings and put into a column vaguely called “accrued liabilities,” in order to account for the expected billions that might still have to be paid out in verdicts or settlements. “It’s their cost of doing business,” the analyst added, perhaps unintentionally echoing the view of one senior J&J lawyer who told me that the cases against his company are the unavoidable price of dealing with a litigation system easily abused by those targeting big corporations. “All the big pharmas” have lawsuits, the analyst concluded, sipping an espresso. “It’s just not a big deal.” Indeed, with before-tax profits of $20.6 billion for 2014, putting aside $500 million or even $1 billion a year over 15 years to cover payouts for boys with 46DD breasts and other claims that might come along doesn’t put much of a dent in the company’s financials. As Johnson & Johnson declared in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission three weeks before the analysts’ conference, “In the Company’s opinion … the ultimate outcome of legal proceedings, net of liabilities accrued in the Company’s balance sheet, is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position.” Thus, as Johnson & Johnson’s press materials habitually point out, the company has recorded 51 years of increases in the dividends paid to shareholders. “All the big pharmas have lawsuits,” the analyst concluded, sipping an espresso. “It’s just not a big deal.” The Industry of Our Times True, eight of the other nine largest pharmaceutical companies in the world have settled federal claims over the last decade related to allegations similar to what Johnson & Johnson was accused of in selling Risperdal, although their conduct was arguably less egregious. They, too, seem to have settled the charges without torpedoing their profit and loss accounts. However, the fact that this illegal conduct is not a “big deal” on Wall Street and only the occasional subject of news coverage should make it a big deal to the rest of the world: The drug companies seem to be able to break the rules with relative impunity, or at least without suffering the kind of punishment that would actually hurt—their stock prices taking a hit or senior executives being held personally responsible. Big Pharma is a big deal. The financial pages are filled almost daily with news of multi-billion dollar mergers and acquisitions among drug companies. Of the M&A deals announced so far this year in the United States, eight of the 30 largest involve drug-makers. Other headlines herald breakthroughs of the kind Johnson & Johnson executives were touting in the ballroom in New Brunswick. At the same time, healthcare policy wonks, government budgeters, insurers and patients are becoming increasingly panicked over who is going to pay for the miracle profits demanded by the manufacturers of these miracle products. In terms of fortunes now being made and the industry’s impact on our economy, Big Pharma (or a little pharma that develops a miracle drug) is fast becoming today’s go-go industry. Profit margins often exceed those of industries, such as software, that we think of as modern gold mines. Only now the products have to do with life or death. Amid the swirl of multi-billion dollar takeover deals generated by the prospects of a promising new drug, can we trust these companies? Can the data from the trials conducted to test their products that they submit to the Food and Drug Administration be trusted? Can we rely on corporations that are looking over their shoulders at Wall Street not to inflate revenue by selling a drug to people that the FDA has walled off as targets or for purposes that have not been sufficiently tested and for which the FDA has not granted approval? Or are the lawsuits like those brought against Johnson & Johnson and other drug companies less about corporate wrongdoing and more about trial lawyers and whistleblowers (who get paid a portion of the winnings) looking for a payoff when drugs that comfort or even save the many result in side effects that afflict the few? These questions are only going to loom larger as miracle drugs and miracle profits increasingly dominate the news, our budgets and our quest to live long, healthy lives. That is what makes the Johnson & Johnson Risperdal story important. It is why an examination of internal company and FDA documents produced in recent Risperdal suits and from Freedom of Information Act requests, supplemented by interviews with those involved in these events, is revealing. The documents also demonstrate that as head of Risperdal sales and then head of the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that marketed Risperdal, Alex Gorsky, the current Johnson & Johnson chairman and chief executive, had a sustained, hands-on role in what the company has since admitted in a plea bargain (that nonetheless named no individuals) was illegal activity. That raises significant questions about whether our legal system can, and will, ever hold the high-ranking people who run our largest corporations, rather than inert corporate entities, responsible for wrongdoing. The Houdini act that enabled Gorsky, the then-Risperdal sales manager, not only to escape responsibility but also to be promoted to the top of his industry’s most admired company raises equally significant questions about the standards of conduct we can expect from those who run what is becoming the world’s most powerful industry, and about how much we can rely on the medicines they sell. Deposition of Alex Gorsky May 18, 2012 (p. 237) Through company spokespeople, Gorsky declined repeated requests to be interviewed about Risperdal, though he did testify in a deposition prior to the company's guilty plea, saying, “I don’t believe that we … marketed the product in an inappropriate manner.” The DocuSerial The Johnson & Johnson Risperdal story is a complex, roller coaster tale. The details count. They are important in understanding the people and impulses behind the drugs we take. To tell that story in a way that is digestible but complete, The Huffington Post Highline and I are trying something new: a DocuSerial. It’s a reconstruction of an old story-telling genre that allows us to deploy the modern tools of digital communication to engage readers in old-fashioned, long-form feature journalism. Every day for the next 15 days, a new chapter of the Johnson & Johnson story will be posted here. Along with the text, we will post not only a rich array of photos and graphics, but also links to every document—court transcripts, internal emails, FDA staff memos—referred to in that day’s chapter. That way, you will be able to delve more deeply into the materials that are quoted. (You’ll also be able to make sure I held true to the context of the material I quote.) Those chapters already posted in prior days will be stored on a readily accessible, expanding file, so that you can catch up on, or review, the unfolding narrative. At the end of the 15 days, the entire story, along with all illustrations, videos and documents—as well as the most important comments on or critiques of the DocuSerial—will be available in a complete package, which will then be updated as events and the ensuing discussion evolve. A Plan Too Big for its Legal Market Well before Risperdal was approved by the FDA and went on sale in February 1994, Johnson & Johnson had made the coming of the drug into something akin today to the launch of an Apple product. The company needed a blockbuster that would replace and surpass its original antipsychotic drug, Haldol, which had gone on sale in the late 1960s. Haldol had been invented in the laboratories of Paul Janssen, a legendary Belgium chemist whose father had founded a small pharmaceutical research lab in the 1930s. R.W. Johnson II had purchased the company in 1961 in what became a critical pivot by Johnson & Johnson away from medical supplies and toward the blossoming, high-margin prescription drug business. Haldol and competitors, such as Thorazine, were considered “first-generation” antipsychotics—drugs that could treat symptoms associated with mental disorders such as bipolar disorder (manic depression, usually causing severe mood swings) and schizophrenia (typically defined as a severe brain disorder causing people to interpret reality abnormally, as with hallucinations). In order to hit J&J's projections, Risperdal would have to be used by tens of millions—not simply a portion of the one percent of Americans having the most severe psychotic disorders. But Haldol had come “off-patent” in 1986. That meant that the years during which the product was protected from being copied were over. Inexpensive generic versions of Haldol had decimated the brand name’s revenues by 1992. The business plan the Janssen executives had drafted projected an average of more than $1 billion in U.S. sales of Risperdal every year through the turn of the century. (U.S. sales were about two-thirds of worldwide sales for these kinds of prescription drugs.) That meant that Risperdal would have to be used by tens of millions—not simply a portion of the one percent of Americans having the most severe psychotic disorders. Dr. Paul Leber memo Dec. 21, 1993 Right from the beginning, the FDA took a different view. In a memo to his colleagues a week before the final approval, the agency doctor in charge of the Risperdal application reported that he and Janssen scientists and executives had reached an “impasse” over the label that the FDA would allow. Risperdal Label Current 2015 A prescription drug’s label is a dense, multi-page document given to doctors so that they know what a drug is supposed to be used for, what side effects to look out for and what the appropriate doses are. It is based on a series of tests conducted by the drug’s manufacturer, or “sponsor”—first on animals, then usually on humans over three increasingly stringent phases. All the steps along the way, which can take three to 10 years, are done in close consultation with the FDA, which reviews the testing data that the sponsor submits. Janssen wanted the label for Risperdal to include “side by side” statistical comparisons with the wildly popular Haldol. This was unacceptable, the FDA doctor wrote, because it “invites a comparison that leads to the conclusion that Risperdal has been shown to be superior to [Haldol] when, in fact, it has not.” In other words, Janssen wanted its new drug to seem like a step up from its now-generic, inexpensive product. But the clinical data didn’t prove that. There was another issue lurking in Janssen’s push to have Risperdal compared to Haldol. By then Haldol and its generic knock-offs were being widely used to address a broad range of behavior disorders, including dementia in seniors and attention deficit disorders in children—not just severe “psychotic disorders,” such as hallucinations or delusions. Risperdal could never replace Haldol as Johnson & Johnson’s latest bestseller if it was sold as only appropriate for psychotic disorders. Risperdal's Future in the New Competitive Environment An ambitious plan drafted by Janssen in anticipation of the drug’s 1994 rollout put the problem bluntly: “The anticipated growth of the antipsychotic market does not create enough room for the Risperdal sales forecast.” FDA’s Original Risperdal Label Approved 1993 (p.10) But the FDA held firm. Its approved label limited Risperdal to the “management of manifestations of psychotic disorders” in adults—severe illnesses causing hallucinations or delusions. Worse, drawing on the data Janssen had submitted, the FDA specified that the “antipsychotic efficacy of Risperdal was established in short term (6 to 8 weeks) controlled trials of schizophrenic patients.” Schizophrenics were only about a third of the psychotic disorders market, which was itself a small subset of the target population Janssen had in mind. “It would be misleading to suggest that the safety and efficacy of Risperdal has been established in the elderly,” the regulators wrote. Compounding the problem for J&J’s business strategists, the FDA’s December 29, 1993, letter officially approving the sale of Risperdal warned that the agency would “consider any advertisement or promotional labeling for Risperdal false, misleading or lacking fair balance” if it stated or implied that “Risperdal is superior to haloperidol [Haldol].” The letter was signed by Dr. Robert Temple, a highly regarded specialist in clinical trials who had joined the FDA in 1972. “Our role is not to decide that one drug is more effective than another drug, or to say that they’re equally effective, even if one is much more expensive,” Temple, now the FDA’s Deputy Center Director for Clinical Science, told me. “If the data that the sponsor submits demonstrates that the drug is effective and the potential benefits of its intended use outweigh the risks, we approve it. But,” he added, “it has never been clear to me that Risperdal was more effective than Haldol, and we never allowed them to claim that.” No Old Folks, No Kids |
Rob Crow has been making music for 20+ years, and has been doing so via countless projects, but he’s best known for his work with Pinback — his long-running project with Three Mile Pilot’s Zach Smith — who released five excellent albums between 1999 and 2012. His output tends to come in bursts, but considering the sheer volume of music he’s produced (to say nothing of his catalog’s total randomness), it’s hard to imagine him ever actually stopping. But it seems, in fact, he is. On 3/9, he tweeted: In fact, i think I'm gonna finish up & release all my current records & give up. Thanks you guys! I really appreciated it. — Rob Crow (@rob5d4) March 9, 2015 That’s pretty vague. “I’m gonna finish up & release ALL my current records” before giving up? God knows how many records he’s currently working on. Crow has done five full-length records with Pinback, plus four under his own name, plus Wikipedia lists him as being involved with the following acts/aliases: Heavy Vegetable, Physics, Optiganally Yours, Thingy, Advertising, Alpha Males, Altron Tube, Cthugha, Fantasy Mission Force, Goblin Cock, Holy Smokes, the Ladies, Other Men, Remote Action Sequence Project, Schlag-Schlag, and Snotnose. I’m a Rob Crow fan and I don’t know a single thing about a whole bunch of those projects. Crow followed up that tweet, though, with an update on his Facebook, saying: Thanks guys! I’m well! I’m out! Healthy safe and sound with my family. No bad weirdness. Just don’t wanna talk about myself anymore. Feel free to say hi if yo see me! And soon after that, another: I’m fine. I have just come to the realization that making music in this climate is financially irresponsible to my family and ultimately humiliating to my psyche. Im going to finish and release the work I’ve already spent my heart and tears on, but even that is likely to ruin me. My kids are growing and my downstairs studio would probably be put to better use as a bedroom. I’ll keep a small setup with which I can use for scoring, editing and things when they come up. Also quitting Facebook and Twitter and using that energy to concentrate on writing in my journal. Chucking the booze as well will help with that. I just trying to make a mature decision and be a responsible husband and father. That last one is a crusher: Humiliation comes with being an artist, of course, but not knowing a single thing about Rob Crow’s life, I would probably agree with this: “My kids are growing and my downstairs studio would probably be put to better use as a bedroom.” And yeah, Pinback album sales probably aren’t going to put Crow’s kids through college, but those albums definitely helped a lot of other kids get through college. Grownups have gotta make grownup decisions, but it’s a bummer to hear that Rob Crow has come to this particular decision. But I’ll be excited to hear whatever he still has coming — “the work I’ve already spent my heart and tears on” — and if it turns out he’s still got some more records in him after that, I’ll be excited to hear those records, too. I love the guy’s voice and his approach to songwriting, production, and guitar, and everything he does sounds great to my ear. Let’s go out on a good note: Here’s one of my favorite Pinback songs — and I could name a bunch more (and Rob Crow solo tunes, too) that are just as good. |
Get VODs for your Team’s Esports Scrim and shoutcasters get practice MooshuBeef Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 27, 2017 These are the instructions for teams who want their scrims recorded. If you want practice casting, check out the instructions here. Playing scrims is necessary for your team to compete at its highest potential. However having a VOD review makes that learning even more effective for teams. For broadcasters, there are not many places to practice casting and observing high quality play. At Broadcast.gg we are matching scrims to amateur casters to help everyone reach their improvement goals. Step 1: Arrange your scrim If you’re reading this, you already probably know where to look to find scrims for your team. If not, check out these discords below Step 2: Join our Discord We used to have a form, but now we arrange it by hand in our discord. Join up, add the COMPETITOR role, and join our #competitor-chat and #competitor-schedule discussion. Add your schedule to #competitor-schedule on Saturday of the week prior to your scrims! Step 3: Play Your Scrim If a caster is available, you will be contacted via Discord to confirm the scrim timing and details of your form if necessary. After this confirmation the caster will friend request the given captain’s Battle.net username. Step 4: Review your VOD If the caster is able, they will stream the games to either their own personal channel or the Broadcast.gg Twitch channel. Otherwise the game will be recorded and uploaded later. Make sure to review the VOD within 2 weeks of the scrim night as most videos on Twitch in “past broadcasts” are deleted after that time. If you need to download the video, you may be able to make arrangements with the caster, or just use a 3rd party Twitch video downloader. Understand that the casters are practicing too — some of the calls they make may be completely wrong, though we hope the calls go more like below. Feedback is always appreciated! |
102 SHARES Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reddit In an update to the company’s blog today, HTC has announced that the Vive VR headset for Valve’s SteamVR platform will be delayed until April 2016. Announcing back in March that the HTC Vive would launch to consumers starting in Q4 2015—beating Oculus’ Q1 2016 release date—was ambitious, and perhaps a bit too much so for HTC and Valve. Now HTC says that the Vive will not see commercial availability until April 2016, putting the Vive release date just into Q2 2016. So long as Oculus sticks to their Q1 2016 window, they may indeed be the first of the major VR headsets to hit the market. The company has also confirmed that they’ll be launching a “second generation” of the HTC Vive dev kit at CES in January. “In an effort to clear up speculation and misinformation surrounding the launch of HTC Vive this month we are excited to give the community an update on the status of HTC Vive. We remain committed to delivering the HTC Vive to a broader group of content creators and partners, and remain focused on delivering the very best experience possible for a consumer release,” HTC writes on its blog. See Also: HTC – Consumer Vive Is “Gonna Look a Lot Different,” Modular Headphones, New Mounting System, and More In addition to an April 2016 release date for the HTC Vive, the company says they’ll be making 7,000 additional developer kits available in the beginning of 2016. This jives with an earlier announcement by partner Valve, saying that the bulk of Vive units would ship in 2016. The announcement is a delay, but ‘April’ also now the smallest release window yet announced among the major headsets. Oculus continues to maintain a release date of Q1 2016 while Sony says that PlayStation VR will launch in Q2. None of the three headsets have been priced. |
FONTFONT To celebrate the release of ꜰꜰ Kievit Slab, we also have ꜰꜰ Kievit limited edition posters to give away. Send an email to [email protected] with your name, postal address and the subject title “ꜰꜰ Kievit Poster”. (The first 50 people will receive a poster) ꜰꜰ Kievit Mike Abbink began initial work for ꜰꜰ Kievit in 1995, as part of a digital-font school project. The concept was finished several years later for a corporate client of Method Inc., a design firm in San Francisco and officially launched by FontFont in 2001. The clarity of classic sans serif faces (Frutiger and Univers) and the humanistic characteristics of old styles (Garamond and Granjon) were the inspiration for this contemporary design that is equally at home in a headline or a body of text. The openness of the characters and their proportions also make it an ideal typeface for use in small print. The ꜰꜰ Kievit family includes nine weights, true italics, old style figures and small caps—everything necessary for even the most demanding typography. Awards 2001 bukva:raz (ATypI best designs of the previous decade list) 2001 istd Mike Abbink Mike Abbink is a multidisciplinary creative director, typeface designer and educator. A type enthusiast from way back, he has been designing letter forms since 1992. MetaDesign San Francisco served as a launch pad for Abbink and after three years, he went on and co-founded Method Inc. He has since also worked as Creative Director for Saffron, Design Director at Apple, and is currently Creative Director at Wolff Olins New York. Released in 2000, Abbink’s award winning ꜰꜰ Kievit is now internationally renowned and used around the world. His other design, ꜰꜰ Milo became part of the FontFont Library in 2006 and the follow up, ꜰꜰ Milo Serif was launched in 2009. |
This is a guide to making 8-bit/chiptune music. It covers the basics on how to get the right, real sound, some common game consoles and computer systems that are most often thought of when it comes to 8-bit music, waveforms that the sound chips can produce, as well as effects that are used to modify the sound, and some other useful things that come in handy when you make the music. If you need some inspiration to get started I suggest listening to my playlist "8-bit, chiptune, bitpop" on Spotify, embedded here. It has my own chiptune music, as well as a wide variety of different artists and styles within the genre, and I update it on a regular basis. Hopefully you can find something you like, and feel free to share it with others if you do :) This is mostly technical guide, and I will be talking mostly about the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom in Japan) as I base most of my own music (which you can find here on the site) on the NES's sound chip and its properties. The Basics of Chip Music Why is it called "8-bit music" and "chip music"? Well.. In old video game consoles, the processors used words which were 8 bits in length, so they were reffered to as "8-bit consoles", and the music for the games to them thus came to be known as "8-bit music". The processors in these consoles were custom built for their purpose, as that was cheaper at the time than the general purpose processors used in today's consoles. They also had a chip actually generating the sounds (called a synthesizer), rather than a sound card that simply processes sound-files, as memory was very limited and generating sounds take up less memory than storing and processing sound files; hence the term "chip music". A basic element of "true" chiptune music is simple waveforms, such as Pulse, Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth and Noise. If you want to make music based on a specific chip, you should know, and stick to, the limitations of that chip, and the waveforms it can generate, as well as in what way they can be modified on that specific chip, or you won't get a genuine sound. To achieve the limitations without having to do a bunch of tedious work, it might be good to use a tracker or other software specifically designed to emulate the chip you want your music to sound like. There are trackers you can use directly on the hardware, meaning that the music you create will be generated with the actual sound chip of the hardware you are using. The most prominent examples I can think of are Little Sound Dj and Nanoloop. Both used for the Nintendo Game Boy. If you don't have access to or don't want to use the real hardware, there are trackers that emulate sound chips very true to the original sound. The most prominent example I can think of for that is Famitracker, that has the exact same sound types and channels supported by a Famicom/NES sound chip (and all of it's expansion chips). You can even export NSF-files which can be loaded onto NES-catrriges and played on an actual NES! So if you want to make chip music and be sure to succeed, use Famitracker. Even if what you produce won't sound good, it will at least be playable on an actual NES, and by definition, be chip music. As Famitracker has excellent documentation and very well written tutorials (found through a search engine near you) I won't be going into detail on how the program works. Just remember that you have to create a new instrument before you will be able to get any sound. If you want to hear some examples of what you can do with Famitracker, you can check out these albums that I made using it: 8-bit Empire Cor Metallicum 8-bit Run 'n Pun< Dunes at Night Friendship Adventure If you don't want to use software made to emulate a specific chip, but still make your work sound like chip music, keep reading and you'll find the specifications and capabilities of the most common systems that are associated with 8-bit music. Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom The NES sound chip is called 2A03 (NTSC 60Hz) or 2A07 (PAL 50Hz) and it has five mono-channels. Two of them feature pulse wave channels with a variable duty cycle of 12.5, 25, 50 and 75%. The volume for these channels can be set to 16 different levels. Hardware pitch bending is possible and the frequencies used range from 54Hz to 28 kHz. There is a fixed volume (on or off) triangle wave channel with pitch bending. Frequencies on that channel range 27 Hz to 56 kHz. There is also a white noise channel with 16 volume levels and 16 pre-set noise frequencies. The frequencies that can be produced ranges from 29.3Hz to 447 KHz, and aside from the pre-sets, frequency sweep is also possible. Additionally there is a differential pulse-code modulation-channel capable of playing any sound. If you want to play samples that sound like those on the NES though, get a program that can convert your wave-files to 1-bit, as this is most true to what imported samples actually sounds like on a NES. Commodore 64 The SID-chip of the Commodore 64 is perhaps what first comes to mind for many people when we talk about "chip music", and rightfully so, as it was thanks to the polyphony of the SID-chip that it was possible to make advanced music on a computer for the first time, and the demoscene was started. The SID-chip has three channels which supports pulse (with full control over the duty cycle), sawtooth, triangle and noise waveforms, with frequencies ranging from 16-4000Hz. Each channel also has a ring modulator which makes it possible to essentially mix different waveforms, which creates the characteristic "SID-sound", as well as an attack/decay/sustain/release volume control. There's also a multi-mode filter with low-pass, high-pass and band-pass. It is possible to combine the different filter effects to create additional effects. Amiga 500 The sound chip of the Amiga 500, the most popular machine for its time when it came to producing MOD-music, is called Paula and has 4 channels with 8-bit PCM and a frequency of a maximum of 28 Khz. The volume and sample rate can be modified individually for each channel. Two channels are mixed for output to the right channel, and two are mixed to the left channel. The MOD-files are built up of sample sounds and as such, unlike the NES-soundchip, the soundchip of the Amiga 500 cannot generate sound on its own. Although the sound is based on samples, and in theory you can stuff in whatever you like as long as the memory limitation will allow it, it is more common to use a looped sample that consists of one cycle of the wave-forms described below, because conserving memory was very much a concern "back in the day". So doing it that way will give you the old-school sound you're looking for. There is no way to make "true" chip music on the Amiga 500, as, like I said, the soundchip itself does not generate any sound on it's own, but a simple to use, yet flexible program I can recommend if you want to make MOD-music is Milkytracker. If you want some examples of what you can do with it, you can check out these albums I made where I use it for some of the tracks use the software: Lesser than Three Nackskott Now you might understand why it is easier to use software dedicated to the task rather than trying to simulate the sound. Nintendo Game Boy The Nintendo Game Boy is quite similar to the NES in that is has 2 Pulse Channels and a noise channel, but there are also differences. First off, only one of the pulse channels has frequency sweep, and there is also not a Triangle channel. Instead, there is a "freeform" wave channel that can play any sound, based on 32 4-bit programmable samples. Additionally, the channels are in Stereo so you can get an additional dimention to your sound here. The "master level" Of the left and right channel outputs can also be individually controlled.The frequenzy range for the pulse and freeform wave channels is 64Hz-131072Hz. And 2Hz-1048576Hz for the noise channel. Chip Music Waveforms Triangle At low frequencies this waveform is commonly used as bass in NES compositions. At high frequencies it produces a "flute-like" sound. It can also be used as tom-tom drums by sliding from high to low frequencies. Keep in mind that this channel has a fixed volume on a NES, meaning it is either on or off. Pulse This is a very interesting waveform as it is possible to vary the duty cycle of the sound wave in order to produce different sounds. The closer to 50% (half the time on, half the time off) you go, the more hollow it will sound. If you set a very high or very low duty cycle you will get more of a creaking, almost raspy sound. This waveform is mostly used for the melodious part of the song as the two channels on the NES can be used to create neat chorus, but it is also in my opinon well suited as bass, depending on what sound environment you want to achieve. Sine Is the waveform that most resembles that of an acoustic guitar. The sound is even and soft. It is best used at higher frequencies where it sounds a bit like whistling. At low frequencies it can be hard to hear the difference between notes. This waveform does not exist natively on a NES unless manually shaped on the DCPM-channel. Sawtooth Sounds very "sharp" and can be used both for melodies and bass. Its clear, crisp sound makes it especially suitable for arpeggios. This waveform can not be used natively on the NES (Though it is commonly used on it's sibling, the Famicom Disk System, which does support it), and a lot of Amiga music composers use this wave form frequently. Noise This "waveform" is commonly used for drums, as, if shaped correctly, noise can sound quite similar to drums. High frequencies are best suited for hi-hat/ride, mid frequencies for snare, and low frequencies for bass drum or kick. It can be difficult before you learn how to shape the noise correctly. I would suggest using a quick linear fadeout as the base and then tweak it until you're happy with how it sounds. Effects When working with trackers, you are not going to be able to make very fun music if you don't know your way around the effects you can use to modify the sound. I will add more with time, and focus especially on the ones that I think are significant to chiptune music. Arpeggio If you want to comply to the limitations of a specific sound chip, you are usually limited to just a few sound channels, as I was describing earlier. A problem you might be facing is that making full chords would use up a lot of channels and also prevent you from playing any other sounds on those channels as the chord is playing, so doing it in the intuitive way isn't the optimal way to do it. To get around this "limitation" there is the arpeggio effect. What it does is it rapidly loops through several different notes after one another on the same channel, thus achieving a "chord". This is known as an arpeggio in musical terminology. In most trackers, it is represented by effect 0, and supports 2 notes after the base note. To make a chord, you simply set the number of semitones after the note you pressed. So, if you want to make a regular major chord, you will put "047" in the effect column after the note. Be aware that the effect continues onto subsequent notes until you set a different effect or no effect. This is standard behavior for most trackers. The result you get is very characteristic to 8-bit music, as the effect is very commonly used. Slide up/down The slide effect slides the pitch of the note up or down at a set speed. The effect is probably more used in a sound effects context, but can also be useful when making music. For example, adding a slide effect at the end of notes can make them sound more lively and interesting. You can also use slide to create a transition effect between notes, though I personally prefer the automatic portamento effect for that. Effect number varies by tracker. In Famitracker and Milkytracker it's 1xx for slide up and 2xx for slide down, where xx is the speed you want the note to slide at. If you stop the effect by setting 00 for speed, the pitch will remain at whatever it was at when the effect is activated. Vibrato To add vibrato to a note (pitch up and down), effect 4 is used in most trackers, including Famitracker and Milkytracker. The first number sets the speed, and the second sets the depth of the vibrato. For example. "425" results in a vibrato with a speed of 2 and a depth of 5. The effect is persistant until it is stopped. To stop the effect, set the speed to 0. Vibrato can be very useful if you want to add more vibrance and variation to an instrument. If used with finesse, some really cool-sounding stuff can be made! Tremolo The tremolo effect is basically "vibrato for volume", meaning that rather than the pitch, it is the volume that is affected, but in the same manner. The effect number in Famitracker and Milkytracker is 7, and the first number sets speed, the second number sets depth. For example. "425" results in tremolo with a speed of 2 and a depth of 5. And the fact it can be a very usedul effect to add more vibrance to your notes also holds true for tremolo. As a last tip: A lot of the beauty of chip music lies in making rich compositions from seemingly scarce resources. Try to get the most out of every channel. And again, if you want inspiration to get you started I encourage you to check out the playlist I embedded at the top. |
TruNews host Rick Wiles (YouTube) A Christian broadcaster who specializes in “end times” predictions claimed that the drought that California is currently suffering through is the result of God withholding rain from the state to punish it for abortion, homosexuality, and witchcraft, according to Right Wing Watch. On his TruNews broadcast, host Rick Wiles called California “the forefront of spiritual rebellion against God,” and said that God had “no choice to cut off the rain.” Wiles noted that the state recently enacted what he called “lame” water conservation measures such as limiting watering of yards, and restaurants only serving water by request. A NASA scientist recently warned that the state only has one year’s worth of water left unless extreme measures are taken. Wiles — who recently said that Ebola would cleanse the world of gays and “the promiscuous” — called California’s water travails a “mega-drought,” and laid the blame at the feet of homosexuals and the “depravity” of the Golden State’s citizens. “Rain will follow repentance,” Wiles said. “The state is in the forefront of spiritual rebellion against God: abortion; homosexuality; pornography; Hollywood’s movies that promote sexual immorality, violence, bloodshed, witchcraft, occult practices; the television industry; the crime and street violence in California cities. All of it has combined to reach a level of depravity that has reached Heaven and God has no other choice but to cut off the rain.” Not all is lost though, as Wiles pointed out that repenting before God might compel him to make it rain. “So let’s see how long Californians will suffer without water before they humble themselves, repent of their sins and call upon God to save them.” Listen to the audio below from Right Wing Watch: |
Larceny, also referred to as theft in many states, is defined as attempted or completed theft of property or cash without personal contact. Larceny is most commonly referred to as non-violent theft of someone else’s personal property. This is the most common type of crime charged in the criminal courts in the U.S. According to the FBI’s 2014 Crime in the United States report, there were 8,277,829 property crimes (including larceny-thefts) in 2014. It was also reported that larceny-theft alone accounted for 70.8 percent of property crimes in the same year. Around 1,238,190 people were arrested in the country for larceny-theft charges. Types of Larceny-Theft Larceny can be classified into two types – Petty (or Petit) Larceny and Grand Larceny. Petty larceny is referred to as the theft of property with a smaller value. To be charged with petty larceny, the maximum value of the stolen object must be less than $400. Grand larceny, also known as ‘felonious’ larceny, is referred to as theft of property that is priced more than $400. As the name suggests, grand larceny is often considered to be a felony. Most common examples of larceny include purse snatching, shoplifting, acquiring lost property, etc. Some states create specific categories for felony theft crimes, such as first degree, second degree, third degree, etc. First degree theft is the most serious crime. Penalties for Larceny in U.S. The penalties for larceny in the U.S. can range from minor to severe, depending upon the value of theft or type of larceny. Many factors come into play while determining the penalties for larceny. These include: Type and value of property stolen History of theft or related crimes Other factors, such as use of weapon during theft, damages caused, etc. Larceny is mostly classified as a misdemeanor, and the offender is required to pay fines and serve jail time (depending upon the type of larceny). Take the example of Kevin Krohn, a former pastor at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Ruidoso, New Mexico who was convicted of second-degree felony larceny of more than $20,000. He was sentenced to nine years, along with seven and a half years of suspension. You can read the full report here. If you have been charged with larceny in New Mexico, you can consider hiring a New Mexico criminal lawyer and get rid of the charges. An experienced criminal lawyer can help you get the charges dismissed, most of the time; however, if the crime is severe, your lawyer can at least lower the sentence or restitution amount. Remember, the statutes of limitation for larceny in the U.S. is five years. In some states, the statutes of limitation begin as soon as the crime is being committed; for some other states, the time period begins only once the crime is discovered. To know what the statute of limitation for your state is, you must consult an experienced criminal lawyer. What to Do If You are Charged With Larceny? When charged with larceny, you might wonder whether it is possible to get the charges dismissed. The simple answer is, yes. A number of defenses can be put forward by the lawyer you hire to represent you at the court. Remember, you can’t be put behind bars or asked for restitution until the prosecution can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you participated in the act of theft, or at least you intended to do it. Some of the most powerful defenses to counter larceny charges are: 1. Belief of Ownership or Right of Use A person who believes that he/she own a piece of property, or who believe that he/she has the right to use it, cannot be charged with larceny. This is because of the fact that a person doesn’t commit a larceny by taking his/her own property. But, proving an ‘honest belief’ of ownership or right to use can be very tough. 2. Entrapment Entrapment happens when an innocent party is framed (or forced) to commit a crime that he/she wouldn’t have committed. This is often the most common defense put forward by criminal lawyers when defending their clients. However, in order to put forward this defense, you must not have a prior history of crime or an inclination to commit the crime. 3. Theft with Consent One of the major criteria of larceny is to take over someone else’s property ‘without consent.’ If the defendant took possession of the property with consent of the owner, it does not amount to a larceny. For example, an owner can tempt someone to fake a theft in order to make an insurance claim. But, you must have enough evidence to prove that the owner provided the consent. These are only a few of the many defenses that can prove your innocence. No matter what kind of larceny charges are brought against you, it is always best to take help from an experienced criminal lawyer. Defending a larceny charge requires you to assess the entire situation and come up with a defense that seems most suitable for your case. If you are not represented by an expert, you might have to pay huge fines or spend a lengthy time in jail. Author Bio: Stanley Foster is associated with the marketing division of New Mexico Criminal Law Offices, based in Albuquerque, NM. He has specialized in developing unique and high-quality content for law practices, which can help the entire community. Further, he is responsible for implementing creative strategy, project management, and online branding to develop the business in public and private sectors. |
More European cheese is set to ship to Canada tariff free this summer, as a hotly anticipated part of the EU trade deal rolls in. Nearly 18,000 tonnes may sound like a lot. It's actually a rare, thin slice of Canada's tightly controlled cheese market. The knives are out among those eager to carve it up for themselves. So Trade Minister François-Philippe Champagne has a tough call to make: who gets to import it and reap the rewards? Proponents of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) stoked expectations among cheese lovers eager for high quality, lower-priced options. The trade department sought advice on how to allocate the new tariff rate quota (TRQ) last year, but has kept mum about what it heard and what it intends to do. Sylvain Charlebois, a researcher in food distribution and dean of Dalhousie University's Rowe School of Business, said consultations were "highly politicized." But if new quota isn't divvied up correctly, he said, "you actually can jeopardize the quality of the products that we already have." 'Difficult to justify politically' Retailers argue they should import all the new cheese because that's what's most efficient. Not so fast, Canada's dairy sector says: we're the ones whose products are threatened, so we should get a cut to offset that risk. Quebec Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard has weighed in, asking Champagne, who represents a rural Quebec riding, to support the domestic industry by allocating import quota to processors. "The government needs to make a decision, and make an announcement quickly in order to prepare," Jacques Lefebvre said. As head of the association representing Canada's dairy processors, he's worried smaller operations will be disadvantaged if it's all done in a rush before CETA is provisionally applied on July 1. Creating a profitable new business line for big retailers "is difficult to justify politically," Lefebvre said. Will demand last? Canadian dairy prices are controlled by limiting how much milk farmers can sell. Imports are strictly regulated: beyond a negotiated quota, the tariffs on incoming dairy products are so high they're priced out of the market. In talks with the EU, Canada agreed to more tariff-free cheese, equivalent to about two per cent of Canada's overall milk production. The government will allocate 16,000 tonnes of new, tariff-free quota annually for fine cheeses and 1,700 tonnes for industrial cheese. Canada's dairy industry fears losses from the new EU trade deal. Dairy processors and farmers argue that being able to profit from the new cheese imports would help them survive and compete down the road. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) CETA also requires Canada to reallocate 800 tonnes currently held by other countries to the EU, on top of the 13,471 tonnes of European cheese that already enter tariff free under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Imports make up about five per cent of Canada's current market. The new EU cheese will bump that to nine per cent (7.5 per cent will be from Europe.) Champagne's department says demand is rising by about one per cent per year, so as the EU imports increase gradually over five years, the Canadian industry will adjust. But this growth in sales — something Canadian cheesemakers argue they drove, with their marketing — goes to Europeans, in return for other things Canada gained in CETA. "Demand is robust but is it going to last? Because we're getting older," Charlebois said. Plus, many immigrants don't see dairy as a major part of their diets. "Demographics will absolutely affect how big the pie will be going forward. And that's going to affect the ability of some of our cheese to survive." 'Not a replacement' CETA intends to shake up the market by requiring at least 30 per cent of the new annual quota to go to "new entrants" who don't currently import cheese: a new entrant could be any retailer, distributor, cheesemaker or producer co-operative that wants to expand product lines. Processors are unlikely to bring in cheeses that compete with what they make — they're more likely to import more unusual cheeses. Profit from their distribution could then bolster existing businesses. Grocers, on the other hand, care about sales margins. While some cheeses sell as loss leaders, the markup on cheese can be as high as 100 per cent, on top of what retailers charge for product placement. Large retailers could sell EU cheese under store brands. Canadian products could be replaced with European cheese, if that's what's profitable. In their pitch to the government, retailers have suggested import quota be allocated based on a store's current market share — or in other words, where domestic cheese is already selling. Domestic cheeses like these will soon have more foreign neighbours, as Canada's trade deal with the European Union is expected to kick in this summer, bringing thousands of tonnes of new imports to grocery shelves across Canada. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press) David Wilkes, senior vice-president of the grocery division of the Retail Council of Canada, says the government has a "unique opportunity" to ensure new cheeses reach consumers efficiently. He said giving quota to processors or distributors could add 20 to 40 per cent to product costs. "We recognize the need to support both domestic and imported products throughout our stores," Wilkes says. "It's not a replacement. It's a growth opportunity for both categories." 'Not necessarily' lower prices Will consumers pay less if retailers import it all? "It's not necessarily a lower price point," Wilkes said, noting that profit margins vary by store. "That will be the decision of the individual retailers." Cheese demand is highly elastic, Charlebois explains — but consumers are used to paying for expensive cheese. "It's a dangerous road" to predict stores will drop prices, he said. Why would they, when sales are up? Early on, consumers may have more choice and there may be price wars. But then some businesses may drop out. Less competition over time would be "a highly undesirable scenario as far as I'm concerned," the professor said. Charlebois suggests splitting quota between retailers, large processors and artisan businesses. "If you don't give quota to those in the [cheese] business, you may penalize those who are actually doing well," Charlebois said. "My concern is that the real innovators in the industry will be forgotten." |
Image copyright Youtube Image caption Natalia Poklonskaya previously served as a prosecutor for the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's office In Japan, people watching events unfolding in Crimea appear to have become captivated by the region's newly-appointed attorney general. Clips of a press conference with Natalia Poklonskaya have been shared widely on Japanese platforms, says website Rocketnews24. She was appointed to the post on 11 March and formerly served as a senior prosecutor for the city of Simferopol. In particular, one video in which Poklonskaya listens to a reporter's question has been viewed nearly 300,000 times since it was posted to a Japanese YouTube channel. There is no translation of her answer. Some people appear to be so taken with the seemingly charming prosecutor, they are turning out manga images and anime fan art inspired by her. Before her appointment as Crimea's attorney general, Poklonskaya worked as a senior lawyer at the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office, in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and Crimea's Simferopol, according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official Russian government newspaper. She has voiced criticism of the opposition protests in Ukraine, and described the change of government in Kiev as an "anti-constitutional coup". The Ukrainian government has launched a criminal case against her and stripped her of the civil service rank of "counsellor of justice". Image copyright Itachi Kanade Image caption One drawing inspired by Poklonskaya Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter. |
The chairmen of President Obama’s fiscal commission are calling for a second look at a robust government-run healthcare program, which Congress shelved last year following acrimonious debate. Former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), the chairmen of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, suggested reviving the public option in the future if healthcare costs continue to soar. They made the suggestion in a 50-page co-chairmen’s proposal released to reporters on Wednesday. It is one of many ideas for controlling the federal deficit that is likely to spark heated debate in Congress in the weeks and months ahead. Many liberal Democrats said they were deeply disappointed with the healthcare bill because it did not include a public option. Republicans, however, panned the idea as a government takeover of the healthcare industry. Growing Medicare and Medicaid costs are projected to contribute significantly to the federal deficit in future years, despite passage of a landmark healthcare reform bill that cut hundreds of billions from Medicare. In their report, Bowles and Simpson urged Congress to set a global target for total federal health expenditures after 2020 and to review costs every two years to keep the growth of healthcare spending in line with the increase of gross domestic product plus 1 percent. If costs exceed targets, the fiscal commission’s draft proposal would require the president to submit to Congress reforms such as the public option to lower spending. The chairmen’s proposal calls for consideration of “a robust public option” among other reforms such as an overhaul of the fee-for-service system; an increase in healthcare premiums; a premium support system for Medicare; and strengthened authority for the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which under current law will be empowered to restrict Medicare payments beginning in 2015. Bowles and Simpson recommended a variety of other short- and medium-term plans for cutting healthcare spending that could be used to pay for freezing scheduled cuts to doctors’ Medicare reimbursements (which doctors consider their highest political priority). Averting cuts to doctors’ Medicare payments would cost about $275 billion over 10 years. To defray that expense in the medium term, the chairmen have suggested asking doctors and other health providers to take responsibility for slowing the growth of healthcare costs. They suggested paying doctors and providers less, improving efficiency and rewarding quality care by accelerating payment reforms. The chairmen also called for “comprehensive tort reform” to “reduce the cost of defensive medicine,” a proposal that is sure to get a negative reaction from Democrats and the trial lawyers who contribute to their party. |
Solyndra be damned. The Obama administration is defiantly reviving a green-technology loan program that became a magnet for GOP political attacks. It’s basically the same program that financed the infamous solar-panel company Solyndra, which fell apart in 2011, taking a half-billion dollars in federal loans along with it. Solyndra was among a number of Obama-backed green-energy or auto companies that either collapsed or struggled badly, turning the program into a punching bag for Republicans and sparking GOP-led congressional probes. But the White House and its allies have long said the program has been a big success in the main despite some flops. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, on the job since mid-2013, has been a staunch defender of federal green-tech loan programs. And now his plan to revive them seems to be picking up speed. On Wednesday Moniz said that the department would probably throw open the door to new applications for renewable-energy project loan guarantees during the second quarter of this year, a somewhat more precise forecast than his previous estimate of “relatively soon.” Also Wednesday, the Energy Department said it’s rebooting the separate Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program in preparation for offering the first new loans in years. That program has previously supported Ford, Nissan, and the electric-vehicle companies Tesla, which repaid its loan ahead of schedule, and Fisker, which fell apart after drawing nearly $200 million in federal loans (DOE recovered $53 million, and the company is now under new ownership). DOE’s loan-programs office, in a letter today to auto equipment makers, announced that projects to manufacture a “broad range” of component technologies are eligible for loans. The ATVM program, which according to the department can provide another $16 billion worth of new loans, also said it has taken steps to make the application process faster and more responsive. “Motor vehicle parts manufacturers play a significant role in the development and deployment of new technologies to meet the demand for fuel-efficient vehicles and we believe the ATVM Loan Program can play an important financing role as the industry establishes the next generation of manufacturing facilities in the United States,” Moniz said in a statement. The loan programs for low-emissions technology projects and green-car manufacturing were first authorized in bipartisan 2005 and 2007 energy laws. But loans for renewable-energy projects, aided by the 2009 stimulus law, didn’t begin until Obama was in office. Nor did the ATVM loans. In 2009-11, the two programs supported automakers and an array of solar and wind-power projects, a few solar-equipment makers (including Solyndra), and other ventures. The department recently finalized a loan guarantee for a nuclear power project in Georgia, and it’s taking applications for petroleum- and coal-related projects that trap carbon emissions. For the next wave of loan guarantees, however, the department won’t have as much money to work with as it did several years ago, when it backed big projects like the massive Ivanpah solar station in California. Peter Davidson, the head the DOE loan program, recently suggested that a focus of the revived program would be initiatives that help integrate renewable power onto the grid, as opposed to big power-generation projects. While political attacks against the loan program have died down, they haven’t gone away entirely, as Republicans continue to argue that the green-tech loan programs have been wasteful, unneeded, and poorly run. Indeed, the House Republicans’ budget plan unveiled this week would block future loans. But the proposal is only a symbolic statement of party principles; the topic is no longer front-and-center for the House GOP, at least for now. And while the program has taken its lumps, Republicans who used two House committees to probe it never uncovered evidence to support their most salacious claims. In particular, a lengthy Energy and Commerce Committee probe completed in August 2012 didn’t back up accusations — echoed often by Republicans and their allies on the 2012 campaign trail — that federal loans to Solyndra and other projects were rewards for political donations. The investigations did unearth revelations and internal documents that were embarrassing and politically damaging for the Obama administration, such as emails showing pressure to finalize the Solyndra deal despite internal concerns. Moniz, however, is seeking to play offense in support of the loan program. He’s happy to make the case that the overall loan portfolio is performing strongly. “We have been taking the position quite consistently — and we’re happy to discuss it any place, any time — that the program as a portfolio has done extremely well,” Moniz told reporters after testifying on Wednesday before the GOP-led House Appropriations Committee in a two-hour-plus hearing that was free of attacks on the program. The $30 billion-plus portfolio’s losses have been about 2.5 percent, according to the Energy Department. Moniz noted that the program has used only a small amount of the “loan loss reserve” that Congress provided. He even saw room for some loan-program humor. “Maybe I’m worried that the arguments will change,” Moniz told reporters. “That we’re not taking enough risk.” |
I’m sure if it said something like “Thou should scoop out an ignorant person’s eyes with a rusty spoon” then we should, no? I mean when I read a letter to the Times Union, from a “Bob Bethel – Guilderland”, I read the words of an ignorant person. Listening to someone like Bob take the Bible so literally is disappointing. Bob says, God tells us so many times in the Bible that homosexuality is a sin: Leviticus 18:22 (homosexual behavior is detestable); 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (homosexual behavior has no place among Christians); and Romans 1:24-32 (God will judge those who practice it.) Guess what else the Bible says? If it is discovered that a bride is not a virgin, the Bible demands that she be executed by stoning immediately. (DEUTERONOMY 22:13-21) If a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir. (MARK 12:18-27) If a married person has sex with someone else’s husband or wife, the Bible commands that both adulterers be stoned to death. (DEUTERONOMY 22:22) While I think, like most people that adultery is wrong, I also think most everyone would agree putting the said adulterers to death would be a bit of an extreme punishment. I could go on and on with examples of passages from the Bible that say things like the ones I listed. The point is anyone can find a passage or line in the Bible to suit their beliefs, or twist it to mean what they want it to mean. For example; Leviticus 18:6 reads: “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female. It is an abomination.” Then later in Leviticus 20:13: “A man who sleeps with another man is an abomination and should be executed.” Those are two of the most cited passages by people that rail against homosexuality. Funny this is they leave out the other ‘abominations’ listed in Leviticus, those being; round haircuts, tattoos, working on the Sabbath, wearing garments of mixed fabrics, eating pork or shellfish, getting your fortune told, and even playing with the skin of a pig. It’s hogwash. I am not the most religious person, but I do have religion and I believe in God and my own commonsense tells me that is completely ridiculous. If you listened to Bob from Guilderland you’d take everything literally from the Bible. Like the sun circles the earth, polygamy is acceptable, as is slavery, sex with slaves, marriage of girls aged 11-13, and that women should be treated as property. I wonder if Bob from Guilderland has ever worn a shirt made of polyester? Sinner! I despise when people quote scripture. Don’t pretend you know how it was like in the times when these passages were written. Some of these scriptures were written 3,000 years ago! Is Bob from Guilderland suggesting we should live as they did then? I mean I can barely handle one wife, I don’t know how 10 would work out for me, but maybe Bob could pull it off. I mean he does condemn homosexuality because of his misunderstanding and misinterpretation of something written thousands of years ago. I do realize that Leviticus is from the Old Testament and most Christians don’t necessarily adhere to it as law, but how can you ignore the section of Leviticus that bans about tattoos, pork, shellfish, round haircuts, polyester and football, but then turn around and quote Leviticus 18:22 (“You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”) as irrefutable law? Shakespeare said it best (from Merchant of Venice): “…even the devil can cite scripture for his purpose.” |
This is a serious question. Being a bigger girl myself, I am happen to be attracted to larger men. I like to be thrown around during sex, slapped in the face and physically dominated. A smaller man doesn’t feel dominating. I can definitely see how the reverse could also be true. What is your take on this? Would it considered “fat hating if a 6’ 165 pound man is only attracted to skinnier women? Mod response: Yes, in the sense that considering a whole class of people unloveable for a single bodily characteristic is a kind of indirect hatred, especially in a culture that discriminates heavily against fat people as potential love/sex/life partners. ‘Only being attracted to thin people’ in this day and age isn’t really comparable to, say, preferring tall people, as the vast majority of people with a preference for tall people won’t treat shorter people like subhumans unworthy of love. There’s a whole different kind of dynamic between thin/fat in our society than exists between more neutral preferences, as a function of pervasive bigotry against fat people. Attraction is very complex. It’s undeniable that societal attitudes play a huge role in who we find attractive. Some people subvert those attitudes in one way or another, but when most five year olds pick the fat kid as the person they least want to hang out with of any group of people, then you know you’ve got a powerful kind of soclalization of attitudes right there. If we lived in a time where fat/thin wasn’t so charged in the love/sex/partnership realm–where on most dating sites things like height and hair color are often expressed as soft preferences and weight, to contrast, a dealbreaker–then this would be an easier question to answer. But we don’t live in that fat/thin neutral society. We live in an era that teaches kids from toddlerhood that fat people are less-than in all ways, but especially in that they’re lower-status love/sex/life partners. It’s rather impossible to untangle all of that from a more neutral 'preference.’ -artetolife |
Here’s Seijun (drunken master and my personal favorite; it has nothing to do with the drunken part, my alcoholism is totally under control. Stop judging me and check out the pics…) A proud warrior who fought in countless battles, Seijun was savagely injured and left for dead when he and his fellow band of warriors were ambushed by a ninja clan. Seijun awoke long after the battle in a field overrun with the corpses of both friends and enemies, clutching the ninja leader’s mask in his hand. Unable to cope with the loss of his fellow warriors and no longer able to trust his skills, Seijun turned to the bottle. He soon found that he was a superior fighter when under the influence, and that he finally remembered the face of the ninja leader. As Seijun began hunting the ninja who had ruined his life, this warrior monk’s drunken style made him an unpredictable and unusual opponent to all who faced him. Thanks again for helping to support and spread the word about our Kickstarter campaign! Like this: Like Loading... |
Lollipop has been rolling out for more and more devices daily, and now Samsung Galaxy Note 3 users on Verizon can join in on the update fun. The update bumps the device up to Android 5.0, bringing quite a few changes along with it. Included in the update is Google's new Material Design along with an improvements to TouchWiz, Smart Lock and many other additions. The update is just starting to roll out to the Galaxy Note 3 on Verizon, so it may be a few days before you receive the update notification. If you want to check manually for the update, open Settings, then go to the 'General' tab, then scroll to 'system update' and tap on 'update now'. If you have already updated to Lollipop, head into our forums and let us know how the update is treating you. Discuss the Lollipop update in the forums Source: Verizon This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details. |
Describing it as “jamming a V8 into a Miata” in his blog post, Adobe’s Dave Helmy/via John Nack set out to see if he could edit full-res 4K RED video footage in the field using a MacBook Air beefed up courtesy of various Thunderbolt solutions. The concept proves with enough RAM and a powerful processor, Thunderbolt could enable smaller Macs to do the work of a Mac Pro. Hard Drives, PCI cards and everything besides the processor and RAM can now be connected via Thunderbolt rather that being built into the box. Apple could modularize for their Pros. Think about starting with a Mac Mini with a XEON Processor and lots of RAM (OK, the cooling stuff might turn it into a cube). As for the performance of the 13-inch MacBook Air,… The best 4K & 5K displays for Mac Windows system settings shows a 1.8 GHz Core i7, and 4GB of RAM, but Dave pushes it to its full potential with a Red Rocket card installed into a Sonnet Thunderbolt-enabled chassis . He also uses an UltraStudio 3D playback peripheral from Blackmagic, which enables high performance capture of HD and 2K video as well as two full res 1080p streams for stereoscopic 3D content. As you can see in the video above, Dave edits in Premiere Pro running on Windows 7 through Bootcamp. You might be surprised to learn that entire demo, he was also recording using a camera fed to the Blackmagic UltraStudio 3D box into a Promise RAID. Dave explained the setup allowed him to work with Thunderbolt inside the Sonnet Chassis for editing (which is also sending data to the Promise RAID), while also recording live through the Blackmagic box, enabling playback and recording simultaneously. Related articles |
Typical neural networks have mullions of parameters and it's quite difficult to visualize the process. In the article, we visualize training of the network that has only 2 parameters. It allows us to explore different training algorithms and see how it behaves during the training Typical neural networks have mullions of parameters and it’s quite difficult to visualize its training process. In the article, we visualize training of the network that has only 2 parameters. It allows us to explore different training algorithms and see how it behaves during the training. So, since the problem is linear separable we can solve it without hidden layers in network. There are two features and two classes, so we can build network which will take 2 input values and will produce 1 output. We need just two weights, so we can visualize them in contour plot. From the figure above we can clearly see that all dots are linearly separable and we are able to solve this problem with simple perceptron. But the goal of this article is to make clear visualization of learning process for different algorithm based on the backpropagation method, so the problem has to be as simple as possible, because in other cases it will be complex to visualize. First of all we need to define simple dataset which contains 6 points with two features. This function will train the network until the error will be smaller than 0.125 . Every network starts at place with coordinates (-4, -4) and finishes near the point with the error value lower than 0.125 . Let’s define start point for our algorithms. I’ve chosen the (-4, -4) point, because at this point network gives bad results and it will be interesting to observe the learning progress from a bad initialization point. In the script you can set up any other starting point you like. Next, we are going to look at 5 algorithms based on the Backpropagation. They are: The plot above shows error rate that depends on the network’s weights. The best result corresponds to the smallest error value. The best weights combination for this problem should be near the bottom right corner in the white area. I won’t add all code related to the plots building in the article. In case if you are interested you can check the main script here . Gradient Descent Let’s primarily check Gradient Descent. Gradient Descent got to the value close to 0.125 using 797 steps and this black curve is just tiny steps of gradient descent algorithm. We can zoom it and look even closer. Now we can see some information about gradient descent algorithm. All steps for gradient descent algorithm have approximately similar magnitude. Their direction doesn’t vary because contours in the zoomed picture are parallel to each other and in it we can see that there are still a lot of steps that are needed to be made to achieve the minimum. Also we can see that small vectors are perpendicular to the contour. The problem is that the step size is a very sensitive parameter for the gradient descent. In typical problem we won’t be able to visualize the learning progress and we won’t have an ability to see that our updates over the epochs are inefficient. For this result I’ve used step size equal to 0.3, but if we increased it to 10 we would reach our goal in 25 steps. I haven’t added any improvements to make a fair comparison to other algorithms in the summary chapter. Momentum Now let’s look at another very popular algorithm - Momentum. Momentum got to the value close to 0.125 by 92 steps, which is more than 8 times less than for the gradient descent. The basic idea behind Momentum algorithm is that it accumulates gradients from the previous epochs. It means that if the gradient has the same direction after each epoch weight update vector magnitude will increase. But if the gradient stars changing its direction weight update vector magnitude will decrease. Check the figure again. Imagine that you’re standing at a skatepark. Than you throw a ball into a half-pipe in a way that makes it roll smoothly on the surface. While it rolls down the gravity force drags it down and it makes the ball roll faster and faster. Let’s get back to the Momentum algorithm and try to find these properties in the plot. When we zoom the plot we can see that the direction for weight update vectors is almost the same and gradient’s direction doesn’t change after every epoch. In the picture above the vector which is the last on the right is bigger than the first one on the same plot on the left. Since it always moves forward it speeds up. Let’s get back to the ball example. What happens when the ball reaches the pit of the half-pipe for the first time? Will it stop? Of course not. Ball gained enough speed for moving. So it will go up. But after that the ball will start to slow down and its amplitude will become smaller and smaller, because of the gravity force, that will continue to push it down to the pit and eventually it will stop to move. Let’s try to find the similar behavior in the same plot. From the figure above it’s clear that weight update magnitude became smaller. Like a ball that slows down and changes its direction towards the minimum. And finally to make it even more intuitive you can check weight update trajectory in 3D plot. It looks much more like the ball and half-pipe in skatepark analogy. RPROP Momentum makes fewer steps to reach the specified minimum point, but we still can do better. Next algorithm that we are going to check is RPROP. This improvement looks impressive. Now we are able to see steps without zooming. We got almost the same value as before using just 20 steps, which is approximately 5 times less than Momentum and approximately 40 times less than Gradient Descent. Now we are going to figure out what are the main features of RPROP. We can notice just by looking at the plot above RPROP has a unique step for each weight. There are just two steps for each weight in the input layer for this network. RPROP will increase the step size if gradient don’t change the sign compare to previous epoch, and it will decrease otherwise. Let’s check a few first weight updates. From the figure above you can see that first 11 updates have the same direction, so both steps increase their value after each iteration. For the first epoch steps are equal to the same value which we set up at network initialization step. In further iterations they increased by the same constant factor, so after six iteration they got bigger, but they are still equal because they move in one direction all the time. Now let’s check the next epochs from the figure below. At the 12th epoch gradient changed the direction, but steps are still the same in value. But we can clearly see that gradient changed the sign for the second weight. RPROP updated the step after weight had updated, so the step for the second weight should be smaller for the 13th epoch. Now let’s look at the 13th epoch. It shows us how gradient sign difference at the 12th epoch updated steps. Now the steps are not equal. From the picture above we can see that update on the second weight (y axis) is smaller than on the first weight (x axis). At the 16th epoch gradient on y axis changed the sign again. Network decreased by constant factor and updated for the second weight at the 17th epoch would be smaller than at the 16th. To train your intuition you can check the other epochs updates and try to figure out how steps depend on the direction. iRPROP+ iRPROP+ is almost the same algorithm as RPROP except a small alteration. As in RPROP algorithm iRPROP+ make exactly the same first 11 steps. Now let’s look at the 12th step in the figure below. Second weight (on the y axis) didn’t change the value. At the same epoch RPROP changed the gradient comparing to the previous epoch and just decreased step value after weight update whereas, iRPROP+ disabled weight update for current epoch (set it up to 0 ). And of course it also decreased the step for the second weight. Also you can find that vector for the 12th epoch that looks smaller than for the RPROP algorithm, because we ignored the second weight update. If we check the x axis update size we will find that it has the same value as in RPROP algorithm. At 13th epoch network again included second weight into the update process, because compared to the previous epoch gradient didn’t change its sign. The nice thing about this algorithm is that it tries to move in a new direction instead of going back and force and trying to redo updates from the previous epochs. |
Timestamps 00:53 - Interview with Joe Zieja 31:32 - Performance Question: What are some ways and some things I can do on my own, without a coach, to improve my performance abilities and skills as a talent? 34:23 - Audio Question: Once I set up a proper home studio and have a good sound, is it necessary to continue to review and update it? If so, how often should I be doing so and what things do I look or listen for? 38:17 - Business Question: I have recently read many disheartening things about some online casting sites. I was hoping to one day join one of these sites but I’m now beginning to think a membership is practically useless. What's your take? Have I heard wrong? All Things Joe Zieja Website: https://joezieja.com/home/ "Mechanical Failure" Book: http://amzn.to/2yB5FX6 "Communication Failure" Book: http://amzn.to/2g5lYDR Additional Links: The 4 Hour Work Week: http://amzn.to/2hZv8m7 Submit a Question for a future episode! Stay up to date with the Voice-Over Roadmap - Join the Mailing List! |
The first concussion lawsuit filed by a former Canadian Football League player should be thrown out of court because such a grievance can only be handled through arbitration, a lawyer for the league's nine teams said Tuesday. Arland Bruce, a former wide receiver who played for five CFL teams and was a three-time all-star, filed a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court in July. The lawsuit alleges Mr. Bruce suffered a concussion during a game in September, 2012, when he was a member of the B.C. Lions. It says Mr. Bruce was allowed to return for a playoff game seven weeks later "despite still suffering from the effects of concussion," and that he suffered multiple concussive hits during the game. Mr. Bruce says he was also allowed to play the following season, for the Montreal Alouettes, despite the fact he was "displaying the ongoing effects of concussion to medical professionals and coaching staff." Story continues below advertisement But Stephen Shamie, the lawyer representing the league's teams and former commissioner Mark Cohon, said Tuesday the lawsuit should be struck because the court does not have the jurisdiction to hear it. Mr. Shamie said CFL players are covered by a collective agreement and it stipulates grievances must go through arbitration. "With respect, this honourable court does not have jurisdiction over this action," Mr. Shamie told Justice Brian Joyce. He said the case "concerns a workplace injury allegedly suffered by a unionized employee in the course of his employment as a professional football player." The hearing on whether to dismiss the case is scheduled to run for three days. Mr. Bruce was not in the courtroom Tuesday. His lawyer is not expected to respond to Mr. Shamie's remarks until Wednesday. The CFL is not directly named as a party in the lawsuit, since it's technically an unincorporated association. However, the nine teams that make up the league are listed as defendants. Other defendants include: Dr. Charles Tator, project director of the Canadian Sports Concussion Project; Krembil Neuroscience Centre, where the concussion project is based; and Leo Ezerins, executive director of the CFL Alumni Association. The lawsuit says the concussion project and the alumni association partnered with the CFL for "the purpose of promoting concussion awareness, prevention, management and research." The allegations in the lawsuit have not been proved. Mr. Bruce says he was not provided a safe workplace and his injuries were "caused or contributed to by the negligence of the B.C. Lions." He says the team misrepresented the long-term effects of concussions to persuade him to return to the field. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement Mr. Bruce says both the Lions and the Alouettes also failed to advise him of advances in helmet technology, including a helmet that uses sensors to measure how many hits a player has taken to the head. The lawsuit says Mr. Bruce suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, depression, anxiety, headaches, insomnia and delusions. He says he is also unable to concentrate. Mr. Shamie told the court Tuesday that since Mr. Bruce's lawsuit was filed in July, 2014, the matter should be dealt with through a collective agreement that was finalized one month earlier. He said the collective agreement has a detailed process for grievances. He said the league's teams have taken a number of steps to reduce concussions in recent years, including introducing a concussion protocol and limiting practice schedules. He said player safety issues can also be dealt with through a rules committee. Mr. Shamie said Mr. Bruce's notice of civil claim should be struck, with costs awarded to the defendants. A U.S. judge in April approved a concussion settlement involving the National Football League. The agreement involved thousands of concussion lawsuits and was expected to cost about $1-billion (U.S.). The NFL had long been accused of hiding the effects of concussions. |
REVISE DEFINITION OF "PISTOL" Senate Bill 760 as introduced Sponsor: Sen. Mike Green Senate Bill 761 with Senate amendment Sponsor: Sen. Mike Kowall Senate Bill 762 as introduced Sponsor: Sen. Dave Robertson House Committee: Judiciary Senate Committee: Judiciary Complete to 5-16-12 A SUMMARY OF SENATE BILLS 760-762 AS PASSED BY THE SENATE 12-13-11 The bills would amend various statutes to redefine "pistol" to mean a loaded or unloaded firearm that is 26 inches or less in length (reduced from 30 inches). Senate Bill 761 would also grandfather current owners of a pistol 30 inches or less who wish to carry that firearm as a pistol. Senate Bill 762 would also revise the definition of "approved signaling device." Senate Bills 760-762 are tie-barred to each other, meaning that none can take effect unless all are enacted. The bills would take effect January 1, 2012. Currently, "pistol" is defined in multiple acts as a loaded or unloaded firearm that is 30 inches or less in length, or a loaded or unloaded firearm that by its construction and appearance conceals itself as a firearm. The bills would reduce the length requirement to 26 inches or less . This would mean that firearms between 26 and 30 inches that are now subject to the licensing requirements and regulations regarding pistols would instead be regulated as firearms similarly to rifles, shotguns, and other long guns. Senate Bill 760 would amend the Michigan Penal Code (MCL 750.222 and 750.223). Senate Bill 761 would amend the handgun licensure law, Public Act 372 of 1927 (MCL 28.421). In addition, the bill would allow a person who lawfully owned, possessed, carried, or transported a firearm 30 inches or less in length as a pistol before January 1, 2012, under a license issued under Section 2 (purchase license) or Section 5b (concealed pistol license) ─ or an exemption under either of those sections ─ to continue to own, possess, carry, or transport it as a pistol after that date. Further, such a person could continue to own and carry this type of firearm as a pistol under a subsequent license renewal. Senate Bill 762 would amend the Revised Judicature Act (MCL 600.2951). In addition, the bill would revise the federal law references contained in the definition of the term "approved signaling device" (a pistol approved by the Coast Guard for use as a signaling device under specified federal regulations). Further, the bill would revise the wording of a subsection concerning strict liability for an injury or property damage caused by an approved signaling device if the person using the device did not have a reasonable belief that its use was necessary for the safety of persons on water or in an aircraft emergency situation. The words "emergency situation" would be removed. FISCAL IMPACT: The bills would have an indeterminate, but likely negligible, fiscal impact on state and local government. To the extent that bills' revisions led to a reduction in the number of misdemeanor and felony convictions related to the sale of pistols, the state and local units of government could experience a reduction in correctional costs. Any foregone penal fine revenue would affect public libraries, which are the beneficiaries of that revenue. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The following is a partial list of provisions in Michigan statutes that appear to distinguish between pistols and other types of firearms and thus could be affected by the proposed change to the pistol definition: · A license is generally required to purchase, possess, carry, or transport a pistol (either a purchase license under MCL 28.422(1) or a concealed pistol license under MCL 28.422(2). A license is not needed to purchase a long gun. · The minimum age for purchasing a pistol from a federal firearms licensee (FFL) dealer is 21 under MCL 28.422(3)(b), but is only 18 for purchasing a pistol from an unlicensed seller or for purchasing a long gun from either an FFL dealer or an unlicensed seller. · A concealed pistol licensee must fill out a sales record after acquiring a new pistol, but not after acquiring a new long gun (MCL 28.422a(2). · Certain chemical analysis provisions only pertain to persons carrying a concealed pistol under a CPL (MCL 28.425k). · Only a concealed pistol may be carried by a concealed pistol licensee in the places listed in MCL 28.425o. · Only a legal resident of Michigan, as defined in Michigan law, may purchase a pistol in Michigan with a purchase license (MCL 28.422(3)(c). In contrast, a Michigan resident may purchase a rifle or shotgun in a contiguous state, and a resident of a contiguous state may purchase a rifle or shotgun in Michigan under Public Act 207 of 1969 (MCL 3.111-3.112). · It is a misdemeanor to knowingly sell a firearm more than 30 inches long (i.e., a long gun) to a person under the age of 18 under Section 223(2) of the Michigan Penal Code (MCL 750.223(2). (As described above, Senate Bill 760 would change 30 inches to 26 inches in this provision.) · Concealed pistol licensees must carry their CPL and driver license or Michigan identification card with them whenever they carry a concealed pistol and must disclose the existence of a concealed pistol on their person or in their vehicle when stopped by a peace officer. (MCL 324.425f) · A concealed pistol licensee may carry a concealed pistol in an area frequented by game without a hunting license. (MCL 324.43510(2)) · A pistol may not be sold by a pawnbroker, second-hand dealer, or junk dealer (as defined in Public Act 350 of 1917, MCL 445.401 et seq.) under MCL 750.229. · Under Section 227d of the Michigan Penal Code, MCL 750.227d, it is a misdemeanor to transport or possess a firearm (other than a pistol) in a motor vehicle or other vehicle designed for land travel, unless it is unloaded and is one or more of the following: (1) taken down, (2) enclosed in a case, (3) carried in the vehicle's trunk, or (4) inaccessible from the interior of the vehicle. · A prosecution for carrying a concealed pistol in violation of MCL 750.227 does not require proof that the person was carrying a concealed pistol with "unlawful intent," whereas a prosecution for carrying a firearm with "unlawful intent" under MCL 750.226 does requires proof of unlawful intent, and is therefore a more difficult case for prosecutors. [ See People v. Smith , 393 Mich. 432 (1975).] · The definition of armor-piercing ammunition in MCL 750.224c refers to certain types of ammunition that may be used in a pistol. Legislative Analyst: Susan Stutzky Fiscal Analyst: Bob Schneider ■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. |
As previously mentioned, it was a rare stroke of luck that I was standing behind the commander of 128 Brigade as he gave the final order to withdraw from Debaltseve to Artemivsk. This was Colonel Serhiy Sheptala, and he was later honored with the highest title of “Hero of Ukraine” for planning and organizing our withdrawal. Colonel Sheptala issued his order in front of many officers, gathered under enemy mortar fire at the entrance of the HQ shelter, and it seemed to me – a reservist and civil person – that the colonel’s manner was pretty rude! But then I realized he’d struck exactly the right tone: his “army style” of speaking was designed to shake us up and prepare us for battle and further orders. The colonel told everyone to board trucks and APCs – even tanks (if there was no room inside the vehicles) – and be ready to start our journey at 3am. And so we jumped to it. I found the last empty space inside our battalion’s KAMAZ truck (next to the door). Moments later, a large and heavily armed convoy of some 100 vehicles, with over 1,000 personnel, snaked out of the base and headed … back to Debaltseve! In fact we were making for Novohrygorivka village – on the northern outskirts of Debaltseve – in order to form a powerful “fist” with other Ukrainian troops and break through enemy-controlled fields to Artemivsk. Those last few hours of darkness (18 February) at 128 Brigade’s overcrowded base were full of chaotic events. Some officers – in their attempt to save more military stuff – overloaded several trucks: later, when their engines “gave up the ghost”, we lost them, along with items of personal stuff, somewhere in the snowy fields. Indeed, we did not appreciate just how scary and dangerous this journey would be – menaced by enemy ambushes, tanks, snipers and shelling – or that it would take four hours to cover a mere 15 kilometers. In fact any vehicle that broke down would almost certainly mean the capture or death of those inside. Fortunately, the truck I was in did not break down, and it saved our lives. The powerful four-wheel drive KAMAZ, with big wheels, was the best option for snowy fields, and I intuitively felt I must survive. But even this truck got stuck twice in deep snow, requiring us to switch off the engine. Each time – thanks to 128 Brigade’s tanks and APCs – we were pulled out and continued pushing ahead. And when our truck came under enemy fire (which happened several times), the tanks and APCs protected us and effectively silenced the Russian-backed Separatists. Other vehicles in the convoy – like buses or sedans, which were not suitable for rough terrain – soon got into trouble, and the soldiers had to find alternative transport … if they were lucky enough. On two occasions – at the end of our trip, near the settlement of Mironivsky – our truck came under shelling by Russian “Grads” (MLRSs BM-21). As soon as we heard the rockets exploding behind us, our driver would immediately stop the truck, so the next salvo would fly harmlessly over our heads. Not everyone in our convoy was lucky. According to official figures, nineteen Ukrainian servicemen in the convoy were killed and 135 were wounded. A dozen of our battalion’s servicemen were wounded, and ninety-four were captured by Russian “kazacks” (but released four days later). We at 40 Battalion lost one sergeant, Hennadiy Medvedev, killed during the withdrawal. Our communication sergeant, Denis Kozachenko, is still listed as missing – until DNA tests can confirm his death. As we later discovered, Denis may have jumped out of a trapped truck and dashed into a field to hide – only to be hit by a random mortar shell. Being wounded, he probably got into greater trouble: it was almost impossible to reach safety alone, on foot, and in freezing conditions of minus 15 Celcius. Overall, 40 Battalion losses during the two-month Debaltseve campaign totalled twenty confirmed dead, and over forty wounded. (Edited by Christopher Summerville) 48.333333 38.400000 |
WORK IN PROGRESS: In this thread I will compile updated info about Waterson as it developes, as well as the known connections between Waterson and the Zodiac/Donna Lass cases."Waterson" (not his real name) was questioned by police following an abduction of a Tahoe woman in the 1960s, just a short distance from where still-missing nurse Donna Lass was last seen. The daughter of the victim contacted me after viewing "The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer" on television, a show that featured the Lass case. Both the abduction victim and Waterson are still alive. The abductor hid in the back seat of the victim's car following her shift at a local Safeway store; she believes he accessed her car during a stop she made on the way home at a drug store near the Sahara Tahoe. The victim escaped unharmed in a secluded area miles away.Waterson resided at Travis Air Force Base in nearby Fairfield in the years prior to the Zodiac crimes. Additionally, his future wife attended high school and college in Vallejo.Waterson's wife filed for divorce in January 1964 due to mental cruelty. The divorce filing was published in the local newspaper on Jan. 29, 1964. Exactly 10 years later, Zodiac mailed the Exorcist letter.After reconciling for several years, divorce proceedings occurred in Napa County in 1969. Following the divorce, Waterson visited Lake Berryessa with his children and seemed to exhibit a familiarity with the area.As a commercial pilot, Waterson frequently flew to and from San Francisco International Airport. Zodiac victim Paul Stine delivered a passenger to that airport immediately before encountering the Zodiac.In 1971, Waterson was living in Los Angeles when Zodiac mailed a letter to the Los Angeles Times newspaper.More to come very soon... |
Rally against the CCBR's anti-abortion caravan at the Vancouver Art Gallery [Flickr Creative Commons] A new poll released Tuesday found that of 2,000 self-identified Donald Trump supporters, 39 percent think women seeking abortions should be punished, an idea previously floated by the president-elect himself. As Slate reports, the poll—conducted by the communications consulting firm The Glover Park Group—surveyed Trump voters through an online survey that ran from Dec. 11-13, specifically focusing on government regulations. The poll shows a hardline position shared by many Trump supporters on one of the most divisive issues in the United States. Among those who backed the president-elect, 42 percent said abortion should be illegal with few exceptions, while a full 18 percent said abortion should be illegal without exception. Incredibly, less than half of responders thought women seeking abortions should receive no punishment while 39 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” agreed that that “a woman seeking an abortion should be subject to some form of punishment.” In an interview with Chis Matthews in March, Trump agreed with 39 percent of his supporters, insisting “there has to be some form of punishment” for the women, adding the type of punishment would “have to be determined.” The president-elect famously walked back his suggestion, insisting the punishment would be reserved for the people providing abortions, later explaining away his reversal by telling the New York Times he “didn’t mean punishment for women like prison” when he suggested women should be punished. “I’m saying women punish themselves,” Trump argued. “I didn’t want people to think in terms of ‘prison’ punishment. And because of that I walked it back.” Trump has similarly promised to nominate pro-life judges in the vision of former Justice Antonin Scalia, telling CBS ’60 Minutes in November that if his judges work to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion will “go back to the states.” Trump added women in states where abortion is restricted or made illegal would “perhaps have to go to another state.” A number of states already restrict abortions; most recently, lawmakers in Ohio attempted to pass the nation’s strictest abortion legislation, banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat, which is typically around six weeks gestation. Former Trump rival Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoed the bill, but he passed a law preventing them after 20 weeks. |
Three former neo-Nazi paratroopers were the first suspects in the Toulouse and Montauban killings. And the Utøya massacre last July was originally attributed to Islamic terrorism. The opposing ends of intolerance and multi-culturalism are often the opposite sides of the same coin. In the end, a Muslim fundamentalist has emerged from the hell of Toulouse. It is not a neo-Nazi paratrooper incubating in the obscure entrails of French history, but a soldier of that daily intifada simmering in French suburbs. A muffled guerrilla war is growing from Toulouse to Paris, in those "lost territories of the Republic," as they are called in a widely-circulated pamphlet that documents and exposes the ordinary anti-Semitism that reigns in suburban schools. It is this obscure evil, particularly tenacious in France, that links the possibilities explored by the investigators and public opinion during these blood-stained days of murderous folly. The result is three young soldiers (of North African descent) killed in cold-blood, another seriously wounded and four other people (three children and a man) hunted down and slaughtered like animals in a Jewish middle school in Toulouse (known as the Pink City) which houses the tomb of Saint Thomas, the most reasonable of Christian philosophers. The dregs of society It was first thought that the killer might be one of the three paratroopers disciplined, because of their neo-Nazi sympathies, by Montauban's 17th Paratrooper Regiment. A picture of the three men, posing with arms raised in the Nazi salute, draped in a flag bedecked with a swastika, was published in the press. The three young fanatics are white and French. Their profiles fit the type for the assassin. That of someone taking vengeance on the brothers in arms who turned him in, but who also kills three soldiers of North African origin before attacking Jews in a school. This is the prototype of a Le Pen [far-right] activist, which doesn't mean that all those voting for Jean-Marie Le Pen before or for his daughter Marine today [Marine Le Pen is running for the French presidency] are all budding assassins. Reality has designated another guilty party, this Mohamed Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian descent (a second-generation immigrant, as a widely-used French oxymoron would have it), who, at 1am on Wednesday, called the switchboard of television station France 24 to unveil the reasons for this atrocity. He talked to the editor in charge – Ebba Kalondo, a woman of African origin (we are in a multi-cultural society) with a soft, calm voice. Mohamed Merah told her that he is affiliated to Al-Qaeda and claims to want to "avenge our little brothers and sisters in Palestine," to denounce France's law against wearing the burqa, as well as the French army's participation in the Afghan war. How is it possible that two such different and even opposed outcomes were envisaged to explain these two massacres? The answer is that they are both plausible. The Islamist terrorist and the neo-Nazi paratrooper belong to the dregs of society, two opposite nightmares which live side by side without negating each other, but which, on the contrary, re-enforce one another. A stronger and less accessible France The blown-fuse reaction observed in Toulouse already happened last July in Oslo during the massacre perpetrated by Anders Behring Breivik which left eight dead in a bomb blast and 69 killed by gunshot in a campground full of youthful Social-Democrats. The police first suspected the act was undertaken by Islamic terrorists against young westerners. In fact, the guilty party was a 30-something, blond-haired Norwegian who calls himself a pro-Israeli, fundamentalist Christian, and who is hostile to multi-culturalism, Marxism and Islam. He wanted to strike at the young socialists, whom he holds responsible for massive Muslim immigration. The two nightmares are different, yet complementary and compatible to the point that politics, in a particularly harsh presidential campaign, was suspended for a few hours, out of respect for the victims, of course, in accordance with that French 'savoir-vivre' that is taught in schools. But also to have time to understand and to not do anything out of line. The tone is firm [President Nicolas] Sarkozy has made immigration and foreigners in general his battle-cry in an effort to counter Marine Le Pen, so much so that the [conservative] Wall Street Journal has dubbed him “Nicolas Le Pen”. The president has promised the French a stronger and less accessible France. He's even raised the issue of opting out of the Schengen Treaty which ensures the free movement of populations within the countries of the European Union. An idea which does not sit well with [German Chancellor] Angela Merkel, who no longer seems keen to participate in 'Sarko's' election rallies, as she had promised. This is the climate currently reigning in this France in which Mohamed Merah, a solitary Al-Qaeda sleeper cell for years in the Mirail district of Toulouse, decided to take action. It could have been a neo-Nazi paratrooper; instead it is bin Laden's ghost. And that is not at all reassuring. |
Reports out of South Korea suggest that if there is an Apple car — which Elon Musk calls the “worst kept secret in the world” — it may feature a revolutionary new battery cell that is hollow in the middle. Because lithium-ion batteries tend to heat up from the center outward, especially during times of high current draw, the hollow center would permit cooling air to access the hottest part of a cell. The breakthrough may also allow a car using the new design to reduce the size of its liquid cooling system or possibly eliminate it altogether, saving costs and weight. According to ETNews, the company Apple is working with has fewer than 20 employees at the present time. But it cannot disclose its name because it has signed a nondisclosure agreement with Apple. Rumors within the battery industry in South Korea suggest that Apple has been pursuing innovative battery technology for its electric car project — technology that no other car company will have access to. It will need any competitive edge it can get to compete successfully against the likes of Tesla and the world’s major car companies. The unidentified South Korean battery company is said to have secured international patent protection on its new hollow-core batteries. According to sources, the space in the middle of the battery makes it easy to design parallel connections and to expand battery capacity in the future. Apple has recently brought senior executive Bob Mansfield out of retirement to spearhead the electric car program. San Francisco–based real estate developer Hudson Pacific Properties tells Autoblog that the company is currently searching for about 800,000 square feet of manufacturing space in the area. It is assumed that space would be utilized by the Project Titan electric car program. For the moment, industry observers think any Apple car won’t appear before 2020 at the earliest — assuming it ever actually appears. Apple is famously tight lipped about its future products at the best of times and that talent for the taciturn seems to have increased exponentially when it comes to any talk of an Apple car. Source: ET News & AutoBlog | Photo Credit: Silvery/Creative Commons |
Join us at FC Dallas Stadium on Saturday, March 2 for the 2013 season opener between FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids presented by AdvoCare. Gates open at 6 p.m. for the return of Lamar’s Tailgate on the north concourse. The first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive an exclusive 2013 FC Dallas poster. The Budweiser Build A Bar will be on the north concourse, offering fans the chance to grab a drink while watching sports on numerous HDTV's. A DJ will be spinning live for fans before the match, as well. Fans can also visit the Team Shop for their first chance to buy updated jerseys featuring FC Dallas jersey sponsor AdvoCare. Star of TNT’s Dallas, Jesse Metcalfe who plays Christopher Ewing on the show, will be the honorary scarfer of the Lamar Hunt statue at 7 p.m. The match kicks at 7:30 p.m. and marks the return of Kenny Cooper in an FC Dallas jersey. Other new signees include Peru goalkeeper Raul Fernandez, Eric Hassli, Stephen Keel and Michel. Returning fan favorites will also be on the pitch, like captain David Ferreira, George John and Zach Loyd. Don’t leave at the final whistle - after the match is a free fireworks show to celebrate the return of soccer. DJ Sober will also perform a live set after the match. Don’t have tickets? Click here and don’t miss out. |
ROULEAU, SASK.—There’s a steady stream of eager visitors marching into the post office here to get a Canada Post cancellation stamp on a postcard or envelope. The stamp says Rouleau because it goes on all the actual mail as well, but the real draw is that it also says Corner Gas and Dog River. The post office is one of 14 stops on a new self-guided Dog River Walking Tour of the quiet town where Corner Gas, the Canadian TV series about small-town life in the Prairies, was filmed. Saskatchewan comedian Brent Butt’s sitcom lasted six seasons and 107 episodes on CTV, spawned Corner Gas: The Movie, and is slated to return to the small screen in 2018 as an animated show on the Comedy Network. Corner Gas cutouts are a popular tourist spot in Rouleau. ( Jennfier Bain / Toronto Star ) Dog River is the fictional town featured in the smash hit Canadian television franchise Corner Gas, which includes the upcoming series Corner Gas Animated launching on the Comedy Network in 2018, about small-town life in the Prairies. ( Supplied photo ) “When people are driving across Canada, they make a point to stop here,” Canada Post’s Linda Rumford explains. “You’re the fifth or sixth person today, and I’ve had 15 people in the last two days.” Sure enough, a family driving a Travelaire with British Columbia plates pulls up as we leave. Although the Corner Gas tour is strictly DIY, councillor Phyllis Sali shows me around the town of 500 that is pronounced the Anglo way (“Row-low) and not the Francophone way (“Roux-low”), like I expected. Article Continued Below We meet at the site of the original set that was demolished last year, since it wasn’t built to last. A trio of signs shows a map of the town, marking this as the original site of the gas station and Ruby Diner and hypes the upcoming animated series. Rouleau councillor Phyllis Sali shows off the new self-guided Dog River/Corner Gas walking tour map of town. ( Jennifer Bain ) Across Hwy. 39, we can see a grain elevator that’s painted with the show’s fictional name “Dog River.” Like a few of the tour stops, it’s private property and can only be viewed from a respectful distance. Other stops are on town property, and there’s a second map just outside the Rouleau Community Complex (“Town Hall”), so people arriving at all hours can access it. If you do visit weekdays during office hours, the town hall has a couple of those big wall maps where people stick in pins to show where they’re from. On the world map, “there’s Australia, Madagascar and Zimbabwe, and that’s kinda interesting,” Sali says. The Canadian map has pins from as far north as Iqaluit, Cornwallis Island and Belcher Islands in Nunavut. At the north end of Rouleau, a grain elevator still says Dog River. ( Jennifer Bain ) The office hands out postcard-sized tour maps, which are perfect for the post office pit stop.w Outside on Main St., it seems fitting that there are a couple of dogs barking like mad and providing the soundtrack for “Dog River.” There’s no Corner Gas paraphernalia for sale anywhere in town, but there is a liquor/insurance store that triples as a convenience store. As we wander the quiet town, Sali tells me that people in this farming community don’t mind fans dropping by for a look, but don’t want intrusions or trespassers, either. The show’s producers pitched the self-guided but interactive tour, the town agreed, and the July launch attracted Corner Gas executive producer Virginia Thompson, actor Cavan Cunningham (Mayor “Fitzy” Fitzgerald), the Rouleau mayor and Saskatchewan’s Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport. Rouleau councillor Phyllis Sali takes me on the self-guided Dog River/Corner Gas walking tour and we pop into the post office. ( Jennifer Bain ) “There are people in Saskatchewan who didn’t know where Rouleau, Sask., was,” Sali says. “Now, we’re on the international map.” Article Continued Below To do the tour, I download the Simple QR app and scan the QR codes at the bronze plaque at each stop. You get photos, videos and factoids and are asked to share your photos and comment using #DogRiverTour. We wrap up on Main St., posing for photos in the Corner Gas character cut-outs. Sali, a proud grandmother, sticks her head through the face of the show’s matriarch, Emma. I duck into the Dog River Hotel (a.k.a. the Rouleau Hotel) for lunch. There’s no Chinese on Tuesdays, so I go Canadian with chicken wings and watch another parade of Corner Gas fans come in to reminisce and quietly ply the waitress with questions. Corner Gas fans on a pilgrimmage to Rouleau (Dog River) can eat at the "Dog River Hotel." ( Jennifer Bain ) jbain@thestar.ca When you go: Get there: Rouleau is 53 kilometres southeast of Moose Jaw, or 50 km southwest of Regina. Stay/Eat: I stayed at Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa in downtown Moose Jaw. The hotel’s restaurant, Harwood’s, makes and excellent burger and Saskatoon berry crisp. While in Moose Jaw: I took both Tunnels of Moose Jaw theatrical tours (tunnelsofmoosejaw.com). Passage to Fortune tells the story of early Chinese immigrants and the discrimination they faced while working in appalling conditions. The Chicago Connection explores Moose Jaw’s connection to Al Capone and supplying bootleg booze to the United States during Prohibition. Across the street, check out Common Café + Bakery and Prairie Bee Meadery. Make time for Mac the Moose, a giant roadside attraction just off the Trans-Canada Highway at the Tourism Moose Jaw visitor centre. Do your research: tourismsaskatchewan.com. |
Scooter, the llama who broke out of his yard and went on the lam before police tased his ass. And to answer the question in your head, yes, this happened in FLORIDA! Doesn’t it always? On Friday night, 7-year-old Scooter decided he had it with that life and so he busted out of his penned-in yard in Tallahassee, FL. Scooter’s owner called the police on Saturday and reported him missing. The police went searching for Scooter and eventually found him causing a scene in the middle of the road. One resident reported to authorities that a camel was on the loose and another resident told cops they saw an alpaca walking and a different resident thought it was a horny Trace Cyrus looking for a piece to hump. The residents didn’t know what Scooter was, they just knew he was up to no good. The AP reports that when the cops tried to bring Scooter in, he spit in their faces and trampled over their asses. Bitch is harder than Justin Bieber and Reese Witherspoon combined. The cops were finally able to get a lasso around Scooter’s neck, but it still took six officers and a taser gun to completely subdue him and get him into the trailer. Scooter is a little fried, but other than that, he’s okay and is back at home. Scooter’s owner didn’t get in trouble with the cops, but he did promise to get a stronger fence. Stronger fence? That shit isn’t going to hold Scooter down. Scooter will be back out there doing hood rat stuff hood llama stuff again. Just look at this bad Florida bitch take on the cops. I don’t know if he’s screaming “Don’t tase me, bro!” or “I’M AN AMERICAN CITZEN!” (For Margot) |
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following months of overwhelming critical and audience acclaim and numerous year-end awards, Warner Bros. Pictures is bringing Alfonso Cuarón’s cinematic achievement “Gravity” back to big screens nationwide. The film, which stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, will be re-released on more than 900 screens on January 17, 2014, it was announced today by Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. Originally released on October 4, 2013, “Gravity” instantly became a favorite of both critics and audiences. It has since become one of the most honored films of the year, most recently bringing a Golden Globe Award for Best Director to Alfonso Cuarón. The film has also received 11 BAFTA Award nominations and 10 Critics’ Choice Award nominations, both including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress (Bullock)*. It has also won Best Picture awards from several prestigious critics organizations, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and has been included on 395 critics’ and critics groups’ top ten lists, as well as being named one of the AFI’s ten best films of the year. It was also announced as the year’s best reviewed film by the website Rotten Tomatoes. In addition, the talents behind the film have been recognized by their peers, with a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for Cuarón; a Producers Guild of America Award nomination for David Heyman and Cuarón; a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Bullock; a American Society of Cinematographers Award nomination for Emmanuel Lubezki; an Art Directors Guild Award nomination for Andy Nicholson; and an American Cinema Editors’ Eddie Award nomination for Cuarón and Mark Sanger*. “Gravity” has also been a smash hit at the box office, earning more than $670 million worldwide and counting, with most moviegoers opting to view it in 3D. In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “We are thrilled by the many accolades for ‘Gravity,’ which have generated renewed word-of-mouth and interest in seeing the film, whether for the first time or to experience it again. We wanted to give audiences everywhere another opportunity to see it the way it was meant to be seen—on the big screen.” Academy Award® winners Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) and George Clooney (“Syriana”) star in “Gravity,” a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. The film was directed by Oscar® nominee Alfonso Cuarón (“Children of Men”). Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) in command. But on a seemingly routine mission, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone—tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space. “Gravity” was written by Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, and produced by Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman (the “Harry Potter” films). Chris deFaria, Nikki Penny and Stephen Jones served as executive producers. The behind-the-scenes team included multiple Oscar®-nominated director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki (“Children of Men,” “The New World”); production designer Andy Nicholson (art director “Alice in Wonderland”); editors Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger (VFX editor “Children of Men”); and costume designer Jany Temime (the “Harry Potter” films). The visual effects were handled by Oscar®-nominated visual effects supervisor Tim Webber (“The Dark Knight”). The music was composed by Steven Price (“Attack the Block”). Warner Bros. Pictures Presents an Esperanto Filmoj/Heyday Films Production, an Alfonso Cuarón Film, “Gravity.” Released in 3D and 2D and IMAX®, the film is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company. This film has been rated PG-13 for intense perilous sequences, some disturbing images and brief strong language. gravitymovie.com *Award winners not yet announced. |
Until its self-described two-hour epilogue, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s adaptation of Alfred Döblin’s 1929 novel Berlin Alexanderplatz is an engrossing psychological portrait of Franz Biberkopf (Günter Lamprecht), a Weimar-era worker bee whose slow corrosion of self both parallels and paves the way for the impending rise of Nazism. He’s a vividly realized allegorical golem, at moments passive and acquiescent, at others viciously in control. Emerging from a four-year prison stint at the start of Fassbinder’s 15-hour-plus epic, he plugs his ears and contorts his mouth in silent scream (the on-screen title reads: “The Torment Begins”), though he’s no mere victim of the pogrom’s progress slowly infecting the German id. In retrospect, Biberkopf is more of an accumulative symbol, as he wears his ideologies—Nazi newspaper seller, drunk, underground criminal, pimp—like the latest fashions, discarding them when they violently fester or cease to be useful. The residue of his experiences—multifaceted, oft-contradictory—nonetheless remains, so the impression in the moment is one of revelation: With each narrative step forward, Biberkopf seemingly gains in clarity (the length of the work is a benefit, allowing for a novelistic density and, at times, a mesmeric depth of character), though Fassbinder is, in fact, merely setting up his metaphor-slathered patsy for an empty-headed last-act kill. To his credit, Fassbinder’s highly problematic directorial intentions don’t emerge from the literal nowhere. The bibilical story of Abraham and Isaac is crucially invoked, played in voiceover counterpoint to a scene of a younger Biberkopf strangling his lover Ida (Barbara Valentin). This is the only glimpse we get of Biberkopf’s past—the only extra-narrative detail—and Fassbinder returns to it again and again over the course of Berlin Alexanderplatz, the same matter-of-fact shot-sequence replayed, each time with a different aural accompaniment, so that it burns irremovably into the psyche. This is the wellspring, the moment in time that births the character of Biberkopf and sends him flailing forth on a sacrificial ascension up the Teutonic mount. Yet it is finally lazy psychology, in toto suggesting that all of Biberkopf’s travails—and, implicitly, Germany’s—can be traced back to a singular point. I don’t think Fassbinder entirely believes in this bill of goods he’s selling us, but he seems incapable of resolving the complex undercurrents of Berlin Alexanderplatz, preferring to indulge his (not incorrect) instincts toward self-destruction. In conception, the film’s two-hour epilogue is ingenious, a descent into absolute hysteria and madness wherein Biberkopf wanders through a politically and spiritually charged psychosexual dreamscape, complete with anachronistic musical cues from the likes of Janis Joplin, Lou Reed, and Kraftwerk. Yet the experience of watching this intentionally incongruous coda is excruciating, and to no defensible effect beyond a shrug of the shoulders and an acknowledgement that literalizing the metaphysical isn’t Fassbinder’s forte. This is the sequence that helped me to understand Phillip Lopate’s otherwise erroneous dismissal of the film (“flat and indifferently realized, a TV mini-series directed by the yard”) in the closing paragraphs of his essay “A Date With Fassbinder and Despair.” I would personally urge Lopate to go back and re-view certain parts of Berlin Alexanderplatz, some of which rank with the finest work in cinema, though in light of where it all finally goes—a haphazard succession of sub-Anger sexual imagery, half-hearted slaughterhouse/Christ motifs, and the kind of head-slappingly pretentious apocalyptic imagery brilliantly skewered by The Critic—I’d understand his hesitation to do so. Berlin Alexanderplatz’s best scenes revolve around more interpersonal matters, specifically in Biberkopf’s relationship with the treacherous Reinhold (Gottfried John), the man who indoctrinates him into the criminal underworld and who eventually kills Biberkopf’s prostitute lover, Mieze (Barbara Sukowa). When the duo first meets in the fifth episode, they agree to share several revolving-door lovers—when Reinhold tires of his latest conquest, he passes her onto Biberkopf. It’s a brilliantly sustained roundelay on Fassbinder’s part, aided and abetted by an incessant Windham-Hill-from-Hell underscore and by the metronomic rhythms of an endlessly flashing neon sign. In ultimate effect, it is second only to the film’s best scene—captured in a distanced, yet empathetic single take—in which Reinhold murders Mieze. Fassbinder recognizes this as Berlin Alexanderplatz’s high point: Reinhold and Mieze moving as if on a woodland proscenium, helplessly trying to avoid a violent, practically preordained confrontation. When it comes, it’s awkward, messy, yet possessed of a cosmic significance, an act at once unintentional and inevitable. Even the mist in the fog-shrouded forest descends as if on heavenly cue. It’s telling that Biberkopf is nowhere to be found (he spends the majority of the episode off screen) and even more revealing that Fassbinder appends the tail-end of this sequence to the final moments of his ill-advised epilogue, as if trying—desperately, regretfully, impossibly—to recapture and reclaim a long-lost moment of clarity. Image/Sound Criterion’s 2007 DVD notoriously featured a slowed-down frame rate to account for displaying the PAL-formatted original broadcast into the American NTSC system. The Blu-ray makes up for this by using the correct PAL frame rate, marking an immediate upgrade from the prior release. In all other respects, though, the Blu-ray, sourced from the same 2006 restoration as the DVD, offers merely an HD upgrade of the older discs. That said, the image still looks great, with the tactile 16mm cinematography offering strong contrast only occasionally marred by compression artifacts. The jaundiced amber color timing and rich use of shadow looks far superior in high-def than on the DVDs, and the lossless audio is slightly crisper than before. Extras The extras here, including two documentaries, one an overview of the series with interviews with cast and crew and the other a documentary on the 2006 restoration, have been carried over from Criterion’s earlier release. A 1980 documentary on the making of the miniseries captures Rainer Werner Fassbinder in action, impressively commandeering this epic film’s making. Peter Jelavich, a film professor and author of a monograph on the miniseries, contributes an illuminating interview on the miniseries, from its source novel to Fassbinder’s additions and interpretations. Most interesting is the inclusion of a 1931 adaptation of the source novel by Phil Jutzi. A booklet contains an old essay by Fassbinder reflecting on the book’s influence on him, a thorough analysis and appreciation of the series by director Tom Tykwer, an interview with cinematographer Xaver Schwarzenberger, and a summarizing critical essay by Thomas Steinfeld that expounds upon Biberkopf as a Job-like figure. Overall Criterion’s Blu-ray offers only a mild upgrade in picture quality from the distributor’s earlier standard-definition release, but now Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 15-hour-plus epic runs at 25fps, as per the original German television broadcast. Cast: Günter Lamprecht, Gottfried John, Barbara Sukowa, Hanna Schygulla, Franz Buchrieser, Annemarie Düringer, Ivan Desny, Hark Bohm, Roger Fritz, Brigitte Mira, Karin Baal, Elisabeth Trissenaar, Barbara Valentin, Irm Hermann, Margit Carstensen, Helmut Griem, Helen Vita, Gerhard Zwerenz, Raul Gimenez, Mechthild Großmann, Angela Schmidt, Claus Holm, Fritz Schediwy, Axel Bauer, Volker Spengler Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder Screenwriter: Rainer Werner Fassbinder Distributor: The Criterion Collection Running Time: 940 min Rating: NR Year: 1980 Release Date: February 12, 2019 Buy: Video, Soundtrack |
If Major League Baseball expands to 32 teams, don’t rule out one being in Mexico. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told me in an interview that while U.S. locations are on the table, and Montreal continues to pursue bringing a team back, Mexico City and other Mexican markets possess qualities that suit the league. “We see Mexico as an opportunity internationally,” Manfred said. “We also think a team in Mexico and a larger number of Mexican players in the big leagues could really help us continue to grow the Hispanic market in the United States.” Manfred also said that the choice of expansion locations in the U.S. would not be affected by clubs with regional networks that blanket the country. “As a general proposition, I do not see the television territories for the clubs as a significant issue in considering expansion in domestic markets,” he said. The last time a team relocated to another club’s broadcast territory was 2004 when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C., and were rechristened the Washington Nationals. Then, Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos threatened to sue the league over what he saw as the Nationals cannibalizing the Orioles fan base and television market. The solution, crafted by Commissioner Bud Selig and the league, was the creation of a new regional sports network, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) that airs both Orioles and Nationals games, that is majority-owned by the Orioles. That relationship has been problematic as the two clubs seek to increase media rights. The issue has become so contentious that the sides have gone to court. When asking Manfred if he saw the same problem occurring should MLB decide to expand domestically, he said it was a matter of how close the teams would be. “I think the Baltimore/Washington matter was just too tight in terms of proximity,” said Manfred. “I don’t think that if there was relocation into a club’s outer territory that it would be such a problem.” Manfred touched on other issues around expansion… |
by This is the text of a speech given on November 29, in Raleigh, North Carolina. I’m a former Wal-Mart deli sales associate from store #2137, where I worked for about two and a half years. Firstly, I would like to give thanks to my mother, who is currently a Wal-Mart associate, and to all other Wal-Mart associates who’re working today and were kept from their families yesterday. When I was asked to speak here today, I was a bit taken aback; I haven’t done any public speaking since high school and wasn’t entirely sure what I should talk about. So, let’s start with a simple fact, nothing more, nothing less. The six Wal-Mart heirs (Christy Walton, Jim Walton, Alice Walton, S. Robson Walton, Nancy Walton Laurie and Ann Walton Kroenke) hold more wealth than the bottom 42% of Americans put together. Now, let’s do some math! The population of the United States is about 314 million. 42 % of that is 131.88 million people. Divide by 6 and you get 21.98 million. What this means is that for every dollar the average person in the lower 42% of the country has, these 6 people have, on average, 21.98 million dollars. As easily as you or I can buy a Kit-Kat, they can buy a custom-made 145 foot yacht and still have 2 million leftover. Please keep this fact in mind as I continue. And… now I’m unsure again as to what I should talk about. After 2 years and 7 months there are a great many things. I could talk about how my family didn’t have Thanksgiving yesterday because my mother was at work. I could talk about schedules which left me running the deli single-handed from 4 PM to 11, essentially asking me to do 30 man-hours worth of work in 8 as though I were blessed with 7 arms. I could talk about how similar schedules were in no way uncommon, once 4 times in a single week, and how, when I approached management (even going so far as to show them the schedule for a few days out and asking that they fix it), my complaints fell upon deaf ears; the schedules remained unchanged. How the flip-side of this under-staffing was hours-cuts which left me earning the equivalent of 9,000 $/year, for months on end, and forced me to choose between paying my bills on time or having food. How I saw my co-workers, who rode the bus to get to and from work everyday, who have children whom they love and want to spend time with, get off work at 11 o’clock at night just to come back the very next day at 7 in the morning. And how, despite all that, they still had to be on food stamps to feed their kids because we were paid so little. About how one of our cart-pushers came down with a severe case of the flu and, for forgetting to call-out during ONE of the days he spent in the hospital, got fired. How one of my co-worker from the deli was fired on her very last day at Wal-Mart, after they had no more use for her, for having forgotten one day to pay for a meal plate worth 3 dollars and 50 cents three months prior; she’d signed a new lease earlier that day, but termination for theft caused her to lose her new job and forced her to move back in with her family in Florida. Later that night I was required to throw away hundreds of dollars worth of food. About how, at my mothers store, an Assistant Manager, offended that one of his underlings, and a woman no less, had the gall to speak back to him, conspired to get rid of a zone-manager, a diabetic, while she was out on medical leave for her second heart-attack; she was demoted to part-time cashier and lost her medical coverage. He was promoted to co-manager. But… any single one of these things, perhaps even all of them since they’re drawn from merely 2 stores, might, by the limitation of their scope, play into the very narrative Wal-Mart wants its workers to believe. “These are isolated cases of improper management”, they might say, “which can be dealt with by the open door policy.” The same open door policy which was put forward to us on the very first day of orientation as the reason we do not need a union. Also, not one of those things really captures how impersonal an experience it is to work at Wal-Mart, a store which tracks its workers comings and goings down to the minute by their barcode. A store so impersonal that, in order to call-in sick, its workers must dial a 1-800 number, identify themselves by their eight-digit birthday, the last four digits of their social security number and their four digit store number followed by the pound key, and then press 1 to indicate they’re calling to report an absence, 1 to indicate that absence is for today, any number 1-5 for reasons ranging from personal illness to natural disaster, only to get a 10 digit confirmation number and be re-routed to their store, where they’re expected speak with a salaried member of management before getting off the line, itself a process that can take upwards of 20 minutes. And a store which, after hiring me on September 11th 2010, thought it a good idea, on September 11th 2011 and September 11th 2012, to display a message on the time clock which read “Happy Anniversary!”. But again I can hear the corporate response already. They might say something like: “These precautions are necessary for maintaining operations on the scale of Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer™, and in no way reflect upon Wal-Mart’s respect and consideration for its associates.” If only I had something which could fuse together the deeply personal grievances I hold against my previous employer with the cold, impersonal way it seemed to regard me. Oh wait… I do! In the back-room at my store, tossed in among a maudlin mix of motivational posters (ya know, the kind they make fun of on the internet), was this one poster which obviously came down from corporate on high. On the top it read “Wal-Mart’s Model for Success,” and below it had this little circular flow-chart surrounding an image of a cashier happily working, grinning the sort of wide, iridescent smile we’ve all come to expect of folks who work part-time for minimum wage, at a job which always charts their productivity according to scans-per-minute but provides no dental coverage. And this little flow-chart, in which this Cheshire-Cashier found herself encased, was broken down into four parts which read: “Buy for Less,” “Sell for Less,” “Grow sales” and, ultimately, “Reduce Operational Costs.” And when I saw that I said to myself: OH. NO. YOU. DID. NOT! Just call me, my mother, and my co-workers, loving mothers to their own children, OPERATIONAL COSTS to be reduced ad infinitum in the endless cycle of YOUR success. And that, right there, posted on the wall for all to see, yet masked with kindly imagery and sanitized corporate phraseology, is the logic at work behind it all. And it is that logic which can never be changed by any “open door policy” however perfectly implemented, but which CAN be changed by an association of associates standing together to say as one: We are human beings, not numbers and we will not stand idly by while you seek to subtract, from us, our livelihoods! And now I’m, briefly, going to go through these steps to demonstrate what they really are: a depraved diminution of the human soul into the mere fuel which drives a great engine of profit. Step 1: Buy For Less To see this step, you have to go all the way to the other side of the globe. For only distance is capable of providing a veil thick enough to obfuscate its moral reprehensibility. On November 24th 2012, the Tazreen Fashions factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which was creating goods for Wal-Mart stores, caught fire killing at least 117 people. They were locked inside. The building had no fire exits and the windows were barred. Those who escaped did so by kicking out exhaust fans and leaping onto the roof of an adjacent building. For the injuries they incurred, some of which rendered young, able-bodied people incapable of ever walking again, they have received no compensation, nor have the families of those lost in the fire. Five months later, Rana Plaza, a massive building housing 8 garment factories collapsed, killing 1,129 and injuring 2,515. And it was against practices such as these, that the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, in one of his less publicized quotations, once said: “A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth with righteous indignation. It will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say, ‘This is not just.'” Step 2: Sell For Less I find this step somewhat curious. After all, wouldn’t a business want to sell for more? The key is how this step flows into the next, “Grow Sales.” In this, the step reveals itself as being “Sell Less than the Competition.” Wal-Mart uses its ability and willingness to leverage its foreign producers into producing goods at “everyday low prices,” without regard to the “everyday squalid conditions” of their workers, as a weapon against other domestic businesses which are unwilling or unable to do the same. Thus, it consolidates our commerce into fewer and fewer stores. Steps 3 & 4: Grow Sales and Reduce Operational Costs I’m going to tackle these two steps together, because they are seemingly contradictory. A growth in sales would increase the size of the operation, and would thus seem to point toward “Increase Operational Costs” as opposed to its opposite. But, though these two steps may not flow into one another as sensibly as their predecessors, together they point toward an ideal, a dream, a fantasy which seems to motivate Wal-Mart. Namely, the idea of an infinitely productive worker. If they can make one do the work of two, they will. If they can make one do the work of three, they will. Trust me, they made me do the work of three and a half! Hell, if they could get one guy to run the whole store, they’d do it in a heart-beat. And if they could pay that guy minimum wage, they’d do that too! All the while, lobbying our government to let that minimum wage atrophy. These steps, taken together, expose the impetus behind the overwork and under-pay of Wal-Mart’s domestic workers, and it calls into question whether or not this too is a country from which profits are taken with no concern for social betterment. And I would like to wrap this up by posing a question: If the entire economy was made up of such businesses, an economy of businesses all pushing production abroad to wherever people can be maximally exploited, an economy consolidated into as few stores as possible, an economy of stores which pay workers little as they can and which operate with as few as they can, what would that look like? And how long would it take to crash? Make no mistake, Wal-Mart is not alone in this. Its model serves as a model for a great many others. Wal-Mart is but the largest wave in a rising tide, and, unless we stand together, united and with dignity, as a great levy for justice to hold and push it back, this tide threatens to drown us all. Except, of course, for those among us who can afford custom-made, 145 foot yachts. Thank you. Patrick Snipes lives in Durham, North Carolina. |
How To Roll Up Your Sleeves – The Italian Way. Originally published 6/16/2010 For as great as our President can look when he’s dressed to the nines, the guy sure does struggle when it comes to loosening the collar and relaxing a bit. The man still tucks his t-shirt into his sweatpants when he plays basketball. Anyway… See the President’s roll up there? Don’t do that. The guy looks like he has a cotton bagel halfway down his forearm. Here’s what you want to do: Unbutton the cuff. Grab the edge of the cuff and flip the whole cuff back. Allowing your sleeve to turn inside out along the way, drag the cuff slowly up past your elbow until the now bottom seam of the cuff is in your elbow pit. Fold the extra 3-5 inches of exposed inside-out sleeve up to “lock in” the cuff. Done. |
THE WANTS OF MAN. "MAN wants but little here below, Nor wants that little long." 'Tis not with me exactly so; But 'tis so in the song. My wants are many and, if told, Would muster many a score; And were each wish a mint of gold, I still should long for more. What first I want is daily bread – And canvas-backs – and wine – And all the realms of nature spread Before me, where I dine. Four courses scarcely can provide My appetite to quell; With four choice cooks from France beside, To dress my dinner well. What next I want, at princely cost, Is elegant attire: Black sable furs for winter's frost, And silk for summer's fire, And Cashmere shawls, and Brussel's lace My bosom's front to deck, – And diamond rings my hands to grace, And rubies for my neck. I want (who does not want?) a wife, – Affectionate and fair; To solace all the woes of life, And all its joys to share. Of temper sweet, of yielding will, Of firm, yet placid mind, – With all my faults to love me still With sentiment refined. And as Time's car incessant runs, And Fortune fills my store, I want of daughters and of sons From eight to half a score. I want (alas! can mortal dare Such bliss on earth to crave?) That all the girls be chaste and fair, – The boys all wise and brave. I want a warm and faithful friend, To cheer the adverse hour; Who ne'er to flatter will descend, Nor bend the knee to power, – A friend to chide me when I'm wrong, My inmost soul to see; And that my friendship prove as strong To him as his to me. I want the seals of power and place, The ensigns of command; Charged by the People's unbought grace To rule my native land. Nor crown nor sceptre would I ask, But from my country's will, By day, by night, to ply the task Her cup of bliss to fill. I want the voice of honest praise To follow me behind, And to be thought in future days The friend of human-kind, That after ages, as they rise, Exulting may proclaim In choral union to the skies Their blessings on my name. These are the Wants of mortal Man, – I cannot want them long, For life itself is but a span, And earthly bliss – a song. My last great Want – absorbing all – Is, when beneath the sod, And summoned to my final call, The Mercy of my God. – JOHN QUINCY ADAMS |
It was a late summer afternoon in 1925 when a bare-footed Nepal Chakraborty netted the ball, prompting immediate celebrations among a section of fans at the erstwhile Calcutta Football Ground. That day, 28th May, 1925, would go down in history books as the first encounter between East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. East Bengal won the ‘Boro’ derby (as the local expression goes for a big or important match) by a 1-0 scoreline. This was a momentous occasion for the five-year old football club, for their opponents had voted against their promotion to the IFA First Division less than a year ago. That game also marked the inception of a local rivalry which will enter its 92nd year on 23rd January, 2016 (Saturday) when both clubs come face to face in an I-League fixture at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan, better known as the Salt Lake Stadium. Like many football derbies across the globe, the Kolkata derby has its roots entrenched in cultural schism, socio-economic friction as well as geopolitical divide. The oldest football club in Asia, Mohun Bagan was established in 1889 as a platform of expression for the influential Bengalis through the medium of football. The club all but created history when it won the IFA Shield in 1911 defeating East Yorkshire Regiment – a victory which in a lot of ways resounded strongly with the ongoing fight for independence. Still a unified province in the early 20th century, Bengal was drudged in a collocation of religion and politics, confounded by the diversity in cultural beliefs among the natives of West Bengal (including Calcutta) and the immigrants from the eastern province (currently Bangladesh). It was the exclusion of star player and an immigrant Bengali, Sailesh Bose from a Jorabagan line-up against Mohun Bagan which prompted the foundation of East Bengal in 1920 — popularly known as the ‘Lal-Holud Army’ — a club which has since earned the distinction of being the only Indian football club to remain in top flight since the launch of the National Football League. An on-pitch rivalry and mutual discord eventually boiled over to enmity, with violent clashes between two sets of fans on derby days a regular occurrence. In a country where football is still considered much inferior to cricket, the fanaticism on display among Kolkatans during an East Bengal - Mohun Bagan game is absolutely unparalleled. Be it the stampede post a strife between the fans in the stands which took a tragic turn and killed eighteen people in 1980 or the well-known tale of Umakanto Palodhi, a Mohun Bagan fan who committed suicide after a humiliating 5-0 loss, the Kolkata derby showcases Bengalis’ all-encompassing passion for the beautiful game. Till date, both clubs have come face to face on over 300 occasions (the official match count stands at 312), with East Bengal holding the bragging rights with 118 wins to Mohun Bagan’s 87. It is not just the city of Kolkata which has witnessed the fierce rivalry between these two sides. A multitude of spectators in the Indian capital still testify to the intense showdown in the 1978 Durand Cup final — an amalgamation of football of the highest quality and zealous support base. In a league bereft of quality players, transfers among the two giants of Indian football are a pretty common happenstance but only a few have managed to captivate the hearts of both sets of fans, most notably Baichung Bhutia. Bhutia, the leading goalscorer in derby clashes (with nineteen goals), is also the only footballer to have ever scored a hattrick during the Kolkata derby. Bhutia was the star of a 4-1 East Bengal win in the 1997 Federation Cup semi-final, a match which has entered record books for being the singular highest attended sporting event in India, courtesy a 1,31,000-strong crowd which graced the Salt Lake Stadium. Traditionally, fish and football are believed to be the most crucial aspects in the day-to-day life of a Bengali. Such has been the reach of the Kolkata derby that it has transcended the realm of sports — the layman cannot fathom the importance of prawn to a Mohun Bagan fan or Hilsa to an East Bengal supporter. A popular belief among followers of both clubs indicates the Kolkata derby attains a greater significance when either club has won a major honour in the previous season. With Mohun Bagan being the defending I-League champions, East Bengal is expected to play with an ardent approach on Saturday. In the last two decades, emotions have mellowed down as the stature of football in the national scene has fallen; the cultural gap has been bridged with descendants of immigrant Bengalis supporting the Mariners and natives of West Bengal choosing to back the Red-and-Gold. The rivalry might have evolved over the years, but for the fans, the outlook still remains the same. “The derby is not only a match for three points, it is about pride, prestige and honour,” Sayan Bandopadhyay, a 20-year-old East Bengal fan puts it very aptly. For the thousands of supporters from different parts of the city as well as from other districts of Bengal who will make their way to the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday, the Kolkata derby is not just a forgotten heritage or an escape from the toils of their daily pursuits, it is a sporting legacy which has stood the test of time. Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button. |
Testosterone is also known as male sex hormone; although it is not just present in males, females also produce testosterone (but much smaller quantity). Testicles are where your testosterone is produced and women produce it through their ovaries. Testosterone is said to be a male hormone because it plays a key role in defining a difference between men body and women body. Get the FREE Guide... Enter your email address and learn how to naturally increase your TESTOSTERONE levels forever! I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information We respect your privacy Do you remember those early days of school when there used to be no significant difference between boys and girls? Boys used to had a sweet girly voice, no muscle and even difference in physical strength between boys and girls were nominal. Then what sudden changes in the body made boys muscular, powerful and manly? Yes, puberty. Puberty is a period when your body enters in the state of sexual maturity and your become capable of reproduction. During puberty, boy’s testosterone level reaches its peak; it rises up to 8-10 times higher than before. But that testosterone level doesn’t stay that high for life time. Researchers had proved that after 30 years of age, testosterone percentage decreases by 1% per year. And due to unhealthy lifestyle and other bad habits (smoking, boozing, etc), this depletion of testosterone level could go down at the faster rate. What is low testosterone? Testosterone is known as a male sex hormone for a reason; it has an impact on everything that transforms a boy into a fully grown male, like muscle growth, body hair, sex drive, and strength. Low testosterone is a condition when your body lacks its ability to produce and maintain optimum testosterone in the body. Low testosterone may lead to many medical conditions like lower libido, hair loss, and muscle loss. Symptoms of low testosterone: 1# Sex drive The primary effect of low testosterone can be seen on your sex drive. Male’s sex drive is directly correlated with the level of testosterone in his body. Many urologists found that males who were suspected to have low testosterone level also had less desire to have sex; their rate of masturbation was also considerably low. 2# Erectile dysfunction Although testosterone has no direct co relation with the erectile dysfunction but lack of appetite to have sex may cause a problem with erection. Testosterone alone is not responsible for the erection in male, but it plays a vital role in triggering the brain receptors to produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a molecule which initiates the chemical reaction for optimum erection. 3# Bone density Research shows, Testosterone plays the vital role in maintaining the bone density of human body, we all are aware of the fact that with the growing age our bones tend to get weaker, testosterone is one of the reasons for that. Human bone is like living tissue which is continuously breaking and rebuilding itself. But low testosterone depletes its capability to rebuild itself, which leads to weaker and fragile bones with growing age. 4# Muscle growth For any bodybuilder testosterone level is at top priority, testosterone increases the body’s capability of protein synthesis which ultimately leads to better muscle development. Ever wondered why female bodies never gain muscle as the male body does? Yes, you guessed it right; it’s because of the difference in testosterone level. With the optimum level of testosterone level, your body puts itself in an anabolic state, anabolic state means your body’s capability to burn fat and develop more muscle. But with the drop in testosterone levels, your body drags itself into the catabolic state where you are not enough capable of building muscle and burning fat. We all had a friend who naturally had a muscular body and low body fat, right? He had a high testosterone level genetically. 5# Sperm count Many people confuse themselves by considering sperm production and testosterone as same. For those who need a clarification let me clarify you in a single like: sperms are male reproductive cells which help in reproduction, and testosterone is a hormone produced in male body to inherit other manly features like gaining muscle, body hair, stronger bones etc. So testosterone is a hormone which stimulates brain cells for the production of quality sperm, and with the depletion of testosterone, your body also lacks the capability to produce quality sperm. This ultimately leads to lower sperm count in the body. 6# Hair loss As specified earlier, testosterone is a male hormone which is responsible for several body functions like building muscle, sex drive, bone strength, etc. Hair growth is also a function of testosterone, studies have found that male with low testosterone level tends to lose body hair as well. Although baldness can be an inheritable component but low T level might also be one of the reasons. 7# Fatigue Studies have found, people with low testosterone level reported fatigue even after long hours of sleep. There is a no direct correlation with the body fatigue and the testosterone level. But there is a direct relationship between stress and testosterone levels. Higher stress and high testosterone level can’t go altogether, most participants with low testosterone level were leading to stressful and hectic lifestyle, which ultimately lead to lower body testosterone level and lower body fitness too. 8# Body fat % You can regard fat as an enemy of testosterone, they both can’t survive happily. When you develop more fatty tissue that means you are killing your testosterone, and with the drop in testosterone level, you are again inviting more fatty tissue. Another reason of drop in testosterone level with the rise of fat % is: estrogen is secreted by fatty tissues, which makes it difficult for your testosterone to survive. What is estrogen hormone? Estrogen is primarily a female sex hormone, which is responsible for the development of female body and secondary sexual characteristics like: Breasts and regulation of menstrual cycle. An Australian study also concluded: When the group of 26 men was given the ADT (Androgen deprivation therapy) for the cure of their prostate cancer. ADT turned off the effects of testosterone, which resulted in gaining of 14% body fat. 9# Mood swings Testosterone levels actually define your mood, and it’s proven. A study found that the 23% of young men diagnosed with low testosterone level is found to have the symptoms of depression too. These mood swings initiate the vicious cycle by extinguishing your testicles ability to produce more testosterone which worsens the situation by further depression and the further drop in T-level. What could be a solution to this? Ever wondered why regular exercise is always linked with better mood? It’s because it regulates the level of testosterone in the body which in turn eventually helps in feeling positive, energetic and stress-free life. 10# Quality sleep Studies have proven to be deeper like between the T-level and the number of hours you slept, this study conducted on the effect of sleep on the testosterone level have proven that guys who had 4 hours of sleep had an average testosterone level of 200-300 ng/dl in comparison to the guys who had a sleep of 8 hours, these guys had a testosterone level of 600-700 ng/dl. Another study of 531 healthy Chinese Asian males proved the same. Guys who had a sleep of 4 hours in comparison the guys who had a sleep of complete 8 hours had 60% low testosterone level. 11# Man boobs A study conducted by Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism stated: Low testosterone level initiate the cycle of gaining fatty tissues which in turn boost up the production of estrogen level in the male body. We have learned earlier that estrogen is the female sex hormone and help them to develop female body characteristics, higher estrogen level in the male body also lead to the development of men boobs and depletion of lean muscles. If you have started to develop man boobs then it’s time to regulate your testosterone level and start a healthy lifestyle. Causes of low testosterone Obesity Obesity is a root cause of many diseases, low testosterone is one of its side effects too. If you want to take counter measure for your low testosterone level, then start exercise from today itself. Join some gym or go for a jog or just go for long walk, do whatever you feel comfortable with. It’s time to shred some fat. Stress We have already discussed this. Stress initiates a vicious cycle, which worsens the situation with time. Best ways to counter stress is some good sleep, eat healthily and exercise daily. Diabetes Numerous studies have found that males having type-2 diabetes are twice as likely to have a risk of low testosterone. Testosterone therapy can be a good option for them. Hormone imbalance Some time its hormone to blame, if you are going through healthy lifestyle and stress-free life then hormone imbalance might be the reason for low testosterone levels. It’s better to visit a doctor for better consultation and reason for hormone imbalance. Smoking kill’s testosterone, every smoker knows that from the day one of smoking. [Update] – Many asked if smoking a hookah is as dangerous to testosterone as the normal cigarette. To be honest, there are no studies available showing that hookah is better or worse than cigarettes on testosterone. However, if you decide to smoke hookahs, you need to make sure that you do not overdo it! Choosing one of the best hookahs is critical since you know that what you are putting in your mouth is not toxic. For example, the guys over at Shishaheart.com have very nice guides about how to choose the best hookah flavor, how to choose the best hookah and how to even choose the best glass hookah! A look at their article “Best All glass hookahs in 2018” will make you immediately find out what your new hookah is going to be like Medical conditions (liver or kidney) Study conducted to test the sexual function with the patients with liver diseases proved that healthy liver and their sex life is co-related. Medication If you are going through long medication than it might be a reason of low testosterone, therapy like ADT (Androgen deprivation therapy) which is given to patients who have prostate cancer results in total depletion of testosterone. Age Age is a primary factor of depletion of testosterone. Our body tends to lose its testosterone level by 1% per year after we age 30. Those with unhealthy lifestyle may see faster decrease in their T-Levels. |
Cursed Castilla Coming to PlayStation Vita Digitally Along with a Limited Edition Physical Release Jordan Loeffler October 25, 2017 8:43:19 AM EST Cursed Castilla is launching on PS Vita physically and digitally thanks to a partnership between Eastasiasoft Limited, Abylight Studios, and Locomalito. Independent developer and publisher Eastasiasoft Limited, Abylight Studios, and Locomalito have announced that their collaboration to bring the action platformer Cursed Castilla to yet another console has born success. Cursed Castilla will be launching to the PlayStation Store for PlayStation Vita in Asia on November 9. That’s not the only news that has come from this partnership, though! Play-Asia.com will also be selling Cursed Castilla in an exclusive physical limited edition. While the digital version will run $11.99, the Limited Edition of Cursed Castilla on PlayStation Vita will cost $34.99 and it will bring with it the following content. A physical copy of the game (region free) A full color instruction booklet (20 pages) An official soundtrack CD (56 tracks/70 minutes) A ‘Making of’ photo book by Locomalito and Gryzor87 (32 pages) An individually numbered collector’s certificate A collector’s box (with embossed logo) However, supplies will be limited for this physical version of the game. If you want to get your hands on one of the 4,000 copies that will be sold, you’ll want to visit Play-Asia.com on November 1 to pre-order it. Cursed Castilla is currently available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, 3DS, and PC. The game will become available for PlayStation Vita on November 9. For more information on the title, you can visit its official website or its Steam page. |
Articles Articles Poems Stories Biased Criticism Backfires Anti-Modi Crusaders Run their Rabid Campaigns Blindfolded Author(s) : Madhu Purnima Kishwar The systematic demonisation of Narendra Modi in the media began with Medha Patkar's Narmada Bachao Andolan. Though Patkar has played a historic role in raising awareness about the plight of villagers whose lands are arbitrarily taken away for mega dams and "development projects", she did an incalculable harm to her own cause by overstating her case, especially with regard to resettlement operations of dam oustees in Gujarat. It projected Modi government in particular and all Gujaratis in general as intrinsically demonic forces that were out to decimate the "poor tribals". But when I went to Gujarat to do a small reality check first hand, I was appalled at the wide gap between the NBA propaganda and the reality on the ground. There was serious mismatch between the NBA critique of Modi and the reality of resettlement in Gujarat. That gave me the first glimpse of the power of Modi the doer, an able administrator capable of delivering what he promised. He took up the challenge posed by NBA in all seriousness and provided the first of its kind rehabilitation anywhere in India. That is why dam oustees voted with their feet and abandoned the NBA plank. I hope to tell that story another time. But from then on, Modi became the most favoured hate object of leftists, liberals, feminists, radicals, environmentalists et al. However, the Gujarat riots of 2002 converted Modi bashing into an extremely rewarding career advancement strategy for media persons, NGO activists, academics and sundry intellectuals. Conversely, you are condemned to lifelong perdition, treated as a political and intellectual outcast subject to unending vilification campaigns starting with being labelled a fascist if you dare say one word either in defence of Modi or suggest a bit of caution to Modi bashers. As the Congress party seems on decline there is increasing desperation in the air for all those who have survived on the Party's patronage. The possibility of Modi emerging as a winner has put them in panic. That is why the media in general and TV anchors in particular have gone so overboard in demonizing Modi that even people like me who have been consistent critics of BJP feel revolted enough to say: "This has gone too far. Please don't manipulate us beyond our tolerance limit." We would be guilty of the worst form of intellectual cowardice if we kept quiet now. Let me illustrate why I say this from examining some of the key charges against Modi. Riot After Riot The most unforgivable crime attributed to Modi is that he orchestrated the "ethnic cleansing" of Muslims in 2002. He is alleged to be a man with a fascist mindset with Muslims of Gujarat supposedly living as an endangered minority in perpetual fear and insecurity. Interestingly this charge is most loudly and aggressively levelled by NGO activists who have received massive support-financial material and political form the Congress party and its governments as well as powerful international donor agencies. As far as riots, communal massacres and divisive politics is concerned, no party in India dares match the track record of Congress party in post independence years. It starts with gross mishandling of Kashmir through rigged elections, installing puppet regimes and then misusing the army to deal with the resulting popular discontent and disaffection. The result is for all to see-tens of thousands of killings and 'disappearance' of Kashmiri Muslims, near total cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley, and permanent regional and communal polarisation in the state. The Khalistan wave in Punjab was also a creation of the Congress party through propping up Bhindranwale with a view to wresting control of resource rich gurudwaras and Punjab Assembly from the Akali Dal. The same foolish formula was applied in Sri Lanka by propping up the murderous LTTE which exacerbated ethnic strife leading to endless massacres total brutalisation and marginalisation of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Even with regard to Muslims, the riots politically orchestrated by the Congress in Jamshedpur, Bhiwandi, Bhagalpur, Hyderabad, Bokaro, Meerut, Malliana, Mumbai, Nellie and a host of other towns and cities as well as the most recent riots in Assam-all under Congress rule are not forgotten by the Muslim community which has stopped being a captive vote bank of the Congress. Media collaborates with the Congress party in trying to make the country forget that the guilty of all these massacres have not been punished. Gujarat itself was a tinderbox since the 1960s ever exploding into communal and caste riots after Indira Gandhi assumed power at the centre and Gujarat was ruled by her hand-picked chief ministers. Congress not only sowed the seeds of communal discord but also harvested several bloody crops from those poisonous seeds. The killings in 1969 and 1985 were on much larger scale and the violence lasted far longer than in 2002. By contrast BJP tried harvesting only one crop-that too in collaboration with the Congress party. The difference is the Congress party has not learnt any lessons whereas Modi became far wiser from the blunder of 2002. Those pillorying Modi for 2002, display total amnesia over the fact that Congressmen and women had gleefully joined VHP/BJP goons in the 2002 massacre as well. It has consistently projected 2002 riots as a one way massacre of Muslims by Hindus. But as per figures given by the Congress party's minister of state for home Shri Prakash Jaiswal on 11 May 2005 in Parliament, those killed included 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus while 223 persons were reported missing. But anti- Modi brigade routinely overstates the case by talking of "thousands of Muslims" being butchered without every acknowledging Hindu casualties. Nor is the death of 59 Hindus burnt to death at Godhra railway station ever treated with the same seriousness. In fact, many among the Modi-bashers brazenly allege that the Godhra train massacre was a VHP/BJP conspiracy, even though several known Congressmen have been convicted by the courts for that mass murder. Compare 2002 Ahmedabad to 1984 anti Sikh riots in Delhi. Over 3000 Sikhs were butchered in Delhi alone, with thousands more in different towns and cities of north India. The anti-Sikh massacre of 1984 saw Congressmen lead killer-mobs who gang raped Sikh women, looted and burnt innumerable Sikh homes and properties, and roasted alive thousands of Sikh men in broad day light with the police merrily assisting the gangsters. Not a single Hindu rioter died at the hands of Sikhs or in police firing. The massacre was not confined to Delhi. Similar mode of butchery took place in several north Indian cities and towns. Uncounted Sikhs were pulled out of trains and set on fire. For three long days and nights the police either stood and watched the fun or actively assisted hired assassins. No Hindu homes were burnt in retaliatory violence by Sikhs. No Hindu had to go and live in refugee camps. But in Ahmedabad, thousands of Hindus, a large number of them Dalits, had to take shelter in refugee camps. There were several instances of Muslim attacks on Hindu homes and shops. 34 Muslims have been sentenced by courts in Gujarat. But this is never mentioned even in passing in media discussion on 2002. Numerous Congressmen have been indicted by courts and sent to jail, not only for their role in the Godhra train massacre but also in subsequent riots in Ahmedabad and other cities. However, there is studied silence in the media when Congressmen are indicted for the violence. But indictment of BJP leaders is gloated over for days on end. I seriously believe that the dubious role of the Congress party in Gujarat riots needs to be thoroughly investigated by an independent credible agency. There is far more to it than has come out thus far because of media complicity. Is Gujarat Development Not Inclusive? Another charge repeated over and over again is that Modi's model of development is not "inclusive". Firstly, this implies that development in Congress ruled states is "inclusive" when we are witnessing daily exposes of the Congress party -promoting crony capitalism and indulging in unashamed loot of public money and natural resources. During the run up to the Gujarat Assembly elections, national TV channels vied with each other to convince us that rural Gujarat is reeling under water scarcity, crop failures, droughts anti-farmer policies of the Modi government, especially with regard to tribal areas. Compare this to the information provided to me by Chairman of the National Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices - Dr Ashok Gulati - among the most knowledgeable and respected farm policy experts in India, appointed to this post by none other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. I quote from an interview he gave me in January 2012. "While in large parts of India agriculture is in deep crisis and growing at 2% per annum, the rate of growth in Gujarat has been over 10%. A major factor for this consistent growth is the efficiency and speed with which Gujarat government has worked to spread irrigation. The check dam movement started by a religious leader in Gujarat has been carried forward in a determined manner by Modi's government. He got all manners of civil society organisations as well as village and caste panchayats involved in building 120,000 check dams. He also started the Khet Talawadi programme for creating a pond in every field. He told the farmers, I will give you funds under NREGA to build a pond on your farm if you earmark 5% of your land for this purpose. As a result of this mass participation in recharging groundwater, Gujarat is the only state in the country where water table is rising while it is fast depleting in most other states of India." While in other states, NREGA has created major distortions in the farm sector, made farm labour scarce and farming non-viable, in Gujarat it has given major boost to farm sector through careful targeted use of NREGA funds for improving productivity of individual farms instead of siphoning off funds through corrupt means. Moreover, Gujarat government is providing 90% subsidy for drip irrigation in order to being about efficient water utilisation. This too has spread fast because of proactive approach of Gujarat government. As a result even in water scarce tribal areas farmers are harvesting three crops a year. Modi has invested Rs 1200 crores for reforming the power sector under the Jyoti Gram program. No more free power with strong measures in place against power theft. But every household, rural and urban, is provided 24x7 power supply. The farmers are assured 8 hour supply for irrigation at pre announced timings. He has separated domestic lines from those going to farms and invested in technology to stop power thefts. Power subsidy is actually going down in Gujarat while its availability has increased manifold. Gujarat is actually selling surplus power to other states. No other state of India has succeeded in such far reaching power sector reforms. If this is not inclusive development, what is? Does one hear one good word in the media on this account? Modi's government has built the best roads in the country-not just Expressways but even rural roads are far better than in most other states. This enhances connectivity of farmers with marketing and purchase of inputs. Any acknowledgement from compulsive Modi bashers that this is a hallmark of inclusive development? I haven't heard any yet. Ashok Gulati also provided a vivid description of how every year in the lean months of May-June, Modi, with his entire official team, plus leading scientists of agricultural institutes of Gujarat, along with private companies involved in farm technologies, tours each of the 18000 plus villages of the state. This brings the highest echelons of the government as well as latest agricultural scientists with their latest quality seeds and technologies to the farmers' doorstep. This too is an important reason why agriculture is prospering in Gujarat but languishing in most other states of India. Dairy farming in Gujarat has always been a strong point. This is witnessing further growth thanks to better road connectivity, water availability and spread of economic prosperity. Gulati also explains that Bt Cotton has produced an economic miracle in Gujarat. Cotton yields have gone up by 80% in Gujarat while pesticide consumption has come down dramatically. Gujarat government made it easy for its farmers to access high yielding sturdy seeds whereas the UPA government under pressure from ill-informed NGOs is putting all manners of hurdles in farmers acquiring better seeds. As per Gulati's estimates, Bt cotton has created a Rs 10,000 cr export potential per year. However, in Maharashtra Bt cotton is comparatively less successful; it has even led to farmer suicides and economic distress. This is because over 50% of the cotton crop area in Gujarat is irrigated while Vidarbha is growing cotton with less than 5% area under irrigation. Bt cotton can't grow without assured irrigation. If this is not inclusive development, what is? Are Gujarati Muslims Endangered Minority? Even the Prime Minister of India joins the unholy chorus and tells Muslims in Gujarat that they are unsafe in this state, unless they vote Congress back to power. Such irresponsible statements are expected from NGOs playing to international galleries who fund and support them but coming from national media or the PM of India, it is a shocker. Apart from other considerations, does he realize how much legitimacy such falsehoods lend to jihadi terrorists of Pakistan? How safe Muslims are in Congress ruled states became evident during the recent communal massacres in Assam when lakhs were uprooted from their villages and forced to take shelter in make shift refugee camps. Muslims of Kashmir don't think that Congress-NC rule has brought safety and security to them. The kid glove treatment and patronage Shiv Sainiks and MNS get in Congress ruled Maharashtra is not the surest recipe for Muslim wellbeing. That Bal Thackeray himself was propped up by Congressmen to finish the communists and trade-unions in Bombay or that Raj Thackeray gets soft-treatment because his MNS is seen as a spoiler that divides the ant-Congress vote in Maharashtra, thus helping Congress electorally, is of course never mentioned in media discourse. One can list endless such examples. Have Sonia Gandhi or Rahul ever been taken to task on this account? Even the highly partisan Sachar committee report provides concrete evidence that Muslims of Gujarat are doing far better than Muslims of Congress or Left ruled states in matters of education, jobs, business opportunities as well as crime-free environment. Recently, the Times of India reported that Gujarat with a 9 % Muslim population has 10% Muslim personnel in its police stations. No other state matches this figure. If this is not proof of inclusive governance, what is? Not a single TV channel thought this vital piece of information worth 5 minutes discussion even though it belies the myth of systematic discrimination against Muslims. The demonisation of Modi is so compulsive and thorough that no matter what he does, the media throws muck at him. If he undertakes Sadbhavna Yatra to reach out to Muslims, he is berated for tokenism. If he is flocked by Muslims, if prominent Muslims join BJP or endorse his politics, he is accused of empty tokenism while those Muslims are attacked as traitors. I did not see one newspaper or TV channel give the slightest bit of importance to 120 Muslims winning zilla parishad elections as BJP candidates in the recent most elections to local bodies. But if Modi does not field any Muslim candidates for Assembly elections he is castigated, ridiculed for days on end by secular intellectuals and TV anchors Modi's biggest contribution is the marginalisation of VHP and the RSS and their divisive agendas. He consistently addresses six crore Gujaratis, this includes all minorities. In fact, in this election VHP lumpen and RSS have provided foot soldiers for Congress candidates. The open alliance of VHP, RSS with the Congress party against Modi itself testifies that Modi has risen above divisive agendas and come to occupy centre stage. It is for "secularists" to say what implications it has for the Congress party. Apart from the fact that Gujarat has had no riot, no retaliatory violence since 2002, not even when jihadi bombs exploded in Surat in 2008, Gujarat has far lower crime rate than most other states of India. Industry is flourishing because of social peace and stability. Today Muslims of Gujarat are clearly scripting a new role for themselves and a new equation not just with Modi but also those who want to keep scratching their wounds and encashing their real and imaginary vulnerabilities. They are letting the world know that they can speak for themselves and manage their affairs without the help of manipulative mediators. ------- First published by Outlook India (see link: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?283393) Comments (24) We welcome your comments This article is an eye opener. Posted By A DASGUPTA On Date: 25 Dec 2012 Dear Madhuji: Thanks for the article on the Goebellsian propaganda of non-doers, non-achievers and green eyes. Admittedly governance in today's India is no easy task but Chief MInister Modi has been doing his best and is showing results. I cannot think of a single purposeful and successful achievement of those who have been opposing him. There is a canto on the world of falsehood, the Mother of Evil and Children of Darkness in Sri Aurobindo's epic poem, Savitri. So contemporaneous! But Mother India will yet arise and this is but a beginning. With admiration and greetings for a grace-laden New Year, Prema Nandakumar Posted By Prema Nandakumarr On Date: 25 Dec 2012 Nice article. But what are you trying to say? That Modi is a PM candidate? That BJP is secular just because a handful of disillusioned Muslims joined the party? It is true that congress is no better. Both the parties are same, the congress successfully hide its communal attitude while BJP does not. Such is politics in India. And the people are suckers they fall for the antics of the politicians. And as far as I have heard from my friends in Gujrat FIRs are not lodged in the PS of Gujrat because the govt. there wants to project that the crime rate is low in their state. And I have also heard first hand account about the plight of the Muslims living in refugee camps there and how much they are 'included' in the mainstream society. And the very fact that the trials of the victims of the 2002 carnage have had to fight their trials in other state speaks volumes about the law mechanism there. It is not fair to blame NGOs. You may be trying to sound un biased but honestly your article looks like it is. Thanks anyway for the interesting article Posted By Nikhat On Date: 25 Dec 2012 In India Hate Modi is a big money minting industry and large number of secularists, intellectuals, lawyers, journalists, NGOs, activists etc., etc., are making fast and heavy bucks. Not only in India this industry is very liberally and heavy financed by foreign agencies. It is a well known fact that patriotism is not in the DNA and blood of Indians. They are secular traitors. So for a patriot like Modi it will be very difficult to become the PM. A foreigner like Sonia can wield all the power in this country but for a patriot it is almost impossible. Indians are Hippocrates of the highest order. Where is secularism in the this country and who is secular in this country? In this country no one is secular and there is no secularism in this country. Here all the leaders are Communal or caste-ist and language fanatic. No body can give even single example in this country of truly secular leader. Here every thing is on divisive pattern. India has got a Communal ministry "Minority Affairs Ministry." India has got a caste ministry Ministry of Social Welfare". India has communal institutions funded by the government, Minority Commission, Minority Educational Institutions like AMU, Jamia, Hamdard, St.Stephen, Khalsa. etc., India has caste offices like Scheduled Caste Commission, ST. Commission, OBC Commission. In this country admissions, appointments, promotions etc., are held on the basis of caste and communal identity. Funds and scholarship are granted on the basis of caste and communal identity. India has got full time communal and caste leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalloo Yadav, Mayawati, Karunanidhi, Nitish Kumar, Badal, Azam Khan, Badruddin Azmal, Abu Azmi, Obbedudin Owesi, Shai Imam, Salman Khurshid, Paswan etc., Even India constitution and Indian Justice system recognize caste and communal provisions. The only difference here is That a Patriot Modi's patriotism is communal and divisive and other's communal-ism and divisive-ism are secularism and social jusrtice. Posted By Dr.Yogesh Sharma On Date: 25 Dec 2012 Very interesting and eye-opening. Love your title as well! Posted By Chitra On Date: 25 Dec 2012 I think you have it in reverse....its the deification of Modi that has led to others having to point out his methods. If anything Media by giving him so much space has helped in this deification, though they may or maynot be aware of it. I have always pointed out that the beginning is the godhra fire. If it was pre-planned as Modi says, then it is his biggest failure. If it was indeed in response to a local event, then the government has failed in its duty to secure both the vendors who were harassed and the passengers who were killed. To allow the event to be used as an excuse, enabled him to allow his minions to carry out what they had planned for years. I have cousins who have said before 2002 that such plans are discussed routinely. the exclusion of muslims from hindu neighbourhoods have been in place for years. But all previous governments, held such people in bay and provided economic growth and security. He has presided over the riot and then carried on the work that others have done. Modi as a Prime Minister scares the wits out of me, mainly because his minions believe it will be an carte blanche for them to do what they want to. See karnataka with bjp at the helm. He has never said it will not happen again or even taken responsibility for the events including godhra. Ashis Nandy had interviewed him years before he became a CM and either mishandled or encouraged the 2002 riots, and called him a classic fascist and could believe him as a future killer. To me that is very believable. On comparison with Congress, i agree they are not much better but that does not make him more right or give him an excuse. But i still feel that any chance of muslims getting a fairer deal still lies with a congress government than with any other. A lot of the muslim problems stem from the religious leadership which i think the people have begun to recognize. Sure they have been in power for the longest and have not solved a whole lot of problems. But I feel they are still the least bad apple. unfortunately i dont see any new alternatives in the horizon that can actually work. until that happens, i will still hope against Modi as a PM Posted By V N Saroja On Date: 25 Dec 2012 Kudos to Ms Kishwar for a highly contrarian but a feisty and well-reasoned article.One hopes that this catalyses a healthy debate within the media community. Posted By Rajat Narain On Date: 26 Dec 2012 Thanks so much for writing this thoughtful and thought-provoking piece. I entirely agree with your theses. Posted By C M Naim On Date: 26 Dec 2012 It is indeed courageous of you to write what you have written. If 2002 Gujrat riots are not to be left behind, why should 1984 Sikh massacre by the congress, 1857 and Jalianwala Bagh massacre by the British and the Qatle-aam by Nadirshah should be forgotten?If one goes by the number of persons killed then Congress is ahead of Modi, and we should break off relations with UK and Iran. Posted By Lakshmi Bhargava On Date: 28 Dec 2012 A balanced article just accounting the facts & not trying to pass any judgement. My belief is getting stronger that Media is either paid or threatened to run anti-Modi stories. Posted By Abhijeet On Date: 01 Jan 2013 My comments come in instralments: 1.Agreed that Medha’s NBA revo was an overdose. The GoI too had an overdose of the ways of toppling NBA by offering compensations beyond imagination. e.g a person having a small house and four sons is asked to find out the market value of his house. The owner brazenly comes to tell that the market value is 16 lakh, the GoI had no time to verify the market value. The owner is ultimately claiming Rs16 lakhs for each of his sons instead of simply 16 lakh for his joint establishment. The GoI then gave him Rs 64 lakh ! Medha found that her revo was likely to be sabotaged by such largesse by GoI so she too started warning the aspirants of huge compensations not to do that! Of late it has been proved beyond doubt that acquisition of land has ultimately become a means of earning more and more money as compensation so initially the poor are led by some activists to cry for their land and then they start expecting huge amounts! If I remember correctly when there was a lot of hue and cry against factories in Delhi causing pollution the Sheila govt. offered alternate land to factory owners at a village Bawana near Delhi and the farmers were given amounts as huge as Rs. 2 crores! So opposing any acquisition of land by poor people has become a business sort of! Arundhati Roy too was a prominent activist in NBA but of late we heard less of her and more of Medha. I personally donno if Arundhati too abandoned Medha in the NBA. (more points on this article to follow as in spite of agreeing with Madhu ji on the NBA count, I feel she is tactfully deifying NM which I personally feel is itself a biased effort…) Posted By Prem Chand Sahajwala On Date: 11 Jan 2013 Its sad that still many muslims can't see through the tricks of congress. They are merely being used as a vote bank when needed and have been (and will be) exploited and massacred when it so suited the congress. It is time Muslims vote for development and betterment rather than pseudo-secular rhetorical CONgress. Posted By khan On Date: 05 Mar 2013 My issue with this article is simple – it is too biased for Modi and too biased against congress. If the purpose of the article was to discuss the failure of Medha Patkar's Narmada Bachao Andolan, then the author should have provided the data to demonstrate the lack of support for NBA and Modi’s successful policy. Not much data was provided. Instead, the article is written as if to demonstrate that Modi is bad but Congress is worse. The article as written does not demonstrate that the author is unbiased (strong pro-Modi bias in the articles) and detracts from the key issue in the article. I am not pro-congress but the article is written as if it is written by the Modi camp. Next time, please be more objective, provide more data and be less biased. Posted By Arun Mehta On Date: 02 Apr 2013 Thanks for providing the useful information. Posted By Kapil On Date: 03 Apr 2013 Madam, A strongly worded article, and very specific too. It may have been difficult for you to come out openly against the "games people play", the malafide intentions of all and sundry but yeah, better late than never. You are already being questioned; the "timing" of your articles, your "motivation" or if you have "taken upon yourself to....". However, you being a reasonable voice, we want you to keep up the good work. We are reading your articles, and so are they. Posted By Bandev Ghosh On Date: 04 Apr 2013 Just WOW! Thank you... I think Modinama and this article must be translated to Hindi and Urdu and circulated to the muslims of India.. I hope and pray that Ma\'am you do devise a masterstroke to popularly circulate this material. I (And I am sure everyone who read this) will provide all the support possible in our own way by circulating / tweeting / sharing and by actually printing and handing over the pieces to everyone possible. Just one request.. please give us the translations. Posted By Say-No-To-Family-Raj On Date: 10 Apr 2013 Useless activity. The uneducated voters who ultimately vote in the govt. will never get to know these facts. And the educated ones, outside Gujarat don't care. We all need to hate someone and Modi is universally accepted hate point. Finding another one is too complicated. better stick to hating Modi. Posted By Subhojit Dhar On Date: 11 Apr 2013 Trustworthy journalism. It provides great deal of confidence about Indian meadia, with such sane and fact based voices coming out vocally. Posted By Rajnish On Date: 15 Apr 2013 Had Nitish Kumar Saab read these articles would he have changed his speech? Before commenting on any thing one should verify the facts not reying on media reports ,which may be biased.But sadly many are not verifying the facts .Is it the ignorance of Modi bashers? Posted By vageesh On Date: 18 Apr 2013 Madhu's Interview on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz3CjQBtyJc Posted By rgn On Date: 20 Apr 2013 Cong silent on cadres linked to Guj riots http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-08-09/india/27201201_1_congress-leaders-congress-mlas-gujarat-youth-congress NEW DELHI: The Congress has been going to town over Best Bakery and other instances of the Narendra Modi government's complicity in the anti-Muslim violence which shook Gujarat last year. But when it comes to the involvement of its own party cadre in the killings, 10 Janpath maintains a deafening silence. Even when confronted by a long-standing ally from the freedom movement days, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. According to the JUH, "most Congress corporators" and some Congress leaders of Gujarat had actively participated in last year's riots. Mahmood As'ad Madani, JUH general secretary told The Times of India: "We wrote letters to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, gave a list of Congress leaders involved in the riots, asked her to take action against them but to no avail." On April 29, 2002, for example, the JUH received a list of 25 Congress leaders from its Gujarat chapter, which was promptly forwarded to her. This included a former Congress minister, a sitting MLA and a former MP. Then on August 20, Madani reminded Gandhi: "Similarly our appeal forwarded to you in respect of involvement of Congress MLAs, corporators and workers in Gujarat carnage along with the list of culpable names remains disregarded." When contacted by TOI, Ambika Soni, in-charge of Gandhi's office, said she was not aware of the correspondence. Ahmed Patel, Gandhi's political secretary, to whom copies were marked by the JUH was not available for comment. The JUH insists it had accurate information from the ground. For instance, its Gujarat branch had written to the police commissioner of Vadodara city on March 21 that, "After the Godhra incident an urgent meeting of the activists of the BJP, VHP, RSS and Bajrang Dal was held under the leadership of Yogesh Patel (MLA)... Chinnam Gandhi (Congress corporator)... They had alloted the activists their jobs, they made a plan and instructed the activists to carry out this work without any fear and told them that they would get full support of police officers." The Gujarat JUH had mapped the Congress leadership even at the district level. Mehsana and Patan districts' list has 8 names of Congress leaders including local MP Atmaram Patel as having played a "negative role." A fax message sent on May 1 from Mehsana has this against Patel's coloumn: "Still has not come to help Muslims; taking sides in favour of a criminal person of Sardarpur and Ladoi village." A list of 15 from Anand is headed by a secretary of Gujarat youth Congress. But to be fair to the Congress and the JUH, the report is all praise for the "positive role" played by Patan MP Pravin Rashtrapal. JUH secretary N A Farooqui says: "The Congress has committed sins of omission and commission during the riots. Former MP Ehsan Jaffri had called up Sonia Gandhi for help. She didn't take a strong stand in her subsequent visit to Gujarat. The local bodies were mostly headed by the Congress which could have done a lot for relief and rehabilitation, but it was all left to the NGOs." Though Farooqui maintains that the JUH "has not severed its relationship" with the Congress, the party's ambivalence has led to debates within the Muslim intelligentsia over which political formation is best placed to defend the country from the danger of communal division. Posted By rgn On Date: 26 Apr 2013 Cong silent on cadres linked to Guj riots http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-08-09/india/27201201_1_congress-leaders-congress-mlas-gujarat-youth-congress NEW DELHI: The Congress has been going to town over Best Bakery and other instances of the Narendra Modi government's complicity in the anti-Muslim violence which shook Gujarat last year. But when it comes to the involvement of its own party cadre in the killings, 10 Janpath maintains a deafening silence. Even when confronted by a long-standing ally from the freedom movement days, the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. According to the JUH, "most Congress corporators" and some Congress leaders of Gujarat had actively participated in last year's riots. Mahmood As'ad Madani, JUH general secretary told The Times of India: "We wrote letters to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, gave a list of Congress leaders involved in the riots, asked her to take action against them but to no avail." On April 29, 2002, for example, the JUH received a list of 25 Congress leaders from its Gujarat chapter, which was promptly forwarded to her. This included a former Congress minister, a sitting MLA and a former MP. Then on August 20, Madani reminded Gandhi: "Similarly our appeal forwarded to you in respect of involvement of Congress MLAs, corporators and workers in Gujarat carnage along with the list of culpable names remains disregarded." When contacted by TOI, Ambika Soni, in-charge of Gandhi's office, said she was not aware of the correspondence. Ahmed Patel, Gandhi's political secretary, to whom copies were marked by the JUH was not available for comment. The JUH insists it had accurate information from the ground. For instance, its Gujarat branch had written to the police commissioner of Vadodara city on March 21 that, "After the Godhra incident an urgent meeting of the activists of the BJP, VHP, RSS and Bajrang Dal was held under the leadership of Yogesh Patel (MLA)... Chinnam Gandhi (Congress corporator)... They had alloted the activists their jobs, they made a plan and instructed the activists to carry out this work without any fear and told them that they would get full support of police officers." The Gujarat JUH had mapped the Congress leadership even at the district level. Mehsana and Patan districts' list has 8 names of Congress leaders including local MP Atmaram Patel as having played a "negative role." A fax message sent on May 1 from Mehsana has this against Patel's coloumn: "Still has not come to help Muslims; taking sides in favour of a criminal person of Sardarpur and Ladoi village." A list of 15 from Anand is headed by a secretary of Gujarat youth Congress. But to be fair to the Congress and the JUH, the report is all praise for the "positive role" played by Patan MP Pravin Rashtrapal. JUH secretary N A Farooqui says: "The Congress has committed sins of omission and commission during the riots. Former MP Ehsan Jaffri had called up Sonia Gandhi for help. She didn't take a strong stand in her subsequent visit to Gujarat. The local bodies were mostly headed by the Congress which could have done a lot for relief and rehabilitation, but it was all left to the NGOs." Though Farooqui maintains that the JUH "has not severed its relationship" with the Congress, the party's ambivalence has led to debates within the Muslim intelligentsia over which political formation is best placed to defend the country from the danger of communal division. Posted By rgn On Date: 26 Apr 2013 "Modi's biggest contribution is the marginalisation of VHP and the RSS and their divisive agendas" Why you have to dub VHP and RSS as having divisive agenda out of context? To look 'secular' ? Posted By S L Chowdhary On Date: 17 May 2013 The ruler of Dwarka rises again Posted By Garry Lav On Date: 29 Jun 2013 |
There's something in the water in Newark, and that something has made Nasto's ice cream sweet and delicious for 75 years. Frank Nasto III, the third-generation owner of the Ironbound icon, doesn't know exactly what it is that makes the Newark water so perfect for ice cream and Italian ice, but he does know the quality of the water matters. "The main ingredient in our lemon ice is water," Nasto says. "Newark has excellent water and it does make a big difference." Nasto's will celebrate 75 years of turning that "excellent water" into excellent desserts with a party at its store on Saturday — including 1939 pricing on its ices and ice creams. But even as the company celebrates its history, Nasto's is also looking to the future. The company has plans to expand its Newark facility as well as its presence in New Jersey. Nasto's store on Jefferson Street used to be a neighborhood tavern called Krueger's Brewery before Frank Nasto Sr., an Italian immigrant, bought it in 1939. With nine kids, there was always plenty of people to help run the shop. Nasto Sr. started out selling candy and making lemon ice before branching out to make other Italian desserts including spumoni, tortoni and tartufo. The store was eventually taken over by Al and Frank Jr., the two oldest sons. Today Nasto's remains a family affair, with Frank Nasto III as president. His brother and father still work at the company, as do a few of his in-laws and his wife. "This is the only job I've ever had," Nasto says. "I'm 44 now and I've been here ever since I can remember." The store has been based in Newark for its entire history — the cherry vanilla got name-checked in a 1950s flashback on "The Sopranos" — and Nasto says he has no plans to move it. But even if you've never been to Newark, the chances are good that you've eaten one of Nasto's homemade desserts. The company's ice cream, Italian ice and other treats are served at more than 700 restaurants across New Jersey. All the desserts and ice cream are made on the premises, and Nasto isn't even sure how many flavors his store sells because the flavors are changed out so often. The newest flavors are sea salt caramel pretzel and avocado, but despite the wide variety of flavors, vanilla is still the store's most popular, he says. Nasto gets ideas for new flavors from customer requests, as well as by reading the trade magazines and watching the Food Network to keep up with the latest food trends. "Real popular right now is bacon. Everything nowadays is like bacon potato chips, bacon this, bacon that. So I've been playing with bacon ice cream," Nasto says. "I'm still experimenting." If he does get the ingredients right now, he can only hope it becomes as popular as one of the store's more unique flavors: creamed corn ice cream. The neighborhood around Nasto's has a large Brazilian population and a few years ago, several people came in asking if the store sold creamed corn ice cream. Nasto had never heard of such a flavor, but he set to work experimenting with different ingredients until he got it right. Although he's gotten a lot of compliments on it, Nasto admits that creamed corn is a very polarizing flavor. "People either love it or they hate it. There's no middle ground," he says. "I happen to love it." Nasto estimates that his store makes thousands of gallons of ice cream a day during the peak months of May and June. To make all that ice cream, Nasto's has two mixers — one that holds 150 gallons of ice cream and one that holds 300 gallons. The ice cream is stored in Nasto's 10,000-square-foot freezer, which is kept at a cool minus-20 degrees. But even the giant freezer isn't quite big enough to hold all the sweet treats Nasto's churns out on a regular basis. The company has to store some of its products at a nearby refrigerated warehouse, Nasto says, so the store has plans to quadruple the size of its current freezer. Nasto also wants to expand the company's retail business by opening additional satellite stores in western and southern Jersey and eventually franchising. But right now Nasto's is focused on celebrating everything it has accomplished so far. The party on Saturday will feature activities for kids, a name-a-flavor contest and 1939 pricing on its ice cream and Italian ices. That means lemon ice and vanilla ice cream will only cost 5 cents. Nasto also wants to have a lemon-ice eating contest, though he thinks it will end up being a pretty short event. "It's going to be tough because you're going to get a brain freeze," he says. "It's not going to be a lot. If you can eat a whole cup, you're probably going to be the champion." It likely won't be the first or the last brain freeze someone has gotten from Nasto's Italian ice. But even though the company has been around for 75 years, Nasto says there's no big secret to the store's success. "It's just you buy good ingredients, you put good stuff in, put a little TLC, a lot of hard work and long hours." And a splash of Newark water. |
Introduction: Those who do it often know exploration is in need of an update. Planet exploration and the ability to jump into CQC, no matter where you are, were welcome additions, but the ability to push one button and instantly know the location of all objects in a system makes repetitive out of something that could otherwise be a rewarding experience. The result is jump, scan, repeat. The simple proposal below uses values of planetary bodies that should be available in the stellar forge server to calculate temperature, atmosphere quantity etc. and utilizes real scientific principles in three unique sensors, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Used in conjunction the devices would be more powerful, but you may have to decide which one you want to be class three or class five depending on the internals you have available, so one may be stronger than the other. As a result , choosing your combination will be important as it will make some planets easier to discover, and others more difficult depending on their properties. It is recommended that the monetary reward for discoveries be increased, especially the first discovery bonus to compensate for the increase in difficulty. This will bring meaning to actually discovering objects. As of now little effort is required and profit is low. The three scientific instruments based on real scientific principles and values used by stellar forge are below. The Radiation Sensor: Works in a similar fashion that your eyes do, except at lower levels and over a wider spectrum. Simply put, the more light reflecting off the planet the easier it is detected. Obviously you need to be on the side that is reflecting light; however, if a brighter light source (like a star) is between you and the object it could be drowned out. Other objects emit radiation like black holes, through xrays, and even some large gas giants emit low levels of light. Radiation Sensors Detects a range along the light spectrum Affected by Albedo (should be used in game already toi calculate planet temp) Distance to target (Light dispersed of distance) Size of target (Catches more light) Brighter light sources between you and the detectable target Radiating targets - from oversized gas giants to stars Side of planet that light is reflecting on compared to your side Higher grade expands the range of detectable radiation (ex: xrays, microwaves, etc) The Electromagnetic Sensor: This is used to detect electromagnetic fields. Many bodies emit these in space, for example, bodies with molten iron cores still tectonically active. These fields can protect the planets atmosphere from solarwinds and should be used by the stellar forge server to calculate atmosphere thickness. This would be useful for detecting tectonically active planets, atmospheric planets, gas giants, and stars. This could be made even deeper by allowing the device to reveal combat zones in the system as the electromagnetic from the many active shields would probably generate a reading. Electromagnetic Sensor Detects electromagnetism from objects in space Affected by tectonically active planets Gas giants Stars Gravimetric Sensor: Probably the most simple of all the devices. Mass creates gravity, and the more mass the stronger the gravity. The further away the player is from the target, the harder to detect, but the larger the object the easier it is to detect. Smaller mass objects near a larger one would be masked out by the larger target, but once the larger target is discovered, it would be easy to discover the smaller ones by moving closer. Gravimetric Sensors Detects gravity Affected by mass distance to target Larger mass objects near a smaller mass object Each sensor has a class 1, 3, and 5 version. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses created by your sensor layout would help you identify planets. Some far flung planets might even go undiscovered for a while... this is realistic. Though the hard ones to find would not have atmosphere, tectonics and would be cold, with low albedo, and would be small. You probably skip those anyway. Still want to complete that system scan? Well.... now its a challenge.... and perhaps it warrants an extra bonus for a complete system discovery |
A BRISBANE cyclist has given drivers the thumbs up for their approach to Queensland’s new one metre rule. Chris Cox filmed footage of drivers at Indooroopilly giving him a wider berth than normal after the introduction of the new road law earlier this month. “The drivers that were already trying to do the right thing do it even better. Then you’ve got the people that wouldn’t give a stuff no matter what that still pass a bit close or don’t pay much attention to what they’re doing,” Mr Cox said. “There are some doubting Thomases in the cycling community as well as motorists, but I think generally speaking it’s being seen as positive. I think the main place where it’s going to come into its own is if there is an incident, there will be a lot less wriggle room for a driver and his lawyer to get out of it.” What do you think? Are motorists adhering to the new 1m rule? Post a comment below. Mr Cox said he knew of cyclists who had still been passed by motorists within the one metre requirement at 60km/h. “I don’t know whether it’s a punishment pass or just general aggression toward cyclists but they’re the ones that go particularly close and fast. They’re really intending to intimidate, so really it doesn’t matter what rule you’ve got in place, if people want to do that they’re going to do that.” media_camera A car getting wider of the rider at Indooroopilly, as shown by the cyclist’s helmet camera. At least one motorist was at risk of giving a cyclist too much room on the road. “I heard someone complain they nearly got hit head-on because the driver was giving the 1m and didn’t think to look ahead to where they were passing,” he said. Mr Cox said some cyclists already have footage of illegal passes that they intend to report to police. “I think generally the attitude of people I know is if something feels dangerous, they’re going to report it, but people aren’t going to quibble if people come within 90cm of them or something.” Stephen Mitchell from online information group Cycle said the 1m rule was a great start but more legislative change was needed. “We’re only at the tip of the iceberg when we start looking at the submissions that were put in about law changes in relation to cycling,” he said. Some of the negative public reactions to the 1m rule have also forced some long-term cyclists off the road. “Those people have said ‘until this blows over, I’m not riding. They’re going to put their riding life on hold and let it all settle down first,” he said. Mr Mitchell had also seen motorists giving cyclists extra room on the roads, and said most of them have no desire to hit a rider. “There’s a very small minority of people who think it’s quite funny to drive as close to a cyclist as they can and blast their horn and throw stuff at them,” he said. “Under the old rule or the new rule or if there was a new rule that you couldn’t travel within 100m of a cyclist, that minority would still break that law.” media_camera Cyclist Chris Cox appreciates the extra room on his commute after the introduction of the 1m rule. As someone who mountain bikes, road bikes and has ridden track in the past, Mr Mitchell said Brisbane has a car-focused public and government. “I’ve been hit by cars three times in six years. I’ve had a broken shoulder, a broken wrist and a 10cm square of skin torn off the back of my leg,” he said. “If I had’ve been in a car, I would’ve had two dings in the side of it or a written-off car, but sadly I wasn’t in a car. Each of those was ticketed at the scene. I’m not having a go at the police or the courts – that’s just the rules they’ve got to work with.” Mr Mitchell said he knew several friends who’ve been hit by bottles and rubbish while riding on Brisbane roads. “I had a friend who was stalked by a car driver who kept doing U-turns on Sandgate Rd to come back and throw more stuff at him, but that’s a tiny minority,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re on a bicycle, in a car or walking down the street or at work, if they’re d***heads, they’re d****heads. This is part of the issue we have with the whole, what media likes to call the war between cars and bikes. “People from both sides will say ‘those bloody car drivers’ or ‘those bloody bicycles’, but it’s not because they’re a car driver or a bicycle rider, it’s just because they’re a d***head,” Mr Mitchell said. “It’s got nothing to do with the form of transport they’re taking at the time. That’s probably the big issue both sides have got to get their heads around.” For more local news, follow Quest on Facebook. Originally published as Is the 1m bike rule working? |
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